The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-08 00:00:00

eery o• /On ?• areas. The bands were turned an to be
•
...s the elttp shau.,l break is ~ though there woad
taw JAmead :Menu, in sash au mat, of saving • man,
Bath. wind blow so voluit.y with mow t at it wow iropre.
„I,le ere fees it, sod the toe in mutt .n around the ship was
i; up in • tamenee that would have defied getting a
ego tooting to tW must oeuvre ef ear enw.
al lee pieta slaked C 2 will show the manner in which
ere Ilse. envoi medium s:4 away from Cape Riley by pm-
.ere a hr L. y.til ul Air,zust, when the Breath'.
b se •.• carried not among some flee pieces and set into 1
the "emits. I pushed out under steam into the pack, and
shso., ...sly with co ...id. rable difficulty.
le .1.4 onee or re got her otougude the derrich we VITA-
▪ to cit., wail all hands, as I intended to finish the
• witterat ce ,ation if we Irtour,d all night.
21. While tilos 'mil eyed 1 ro ecieed ley an official letter
from Captain Pales. a copy uf which I enclose, marked
.L I," a mulct of VA melancholy intelligence of the death
el N. Bele% uhoh...tt been sent by Captain Pullen on lois
return during no) .hs.once, to acquaint me of the Wet. and
~,ery en the erogiaal deepatchee to Sur Edward Belcher.
This uutortmart o occurrence took piece on tho night of the
gale. wt ea )1.11.1..4 with two ante were thriven off from
the *bore em • doe ; and shortly offer, while recounnieriog
fr the top et . liummook, 1... was blown off by a violent
geot of wind in. o .. deep creel in the ice,. and perished by
droweins. Th two men were saved by a comparative
mote le, and aft. r •tric npc about lurid hours without food
Shit enabled t I cad and rej.on their fellow trees:4re, who
gave toem pro; ;owe,. nod then all returned to •he ship,
brerimg back ie safety the oto spatches ; but three of them
sehpets only fur lava:Otago
.t separate letter a .11 give their lordshipe further informs-
bon relative to t• • death of this ezeellent officer, who was
~ see fel regretted by us all. His zeal, ability, and quiet
~,....ruining muleteer, made him, indeed, beloved.
o:1. The ice closing again obliged as to quit Cape Riley
b.? r esidaig".t. end in endeavouring to push the snip into
a bosht in the I.orl floe, the Pecenix touched the ground,
out came off again iy, without damage. The
whole night was Po eta in struwghng to get the ships into •
TI-oe of venality, but th o ie.' dr ,re boll, vistas fast to the
westward, when tt 3.20 st.t ,of the 21st of August, the
ice closing all roue 1, bob 'noel. were secured to a this
edge, but with steam ready to push through the instant the
ice should loosen.
rt.'. Shortly, however, a rapid run of the outer fire to
t`.e wedwaret plreed the I'l oroie in the most perilous poet-
tire. I ordered :he hands to be turned up, act that aught
could he done' bat to be ready in one of the wont to aro-
vole for their safety; the ice, however, easing off, having
severely nipped this 'reel, pawed astern to the Breadab
bane, which ship either recd. ed tie pressure lens favour-
ao:y, or WAS lees ecru' to the emergency. for it passed
thrJugh her earboard bow, moot in leee than fifteen minutes
she sunk natty fathoms of water, giving the people
barely time to save themselves, and leaving the wreck of a
b at only to mark the salt where the ice had closed over
her; anticipating such a catastrophe I got over the stern
of
mais as soon as tee transport was struck, and
was beside her when she tiled, utd tan unhesitatingly
state that uo human power could have saved her. Fortu-
nately, nearly ti.,. whole of the government stores had been
landed.
Erelo.cd, • list marked "L 2 "'et forth the quaatity and
scot kind of stores that were land- d at Cape Riley and
Berehes Nand, also what was boat in the transport.
:7. Having taken on beard the shipwrecked crews,
every precaution was use I Wi.h regard to the safety of het
Majesty's steane-vewel ; but it was not till the worming of
the 22nd of August that we succeeded in getting her t., •
safe petition in Erebus riot Terror Bay, where the ship
was again !wend to the land floe.
1 now resolved to lose nu time in getting to England,
but that I might have the advanrage of the latest intelli-
gence from the Arctic orpisdten, I determined upon taking
the wit.im of the ice men'. r as to the [twat date he con
ordered I could safely rem :in at Beechey Island. End, sad,
marked Ie 3, is a copy of this report, and now I most beg to
refer their ler Mains to the R.:torrid orders from the senior
Uncut,* delivered to me ty Captain Pullen on he return
from Sir Edward Belcher, sad, w:rilc their lordships will
readily understanol haw awkward was the position in which
I thus became placed, still it was not without very serious
deliberation, the written opinion of Captain Pullen upon
the subject, a copy of whici, I enclose marked " L. 4." and
the authority as granted to the senior officer at Botchy
Island by thew lordship's memorandum, May 11, 18.$J, that',
I replied to Sir bleu I Belcher's order by • letter, the
copy of which, marked " L. 5.," I enclose, and which I
acted on; delaying to the last moment (end two days after
my ice master :solve eel our departure), with the hope of Sir
Edward Ilelcher'e arrival.
29. Their lordships will I trust bear me oat in the steps I
have bikes, and though I feel bow serious is the responsi-
bility I have this incurred, it has been done with the sin-
gle motive el the public good, and acting up to the full
spirit elm; untrue' ions.
30. Oa the 24th of August, I sailed from Beeeby Island,
but was shortly forced to take shelter in a little Its rbour we
discover. el. and were obliged to run into in a tug. This
harbour, eight miles east of Cape Fellfoot, a plan of which
I enclose, marked " C. 3", named Port Graham, and it is
a well sheltered ?coition, with good anchorage and fresh
water, many here, were tees, and nine shot.
31. Here we lay der* a violent gals from the eastward,
which was so furious In the geode, that though the ship lay
under the lee of a lofty hill, she drove with two anchors
s-heed, until see brought up in 40 fathoms of water.
The gale set vast I. Ana of ice up the Straits, until it
came to a dead stand, doubtlese from it having filled up the
whole Channel to Beech', blend, and most fortunate was
it that we got away whin we did. F.r two day' not a
spoonful of water could be seen from the neighbouring
kill, and the temperature falling rapidly with the prospect
of an early winter, I began to fear we had found OUT winter
quarters, indeed It was n matter dependant entirely on the
wind, whether we should get out this season ; • watch was
let to report the state of the ice, the icemasters and officers
frequeothy visiting the look-out hill. On the morning of the
Mot of August the is commenced to move out of the
harbour, and carrying the ship with it we narrowly escaped
being driven into the pack, which was only prevented by
skipping the cable (with • hawser attached), and forcing
the vessel under steam through a crack in the floe. f lie
hawser was cut through by the ice in endeavouring to weigh
the anchor, which was thus lost. I now deemed it advisable
for the safety of the vessel to proceed to the inner bight of
the harbour, which lying behind a shallow spit, perfectly
wand her from ice driving in or out, and should we be
usable to get away this year, would prove a good position
for winter quarters.
1 was ill prepared for such a contingency, ea we bad not
left on board sufficient provisions for our now much in-
creased crew, having the people of the three other vessels
of my squadron wito me, besides supernumeraries and in-
valid..
:12. In the evening a small creek along the north shore to
the eastward was observed, and we immediately shipped the
anchor and steamed up, but it domed ere we could reach it:
we therefore returned for the night, but in the morning 1
was gied to dud it agaia opened, and we procee led under
full steam and sail with • light northerly wind, towards the
eastoorard.Soth:ng but a powerfulstesmer could have effected
bee escape at that period, and now with one or two slight
detentions for a couple of hours, we made out of the Straits ;
passing Cape Warreader on the morning of the tad Sep-
tember, and here I beg you will tell their lordships' atten-
tion to :his position as one well applicable for a dispatch
/oedemas.
23. [luring my stay at Port Dundee (which is imme-
diately under the cliffs forming Cape Warrender, I ordered
slugs cairn to be built on • remarkable rocky pesinsula,att
its entrance. This cairn is upwards of 16 feet in height, 1111
feet in circumference, and painted red with a white cram;
its position is such that • vessel sighting Cape Warreader
must perceive it, and as nearly all the whalers every year
sight this Cape, I conceive it to be an admirable position
(should their lordships desire to send any despatches to Sir
Edward Belcher neat year by the whalers) for these des-
patches to be deposit el.
For sailing marks I have make sketches of the coast in
two velum's; among the drawings arc three views marked
" D. 1 and 2," duplicates of which I have left with Sir B.
Belcher, and I believe it to be Captain Pallea's intention
unless directed otherwise by his senior, to Imes an officer
and party ready to receive any communication neat year,
and in return to forward his intelligence by the same op-
portunity. Should a government vessel be sent out from
Ecglani, she would,of coarse carry the party on to Beech.;
I eland.
With light elude we succeeded in getting out of Lan-
caster Sound on the led September, the ice proving un-
favourable for ezaminiag the depot at Wollaston Island,
which I had intended doing.
.1. We arrived at Lievely—Disco on the 9th of Sep-
tember, and immediately commenced coaling. The baro-
meter threatening a southerly gale induced me to pass
through the Waigat to escape it, and in the darkness of
night sunning under full sail and steam we were neatly
going stem on to an iceberg 100 feet in height, to avoid
which we rounded to, within half-pistol shot of a rock
awash at the entrance of the Moligate, and which though
not laid down in the charts we supposed the ship was well
clear of; a strong act through the channel to the northward
must have causesd this deception.
35. While the coaling was being completed I made
arrangements with the inspector of North Greenland con-
cerning the disposal of the hull and spars of the stranded
whaler Rose.
For the more convenient disposal of her remains I blew
her up, and having landed, and placed under charge oh the
governor the masts and spars, with a list of their prices (a
copy of which, marked " L. 6," 1 enclose), we took on board
for firewood such of the &brie of the hull as would other-
wise have been appropriated by the Esquimau:, leaving the
remainder convenient firewood for vessels touching there,
to he obtained at 14s. a fathom, the price to be received
by the governor, and remitted through the Danish govern.
meet to the British admiralty for the benefit of the under.
Wie.llll. _

Having completed these arrangements, coaled, watered,
and refitted, we were detained two days longer by a strong
north-east gale, but on the morale-if of the 17th of Sep-
tember proceeded to sea.
4u. At Lievely 1 obtained information of a coal mine
about 2.5 milts from the harbour on tit. southern shore of
the island, and 1 am told that the coal to be obtained
here is in such quantities that a ship might take 1,000
tons. For banana in stoves it is preferred by the Danes to
Eng:ish coal. I obtained a sufficient quantity of an in-
Griot sort to make trial in cur boilers. A copy of the chief
engineer's report 1 enclose, marked 0 L, 7," and I have re-
tained ms board four casks of this furl for their lordships'
disposal.
On the Itlth of September put into liolsteinbourg
to Once sights, to complete nor meridian distances, and
satisfy ma ari to the rate. of our chronometers. In this
harbour (a complete survey of which, mule by Mr. Stant,m,
the master, during our first visit, and which is msrkt 4 C.

• Marked "M 2."