The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-22 00:00:00

and shortly after passed over a narrow aloe' t7,ie-na, *.a
fathoms ; a few pieces of heavy ice were grounded upon it-;
the land appears to average front SI to 100 feet in height-
, composed of blue clay intermingled with sand. Moo;
whales have been about the ship; at rue time eight and
from one to four the greater pact of the day. A 'lo
the first that has been seen, was likewise remarked
upon some louse ice in shore, but time se oull am
allow of its being pursued. September 5. The „,4.
Cher, which had been squally, accompanied by a ma,
tog during the 'ley part of the day, cleared towards noon
when a large volume set was observed abeut 12 tam;
S.W., and five to the e mtsrard of the Horton, in the se
spot
heeesatvti ;
having
tor
thehadla n
landed
attracteded mark of
. , swhich
reindeerhattentionwould
leai
traced
iteraironc n ..grs a
e,
m.divanmbalaiuul
opinions were in circulation respecting its probehle cote'
a
t 1
and the ice-mate having pesitively reported that ft,
thi
crow's-Oat he could disuuguish several per-oie mating
oboe!, dressed in white shirt., and observed some white
tents in a hollow of the cliff, 1 certainly had every moan to
imagine they were a parry of Europeans in distress, con-
vinced that no travellers would remain for so lung a period
as we had remarke3 the smoke in one spot fur their plea.
sure ; therefore, to satisfy myself equally as others, I deter-
mini d to send a boat on shore, se it was now calm; the first
whaleboat, under Licutectut Cresswell, with Dr. Arm.
strong and Mr. Miert.ching, despatched to examine
into the cause, who un their return reported the rinolie to
emanate from 15 small mounds, of volcanic appearance,
occupying a space of alma 50 yards, the place strongly
im-
pregnated with sulphur, the lower mounds being a!iout 30
feet Above the see level, the highest about all feet ; the land
in its vicinity was blue clay, much intersected witu ravines
and deep watercourse+, varying in elevation from 300 to
5
pond of water immediately above the nolunels; a notice of
o:
ft
as the cliff is evidently rapidly crunibling away. Thus the
mystery of the white shirts and tents was most eatisfac.
torily explained ; a breeze shortly springing up from thewestward, we made sail to the N E. ; during the right it
freshened considerably, with rain and thick weather; this,
combined with four hour,' darkness, compelled me to sail, although loath to lose the full heat fit of the
fair wind, but we struck so heasily against
e
floe pieces that were barely shove the water, that the
greatest vigilance and attention were insufficient to avoid
them, so au alternative remained to prevent disaster. A
great many seals and weeks were teen in Franklin•bay;
no less than 1.5 of the latter were playing around us at one
time, but very small, or, according to Greenland hshiaa
phraseology, " haying only thremiu it bone," so Mr. New-
ton, the ice-mate, informs me. At 4 a.m. upon tee morn.
ing of the 6th, we were ott „the small islands near Cape
Parry, bearing N E by N., ten miles, with a fine westerly
breeze, and loose saltine ice, interspersed with many
heavy floe pieces ; the main pack was about three miles to
the N.W., apparently one solid mees. At 11.30 cm. high
land was observed on the p let bow, bearing N.E. by it.,
distant about 50 miles. On approaching it, the main pack
appeared to be reeling upon the western shore, which side
it was my intention to have coasted hart it been possible;
the eastern one being, however, comparatively clear as far
as could be ascertained from the masthead, decided me to
follow the water, supposing it an island round whizh a eu.
sage would be found into the Polar Sc,. We continued
working to windward the whole of the night, sod by 9.30
a.m. of the 7th were off the Solth Cape, a fine bold head-
land, the cliffs rising perpendicularly upwards of a thou•
sand feet, which woe named " Lord Nelson's Head," in
memory of the hero e lose early career was connected with
Arctic adventure. flee shortly afterwards hove to, and,
with the first whaleboat and cutter, landed and took pos-
seesi-o, in the name of her meet gracious Majesty, calling
it " Baring's Island," in honour of the First Lord of the
Admiralty. A pole woo erected, with a large painted ball
upon it, near a cask, which was left, containing a notifica-
tion and other particulars of our having been there; the
sights obtained by artificial horizon place the signal staff in
lat. 71 deg. 6 min. N., lon. 123 deg. W. ; sad the tall of
the tide was aacertained to be 6 inches during roe hour.
and.a-half. We observed numerous recent tracts of rein-
deer, hare, and wild fowl, mess, and divers species of wild
flowers were also in great abundance ; many specimens of
them equally, se of other snhjects, of interest to the
naturalist, were selected with much care by Dr. Armstrong.
From an elevation obtained of about 500 leer, we had a fine
view towards the interior, which was well clothed with
moss, giving a verdant appearance to the ranges of hills that
rose gradually to Mitwecu *2,000 and 3,00 a feet, intersected
with ravines, which must convey a copious supply of water
to a large lake situated in the centre of a wide plain. about
1.5 miles distant; the night to seaward was favourable in the
extreme—open watt r, with a very small quantity cl ice, for
the distance of full 40 miles towards the east, insured good
progress in that eirection. Returning on board at 1 p.m.,
we made sail to the eastward, having a beating wind. Con-
tinued working along shore, in soundings varying from
nine to 76 fathoms, dark mud mizsd with yellow clay, until
close to the land, wit nit changed to fine white sand. The
weather becoming foggy, our lead was the only guide until
10 a.m. of the 9th ; it then cleared for a short time, when
land was observed to the eastward, about 15 miles distant,
extending to the northward as far as the eye could reach.
The mountains in the interior are; lofty and snow-covered,
while the low ground is quite free. Several very remark.
able peaks were iiisecrnable, apparently of volcanic origin.
This discovery was named I'rince Albert's Island, in honour
of her Majesty's consort, in lat. 72 1 N., long. 119 25 W.,
continuing our course slowly to the N.E., in consequence of
thick fog, snow: gni baffling winds. At 8 a.m. of the 10th
we were near two rocky islets, named after her Royal
Highness the Princess Royal, the largest being about 600
feet in height, and a mile mud-a-half in length, the southern
and eastern sides being precipitous ; the other was shout
a quarter of a mile long and a howl: ed feet high, gra-
dually sloping to the water's edge, representing very much
the appearance of an inverted whaleboat; the wind becom-
ing fair, and weather clearing, all the studding sails were
set, with the hope of i eachiug Barrow's Straits, from which
we were DOW distant about 70 miles, as the water was
tolerably clear in that directien, although much ice was
lying against the western land, and from a shoal extending
towards it from the largest of the Princess Royal Islands,
upon which we obteined 13-fathoms water; much loose ice
was also in motion, and while endeavouring to run between
two floes, at the rate of four knots, they closed so rapidly,
one upon either beam, that our way was instantly stopped,
and the vessel lifted considerably ; in this position we were
retained a quarter of an hour, when the pressure eased and
we proceeded. Our advance was of short duration, as at
2 p.m. the wird suddenly shifted to the north-east and
began to freshen; the water, which a few hours previous
had excited sanguine lovas of a good run, tIVC:OIe soon
thickly studded with floes, that by 4 p.m. there was scarcely
eufficient to keep the ship free ; this by much exertion was,
however, effected, until 2 a.m. of the Ilth, when we were
beset; at 5 a.m. the ice again opened, which admitted of
our getting • few miles to the turth-cast, until 11.39 a.m.,
when our course was impeded by a very dense peck. At
7 p.m. the wind shifting to the north-west, set the whole
body of the ice upon the eastern ahcre, which shoaled our
water from 80 to 50 fathoms in one hour ; a clear space of
two miles was, however, the result of this movement, in
which we contiuued working the whole night, and upon the
morning of the 12th perceived we hal lost tome miles, se
the pack was in motion to the southward ; also the further
mortification of seeing the whole of the western shore per-
fectly exempt from ice, while the space of water we occu-
pied was become rapidly more limited by very large and
heavy floes, through which we were unable to force, and
at 11 a.m. were sgain beset. A fresh gale, with snow,
which continued until the morning of the 13th, pressed the
its so heavily upon the vessel that the rudder was unhung
to prevent its being damaged; during the night the tem-
perature fell to 10 deg., and the land became completely
snow covered; on the lsth, however, it rose to 30 degowith
the wind from the S.W., which set the ice in motion, com-
pelling us to shift our berth to avoid collision with an
immense floe. At 2.36 a.m. commenced wimple?, which
tediou- sod laborious duty continued with but slight inter-
mission until half-past 12, when we passed into clear water.
A run of five miles to the N.E. brought us to another icy
field too dense to penetrate, extending from shore to shore,
which hers is about 12 miles asunder. The weather towards
sunset becoming thick with snow, we ran into six fathoms,
sod secured to a piece of grounded ice under the western
land, with the intention of remaining during the night, as
they were then long and dark, therefore mistreating among
close ice is quite impracticable ; the wind, which bad been
fresh from the S.W. during the day, about 7 p.m. taillight,
when the ice in the N.E., no longer restrained, spread with
such rapidity that at a little after 8 it was observed ap-
proaching, its whi'e line clearly defined mining like an
unbroken wave along the dark smooth water. To turn
the hands up, make sail, and cast off the warps, was bat
the work of a few minutes ; yet, with such violence was it
impelled, that we had scarcely time to tow clear of themes
we had been fast to before it encircled the vessel, sweeping
h aged to the S.E., which took us
cbhiirienaw.diarbecotonutrohsneeSwt.hate:b.cciuletoh.fifroertfuatntotmelys.,
flreemxpes.ectmede toun havemen
into 20 fathoms. Thus fluctuating between heron and fears
until 11.45 p.m., when its progress was mysteriously arrested
allowed of our running into clear
fiwceuo fna as
the
we
welldrawingw aa st
water
het °f
when-
evero
became a subject of anxious consideration what couree to
murstakably pointed out, tt
nlcwsllasd:eel
for-
mation
gradually
wind ol ytt
the
ahoeeb:cfecanalii opening
gen navigable
uponlight, the
the
I season
temperature,s
adopt in regard to the safety of the vessel, whether, by run-
ning to the southward, in which direction the water was
still open, to endeavour to obtain a harbour in one of the bays
indenting the south eastern side of Baring's Land, the
nearest, probably, being 60 miles distant, and then only the
chance of finding a safe anchorage, which, if our search
proved a failure, would place the vessel in a worse situation
than at present, exposing her toe wide sea range, subject to
heavy pressure from the enormous massive floes with which
the Polar Sea is encumbered, from which we are here pro-
tected by the Princess Royal Islands, or continue our ad-
vance to the north east as long as the season permitted, and
then submit to the only [alternative, that of kiwi:hag a
winter in the pack. I decided upon the latter, for them
reasons—that to relinquish the ground obtained through so
much difficulty, labour, and anxiety, for only the Toots
chance of lading safe winter quarters, would be injudicious,
thoroughly impressed as I am with the absolute importance
of retainiag every mile to insure any favourable results
while navigating these seas, the lots of which might fro-
, trate the operations of a wbele season. Above all, bring, in
'the vicinity of Banks's Land, and in the direction which
Sir J. Franklin would in all probability have endeavoured
to penetrate could he have reached Cape Walker ; I therm
fore considered that our position was most eligible for car-
rying into full effect the instructions of my Lords Comets-
monenof the Admiralty when the season becomes favourable
for despatching parties upon this important and interesting
search. These, sir, were the considerations which influenced
me in this " choice of difficulties," and they will, I trust,
appear of sufficient vslidity to meet with the concurrence
of their lordships, hazardous as was the experiment. At
6 a.m. of the 17th, the wind, which had been light from
the N.W., gradually died away, when we were almost