The Express.
London, England, 1851-11-25 00:00:00

Vbe Court.

OSBORNE. MONDAY.
' Divine Service was performed at O.4borne yester.
day morning before her Majesty, Prince Albert, the Prince
of Wales, and the Prince"; Royal, by Ulu Rev. F. rte.
theme. The suite and royal household also attended.

His Excellency Baron Brunow had an interview with
Lord John Russell yesterday, at his official residenee itt
Downing-street.
Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-Oleo
from the Governor of Canada, and the Governors of tho
other North American Provinces—From the Governors of
Van Diemen's Land, Western Australia, and New %es-
land, aed from the Governor of the Mauritian.
Despatches were sent off from the Colonial-office to the
Governors of Hong Kong and Ceylon.
The Bishop of London and a deputation had, yesterday,
an interview with Lord John Russell.

GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.-THE SF:ARCH

FOR SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.

Yesterday a very full meeting of this society was
held to hear from Captain Ommanney au account of his
expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, and from some
other naval officers, who had been similarly employed, their
opinions as to the probabilities of success in future searches.
The chair was taken by Sir WOODBINE Patties, and there
were also present, Mr. Lawrence, the American Minister,
Captain Fitzroy, Colonel Lloyd, Sir Edward Ltelcher, seve-
ral naval officers who had been connected with polar expe-
ditions, and several other gentlemen well-known in the
scientific world. Captain Ommanney was accompanied by
York, the Esquimaux sailor, who was the object of general
curiosity. Among the preliminary business was a vote of
thanks to the American government fur a magnificent col-
lection of maps, and a similar vote to Lord John Revell
for the grant of 5001. towards the expenses of Lieut. l'im's
Siberian expedition.
Captain OM SIANNEY then rose, and, with the assistance
of a large chart, proceeded to detail the proceedings of his
voyage in the assistance. The major portion of the gallant
officer's description has already appeared in his published
despatches to the Admiralty, and besides, as he constantly
referred to the chart with the words " here " and " there,"
the chart itself being too far off to distinguish the names,
we shall he able to give but a slight outline of Lis observe-
tious. His dates were not impotenne until he reached Cape
York, on the 12th July. There he saw sonic natives, ono
of whom was York, who consented to accompany him.
Captain Ommauncy then detailed the interview, end Adam
lieek's story of the murder of two ships' crews, adding that,
having subsequently investigated it, with the aid of Cap-
tain Penny's interpreter, he found it to be an entire fiction.
The natives described the visit of a vessel covered over
with a skin, which he ascertained to have been the North
Star. From York Sound they proceeded to Woletenholm
Sowed, where they found remains of Esquimaux tents and
some dead bodies (of the natives), which York described as
having been carried off by influenza. Nothing of importance
occurred further until he came to Cape Riley, where he
found those remains of the Franklin expedition which have
already been fully described and hare excited so much in-
terest. (The long naturalist's rake, which was among the
articles found, was here exhibited to the meeting, and was
much and curiously examined.) The course of the ships
was constantly heart with ice, both firm and drift, until
they came to Grandee Island, where the ships wintered
and the travelling partite were organised. These consisted
of 14 sledges, each containing an officer and six men, with
ample supplies of provisions. One party was despatched to
Melville Island and another to Cape Walker. This latter
party soon found the temperature 24 below zero, and the
cold so intense that the men were several days confined es
their tents, and returned with the conviction that to the
westward was an impenetrable barrier of ice. They found
few traces of enimal life, by no means sufficient tit support a
body of men for any lengthened period. The other
party under Mr. McClintock remained out 80 days and
went upwards of 1100 miles in a westerly direction, finding
fertile land and a much greater abundance of Caine. From
the reports of these expeditious, and of the v.,rious officers
with whom he compared notes on the 11th August, Capt.
Ommanney came to the conclusion that Sir J. Franklin had
not passed to the westward ; and teen if he had. he (Capt.
Ommanney) was of opinion that game enough would not
have been found to support the crews after the provisions
were exhausted.

The CHAIRMAN said it was a melancholy satisfaction
for them to have the last traces of Sir J. Franklin, and also
to know for certainty where he could not have gone. Ile
gathered from Capt. Ommanney that Sir John could not
have wintered at Cornwa Wand.

Capt. OMMANNEY said that all the officers were agreed
upon that point.
The CHAIRMAN then called upon Lieut. Osborne to
state his views as to the probabilities iu say future search
for the mining ships.
Lieut. OSBORNE disputed in succession the variona
conjectures which had been put forth as to the fate of Sir
J. Franklin and his crew. Even if he hail been swept back
to the entrance of the channel in the past year, lie would
not have remained there with eighteen months' provisions
on board, but would have made another attempt. In this
view ho was corroborated by a letter he had that day re-
ceived from Paris, in which it was stated that a distill-
guiehed French naval officer, Capt. Bonet, hail heard Mr.
Fairholme, an officer of the expedition, say before his de-
parture, " We will do capital; we can last fur six years."
, (Hear, hear.) Besides, Sir E. Parry had twenty•five years
ago started from Melville Island westward with only
eighteen months' provision on board. Me (Lieut. Osborne)
was confident that Franklin, with his screw propeller,
would penetrate much farther, as channels which would be
impassable for sailing vessels presented little difficulty to a
steamer. (Hear, hear.) Again, although they had heard
of several vesselebeing wrecked in these letitudee, the crews
always escaped, ao the moment the ships were nipped,
the crews jumped out with their bags on the ice
and escaped. (Hear, hear.) He was quite positive that Sir
John and his crews could not have perished within 200
miles id Wellington Channel, aa, if they had, the current
i would inevitably have brought down the traces. (Heart
hear.) His firm conviction was, that Sir John had reached
far to the N.W. up the channel, and all his conversations
with other officers since his return to England confirmed
him in that opinioa. As to there being no traces up the
'coasts of the eh .1, it should be remembered that the
shore was precipitory and difficult of access, and Sir John
would naturally pass it as rapidly se possible. As to the
other supposition, that the engine had failed, lie held that to
be impossible ; as, if it had broken down, Sir John would
have undoubtedly left so heavy an article behind. (Hear,
hear.) His opinion was, that there was a great
northern water free of ice, which the expedition
had reached, and which many reasons conspired
to make him think surrounded the pole. He
drew his conjectures from the passage of birds, beasts,
and fishes, and from the fact of the white whale passing
south in large numbers out from under the Hoes. It was
well known that these animals could not go for more than
ten miles without coming up to blow, and therefore he In-
ferred that they had come from open water to the north-
ward. A similar inference might be drawn from the move-
ments of the black whale, which was never killed beyond
Regent's Inlet. As to the means of sustaining animal life,
that did nut depend upon latitude, as Mr. McClintock had
found it abundant, at •• much higher latitude, than the
other party had found it extinct, but on the nature of the
soil. Another eircumstanoe that inclined him to believe
that there was an open sea to the northward was that there
were two tides meeting. One it was well known came
from the Atlantic, and it was reasonable to suppose that the
other wait caused by some other oceanic pressure. These
were the circumstances which led him strongly to hope
that the Franklin expedition had not perished in the Wel-
lington Channel, but had got up to open water far to the
northward. (Cheers.)
Sir E. BELCHER was inclined to attribute the current
—fur he would not call it a tide—to which the gallant
officer had alluded, to an indraught. As to the ezisteneeof
animal life, it depended upon whether the soil was nag-
nesian or plain limestone. He thought that a steamer
would have the only. chance of getting to the open water.
Mr. WHITE maintained, from various circumstances,
that abundant animal life would be found in extremely
high latitudes to feed the missing crews. (Cheers.)
Captain TRUEMAN considered the present a moat ins-
portaat discussion, and sesseud that the society would not
relax in its exertions for so praiseworthy an object.
Bir W. PARISH said that all the speakers concurred as
to the probability of an open sea near the pole, and also as
to the centime, of a sufficiency of animal life. From these
and other circumstances, he began to hope that Sir Joba
Pranldia and his gallant companions might yet be dis-
covered. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. LEE said that the plunge up Wellington Channel
bad always been a favourite plan of Captain Crosier's.
(Hear, hear.)
The proceedings here terminated ; and the society ad-
journed, at 11 o'clock, for a fortnight.

TER DUKE or NewcAirrte has ordered hie tenants
on the Clumber estate to kill the hares, and he only intends
to preserve the birds for his own use. Besides this boon,
the whole of the Clumber estates are being revalued, and
sundry repairs are progressing npon various farms.
THE FATAL COLLISION ON TIM NORTH WESTERN
ReiLwae.—The serious injuries sustained by Mr. Currie,
of Warrington, have terminated fatally. Our yesterday's
report will have prepared the public for this announcement.
A telegraphic message received at Euston station, from
Weedon, last night, apprised the authorities of the North
Western Railway that Mr. Currie died at six o'clock,
after most painful suffering. Hopes are entertained
that the servant of the Hon. Douglas Pennant,
and the unfortunate labourer who was also injured
severely about the legs and thighs, both of whom lie
at the Weedon station, will progress favourably. Cap-
tain Huish, it appears, in addition to other contusions, re-
ceived a severe laceration over the right eye, caused, it
is believed, by sums broken fragments of glass. He re-
mained at his residence at Willesden during the day, but
is reported to be considerably better. Mr. Bruyercs, the
chief superintendent of the line, who was knocked down,
and whose escape from death was so providential, had suf-
ficiently recovered from the shock to attend to his duties
yesterday. It is also understood that the other passengers
who were more or less injured, and who were sufficiently
well to proceed to their homes, are not likely to sustain any
further serious inconvenience. The explanatory state-
ments of the responsible authors of this diaster aro at pre-
sent of a most unsatisfactory character. It is expected that
the government inspector of railways will investigate the
eve, whether independently of or in conjunction with the
coroner.