The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-08-23 00:00:00

DISCOPERF SHIPS.

Every thing relative to Captain Parry and his enterprising
associates is so interesting to the public, that we have not
hesitated to displace some of our own observations to male
room for the following intelligence from the Dumfries and
Galloway Couricr of the 17th inst.
IVlask4sll Islearls, jaaen.
We arrived bare, as I anticipated, on Saturday morning, and es
have been since busily engaged mremoving our stores from the
transport, which will, in all probability, leave us on Thursday
morning, and as I am going on an excursion to Iliac°, about twentf
miles from this, I must finish my letters to-night There is rest
dent on this island a Ihni•tt Governor or merchant, and about
eighty-nine or ninety Eaquimaux, or rather a :nixed race of planes
and Esquimaux ; they are mostly Christians, and it is quite de.
lightful to find the Holy Scriptures among them, and to see alma,.
every one or these poor creatures enabled to read the Blessed Word
in their own language. The huts of these poor people are, cont.
!iteratively, clean and comfortable ; they possess a great many of
the European comforts of life; and among the things that excited
our astonishment was, their having, in almost every hut, a mad.
cal instrument, called a mandolin, very much like a guitar, nor
which the Ellerin:aux women play very tolerably. The Govemoeb
wife is front Caspenhagen. and, judging by her appearance, the di.
mate agrees sell with her, for her fat ruddy cheeks bespeak robe*
health.—With any ether man for a husband, she would seem a
monstrous large woman ; but as the Governor happens to be six
feet four, and stout in proportion, they are tolerably well paired.
They bare a Missionary residing about eighteen codes from this,
who during the summer months is cantinually going about visit.
ing the different islands, to admonish and instruct, and to perform
the Christian ceremonies of baptism and marriage, Ace.—Whet
devotion to the cause of religion is here exercised ! Ti,
privations and difficulties they must' have had to encounter
are incalculable and it is quite deliFlitful to see in this
little place, that the blessed fruit of their labours is making i.s
appearance among them. I have had some pleasing proofs of the
improved state of their moral character. Some years ago I had a
Labrador translation of the Gospel given me, and I had now the
satisfaction of receiving the sincere thanks of a poor fellow for it,
to whom I hope it will prove a blessing ; he could read it very
will, and told me that his daughter, a girl eleven years of age,
would also be able to read it. The translations which they possess
here were made by the celebrated Otto Fabrietos, and they bars
also the church catxhism, and a book fif hymns, in their own lan.
guage. The settlement to which Captains Parry and Iluppner,
are going to-morrow is the principal o;:e that the Danes have in
this country ; and we understand that there are several gentlerns%
like, intelligent men there; among them are two Danish naval
officers, who are employed in a survey of all the coasts in posses.
sion of, the country in this neighbourhood.
It has been ascertained by the Russian navigators, that the set
is open in the months of July and August beyond Icy ('ape tan
island, and not part of the Continent, as has hitherto been be.
Dewed) to the North east, with a current constantly settimt Eat.
ward to Melville Island and to Baffin's Bay. The presumption,
therefore, is, that to the Eastaard the sea is open in the month:, of
July, August, and September, if it is not really so at a distance
from the American coast and islands adjacent, throughout the
year. A Russian expedition passed Cape Horn last winter, to
pursue discoveries in the parts mentioned, and would probably he
off Icy Cape, advancing East, about the same time that Captain
Pasty entered Lancaster Sound, proceeding West. The palm of
discovery, therefore, now lies between the able officers of the titc
greatest nations in Europe, each animated, no doubt, to the greatest
exertions and boldest undertakings, in order to be the first to as.
certain the most important geographical problem that now remains
to be solved on this globe. Should they meet betwixt the ports
we mention,as is by no means improbable, the meeting will not Is
more surprising than welcome ; and, under such cinumstances, to
whom would the honour of the solution of this problem belong ?
We can easily conceive •hat the discovery of an open sea towards
the Pole, and consequently a passage from Behrtng's Straits to
'Archangel, must be an object of great importance to Russia. Ths
distance from the two points is not snore than 2,800 geographic
miles. By a mute almost direct (crossing the meridian is about
the parallel of 85 deg. above the Pule), Russia could, during du
Kummer season, supply all her settlements on the east coast, of
Asia, and west coasts of America, and transport to them with the
utmost aecresy, depots of arms and warlike stores, in order is
overawe or to subdue Japan and the Isles in the Pacific. with as
—se celerity as Great Britain can transport these to Jamaica.