The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-11-10 00:00:00

THE DISCOVItItY, SHIPS.
AND THU
LAND EXPEDITION TO THE NORTH POLE.

[From 7'#e thdl Perifel

W 6 have alresey noticed the return of the di..
corery 'hips, the Hecht and Gripth
Calculating upon the hypothevis which led to this
voyare as now
_place.' beyond all controversy or
calculation, it is natural to suppovc that the public
anxiety will flow in the channel of the Land Ex-
pedition, conducted by Lieutenant Frio,klin, who,
with his companionv, were left, on the 30th of June
hurt, all well, 700. miles up the country from Hud-
son's Bay, expecting that by the beg' tt of
September, they would arrive at the Coppeimine
River.

Some years ago, a Gentleman, who was imtpre•sed
with the idea of the possibility of reaching the
North Pole from Spitsbergen, sent several queries,
and requested answers to them from Russians, who '
were at that time living at Archangel, and had win•
tered in those remote islands. Those questions, as
well as the answers, are as follow ; and as they' may
assist our readers' judgment respecting the proba-
bility of Lieutenant Franklin's reaching the North
Pule by land, we urge them most particularly upon
their attention :-
1. Quart. How many settlements have the
Rat►stanv are the Mond al Spitsbergen, and Witch
is the mist northerly ?—Ansorsa. There are nei-
ther settlements nor fixed inhabitants in Spitsber-
gen, except those fishermen who go there in quest
of fish, and likewise of those animals from Mellen,
Archangel, Otsego, Ruda, and other places border-
ing the White Sea, in vessels from sixty to one
hundred and sixty tons. They sail from the shove-
mentioned places, those for the summer fishery in
the beginning of June, and those for the winter in
June and July. They arrive on the west side of
Spitsbergen, and commonly return home, the for-
mer same year in September, and the latter the
next year in August and September. They winter
iii the Gulfs of Devil Illy, Clock Bay, Ring
Bay, Crus Buy, German Island, Magdalene Bay,
and to the truriliward in Lielde Bay, and others.
The furthest north our fishermen ever have sailed
to is Liefde Bay, and from thence in small bouts as
far as Nordoster Island.
I. Q. At what time of the year does the winter
(continence ?—A. The winter generally sets in
about the latter end of September and
.beginning
of October.

3. Q. Is it ushered in by storms, and is any one
wind particularly productive of them ?—A. The
winter winictimes sets in with winds from the north,
th north-weft, and f th-west ; and sometimes
commences with c.din weather, .hard frosts accom-
pilled with snow.

4. Q. Is the weather, generally speaking, calm
in winters or are the winds high ?—A. The winds
are very high and frequent ; so dust two thirds of
the winter may he said to be boisterous.
5. Q. What quintity of snow do you suppose
fills annually ; that is, to what depth un the
g ttttt ail ?—A. Ou even places the snow is from three
to five fret deep; but the triode drive it from place
In place, 10 as sometimes to render all passage int-
practieable; and on the coasts between the hills
there are inousitains of ice, occasioned by the res.
stare of the waters and drift of snow.

6 6 Q. Ate the slums of ,now frequent. and of
long duration?—A. The ►torms of snots are very
firqueitt, tatuiUttsiog for two, three, and four days,
semi sometimes fur as many week.; but the Liter
sit) not occur *bore once or twice 10 a year.
7. Q. Is time cold mach more severe at Spitsber-
gen thasi at Archangel ? Has the degree ever been
•sce►tatned by ilie therm 00000 e'er ? If it has, what
mans it ?—A. Front the li.liennen's remarks, the
cold is
angel ; but the de4ree is not known, as the people
who go there have no thermometers.
8. Q. Is the cold ever sn intense es to render g'
ing abroad ilsitgemus ?—A. The cold is never so.
averse as to hinder the fishermen, they being ovens-
tooted to it, from v....posing themselves ; hut **nue-
filmes the winds and drifts of snow confine them to
their huts.

9. (j. AJo►itling it to be so, by what exercise 410
the Rossisus keep off the scurvy ?—A. When the
last mentioned weather is an olsinside to their less-
Mg their Inns, they keep off the seutry by the
exercise of throwing the snow from off end around
thin, hoes, which from stormy %Midler ore often
buried ; and in order to get out, they are then
obliged 144 inoke is passage th gli the roof. They
likewise oppose the distemper by making tbe of a
isartieular rolled or htrb. which-grove there uu