The National Register.
London, England, 1820-12-03 00:00:00

SCUT"'/ISM 110,61'11'AL.

Thnrsrlay, St. Atoll ew's-day. the Anniversary of this
excellent institution was celebrated by a dinner at the
City of London 'farm,. His Royal Highness the Duke
of Clarence is the President of the Corporation, and has,
in fact, several times filied the chair. On the present
occasion he was waited upon, as 'usual, with a request that
lie would preside. His Royal Highness, we understand,
before he could agree to come, begged to live a list of the
toasts. 'the list was supplied, and it did NOT include the
Queen. This was as much, certainly, as his Royal High-
ness could reasonably desire, and a greet deal more than
the committec,consistently with their ilitty,could warrant.
tut his Royal Highness was not satisfied. He required
not only an exclusion of her Majesty's Millie from tile no-
tice of the corporation, but demanded a seem ity that no
loyal member of thecompany would obtrude it unofficially
on his ear. 'this was more than they could do, unlessithey
assumed the power of gagging or muzzling all the invited
friends of the charity. The committee declined to become
responsible for his Royal Highness's feelings, and he ac-
cordingly staid away; yet, notwithstanding this slight
put npon the corporation, lie has, we are informed, been
again elected President. But in the course of the year
he must surely abdicate this office. If he cannot attend
when the Queen's health is drank, it is likely that lie will
never again have the troublesome duty of acting as chair-
man of a public meeting. The managers of uo charitable
institution, whatever be their opinion of the Queen's cha-
racter, or their disposition to see royalty iu the chair, will
sacrifice the funds of the est:dills! mt, or insult the
company, by converting a charitable meeting into an
Anti-Queenite club, or a scene of political brass hog. It is
too much that royal antipathies have invaded the service
of our church ; let them not impede the exercite of our
charity.

Extract of a letter from the agents to Lloyd's at
Genoa, dated tho 16th inst. : . .

" By letters from Naples, of the 7:h inst. we learn, that the
Vengeur, line of battle ship, has joined the Briti.h squadron.
under the command of Admiral Moore, in that bay, and that a
French division, of two frigates, a g‘rdhare, nod a schooner.
had also arrived there. Since ie 71.11 WM. a Tunisian feet, of
nine call, has arrived at Leghorn, reported to be in vest of an
Algerinv squadron, end also tin the purpose of claiming restitu-
tion of a small Tunisian schooner, which the Tuscair Govern-
ment detained !Arnie time ago. It is stated that orders from Flo-
reace had reached Leghorn, to arrest a veseel in that port, des-
tined tit Naples, laden with powder, which had been bought up
by Tuscan subjects.
" The i• a list of the Tunisian Beet arrived at Leg-
iri3ate, 4$ guns, 4(10 men, Vice-Admiral Ala •
hommed Lazai: Merehia frigate, 48 guns, 950 men ; Sultana,
ditto. es grins, 400 own; Nlatijer, corvette, '2:: guns, 160 men;
t7eri Solcoaa brig, 14 guns, 180 mcn a schooner, 12 guns, 120
men : ditto, 10 guns, 70 men; a brig, 12 guns, so men ; dittos
20 guns, ISO men."
Swedish and Norwegian Consulate, London,
.27th Nov. 11110.
Sin—ln consequence of a circular addressed to me by h's
Swedish and Norwegian Alajes:y's Board of Customs, under
date Saeckholin, September 25, I beg to acquaint you, fur tl:e
information of merchants, and the public in general, that lie
other goods arc allowed to be laid up in Sweden in store tb,unel-
ed) than such as are imported by decked Swedish or foreign
vessels, of at least 21 lasts burthen; and that cultic, sugar, to-
bacco, wine, and arrack, are not allowed to be shipped, either
for the bonding place, or any other Swedish port, in open boars
of any burthen, or in decked vessels of less than the above
inenuoned !nthem under the pain of confiscation of the boat
or vessel and goods, and a fine of 500 fix dollars,
I am, &c.
(signed) CHARLES rill' I B.

I

PrOrAGE OP DISEIOVRIIY TO TUB NORTH-
. WEST PziSSAGE.
It affords a gratifying instalice of the right feeling and
characteristic perseverance of British sailors, to tell that
the men (who could not be buoyed op by the same ideas
of future fame which solaced their officers in buffering
lierdshics) bare every deprivation, nut merely with pa-
tience and eqUatiiidity, but with good humour. Fre-
quently, when they liad rem tied from a day of fatiguing
and improductive search for game, they wrapped Mein.
selves in their blankets, to try le sleep to forget their
exhaustion, and that appetite which they (burst nut satisfy,
lest they should, by rum °aching on their next day's scanty
allowance, or on their general stock, be in the end con-
sued to these dreary regions starving and without sub-
sistence. Notwithstanding this, rover a murmur escaped
one of them; but for patience, tOrtitude, and firmness,
they displayed a 'timere unsiti passed even by the nuhlest
examples of English seamen.
The following auecdote is worth preserving:—Actin;;
plays was one of the aninseinents devised to while away
the long night of the Polar Cit.( Ic. A drama Wits wri..ten
by Mr. Parry, solely to please tile inea, and called " The
Aorta West Passage." The scenery was painted by Mr.
Hereby. anti the officers were the perfAiners. The de-
light of the crews was so great that they not only clap.
ped, but loudly cheered the actois on every favourable
impression. Oue of the latter was En amused with this,
that on making an exit lie was induced to go into the house,
to see how the thing looked, lie happened to place him-
self immediately behind the boatswain and another urn o,
who exclaimed with rapture, "Oh, it's !
beautiful!" "Beautiful! I say by (.1— it's philosophy !•'
A curious circumstance in valuta! history has been
mentioned to us. it is stated that one of the she-wolves
of the country where the vessels were laid up, formed an
intimacy with a ship dog, and almost daily visited him for
some time, as it he had belonged to tiie tame species. At
last the dog, a setter belonging to one of the offices s of the
Griper, followed his wild companion, and was never sect'
more. Atiother dog ft out the llcass also went off, but
returned, though with his threat all mangled.
The wolves were large, and were heard nightly howling
in u most disagreeable manner. 'flue other quadrupeds
found, when the saintlier returned, a ere the musk-ox, of
which several were killed, the beer, the fox, mid the
mouse; the latter rentaitied threugli the winter, were
numerous, and changed front brawn to Mete. The fow is
were chiefly the arctic gull, the glatieus, the ptarmigan
(which has been called Vie pal trudge), and a siugulrtiy
beautiful thick denominated the king;-dark.
The Expedition arrived at the CIO' Mice of Lancaster
Scond, eat the Ist of August, 1819. On the 7th the ships
were in the tiepin's filet, and there, iii about 100 tlegr, es
of longitude, the variation of Ih needle was about 120
degrees West. Stopped by the ice, they left the ink t,
which is supposed either to extend to itedson's Bay, or
trend along the northern slime of America, and resumed
their progress up Barrow's leaving behind theta
Croker Bay (the Croke'. nemotaiiis of Captain Koss.)
They speedily discovered tilt. rosip of islands., where
Lowther Isle is (narked, nine in number, and named The
New Georgia Isles. Proceeding (inward, they observed,
when rather more than half way to the ultimate point at
which they arrived, that the variation of the ueedle was
above 120 deg. East: thus it appears that the magnetic
meridian must lie between that degree and the degree of
90, which we observe from the Chart, runs thruitzh the
iulet, where the variation way towards the West. At sea
the compass had been quite useless since the 7th August,
and it was only on land that the needle traversed. The
greatest dip wa, above tee deg.; and our scientific read-
ers, putting these data together, will perhaps agree with
its id supposing that the magnetie pole is situated some-
where on the American continent, between the longitudes
we have mentioned, and below the latitude of W deg.
Ott the 7th. of September, alter encountering many
dangers, the vessels were anchoied in Winter klai hour,
Melville Island. in the begiuning of November their
night began, and it lasted till the beginning of February.
1890, when the sun was seen fur a kw minutes above the
borisim. This luminary gradually prolonged the time
duriug which it rose, till in June it became constantly
visible, circling round and making changeless day. Out
the Ist of Anted the vessels were released from tile ice,
nearly as suddenly as they had been overtaken by the
winter ; and uill lieu dy cellist") men with the bles&tng tit
Pauvisktice, were enabled to pursue a homeward, but still
perilous course. Their furthest point was beyond 114
deg. West. Tee ice all I.round them in the Pular Sea wet,
40 Is-ct ; and no vessel could by possibility navigate.
farther n. teat direction, North, West, or South. it is
probable, therefore, that itegent'e Inlet will be muse mi-
nutely esidered by the next expeditioa sent into these
parts, aid that hardly any other atienyt wilt 60 made to
the westward of Laddon's Gulp,' (so named trout the COM-
Islander of the Griper, but Seddon, as has been erroneously
printed). e ships were routed over during the winter,
acid the es en a did not, as repuritel, erect bets int smite.
Alelvillc's Islaint, however, explored by hunting patties,
and Captain Pet ry crossed at, ard wits absent ,tor three
weeks tugether. It is i eckuited isbunt 1.10 miles long, and
and ft am JO to 30 broad. It is suppased that the abide
See snub in the :luncheon continent is biokeit lure
Islettils.
To this hasty omit. of interesting particulars we
scull tint i its Add 1111101. 11 r faced ugly 'twice, that ea.
0,11 v has inn i•cril itiacli enriched by .11w ()ogee'',
utdsitted. Only One lira.. was been during
,the cry at
at Melvilie Owl., were tau fish, and no game tit
any kind till the totem; r cuing, when those birds and ani-
mals ire inive nettle their appearance.
s•txalia lens. .aid !:.:;.I vi., lot seed the iier Lege, In paled ty.
and tuns, a Lich loosed ;;teen and gay at a distance, but
was very if ;iiiy scat;vii•ii over the timely cornice of the
cart h. In geulugy, anti viait., were
Near most pieutiiieut ; coarse granite v,as fouuid In maid
detached ovens In the Levities, and other mineral speci-
Melts were picked tip. Seine of toe isles we re.ainaricgis
recipitous iising Iron. twee In eO4 feet above liar mufti.
role tieentrailse of tseiteasi. esSimilul to Melville tiodtid,
the latel gruduelty declined, till from toss string stud vomitus
ros:ks, it became getitly undulated.
The diktat,. e be twt eit Wainer Harbour mid Coel‘t-r-
-mem! Rivet may bit shunt 100 or .400 sit:O.N. 'fife wl.ule
(14414111er wb.elt tbe rapeortiou was. It um Lam:atter
Binusurl, sus :cent 300 ibis. T!.ere wets ti eves of old
EStit,rwalix 1,410 un
Itre had forgotten to suentiou that the eat, iu,ioh beauty
of &ether, talented to inhabit this iithospitetile place
througauut tile year.

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