The National Register.
London, England, 1818-11-15 00:00:00

ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Ativices were received in town on Thursday, of the
return of Captain Ross, in the Isabella, with his cons.
iianion, the Alexander sloop, Lieutenant Parry, to
Shetland, atier a fruitless attempt to penetrate through
Rehring's Straits past the American continent. It is
said that Capt. Ross almost reached the latitude of 73
deg. and traversed the whole of Davis's Straits, and
found inhabitants, but could not discover the smallest
operiing sufficient to admit the entrance ofa ship. Sai.
cam has, however, derived sonic advantage, as he has.
been enabled to trace the line of coast with greater ac—
curacy, and to alter the positions which had been as.
signed to it in all the charts. The subjoined are girea_
as the results: •

" The Isabella and the Alexander discovery ships,
arc safely arrived in Brassa Sound, Lerwick, all well ;
neither ship having lost a man, nor having a man is
the sick list. Captain Russ has completely succeeded
in exploring every part of Baffin's Bay, and, with the
exception of errors in the latitudes and longitudes, of
verifying the statements of that out and able navigator
whose name it bears, and of ascertaining that no pas..
sage exists between the Atlantic and l'acific Oceans
through Davis's Straits and Baffin's Bay, the whole
being found to be surrounded by high lan►l, extending.
to the north as far as lat. 77.55. and long. 76. W. ; and
in the 74th degree of latitude, stretching 'vestward as
far as Bt. W. longitude. They traced the same the
whole way down to the Cape Walsingham of Davis,.
which they asce►tained to lie ,in hat 66. and long. 60. ;.
from hence they stood for Resolution Island, nod then
stood homeward. •They have made many curious ob-
servations and discoveries, of which, perhaps, will not
be considered as the least interesting, that of a nation
being found to inhabit the Arctic regions, between the •
latitudes of 76. and 78., who thought that the world
to the South was take ; that generation hail succeeded
generation of a people who had never tasted the fruits
of the earth, had no idea of a Supreme Being, •who
never had an enemy, and whose Chiefs had hitherto.
supposed themselves monarchs of the universe. There
now remains only to be discov►►red the terminations if.
lit has one, of Middleton's Repulse Bay, and, a feci.de-
' grecs to the northward of it, to determine whether
Greenland be an island or joins America ; and 'this
might with the greatest ease be done from the northern.
most station of the Hudson's Bay Company in any ono
season."

The hope of discovery in the northern scat is not-
wholly laid aside ; though that which has been already
ascertained rather depreciates the importance of what
remains. We consider an expedition which proves •
that there is no north-west .passage to the vast Pacific,
to have succeeded in its object as completely as if the -
result had been the reverse ; except, indeed, it was to,
be expected that the mariners would make a passage if
they did not find one. The task of the officers and
seamen sent on the discovery, would indeed have been .
more arduous, if they had found an opening, which•
they must have traced ; but their duty was simply to
ascertain the fact, and that we suppose they have •
done. The voyage to the Pole will, it is said, be tried
again next year ; and the adhesion of Greenland to
Amerisa, or its separation front that continent, ascer— •
tained by examination.

Paris and Brussels papers have arrived: The King•
on Sunday gave a private audience to the Spanish ,
Ambassador, the Duc de Fernan Nunez, who delivered
a letter from his Sovereign. These journals conjecture-
that the Duc de Richelieu will return to Paris on the •
►sth or IGth instant. Some accounts from Aix-1a—
Chapelle mention that the Emperor of Russia intended -
to set out from thence tbr Brussels on Monday last, .
where splendid fetes are preparing ; other statements
defer his Imperial Majesty's departure till Monday
next. The latter advices also announce, that the
peror of Austria will leave Aix-la-Chapelle on the 18th
instant, for his own capital.—The King of Prussia ,
returned to Aix la-Chapelle on Sunday last —A
ragraph in the Brussels papers, dated from Aix-1a...-
Chapelle, asserts that the Congress of Ministers has •
entertained the consideration of the late of !siapoleon,
On Monday the Due d'Angouleme arrived at Aix-la-
Chapelle. The motive of his Royal Ilighness's visiC
was to return the compliment of a similar nature paid .
by their !mperial and Royal Majesties to the King of--
France on the late occasion. Mr. Baring reached Aix...
la-Chapelle the night bcfiwe the Due d'Angouleme ar-
rived there; and on Monday a conference was held at
the house of Prince Ilardenberg, on the subject of a.
proposition made by France 14 an extension of the
term originally agreed upon tor the discharge of her •
pecuniary obligations. It was reported at the date of
the last letters, that France required a much longer -
time than had been already intimated ; a request, in
which it was supposed that Prussia would nut acquiesce.
without reluctance.
The Duke of Gloucester was at Lausanne on the
(28th of October, on his return from Italy. On the
29th, the public authorities in the town gave a dialler..
to his Serene Ilightuas.

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