The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-20 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(YESTERDAY.)
THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
Mr. MACKINNON, pursuant to notice, moved for
a select committee to inquire into the circumstances of
the expedition to the Arctic Seas, commanded by Capt.
M'Clure, of the Royal Navy, with a view to ascertain
whether any and what reward may be due for the ser•
vices rendered on that occasion. He said his only ob•
ject in making that motion was to do that justice in
Capt. M'Clure to which he was so eminently entitled.
It might have been supposed that the persons in as.
thority at the Admiralty would have taken up this mat-
ter, and not left it to be dealt with by an humble indi•
vidual like himself. He did not make this motion with.
out precedent, for he found that after Capt. Rosa had
discovered Boothia, in 1834, on his return to this coun•
try it became a question whether he was entitled to any
reward. The result was, that a select committee was ap.
pointed to report upon the subject, and afterdevotingsotne
time to its consideration, they came to a resolution recom.•
mending that her Majenty's Government should confer on
Captain Ross a reward of 5,0001. He (Mr. Mackinnon),
therefore, thought be was justified in making the motion
on behalf of Captain M'Clure, considering the great pub.
lie service be had rendered in determining, once for all,
the practicability of a north-west passage, which had
been a subject of speculation and anxiety to navigators
for several hundred years. The hon. member proceed
taahieledsev from to relate in some detail the measures and expeditions
undertaken to demonstrate the existence of a north-west
onmteetninety
passage in this and preceding centuries, from the time
centuryoSebastianf n o
leas Cabot h
an downwards.l9exp expeditions
d nns
country with that view ; in the •
eig teenth century
22 expeditions were fitted out for the
same
and in the nineteenth century, of whichs purpose;
we had now
accomplished one-half, we had had
no fewer than 84
ex?editions fitted out for that object,
and for ascertain•
ing the fate cf Sir John Fran- klin of
thess. expeditions had failed—(har) • Every one
—and every one of
them bad been ateended with a failed—(hear)—and
amount of
disease and loss of life. That loss of life must have been
doubled in the
.cCaptain
ourse of time, if the gallant
M'Clure had
not
been able to discover the existence of a
north-west passage. (Hear.) Putting aside every other
consideration that might result from the discovery, OA
the score of humanity it had been one of very great ins.
portance. (Hear.) He could not say what amount of
expenditure was incurred in• prosecuting the search in the
15th, 10th, 17th, or 18th centuries, because no record
were kept of it, and it could not now be ascertained. But
looking to the expenditure which had been incurreo.
Franklin and by those
this century by the expedition of Fran
sent in search of him, w hat did the house suppose it
amounted to Why, taking it from the votes, it amounted
altogether,
from 1818 'to the present time, to 837,000 i.
(Hear.) That being,
see what Capt. M'Clure had done.
. so
H MI
Ile bad saved an immense loss of human life, and
enormous amount of money. (Hear.) Now that the
north-west passage had been discovered, we foundtt.at it
world be perfectly useless. (Hear, hear.) But Capt.
M'Clure had achieved his object, and he had immor.
talised himself by so doing. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. JACKSON seconded the motion.
Admiral WALCOTT said the discovery of the north.
west passage had been attempted fifty-eight times, and
he was proud to think that it. had ant at been achievei