The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-12 00:00:00

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

The first meeting of this body in the the ttre of the
Royal Institution was held on Monday evening. Sir Ro-
derick Murchison, the President, in the chair. The sub-

jects considered were Lieutenant Pim's return from St.
Petersburgh, the diffusion of animal life in the Arctic
region, by Mr. Petermann; and the important discovery
of a well-watered and fertile region of Southern Africa,
to the north of the lake Nyami, by the missionaries, the
Rev. Dr. Livingston and Mr. 0-swell. In commenting
upon Lieutenant Pim'd explanation the President ob-
served, that the documents which had passed between
that officer and the Russian Government had been re-
ferred to the council and were deposited at the 3,,ciety's
rooms, where they might be perused by any member.
Regretting that the Imperial Government had not
deemed it practicable to carry out the views of Lieute-
nant Pim, by endeavouring to enable him to travel
suddenly through the wild regions beyond the pale of
its own regular authority, he observed that this was a
question for the Russians alone to decide. It was
the opinion of their geographers, who were
consulted, that the delay, cost, and perils of
an expedition along the north-eastern coasts of
Siberia, to which they had sent no explorers for thirty
years, would not be compensated by obtaining any intel-
ligence of the missing expedition of Franklin. Under
these circumstances it was resolved not to embark in an
enterprise which it was believed would cud in the de-
struction of Lieutenant Pim without obtaining the re-
sult. The gallant young seaman endeavoured, however,
most zealously to induce the Imperial Government to
change this resolution, both in a long personal interview
which the Empnror granted him, and also in a note pre-
pared at the desire of his Imperial Majesty. The Rus-
sian Government retained its opinion, and, strengthened
by a document written by Admiral Mutiushkine, the
companion of Wrangel, decided that it would take no
part in the project; adding, however, that if Lieutenant
Pim should still wished to travel through Siberia he should
have the necessary passports. It being obviously im
possible that the plan should ever be carried out (as the
president always thought) if not converted into a Rus-
sian expedition, Lieutenant Ptm has, by the advice of
friends, reluctantly renounced his scheme. He has re-
funded to Lady Franklin the sum of 3001 which she had
advanced, and is desirous to pay the balance of the
money granted to him by the Prime Minister, at the re-
quest of the Royal Geentraphical Society, to the fund
destined to enable Captain Beatson to proceed
with a screw-steamer through Behring's Strait,
a project also supported by Lady Franklin,
which bad the hearty good wishes of the Geographical
Society, and was, to a great extent, similar to that
of Mr. Pim. After commending that officer for the
seal and ability he had displayed, and which had wou
for him golden opinions at St. Peteraburgh as well as
here, the President expressed a hope that no portion of
the British public would attribute any other motives to
the Russian Government than those which had been as-
signed by it for not undertaking the respons:b lily of this
expedition.
He could testily, from what he had seen of
parts of Siberia, that there could be no re.ison to pre-
vent a British officer from travelling through that coun-
try, and, in fact, permission had been given to Lieute-
nant Pim. But it was quite a different thing to over-
come the difficulties of a journey through snowy wilds,
beyond the range of civilized man, and to pass through
Which it was necessary to organize, long beforehand,
supplies of dog-sledges and provisions. While there-
fore,as geographers, they must regret not to see a pro-
jtehoet carried out
acquired which might have added considerably to
ol byWrangeland
compa-
nions, they
had
now only, in learning that the gallant ex as Englishmen,llant
young
grgrati-
fied
bent on accomplishing tp o hliosbre explorer,
was so
o m
Franklin, should have been
welcomed uh c
inh
andis who
esteemed
fteior
Russia. They should also recollect that the Russian
Government was now aiding all British through
the s
tbe support of its officers at that
distant forts of Asia
and America.
With reference to the Beatson expedition, he was
happy to say that it was meeting with some public en-
couragement, but not as much as he could wish, for ho
earnestly hoped that the spirited and devoted projector
of it might still realize, by
another route, what Lieute-
nant Pim had wished to accomplish. Its addition to the
valuable proofs brought forward that evening by Mr.
Petermann, the public would see, in the opinioes of Sir
John Richardson, Dr. Scoresby, and Captain Kellett,
the clearest evidence of the increase of animal sad vege.
table Lilo in very northern tracts approaching the Polar
Sea: and, with sueh evidence before them, he should
indeed be surprised if Englishmen were to hang back,
a
not contribute towards t eonly h untried effort to meet
with the missing
expedition, or some remnants of it. In
conclusion, he -on the resolu-
tion of the congratulated geographersthairalty to renew the
search by Wellington
Strait, under
very
resolute and able officers.
In the course
by the' announce° f the evening great interest was excited
ries, Livingston to t of the discoveries of the mission:.-
ofmission:.-
of South-Eastern ande °swell, that an industrious people
the Lake Nyarni, to Africa, considerably to the north of
reached from the weeterh"a the slave trade had only just
approached from the E !:t,,Cronst, might be cemmodiously
whereby British manutactuneeSea by a navigable river,
and honourable trade, and 1.1 might carry on a good
slavedealer. "'us defeat the overland

THE SOCIETY OF BRITISH ARTISTS.--This to-
ddy, the Suffolk-street one, has petitioned her Majesty, in
the event of the pictures be* removed from the National
Gallery, to allow them a space in the building for the an-
nual exhibition of their pictures. Should the boon be
granted as such, the society will of cour.e be well pleased.
If a
pay re*
nt should be wanted, they express themselves ready to
it

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
.In Senate, Feb. 21, 1850.
The committee appointed to inquire and report what
mcaaures can be .adopted to secure the advantages of the
secret ballot to the voters of this Commonwealth, submit
the following