The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-14 00:00:00

THE SUN,

circumstance reached the ears of the public, or came to
the knowledge of the Government until the middle of last
month when a communication, mentioning the facts
above stated, was addressed by the second master of
H. M. steamer, Sampson, to the Hon. the Secretary
of the Admiralty. The natural and immediate in-
ference drawn from these particulars, for the revela-
tion of which the community is indebted to that second
master of the Sampson, is, of course, that the vessels
thus descried a year since may have been no other
than the missing ships of Sir Jour; FRANKLIN. It
is consequently with a sense of gratitude, that, how-
ever tardily, we find ourselves enabled to pick up
these scraps of intelligence relating, to all appearance,
to the lost ships of the Arctic Expedition. The
manner in which the particulars referred to have
come to light, is of itself sufficiently curious. The
Hon. AUGUSTUS STAFFORD, as Secretary to the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, hears the
account of this strange iceberg and its freight from
Mr. JAMES SHARE, the second master of the Samp-
eon—Mr. SHARE bears it from Captain STOREY, a
native of Tynemouth, who, in his turn, has de-
rived his information directly from the lips
of Captain COWARD, the commander of the
Renovation. A letter from Portsmouth, a
walk at North Shields, and a conversation at Quebec,
are stages leading to the disclosure of an incident
which has thus taken the best part of twelve calendar
months in coming under the scrutiny of the Admi-
nistration. Arrived it has at last, and already, what
seemed, a few days since, a narrative so fabulous
and incredible that the very existence of Captain
STOREY was called in question (see the Hon.
Alma:sans STAFFORD'S note, dated " March
26th, 1852"), has received sufficient amount
of evidence in the way of corroboration.
According to Captain STOREY'S statement, a state-
ment the accuracy of which has been ferreted out by
Captain HENRY HAWKINS, the Inspecting Commander
of the Coast Guard at Sunderland, the account given
by Captain COWARD was briefly as follows :
" When," said the Captain of the Renovation, " near
the edge of the bank, in lat. 45, long. 30 N., wind
N. 8., fresh breezes, and clear weather, as much as I
could carry foretopmast, studding-nail, fell in with
icebergs, one of which was very large, with field ice
attached to it, in which there were two three-masted
ships, having their masts struck, and yards down,
and all made snug. To all appearance they had
passed the winter together in the ice. At about
five o'clock in the morning, when within
one mile of them, the mate called me to
see the berg and ships. By the time I got
up, dressed, and on deck, my ship was abreast of
them. Took spying-glass and carefully examined
them, to see if there was any one on board, but could
see rio one. At the time I did not think of Sir Joint
FRANKLIN'S missing ships. Anxiety to get ahead out
of the danger whilst the weather was clear from fogs,
and being too far passed before I could make up my
mind, caused me not to reduce sail, and examine them
more accurately. lam since of opinion they might
possibly be the missing ships." That was the ac-
count given to Captain STOREY, at Quebec, by Cap-
tain COWARD, of the brig Renovation. Corroborative
evidence has since then been accumulated in conse-
quence of the industrious researches set on foot
by the Admiralty. One SIMPSON, late acting as
mate
of the Renovation, has been traced on
board the British Queen, at Limerick, whence
he now states as follows :—" On the 20th of
April, 1851, at six A.M., I saw two full-rigged
ships (one about 500 tons, the other 350), on an ice-
berg), high and dry, the larger one on her beam ends,
head to the westward, three ships' lower masts only
standing, with bowsprit; masts painted white, appa-
rently not housed over. The smaller one was about
350 tons, head to the southward, with lower and top-
sail yards across, sails unbent, topmast an end, yards
very square, and black, not housed over, nearly up-
right, both vessels apparently abandoned. The Re-
novation was then about 30 miles to the eastward of
Cape Race, and the iceberg about five miles N.W."
Another witness, Mr. GEORGE CLEUGH, master of
the barque pearl, writing on the 30th of last month
from Weymouth, declares to have received from
Captain COWARD on meeting him at Quebec, a
statement nearly in the words subjoined :—" While
running with studding sails set about the edge of
soundings they passed a large iceberg, on which were
two vessels, the one a ship, sitting upright, the other
' with a list, he could not say whether a ship or a
barque, her mizenmast being gone. He also stated
to me that he mentioned it at the Custom-house upon
arrival at Quebec, and expressed his regret to me at
not being able to attempt to board them, being ill at
the time, but there were other vessels in his track,
but not in sight at the time." A variety of other
witnesses have been brought forward, all
tending to confirm ' the account originally
given by Captain STOREY (name, at first,
of doubtful omen) and apparently showing
that the narrative about the mysterious ice-
berg seen on the 20th of April, 1851, off the banks
of Newfoundland, was not altogether a fiction, like the
tale of the Esquimaux, presenting though it unques-
tionably did at the outset a sort of family likeness to
the anecdotes of the celebrated Baron MIINCHAUSEN.

What shall we do with our convicts ? The ques-
tion is an important one, requiring prompt and atten-
tive consideration. The most eligible description of
penal discipline, for parties who have incurred the
highest secondary punishment, has been for some time
discussed, but no decision has yet been arrived at.
We still send the refuse of our population to our
finest colony. In place of young men and women of
unblemished characters and sound constitutions, we
transmit a set of degraded and demoralized wretches,
whom it is impossible to retain at home ; we seek to
benefit ourselves at the expense of what, with fair
play, would unquestionably become our most thriving
settlement. But it is scarcely possible that the inha-
bitants will much longer submit to a system in every
respect so objectionable, and by which they are so
deeply and 30 seriously injured. They have already
put forward many energetic protests, and a continu-
ance of the obnoxious practice may seriously endanger
the existing connexion between us.
A very slight and superficial examination of the
subject will show that, even disregarding the interests
of the colony, we should for our own sakes discon-
tinue sending convicted and irreclaimable thieves and
reprobates of the worst description. The object of
penal punishment is two-fold—it aims alike at the
prevention of
crime and the reformation of the cri-
minal.eto society, to
example
act as a beacon-light to deter
others from acts
convict in
so similar to these which have placed the
by
deplorable a condition, and on the other,
to salutary discipline
and a total removal from
eradicate the evil propensities and to
qualify the
an repentantopportunity
sinner for doing his duty to
him. should be again allowed

Now, on both grounds, there are insuperable ob-
jections to Australia ta
iekde l y t 0
gration being regarded as annul
lend settlement. On the
first, we find that so far
eevril to be deprecated, it
the compulsory emi-
is, by the generality of thcei
the operation of our criminal' c come under
great desideratum. Those who ei,3 looked upon as a
misery and hardships attendant u ao
e endured the
iniquity, gaining a precarious livelihood a Course
of
violence, do not consider it a very serious
v,
.y fraud
or
to be sent to a land " flowing with mililaka misfortune
where they will speedily obtain the privilandh":"
ing their own)ivelihood. In the circles ewgheief earn. tbey
frequent they repeatedly hear of returned transports
who had realised handsome fortunes during tahnes.Perts
sence, and of others who still remained in the lairdab-
their adoption in the enjoyment of every comfortn of
luxury. They are told of beef and mutton at orldand
2d. per pound, of tea at Is, 6d., andwhiskey
per gallon—of a delicious climate, where
" The leaves never fade, and the skies never weep"—
and of the certain employment which every person,
i man, woman, or child, is certain to obtain at re•
munerative wages, no matter how infamous might
f have been his antecedents, or incorrigible he may
have shown himself long since. Every person
having experience respecting our criminal tribunals
roust have been well aware of the anxiety of many
of the prisoners to be transported, rather than to be
sentenced to a nominally lighter punishment.
In some instances applications have been made to the
Bench—in others the parties have endeavoured to
assume a reckle6s aspect,
believing that it world sub-
jett them to the fivroVitie Pen3l7. We believe that

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