The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-03 00:00:00

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
Sir,—l have just received the inclosed deposition of
Captain Marta), relative to his interview with Sir
John Franklin, and reqast that you will give it a
place in your columns.
I am, Sir, your humble servant,
C. R. WELD.
Royal Society, Somerset-house, Jan. 2.

(Copy.)

" DEPOSITION.

"Robert Martin, now master and commander of the
whale ship Intrepid, of Peterhead, solemnly and sincerely
declares, that on the 22d day of July, 1845. when in
command of the whale ship Enterprise, of Peterhead,
in lat. 75.10, long. 66 W„ calm weather, and towing, the
Erebus and Terror were in company. These :hips
were alongside the Enterprise for about fifteen minutes.
The declarant conversed with Sir John Franklin
and Mr. Reid, his ice master. The conversation
lasted all the time the ships were close. That
Sir John, in answer to a qusstion by tho declarant if he
had a good supply of preov_isi,ons, and how long he ex-
last, stet d taat he had provisions for
five
them to
five years, and if it vver,e necessary he could' make them
spin out seven years; and he said,
further, that he
would lose no opportunity of kiliing birds, and whatever
else was useful that came in the way, to keep up their
stock, and that ho had plenty of powder and shot for the
purpose. That Sir John also stated that ho had al-
ready
got several casks of birds salted,
Ca
d had t
two shooting parties out—one from eachship.iten
The
birds were very numerous; many
.weull fall at a single
shot, and the declarant has himself killed forty at a shot
with white peas. That the birds are very agreeable
food, are in taste and size somewhat like young pigeons,
and are called by the sailors roches '
" That on the 26th or 28th of the 'said month of July
two parties of Sir John's c fficers who had been out
shooting dined with the declarant on board the Enter-
prise. There was a boat with six from each ship. Their
ceaversation was to the same effect as Sir John's. They
spoke of expecting to he absent four or five, or perhaps
six years. These officers also said that the ships would
winter where they could find a convenient place, and in
spring push on as far as possible, and so on year after
year, as the determination was to push on as far as
practicable.
" That on the following day an invitation was brought
to the declarant, verbally, to dine with Sir John, but the
wind shifted, and the Enterprise having cut through the
ice about a mile and a half, the declarant was obliged to
decline the invitation. That he saw the Erebus and
Terror for two days longer; they were still lying at an
iceberg, and the Enterprise was moving slowly dawn the
country. That so numerous were the birds mentioned,
and so favourable was the weather for shooting than,
that a very large number must have been secured during
the time the declarant was in sight of the two ships.
The Prince of Wales whaler was also within sight dur-
ing the moat of the time. That from the state of the
wind and weather for a period of ten days, during
part of which the declarant was not in sight of the
two ships, the best opportunity was afforded for sccurrg
the birds. That the birds described are not to be found
at all places on th© fishing ground during the whaling
season, but aro met with in vast numbers every scan
on certain feeding banks and places for brooding, and it
appeared at the time by the declarant to be
a most for-
tunate circumstance that the Erebus and Terror ba -
d
fallen in with so many birds and that the state of the
weather was so favourable for securing of the
large numbers
of them. The deearant has himself had a supply
sh and ood
same description of birds, which kept fre we
during three months, at Davis' Straits, and the last re

as good as tho first of therm
the same 0b" Which declaration, above writteen,
t is
rue now made con-
scientiously, believing ~ ROBERT
MARTIN.
" Declared before me at Peterhead this 29th thy of
December, 1851.

Giuki.u, Provost of Peter lead."
(seal of Peterhcad affixed).

THE opERATIVE STRIKES.
SOUTIIIMPTON, ;IN' 2
—lt appears from a letter sd-
sonthampLen bh of the At-
dressed by the
mated Society of Engincers to theirranc employers in athis
place, who coinprise, atra.,nE:st cthf•rs. the two grel,t
soam-packetassociatiors, the Royal West India Meil
and the Peninsular and Oriental Stearn Ccuipa,iieF,
that the Sautht:mp,.on engineers have announced their
intention not to strike.
THE ENGINEERS' STRIKE.—MANCHESTER, FRIDAY
NlGHT.—There has been a large meeting of master en-
gineers this evening at the Clarence Hotel, and they
have rest:l:yea to bring the question between them in d
the operatives to an issue at once by giving the wh°l°
of them a week's notice from to-morrow. They
.w 1
consequently, close their workshops on the loth inst.,
unless in the meantime the demands of the men to
withdrawn.

WOODS POE SHIP-BUILDING.—The Lords C( m.
missioners of her Majesty's Treasury have authorised the ad-
mission, duty free, of stringy bark wood and red and bh e
gum wood, imported for the purpoiea of sbip-bulling in
this conntrY.