The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-09 00:00:00

having been struck by ice on the 15th of June, which
stove six of her planks and broke four of her timbers,
and obliged her to put into Port Ayan for repairs, where
the captain was kindly received by the governor, who
rendered every assistance necessary. While in port the
ship Herald, Slocum, of New Bedford, came in, having
split her stem among the ice, and leaking about 800
strokes per hour. Also the ship Cowper, Fisher, of the
same port, with four planks stove and several timbers
broken. They reported two other ships having sustained
damage —one, a French ship, having good pumps, re-
mained out ; the other was unknown. These ships were
all injured in the vicinity of Junis Island. The Herald
and Cowper also,rendered every necessary assistance.
Captain Seaman touched at Ayan, Russian American
Company's settlement, Ochotsk Sea, situated in lat. 52
36 north, and long. 138 20 east. It has a population of
250 inhabitants and a governor, who was very kind to
Captain Seaman, as he was to all captains and crews of
American vessels thatput into that place. The governor
invited, through Captain Seaman, all American vessels
to touch at that place, it being an excellent one for re-
pairing vessels in the summer season. Three whale
ships bad repaired there, and the officers and crews of
each were all treated kindly by the authorities. The in
habitants of Ayan were prepared for an attack, having
constructed a battery of nine guns, and were well aware
of their position, as they received their news monthly,
by pack mules in the summer season, and in the winter
by sleds drawn by dogs, from St. Petersburg. There
were no provisions to be had at Ayan, although the in-
habitants were well off for the necessaries of life. The
Russian-American ship Sitka was in port, discharging
stores for the settlements. When the •Eudorus entered
that place, the governor had an idea that it was a French
vessel, but soon after found his mistake by seeing the
stats and stripes unfurled to the breeze.
The Governor of Ayan, previous to the news of the
declaration of war being received by him, but when it
was anticipated, sent word to the French whalers who
might be cruising in that vieinity, that they might visit
that port without fear, and obtain supplies and repairs.
One of them had accepted the invitation and made re-
pairs, every facility being afforded. •
The Silas Richards, whose loss is reported above, was
a good ship of 45Q tons, belonging to Messrs. Swift
and Allen, of New Bedford. She was formerly a Liver-
pool packet, and valued at the time of her loss at about
$15,000. She was last heard from as having sailed from
Tahiti March 6, with 2,100 barrels whale oil.
(Front the San Francisco Herald, Sept. 19.)
The Trincomalee, Captain W. Honston, arrived yes-
terday in 33 days from Port Clarence, Behring's Straits,
where she communicated with her Britannic Majesty's
vessel Discovery, and the ships Rattlesnake and Plover,
the crews of which were all well, with the exception of
several invalid officers, who came passengers on the
Trincomalee. There was no news of Sir John Frank-
lin's ill-fated vessels. The Plover sailed on the 19th of
August from Port Clarence for Point Barrow, to take
up her winter quarters. The Rattlesnake will winter
at Port Clarence.

The Trincomalee carries 25 guns and 250 men, and
appeared in excellent fighting condition when she came
in yesterday. She has anchored at Saucelite. The fol-
lowing officers from the ships Rattlesnake and Plover
came passengers in the Trincomalee :—Lieutenants
Myre and Miller, Masters Gordon and Young, Second
Masters Wiikinson and Stephenson.
We are indebted to one of the officers of the Trinco-
malee for some interesting incidents of her voyage. This
vessel remained at Honolulu from May 19 to June 1,
during which time the Diana was at the same port. En-
tire good feeling existed between the British and Russian
officers, attending balls and fraternising heartilytogether,
notwithstanding it was supposed at the time that war
was declared, although no official notice had been received
to that effect. This made no difference, however, as re-
garded the Trincomalee. Being attached at the time to
the discovery squadron, and carrying supplies for their
relief, she was, by the usages of nations, not liable to
any attack. As in the Ochotsk Sea, the ice broke up
much earlier in the Arctic than usual, thus relieving the
Plover from her detention at Point Barrow much sooner
than expected. No news had been obtained of the Inves-
tigator, and there is but little hope of the rescue of those
on board from this side of the continent, and search for
them is to be abandoned after this season. It is to be
hoped that, like Captain M'Clure and associates, we shall
hear of them on the Atlantic side of the continent. Not
a word was heard of the missing whaleship by any of the
Arctic squadron, and the representations made of the
great scarcity of provisions in that region in the winter
time is very disheartening to the friends of those on
board.
The Trincomalee arrived at Port Clarence, situated at
the entrance of Behring's Straits, on the southern side of
Cape Prince of Wales, on the 25th of June, 1854, hav-
ing passed through the Pass of the Four Mountains, one
oewhich, bearing south-south-east, is a volcano. The
snow caps these islands, which all assume a conical form,
to within about forty feet of the water—the mean
height of the four being about 1,500 feet. This pass
is recommended, there being less current than in
Amoutka or See ouan. The object of the Trincomalee's
voyage was to "deliver stores to the Arctic squadron.
The Rattlesnake has built a store to receive the provisions
which must be left at Port Clarence for her Majesty's
discovery ship Investigator. As the Tricoisialee bore
orders for both the Rattlesnake and 'the Plover to re-
turn in the summer of 1855, we may therefore conclude
that should not Captain Collinson's vessel, or any of her
crew, fall back on either Pointßarrow, where the Plover
winters, or he heard of at Point Clarence, no further
search will be made on the Pacific side beyond this season.
An excursion was undertaken into the interior from
Port Clarence, by some officers of the Tricomalee, who
succeeded in entering the river Agaepuc in boats. The
scenery is very tame, consisting of moorland, not a'bush
or tree to be seen for miles. The highest tree seen by
the party was after leaving their boats, which stood
about fifteen feet. Ptarmigan, wild ducks, and bares
are very numerous. To arrive at the river there is a
series of lakes, ranging twenty miles from Port Clarence
to be passed through.
Situated on the Agrepuc are some ice cliffs, contain.
ing mammoth remains, some of which are in possession
of the officers of the Rattlesnake.
The Trincomalee fell in with the ice off Norton Sound
on the 24th of June, it had cleared from Port Clarence a
fortnight before her arrival. The straits at that time
were clear throughout. The Rattlesnake was frozen in
the previous year about the middle of November.
Our informant says that Port Clarence appeared a
better place to winter than Grantley Harbour, the pres-
sure of the ice being found less in the former place. The
mosquitoes are more numerous there than even in aty
part of Central America ; a slight air carries them off,
but during a calm day it is impossible to walk without a
veil encircling the hat. Our informant states that he
inhaled mouthfuls. Salmon, salmon peal, and trout are
taken in large quantities there.
The natives are extremely docile and very intelligent ;
but, as is the case with the Esquimaux generally, very
lazy. The only wood they can procure is that drifted from
—no one knows where, out of which, by management
of walrus tusks and whalebone, they contrive admirable
spears and bows and arrows, for killing the seal and bear,
of which animals their winter stock of food is formed.
During the latter part of the winter they are reduced to
a state of semi-starvation, and then are even content to
eat the hide of animals, in which fare their dogs—a noble
looking breed—have a share.
One mode they have of catching the bear is by a piece
of frozen blubber, in which is doubled a piece of whale-
bone. The animal greedily swallows it—the blubber
thaws, the whalebone stretches, and the brute dies in
agony.
Since the above was in type we have had an interview
with an officer late of her Britannic Majesty's ship Plo-
ver, sent to the assistance of the northern discovery
ships, and have obtained from him the following addi-
tional information :
Their ship entered at Point Barrow, in the Arctic,
during the winter of 1853 and 1854. While lying there,
a party from the ship made an excursion as far as Point
Bliering, a few miles to the eastward of the river Col-
ville, where they fell in with a party of Indians, but, not
understanding their language, could not make inquiry of
them regarding the Investigator, Capt. Collinson, K. 8.,
of whom the Plover was in search, or of any wrecked
ships. They were frozen in at Point Barrow, Sept. 23,
1853, and were entirely freed from the ice July 21, 1854,
arriving at Port Clarence Aug. 1.
About the 26th of July, off Point Hope, spoke ship
Gideon Howland, Bryant, of New Bedford, 11 months
out (had taken no oil in the Arctic), who gave them in-
formation of the probability of the European war, and
also the fact of Capt. M'Clure's discovery of the north-
west passage. There were but few whales in the Arctic.
Off Port Clarence were boarded from the ship William
Rotch, Morslander, of Fairhaven, which vessel had lost
anchor and taken one whale in the Arctic. The Plover,
after having received on board her stores from the Trin-
comalee, left Port Clarence for Point Barrow, where she
will pass the winter of 1854-55.
Our informant thinks that if any vessel had been cast
away near the shores of America, they would bare ob-
tained some knowledge of the fact in their interview
with the natives, who bad evidently travelled from the
point where shipwrecked persons would probably be, and
he is of opinion that if the missing whaler is ever heard
from, it will be on the Asiatic coast.
(FROM THE NEW YORK HERALD.)
THE DISCOVERY OF THE REMAINS OF THE ARCTIC
NAVIGATORS.—Though the crests and initials on the
articles discovered by the Esquimaux clearly proved that
they once belonged to the officers of the Erebus, it does
not seem to us that they account satisfactorily for the
fate of the o
The ffi
ocers
ers anof the Erebus were d crew of her consort ship, the
Terror. ffic
Captain Sir J. Franklin, K.C.H.
Commander
Lieutenants
H. Graham Gore.
T. D. Le Vesconte.
Jas. W. Fairholme.
Ice Master
Surgeon.,
paymaster Charles H. Osmer.
Mates
Charles F. Des Vaux.
Edward Couch.
Assistant-Surgeon H. D. S. Goodsir.
H. F. Collins.
Second Master
Now, the crest given by Dr. Rae
olastunN:s D.
head,
conger
eel's head between two sprigs (or p