The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-08 00:00:00

DISCOVERY OF THE NORTH

WEST PASSAGE.

SEARCH FOR SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.

The arrival of Commander Inglefield at the
Admiralty yesterday morning, at four o'clock, with
dispatches from the Arctic regions, brought by
the screw-steamer Phoenix, will be received with
mingled feelings of congratulation and disappoint-
-1 ment—congratulation in the fact that the great
enterprise to which Sir John Franklin and his
missing companions devoted and, in all probability,
have sacrificed their lives, has been accomplished
by Commander M'Clure, in her Majesty's ship In -
vestigator, who went in search for him—the dis-
covery of the N.W. Passage—the enterprise of
ages—has been achieved by a British officer,
backed by a chosen band of British sailors—with
feelings of deep disappointment at not finding any
traces of the missing expedition that Commander
M'Clure a second time ventured to search for.
It will be superfluous almost to say a single word
in illustration of the expedition of Commander
M'Clure. The subjoined dispatches will be read
and re- perused with the greatest avidity and inte-
rest. We may only remark that one of his lieu-
tenants, Mr. Cresswell, is the bearer of his com-
mander's dispatches ; and by his presence at the
Admiralty yesterday afforded a living proof of the
fact of that great enterprise, the discovery of the
north-west passage, having been achieved. That
which every man has hitherto failed to perform
M'Clure has done, and that, too, it affords us the
utmost gratification to state, with the loss only of
three of his crew in the course of his perilous ser-
vice of three years' duration.
Commander M'Clure, it will be remembered, was
first lieutenant of Sir James Ross's ship Enterprise,
in the first searching expedition for Sir John Frank-
lin, and was promoted for that service. He then
volunteered for the second expedition by way of
Behring's Straits, and proceeded thither under
Capt. Collinson, of the Enterprise, at the beginning
of 1850. Capt. Collinson, however, parted company
with Commander M'Clure, and bore up for Hong
Kong for the first winter, but Mr. M'Clure stood on
towards the north-east for winter quarters, and the
last we heard of him was in Behring's Straits, where
Captain Kellett, in her Majesty's ship Jerald,
arrived just in time to see him dashing on towards
the ice. Captain Kellett then deemed it advisable
to recall the commander, and made the signal
accordingly ; but M'Clure parted from his senior
officer with the truly Nelsonian reply, also by
signal, " Can't stay 1"—" Own responsibility."
That was the last communication That took place
with the Investigator on the Behring's Straits side of
the North Pole ; but most singular is it, that having
parted with Captain Kellet in this manner and in
such a locality, this very Commander M'Clure and
this very. Captain Kellett should meet on the next
occasion an the other side of the pole—in fact, that
Captain Kellett should be the very man to rescue
M'Clure and his brave fellows from starvation, and
give him the helping hand to accomplish that almost
superhuman enterprise which he forbad him from
undertaking. All honour, then, to M'Clure, and
to the country that sent him forth. By his own
undaunted energy he has developed those charac-
teristics of the British sailor that no other coun-
try can produce, and has afforded another proof to
the world. of the supremacy of Great Britain in
enterprise and civilisation, science and courage, in
arts and arms. _ _

Commander M'Clure promised the writer of this
short introduction, when he left the shores of
England, that he would win his post rank—find
Franklin or " make the passage." What he has
earned we leave to the unanimous voice of a grate-
ful country to bestow ; what he has failed to do
he nobly attempted, and deserved success ; but
what he has actually achieved the history of the
world will record in a chapter, the never-dying
title of which will be " Captain M'Clure."
M'Clure's dispatches will speak for themselves,
and we anticipate the impatience with which our
readers Will • skip over the elongated paragraphs
of Commodore Inglefield's interesting but diffuse
narrative, by giving first in order Commander
M'Clure's own dispatches, as he is the real hero of
the enterprise ; then Lieutenant Cressvirell'sletter ;
then Captain Kellett's order ; then Captain Pul-
len's document ; and, lastly, the remarks of Com-
mander inglefield.
The Resolute, Captain Kellett, was at Melville
Island, all well ; and Sir Edward Belcher was up
the Wellington Channel. There had been no
casualties beyond the lamented. loss of Lieut.
Bellot, of the French navy, who was drowned in
attempting to convey dispatches. This young
officer was greatly respected by all on board the
Phoenix.
The health of all the crews was good.