The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-09 00:00:00

THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

We have been favoured with the following nar-
rative of the proceedings of Captain Maguire, the
officer in command of the Plover in the Arctic
Seas. The extraordinary forbearance and ad-
mirable conduct of Commander Maguire in his
treatment of the natives whom he encountered on
the coast will be appreciated by the public, and, we
hope, appropriately rewarded by the Admiralty :
In accordance with my last communication I proceeded
to sea from Port Clarence on the morning of the •21st of
August, and, with a favourable breeze, passed through
Behring's Straits by the eastern passage on the following
day at noon. A succession of contrary winds delayed our
progress to the N.E. to a much greater extent than was
considered favourable, to insure our complete success of
rounding Point Barrow at that advanced period of the
season.

In our passage to the northward,we passed several whale
ships cruising in squadrons, a caution they seem to have
prudently adopted for the benefit of affording mutual as-
sistance in the event of disaster. Their success up to that
time seemed to be indifferent, and we have been since in-
formed by natives from Point Hope, that whales have be-
come very scarce on the coast pinta the ships have come in
pursuit of them. The last whaleship (French) seen by us
was on the morning of the 25th of August, in latitude 69°
30' N., longitude 167° 43' W., carrying all sail to the south-
ward. We soon afterwards made the ice in heavy floes,
and tanked in shore to ascertain its distance from the land,
when we found the contrary winds had done us good ser-
vice by opening a free passage of from 10 to 15 miles, in
which we beat to the N.E., making but slow progress until
the night of the 2d of September, when a " slant " from
the southward, with a fast falling barometer, warned us
that a change of weather was at hand. Our distance from
Point Bartow, now reduced to 50 miles, I thought we
could accomplish before tho ice set in shore, and therefore
pushed forward under all sail, and rounded it at the dis-
tance of one mile on the following day at noon, Septem-
ber 3.

The approach to the channel leading between the sandy
islets that form the protection we were about to seek for
the winter in Elson's Bay was found, contrary to our
expectations, shoal and intricate, 'making it necessary to
anchor the ship and sound out the passage, if it was found
not to afford sufficient water, of which there was a doubt.
Our position was not one to lose time in, shut out, and
close down on an exposed shore, with a gale coming on
that would soon have loaded it with ice. Having ascer-
tained, as expeditiously as possible, that there was about
nine inches to spare across a shoal before we got to deep
water, the anchor was weighed, and, after making a few
tacks, the narrowness of the channel and the ship taking
the ground twice made it advisable to anchor and kedge
under shelter of the spit. A fortunate turn in the cur-
rent enabled us to effect this, as by the time the warps had
been run out the gale had increased so much as to render
it unsafe to trip the anchor. However, finding a strong
weather current setting, it was weighed, and the ship
warped into a wild-looking anchorage for protection in a
gale of wind—no land being visible except the low sand
spit of Point Barrowand the islet adjoining; not more than
five feet above the level of the sea, which broke over them
with great violence during the height of the gale. These
are again guarded by the shoals lying off, on which the driftice grounds, making the anchorage when gained
secure, but difficult of access or egress. Daylight next
morning showed us how fortunate we had been in getting
shelter; the gale now veered to west was unabated—the
sea broke heavily over the shoals passed yesterday, and
against the sand spits to within a short distance of the
ship, while the offing lwas encumbered with heavy ice,
becoming gradually closer with the gale. As we found a
strong current setting to windward, I had no doubt of
the ship holding on, although the confined space of the
anchorage did not admit veering more than 30 fathoms of
cable. In the afternoon the gale began to moderate, and
on the following day the ship was moved to a more secure
berth, near the position selected for winter quarters, where
we remained until the ice set fast, on the 24th of
September.

A succession of strong gales and thick weather for the
following week retarded our preparations, consisting chiefly
in collecting driftwood, not found here in a abundance.
From this material the plank for housing in was sawed,
and the remains stacked for the winter fixing. Advantage
was also taken of every opportunity to send a boat to
sound the channel, knowing the difficulty of the task after
the ice had formed, and on its breaking up we should be
too anxious to move with it, to have time for that purpose.
On the 25th pancake ice began to form in the bay and
drift out rapidly with the current. A party was sent to
haul the launch up on the adjacent islet, to be out of reach
- of the natives. This service was performed by Mr. G. T.
Gordon, mate, who, when returning in the gig, with a
fresh and favourable wind, was unable to push his way
through the young ice, and was carried in it through the
passage into the offing. In this distressing dilemma a
second boat was lowered, in which Lieutenant Vernon
promptly volunteered his services, and by running out 700
fathoms of whale line the gig was reached, now carried
some distance off the land. By this means they were en-
abled to.reach the spit, although they had another narrow
escape from being carried out by the line parting when they
were close to it; fortunately, one of the men sufficiently
quick to leave the end among a crowd of Esqui-
maux, drawn to the spot by witnessing the state of our
boats, and they hauled them up, where they had to remain
for the night, the ice being now to strong to allow us to
haul the boats through it, and not sufficiently firm for the
people to walk on board. During the night tho ice moved
but once, a short distance, then set fast, and in the morn-
ing we had the satisfaction of receiving our boat's crews on
board, after experiencing a degree of anxiety for their
safety that is not easily described.
The following days were occupied in sawing a canal to-
wards our winter position, which was much delayed by un-
expected movements in the ice undoing our work when
nearly completed; and on the 30th, at 10 p.m., we were
trachea up it by about 70 natives, men, women and
children, whose shouts and exclamations of surprise gave
animation to the whole scene and made it one of deep
interest.
Our time was now busily occupied in making the usual
preparations for passing a winter in this rigorous climate,
which we had thus early observed symptoms of. A tem-
porary house was erected close to the ship to receive our
deck-load of provisions, to enable us to have them clear,
for the crew to take exercise when the state of the weather
would not admit of their leaving the ship and an observa-
tory for the reception of the magnetical instruments was
constructed from ice alone, which answered the purpose
perfectly for S months.
These arrangements were completed by the 20th of
October, when the necessary winter routine was esta-
blished for an economical expenditure of fuel and provi-
sions, with due attention to order, cleanliness, occupation,
and amusement, to lighten as much as possible a time con-
fessed by all as being depressing and monotonous. Many
valuable hints on the subject were gained from the works
of Captain Parry, in following whose example I considered
we could not err. Taking advantage of his experience,
the masts and yards were kept in their proper places,
affording a better mark for seeking the ship from a dis-
tance, bearing. in mind our being here in expectation of
parties falling back upon us for safety, and as the land is
very low, and in winter it may be said not visible, the
ship
.made a fine object, being discernible, in clear wea-
ther, at the distance of nine miles from every direction.
Deeming it a matter of importance that the Plover's
position at Point Barrow should be known as far as to
the eastward as possible, and also wishing to ascertain
whether Dease's Inlet would afford shelter for any vessel
that might at any future time be desirous of wintering
there, I took the earliest opportunity of making a boat
excursion to perform this service, and left the ship
on the morning of the 21st of September, in the gig,
accompanied Mr. T. A. Hull, second master. Steering
off the land into five fathoms, we passed a good deal
of sailing ice, and proceeded East-North-East, over an
even bottom of from five to six fathoms, with the wind frcm
the S.E. Changing our course to the southward, we got
entangled among a series of sand spits, when taking to our
oars we steered along the outside of the largest island of the
group, which we then supposed to be connected with the
mainland about Point Christie but was afterwards found to
be one of the very low chain of sandy islets running along
this coast. As I suspected this was taking us to the east-
ward of the inlet, I landed to ascend the highest part to see
how much further it extended, and found a second island
running in the same direction. The water being too shoal
for hauling the boat up here, we stood out into deeper
water, and at length succeeded in hauling the boat up for
the night on the second island. During the night a strong
breeze sprang up from the N.W., with a temperature of
30 deg.
Knowing we, had run our distance for Dease's Inlet, I
was not a little puzzled to know where we were, as I could
scarcely fancy it was possible to lay down this coast with-
out noticing these islands.
On the following morning, our observations being com-
plete and the boat loaded, and, now concluding that'Dease's
Inlet must be looked for to the southward, and first erecting
a conspicuous mark, on this place, of the Plover's winter
position, we steered for a point just visible S.W. (true).
This proved to be Point Christie, where we landed in time
to got the latitude at noon. Its highest part does not
exceed 10 feet above the level of the sea, and here we
erected another large mark. The season now seemed
to be so far advanced that I was in doubt between
crossing the inlet and returning to the ship, but, as
I considered my object would not be carried out
without placing notices on Point Tangent, I deter-
mined to cross it, and started with a fine leading
wind from the northward. In two hours we reached
the eastern shore, which is even more shoal than the West-
ern, the water about Point Tangent being so shallow that
our boat could not be got within a cable's length of the

beach.
Having now found that the greatest depth of water to be
Dease's Inlet was 11
obtained by sounding directly r
feet only, with its shores extreianceeeloyssishoal, I considered the
1( find winter quarters
question settled that no vessel
proper notices, started on our
there, and, after leaving the c
is observed, on our return,
return to the ship. Sludge ice was
eson was
having
to be forming in all the smaallubeatyfisetthtefieemerpeenrateurem
place as
fallen to 19
warning
the night in the same
nearly at an end.
the previous one for the sake of the driftwood, We left the
morning with all haste for the ship, which, with a
nfineext
breeze from the northward, we reached by noon.
Twelve hours after our return, it was reported to me that
the ice was drifting past the ship.
A further examination of Dease's Inlet was afterwards
made by Mr. T. A. Hull, second master, in the month of
May' in continuation of a survey of this coast from Point
Barrow eastward.
The southern shores of this inlet, which had hitherto
been left blank on the charts were now traced. It was
found to extend in a S.W. direction for a distance of 20
miles, its breadth at the mouth being eight miles, and ter-
minating in a shoal bay. The S.E. shore is much higher
than the rest, one cliff there being DA high 24 feet. Foul.
inconsiderable rivers empty themselves here, two on the
eastern and two on the western shore.
The chain of islands which, commencing at the Plover's
winter quarters closely abut on Point Tangent - the west-
ern part of which was discovered by Captain Moore, and
denominated by him Plover's Group—has been found to be
10 in number (on but two or three of the largest of which
is there the slightest sign of vegetation), running in a line
almost parallel with that of the coast, or E.S-E., and
W.N.W. (true), from Point Barrow to Point Targent,
where they terminate, the only channel between them of
sufficient depth for a ship being the one by which the
Plover entered.
From the time of our arrival at winter quarters, situated
two miles E.S.E. (true) from the Esquimaux settlement on
Point Barrow, coiled by them Noo-wook, we found this
people, contrary to our preconceived opinion, very trouble-
some and unfriendly. To such an extent did this feeling
exhibit itself, that it would have been prudent to remove
from their vicinity, particularly as we had received more
than once unmistakeable hints to that effect, had circum-
stances admitted it ; but, as we occupied the only spot of
deep water to be found on this part of the coast, it became
necessary to put up with the evil, hoping that time and a
better knowledge of our character would improve their