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London, England, 1854-10-26 00:00:00

Tag SECRET INFIRMITIES OF YOUTH AND MATURITY.

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AT tRVOUS DEBILITY;
its Causes, Symptoms, and Cure.—An Essay on Sper-
m-170a roma, with Practical Observations on a safer and more
successful mode of treatment of the diseases of the Generative
System, obtained by tile use of the Microscope in detecting and
distingulehing, by urinary examination, the real eause and effect of
every variety of complaint, whether arising from solitary habits,
excesses, accident, cr climate, followed by practical remarks, founded
on twenty . years' esperlence in the treatment of Empuissance,
Nervous Debility, Local Weakness, Spermatorrhosa, &C. To which
are added, Commentaries on the Physiology of Marriage, with pre-
cautionary hints on the evils emanating from empirical practice,
and on the dangerous remedies advocated by various writers on
these important disorders.
LONDON,
fly SAMUEL LA'MF,RT, M.D.
87, REDFORD-SQUARE'
Doctor of Medicine, Matriculated member of the University of Edie.
bureb, honorary Member of the London hospital Medical Seelety.•
Licentiate of Apothecaries' gall, LO2IEIOII,
The essential object of this treatise is to pott"otc.
t the fearful con.
Bequence.e resulting from certain habits, irregularities,
ation in an excesses,
which have prouticed more misery in Youth, degrad
than, perhaps, any
Man-
hood, and premature decay at all stages of Life,
1 eleeists Its perusal is
ether class of disease known to modern Patel-
Particularly recommended to persons en • terta'nlilg secret doubts of
th.;ir physical condition, and who are conscious of haying hazarded
the health. happiness, and privileges to Which every
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entitled.
It is absolutely necessary thatall Men ihould knew, that tthertehoaroet
Principles of personal management which cannot be viola t. wiumeed
Incurring grievous penalties, and when wisdom and regret 8
the heyday of inconsiderate self-indulgence, how these p
emvenoaltleedf:
may be mitigated, how the sting of their bitterness may be r
and how the evil and its con ,equences maybe avoided, and above allnal
, 1
that there is ecercely any degree of physical infirroity or functio
!Ifangemeet to which the timely aid of science cannot apply a ems.
acutehor has for a series of veers been elle:Wed in an extensive
practiceen in the treatment of these delicate complaints, which have
:mt,Tttirately teen too generally confided to the care 01 ignorant
f tith I s, who inflict great injury on those who aro induced to place
n their pretensions.Blail_YOUS DEBILIY may be had, price 2e, of Messrs. Piper,
ugteer3l6a, co., 23, Yatereoeter-row ; Hannay, 63, Oxford-street;
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Bed-
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2P.3 to ally address from the Author's residence, 37, Bed-
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—JAMES LOCKE, being now in Scotl,(nd selecting the best
and newest goods for Ladies' Scotch Wooll.n Dresses, Shawls.
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DR. CIILVERWELL ON ERVOUSIGESTIONNE. SS, DEBILITY, AND
INND
Also, on Urinary Derangements, Constipatton, and Iltemorrholds, Is.
each. by post Is fol.
WHAT TO EAT, DRINK, AND AVOID.
" Abstentia multi curantur morbi "
A populsfr exposition Of the principal causes (over and careless
feeding, &c.) of the above harassing . and distressMe complaints,
with an equally intelligible and popular exposition of how we shout.,
live to get rid or them ; to which is adled, diet tables for every meal
In the day, and full instructions for the .11l and observance or
every hour out of the twenty four. ustrited by numerous
eases, &c.

2
LIGHT; AND ,SHADES OF MARRIED LIFE.
" He which that bath no wif, I hold him lost,
Helpless, and all desolat. lie that hath no child,
Like sun and winde."—Chaucer.
gnhject : Marriage, its expectations and Necessities—Development
of the Affections—Love Matches—Precipitate, impelled, and retarded
Unions—Marital Incongruities—Mutual Unsuitableness —Ment.,l
Incompatibility and Physical Defectivenevi— Advantages of Inter-
marriage—Theory of Gestation--Flereditary Resemblance—Mode of
det, mining Legitimacy. On InPlicitons. Infertile, and all Unas-
similable Alli tnees—Law of Divorce, &c., &o. •

CTIA.STITY AND IT:: INFRINGEMENTS.
A Lecture to Young Men.
" What passions hurt the body—what improve,
Truths as refined as Athens ever heard."
Subject : Llfe's plicrimage. from infancy to old ego. The advent
of the passions. Chastity and its infringement. The cas ,ftlelea of
licentiousness and dissipstion, with illustr.tions, araphic, narrative,
and remtdlative. Advocacy of early marriages, &o.
4.

On Secret Diseases, their Self-management and Cure.
The GREEN BOOK.—A comprehensive• and popular exposition
of Benito and urinary diyeases—their nature awl treatment, com-
prising especially primary and secondary symptoms, all forms o
urinary derangements, stricture and sperrnatorrhcea ; with 250 en
grayin; s and prescriptions.

•
b.
The BLADDER, URETHRA, and RECTUM.—Comprising
Urinary Deranzements, Constipation, and Haemorrhoids.
Vole 6 a.,id 7, companions to the preceding.
THE ENJOYMENT OF LIFE. HOW TO BE HAPPY.
" Juciinde Vivere."
"Few words to fair faith."—Shitkespere.
Sherwood, 23, Paternoster-row ; Mann, 39, Cornhill ;or of
DR_ RICHARD lIULVERWET.L,
Brother, Successor, and Twenty Years Cwneulting Colleague of the
late Author of the above. 10, Argyll-place, Regent-Street. London,
who *ray be advised with on the above matters daily, from Ten tilt
Five, and in the evenings, from Seven till time.

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Passages marked • are

CORRESPONDENCE OF DR. ICING- WITII THE
COLONIAL AND ADMIRALTY BOARDS.
(Continued front our edition of yesferday.)
TO THE RIGHT HON. EAR?. GRIT.
17, Savile-row, 25th November, 1847.
The last ray of hope has passed when Sir John Franklin by
his own exertions can save himself and his one hundred and
thirty-six followers from the deati( of starvatio I trust,
therefore, your Lordship will excuse my calling rim' attention
to my letter of the 10th of June last, which is acknowledged,
but remains unanswered. I should not have intrude& myself
again on your Lor 'ship's notice were I able to believe that
your Lordship is fully sensible of the heavy responsibility
which the calamity has placed upon you. The Admiralty may
send assistance by the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans— they may
set in motion every mariner who has assisted in ploughing the
northern seas—yet it will not relieve you from responsibility
as the principal Secretary of State for the Colonies; The ser-
vice which I have proposed, as a matter of precedent, should
emanate from the Colonial Board. It was froin that Board
that assistance was despatched in- search of Sir John Ross ;
and from that Board the polar land journeys, so fruitful in
result, were one and all set on foot. '
I have already called your lordship's attention to the evi-
dence which Sir Edward Parry, on his retirement from active
service, has laid before the Admiralty, in confirmation of his
opinion that the most serious consequences to his crew would
be the result of passing a third winter in the Polar regions—
and a third winter, it is now too evident, the lost expedition
must pass- in the inclement North. In order, however, to
save our felloW-creatures from all the horrors of starvation and
its awful consequences, I have offered to your lordship to un-
dertake the boldest journey which has ever been proposed—
and one which is justifiable only from the circumstances. I
have offered to attempt to reach the western land of North
Somerset before the close of the summer of 18481--to accom-
plish, in fact, in one summer that which has never been ac-
complished under two summers :—by which means I incur
the risk of having to winter with the Esquireaux, or of making
the journey along the barren ground to winter quarters on snow
shoes. How, your lordship may inquire, is this Herculean
task to be performed? Upon what grounds do I rest my
hope of success ? I would state, in answer, thatit is neces-
sary the leader of such a journey should have au intimate
knowledge of the country and the people through which he
has to pass—the health to stated the rigour of the climate,
and thd strength to undergo the fatigue of mind" and body to
which he will be subjected. It is because I have these requi-
sites, which I conscientiously believe are not to be found in
another, that I hope to effect my purpose. The uncivilised
man—and upon the service under consideration we must
have large dealings with him—in choosing his subject looks
for physical, not mental, qualifications ; and if these are not
apparent, he is cautions and undecida ; and the more
you hurry him, the less certain you are of making
him. answer your. purpose. Thus _the most im-
portant element in Polar travelling, will iu this way
be lost to the stranger in the land,; and- the journey
rendered unavailing'; while my great activity, power of en-
durance, and success as a physician, during my journey in
%search of Sir John Ross, must be fresh in the recollection of
nine tenths of the Indian population through which such a
mission as I have proposed will have to pass—and cannot fail
to secure tome every, co-operation. It is a well ascertained
fact that the mediCal traveller succeeds where all others fail.
If your Lordship will take a glance at the map of North
America, and direct your attention to but three - places :
Behring Strait on the Pacific, Barrow Strait ou the Atlantic,
and the land Of .North Somerset between them, you will
perceive that to render assistance to a party situated
on that land there are two ways by sea and one by land. Of.
the two sea ways, the route by the Pacific is altogether out
of the question. It is an idea of by-gone days; while that
by the Atlantic is so doubtful of success that it is merely neces -
sary, in order to put this assistance aside as far from certain,
to mention that Sir John Ross found Barrow Strait closed in
the summer of 1832; and as the Strait has been visited only
six times, it may bo far from an unusual circumstance. To a
land journey, then, alone ?".eve can look for succees; for the
failure of a land journey would be the exception to the rule,
while the failure of a sea expedition would be the rule itself.
To the western land of North Somerset, where, I maintain,-
Sir John Franklin will be found, the Great Fish River is the
direct and only route ; and although the approach to it is
through a country too poor and too difficult of access to admit
of the transport of provision, it may be made the medium
of communication between the lost expedition and the
civilised world; and Indian guides be thus. placed at
their disposal to convey them to the hunting grounds of
the Red Men. Without such guides it is impossible that
they can reach these hunting grounds. It was by that intri-
cate and dangerous river that I reached the Polar Sea while
acting as second officer in search of Sir John Ross ; and as
there were but two officers on that honourable service, your
lordship can but look on those officers for the elements of
success, if a mission by that river is resolved' upon. All that
I can do, as one of those officers so peculiarly circumstanced,
is to place my views on record as an earnest of my sincerity.
Even if the Admiralty should determine to try to force pro-
vision-vessels through Behring and Barrow Straits, and scour
the vicinity in boats for the lost expedition,and try they
must, and succeed, it will he satisfactory to know
that suoh a mission as I have proposed was adopted ;
while if they should fail in their attempbi—and I am
sorry to say that I fully bailey's they will fail—and the ser-
vice under consideration is put aside, it will be a source of
regret that not only the nation at largo will feel, but the
whole civilised world. When this regret is felt, and every
soul has perished, such a mission as I have proposed will be
urged again and again for adoption ; for it is impoisible that
the country will rest satisfied until a search be made for the
remains of the lost expedition by a person in whom the coun-
try has confidence. No inexperienced person can go upon
such an errand. The efforts of the Danish Government for
the lost colonies of Greenland, the efforts of the Portuguese
Government for the brothers Coteroal, and the efforts of the
French Government for the unfortunate La Perouse, cannot
fail to raise our national pride when placed in similar eircum-

stances.
It has been stated in the periodical literature of the day
that a party of sappers and miners 'sailed last June in charge
of provisions destined for the Mackenzie River, as supplies for
the lost expedition ; and that Sir John Richardson is to leave._
England in February next to head this party: I hope this
may be mere report. Such an expedition would be one of
relief from a difficulty which,' to be successful, anticipa.tes the
difficulty to be overcome ; for if the lost expedition can reach
the Mackenzie River, or even-the Great Bear Lake by the
Coppermino River; to benefit by these supplies, they have
solved the problem of more than three centuries—they have
:discovered the. North-west Passage : a dream we can scarcely
expect to be realised.
The recent survey of Dr. Rae is satisfactory only so far as
it confirms the Esquimaux chart furnished to Sir John Ross ;
and as it supports my views, that the western shore of the
Great Fish River estuary 'is continuous with the western land
of North Someriet—or, to use my own words of 1836, " that-
from Cape Hay the land trends N.N.E., when it dips the
horizon, where a small space intervenes—in all probability a
deep bay—to a laud gradually rising into boldness, following a
north=westerly course, the extremes of which are named Points
Ross and Booth."* If the survey of Dr. Rae could be depended
up, On the view I have taken is the correct one, but at pre_
sent' it is valueless in a geographical point of view. The pc.'
uinsularity of North Somerset is still a problem ; for it far
from evident that Dr. Rae reached Lord Mayor Bay of Sir
John Ross. He not only neglected to search for the wreck
of the Victory steam-ship or some token of Sir John Ross's
footing, but he commenced his journey without providing.
himself with the means to correct his longitude,—which ho
calculated entirely by dead reckoning. Further, he not only
made hia survey when all nature was clothed in iee and snow
--:--which placed it out of his power at all times to recognise
land from water, much more to distinguish that water which
*was salt from that which was fresh—but he made short cuts
laud, which an' experienced traveller' would
thus. lost 'sight of
eoyf round capes 'and bays, and
-
Even under the most favourable circumstances, it is impos-
..ttlilooialiLaenvtaginid9l.loUinto
.ryn.

" Arctic Ocean," vol. ii,, p. N.

I would state, in conclusion, that the various surveys
which have been set afloat since I Came forward in
1/336 as a volunteer, have but cleared 'the • way to
render the soundness of my views more apparent. The
several expeditions which have since been undertaken, whether
they have resulted in success or failure, have afforded so
many successive links in the chain of evidence which demon-
strates the scientific character of the views advanced by me
in 1836—and for adherence to which I have been refused all
character as a scientific traveller and all honorary acknow.
ledgment of faithful service to my country. lam not, how.
ever, asking your Lordship to recommend to her Majesty
the bestowing upon me a mark of approbation, as a reward
for the soundness of these views, which has been bestowed
upon those who contradicted them. I am asking your
Lordship to appoint me to a service for which I am 1, ecu-
Early qualified—a service of extreme hazard and labour,
but which, to be successful, must be undertaken by some
one of great experience. lam willing to labour still for
that recognition which will give me equality with those
who are now my superiors— and when I state to your
Lordship that I stand alone as a single_individual, isolated
from the heroes of the Pole in regard to reward for services,
I trust your Lordship will consider that I have strong claims
for such a service. The time has arrived, I say, when I am
able to refer your Lordship to myyast services and my present
character as a guarantee that I am sincere in my offer, and
•as an earnest that I will faithfully discharge the duties which
will devolve upon me if I should be honoured with the service
I am seeking at your Lordship's hands. 'Surely, my Lord, I
should now have a peace-offering. A considerable portion of
the main continent of North America 'bears the outline
which I gave to it,—in which I differed with Sir George
Back. The Great Bay of Simpson, and the trending of the
land north-east of Cape Hay are so many truths, and
although the trending of the land named Points Ross
and Booth—which I maintain runs N.W. and• S.E., and -not
East and West as Sir George Back has mapped it—and the
peniusularity of North Somerset, for which I have for twelve
years contended, have to be proved, they are rendered highly
probable by the journey of Dr. Rae.
That I have laboured through this difficult subject for so
many years, and at last successfully, that I have been the first
to show how the great puzzle of three centuries could be un.
ravelled ; and that I have constantly offered for a period of
twelve of those years,.whenever an opportunity occurred, to
be the means of unravelling it, inspire me with the hope that
I-shall at last find justice at the hands of your Lordship, and
that 1 may be allowedio have my place in the great effort
which must be made for the rescue of the one hundred and
thirty-six men who compose the lost expedition.—l have the
honour, &e., Ilacmtan KING.

TO THE RIGHT HOE'. EARL GREY.

17, Saville Row, Doc. 8,1847.

My Lord,—Since my letter to your Lordship of the,2sth ol
November, the Athencem has published, on high authority,

the effort which the Board of Admiralty has resolTed to maize
in search of the Polar Sea Expedition under the command of
Sir Jelm_Franklin. By that effort the Add, which I have pro-
posed to your Lordship is by no means rendered unnecessary ;
While it is shownto be important from the fact, that if Sir John
Richardson fails in finding the lost expedition along the coast of
North America comprised between the Mackenzie and the
Coppermine Rivers, or Wollaston Land, which is opposite to
that coast, he is to search Victoria Laud in the summer of
1849.

Victoria Land can as easily be reached from the Groat Fish
River hs the western land of North Somerset. I can search,
therefore, that locality in the first instance, if it be considered
necessary-7esPecially as it is known that our lost countrymen
will have ceased to exist before Sir John Richardion can make
the proposed search. I see no reason to alter my opinion,
expressed to your Lordship in my letter of the 10th or June
last, in these words.--" If that land should prove the resting-
place of the Erebus and Terror, it will not be that of the Ex-
pedition. If the party have kept together, they will take to

their boats and make for the western land of North Somerset
—for the double purpose of reaching Barrow Strait in search
of whalers, as Sir John Ross did successfully, and the Great
Fish River Estuary for provisions or letter conveyance to the
Copper Indians, with whom the Esquimaux are now in friendly
relations."

The fact, that all lands which have a western aspect are
generally ice-free—which I dwelt largely upon when the Expe-
dition sailed—must have I ad weight with Sir John Frank-
lin ; he will, therefore, on finding himself in a serious diffi-
culty while pushing along the eastern side of Victoria Land,
at once fall upon • the western land of North Somerset as a
refuge ground.

The " effort" by Bobring Straits and Banks Land is praise-
worthy in attempt, but " forlorn in hope,"—and may be dealt
with briefly. In the former effort it is assumed that Sir John
Franklin has made theP
"-
assage," and that his " arrest is
.between the Mackenzie River and Icy Cape;" in the Latter, that
Sir James Clarke Ross will reach Banks Land, and trace its
continuity to Victoria or Wollaston Land-.and thus make the
" Passage."

. In the first place, we have no reason to believe that Sir
John Franklin and Sir James Clarke Ross will be more fortu-
nate than their predecessors have been ; and if we can indulge
such fond hopes, we cannot trust to them. In the second'
place, we are unable to assume that Sir James Clarke Ross
will reach Banks Land. Sir Edward Parry was unable to
reach it, and merely viewed it from a distance ; much less
are we able to assume that the gallant officer will find a high
road to, Victoria Land, which is altog,ether a terra inevnita.
The main point, then, for consideration is, the effort of Sir
James Clarke Ross along the western laud of North Somerset
from his station in Barrow Strait ; for it is that alone which
ban supersede the necessity for the plan I have proposed. It
is not in Sir John Richardson's power, it must be borne iu
mind, to search the western land of North Somerset. Mr.
Thomas Simpson, who surveyed the arctic coast comprised
between the Coppermine and Castor and Pollux Rivers, has
set that question at rest,---and he is the only authority upon
the subject. " A further exploration," remarks Mr, Simpson

from the most eastern limit of his journey, " would neces-
sarily demand the whole time and energies of another Expe-
dition, having some point of retreat much nearer to the scene
of operations than the Great Bear Lake ; "*—and Great Bear
Lake is to be the retreat of Sir John Richardson:
What retreat, my Lord, could Mr. Simpson have meant but
Great Slave Lake—the retreat of the land party in search of
Sir John Ross ?—and what other road to the unexplored
ground, the western land of North Somerset, could that tra-
veller have had in his mind but the Great Fish River—that
stream which I have pointed out to your Lordship as the ice-
free and the high road to the land where the lost expedition
is likely to be found—to the boundary of that " Passage,"
which, for three and a half centuries, we have in vain been
endeavouring to reach in ships ?

It is generally admitted that ?fr. Thomas Simpson was " no
common man." Besides, he was assisted in his memorable
journey by McKay, Sinclair, and Taylor--the bowman, the
steersman, and the chief middleman and despatch-carrier to
the land journey in search of Sir Jehn Ross ;—men who, I
can assure your Lordship after three Toars' experience of their
service,. wore of no common stamp. Sir J. Richardson cannot
have such assistance—death has done its work I
If Mr. T. Simpson, in the youth of his life, with such assist.
ance, could not make a greater distance from his winter
quarters. on the Great Bear Lake than Castor and Pollux
Rivers - and if that great man, at that distance from his
winter retreat, Considered that "any fool-hardy perseverance
could only lead to the loss of the whole party,"l----can more.
be expected of Sir 3: Richardson at his period of life ? It is
physically impossible, therefore, that Sir John Richardson
can occupy the field which I have proposed for myself. This
is evidently, then, the question of importance in relation to
my proposal :—Does the attempt of Sir James Clarke Ross to
search the western land of North Somerset in boats, from his
station on the southern shores of Barrow Strait, render that
proposal unnecessary ?

' Here, my Lord, facts speak for themselves. Ist. Bar-
row Strait was ice-bound in 1832 ;—it may be ice-bound
in 1648. 2nd. Sir James Clarke Ross is using the same
means to relieve Sir John Fraukin which has led the gallant
officer into his. daculy ; the relief party themselves may,
therefore, become a party in distress. 3rd.. The land that is
made on the south shore of Barrow Strait will be of doubtful

* " Narrative of Discovery on the North Coast of Ame.
rica," by T. Simpson, Bvo. edit. p. 377.
t Despatch of Mr. T. Simpson to the Hudson's Bay Com•
pang, published in the AM 0 April 18, 1840.

TO THE RIGHT 110 N. EARL GREY.
17, Savile-row, Dec. 16, 1847.
My Lord,—l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt!
of Mr. Hawes's letter of the Bth instant. Mr. Hawes states,l
" I am desired by Earl Grey to acknowledge the receipt of
your letter of the 25th ultimo, in which you solicit employi
ment in connection with the expedition which you state
about to be sent out in search of Sir John Franklin; and
am to acquaint you in answer that it does not fall within his
Lordship's province, as Secretary of State for the Colonies, tf
confer appointments of this nature, but that you should ad
dress any application you may desire to make upon the su
ject to the Lords Commiisioners of the Admiralty."
I can scarcely express to your Lordship the deep tiorro
which I felt at receiving such an answer—especially at th
eleventh hour : for your lordship has been in possession
my views of the position of Sir John Franklin's Arctic Expq
dition, and the means of affording it relief, since last June II
and, in February, the service I have proposed, if it, bi
adopted, must be in progress.
Yin. Lordship is labouring altogether under a misconce
tion of the views expressed in that letter. lam not " solidi,

hag employment in connection with the expedition which

about to be scut out iu search of Sir John Franklin," lam
endeavouring to induce your Lordship to take measures which
I believe to be necessary for saving the lives of 136 of °lir
fellow-creatures. So far from soliciting employment—so fir
from desiring to continue a Polar traveller—l have long
since ceased to be a candidate for such an office,
my services in search of Sir John Ross not haviUg
been even acknowledged by the Colouhl and Admiralty
Boards ; and it is only for the sake of humanity that I apa
induced to come.forwArd again in such a character. It would
not be in your Lordship's power to make good the loss whih
I should sustain in going iu search of Sir John Franklin—La
loss which cannot be measured by a money standard ; and,
aS for employment, I should have to resign five appointments
of honour and emolument which I hold, together with my
professional practice.
It is not for. me to question your lordship's province as
Secretary of State for the Colonies, but it is for me to consi-
der, whether I " should address, any application I may desire
to make upon the subject" to. the Admiralty Board. The
manner in which that " Board" met my offer to administer
medical relief to the suffering crew of the steamer Eclair, and
the suppression of my name in the return made to .the House
of Commons, on the motion of Admiral Dundas, and ordered
to be printed 13th March, 1846,, of officers and men who
volunteered to serve on that occasion, and the hostile
feeling which has prevailed kt the Admiralty against my views
on Arctic discoveries—all of which have now been proved to
be correct—are sufficient reasons for my not again offering
my services to that Board. Some changes must have taken
place if it does not fall within your Lordship's province to
originate expeditions of the nature which I have suggested,
for Earl Bathurst despatched the overland journeys in com-

mand of Sir John Franklin, and Viscount Goderich the expe-
dition in search of Sir John Ross—so that all the Polar land
journeys have emanated from the Colonial Board.
For the sake of our suffering fellow-countrymen, whose
miseries and hardships I can perhaps above most men con-
ceive and appreciate, I deeply regret your Lordship's deter-
mination.—l have, &c., RICHARD
TO THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF TIM ADMIRALTY.
- .

17, Savile-row, February, 1848.

My Lords,—" The old route of Parry, through Lancaster
Sound and Barrow Strait, as far as the last land on its south-
ern shore, and thence in a direct line to Behriug Strait, is the
route ordered to be pursued by Franklin."
The gallant officer has thus been despatched to push his ad-
venturous way between Melville Island and Banks Land,
which Sir E. Parry attempted unsuccessfully for two years.
After much toil and hardship, and the best consideration that
great man could give to the subject, ho recorded, at the mo-
ment of retreat, in indelible characters, these impressive
thoughts :
" We have been lying near our present station, with an
easterly wind blowing fresh for 36 hours together ; and
although this was considerably off the land, the ice had not
during the whole of that time moved a single yard from the
shore, affording a proof that there was no space in which the
ice was at liberty to move to the westward. Tho navigation
of this part of the Polar Sea is only to bo performed by
watching the occasional openings between the ice and the
shore, and that, therefore, a continuity of land is essential
for this purpose. Such a'continuity of land, which was here
about to fail us, must necessarily bo furnished by.the north-
ern coast of America, in• whatsoever latitude it may be

found."
Assuming, therefore; Sir J. Franklin has been arrested be-
tween Melville Island and Banks Land, where Sir E. Parry
was arrested by difficulties which ho considered insurmount-
able, and "Co has followed the adViee -of that gallant officer,
and made for the continent of America, ho will have turned
the prows of his vessels south and west, according as Banks
Laud trends for Victoria and Wollaston Lauds. It is here,
therefore, we may expect to find the expedition wrecked,
whence they will make in their boats for the western land
of North Somerset, if that land should not be too far distant.
In order to save the party from the ordeal of a fourth win-
ter, when starvation must bo • their lot, I propose to under-
take the boldest journey-that has over been attempted in the
northern regions of America, one which is justifiable only
from the circumstances.. I propose to attempt to reach the
western laud of North Somerset, or the eastern portion of
Victoria Laud, as may bo deemed advisable, by the close of
the approaching summer ; to accomplish, in fact, in one
summer that which has not been done under two.
I rest my hope of success in the performance of this hercu-
lean task upon the fact that I possess an intimate knowledge
of the country and the people through which .I shall have to
pass, the health to stand the rigour of the climate, and the
strength to undergo the fatigue of mind and body to which L
must be subjected. It is because I have these requisites,
which I conscientiously believe are not to be found in another,
that I hope to effect my purpose. A glance at the map of
North Ainerica, directed to Behring Strait in the Pacific,
Barrow Strait in the Atlantic, and the land of North Somerset
between them, will make it apparent that, to render assist-
ance toa party situated on that coast, there aro two ways by
sea and one by land. Of the two sea-ways, the route by the
Pacific is altogether out of the question; it is an idea of by-
gone days ; while that by the Atlantic is so doubtful of suc-
cess that it is merely necessary to put this assistance aside

* Bigrow'a Arctic Yaps's, P. 11,

What retreat could Mr. Thomas Simpson have meant but
Great Slave Lake, the retreat of the landy party in search of
Sir J. Ross, to which party I was second officer, but acting
first officer for two-thirds of the period of its activity? And
what other road to the unexplored ground, the western land
of North Somerset, could that traveller have meant than the
Great Fish River, that magnificent stream which I have
pointed out as the ice-free and high road to the land where
the lost expedition is likely to be found, to the boundary of
that "Passage" which for three-aud-a-half centuries we have
in vain been endeavouring to reach in ships ?
If Mr. Thomas Simpson, in the youth of his life, with three
of my best and most faithful crew, down the Great Fish
River, in his service—M‘Kay, Sinclair, Taylor—could not
make a greater distance from his winter quarters on the
Great Bear Lake than Castor and Pollux Rivers ; and if that
great man, at that distance fromhis winter retreat, considered
that " any further foolhardy perseverance could only lead to

the loss of the whole party"—can more be expected of Sir J.
Richardson at his period of life I It is physically impossible
Sir J. Richardson can occupy the field I am proposing for
myself.

This, then, is evidently the question of importance. Does
the attempt of Sir James Clarko Ross to search the western
land of North Somerset, in boats, from his station in Barrow
Strait, render that proposal unnecessary ? Hero facts will
speak for themselves :-Ist. Barrow Strait was ice-bound in
1332. 2d Sir Jamas Clarke Ross is using the same 'means to

relieve Sir J. Franklin which has led that gallant officer into
his difficulty ; the relief party, therefore, may become a party
in distress. 3d. The land that is made ou the south shore
of Barrow Strait will be of doubtful character, the natural
consequence of discovery ships ; the searching parties at the
end of the summer, therefore, may find they have been coast-
ing an island many miles distant from the 'western land of
North Somerset, or navigating a deep bay as Nettebue navi-
gated the sound named after him, and as Sir J: Franklin
navigated the sea called Melville Sound. These difficulties

have so frequently occurred, that ample facts • will be found
in the narratives of the several Polar Sea Expeditions to-tes-
tify to the truthfulness of the remarks.
The plan I have proposed is to reach the Polar Sea across
the continent of America, an I thus to proceed from land
known to bo continent where every footstep is sure. If that
plan be laid aside, the lives of our lost countrymen will de-
pend upon a single throw, in the face of almost certain failure,
if the difficulty in which the lost expedition is involved is the
same difficulty which, not to go further back than 1818, has
driven away every officer, including even Parry himself, who
has made the attempt.
It is because Earl Grey informs me, " it does not fall within
his Lordship's province, as Secretary of State for the Colonies,
to confer appointments of this nature, but that I should ad-

dress any application I may desire to make upon the subject
to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty," that I am
induced to offer to your Lordships to go in search of Sir J.
Franklin by the Great Fish River.—l am, &e.,

RICHARD KING.

TO THE SECRETARY OF THE ADMIRALTY.
17, Saville Row, 18th February, 1850.
Sir,—The period having arrived when a search may be
made for the Franklin Expedition by an overland journey
across the continent of America, I am anxious to refer my
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, for reconsideration,
to my plan, dated February, 1843, and published in a return
to an address of the honourable the House of Commons of the
21st of March following.
The opinion of Captain Sir Edward Parry, published in that
return, was highly favourable to the position I assigned to the
lost expedition—the western land of North Somerset—and to
the mode in which I proposed to reach it (by the Great Fish
River); but the gallant and intrepid officer, " agreeing thus
far, was compelled to differ with me as to the readiest mode
of reaching that coast, because he felt satisfied that with the
resources of the expedition then equipping under Sir James
C. Ross, the energy, skill, and intelligence of that officer would
render it a matter of no very difficult enterprise to examine
the coast in question with his ships, boats, or travelling

parties."
In the plan to which I am now asking their Lordships' ro
consideration, this question, which I premised might be raised,
is thus argued by me :—" Does the attempt of Sir John Ross
to reach the western land of North Somerset in boats from his
station in Barrow Strait render that proposal unnecessary ?
(to roach the western land of North Somerset by the Great
Fish River.) Hero facts speak for ' themselves. •14,
Barrow Strait was ice-bound in 1832 ; it may therefore be
ice-bound in 1848. 2d, Sir John Ross is using the same means
to relieve Sir John Franklin which led the gallant officer into
difficulty ; the relief party may, therefore, become a party in
distress. 3d, The land that is made on the south shore of
Barrow Strait will be of doubtful character, the natural conse-
quence of discovery in ships ; the searching party, at the end'
of the summer, may therefore find they have been coaxing, an
island many miles distant from the western land tet North
Somerset, or navigating a deep bay, as Kotzebue laaTigatf;
the sound named after him, and as Sir John ,T'rank
lin navigated the sea called Mel Ville
which 'I • have proposed is;
to
''eachth
proceed from
across the continent of. America, and thus to
Island:
xcaTlistie plan
footstepis sure. If
land known to be continent, where each
ciiii• test countryriien will
that plan be laid aside, the livesthtwroevrn iil.i.o:-thEed-,:re(i.opfa'ariTintiraensciemerytsaeinlf
"upon a singlebe
dependf
failure."
l u iv.
This only difference
. Captain
The single throw fell fai short of its mar
in 1848 is now, in 1850; at an end. BarrowStrakit was lee_
"urtnes Clarke Ross failed in affording the least succour to
Sir James
lost' expedition, and I am thus spared the painful neces-
sity of replying to the gallant officer's remarks expressed to
their Lordships, in no measured terms, upon that plan which,
in fact, Sir Edward Parry has done for me,:--the plan of one
who learnt his lesson in active discovery in an overland
journey in search of the gallant officer when the whole
civilised world was as anxious for his fate as it is now fol. the
gallant Sir John Franklin.
All that has been done by way of search since February,
1848, tends to draw attention closer and closer to the wes;
laud of North Somerset as the position of Sir John Franklin,
and to the the Great Fish River as the high road to reach, it,
Such a plan as I proposed to their lordships in 1818 is con
scquently of the utmost importance. It would be the happiest
moment of my life—(and my delight at being selected from a
long list of volunteers for the relief of Sir John Ross was very
great)—if their Lordships would allow me to go by my old
route, the Great Fish River, to attempt to save human life a
second time on the shores of the ?olar usa. What I slid in