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

THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.

The first meeting of Lieutenant Bedford Pira
with the party from the Investigator is thus de-
scribed in a private letter, dated " Her Majesty's
ship Resolute, Melville Island, April 19, 1853 :"
,
" This is really a red letter day in our voyage, and
shall be kept as a holiday by our heirs and successors
for ever. At 9 o'clock of this day our look-out man
made the signal for a party coming in from the west-
ward ; all went out to meet them and assist them in. A
second party was then seen. Dr. Doraville was the first
person I met. I cannot describe my feelings when he
told me that Captain M'Clure was among the next party.
I was not long in reaching him and giving him many
hearty shakes—no purer were ever given by two men in
this world. M'Clure looks well, but is very hungry.
His description of Pim's making the Harbour of Mercy
would have been a fine subject for the pen of Captain
Marryat, were he alive.

"117I'Clure and his First-Lieutenant were walking on
the floe. Seeing a person coming very fast towards
them they supposed he was chased by a bear, or had
seen a bear. Walked towards him ;on getting onwards
a hundred yards, they could see from his proportions
that he was not one of them. Pim began to screech
and throw up his hands (his face as black as my hat) ;
this brought the captain and lieutenant to a stand, as
they could not hear sufficiently to make out his language.
"At length Pim reached the party, quite beside him-
self, and stammered out, on McClure asking him, Who
pa riemy, oHu ,
raanl
dd where,
Captain do youKellett.'
e e
tcomet., from,'—'
Thisom was mor
e Lieutenantinex.
I swtraasittshe lHaset
hp
alincadbs 1
we
ittoh Ainluerher,inags,s
patersleo
nn g ht
he shook
hands with in Behring's Straits. He at length found
that this solitary stranger was a true Englishman—an
angel of light ; he says :—' He soon was seen from the
ship ; they had only one hatchway and the
open, crew
were fairly jambed there, intheir endeavour to get up.
The sick jumped out of
their hammocks, and the crew
forgot their despondency ; in fact, all was changed on
board the Investigator.
"McClure had 30 men and three officers fully pre-
pared to leave for the depOt at Point Spencer. What
a disappointment it would have been to go there and
find the miserable Mary yacht with four or five casks
of provisions, instead of a fine large depot !
"Another party of seven men were to have gone by
McKenzie, with a request to the Admiralty to send out
a ship at Point Leopold, in 1854. The 30 men are on
their way to me now. I shall, if possible, send them on
to Beechy Island, with about 10 men of my own crew,
to be taken home the first opportunity.
" May 2.—lnvestigator's second party, consisting of
Lieutenant Cresswell and Wynniatt, Mr. Piers, and
Mr. Meertsching arrived, bringing two men on their
sledge. They made an extraordinary passage across for
men in their state. The greater part of them are affected
with scurvy, but are rapidly improving."

THE ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

ofparticulars the
Ithwieevseurny
oinftethreisstdinagy
to the
think it will be satisfactory public
Regions, we
pro-
ceedings of her Majesty's ship Investigator in the Arctic
whSici Six,
—h
alvne appearedadditi n
' 'CI of that ship and from Captain Kellett,
ure
to know that by letters we have received from Com-
mander M
of her Majesty's ship Resolute, it appears that those offi-
eersh adm et at Melville Island, and had been in com-
pany for a fortnight at the date of the last communica-
tion, which was the 7th of May, Captain M'Clure had
effected this meeting by a march of 170 miles across the
ice from the position in which he had placed his ship at
Baring's Island. Under these circumstances there can
be no doubt that due provision will be made for the
safety of the Investigator and her crew, and the only
question at present in uncertainty is whether the ship
mass of ice, hers if will be able to force a passage through this largo

We are, sir, your faithful servants,
HALLETT, ROBINSON, AND CO.,
Agents to Captain Kellett and Commander M'Clure.
George-street, Westminster, Oct. 8.

SEMI-OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS.—The prison at Brix-
ton, heretofore used as a house of correction for the
county of Surrey, has been purchased by the Govern;
meat, and placed under the control of the Board for the
Management of Convict Prisons. It is to be used ex-
clusively as a depot for female convicts under sentence of
transportation and penal servitude. The works are now
so far advanced as to admit of the early occupation of a
portion of the prison. One hundred female convicts
are about to be immediately removed thither from
Mill-
bank Penitentiary, and further numbers will be sent
from time to time, as the works progress. The whole of
this class of convicts will be eventually removed from
Millbank, whereby additional accommodation will be
available for 300 more male convicts, to whom this pri-
son will in future be wholly confined. The new state of
the law in reference to transportation would of itself
render these and further changes necessary in the con-
vict department. The Queen has appointed Sir John
Young as a visitor of Maynooth College, in the room of
Sir W. Somerville, resigned. Mr. Richard Yates Cum-
mins is appointed Assistant Colonial Secretary at the
Mauritius. Mr. Stair Douglas is appointed Chief Clerk
in the Colonial Secretary's office at the Mauritius.—
Observer.
CITY ROYAL COMMISSION--In consequence of prior
engagements on the part of the Royal Commissioners
appointed to inquire into the state of the Corporation
of the City of London, it is now understood that the
seal will not be opened until the commencement of the
ensuing month.