The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-20 00:00:00

DISCOVERY OF THE NORTH-WEST
PASSAGE.

'From the Lynn A dvertiser and West Norfolk Herald. )

Eminent as is the position which the maritime force
of Great Britain has held from time immemorial, both in
peace and in war,—in the prosecution of geographical
discovery and of commercial intercourse, as well as in
the terrible sovereignty of the seas—perhaps no single
event has ever reflected more honour at once on our navy
and our nation than that which has engrossed the public
attention during the past few days. The discovery of a
North-West passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific
Ocean—the great problem which has baffled the inge-
nuity of geographers for seven hundred years ; upon
which an almost fabulous amount of treasure has been
expended ; in which hundreds of gallant men have
perilled their lives—in many cases, as in that of the
lamented Bellot, with too fatal a result ; while in others,
and above all, in that of Sir John Franklin and his 137
companions, what hope remains is so slight as but to
add to the darkness of despair—the effectuating of that
noble enterprise, in which the hearts of all civilised
nations are deeply absorbed, has been reserved to in-
crease the lustre of England's glory, and to add another
jewel to her crown of peaceful triumph. We are assured
the hearts of Englishmen must bound within them with
patriotic pride when they read of the heroic exertion
of their countrymen, of their noble daring in
the performance of a duty requiring almost super-
human intrepidity and endurance of their stern,
unflinching resolve to overcome difficulties, the
immensity of which none but those who have them-
selves been engaged in this arduous service can ade-
quately conceive. Would that it could be said that
the returned vessel had brought tidings of the gallant
crews of the Erebusand Terror, as well as of that of the
Investigator ; but this satisfaction is withheld, and, we
fear, can never be expected. But, leaving this painful
subject, we may well join in a hearty expression of gra-
titude and rejoicing in the ascertained safety of Com-
mander M'Clure, his crew, and his vessel, of which, until
last week, the latest tidings dated as far back as the 6th
if August, 1851, and which from the 24th of the follow-
ing month had been immovably frozen up in latitude 74.6
and longitude 117'12. And if to the nation at large
there is so much cause for rejoicing in the dispatches,
which prove not only the safety of the gallant comman-
ler, but the solution by him of the problem in question,
ghat must be the pride and the joy of our own townsmen
in knowing that it is one of themselves who has actually
made the passage itself—that he alone, of all the brave
and determined men who have devoted themselves to the
task, has succeeded in entering the Polar Seas by Bell-
,ing's Straits and returned by Davis's Straits, and
',rought home actual information of the resolution of the
treat difficulty—that to Lynn belongs the honour of
having produced a hero, not in the arena of war and
bloodshed, but in the humane conquests of civilisation and
ohilanthropy, so much more appropriate to the character
of a grandson of Elizabeth Fry. The fact that the friends
if Lieut. Cresswell had participated with those of all the
irew of the Investigator in the solemn dread that the
tidings of August, 1851, were the last which they would
receive of the existence of that vessel and its tenants—the
conviction, in fact, that these must be looked upon as ad-
litional victims to the noble enterprise of searching for
and relieving the lost expedition of Franklin—must
have imparted to the sympathy excited in behalf of him-
-elf and his family a depth and intensity which few oc-
iurrences could be expected so generally to produce.
We are rejoiced at knowing that the emotion thus ex-
cited will not be allowed to subside in mere general feli-
itation, but that it has been resolved by a meeting of
our townsmen, exceedingly numerous and respectable,
though called together in the most impromptu manner,
that some demonstration shall be made of the deep-felt
congratulation in which the whole town unanimously
concurs. As to the precise mode in which these sym-
pathies are to be conveyed we will not presume even to
make a suggestion, feeling the utmost satisfaction in
leaving the details to the body of gentlemen whose
assemblage to consider the subject we elsewhere record,
and who, when they meet again to concert final mea-
sures, will, no doubt, now that the intention has become
generally known, receive a very large accession of num-
bers. Whatever be the modus operandi resolved on, we
trust it will be one in which the whole of the inhabi-
tants will have the opportunity of co-operating, as we
feel assured they intensely desire to do.
There is one more point in connection with this sub-
ject, on which we cannot refrain from expressing a hope
—nay, a positive assurance—that the well-earned pro-
motion of the gallant officer in whom so much interest

is centred, will not be withheld by the Admiralty,- but
that they will evince themselves as ready as the whole
of the public in their appreciation of services for which
not Great Britain only, but the civilised world, is deeply
indebted.

PROPOSED DEMONSTRATION TO LIEUTENANT

GURNEY CRESSWELL.

A highly respectable and influential meeting of gentle.
men took place in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, on
Tuesday afternoon, to consider the propriety and the
mode of making a public demonstration of admiration,
of the intrepid and important services of their townsman,
Lieut. Gurney Cresswell, in connection with the Arctic
discoveries, of which we give the particulars elsewhere,
and of congratulation on his safe return. Various modes
of testifying the general feeling of respect and esteem
were proposed—such as a public dinner, the presenta-
tion of a congratulatory address, or of the freedom of the
borough, &e., and the most cordial desire appeared to be
participated in by all the gentlemen present to co-ope-
rate in a testimonial which should be both lasting and
worthy of an individual whose achievements had reflected
so great an honour on his native town. A deputation,
consisting of the Mayor, Mr. Hogge, and Mr. Man-
nine., was, after a brief consultation, appointed to wait
on Mr. Cresswell, in order to ascertain which mode of
procedure would be more consonant and agreeable to
his feelings ; and the meeting then adjourned until
Saturday morning at eleven o'clock, for the determina-
tion of further measures. It should be stated that
the meeting was entirely an unpremeditated one, and
arose from several gentlemen having conversed on the sub-
ject in the course of the morning. Had any public an-
nouncement been made, no doubt the attendance would
have been much more extensive ; but of course this was
unnecessary, as the future proceedings will he such as
to afforl to all an opportunity of testifying their interest
a the subject.
SERVICES, &C., OF LIEUT. SAMUEL GURNEY CRESS-
WELL.—For the information of our readers in the dis-
tance, we may state that Lieut. Samuel Gurney Cress-
well, third son of Francis Cresswell, Esq., a partner
in the banking firm of Gurney, Cresswell, and Co.,
King's Lynn, is by birth a Norfolk man, having been
born in that ancient borough, in September, 1827. He
entered the Davy early in 1842, and served in the China
Seas in the Agincourt flag-ship, with Admiral Sir Thos.
Cochrane, till the autumn of 1847, when the Agincourt
returned to England. He entered immediately on board
the Excellent gunnery-ship, at Portsmouth, and was
passed out of her only five days before leaving England,
as mate of the Investigator, Captain Bird, in the search-
ing expedition of Sir John Ross, May, 1848. Lieut.
Cresswell returned in November, 1849, and on the 10th
of January following, again left England for the Arctic
Regions, as Lieutenant in the Investigator, Captain
M'Clure ; the second ship of the expedition commanded
by Captain Collinson, of the Enterprise. He left the
Investigator, with dispatches from Captain M'Clure,
April 15, 1853, and October the 17th delivered them at
the Admiralty.