The Sun.
London, England, 1849-10-13 00:00:00

nity to escape as the visits of Esquimaux afforded
without employing them as instruments of commu-
nication with the whalers. In tl.O Admiralty In-
structions to Si: James Tess, that offica i 3 desired
to secure the Investigator in the winter of 1848 as
near Cape Rennell as pos,ible. From that posi-
ticn a cAtsiderable extent of coast, say the Instruc-
tions, may he explored on loot ; and in the following
spring (1849) detached parties are to be sent across
the ice by Captain Bird, "in order to lock
thoroughly into the creeks along the western CO2. t of
Boothia, and even as far as Cape Nicolai." So soon
as the summer should have opened a pa-sage be-
tween the land and the main body of ice, the steam
launches are ordered to be sent into Lancaster Sound
to meet the whalers. We have something tan-
gible to deal with. The Instructhms which
we have quoted were prepared by a board of eminent
Arctic officers; and we find that a journey from Cape
Rennell to Cape Nicolai, following the indentations of
the coast in the spring of this year, is considered as
perfectly practicable. We say nothing about the re-
tern journey; but we presume that the boats would
net winter apart from the ships. Now, if Sir James
Ross, according to the report., Teas-ed the winter of
1848 at Port Jackson, Regent's Lolat, and was • aware
(as the Esquimaux say he was) of Franklin's safety,
it does appear extraordinary that parties were not dis-
patched by him across the ice in the present spring or
summer to communicate with the whalers—which, be
it observed, he is ordered to do. The distance between
the two points is very much less than that from Cape
Rennell to Cape Nicolai. Mr. Geodsir on more than
one occasion expresses his astonishment that " no word
has come down from Sir James Ross," as he declares
that the officers of the expedition were perfectly
aware that the whalers would be in Pond's Bay
during the entire month of July. In fact, to re-
peat ourselves, supposing Sir James Ross to be
where the report places him, - the road to the
whalers was as open to him as to the Esquimaux
who brought that report. That he should have made
no communication by his own messengers, nor given
any document to authenticate the communication
made by the Esquimaux, throws, in our opinion, very

serious discredit on the report itself. Finally, it is
yet more difficult to conceive that if Sir John Frank -
lin had been frozen up for three winters in the spot
indicated, he should have spared no volunteers from
his expedition to carry the news of his whereabouts to
any station through which it might have reached those
whom his silence delivered over to doubt, deepening
into despair, at home.
This is so melancholy a view of the case, that we
are glad to find, and to report, that an opposite one is
entertained by those who may be considered the great
Arctic authorities. We have caused inquiries to be
made, and such is the result. Sir George Back, who
has had great intercourse with the native Etquitnaux,
declares " that he never knew an Indian or an Esqui-
maux tracing to fail; and after deliberately weighing
all the information, he is of opinion that four ships,
answering to those cornposirg the two expeditions,
were seen some time in the spring of this year by the
Esquirnaux; but whether in Prince Regent's Inlet or
to the westward of Boothia is uncertain." Captain
Parry, Colonel Sabine, and Admiral Beaufort are all
in favour of the truth of the E:quimaux report.
We are sorry to hear, from unquestionable au-
thority, that the munificent reward offered by Go-
vernment for the relief of the missing expedition,
has had no effect in instiga'ing any of the whalers to
search for the ships with the exception of the Truelove
and the Advice. Sent out for the one important
object of whaling, the captains, doubtless, feel that
unless armed with the fullestdiscretionary powers
from their employers, the owners of the ships, they
would not be warranted in running any risk by de-
viating from their course in pursuit of whales.
The dangers of the Arctic seas have been again
brought painfully before us by the loss of two whalers
this year in Melville Bay, and all accounts agree in
stating that Lancaster Sound was barred in the month
of August by a solid body of ice stretching across the
straits to Admiralty Inlet. Thus, in consequence of
her lateness of sailing, it is very
übtful whether the
North te:tar, the ship sent out this year with pro-
visions for the expeditions, has effected a communi-
cation with the ships. Mr. Goedsir says :—" There
are a hundred chances against the North Star
being able to communicate with the expedition this
year. Had she only been sent out in time, she would
have got through Melville Bay along with the fleet
of w haters with the greatest ease and safety up the
Sound early in July.
We may mention that Mr. GJodsir's last letter
bears the date of August 22, at which time he was
in lat. 68 deg. 30 min., far too much to the south to
glean any intelligence respecting the expedition.
* We earnestly recommend our readers who are in-
terested in the subject of this paper, and desire to follow
out the argument advantageously, to procure the Admi-
ralty Chart of the Arctic Seas—which alone contains
the names of the various capes, heads, bays, &c. Let
them be careful to ask for the Chart corrected to 1847.