The Sun.
London, England, 1825-10-26 00:00:00

COURT MARTIAL.

NORTH-WEST EXPEDITION.
On Monday last, a Court-martial was held on
board his Majesty's ship Glocester, lying off Sheerness, on
Captains PARRY and HOPPNER, for the purpose of ascertain-
ing the circumstances under which the Fury was lost in the

late expedition.
The officers who composed the Court began to assemble in
the Glocester at 9 o'clock ; but did not commence the business

for which they were convened till a later hour. Vice-Admiral

Sir Robert Moorsoml Commander-in-Chief on this station,

acted as President.

Captain Parry read a long and interesting extract from his
official journal, containing a description of the difficulties and
dangers of the two ships for some period before the time when
the Fury met with the unfortunate accident which led to her
abandonment. Capt. Hoppner made a similar report, from
which it appeared that his ship had been driven aground by a
large floe of ice striking against it. The rudder-post was un-
shipped by the shock, and came floating up by her side ; the
greater part of her keel was knocked off, and several holes were

made in her bottom, which rendered her extremely leaky. He
described the exertions that were made to remedy the mischief
which had been thus inflicted, and spoke in the highest terms
of the cheerfulness with which his men had performed their

duty, under circumstances which would have disheartened any

but British sailors.

Lieut. Sherer, of the Hecla, gave it 'as his opinion that the
accident by which the Fury got on shore could not have been
avoided, and that nothing had been left undone by her captain
and crew which was at all likely to lead to her preservation. He
described the injury which the Fury received in similar terms to
those used by Captains Parry and Hoppner, and stated that four

pumps had been constantly kept at work from five o'clock in
the morning till eight at night, from the time of the first disco-
very of the leak to the abandonment of the vessel. The shocks
which the Fury received after her first striking were so violent
that it was supposed by thNe on board of her that she was only
held together by her lining, and that her bottom would soon

part away from her. She was abandoned on the 26th of Aug.,
at which time there were nine feet water in her hold. The
Hecla, which stayed by her, and assisted in heaving her up, was
then obliged to stand off in order to prevent herself from being
closed in by the drifting ice.

This account was corroborated by other witnesses ; and Cap-

taro Parry, in answer to a question from Captain Hoppner,
stated, that the exertions of the Captain, officers, and crew of
the Fury in this trying emergency were such as entitled them
to his warmest approbation.
The Coy RT, upon examination of the evidence, declared

:hernselves convinced that the loss of the Fury was occasioned
by an accident which human foresight could not have prevented,
and, in consequence, declared Captain Parry and Captain
Hoppner to be both of them honourably acquitted.
We understand that at the time when this unfortunate acci-
dent happened the leaders of the expedition entertained strong
hopes of succeeding in the object of it. They were separated
from an open sea by a barrier of ice of no very formidable width,
and had ascertained that that sea remained open to a very
considerable distance. They were deterred from endea-
vouring to enter upon it by a consideration that all the
provisions
which could be stowed on board the Hecla
would only last the united crews of the Hecla and Fury
twelve months, and that the voyage to 13ehring's Straits would
probably last twenty-four. They saved as much of the stores
of the Fury as they could ; bait a great part of them were left
on the beach, where they were first landed, for the purpose of
lightening her, along with the luggage and clothes of the dif-
ferent officers. It is said that many officers were obliged to aban-
don in this manner property which had cost them three or four
hundred pounds at their outset on the voyage. We trust that
they will not ultimately lose it, but that the Admiralty will
indemnify them for it, even though such a proceeding be con.
trary to the general practice of the service. At the time when
the Fury struck, the Hecla was aground, and consequently
the situation of both ships was most distressing. In
this condition, which was almost hopeless, not a murmur
of discontent was heard among the men, but every order
was performed with cheerfulness and alacrity. The cold
was intense, and yet during the night men and officers were
obliged to sleep on the shore, with no other protection from it
than mere tents. These on their departure were left standing
for the benefit of any stray Esquimaux, who may happen to
pass that way. During this voyage the expedition did not see
any of these wandering tribes • and of course was deprived of
the amusement which it derived on its last from their trickery
anti gluttony. The men resorted, however, to all their old and
also to some new modes of whiling away the tedium of their
nine months' night of winter, and upon the whole succeeded
in it to admiration. An observatory was erected on shore, in
which the officers spent much of their time in making and re-
cording observations. The garden was attended to as before ;
but the herbs reared in it did not at all compensate for the
trouble bestowed upon them. Some cucumbers were grown in
glasses, in the summer, but not of a very large description.
The winter was milder than any which the expedition pre-
viously experienced : and one proof of it is, that the ships were
not laid up in their winter-quarters, till the 13th of October this
time, though in their former voyages they had been laid up
about the 2211 or 23d of SepteMber. There have been no new
discoveries made in any branch of natural history. Several
collections of insects, &c. have been made, but few, if any,
which were not known before their last voyage. The ptarma-
gans were plentiful, and some fine specimens of them have
been brought home. Grouse were also shot occasionally, and
formed a delightful change in the messes of the ship's com-
pany. Great attention was paid to their diet, and the good
effects of it were visible in the healthy state of the crew. Only
two men were lost in the course of the voyage. One died of
disease, and the other was drowned whilst on a shooting party.
It appeared, that in the twilight a party of three had gone to a
narrow channel of water which ran between the ship and the
shore, to shoot certain birds which came to drink there. Two
of the party made a circuit to get round it, and in doing so
separated from their companion. They then amused them-
selves with shooting for some time, and thought that their com-
rade was doing so too. On their return to the ship, they had
to get across this channel again, when to their grief and sur-
prise, they found their companion's corpse floating on the sur-
face of it. The men in general seem uninjured by the harsh
climates they have left, and are confident that they shall suc-
ceed, if another attempt be made for that purpose.
The Hecla may be expected hourly at Deptford, as the Co.
met steam.packet.was ordered to proceed from Chatham yester.
• day morning, and tow her up the river. Captain Parry is on
board of her. Captain Hoppner left Sheerness in a post-chaise
after the breaking up of the Court-martial.---( Times. )
as

CAPT. SUTHERLAND.—Capt. WEMYSS ERSKINE
SUTHERLAND, of the 33d Foot, who was unhappily lost, with
his bride, in the Comet steam-packet, off Gourock, on the west
coast of Scotland, was the third son of Capt. Sutherland, Scibers-
cross, in North Britain' and only remaining brother of Lieut.-
Colonel Sutherland, of the sth Foot ; and a finer young man,
whether in personal appearance or sweetness of disposition, was
seldom to be found in any rank or station in life ; he was in
his 28th year. On the 31st of last August he had married,
after a long and singular mutual attachment, Miss Duff, eldest
daughter of Mr. Duff, of uirtown' and niece of Mr. Forbes, of
Culloden, an elegantly accomplished and amiable lady, inner 23d
year. He was on his way to join the depot of his regiment at
Glasgow. The affliction of the families of this young couple, on
so melancholy a catastrophe, will be more easily imagined
than described ; but to those who know and can appreciate
the ardent attachment that bound them to each other, it will
he some consolation, under the mysterious- dispensations of
Providence, that they met their destiny together. His Royaol
Highness the Commander in Chief had been pleased to pr-
mote this young man to a company, in October, 1824, in com-
pliment to his elder brother's services on the west coast of
Africa. On the 10th of December last, he embarked from
Barbadoes (where he was stationed with the 93d) on
sheavel of
absence for Europe, in the Borodino transport, se
ale of wind
soon after leaving Antigua, encountered a dreadful g
during which she struck on a sunken rock, where she fixed for
the whole of that night, all on board having long given up
every hope of saving their lives ; but at day-light, as if by
miracle, she floated oft' the rock. and drifted into Bermuda
harbour, whence he wrote to the afflicted writer of this notice,
that " to whatever period his life might extend, he would pro-
bably never be so perfectly reconciled to die as he had been the
previous night."—(llforning Paper.)