The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-31 00:00:00

HeE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 1
EVIDENCE OF CAPTAIN PENNY.
The Chairman—The committee wish me to say in
the first instance that there is not the slightest in-
tention on the part of this committee to bring any
accusation or crimination against any of the officers
of the expedition. They are quite certain that you '
have all acted to the best of your ability during the
expedition with which you were connected. We are
about to inquire rather with a view to the future
than the past, although our inquiries must naturally
embrace the past as w-11 as the future. There is
nothing alleged either against you or Captain Aus-
tin. We are anxious that that circumstance should
be perfectly understood in the course of the proceed-
ings to-day. The first question we should like to
ask, you is, upon what grounds you consider it would
have been practicable to proceed further in the Wel-
lington Straits during the autumn of this year ?
Captain Penny—l have to state that the ice was
broken up in Wellington Straits as far on the 25th
day of July, 1851, as it was on the Bth of Sip-
tember last year. At the time we left that country
it was too early to decide whether the channel would
clear away or not. We could have stopped there
one month longer, and had strong north-east winds
come it would have cleared away the ice through
Q teen Victoria's Channel. By hiving a steamer up
at the edge of the ice in Wellington Strait we could
i
have been watching for stv.:ll an event. Do you
understand ? ae they say I sometimes put in a word
that completely changes the sense of a sentence.
Chairman—We quite understand you ? Now, tell
us your own opinion as to the probability of the ice
clearing away ? Captain PenoY—l have seen as
great changes take place in forty-eight hours with a
strong favourable wind in that country.
Chairman—At what date did you see the edge of
that barrier last ? Captain Penny—On the 25th of
July. After that, about the 14th of August, Captain
Axellington Channel. I did not
Austin passed over
see the bar later than the 25th of July. In the year
1850, on the 9sti
of September, from thirteen to fif-
teen miles of ice came out of that channel.
Chairman--You had better not remark upon Cap-
tain Austin's proceedings, as we shall hear him
afterwards. It was in 1850 you saw what you have
described ? Captain Penny—l will tell you. Last
year in Crossing this channel we left Beechey Island
to cross over to the west side of the channel ; it came
on thick with a strong northerly wind, and we were
obliged to make fast to the ice. A strong northerly
wind came on, and from thirteen to fifteen miles of
ice broke away and drove out of the channel, and I
passed to the northward of this floe of ice. Captain
Austin was on the south side of this flee, and I was
on the other ; this floe left fifteen miles of water be-
hind it.

Chairman—That was on the Bth and 9th Septem-
ber of last year, 1850 ? Captain Penny—l merely
mention it to show how rapidly changes take place.
Chairman—Do you believe the channel cleared at
all last year ? Captain Penny—l do not think it did.
It was my opinion, as well as the officers whom I
requested to examine the ice, that fifteen miles of old
ice remained in that channel.
Sir E. Parry—l think you said in your evidence at
Woolwich that about fifteen miles of were left at
the last time ? Captain Penny—Yes ; Dr. Suther-
land was the officer who was appointed to examine
that ice, and it was his opinion also that fifteen miles
remained.
Chairman—Do rou say that in 1850 the channel
Such is my
was never opened a':all? Captain Penny—

opinion.
Chairman—Was there any possibility of a vessel
going up the Channel last year? Captain Penny—
No possibility of any.
In reference to some conversation which took place,
The. Chairman said—l think it would be conve-
nient if you were to distinguish the two channels,
Queen Victoria's Channel from the Wellington
Strait, or some confusion may ensue.
Sir E. Parry—lt is a very important thing to make
the distinction. Wellington Strait may be compared
to the door into the Queen's Channels shown on your
chart ; but those channels should not be called Wel-
lington Strait.

Chairman—Have you any reason to say, of your
own knowledge, that a passage for a ship has been
opened into this channd ? Captain Penny—l have
no doubt of its having been opened, but I cannot say
of my own knowledge.
Chairman—But from your own observation, as an
exp,•rienced man, you have come to the conclusion
you have stated ? Captain Penny—l should say that
once in two years this channel is opened. In 1850
we can only sp;:ak with certainty of it. This year
we left too early to juige.
Chairman—Where was it you reached the water
will your boat ? Captain Penny—Abut tan miles
east of Disappointment Bay, on the 17th of June, into
clear water. 'Wind cane from the westward, and
brought in all the broken and detached ice upon us.
We c:Litinued to stru,zgle through this ice, and exa-
mine the various islands. The wind continued ad-
verse for 33 dAys, I,ss about 30 hours, and the tide
kept the ice hound in the channel, which prt-.vnted us
from reaching the water until the 191 h of July. All
our nrovisi,mis were exeende.i.

en.airrw,n—Gaill a vesei of larger size n3v7zee
the -,7.lters your b)at was in ? Captain Penny—With
pr-fret safety.
Claim In—Do Imu think Sir 4.)hn Franklin went
through the chann I ? CiptAin Penny—l have no
doubt on my mind that he went through it in clear
water; my conviction has &ways br.ea so. Nobody
bus heard me say an 3 thing
Chairman—Did you sound going through it ?
C Penny—No, we did. not semi. If the water
had been shallow the ice would have grounded. All
the three channels were deep in the middle. What is
to be guardA against in lhaestone formation ix, the
balder tile land the sh illowr,r the water. There was
only one small shalkoi in the middle channel, and it
was close in shore aryl covered with pressed-up ice,
which prevents ships grounding upon these shores.
Sir E. Parry—How many soundings did you get ?
Captain Penny—lo consequence of the sea being Co.
w,red with ice we had no :Mae to take the soundings.
Had there heen any shallows the ice would have told
us of them by grounding upon it.
Chairman—Had you any line with you ? Captain
Penny—Yes, we had a line wiTh us, but it was not
very often used. I have no doubt that in the centre
of all the channels the water was very deep.
Sir E. Parry—Are you speaking of the middle
channel now ? Captain Penny—l am speaking of all
three. _ _

Catrman—That you rather conjectured from the
form*tion of the land than from any experience of
your own ? Captain Penny—Yes; bath from the
formation of the land and my own experience.
_ _ _

Chairm,..n—From the 17th of June to the 20th of
July, what instrument had you with you ? Captain
Pcnny—My sextant and artificial horinn. I have a
great many Observations.
(Captain P,hrly produced the observations, and
ban:l:d them to the chairman.)
Chairman—You wrote to the Admiralty for your
journals; did hey return them to you! Captain
Penny—No, they did not.
Chairman—Have you any other memorandum of
your proceedings ? Captain Penny—The journals
are here (in the Admiralty).
Chairman—Did you write them every day ? Cap-
tain Penny—Every day they were dotted down at
the time when travelling. The observations for
longitude were rendered useless in consequence of
the timepieces not keeping equal rates. lam confi-
dent of the latitudes. Could a man be in command
a ship for sixteen years and not take a correct ob-
servation ?
Chairman—Wal the weather sufficiently fine to
enable youto mak these observations ? Captain
Penny—We had the latitude as often as three times
in one Place in consequence of being beset with the
boat. T_he longitude was by a dead reckoning, and
could not have bc'-1 far out.
Sir E. Parry-1'44
you to alter any of the officer's
ob-ervations ? Captain Penn Beim young tra-
veller=; we all overestin4atea our— distances, and had
to reduce them, some nearly %0
miles. Ravin g gwithizione
so frequently over the distance we could judge
a very little.
Chairman—Then of the latitudes
you can speak
with certainty ? Captain PenP:res, I can speak
i
with perfect confidence of toelatitudes,
Sir E. Parry—ls there not a discrepancy between
Mr. IVl'Douyall and Dr. Goodsir AS to some
s.cinteh of their Was
their
i
latitudes ? Captain Penny—l can explain
deceived myself at the time. It was a 103 T shingle 7
isthmus covered with snow, which the best surveyor‘
must have taken far ice. Mr. M'Dougall made his
oba2rvatians while it was covered with snow, and he
was deceived, as I was, from a distance. I think
from Dr. Goodsir's descripaion some of his little
islands were only hills on this flat. Dr. Goodsir
passed over it.
Sir E. Parry—Do you think Cornwallis Island
and Bathurst Island join there ? Captain Penny—l
have not the slightest doubt of it.
Sir E. Parry—When in the Hydrographical-office
they put Mr. Al'D;;ugall's and Dr. Goodsir's surveys
together, the had overlapped. All who know what
travellinv is upon low flats know how easy it is to
make allot nsiitekes. That was the case, I under-
stand, When Captain Oasmanney and Lieutenant Os-
bornr., travellea towsrds Bankslanl ; they did not
know whether they were on land or ice.
Ad viral Fanthkwa—Do I understand you that
your journals from t`
'.e
:a Admiralty have not been re-
turned to you C 'Vain PEnny—They have not been
returned.
Sir E. Parry—Did you not came near Wellington
Strait in 1851 ? Captain Penny—No; we passed laff
from Cape Hotham, about ten miles on the outside of
afl .e. I did not go up 'he Wel'ingt-co Channel.
Sir E. Parry—ln 1851 you were not able to see
anything of Wellington Strait ? Captain Penny—
Not atter the 25th of July, when we left the edge of
the ice with the boat.