The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-16 00:00:00

THE FURTHER ACCOUNTS FROM THE

POLAR SEAS.

The messengers from the north have followed each
other in quick succession—first came Lieut. Hartstein,
with the Relief and Arctic, from a round cruise of four
months and seven days, without the loss of a man or a
spar, with Dr. Kane and 14 of his companions, safe and
well ; next came the Resolute, Capt. Kellet's ship, from
the far north and west beyond 'the line of no variation,
a mute witness to add to the testimony of the freeness
of the far northern and western drift ; and now comes
Mr. Stewart overland, nearly completing the circle.
There is still unheard anything from Capt. McClure's
ship in the Ray of Mercy, far in the west ; the Grinnell
brig Advance, far in the north ; the pr speller consort of
Capt. Kellet's ship, in Melville Bay. and Sir Edward
Belcher'e ship and steam consort, in Wellington Channel.
The published account of the tidings brought by Mr.
Stewart, on being compared with the journal before me,
kept on board the Hartetein propeller Arctic, !sresents
these differences :—Mr. Stewert'e account says wlp u
" they left the shores of the Polar Sea. 9th of August,
the ice was accumulating very fast." The aceount via
Montreal, since received, says " they left on the 14th of
August ; the ground was covered with fresh fallen snow
and the ice was forming--in fact, winter had set in."
On the 30th of July, the day Mr. Stewart reached the
mouth of Great Fish river. lat. about 68 deg., Lieut.
lfartstein was in lat. 74 deg. 26 min. 15 sec. N., long. 57
deg. 24 min. W., and on the 14th of August he reached
late 75 deg. 42 min. 14 sec. N., lone. 63 deg 10 min.
W., on his way to the head of Smith's Sound. From
the 3d of August to the 9th, both inclusive, there was a
cool term, as follows
Aug. Minimum. Wind. '
3 30° at 12 P.M. S & Wd.
4. 31 at 12 " E. N.E.
5 30 at 12 " S. & Wd.
5 30 at 4 A M do.
7 32 at 12 P.M. S.E.
8 27 at 12 "
9 26 at 4 A.M. N & E. snow,
Snow at 4 and 8 a.rn. of 10th—wind West. Preced-
ing this cool term the temperature on the 2d rose to 45
deg. at 4 p.m.
On the 12th the weather Isecarne cool again.
Aug. Minimum. Wind.
12 31° at 4 eeet S.W.
13.... 27 " 4 " E.N.E.
14 32 " 4 " N. & Ed.
On the 15th the temperature rose to 43 deg. at 12 in.
From the 16th to 31st the weather was mild, and the
temperature fell below the freezing point only on three
days, viz. :-22d, 31 deg. ; 27th, 31 deg., and 28th, 29
(leg. ; wind, Nd. and Wd. or N. and Ed. At this time
the expedition was between the parallels of 74 deg. and
78 deg. 21 min. 34 sec. north ; or from 6 to more than
12 degrees north of the mouth of Basle river. There is
a difference in the temperature on the water from that

on the land, and the deeper the water the milder the
temperature.

The public mind seems fixed against any further
Arctic expeditions ; but beyond that of the company
of Sir J. Franklin, who peri,hed from the fact of not
having carried a sufficient store of provisions f,r such a
voyage, there has been but little less of life in the Arctic
seas. The barrenness of the country visited by Mr:
Stewart, no d iubt will in time, in its nether stores trea-
sured up for future time, develope the cause of that bar-
renness. The immense coal deposits within the Arctic
zone will yet contribute to commerce, for a sample which
we have placed in the hands of a chemist, for distilla-
tion, yields sixtyfour per cent, of crude oil, and be esti-
mates its value here at 17 dollars per ton, and it can
also be used for the manufacture of parafine candles,
and thus relieve the whales from the destruction that has
so long followed them,

The-Montreal account of Mr. Stewart's arrival says
that Sir J. Franklin left England, with the Erebus and
Terror, in 1843. This is an error ; it was in 1545 that
he sailed, and bad he been supplied with a seven years'
stock of provisions, or been sent for as promptly as our
Government sent in search of Dr. Kane, he no doubt
would have survived. The search was unfortunately
tol long delayed. E. LIERIAL
Brooklyn Heights, Dec. 26, 1855.