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

LONDON,

Chairman—What quantity of provisions do you
consider you had left when you determined to give
up all further search ? Captain Penny—About 14
months' provision for the two vessels at the rate we
were going on ; but the search assumed a new feature.
I had nothing to carry out the search.
Chairman—Supposing the barrier had not cleared
away, what would you have proposed to do ? Cap-
tain Penny—lf the barrier had not cleared away the
search must be carried out with boats and sledges.
Chairman—Do you think that it would have been
possible to carry out the further search with your
provisions ? Captain Penny—Certainly not ; I was
unprepared with travelling equipage to carry out the
search, and vessels not well adapted to go up the
channel at that late season.

Chairman—When you asked for a steamer, did you
a'k for one steamer or more ? Captain Penny—
Only one.
Admiral Fanshawe—Did you intend to pass another
Arctic winter if you could have obtained a steamer
and got up the channel ? Captain Penny—That
would be the advantage of a steamer. We could have
proceeded 500 miles up th!, channel if the way had
been clear.

Admiral Fanshawe—Did you contemplate being
detained another winter ? Captain Penny—Yes. if
traces bad been got unquestionably we should have
stopped.
Admiral Fanshawe—Suppose that the ice in the
Wellington Strait had cleared away, and Captain
Austin had been able to afford you a steamer, where
would you have thought of wintering ? Captain
Penny—lf we could have got 500 miles up the chan-
nel, we should have wintered there, if more traces had
been found. It would have been of no use going there
unless we had wintered there.

Captain Beechey—Where were the limits of the
ice in 1851 ? Sir E. Parry—He never saw it in the
best portion of 1851.
(Captain Penny explained this matter to be com-
mittee.)
Sir E. Parry—Was the water open as far up Wel-
lington Strait in 1851 as in 1850? Captain Penny
—Yes ; it was in the same spot i❑ 1851 as in 1850 ;
it was as far up in 1851, on the 25th day of July, as
it was on the 9th day of September, 1850.
Captain Beechey—ln 1851 Captain Stewart in
returning walked over the ice from his farthest,
which was Cape Becher, and found it much decayed.
Now, did the ice clear away in 1851 ? Captain
Penny—l was there on the 22d of July, and that
was the last I saw of it. It was then broken and
much decayed, and only wanted a strong northeast
wind to clear it away. On the sth of September,
1850, I saw clear water in that channel.
Captain Beechey—Was this ice more or lees
broken in 1851 ? Captain Penny—The last time
that I saw Queen Victoria Channel was on the 23d
day of July ; it was then much decayed and broken,
and would not allow an empty boat to be launched
over it.

Admiral Fanshawe—And referring to your own
two ships, you say you had not sufficient provisions
to prosecute the search ? Captain Penny—l bad not
the means in my power to carry the search out, and
I would never for one moment think of stopping out
there without sufficient means to carry out the search.
Admiral Fanshawe—You say you had not suffi-
cient provisions and means to carry out the search ?
Captain Penny—Certainly.
Admiral Fanshawe—Before you came away did
you ask Captain Stewart of the Sophia, or any of the
officers, their opinion about the further prosecution of
the search in Wellington Strait ? Captain Penny—
Certainly not; the masters of our vessels take all that
responsibility upon themselves.
Admiral Fanshawe—l understand you did not take
Captain Stewart's opinion about further search in the
channel ? Captain Penny—No ;he might have had
an opinion on the subject, but I did not ask him. The
responsibility was mine. not his.

Sir
E. Parry—When you started to come home,
did you contemplate asking for a steamer to go out
again ? Captain Penny—No, but I was prepared to
do so.

Sir E. Parry—Did you and your officers contem
plate going out again ? Captain Penny—No, no
when I first returned,

Sir E. Parry—What made you propose it after-
wards? Captain Penny—lt struck me that if I had
the means I could prosaeute the search to advantage.
I was prompted to make the proposal in consequence
of its having been said that more might have been
done than was done.

Sir E. Parry—Was that what led you to propose
to the Admiralty to go out in a steamer ? Was it in
consequence of what was said when you eame home?
Captain Penny—l found that everybody was disap-
pointed, and I wished to have the means of going out
again.
(Captain Stewart here brought in the letter re-
ferred to in the previous part of the inquiry, and it
was read.)
Sir E. Parry—Explain the expression in the letter,
" I can only judge when I sae Wellington Channel."
What is the meaning of that ? Captain Penny—The
meaning is, that if Wellimron Channel is open, I
would proceed up with my two vessels. I never in-
tended to answer Captain Austin's letter.

Sir E. Parry—Surely it was incumbent upon you
to answer so important a question.
Captain Penny—l do not justify that portion of the
letter, written, as I hive before statd, under feelings
of irritation. C iptain Austin came, and I told him
everything that ha I taken place about the Wellington
Channel, which would have been worth fifty letters
from me.

Sir E. Parry—l think C iptain Austi❑ bad a right
to have an answer to the question. When an officer in
Lis positio❑ put a specific question to you so cautiously,
surely it demanded an answer? Captain Penny—
Captain Austi❑ is perfectly well aware that he had his
answer, and he understood it very well, but it was not
what be wanted.

Sir E. Parry—Do you not think now it would have
been better to give a specific answer to Captain Aus-
tin's inquiry? Captain Penny—Any one can see
under what circumstances it was written, and the in-
tention of it.

Admiral Fanshawe—Suppose Captain Austin had
die I, nothing would have been in writing to pass to the
second in command ? Captain Penny—l have said
before that it was not my intention to give an answer
to this dispatch.
Chairman—We must put on record the answer to
the question put to you. The question was this, "Do
you not think, on further consideration, that it would
have been better if you had answered Captain Aus-
tin's note more explicitly, taking into consideration all
the circumstances of the case ?" Captain Penny—ln
the position I occupied, I think I pursued the right
course. I told Captain Austin what I had done, but
he would not avail himself of it.

Chairman—Would it not have bee❑ better for you
to have said you would not take upon yourself the re-
sponsibility ? Captain Penny—That is precisely what
I said. I said that I would not take any further
responsibility upon myself.
Captain Beechey—On what day was it that you
told Captain Austin your views with respect to the
channel ? Captain Penny—lt was on the 11th of
August. _

Captain Beechey—Then on the 11th of August you
told Captain Austin that the strait ought to be better
examined, and that if he would give you a vessel you
would go up there ? Captain Penny—Yes, I asked
him for a steamer to go up there. The very last words
I used to him were=—" Now, sir, go up there, and do
the cause some service."

Captain Beechey—Had you at that time received
Captain Austin's official letter ? Captain Penny—
Yes, that was after alll the other letters had passed.
Captain Beechey—Was it after you explained your
views to Captain Austin that you received this letter ?
Captain Penny—Yes, it was.
Chairman—Had you any conversation about this
letter ? Captain Penny—No, no conversation what-
ever. The last thing I said was, Go up into the
Wellington Channel, and you will do good service to
the cause."

Chairman—On what day was that ? Captain
Penny—l think it was on the morning of the 12th
August. _ _

Admiral Fanshawe—l think your opinion was that
Sir John Franklin went through the channel to the
north-west? Captain Penny—l am convinced of
that. I always had that impression, and I have never
had occasion to alter it. Ido not think he could have
gone any other way.
Sir E. Parry—Why not go any other way ? Why
not go the way I went ? Why do you think he might
not have gone that way ? Why might he not have
gone by Cape Walker and the south-west ? Captain
Penny—Why, then he would have reached the
American shore, and we should have had him long
ago. Travelling parties belonging to the north-west
companies would have seen him. _

Sir E. Parry—But you said he could not have
gone another way.
Captain Penny having handed in a paper,
The Chairman said—l suppose your object in giv-
ing me this paper is that it should appear in evidence,
so that I must ask you some questions upon it, and
then you will have an opportunity of recording it if
you like.

- Captain Beechey—We do not expect from you any
scientific matter beyond what you have given us with
respect to the latitudes ; but I may ask you whether
you put the work together yourself (adverting to a
chart which was placed on the table)? Captain
yenoywas—Captain Stewart did a great portion of it, but
present when it was done.
Captain Beeclaey—When you were at Cape Becher,
did you get the bearing of these distant .points ?
Captain P
_ enny—Yes.
Captain Beechey—When you saw Sir John and
Lady Franklin points was the weather clear ? Cap-
tain Penny—Yes, the weather was perfectly clear. I
am accustomed to take heights, and by computation I
imagine that 500 or 600 feet might have been the
measurement.