The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-29 00:00:00

The PAry royal steam-yacht, Master-Commander
D. N. Welch, was docked to-day to have her bottom
examined, having been some time since coated with
Mr. Peacock's composition on one side, and Mr. Hay's
on the other. On docking to-day Mr. Peacock's
composition was very clean, and Mr. Hay's very foul.
The commander of the royal yacht has consequently,
we are informed, applied for the Fairy to be coated
over entirely with Mr. Peacock's preparation.
The Stromboli steam-sloop was taken into the
steam basin on Monday.
The Marion convict ship embarked at Spithead on
Monday from the Echo Government tug the prisoners
for transportation from the York and Stirling Castle
hulks in this harbour, and dropped down to Cowes to
ship others from Parkhurst.
WOOLWICH, Ocr. 28 —The Tyne troop and store-
ship, Master-Commander Peter 'Wellington, was not
completed in her fittings to take the baggage of the
Royal Artillery, under order for Barbadoes, on board
yesterday, :as originally intended, but the whole of the
baggage was put on board to-day, and Captain Dom-
wile's company will embark at the Dockyard at seven
o'clock to-morrow morning. Captain Domville, in
command of the company, Second Captain Arbuth-
not, and Lieutenants Mackenzie and Oldfield proceed
with the company.

THE ARCTIC COMMITTEE.—LETTER
FROM LADY FRANKLIN.
The members of this committee held a sitting at
the Admiralty, on Monday, to examine the reports of
Gaptain Abitirt aiiatiptain Penny, and also to obtain
answers which may be put.to them or to the officers
who accompanied them in tie recent searching ex-
peditions, as to the best plans to be adopted in the fit-
ture expeditions which were decided upon before the
committee was appointed.
The following is a copy of a letter from Lady
Franklin to Mr. Grinnell, who interested himself so
much in sending out the American expedition under
Captain De Haven
" 21, Bedford-place, London, Sept. 12, 1851.
"My dear Mr. Grinnell,—l write to you in much
agitation and confusion of mind, which you will not
wonder at when you hear that Captain Penny, with
his two ships, has returned, and announces the ap-
proaching return of Captain Austin's squadron, after
being out for only half the period for which they
were equipped. * *
Captain Penny's letter is to day before the Board of
Admiralty, urging them in the strongest terms to
dispatch instantly a powerful steamer to Wellington
Channel, in which quarter, to the north-west, he has
discovered the passage which there can be scarcely a
doubt the ships have taken, since it is the only open-
ing they have found anywhere, and hundreds of miles
of coast have been explored in the lower western
direction to Cape Walker, Bank's Land, and Melville
Island, without a trace of them. Drift wood in con-
siderable quantities has come out of this north-west
channel, and also a small bit of rather fresh English
elm, which Penny pronounces must have belonged to
our ships, and was, probably, thrown overboard.
"Thus the right track •kof the north-west passage
and the course of the missing ships are identical; and
I can only regret that our squadron was not told they
might attempt the making of the passage, if they
could, for in that case we should have had no aban-
doning of the search till many more struggles had
been made to get into Behring Straits. The barrier
of ice in Wellington Channel did not break up last
year, nor had done so this, when Penny left; but his
explorations, which extended to 180 miles from the
entrance, were made beyond it in boat sledges ; 60
miles beyond this he saw water, with land standing to
the north-west. I can hardly conceive how he could
resist following the open water which he saw beyond
him, and which he is convinced leads into the so-
much-talked-of Polar basin. He is also convinced,
with Dr. Kane, that there is a better climate in these
more northern latitudes, with more natural resources
of food and fuel ; some proofs of which he brings
forward. We have every reason, then, to hope that
some of our lost friends and countrymen may yet be
able to support life in this region, though unable to
return by the way which they came ; and the absence
of any traces of them north of Cape Lines, on the
east side of Wellington Channel, proves nothing at
all against it, since they were not likely to linger on
their way to examine shores and islands, but would
push on as fast as possible while the opportunity fa-
voured them, and the next trace to be found would
probably be their second winter quarters.
"In confirmation of this view, Penny tells me that
these are signs of their first winter encampment at
Beecby Island, and of their having left it suddenly ;
and that the summer of 1846, though extremely un-
favourable to the whalers, who, on account of the
prevailing winds, could not pass over to the west side
of Baffin's Bay, must have been quite the reverse to
our navigators. You may
imagine what a state of
anxiety and agitation we are in, till ;we learn the
decision of the Admiralty on the appeal now made to
them. I have written a strong letter also, and I
know that Sir F. Beaumont, Captain Hamilton, and
Mr. Barrow, who are all at their posts, will allege
the necessity of prompt measures with all their
powers. Should we fail, we must look to America
alone as our resource. To you will belong all the
virtue and credit of continuing the search, when our
countrymen fail; and to you will belong the honour
and glory of succouring the distressed,
and of settling
for ever that vexed question which for centuries
it has been the ambition of EutoPel and of
England in particular, to solve. I cannot abandon
my husband and my countrymen both to their fate,
just at the moment when the pathway to them has
been found; and, if need be, and my cawing to the
United States would help in engaging the active and
energetic sympathies of your countrymen, painful in
many respects, as this trial would be,
"But my head is gr.ming weak, and cry I would brace
up my courage to the proof.
health is
sinking—and then I have a beloved sitter (not to
mention an aged father, who is not now in a state to
be conscious of my absence) whom it would almost
break my heart to leave. I am sure you will tell
with all your accustomed truth, and candour, and
kindness, what is your view of this point, in case the
Admiralty fail mu. *
"It appears that it was Captain Austin's intention
to look into Wellington Channel himself, and also
into Jones's Sound before he returned home, but
as to the former, Penny says he will find the ice
impassable, so that he will be sure not to be
able, as an eye witness, to see the opening. Nothing,
Perhaps, could penerate it in its present state but
the 400-horse power steamer, and that cannot be done
this year, though Penny says, if the steamer could be
ready to sail in three weeks or a month from hence,
he thinks he could still get her up to Lancaster Sound
this season, or at any rate to some convenient loca-
lity, which would enable him to commence early
operations next spring. I intend writing much more
twogallant ships, and their
to you about your own
_wish
to of almost unparalleled anxiety,
but as I wish
e Kane, I believe I
words to Judge to address a fewg
must forbear, and refer you to my note to him, which
I shall enclose and leave open. Captain Penny has
part of
studded the northern Wellington Channel with
your name, and the names of our brave and generous
allies in your ships. lam greatly pressed tor time,
than I 'h
can possi g through.
having more writing
dear Mr.',Grinnell,ieveret most truly
"Believe me, my
and respectfully yours,

JANE FRANKLIN."

THE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
(From the New York Tribune.)
The Advance, Captain De Haven, has arrived in
the order her name bespeaks from a voyage under-
taken in philanthropy, full of peril, full of incident,
and successful in everything but the great object of
her search. The first grand cause for triumph is,
that all her hardship, enterprise and danger have not
that apparent
befeifrtohm a simple Dar-
e expedition and
pedition
singpireleic ng and ever-watch-
feti How eminently
c thisost theblessing s a sacrifice Ts
owingceof a
to aot
rfualtiPveroovfidtheencewi
the peculiar trials by which the Advance was tested
in those hitherto unknown and untruvelled seas.
Truly God was on the waters shaping the destiny of
incidentsll be
this great mission of charity, even though fated
not to discover the long. lost wanderer. But let ns
begin our narrative:—
The American Expedition entered Wellington Sound
on the 26th of Aug., 1850, where they met Captain
Perry with the Lady Franklin, and Sophia, and were
afterwards joined by Sir John ROSS and Commodore
Austin. On the 27th, Capt. Perry discovered un-
mistakable evidence:of Franklin's first winter quarters
—three graves with inscriptions on wooden head-
boards dating as late as April, 1846. Their inmates,
according to these inscriptions, were of his crew—two
from the Erebus and one from the Terror. There
were beside fragments of torn canvas, articles of
clothing, wood and cordage, undoubted evidence of a
large and long encampment; but affording no indi-
cations which would serve as guides to the searchers
or give assurance to hope.
On the Bth of September the expedition forced
through-the
ice to Barlow's Inlet, where they nar-
rowly escaped being lOcked in in the ice. But they so
far succeeded, and on the 11th reached Griffith's