The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-03 00:00:00

SAILING OF THE BRITISH DISCOvM4I7
SHIP RESOLUTE FOR ENGLAIND.

The British discovery barque Resolute sailed on
the 13th ult., at noon, from the Brooklyn navy
yard, under the command of Captain H. J. Har-
stein, one of the cfficers of thelate A.rcti cexpediticn,
for Portsmouth, England, where she will be deli-
vered into the hands of her Majesty's Government
as a present from the Government of the United
States. Captain Harstein, in command of the
English barque Resolute, has been fully instructed
by the Navy Department relative to the course to
be pursued by him in the execution of his trust,
and takes out a letter to Lord Clarendon from the
the State Department, closing the joint resolution
of Congress for the purchase of that vessel from
the American crow who found it, and presentation
of it to the British Government, and expressing the
gratification of the Administration on behalf of the
people of the United States in tendering this token
of the friendly feelings by which our country is
actuated. The time for this national courtesy is
considered here to be opportune, in view of the
settlement of the Central American question. The
singular history of the Resolute must be fresh in the
recollection of our readers. It will be remembered
that she was despatched by the British Government
in search of Sir John Franklin, and was frozen in
among the icebergs ; that her officers and crew
had to abandon her, leaving all their effects
OD board ; that she was found several months ago
by the crew of a whaling vessel belonging to New
London, Connecticut, having drifted about 1,200
miles from the spot where she was abandoned.
Nor will it be forgotten that the sum of $40,000
was appropriated by our owu Government for the
purpose of purchasing her from the fortunate
whalers of New London—the English Government
having waived all claim to her ; nor that she has
been repaired and fitted with the utmost care at
the expense of our Government, with the design of
restoring her to the Queen in at least as good a
condition as she was iu at the time the exigencies
of their situation compelled her crew to abandon
her. With such completeness and attention to de-
tail has this work been performed, that not only
has everthing found on board been preserved, even
to the books in the captain's library, the pictures
ix his cabin, and a musical-box and organ belong-
ing to other officers, but new British flags have been
manufactured in the Navy-yard to take the place
of these which had rotted during the long time
she was without a living soul on board. From
stem to stern she his been repainted ; her sails
and much of her rigging are entirely ncw, tho
muskets, swords, telescopes, nautical instruments,
dtc., which she contained, have been cleaned and
put in perfect order. Nothing has been overlooked
or neglected that was necessary to her most complete
and thorough renovation. Several thousand pounds
of powder which were found on board will be
taken back to England, somewhat deteriorated in
quality, but still good enough for ordinary pur-
poses, such as firing salutes. Her massive build
surprised every one of her numerous visitors while
she remained at the Navy-yard. Her upper deck
and between-decks are double planked throughout,
while her bows and sides are of three thicknesses.
Her builders had regard to the comfort of her
officers and crew in the Arctic seas. Under every
berth runs a steampipe, and through the entire
length of the cabins and between decks are rows of
pipes three feet in dfameter, which must have
effectually heated the vessel even when the ther-
mometer fell to 60 or 70 deg. below zero. The
pipes in question connected with a huge furnace,
which also served as a cooking range. The officers
appointed by the Government to conduct the Reso-
lute to England are, Commander H. J. Harstein,
Lieutenants C. H. Wells, E. E. Stone, and Hun-
ter Davidson. The surgeon is Mr R. T. Maccoum,
and the secretary, Mr. Otis. Tile Resolute is un-
doubtedly a slow sailer, and it is not expected that
- she will reach Portsmouth under 40 days. T!.e
reception which will be given to her officers and
crew will, undoubtedly, be worthy of the generous
conduct of the American people.—. New York
Times.