The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-30 00:00:00

2'.11E ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

LETTER FROM CAPTAIN M'CLINTOCK.

The following letter from Capt. M'Clintock, R.N., com-
manding Lady Franklin's screw yacht the Fox, contains
some further interesting particulars of his voyage in Baffin's
Bay :

"Arctic Yacht Fox, Holsteinborg,
April 28 to May 6, 18,58.

" My dear Barran.—Never was there a more beggarly
account of empty boxes. Our proceedings arc a blank. It
is not our faults you will readily believe, but ice is as capri-
cious as it is stubborn, and so we have found it. Melville
Bay appeared to me to be preciselyin the same state that we
found it in 1848, at the same date (15th August). But last
year the southerly winds blew so constantly that the ice be-
came more and more close as the season advanced. But one
opportunity offered, and, of course, I availed myself of it
by attempting to reach the north water. We thought we
were safe ; the water sky ahead was not far distant, but our
enemy astern—the south-east wind—came on too rapidly,
closed up the ice, and left us helplessly beset on the 181 h of
August ! For nearly a month hope and fear alternated as
we drifted slowly across Melville Bay, as the North Star did
before us; but a severe September gummed us up and left
us, chafing with disappointment, a legacy to the pack. From
the near neighbourhood of Cape York, which was last seen
bearing north-east in October, we drifted down past Dett-
oven, and finally made our exit from the pack in lat. 63 deg.
35 min. N., and Tong. 58 deg. 25 lain. W.
" What a happy release, you will say ; and truly so it was.
Thank God, we have suffered neither sickness nor hardship;
no ice movement disturbed us during the winter, although
often near enouegh to excite feelings of gratitude for our pre-
serration. We have lost one valuable man by an accident.
He fell down a hatchway and died 6f the injuries received.
We have not had a single case cf illness on board mere
serious than st.cold or headache since leaving England. My
crew are all that I could desire; their zeal and cheerfulness
are beyond all praise. 1 have sent for Lady Franklin a brie
statement of our proceeding's; how sincerely I sympathise
with her is more than I can express. However, lam not
without hope that the loss of a year is the worst feature in
the, case. If it pleases God to permit us a moderate share of
success we shall turn out an efficient corps of travellers
this autumn. We are now up to all the dodges, we can
build our snow huts quite as quickly as even Rae's people,
having frequently done so during the winter in less than
half-an-hour! Our provisions are excellent, and ample for
another winter, and should we be forced to spend an addi-
tional one (that is, a third winter), we have enough of most
things of our own, and shall take care to provide ourselves
at Beechy Island with what we may require. My plans are
unaltered, except that I shall probably have more time, and
will endeavour to get at the bottom of all the Pond's Bay
reports. Peterson* is admirable; most faithful, intelligent,
and experienced. I hope to obtain through him most valu-
able information.

" I desire no e!ienge in any of my cotnpanions, nor do I
Liiiak any change could be for the better. For myself, I
feel no regret at this failure which can at all be named with
that which I feel for poor Lady Franklin and all our kind
friends at home, including yourself, my dear friend. The
disappointment is too g reat for such minor consideration.
Next to the painful suspense of another year, I dread the
unavoidable expense of wages the provisions, clothing,
Sze., have already been paid for—but I dare not allude to
this to Lady Franklin. My hope is that we may finally be
rewarded with such a measure of success that the Govern-
ment will relieve her of the cost.

"I wish you could Lave seen, from a balloon, our escape

from the grip of the ice ; I never saw a finer sight ! Closely
packed heavy ice tossed about by a tremendous sea. Our
bow is an acute ironshod wedge, and impelled by steam w•
slowly advanced, in spite of the most fearful buffetings. Not
wishing to pile up the agony,' I have said as little as I
could about it; but in all my experience I have never wit-
nessed anything approaching to it. In a day or two I shall
start for Lievely, the coal mine, and the further north.
have asked Lady F. to write to me to Lievely next spring,
as I hope to touch there on my return in September, 1839.
Perhaps you will kindly write also. Excuse the brevity of
this scribble, but between writing to the Admiralty and so
many friends my time is occupied and wits jumble up into a
conglomeration.—Ever most sincerely yours,
" F. L. isITLINTocK."
* Mr. Peterson was icemaster with Capt. Penny and with Dr.
Kane.

which is at Trinity, on the rot
entrance. Here the magistra\
contains a population of 1,000 \
enraged in fishing.
The people appear to be we_ /of
English or Irish descent, the the
accent of the countries from which task forAthoSorigi-
, nally emigrated.
Nature has so bountifully supplied the sea around them
with fish for their support, that they have neglected the soil
for agricultural purposes, and are consequently dependent
on imports for their supplies, although it has been proved
that corn and almost every kind of vegetable will grow
during the short summer which they have from July to
September.
The population of the island is about 90,000, nearly one-
half of whom are It-mao Catholics. There is a Roman Ca-
tholic and a Protestant Bishop at St. John's and several
earnest missionaries at the different stations on the island;
but, as the people are so scattered, it is difficult with the ex-
isting means for them all to receive spiritual instruction.
The scarcity of schools and schoolmasters is another great
evil. Few of the children, or even the grown-up people, in
the smaller villages can read or write.
Nearer the sea coast the country is wooded, but it gets
clearer as you advance inland. Minerals rsre plentiful, but
not looked after, the people's attention being so entirely
taken up with fishing.
A most valuab!e lead mine, yielding SO per cent. of ore,
has recently been worked by an American on some land
ceded to the Newfoundland Telegraph Company by the
Colonial Government. It is about ten miles from the
Atlantic terminus, and, extraordinary to relate, the exist-
ence of the ore had been known for some time, but from
want of capital and enterprise it remained entirely
neglected until its value was appreciated by its present pro-
prietor, who will in a few years realise a most handsome
revenue from it.

Nothing of the interior is known, except from Indian
report and the journey of Mr. Cormack across the island
from Trinity to George's Bay in 182-2, he being the only white
man who has penetrated the interior. It presents, therefore,
a fine unexplored field for the naturalist or geologist.