The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-24 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The Eventful Voyage of JP.M.S. Resolute to the
Arctic Regions. By G. F. M`Dougall, Master.
Longman.
The records of the exploits and adventures of
Arctic navigators always possess an especial interest.
The loneliness and danger of the undertaking, the
toil and hardship they have to undergo, the priva-
tions they have too often to encounter, invest the
narrative of their proceedings with au excitement
and novelty that even the tales of perils by sea,
enthralling as they proverbially are, do not often
equal. The actors in these scenes, too, must be
men of high character and intrepid resolution. The
ffieers must be- experienced and courageous, the
men must necessarily be of an adventurous and un-
daunted character to volunteer for such a service.
For though it is scarcely possible to appreciate its
difficulties and hardships at a distance, its perils are
not of the exciting kind that attract -the unstable,
and the catalogue of missing ones, as well as the
recitals of some of the voyagers, are sufficient to
scare the unthinking, Several such narratives have
recently been put iu circulation. It will ba recol-
lected that a short time ago. Dr. Armstrong of the
" Investigator" published an account of the im-
portant
voyage of that vessel, the discovery of the
redoubtable North West Passage, and the final
alandoninent of the ship in the Bay of Mercy. The
crew of the Investigator, as is well known, were
rescued from their perilous and depressing position
by Lieut. Pim, who conveyed to them the joyful
intelligence that the " Resolute" and " Intrepid"
were then at Melville Island. The present volume
forms a companion picture to that interesting nar-
rative, and though it does not record such a remark-
able event as the discovery of the North West Pas-
sage, nor has it, happily, to chronicle such priva-
tions and sufferings, it is in no ways deficient in
interest of its own. Indeed it is in some
respects a more agreeable work, as the brave
and cheerful spirit of the writer seems to
have defied the whole tribe of ice-spirits to
disconcert or depress. The most cordial feeling,
appears to have existed between all the mem-
bers of the little band, and Mr. M`Dougall
dedicates his work to Captain Kellett, in terms ex-
pressing the warmest encomiums of his public
services. This work, he tells us, is simply what it
professes to be, a journal kept on board up to the
time of the abandonment of the ship, and was in-
tended to be private, but, fortunately, his friends
perceived how -useful and interesting such a narra-
tive would be.to the public, and the writer agreed
the more readily as Sir Edward Beloher's expedi-
tion having divided, the Resolute and Intrepid
formed a distinct party. He has no right, how=
ever, to claim the indulgence of the public fcr the
style of the work, as it is throughout clear and
simple, and leaves nothing to be desired. The ex-
pedition left Greenhithe on the 21st of April, 1852,
and in about a month had their first sight of ice.
The squadron, which consisted of five vessels,
under the command of Sir Edward Belclier, C. 8.,
proceeded to Beechey Island, where they separated,
and the Resolute and Intrepid were despatched to
Melville Island. The Assistance and Pioneer pro-
ceeded up Wellington Channel, while the North
Star remained at Beechey Island as a depot in
case of either of the other ships being deserted.
The narrative of their proceedings, their hair-
breadth escapes, and various adventures, and the
manner in which they contrived to pass the long
and dreary winter months, is full of .interest, and
reflects the highest credit on all concerned. Here
is one of their earliest adventures soon after leav-

ing Beechey Island. The ship had grounded in
Assistance Bay, and they perceived an extensive
floe of ice approaching them :
"To give the reader a better idea of our situation, it
will bo necessary to destribe the relative positions of the
ship and approaching ice. The vessel, as I have before
stated, was grounded on her port bilge, with about seven
feet of water under her stern and six under her bow, whilst
the floe on her port (or lee) beam was advancing at the
rate of one mile and a half an hour directly towards her.
Its length was about two miles and a half, by one mile and
a half broad, and was afterwards proved to be about three
feet six inches thick.
" About seven, the edge of the ice took the ship under
the lee gangway, shaking her throughout. A moment
bad scarcely elapsed ero we became sensible of the ship's
lifting, and instinctively each man grasped a rope as he be-
came aware she would be inevitably thrown over.
Yielding inch by inch before such a powerful lever, the
ship at length rested on her keel, but it was but mo-
mentary, for in a second she was thrown over on her star-
board side, with a shock sufficient to bring every mast by
the board.
"As it was, the very topmasts bent like whalebone,
bringing a fearful strain on the weather shrouds ; but not
a ropo was stranded, nor a single spar injured by this un-
precedented and appalling occurrence.
" Would the ship be borne before the ice? or remain im-
moveable on the ground ? were questions that naturally
suggested themselves. Supposing the &at to be the case
she would bo forced nearer the shore, into small water,
which would lessen the chances of getting off, and if the
latter, she would in all probability be overrun and buried
beneath the ice, as.many a gallant ship had been, under
somewhat similar circumstances, in Melville Bay.
"A careful eye was kept on the lead, but the ship re-
mained fixed, and her side was thus opposed to the ice, on
whose progress, however, it had no effect, As the pres-
sure increased, huge pieces scaled the side, and would have
fallen in board, had not men been stationed on the gun-
wale with poles, to repel these formidable boarders.
" Oar sternpost bore the greatest strain ; to ease the
pressure, charges were sunk in the ice, breaking it all
around ; but this was found to give the ice fresh motion,
and ultimately increase the danger. For two hours we re-
mained in this trying position ; at the end of that time the
floe was obser red to be moving more out of the bay, when
the pressure decreased considerably."
After a certain distance the compasses ceased to
be of service, and would only have misled 'them.
The months of darkness Mr. 111Dougall repeatedly
refers to as the most depressing incident, and the
return of the sun after his long absence was hailed
with delight. In the early spring the travelling
parties were despatched, Lieutenant Pim starting
for Bankes' Land on the 19th of March, making
the earliest extended spring journey on record.
On the 6th of April he descried the Investigator,
and running on in advance he came upon Captain
M'Clure and Lieutenant Haswell walking on the
ice discussing their prospects. At first they
thought he was one of the seamen :
" On a closer inspection they thought he must bo an
Esquitna,ux ; but although labouringunder this impression,
Captain M'Clure naturally called out (in English), In the
name of God, who are you?' The effect of the answer I
am Lieut. Pim of the Resolute (Captain ICellet), now at
Melville Island,' may or rather must be conceived ; far as
I am aware I could not describe it, I do not intend
attempting it.
" Whilst this scene was being enacted, a man from the
deck saw Lieut. Pim, and indistinctly caught his abswer.
Rushing below he roused all hands, by caring out, ' Here's
a stranger alongside from some ship. The effect was
astounding ; the sick vied with the healthy in activity to
get on deck. All was haste and confusion ; in a moment
the lower deck was cleared, the carpenters had dropped
their tools (they were making the first coffin), and even the
men on shore, digging a grave, seeing that something
unusual had occurred: hurried off to share in the astonish-
went and delight of their excited shipmates."
The astonishment of the crew of the "Resolute"
was great when the returning party accosted them
with, " The Investigator is found, and M'Clure is
close behind." They were not discovered any too
soon, for out of the party of six men who accom-
panied Captain M'Clure on his journey to the
"Resolute," four were obliged to be put on the
sick list immediately after their arrival, although
they had been picked out as the strongest. Though,
fortunately, not reduced to such extremities, the
crews of the " Resolute" and " Intrepid" had
much to endure, and several sunk under it. Four,
out of the " Intrepid's" crew of thirty men, were
buried in the ice. After passing two winters in
the ice, and having no prospect of release, the ships
'were abandoned, and the same fate befell the
"Assistance' and the " Pioneer," thus making
in
all five vessels abandoned. Not all, however, lost,
for for the stout old " Resolute' " on being released by
the weather, commenced her homeward journey
unaided ; and the writer gives us a full account of
her recovery by Capt. Buddington, U.S., and her
restoration to her Majesty by the generality and
good feeling of the Government of the United
States
"The vessel herself, however, had, strange to say,
escaped any material injury, after a self-directed voyage of
no less than nearly 1,00 miles, along a track abounding
in perils, not only from rocks, shoals, and other dangers
which a ship is heir to, but those ever moving icy plains,
and mighty crystal mountains, that sail in undisputed
sway, and form the terror of the Arctic Ocean."
It may be imagined with what feelings the officers
and crews locked at the vessel they had left so far
away, with so little expectation of seeing again.
With regard to Sir John Franklin and his com-
panions the writer has little hope :--
" Setting aside the belief of many, that thee Erebus'
and Terror' were lost on their homeward rout--4 verY
possible fate to befall any vessel nav_aringiud,a,amtdisinrotgesiainicseffis
ay
on
dark nights amidst innumerable icebergs,—l hday"o menf"
tautly come to the conclusion that no
b:ttending BO
could withstand the rigour and P t_ solitudes of
protracted a stay amidst the dark
the frigid zone, under the same ciroo_ e
fth missing ships,
hStirweJoinhnalal
nparothhfbiolfaityce
or the strongest uninjured.
can face unflinching,
The third winter is said to be more than the boldest
brseeannapl carceen
All on board the "Resolute" united in endeavour-
ss their two winters in the best Manner,
ianngd tot pa
theatrical performances, lectures. &c., were
arranged by the captain and officers to lighten the
tame. The weather they experienced was very
severe ; thus, on the 12th of April, 1854, Mr.
McDougall enters in his journal the following
note :—" At 5 p.m. this day the temperature rose
to zero, being the first time it had attained that
height since October 28th, 1853, being a period of
no less than 166 days." In the first week of Octo-
ber, 1854, the adventurers returned, having been
absent more than two years., As we before stated,
Mr. McDougall appends a full account of the re-
covery and restoration of the "Resolute," which
is very curious. A 'nap at the counneuceineut