The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-06 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

A Per-cwt.' Narrative of the Discovery of the North-
'Vest Passage. By Alex. Armstrong, M.D.,
R.N. Hurst and Blackett.
The .subject of this work is one which will at
once secure for it a large number of relders. There
is a'ways a peculiar interest in tho detals of ex-
ploits and p,rils on the world of waters, and in the
present instance it is redortb:ol from the attctudant
circumstances. The object of the expedition, tl-e
perilous nature of the undertaking under the most
favourable auspices, the grand discovery that has
made the voyage sn memorahle, together with the
fact of its extreme length and severe hardships,
combine to heighten the interest and. increase the
importance of tne narrative. It has nor been ;eq-,
to so late a date to give t:r the public the history
the expedition, hut another volume can hardly
,leeined sup Hiltons. Dr. Arinstring was the sur-
geon of 11--r Majesty's ship Investigator, and dur-
ing his five ye:11-s' sojourn he kept a journal and
note-book, from which he has compiled this volume
On his return, his health was so much injured that
he was unable to undertake any literary labour,
and being subsequently engaged in the Baltic cam-
paign and in the West Indies, he has been forced
to defer the arrangement of his papers for a con-
siderable period. It is, however, to be hoped that
a voyage, "which for its duration and privations
is unparalleled in maritime annals," has not lost its
interest among ns. Though some years have
passed away since that memorable expedition, and
though the excitement and anxiety of war have
distracted our attention, yet few will regard with
indifference the record of those lonely days and
nights in the Arctic Circle, which might well try
the courage of the bravest. On Sunday, January,
20th, 1850, the " Enterprise" and the " Investi-
gator" weighed anchor in Plymouth Sound, and
started on the search for Sir John Franklin and his
companions. On the 6th of October, 1854, the
officers and crew landed off Ramsgate, having thus
been absent nearly five years, and having passed
four consecutive winters in the Polar regions. The
" Investigator," under the command of Captain
McClure, entered the ice alone, having parted com-
pany with her consort the " Enterprise," soon
after leaving • England. The latter being a much
faster vessel soon outstripped the " Investigator,"
who had sacrificed speed to strength, having been
thoroughly prepared and fortified for her perilous
voyage by vv m. Rice, E,q., of Woolwich Dock-
yard. The two ships finally parted company off the
coast of South America, and the officers and crew
of the Investigator do not appear to have been •
pleased by the desertion of their comrades. Having
through some good advice, followed a shorter route,
they arrived first at the rendezvous, ani gladly •
availed themselves of the opportunity of obtaining
distinction by prosecuting the search alone. The •
outset of their voyage was the most prosperous, as
it was in the first year that they ascertained the
existence of the passage. On the 10,h of Ootobet
1850, the ship being housed for the winter, iu the ,
centre of the pack of ice, a small party, including
Captain McClure and Dr. Armstrong, quitted the
ship and took possession of the large tract of land,
now known as Prince Albert's Land. They soon
ascended some high ground and made their obser-
vations.

"Our view to the northward, however, was rather
more cheering, notwithstanding the deceptive appear-
ances ever caused by distance in Arctic regions, when
the atmosphere is highly refractive, and where ice and
14nd are often so intimately blended together, that it is
often impossible to distinguish one from the other. We
could clearly trace the termination of the western land,
or that of Banks', to a hew land or saps of considerable
elevation, while that on the eastern side tended away
to the north-east, with a clear, undoubted field of packed
ice, intervening—continuous with the Strait of Prince
of Wales, in which the ship then was. Everything,
therefore, WAS fully confirmatory of the opinions pre-
vieudy formed, and no doubt could remain as to the
existence of a passage. From the summit of that hill I
.elt convinced we were looking on the ice-packed Strait
of Barrow, that the highway to England from ocean to
ocean lay before us, and that we had incontrovertibly
established the existence of a North-West Passage."
Somedays later Captain M'Clure and some of the
crew started off to verify their surmises. He re-
turned after a short absence with a full confirma-
tion of their hopes.
" Although no doubt could be entertained as to the
existence of the passage, from our previous observations,
yet we hailed with great gladnes-i, their entire confirma-
tion on the return of Captain M'Clure. As no official
announcement of it had been previously made, the pre
sent was considered a fit opportunity for doing so, and
in these simple words cur great discovery was recorded
in the ship's log.
" ' Oc. oh, r 31st, the captain returned at 8 30 a.m.,
and at 11.30 a.m., the remainder of the party, having,
upon the 26tb instant, ascertained that the waters we
are now in, communicate with those of Barrow Strait, the
north-eastern limit being in latitude 73'31', N. longitude
114° 39', W. thus establishing the existence of a North-
West Passage between the At antic and Pacific Oceans '
"Thus was established the greatest maritime discovery
of the age, which for three centuries had baffled the
skill, enterprise, and energy of the civilised world. It
bad been, tinier the guidance and mercy of Providence,
achieved by us when in search of the expedition that
was lost in making the attempt to discover it."
This was the passage through the Prince of Wales
Strait, which divides Baring island from Prince
Albert's Land. A second, as is well known, was
subsequently discovered to the north of Baring
Island, through Banks Strait, which separates it from
Melville Is!and. Dr. Armstrong regards the en-
trance into the Bay of Mercy (where the Investi-
gator was finally abandoned) to have been the
fatal error of the voyage. It must certainly have
been a matter of deep regret to the gallant com-
mander and his high-spirited crew to abandon the
good ship that had borne them so long, instead of
completing the navigation of the passage and re-
turning to England in the vessel in which they
started. Dr. Armstrong reserves to himself the
right of occasionally censuring the conduct of the ex-
pedition, and appears to have had the misfortune
of frequently differing in opinion from the captain.
His criticisms and propositions will no doubt be
disputed, but he does not hesitate to award to
every individual engaged in the daring enterprise
the highest praise for courage and endurance. The
health of the men was severely tested by the com-
pulsory diminution of food during the severe
weather. Dr. Armstrong found from experience
that the second winter in such latitudes is more
trying to the constitution than the first, the third
tbau the second, and so on. Consequently a
greater proportion of animal and vegetable food is
required to restore the exhaustion of the powers,
and unfoitutia+ely the vo)agers were obliged to
have lees than before, owing to the decrease of
their supplies. The health and spirits of the men
stood the test bravely, and their cheerfulness during
the tedious monotony of the lonely winter months
is represented as most meritorious. At the pro-
spect of passing another winter—the third—in the
Bay of Mercy, their courage gave way. They had
suffered severely for many months from the incle-
mency of the season and the want of food. In the
month of January, 1853, the temperature fell
lower than has ever been experienced by any former
expedition, the mean temperature of the month
being 43 deg. 87 min. below Zero. Sickness and
exhaustion were producing alarming results on the
strongest, and their only chance of escape appeared
t,) be the desperate one of leaving the ship and
travelling over miles of ice in search of some small
depots of provisions, which were known to exist at
a great distance. This plan presenting the most
formidable appearance to a body of men reduced
by cold, hunger, and sickness, the feelings of the
desolate crew may be imagined at the unlooked-for
appearance of Leut. Pim. He arrived, strange to
say, just after the first death.
"It was at 4 p.m. on the afternoon of the 6th of
April, all was silent in and about the ship, four men
were on shore making a grave for their departed ship-
mate, distant from the ship about 400 yards ; two
officers were returning across the ice from superintend-
ing the work, when a figure was observed approaching
from the rough ice to seaward. They at first sup2oeed
him to be one of our men, but as he came towards them
he proved to be a stranger. He was Lieutenant Pim,
of H.M.S. Resolute, from Melville Island, who had
most providentially reached the Investigator after a
most severe and harassing journey of 28 days, being
then the earliest Polar travelling on record, and made
his appearance amongst us a deliverer. Immediately a
through
the object was observed, treading its way
the rough ice, which proved to be hislslceadngneodtrartemp
drawn by
five Esquitnaux dogs and two men.
to convey any idea of the scene which took place on
board, or the expressions of joy and gladness which were
so abundantly poured forth, when the intelligence that
flew with the rapidity of lightning from stem to stern,'
became known. It was at first pronounced either a rule
take or a joke. Indeed, the mind for a moment appeared
confused, as if unable to c nnprehend the truth of
what was heard, and several strange involuntary
questions were hastily muttered asked and answered in
a breath. At length when thoroughly aware of the
reality, and fully aroused by a shout of joy, raised by a
few men on deck, announcing the approach of the
stranger, there was a sudden and simultaneous rush to
the hatchways; the weak and the strong, ' the maimed,
the halt and the blind' following each other, amazed and
agitated, as fast as their enfeebled limbs could bear them,
until the deck Was gained, and they were afforded an
opportunity of verifying what they had just heard. Some,
as doubting the reality of what they saw, rushed out on
the ice, and were not satisfied till they met Lieutenant
Pim, touched him, handled him, and heard him speak,
when they no longer doubted. He was the first of our
coun'ryinen we had seen, or whose voice we had heard,
for three long and dreary years. The sledge soon fol
lowed, and the party were received by three as hearty
theers as ever came from the lungs of British sailors.
No words could express the feelings of heartfelt glad-
l" which all experienced at this unlooked-for, this
most providential arrival. Relief was now at hand—
succour had reached us, On men who b eyed that

there was no other ship within the Arctic envie
our own, and relying as we were entirely on our own
resources, the joy and delight which this nrrival

duced baffles all attempts at description. The circum-
stances which brought about this happy result may be
briefly told. On the arrival of H.M. ships Resolute and
Intrepid at Dealt' Island, in the autumn of the previous
year, 1852, from England, and while employed in lay-
ing out provision depots to faciltato the spring travel-
ling. in the prosecution of the search for ourselves, or
Sir J. Franklin's expedition ; they fou,d at Winter
Harbour the record which Captain Mq.)!ure had de-
posited there in April, 1852, an event as unlooked for
by them as the arrival of their party was unexpected by
us. On receipt of the record Captain Kellett determined
to send a party in search of us at the cattiest pilried of
the spring, and accordingly, on the 10! Ii of Nferch;-de-
snatched that enterprising add intrepid effici-ir (L'eut.
Pini) and his associates in search of u'. Th,- party,
which was original), intended t, proceed via Prince' of
Wales S;.rait to the Mackenzie River, was now united
to that intended to go to Cape Spencer, both proceed-
ing direct to the Resolute, the Mackenzie River route
being abandoned."

" After one day's rest, Lieutenant Pim and party left
us on their return to the Resolute, carrying with him
all our best thanks and wishes for the strenuous exer-
tions he had made to reach us. It affords rue unalloyed
pleasure here to record the debt of gratitude, I must, in
common with all the Investigators, ever feel towards this
officer. He was a volunteer for the duty of searching
for us, and undertook the journey at an unprecedented
early period of the year, (10th of March,) at a tempera-
ture of 50' below zero—nor is it this alone which entitles
him to our gratitude, as nothing could exceed the kind-
ness and warmth of feeling he showed towards us, parti•
cularly when pressing on our acceptance many little
thiugs of which we stood in need. But when he saw us
sitting down with a half-starved aspect, on the morning
after his arrival, to what was denominated breakfast; (a
cup of weak cocoa with sugar, and a moiety.nf-bread)
his feelings overcame him ; he rushed to his sledge, then
out on the ice, brought a large piece of bacon, placed it
before us, and gave us the only breakfast we had known
for many a long day. The remembrance of this, and his
other acts of kindness to us then, will I hope, never be
effaced from our recollection. Nor did the two gallant
fellows who accompanied him, and who aided in our re-
lief, (Thomas Bidgood and Robert Hoyle) feel less for
our condition ; for they had just arrived, as our men
were about to draw lots for their evening meal (a panni-
kin of tea and a little biscuit)—a novel sight to them who
had come from a land of plenty ; but so overcome were
they at the sight of our haggard crew, that their manly
cheeks became moistened with tears. Captain M Clure,
with an officer and six men, equipped with sledge and
provisions, left also, the same day, the Bth, to put him•
self in personal communication with the senior officer at
Melville Island."

The adventurers had yet to pass another year in
the ice, though under happier circumstances. The
Investigator was finally abandoned in June, 1853,
and her gallant officers and crew joined her Ma-
jesty's ships Resolute and Intrepid at Dealy Island,
returning to England towards the close of the next
year in her Majesty's ship North Star, having per-
formed one of the most perilous and remarkable
voyages ever made in the Arctic Sea. Dr. Arm-
strong does not possess great powers of description,
or much original force of style, but the narrative
of an eyewitness must always have much to recom-
mend it, and his style is clear and sensible. He
has also shine pretensions as a naturalist, and his
observations on the natural history of those re-
gions will be useful to the scientific. His collec-
was unfortunately left in the vessel. The discovery
of petrified wood in those frozen regions will be
extremely interesting to the geologist. The trunks
and branches of tree, some of them in a state of
semi c irbonisation, were discovered in the north
of Baring Islaud, proving, as our autbcr remark 4,
that "there existed at oi:e period various and
luxurious forms of arboresceut growth in regions
where nothing now is to he seen but desolate lands
and trackless ice wastes."

The chart which is prefixed to the work will be
of the greatest scr7ice in enabling the reader b
trace the course of the adventurers. Perhaps no
eloquence of description: no exertion of the itra-
gitiation can enable those who have never quitted
a more temperate zone to realise the wonders of
the pathless ice wastes. It may well be a matter
of surprise to less daring and enterprising nations
that so many Englishmen should have sought a
grave among those pitiless icebergs, verifying the
words of the poet,

" The warlike of the isles,
The men of field and wave,
Are not the rocks their funeral piles,
The seas and shores their grave."

It might well be matter of rejoicing to the
voyagers of the Investigator that after so many
struggles and failures oue solitary English ship
should have been the first to make known to the
world the North West passage. The hardships
and privations of that voyage are now but a me-
mory, but a memory that adds another to the
gloriEs of the British name. The frost-bound
wilderness which the savage Esquimaux desert,
the miles of floating ice, scarce the pathway of
the reindeer or the polar bear, have seen human
nature display qualities as great and as enduring
as the most favoured age or clime ; the courage
that faced sudden danger unflinching, the fortitude
that maintained a long period of anxiety with
firmnes, the cheerfulness that baffled care, the
ready obedience to discipline, the resignation that
met pain and death unshrinking, the faith that
trusted in God. These are among the virtues that
softened those rugged regions adorned by the
achievements of so many of our countrymen, and
consecrated, we must, alas ! believe by the suffer-
ings of Franklin and his companions.