The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-02 00:00:00

IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES.

The New York; Herald of September 19th says :
—lt is now nearly a quarter of a century since the
lamented Sir John Franklin and his crews embarked
on the ships Erebus and Terror on their heroic and
ill-fated expedition to the Arctic regions in quest
of a north-west passage to Asia ; and the years of
almost breathless anxiety that followed his depar-
ture, while awaiting information of the result of his
explorations, were succeeded by a still more anxious
yearning to learn the fate of himself and his fol-
lowers, when the world had ceased to hope for tid-
ings of the progress of his enterprise, and looked
earnestly for news of the personal well-being of the
adventurous party. Several expeditions were fitted
out to search for the lost navigators, but none were
able to find any positive evidence of the safety or
existence of any of Franklin's command, and ob-
tained only vague rumours from the Esquimaux
that parties of Caucasians had been among them.
When these had failed the attention of Henry Grin-
nell, of New York, became involved in the subject,
and an expedition was fitted out by him, and Cap-
tain Hall was entrusted with the arduous under-
taking of endeavouring to clear up the mystery,
which had become at once painfully sad and ro-
mantic. To his energetic investigation of the fate
of the Franklin explorers, and to the liberality of
one of New York's citizens, the world is indebted
for such information as has furnished positive evi-
dence of the result of Sir John's hazardous attempt.
Various reports have from time to time appeared
chronicling the latest data received from Mr. Hall
touching his discoveries, which have confirmed the
conclusion that no survivor is left to tell the tale of
their privations, failure, and deaths.
On Thursday last, Dr. Goold, of Dublin, a gen-
tleman widely known, and who has been during
the past two ycars in the Pular regions, arrived in
this city, and furnished the latest detailed informa-
tion of Captain Hall and the object of his search.
Dr. Goold arrived at New London, Connecticut, a
few days since on board a whaling ship from Cum-
berland Inlet, and states that in August, 1867, he
spent some considerable time with Mr. Hall, who
was then at Repulse Bay. Mr. Hall has traced
the fate directly of two of the last survivors of
Sir John Franklin's party, and has obtained
valuable information regarding the relics and
some records reported by the natives to have been
left by the lost expedition in King William's Land.
Captain Hall learned from some of the Esquimaux
in 1866, that about two years prior to that time
Captain Crozier and one of the Franklin crew had
died in the vicinity of Southampton Island, while
endeavouring to make their way to that place, in
the belief that they would be there able to meet a
whaler to convey them back to England, or, in fact,
anywhere to escape from their Arctic prison. Capt.
Hall is confident of the identity of Capt. Crozier
with one of the men so described to have perished,
as the natives not only gave Capt. Crozier's name,
but were in possession of certain articles that be-
longed to him and to his companion. Mr. Hall ob-
tained from these Esquimaux Capt. Crozier's watch,
a gold chronometer, made by Arnold and Dent,
of London, besides some small articles of silver
and trinkets belonging to their outfit. These
relics Mr. Hall now holds, and they have been seen
and handled by Dr. Goold. Captain Crozier's
companion, who died with him, is believed to have
been a steward of either the Erebus or Terror, as
the natives say he was a server of food, but could
not recollect his name. The natives also state that
they have among them, near Southampton Island,
a piece of gold lace and a piece of gold bullion
which belonged to Captain Crozier, and is believed
to have formed part of one of his epaulettes. They
also stated that a number of others had started with
Capt. Crozier from a place very far north to reach
Southampton Inlet, but had perished one by one on
the way. They had been passed from one band of
Enewits to the other, and when Captain Crozier
had passed through two tribes the natives say
all further traces were lost, but Capt. Hall himself
traced the remainder there. Capt. Hail also says :
—" The opinion most entertained is that the natives
killed them. rI hey say themselves there was no
difficulty in Captain Crozier getting through, be-
cause he was accounted among the natives a first-
rate hunter for that country, and could at all times
keep himself in food." The records which Captain
Hall hopes to be able to secure are in King Wil-
liam's Land, and considerable difficulty is antici-
pated in the effort to reach them. According to
native information the last six survivors built
a cairn, or rude vault of stones, on the reeks,
and deposited within it some documents and
such articles as they had no further use for
or would have been an encumbrance on their jour-
ney. For some time past King William and his
tribe have been hostile towards file native followers
of King Albert, who inhabit the region about
Repulse Bay, where Mr. Hall was quartered, and
would allow no incursions into their country. The
place where this cairn is described to be situated is
about 450 miles northward from Repulse Bay, and
in order to reach it Captain Hall has formed an
alliance with Albert and his people, and, together
with his own escort of Europeans, was preparint,
an expedition of about 90 persons to march in quest
of the records. It was Mr. intention to start
in February or March of this year, and he had
already accumulated supplies of provisions and other
necessaries for the purpose.

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BLOWING UP OF A SHIP TVITH A CARGO

OF NAPHTHA.

The British consul at Drammen has forwarded to
the Board of Trade, the report made to him by
Captain Henry Wells, late master, and one of the
survivors of the crew of the British ship Toto
Volkes, belonging to Liverpool, which was de-
stroyed by an explosion of naphtha while on her
voyage to St. Petersburg :
" The ship was laden with 770 barrels of naphtha.
Nothing remarkable occurred until the 6th of
September. When about forty-eight miles to the
N. W. of Heligoland a fearful explosion took
place on board. At the time I, with the
mate, were in the cabin, and the remainder of'
the crew were on deck. For a few minutes
was insensible. When I came to myself I found
everything in the cabin destroyed, the bulkheads all
collapsed together, and the ship split in her water
way, so much so that I and the mate got on deck
through the water way. On looking forward I ob-
served that the lifeboat had been blown off from the
main hatchway and was split to pieces. All tile
hatchways were blown off, and the timbers of
the deck of the ship were forced up about two
feet. Observing that the ship. was all but n
wreck, and her cargo on fire, I ordered her
mainmast to be cut away as the only chance to
make a raft to save our lives, but before this could
be done the flames rose from the hatchways in such
volumes that it became dangerous for any one
to remain on board, and most of the hands
plunged into the sea to save themselves from being
burnt to death. We, however, managed to OS
away the main boom, which we got overboard, and
to this I clung. I could not swim. A seawall
named William Miller swam and got on to it. All
the crew except myself managed to divest theta'
selves of their clothing. I found mine was drag'
ging me under, and Miller assisted me in getting
off the heaviest portion of my clothing. On look-
ing round I saw about five seamen swimming in
various directions for pieces of the wreck.
William Newton, a seaman, managed to reach
the boom we were clinging to. The ship $0
now burning furiously, like a volcano, the
flames rising more than 300 feet high, and It
continued so to burn for about a quarter of
an hour. I then saw her settling down in the water,
and almost instantaneously disappear through the
vortex of the flames, as if she had broken up, for
the whole of the cargo rose to the surface, and
spreading itself for a considerable distance burnt
tremendously, the sea for at least half a mile is
length presenting a sea of fire. Many of the pot
fellows whom we had seen swimming got en'
tangled with the burning naphtha, and this
perished. I also lost sight of the mate, steward,
and one seaman who happened to be close to the
boom. The cook, Ralph Nichol, I heard call out'
he was lashed to a piece of wreck. I heard JO
during the night join with us in calling out oe
loud as we could, in the hopes of being heard 131
some passing vessel, but we did not hear him after
ten o'clock that night. We afterwards succeeded
in getting a piece of wreck, which we lashed to the
boom, so as to prevent it turning round. Thls
enabled us to get across it. 1% hen the moon NO
the night became fine, but very cold, with a light
wind from the south-east. We still continued sing'
ing out all night at the top of our voices, Ship
a-hoy ! ship a-boy when between one and 01
o'clock in the morning I perceived a vessel to lee'
ward. The moon's rays lighting up her sails, vie
sung out, Ship a-hoy!' more loud than ever,
never ceasing for one moment, and we were glad;
dened by the sight of her shortening sail and
slacking, our cries evidently having been heard'
When the vessel got abreast of us, as he
supposed by the voices, he lowered his boot'
and succeeded in rescuing us from a terrible fate'
The vessel proved to be the German schooner Von
Leotila, Captain Schon, from Hamburg. On get'
ting aboard he treated us with the greatest kind'
ness. I immediately pointed out to him the posy
Lion, as I thought, the last time I saw anything
of the crew. He then bore to windward until he
came among fragments of the wreck, all the tide
calling out and blowing a fog horn, to attract
attention. He continued cruising about until
daylight, when, nothing being seen or heard, he
proceeded on his voyage, and arrived at Drammen
on the 11th inst , and at once apprised the English
consul of the loss of the ship, and his picking IIP
myself and two a the crew. On the followiog
morning the consul arrived with a surgeon, who
dressed our wounds and burns, when we landed+
and we were conveyed to the infirmary. I o's
much scorched about the head and face ; my eye'
lids, eyebrows, and nearly. all my hair burned off'
My hands and arms were scorched fearfully, se
much so that I am deprived of the use of them.
lower limbs I cannot use, in consequence of the
length of time they were in the water. The We
sailors, Newton and Miller, are in a very weak
state. Newton was much burnt about the arras
and face, and received a hurt in his head. Miller
was much shook by the explosion ; but the long
exposure be endured in the water has rendered 130
in a very exhausted state.

(Signed) " HENRY WELLS,
" Late Master of the Tom Volkes."

APPREHENSION OF A DEFAULTING BROKER FR°l
HULL.—Yesterday afternoon George Deane Storey, cotton
broker, carrying on business in Chisenhale-street, Liver
pool, in partnership with a Mr. Crookes, was apprehended
in the office of Messrs. J. and P. Planter, Knowsler
buildings, Tithebarn-sheet. It seems that some time 4°
Storey, who also carries on business at Hull, and reside°
at 8, Hornsey-parade, Holderness-road, at Hull, was env
trusted to sell 667 tons of cotton soed. Ho pledged 03°
warehouse warrants for £1,700. information of the
transaction coming to the ears of the police, a warrant Avg°
obtained for his apprehension, and yesterday Detective
Whitelaw, of the Hull police, came to this town to loul
for Storey. He obtained the assistance of Detective
Connor, of the Liverpool police, and they together sue"
needed in taking Storey into custody as stated abolte
The offence having been committed in Hull, the prisoner
will be taken there for trial. It is stated that Mr'
Crookes is at present on a pleasure trip in Switzerland.'
Liverpool Courier.

AN INSECT-EATER.—In Algeria, where consider-
able ravages have been produced by locusts, the
most signal advantages were derived from the importation
of a bird called by the Franch the martin triste, the result
of a first experiment being so favourable that the ImPe'
nal Government is about to renew it upon a still larger,
scale. In the Mauritius the martin triste did most effectual
service, entirely freeing the country from the hosts of
gluttonous intruders with which it had been for some tilve
infested. The Italians would do well to turn their attee.
tion towards this useful ally, and to encourage the intro-
duction of various other breeds of insect-eaters, for their°
can be little doubt that the wholesale destruction of birds
which has been going on for ages on the Italian Sod
has not a little contributed to aggravate the damage occiv.
sioned by these periodical visitations.—Gardener's .4116-
gazine.