The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-25 00:00:00

to be seen on the beach.
Whilst these journeys were being performed the ob-
servations on board and the duties of the ship were con-
ducted by Lieutenant William A. R. Lee and the other
officers, under my own direct superintendence; and at
int-rvals Mr. Martin, assisted by Mr. Hooper, made a
survey of the place in which I had secured the ship for
the winter, which, connected with Mr. Martin's and my
own observations on the coast to the westward, will, I
hope, give a tolerably corrrct representation of these
shores, and. when associated with magnetic observations
on every attainable point, will, I trust, meet their Lord-
ships' approbation,
Among the internal arrangements of the ship, those
for the instruction and recreation of the crew, according

to the example set by Captain Sir William Parry, were
not omitted, aed I gladly availed myself of the proffered
services of Mr. J. Simpson, assistalt-surgeon, and Mr.
John J. Lindsay, clerk in charge, in conducting a school
for reading and writing, and getting up plays and mas-
querades for their amusement and pastime in the long
dreary nights of winter.
Soon after my arrival in Emma's Harbour (the name
which I have given to the place in which I wintered) I
was fortunate enough to procure a supply of reindeer's
flesh from the natives, and saw large herds of these ani-
mals near the village, where I hoped to procure further
iupplies, aad in this I was net ultimately disappointed,
though the unwillingness of these people to barter large
quantities at a time, and the distance to which they
were obliged to drive the flocks in search of pasturage
whilst the land appeared entirely covered with snow,
considerably reduced the quantities that might have been
under other circumstances obtained. Towards the month
of March, I therefore readily acceded to the wish of a
chie, who had come from a great distance with the car-
cases of twelve reindeer, in return for a ship's musket,
which I did not doubt their Lordships would approve of,
considering the advantage arising to the ship's company
by a change of diet.

In the beginning of April, finding that the sea edge of
the ice began to break away, I set about fitting the ship
for !es, which was completed in the fine weather of that
month, and on the 221 of May, when the floes had been
brcken as far as the fetch of the sea would reach, I
deemed it necessary to commence cutting the ship out of
the remaining portion, which appeared fixed by two op•
polite points of land a mile and a quarter astern of the
ship. The ice was found nom five to six feet thick, and
cutting out seemed a formidable operation for so small a
crew, but the officers and men set to work with such
alacrity, and carried on with such perseverance, that
notwithstanding interruptions occasioned by snow-
et ‘rnap, the work of cutting a canal of 2,000 yards in
length, was completed in 22 days, and on the 13th of
June I had the pleasure of seeing the Plover released
from her icy cradle, and at anchor in the clear water of
the harbour.

The ship being thus free, and thoroughly refitted, as
far as my means would permit, and filled up with
water of excellent ptality, my departure was delayed
by baffling winds and calm?, but on the 15th gained
the outer anchorage by towing, and taking ad-
vantsge of the ebb tides. Here again I was
mortified to find the prevailing winds westerly and
S.W., and driving a heavy and close pack of ice in on the
coast and outlet of the anchorage, which was rendered
the more annoying by receiving frequent reports from
the natives of two ships being off Cape Chaplin, on board
which they had not been allowed. Although I considered
it too early in the season to expect her Majesty's ship
Herald, I folt the necessity of assuring myself as to what
nation they might belong, and for this purpose, as soon
as I discovered there was room for a boat to make her
way between the coast and the pack, I sent Mr. Henry
Martin, second master, in the gig, to gain information
regarding them, by whose account I ascertained that one
ship, which he boarded at anchor, about 20 miles to the
northward of us. was the Tiger American whaler, Brew-
ster master, from China. Mr. Martin also reported that
the vessel had been detained by streams of ice in the
straits northwa-ds, but so far as he could observe the sea
was clear between the Island of St. Laurence and the
main; that the other vessel seen was the Tiger's con-
sort, also a whaler, and that a heavy pack was set close
in shore, to the distance of 10 or 12 miles east of my pre-
sent anchorage, between which and the beach he fre-
quently found insufficient room for the boat's oars to pull
in clear water.

After several attempts to get the ship to sea, and hav-
ing personally examined the extent of the pack from the
top of a neigbouring promontory, I was at length suc-
ces,ful, with a breeze at N.E., which drove the ioe to
the distance of a mile off shore, in rounding the S.E.
cape, and anchored alongside the Tiger, on the south
side of Cape Chaplin, on the Ist of July. To guard
against delay in meeting the Herald I took the precau-
tion to purchase from the master cf the Tiger some
bread and a small quantity of salt meat, which were of
superior quality and almost European prices.
The wind continued at N.E., varying from a light to
a reef-topsail breeze, but by working in shore on the
most side, and anchoring occasionally, I was enabled to
got as far as the Bay of St. Laurence, but found the
vessel totally incapable of weathering East Cape whilst
the wind continued adverse. At this place I was de-
tained several days, but hai the good fortune to obtain
a supply of reindeer's flesh, and on the 11th of June I
sailed, favourable by W.S.W. breeze, which carried me
to Chamisso Island, Kotzebue Sound, where I anchored
on the 13th. Here I first got intelligence of the Herald
having visited the straits (September, 1848), and imme-
diately set about preparing the boats to start the first
favourable opportunity.
On the following morning I dispatched two boats
(pinnace and gig), Lieutenant William A. R. Lee in the
one, and Mr. William H. Hooper, acting mate, in the
other, victualed for 70 days, with instructioas to Lieut.
Lei to make the best of his way to the Mackenzie
River; but they had not got out of signal distance when
her Majesty's ship Herald hove in sight, and they were
recalled. On the 15th Lieutenant Pullen joined, and
Lieutenant Lee was discharged fur passage to join the
Asia. Atter receiving ai much provisions as I could
conveniently stow, it was determined by Captain Kellett
and myself to proceed to Wainwright Inlet, from whence
the boats should be again dispatched, examining the
coast as the ships passed up, for the purpose of finding
some secure winter quarter for the Plover, which
was accordingly done, and on the 17th left Kot-
zebue Sound, and on the afternoon of the same day

were joined by Robert Shedden, Esq., in his schooner
yacht, the Nancy Dawson. Not finding any spot in
which to place this ship to the southward, we ar-
rived off Wainright Inlet on the 25th, and after exa-
mining it, and being satisfied she could not be got in,
the decked boats of the ships, with two whalers, were
sent away under the command of Lieutenant Pullen, ac-
companied by Mr. William H. Hooper, acting mate, and
Mr. Henry Martin, second master. (A copy of my in-
structions to Lieutenant Pullen I have the honour to
enclose.) The two ships, with the Nancy Dawson,
weighed, and proceeded in company with the boats; and
it was my intention to have gone as far as Point Barrow
had not the wind hauled round N.E., when we lost sight
of the boats (26th). We then stood on to the north-
ward and westward till the following day, when we fell
in with the pack, and on the 27th observed an appear-
ance of land, extending from N.W. by N. to N., and the
drift ice to be covered in many parts with mud and shells.
Having now reached the latitude of 72 deg. 51 min. N.,
and 164 deg. 28 min. 30 sec. W., with the pack stretching
from N. W. to N.N.E., without an opening to the north-
ward, and feeling satisfied we could not penetrate further
north to join the boats without hampering both vessels,
we determined to return to Wainwright Inlet, re-examine
it, and try, if possible, to place the Plover there for the
winter, off which place we arrived on the 31st .ste
.Ti uly. On
the morning of the Ist cf August
again-dthe
inlet, and, much to my disappointment,founds Ishould
have to lighten the Plover too mud! ; and it
evening both
nate the attempt was not made, -
ships were obliged to weigh and stand off the land, the wind
coming up strong from the,S. days, and continued to blow
from that quarter for several during which time I
experienced wasfortu-
for in the
the utmost anxiety, from the fact that the
ship would do nothing. The current setting to the N.E.
and the wind bard from the S.W., for some considerable
time I saw no hope for her but the beach. 1 beg to call
their Lordships' particular attention to my position, as
noted on the track chart for the time referred to. On
the 11th I arrived off Cape Lisburne, where it Rai ap-
pointed the two ships should Inca ; but not finding her
hire, proceeded on my way to Chamisso Island, as I did
not feel myself justified in Ite:Ting this vessel on the
coast during the prevalence of the heavy S.W. winds.
On the following day, August 12, the wind increased to
a gale from the westward, and it was only by carrying a
press of canvass tL at I was enabled t weather Point
Hope, and then with the loss of my port bower anchor
• a and a length of chain, which I WM obliged to slip ; the