Star.
London, England, 1822-10-18 00:00:00

NORTH-WEST' LAND EXPEDITION.

In the STAR of yesterday we mentioned the safe
arrival of Lieutenant FRANKLIN' and the rest of our
enterprizing 'countrymen, who had undertaken the
dangerous task of a land expedition towards the North
Pole. We briefly alluded to some of the hardships
they had encountered, but find that they were even
greater than were at first believed.
It appears, that in the spring of 1820 the Expedi-
tion approached the Copper Milie River, which it
descended until it fell into the ocean. Hitherto the
Expedition was accompanied by Mr. WINTEEL, a
clerk to the North West Company, with ten of their
best Indian hunters ; but the wide and open sea,
which appeared at the confluence of the river with
the ocean, elated the Expedition so much with the
hope of ultimate success, that it was thought proper
to dispense with the further attendance of Nlr. WIRT-
ZEL and his hunters, who accordingly returned up
the river, leaving the Expedition to proceed in two
canoes to explore the coast of the Polar Sea, eastward
from the mouth of the Comer Mine River, towards
Hudson's Bay. But it seems, that in consequence of
the approach of winter so early as the latter end of
August, heavy falls of snow, dense mists, and an
extremely bare and ill-provided wardrobe, the Ex-
pedition was unfortunately prevented from accom-
plishing its end, farther than exploring about 500
miles of the coast which lies to the northeast of the
Copper Mine River, and ascertaining that, so far as
the eye could penetrate, the sea which lay before
them was quite open, and perfectly free of ice. .
As the Expedition returned, its wants and exigen-
cies became alarming in the extreme, and it soon re-
quired the whole fortitude of the heart, and the utmost
exertion of the frame, to brave the hardships which
stared-it in the face. n approaching that part of the
Copper Mine River from which it set out, it was ne-
cessary to double an immense point of land, which
would occupy a greater length of time than its emer-
gencies would admit of, and it was therefore deemed
necessary to set the canoes adrift, and cut a direct
course over land to the Copper Mine River. When
the travellers arrived on the banks of the river,
they experienced some puzzling difficulties how to
get across, buthaving killed ten elks, with the skins
of which they contrived to construct a canoe, this
hardship was soon overcome; but the joy which it
diffused was as transient as disappointed hope. In
forcing their melancholy way through the unravelled
wilds Between the Copper Mine River and the Great
Bear Lake, they fell completely short of provisions,
and were for many days under the necessity of sub-
sisting upon sea weeds, and a powder produced from
pounding the withered bones of the food which they
had already consumed. In this struggle betwixt the
love of life and the dread of a death that must be ter-
, rifying to all Mankind, Mr. WOOD, nine Canadians,
and an Esquimau:, fell untimely and regretted vic-
tims ; and bad not the survivors, who for several
days were driven to the necessity of prolonging a
miserable existence by feeding upon the tattered
remnants of their shoes, and we fearuon a mare
forbidding and unpalatable fare, exerted themselves
by a super-human effort to reach the Great Bear
Lake, it is probable that they meld have all suffered
the Most exquisite and ap*ling
..rdom. Here
they found the Weeds and' the bisstha bones of the
animalathak served them for lastwiater's provisions,
. which afforded them the mdaothely ingredient; fee,