The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-02-11
From the Ne,oBuryport Herald.
FRANKLIN's DISCOVERIES.

capt.. John Franklin, Of the English navy,
gentleman, it would seem, devoted, and
no less competent, TO the work in which he
was employed, after having once been on
the borders of the Arctic Ocean, and suffer-
ed hardships enough to deter him, one would
think, from second trial, on the fitting out of
an expedition from England in 1924, express
ed to the Government his belief that, under
arrangements which he pointed out, further
discoveries might be made in these yet I'M
known seas. The Government listened to
I his plans, furnished him with the authority
and means, and, in 1925. despatched him
on his expedition. He first touched this
country at New York, and having threaded
and WnnPearr9 atafed With Of ahf u t0 $685.
J from the Methye river, where he makes his
] expedition commence. He had boats con-
structed suitable for navigating the lakes,
rivers, and sea stores of provisions laid in;
and fort, named Franklin, built for winter
quarters. on the banks of the Great Bear
Lake, which lies in latitude 65, IL, and lon
| gitude 1913, II, w. Without touching Bear
Lake, in his journey north, he went direct
! ly to the great river Mackenzie, discover
4 ed by Sir Alexander Mackenzie, in 1889, at
/ the mouth of which, forming magnificent
/ estuary, he arrived on the 10th Aug. Here
I oCeHe pIeSeHt6u JtSGI CdlCuldleu To Hi
/ the voyagers with the most enthusiastic
emotions. A noble ocean, uninterrupted by
a single speck of ice, spread out to the
north in all its majesty and beauty. Whales
and seals were sporting on its surface; and
every facility to navigation seemed to be
promised. Putting off from the river into
] the open sea, he landed on an island, which
appeared blue from the distance, where he
/ found the water decidedly salt, but great
/ er part of the course number of miles
( from the land, extremely shallow. This
island was found to he in lat. 60, 90, and
Ion. l35, 4l-temperature of the air SO de-
.grees. Here, after making few surveys,
he went to Fort Franklin, and there made
his stay throughout the winter. For our
main purpose we must omit mentioning the
interesting employment of his party, while
so confined, and hasten to the time of his
second departure. On the 2lst of June,
1926, he left again by the same route, part
of the expedition being destined to CO. I'M
der Capt. Franklin, west of the Mackenzie;
and part, under DR.. Richardson, east, to
Coppermine River. At Point Separation,
on the Mackenzie, the divisions took their
separate routes. Capt. Franklin, having
arrived at the mouth of the Mackenzie on
the 9TH July, began to prosecute his survey
towards ley Cape. But difficulties were to
be enc0untered; The EsggiImaqx at the
and the ice, shutting in from the sea, con-
tinually impeded his progress. After a toll
some coasting voyage of $40 miles, the idea
of going farther was reluctantly abandoned.
He had gone half way TO ley Cape, the
northern termination of Bheering's Straits,
which last opens into the Pacific, and had
found not a single place fit foi a harbor.
No vessel Of any size could approach the
land, from the extreme shallowness of the
water. His voyage along the coast was
out ~ days, an II. The mean temperature
was "A degrees.
In the mean time the expedition east was
much more successful. Not SO much leo
and cold were encountered. The water
was deep, and several capacious harbors,
though not very easy of access, presented
/ themselves.
Capt. Franklin is of opinion that north
2 west passage is practicable, if a vessel
should make its way through Bheering's
Straits, so as to get fairly into the Atlantic
Ocean, by the first of August She might
winter in some Of the harbors between the
Mackenzie and Coppermine, and he ready
for operations in the midst Of the ocean by
the ensuing summer.
These last surveys complete the delinea-
ton of coast hitherto unknown, for 11C0
miles. The outline of the North American
continent is now almost wholly ascertained,
and little doubt is left that the main land,
near Melville's island, where Capt. Parry
winteied, forms the northern coast of North
America, and is washed by the great At
lantic Ocean.
The fruits of this expedition, besides the
Typographical knowledge, have been tho
extension of botanical and geological sci
ence to remote regions. Very little varic-
ty could be expected from the pursuit of
plants yet collateral expedition, towards
! the Rocky Mountains, has brought to light
good many new and curious productss
Upon the whole, Capt. Frankln's expe-
dition has been, considering it's trials, one
of the most successful on record; and, for
the enterprise Of her navigators, and the
liberality of her government, the world
owes to Great Britain heavy debt of graf
itude.
Man. Anatomcally, man, though "fear-
fully and wonderfully made," has little to
justify his boosted pre-emnencs over the
rest of the animal creaton. His faculties
are all exceeded in their turn by those OF
the creatures over whom it has been given
, him to rule; his infancy is mere helpless
than theirs his adult age more exposed
and more dependent on contingencies
and he preserves life by series of cares
and exertions, to which the beasts Of the
, field and the fowls Of the cir are strangers.
With an unlimited freedom of passage, he
must at each step change his artificial COW
ering, whilst, should his progress be disput-
ed by the meanest reptile that crawls, he
! has no natural weapons Of defence, no nat
ural place of refuge from attack. Simply,
and without imnietv. il nav be renaated.