Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-11-15


LETTER FROM CAPTAIN AULick.
GIxrLtaGss I.ieutsnaa, Wilkes. Ia his "Sy
no9ss % tGe cruise OF the Exploring Exg ejiion,"
~hich have hut rseeeily seen. having tna,s come
statements alealated 10 rto3uee erroneous ln'ptes
siors ~ teea ii 20 mysef, ! dctni II proper they
should be xoir'ned rnd eosse.ssJ,- ssd s.ia that
view hsk ihe tsvo. ,f yoa. who know take a
LIVELY n;efcs, in all that conectns the character OF
the nary, TO give this con,munsuioaa place IN the
eouaiaa o. ycur h'shly t,spsstsiir p'rer
Ia tho Gfst place, at Page rs &C his Synopsis,
Lieutenant, Wilkes says: In speaking OF ih,s cruise
10 the Antarctic, it will be necessary for me TO go
into detail than intended, net only 90 sub
s,autiste countrys claim 10 the disco ery, hui,
N constqusnec Of tho unfounded statement that
seems t. have been made by Cap,sin Ross to a
C.mmand,r ia oar Macy. aud given eurea ey BY him
w: That Captain Ross had actually over
part ofthe ocean where had reported the existence
of land" ttEc
am doubtless the Commander here nlh,ded to |;
AMI the words have underscotcd seem to be intend
Cd to convey the impression that was the only, or
ut least he htst person, to whom Captain Ross
made this statement and through whose repost aono
Il obtained Currency" Such is no, the fact. The
Uota is that Ross statement was published in the
Sydoey Herald Of tho 10Th OF August eight days
before met that officer Of New Zealand. From
tAat Do per IL was copied into the Madsonian OF this
Guy OF l2ih March last. II had also reached Ma
zian, on the coast OF Mex co, whence 1t was taken
20 the Sandwich Islands by Captain Bissei, OF the
Cayugi, and published in the Polyues'an OF tho 2d
Of October, seven days before my arrival there
The account received from Captain Ross was not
matter OF secrecy, and was oil course spoken OF by
me without reserve at Honolulu. Thus, and through
no other agency Of mine, IL found its way into q
Subsequent number Of that paper; NOT, however, as
an original article, but expressly rs a mere conhr-
nation of what had been previously pubshed.t
This, Lieutenant Wilkes might have leaned, II he
Gid not, when he last touched al Oahu, lew deys
after lett there.
Ia the next place, at page PC, he says: "On my
orginsl chartI had laid down the supposed position
of Beamy"s Island or land in l64 degrees l65 Je-
grees +. longitude, and that u was traced OF and
sen, TO Captain Ross. | am not little surprised
that so intelligent navigator as Captain Ross, on
finding that he had run over this position, should not
have closely inquired into the statements relative TO
our discoveries that had been published IN the
Sydney and Hosau Town papers. which he must
hive seen, and have induced him to make careful
examination Of the tracks cf,hc squacron laid DOW n
ON tie chart cent bin, by which re would have Gs-
cured himself, in iew moments, that had never
bcen laid down or claimed part OF our discovery,
before he ma de so bold assertion 10 an American
eficer, (meanng myself that be had run over a
clear ocean where had laid down the land, and |
am not less surprised that tia: officer should have
taken II for granted, without exannatiop that such
was the fact."
Fsoun the above statement, and in the absence OF
any expnnaion, might well bc inferred thSt both
Ross and myself must be, TO say the least, very |
abort sighted and dull Of comprehension, not 10 have
bsen able TO see that II was Bo,'amy's and not |
Wilkes LAND, that be, Ross, had run Over. But in
the statement above quoted, Mr. Wilkes has done
us iojasice by omuing TO mention one very i'm
porant fact in this connection namsly, IN laying !
down the land of Belisny on the chart &c sent
Caot Ross he neg ec,ed TO efx thereto the u
dseoverer or 10 distinguish II IN any way fro m his
own land there traced out aud almost connected |
with Il. He also sent Captain Ros, a letter with |
Lis chart but unfortunately The name Of Bsllamy
his land is neither meniioued nor even limited
IN this letter, los may be seen Tem the copy OF It
published with his synofsis) In short, ro 'nIi,na
iion IN any manner whatever, wes given Ross Ivy
Lleuiensul Wilkes, that he dd not clam tie dis
tovery Of all the land marked on his chart, and TO
this alone is be sscrbed the into which
Clptain Ross vas, think. utavoidabiy led.
MIR Wilkes says Ross ought 10 hev. EXAMINED
the accounts If his discoveries, pub lshed ~ the
Sydney aud Hobart town papers. tefote he made
6, bod an assertion TO an American officer. But
with such evidence the chart and leuer of Mr.
Wikts in his hands, apprehend II could hardly
have b.en seriously expected, that he should search
the newsp'per accounts (Which probably he never
Eaw) for other or better Information on the sub CT
Ga my visit to Captain Ross, on board the Ere
bus he spiead this chart before me IN the presence
Ct Captain Crozier and two of my own officers.
IL VAS distinctly drawn out on tracing pnpet-;he
Nhcls appearing, lar Gs | observed, one connect
operation, representing nothing but the result OF
ms own (Wilkesl Explorations. Ross believing 1t
to be tueh, had Transcribed 1t ct length on his chart,
which he also placed befo,e us, aud pointed GU, the
tracks OF his ves ell, marked on IL in red ink, aud
passing directly ihe spa sssigaed 10 ne land
which we all considered as la ID down by Lieuttnant
Wi kes, 10 represent the northeastern limit OF his
supposed Antarctic continent, and where he (Ross)
said they had clear sea as far as the eye could
reach. Such was the evidence which my be-
lief in his report was founded. To my mind 1t
conelusiyt;i end chetrfui!y leave It for the judg
ment Of diners 10 determine whe,her or not, under
all the circumstances here stated, 1t ne just cause
of "sWp,ise" that Captain Ross should have bold
iy asserted hat he had clear ocean, where
Lieut. Wilkes had laid down The land, and that
should have taken 1t for granted, without further
examinalon," that such was The fact
SINCERITY, am acIuated by no unkndness Of f.e:-
ing toward MIR Wilkes, but. fully persuaded as !
sm that the erroneous statement for which he pub.
Icly censuIes Capt Ross, and shows little temper
awards me, was the resut OF his own es.igence
nlone considered it due to thA, dis,ing uishcd ma.
vgaIor, we'll to myself, that the matter should
be publicly explained.
l am, very respectfully, &c.
J. III. AULlCK.