Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1842-06-23
THE U. S. EXPLORING EXPEDITION.

The U. s corvette Vncennes, the fac sh;, of the
Exploring Expedition, arrived at New York on
Friday afternoon, from cruise Of nearly four
left Manila on tho 2lst January, Singapore
on the 25th Of February, Cape Town on the nth
of April, and ST. Helena the end of May
The U. S. briggs Porpoise and Oregon sailed from
81. Helena on tho 24th April for New York, via
kio de Janeiro, and may BIO expected about the
30th Of June. The following brief notice of
what has been done, &C., We copy from the Jour
| nal of Commerce
The Exploring Squadron sailed from the U.
States on the 18Th Of August, 1888, and has been
| absent nearly four years; during which time, we
iearn that the different vessels have sailed about
| iour hundred thousand miles. The Expedition
has thoroughly executed every part of the duties
contded to 1t by the government.
The ports, haTbors, islands, reefs, and shoals
named in the list annexed, have been visited and
examined or surveyed.
The positions assigned on the charts to several
vigas, reefs, shoals, and islands, have been care
iuiiy looked Tor, run over, and found to have nc
existence In or near the places assigned them.
several OF the principal groups and islands i'm
the Pacific ocean have been visited, examined,
and surveyed; friendly intercourse, and pro,ec-
tive commercial regulations, established with the
!
ana commerce reGressed, and Justly merted
punishment melted out in some fragrant cases of
J unprovoked and cold blooded murder.
The discoveries in the Antarctic Ocean CANT
arctic for liking the South
ern Magnetic pole, &c.) preceded those of the
French and English expeditions.
The report which has been in circulation. of
capt. koss having run over some portion Of the
iana discovered by this Expedition is unfounded
NO iand to the E0sfWard of 1902 of T.. longitude,
was discovered, seen or claimed by the American
Expedition, as appears by Capt. Wilkes report to
the Navy Department published in 1910, after
the return OF the squadron TO New Zealand. If
THIS statement originated with Capt. Ross, based
upon the particular chart of the Antarctic ice and
discoveries OF land, with the full explanatory let
ter which was furnished him by Capt Wilkes,
lprevious to Capt RS. antarctic cIuisc) he (Capt
~ must have taken that portion of land reported
10 have been seen by Bel!amy in 1889, which was
represented on II, as being in 1880 10 1850 East
longitude or whereabouts, and which the American
| Expedition had never seen or heard of, until its
return TO Sidney NSW. after their discoveries i'm
the Antarctic Ocean.
! Capt. Ross, according to his report, has never
passed over, or gone so far West as 1909 East i'm
latitude, go South, consequently he could no.
have seen the land discovered and claimed by
the American Expedition, but seems To have run
! over the position where land is reported TO have
been seen by his own couniryman Bethany.
Tho Expedition, during lis absence have also
examined ana surveyed large portion of the Or
egon Territory, part of Upper California, in
! Guiding the Columbia and Sacramento rivers.
with their various tributaries. Several explorinp
parties from the Squadron have explored, examine
ed, and fixed those portions of the Oregon Terri
tory least known. A map of the Territory, en-
bracng its rivers, sounds, larbors coasts. forts.
&c. has been prepared which will furnish the
government with mass Of valuable information
relative to our possessions on the northwestern
coast, and the whole of Oregon.
Experiments were made with the pendulum on
"Mount Loa' on the island of Ua,caii, one of the
Sandwich Islands, at height of ii 900 feet a.
Sove the level of the sea- Typographical surveys
and views were made of some of its active and
most extensive craters.
Experiments have been made with the pendu-
sirumenis on all occasions---the Temperatures of
the ocean, at various depths, ascertained in the
different seas traversed, and full meteorological
and other observations kept up during the cruise
| Charts of all the surveys have been made, with
views and sketches of headlands, towns or villa
ges, &C., with description of all that apprrtains
to the localities, productions, language, customs
and manners.
! At some Of the islands this duty has been at
tended with much labor, exposure and risk of
| life-the treacherous character of the Natives
rendering it absolutely necessary that the officers
and men should be armed, while on duty, and at
all time prepared against their mnrderous attacks.
On several occasions, boats have been absent
from the different vessels of the Squadron on sur
veylng duty, Ohe greater portion of which has
been performed In boats among islands, reefs,
&c, Tor period of ten, twenty, and thirty days
at one time; on Of those occasions, two of
icers were killed at the Fiji group, while defend
ing theIrboa crew from an attack by the Natives.
The scientific gentlemen have been actively en-
gagged i'll their various departments and subject to
all the exposure incident 10 researches among
dangerous and hostile savages. Mr. Hale, the
Philologist of the Expedition was left at the
Columbia river tor the purpose of prosecuting his
laboTs among the different tribes of the Oregon
territory, and may be expeced home overland,
early in August.
Several Island not laid down in the charts have
been discovered, on one of which the natives Of
iered worship evidently believing that their visit:
ors had come from the Sun.
The Sooloo sea has also been examined, sever
al islands found to have been enormously laid
down upon the charts, and others not laid down
at all. Protective commercial regulations estab-
lIshed with the Sultan of Sooloo, and correct
! chart made OF a feasible and short route for pas
sing through those seas towards China, against
the N. Il. monsoon.
| The tender Flying Fish, which had accompa-
MED the squadron during the whole cruise, until
reaching Singapore, was SO much used up by hard
service, that 1t was deemed imprudent to hazard
the lives OF men and officers in her, for passage
round the Cape at that season, without considera-
| BILE delay for thorough and extensive repairs. She
was therefore disposed of at that Port under the
direction of the American Consul. About so dis
iressed American seamen have been received and
shipped on board the vessels of the squadron at
the different ports and islands Of the Pacific Ocean