The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-12-31

| during my journey from the Victory in 1882, and
which hoped 10 have attained on this occasion,
well 10 have revisited the magnetic pole, in its
| immediate vicinity; and had not many of
| party broken down, il might have been accom-
| plshed.
| ssWe observed several small bays and inlets be-
tween and the southernmost capes of whose CON
| tinuty we could not be assured OF 80 great dis
tance yet they marked on the chart which
| accompanies this account of our proceedings, by
which II will be perceived that very narrow 18th
mus separates Prince Regent Inlet from the western
| sea at Creswc and Brentford bays.
son our return to the encampment found they
had all been well occupied during absence.
Lieutenant M'Clintock had taken some magnetic
obsersa tons which will be of great value from our
being sosear to the magnetic pole. Twoofthe party
had cut through the ice, which they found to be
eight feet thick, and fixed pole by which the state
OF the tides was asccrtained and all the rest that
could work had erected large cairn Of stones on
high knoll just above the tents, in which copper
cylinder was placed, csptaning an account OF our
proceedings, and all necessary information for the
guidance of any of Sir John Frunklin's party that
might be journeying along this coast.
"Although our resources did not admit OF any
further perseverance, on our part, we could not but
feel some satisfaction in the assurance that II those
| of whom were in search had at any time been
upon the north west coast of North Somerset, we
must have met with some traces of them. The sea-
son for travelling in these regions had also passed
away, the thaw having commenced; and had they
abandoned their ships at Melville island, they must
have arrived on either Of these shores long before
this time, where they would have found US in the
best possible position to render them assistance and
conduct them to our vessels.
owe set forward homeward Journey
the evening of the 9th of June, and, after encoun-
| terng variety of difficulties to which need not
now further alude, reached the ship onsthe 23d,
| the party so completely worn out by fatigue that
every man was from some other in the
Doctors hands for two or three weeks, and am
sorry TO say that two of them not yet recovered.
| 81 had walked in advance of the party to select
| the best road by which to the sthmus, and
soon as got sight Of the ships was met by Captain
Bird and Lieutenant Mcclure, from which ! was
greatly greved to hear of the decease OF Mr. Henry
Matthias the assistant surgeon of the Enterprise, of
consumption which had been deeply rooted in his
| constitution before leaving England. He was
promising young man, of great amiabiity of dis
| position universally beloved and regretted Scve-
raj others of the crews Of both ships were in de.
clining state, and the general report of health
| by no means cheering
| "Durng my absence Capt. Bird had despatched
parties in several directions. One, under the
mand of Lieutenant Barnard to the north shore of
Barrow Strait; a second, commanded by Lieutenant
Brown, 10 the east shore of Prince Regent Inlet and
| third, conducted by Lieutenant Robinson, along
the western shore of that inlet The labors of these
parties were OF comparatively short duration; still
they, like ourselves, all suffered from snow blind
ness, spraincd ancles and debility especially that
| under Lieutenant Robinson, who extended his
animation OF the coast for several miles to the south
ward of Fury Beach.
although it but too evident, from
traces OF the absent expedition having been met
with by any OF these parties, that the ships could
| not have been detained any where in this part Of
the Arctic regions, yeti considered it proper to push
forward To the westward as soon ships should
| be liberated from their winter harbor. My chief
hopes centred in the efforts of Sir John Rich
| ardsons party, for felt fully persuaded that Sir
John Franklin's ships must have penetrated far
| beyond Melville island as to induce him TO prefer
/ making for the continent of America rather than
seek assistance from the whale ships in Baffn bay.
sour crews, weakened by incessant exertion,
were In very unit state to undertake the heavy
labor which they had yet To accomplish. The sea-
| son at this place was so extremely backward that
hardly pool OF wssS wa. 70 be seen on the surface
| the line of gravel which had been spread out to-
wards the harbor's mouth during the winter, and
there appeared but small prospect of any release
this season.
| Gan hands that were able commenced with saws,
| extending the breadth of the canal-so much 80 as
to admit the ships pass down il towards the point
OF the hsrbor a distance of rather more than two
miles
"These iabors were continued until the 18th Au-
! gust, when, the canal being nearly finished the
harbor ice divided along it, line into two nearly
| equal parts, and thus saved few days work;
but the ice TO seward remained TO all appearance
as firmly fixed as during the winter, but we could
perceive IL was wasting away close along the shores,
and II was not until the 2Sth of August that we sue
ceeded in getting clear OF the harbor.
"Before leaving Port Leopold | had caused
house tn be built OF our spare spars, and covered
with such Of our housing cloths as we could dis
pense with, and for which we could find a substi-
tute, If necdfu, leaving also IL months provisions
fuel, and other necessares together with the Inves-
| ugator's steam engine and launch, which had been
heightened seven feet for the purpose and now
formed fine vessel. capable ofconveying the whole
OF Sir John Franklins party TO the whale ships, or
ourselves should any calamity befall ships in
| their progress 10 the westward
1--WE now proceeded towards the north shore of
Barrow Strait for the purpose OF following up the
examination Of w ellington Channel, and if posi-.
BILE, OF extending our researches far Melville
island but when about IL miles from the shore, we
came to the fixed land ice. which had not broken
away this season, and nothing but uniform sheet
/ OF heavy ice was TO be seen 10 the westward
| owe kept the ships near that which appeared TO
be the most probable spot, wstching for any open
| ing that might present itself, when a strong wind
suddenly arising ON the LIST Of September brou ghtx
| the loose pack through which we had been strug-
| Cling, down upon, and closely beset the ships Al
times, during two or three days, they sustained
severe pressure, and ridges Of hummocks we're
thrown up all around us; but after that time the
temperature, falling TO zero, formed the whole body
/ of ice Rto one solid mass We were so circum-
stanced that for some days could not unship our
ruddor, and when, by the laborious operation Of
saving and removing the hummocks from under
the stern, able 10 do so, found il twisted
and damaged; and the ship 80 much strained
as TO increase the leakage from three inches in a
fortnight to fourteen inches daily, which, though of
but trifing importance at present, served 10 con
vince US that she was not, as we had hitherto be-
hcycd, invunerablc.
"The ice was stationary for few days; the pres
sure had folded the lighter pieces over each other
and they were 40 intcrlaced as To form one entire
sheet extending from shore to shore of Barrow
Straits, and as tar 10 tho east and west as the eve
could discern from the mast head, whilst the ex.
tremc severity Of the temperature had cemented
the whole so firmly together that it appeared high
ly improbable that II could break up gain this sea
son. In the space which bad been cleared away for
unshiPping the rudder, the newly formed ice was
10 inches thick and in places along the sbip's
side the 10 feet saws were too short to work
1--WE had now fully made up our minds thai the
ships were liked for the winter; and, dismal "a the
a. pfprah
carried along the west coast Of Baffin bav where
the grounded bergs arc in such numbers upon the
shallow banks of that shore to render il next to
destruction. P0
III was, therefore, with a mixture of hope and
anxiety that on the wind shifting to the westward
VIC perceived the whole body of ice begin to drive
70 INC eastward at the rate of eight o. ten miles
DAILY. Every effort ON our part WAS totally una
waning, ior no human power could have moved Ell
ther OF the ships single inch; they were thus com