Litchfield enquirer., 1849-05-17
MISCELLANY.
From the National InteIligencer, May 3.
THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
Lady FrankIin'S Letter to President
TayIOr.
BEDFoRD-PLAcE, London,
April 4, 1849.

SIR:-1 address myself to you as the
head Of a great nation, whose power to
help me cannot doubt, and in whose
disposition to do so have confidence
which trust you will not deem presump-
tuous.
The name of my husband, Sir John
Franklin, is probably not unknown to
you. 1t is intimately connected with the
northern part of that continent of which
the American Republic forms so vastsand
conspicuous portion. When I visited
the United States, three years ago, among
the many proofs I received Of respect
and courtesy, there was none which
touched and even surprised me more than
the appreciation everywhere expressed to
me of his former services in geographical
discovery, and in the interest felt in the
enterprise in which he was then known to
be engaged.
The expedition fitted out by our Gov
eminent for the discovery of the North
west Passage THAT question which for
800 years has engaged the interest and
baffied the energies Of the man of science
and the NAVIGATOR sailed under my hus-
bands command in May, 1s45. The
two ships, " Erebue" and "Terror," con-
tanned 1873 men (officers and crew, and
were victualed for three years. They
were not expected home, unless success
had early rewarded their efforts, orsome
casualty fastened their return, before,
the close of 1s47; nor were any tidings
expected from them in the interval. But
when the Autumn of l847 arrived, with
out any intelligence of the ships, the at
tention of her Majasty's Government was
directed to the necessity Of searching for
and conveying relief to them. in case of
their being imprisoned in ice or wrecked,
and in want of provisions and means of
transport. For this purpose an expedi-
ton, in three divisions, was fitted out in
the early part Of last year, directed to
three different quarters simultaneously,
viz:
First, to that by which, in case of sue
cess, the ships would come out of the
Polar Sea to the westward, Tor Behring's
Strait.)
Second, to that by which they entered
on their course of discovery, on the east
ern side, Tor Davis's Strait
And, third, to an Intervening portion
of the Arctic shore, approachable by land
from the Hudson Bay Company's settle
ment, on which it was supposed the crews
if obliged to abandon their ships, might
be found.
This last division of the expedition was
placed under the command Of my hus-
bands faithful friend, the companion of
his former travels, DR.. Sir John Rich
ardson, who landed at New York in
April, of last year, and fastened to join
his men and boats, which were already in
advance towards the Arctic shore. Of
this portion of the expedition I may brief
ly say, that, the absence of and intelligence
from Sir John Richardson, at this season
proves he has been unsuccessful in the
object Of his search. The expedition in
tended for Behring's Strait has hitherto
been complete failure. 1t consisted of
single ship, the Plover, owing to her
setting off too late and to her bad sailing
properties, did not even approach her
destination last year. The remaining and
most important portion of the searching
expedition consists of two ships, under
the command of Sir James Ross, which
sailed last May for Davis's Strait, but did
not succeed, owing to the state Of the ice,
in getting into Lancaster Sound till the
season for operations had nearly closed.
These ships are now wintering in the ice,
and store-ship is about to be dispatched
hence with provisions and fuel to enable
them to stay another year; but one of
these vessels is, in great degree with
drawn from active search, by the necess-
ity of watching at the entrance of Len
caster Sound for the arrival of intelligence
and instructions from England by the
whalers.
have entered into these details with
view of proving that though the British
Government has not forgotten the duty
it owes to the brave men whom it has
sent on a perilous service, and has spent
a very large sum in providing the means
AOt snCn ASSOuO1 JOC sAnC O"AS w 'oAi-
Gus causes, the means actually in opera
ton are quite inadequate to meet the ex-
IRENE exigency Of the case for it must
be remembered that the missing ships
were victualed for three years only, and
that nearly fonr years have now elapsed.
so that the survivors of so many winters
in the ice must be at the last extremity
and also it must be borne in mind that the
channels by which the ships may have
attempted to force passage to the west
ward, or which they may have been COM
PEELED by adverse circumstances to take,
are very numerous and complicated, and
that one or two ships cannot possibly, in
the course of the next short Summer, ex-
plore them all.
The Board of Admiralty, under con-
viction of this fact, has been induced to
offer a reward Of eco, 900 sterling to any
ship or ships of any country, or 10 any