Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-11-08
Frem the New York Tribune.
THE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
Letter from e. X. Kane

LII felH4CAtAAlf5 ANY
Letter from e. H Kane.
LANCASTER SOUND, between Cape Crawford
and York, "Wednesday, Aug 81.
On the 18th Of August a steady breeze and open
Leads helped US TO unlocked for progress. We got
to the North of rs deg 40 mn and the lay close
aboard ous, surmounting cliffs Of Trap. Some deep
valleyswe passed were the nests of remarkable gla-
cieFs, and the ice generally interested me by the
novel character OF its formations had fine oppor-
tuny too, OF adding TO my stock OF observations on
refraction. | have now some forty quarto pages OF
them.
Throughout these regions, the phenomena of Re-
fraction eclipse anythingl have seen OF Faa Morpana
or Mirage in Africa or Mexico. Some Of these dis
torions were indeed SO wonderful that am inclined to
think we have been favored in this respect beyond pre-
vious voyagers Certainly, we have witnessed least
twice what no description has yet approached. Parry,
with Fisher and Sabine has sketched instances OF
bergs doubled as to throw the base OF high into
the air; but we have had illusions SO extravaaantly
fanciul that to attempt any description OF them would
be simply ridiculous.
Since we left Disco, our day has been one unending
sunshine and midnight the Time for series OF sun
downs deepening in color with the advance OF the year
Bitter cold as we have had it earnest strange to say
the warnest sky of the Mediterranean does not look
warmer in its coloring than that of the Summer
ing upon Baiins Bay have learned to believe in Tur.
ner in my delight with the rich purple shadows OF the
slanng sun here; and the violet hues it gives to the
reaches of white and the tranquil water Leads
that like acove looking glasses, urclouded by a
breath OF air.
of sunset to SUNRISE the reiractons regularly
beautiful The earth borrow sirom the sky its clouds and
its coors till it is hard to tell where they do not mnge.
And the line where you look tor the horizon fits up and
down so caprciously, and it is so bestudded with glow
ing figures some OF them coming up from the water and
others down from the sky, that you cannot help puz-
Zng yourself with the notion that your little vessel has
somehow other got out OF her place, and is either
swinging or hanging between them. l have seen, IN
the course of sing night regularly castelaed euda
towers, gtterng pnnaces with penpons streaming from
| than tojD GRIN
domes of golden racery, and heaven knows what all Of
ideal architecture, mixed up with bizarre forms OF HE
roglyph and heradry; things that have been and are
and things that imagination has never dreamt of melt
ing into each other like the phantasms OF dream. One
evening, the 10Th, saw fleet of steamers in
the air, with their tall smoke pipes, sailing along in line
as il to marshal us our way
EsoUlMAUx.
Early in the morning ofthat day. as we passed Cape
York two Misunderstanding beings made signals TO u.s.
We sent q boat off, and found them to be couple of
Esqunlaux. These far N orthern savages-ior we are
now close upon rs deg N.--were expressive figures
in the picture OF This icy wilderness They were clad
in bear breeches and seasn hooded jackets their
shoes badly put together composite OF skin and dog
fur; lance harpoon, bone wood, and iron tipped IN
their hands, and big inflated bladder OF seal skin haly
gng back between their shoulders, They were equip
ped for the seal chase upon the shore ice. Iher faces
were fat and habby, but with{as much OF patient and
good in them see in horses and dogs; Their
pantomine was expressive OF the coarsest fun that pan
tomine can express They would, have met us with
open arms, but we did not meet them hallway. They
pointed with five fingers spread out TO spaces between
the hills and made signs to us that there that MP
Der ofhuts there. They were anxious to be tak9s
' - FROZEN 80
Only few miles from where we saw these poor
wretches, some wrecked whalenen stumbled NOT long
ago. over group OF Esqumaux huts. The snow was
untrodden around, but they found more Than i~eaty
bengs-not beings but corpses ice preserved-sa TIRE,
except their eyes and lips, and lying down,
by Iiteless master The cause of this passing away
mystery. There was food around them, and where
food and fuel are nearly convertible terms, they could
hardly have been without fire and light Whether it,
intense cold pestence, Or poisonous suTeit the
corpses there, and for aught we know to the con
trary, are there still.
After this we sailed along the quietly, but with
the pleasant excitement OF hopeful expectation We
had not the water more open, and were momen-
tary expecting to shape for Lancaster Sound, The
great highway the West, On the 10th August, The
shore was close Iipon our left hand and in spite o.
decisions of Arctic distance, it was as it loof
more than five miles off.
- CRIMSON CLIFFS
BY and bye we came to the lCrja1|
verify" the locality OF -'ss "a.
calleasahe Red Sngv The coz
highI rugged metan1oI2blc ~
iitsea Pic precipNous Ecu r.
q o. We nus l pelsHn lsse5 q r.
e fiss9As 81 ION - 8 CO. isg
|-ianessar9x And onthsse We're patcffes sr9W 81
9l1 3 udewnsn req ~ gk
pls 1tSE,ss ~ =: icy w "
.T I'm, y W. paf
Mar was s N .ss.sss 49, 49, tne SI
a, rs aS $50, * ~ v cs -
, .asn9 h. bsasd mi a,.ei iuIg W. says
tsSssiiyT - ~ ~"
d Wssstxara in ,ot;trda 7e doo M nj. ..,. a,
- icy W ~ , neal,v
red a' trns ,b NE oe, guy lnreehun
oir adI 10y ga o W tsotieinlosl uni eysF
cove one " sda Of vbo ~is1 w1 ldhbea "nn %
~ h ono u NV IL " Giaclef and
h;h en Nth ~ ad M ioLnu u grest
.an 'e0A' WIZ no''0s alu an'siy yea veetr
't IN. cloo;er o,,,o d,a,, f.,,, s,...
a ~ ~ III, seep gorge, Wh1se
ms. % XII mn he H,tla ioH Douua ,atne. A. oid
into Which we entered Int stood acrnss u M
& W. s,,s,nn os' y lke sohu
Ia nos Co., ~ H. ,,.r,1. liz - OaS
protrnded into the sea- The side preseuteddo us Offered
longitudinal SECTION exhibiting lis successive ncrements
of growth Near the eye it had height Of above ttyr
hundred feet and its surface bepg Of genta escen 4
met the inclination Of the hill side at al acnta angle
some three hundred yards above u.s.
1t is beyond my power of language. dear -. III;
convince You how fresh and pure and ehase and hi.
ninp and beautiful was this wall Of crystal
The lines Of its formation were beaatull, n