Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-10-09
From tie Same, OFT. 1.

vance. The Rescue, the consort Of the
Advance. parted company during the storm
Of the 18th instant, and is hourly expect
ed
We have little TO add to the particulars
given yestarday. On the 11th Of July. the
two vessels bearing up to run between the
Bafiin Islands, the Advance grounded on
rocky shoal, with only three feet water I'M
der her bows. Her stern remained ahoat.
however, even at low water. The Rescue
hauled by the wind just in time to escape
a similar disaster and made fast to an ice
berg. Toward midnight the Advance was
hauled off without damasc
During the nine months in which the ex.
pcdition was ice-bound. no human being
approached them nor could excursions to
any distance from the vessels be venrured
upon, the drifting of the fields of ice in
! which the vessels were cncascd, making
their position for any twenty four hours ul-
together uncertain. Short hunting expe-
ditions We're undertaken, and some polar
bears, deer, foxes and birds were taken.
The expedition found no secure harbor
while cruising in the Arctic regions As an
illustration OF the ease with which life may
be sustained in these laiitudes. Surgeon
Kane mentioned that he met with Dane.
upward Of seventy years Of age, y no had
spent flty-fve years ofhis life north of730,
subsisting during that period entirely on
birds, fish, bears and otheranimal food. He
had not seen vegetable the whole time.
The breaking up ofthe ice is described
by the officers ofthc expedition as com
mcncng it'll noise resembling the his
tie Of locomotive, followed bv singu-
lar and constant pulsa,ion Of the ice.
For eighty-onc days of their ice bound
coudition the sun did not rise. and there
was total darkness. except at midday for
few moments, when a paper might he
read by holdingit up to the faint ight in
the South
It's somewhat remarkable that the Eng
llsh and American expeditions wintered
within fifteen miles of each other. without
either knowing it, the American officers on,
ly learning it on their arrival at this port
The return of the English squadron was
also entirely unexpected by the officers of
the American expedition.
The following extracts from a letter
from lady Franklin, to Mr. Henry Grin
nell have bceu supplied to the press.
81 BEDFORD Place,
LONDON, Sept. 12, 1851.
My Dear Mr.. Grinnell:--I write to you
in much agitation and confusion Of mind,
which you will not wonder at when you
hear that Captain Fenny, with his Two
ships, has returned, ani announces the np-
proaching return Of Capt Ans,in's squad
ron, afert being out for only halfllie period
for which they were /. equipped
Capt Penny's letter is to day bcforcthe
Board of Admiralty, urging them in the
strongest terms to despatch Instantly a
powerful steamer to Wellington Channel,
in which quarter, to the north west, he has
discovered the passage which there can lie
scarcely a douh. the ships have taken.
since it is the only opening they have found
any where, and hundreds of miles Of coast
have been explored in the lower western
direction, to Cape Walker, Banks Land
and Melville Island, without n trace of
them. Drift wood in considerable guam
titles has come out of this north west chan
mel, and also a small bit of rather fresh
English elm, which Penny pronounces must
have belonged to our ships, and was prob
ably thrown overheard.
Thus the right track of the north west
passage and the course Of the missing ships
are identical, and | can only regra, that our
squadron was not told they might attempt
the making of the passage if they could,
for in that case we should have had no a.
bandoning Of the search till many more
struggles had been made to get into Beh-
ring Straits. The barrier Of ice in Wei
lington channel did not break up las, year,
nor had done so this, when Penny left;
but bis explorations, which extended to
$50 miles from the entrance, were made
beyond it in both slcdges; 60 miles beyond
this he saw wafer, with land standing to
the northwest. | can hardly conceive
how he could resist following the open
waters which he saw beyond him; and
which he is convinced leads into the so
much talked of Polar Basin. He is also
convinced with DIR. Kane, that there IS a
better climate in those more nurihern lat
itudcs, with more natural resources of food
and fuel; some proofs of which he brings
forward. We have every reason, then, to
hope that some Of our lost friends and
countrymen, may yeti able to support
life in this region, though Unable to return
by the way which they came; and the abb
sencc of any traces of them north of Cape
Inncs, on the east side of Wellington chan
mel, proves nothing at all against it. since
they were not likely to linger on their wav
to examine shores and islands, but would
push ON as fast as possible while the OPP
portupiiy favored them; and the next traces
tobe found would probably be their sec
ond winter quarters.
In confirmation Of this view, Penny tells
me that there are signs Of their first win
ter cncampmept at Bachey Island, &C.. Of
their having left it suddenly, and that the
summer Of 1916. though extremely unfa-
vorablc to the whalcrs. who. on account OF
the prevailing winds, could not cross over
to the west side Of Baflin's Bay. must have
been quite the reverse to our navigators.-
You may imagine in what state Of ankle
ty and agitation we are, I'LL we learn the
decision Of the Admiralty, on the appeal
now made to them. | have written
strong letter also, and know that Sir r.
Beaufort, Capt. Hamilton and Mr.. Barron.
who are all at their posts, will allege the
necessity Of prompt measures with all their
powers. Should we fail, we must look to
America alone as our resource. To you
VIII belong all the virtue and credit Of con-
tinuing the search when our own country
men fail, and to you will belong the honor
and glory ofsuccoring the distressed and
settling forever that vexed question. which
for centuries 1t had been the ambition Of
Europe. and Of England in particular. I o