Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-10-11
THE AMERICAN SEARCHING EXPEDITION.

/
The following article from the Journal of Com
merce contains a few additional particulars re-
lating to the cruise and doings of the American ves
sells dispatched by Mr.. GKINNELL to aid in the
search for Sir john FRANKLIN: i
Sra JonS FRAsKLIS-This intrepid navigator il alive
will enter upon his seventh winter n the polar sess
The Advance Of the vessels fitted out from this port
him and bis gallant comrades from their pes reached
our habo yesterday mornng and now hes at the yard
in good condition. having lost only her bnwarks and part
her false keel in her long and hazardous voyage. The Res
from which she parted in gale the 18th Of Sepem-
Der, expected soon The expedition unsuccessful in
the humane and noble object for which it fo,t
but the geneoushearted officers who out the Ad-
still entertain hopes of the safely of the missing
ses and trust that the benecen exerons still progress
for their safety may be crowned with We
learned from them that there is abundant MATERIAL in food
and fuel in the region in which Sir John Frsnkin is sup
posed be- for the of his party II s found in
the game which migrate to the Arc and 10 the seal and
other marine mammala found there, the latter furnishing
both food and fuel
Although the expedition has not been successful in the
object for which sailed, The effort credlable to the
humanity Of The age, and should be continued till oil hope
extingushed To felow-cilizen, Mr.. Henry Gnnella
large debt Of gratitude is due for his noble and planned
endeavors The vessels the Advance and Rescue after
being prepared with great skill to resist the pressure Of
ice, set sail from this port, under the command Of Lieut. De
Haven, the 23d Of May, 1850, with orders to
this port during this fall They we'll fitted and equip
ped, and after sailing along the Greenland coast and up
baows S.raitr resched the region of Ac discovery in the
month OF August, 1850 They found at Beechy Island,
its vicinity, traces of Sir John Ffankn, for that
three Of his had been buried but nothing was asce
tained to indicate the direction he took from that point in
OF the northwest passage An attempt made by
Lieut. De Haven to reach The open sea- which is supposed
to exist at the extreme north, but unsuccessful The
vessels this within about seven hundred miles
Of the supposed position of the Enterprise and Investigator
the two vessels which entered into the the OPP
pose side Of this Continent through the Straits between it
and Asia. u II
The rapid approach Of winter forced the squadron to seek
for winter quarters and they attempted do but the
gradually formed about them when Of Wellington Channe
and the 18th September, 1885, y were completely
tened in. The vessels then commenced what was wholly
unexpected, northern d and reached by lst of October
the high latitude Of 75o 49, the highest latitude ever attain
ed in that meridian The drift is owing the combined
ton OF the wind and tide which, the ls Of October
cd the vessels in southern drecton which they connu-
ed for the extraordinary period Of nine monh and until they
had Aoated distance Of I070 miles The ice about them
formed one vast plain, but subjected to occasional and
powerful disruption On the 9Th of December and l3h of
January the vessels exposed dangers and if
they had been larger less carefully guarded with double
sides and heavy braces their destruction would have been in
evitable The disruption accompanied with noise, de-
scribed BY the officers resembling locomotive whistle
and singular and constant puaon Of the ce accompanied
with that noise, constantly occurring. The drift was
frequently at the rate of ten miles per hour and occasionally
the vessels would be carried bold and rocky pomon
tories, from which there much danger frequently when
the squadron was in peril knapsack filled with
food with which to retreat upon the ice, in of the de-
srucon OF the vessels During the eghyone days Of this
hazardous time the did rse and there total dark
ness except at midday, when. for few moments paper
could be read held up towards the faint light ha, proceeded
from the SOUTH ln February Of this year they blessed
with return Of daylight which enabled their sick to take
exercise upon the ce TWAS then asceraned that they
ninety miles from land and that the ice in which the vessels
lay mbedded appeared be stationary, although from
nomica observations its motion known On the 10th of
june by explosion of the ice the vessels be
yvpYn Tho
waters Sea-sckness, howeve-so long had they been free
Of motion-soon generally prevailed. They emerged from
their imprisonment in latitude $780, and Immediately pro-
ceeded the Greenland settlements for fresh provisions which
were obtained limited extent. They again proceeded
nohward along the Greenland coast leaving the the
masses OF floating ce and sgain the upper
glons OF bains Bay Here and far threatening
difficulty bese them They locked up in the midst Of
huge cebergs. which shut them completely from view
of the horizon Some of them hundred and fifty
feet high, and in the light Of the t constant
day. the spoken of extremely gorgeous They
had reached the 10th Of August and with open
sea they could not have made Lancaster Sound before the
would again form, and 1t determined that the expedition
should etrace its steps, They did and afterwards
reached our po.t
The officers in stating that the winter Of those
gons exceeds any cold within conception and they
asonhed to find that the from their bodies
and from cooking became condensed into water their bed
ding and roze together that could not easily be
ed The extensive waste Of between the casts of
GeeRand and America become cemened together by ce and
all the region, including Hudsons Bay Labrador and the
Straits of Belle Isle, becomes choked UP, aud but for the Gulf
stream it would belt in Newfoundland
Such Is the region through which numerous expensive and
we-panned enterprises have been by various Govern
ments, at different times within the last centuries for the
purpose OF navigating around the northern of America,
into the Pacific Ocean and vessels the Enterprise
and the investigator before spoken of endeavorng
make the passage from the opposite decon and in The hope
OF finding the veteran navigator whose fate enss warmly
the benevolent interest of all commercial nations The
ages of Ross of Parry, of Back and former voyages Of
Franklin, are deeply interesting and there is CONNER
cia motive for prosecuting them which did until lately
prevail The whaers are now obliged toprocsed northward
through the passage between Asia and America, for supplies
of OIL within eight hundred miles Of the supposed
locality of Sir John Franklin This fact will stimulate the
spirit Of discovery the Pacific side an beyond what
exists One of the remarkable facts attending the expe-
ditions last made through Barrows srahe British and
the one in quesons this that they commenced wnterng
within fifteen miles of each other, fact that unknown
until the arrival of the expedition in this port where tdngs
were obtained OF the place of wnteng and the unexpected
return Of the British vessels We have the materials hand
for more extended notice Of the expedition but omit
to-day, in order to make for the deeply interesting letter
OF Lady Franklin, whose efforts in the important duty
which has devved upon her have done muchto enlist
sympathy Of the civilized world in her behs and behalf
her distinguished husband. Il is highly creditabe the
management Of the expedition that although to
sickness and per not single man has been lost
September The following from Lady Fankns
letter gHa lpt'4a4ge
81 BsproRD PLACE,
LONDON, SEPTHMBER H. 1851.
Mr DEAR Ma. GRTSSsLL write to you in much agita-
ton and confusion Of mind, which you will not wonder
when you hear that Cspt Penny, with his ships has
turned and announces the approaching return Of Capt Aus
-. ~J.o- -ss-- IL