Butte record., 1853-11-26


l79S- Some men have been endowed
BY nature with marvellous appetite for
literary labor. The learned Bayle
worked fourteen hours a day for forty
years Peter, Hungarian mathemati-
clan Of the seventeenth century. never
slept more than two hours out of the
twenty-four in summer, and four in
winter
DISCOVERY OF THE HoRTH-wEsT PASSAGE.
Dispatches have been received at the
Admiralty from Commander Mcclure,
who sailed IN December, lS47, in search
Of Sir John Franklin, in II NJ. s. In
vestigator, and from Capt Kellet, who
sailed IL the spring Of 1852, IN H ". s.
Rasolute, on the same mission. We re-
gret to say that no traces toward success
il the main object Of their mission has
been discovered; but we have been IA
yored with communication of letter
from Commander Mcclure, dated H. NJ.
;. Investigator, Bay Of Mercy, Baring's
Island, April, 1853, which announces his
success in accomplishing the long prob
lematical enterprise Of the North Yves
tern Passage The gal ant writer states
that during the winter Of 1880, his yes
sci winfered in pack, without sustaining
any damage (and surprising to say, he
has TO report the same result at the end
Of the third winter, and without the loss
Of single man Of her crew. in the fro
zen waters called the Prince of Wales
Strait and communicating with Barrows',
as he ascertained on October 26th. of
that year. In July, 1881, he states:
''Such body Of ice came down upon US
with a strong east wind, and set the
vessel so far TO the south that we deter
mined to attempt a passage by the east
lend Of the cliffs of Banks Land. for
ming the north entrance of the large
island under which We are now y The
difficulties and dangers of this passage
may be estimated from his statement
that the ice-foes encountered, measured
tlom iorty-fve to seventy feet beneath
the water, and only SIX OF seven above.
1t Is interesting to learn that inhabi-
tants have been discovered further north
ward than previously, at Wollaston and
Victoria Lands, and northward still on
The tract designated as Prince Albert's
/ Lands These we're found exceedingly
kind and friendly. aud great quantities of
copper was found, apparently in a very
pure state. This metal is used by the
natives for edging their weapons, &C.,
but ihey appeared to be amused at see
ing pieces Of it picked up by the crews,
as possessing value. In April, 1882,
Commander Mcclure went to Melville
Island on sledges, expecting to find there
one of Capt. Austin's vessels, or, at all
events, a store of provisions but was
disappointed to find only notice left by
Lieut.. McClintock, saying where pro-
visions were, and giving the position of
their ships. 1t was inferred that the
search was supposed to be abandoned,
and no other vessels expected to have
come thus far. Since October, 1851,
the crew of the investigator is stated to
have been put on two-thirds allowance
half pound of meat per diem, in eli
mate where their Commander states they
could readily have consumed four On
the bills adjacent 10 the bay from which
the letter Is dated, large numbers Of deer
and other game has been found, which
must have contributed a welcome relief
from the short-eommons Of the previous
polar sojourn. The only portion OF Capt.
kellett's letters with which we are, as
yet, made acquainted, is the brief notice
dated Melville Island, 7th of May, that
Mcclure had joined about a fortnight,
all well, but half starved" From Capt.
McClure's own letters, it appears that
he had already detached some of his
crew to return home BY Bafhn's Bay,
and small party BY the Mackenzie.
Cr.r Kr.-r E,o,rrro fhn III ha-