The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-30
their STATE The greater part OF them affected with
scurvy, but are rapidly improving.


News from the Arctic Whaling Fleet.
BAD WHALING sRAs0N-PROBABLE PATE OF SIR
JOHN FRANKLINS EXPEDITION.
me TneSs bark Harriet Thompson Captain rordham
arrived ~ San Francisco September 49, from the Arctic
ocean captain states that the catch in those regions
or the present season has been remarkably His
vessel lett san Francisco the 18th Of April last and
standing away from the California c asi, Captain r.
shaped his course for the Fox Alcutsn sncs in lat
Ike huge bar the entrance to the Kan
ch.ka Sea- lie found glitterlng with ice and
at that late month in the spring Passing with srong
eatei breeze around the western point Of Somitsch
Island be followed the Kamschatkan coast along to Cape
Aponpinskoi the Eastern prsmontory OF the Russian
Asatc possessions and from accurate obser lions
cerained that in the charts OF the day this Cape
Gown nearly two degrees north of its ual position.
ere ne found the great region of ice extending
the kHmsehatkan Sea from Cape St Tbaddeus to Cape
RomanzoH, on the American continent thick tina
barrier
While waiting here for the ice to break up the great
American whaling h,et gradually collected at Cape St.
the vast field of Ice became agitated and in less than
twenty four hours the VIII ole broken and
into two acre pieces and on the 24th fleet of above
hundred whalemen started for Behring Straits.
The whaling season in these inhospitabs regions in
cuded between the months Of June and September after
which the weather becomes Indictment that no boats
live amid the storms and other dangers that beset
the mariner The OF the whaling feet has been
but poor this year Capt Fordham thinks that out Of
$50 whaling vessels employed during the past season in
the of okhosk aud in Behripgs Straits about one
hundred have not averaged hundred barrels each
the present season, not only in Behrine Straits but
che whole mol thern whaling region. This Capt. Ford
ham thinks, Is owing to the wanton destruction of the
calves along the Russian coast by the whaes who thus
sacrifice for few barrels of oil the future prospects OF
the whole fleet 1t has only been within few years that
whalers have penetrated far north u Behring's
Straits in pursuit of their occupation the supply Is
giving out and there fewer whales this year than
during the past two
What few whales we're seen we e remarkably wild and
consisted of what is known the bowhead whale of
large size and yielding from $50 to 200 barrels Of OIL
This species has hitherto been but little known and
sembes the right whale in appe aud in the quality
OF its oil Captain Fordham states that the horned whale
there Is species known as the muscle digger which
comes up from depth of from thirty to forty athoms
with its head covered with mud and Shells Flocks of
birds generally surround them when hey rise The ap
pearance of so much of the country as was visible
was desolate ana cheerless in the extreme Some
times however, the whaling feet IN such eli prox.
unity that conversation carried from vessel to
vessel in numerous instances As whole, the catch of
the present has been uncommonly small and the
whole whaling fleet will be in rendezvous at the sandwich
Islands by the middle of October. Many els had not
captured single whale
oil further search for the Erebus and Terror useless
the 18th Of August he of the ships of the search
in the Arctic Sea be- m ace and Wales Head and tsa
Momede Islands She was bound north, and would pro
badly winter in Plover Bay (named after her. viii III
her place of refuge last winter Captain f. exchanged
signals with her. and the signals mutually msunder
stood. At the time she the Sc. was entirely
clear of ice though the dense fog which had hung
over the waters for two mon hs still prevailed Another
ship belonging to the exploring Ssedition Port
Clarence on the 10Th July
Captain held conversations with the Esquimaux In
dams at places where he landed with his boats many
expedite have been sent there ring the last FIVE
years that many of them could talk intelligbly the
subject of Sir John franklin Their arguments such
as to discourage all further search for the missing
gators
II was thought by such whalemen have navigated
these regions that the Erebus and Terror were not
crushed by icebergs or 6edce but that they
cspszed by being forced upon the surface Of partially
submerged ice 1t the opinion that tho exploring
expedition could not penetrate further this year than Y
deg n The Ar site Sea has been clear ice
and the winter has beenaomparatively mild The noun
taDs surrounding the Arctic Sea showed but little snow
at the time the whaling feet left not much as was
seen on the Alcutian Islands tso months before