Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-12-03
THE FATE OF FRANKLIN.

Some Of the British and the brave who
have faced the Arctic ice took counsel together the
14th at the Royal Geographical Society, to the
of the discovery of the Northwest Passage and
respecting the fate of Franklin.
Sir RoDERIcK MuRcHIsoN expressed the pride he felt
occupying the chair for the first time after the prac
cal demonstration of the existence of the northwest pas
sage. lie despised those who asked the question, cm
bono? of great Importance to the physics of the
globe to have ascertained the fact the knowledge oft
would throw great light the nature and direction Of
oceanic currents and the drift Of the polar ice 1t
also most satisfactory to have proof, they had,
that Sir John Franklin must be looked for neither to the
westward the eastward, for every point of land in
both quarters had been examined but that he must
have gone directly north through the Wellington Chan
nell where All the practical geographers who had exam
ined the subject supposed that he had gone.
Captain ISGLEFiELD X. N, in answer to question
addressed TO him, stated his belief that Sir Edward Bel
cher would be acquainted with the operations of the
other expeditions through his exploring parties His
opinion that Franins people somewhere with
in the wide circle of Polyna the polar region that
had passed up Wellington Channel perhaps with the
view Of returning through Lancaster Sound that he had
penetrated beyond the parallel of S0o and reached some
land moderate in its climate than regions that lay
further SOUTH and where, therefore, he might find
abundant supply Of deer md musk-oxen III the ships
had been lost he thought some fragments must have
drfted the shores of Spzbergen by the that
continually in that direction He had never entirely
given up the idea that the two ships on iceberg
in 1851 Frankins and that their might have
escaped in boats Spitzbergen 1t curious that the
Norwegian fishermen who frequented that island had for
the last two three years been finding reindeer with
their split roaming it; and the likely way
OF accounting for this by supposng that Eng
lish sailors lodged its northern shores There
instance Of four Russians having subssted the
northern coast for six years, though they had but
ket and few necessary articles. He could
the hope that Captain Kennedy, in the Isabel which
at Valparaiso, about to go up Behring's Straits
might be enabled come back by Spzbergen and Nova
Zembla If he bad such mild Barentz met
with in 1896 he might be enabled do this accomplish
ing also the examination Of the Siberian in single
season.
Mr.. PETERNASS dwet on the fact Of the animals hay
ing been by Captain Mcclure going TO the north
ward in winter strong evidence of mild climate pro-
duced by polar
Captain BEEcHEY said the between Spitzberren and
Nova Zembla had never yet been navgated neither Ba-
ren nor any one else having succeeded in the attempt
NO great expectations could be entertained in that dec
ton, though he did not wish to discourage any expedition
taking this course nasmuch we had now screw yes
sells, which had before No great quantity Of
drftwood was ever found the shores Of Spizbergen
and the sea was always frozen during winter about
Staremberg though the water excessively deep along
the land. No doubt the Gulf Stream modified the eli
mate to certain degree in that high ATTITUDES but
if this the state Of the coast of Spzbergen he
thought there little ground for expecting that the
would also be the Pole With respect to the
passage into the Polar Sea, by Behring's Straits, the
Russians under Baron Wrangel and Others had repeat
edy tried to proceed from the coast Of Siberia northward
but the difficulties had been found insurmountable.
Sir RopgRrcK MURcHIsoS congratulated the society
the tone of the discussion and expressed hope that
other expedition would be ordered proceed for the pur
pose Of exploring the round Spizbergen and thus
settling this question