Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-04-08

in the Of Hope Checked" which he gave to the
western barrier that stopped his further progress After
wintering in this nhospitabe climate he returned to
London and henceforth ell hopes Of discovering the
northwest passage dre;ted towards the north
erly track pursued by Davis
The first who followed in his wake Bafin, who in
! 1916, circumnayigated the bay which bears his name
He failed to discover any channel leading to waters be-
yond this sea, and accordingly reported his return
that the quest for northwest passage fruitess
Lancaster Sound escaped his cursory observation The
opinion Of Bafin, however, accepted as final and
| conclusive.
1t had long been thought that the northern extremity
Of America terminated in cape like that Of the Horn in
South America, which, being doubled, the navigator
might greatly expedite his towards Japan and
:" far Cathay" But the discoveries Of Capt Cook and
Of his successor Capt. Cerke, tended to show that
transit Of two three thousand miles be effected
in passing from the Atlantic the Pacific by northwest
passage This fact seemed to render the enterprise des
perate, conceding that Bains opinion was not
be considered defnitiye.
| But in 1869 Sir Alexander Mackenzie and Mr.. Herne
re-awakened the hopes of the maritime world. Since the
explorations Of Bafn and Of Captains Cook and Cerke
the geographers had constructed their maps the
position that the land Of the North American continent
extended in unbroken continuity to the very pole But
these adventurous travellers had each succeeded in track
ing northwards two rivers that emptied into II
became evident that the geogaphers had
been in in supposng that the solid land occupied
the whole extent Of these northern regions and with this
discovery sprang hopes of the passage
| To Mr. Scoresby, more than to any other Of
times is to be attributed the credit of revyng the
prosecution Of this enterprise. In s1Sfour
ses two under Sir John Ross and two under Capt David
Buchan, started forth to the search. Sir John
fkav H.
Lancaster Sound He pronounced it only an inlet"
declared himself satisfied that there could be no west
passage between latitude 73o 33/ and T2o But the
British public were far from resting satisfied with Sir
John Rosss diligence accuracy of observation in the
matter Of Lancaster Sound An angry discussion arose
soon after his return, in which attempt made to
damage the nautical reputation and scientific capabiit
of this veteran navigator when in 1897 he applied
to the Board Of Admiralty for permission and
to undertake another Arctic voyage he met with fat
refusal But the munifcence of opulent ect
bed him accomplish that which was denied him by the
parsimony dstrust of the Government. Sir Felix
Booth generously afforded him the funds requisite for his
object and in 1922 in high pressure steam-tug the
Victory" he set forth his renewed voyage This
time Sir John entered Lancaster Sound and Prince Re-
gents Inlet hence continuing his progress southwards
until stopped by the ice the 30th September 1920 in
what he called Felix Harbor, having already advanced
three hundred miles farther than any previous exped
ton The newly discovered tract of land towards the
south called by Sir John Boohia Felix, in honor
OF his munifcen patron. In these frozen regions Sir
John detained four long years. and in the public
anxiety concerning the missing navgators the Admiralty
determined to dispatch expedition in search of
them, under the lead OF Commander Back who after
turning from his mission of humanity commissioned
to make second expedition in 1886. The voyages that
hauo hoan do co.u
Liar to the reader need any mention in this connexon
We proceed to the work before us.
The Grinnel Expedition" its name imports, owed
its origin and efficiency to the mun6cence of Henry Grin
nell, ESQ., of New York, Of those merchant princes
who form the glory of commercial age The object Of
this expedition as all aware to unite in the
search for Sir John Franklin and his missing companions
or that admirable woman his lady, expressedi in her
letter to the President Of the United States to join
heart and hand with England1 in the enterprise of
snatchng the navgators from dreary grave" 1t
in 1874 that Sir John franklin appointed to the
duct Of his latest polar expedition and in the May Of
lS45 his vessels, the Erebus and Terror with picked
crew and noble band of volunteer officers, weighed
chOr for the of their Arctic perls They
by whaler the 26h of July following, in the upper
waters of Ban's Bay moored to iceberg and wait
ing for opening in the pack" They have never been
seen since.
The Grinne Expedition consisted Of two brigs, the
Advance and " Rescue" commanded respectively by
Lieut.. Edwin ]. De Haven, commanding the expedition,
and by Acting Master Samuel p Griffin, both of whom,
together with the other officers of the personnel engaged
in this undertaking, detailed from the United States
navy for this purpose by William Ballard Preston, the
Secretary of this Department during Gen. Taylors ad
ministration.
The expedition took its departure from New York
the 22d May $780, and by the middle of July following
battling with the great pack" in the ice-cogged
waters of Melville Bay engaged in the aborous and per-
ilous navigation Of the middle ice, "connng ship"
"heavng," "warping," tracking and I" hauling"
through zgzag "eads" and toruous channels in which
for about month they remained beset by impenerable
barriers Of thickrbbed ce leaving little circle
Of six miles radius and measuring their progress
by yards and feet rather than by miles literally bor
ing" their way through the "pack" and "dodgng ice
begs But by the middle of August they had crept along
the coast far the crimson cliffs Of Beverley and
momentary expecting that change in their course
which to lead them through the North Water to Lam
caster Sound.
The navigators to have bidden goodbye to "ye
goode baye Of old William Ban" with unrepressed re-
gre The combination Of warmth and cold in ts border
ing landscapes its icebergs slumberous and SO pure
massive yet SO evancscent majestic in their cheer
less beauty yet ndescribable in their outlines the
ice-pains margned with glaciers, the crashing foe the
grinding hummock the still blue waters beneath, and the
and skmmerng glow of the tinted atmosphere