Washington sentinel., 1854-04-06
Masbingtun gentinel,

credit, for its efforts to discover the fate Of Sir
John Franklin and his associates. DR.. Kane's
book has at last appeared before the public.
We copy the following extracts Of it from the
| New York Times:
| "It is two years and half since the expe-
dition returned from its adventurous voyage !;
but the story of the perils it underwent can
| never lose its interest. 1t is fitting that an
enterprise 80 nobly conceived and so daringly
executed should be properly comInenUratrd,
| and Doctor Kane has performed the duties Of
historian in an admirable manner. No one
can read his narrative without thrill Of adj
| miration for the generous spirit which led to
this gallant crusade against the Polar ice.
We do not hesitate to say that this beautiful
volume, with its profuse illustrations, furnishes
the most vivid and interesting account that has
vet been given to the public of the perils of
Arctic navigation. The last sheets of the
manuscript had scarcely left the authors hands
when he set out to take command of the second
expedition fitted out by Mr. Grinnell. The
volume was just ready for publication, when
| the entire edition was destroyed at the fre
which consumed the establishment of the pub
fishers Fortunately the sterotyped plates had
| been deposited in place Of safety, and the
| work could be produced, SO that the private
| loss was prevented from becoming public ca
| lamity.
1.-The expedition consisted of two small brigs,
| the Advance of l44 tons and the Rescue Of 80,
completely fitted out by the muni6cence Of the
New York merchant, from whom the enterprise
takes its name. 1t set sail from New York on
the 22d of May, 1850. Ten days before, while
bathing in the waters Of the Gulf Of Mexico,
DR.. Kane received an order to join the expedi-
ton Ina week the overland journey of 800
miles to New York was accomplished; part OF
a day was spent here in making few hasty pre-
/ parations for the voyage; and in two days
more the vessels were beyond the boundaries
of the United States. A month brought them
to the shores of Greenland, along which they
coasted in order to gain the open water lying
north of the great ice pack in Lancaster sound;
their immediate object being to reach speedily
the waters which open into Bafhn's bay from
the northwest. In passing the Devils Nip, as
the whalers call the mouth of Melville bay, they
we're caught in the ice, and five weeks of pre-
cious time, when hours were of the utmost i'm
portance to the success of the expedition, were
spent in gaining distance of 800 miles.
"At last, making their escape from the ice.
| pack, they made their way westward into Bar
| rows strait and reached the opening of Well
lington channel, running northward an un-
known distance, up which it was supposed the
| objects Of their search had passed. This con-
! lecture proved to have been well founded; for,
| Just at the mouth of the channel, they found
remains showing that the veteran navigator
| had wintered there four years before. Since
| that time, not the faintest traces of his fate
have been discovered, and every day adds
weight to the probability that no more tidings
of him will ever come from those icy seas. He
had apparently sailed up the channel so hastily
as not to have had time to leave behind him
! the slightest record of his intended route. But
! the searching expedition vainly attempted to
| follow upon his supposed track. The channel
was closed by barrier Of ice as impossible to
| the vessels as the granite ranges which girdle
| continent.
"The month of August had now passed; the
brief Arctic summer had come to an end, and
| winter was beginning to set in at an unusually
early period All hope of further prosecuting
| the search for that season was at an end, and
| it was decided to return to the United States.
But this was soon put beyond their power.
| On the l4th of September the vessels, with
sails set, ceased to make their way through the
ice, which was rapidly forming around them.
| They we're soon frozen fast into a moving
island of ice, and left to drift helplessly to and
fro at the mercy of the winds and currents.
| "Here commenced that marvellous drift, un
paralleled in the history Of Arctic navigation,
lasting for near three quarters of year. A
strong south wind drove the ice, with its en-
bedded vessels, far up that channel which they
had just before vainly attempted to penetrate /;
then the constant southern current slowly bore
them back. Thus for two months they drifted
back and forth in Wellington channel. Then
the drift took settled direction, and slowly
bore them eastward throgh Barrow's straits
and Lancaster sound into Baffin's bay. 1t was
not until June was far advanced that the YES
sells were freed from their icy setting.
"a large portion of Dr. Kane's narrative is
occupied with the description Of the incidents
and perils of this wonderful drift. 1t is told in
the words of his journal, written on the spot
and at the time ofthe occurrences which are de-
scribed with vividness which no subsequent
elaboration could have attained. During al.
most the whole period thy were in momentary
peril of being crushed or overwhelmed by the
huge masses Office among which their ownisland
was drifting. Sometimes they would encoun-
ter field of ice moving in contrary direc-
ton. great fragments from which, broken by
the tempest, came tumbling along, heaping
themselves high above the bulwarks of the
vessel, summoning all hands out into the dark.
ness to fight the ice.' Other portions would
slide under the vessels, lifting them completely
out of the water, with one end far above the
other At other times the ice would bear
down upon them in huge masses, grinding its
way through their own island, which was now
their sole protector, with force which nothing
could resist, and in direction which seemed
to render escape impossible.
"On one occasion q great mass forced its way
directly upon the vessels stern, which it ap-
preached so near that man could scarcely
pass between them. One half minute more OF
advance, and no human power could have saved
the vessel and crew. Those few inches of dis
tance were the sole thing that interviewed be-
tween them and death. But the space was not
passed; the mass of ice was checked, and soon
| froze fast close upon their stern, where it re-
mained for FIVE months, a solemn memorial OF
their danger and deliverance. Scenes Of this
kind were of perpetual occurrence; fresh dan
gers arose every hour; the crew were kept IN
constant training for abandoning the vessel at
any moment and trusting themselves to the ice,
Il 4 IA hop &c