Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1857-01-16
-. british Bark Re.Olute and the Brit
fixh Queen.

rha british Bark Resolute and the Bri-
tiXh Queen.
There has been in modern history, no
International courtesy more Interesting
- more characterized throughout by e1.
ouisitsly good taste. than that described
below. A British ship OF war, caught IN
The ice, abandoned by her crew. drifting
.bou. the high seas for sixteen months IS
recovered by the Americans. bought ana
ratified by our government, aud returned
10 its former owners and the British
Queen. comes down in person to meet the
American Captain, receives the onerlng
spresented by him in the name OF his coun-
trymsn, and makes her gracious thanks
20 the bold sailor: ...........-
rs..=-a- fErou, the London Times.)
,.- Yesterday morning the queen ana
Prince Albert inspected the discovery
bark Resolute, which is now lying on
CoUss. in the Medina water; but before
narrating the circumstances OF the koya'
Ii,it it NAV not be Inappropriate as this
IA neeuliariy the age of " antecedents." to
elauce at the pact history OF that remark
Able craft, and to present in consecutive
form some facts respecting her which are
not generally known. and others which,
though they have already been publish
ed. are too interesting to suffer oy repe-
rition.
Her Maiesty's bark Resolute formed
on. of Sir Edward Belcher's squadron oil
discovery, and in May 1858. was SENT
upder the command Of Captain hellett'
N. TO the Polar Seas in search OF Sir
. John Franklin, and for scientific purposes.
She was-or, since her deliverance enables
us. TO speak of her as Of ship restored 10
life, let us rather say she tS-a Stout
suuare. built vessel Of 500 tons. She Is
double decked and double pIanked
throughout, in order to stand the pressure
Of ice, and she carries two brass guns
ok FOUNDERS. Her builders, having regard
10 the comfort Of her officers and crew IN
the Arctic seas, fitted her with an ingenl.
GUS heating apparatus, the furnace OF
which is inserted in the mainhold, while
steampipes, running fore and ait through
the sides of the vessel, maintained an
agreeable temperature even when the
thermometer had fallen much below zero.
When she left the government dock
ward she was literally provided with ev-
erything requisite for her perllous voy..
age, and both as regards structure and
equipment, was admirably adapted for
tue service in which she was TO be engaS-
ed. Owing TO her peculiar build, she is
necessarily dull sailor, but is very
strong ship and what the Americans call
Ca good safe sea boat"
Notwithstanding. however, the care
bestowed on her construction. she was
not fatcd to fulfil the purpose for which
she was designed. She was frozen among
the icebergs in latitude II deg. N. and in
the month Of May, 1854. her officers and
crew finally abandoned her, leaving their
effects on board. She had remained in
the iceberGs sixteen months, when large
portion of the ice in which she was en-
bedded becoming detached from the mass
BY thaw. it tloated off with her, leaving
her at the mercy Of wind and wave, and
hurrying her out to remote seas, where, in
latitude &c deg. 80 min. and longitude
81 deg. she was found in the month OF
September. 1855. by the American Wha-
Ter George Henry, commanded by Cap
tain Buddington. She had then drifted
over the wilderness of waters about
twelve hundred miles from the spot where
she was abandoned. Captain Budding
ton and part of his crew approached
her over the ice and took up their quar-
tiers within her. They found " a deaths
like silence and dread repose," for ex-
eept themselves there was not a living
creature on beard. In the words Of DIR.
Macown. the surgeon of the ship, who
has written pretty poem on the subject:
Her wooden walls were tenantlesS,
No more the busy throng
Cheered the lone decks through Arctic nights
With music and with song;
Tho bold and gallant crow had fed
That once she gladly bore,
In search Of Franklin and his meu
From Albiou's happy Shore"
The ship was found not to have sus>
tanned any very material damage. The
ropes. indeed. were hard and infexible
as chains: the rigging was stiff and crack.
led at the touch; the tanks in the hold had
burst, the iron was rusIed, the paint was
diScoiOred with bilge water, and the tops
gallantmasts were shattered, but the hull
had escaped unscathed. and the ship was
net hurt in any vital part. There were
three or four feet of water in the hold, but
she had not sprung leak. The cordage
was coled in neat little circles on the
deck. after the fashion of English senmen,
aud the sails were frozen to such stiffness
as to resemble sheets Of tin. Several
thousand pounds of gunpowder were
found on board. somewhat deteriorated in
quality, yet good enough for such purpo-
ses as firing salutes.
Some OF the scientific instruments were
injured by exposure and rust, but others
wcie in excellent condition. For a year