Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1859-10-20

| from having been turned over and rolled along
the beach by a storm. The roof of the house
received some necessary repairs. Having en-
barked some Goals aud stores we stood in need
of and touched at Cape Hotham on the 10th,
we sailed down Peel Strait for 25 miles on the
18th, but finding the remainder of this chan
mel covered with unbroken ice determined to
make for Bellot Strait on the 10th of August;
examined into supplies remaining at Port Le-
pold, and left there O whalebOat, which we
brought away from Cape Hotham for the pur-
pose, so as to aid in our retreat should we be
obliged eventually to abandon the For. The
steam launch had been forced higher up on the
beach, and somewhat damaged by the ice
Prince Regents Inlent was unusually free from
ice but very little was seen during our run
down to Brentford Bay, which we reached on
the goth of August. Bellot Strait, which
communicates with the Western Sea, averages
one mile in width by II or Is miles in length
At this time it was filled with drift ice, but as
the season advanced became perfectly clear
its shores are ia many places faced with lofty
granite cliffs, and some of the adjacent hills
rise 1000 feet the tides are very strong,
running six or seven knots at the springs
On the 9Th of September we passed through
BellOt Strait without obstruction, and secured
the ship to fixed ice across its western outlet
From here, until the 9th, when | deemed it
necessary to retreat into Winter quarters we
constantly watched the movements of the ice
in the western sea or channel. In md-chan-
mel it was broken up and drifting about grad
ually the proportion of water increased, until
at length the ice which interviewed was reduced
to three miles in width. But this was firmly
held fast by numerous islets, and withStood
the violence of the Autumn gales. 1t was
tantazing beyond description thus to watch
from day to day the free water which we could
not reach, and which washed the rocky shore
few miles to the southwark of US?
During the Autumn attempts were made to
carry out depots of provisions towards the
magnetic pole, but these almost entirely failed
in consequence of the disruption of the ice to
the southwark Lieut. HoBsoN returned with
his sledge parties in November, after much
suffering from severe weather, and Imminent
peril on one occasion, when the ice upon which
they were encamped became detached from
the shore and drfted off to leeward with
them.
Our wintering position was at the east en-.
trance to Bellot Strait, in a snug harbor, which
| have named Port Kennedy, after my prede-
cessOr in these waters, the commander of one
of Lady FRANKLIN's former searching expedi-
tionS. Although vegetation was tolerably
abundant, and our two ESquimaux hunters,
Mr.. PETERSEN, and several sportsmen, constant.
ly on the alert, yet the resources of the cOun-
try during II l2 months only yielded US eight
reindeer, two bears, Is seals, and few water
fowl and ptarmigan.
The Winter was unusually cold and stormy
Arrangements were completed during the win
ter for carrying out our intended plan of search.
| felt it to be my duty personally to visit Mar
shal Island, and in so doing proposed to COM
plete the circuit of King Williams Island.
To Lieut.. HoBSoN | allotted the search Of
the western shore of Boothia to the magnet
ic pole, and from Gatcshead Island westward
to Wynnatt's furthest. Capt ALLEN YOUNG,
our sailing master, was to trace the shore of
Prince of Wales Land, from Lieut. BRowNEs
furthest. aud also to examine the coast from
BeIlot Strait northward, to JAS. Ross furth-
est
Early spring journeys were commenced on
the 18th of Feb. 1859, by Capt YoUNG and
myself, Capt. You've carrying his depot across
to Prince of Wales Land, while went south
ward, towards the magnetic pole, in the hope
obtaining such information as might lead US at
once to the object of our search.
| was accompanied by Mr. PETERSEN, our
interpreter, and ALEX. THOMPSON, quatermas-
ter. We had with us two sledges, drawn by
dogs On the 28th of February, when near
Cape Victoria, we had the good fortune to
meet small party of natives, and were sub
sequenty visited by about forty-fve individn,
ais
For four days we remained in communica-
tiOn with them, obtaining many relics, and the
information that several years ago a ship was
crushed by the ice off the north shore of King
Williams Island but that all her people land
| eu safely, and went away to the Great Fish
River, where they died. This tribe was well
supplied with wood, obtained, they said, from
boat left by the white men on the Great Riv-
| er.
We reached our vessel after 25 days alb
sence, in good health, but somewhat reduced
! 10y sharp marching and the unusually severe
weather to which we had been exposed. For
several days after starting, the mercury con-
| tinued frozen.
On the I'd of April our long-projected Spring
journeys were commenced Lieut. HoBsoN
accompanied me as far as Cape Victoria, each
of us had a sledge drawn by four men, and an
auxiliary sledge drawn by six dogs. This was
all the force we could muster.
Before separating We saw two Esquimaux
families living out upon the ice in snow huts !;
from them we learned that a second ship had
been seen off King Williams Island and that
she drifted ashore on the Fall of the same
year. From this ship they had obtained a
vast deal of wood and IRON
now gave Lieut.. HoBsoN directions to
search for the wreck, and to follow up any
traces he might find upon King Williams Is
land.