Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-10-12

@ailg Tirsiuiau.
Tho Arctic Mystery.

The Arctic Mystery.
Among the most interesting items Of Intelligence
contained in the foreign news brought by the Ca
NADIA, we find u notice of tho return Of tho latest
expedition sent out by Lady Franklin to search
for tidings Of her husband. Tho fate ofthat Ar
tic traveller is fully set at rest by the intell
gence brought by tho returning party
II is now fourteen years since Captain Franklin
started on the great expedition in search Of the
famous northwest passage. His two ships. the
Erebus and Terror, smiled on their adventurous
voyage the Doth of May. lS45, and II was ex-
pected that the expedition would return in about
two years One month from the day he sailed he
was seen by u whaler in Bafn's Bay. ln lSiS,
no news having been received Of Franklin, the
English government fitted out three vessels to pro
coed to tho Artio seas in search of tho missing
explorer In 1910, after protracted aud dango-
rous but useless search, the last vessel returned
During the same period. land party under Sir
John Richardson, and another sea expedition un-
der tho veteran Arctic explorer Sir james Ross
wero equally unsuccessful, The British govern
ment then offered muniGcent sum, amounting
to one hundred thousand dollars. to any private
expedition that should afford efficient aid to Sir
John Franklin. In 1850 no loss than eight expo
ditions were Gttod out, Sir james Ross agaip tn
king the command of ono Of them. Lady Frank.
lin also. in that year. fttc, out the expedition IN
the vessel that bore her name, and also assisted
largely in desputchng another expedition in the
schooner Prince Albert. Mr.. Henry Grinnolrs
expedition also started in the same year, and
there were eleven different vessels ut that timo
searching tho Arctic sens for tidings of the lost
Tho result of all these numerous expeditions was
comparatively small. The graves of thice men
belonging to the Erebus aud Terror were discover
ed, but no documents that gave any traces as to
the whereabouts Of the missing men. In 1853 DR..
Kane started on his famous explorations. precc-
dad Law SIR I'll
though this latter expedition did no, fad any.
thing of Sir John Franklin, they succeeded in
rescuing Captain Mcclure, who with his ships
company, had been bound UP hy ice Tor three
years.
At last, us those numerous expeditions returned
year after year without tidingso OF him in whose
search they despatched, the public began,
with reason, to deem further Investigations use
less. 1t WIS argued that the clnims of humanity
had been satisfied, and that it was useless to en-
danger more lives in what deemed II vain
search. Lady Franklin. however, with noble
heroism that has won for her the admiration and
sympathy of the civilized world still hoped for
her husbands safety, and recently despatched to
the Arctic regions lhe small screw-steamcr Fox,
under charge of fCaptain McClntock. That YES
sci has nav returned bearing to the bereatod lady
intelligence that confirms the general impression
to the loss of Sir John Franklin. Documents
were found ut point on King Williams Island
bearing dnte April 20, 1913. and stating that Sir
John Franklin died on the llth of June, 1871
His death, scarcely mere than two years after ho
left England must have discouraged his compan-
ions, and it is perhaps owing to this premature
removal Of their respected and experienced chief
that the whole party were lost.
II Sir John Franklin thus died n martyr TO his
zeal in the cause Of Arctic ezpontion he hns in
death done more towards unvciling the hidden
mysteries Of the Arctic seas than ever ho could
have done in life. Sympathy for his fate, aud
humane efforts to save him from death. have sent
out more Arctic expeditions than ever mere on
terprse would hive done in The same time. The
history OF Arctic aslgutlun, for the past decade,
has been but scries IF searches for Franklin,
and during these searches Dir. Kane made his OBJ
scrvations. so valuable to scicncc, and Captain
Mcclure made the discovery Of the famous north
west passage, that has been the great Gcographi-
cal event of the age. But Cor really practical
uses this discovery has as yet been Of 10 avail,
and with the return of Lndy Franklin's latest ex-
petition, we presume Arctic navigation is over,
for the present 1T least
The fate Of Sir John Franklin has long excited
the speculation Of geographers. travellers and
scientific men. and suggested to poets some thrill
ing inspirations In Chambers Miscellany, n
icw years ago, fine poem on this sub ject appear
ed, and attracted much attention. 1t was popu.
larly supposed that the frgl temperature Of tho
Arctic zone would keep the human frame from
dissolution after death, and it was said of Sir
John and his men that they, amid the iceborgs
Of that mysterious land, might still bc found,
- like ERyptH kinRa