The Sun. — 1852-02-16 (London, England)

MAILS. signifies that the mails are sent front the General Post-office by the night—and 31 by the morning--011spatch.]  MONDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 16, 1852  with a steamer, might proceed at once to take a dvantage of this opportunity, if the officer commandin g should judge such a measure safe and prudent, and be thus placed in winter quarters in a more favourable position for commencing the land search in the spring of 1853, but with the most distinct injunctions not to advance to such a distance as to endanger their retur a to the depot, or their communication with it in that y ear; and it should be enjoined with equal strictness, that,, in the event of any irreparable disaster to the ships 30 proceeding, or if they should be too firmly fixed in the ice to be extricated during the summer of 18 5:3, they are to be abandoned, and the crows brought clown to the depot. 17. If is, however, proper to provide for one possible contingency—namely, that of the difficulty of travelling at a late season, rendering the retreat of the crew to Beechey Island more .hazardous to their lives these their remaining by the ships (if they are only froren up) another winter; and in that case the division at &3echey Island, which will be still amply provided with provisions, Zee., must remain also until the following year; bait this is, we hope, an improbable supposition, and our confident belief is, that with the improved equipments and appliances of all kinds which past experience will dictate, such an exploration may be made in the early part of 1853 as to enable the whole expedition to return to England before the close of the navigable season. 18. It is obviously impossible to provide in a report of this kind for more remote and less probable contingencies; but their Lordships' instructions to Captain Austin (paragraphs 4 and 7), contain all the discretionary power with which an officer under such circumstances can be intrusted; and we conclude they will be embodied in any future orders on the same subject. 19. We have thought it right to request from the several gentleman named in the margin* their opinions on this interesting but most difficult question; and we annex their replies, to which we beg to call their Lordships' attention. 20. We have also requested from Captain Austin and the officers specially employed in his travelling parties such suggestions as to practicable improvements in equipments, clothing, and provisions, as their recent experience so well qualifies them to offer. They are annexed to this report, and will be found of considerable importance. 21. Although our instructions do not advert to the report of the loss of the missing ships received from an Esquimaux named Adam Beck, and to which Sir John Ross in his evidence still attaches much weight, we beg to state that a paper written by Adam Beck, in the presence of Sir John Ross and Captain Ommanney, and purporting to be the substance of information communicated to him by another Esquimaux, now in England, named Erasmus York, on the subject of the loss of the ships and the murder of the crews, has, on being translated before us by a Moravian missionary, well acquainted with the Esquimaux language, proved not to contain a single word relating to this occurrence. 22. Adam Beck's substquent deposition, which was sent to Copenhagen for translation, has not yet been returned; but if their Lordships should consider any further inquiry necessary, we would only express an earnest hope that it may be conducted separately, and not allowed to interfere with the early arrival of the proposed expedition in Barrow's Strait. 23. With respect to the efforts now making to afford relief to the missing ships in the direction of Behring's Strait-, we do not venture to offer any suggestions, beyond a hope that, until further accounts are received from Captain Cullinson and Commander M'Clure, the Plover may be kept fully provisioned. We have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient ser vents,  Wm. BowLss, Rear-Admiral. ARTHUR FANSLIANVE, Rear-Admiral. W. E. PARRY, Captain. F. W. BEECHEY, Captain. GEORGE BACK, Captain. To Mr. J. Parker, 'A.P., &c., Admiralty. Rear-Admiral Sir J. Ross, Rev. Dr. Scoresby, Captain, Austin, Captain Kellet, Captain Ommanney, Sir John Richardson, Mr. W. Penny, and Mr. A. Stewart.