THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.

It is possible at length to head a few pages devoted to the record of Arctic discovery by the long-coveted phrase the North-West Passage. Not that such a passage has in reality been opened that a British ship has as yet passed through from Pacific to Atlantic, or vice versâ, by the Polar Seas; but that the fact of a sea-communication has been established to exist between the two; only it is blocked up by what appears to assume the form of almost permanent ice. As far, therefore, as the discovery of a passage for purposes of navigation is concerned, we are in reality no further than when Mr. Kennedy, of the Prince Albert (Lady Franklin's private Arctic expedition), discovered a passage leading from Prince Regent Inlet to the Western Sea, and the gallant and unfortunate Bellot gave his name to another. These were, as far as navigability is concerned, just as much north-west passages as the Prince of Wales' or Parry's Straits. For the north-west passage now determined, is not at the western termination of Wellington or Queen's Channel, to which attention has been so much directed since Captain Penny's discoveries, but where every common-sense man would have persevered in searching for it, in Parry's Strait, which is the westerly prolongation of Barrow's Strait.

Captain Sir Edward Parry, the discoverer of this strait, found it occupied by a fixed body of ice as far back as 1819. Since that time the way even to the strait has never been open to navigation. When the news first came to this country of the further exploration of Wellington Channel, and the discovery of a north-westerly passage also in that direction, as well also as by Jones's Sound, while granting all due importance to those discoveries, we still upheld the paramount importance of the acknowledged Arctic highway. We never sided with the decisive opinion given by Captain Austin and his companions, that their researches had decided the question that Sir John Franklin's expedition had not taken a westerly or south-westerly direction from Barrow's Strait. We discussed that question at length in the October number of the New Monthly Magazine for 1851, as comparing more particularly the results obtained by Captain Austin's sledge parties, and the instructions given to Sir John Franklin, which decidedly pointed out the route now followed by Captain M'Clure, of the Investigator. We returned to the charge in December of the same year. Arrowsmith's map, then published, enabled us to say still more positively, that the opinions that we emitted of the insufficiency of the data obtained by Ommaney, Osborne, Browne, and M'Clintock, to determine whether or not Sir John Franklin was frozen up in westerly or south-westerly ices, was further corroborated. We particularly insisted upon the fact, that the whole extent of country from Cape Walker and the most westerly shores explored by Captain Ommaney to Banks's Land, had been left unexamined, and it is precisely in that region that Prince of Wales' Strait has been discovered. Our hopes then lay in the progress of the Enterprise and Investigator, which we said (p. 484) would, on their way from Behring's Straits to Parry Islands, have to cut through a portion of these unexplored regions. In April, 1852, we again repeated (p. 451): "Our greatest hopes are, at the present moment, centred in the progress of Commander M'Clure and his party in her

Majesty's ship Investigator, now frozen in somewhere between Behring's Straits and Melville Island." And so it has really turned out to be the

case.

Curious enough, Lieutenant M'Clintock must have been with the sledge Perseverance, when he attained his extreme westerly point of 114 deg. 20 min. in lat. 74 deg. 38 min. in May, 1851, within fifty-five geographical miles distance of the Bay of Mercy, where the Investigator was frozen in in September of the same year. Captain M'Clure and his party had to travel some 150 geographical miles, or more, before they could convey despatches from the Bay of Mercy in Baring Island, to Winter Harbour in Melville Island; but in reality some sixty geographical miles from shore to shore is all that remained to be passed over to establish the existence of this frozen in "North-West Passage."

It will be remembered that the Investigator was last seen on the 6th of August, 1850, running to the north-eastward, with studding-sails set. It appears that she rounded Point Barrow, on the north coast of America, with great difficulty, and that the ship was also detained in its further progress along the same coast by thick weather, fogs, and contrary winds, in addition to the ordinary difficulties presented by shallow water, and the necessity of working to windward between the Polar Pack and the gradually sloping shore. On the 21st of August, however, the Investigator made the Pelly Islands, off the river Mackenzie, and on the 24th, communicated with some Esquimaux a little to the westward of Point Warren, still on the coast of Arctic America.

The Esquimaux at this place are said to have shown great apprehension as to the object of the Investigator's visit, fearing, according to their own statements, that the ship had come to revenge the death of a white man they had murdered some time ago. They related that some white men had come there in a boat, and that they built themselves a house, and lived there; at last the natives murdered one, and the others escaped they knew not where, but the murdered man was buried in a spot they pointed out. A thick fog coming on, prevented Captain M'Clure examining this locality, which is much to be regretted, as this is just the point that a boat's party from the expedition under Sir John Franklin, who was intimate with the geography of the coast of Arctic America, from his overland expedition in 1819, would-supposing the Erebus and Terror to have been wrecked in the intricate passage of the archipelago south-west of Cape Walker, or in the pack west of Baring Island-have sought to gain the Mackenzie, and which presented to them the most favourableindeed, under their circumstances, almost the only route--by which they could hope to reach the settlements of the Hudson's Bay Fur Company. This notice, then, of the destruction and dispersion of a party of white men who came there in a boat, now some time back, obtains, in the absence of all other clue to the fate of our gallant countrymen, a very deep and melancholy interest. Captain M'Clure, for reasons which do not appear in the information as yet conveyed to us, does not attach any importance to the circumstance here alluded to; for, after visiting another party of Esquimaux at Cape Bathurst, on the same coast, he says: "We now took our final leave of the Esquimaux upon the American coast, fully convinced that neither the ships nor any of the crew of Sir John Franklin's expedition have ever reached their shores." It would cer

tainly appear strange, if such had been the case, that neither Sir John Richardson, nor the boat parties under Captains Pullen and Hooper, should have heard anything about it. Still it is to be hoped that Dr. Rae's attention will be called to the fact, to which it is evident Captain Inglefield attaches more interest than Captain M'Clure.

On the 6th of September, being to the northward of Cape Parry, the next most remarkable cape of Arctic America, east of Cape Bathurst, they discovered some high land, upon which they landed the ensuing day, naming it Baring Island. On the 9th they discovered more land, which they named Prince Albert's Land, and which is said to be the westerly prolongation of Wollaston and Victoria Lands. The northern part of Baring Island also corresponds to Banks' Land of the Arctic explorers from the East. This multiplication of names appears, therefore, very unnecessary: Prince Albert's Land being part of Wollaston Land, and Baring Island part of Bauks' Land. Baring Island is separated from Prince Albert Land by a strait which was called Prince of Wales' Strait, and which Captain M'Clure satisfied himself, by travelling parties, communicated with Barrow's Strait, thus establishing the existence of a north-west passage (when free from ice) in that direction.

Prince Albert's Land was found to be inhabited, in its southern portions, by a primitive people, described as being of quiet, simple, and inoffensive habits. They had never seen white men before, and were at first naturally much alarmed. There were also musk oxen, five of which formed a welcome addition to the stock of the Investigator.

The ice did not break up till the 14th of July, 1851, when the ship was allowed to drift with the pack towards Parry's or Barrow's Straits till August 14th, when, having attained lat. 73 deg. 14 min. 19 sec., long. 115 deg. 30 min. 30 sec., or a distance of only fifteen miles from the previously discovered entrance to Parry's or Barrow's Straits (the said entrance being in lat. 73 deg. 30 min. north, long. 114 deg. 14 min. west, and according to the map attached to the Parliamentary Blue-book printed in 1852, forty-five miles distant from the nearest coast of Melville Island, which is therefore the width of Parry's Strait at that point), their further progress was unfortunately arrested by a north-east wind setting in, which set large masses of ice to the southward, and carried them back with them. Had the Investigator been supplied with a screw-propeller, it is possible she might have confronted this difficulty, and have effected the north-west passage, and been in England in 1851.

Thus driven back, however, Captain M'Clure bore up to the southward of Baring Island, and ran up with clear water as far as to lat. 74 deg. 27 min. N., long. 122 deg. 32 min. 15 sec. W., within a mile of the coast the whole distance, when his progress was impeded by ice resting upon the shore, and the ship was at the same time in great danger of being crushed or driven on shore by the ice coming in with a heavy pressure from the Polar Sea. The Investigator was detained by these difficulties from the 20th of August to the 19th of September, or a month within a day, when observing clear water along shore to the eastward, she was cast off from a large grounded floe to which she had been secured, and worked in that direction, with occasional obstructions from ice and mud banks, and several narrow escapes from the stupendous Polar ice, till the 24th of September, when, being in lat. 74 deg. 6 min.

N., and long. 117 deg. 54 min. W., or fifty-five miles from the nearest shores of Melville Island, and at or near the entrance to Parry's Strait, they observed the said strait to be full of ice, large masses of which were setting down towards them. So finding a well-sheltered spot upon the south side of a shoal upon which they had grounded the night before, and which was protected from the heavy ice by the projection of the reef, they ran in and anchored in four fathoms. That very same night they were frozen in, and the Investigator has remained ever since in the same spot, which has very appropriately been designated by its gallant commander the BAY OF MERCY.

Baring Island, or Banks' Land, was luckily found to abound in reindeer and hares, which remained the entire winter, and the officers and crew were enabled to add upwards of 4000lbs. to their stock of provisions during their first year's detention. Captain M'Clure states that in these latitudes a ship stands no chance of getting to the westward by entering the Polar Sea, the wind being contrary and the pack impenetrable; but this does not apply to higher latitudes, supposing Sir John Franklin's expedition to have gone to the westward by Queen's Channel. Prince of Wales' Strait he conceives to be more practicable, but that apparently only to ships going westward or south-westward.

A party, consisting of Captain M'Clure, Mr. Court, second master, and six others, went over the ice in April, 1852, to Winter Harbour, Melville Island, were they deposited a record of their proceedings up to that time. This despatch was discovered by a party from the Resolute, Captain Kellett, which wintered the same year at Dealy Island, Melville Island; and as far as we can make out, the gallant Lieutenant Pim, the same who proposed the Siberian expedition of succour, was despatched at once to communicate with their long lost, frozen in countrymen.

The account of Lieutenant Pim's arrival at the Bay of Mercy, as given by Captain Kellett in a private letter, is one of the most affecting incidents that has yet sprung out of the Arctic expeditions. There is only one other possible event of a similar kind that would exceed it in that respect.

M'Clure and his first-lieutenant were walking on the ice. Seeing a person coming very fast towards them, they supposed that it was one of their party being chased by a bear. They accordingly walked towards him, but had not got above a hundred yards when they could see by his proportions that he was not one of them. Pim was at this time throwing up his hands and hallooing out, his face being described as appearing as black as his hat-we must suppose from running and excitement.

At length Pim reached the two lonely strollers quite beside himself, and yet under the circumstances he exhibited an amusing specimen of naval etiquette, still more amusing if we consider the position of the parties, two of them ice-imprisoned for two long winters, the third coming over the desolate ice from no one knew where. "Who are you, and where do you come from?" inquired Captain M'Clure. "Lieutenant Pim, Herald, Captain Kellett," was the answer stammered out by the happy sailor. "This was," says Captain Kellett, "more inexplicable to M'Clure, as I was the last person he shook hands with in Behring's Straits." He at length found that this solitary stranger was a true Englishman-"an angel of light." The arrival of a stranger had also

by this time been made out by the ship's crew, and the news had spread like lightning. There being only one hatchway open, the men got fairly jammed in their attempts to get up one before the other. Strength and health suddenly returned to the sick, who are described as jumping out of their hammocks-every one forgot his previous despondency; "in fact, all was changed on board the Investigator!"

It does not appear why Lieutenant Pim should have been "a solitary stranger." It is not likely that, however adventurously disposed, Captain Kellett would have let him start on foot a journey of some hundred miles over the ice alone. We must suppose that he ran on in advance of his sledge party.

This opportune and welcome visit was soon returned by Captain M'Clure, and Captain Kellett describes the arrival of his gallant friend with delightful enthusiasm:

"This is really a red-letter day in our voyage, and shall be kept as a holiday by our heirs and successors for ever. At nine o'clock of this day (April 19th, 1853) our look-out man made the signal for a party coming in from the westward; all went out to meet them and assist them in. A second party was then seen. Dr. Domville was the first party I met. I cannot describe my feelings when he told me that Captain M'Clure was among the next party. I was not long in reaching him, and giving him many hearty shakes-no purer were ever given by two men in this world. M'Clure looks well, but is very hungry."

No wonder! He had at the time Lieutenant Pim arrived at the Bay of Mercy thirty men and three officers, fully prepared to leave for the depôt at Point Spencer. "What a disappointment," says Captain Kellett, "it would have been to go there and find the miserable Mary yacht with four or five casks of provisions, instead of a fine depôt !"

Another party of seven men were to have gone by the river Mackenzie, with a request to the Admiralty to send out a ship to meet them at Point Leopold in 1854. Captain Kellett adds, he had ordered the thirty men over to the Resolute. The captain had also sent his surgeon to report upon the health of the crew. He had further desired that, should there not be among them twenty men who would volunteer to remain another winter, Captain M'Clure was to desert his vessel. Lieutenant Cresswell, of the Investigator, has returned to England with Captain Inglefield, of the Phonix, who brought home the news we now transcribe.

According to a letter written on board the Investigator, and dated April 10th, 1853, Captain M'Clure states it to be his intention, should the ice break up in the Bay of Mercy sufficiently early to permit of his getting through Parry's Strait this season, to push forward at once; but if the ice does not permit this, he still hopes that it will break up sufficiently to enable him to take the ship to Port Leopold in Barrow's Strait, and complete a twelvemonth's provisions, and he will then risk wintering in the pack, or getting through in preference to remaining at that port.

If, however, the Investigator should not be able to get out of the Bay of Mercy, it was his intention to leave towards the end of April, 1854, and make for Port Leopold, where there is a good boat, a house, and supplies; and with this he would try to make the whalers in Pond's or Baffin's Bays. But it is evident that the Admiralty will not allow our