. . H..._..._.l__».. .c. .

THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.

The following dels atch has been received at

the Hudson’s.Bay ouse. It gives an interest- ing and occasionally a graphic accountof ano-

ther arduous expedition to solve the problem of a '

North-west Passage; and it will be seen that the conductors of it proclaim their success. I “ Fort Simpson, 16th Oct. 1839.

“Honourable Sire—We have the honour to report the completion of all the primary objects ofthe expedition; the entire fulfilment of Goa vernor Simpson’s original instructions, under which it has been our good fortune to act; and something more, though, as we plainly told your honours last winter, it was quite out of the ques- tion to think of reaching the strait of the Fury and Hecla from the Coppermine River.

“ On the 25th of June, we descended that im- petuous stream to the Bloody Fall, where we remained until the 28th. This interval was em- ployed by Mr. Simpson in exploring Richard- son's River, discovered in 1838, which dischar- ges itself, as we then. supposed, into the bottom of Bach’s Inlet, in latitude 67 deg. 53 min. 57 see.N., longitude 115 deg. 56 min. W. A party ofabout thirty Esquimaux were encamped there; all of whom fled precipitately to the hills, except one family, whose tent was placed on an island in the stream. lVith these last a communica- tion was opened, through our interpreter Oolig- buck; hut.the circle of their little lives being. confined to Beren’s Isles and the borders of Richardson’s River, they had no information to impart of any value.

“ On the 3d of July, the first slight opening occurred in the sea-ice; ofwhich we took instant advantage. But our first week’s journey did not exceed twenty miles; and it was the 18th, after

. sad work, before we could attain Cape Barrow.

From its rocky heights we beheld with equal surprise and delight the wide extent of Corona- tion Gulf partially open, whereas long after the same date in 1838 the whole party might have crossed it on foot. At midnight, on the 20th, we landed at Cape Franklin, just one month earlier than Mr. Simpson’s arrival there on his pedestrian journey the year before. A violent easterly gale arrested our progress for the next four days; and on the 27th and 28th we encoun- tered great peril i doubling Cape Alexander, amidst very heavy ing ice.

“ From Cape Alexander, situate in lat. 63 deg. 56 min. N., long. 106 deg. 40 min. W., to no ther remarkable point in lat. 68 deg. 33 min. N., long. 98 deg. 10 min. W., the arctic coast may

comprised in one spacious bay, stretching as far south as lat. 67 deg. 40 min., before it turns off abruptly northward to the last-mentioned

ition. This vast sweep, of which but an inconsiderable portion was seen by Mr. Simpson last year, is indented by an endless succession of minor bays, separated from one another by long narrow projecting points of land, enclosing an incalculable number ofislauds.

“From this description it will be evident that our route was an extremely intricate one, and til. duties of the survey most harassing; but, whilst perplexed beyond measure in finding our way through these labyrinths, we derived great advantage from the protection afforded by the islands from the crushing force of the seaward ice; and the weather was generally clear. In fact, the most serious detention caused by ice on this part of the voyage was from the lst to the 5th of August, on a point that jutted out beyond the insular chain. White Bear Point, a it was called, lies in lat. 68 deg. 7 min. 45 sec. N., long. 103 deg. 6 min. 45 sec. W., variation §l deg. 45 min. E. These bays and masses of islands present a distinct succession of geologi- cal features, which can be best illustrated by our series of specimens of the rocks that com- pose this wild and barren coast. Vestiges of Esquimaux, mostly old, were met with wherever we .anded. They appear to subsist in Single families, or very small parties; and to travel in— land for the deer-hunt in the month of June, not returning to the sealing-islands till the ice sets fast in October. A river twice the size of the Coppermine, which falls into the seain lat. 68 deg. 2 min. N., long. .104 deg. 15 min. W., is much resorted to by rein-deer and musk-oxen in the summer season.

“ Finding the coast, as already remarked, trending northerly from the bottom of the great bay, we expected nothing less than to be carried round Cape Felix of Captain James Ross, con- trary to the conjecture hazarded by Mr. Simp- son in his narrative of the last year’s journey. On the evening of the 10th August, however, (at the point already given,) we suddenly opened astrait running in to the southward of east, where the rapid rush of the tide scarcely left a doubt of the existence of an open sea leading to the mouth of Back’s Great Fish River. This strait is ten miles wide at either extremity, but contracts to three in the centre. Even that nar- rowchann is much encroached upon by high shingle isl ds, but there is deep water in the middle throughout.

“ The 12th of August was signalized by the most terrific thunder-storm we have ever witnes- sort in these regions. Nextday it blew roughly from the westward, with a very dense cold fog; but we ran rapidly south-east, passed Point Richardson and Point Ogle of Sir George Back,- and continued on till the darkness of night and the increasing gale drove us ashore beyond Point Pechell. The storm shifted to the north-east, and lasted till the 16th, when we directed our course,.w1th flags flying, to the Montreal Island. On its northern side, our people, guided by Mac-

. hay, soon found a deposit made among the rocks

by some of Sir George Back’s party; but, as Mackay seemed to think, without that ofiicer’s knowledge. It contained two bags of pemican, and aquantity of cocoa and chocolate, all perfect- ly rotten, besides an old tin vasculum, and two or three other trivial articles; of which we took MD, as memorials of our having breakfast-

6‘

ed on the identical spot where the. tent of our gallant though less mccessful precursor stood, on his return- from Point Ogle to the Great Fish River, that very day five years before.

“ The arduous duty we had in 1836 under- taken to perform, was thus fully accomplished; and the length and difliculty of the route back to the Coppermine would have amply justified our immediate return. We had all suffered more or less from the want of fuel and the depri- vation of Warm food, and the prospects grew more cheerlcss as the cold fall weather stole on apace; but, having already ascertained the separation of Boothia from the American conti- nent, on the \Vestern side of the Great Fish River, we determined not to desist till we had

settled its relation thereto on the Eastern side,

also. A fog which had come onulispersed towards evening, and unfolded a full view of the picturesque shores of the Estuary. Far to the Soutliward Victoria Headland stood forth, so clearly defined, that we instantly recognized it by Sir George Back’s exquisite drawmg. Cape Beaufort we almost seemed to touch; and With the telescope we were able to discern a continu- ous line of high land as far rotind as north-east, about two points more northerly than Cape Hay, the extreme eastern point seen by Sir George Back.

“The traverse to the furthest visible land occupied six hours’ unremitting labour at the oar, and the sun was rising on the 17th when we scaled the bluff and singularly-shaped Rocky Cape, to which our course had been directed. It stands in latitude 68 deg. 3 min. 56 sec. N., longitude 94 deg. 35 min. VV.; the azimuth com: pass by Jones settled exactly in the true meri- dian, and agreed with two others by the same niaker,placed on the ground. From our proxumty to the magnetic pole, however, the compass had latterly been of little or no use; but this was of the less consequence, as the astronomical obser- vations were very frequent. The dip of the needle, which at Thunder Cove (12th August) was 83 deg. 29 min. 35 sec., had here decreased to 89 deg. 16 min. 40 sec. N. This bold pro- inontory, where we lay wind-bound till the 18th, was named Cape Britannia, in remembrance of our glorious country. On the beetling rock that sheltered our encampment from the sea, and forms the most conspicuous object on all this part of the coast, we erected aconical pile of ponderous stones, fourteen feet high, that, if not pulled down by the natives, may defy the rage of a thousand storms. In it was placed a sealed bottle, containing a sketch of our proceedings; and possession was taken of our extensive dis- coveries in the name of Victoria the First, amidst the firing of guns and the enthusiastic cheers of the whole party.

“ On the 19th the gale shifted from N. E. to E. S. E.; and after crossing a fine bay, due east, with no small toil and danger, the coast bent away north-east, which enabled us to effect. a run of forty miles. Next day the wind resumed its former direction; and after pulling against it all the morning among shoals and breakers, and gaining only three miles, we were obliged to take refuge in the mouth of a small river.

“ From a limestone ridge, about a league in~ land, we obtained a view of some very remote blue land in the north-east quarter, in all proba- bility one of the southern promontories of Boo- thia. Two considerable islands lay far in the offing, and others, high and distant, reached from E. to E.N.E.

“ Our view ofthe low main shore was confined to five miles in an easterly direction, after which it appeared to turn off greatly to the right. We could, therefore, scarcely doubt our having arri- ved at that large gulfuniformly described by the Esquimaux as containing many islands, and with

numerous indentations stretching down to the

southward till it approaches within forty miles of Repulse and Wager Bays. The exploration of such a gulf, which was the main object of the Terror’s ill-starred voyage, would necessarily de- mand the whole time and energies of another ex- pedition, having a starting or retreating point much nearer to the scene of operations than Great Bear Lake ; and it was quite evident to us that any further foolhardy perseverance could only lead to the loas of the great object already attained, together with that of the whole party.

'We must here he allowed to express our admira-

tion of Sir John Ross’s extraordinary escape “In this neighbourhood, after the protracted endu- rance of our ships, unparalleled in Arctic story. The mouth of the stream which bounded the last career of our admirable little boats, and received their name, lies in latitude 68 deg. 28 min. 27 sec. N., longitude 97 deg. 3 min. W.: variation of the compass, 16 deg. 20 min. W. The strong wind that had forbidden our advance gave wings to our retreat. The same night, the 20th of August, we landed once more at Cape Britannia; and next morning we crossed the inland direct to point Pechell, with a heavy sea. On the 22d, we explored a long narrow bay on the west side of Point Ogle, which extends to the 68th parallel of latitude. The north wind blew roughly, with sharp frost, and next day we got no further than Point Richardson. Thence we crossed over on the 24th to what had, from the continent, ap- peared like two islands, but- which we rightly conjectured to form part of the southern shore of Boothia, or to speak with greater precision, of that island on which stands Cape Felix of Captain James Ross. This shore. we had the satisfaction of tracing for about sixty miles, till it turned up to the north, in latiude 63 deg. 41 min. 16 sec. N., longitude 98 deg. 22 min. W. Only fifty- seven miles from Ross’s Pillar, the dip of. the needle was 89 deg. 28 min. 45 sec. N.; the mag- netic pole bearing N.N.E., distant ninety miles; the variations, as shown by both the azimuth compass and the horizontal bar needle, was 45 deg. east.;~§‘he objects seen on this coast are easily enumerated—a low, uninteresting lime- stone tract, abounding, nevertheless, in reindeer, musk-oxen, and old native encampments. To

the westward a godd deal of ice appeared,hang

t numbers of snow-geese passed big!1 0"" lea ."slong triangular flights, bound for milder skies. in“ whilst engaged ii, taking observations, Ion} men constructed another durable memoria 01 our discoveries, which was saluted in the usuha manner. Then recrossmg the Straight out 3 25th, we resumed for somestime qlur oulWer’d route, only keeping more *1le l e Selim, r verge of the islands, so as to aha?e a Stralg e

se. ' . coil-’rThe weather, from being threatening and unsettled, scon became unequivocally seven" On the 29th August, a snow-storm began that lasted for seven days _; during four of which we were fixed to a single spot by the "Gimme 0f the north-west gales, while the frost was so keen that the pools among the rocks on which we lay became solid enough to bear up. a man. A more moderate interval succeeded this fiehrcq outbreak. Quittiu the continent again, at t e arge river alreadyginentioned, we struck N.N.W. for an extensive Island twenty-two miles oil, which we coasted N.W. for twenty miles ; and shortly be- fore sunset on the 6th of September, stood out from thence due north for the nearest paint of Victoria Land, which proved equally distant.

We have never seen any thing more brilliant than the phosphoric gleaming of the waves when darkness set in. The boats seemed to cleave a flood of molten silver, and the spray dashed from their bows before the fresh breeze fell back like showers of diamonds into the deep. It was a cold night; and when we at last made the land, cliffs, faced with’eternal ice, obliged us to run on for a couple ofleagues before we could take the shore with safety. The coast of Victoria Land, which we explored for upwards of one hundred and fifty miles, is incomparably the boldest we have ever met with in those seas. Often near the shore no bottom could be found with thirty-five fathoms ofline, and the cerulean blue colour ofthe water everywhere indicated its profound depth. There are several noble bays ; the largest of which, north-west of Cape Alexan- der, is twenty miles wide, and equally deep, backed by snow-clad mountains. It attains to 69 deg. 40 min. N., the highest latitude ofthis voy- age. At length we reached the extreme point seen by Mr. Simpson from Cape Franklin in 1838, where the coast of this large country be- gins again to trend northward of west, Cape Barrow being by computation S.S.W. distant 50 miles. On the 10th September, we crossed this magnificent strait with a strong E.S.E. or side- wind, and a rough sea, in which our gallant boats, old and worn out as they were, acquitted themselves beyond our most sanguine hopes. Our return from Cape Barrow was miserably re- tarded by furious north-west winds and severe stress of weather. Winter permanently set in on the 15th September; and next day, to the undisguised joy of the whole party, we re-entered the Coppermine River, after by far the longest voyage ever performed by boats on the Polar sea. Leaving one of our little craft, together with the remains of the pemican (which through age and long exposure was become quite mouldy) and various other articles, as a prize to the first Esquimaux who may visit the Bloody Fall, we ascended the river with our double crew in four days, abandoned our tents, and every thing but absolute necessaries; crossed the barren grounds up to the knees in snow, having unluckily left our snow-shoes on the coast, and safely reached Fort Confidence on the 24th. The fisheries had failed sooner than ever; and we had good reason to congratulate ourselves on not being doomed to pass a third winter within the Arctic Circle.

“ After settling with the Indians, liberally re- warding the most deserving, and supplying all with ammunition gratuitously, we took our de- parture on the evening ofthe 26th, in two inland batteaux; one belonging to the expedition, the other came from Fort Simpson sixteen days be: fore our arrival. ‘

“ Our passage of Great Bear Lake was most boisterous and inclement ; in crossing the body-*of the lake, and other considerable traverses, our boats, with every thing in them, and even the very clothes on our backs, became converted into shapeless masses and concretions of ice. It was high time for us to escape from Great Bear Lake, for the temperature, which was at 4 de- grees below zero when weJanded at the head of the river on the evening of the 4th of October, fell 10 degrees lower in the course of the night, and next day we descended the rapid stream in the very midst of the driving ice. On entering the Mackenzie, we experienced a temporary mi- tigation of this excessive cold; but we should most assuredly have stiick fast above Fort Nor- man had not the northern gales again rose in their strength, and while they shattered and dis- persed the rapidly-forming ice, enabled us to stem the current under close-reefed sails. At noon on the 14th..October, after forcing our way with no small risk through the torrentofice pour- ed out by the rivers of the mountains, we reach- ed ""5 Place ; and were cordially welcomed by our valued friend Chief Trader M‘Pherson, who had for some time given up all hopes of our ar- rival.

“Most of our people» are still afflicted with acute pains and swellingsin theliinbs, caused by cold and exposure ; and we are assured by Mr. M‘Pherson that he has never known or heard of so early and rigorous a commencement of winter In Mackenzie's River. On the other hand, so fine aspring as that of 1839 seldom visits these frozen regions; and to this favouring circum- S‘ance. under Providence, ought our signal suc- cess to be partly ascribed.

” October 30th.—The state ofithe ice at length

enables us to despatch couriers to Slave Lake. 1

In the meantime, Governor Simpson’sshighly- valued letter ofthe 17th ofgune, which unfortu- nately missed -us in our way hither, has cast up roverlarid. We rejoice in having anticipated the

Russian expedition, and secured to our country

and the Company the indisputable honour of dis~

.1

:‘ ‘ covet“ the North-west Passage, been iiiigobject of search to all maritime h for three centuries. When our .’ planned at Norway/House in 1836, in“! aw dently expected -,thlt Sir George, Bach. ' . r V have achieved the survey of the Gulfof .1 . , .‘

i-th the Terror’s boats, and that wrurie‘e‘t ‘ , ., :lle mouth of the Great; Fish River wean/bah?

1 ft no blank in the geography “Northern; .. rica. That oflicer’s failure,» the exhaum, I ourmen and means, and the necessity 'of a.

wintering-ground, render a fresh eitpedition.'

dis ensable for the examination of the Gulf Bogthia; the circuit of which to the Strait the Fury and Hecla, according to the- ' maux accounts, cannot be less than bur h I dred or five hundred miles. It only uremai'ns,

us to recommend to your approbation the p v.‘.‘

proposed by Mr. Simpson to perfect this _inter.‘7‘ ‘ esting service ; which, its-he has no Wish it, avail himself of the leave of absence granted but

is re ared to follow up whenever the a. maxim: required are placed at his disposfiwi ~

" We have the honour to be your mostfflflie humble servants, — ,-. r , .

“ To the Governor, Deputy-Governor,

Bay Company, London.

THE BOOK or stnca.—We shall shortly

have a literary or rather a Biblical curiosity to

present to the American reader, which .we feel, confident in predicting will excite great interest.

among those who take pleasure in reading and studying the Scriptures, ‘It is the Book of Ja- sher,referred to in the Bible in Joshua, and in the second book of Samuel. and which has been in the progress of translation from the Hebrew

"PETER W. Bases". "‘ “THOMAS Simmons-z

. i 4’ 1:...

and Committee of the Hudson’s 3-,...

for several years in England, and is now‘comple-a'

ted, and will be published in a few days in this“; city, in a very elegant and stereotyped edition. in: ' There have been several simulated Books»!-

Jasher, a notice of which we find in theRev. Mr.

Home’s Commentaries on the' Study of the'

Scriptures; but they bear no analogy to the“

present work, which is written in the purest He-

brew, and a fidelity highly creditable to the emi-': nent scholar who has been so long engaged in the}. The I preface to the Hebrew edition,“

work. speaks ofit as having been brought from Jerusalem.

with other sacred rolls and manuscripts, at the”. destruction of that. city, and carried mto Spain,”

ges up to the 11th century.

is now for the first time translated into the Eng- lish language and published. tic Society had a copy in Calcutta, and gave, orders to the Rev. Mr. Adams to translate it, but’ it was abandoned on hearing that a translation was already in progress. It is full of interest, and worthy oftaking an equal rank with any of