501 
Mr. Uaughton then read the following letter received by 
him on Friday last from Captain M‘Clintock :— 
«© The Admiralty have just granted me leave of absence 
for the purpose of conducting Lady Franklin’s expedition. I 
regret not being able to hear your paper on Monday evening, 
but offer my sincere thanks for the helping hand you are giving 
us. Jam nowina position which requires that I should offer 
my personal thanks to you. Within the last four days an ad- 
dress to the Admiralty has arrived from several influential 
New York people, requesting that the Resolute might be 
placed at the disposal of Lady Franklin.” 
It was generally understood that Lord Palmerston was 
personally favourable to the granting of Government aid to 
Lady Franklin’s expedition, and the request of the New York 
merchants afforded the ground for making a definite request, 
viz., that the Resolute should be fitted out and provisioned at 
once, so as to sail with Lady Franklin’s schooner. 
Mr. Haughton then proceeded to state in detail the rea- 
sons why the Royal Irish Academy should address the Go- 
vernment on this important question, and explained the ad- 
vantages to geographical and geological science which had 
already been the result of the preceding searching expeditions. . 
In giving these reasons, Mr. Haughton said that he purposely 
abstained from mentioning other than purely scientific grounds, 
as he thought that the Royal Irish Academy, in this matter, 
was bound to consider only the results to. science likely to re- 
sult from Lady Franklin’s search, if successful ; and the risk 
of human life involved in the proposed search. Professor 
Haughton’s statement, was illustrated by reference to a map 
of the Arctic Regions, and to Captain M‘Clintock’s paper on 
the three expeditions on which he had already served. The 
following is a brief summary of the points dwelt on by Pro- 
fessor Haughton :-— 
1st. It was highly probable, in the opinion of those com- 
petent to judge, that the Erebus and Terror were still in ex- 
