40 
EE VIEWS. 
“8th. Lady Franklin’s expedition affords the last hope of the discovery of a practicable 
north-west passage. Collinson’s voyage has proved that the northern coast of the Ameri¬ 
can continent can be safely navigated for an extent of 1400 miles east and west; and if 
there be a north-west passage at all, it must exist in the area proposed to be searched for 
the Erebus and Terror. It has been already proved by the set of the tides that there is 
a water communication in this area. 
“ It is proposed by Captain M‘Clintock to make his way down Prince Regent’s Inlet, 
and thence through Bellot’s Strait, into the field of search ; or to attack it directly, if the 
ice permits, by going down Peel Sound, which he has good reasons for believing to be a 
strait. If prevented by the ice from passing through Bellot’s Strait, or going down Peel 
Strait, he will abandon the idea of taking the ship through the supposed north-west pas¬ 
sage, and, leaving her in safety in Prince Regent’s Inlet, will proceed to make the requi¬ 
site search for the Erebus and Terror by sledging parties, so successfully used in the late 
expeditions, and in conducting which Captain M‘Clintock particularly distinguished him¬ 
self .”—Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy . 
To this Memorial, as to the previous applications, nothing was re¬ 
ceived in reply hut the usual civility of a polite refusal; and at the same 
time, with most unpardonable inconsistency, the Admiralty gave 
permission to M'Clintock to take the command of Lady Franklin’s 
Expedition through Lancaster Sound. The gallant band of volunteers 
who man the Eox are now, we hope, within easy reach of the lost 
Erebus and Terror, and may be expected home with the broken-up 
ice of the close of 1858, and, as we most sincerely trust, with certain 
tidings of the lost navigators and their fate; but should any evil befall 
M‘Clintock and his men, we feel assured that a heavy reckoning will be 
demanded by the country from those who have allowed him, single- 
handed, to go forth to do the work which ought to be the dearest privi¬ 
lege of the British Government, that sent forth Eranklin and Crozier on 
their fatal errand. 
It is not yet too late to send a second vessel through Behring’s 
Straits to aid M'Clintock, in case any unforeseen accident should 
occur to prevent the release of the Eox from her icy cradle in the autumn 
of 1858; and we have sufficient faith in the generosity of our country¬ 
men to believe that such an Expedition could be sent out without putting 
Lady Eranklin to any additional expense. In fact, Captain M'Clure left 
England on the 24th of January, and reached the ice, by Behring’s Strait, 
on the 1st of August, in 188 days. Deducting from this one-sixth for 
steam-power, we have 157 days; so that, if a screw steam-vessel were 
sent on the 1 st of March next, she would reach the ice on the 4th of Au¬ 
gust, and have twenty days to run to the Mackenzie Liver, a distance of 
only 500 miles. The requisite organization for setting on foot such an 
expedition appears hitherto to have been wanting, and the time is now, 
perhaps, too short to effect the object thoroughly. 
A commencement in this direction was made by some influential 
merchants in the town of Liverpool last July, as appears from the fol¬ 
lowing Petition, presented to the House of Commons by one of the 
Members for the borough :— 
