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Leader (1850-1860), 4th October 1851, Edition Country of 2, Page 7, OcT. 4, 1851.] ®»* %t&%tV. 939

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      Is Not Sir John Franklin Alivk? Captain ...

      send out two or more boat parties , to explore the coast east and west of the Mackenzie River . Being iri charge of the Mackenzie River district , he received the necessary instructions to carry out the above intention ; but as Commander Pullen , in the Plover , had received orders about the same time to return to the Arctic const , proceed along shore eastward as far as Cape Bathurst , and thence strike out Z sea for Banks ' s Land ; and as the stock of provisions at the stations in the district of Fort Simpson were only sufficient for one party , Dr . Rae s expedition was delayed and precedence given to Commander Pullen . Ultimately , however . Dr . Rae received provisions , owing to the foresight ot bir George Simpson : —

      " It being the belief of those on whose judgment most reliance can be placed , that the missing vessels are shut up somewhere between the longitude of 103 degrees and 115 degrees west , and latitude 71 degrees north , it is evident that the most direct route thither from the southward is the Coppermine River , and that is the route I intend to follow next summer , if I receive no intelligence that the searching parties of this season have been successful . To carry out my intentions I started from Fort Simpson with two boats , Mr . H . M'Kenzie ( an assistant ) and fourteen men , on the 23 rd of August ; owing to the head winds and stormy weather on this large lake 1 did not arrive here until the 10 th ultimo . This is to be our winter quarters , and fortunately the houses were in as

      good condition as when I left them last autumn , requiring nothing but doors , windows , and a coat of mud to make them habitable . As we could not expect a long continuance of fine weather , no time was lost in establishing fisheries , and procuring venison from the natives , so as to lay up a winter stock , in which we have been more successful than I at one time anticipated , having already on hand about two months' provisions for all our party , amounting to eighteen persons and thirteen dogs . " What I feared would be the most difficult matter to accomplish was the building of two boats , light enough it

      to be transported across the Coppermine , as was ¦ very generally thought that the wood in this neighbourhood was not suitable for that purpose ; and the late Mr . Simpson mentions in his narrative that his carpenter had much trouble in finding boards sufficiently good to repair his boats . I am happy to say that we have succeeded much better than was anticipated , one of the boats being already more than half finished , and boards enough sawn to complete both . They are to be twentytwo feet keel , six feet six inches beam , and two feet three inches deep midships , exclusive of keel , and each rigged with two lug-sails .

      " It may be supposed by many that to continue the search for Sir John Franklin beyond the summer of 1850 , if not then found , would be a useless waste of time , labour , and money ; but with this supposition I cannot agree , and my opinion is founded on a personal experience which few persons have had an opportunity of acquiring , and which leads me to believe that apart or all of Sir John ' s party may still exist in 1851 . In 1846-7 I ¦ wintered at Repulse Bay with a party of twelve men , only two of whom , before arriving there , had ever

      practised deer shooting , and two others were fishermen . We had little or no fuel that could be properly so called ; the mud with which our stone house was plastered never dried but only froze , and it was so cold inside that a man , one night , got his knee frost-bitten , although he had one of his companions under the blankets with him . Yet avc suffered no privation as regarded food , except that during the shortest days we took only one meal /; er diem as a precautionary measure , not knowing how late it might be in the spring before the reindeer migrated northward .

      " That we wore not much the worse for our exposure to cold and low diet may be inferred from the fact that , in the spring , we traced about 500 miles of new coast , forming the shores of Committee Bay , in doing which I and one of my men travelled on foot upwards of 1000 miles , and were , on our return ( although rather low in flesh ) as sound and well as when we started . " When leaving York factory , in June , LS 4 G , we had not more than four months' provisions with us ; when we returned to that place , after an absence of fourteen months

      and twenty-three days , we bad still a third of our original stock of provisions on band , showing that we had by our own exertions , in a country previously totally unknown to us , obtained the means of subsistence for twelve months . Why may not iSir J . Franklin ' s party do the name ? If he has been providentially thrown on or near a part of the coust where reindeer and fish are at all nunrcioiiH , Hitrely out of so many officers and men sportsmen may be found , after Home practice , expert enough to shoot the former , and fishermen to seize or net the latter , or take them with hook and line set under the ice .

      " When I bewail this letter rt was my object to give you as brief an outline tin possible of my contemplated operations ; but 1 have digressed sadly , and must , no w endeavour to return to the subject . In the spring , should our stock of provisions admit of it , 1 purpose proceeding , with a couple of companions and a sledge ; of three dogs , in the beginning of May , fifteen or twenty days' march to lire northward , between Victoria and Wollaston Lands , during which trip 1 hope ; to travel 500 or ( i 00 miles ( i . o ., 250 or

      we meet , with no very serioUB obstacle . In the mean time provisions for the summer ' s voyuge will be hauled on sledges and deposited at the Kendal Kiver , to which )> laee the boatH are to be brought over iih soon as the l ) e « iHe Itiver breaks up , which may be about the 6 th or 7 th of June , when 1 shall be ut the Kendal to meet them , and prepared to descend the Coppermine an Boon us it heroines clear of ice . The direction to be afterwards followed will depend much upon the state of the sea ice , ami the appeurance and tho trending of the lands that I uuu visited in my previous journey ,

      " The winter sets in here rather early , the thermometer having fallen to zero ( Fahr . ) on the 23 rd ultimo . Since then the weather has been mild for the season , with continued easterly winds , which , for the past week , has caused our hunte rs to be unsuccessful , as it has led the deer ( which invariably travel bead to wind ) to a great distance . " Brave John Rae ! Heartily we wish that success may attend thy persevering and gallant efforts in search of Franklin and his men . John Rae and the Hudson ' s Bay Company shame John Russell and the Lords of the Admiralty !

      Oct. 4, 1851.] ®»* %T&%Tv. 939

      OcT 4 , 1851 . ] ®»* % t & % tV . 939

      Lord Londonderry And Abd-El-Kader. Lord ...

      LORD LONDONDERRY AND ABD-EL-KADER . Lord Londonderry , it is well known , has interested himself considerably in favour of the liberation of Abd-el-Kader . The story of the Arab Chief is well known . He surrendered to General Lamoriciere in 1847 , on condition that he should be sent to Syria or Egypt .. The Due d'Aumale commanded the French army in Algiers , at that time . In violation of all the rules of -war , and the express condition on which the brave Emir capitulated , he was taken to France , and has since been detained a close prisoner . General Lamoriciere , when Minister of War under the Cavaignac Ministry , took no steps to obtain the

      release of the captive . Since that time Lord Londonderry has visited the Chateau of Amboise , in which Abd-el-Kader is confined , and he has written several letters to Louis Napoleon on the subject . The latest comes to us through the medium of the Morning Post . Lord Londonderry , in writing to the editor of that journal , is hopeful of the speedy release of the gallant Arab . He considers that the reply of Louis Napoleon to the subjoined letter is so " conclusive , that it liberates him from the firm resolution he had formed , of publishing all the documents and letters in his possession of the Due d'Aumale ' s and General Lamoriciere ' s , relative to the capitulation of the Emir and his brothers . " Lord Londonderry

      further explains : — " My despatch to the President was official , and sent through his Minister of War ; his answer to me may , however , in some degree , bear a private character , and therefore I have omitted , in forwarding it to you , one or two paragraphs not necessary to the fact of the decision he has arrived at . He thinks the honour of France engaged to the liberation of the Emir' ; and , therefore he declares his belief that , sooner or later , it will be accomplished . If I judge my friend at all right , what his feeling heart has dared to pronounce his courageous soul will dare to acomplish . "

      ( Copy . ) " The Tower of Garron , Co . of Antrim , Ireland , August 25 , 1851 . " Mon Prince , ~ A considerable period has now elapsed since I received your princely word , * Le 29 Mars—Qu ' aujourdhui meme mon nouvel ambassadeur a Constantinople est charg 6 par moi d' 6 tudier cette question ( la mise en liberte d' Abd-el-Kader ) . ' Is it too much , Sire , under our former relations , to solicit information at your hands as lo the progress of your Ambassador ' s negotiations , and what has been , or is likely to be , the result ?

      " Mere phrases and words do not belong to Louis Napoleon , unless prosperity produces a different nature from adversity . Your Chambers are about to be prorogued , your splendid fetes to the Industry of all Nations are past , there is surely now time to turn a thought on the poor prisoner of Amboise . In the intoxicating fairy land of the U 6 tel de Villc , when hundreds and thousands of souls poured the wide stream of flattery and incense around you , did the thought never occur , ' Where was Abd-el-Kader ? ' In the splendid array of the elite of the warlike and noble army of France , in her Champ de Mars , amidst the enthusiastic cries of

      ' Vive Napoleon , did no pang shoot across your bosom , ' Where was Abd-el-Kader ? ' In the delicious groves of St . Cloud , surrounded by the Commissioners of the Industry of all Nations , witli flattery of diplomatists , and ladies hanging on your smiles , while the most conspicuous , from her tempoiary position , hung upon your arm , did it never occur to you , ' Where is Abd-el-Kader r' In these hours of glory may 1 not demand of the nephew of the Kinpcror Napoleon ( to-day the President of the Kepublie ) whether it may not be reserved for him , and him alone ( if he follow the instinct of Ilia own frank and fearless nature ) , to save the honour of France by observing the capitulation of the

      limir . " Can it be posaible , mon Prince , that the miserable warfare of the Knliylca , much less your own fears , that the act of liberating Abd ~ el-leader should arrest you in the accomplishment of a just and meritorious action to which your proclaimed opinion has committed you ; and Hot alone meritorious , but demanded at your hands by those keen feelings of suspense , agony , and suffering which your own breast can better appreciate than any other living man ? Are such trifling qualms us I have described to permit you entirely . to lose the real point of view of this generous and just question ? The nephew of Napoleon would , indeed , be an object of pity , if not of condemnation , were he to be turned from the route of clemency , and to be nuralyzcd in his ' plus beau clan de generosity . '

      " Believe me , tlie opposition to the Knur ' s deliverance , whether from your army , your Chambers , or your Government , or even the loss of more , of your brave army in Algeria , can never hold a moment ' s comparison with removing an historical and incftuccable atuin from your country and the French name , with , respect to which no rcraody would exjat . If Abu-el-Hadcr mis to

      die in Louis Napoleon's prison , there would be the blot no waters of Lethe could ever wash out . " If you now longer hesitate , who can pronounce if you will remain with the power for this noble achievement ? Louis Philippe kept Louis Napoleon , notwithstanding his princely parole , in durance vile . Louis Philippe became an exile , and Louis Napoleon was raised to govern France . Can Louis Napoleon imitate the scourge under which he w as himself striped ? and can he range his hitherto honourable name with that of a D'Aumale or a Lamorici & re , in a treacherous and broken promise , contrary to all the rules of war and of civilized nations ? " It is not , mon Prince , that I recapitulate all these arguments to force your noble mind to the rectitude of a declaration before sub

      proceeding which your Europe - stantiates in your own words even stronger than mine ; but it is for the object of demonstrating the fatal consequences that may accrue to your own magnanimity if further delays intervene or are permitted . Inform me , then , what has La Valette done in his negotiations with the Porte as to affording another residence in the East to the great captive . Inform me of the position in which matters no stand as to the negotiation between General Aupick , your present ambassador , and the Suitan . Inform me , in fact , mon Prince , whence the delay in your resolves . VVliat 18 your present determination ? For the love of Heaven and your own glorious name

      " ' Take the instant way , For Honour travels in a strait so narrow , Where one but goes abreast : keep then the path . ***** If you give way , # Or hedge aside from the direct forthright , Like to an enter ' d tide , they all rush by And leave you hindmost ; Or , like a gallant horse fallen in first rank , Lie there for pavement to the abject rear . ' " Thus you may leave , under timid vacillation and fearful prejudicesto some inglorious successor to

      , supreme power in France the crown of gloriou 3 sympathy and liberty to Abd-el-Kader , with which you might now decorate your fair and , I still believe , faultless brow . " In conclusion , mon Prince , I do not add ( by way of menace to a soul like yours , who knows no fear ) the determination that I have arrived at , if this , my last appeal , produces neither result nor positive data of hopes of success , I shall immediately give to the public and to the world the correspondence and letters , copies of which are in my possession , of the Due d'Aumale and General Lamoriciere , as I have pledged myself to do in my place in the House of Lords .

      " I would not wish to bear hardly upon the Due d'Aumale , who may require pity and commiseration for princely weakness , and who may have been in the hands of others ; but for General Lamoriciere , who evinced to the world ( brave soldierfas all declare him to be ) neither generosity nor good faith , in not securing to himself ( when he was Minister of War ) the deliverance of the man whom he had deceived and betrayed in the capitulation with the Emir , I think and feel no public exposition of the transaction can become too notorious . Waiting with great anxiety , mon Prince , your answer to this last appeal , I have the honour to be , ever your sincere friend , Vane London debry . " To the President of the French Kepublie , & c . & c . " Louis JJonaparte ' s reply was as follows : — " Elvseo National , Sept . 13 , 1851 .

      "My dear Lord Londonderry , —I have received your letter of the 25 th of August . You recal to my mind the misfortunes of the Emir Abd-el-Kader—a very natural proceeding on your part ; but you ask me if the possession of power has changed my heart . You should know me well enough to be aware that honours are but a burden in my sight , powerless to dazzle my understanding , or to paralize the noble dispositions of my bouI . When , therefore , I do not accomplish all the good I desire—it is that I cannot . My intentions with regard to the Emir are not changed . 1 have found the Ottoman Porte very well disposed to receive him ; but 1 have also found the obstacles , for the moment at least , very great . * * * * The Minister of War went to see Abd-el-Kader a few days since , and found him very resigned . lie made him understand that he must wait borne time yet , and he tried to alleviate hia situation in every possible way . *********

      " You See, My Dear Lord, That I Speak To...

      " You see , my dear lord , that I speak to you with frankness . I know what a noble heart you have . You will understand my position , and the duties which it imposes upon me . Accept the , assurance of my peculiar and high cutccm , and of my friendship . " Loiiih Nai'oi . kon . "

      P U Is L1c Opinion. The Sheffield Free L...

      P U IS L 1 C OPINION . The Sheffield Free l ' rc . ss lias : i -capital article culled tho Vietimts of Society " preached upon the text , " that the competitive principle being radically wrong , no uircumstunccH , however apparently favourable , can cause it to work well . " The Voluntary System in Education occupies tho Lancaster ( iuardian . The theme is that voluntary exertion would be no mon ; vIIivaw ' umh in education than in religion . The writer regards the voluntary isystem in education uh hitherto " a hopclcs . s and inferable failure " : — -

      "If the Lancashire Congregationalists are satisfied with what tho voluntary system has done for education , why would they eluim » n equal triumph , if it did aa much , and no more , for religion ? We have no wish to undervalue tli < ir exertion- in the promotion as well of religion as of education . Hut it i « elt-hr thut they have overrated both what they have done , and what they uro ublo to do . Aud if we may judge of other people ' s focliugu

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 4, 1851, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_04101851/page/7/