DEPARTURE OF THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Evening Star, Issue 3876, 27 July 1875, Page 2

DEPARTURE OF THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

(From the London Mail, May 31.)

The Arctic expedition of 1875, the object of such general interest and solicitude, and upon which bo many national hopes are con*' centrated, left Portsmouth on its adventurotur voyage at four o’clock precisely on Saturday last. The multitudes who assembled at Portsmouth to witness the sailing of Captain Nares and his brave companions, and the unparalleled enthusiasm with which they were received indicate pretty clearly that a true chord had been struck, and that the sympathies of all, from the Queen down* wards, go with them. There was little to see. It was the spectators who made the show. Two small vessels leaving their anchorage and sailing slowly to the eastward do not constitute of themselves a spectacle to attract an immense crowd from all parts; underlying all was the consciousness that the crews were about to enter upon a battle with Nature in her sternest aspects, and that it was for the honor ef the country it should be so. The inspection by the Lords of the Admiralty was something more than a mere formality. At the conclsuion of the inspection of each ship the First Lord, addressing the officers and sailors, said they had everything on board £ which could be desired for their safety, well-being, and comfort; that the eyes of the whole civilised world wore fixed upon the expedition, and that the prayers and best wishes of all their countrymen wonld go with them for their success in their arduous undertaking.” No sooner had the excitement caused by the visit of the Lords Commissioners ended than the enthusiasm of the crews was raised by a thoughtful telegraphic farewell from Her Majesty at Balmora', addresred to Captain N ares. The Royal message was as follows “ I earnestly wish you and your gallant companions every success, and 1 trust that you may safely accomplish the important duty you have so bravely undertaken.’' To this gracious proof of Her Majesty’s sympathy with the expedition, Captain Nares promptly telegraphed the following reply:—"l feel deeply the great honor Her Majesty has done myself and the other members of* the expedition in wishing us suco;s% Her Majesty may depend on all doing their duty.” Subsequently a packet from the Queen was received on board each vessel, addressed to the respective commanders ; but ss they were reverently laid aside for the present, and will not be opened until the ships are well out to sea, it is impossible to state the torm which Her Majesty’s regard has in this instance taken. In the meantime an attractive and animated scene was being enacted on Seuthsea Common. The troops in the garrison, including the Arti'lery from Hilsee, the regiments in the outlying forts, the Royal Marines from Gosport, and the Hants Artillery Militia, wore early under arms for the purpose ef celebrating the official anniversary of tier Majesty’s Birthday, and as eleven o’clock drew near, regiment after regiment, with its band playing inspiring airs debouched upon the Common. The crowd at this time was very great. Thousands had arrived by early trains and steamers, under the impression that the Arctic vessels would leave the harbor at noon, and, finding that the hour had been changed to four o’clock, they concentrated their attention for the time being upon the military spectacle. While the military were interesting the multitude on the Common, a scene of a very different character was going on in the Dockyard. The Lords of the Admiralty had taken their departure at twenty minutes past twelve, and the day bting a departmental holiday, the yard was strictly closed to all but the friends of the crews It was felt that the parting sorrow of brave men should not bo broken in upon by the intrusion of a mob. And it was no ordinary parting which was

about to enaoe between the devoted crews and those they held dear. Portsmouth is accusto ned to the domestio severances which occur in the departure o! ships for distant stations. These are the sad but inevitable concomitants of a sailor's life, and for which they are prepared. But the Alert and the Discovery were on the point of sailing whither no letter oould reach them and whence no news could be received. For three years or so the officers and men would be as absolutely cut off from the world of the living, as if they were dead. The ships lay, with steam up, and their hows already in the stream, ready to start. They had signalled from the mizenmast for “ permission to part company ;” an “ affirmative ” response was fluttering from the Duke of Wellington, close at hand, and a hawser was all that connected them with the shore. On the neighboring jetties the relatives and friends were assembled to bid the explorers good-bye. It was noticed that there were few ladies present. There were some weeping wives belonging to the blue-jackets clinging about the ships ; but as the vessels had been open to the relatives of the crews from early morning, the wives and sweethearts of those on board had already taken their last farewell. As the hour of sailing approached the stillness in the crowded harbor became positively oppressive. At last four o’clock sounded from the Dockyard clock, and with the very first stroke the two ships moved from the jetties. The transfiguration which thereupon ensued was startling and overwhelming. So intently had the eyes of the spectators been directed upon the ships that no one seemed aware of the pictorial accessories of the scene, but with the actual starting of the Expedition, everything appeare l to spring into life. The decks ef the noble ships that lined the jetties, the yards and ratlines of the men-of-war in the stream, and the shores on both sides were clad with people. “ Good by and best wishes for your success” was signalled from the flag-ship. “ Thanks and farewell” was signalled back, and as the Alert and Discovery, piloted by the Fire Queen, with Admirals Eliot and McClintock and Captain Sullivan on boa d, and accompanied by the Heather Bell and other steamers, sailed down the harbor channel, such cheers uyon cheers rent the air as were never before' heard in Portsmouth. The rigging of the St. Vincent, training ship, presented a sight that will not be easily forgotten. It was a dense, unbroken, living mass that extended from the bulwarks and covered the topmast sky gear, and the roar which the lads gave forth as the vessels passed was heard far above the general diapason. Inde d,|the excitement communicated itself to the crews of the expediti «i, for soon some adventurous seamen clambered to the mastheads, and skylarked upon the ve' ge of the yardarms, while Captain Naves and Stephenson, Commander Markham (who is accompanied to Disco by his brother, Mr Clements Markham), and the other officers, acknowledged the plaudits of the multitude from the bridge. Turning up the eastward channel to the t* pit buoy, the scene that met the eyes of the crews was truly unique, aed rendered the similar scenes that were presented at the same spot on the visits ef the Sultan and the Shah colorless by comparison. Not only were the piers crowded to suffocation, bat the sloping foreshore from the Bound Tower to beyond the Breakwater opposite Sonthsea Castle displayed an unbroken mass of waving bats and fluttering handkerchiefs. Every square inch of shingle down to the water’s edge was covered, the enter boundary of the crowd being defined by a red fringe of soldiers, the sounds of whose bands playing “ Auld Lang Syne ” were only faintly heard upon the water. Those who have witnessed the race-course at Epsom on the Derby Day assert that it falls far short of the scene of Saturday. The water, too, was covered with all manner of craft, from private yachts, heeling under a spread of canvas, to the smallest cockle-shell, which it seemed to be an absolute tempting of Providence to take out to sea. The day was dull and hazy, but the wind, which blew from the north-east, was highly propitious for the expedition. Had it blown from the westward the results would have b?en serious, for while the Alert was submerged fifteen feet at the fore and sixteen feet aft, the draught of the Discovery was 15ft and 17ft. The Valorous, which got under way from Spithead on the appearance of the ships, and followed them at a respectful distance, was still more deeply laden. As the breeze freshened the courses were set, jibs and flying jibs were run up, topsails and topgallant sails were bent, and the ships made rapid progress through the water. The Admirals waved the ships a last goodbye at St Helen’s, and gradually the accompanying gunboats, yachts, and launches parted company, after giving the orews a last cheer, and receiving in some instances small bouquets of flowers as parting gifts from those on board. The last that was seen of the two ships from the shore was as they rounded the low-lying point at Bembridge. at the extreme eastern comer of the island, with the Valorous a considerable distance in their wake. The animated and excited scenes which the explorers had just witnessed must frequently flash across their minds when pursuing their toilsome journey through the boundless solitudes of the Pole.