BOOKS.

SNOW'S 'VOYAGE OF THE PRINCE ALBERT.* Mn. SNow is an Englishman -who for the greater part of his life has knocked about the world in various regions from the Arctic to the Antarctic circle ; and though not by profession a ma- riner, he can rate any day as "an able seaman.' When the less official expeditions in search of Sir John Franklin were planned as additions to those sent out by Government, he hastened from America where he was then residing, with the prospect of serving as a volunteer in the vessels under the command of the celebrated 'whaler Penny. He was too late by a few days ; but he offered his services in the expedition fitting out at Lady Franklin's expense aided by public subscriptions, and was accepted. The Albert, the vessel purchased for the voyage, was originally built for the fruit-trade with the Azores and was a fraction less than ninety tons,—more resembling, indeed, the little craft in which the early mariners made their discoveries, than the goodly ships of modern days. She carried fourteen men, two mates, and Mr. Snow ; who discharged multifarious functions, including those of store-keeper, amateur doctor, and assistant navigator, or a sort of combination of the master and first lieutenant. The Albert was commanded by Captain Forsyth of the Navy ; and was primarily intended to convey a party to winter-quarters in the neighbourhood of Boothia, in order to a boat expedition for the purposes of thorough search. The vessel had been strengthened for her Arctic voyage, and she was amply "found" by means of the fund and by presents from various quarters including the Admiralty. So far as the voyage was concerned the expedition was success- ful. The Albert indeed experienced some of the usual delays and difficulties of Arctic navigation. She had a good deal of bad wea- ther off Cape Farewell in Greenland, was sometimes delayed by calms, and sometimes impeded by ice. She however overtook all the other parties—Ross, Penny, the two American ships, and the Government squadron ; by one of the steamers of which last she was towed a long way on her voyage to Prince Regent's Inlet. One of the -winter-quarters fixed upon was Brentford Bay, in the Inlet; but the Albert was unable to reach it on ac- count of the ice. Other places, however, were accessible ; but Cap- tain Forsyth determined to return to England, and Mr.. Snow approved of the decision. The reasons for this proceeding are not given ; but they seem to have had reference to the state of the crew. The chief mate was somewhat advanced in life, and cautious even to timidity ; the men, though active, daring, willing, and most of them thorough whalers, were not men-of- war's men, practised in naval discipline, or subject to its laws ; and so far as regarded naval officers, Captain Forsyth stood alone, for Mr. Snow held no nautical position. The commander probably thought it too riskful an undertaking to winter in the Arctic re- gions under these circumstances. He might possibly think that his remaining would be of little real use ; and we think so too. In the voyage home the Albert proceeded Westward as far as Cape Ri- ley in Wellington Strait, in about 76° of North latitude and 91° West longitude. In that vicinity she left part of the Government fleet, the American vessels, and Penny's ships, all bent upon hold- ing on as long as they could in the direction of the North Pacific. Two Government ships were exploring in other directions ; in ad- dition to which there was the land expedition. For satisfaction's sake, a close exploration of Boothia and every other place would be desirable. Rescue we conceive, can only be expected in the Northern Ocean, between Barrow's and Behring's Straits, or on the land stretching Northwards from that ocean towards the Pole. If Franklin's crews from whatever cause had to abandon their ships, and take refuge on any part of the continent of America, they would most likely by next spring be beyond all human aid. Mr. Snow's volume is an interesting narrative of an interesting expedition, made through new scenery, under new circumstances for the meetings with various whalers, and with the ships engaged in the same search as themselves, give life to what is usually solitude itself. Mr. Snow is a rough and ready writer, not more measured in his expressions than he is in his exertions when called for, and somewhat given to pour out his thoughts. But his style is vigor- ous; and the scenery and circumstances are so fresh, so wonderful, and so exciting, as to justify reflection. The singularity of the sun at midnight, the alternate desolation and magnificence of Arctic scenery, the wonderful operations of nature by means of avalanche, icebergs, and almost perpetual frost and snow, are not

o hacknied as to pall; but there are newer things in Mr. Snow's volume, and one of them is steam-power in the Arctic seas.

"The Felix was taken in tow by the Resolute • and together, the hole fleet passed through heavy masses of loose ice and bergs to the North t: d North-west, at the rate of about four miles an hour. At eleven a. M. as came to a heavy nip, and all the vessels had to be made fast to a floe ntil a passage could be cleared. To effect this, the screws were brought nto play in the manner I have previously alluded to. The Pioneer, Lieu- enant-Com-mander Osborn, immediately on casting off the Resolute 's tow- ope, was directed to dash at the impediment under full power. This she lid boldly and fearlessly ; rushing stem on, and fairly digging her bows into I in a most remarkable manner. Backing instantly astern, and then again roing ahead, she performed the same manceuvre' fairly lifting herself up on aid, like a prancing war-horse. But this time the nip was too heavy. to be o broken, though both the steamers had previously cleared many similar mpediments in that manner. It was now, however, necessary to resort to Idler means; and accordingly, parties from every ship were sent on the ice • 'voyage of the Prince Albert in Search of Sir John Franklin. A Narratrr. e of ilveryday.Lifeen &eat:lode Seas. Bs= W. Parker Snow. Published by Longman nil Co.

to assist in blowing it up, and removing the

The same plan as that, I believe, adopted infil) irsi!ing rocks was here pin. -

sued. as they got loosened. sued. Powder was sunk to a certain depth, a slow match applied, and at a given signal ignited. Due time was allowed ; and then the enormous masses would be seen in convulsive movement, as though shaken by a volcanic eruption, until piece upon piece was sent in the air, and the larger bodies were completely rent into innumerable fragments. The steamers then darted forward, and with warps dragged out the immense blocks that had been thus dissevered. One of these blocks (more like a small berg than aught else) was brought alongside of the Assistance, while I was on board of her in the gun-room. It was hollow at the top, and contained some excel- lent water, which was conveyed on board to replenish the stock. "Several efforts had to be made by blasting and forcing the ice, before a passage could be cleared ; and during the whole time it was quite a pleasure to see how both officers and men worked at it. Captain Austin himself was as busy as any one ; directing, and handling, and unceasingly working. Neither falls nor a rough knock now and then did he care for ; but main- tained his post on the floes and pieces of ice until he had made a passage for his own ships, and the two little ones he had so kindly taken in charge. * * " I had before made mention of the remarkable stillness which may be ob-

served at midnight in these regions ; but not until now did it come upon me with such force and in such a singular manner. I cannot attempt to describe the mingled sensations I experienced, of constant surprise and amazement at the extraordinary occurrence then taking place in the waters I was gazing upon, and of renewed hope, mellowed into a quiet, holy, and reverential feel- ing of gratitude towards that mighty Being who, in this solemn silence, reigned alike supreme as in the busy hour of noon when man is. eager at his toil, or the custom of the civilized world gives to business active life and vigour. Save the distant humming noise of the engine working on board of the steamer towing us, there was no sound to be heard denoting the exist- ence of any living thing or of any animate matter. Yet there we were, perceptibly, nay., rapidly, gliding past the land and floes of ice, as though some secret and mysterious power had been set to work to carry us swiftly away from those vexatious, harrassing, and delaying portions of our voyage, in which we had already experienced so much trouble and perplexity. The leading vessels had passed all the parts where any further difficulty might have been apprehended, and this of course gave to us in the rear a sense of perfect security for the present. All hands, therefore, except the middle- watch on deck, were below in our respective vessels ; and, as I looked for- ward ahead of us, and beheld the long line of masts and rigging that rose up from each ship before me, without any sail set, or any apparent motion to propel such masses onward, and without a single human voice to be heard around, it did seem something wonderful and amazing. And yet it was a noble sight : six vessels, varying in size, strength, and equipment, from the huge hull of the powerful man-of-war, to the humble and lowly private ketch—alike varying in their build and sailing qualities, from the lofty three-master to the single-sparred cutter, acting as a tender to a schooner, but a size or two larger, square sails and fore and aft sails, pinnaces and barges, whale-boats and light-boats--with every new invention in the art of steaming to aid the one class, while late discoveries and useful plans were brought into use in gutta percha and inflated skins to aid the latter class.— were casting their long shadows across the smooth surface of the passing -floes of ice, as the sun with mellowed light, and gentler but still beautiful lustre, was soaring through the Polar sky at the back of Melville's Cape, already on his way to begin the journey of another day."

Messrs. Searle of Lambeth gave as their subscription towards the expedition, a gutta percha boat, which was found highly useful on 'occasion, the material yielding to pressure that would have stove in wood. The following extracts give an idea of boat work among the ice. The scene is Port Leopold, at the extreme North- east point of Boothia.

"I soon made my determination : and directly we touched the ice all bands sprang upon the floe, and commenced hauling the boat up. To at- tempt any minute description of the difficulty we here encountered is beyond my power. The interruption to our free passage on the water consisted, not of a solid pack of smooth connected ice, over which we could have drag- ged the boat with comparative ease, but of numerous heavy floes, not en- tirely joined to each other by themselves, nor yet separated so as to leave any small channel of water, but so closely cemented, as it were, by very thick

brash iee,' as to render the passage of boat or canoe impossible. Here and

there one large piece was thrown upon another; and, occasionally, their par- tial separation left wide gaps of such a breadth that neither by jumping nor by taking a circuitous walk could we reach them otherwise than by the boat. And yet the boat was all but incapable to effect this ; for wherever such a gap was presented the brash ice intervened. The explanation I have already given of this sort of ice will enable the reader to understand in some mea- sure our position. Added to this, moreover, was the fact, that the rapidity of the current setting fast out of the harbour upon the inland swell of the sea, was causing some of the heavy floes to have a far from pleasant motion; now lifting themselves upwards for several feet, and retiring from their -re- spective neighbours, and then suddenly springing forward as they de- scended close to their fellows. To be on them at such a moment was not what we cared for ; but should the boat be between two of them at such a time, and we in the boat, there would be enough to look out for. However, the thought of these matters—explained here for the reader unaccustomed to the ice—gave none of us then much trouble. For myself, I had decided

(confirmed in my decision by the opinion of the men, and their readiness to attempt it); and therefore heedless of danger or regard for self we with a will' began our task. The boat was the only thing that we thought for ; and never was child more tenderly handled than was the ' gutta ha ' by all of us that morning. Occasionally we lifted her when any liummoaky piece of ice or other incumbrance presented an obstruction to her being drag-

ed along upon her keel ; then we would slide her carefully down into the 'brash' when too large a gap intervened ; and the moment any of the floes appeared to rise or come tee near, boat-hooks, ice-poles, and our awn hands, were thrust out on both aides to guard her.

" At first we had comparatively but little diffi malty. Two or three pieces were got over, almost easily ; but when we got into the thick of it, we thought seve- ral times we should not be able to get through stall. In the 'brash' we could not make her stir, until some motion of the nearest floe caused a dis- turbance around and eased the density of the stuff that stopped us. When we were among the smaller pieces of ice, we could get no proper prize for our hooks and staffs to push her on ; and at snob times we had to spring out upon the pieces themselves, while they sunk below the water occasion- ally to our waist with us, and thus -bodily pull the boat onward. At this work Wilson, with his accustomed daring, rendered 'himself conspicuous; and indeed there was not one of the crew who •clid not -make self the last in his thoughts at such moments, and who WM -not in and out the boat wills the lightness of e fawn each second it was required. When the pieces be- came too far apart, and the 'brash' slaokened a little,la vigorous 'send' was given the boat, and then, each man, watching the opportunity, gave the last impulse with his foot and threw himself onto the boat satin ice in eded from him. Sitting on the gunwales and the bow, with feet over the &hie ready bi jump on the instant, we next would come to heavier pieces, where again tie

process of hauling and carrying was resorted to; and in this manner for nearly an hour we worked, until at length we got over the worst portion, and came across to the other side, where some clearer water was ready to re- ceive us."

The following description of American intentions, and the mode of navigating American -vessels, gives a striking picture of the go-ahead habits of the people, and of the success which attends such rash or resolute determination, till it fails.

" They intended to push on wherever they could, this way or that way, as might be found best, in the direction of Melville island and parts adjacent, especially Banks's Land ; and they meant to winter wherever they might chance to be, in the pack or out of the pack. As long as they could be moving or making any progress in any direction that might assist in the ob- ject for which they had come, they meant still to be going on, and, with the true characteristic of the American. cared for no obstacles or impediments that might arise in their way. Neither fears nor the necessary caution which might easily be alleged as an excuse for hesitation or delay, at periods when anything like fancied danger appeared, was to deter them. Happy fellows ! thought I; no fair winds nor opening prospects will be lost with you ; no dissension or incompetency among your executive officers exist to stay your progress. Bent upon one errand alone, your minds set upon that before you embarked, no trifles nor common danger will prevent you daring everything for the carrying out of your mission. Go on, then, brave sons of America, and may at least some share of prosperity and success attend your noble exsrtions !

"If ever a vessel and her officers were capable of going through an under- taking in which more than ordinary difficulties had to be encountered, I had no doubt it would be the American : and this was evinced to me even while we were on board, by the apparently reckless way in which they dashed through the streams of heavy ice running off from 'Leopold Island. I hap- pened to go on deck when -they were thus engaged, and was delighted to witness how gallantly they put aside every impediment in their way. An officer was standingon the heel of the bowsprit, conning the ship and issuing his orders to the man at the wheel, in that short, decisive, yet clear manner which the helmsman at once well understood and promptly obeyed. There was not a rag of canvass taken in, nor a moment's hesitation. The way was before them : the stream of ice had to be either gone through boldly or a long detour made ; and despite the heaviness of the stream, they pushed the vessel through in her proper course. Two or three shocks, as she came in contact with some large pieces, were unheeded ; and the moment the last block was past the bow the officer sang out, 'So: steady as she goes on her course,' and came aft as if nothing more than ordinary sailing had been go- ing on. I observed our own little barky nobly following in the American's wake ; and, as I afterwards learned, she got through it pretty well, though not without much doubt of the propriety of keeping on in such procedure after the mad Yankee,' as he was called by the mate."

This was the prospect from the furthest point that the Albert attained; and one so busy was never seen in that region before. '

" It was determined by the commander to go no further after twelve o'clock; for should we get round the extreme point of the ice nearest the land, it might, with the wind in its present position, at any moment set down upon the shore, and thus cut us off. Accordingly, a little before noon, I ascended to the mast-head, to take exact notice of all I saw at the moment . of our bearing up. Our true position at that hour was about midway be- tween Cape Spencer and Point Innes, having the ice within a mile of us, and ourselves about a mile from the shore. Looking to the Westward, I could faintly perceive Cape Hotham, enveloped in a thick haze, and the As- sistance, distinguished by her gaff-topsail, apparently in a small 'hole' of water, or else a lead,' some distance to the North-eastward of it, endea- vouring to get there. Not far from the Assistance, and either standing in the same direction or trying to make way through the channel, was Penny himself, in the Lady Franklin ; her position was probably about mid-chan- nel. Astern of him at some distance, in an Easterly direction, was the Sophia, also under all plying sail. Nearer into the Eastern shore was the Resew, with the American colours flying, apparently, as our ice-master affirmed, beset.' All the vessels were among heavy ice; and the whole of Wellington Channel, as far as may eye could reach, appeared to be filled with one solid pack, excepting here and there a small lane of water. Turning towards Cape Bowden, I could perceive beyond it, and apparently trending to the North-westward, some high land ; but the haze and distance was too , great to enable me to determine with accuracy. Land, however, was there ; but its continuance I could not make out, nor yet' the entire connexion of the coast between Point lanes and Cape Bowden : for it must be borne in mind that, even at the very truck in our vessel, I was perhaps no higher than the lower mast-head of a large ship like the Assistance.

"I now moved myself round, and looked towards the South-west. It pre- sented the same appearance as I have already mentioned. The ice in one . heavy pack presented an apparently impenetrable barrier in that direction. ' The only clear water visible was that in our immediate vicinity and in the direction we had come. I could see nothing of the Advance, and concluded that she was behind one of the points of land. I ought, however, to have mentioned that the Intrepid was also reported by the second mate to have been seen by him on the previous evening and this morning; and as he pos- sesses a quick eye I have no doubt of it, though as I did not observe her from aloft I could not rightly give her position."