Daily National Intelligencer

BRITISH EXPLORING EXPEDITION,
FROM THE LONDON COURIER OF JULY 28.

"His Majesty's ship Fury, Hudson's Bay, the coast of America, June 26, 1821.

I take the opportunity of writing to you by the return of the Nautilus transport, which accompanied us to carry our heavy stores. We had an excellent passage from the Orkneys to this part of the world; the weather, however, since we have been here, has not been so favorable.

We have made two attempts to unload the transport, having made fast to icebergs for that purpose, but having been blown off successively by heavy gales, with the loss of some of our boats from the deck, and no small share of tribulation for the transport, which has not been properly fortified for the ice. She has come off, however, very well, considering every thing, having only lost the copper from her bows. We are now taking advantage of a fine day, and hope to get rid of her in a day or two, and to proceed upon our destination.

We made an Island about a week ago called Resolution Island, where we expected to see some Indians, but there was so much ice between the ships and the land that we could not get in.

I can hardly give you an idea of our intended route, or more properly, of our ideal route; first, because our course must, in a great measure, depend upon the state of the ice; secondly, for want of a chart; for those in common use are so incorrect, in the general outline of the coast, as to be perfectly useless. If, however, you should fall in with a good map of the country, I will tell you the track we shall endeavor to take.

After making Cape Farewell, the southern extremity of Greenland, in lat. 59 N. and long. 44 W. we proceeded nearly due west between Cape Chidley, on the Labrador Coast, and Resolution Island, in lat. 61 40 N. and long. 68 W. where we now are: from hence we intend to steer, if wind and ice will permit, about a north west course, and endeavor to explore an inlet to the east of Repulse Bay, which has never yet been entered by any but Fox, about 150 years ago; thence we shall proceed to Hearne's Sea, where we shall winter, (if we get there;) then to Mackenzie's Sea, Behring's Straights, &c.

All the officers are exceedingly agreeable, and I have but little doubt we shall spend the winter very comfortably together. We are all preparing our rifles for shooting deer, with which these islands abound. We are, however, exceedingly well off in the eating way—plenty of fresh beef, mutton, pork, eggs, fish, and poultry on board, besides sheep, pigs, and 22 fine bullocks, on board the transport, and potted meats and soups for more than three years, so that our salt provisions we scarcely need taste the whole voyage, unless we choose.

The mean temperature where we now are, is about 35 Fahrenheit, the sun just skimming below the horizon at this time, at midnight, so that we have constant day, which you may conceive is a great comfort in navigation amongst ice. An apparatus was let down yesterday to the depth of 500 fathoms, for bringing up water; its temperature by a registering thermometer was 40.4 degrees Fahrenheit; that at the surface being 36 degrees. The specific gravity at the same depth was 1.0278, and at the surface, 1.0260. Our position, as determined astronomically, is always to the northwest of our dead reckoning; from which it appears, that there is a constant current setting from the northwest to southeast."