Commander M'Clure took final leave of the Esquimaux
on the American coast, fully convinced that neither the
ships nor any of the crews of Sir John Franklin's
expedition had ever reached their shores. Soon after
this, high land was discovered north of Cape Parry;
and was taken possession of, and named Baring Island.
Around this, land was discovered in continuation with
Wollaston and Victoria land, and named Prince Albert's
land. On the 8th October, the ship was firmly fixed in
the ice, in latitude 72.47, longitude 117.34. Here the
ship was compelled to remain for nine months; and from
this point travelling-parties were sent out; one of which
traced a strait to the north-east, and on the 26th October
1850, discovered the entrance into Barrow's Straits, in
latitude 73.30 N. longitude 114.14 W.; which
establishes the existence of a North-west Passage. During
the stay of the ship, other parties traced the land in
various directions, and laid it down in charts, which
have been sent home. On the 14th July, 1851, the ice
opened; but Commander M'Clure found that he could
not take his ship through into Barrow's Strait, because
the passage was obstructed by ice, driving before the
north-east wind. By the 24th September he was again
frozen in, but this time in a new position off the land
named Baring Island. In this spot the Investigator
remained frozen in, at least until April 1853, the latest
date of dispatches from Commander M'Clure, brought
by Lieutenant Cresswell, of the Investigator. It so
happened, that Captain Kellett, who had in 1850 left
M'Clure off Cape Lisburne, was wintering at Dealy
Island, Melville Island. A party from Captain Kellett's
ship the Resolute, under Lieutenant Pim, met a
travelling-party from the Investigator, and thus most happily
not only relieved the crew of the latter, but enabled
news of their safety, and of the great discovery effected,
to be brought home. The meeting is graphically
described in a private letter, which has been published
in the journals. "M'Clure and his First Lieutenant
were walking on the floe. Seeing a person coming very
fast towards them, they supposed he was chased by a
bear, or had seen a bear. Walked towards him; on
getting onwards a hundred yards, they could see from
his proportions that he was not one of them. Pim
began to screech and throw up his hands (his face as
black as my hat); this brought the Captain and
Lieutenant to a stand, as they could not hear sufficiently to
make out his language. At length Pim reached the
party, quite beside himself, and stammered out, on
M'Clure asking him 'Who are you, and where are you
come from?' 'Lieutenant Pim, Herald, Captain
Kellett.' This was more inexplicable to M'Clure, as I was
the last person he shook hands with in Behring's Straits.
He at length found that this solitary stranger was a
true Englishman—an angel of light: he says, 'He soon
was seen from the ship: they had only one hatchway
open, and the crew were fairly jambed there in their
endeavour to get up. The sick jumped out of their
hammocks, and the crew forgot their despondency; in
fact, all was changed on board the Investigator." The
latest despatch of Commander M'Clure is dated April
10, 1853. it states that he would, if possible, make his
way into Barrow's Strait this year: if not, then cross
to Port Leopold, leave a notice of his route, and, keeping
along the West shore of Baffin's Bay, look out for
whalers, or cross to Disco, and get a passage in a
Danish boat. If no information of his having been
there is found at Port Leopold, a fatal issue may be
surmised; and it will be unnecessary, says M'Clure "to
penetrate further westward to our relief," as all will
have perished for want of provisions. Sir Edward
Belcher's despatch shows that he has made little
progress with his squadron. He wintered at a place
called Northumberland Sound, up the Wellington
Channel, discovered and named a variety of places, and
on the 26th July last was on his way back to Beechy
Island. Captain Inglefield's expedition in the Phœnix,
to deposit supplies at Beechy Island and carry despatches
to Sir Edward Belcher, was successful; but the
transport-ship was lost. Another and a sadder event
occurred. While Commander Inglefield was out in
search of Commander Pullen of the North Star, the
latter returned, and accepted the offer of Lieutenant
Bellot to carry the Admiralty despatches to Sir Edward
Belcher. Bellot with a party of men started on the
12th of August, 1853. The end of their journey was
Point Hogarth. Bellot and his party had gone as far
as a cape which he called Cape Grinnell, when he
wished to get on shore in his india-rubber boat across
the open water, but was prevented from doing so by the
wind. Two men, however, succeeded, taking a line
with them. The ice now began to move; two men
were left in-shore, and two others with Bellot on the
drifting ice. Here these men, forlorn but full of
courage, began to cut an ice-house. Bellot conversed
with his comrades, and they with him, saying they were
not afraid—"When the Lord protects us," he said,
"not a hair of our heads shall be touched." Bellot left
his men, and said he would go up the ice and see how
it was driving. When he had been away four minutes,
one of the men went to look for him; nothing was
visible save his stick floating on the water. He had
been blown into a crack and drowned. The two men,
after great struggles, landed, and found their comrades.
One of the men said that Bellot remarked, a short time
before he was lost, that "nothing made him more happy
than to think he that was not on shore; for, knowing
his duty as an officer, he would see the last danger;
adding, that he would rather die than be on shore to be
saved." Bellot was much lamented by the brave
companions of his voyage.

The Peace Conference began its proceedings at
Edinburgh on the 12th instant, and concluded them on
the evening of the 14th, with a conversazione in the
Music Hall. The principal speaker, as usual, was Mr.
Cobden, who endeavoured to impart freshness to the
subject, by applying his views to the present warlike
aspect of affairs caused by the dispute between Russia
and Turkey. On the second day the speaking had
something of the animation of a debate in consequence
of the presence of Admiral Sir Charles Napier, who
vigorously impugned the doctrine that this country could
preserve peace by putting down her means of defence,
and throwing her shores open and exposed to any attack.
He was listened to with attention and much applause.
The other principal speakers were Mr. Bright and Mr.
Elihu Burritt.

The seventh report of the Associate Institution for
Improving and Enforcing the Laws for the Protection of
Women has been published. Twenty-five prosecutions
were instituted during the year, "and in the great
majority of cases with success." Fines, imprisonment, and
in four cases fifteen years' transportation, had been
inflicted on the culprits. The prize of one hundred
guineas for the best essay on the laws for the protection
of women has been awarded to Mr. J. E. Davis,
barrister, of the Oxford Circuit: it is to be published.

The Prison at Brixton, heretofore used as a House of
Correction for the county of Surrey, has been purchased
by the government, and placed under the control of the
Board for the Management of Convict Prisons. It is to
be used exclusively as a depot for female convicts, under
sentence of transportation and penal servitude. The
works are now so far advanced, as to admit of the early
occupation of a portion of the prison. One hundred
female convicts are about to be immediately removed
thither from Millbank Penitentiary; and further
numbers will be sent from time to time, as the works
progress. The whole of this class of convicts will be
eventually removed from Millbank, whereby additional
accommodation will be available for 300 additional male
convicts, to whom this prison will in future be wholly
confined. The new state of the law, in reference to
transportation, would, of itself, render these and further
changes necessary in the convict department.

In consequence of the continued Strikes in the
manufacturing districts the employers are closing their mills.
At Preston, on the 15th inst., forty-nine mills were
closed, and upwards of twenty thousand people thrown
out of employment. This movement on the part of the
manufacturers was part of a great scheme formed to
resist the combination of workmen for an increased rate
of pay. The Preston manufacturers were to close first;
to be followed by those of Burnley, Bacup, and other
places. The artisans of most of the trades of Preston
have resolved to support the factory hands. The people
out of work held a meeting on the 17th, at which between