N the volume of the ANNUAL REGISTER for last year, was given a narrative of the proceed ings of the several squadrons and parties dispatched in search of Sir John Franklin and Captain Crozier, who sailed from England in the spring of 1846, in the Erebus and Terror, with instructions to prosecute a further search for a northwest passage by sea from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. This expedition was seen on the 26th of July of that year, anchored to an iceberg in Baffin's Bay, waiting to reach the entrance of Lancaster Sound; since which they have unhappily never been heard of.

It will be remembered that three distinct expeditions were sent in search of the lost adventurers, each having assigned to it a different area of exploration. The first, a ship expedition, consisting of the Plover and the Herald, was directed to penetrate through Behring's Straits, and search the northwestern coast of America so far as practicable, and thence to dispatch a boat party to the Mackenzie River. The Enterprise and Investigator, on their return from Baffin's Bay, were ordered to join the expedition through Behring's Straits.

The second, an overland expedition commanded by Sir John Richardson and Dr. Rae, were to

descend the Mackenzie to the Arctic Sea, and if possible to cross the strait to Banks's and Wollaston Lands; and returning thence to winter at Fort Simpson, where they were to be joined by the boat expedition from the Plover.

The third and most important expedition was by ships which were to pass from the westward into Lancaster Sound, and push on to Parry's and Melville Islands; and even to attempt to communicate with Sir John Richardson and Dr. Rae should any of their party succeed in penetrating to those lands.

Of the laborious and hazardous

journeys made by these several parties to the winter of 1850, a full account has been given in the last volume. The position of the several expeditions at the close of the narration was as follows:

The Plover was left in winter quarters in Grantley Harbour, Kotzebue Sound, on the 29th of September, 1849, by the Herald, which then sailed to the Sandwich Islands. The boat expedition under Commander Pullen had penetrated to the Mackenzie, and reached their winter quarters at Fort Simpson on the 3rd of October, 1849.

Sir John Richardson, after searching the coast to the eastward of the Mackenzie in vain,