The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-06-01
Sir John franklin,

regions WIN Inc view at hndnI north
west passage 20 the Pacific, has excited so
much interest, bat who il is feared i, lost as
expedition entered IIuIson's Bay. The fol.
lowing letter from the Lady Of SirJ. f., So
Letting the aid that has just been granted, is
published in the Washington papers, and as
il gives a Suctinct account of the expedition
in question so far as i,' history is known, it
possesses a Sufficient general interest TO JUS
tify it, insertion in our columns. We also
append the reply Of Secretary Clayton, as
showing the disposition of our government
in a matter which appeals SO directly to the
>ympathics the American people.
.BrproRD PLACE, London, April !, 1919.
SIR address myself to you as the head
of great natiou, whose powerto help me /
cannot doubt, and in whose disposition to do
so have confidence which | trust you
will not deem preSumpiuOuS.
The name ofmy husband, Sir John Frank
lin, is probably not unknown to YOU. 1t j.
intimately connected with the northern pant
of that continent, Of which the American re-
public lormS SO vast and cons piCuOuS a por-
ton. When | visited the United States.
three years ago, among tle many proofs |
received Of respect aud courtesy. there vas
none that touched and even surprised me
more than tnc appreciation tvcIywheIccx.
pressed TO me OF his former services IN geo.
graphical discovery. and tie interest felt in
the enterprise in " hich he was then known
to be engaged.
The expedition fitted out hy cur govern.
mcnt for the discoyeIyof the Northwest
Passage, Chat question which for three hum
bred years has engaged the interest aud bai-
fed the energies Of the man Of science and
the naviga,Or,) sailed. under my husband
command, it, May, 1915. The two ships,
Lrebbs and Terror, contained l3S men, (cf.
ticcrs and crews and were vicualcd for
three years. They were not expected home,
unlcS, success had early rewarded their er.
forts, or some casually FASTENED their re.
turn, before the close Of lSi1; nor were any
tidings expected from them in the interval
Bat when the autumn of 1917 arrived, with.
out any intelligence from the Shils. ;hc at.
tention Of Her Maje>ty'S government va,
/ directed to the necessity Of searching for
ili'l CUM ltiltl ~ IIltili W Cd>t tl me
/ being imprisoned IN ice. or wrecked. and in
want Of provisions and means Of transport
/ For this purpose an expedition. in three di,
. visions, was fitted ont in the early part al
/ last year. directed to three diti'trentquarters
simultaneously, viz,
! First, to that by which, in case Of success
; the ships would come ont Of the Polar Sea
. to the westward. Cor Bchriug StraitS.)
( Second, to that by which they entered on
/ their course Of discovery on the caStetn side
COR Davis Strait
/ And, third, 10 an intervening portion o
/ the Arctic shore. approachable 10y lard from
the Hudson Bay Compauy'S settlements. OF
/ which il is supposed the crews, il obliged L
abandon their ships, might be found.
This last division Of the expedition wa,
placed under the command Of my husband
faithful friend, the companion of his former
mer travels. DR., Sir John Richardson, VIII,
landed in New York in April of last year
ani FASTENED to join his men and boats
which were already in advance tow ards IN,
Arctic shore. OfthiS portion Of the expcd
ton may briefly say, that the absence o
any intelligence from Sir John Richardson
at this season, proves lie has been unSuc
ceSSiul in the object of his search. The ex
petition intended for Behring's Strait ha.
hitherto been n complete failure. 1t con
sisted Of single ship. the Plover, which
owing to her setting of too late, and to hcr
bad sailing properties. did not even approach
her destination last year. The remainin!
aud most important portion of the searchin!
expedition consists OF two ships. under In
command of Sir James Ross, which sale,
In - "a, -. Ia, =
coed, owing to the state Of the ice. in cettin!
into Lancaster Sound Ill the season f.
operations had nearly closed. These shin
4 are now winteruG in the ice, and stcr
= ship is about To be despatched from hrnc
e with provisions and iuc! to enable them T.
< stay out another year but one Of these yes
= sells, III great degree. Withdrawn from &c
tive search, by the necessity Of watching n
the entrance Of Lancaster Sound for the ar
rival OF intelligence and instructions iron
England by the whalorS.
a. have entered into these details with
4. view Of proving that, though the British
, Government has not forgotten the duty i
, owS To the brave men whom il has sent OF
: a periouS service, aud has spent yer,
large sum in providing the means for thCi
rescue, yet that, owing to varunS causes
, the means actually in operation iui this pur
, pcSc are quite inadequate to meet the eX
tremc cXigence of the cast; for ii must b,
remembered that the missing ships wert
victuallCh for three years only, and tina
nearly four years have now c,gpSt0, 80 tina
the survivors Of so many winters IN The ict
, must be ut the least extremity; and, also
70 il must be born III mind that the channel
, by which the ships may have attempted {
force a passage to the wcstw ard, or whC
+ they may have been compelled by advCrs
J circumstances to take, are very numerou
E and complicated, and that one or two ship
cannot possibly, III the course of the hes
, short summer, explore them all.
The hotd of Admiralty, under convic
D ton of this fact, has been induced to Offer
/, reward of C20,O 900 sterling TO- any ship O
ships, of any country, or to any cXploliu
party whatever, which >hallrcnder eNicict
assistance to the missing ships, or to an
portion Of them. This announcement
which, even il tho sum had been doubled {
treblcd, would have met with public Apr,
. baton, comes however, too late for Ot
=, whalers, which had informally sailed n,
:, fore it was issued aud which, even if III
news should reach them at their G,hi
grounds, are totally untitled FOR any prolol
b. ged adventure, having only n few month