Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1854-11-01

De. .Rses Lettes IN I'll.

privilege Of first publishing to the civilized
| world the 1T length ascertained fate of the no
bic but iii-starred Sir John Franklin asd his
gallant company. Alas! that the fate should
have been so sad, and that the problem, which
has so long occupied the thoughts and engaged
/ the energies of the great nayigator's countless
friends and admirers in Europe and America,
should be solved by so painful, 50 distressing a
narrative as is contained in the following letter
which only reached Sir George Simpson yes
teTday afternoon, it having been forwarded
/ from York Factory via Red river. Our own
hopes OF Sir John Franklin's restoration to the
world had, we confess, long ceased: but who
could have been prepared for the fearful reali-
tyf miserable and fearful death from literal
starvation-possibly, as DR.. Rae coniectues,
worse than staryation-on the frozen and deS-
olate shores OF the Arctic Ocean. But We
shall not detain the reader by any reflection of,
ours from the perusal OF DR. Rae's intensely
| interesting narrative-we shall merely men-
| tion that ! orz Factory is situate at the mouth
of Hayes River, in Hudson's Bay, in about So
degrees \. L., and IS degrees W. L..
! York. Factory, August I, 1S54-My Dear Sir
| George-YoUr several letters, public and pri-
vate, Of dates 18th June and lst December lS-
| 53 and 18th and 10th of June, 1884, were
handed me on the 28th ultimo, on my reach
| ing Churchill, and | rejQiced 10 learn that
| your health had been benefited so much by
| your visit to the north. sfE .s5al-s
| Let me now allude to the expedition affairs.
arrived mere re 0lSL-lt Wltn SIifalI
party In excellent health, but [ am sorry to say,
without having effected our object. At the
| same time information has been obtained, and
articles purchased from the natives which pla-
ces the fate Of portion, if not all, of the then
| survivors of Sir Ohm Franklins miserable par
| ty beyond doubt-a fate mostdeplorable-deat
| from starvation, after having had recourse to
| canibaliSm as a means of prolOnging life.
| | reached my old quarters at Pepulsc Bay,
on the 10Th of August, and preparations were
Immediately commenced for the winter. On
| the 1St September | explained To the men our
position, the stock Of provisions we had on
hand, (not more than three months rations. }
and the prospects we had of getting more, &c.
&c, pointing out all the danger and difficulty
Of our position. All readily volunteered to
| remain, and our azertions. to collect food and
fuel went with unahated energy. BY the
end Of September, 100 deer, ] musk OK. 81
brace Of Ptarmigan, and / seal had been shot,
and the nets produced 1870 salmon. The IIigryt-
ton of the deer terminated about the middle of
October, and 25 more were added to our stock.
On the 2Sth of October, the snow being suf-
ficiently hard for building, we were happy to
exchange our cold tents for the more comfort
able shelter Of the snowhouse. The winter
was very severe, but the temperature in our
snow huts was never so low as in my winter
quarters of 1S46-7. Up TO the 10Th January
we had nets set under the ice in the lakes, the
nets were taken up on that date as they pro-
dUced nothing.
On the 3lst of March, my spring journey
commenced, but in Consequence of gales OF |
wind, deep, soft snow and foggy weather, we |
made very little progress. We did not enter |
Pelly Bay until the nth. At tliis place we
met with EsqumauX, one of whom, on being |
asked if he ever saw white people, replied in
the negative, but said that large party, cat |
least 40 persons,) had persisted from want of
food some 10 or II days journey TO the west
ward The substance of the inforniation, OBJ.
tained at various times and from various sour
ceS, was as follows In the spring four winters
past, (spring, lSj0,) a party of white men,
amounting 10 about forty, were seen .traY elling
southwark by some EsquimauX, who were kill
ing seals on the north shore Of King Williams
Land, which is q large island named ke!- ilz-taIl
by the EsGuimauN. None OF the party could
speak the native language intelligbIy, but by
signs the natives were made to understand
that their ships Or ship had been crushed By
ice, and that the whites were going to where
appearance OF the men all of whom. except one
officer, (cllief) looked tliin they were then sup
posed to be getting short Of provisions and they
purchased a small seal from the natives.
At 4 later date the same season, but previous
20 the disruption OF the ice, the bodies of about
80 white persons were discovered on the con
tinent, and } on an island near it, about a long
days journey, (say So or 40 miles,) TO the
northwest of large streem, which can be no
other than Becll's Great Fish River, named by
scription and that of the low shore in the
neighborhood of Point Ogle and Montreal ISL
and agree exactly with that of Sir George Back.
Some of the bodies had been buried; probably
those Of the first victims offaminc some were
in tent or tents, others under boat that had |
been turned over to form a-sheter; and sever
al Jay scattered about in different directions.
OF those found on the island, one was Suppos-
ed to have been an officer, as he had tele-
scope strapped over his shoulder, and his
double barreled gun lay underneath him.
From the mutilated state of many of the
corpses, and the contents of the kettles. it is
evident that our miserable countrymen had
been driven to the last resource-cannibalism
-as means of prOIonging life.
There appears to have been an abundant
stock Of ammunition, as the powder WAS emp
tied in heap upon the ground by the natives,
out of the kegs or cases containing it, and
quantity of ball and shot was found below high
water mark, having been left ON the ice close
to the beach. There must have been number
Of watches, telescopes, compasses, guns, &c,
all of which appear to have been broken up, as
l saw pieces of the different articles with the
EsquimauX, and together with silver spoons
and forks, purchased as many L could OBJ
tain. y list OF the most important of these I /
enclose, with a rough nd-inIl-sketch of
the crests and initials on the forks and spoons.
The articles themselves shall be handed over
to the Secretary of the Hon. II. B. Co., on
my arrival in London. .
None of the EsquimauX with whom | con-
yerSed had seen the ewhites,' nor had they ev-
er been ST the place where the dead were
found, but had their information from those
WHO had been there, and those who had seen
the party when alive.
From the head of Pelly Bay-wfich is bay,
spite OF Sir IL. Beautort's opinion to the CON
trsry-I crossed GO miles Of land in a westerly
direction, traced the west shore from Castor