New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-10-24
THE FATE OF SIR JOHN PRANKLy AND
And HIS COMPANIONS.

prove interesting to our readers:
We are indebted to Sir George Simpson, Governor
Of the Hudson's Bay Territory, for the privilege Of
first publishing to the civilized world the at length
certsned fate OF the noble but il-stsrred Sir John
Franklin and bis gallant company Alas that the
fate should have been 20 sad and that the problem,
which has so long occupied the thoughts and engaged
the energies Of the great navgators countless friends
and admirers in Europe and America, should be
solved by so painful distressing narrative as is
contained in the following letter which only reached
Sir George Simpson yesterday afternoon-it having
been forwarded from York Factory, via Red River.
Our own hopes Of Sir John Frankns restoration to
the world had, we concss long ceased bu. who could
have been prepared for the fearful realty-a misera-
BILE and lingering death, from literal starvaton-pos-
sbly as DR.. Rae copjectures, worse than starvation
on the frozen and desolaie shores Of the Arctic
Ocean. But we shall not detain the reader by any
reflection of ours from the perusal of DR.. Reas in
tensely interesting narratve-we shall merely men.
ton that York Factory is situated at the mouth Of
Hayes River, in Hudsons Bay in about 500 N. L..
$3.50 WI.
DR.. RAGS LETTER TO SIR GEORGE SIMPSON.
York FACTORY, Aug. 4, 1854
Ny DEAR GEORGE Your several letters, public
and private, Of dates 18th June and lst December,
1853, and 18th and 10th June 1854, were handed me
on the 2sth utimo, on my reaching Churchell, and
rejoiced to learn that your health had benefited 80
much by your visit 20 the north.
Let me low alude 10 the exI edition affairs. i ar
rived here the 3lst ult. with my small party in
cel!eut health, but am sorry to say without having
effected orr object. At the time informant IN
b8s been obtained and articles purchased from the
natives, whi,h places the fate Of portion, if not all
Of the survivors of Sir John Franklns miserable
party beyond q doubt-a fate the most deplorable-
do uusia atio affer nd IN
caDDibalism as q means of proloDgiog life.
reached my old quarters at Repuse Bay on the
18th August, and preparations were Immediately com
menced for winteriDg. On the LIST September ex-
planned 10 the position, the stock of provi-
sOns we had on hand mot more than three months
Tatiops) and the prospects We had Of getting more,
&c, &c. pointing out all the danger aud difficulty of
our position All It adiy volunteered to remain and
our exeriioDs TO collect food and fuel went with
uDabated energy By the end Of September, 100
deer, one musk OK, "a brace of ptarmigsn, and one
seal had been shot, and the nets produced 100 salmon.
OF the larger animals above enumer4 ted, 40 deer
and the musk were shot by myself, 81 deer by
Mistegsn the deerhupter) IA by one OF the men, nine
b. Ouligbuck, ard 10 by the other four men. The
migration Of the deer terminated about the middle of
October, and % more animals were added to our
stock.
On the 2etb OF October the snow being sufficiently
hard for building were happy to exchange our cold
tents for the comfortable shelter of the snow
house. The winter was very severe but the tempera
winter quarters of 1867. Up 10 the 18th Of January
we had nets set under the ice in the lakes the nets
were taken up that date they produced nothing.
On the 3lst OF March my spring journey commenced,
but in consequence Of gales Of wind deep and soft
snow, and ioggy weather, we made but very little
progress. We did not enter Pey Bay until the 18th.
At this place We met with Esquimaux, one Of whom,
on being asked If he ever saw white people, replied
in the negative but said that large party lat least
40 persons had persisted from want Of food some 10
or 10 days journey TO the westward. The substance
Of the information obtained a. various times and from
various sources, was as follows
In the spiing four winters past spring $780, party
of white men, amounting to about forty, were seen
travelling southwark over the ice and dragging boat
with them by some Esqunaux who were killing seals
ON the north shore of King Williams Land which is
a large island named Keiiiktak by tue Esquimaux.
None Of the party could speak the native language in.
tehgibly, but, by signs the natives were made to
understand that their ships ship had been crushed
by ice, and that the whites" were now going to
where they expected to ma deer to shoot From the
Ger chief locked thin they were then supposed TO be
getting short of provisions, and they purchased
small zeal from the natives.
At later date the same season. but previous to the
dsruption of the re the bodies of about thirty white
persons were discovered the continent and five on
an island near it, about a long days journey SAY
thirty.fve forty miles to the northwest Of large
stream which be 30 other than Back Great Fish
River NAMED by the Esquimaux Out ko0-hi ca lik,1
as it's description and that of the low shore in the
neiphbolbood of Point Ogle and Montreal Island agree
exactly with that of Sir George Back. Some of the
bodies had been buried, probably those of the hrst
victim, Of famine) some were in tent tents, 9TH
ers under boat that had been turned over to form
shelter and several lay scattered about in different
dire ctiops. OF those found on the island, one was
supposed TO have been officer as he had telescope
strapped over his shoulder and his doube-barrelled
gun lay underneath him.
From the mutilated state of many of the corpses,
and the contents of the kettles, is evident that our
miserable couitymen had been driven TO the last re-
Observation-Disclosures means OF prolOngIng liie
There appears TO have been an abund mt stock of
ammunition, a. the powder was empted in heap on
the ground by the natives out of the kegs or cases
containing it. and quantity OF bsa ana shot vas
found below highwator mark, having been left on
the ice close 10 the beach. There must have been
number Of watches. telescopes, oompasses guns,
several double barreled &c all of which appear TO
have been broken up as saw pieces oil these alIe1
e1t articles with the Esquimaux, and together with
some silver spoon and forks, purchased as many as
could obtain. list Of the most important OF these
inclose, with rough pen andink sketch Of the events
and initials on the forks and spoons The articles
them elves shall be handed over 10 the Secretary OF
the Hon III b., &c, on my arrival in London.
None of the Esquimax with whom conversed had
seep the whit,s, nor had they ever been at the
place where the dead found but had their infor
nation from those who had been thee and those who
had seen the party when alive.
From the head OF Pelly Bsy-whch is bay, spite
Of Sir H. Besuforts opinion to the contraryl cross
ed 90 miles Of land in westerly direction traced the
west shore from Castor and Poux River 10 Cape POr-
ter of Sir James Ross, and l could have got within
80 or 40 miles of Btlot Strait bat thought il useless
proceeding further as could not ompleie the whole.
Never in my former Arctic journeys had met with
such an accumulation of obstacles Fogs, storms,
rough ice, and deep snow we had to fight against.
On one occasion we were II days unable to get 8
glimpse at the sum- or 10 make out his position
in the heavens. Ths, on a level coast, where the
compass was Of little use, was perPexing in the
extreme.