The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1854-11-14
DIR. RAE's LETTER TO SIR GEORGE SIMPSON

, DIR. RAE LETTER TO SIR GEORGE SIMPSON.
YoRK FACTORY. August 4. 1854.
MY DEAR SIR GEORGE: Your several letters
$ pubic and private of dates 18th Juno and Isl
= December. 1883 and 18th and 10th June. 1854
were handed to me on the 2Sth ultimo or
my reaching Churchill. and am reioiced Ia
learn that your health was benefited so much
by your visit 10 the north
Let me now allude to tho expedition affairs.
arrived here on the 3lst plt. with nv small
party. in excellent health, bnt am sorry 10
say without having effected our object. AT
The same time. information has been obtained
and articles purchased from the natives, which
places tho fate of portion. if not all Of the
then survivors Of Sir John Franklin's misera-
lie party beyond a doubt--n fate most deplo
rahle-death from starvation, after having had
recourse to eanaiba'ism as a means of prolong.
ing lifc.
reached my old quarters at Ropulse Bay.
| on tic 18th AuGust, and preparations were i'm.
medialely commeuced for wni,ering. n tho Is,
Sept explained to tho mon onr position, the
stock OF provisions We had on hand. (not more
tnal three months ratons) and the prospect
we had OF getting moro. &c. &C.. pointing out
all the dangrrs end difficulties OF our position.
All to collect food and fuel went Oh with una.
bated energy. By the end of September. 100
deer musk OK SO brace of piarniean. and
seal had been shot, and tho nets produced 100
salm0n. |
fthc lurCor animals abovo enumerated. 40
ueer ana The musk OK were shot by myself. 2I |
deer by Misiegan. (the deer huntcr) IJ b, one |
OF The mon, 9 by Oule buck. and 26 by the 9th
er four men The migration of The deer tor
more animals were added to our stock.
On the 2Sth of October, tho snow being suf-
iic;en'ly hard for building. wo were happy to
nv, hnp g., ~, a
able shelter of the snow house. Tho winter
was very severe, hut the temperature i'm our
wac never GLOW as my winter quar-
ters of 1S46-7.p Up the 18th January we
had nets set undertbe ice in the al es. The nets
were taken up on that date rs they produced
nothing. irr .-t4.tr,-g g.- -,i ft.tef
roOn the 3lst March my spring journey com
penced, but in consequence of gales of wind.
ieep and soft snow and fogcv weather. wo ,
made hutrlitile progress We did not enter .
Pely Bay until the 1Tth. At this place we il
net with Esquimaux. one of whom on being q
skcd II he erersaw white people. replied in n
he NEGATIVE, lui said that a large partv-at n
east forty pcrsons-had persisted from want of f.
ood some 10 or IL days journey to the wcst- d
sard. The, substance ef the information. OBJ II
aimed at varons times and from various sour n
es were rs follows: o .. ,ra - n
In the spring, fur winters pasi-spring Is lie
Ga parry Of white men. amounting to about nj
o. were seen travelling southwark over tho ice, h
nd drawing boat with them. by some Els is
umapx who were killing seals on the north ei
bore OF King Williams Land. whirh is largo
sland named Kei-ik-tax by tho Esquimaux
one of The party could speak the native Ian
uage intelligiSly, bnt. by signs. tho natives ra
ere made to understand that thoir ships or m
nip had been crushed by icc and that the &c
whites were now going to where they expec d,
ID to find deer to shoot. From the appea rance Je
tho men. all OF whom except one officer ra
lief-lookod thin. they were then supposed so
be getting short Of provisions. and they pur. to
lased small seal from the natives. be
AT later date. the same season. but previ. th
is to the disruption of tho ice. the bodies of dc
'out thirty white persons were discovered on l2
@ continent, ond five on an Island near il. rif
'out long days journey-say 35 or 40 miles to
TO the N. w OF large stream which can pr
no other than Backs Great Fish Riv, r. an
med by the Esquimaux out koo. hi.ca lk- ad
its description and hat of The low shore in wi
o reighborhood of point Ogle and Montreal II
land, agree exactly with tn Of Sir George sol
ck Some of tho bodies have been buried ca
probably those of the first victims Of, famine me
some were IN tent or tonts, others under nit
at that had been turned over TO form shell me
: and several lay scattered abont in different 'rh
'ectlon VI those found on the Island ono | Yc
; supposed TO have been an officer. as he TO
d telescope strapped over his shoulder. and tho
doubled -barreled gun lay unjcrnos,h him. car
From the mutilaied state of many of tho
'pses and the contents of the kettles il is
dent that our miserable countrvmcn had III, !,
pm driven to the last resourcc--cannbaIism cor
IS means of prolongiug life. VIII
ihoro appears to havo been an abundant In
OK OF ammunition, as the powder was emp To
:" "e"P OH the ground 0v tho natives, and
of the Kegs or cases containing il, and a J gcr
'ntitv of ball and shot was found below high ~
er mark, having been left on the ice closo % "a
The beach. There must have been num- g.-
OF watches. telescopes comeasses. guns. q.
veral double barrollod.) &c.. all of which Y
car to have been broken up. MS saw pio iteu
OF these different articles with the Esaui- sim
TX, and, together with so.nc silver spoons .l,v,
forks. and purchsscd as many rs could N
aInsnA list of'the most important of these G.
close,with rough pcn-apd-ink sketch of ono
events and initials 90 the forks and spoons. as
articles themselves shal. bc handed over hot,
~ sov'c'arv 0, the Hon. IL. Is. Il Co., OH clca
arrival In London. in .d ff. .iif afi 10 y
lone Of the Esqpimaux with whom I con. Ieo,
,ed had foen tho whites nor had they ov- wen
been at The place whero tho dead were sne,
I'd; but had their Information from those hoe,
had been there. and those who had seen and
party when alive. iaal -
rom the head of Pelly Bay-wbicb IL :
spite of Sir II. Bcsuforts opiniop 10 RI
contrary-I crossed so miles of land in n lnsb
tcry direction f,se.eS ttn ,,,.r. - - r =. ~.