Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1854-11-01
Fate of Sir john Franklin.

The following is the letter Of Dr.. Rea to Sit
George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson's Bay
Territory, in reference 10 the fate of Sir John
Franklin, the lost navigator. The letter is dated
August 4tb, 1854, at York Factory, mouth of
| Hayes River, in Hudson Bay DR.. Rea sayst
''On the 3lst Of March my spring journey com-
menced, but in consequence Of gales OF winds, deep
and soft SHOW, and foggy weather, We made but
very little progress. We did moi enter Pelly Bay
until the l7th. At misplace we met with Esqni-
maux, 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 per-
ished for want OF food, some l0or IL days journey
to the westward. The substance Of the informa-
tion, obtained at various times and from variots
sources, was as follows:- -. i-s-l
In The spring. four winters past, (spiibT, le6O,)
party of white men, amounting to aboul forty,
were seen travelling southwark over the ice, and
dragging boat with them, by some Esquimanx
who were killing seals On the north shore Of King
Williams Land, which Isl large island named
Kei-ik-tak by the -Esquimaux. None OF the paf-
ty could speak the native language infelligibIy.
but, by signs. the natives were made to understand
that their ships or ship had been crushed by ice,
and that the ''whites" were now going to where
| they expected to find deer to shoot. From the
appearance of the men, all of whom, except one
officer, (chief,) looked thin; they were then sup
posed 20 be getting short of provision, and they
purchased small seal from the natives.
"At later date, the same season, but previous
to the disruption Of the ice, the bodies Of about
thirty white persons were discovered on the con-
tinent, and five on an island near it, about long
days journey (say thirty-fve or forty miles) to
the northwest OF large stream, which can be no
other than Backs Great Fish River, (named BY
the Esquimaux Out koo hi ca-lk } as its descrip-
tion and that of the low shore in the neighborhood
Of Point Ogle and Montreal Island agree exactly
with that Of Sir George Back. Some Of the bod.
les had been buried, (probably those of the first
victims of famine.) some were in tent or tents,
others under boat that had been turned over to
form shelter, and several lay scattered about in
different directions. or those found on the island,
one was supposed to have been an officer, as he
had telescope strapped over his shoulder, and his
double -barreled gun lay underneath him.
From the mutilated state of many Of the corps
es, and the contents of the kettles, it is evident
that our miserable countrymen had been driven TO
the last resource-cannibalism- means Of pro-
longing life.
'.There appears to have been an abundant stock
of ammunition, as the powder was emplied in
heap on lne GROUND Dy the natlveS, out o the kegs
or cases containing it, and quantity of ball snd
shot was found below high waller mark, having
been left on the ice close to the beach. There
must have been number of watches, telescopes,
compasses. guns, (several double-barrelled,) &c..
all of which appear to have been broken up, as [
saw pieces Of these different articles with the Es-
quimaux, and together with some silver spoons
and forks, purchased as many as could obtain
A list of the most important of these | enclose,
with rough -and-ink sketch of the events
and initials on the forks and spoons. The arti-
cles themselves shall be handed over to the Sec
retary of the Hon. II. b. &c., on my arrival in
London.
'.None of the Esqumaux with whom convers-
ed had seen the "whtes," nor had they ever been
at 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"