Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-10-28
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.

NSSAAS
of the sad details. The remains of himself and
companions have been lying scattered about the
banks of the Great Fish River of Back since the
spring of 1850. The story of their death DR.. RAE
learned from the Indians. No white man has been
there to collect their journals and to gather from
the silent memorials around any of the particulars
of their last moments.
In all probability the journals of Sir john or of
some of his officers, may be recovered by visiting
the spot. They would tell of his progress and his
discoveries, and are, therefore, well worth the at
tempt of'recovery. We hope party will next
year be sent to the place to CLEAN particulars and
collect journals. The Importance of such an expe-
dition is so obvious that it needs only to be sug-
gested, not argued The story Of their fate comes
only from the Esquimaux, but it carries with it
such an air of probability that no one seems to
question its main feature.
Where is Sir JOHN FRANKLIN to be looked for
is question that has engaged the geographical
mind of England and America for the last four or
five years Within that time expedition after ex-
petition and ship after ship have been dispatched
in search of the lost explorers, but none of them
had brought back any tidings, except that they
spent the winter Of 1845'46 at Cape Riley.
In looking at the instructions given and the
route taken by these expeditions, is now struck
with the singular faulty with which Prince Re-
gents Inlet leading down into the Gulf of Boothia,
where the ships are said to have been lost, seems
to have been overlooked, both by those who project
ed and those who conducted the English search
ing parties.
When the American expedition of Mr. GRINNELL
was decided upon, it was understood that the Bri-
tish Government had abandoned the idea Of any
further attempt to afford relief to its missing
navigators This expedition was directed to search
the shores Of Wellington Channel, which up to that
time had not been visited.
The American expedition led to the fitting out
of several more from England, every one of which,
with singular persistency, was directed to We'll
lington Channel as the principal point of search.
PENNY, and Ross, and OMMANEY, and BEEcHER,
and AUSTIN, and KELLET, every one went there to
search in De HAvEN's wake KENNEDY and For
sYTH did indeed look into Prince Regents Inlet
but it was nothing more than look, for the former
went no further than Cresswell Bay and the latter
than Fury Beach,
searching vessels of 1850 were all bound to the
same place, and that, in the writings which had
been published on the other side upon the subject,
no Importance was attached to Prince Regents In
let and the gulf into which it leads as places to be
searched, the omission was pointed out by gentle
man of this city He went at length into state
ment of the reasons which induced him to believe
that Sir John Franklin had taken that route, and
that in the Gulf of Bootha his ships were then to
be found, as Sir John would not be able to extri-
cate them. Furthermore, the opinion was ad-
yanced, in this remarkable letter, that even the
searching party would have to abandon its vessels
in this Gulf Of Boothia and take the very route for
the south which it appears that Franklin and his
party did take
This letter was written on the 2Sth of March,
1850, by Col. PETER FORCE, and addressed to Cap
tain SooREsBY, the celebrated Arctic voyager We
happen to have copy Of it, and may be excused
for making few extracts which bear most directly
upon the subject:
g In yourlat very valuable publication the Frank
Lin expedition you the whole ground of research
save one point and that the very point which solicit
ed your attention. the Gulf of Boohia my desire to
hear your opinion this suggestion have too long de-
ferred writing to return my thanks for your kind
membranes" 4
sit appears that at the time Sir John Franklin sailed
he in common with many was Of the same opinion
that passage through Prince Regents Inlet Behring's
Strait did actually exist and that in the Of his
succeeding at the places pointed in his instructions
1t was his determination expressed prior to his depar
ture from England, to seek passage there
Three routes, one leading through Wellington
Channel, we're pointed out to Sir John Franklin in
his instructions. Failing to penetrate the great
Arctic Ocean by any Of these-and Mr.. FORCE
shows that he probably would 50 fail-he expressed
his determination to " descend Regents Inlet and
seek the passage along the coast discovered by
Messrs. DEAsE and SIMPSON, Showing why he
bad probably SO failed, Mr. Force proceeds to show
what would be the result of this descent through
Prince Regents Inlet, with the hope Of finding
passage west into the Arctic Ocean from the
Gulf of Boothia:
"n his search for this passage (Which it has been
rtaned since does not exis he would press to the
outh, believing every mile he gained in that direction
ain Of much towards the open Of the Akkoee
IN Barrows map. His character for energy and perse
'erance is well known No obstacle presented by loose
re no matter how heavy, would induce him to renqush
lis enterprise. He knew that Aberdeen Island was
scarcely degree south Of Lord Mayors Bay but he had
~ knnu 1pIo anffh oo