Washington telegraph., 1854-11-22
Fate Of Sir John franklin.

Ielegraphlc dlSp3tcneS received from
Montreal at New York, and published in
this paper several days ago, announced the
receipt by Sir George Simpson, Governor
of the Hudson's Bay Territory, of letter
from Doctor Rae, who has been long en-
gagged in the search of Sir John Franklin,
containing intelligence which would seem
to put to rest all doubts as to the actual fate
of the daring navigator and his companions
York's Factory. where Doctor Raes letter
is dated, is situated on Hudson's Bay at the
mouth of Hayes River, in about $50 north
latitude and go west longitude. Tie mar
ration, We need hardly say is of the highest
interest. NaShUiile Banner.
DIR. RAE's LETTER TO SIR GEORGE SIMPSON.
YoRK's FACTORY,
august 4, 1854.
M Dear George Your several let
letters, public and private, Of dates 18th
June, and 1st December, 1858. and 1st De-
cember, 1858, and 18th and 10th June
1854, were handed me on the 2S;h ultimo,
on my reaching Churchill and l reioiced to
learn that your health had been benefited SO
much by your visit to the north
Let me now allude 10 the expedition af
fairs | arrived here On the 31st ult., with
my small 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 place the fate Of por-
ton, if not all of the then survivors OF Sir
John Frankin's miserable party, beyond "A
doubt--a fate the most depl1rable. death
from starvation, after having had recourse
to cannibalism as a means Of prolonging life
reached my old quarters at Repulse
Bay. on the 18th of August, and prepara-
tions were Immediately commenced for win
tering On the lst of September [ ex-
planned 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
exertions to collect food and fuel went on
with undated energy BY the end of
September, 100 deer, | musk OK "a brace
Of Ptarmigan, and one seal had been shot,
and the men produced 100 salmon.
Of the larger animals above enumerated
49 deer aud the musk OK were shot by NY
self, Il deer by Mi>tegan Che deer-huuter)
II by one Of the men, 8 by Gulibuck and
Is by the other four men The migration
of the deer terminated about the middle Of
October, and twenty-five mere animals were
added to our stock.
On the 28lh Of October, the snow being
sufficiently hard for building, we were hap
py to exchange cur cold tents fol the more
comfortable shelter of the snow-bouse. The
winter was very severe. hut the temperature
in our snow huts was never so low as in
my winter quarters in 1St6-'47. Up 70
the 12th Of January we had nets set under
the Ice in the lakes; the nets were taken
up On that date as they prodnced nothing.
On the 3lst March my spring journey
commenced, bat in consequence Of gales OF
winds, deep and soft snow, and foggy wealth
er, We made but very little progress. We
did not enter Pelly Bay until the nth
At this place We met with Esquimaux, one
Of whom, on being asked if he ever saw
white people, replied in the negative, bat
said that large party lat least forty per-
son9 had perished from want of food, some
10 or II days journey to the westward
The substance of the information, obtaiued
at various times and from various sources,
was as follows:
In the spring four winters past {spring, of
1S50) party Of white men amounting to
about forty, were seen travelling southward
over the ice and dragging boat with them
by some ESquimaux who were killing seals
on the North shore of King Williams Land,
which is large island named Kei-ik taken
by the Esquinlaux None of the party
could speak the native language intelligibly,
but, by signs, the natives were made to un-
derStaud 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 (chef,)
looked thin, they were then supposed 20 be
getting short of provisions, and they pur-
chased a small seal from the natives
At later date the same season, but pre-
vious to the disruption of the ice, the bod
les of about thirty white persons were dis
covered on the continent, and five on an
Island near it, about a long days journey
tsay thirty-fve or forty miles, to the north
west of large stream, which can be no
other than Backs Great Fish River (named
by the Esquimauz Out-koo-hi-lik,) as its
description, and that Of the low-shore in the
neigh6orhood of Point Ogle and Montreal
Island agree exactly with that of Sir George
Back Some of the bodies had been buried
lprobably those Of the first victims Of fam
Inc, )some were in tent or tents. others un-
der boat that had been turned over to
form shelter, and several lay scattered
about in different directions Of those
found on the island, one was supposed to
hava boo,, ~ 49, -, .I