The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-12-02

obtained "relics of them--silver forks,
spoons, and small silver plate-all bearing
the initials of their owners, Franklin and H.
D. S. Goodsr and A. McDonald--only
shows that such things were obtained of
Franklin's party, but whether by thieving
them from the encampment of Sir John, on
Beechy Island, where he was known to
have been in 1916 by the discoveries of Capt
Ommaney on the 23d of August, 1850,-or
by pilfering from the ships themselves, or
from some camp of the discoverers, is left
for the reader to decide.
For our part, we must, as we have before
said, be permitted to doubt this narration,
accepted by DR.. Rae, and apparently endors-
ed by the press generally. Since it is now
known that Franklin was az Beechy Island
in 1916, and, adopting this narrative, that he
could have gone only about 100 miles to the
west. it will be perceived that he must have
been four years-from 1916 to l850-pass-
ing over the distance of $50 miles, through
a region frequented by Esquimaux, who were
in constant communication with the party
and those in search of them: fact in itself
quite incredible, but only one of number
of pal pable discrepancies and improbabilities
apparent in this Esquimaux story. Or, if
the ships were but crushed in the ice in 1850
where had they been all these long four years?
By the reported account, they could have
been not further than 100 miles qre8t of Bar
roa0s Straits, and yet these waters were all
thoroughly explored in 1880, and nowhere
was found a single signal which Franklin
agreed to set up upon every prominent point
of land which he passed. or wherever he
landed at no time were discovered the seal
ed cans which he was to put afoat; at no
place were captured foxes upon which the
navigator was to place red cloths and collars;
throughout all these four years not record
of the ships remains, as is proven by the re-
cent investigations of Belcher's expedition
and the researches of the Grinnell vessels.
We are forced to the conclusion that Sir
John was not, at any time, in the indicated
locality, north of King Williams Land and
that this whole story of the 40 persons be-
ing found is but fabrication of the Esqui-
maux to hide their own criminality, or to
Intentionally mislead and misrepresent. Not
to remark upon the natural query: what had
become of all the rest of the crew and Off
GERS of the two ships, ll6 in number, nor
upon the singular incidents of watches. guns,
silver spoons and forks and pots alone hav-
ing been saved from the ships; nor upon the
absence of all records naturally to have been
made by the survivors, the assertion that the
party should have perished upon the CONT
nent, near Backs river, and to have lain
there for four gears without ever having
been discovered, though the Esquimax were
constantly passing from that point to the
east and west and south, is calculated to
make us discredit the information given to
DIR. Rae, and to lead US to believe that the
fate of the long lost Franklin is still mys-
terry, perhaps never to be unsolved, unless
our own DR.. Kane shall gain some clue to
that fate. We now await DIR. Kane's return
with double interest. : Sandusky Register.