The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-11-09
THE LIFE OF SIR JOHN FF aNKLIN.

The particulars of the biograprly of the dis
tinguished navigator, the discoE cry of whose
unhappy fate has engaged the pt bic attention
so much of late, are derived principally from
an article translated for the Erefng Post from
The Conversations Lexicon:"
Sir John franklin, who at tvery early age
manifested the adventurous spirit that charac-
| terized his later career, was born at Spilsby in
Lincolnshire, in 1886. The evident bent Of the
boys mind for sailors life not meeting with
the fathers views, he was sent or voyage to
Lisbon in a merchant vessel, in hopes that the
reality would operate Us a cure. The attempt
failed, and at the age of fourteen lie entered the
British navy as a midshipman, on board the
Polyphemus, in which capacity he served at
the battle Of Copenhagen. In 1893 he accom-
panied his relative, Capt. Flinders, on a VOYAGE
of discovery to the South seas and was shin
wrecked on the coast Of New HOLLAND. lie
was afterwards signal officer on the Bellero-
phon, 1.-THE ship on board which Napoleon took
refuge in 1850 at the battle of trafalgar and
in 1914 served as lieutenant Upo,i the Bedford,
which carried the allied sovere'gns to Eng
land. In 1915 he was at the att .ck upon New
Orleans, which ended so disastjA uSly for the
British, and won considerable equation by
the capture of an American gunI oat In 1918
he was appointed to the comma%d of the brig
Trent, which formed part of the Polar Expedi-
ton under Capt Buchan. He lerwards held
command in the expedition of Ross and Par
ry, at which time he examined tae coast as far
north as Cape Turnagain, $50 50' north lat-
tude, and returned to England in 1922, after
having suffered great hardships snd privations
and was only saved from death b. the kindness
of the Esquimaux. Promoted 70 the rank of
Post Captain in 1925, in comp my with the
same parties he undertook second voyage to
the Polar seas, and examined the coast between
the Mackenzie and Coppermine gers. He re-
turned in 1927, having reached 100 30/ north
latitude and 1902 west longitude and was
knighted by George ", in acknowledgment of
his services. In 1880 he was in Ommand of a
ship-oi-the-line in the Mediterra can, and was
afterwards sent as Governor to Van Diemen's
Land, from which post he was re- allied in lS43
Early in 1915 he returned to Eng land, and was
at once appointed to the commar i of the expe-
dition to the Polar seas, from hich he never
returned, and which was expected to add large
ly to the stock of geographical knowledge and
that of the laws which govern the magnet.
The Erebus and Terror, the two ships with
which the younger Ross, in 1889, had made his
celebrated voyage to the South Polar seas, were
rapidly fitted up with everything necessary for
the service, and with the distinguished officers,
Captains Crozier and Fitz-James, who were Sc
lected by Sir John himself the expedition left
England on the 18th of May of that year. 1t
spoken by several whale ships on the 4th
of July, and on the 2Gth of the same month
was seen for the last time in Melvilles Bay,
latitude To north, longitude GO ~ west from
Greenwich.
Fears respecting the missing navigators be-
came general in England in l848, and since
that period several expeditions have been fitted
out there, as we'll as one from this country for
the purpose of either rescuing or ascertaining
the fate Of Sir John and his companions
They have all returned without success. The
only traces hitherto discovered have been the
graves of three of the party, and some empty
cans used for containing preserved meats, such
as were furnished the expedition The search
es instituted at the request of the English by
the Russian Government among Its possessions
on the Arctic sea have met with no result. But
the veil seems about to be lifted, and should
the report of DR.. Rae, which has reached us
from Canada, prove correct, we shall soon
probably know all that can ever be known of
Sir John Franklin and those under his COM
mand IL