Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1855-01-20
Gbe 11olpnesian.
ARCTIC SEARCHES.

which we copy below. An expedition for the re-
lief of Capt Collinson, will of course be unneces-
sary as that officer is known to be safe but a veri
fcation of the reported catastrophe to Sir John
Franklin and his party is what alone can relieve
the public mind from lingering doubts.
DR.. Rae's reasons for returning home with
out verifying the Esqgimaux report.
To the Editor Of the London Times
Sir,-On looking over your paper this morning
was deeply panied, and not little surprised, at
some remarks in d letter purportiug to come from d
brother of one of tie officers of Her Majesty ship
Terror one of the vessels Of the unfortunate expe-
dition under Sir John Franklin.
The writer in the first place. says, ''that DIR Rae
has been deeply reprehensible for not verifying the
report of the Esquimaux, and for publishing his
report without verihcat0n {; that he should have
kept silence altogether and not have excited such
painful feelings in many persons on such INSULT
cient grounds.
To have verified the report which brought home
would, believe have been no difficult matter, but
it could not be done by my party in any other
way than by passing another winter ut Repulse
Bay, and making another journey over the Ice and
snow in the spring of 1850. This | could have ed
silv done without exposure to more privtiOns than
persons accustomed to the Hudson Bay Company :
service are in the habit of enduring but had a
deeper motive in returning to England with the in
formation had obtained than the selfish feel
ing of regard for my own comfort, which is point
| have never much studied Nv reason for returning
/ from Repulse Bay without having effected the sur
yey had contemplated, was to prevent the risk Of
more vauablelives being sacrificed in useless search
in portions of the Arctic Seas hundreds of miles dis
tant from the sad where the lives OF 50 many
| Of the long lost party terminated and | IN happy
to say that my conduct has been approved by ali
those whose opinion | value, and with whom have
icOnversed OF the subject.
Il i, stated by YOUR correspondent. s.that whore
| Esouimaux can live, where DIR. Rae's party could
find abundant means, what should prevent Sir John
| Franklin and his party from subsisting tool ~
| No man but one perfectly unacquainted with the
subject could ask such question.
! At the season when Sir John Franklin's party
was seen travelling the ice, the seal-hOes are
covered by snow and can only be discovered iy the
acute sense of smell of the native dogs and, after
the seal-hole is discovered, much patience, expert
ence and care are requisite, to kill the seal As
soon as the snow thaws (say in June) the seals show
themselves on the ice, but they then difficult
of approach that not one Of my men, (OULIGBUCK,
the Interpreter. exeepted,) although they often
made the attempt, could approach near enough to
shoot any of these animals.
| wiptered at part of the Arctic coast remarka-
bic by its aphcal formation for the abundance
of deer during the Autumn mi grations, but only
then and it was at that time that we laid up our
winter stock of food but it was hard work even for
us TALL practical spnrtsnen picked men, and in full
strength and training,) to collect = sulhciency.
That portion of country near to and on which a
portion ofSir John Frankin's party seen is in
the Spring noturiOusy the most barren Of animal life
of any Of the Arctic shores, and the few deer that
NAV be seen are generally very shy, from having
been hunted during the Winter by Indians on the
borders of the woodlands.
To prove this scarcity of game may add. that
during my Spring journey of 30 days duration,
one deer only and few partidges were shot by us.
II is asked by your correspondent, why . the un
fortunate men should have encountered themselves
with silver forks and spoons aud silver plates"
The total weight Of the silver forks and spoons
could not be than or pounds at the utmost,
and would not appear much when divided among
A. persons and any oihcer who has ever had the
misfortune to abandon his ship or boat anywhere,
but more particularly in the Arctic Sea, knows well
how apt men u cucumber themselves with artl-
cles far more useless an bulky than few forks
and spoons.
l suppose by "siver plates your correspondent
all sdes to the silver late with Sir j ohn Franklin
name engraved thereon, and which may possibly
weigh haitian Ounce-no g eat addition to Il mans
load.
Again, your correspondent says ''that the ships
have been abandone and plaged hy tue E>qui
7
us regards the abandonment of the ships, but not
that these ships were piliaged by the natives
Had this been the case, wood ould have been abun-
dant among these poor people 1t was not So, and
they were reduced 10 the necessity Of making their
: edces of musk OK skins iOldei up and frozen to
gether an alternative to which tie WANT wood
atone could have reduced them. Another proof
that the natives had very little wood among them
NAV he addueed.
BeflIe leaving Repulse Bay collected together
some of the most respectable of the old Esquimd1X
and distributed among hem all the wood we could
snare, amounting 10 two or three oars and some
! hrn ken poles hen thes. things were dellTered
to them | babe the ESqUimaux Interpreter, who
sr,aaks both his own and the Z gli>h language hu-
entIv. to ask whether they or their acquaintane S
near PelIy Bay had now most wood. They ali ian
mediately shouted out holding their han1s, that
tbev themselves had most. Ineed scarcely add,
that had the ship been found by the Esquinaux. a
stock of wood sufficient for many years for all the
natives within an extent Otseveral hundred miles
would have been obtained.
It NAV be as well here to state, for the informa-
ton of your correspondent and others, that the au-
thorities of the Hon. Huds N Bay Company have,
in the most kind manner, permitted me to devote
INV whole time as long as requisite, TO satisfy the
lonestions as far as in INV power and to reply 70
communications from tke relatives and friends o.
the lony-missing party, instead OF to complete my
chart and write up the report OF my expeiIuon i0r
their information.
It NAV interest your readers to learn that two
loyerland expeditions have been decided uIon-tee
lone in boats to 90 down the Mackenzie River IN
search Of Captain Coliinson. about 'he saiety OF
whom there is now some anxiety tne Other, IN ca
noes down Backs Fish River, 70 make fuTther IN
Iouiry into the fate of Sir John Franknss people,
and 10 endeavor to obtain some more relics, ana
should any of the remains of the dead De iound' 10
nlaee them decently under ground
About noon on Friday it was arranged hy tne
lJords Commissioners IF the Admiralty and O,pt'
Sbenberd. Deputy Governor of the hudson pay