Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1859-10-28

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which years Of absence from home an,
lack of fresh vegetables, &c, mi ght tinduce
The record of Sir John Franklin is nov
complete. lie died perhaps natura
death, before England mad begun to b,
anxious about his condition, aud severa
months before the first ship sailed for hi:
relief. The following year probably wit
messed the death of the last of bis survi
wing companions. All else of their bisto
ry may remain for ever unknown-locked
up in the impenetrable chambers of Arc
tic ice. Possibly, some other memorials
may yet be found. Possibly, some mau
or men may have survived in lonely
place, or mingled with the scant and
changing population. But, if all have
perished, what must have been their az,
oniziug thoughts as the fourth and fifth
years stole npon their weakened, hopeless,
hcrror-struck frames
FranklIn's Lifc....nis two Wives.
JOHN FRANKLIN, whose name will for
ever be remembered by reason of his un-
happy fate, was born at Spilsby, Lincoln
shire, April !6, l7S6, being the youngest
son of respectable yeoman. He was put
to school at St. Ives, and afterwards at
Louth. He had an early longing for the
sea, and entered as mid,hipman on the
Polyphemus in 1900, being at the battle
Of Copenhagen, April Cd, 1901. He saw
much and varied service, and was signal
midshipman on board of the Bellerophon
at Trafalgar lie commanded the boats
of the Bedford in the fight with the Amer
lean gun boats lat New Orleans !? rcceiv
ing a wound in the action. In 1878, he
was appointed to the command of the
Trent, in the expedition ordered to at
tempt the passage to India by the polar
sea, North of Spitzbergen. The expedi-
tion turned out unfortunately, but Frank
lin gained much reputation. In 1919, he
was sent in command of an expedition to
explore the coast Of America, east Of the
Coppermine River The result of this
was great addition to our knowledge of
Arctic geography. Franklin returned to
England in 1922. In 1925 he was Or
dered to another overland expedition to
tho Arctic 500, ana he had TO leave the
sick bed of his young wife, who died the
day after be went to sea. He returned by
the way of New York, and landed in Liv-
orpool, Sept. "a, 1927. On the sth
March, 1928, he was married to JANE
GRIFFIN, the present respected Lady
Franklin. In the following year, he was
knighted. In 1880, he was sent to the
Mediterranean, rendering good service to
the Greek cause. In 1886, he was made
Governor of Tasmania, or Van Dieman's
Land, which Office he administered ably
till 1s43, when be returned to England.
In ls45, be was appointed to command a
new expedition to search for the North
west Passage, and be sailed in the Erebus
and Terror on the 26th May, 1915. The
record ends with his death on the 1lth
June, 1s47, at the age Of 6l years and
nearly three months.
OF the two Wives of franklin, the first,
ELEANOR ANN PoRDEN, was a lady Of
unusual accomplishments and scholarship,
who taught herself Greek and Latin when
eleven or twelve years old, and became
proficient in other languages, besides
studying various branches Of natural sci
ence. She wrote and published several
poems, one of which, "The Arctic Expe-
dition," which appeared in 1918, led
Franklin to seek her acquaintance, and
they we're married in 1928. She died
within less than two years, of .consump-
tion. His second wife, who survives him,
was daughter Of John Griffin, and was
born about 1900. Her devotion to him
is well.known to the whole world, and it
is to her persistence that the final discov-
cry of his fate is due. She exhausted her
fortune 10 this last effort, and is said now
to be in France, in extreme i'll health.
Her hopes are now blasted, but she has
the satisfaction of having been successful
in her loving, heroic efforts, and if she
survives should be amply rewarded, as
we'll as duly honored in her life and at
her demise.
Results Of Arctic Exploration.
In his Life of Dr. Kane, DR.. Elder
says that, since 1s4S, there have been
Twenty-Five expeditions, embracing m".y-
one vessels, at cost Of -Four Millions Of
Dollars, set on foot to resolve the fate of
Franklin. Their heroic acts and their
illumine the history of twelve
years past. Capt. Mcclure made voyage
through Behring's Straits, and reached
Ihe Atlantic from the Pacifc-proving |
he fact of their being joined at the North
"A fact that, once attained, may never
be repeated, as it is Of no utility, and in-
volves dangers aud distress demanded by
l.