Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-02-25

long, with staff which appears to have been
part Of the gunwae of a light boat.
These Esquimaux were all well clothed in |
reindeer dresses, and looked clean. They APP
peared to have abundance of provisions, but |
scarcely scrap of wood was seen among them |
which had not come from the lost cxpedtion.-
Most of their sledges were wretched little af
fairs, consisting of two frozen rolls of seal
skins, coated with ice, and attached to each |
other by bones, which served as cross-bars.- |
The men were stout hearty fellows, and the |
women arrant thieves, but all were good-hu- !
mored and friendly. The women were decd- |
edly plain; but not without certain degree of
gentleness and vivacity. They had fine eyes
and teeth, as well as very small hands, and the
young girls had fresh rosy hue not often seen
with olive compilations. The mothers carry
their infants on their backs within their large
fur dresses, and where the babes can only be
got at by pulling them out over the shoulder
The party returned to the ship on the 18th of
March, having in the journey OF % days trav-
eled about 800 geographical miles, and com
pleted the discovery of the coast line of conti-
mental America, thereby adding about 20 miles
to the charts. The mean temperature through
out the journey was 80 deg. below zero.
On the I'd of April, the travelling parties
took new start consisting of five sedges, twelve
men, and seventeen dogs, the latter of all sizes
and shapes. The load for each man to drag was
fixed at 200 pounds, and for each dog 100
pounds The provisions were chiefly pemmican,
buiscuit and tea, with a small addition of boil
ed pork, rum, and some tobacco. The men
were unframed to the work, the sledges heavily
laden, and the march was consequently slow and
fatiguing The temperature continued low, of
ten nearly 80 deg. below zero, and at times with
cutting north winds, bright sun, and intensely
strong snow glare. The party wore colored
spectacles, but almost all suffered m uch from in
famed eyes. The faces of the men were blis-
tered their lips anil hands cracked, and they
were greatly disfgured by the combined effects
of bright sun and bitter cold winds. No seri-
Gus frostbites occurred, however, but frostbt-
ten faces and fingers were universal.
On the Goth of April in lat. 20 l-2 deg, N,
they met with two families of, natives, compri-
sing twelve individuals being the same people
with whom they bartered at Cape Victoria in
February. Their snow-huts were upon the ice,
three quarters Of mile off shore, and their
occupation was seal-hunting. A snow bank or
bench two feet high and filling half the area Of
each hut, was covered with reindeer skins, and
formed the family place of repose. An angular
snow bench served as the kitchen table, and Just
beside it sat the lady of the establishment at
tending the stone lamp which stood thereon,
and the stone cooking vessel suspended over It.
The lamp was shallow open vessel, the fuel
seal OIL and the wick dried moss. A little seal
skin bag of soft dry moss formed her tinder
box, on which she struck fire with lump Of
iron pyrites and broken file. The file was
marked with the Government broad arrow.
There were also two large snow shovels made
of mahogany board, some long spear handles,
bow of English wood, two preserved meat
tins, and deal case which might have once
contained a large telescope or a barometer. 1t
had no lid, but part of the brass hinges remain
ed. Among the other articles in possession of
the natives was knife, with some indistinct
markings on it, like those usually seen on ships
cutlasses or swords. This had been picked up
on the shore near where ship lay stranded
When fourd it was about the length of a mans
arm, but the Esquimaux who picked it up broke
it into lengths to make knives.
After long inquiry, it was ascertained that
two ships had been seen by the natives of King
Williams Island; one of them was seen to sink
in deep water; but the other was forced on
shore, where they supposed she was still remain
ing. Captain M'Clintock was also told that the
body of a man was found on board the ship
that he must have been a very large man with
long teeth that it was in the Fall of the year
when the ships were destroyed that all the
white people went away to the "large river,
taking boat or boats with them and that in
|
there.
The Information thus obtained respecting
both the missing ships was most important, and
Capt. M'Clintock determined to discover, ii
possible, the stranded ship Continuing the
journey, he crossed wide bay on level ice, and
remarkably smooth, hard snow. Seven or eight
snow huts, recently abandoned, were found neal
the magnetic pole. Reaching Cape Victoria or
the 2Sth of April, Capt M'Clintock separated
from Hobson, taking a southerly course, while
the latter marched direct for Cape Felix, King
Williams Island. On the eth of May, the
Captain arrived at a snow village, with ten oil
twelve hu,s, and thirty or forty natives of King
Williams Island From them, he purchased
six pieces of silver plate bearing the crests oil
initials of Franklin, Crozier, Fairholme ant
Mcdonald in addition to bows and arrows o.
English woods, and uniform and other buttons
Having obtained all the relics they possessed
he bartered for some seals flesh, blubber, frozen
venison, dried and frozen salmon, and sold then
some of his puppies. He was told that it wa.
five days journey to the wreck; that many o
the white men dropped by the way as they wen
to the Great River; that some were buried anc
some were not.
Having proceeded as far as Montreal Island
on the 10Th of May, the party commenced thei
return journey, but for the three following week.
the route led over new ground. On the 25tl
of May, as they We're upon the shore along
which the retreating crews must have marched
they came upon human skeleton, partly ex
posed, with here and there few fragments o
clothing appearing through the snow. Th
skeleton was perfectly bleached, and lying up
on its face, the limbs and smaller bones eithe
discovered or gnawed away by small animals
The spot, of course, was carefully examined
the snow removed, and every scrap of clothing
gathered up. A pocketbook was found, but i
was frozen hard. The victim, was evidently
young man, slightly built, and perhaps abov
the common hight. The dress appeared to b.
: that of steward or officers servant, the loos
bow knot in which his neck handkerchief wa
tied not being used by seamen or officers. Il
other respects the dress confirmed the supposi
ton as to his rank-the blue jacket with slash
ed sleeves and braided edging, and the pilo
cloth great coat with plain covered buttons
There was a clothes-brush near and a horl
pocket. comb. The young man seemed to hav
selected the bare ridge top, as aifording tn
easiest walking, and to have fallen upon his fac
when so exhausted that he could proceed nj
further.
. The time had now comn for n revelation n