The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-10-13


of the exact .number is circnmstantial.
Every thing about in this Northwest
Passage ship of Sir John Franklins
Expedition was in complete orders
four boats were hanging high up az
the ships sides, and one was on. the
quarterback the vessel was i'm its
winter housing of sail or tent cldth::2 -
This vessel was found blythe Ook- -ioo-
TX natives near O'Reiliys Island, lat
itude $50 30N North, Longitude go g
West, early in the spring OF s1849, it
being frozen i'm; sin the nidstef n
smooth and unbroken foe of ice of
only one winters fermation.' From
certain evidence have gained, both
at g-loo7l 7lik and King Williams Land,
there must have been q dog of the
greyhound species belonging t0sone or
the other of the two ships; l only
know this through native Testimony.
1t is quite likely that some zone in
England can tell whether fhere Vas a
dog on board either of tb esnspsswhen
Sir John Franklin left tsin fS96.
To complete the history. Of Sir john
Franklin's last expedition, one must
spend a summer on King' Wffffam's
Land with a considera ble9parUy, whose
only business should be to make search
es for records, which beyond doubt,
lie burie on the island. I am certain;
from what have heard the natives
say, and from what II saw myself, that
little or nothing ncan9 be gained rbs
making searches there when the land
Is clothed m its winter garb, for the
Esquimaux have made search after
search over all the coast Of King Will
liam's Land. aon either side, from its
southern extreme upEto Cape Felix,
the northern point, for any thing and
every thing that belonged to the com
panions of Sir John Franklin, and
these searches have been made when
the snow had nearly all disappeared
froulsthe land.e=5
Ny slelge company from Repulse
Bay to King Williams Land scoBsisted
of eleven7souls, all EsquimaQx AL
though they are rs untamable as. ea-
giles BY nature, yet by their AID alone
was enabled to reach points other
wise inaccessible, and when there to
gain much Important information rela-
tive to the fate of Sir John Franklin's.
expedition. i tried hard TO accom-
plish- far more than I did but notsone
of the company would, onany aeeepnt
whatever, consent TO remain wfthzne
in that country and make a summer
search over that, island, which, from
information Ihad gained Of the natives
had reason to suppose would be re-
| H. Of "a sxxyhn nj
of the manuscript records thathad ac-
cumulated in that great expedition, and
been deposited in vault little way
inland or eastward of Cape Victory
Knowing, as 1 now do, the character
of the Esquimaux in that part of the
country in which King Williams Land
is situated, I can not wonder at nor
blame the Repulse Bay natives for
their refusal to remain there as de-
sired. 1t is quite probable, had we
remained as I wished, no one of us
would have got out of the country
alive. How could we expect, if we
had got into straitened circumstances.
that we should receive better treatment
from the Esquimaux of that country
than the 105 souls who were under
the command of the heroic Crozfer5
some time after lending on King VIII
liam's Land Could I and my party
with reasonable safety, have remained
to make summer search on King
Williams Land, tits not only probable
that we should have recovered the logs
and journals of Sir John Frankffh's 8
expedition, but have gathered up and
entombed the remains of nearly one
hundred of his companions; for they
lie about the places where the, three
boats have been found, and at the large
camping-place at the head Of Terror
Bay, and the three other places that l
have already mentioned, In the Cove,
west side of Port Richardson, however.
Nature herself has opened her. bosom
and given sepulture to the remains of
the immortal heroes that died there.
= Whereverithe Esquimhux have. found
the graves of Franklin,s companions,
they have dug them open and robbed
the dead, leaving them exposed to THE
ravages of wild 'beasts.r On Todd's
Island the remains of five men were
! not buried, but after the saYages bad
robbed them of every article that could
. be turned to any account for their use,
: their dogs were allowed to finish'ft fthe
/ disgusting work. I'd 20 -Hom92E
Wherever T found that Sir John
Franklin's companions had died / erect
: ed monuments, then fred salutes and
, waved the Star Spangled Banner over
! them in memory and respect of the
great and true discoverers of the North
T west Passage. 1 could have gathered
great quantities. very great variety
of relics of Sir John Franklin's s .Expe-
t dition, for they are now possessed by
: natives all over the Arctic regions; that
: [ visited or heard of-from Ponds
r Bay to Mackenzie River. As it was,
l l had to be satisfied with taking upon
) our sledges about 125 pounds, total
e weight, of relics from natives about
: King Williams Land Some of. those
| will enumerate ) 1st.7 A portion OF
one side (several planks and ribs fast
together) of boat, clinker-built and
Z copper fastened This part of a boat
is of the one found near the boat fnuad
. by McClintock's party. I'd. A,small
? oak sledge-runner, reduced from tie
f sledge on which the boat rested. Sd.
Part of the mast Of the Northwest
) Passage ship. 4th.i Chronometer box,
2 with its number, name of maker; and
the Queens broadarrow engraved up.
on it. 9th. Two long heavy sheets of
oOay,ar fbroa oy,1 ,,r ;;,,,f, ~, J<,