The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-01-12
SIR IoHN FRANKLIN.

LADY FRANKLIN's REWARD OF $4,000 FOR
THE RECOVERY OF THE RECORDS OF HER
HUSBANDS EXPEDITION.
To the Editor OF the New York Herald
LONDON, Dec. 10, 1s74.-I am desired by
my aunt, Lady Franklin (whose exceed
ingly weak state of health forbids her
addressing you with her own HANDY, to
bring under your notice the fact that
she has renewed the reward (of 92,000)
offered for the recovery of the records of her
husbands expedition. 1t was first made
public about three years ago in England, and
almost simultaneously in America, where
its promulgatiOn is at least as necessary
as at home, and my aunt ventures to
hope that you will secure for the subject the
most widely extended circulation it csn
receive by giving orders that the reward
be made known in the pages of the New
York Herald. In this hope we shall place
before you the leading facts as 10 the object
in view and still existing probabilities of
success, It is naturally concluded that, on
the abandonment of the Erebus and Terror,
few miles only from the mainland, the
Journals, ships logs, and scientific obServa-
tiOns would be left to certain destruction
with the ships, but would be landed
| for deposit at the spot whence the survivors
started on their journey to the Fish river.
Safe concealment only, with a view TO the
future recovery of valuable data, would be
the object, and not the depOsiting informa-
| tinn in conspicuous positions, as was done
in respect to the proceedings of the retreat
ing parties. 1t is evident, therefore,
| that this locality should be searched
when the snow is off the ground. The same
condition is necessary for examination OF
the known line of retreat toward the Fish
river Sir Leopold McClintock made this
upon tine show, which only Partially, though
sufficiently
REVEALED THE FATAL TRACES
OF their passage. 1t is we'll known, by
means of the whalers who have visited Re.
pulse Bay, that the Esquimaux have been
attracted to the west coast of King William
Island by the debris OF every description
which would follow the breaking up of the
vessels, as well as those cast down and
abandoned by the r6treating party.
1t is also known that various expedients
were adopted in their extremity for
| conveying news OF themselves; for
instance, Mr.. Hall brought home a tin
| match box, which had been carefully sewn
up in canvas, and contained piece of paper
so said the Esquimaux who gave up the
| box. Ii is obvious that personal communi-
| cation with these people would almost in
/ evitably be the means of recovering some OF
| these fragments OF later information. The
way of reaching the area TO be searched
| now clearly limited and defned-may be
by ship down Peel Sound, or by Regent
Inlet and through Ballot Strait, which
| would place the searchers at once within
| reach OF their work and i'll the waterway ol
| the Northwest Passage into the Pacific
which L need not tell you has
never been accomplished. The other
route would be by land, starting, as
Mr.. Hall did, from Repulse Bay. The choice
Will depend, probably, upon the habits and
| experience of him who undertakes il. Ii
is quest worthy of your Mr.. Stanley, and
if he were not engaged in other work, my
! aunt would venture to stimulate his enthu-
siasm in its behalf. In consideration Of the
difficulty of providing for the equipment ol
such an undertaking, my aunt has
ADDED To THE REWARD OF G., 900
on receiving possession of the documents in
question the offer OF some compensation for
the outlay, the adjudication of this, as well
as the reward itself, to be made by three per.
sons appointed by both parties, of whom
| two shall be officers of the navy who have
had experience in Arctic service, and who
| must therefore be competent for the
duty kindly undertaken by them. It is
right should add that the payment of the
sums TO be claimed is made binding upouIny
aunts executors in the contingency OF her
death during the progress of the work. You
| Will excuse, my aunt hopes, the lengthy ex-
PLANTATION with which we have troubled you
1t Is offered rather as a guarantee for the
reasonsbleness and hopefulness of the OBJ
ject, which may therefore commend itself
TO your advocacy as well as your sympathy
| of which, indeed, my aunt has no doubt.
She begs Der kind regards to you, and ]
an, dear sir, yours very truly,
SOPHIA CRACEoFr.
| n Harrisburg paper informs us tha