Year: 1859

pieces OF hoop, with bone between and lashed
on to the staff. The rivets are of copper nails.
Ihe native who sold it said he himself got IL
rom the boat in Fish River. Another spear of
the same kind was seen. The knives are made
either OF iron or steel riveted to two strips of
hoop, between which the handle of wood is m
serted, and rlvets passed through, securing
them together The rivets are almost all made
out OF copper nails, such as would be found in
copper fastened boat, but those which have
been examined do not bear the government
mark. 1t is probable that most of the boats of
the Erebus and Terror were built by contract,
and therefore woald not have the broad arrow
stamped upon their iron and copper work One
small knife appears to have been surgical in
strument


A large knife obtained in April bears some
marking, such as q sword or cutlass might have.
Ihe man who sold it, said he bought it from
another, who picked it up on the land where
the ship was driven ashore by the ice, and
where the white people had thrown it away
1t was then about as long as his arm" This was
the first information he received of one Of the
ships having drifted on shore. One knife and
one file are stamped with the broad arrow. The
handles are variously composed of oak, ash,
pine, mahogany, elm and bone. The spoons
and forks were readily sold for few needles
each, also the buttons, which they wore as Or
naments on their dresses Bows and arrows
were readily exchanged for knives. Previously
to the stranding on the neighboring shore of the
last expedition, these people must have been
almost destitute of wood or iron. Some of
them had even got only bone knives and spear
points, Some of their sledges were seen, con-
sisting of two rolls of seal-skin flattened and
frozen, to serve as runners and connected to-
gether by cross bars of bones. Many moro
knives, bone, and buttons, similar to those
brought away, might have been obtained, but
no personal or important relics.


Captain McClintock says, from all that can
be cleaned from the record paper and the evil
dence afforded by the boat and various articles
of clothing and equipment discovered it appears
that the abandonment of the Erebus and Terror
had been deliberately arranged, and every effort
exerted, during the third winter, to render the
travelling equipment complete. 1t is much to
be apprehended that disease had greatly reduced
the strength of all on board, far more, perhaps,
than they themselves were aware Of The dis
tance by sledge route from the position of the
ships when abandoned to the boat, is 65 geo.
graphical miles, and from the ships to Montreal
Island, 220 miles. The most perfect order
seems to have existed throughout,


The Franklin expedition, which numbered
1873 souls, sailed from England in May, lS48,
and nothing definite, till now, has been accu-
rately ascertained of its movements or fate
later than July of the same year, when the
fated Erebus and Terror were spoken by pas
sing whaler. One of the several expeditions
fitted out by government with the view of re-
lieving or ascertaining the fate of the missing
adventurers, discovered in 1851, traces of their
winter quarters in 1856, at Beechy Island,
and in 1854, DR.. Rea found among the Esqui-
maux on the west shore of Boothia certain rel
les of the expedition, and was told that a party
oil white men had perished of starvation in that
neghborhood four years previously,


They had been seen, it was said by the ma
tivcs, dragging boat on the north shore of
King Williams Sound. The intelligence now
received would seem in confirmation of that OBJ
tained by DR.. Rea the localities in the two
accounts appear to be the same and the dis
crepancy of dates-Captain McClintock s news
heing to the effect that the crews abandoned their
ships 50 early as lS48-is probably to be ex-
plaued by the looSeness of the Esquimaux mo-
tions of times and seasons.


Up to 1850 the country hoped that Sir John
and his gallant companions might yet be with
in reach of aid ; and in March of that year
government offered reward of 100000 to
''any party or parties who in the judgment of
the Board of Admiralty, should discover or eff
fectually relieve any of the crews - or 100000
to any party who should give such information
as would lead to their relief, Or definitely ascer
tain their fate So late, even, as 1857, an eff
fort was made to induce the government to " at
tempt final and exhaustive search" with the
view of ascertaining the fate of the expedition.


1t was on the failure of this effort that Lady
Franklin herself undertook the responsibility,
and the result has now, it appears, justified her
faith and enterprise. 1t will be for the country
to consider whether the widow of the brave
and unfortunate explorer shall be permitted to
pay out her private funds for information SO in
terestlng to the public, and for which so large
sum as 9l0 600 had been offered in the name
of the country-an offer which has never, We
presume been formally withdrawn.