1853.] FATE OF LIEUTENANT BELLOT. 3 



'Breadalbane' transport; and the melancholy death of 

 Monsieur Bellot, Lieutenant de Vaisseau, in his attempt 

 to reach me with the mails, all of which had been fortu- 

 nately rescued. 



The two last unfortunate facts solved all the doubts as 

 to the Halkett's boat and pieces of wreck found near 

 us. The ' Breadalbane' had been nipped, and in a few 

 minutes was nowhere to be seen; yet portions of her 

 boats and wreck had been traced thus far, even since the 

 21st of August, a drift of fifty-six miles ! 



The fate of Bellot, admired by all, the untiring sup- 

 porter of Kennedy, a volunteer again with Commander 

 Inglefield, and the intrepid adventurer in this case to 

 carry our despatches even up to Cape Hogarth, cut off, 

 not by any immediate disaster common to his crew, nor 

 even in their sight, but had slipped down between the 

 hummocks and was no more seen ! a most mysterious, 

 incomprehensible death ! He had been substituted for 

 Commander Pullen, whose duties (Commander Inglefield 

 having started before his arrival, to seek us by the west- 

 ern shore) required his presence on the spot. The boat 

 (Halkett's) was provided by the ' Phoenix.' This melan- 

 choly event occurred on the 1 8th of August, at the same 

 moment that we were also in jeopardy. 



It appears, from the very incoherent statements of the 

 men who accompanied Lieutenant Bellot, that near Cape 

 Grinnell the ice exhibited a heavy crack, opening rapidly, 

 and they were engaged conveying the contents of the 

 sledge to the shore by means of Halkett's boat, when, 

 having secured all but the sledge, the ice drifted off, 

 Lieutenant Bellot desiring them " to let go the line." 



B 2 



