STATE OF THE BODIES. 251 



No. 4. The officer who was not thin would not, I 

 think, sufficiently represent Sir J. Franklin ; his pecu- 

 liar features and forehead would have been remarked. 

 Famine will reduce aged men more rapidly than powerful 

 young men ; but why should not all the individuals be 

 thin, if so short of provision at the date in question ? 



No. 5. The account of the bodies found does not 

 satisfy my mind. It is not in the nature of that race to 

 permit any persons to pass untracked until they reach 

 an adverse tribe. They would, and did, most assuredly 

 follow them ; or why, by mere chance, as it is intended 

 to convey, did they so soon afterwards, and after so short 

 travel, learn fossa fate? 



" Some had been buried, some were in tents, others 

 under the boat, several lay about in different directions." 

 This was not late in the season, but before the ice broke 

 up ; but it is clear that they were perfectly cognizant of 

 more after the ice broke up, for they intimate that the 

 shot and ball deposited on the ice had, when the ice 

 thawed, sunk below high-water mark! ! 



On the island one, supposed to be an officer, had his 

 telescope strapped over his shoulder and his fowling- 

 piece beneath him. This must have been from positive 

 vision, not from information. 



No. 6. From the mutilated state of the bodies, and the 

 contents of the kettles, a fearful resort is intimated. 



In this I cannot rationally coincide. If such had been 

 the deliberate act of starving men, no vestiges would 

 have been found in the kettles. As to fuel to cook, we 

 have no evidence ; but the boat was there. And it may 

 be some consolation to the friends of officers, until we 



