266 RICHARDSON'S AND RAE'S EXPLORATIONS. 



relations with the natives. The whole month of Sep- 

 tember was remarkably fine, the frost to the latest so 

 light as not to arrest the streams, and strong winds 

 generally blowing from the east. The Plover prepared 

 to winter in Kotzebue Sound, with the view of making 

 further researches, and received from her consort as 

 much provisions as she could stow or take care of. 

 And on the 29th September the Herald and the yacht 

 weighed anchor, and stood away for the south. 



On the 10th July, 1850, the Herald again joined the 

 Plover at Chamisso Island ; and the two ships then set 

 out together on another exploration. They proceeded 

 northward till they sighted the pack-ice, and then sepa- 

 rated the Herald to return in quest of another and 

 stronger expedition which had sailed from England, 

 and which we shall afterwards have occasion to notice ; 

 and the Plover to prosecute the search eastward along 

 the coast. Commander Moore, by means of his boats, 

 made minute examination of all the inlets between Icy 

 Cape and Point Barrow ; he and his men suffered se- 

 verely from exposure to cold ; but they were entirely 

 unsuccessful in the object of their search. The two 

 ships again fell in with each other off Cape Lisburn on 

 the 13th August ; and Captain Kellett eventually gave 

 full victualling to the Plover, ordered her to winter in 

 Grantley Harbor, and then, toward the close of the open 

 season, returned through Behring's Strait on his way to 

 England. Thus, in October, 1850, ended this first west- 

 ern searching expedition, without having thrown one 

 ray of light on the probable fate of Sir John Franklin. 



The second searching expedition was the overland 

 one, under the command of Sir John Richardson. In 

 preparation for it, several boats, seven tons of pemmi- 

 can, large quantities of other provisions and stores, five 

 Beamen, and fifteen sappers and miners, were embarked 



