RETURN OF THE ENTERPRISE. 469 



54' north, Collinson bore up, and eventually wintered 

 his ship on the eastern side of the entrance of Prince of 

 AY ales Strait. Thence he pursued his explorations in 

 the neighborhood of Banks's Land, Albert Land, Wol- 

 laston Land, and Victoria Land, concerning the geogra- 

 phy of which he obtained much valuable information.. 

 At Cambridge Bay, in Wollaston Land, where the 

 Enterprise passed the winter of 1852-3, he saw in the 

 possession of the Esquimaux a piece of iron and frag- 

 ment of a doorway, or hatch-frame, which it is thought 

 must have belonged to the Erebus or Terror ; but this 

 trace led to no further discoveries, nor was anything 

 ascertained in regard to the fate of Sir John Franklin. 



The Enterprise was absent longer than any of the 

 other searching expeditions, and was equally distin- 

 guished by the ability, heroism, and endurance, displayed 

 by her officers and crew ; but, as their adventures are 

 similar to those already related, we do not think it 

 necessary to give them in more detail. Long after the 

 people of England were assured of the safety of M'Clure, 

 they continued to feel anxiety regarding the fate of 

 Collinson. But the latter had the good fortune to 

 retrace his steps by the way he came, and brought his 

 ship and crew safely back to England. In the mean 

 time, the Plover, the other vessel of the Pacific squadron, 

 had also reached home in safety. Mr. Kennedy, in the 

 Isabel, who sailed in 1853 to carry assistance to Collin- 

 son, was shipwrecked on the coast of South America, 

 where his crew having mutinied and deserted, his voyage 

 was abandoned. 



Shortly after the return of Belcher and M'Clure, with 

 the crews of their deserted ships, another note of inform- 

 ation was sounded from the Arctic regions, but its 

 tone was very sad. The Montreal Herald of October 

 21st, 1854, published a letter from Dr. Rae to the gov- 



