RECORD DISCOVERED. 547 



the British Admiralty, on which is printed, in five differ- 

 ent languages, the following formula : 



" Whoever finds this paper is requested to forward it to the Secretary 

 of the Admiralty, London, with a note of the time and place at which it waa 

 found ; or, if more convenient, to deliver it for that purpose to the Brit- 

 ish Consul at the nearest port." 



The record is written on the margin of this paper, and 

 consists of two separate entries. The first is as follows : 



"28 May, 1847. H. M. Ships Erebus and Terror wintered in the ice, 

 in lat. 70 5' N., Ion. 98 23' W. Having wintered in 184C-7 * at Beechey 

 Island, in lat. 74 43' 28" N., Ion. 91 39' 15" W., after having ascended 

 Wellington Channel to lat. 77 J , and returned by the west side of Corn- 

 wallis Island. 



SIR JOHN FRANKLIN, Commanding the Expedition. 



All well. 



Party, consisting of 2 officers and 6 men, left the ships on Monday, 24th 

 May, 1847. G. GORE, Lieutenant. 



CHAS. F. DES VCEUX, Mate." 



From this it appears that the ships were then safe a-t 

 their winter quarters in the ice, and the party all well. 

 But the other entry, which is dated nearly a year later, 

 tells a different tale. It runs thus : 



" 25th April, 1848. H. M. Ships Terror and Erebus were deserted 

 on the 22d April, 5 leagues N. N. W. of this, having been beset since 12th 

 Sept., 1846. The officers and crew, consisting of 105 souls, under the 

 command of Capt. F. R. M. Crozier, landed here, in lat. 69 33' 42", Ion. 

 98 4' 1", and start on to-morrow, 2Gth, for Back's Fish River." " Thia 

 paper was found by Lieut. Irving under the cairn supposed to have been 

 built by Sir James Ross in 1831, 4 miles to the north-west, where it had 

 been deposited b\- the late Commander Gore in May (June), 1847. Sir 

 James Ross's pillar has not, however, been found, and the paper has been 

 transferred to this position, which is that in which Sir J. Ross's pillar was 

 erected. Sir John Franklin died on the llth June, 1847 ; and the total 

 loss by deaths in the expedition has been, to this date, 9 officers and 15 



men. 



JAMES FITZJAME3, Captain H. M. S. Erebus. 



F. R. M. CROZIER, Captain and Senior Officer." 

 * This is a mistake. The ships wintered at Beechey Island in 1845-6, 



