562 THE FRANKLIN RELICS. 



books recovered are very few ; they would, of course, 

 succumb early to the rigors of exposure, but there is 

 still well preserved a small edition of the ' Vicar of 

 Wakefield,' some religious poetry, and a French Testa- 

 ment, on the fly-leaf of which is written, in a delicate 

 female hand, ' From your attached (the appellation is 

 obliterated) S. M. P.' The open medicine-chest con- 

 tains all its bottles and preparations very little injured, 

 and a little cooking-machine has the fuel arranged, the 

 sticks thrust through the bars ready for ignition, and 

 lucifer matches at the side, as it might have been pre- 

 pared over night for the morning cooking. It would be 

 impossible to exaggerate the interest and importance of 

 all these simple memorials ; they tell a tale that will 

 find its way to every heart.' 3 



The Franklin expedition, when it sailed from Eng- 

 land, numbered one hundred and thirty-eight souls. 

 The record found at Point Victory tells us that the total 

 ,oss by deaths up to that time had been nine officers 

 and fifteen men, and that the party which landed there 

 numbered one hundred and five souls. This leaves 

 nine men unaccounted for. Is it an error in the figures, 

 or were nine men left on board the ships ? 



Although the death of the whole party seems to 

 be now rendered morally certain, we have no direct 

 evidence of the death of more than half their num- 

 ber. Until the fate of every man is ascertained, their 

 relatives and friends will cling fondly to the hope that 

 some may yet be living, and will urge the policy of 

 Bending new expeditions 



