208 BOOTHIA 



surveying with his customary accuracy, despatch, and 

 general alertness, striking across the peninsula, dis- 

 covering the Murchison River, reaching Simpson's 

 farthest at Castor and Pollux River, and thence proving 

 the insularity of King William Land by travelling up 

 the east coast of the strait now named after him and 

 he was back again in August. He had almost finished 

 the survey of the northern coast-line ; and he had 

 ascertained how and where Franklin's voyage had 

 ended, for which discovery the British Government gave 

 him the reward of 10,000, letting it be understood 

 that so far as they were concerned the Franklin searches 

 were at an end. 



But Lady Franklin thought one more effort should 

 be made to unravel the mystery of her husband's fate, 

 and there were many who thought the same. Helped 

 to a certain extent by a public subscription, she organ- 

 ised another expedition. The steam-yacht Fox was 

 bought from the executors of Sir Richard Sutton and 

 altered for Arctic work by her builders, the Halls of 

 Aberdeen clipper fame. As leader went Captain, after- 

 wards Sir, Frederick Leopold M'Clintock, who had 

 done such brilliant sledge-work in the north ; like his 

 second in command, Lieutenant W. R. Hobson, he 

 gave his services gratuitously, as also did Dr. David 

 Walker and Captain, afterwards Sir, Allen Young, 

 then of the Mercantile Marine, who also subscribed 

 500 towards the fund. Carl Petersen, the Eskimo 

 interpreter on the voyages of Penny and Kane, came 

 to join from Copenhagen, having landed there from 

 Greenland only six days previously. The British 

 Government, although declining to send out an expedi- 



