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262 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



magnetic instruments, with photographic apparatus to ob- 

 tain portraits of the natives, and a complete outfit for the 

 collection of specimens of natural history. The scientific 

 operations were intrusted to Dr. Emil Bessels, while Lieuten- 

 ant W. Maynard had orders to continue his investigations in 

 regard to the seal fisheries and the fur trade. The Indian 

 Office placed $3000 at the disposal of the former to procure 

 ethnological specimens for the Centennial Exhibition. It was 

 also the intention to bring some natives of the different hy- 

 perborean tribes to the United States to be exhibited at 

 Philadelphia, in order to have an opportunity for studying, 

 with more leisure than a brief stay in their country would 

 afford, their language, mythology, etc. 



Unfortunately the cruise came to a sudden end. The Sara- 

 nac, after having left San Francisco, encountered heavy head- 

 winds, and had to run into Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, to 

 coal. After a day's delay, she left this place on the evening 

 of June 17th, and in attempting to enter Seymour Narrows 

 at about 8 o'clock the next morning, she struck the well-known 

 rock near the middle of the channel, and sank in less than an 

 hour. The accident was caused by the fact that the vessel 

 would not obey her helm readily. The strong current, hav- 

 ing at the time a velocity of about seven knots per hour, 

 carried her with crushing force against the sunken rock. 

 Hardly any thing could be saved, but owing to the excellent 

 discipline no lives were lost. The officers and crew, num- 

 bering 173, landed safely with the ship's boat on the shore 

 of Vancouver Island; but as the cliffs were too steep to af- 

 ford a good camping-ground, both provisions and camp were 

 transferred to Valdisc Island, which was found to be more 

 suitable. In the mean time the executive officer of the lost 

 vessel was dispatched to Victoria, with a boat's crew, to ob- 

 tain assistance. After the lapse of five days of continual 

 rain, during which the shipwrecked mariners were almost 

 without shelter and on very scanty rations, the English man- 

 of - war Myrmidon made her appearance, followed by the 

 II. B. C. steamer Otter, to convey the officers and men to 

 Victoria. The courteous and generous treatment of the 

 party by the English naval officers can not be too highly 

 spoken of. 



