26 FINDLAY. [Jan. 28, 1856. 



Captain CoUinson said, with reference to the liope of finding documents, 

 that Sir J. Ross had found a MS. note-book, written by himself in 

 pencil at Fury Beach, when he returned there with his uncle after eight 

 years* absence, unhurt in the pocket of the tent where he had left it. 



Sir E. Belcher added that portions of the papers left by Sir J. Franklin 

 in 1846, were found by him in 1850 quite legible, though they had been 

 exposed to the weather. 



He then explained that the Northern Sea, of which he had spoken at 

 the last Meeting, was not to be confounded with Mr. Petermann's 

 Polynia. The sea along the northern lands was always in motion, and 

 therefore ice would pass along the shore. 



"With reference to the shovel found, he remarked that all H. M.'s 

 ships were provided with the customary shovels with wooden handles, 

 which would invariably be used in sledge travel. The iron blacksmith's 

 shovel was not only too small in the blade to be useful, but the iron 

 handle would invariably bite the hands. 



Sir R. Murchison was glad to see that, though there was so much 

 difference between Arctic travellers, yet that all who had taken part in 

 the discussion had openly or tacitly agreed that a small expedition ought 

 to be fitted out to follow up the clue which had been obtained. Sir 

 G. Back was, at least, willing to allow that a more extended search 

 would have been more satisfactory. Capt. Collinson, who had trended 

 the whole of the North American coast from Behring's Strait to within 

 a short distance of the mouth of the Back River, stated that a search by 

 this line could be accomplished without risk and with an almost perfect 

 certainty of success in a small screw- vessel, and was very decided in 

 favour of a further search. Sir E. Belcher, adverting to the heavy utensils 

 which the survivors of the Franklin Expedition had brought with them, 

 had expressed it as his belief that the remains of the ships were probably 

 not very distant from the mouth of the Back River. Dr. Rae had first 

 given us the clue, and he (Sir R. Murchison) maintained that it would 

 be inglorious on the part of Britain, possessing such a clue and the 

 opinions of such experienced men, to abandon this one small and final 

 effort. He then read extracts from a letter from Capt. Sherard Osborn, 

 expressing his conviction that the ships were still in the ice ; that the 

 search should not be discontinued ; and Ihat many competent naval men 

 would be happy to serve in the expedition. 



Dr. Hodgkin said that long attention to the subject had convinced 

 him of the accuracy of the opinion several years since published by 

 Dr. R. King, that, comparing the results obtained with the expenditure 

 of life and property, the land expeditions of moderate size very far 

 surpassed the ship expeditions, but that of these the employment of 

 strong small screw steamers appeared to have the preference. 



