2 FORMER EXPEDITIONS. Chap. I. 



us. From the Esquimaux of Boothia Felix he learned that 

 a party of about forty white men were met on the west coast 

 of King William's Island, who from thence travelled on to 

 the mouth of the Great Fish River, where they all perished 

 of starvation, and that this tragic event occurred apparently 

 in the spring of 1850. 



Some relics obtained from these natives, and brought 

 home by Dr. Rae, were proved to have belonged to Sir 

 John Franklin and several of his associates. 



The Government caused an exploring party to descend 

 the Fish River in 1855 ; but, although sufficient traces were 

 found to prove that some portion of the crews of the 

 ' Erebus ' and ' Terror ' had actually landed on the banks of 

 that river, and traces existed of them up to Franklin Rapids, 

 no additional information was obtained either by the dis- 

 covery of Records, or through the Esquimaux. Mr. Anderson, 

 the Hudson Bay Company's officer in charge, and his small 

 party, deserve credit for their perseverance and skill; but they 

 were not furnished with the necessary means of accomplish- 

 ing their mission. Mr. Anderson could not obtain an in- 

 terpreter, and the two frail bark canoes in which his whole 

 party embarked were almost worn out before they reached 

 the locality to be searched. It is not surprising that such 

 an expedition caused very considerable disappointment at 



home. 



Lady Franklin, and the advocates for further search, now 

 pressed upon Government the necessity of following up, in 

 a more effectual manner, the traces accidentally found by 

 Dr. Rae, and, in fact, of rendering the search complete 

 by one more effort, involving but little of hazard or expense. 

 It was not until April, 1857, that any decisive answer was 

 given to Lady Franklin's appeal. 1 



1 Lady Franklin's letter to Viscount Palmerston, here alluded to, was 

 published in the Appendix of the former editions of this work. 



