Ch. XI. FRANKLIN & RICHARDSON'S SECOND JOURNEY. 417 



by tasting it. Franklin says, that with his little 

 frail craft he could not have ventured beyond Whale 

 Island, or three miles, to prove its saltness ; but the 

 boundless horizon, the tide, and the sight of por- 

 poises and whales, were enough to induce him to 

 say that he had arrived at the ocean. Franklin 

 says they had often occasion to admire the general 

 correctness of Mackenzie's survey. " Injustice to 

 his memory, I hope the custom of calling this the 

 Great River, which is in general use among- the 

 traders, will be discontinued, and that the name of 

 its eminent discoverer may be universally adopted." 

 On Garry Island were found several layers of 

 wood-coal and bituminous liquor. Franklin had 

 put a piece of the former in his pocket, which had 

 ignited spontaneously, and scorched the metal pow- 

 der-horn by its side. From the summit of this 

 island " the sea appeared in all its majesty, entirely 

 free from ice, and without any visible obstruction 

 to its navigation, and never was a prospect more 

 gratifying than that which lay open to us." But 

 on landing, an incident occurred, the occasion of 

 which, on leaving England, had created in his mind 

 a severe struggle between the feelings of affection 

 and a sense of duty, and those feelings were power- 

 fully awakened on the present occasion. Just as he 

 was about to leave England his beloved wife, then 

 lying at the point of death, with heroic fortitude 

 urged his departure at the very day appointed, en- 



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