IV THE FATE OK SIR JOHN FRANKT/IN, 



the men, all of whom, except one officer, looked thin, they were then 

 supposed to be getting short of provisions, and purchased a small seal 

 from the natives. At a later date the same season, but previous to the 

 breaking up of the ice, the bodies of some thirty persons were dis- 

 covered on the Continent, and five on an island near it, about a long 

 day's journey to the N.W. of a large stream, which can be no other 

 than Back's Great Fish River (named by the Esquimaux Doot-ko-hi- 

 calik)> as its description, and that of the low shore in the neiglibour- 

 hood of Point Ogle and Montreal Island, agree exactly with that of Sir 

 George Back. Some of the bodies had been buried (probably those of 

 the first victims of famine), some were in a tent or tents, others under 

 the boat, which had been turned over to form a shelter, and several lay 

 scattered about in different directions. Of those found on ihe island, 

 one was supposed to have been an officer, as he had a telescope strapped 

 over his shoulders, and his double-barrelled gun lay underneath him. 



" From the mutilated state of many of the corpses and the contents 

 of the kettles, it is evident that our wretched countrymen had been 

 driven to the last resource — cannibalism — as a means of prolonging 

 existence. 



*' There appeared to have been an abundant stock of ammunition, as 

 the powder was emptied in a heap on the ground by the natives out of 

 the kegs or cases containing it ; and a quantity of ball and shot was 

 found below high water mark, having probably been left on the ice 

 close to the beach. There must* have been a number of watches, com- 

 passes, telescopes, guns (several double-barrelled), etc., all of which 

 appear to have been broken up, as I saw pieces of those different 

 articles with the Esquimaux, together with some silver spoons and 

 forks. I purchased as many as I could get. A list of the most im 

 portant of these I enclose, with a rough sketch of the crests and 

 initials of the forks and spoons. The articles themselves shall be 

 handed over to the Secretary of the Hudson's Bay Company on my 

 arrival in London. 



** None of tbe Esquimaux with whom I conversed had seen the 

 * whites,* nor had they ever been at the place where the bodies were 

 found, but had their information from those who had been there, and 

 who had seen the party when travelling. 



•' I offer no apology for taking the liberty of addressing you, as I do 

 so from a belief that their lordships would be desirous of being put in 

 possession, at as early a date as possible, of any tidings, however meagre 

 and unexpectedly obtained, regarding tliis painfully interesting subject. 



** I may add, that by means of our guns and nets, we obtained an 

 ample supply of provisions last autumn, and my small party passed the 

 winter in snowhouses in comparative comfort, the skijis of the deer shot 



