230 



THE SEA. 



"'April 25th, 1848. H.M. ships Terror and Erebus were deserted on the 22nd April, five leagues NNW. of 

 this, having been beset since 12th September, 1846. The officers and crews, consisting of 105 souls, under tho 

 command of Captain F. R. M. Crozicr, landed here in lat. 69 37' 42", long. 98 41' W. Sir John Franklin died on 

 the llth June, 1847 ; and the total loss by deaths in the expedition has been, to this date, nine officers and fifteen men. 



" ' (Signed) " ' (Signed) 



" ' F. R. M. CKOZIER, 



" ' Captain, and Senior Officer. 

 " ' And start (on) to-morrow, 26th, for 

 Back's Fish River.' * 



" ' JAMES FITZJAMES, 



" ' Captain H.M.S. Erebus. 



" In the short space of twelve months how mournful had become the history of Franklin's 

 expedition ! how changed from the cheerful ' All well ' of Graham Gore ! The spring of 

 1847 found them within ninety miles of the known sea off the coast of America; and to 

 men who had already, in two seasons, sailed over 500 miles of previously unexplored waters, 

 how confident must they have then felt that that forthcoming navigable season of 1817 

 would see their ships pass over so short an intervening space ! It was ruled otherwise. 

 Within a month after Lieutenant Gore placed the record on Point Victory the much-loved 

 leader of the expedition, Sir John Franklin, was dead; and the following spring found 

 Captain Crozier, upon whom the command had devolved, at King William's Land, endeavouring 

 to save his starving men, 105 souls in all, from a terrible death, by retreating to the 

 Hudson's Bay territories up the Back or Great Fish River. 



" A sad tale was never told in fewer words. There is something deeply touching in 

 their extreme simplicity, and they show in the strongest manner that both the leaders of 

 this retreating party were actuated by the loftiest sense of duty, and met with calmness and 

 decision the fearful alternative of a last bold struggle for life rather than perish without 

 effort on board their ships. We well know that the Erebus and Terror were only provisioned 

 up to July, 1848." 



M'Clintock reached the western extremity of King William's Island on May 29th, and 

 on the following day encamped alongside a deserted boat of considerable size, which had 

 already been examined by Hobson, who had left a note. A quantity of tattered clothing, &c., 

 remained near it. 



" But," says M'Clintock, " all these were after observations ; there was that in the 

 boat that transfixed us with awe. It was portions of two human skeletons. One was 

 that of a slight young person; the other of a large, strongly-made, middle-aged man. The 

 former was found in the bow of the boat, but in too much disturbed a state to enable 

 Hobson to judge whether the sufferer had died there; large and powerful animals, pro- 

 bably wolves, had destroyed much of this skeleton, which may have been that of an officer. 



Near it we found the fragment of a pair of worked slippers Besides these 



slippers there were a pair of small, strong, shooting half-boots. The other skeleton was 

 in a somewhat more perfect statef, and was enveloped with clothes and furs ; it lay across 

 the boat, under the after thwart. Close beside it were found five watches; and there 

 were t\vo double-barrelled guns one barrel in each loaded and cocked standing muzzle 



* There are slight discrepancies in the above records, which, however, can be readily understood were made 

 in the hurry and excitement of the moment. 



f No part of the skull of either skeleton was found, with the exception only of tho lower jaw of each. 



