MORE RELICS. 231 



upwards against the boat's side. It may be imagined with what deep interest these sad 

 relics were scrutinised, and how anxiously every fragment of clothing was turned over in 

 search of pockets and pocket-books., journals, or even names. Five or six small books were 

 found, all of them Scriptural or devotional works, except the 'Vicar of Wakefield/ One 

 little book, 'Christian Melodies/ bore an inscription on the title-page from the donor to 

 G. G. (Graham Gore?). A small Bible contained numerous marginal notes and whole 

 passages underlined. Besides these books, the covers of a New Testament and Prayer Book 

 were found. 



" Amongst an amazing quantity of clothing there were seven or eight pairs of boots 

 of various kinds cloth winter boots, sea-boots, heavy ankle-boots, and strong shoes. I 

 noted that there were silk handkerchiefs black, white, and figured towels, soap, sponge, 

 tooth-brush, and hair-combs; macintosh gun-cover marked outside with paint A 12, and 

 lined with black cloth. Besides these articles we found twine, nails, saws, files, bristles, 

 wax-ends, sailmakers' palms, powder, bullets, shot, cartridges, wads, leather cartridge-case, 

 knives clasp and dinner ones needle and thread cases, slow-match, several bayonet- 

 scabbards cut down into knife-sheaths, two rolls of sheet-lead, and, in short, a quantity 

 of articles of one description and another truly astonishing in variety, and such as, for 

 the most part, modern sledge-travellers in these regions would consider a mere accumulation 

 of dead weight, but slightly useful, and very likely to break down the strength of the 

 sledge crews. 



" The only provisions we could find were tea and chocolate : of the former very little 

 remained, but there were nearly forty pounds of the latter. These articles alone could 

 never support life in such a climate, and we found neither biscuit nor meat of any kind. 

 A portion of tobacco, and an empty pemmican-tin capable of containing twenty-two 

 pounds weight, were discovered. The tin was marked with an E ; it had probably belonged 

 to the Erebus. None of the fuel originally brought from the ships remained in or about 

 the boat, but there was no lack of it, for a drift-tree was lying on the beach close at hand, 

 and had the party been in need of fuel they would have used the paddles and bottom 

 boards of the boat." In the after part of the boat twenty-six pieces of plate spoons and 

 forks were found, bearing the crests or initials of Franklin and his officers. The reader 

 can see all these interesting relics at Greenwich Hospital, and he will hardly examine them 

 without dropping a tear at the remembrances they recall. 



Although M'Clintock and Hobson put forth almost superhuman effort to discover the 

 wrecks, they were never found, and the probability is that they had broken up and were 

 carried to sea at the disruption of the ice. After making every attempt possible to discover 

 further traces of the lost party, M'Clintock and the rest returned to the Fox. On August 

 10th the vessel's bows were pointed homewards, and forty days later she reached the 

 English Channel, after one of the most remarkable and successful Arctic voyages ever made. 



The narrative is finished. It records one of the saddest tragedies of modern days. 

 Amidst all the perils of wreck, and fire, and flood, there has generally been a loophole of 

 escape fur some few ; here every man of those gallant crews perished, the larger part while 

 helplessly endeavouring to reach a haven of safety. "They fell down and died as they 

 walked along." 



