LOSS OF THE " BREADALBANE." 143 



denly to the end of their career as did the Breadal- 

 bane, a small vessel that was used as a transport 

 ship to the expedition in search of Sir John Frank- 

 lin in 1 852. One who was on board when it occurred 

 thus describes it : 



" Sunday, August 21st. About ten minutes past 

 four, the ice passing the ship awoke me, and the 

 door of my cabin, from the pressure, opened. I 

 hurriedly put on my clothes, and on getting on deck 

 found some hands on the ice endeavouring to save 

 the boats ; but the latter were instantly crushed to 

 pieces. They little thought, when using their efforts 

 to save the boats, that the ship was in so perilous 

 a situation. 



" I went forward to hail the Phcenix (another 

 ship that was fortunately near) for men to save the 

 boats; and whilst doing so, the ropes by which we 

 were secured parted, and a heavy nip took us, mak- 

 ing every timber creak, and the ship tremble all 

 over. I looked in the main hold, and saw the beams 

 giving way. I hailed those on the ice, and told 

 them of our critical situation, they not for one mo- 

 ment suspecting it. I then rushed to my cabin, 

 hauled out my portmanteau on deck, and roared 

 like a bull to those in their beds to jump out and 

 save their lives. The startling effect on them might 

 be more easily imagined than described. On reach- 

 ing the deck, those on the ice called out to me to 

 jump over the side, that the ship was going over. 

 I left my portmanteau, and jumped over the side on 



