48 THE OCEAN WORLD. 



ships were spoken by the whaler Enterprise, and, four' ( clays later, 

 they were sighted by the Prince of Wales, of Hull, moored to an ice- 

 berg, waiting an opening to enter Lancaster Sound. There the veil 

 dropped over the ships and their unhappy crews. In 1848, their fate 

 began to excite a lively interest in the public mind. Expedition in 

 search of them succeeded expedition, at immense cost, sent both by 

 the English and American authorities, and by Lady Franklin her- 

 self, some of which penetrated the Polar Seas through Behring's 

 Straits, while the majority took Baffin's Bay. In 1850, Captains 

 Ommaney and Penny discovered, at the entrance of Wellington 

 Channel, some vestiges of Franklin, which led to another expedition 

 in 1857, which was got up by private enterprise, of which Captain 

 M'Clintock had the command. Guided by the indications collected 

 in the previous expedition, and intelligence gathered from the Esqui- 

 maux by Dr. Eae in his land expedition, Captain M'Clintock in the 

 yacht Fox discovered, on the 6th of May, 1859, upon the north point of 

 King William's Land, a cairn or heap of stones. Several leaves of parch- 

 ment, which were buried under the stones, bearing date the 28th of 

 April, 1848, solved the fatal enigma. The first, dated the 24th of May, 

 1847, gave some details ending with " all well." The papers had been 

 dug up twelve months later to record the death of Franklin, on the 

 llth of June, 1847. The survivors are supposed to have been on 

 their way to the mouth of the Eiver Back, but they must have sunk 

 under the terrible hardships to which they were exposed, in addition to 

 cold and hunger. 



In September, 1859, Captain M'Clintock returned to England, 

 bringing with him many relics of our lost countrymen, found in the 

 theatre of their misfortunes. 



It only remains to us to say a few words on the latest voyages 

 undertaken in the Polar Seas. After the return of Captain M'Clin- 

 tock, in 1850, Captain M'Clure, leaving Behring's Straits, discovered 

 the north-west passage between Melville and Baring's Island, which 

 passage had been sought for without success during so many ages. 

 He saw the thermometer descend fifty degrees below zero. In the 

 month of October, 1854, he returned to England, and at a subsequent 

 period it was ascertained with certainty that, before his death, Franklin 

 knew of the other passage which exists to the north of America, to 

 the south of Victoria Land, and Wollaston. 



