174 The Graves at Port Leopold. 



" Enterprise" and " Investigator/' who died during 

 the winter of 1848-49. The officer was Mr. Henry 

 Mathias, the assistant surgeon of the " Enterprise," 

 who died on the 15th of June, 1849, aged 27, of 

 consumption, a disease which had been deeply rooted 

 in his constitution before he left England. Sir 

 James Ross spoke of him as " a promising young 

 man, of great amiability of disposition, universally 

 beloved and regretted." The men were James 

 Gray, David Jenkins, and Edward Binskin, able 

 seamen of the " Enterprise," and William Grundy 

 and Thomas Coombs of the " Investigator." At 

 the foot of the grave of Coombs, who belonged to 

 the carpenter's crew, there was a bottle containing 

 a document with the following touching but rather 

 quaint inscription : — 



" Near this spot lay the remains of Thomas 

 Coombs (late belonging to the carpenter's crew of 

 Her Majesty's ship c Investigator '), who died on 

 board that ship on the 27th day of October, 1848, 

 after a lingering illness of three months, which he 

 bore with Christian fortitude. And I sincerely 

 hope, should any Christian fall in with this, that 

 he will leave his body rest in peace and undis- 

 turbed, and oblige his late chum and messmate, 

 Charles Harris, A.B." 



All the inscriptions were neatly engraved on 

 plates of brass, which were nailed on the head 

 boards. The boards were of two-inch wood, and, 



