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~ 36 - Biographical Notice of Sir John Franklin. 
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The fate of Sir Joun Franxtin has long been a mystery to his 
* courftrymen: he has probably long ceased to be a member of this 
. Society. It is, however, only during the course of the past ses- 
sion that any authentic information has reached this country that 
the gallant explorer of the Arctic regions, with his adventurous 
followers, had ceased to exist. Far from their ships, which, in 
the extremity of danger and a hard struggle for life, they must 
have abandoned, and after vainly endeavoring to reach a more 
southern and hospitable region through a trackless desert, their 
remains were discovered by travelling Esquimaux, from some of 
whom portions of their property were obtained. These were 
rescued by the intrepid Dr. Rae, who had gone in search of them 
overland, and who brought back the melancholy certitude of their 
fate. ‘heir bones now lie whitening on the Arctic shore, or be- 
neath fields of eternal snow. By what means they reached that 
spot, or how they perished, will probably never be known; but 
their memories will ever be cherished as of men who risked and 
sacrificed their lives in the performance of duty and of scientific 
inquiry, and I trust I may also add, as the last installment of valu- 
able lives sacrificed to a vain and chimerical attempt to discover 
that which, could it ever be discovered, would be alike unprofit- 
able and unavailable. é 
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin was born at Spilsby in the year 
1786, and performed his earliest service in the navy in the first 
year of this century, as a midshipman on board of the Polyphemus 
at the battle of Copenhagen. Sailing afterwards with Capt. Flin- 
ders to Australia, he acquired that skill in surveying and that 
power of observation which characterized his subsequent career. 
After serving in the engagement against Admiral Linois in the 
Straits of Malacea, he next acted as signal-midshipman of the 
Bellerophon in the glorious victory of Trafalgar ; and, lastly, to- 
wards the conclusion of the great war, his gallantry was again 
displayed conspicuously in the naval attack upon New Orleans, 
for which conduct he obtained his lieutenancy. 
A peace being established which promised a long duration, 
Franklin sought to be employed in the most adventurous service 
in which a seaman could then be engaged. He obtained, through 
the patronage of Sir Joseph Banks, the command of the survey- 
ing vessel, the Trent, being one of two ships under the orders of 
Capt. Buchan, destined to penetrate into the Polar Seas; on that 
occasion Franklin not only reached the high latitude of 84° 34” 
N. lat. in the meridian of Spitzbergen, but evinced a strong de- 
sire to be allowed to proceed onwards alone, in the endeavor to 
effect a through passage. : 
The undaunted and inflexible perseverance which he exhibited 
in his explorations off the coast of North America, between the 
years 1819 and 1822, both inclusive, is well known to the public 
