2 FORMER EXPEDITIONS. Chap. I. 



locality where the Franklin expedition passed 

 its first arctic winter. The traces assuring us 

 of that fact were discovered in August, 1850, 

 by Captain Omman^ey, R.N., of H.M.S. 'As- 

 sistance,' and by Captain Penny of the ' Lady 

 Franklin.' 



In October, 1854, Dr. Rae brought home the 

 only additional information respecting them 

 which has ever reached us. From the Esqui- 

 maux of Boothia Felix he learned that a party 

 of about forty white men were met on the west 

 coast of King William's Island, and from thence 

 travelled on to the mouth of the Great Fish 

 River, where they all perished of starvation, 

 and that this tragic event occurred apparently 

 in the spring of 1850. 



Some relics obtained from these natives, and 

 brought home by Dr. Rae, were proved to 

 have belonged to Sir John Franklin and several 

 of his associates. 



The Grovernment caused an exploring party 

 to descend the Fish River in 1855 ; but, 

 although sufiScient traces were found to prove 

 that some portion of the crews of the ' Erebus ' 

 and ' Terror ' had actually landed on the banks 

 of that river, and traces existed of them up to 

 Franklin Rapids, no additional information was 

 obtained either from the discovery of records, 



1 



