June, 1859. CHARACTEK OF THE RECOEDS. 303 



travellers ; consequently tbe day upon which 

 they were dejjosited was not filled in ; but 

 already the papers were much damaged by rust, 

 — a very few more years would have rendered 

 them wholly illegible. "When the record left 

 at Point Victory was opened to add thereto the 

 supplemental information which gives it its 

 chief value, Captain Fitzjames, as may be con- 

 cluded by the colour of the ink, filled in the 

 date — 28th — in May, when the record was 

 originally deposited. The cylinder containing 

 this record had not been soldered up again ; I 

 suppose they had not the means of doing so ; 

 it was found on the ground amongst a few loose 

 stones which had evidently fallen along with it 

 from the top of the cairn. Hobson removed 

 every stone of this cairn down to the ground 

 and rebuilt it. 



Brief as these records are, we must needs be 

 contented with them ; they are perfect models 

 of ofiScial brevity. No log-book could -be more 

 provokingly laconic. Yet, that ani/ record at all 

 should be deposited after the abandonment of 

 the ships, does not seem to have been intended ; 

 and we should feel the more thankful to Cap- 

 tains Crozier and Fitzjames, to whom we are 

 indebted for the invaluable supplement; and 

 our gratitude ought to be all the greater when 



