The Fate of Sir John Franklin. 423 
a much more splendid copy of the year 1580, which however 
deviates in many respects from the original. The eighth sheet 
furnishes a complete drawing of the coast of South America 
south of the mouth of the La Plata with Magalhaens’s Strait, on 
which the Cape dellas virgines and the Fireland, which is divided 
into several islands, are named. The western coast of South 
America is abundantly furnished with names. The ninth sheet 
is equally rich and contains the northern half of South America; 
t 
The last sheet of the atlas reproduces an old English chart 
with the inscription “Thomas Food made this platte 1592.” 
The original belongs to the valuable collection of the Duke of 
Northumberland, Robert Dudley, who died 1639 at Florence in 
Italy. The part of America which is here represented, compri- 
the great Antilles, the Bahama isles, the coast of Yucatan, 
Mexico, Florida and Norumbega, which latter name is retained 
for a considerable part of the American coast south of the River 
St. Lawrence. 
The atlas therefore comprises a great number of most valuable 
documents in relation to the history of the discovery of the new 
. continent. The execution of the different sheets is so excellent, 
that the whole work may justly be called splendid. The text 
accompanying the same, contains, besides Kunstmann’s com- 
ments above mentioned and the explanatory notes to the single 
charts, a log-book, first edited by G. M. Thomas, which was taken 
from a ship of Drake’s third expedition (Aug. 28, 1595 until May 
10, 1596,) and is preserved in the Royal Library at Munich. 
THe Fate or Srr JoHN FRANKLIN.—The following letter 
has been addressed to the Secretary of the Admiralty by Capt. 
F. L. McClintock, R.N.  - 
“ Yacht Fox, R. Y.8. 
“Sir: I beg you will inform the Lords Commissioners of the - 
Admiralty of the safe return to this country of Lady Franklin’s 
Final Searching Expedition, which I have had the honor to 
conduct. ‘ 
“Their lordships will rejoice to hear that our endeavors to 
ascertain the fate of the ‘Franklin Expedition’ have met with 
complete success. 5 ae 
“ At Point Victory, on the northwest coast of King William’s 
a record has been found, dated the 25th of April, 1848, 
and signed by Captains Crozier and Fitzjames. By it we were 
