COMMANDER FITZJAMES'S JOURNAL. 387 



man was likely to make a better use of it than the great novelist, who has 

 written so much and so well in the cause of the suffering and the forsaken. 

 Of the " Journal " itself Dickens writes : " Every page of it assures us that 

 Captain Fitzjames added to his high professional qualifications the two rare 

 gifts of a quick and true observation of character and a happy facility in 

 conveying the results of that observation plainly, unaffectedly, and graphic- 

 ally to others. Narrow as its limits are, this interesting journal effects its 

 avowed object of placing us on board ship by the writer's side, of showing 

 us his floating home in its most familiar, and most domestic aspect, and of 

 introducing us, in a delightfully considerate and kindly spirit, to the more 

 prominent characters among the officers and men." 



The steamships "Eattler" and "Blazer" accompanied the "Erebus" 

 and "Terror" as far as the Island of Eona, about eighty miles beyond 

 Stromness ; and in bidding these English ships farewell, the explorers felt 

 as if the last frail link that still bound them to their country was severed. 

 What the more reflective men of the expedition felt in saying this last " good- 

 bye " may be conjectured from the following entry in Fitzjames's journal : 



" Their captains " (those of the steamers named) " came on board and took 

 our letters ; one from me will have told you of our doings up to that time. 

 There was a heavy swell and wind from north-west, but it began veering 

 to west and south-west, which is fair. The steamers then ranged along- 

 side of us, one on each side, as close as possible without touching, and, 

 with the whole force of lungs of officers and men, gave us, not three, but 

 a prolongation of cheers, to which, of course, we responded. Having done 

 the same to the ' Terror,' away they went, and in an hour or two were out 

 of sight, leaving us with an old gull or two and the rocky Eona to look at ; 

 and then was the time to see if any one flinched from the undertaking. 

 Every one's cry was, ' Now we are off at last ! ' No lingering look was cast 

 behind. We drank Lady Franklin's health at the old gentleman's table ; 

 and it being his daughter's birthday, hers too. But the wind, which had 

 become fair as the steamers left (as if to give the latest, best news of us), 

 in the evening became foul from the north-west, and we were going north- 

 ward instead of westward. The sky was clear, the air bracing and exhil- 

 arating. I had a slight attack of aguish headache the evening before, but 

 am now clear-headed ; and I went to bed thinking of you and dear William, 

 whose portrait is now looking at me." Thus with exultation at being " off 

 at last," tempered by the affectionate remembrance of friends into high 

 resolve to acquit themselves well, the explorers set their faces towards the 

 merciless north. 



Admirable is Fitzjames's picture of his comrades in the officers' mess : 

 " In our mess we have the following, whom I shall probably from time to 

 time give you descriptions of : First lieutenant. Gore ; second, Le Vesconte ; 



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