452 THKOUGH TELE MACKEISTZIE BASIlff 



in a similar position, but the Doctor was just as unconscious 

 of the reality, although to him was then given the finding 

 of the butt of a flag-staff with the tack and line bearing the 

 Government broad-arrow mark ; and to CoUinson afterwards 

 a steam-engine iron rod and part of a ship's door or hatch- 

 way, all of which — from the locality — must have at one time 

 belonged to and come from the missing ships. 



On the 31st of March, 1854, Dr. Rae set out from his 

 winter quarters at Repulse Bay, Hudson Bay, to explore the 

 west coast of Sir John E/Oss's Boothia Felix, and on 20th 

 April, in latitude 68° 29' north and longitude 90° 19' west, he 

 met a young Eskimo who gave him the first information ob- 

 tained of the fate of the Eranklin expedition. He stated to Rae 

 that in the spring of 1850, about forty white men were seen 

 dragging a boat southward along the west-shore of King Wil- 

 liam Land. They bought a seal from some Eskimo hunters, to 

 whom they told that their ship had been crushed by ice and 

 that they were going to a land where they could shoot deer. 

 Later that spring before the ice broke up the bodies of some 

 thirty men were f o\ind on the continent, and five on an island 

 a day's march to the northward. This pointed to Back's Fish 

 liiver and Montreal Island as the places, though possibly they 

 might have referred to Lieutenant Schwatka's " Starvation 

 Cove," or the " Tod Island " of Charles Hall, both situated 

 near the mouth of Back's River. The other natives rein- 

 forced his statements by producing silver plate with the 

 Franklin crest, which, with other articles, left no doubt that 

 their story was substantially correct and that the members 

 of the Franklin expedition had all perished. 



In 1855 (as above referred to) Chief Factor James 

 Anderson, with Chief Trader (later Chief Factor) James G. 

 Stewart as his second, descended Back's Great Fish River in 

 -three birch-bark canoes, meeting Eskimos at various points. 

 At the lower rapids they met quite a number who had numer- 

 ous relics in their possession. On Montreal Island they saw 

 some caches containing similar articles. The natives told 



