52 
THE OCEAN WORLD. 
ships were spoken by the whaler Enterprise, and, four days later, 
they were sighted by the Prince of Wales, of Hull, moored to an ice- 
berg, waiting an opening to enter Lancaster Sound. There the veil 
dropped over the ships and their unhappy crews. In 1848, their fate 
began to excite a lively interest in the public mind. Expedition in 
search of them succeeded expedition, at immense cost, sent both by 
the English and American authorities, and by Lady Eranklin her- 
self, some of which penetrated the Polar Seas through Behring’s 
Straits, while the majority took Baffin’s Bay. In 1850, Cap- 
tains Ommaneyand Penny discovered, at the entrance of Wellington 
Channel, some vestiges of Eranklin, which led to another expedition 
in 1857, which was got up by private enterprise, of which Captain 
M'Clintock had the command. Guided by the indications collected 
in the previous expedition, and intelligence gathered from the Esqui- 
maux by Dr. Kae in his land expedition, Captain M‘Clintock in the 
yacht Fox discovered, on the 6th of May, 1859, upon the north point of 
King William’s Land, a cairn or heap of stones. Several leaves of parch- 
ment, which were buried under the stones, bearing date the 28th ol 
April, 1848, solved the fatal enigma. The first, dated the 24th of May* 
1847, gave some details ending with “all well.” The papers had been 
dug up twelve months later to record the death of Franklin, on the 
11th of June, 1847. The survivors are supposed to have been on 
their way to the mouth of the Biver Back, but they must have sunk 
under the terrible hardships to which they were exposed, in addition to 
cold and hunger. 
In September, 1859, Captain M‘Clintock returned to England, 
bringing with him many relics of our lost countrymen, found in the 
theatre of their misfortunes. 
It only remains to us to say a few words on the latest voyages 
undertaken in the Polar Seas. After the return of Captain M‘Clin- 
tock, in 1850, Captain M'Clure, leaving Behring’s Straits, discovered 
the north-west passage between Melville and Baring’s Island, which 
passage had been sought for without success during so many age9' 
He saw the thermometer descend fifty degrees below zero. In the 
month of October, 1854, he returned to England, and at a subsequent 
period it was ascertained with certainty that, before his death, Franklin 
knew of the other passage which exists to the north of America, t° 
the south of Victoria Land, and Wollaston. 
