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1 2 3

4 6 6

r^ *'<* - X

*•

V oS 1

THE

POLAR REGIONS,

OR A SEARCH AFTER

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN'S EXPEDITION.

BY LIEUT. SHERARD OSBORx^,

COMMANDING 11. M. STEAM-VESSEL "PIONEEB."

DEDICATED TO LADY FRANKLIlf.

NEW YO
A. S. BARNES & CQ

C I N C I N N A T

I' i

I \

i I

b>-

DEDICATION.

■♦♦»-

A CCEPT, my dear Lady Franklin, these few
•^ pages, as the warm and honest tribute of
deserved admiration for yourself and estimable
niece, Miss Sophia Cracroft — admiration, which
I delight in, in common with thousands, that
such as you are Englishwomen ; and pride, that
a sailor's wife should so nobly have fulfilled
her duty; for, if, on the one hand, the name
of Sir John Franklin, that chief " san^ peur et
sans reproclie^^ is dearly associated with our
recollections of the honours won in the ice-
bound regions of the Pole, your names are
not the less so, with the noble efforts made
to rescue, or solve the fate of our missing
countrymen.

That those sacrifices, those untiring exer-
tions, that zeal which has never wavered,

•fe^ . a«.a»M.^

■i

6 DEDICATIOX.

that liope so steadfast, since it is that of an
Englisli woman for her ]iusl)and, that patience
under misconstruction, that forgiveness for the
sneer of jealousy, and that j^ity for the mali-
cious, which you have so pre-eminently dis-
played, may yet, hy God's helji, one day reap
its reward in the accomplishment of your
wishes, is the fervent prayer of

SIIERARD OSBORN.

I \

PREFACE.

-»♦♦"

T FEAll witli the many of my clotli, my crime
-*- iu Avriting a book will be an unpardonable
one ; tlie more so, tliat I cannot conscientiously
declare, that it has been at the ure^ent desire
of my friends, tfec, that I have thus made my
debut.

My motive is twofold : to tell of the doings
of a screw steam-vessel, the first ever tried in
the Polar regions, and by a light, readable de-
scrii^-tion of incident.^ in the late search for Sir
John Franklin, to jiterest the general reader
and the community at large upon that subject.
Without fear, favour, or affection, I have told
facts as they have occurred ; and I trust have,
in doing so, injured no man. A journal must

.,ui.,#

,il

V-

-J: '.

8 PREFACE.

necessarily be, for the most, a dry narration of
facts; I have, therefore, thrown in here and
there general observations and remarks founded
upon such facts, rather than a dry repetition of
them.

To the officers and men serving under my
command, I can offer no higher compliment than
in having thus placed their severe and zealous
labours before the public ; and no professional
reader who reads these " Stray Leaves," can fail,
I am certain, to perceive how heavily must have
fallen the labours here recounted upon the men
and officers of the steam tenders, and how deep
an obhgation I their commander must be under
to them for their untiring exertions, by which
this, the first and severe trial of steam in the
Arctic regions, was brought to a successful
issue.

The " Resolutes," no doubt, will object to the
round terms in which 1 have growled at the
bluff-bowed vessel it was my fate and now my
pride to have towed so many miles in the Frozen
Zone ; but on second thoughts, I doubt not they
will acquit me, for they will remember the joke

PREFACE.

tlie
tlie
my
)zen
hey
oke

■•'s.

111"

4X1
31

-1

was once on their side ; and if I do not love their
6luj}^ at any rate I liked tJie?)i.

To Lieutenant W. May and Mr. M'Dougal,
I am much indebted for their faithful sketches.
I fear my letter-press is unworthy of the com-
panionship.

To those who may accuse me of egotism in
confining my remarks so much to the achieve-
ments of my own vessel, I have merely to say,
that in doing so, I was best able to be truthful ;
but that I am fully aware that to the other screw
steamer, the " Intrepid," and my gallant friend
and colleague, Commander J. B. Cator, there fell
an equal amount of lal)our ; and that to all, ships
as well as screws, there was an equal proportion
of hardship, danger, and privation. I should
indeed be forgetful as well as ungrateful, did I
here fail to acknowledge the more than kindness
and assistance I have ever experienced from my
friend Mr. Barrow, a name past and present in-
separably connected with our Arctic discoveries ;
so likewise I have to ofler my thanks, heartfelt
as they are sincere, to those who, like Admiral

Sir Francis Beaufort and Captain Hamilton of

PREFACE.

the Admiralty, bade me speed, when sincerity
and zeal Avas all I had to boast, and who dared
to overlook the crime of youth, and granted to
" seven-and-twenty" the deference which "five-
and-fifty" alone can claim.

Richmond, Feb. 15, 1852.

lii

i»t ;

■I

1 1'

'lit

iJl '

STKAY LEAVES

FROM

AN AECTIC JOURNAL

-*-*-¥-

THE evils attendant on a hurried outfit and departure, as is
the usual man-of-war custom, were in no wise mitigated
in the case of the Royal Naval Expedition, fitted out at
Woolwich, in 1850, to search for Sir John Franklin's Squad-
ron ; and a general feeling of joy at our departure prevailed
amongst us, when, one fine morning, we broke ground from
Greenhilhe.

llie " liesolute" and " Assistance" had a couple of steam-
ers to attend upon them ; whilst we, the " Pioneer" and " In-
trepid," screwed and sailed, as requisite to keep company.
By dark of the 4th of May, 1850, wo all reached an anchorage
near Yarmouth; and the first stage of our outward journey
was over.

No better proof of the good feeling which animated our
crews can be adduced than the unusual fact of not a man
being missing amongst those who had originally entered, —
not a desertion had taken place, — not a soul had attempted
to quit the vessels, after six months' advance had been paid.

Here and there amongst the seamen a half-sleepy indiffer-

ilil
III

1'!
Ill

ii;

I
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■ii

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PI I

ABCTIO JOURNAL.

ence to their work was observable. This I imputed to the
reaction after highly sentimental " farewells," in which, like
other excesses, Jack delights ; the women having, as usual,
done all they could, by crying alongside, to make the men
believe they were running greater risks than had ever been
before undergone by Arctic navigators.
The old seamen's ditty of —

•' "NVc sailed by Fairlfc, by Bcachoy, and Dunscness,
Until the North Foreland light we did see" —

gives a very good idea of our progress from beacon to light-
house, and lighthouse to headland, until the lofty coast of
Yorkshire sunk under the lee ; and by the 8th of May the
squadron was making slow progress across the mouth of the
Frith of Forth. Hitherto, " all had been pleasant as a mar-
riage bell ;" the weather had been fine ; and we already cal-
culated our days of arrival at different points, as if the calm
vas to last for ever. The Cheviot Hills glittered in tho
west ; it was the kind good-bye of our own dear England.
Hundreds of white sails dotted a summer sea : all was joyous
and sparkling. Scotland greeted us with a rovgh "nor'-
wester," — and away wo went. "Not all the kind's horses"
could have kept the expedition together.

The " Kesolute" and " Assistance," hauled dead on a
wind, under olosp-reefed topsails, performed a stationary
movement, called "pile-driving" by sailors, which, as the
pilot suggested, would, if the breeze lasted, carry them to
the coast of Holland. The two steam vessels, under fore-
and-atl canvas, drew away vapidly to windward and ahead,
and in spite of all we could do, a few hours of darkness
edectually succeeded in dispersing ns. Accident again
brought the " Pioneer" in sight of the vessels for a few
hours; but the "Intrepid" found herself in Stromness Har-

1
1

^1.;

Xv'

DEPARTURE.

•A

hour, with a degree of celerity which gave rise to a racing
disposition on the part of my gaUant colloaguo, '• Intrepid,"
vcraus ''Pioneer," which it took a great many days of com-
petition to decide.

They who want excitement had better go and beat a ves-
sel up the Pcnthmd Firth, against both wind and tide. I
tried it, but shall not repeat the experiment ; and, after a
thorough good shaking in the North Sea, was not sorry to
find myself at anchor in Stromness.

The very proper and tristc Sabbath of the North was
followed by a busy Monday. The arrival of so many gold
cap-bands, and profusion of gilt buttons, interfered, I fear
materially, with the proper delivery of the morning milk
and butter by sundry nuiidens with golden locks ; and the
purser's wholesale order for beef threatened to create a fam-
ine in the Orkneys. The cheapness of whiskey appeared
likely to be the cause of our going to sea with a crew in a
lamentable state of drunk«»»mess, and rather prejudiced me
against Stromness ; but if it had no other redeeming quality,
all its faults would be forgotten in the astounding fact that
there may be found a landlady with moderate prices and
real I V fresh eggs.

As a description of this part of the world is no part of
iry task, I will pass over our long and crooked walk about
Stronniess ; and the failure of the good folk there to induce
us to trust ourselves on their ponies for a ride to Kirkwall,
naturally limited our knowledge of the neighbouiiiood.

Above the town of Stromness rises a conical-shaped hill;

omnc
mmo

it has, 1 believe, been immortalized by Scott in his •• Pirate :"
it had yet deeper interest for me, for I was told that up it had
toiled dear friends now missing with Franklin. I and a kind
sliipmate walked out one cvejiing to make our pilgrimage to
u spot hallowed b) the visit of the gallant and 1 rue hearted

ill
Ii{

111
iii

!|i

f if •

if!'-'

■:i-

ARCTIC JOURKAL.

that had gone before us — and, as amid wind and drizzle we
scrambled up the hill, I pictured to myself how, five short
years before, those we were now in search of had done the
same. Good and gallant Gore ! chivalrous Fitz-Jamcs ! en-
terprising Fairholme ! lion-hearted Hodgson ! dear De Vaux !
— Oh ! that ye knew help was nigh !

We surmounted the hill — the Atlantic was before us,
fierce and trouljled ; aflir to seaward the breakers broke and
lashed themselves against the firm foundation of the old Head
of Ilay, which loomed through mist and squall, whilst over-
head the scream of sea-fowl, flying for shelter, told that the
west wind would hold wild revelry that night.

" II. M. S. North Star," carved on the turf, showed where
some of her people had chosen this spot for a record of their
visit to Orkney; we did likewise, in honour of our own bon-
nie craft; and then, strolling homeward, discussed the proba-
ble chances of the existence of the said " North Star ;" the
conclusion arrived at being that there was more cau'-e for
anxiety on her account than for Franklin's Expedition, she
having gone out totally unprepared for wintering, and with
strict injiuictions not to be detained : '"riiomme propose, et
Dieu dispose."

I could have hugged the snufly old postmaster for a packet
of letters he gave me. I rushed on board to a cabin wliich
proved, as the First Lord had sagaciously remarked, into
how small a space a Lieutenant Comnumding could bo
packed ; and, in spite of an unpaid tailor's bill, revelled in
sweet and pleasant dreams.

The " Intrepid"' and " Pioneer" rejoined the ships at Long-
Hope; and my gallant comrade and I made a ncck-and-neck
race of it, showing that in steaming, at any rate, there would
be little to choose between us ; and, on May L'')th, the Arctic
squadron weighed, and, passing out of the Pentlaud Firtii, tlio

|i!ii

PL Ay OF SEAR en.

■4

" Dasher" and " Lightning" cheered us, took our letters, —
and the Searching Expedition was alone steering for Green-
land. Night threw her mantle around us; the lonely light
of Cape Wrath alone indicating where lay our homes. I like
losing sight of Old England by night. It is pleasant to go to
rest with a sweet recollection of some quiet scene you have
just dwelt upon with delight, the spirit yearning for the ex-
citement and novelty ahead. You rise in the morning, old
Ocean is around you : there is, to the seamen, a lullaby, say
what they may, in his hoarse song ; and they of the middle
watch tell how the friendly light of some distant cape glim-
mered and danced in the east, until lost in some passing
squall.

Now for the Northwest! we cxclaimeJ, — its much talked
of dangers. — its chapter of horrors ! As gallant Frobisher
says, " it is still the only thing left undone, whereby a notable
mind might be made famous and remarkable." As it was
in Frobisher's day, so it is now, unless Franklin has accom-
plished it, and lies beset off Cape Jakan- -and why may it
not be so?

Whilst the squadron progresses slowly towards Cape
Farewell, the ships under topsails, and the steamers under
jury-masts and sails, mc will take a retrospective view of
what is now — 1850 — going to be done fjr the relief of
Franklin.

Capt. CoUlnson, with two ships, has gone to l»ehrlng's
Straits wiih tlic "Plover" as a depot, in Kotzebue Sound,
to fall back upon in case of disaster. Tie steers direct for
Melville Island, along the coast of North America. Capt.
I'uUen, having successfully searched the coast from Point
IJarrow to the Mackenzie liiver, is endeavouring now to push
from thence, in a northerly direction, for Bank's Land. Dr.
Kue is to do tlie same from the Coppermine Kiver. Capt.

t!!

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.I'I

ARCTIC JOURI^'AL.

Penny, a first-ratc whaling captain, with two fast brigs, is
now ahead of us, hoping to make an early passage across the
middle ice of Baffin's Day. He goes to Jones's Sound and
Wellington Channel, to reach the Parry Isles by a northern
route.

We go with two sailing ships and two steam vessels, so
as to form separate divisions of two vessels each, to examine
Barrow's Straits south-westerly to Cape Walker, westerly
towards Melville Island, and north-westerly up Wellington
Channel. Thus no less than eight fine ships flying the pen-
dant, and two land parties are directed, by dilferent routes,
on Melville Island. Besides these, an American expedition,
fitted out by that prince of merchants, Mr. Grinnell, leaves
shortly for the same destination ; and in Lady Franklin's own
vessel, the " Prince Albert," as well as a craft under Sir John
lioss, we find two more assistants in the plan of search.

And yet, gentle reader, if you turn to the papers of the
fall of 1849, you will find some asserting that Sir John
Franklin had perished in Baffin's Bay,, because Sir James
Ross had found nothing of him in Lancaster Sound ! Happi-
ly the majority of Englishmen have, however, decided other-
wise; and behold, this noble eciuipment ! this magnificent
outlay of men and material !

Wc will not dwell on the pleasures or annoyances of the
cruise across the Atlantic, beyond stating the fact that our
bliifi-bowed worse-halfs, the sailing ships, nigh broke our
hearts, as well as our hawsers, in dragging their breakwater
frames along in the calms; and that wc of the screws found
our steam vessels all we could wish, somewhat o'er lively,
mayhap, — a frisky tendency to lireak every breakable article
on board. But there was a saucy swagger in them, as they
bov.led along the hollow of a western sea, wliich showed they
had good blood in them ; and we soon felt confident of disap-

"iS

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THE A TLAXTIC.—GREEXLAXD.

the

our

ater

lund

lic'Je
hey
hey
sap-

■'i

pointing those I^olar seers, who had foretold shipwreck and
di:sastcr as their tate.

Tile appearance of numerous sea-birds, — the Tern espe-
cialJy, which do not fly far from land, — warned us, on Sun-
day 2r)th May, of our fast approach to Greenland, and on the
the morrow we esf)ied the picturesque shores about Cape
Farewell. Which of all the numerous headlands we saw was
the i(k*ntical cape, I do not pretend to say ; but we chose, as
our Cape Farewell, a remarkable-looking peak, with a mass
of rock perched like a pillar upon its crest. The temperature
began to fall as we advanced, and warmer coats quickly re-
placed our English clothing.

Distant as we were from Greenland, our view of its
southern extremity was fleeting, but suflicient to show that it
fully realized in appearance the most striking accumulation
of ice and land that the mind could picture, — a land of gaunt
famine and misery ; but which nevertheless, for some good
purpose, it had {)leased 1^'ovidence in a measure to people.

Had we not had an urgent duty to perform, I should have
regretted thus hurrying past the land ; for there is much to
sec there. True, Greenland has no deep historical interest,
but the North has always had its charm ft)r me. Scandi-
navia, and her deeds, — the skill and intrepidity of her bold
Vikings, — their colonies in Snteland, our Iceland, — their dis-
covery of Greenland, — and the legend of the pirate IJiarni,
who forestalled even the great Columbus in his discovery, —
wer<' all associated with ^lie region through which we were

now sailing.

Without compass, without chart, full three centuries bo-
fore the Genoese crossed the Atlantic, the Norsemen, in frail
and open barks, braved the dark and angry sea (which was so
sorely tossing even our proud vessels) ; and, unchecked by
tempest, by ice, or hardship, penetrated probably as far as

ARCTW JOURXAL.

'•I

■;

■^.

Avc could in the present day. This, and much more, throws
a halo of ancient renown around this lonely land ; moreover,
I had long loved Nature's handiworks, and here assuredly her
wonders reward the traveller. Here, methouirht me of the
mighty glacier, creeping on like Tirne, silently, yet cease-
lessly ; the deep and picturesque fiord pent up between preci-
pices, huge, bleak, and barren; the iceberg! alone a miracle;
then the great central desert of black lava and glittering ico,
gloomy and unknown but to the fleet rein-deer, who seeks
fur siieltcr in a region ac whose horrors the hardy natives
tremble ; and last, but not least, the ruins of the Scandi-
navian inhabitants, and the present fast disappearing race of
" the Innuit," or Esquimaux. Dullard must he be who sees
not abundance here to interest him.

Flirting with the fu'st ice we saw, it soon appeared that
the training of the uninitiated, like pnppies, was to be a very
formal and lengthy piece of business. Thanks to an immense
deal of water, and very little ice, the steamers eventually
towed the " liesokite" and the trans|)ort (a lively specimen
of the genus), into the Whale-Fish Islands, — a group of rocky
islets, some twenty miles distant from the excellent Danish
harbour of Godhaab on the Island of Disco.

We did as our forefathers in anclioring at the Whale
Fish Islands, but would stroniji-lv recommend those who
visit this neighborhood to go to Godhaab rather. Its an-
chorage is good, communication with Europe a certainty,
and the hospitality of the Danish residents, few though tliey
be, cheering and pleasant to ship-sick wanderers.

Having thus expressed my total dissent from those who,
with steam vessels, go to Whale-Fish Isles, it will be but
fair for mc to stav, that I arrived at this our first staijc in the
journey to the Nor'- West, in far from good humour. Wo
had been twenty-f )ur days from Grcenhithe to Cape Fare-

II 'HA L E-FISII ISL AMjS.

throws

oreover,
edly her
2 of the
:!t ceaae-
211 preci-
miracle ;
iring ico,
ho seeks
natives
Scandi-
; race of
ivho sees

ired that
e a verv
nirnense
cntually

X'ciinou
of rocky

Danish

Whale
)se \vhc

Its aii-
rtainty,
^'h they

so who,
)0 but
c ill the
r. Wo
Fare-

well, and sixteen days from the latter point to our anchor-
age ; hurry being out of the question when a thing like the
"Emma Eugenia"' was pounding the water in a trial of speed
\vith perfect snutl-boxes, like the "liesolute" and "Assist-
ance." Patience and a four-day tow had at last finished the
work: and to all our anxious inquiries about the prospect
of the season, as to where Penny was, and whether any
intelligence had reached the settlements? not an answer was
to be obtained from a besotted Danish carpenter, whose
knowledge appeared to be limited to a keen idea of chang-
ing, under a system he called "Trock," sundries (with which
the Dansko K«eing had intrusted him) into blubber and seal-
oil.

After a day of coal-dust, I landed with some others to see
what was lo l)e seen, and to load, as we were taught to
believe, a boat with wild fowl. The principal settlement
having been pointed out, we landed on the slope of one
of the islands, on which a coarse rank vegetation existed
amongst the numerous relics of departed seals, sacrificed to
the appetites of the Esquimaux and the trockinri of the Gov-
ernor, as he was facetiously styled. The said individual soon
appeared, and In spite of copious lil)ations of Ifer Britannic
Majesty's "Pure Jamaica," of which he had partaken, was
most polite and hospitable. From him I discovered that ho
and a cooper were the only Danes residing" here, and thev,
together with a cross-breed who did the douljle duty of j)riest
and schoolmaster, constituted the olFicials of Cron-Prin's
Islands. The native population amounted perhaps to one
hundred souls: and it was in supplying their wants, and in
atlbrding a market for their superfluous skins and blubber,
that the Danes derived a profit, under a strict system of
monopoly; no foreigners being allowed to trade with the
Esquimaux, and they, on the other hand, having strict in-

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

junctions to lodge every thing they do not require for private
use, in the public store. The quantity of seal-blubber in
store, which was equal to as much oil, amounted to ni^.u
upon 100 tons ; the number of seals annually destroyed
must be enormous : this says much for the industry of the
natives.

The Esquimaux appeared all comfortable and well to do,
well clad, cleanly, and fat. Most of them had moved for a
while into their summer lodges, which consist of little else
than a seal-skin tent, clumsily supported with sticks. They
were more than sufficiently warm ; and the number of souls
inhabiting one of these lodges appeared only to be limited by
the circle of friends and connections forming a family. The
winter abode — formed almost underground — appeared deci-
dedly well adapted to aftbrd warmth, and some degree of pure
ventilation, in so severe a climate, where fuel can be spared
only for culinary purposes ; and I was glad to see that, al-
though necessity obliges the Esquimaux to eat of the oil and
flesh of the seal and naorwhal, yet, when they could procure it,
they seemed fully alive to the gastronomic pleasures of a
good wholesome meal off fish, birds' eggs, bread, sugar, tea,
and coffee.

Their canoes are perfect models of beauty and lightness ;
in no part of the world do we see them excelled in speed and
portability — two very important qualities in the craft of a
savage ; and in ornamental workmanship, the skill of both
men and women is tastefully displayed.

The clothing of the natives is vastly superior to any thing
we could pr.,duce, both in lightness of material, and wind and
water-tight qualities ; — the material, seal and deer skin, and
entrails, manufactured by the women ; their needles of
Danish manufacture ; their thread, the delicate sinews of

THE ESQUIMAUX.

r private
ubber in
to niga
lestroyed
ry of the

ill to do,
ved for a
ittle else
3. They

cf souls
mited by
ly. The
red deci-
e of pure
»e spared

that, al-
e oil and
ocure it,
res of a
gar, tea,

jhtness ;
)ced and
aft of a
of both

y thing
ind and
:in, and
31es of
ews of

animals. "We gladly purchased all we could obtain of their
clothing.

livery one has heard of the horrors of an Esquimaux
existence, — sucking blubber instead of roast beef, train-oil
heir usual beverage, and a seal their bonne-bouchc ; the
long gloomy \vinter spent in pestiferous hovels, lighted and
\varnied with whale-oil lamps ; the narrow gallery for an en-
trance, along which the occupant creeps for ingress and egress.
This and much more has been told us ; yet, now that 1 have
seen it all, — the Esquimaux's home, the Esquimuux's mode
of living, and the Esquimaux himself, — I see nothing so hor-
rible in one or the other.

The whaler, from bonnie Scotia, or busy Hull, fresh from
the recollection of his land and home, no doubt shudders at
the comparative misery and barbarity of these poor people ;
but those who have seen the degraded 13ushmen or Hotten-
tots of South Africa, the miserable Patanies of Malayia, the
Fueglans or Australians of our southern hemisphere, and
remember the comparative blessings afforded by nature to
those melancholy specimens of the human family, will, I
think, exclaim with me, that the Esquimaux of Greenland
are as superior to them in mental capacity, manual dexterity,
physical enterprise, and social virtues, as the Englishman is
to the Esquimaux.

The strongest — indeed, I am assured, the only — symptom
of the advantage of religious instruction perceptible in the
Grcenlander, over his North American brethren, is in the
respect they show for the marriage tie, and strong affection
for their children. The missionary, with this race, appears to
have few difficulties to contend with : naturally gentle, and
without any strong superstitious prejudices, they receive
without resistance the simple creed of Reformed religion,
which he has spread amongst them ; and the poor E»]uimaux

il!"

III

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[iilii'i;

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

child sends up its prayers and thanksgiving, in the words
taught us by our Saviour, as earnestly and confidently as the
educated oflspring of Englishmen.

An old man, \vhom I pressed to accompany me as pilot to
the Island of Disco, declined, under the plea that his wife was
very ill, and that there was no one but himself to take care
of the "piccaninny." Interested from such proper feeling in

the man. Dr. P and 1 entered his winter abode, which he

apologized for taking us to, — the illness of his " cara sposa"
having prevented him changing his residence for the usual
summer tent. Crawling on all fours through a narrow pas-
sage, on cither side of which a dog-kennel and a cook-house
had been constructed, we found ourselves in an apartment,
the highest side of which faced us, the roof gradually sloping
down to the ground.

AB. Gallery.

B c. Section of house.

E. Heel and seats.

u. Cook-houso and kennel.

The above section will give some idea of the place.
Along one side of the abode a sort of bed-place extended for
its whole length, forming evidently the family couch; for
on one end of it, with her head close to a large seal-oil lamp,
was the sick woman. She was at the usual Esquimaux fe-
male's employment of feeding the flame with a little stick
from a supply of oil, which would not rise of its own accord
up the coarse and ill-constructed wick ; over the flame was a

■:»

THE rSQCIMAUX.

e words
y as tho

1 pilot to
wife was
ake care
ecllrifj in
which ho
•a sposa"
ho usual
■row pas-
ok-house
lartment,
f sloping

el.

le place,
nded for
ch ; for
ill lamp,
naux fe-
tle stick
n accord
le was a

conipoimd, which the suflerer told us was medicine for her
complaint, — the rheumatism, a very prevalent one amongst
the«e people. Leaving the kind Doctor to do the part of a
good Samaritan, I amused myself with looking over the
strange home into Mhich I had got. The man took much
pride in showing me his faniily, — consisting of a girl and
three fine boys, Ilis wife, he assured me, was only twenty-
eight years of age : she looked at least six-and-thirty ; and
he likewise, though only thirty-four, had the appearance of
heing at least ten years older. They had nuirried when she
was twenty, — the usual age for marriage, as he told me. Ilis
daughter, rather a pretty and slight-made girl, was very busy
making shoes for her brothers out of cured skin, I rewarded
the youthful sempstress by giving her one of a number of
dolls kindly sent me for the purpose by Mrs. W, of Wool-
wich ; and could that kind friend have seen the joyful counte-
nance of the Esquimaux child, she would indeed have been
richly remunerated for her thoughtt'ul little addition to my
stock of presents. To fmish my Esr|uimaux tale, I was next
day not a little surprised at the father coming on board,
and giving me a small pouch which his child had sewn for
mo in return for my present. This proved at least that
Esquimaux children can appreciate kindness as well as
others.

The Whale-Fish group consist of a congery of islets, of
various shapes and sizes, with deep water channels between ;
the whole of granitic formation, with broad veins of quartz
and masses of gneiss overlavinG; in various directions. Those
I visited exhibited proof of constant and, I might say, rapid
destruction from the action of water and frost. The southern
and south-west sides of the larger islands were of, may be, JiOO
or 400 feet elevation, with a gradual dip to the north-east, as
if their creation had been brought about by some submarine

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

agency upheaving the primary rock, witli an irregular force
frora the north-east.

The tallest cliirs were rent from crown to base, and frost-
cracks intersected one another in such a perfect labyrinth,
that the whole mass appeared as if merely hanging together
from its stupendous weight. The narrow bays and bights
with a southern aspect, where the concussion of a heavy sea
had had lis efiect, were strewn with the wreck of the adja-
cent precipices, and 2)rogress for sportsmen along the shore,
in pursuit of wild fowl, was extremely difficult. On the
northern sides, these islands showed other features quite as
peculiar to the glacial region upon which we were wandering:
there the low projecting ledges of granite were polished by
the constant attrition of oceanic ice and icebergs, until walk-
ing over them became barely possible.

June 18^/i, 1850. — I am much amused at the ease with
which we assimilate ourselves to new climates and new

habits. Yesterday, my friend Dr. P and I bathed

within fifty yards of an iceberg, the water only two degrees
above freezing point ; candour must acknowledge that we did
not stay long ; and to-night, though no Highlander in love of
hardship, I found myself at midnight in the water groping
for lost gun-gear, an experiment which, having escaped from
without rheumatism, I promise not to repeat. One of my
crew slept last night on deck with his arm for a pillow,
although the temperature was below freezing point, and
every one complains of heat and throws aside jacket and cap
when making the slightest exertion.

Coal-dust every where and on every thing. Incessant
work from 4. a. m., to 8 or 9 o'clock, p. m., one would have
supposed, would have induced rational beings to go quietly
to bed when the day's work was over. It was far otherwise.

'^■

Ay ARCTIC xionr.

ar force

id frost-
by rintli,
together
1 bights
lavy sea
the adja-
le sliore,
Oil the
quite as
ndering :
ished by
itil walk-

jasc with
and new
[ bathed
degrees
lat \ve did
li love of
groping
)ed from
Ic of my
pillow,
^int, and
and cap

tncessant

lid have

quietly

Lherwise.

air

The novelty of constant daylight, and tlie cfToct which it always
has upon tl»e system, until accustomed to it, of depriving
one of the inclination to go to roost at regular hours, told
upon us, and often hare I found myself returning from five
hnurs' work, chasing, shooting, and pulling a boat, just as the
boatswain's mates were pii'ing " stow hammocks !" That I
was not singular, a constant discharge of guns throughout the
night well proved, and unhappy nights must the ducks and
doVL'kit's have spent dining our stay.

Not to shoot became, in the Arctic squadron, tantaiT.ount
to folly, although the proceeds of great consumption of pow-
der were but small ; r.evertheless, stout men, who had not
buttoned a gaiter since their youth, were to be seen rivalling
chamois-hunters in the activity with which they stalked down
the lady ducks on their nests. Apoplexy was forgotten, the
tender wife's last injunction on the subject of dry feet pitched
to the winds, and rash men of five-and-forty pulled and shot
little birds, in leaky punts, with all the energy of boys of
fifteen.

Cold fingers, and a load of Flushing cloth on one's back,
arc vile realities; otherwise I could have given fancy her
swing, and spent many an hour in the " blest ideal," at the
beautiful and novel scene which lay around me on a lovely
mi>rning at one o'clock. I had just crossed to the north side
of an island which faces Greenland, and passed a quiet and
secluded bay% at whoso head the remains of a deserted ruin
told of the by-gone location of some Esquimaux fishermen,
whose present home was shown by here and there a grave
carefully piled over with stones to ward off dog and bear.
All was silent, except the plaintive mew of the Arctic sea-
swallow as it wheeled over my head, or the gentle echo made
by mother ocean as she rippled under some projecting ledge

of ice. The snow, as it melted amongst the rocks behind,

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ARCTIG JOUIiXAL.

stole quietly on to the sea through a mass of dark-coloured
moss ; whilst a scanty distribution of pale or delicately-tinted
flowers showed the humble flora of the north. The sun,
sweeping along the heavens opposite, at a very low altitude,
gilded as it rose the snowy crests of the mountains of Disco,
and served to show, more grim and picturesque, the naturally
dark face of the "Black I.and of Lively." From thence
round to the east, in the far horizon, swept the shores of Green-
land, its glaciers, peaks, and headlands, all tortured by mi-
rage into a thousand fantastic shapes, as if Dame Nature
had risen from her couch in frolicsome mood. Between this
scene and my feet, icebergs of every size and shape, rich with
fretting of silvery icicle, and showing the deepest azure tint
or richest emerald, strewed a mirror-like sea, glowing with
the pale pink of morning.

The awful silence was impressive: unwilling to break it I
sat me down.

" I fi'lt licr presence by its spell of might,
Stoop o'er mo from above —
The calm majestic presence of the night,
As of the one I love."

Suddenly a distant roar boomed along the water and echoed
amongst the rocks : again and again I heard it, when, to my
astonishment, several huge icebergs in the offinij commenced
to break up. A fearful plunge of some largo mass would
clothe the spot in spray and foam ; a dull /everberating echo
pealed on ; and then, merely from the concussion of the still
air, piece after piece detached itself from icebergs fir and
near, and the work of demolition was most rapid : truly did
BafTin boast, that he had laid open one of Nature's most won-
derful laboratories; and I thought with Longfellow, in his
Hyperion, —

GODIIAAB.

-coloured
.'Iv -tinted
The sun,
' altitude,
of Disco,
naturally
m thence
of Grccn-
2d by mi-
ic Nature
;wecn this
, rich with
azure tint
Aving with

break it I

utl echoed
len, to my
bninienced
I ass would
lating echo
i.f the still
s fiir and

truly did
uost won-

w, in his

an(

"The va>t cathedral of nature is full of h<dy scriptures
1 shaj-es <.)f deep iny.stt'ri(jus ineaniiig: all is solitary and

SI kill there.

Into this va>t ralhedral comes the human soul
secliing its Creator, and the universal sik-iice is changed to
sound, and tlu^ sound is harmonious and has a meaning, and
is comprLhciided and felt.''

After many dilliculties, which called lor some obstinacy

on my pa

rt to master, 1 was allowed to co to Disco, and

Captain < )mman('V, Ikarinijj of mv intention, kindlv made up

f a party. Taking one of our boats, we shi[)})ed an ]:^s(|ui-

maux pilot, i-alicil " Fri'dfrifk,"' and started on June 21st, at

2 o'clock in tlu; morning. To all our iiKpiiries about Disco,

Fredeiick had but one rcplv, — "hv and bv vou see." lie

^ liked rum and biscuit, and was only to be animated by the

I conversation tuiniiig upon scivis^ ov jjonssirs, an the nativus

I call them. 'J'hen inileed Frt'derick's face was wreathed in
smiles, ur rather its (tlcaginous coat of dirt (Macked in divers

I directions, his tinv eves twinkled, and he descanted, in his

"f. broken jargon, upon the delight of jmnssci/ with far more

unction than an alderman Nvould upon turtle. After thread-
ing the islets we struck to north-east by conij^ass, from the
;- northernmost rock of the grouji, which our guide assured us

^ would sink below the hori/on the moment of our arrival off

II (todhaab. He was perfectly right, lor after four hours' pull-
ing and sailing we found ourselves under a small look-out
house, and the islets of our departure had dipped.

Entering a long and secure harbour, we reached a [lerfeetlj
landlocked basin: in it ro(I(^ a eoupb' of Danish brigs, just
arrived from Coj)enhagen, with stores f)r the settlement; and
on the shores of this basin, tiie Danish settlement of (ludhaab
was situated, a few stores, and the ri-sidence of two or thieo
ollicials, — gentlemen who superintended the commercial mo-

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III

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

nopoly to which I have before referred : a flag-staff and some
half-dozen guns formed the sum total.

Landing at a narrow wooden quay, close to which natives
and sailors were busy unladen! ng boats, we found ourselves
amongst a rambling collection of wooden houses, built in
Dano-Esquimaux style, with some twenty native lorJges
intermixed. Very few persons were to be seen moving
a])Out : we heard afterwards that the body of natives were
seal-catching to the northward. A troop of half-caste boys
and girls served, however, to represent the population, and
in them the odd mixture of the Mongolian with the Scandina-
vian race was advantac-eouslv seen.

A Danish seaman conducted Captain O , Dr. D ,

and self, to the residence of the chief official, and, at the early
hour of six, we made a formal visit.

Ills mansion was of wood, painted black, with a red bor-
der to the windows and roof: no doubt, so decorated for a
good purpose; but the effect was more striking than pleasing.
A low porch with double doors, two sharp turns in a narrow
dark passage, — to baffle draughts, no doubt, — and we found
ourselves in a comfortable room with ITerr Agar smoking a
cigar, and gaily attired to receive us. The " TIerr" spoke
but little English ; we no Danish : however, the quiet and
reserved manner of the good northern did not conceal a cer-
tain kindness of which he soon gave us hospitable proof; for,
on acceding to his oiler of a little coffee, we were surprised to
see a nice tidy lady — his wife, as he informed us — spread a
breakfast fit tor a Viking, and then with gentle grace she ably
did tiie honours of her board. Tlang me, when 1 looked at
the snow-white linen, the home-made cleanly cheer, the sweet
wife all kindness and anxiety, I half eiivied the worthy Dane
the peace and contentment of his secluded lot, and it needed
not a glass of excellent Coj^cnhngen gchiedam to throw a

,\-

IIERR AGAR.

i some

natives
rsclves
milt in
lof3ges
moving
OS were
te boys
on, and
:andina-

D ,

he early-
red bor-
ed for a
)leasing.
narrow
found
oUing a
' spoke
iet and
al a cer-
)of; for,
riscd to
prcad a
he ably
uked at
le sweet
V Dane
, needed
throw a

"coulour do rose" about tliis Ultima Thule of dear woman's
domjjiion.

The morning pull had given a keenness to our appetites,
and I have a general recollection of rye bread, Danish caJvc,
excellent Zothuid butter, Dutch cheese, luscious ham, boiled
potatoes, and Greenland trout fresh from the stream. Could
sailors ask for or need more? I can only say that we all felt
that, if Ilerr Agar and Matlame Agar (I hate that horrid
word Frau) Motdd only borrow our last shilling, we were
ready to lond it.

A broken conversation ensued, a little English and much

Danish, when Dr. ]) fortunately produced Cai)tain

Wa>hington's Ksrjuiniaux vocabulary, and, aided by the
little son of our host, we soon twisted out all the news Ilerr
Agar had to give.

Captain Penny had only staye<l a short time. lie arrived
on May the Ith. The [)rospcct of an early season was most
cheering, and tlicn the worthy ITerr produced a piece of
paper directed to niyself by my gallant friend Penny. ITe
wrote in haste to say his squadron had arrived, all well, after
a sj)lendid run from Aberdeen : he was again oil* and sent
kind remembrances, dated ^lay 4th.

Tills, at any rate, was joyful intelligence, and worth my
journey to Disco; my heart leaped with joy, mid I thought,
at any rate, if we were late, he was full early.

After a long chat, we went for a stroll, in which a tree —
yes ! as I live, a tree — was discovered. 15e not envious, yc
men of Orkney, it stood full thirteen inches high, and was
indigenous, being the dwarf birch-tree, the monarch of an
arc.io forest! ^^lumbling u[)on the churchyard I should have
indulged my taste for old tombstones, had not the musipiitoes
forbidileii il ; aiitl, with a hurried glaiiee at the names of old
hunters of fish an J departed Danes and Dutchmen, 1 ran for

»!ij;,ifl'v

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

the beach, remarking that, whereas we in Europe evince
respect i'tjr those who have preceded us to that Ijourne —

" "Where life's lone; journey turns to sleep,
Is'or weary pil<;rini wakes to weep — "

by phicing stones around their last homes, in Grecnhand
pieces of soft and ngly wood are substituted, although nature
has strewn on everv side masses of granite fit to form mauso-
leums for Pharaohs. Dad taste ! 1 exclaimed ; i)ut that's not
confnied to Disco.

Having promised to return to say good-bye, we kept our
word most willingly, and found "Ilerr Agar" had a circle of
friends to meet us; and my astonishment was great at the
sight of ttvo more 'pcUicoah. One was the wife of a Moravian
missionary, and the other the wife of a gentleman at Jacob's
Sound. They looked perfectly hapi>y, and at least appeared
as well at home in the dreary reirion which had become their
adopted country, as we could expect, or their husl)ands desire.
Conversation soon flagged; the missionary gave it up in
despair; the " Ilerr" smoked in silence; and but for the
ladies we should have been soon dumb. Happily forme (for
I wanted to purchase some seal-skins), a captain of one of
the brigs came in at the moment, and, understanding both
English and Danish, conversation became (piite animated.
Watching my opportunity, I told him of my desire to pur-
chase seal-skins for trowsers for my men ; lie immediately
informed Ilerr Agar, who gave him u yah! and walked me
off by the arm t(j his storerooms, followed by his good lady ;
lifliug a bundle of beautiful seal-skins, the II»'rr made me an
offer of them. I commenced fumbling foi- my purse, and at
last product^l some gold, making signs that various ollicers
intended to have ^eal-^kiu fro\ssers. Nay! nay! exi-lalmed
tiie good ladv, thrusting baek niv moiuv, whilst tlii^ Ilerr

LKAVH DISCO.

evince

3cnlaiid
nature
man so-
ft's not

opt our
irclc of
: at the
[oravian
Jacob's
ppeared
ne their
s desire,
t up in
lor the
lie (for
one of
<; both
mated,
to pur-
liately
1 me
lady ;
me an
and at
ullii'rrs
claimrd
llerr

(.'I

l)i'gaii loading me with skins. Oil! the horror of that mo-
ment : I f 'It as if I hai] been beufiinir, and must have looked
very like it, for Mrs. Agar, with a look of sudden inspiration,
as if she perfectlv understood me, ran ofi' to her husband's
wardrobe, and produced a pair of trowsers, of perfect Dutch
diiiu'iisions, and, with the most innocent smile, made signs
of liow I should pull them on, I smiled, for they would have
made a suit of elothes fn' me.

Seeing no way of getting out of the scrape my ignorance
of Danish and their generosity had led me into, I determined
to take as little as j)()ssible, and with a thousand thanks
walked back t«) the drawing-room, with llerr Agar's " whis-
jxTables"' on one arm and a couple of seal-skins on the other,
my fue burning, and my conseience smiting.

Time j)resscd, and we bid our kind friends good-bye.
Ib'rr Agar fired a salute of three guns, which we returned
with tliiet! cheers ; and, after taking a stirrup cup on board
the "'Peru," started for Whale-Fish Islands, which we
reaehed at eleven o'eloek at night, much pleased with our
excursion.

l\!very one likes a souvenir of some pleasant by-gone
scene or event: these souvenirs are often odd ones. A
messmate of mine used to tell of Greece, her temples and
ruins: "he had had many a pleasant snooze amongst them!"
Another dwelt on the scenes of Montezuma's sorrows, for it
was tiiere he ]ia<l partaken of most savoury wild fowl, — and
yet another hero knew but of i\'rii and Pizarro's triumphs,
by tin- markets producing very good prawns; whilst I must
]>Iead guilty to associating Greenland and the deeds of Scan-
dinavian lieroes with llerr Agar's seal-skin trowsers.

Amidst a last flourish of coals and dust, which left us filled
to repletion, — indeed we were just awash, — we were ordered
to fake the shijts in low, and start. This being done, 1 came

«iii)i!'tJ!

lli'l!

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

to a virtuous resolution in my own mind, after what I was
going through in dragging my " fat friend," the " Resolute,"
about, to think twice ere I hiughed at those whom fate had
shackled to a mountain of flesh. When I had time to ask
the day and date, it was Sunday, 28th June, 1850, ind we
had turned our back on the last trace of civilized man.
Vogue-la-galere.

The night was serenely calm. We skirted the Black Land
of Lively, making an average speed of three miles per hour,
so that our fearful load of coal — full three hundred tons —
did not diminish the speed nearly as much as I at flrst antici-
pated. Although I could not but feel from our staggering
motion and bad steerage that the poor " Pioneer" was
severely taxed in carrying her own dead weight of about
five hundred tons, and towing a clumsy craft, which fully
equalled another seven hundred tons, all this receiving vital-
ity from two little engines of tlilrty-horse power each.

Whilst a sudden and rattling breeze from the south caused
us to make sail and run merrily past the striking clifts of the
Waigat and Jacob's Sound, I will briefly refer to the character
of the vessels composing our squadron, their equipment, and
general efficiency.

The "Resolute" and "Assistance" were sailing ships
rigged as barks; their hulls strengthened according to the
most orthodox arctic rules, until, instead of presenting the
appearances of a body intended for progress through the
water, they resembled nothing so much as very ungainly
snuff" boxes; and their bows formed a buttress which rather
jiushed the water before it than passed through it. The re-
mark made by an old seaman who had grown gray amongst
the ice was often recalled to my mind, as with an aching
heart for many a long mile I dragged the clumsy " Resolute"
about, "Lord, sir! you would think by the quantity of

... I,'

THE SHIPS.

I was

solute,"
ite had
to ask
^nd we
i man.

?k Land
er hour,
tons —
it anticl-
iggerhig
3r" was
)f about
eh fully
ng vital-

h caused
'ts of the
haracter
ent, and

,g ships
Y to tlie
ting the
ugh the
[mgainly
rather
The re-
iniongst
aching
isolutc"
litity of

wood tlicy are putting into thcyn ships, that the dock-yard
niaties LeiieveJ they could stop the Almighty from moving
the floes in Dafliu's Bay ! Every pound of African oak they
put into them the less likely they are to rise to pressure;
and you must in the ice either rise or sink. If the floe can-
not pass through the ship it will go over it."

Internully the fittings of the ships were most perfect:
nothing had been spared to render them the most comfort-
altl(' vessels that ever went out avowedly to winter in the
Polar ice. Ilcjt air was dL^tributed by means of an ingenious
apparatus throughout lower deck and cabins. Double bulk-
heads and doors prevented the ingress of unnecessary cold
air. A cooking battery, as the French say, promised al)un-
dance of room for roasting, boiling, baking, and thawing snow
to make water for daily consumption. The mess places of
the crew were neatly fitted in man-of-war style ; and the well-
laden shelves of crockery and hardware showed that Jack, as
well as jolly marine, had spent a portion of his money in
securing his comfort in the long vovage before them. A Ions
tier of cabins on either side showed how large a proportion
of ufllcers these vessels carried ; but it was so far satisfactory,
as it proved that the division of labour, consequent upon
numbers, would make arctic labours comparatively lijht.

A large captain's cabin, with a gunroom capable of con-
taining all the ofliccrs when met together for their meals,
completed the accommodation. The crews consisted of sixty
souls each, of which a fourth were oOicers.

The vessels chosen to be the first to carry the novel agent,
steam, ii lo hyperborean climes, were the "Pioneer" and
" Intrepid," sister vessels, belonging, originally, to the cattle
conveyance company ; they were propelled by screws, and
were of sixty-horse power each, about 150 feet long, of 400
tons burden, and rigged as three-masted schooners. Over

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ARCTIC JOURS AL.

the whole of their original frames, tough planking called
d(jubling \\-as placed, varying from three to six inches in
thickness. The decks were likewise doubled; and, as: may
be supposed, from such numerous fastenings passing through
the original timbers of a merchantman, every timber was
perforated with so many holes as to be weakened and ren-
dered useless ; indeed, the vessels may have at last been
considered as what is termed " bread-and-butter built," the
two layers of planking constituting with the decks the actual
strength of the vessels. At the bow, the fine form had hap-
pily been retained, the timber strengthenings being thrown
into them at that point within, and not without ; they were,
tlierefore, at the fore end somewhat like a strong wedge.
!Many an oracle had shaken his head at this novelty ; and
when I talked of cutting and breaking ice with an iron stem,
the lip curled in derision and pity, and I saw that they
thought of me as Joe Stag, the Plymouth boatman, did of the
Brazilian frigate when she ran the breakwater down in a fog,
— " Happy beggar, he knows nothing, and he fears nothing."
A few catastrophe-lovers in England having consigned
Franklin to death because he had steam-engines and screws,
every precaution was taken to secure the " Pioneer" and
" Intrepid" in such a way that screw, rudder, and sternpost
might be torn oft' by the much-talked-of horj'ic ! — the ice, —
and the vessels still be left fit to swim. In the internal
arrangements for meeting an arctic climate, "we were on
somewhat a similar plan to the ships, — some difficulties
being presented by the large mass of cold iron machinery,
which, of course, acted as a rapid refrigerator. For the
voyage out, the men were confined to a little place in the
bows of the vessel, and from thence to the cabins of the
officers, all was coal : a dead weight of 200 tons being origi-
nally carried from England, which we increased to 300 tons at

• "

THE SCREWS.

and

'i V

the Whale Islands. This, at an average consumption of seven
tons 1^0' diem., would enable us to tow the ships 3000 miles,
or, steam alo)ie, full 5000 miles, carrying twelve or eighteen
months' provision. The crew consisted of thirty souls, all told,
of which five were officers, — namely, a lieutenant in command
and a second master, as cxccu .ve officers ; an assistant sur-
geon, who zealously undertooic the superintendence of the
eommisf^ariat, both public and private, and two engineers, to
looii after the steam department. These occupied the smallest
conceivable space in the after-end of the steamers; and, with
separate cabins, had a common mess-place.

Such were the arctic screws : it only remains for mc to
say, that they were very handsome, smart-sailing vessels, and
those embarked in them partook of none of the anxieties and
croakings, which declared opponents and doubtful allies
entertained as to their success in what was styled a great
experiment. They had but one wish ungratitied, which was,
that they had been sent alone and fully provisioned, instead
of carrying an inadequate proportion of food, so that, in the
event of being separated from the ships by accident, they
might have wintered without suftering and hardship.

All the crews had been carefully chosen for health and
efficiency ; and they, as well as the officers, were actuated by
the loftiest feelings of enterprise and humanity ; and that
feeling was fostered and strengthened by the knowledge they
had, of the high confidence placed in the squadron by their
country, speaking through the press. In fact, we wero
called heroes long before we had earned our laurels.
Lastly, the Admiralty put into the liands of the ofticers
the orders they had given the leader of this noble squadron ;
and there was but one opinion as to these orders, that more
liberal, discretionary ones never were penned ! — and with
%uch power to act as circumstances might render necessary.

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

we felt confident of deserving, if wo could not demand,
success.

June 24:th, BaffitCs Bay. — The squadron was flying north,
in an open sea, over which bergs of every size and shape
floated in wild magnificence. The excitement, as we dashed
through the storm, in steering clear of them, was delight-
ful from its novelty. Hard a starboard ! Steady ! Port !
Port ! you may ! — and we flew past some huge mass,
over which the green seas were fruitlessly trying to dash
themselves. Coleridge descrll)es the scene around us too
well for me to degrade it with my prose. I will give his
version : —

" And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wondrous cold,
And ice, mast high, came floating by
As green as emerald..
Through the drifts, the snowy < lifts
Did send a dismal sheen ;
Nor shapes of men, or beasts we ken,
The ice was all between.
With sloping masts, and dipping prow,
As who pursued with yell and blow,
Still treads the shadow of his foe,
And forward bcv.''s his head.
The ship drove i'ast — loud roared the blast,
And northtcard aye we fled —

Until we all suddenly haulcd-in for the land of Greenland, in
order to visit the settlement of Uppernavik. Passing into a
channel, some four miles in width, we found ourselves run-
ning past the remarkable and lofty cliffs of " Sanderson his
Hope," a quaint name given to this point by the " righte
worthie Master Davis," in honour of his patron, a merchant
of Bristol. Well worthy was it of one whose liberality had

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ESSA VIK.

mass.

' righte
irchant

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tended to increase our gi 'j^rapJ, Jcal knowledge ; and the
Hope's lofty crest pierced iirough t'' : clouds which drovo
athwart its breast, and lool ifur to *e " wh 'flier the Lord
of the Earth came not."

Un<ler its lee, the water was a sheet of foan rid spra from
the fierce gusts which swept down ravine and ver hca ind;
and against the base of the rocks, flights of wild luwl inarked
a spot famous amongst arctic voyagers as abounding in fresh
food, — a charming variety to salt horse and Ilambro' pork.

On rounding an inner islet of the Women's Group, as it
is called, a straggling assemblage of Esquimaux huts, with a
black and red storeliouse or two, as at Disco, denoted the
northernmost of the present Danisli settlements, as well as
the site of an ancient Scandinavian port, — a ftict assured by
the recent discovery of a stone pillar on one of the adjacent
islands bearing the following inscription : —

" Elling Sigvatson, Bjamo Tliordason, and Endi'ide Oddson,
erected these memorial stones and cleared this place on Satmri^ay
before Gagndag (25th April), in the year 113o."

Exactly four hundred and fifty -two years before the place
was rediscovered by our countryman, Davis.

The " Intrepid" having the honour of carrying-in the two
post-captains, wc box-hauled about in the offing until she
returned with the disagreeable intelligence that all the En-
glish whalers were blocked up by ice, some thirty miles to
the northward. Capt. Penny had been unable to advance,
and the season was fiir from a promising one ! Squaruig our
yards, we again bore up for the northward. In a few hours,
a strong reflected light to the ?stward and northward
showed we were flist approaching the ice-fields or floes of
Baffin's Bay. A whaler, cruising about, shortly showed he»
self.

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ARCTIO JOURXAL.

June 26^^, 1850. — My rough notes arc as follows : — a. m.
Standing in for the land, northward of " Women's Isles,"
saw several whalers fast to the ice, inshore. Observe one of
them standing out. II. M. S. " Assistance" is ordered to
communicate. We haul to the wind. I visit the "Keso-
lute." Learn that we altered course last night because the
floes were seen extending across ahead. The wkiler turns
out to be the " Abram," Captain Gravill. lie reports : —
" Fourteen whalers stopped by the ice ; Captain Penny, with
his ships, after incurring great risk, and going through much
severe labour, was watching the floes with the hope of slip-
ping past them into the north water."

Mr. Gravill had lately ranged along the Pack edge as far
south as Disco, and found not a single opening except the
bight, up which we had been steering last night. lie said,
furthermore, "that there would be no passage across the bay,
this year, for the whalers, because the water would not make
sufliciently early to enable them to reach the fishing-ground
in Pond's Bay by the first week in August ; after which date,
the whales travel southward towards Labrador." Tlib report
wound up with the discouraging statement that the whale-
men agreed that the floes, this season, were unusually ex-
tensive, that the leads or cracks of water were few, and
icebergs more numerous than they had been for some
years.

It appears that a northerly gale has been blowing, with
but slight intermission, for the last month ; and that, in con-
sequence, there is a large body of water to the north, the ice
from which has been forced into the throat of Davis' Straits.
All we have to pray for is, a continuation of the same breeze,
for otherwise southerly winds will jam the whole body of it
up in Melville Bay, and make what is called a "closed
season,"

r'^iir'

il't

A QHECK.

Mr. G (though not a friend of Penny's) told us that

Penny Mas working day and night to get ahead, and had
already run no small risk, and undergone extraordinary
labour. Poor Peiuiy ! I felt that llite had been against
him! He deserved better than to be overtaken by us,
after the energy displayed in the equipment of his squad-
ron.

In the first wateh the brigs "Lady Franklin" and '"So-
phia" were seen by us, fast between loose floe pieces, to sea-
ward of which we continued to flirt. The " Intrepid" and
" Pioneer" were now to be seen slyly trying their bows upon
every bit of ice we could get near, without getting into a
scrape with the commodore; and, from the ease with which
they cut through the rotten stulf around our positi. .., I al-
j'eady foresaw a fresh era in arctic history, and that the fnie
bows would soon beat the antediluvian " blulfs" out of the
field.

Thnraday^ %lth June^ 1850, found us still cruising about
under canvas ; northward and westward a body of dirty ice,
fast decaying under a fierce sunlight, bergs in hundreds in
every direction; and, dotted along the Greenland shore, a
number of whalers fiist in what is called " Land water," ready
to take the lu'st opening. The barometer falling, we wore
ordered to make fast to icebergs, every one choosing iiis own.
This operation is a very useful one in arctic regions, and
saves much unnecessary wear and tear of men and vessel,
when progress in the required direction is no longer pos-
sible.

The bergs, from their enormous depth, are usually aground,
except at spring-tides, and the seanuui thus succeeds in an-
choring his vessel in 200 fm. water, without any other trouble
than digging a hole in the iceberg, placing an anchor in it

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ARCTIC JOURNAL,

called an ice-anchor, which one man
can lift, and, with a whaledinc, his
ship rides out nndcr the lee of this
natural l)reak\vatcr, in severe gales,
and often escapes being beset in a
lee pack.

Fastening to a berg has its risks
and dangers; sometimes the Hrst

stroke of the man setting the ice-anchor, by its concussiur.
causes the iceberg to break up, and the people so em-
ployed run great risk of being injured ; at another time,
vessels obliged to make fast under the steep side of a berg,
have had pieces detach themselves from overhead, and in-
jure materially the vessel and spars ; and, again, the pro-
JDCting masses, called tongues (which form under water the
base of the berg), have been known to break olT, and strike
a vessel so severely as to sink her: all these risks arc duly
detailed by every arctic navigator, and the object always is, in
fastening to an iceberg, to look for a side which is 1<av and
sloping, without any tongues under water. To such an one
the hitrepid and Pioneer made fast, although the boat's crew
that first reached it, in making a hole, were wetted by a pro-
jecting mass detaching itself with the first blow of the sea-
man's crowbar. A gale sprang up almost immediately, and
during the night the Assistance blew adrift. Next day it
abated, and the ice to the northward looked open.

In the evening one of Penny's vessels, the Sophia, joined
us, and from her commander we soon heard of their hopes
and disappointment. Directly after leaving Disco they fell
in with the ice, and had fought their way the whole distaneo
to their present position. The season was not promising, but
forty-eight hours of a N. E. wind would do wonders, and I
cordially partook of his opinion, that " keeping the vessel's

■I *>*'■

TO ]ViyG THE SHIPS.

noso to the crack" was the only way to get ahead in the
arctic regions. The crews of the brigs were in rattling health
and spirits. Having delivered him some letters and a num-
ber of parcels which, by great good luck, had not been landed
at rppernavik, Capt. Stewart returned to his chief, some
eight miles northward of us, and we remained to watch
progress.

Saturday^ June 2dlh, 1850. —

Monddi/, Juhj 1a7, 1850. — At last the hoped-for signal,
" take ships in tow," was made ; and, with a leaping heart, we
entered the lead, having the " Kosolute" fist by the nose
with a six-inch hawser. What hjoked impassable at ten
miles' distance was an open lead when close to. ])ilHculties
vanish when they are faced ; and the very calm which ren-
deued the whalers unable to take advantage of a loose pack,
was just the thing fur steamers. Away we went! past berg,
past floe, wimling in and out (piietly, yet steadily! — and the
whalers were soon astern. I'emiy, indefatigable, was seen
struggling along the shore, with his boats ahead, towing, and
every stitch of sail set to catch the lightest cat's paw : him
too, however, we soon passed. The water ahead increased
as we advanced, and we found, as is well known to be the
ease, that the i)ack-edge is always the tightest part of it.

Several wliale-boats from the vessels astern were l)usy
taking ducks' eggs from the islands, which seem to abound
along the coast. When passing one of these islands that ap-
peared remarkably st^^cp, I was disagreeably surprised to
feel the " I'ioneer" strike against a sunken rock with some
violence; she slipped olf it, and then the " llesolnte" gave
herself a blow, which seemed to make every thing ijuiver
again. Capt. Penny had a signal up warning us of the dan-

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ARCTIC JOURXAL.

ger ; but wc were too busy to sec it until afterwards, and
then the want of wind prevented our ascertainiiifj what was
meant. After this accident wo went very cautiously until
the evening hour, when, having nearcd Cape Shackleton, and
some thin ice showing itself, through which, at reduced speed,
we could not tow the broad-bowed. " liosolute," she was cast
oflf, and made fast to some land ice, and I proceeded on alono
in the " Pioneer" to see what the prospect was further on.

Cutting throuirh some rotten ice of about six inches in
thickness, we reached water beyond it, and saw a belt of
water, of no great width, extending along shore as fur as the
next headland, called Ilorse's-head. Picking up a boat be-
longing to the "Chieftain" whaler, which had been shooting
and egging, I returned towards the " liesolute" with my in-
telligence, giving Cape Shackleton a close shave to avoid the
ice which was setting against it from the westward, the
whalemen whom 1 had on board expressing no small as-
tonishmont and delight at the wav in which we screwed
through the broken ice of nine-inch thickness. On reaching
the stpiadron, I found it made fast for the night, and parties
of officers preparing to start in dillerent directions to shoot,
and see what was to be seen, for, of course, our night was as
light as the day of any other region.

To the " Chieftain's" doctor 1, with others of the " Pio-
ncer," consigned what wc llattered ourselves were our last
letters, thiiiking that, now the steamers had got ahead, it
was not likely the whalers would again be given an oppor-
tunity of communicating or overtaking us.

There is something in last letters painful and choking;
and I remember that 1 hardly knew which feeling most pre-
dominated in my breast, — sorrow and regret for those friends
1 had left beliind me, or hope and joyful anticipation of
meeting those before us in tlu' " ICrebiis and Terror."

CA VE SUA L 'KLKTOX.

" Pio.

11* hist
ul, it

.king;
pre-
[lU'iids
•11 of

At any rate, I gave vent to thciu by cliinbijig the rocky
Blip. unit of Cape Shackleton, and throwing oil" my jacket, let
the co' 1 breeze alhiv the excitement of mv mind.

Nothing strikes the traveller in the north more strongly
than the perceptible repose of Nature, although the sun is
still ilhunining the heavens, during those hours termed night.
A\ e, of course, who were unaccustomed to the constant light,
were restless and unable to sleep; but the inhabitants of
these regions, as well as the animals, retire to rest with as
much rcgidarity as is done in more southern climes; and the
subdued tints of the heavens, as well as the heavy banking
of clouds iii the neighbourhood of the sun, gives to the arc-
tic sumuu' ■ night a (juietude as marked as it is pleasant.
Across UairnTs Bav there was ice! ice! ice! on everv side,
small faint streaks of water here and there in the distance,
with one cheering stri[) of it winding snakedike along the
coast as llir as I'ye could reach. "To-morrow !" 1 exclaimed,
'"we will be there." "Yes!" replied a friend, " but if the
breeze freshens. Penny will reach it to-night!" And there,
sure enough, were Penny's brigs sailing past our squadron,
which showed no sign of vitality beyond that of the oHicer
of the watch visiting the ice-anchors to see all was right.
"That fellow, IV'uny, is no sluggard!" we nuittered, "and
will yet give the screws a liard tussle to beat him."

A couple of hours rest, and having taken the siiip in
tow, we again proceeded, and at abt>ut seven oV'lock on tiie
morning of the "M of »)uly passed the "JSophia," and shortly

afterwards, the " Ladv Franklin.

Alas : poor J eini}

I'einiy, he had

a light contrary wind to work against.

1 do \u)i think my memory can recall in the cour.>e of my
wanderings anv thing more novel or striking than tiie scenes
through wiiich we steamed this forenoon. 'Ww land of
Greenland, so Ixdd, so stoei>, and in places so grim, with

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

the long fields of Nvhlte glittering ice floating about on the
cold blue sea, and our little ves.sels (for we looked pigmies
bc.si<ic the huge objects around us, whether clitF, berg, or
glacier) stealing on so silently and quickly ; the leadsman's
song or the flap of wild fowl the only sounds to break the
general stillness. One of the clitls we skirted along was
actually teeming with birds called "loons:" they might
have been shot in tens of hundreds had we required them
or time not pressed : thc^ are considered remarkably good
eating, and about the size and weight of an ordinary duck:
to naturalists they arc known by the name of guillemot, and
were christened "loons" by the early Dutch navigators, in
consequence of their stupidity. Numerous seals lay on the
ice in the oflhig, and their great size astonished us.

As we advanced, a peculiarly conical island, in a broad
and ice-encumbered bay, showed itself: it was " the Sugar-
Loaf Island" of the whalers ; and told us that, on munding
the farther headland, we should see the far-famed Devil's
Thumb, the boundary of Melville Bay.

A block of ice brought us up after a tov.' of some twenty-
five or thirty miles, and, each vessel picking up a convenient
iceberg, we made fast to await an opening.

I landed to obtain a view from a small islet close to the
" Pioneer," and was rewarded by observing that the Duck
Islands, a group some fifteen miles to seaward of us, had
evidently a large s[)aco of open water around them, and
broad lanes extended from these in divers directions towards
us, although, without retracing our steps, there was at present
no direct road for us into this water.

Captain I'emiy, however, being astern, had struck to sea-
ward, and was fist passing our i^osition.

0\\ the islands there were recent traces of both reindeer
and bears ; and I amused myself picking some pretty arctic

was

flowers, such as anemones, poppies, and saxifrage, which grew
in sheltered nooks amongst the rocks.

Before leaving the vessel, a boat had been despatched to
the headland where so many " loons" had been seen, to shoot
f(»r the ship's company's use : the other ships did likewise:
they rctiirned at about four o'clock next morning, and I was
annoyed at being informed, without any birds, although all
the ])o\vdcr and shot had been expended.

1 sent for the captain of the forecastle, who had been away
in charge of the sportsmen, and, with astonishment, asked
how he had contrived to fire away one pound of powder and
four of small shot, without brin'Mn<jj home some loons?
Hanging his head, and looking uncommonly bashful, he
answered, " If you please, sir, we fired it all into a bear!"
" Into a bear?" I exclaimed, " what ! shoot a bear with No.
4 shot'.'" "Yes, sir,'' replied Abbot; "and if it hadn't have
been for two or three who were afeard of him, we would iiave
brought him aboard, too." Sending my bear-hunting friend
about his business for neglecting my orders to obtain fresh
food for the crew, I afterward found out that on passing a
small island between the " Pioneer" and the Loon Head, as
the < liff was called, my boat's crew had observed a bear
watching some seals, and it was voted immediately, that to
be the first to bring a bear home, would immortalize the
" Pioneer."

A determined onslaught was therefore made on Bruin :
No. 4 shot being poured into him nu)st ruthlessly, ho
growled and snapped his teeth, trotted round the island,
and was still followed and fired at, until, fniding the fini all
on one side, the brute plunged into the water, and am for
some l)roken-up ice ; my heroes followed, and, for lack of
ball, fired at him a waistcoat button and tlie blade c)f a knife,
which, by great ingenuity, they had contrived to cratn down

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ARCTIC JOUItyAL

one of their inuskets ; this vorv r.n.tui'allv, ns thev (Icsciibod
it, '■' made tlio hoast jmiip a^iaiii !" he i-cachiMl iln> ice. how-
ever, bh'eiJing all over, l)Ut not sevci'dv iiijuri'il ; ami whilst
the bear was endeavoiiriiiir to ijjot on the floe, a spii-itod
contest ensued between hi in and Old Abbot, the latter trv-
ing to beeomc possessor of a skin, whieh the former gallantly
defended.

Ammunition expended, and nothing but boat-hooks and
stretehers left as defensive weap(jns, there seemed some
chance of the tables beiug reversed, and the boat's crew
very properly obliged the captain of the forecastle U) beat a
retreat; the bear, equally w(dl pleased to bo rid of such
visitors, made off. " Old Abbot," as he was stvled. always,
however, asserted, thpt if he had had his way, the bear would
have been brought on board the " Pioneer," and tamed 1o do
a good deal of the dragging work of the sledges ; and when-
ever he heard, in the winter, any of the young hands growling
at the labour of sledging away snow or ice, he created a roar
of laughter, by mutteriuir, " Ah ! if vou had taken mv advice,
we'd have had that 'ere bear to do this work for us !"

ilf-*

July Sd, 1850. — Penny, hy taking another route, gave
us the " go by," and in the afl:ernoon we started, taking an
in-shore lane of water. The wind, however, had freshened
up from the westward, and as we advanced, the ice was
rapidly closing, the points of the floe-pieces forming " bars,"
with holes of water ])etween them. With the " Pioneer's"
sharp bow, we broke through the Hrst of these barriers, and
carried the " Kesolute" into " a hole of water," as it is called.
The next bar being broader, I attempted to force it by charg-
ing with the steamer, and after breaking up a portion of it,
backed astern to allow the broken pieces to be removed;
this being the first time this operation was performed, and

ARCTIC SPORTIXG.

g.avG

,?'

much liaving to be learnt upon tiie feasibility of the ditVorcnt
modes of applying stcam-posvcr against ice.

We soon found ourselves surrounded with broken masses,
which, owing to the want of men to remove it away into the
open water astern, rendered advance or retreat, without injury
to the propeller, almost impossible. Ilcrc. the paucity of
men on board the steam vessels was severely felt: for until
the " Resolute" was properly secured I could expect no assist-
ance from her ; and the " Pioneer," therefore, had to do her
best with half the number of men, although she was fifty feet
longer than the ship. Unable to move, the closing floes fast
beset the steamer, and then the large parties of men that
joined from the squadron to assist were useless, beyond some
practice, which all seemed willing to undertake, in the use of
ice-tools, consisting of chisels, poles with iron points, claws,
lines, &c.

hi a short time, the prospect of liberating the " Pioneer"
was seen to be Aircical, and all the oflicers and men from the
" Kesolute" returned to their ship, although parties of novices
would walk down constantly to sec the first vessel beset in
the ice.

A few birds playing about induced myself and seme others
to go out shooting, a foggy night promising to be favourable
to our larders. The ice, however, was full of holes, and very
decayed ; in addition to which it was in rapid motion in many
places, from the action of wind and tide. The risk of such

sporting was well evinced in my gallant friend M 's case.

He was on one side of a lane of water, and I on the other:
n bird called a " Burgomaster" flew over his head to seaward,
and he started in the direction it had gone. I and another
bhouted to warn him of the ice being in rapid motion and
very thir. ; he halted for a moment, and then ran on, leaping
from piece to piece. The foir at this moment lifted a little.

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

and most providentially so, fur suddt,'nly I saw M make

a leap and disappear — the ice had given way! — he soon rose,
but without his gun, and I then saw him scramble upon a
piece of ice, and on watching it, observed with a shudder that
both he and it were drifting to the northward, and away from
us. Leaving my remaining companion to keep sight of
M , and thus to point out the way on my return, I re-
traced my steps to the " Pioneer," and with a couple of men,
a long hand-lino, and boarding-pikes, started olf in the direc-
tion ^I was in.

I could tell my route pretty well by my companion's
voice, which in rich IMilesian was giving utterance to encour-
aging exclamations of the most original nature — " Keep up
your courage, my boy ! — Why don't you come back ? — Faith,
I suppose it's water that won't let you ! — There will be some
one there directly ! — Iloy ! hoy ! ahoy ! don't be down-
hearted anyway !" I laughed as I ran. My party placed
themselves about ten yards apart, the last man carrying the
line, ready to heave, in case of the leader breaking through.
So weak was the ice that we had to keep at a sharp trot to
prevent the weight of our own bodies resting long on any one

spot ; and when we sighted our friend M on his little

piece of firm ice, the very natural exclamation of one of my

men was, " I wonder how he ever reached it, sir V M

assisted us to approach him by pointing out his own route ;
and by extending our line, and holding on to it, we at last
got near enough to take him off the piece of detached ice on
which he had providentially scrambled. I never think of the
occurrence without a sickening sensation, mixed with a comic

recollection of K 's ejaculations. Whilst walking back

with my half-frozen friend, the ice showed itself to be casing
off rapidly with the turn of tide. At 1 a. m. we were all
free, and a lane of water extending itself ahead.

MELVILLE BAT.

Juhj 4t/>. — At 1 p. M. \vc started again, towing the ships,
the whaling fleet from the southward under every stitch of
canvas threatening to reach the Duck Islands before our-
selves, and Captain Penny's scpiadron out of sight to the
north-west. By dint of hard steaming we contrived to reach
the islands before the whalers, and at midnight got orders to
cast oil" r A cruise about under sail, all the vessels rejoining
us that we had passed some days ago off the Women's Isles.

llie much talked of, by whalemen, " Devil's Thumb," was
now open ; it appears to be a huge mass of granite or basalt,
which rears itself on a cliff of some COO or 800 feet eleva-
tion, and is known as the southern boundary of Melville
Bay, round whose dreary circuit, year after year, the fisher-
men work their way to reach the large body of water
about the entrance of Lancaster Sound and Pond's Bay.
Facing to the south-west, from whence the worst gales
of wind at this season of the year arise, it is not to be won-
dered at that Melville Bav has been the grave of manv a
goodly craft, and in one disastrous year the whaling fleet was
diminished by no less than twenty-eight sail (without the
loss of life, however), a blow from which it never has recov-
ered. No good reason was adduced for taking this route,
beyond the argument, founded upon experience, that the ear-
liest passages were always to be made by Melville Bay ; this
I perfectly imderstood, for early in the season, when northerly
winds do prevail, the coast of Melville Bay is a weather-
shore, and the ice, acted upon by wind and current, would
detach itself and form between the land-ice and the pack-ice
a safe high-road to the westward. It was far otherwise in
1850. The prospect of an early passage, viz., from the first
to the third week of June, had long vanished. Southerly
winds, after so long a prevalence of northerly ones (vide
Captain Gravill's information), were to be expected. Tho

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ARCTIO JOURNAL.

whole wciglit of the ' Atlantic would be forced up Davis's
Straits, and ]\Ielville Bay become '"a dead lec-shorc." I
should therefore not have taken the ice, or attempted to work
my way round Melville Bay, and would instead have gone to
the westward and struck olf sooner or later into the west
water, in about the latitude of Uppernavik, lo^ 30' N.

However, this is what amongst the experienced is styled
theory ; and as any thing was better than standing still, 1 was
heartily glad to see the " Chieftain,"' a bonnic Scotch whaler,
show us the road Ijy entering a lead of water, and away we
all went, working to windward. The sailing qualities of the
naval Arctic ships threatened to be sadly eclipsed by queer-
looking craft, like the " Truelovc"' and others. But steam
came to the rescue, and after twelve hours' hard struggle we
got the pendants again ahead of our enterprising and ener-
getic countrymen.

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Saturdcuj, Jnbj (jth. — By G a. m. we were alongside of
Penny's squadron, which was })laced at the head of the lane
of water, up which we had also advanced ; and so keen was
he not to lose the post of honour, that as we closed, I smiled
to see the Abcrdonians move their vessels up into the very
" nip." In the course of the day the whalers again caught
us up, and a long lino of masts and hulls dotted the floe-
edge.

The ice was white and hard, afibrding good exercise for
pedestrians, and to novices, of whom there were many
amongst us, the idea of walking about on the frozen surface
of the sea was not a little charming. In all directions groups
of three and four persons were seen trudging about, and the
constant puffs of smoke which rose in the clear atmosphere,
showed that shooting for the table was kept carefully in view.

A present of 170 duok-eggs from Captain Stewart of the

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AY OLD WlfALKMAX.

"Joseph (ilreeir' wliaKi-, sliowci] in what j^rofusion thoso
Lirds breed, {iiid I was uM hy ("aptiiiu IViiuy that one of
the islets passed by hiiu on the 2d was literally alive with
ducks, and that several boat-loads of eirns initdit have been
taken olV it, — interesting proofs of the extraordinary abun-
dance of animal life in these northern regions. Our Saturday
evening was passed listening to stirring tales of Melville 15ay

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chances of a very bad season, the number of icebergs and
extent of the ice-fields, inducing many to believe that more
than usual risk would be run in the bay this year, Sunday
forenoon passed quietly and according to law, though a falling
barometer made us watch anxiously a heavy bank of black
clouds which rested in the southern heavens.

The dinner-bell liowever rang, and having a very intelli-
gent gentleman who commands a whaler as a guest, we wcro
much interested in listening to his description of the strange
life led by men, like himself, engaged in the adventurous pur-
suit of the whale ; Mr. S. assured us that he had not seen
corn grow, or eaten fresh gooseberries for thirty years !
although he had been at home every winter. Though now
advanced in years, with a large family, one of whom was the
commander of Her Majesty's brig the "Sophia," then in
company, still he spoke with enthusiasm of the excitement
and risks of his own profession ; it had its charms for the old
sailor, whose skill and enterprise had been excited for so
many years in braving the dangers of ice-encumbered seas,
wliether around Spitzbergen or in IJafhn's 15ay : lie evidently
felt a pride and satisfaction in his past career, and it had still
fevveet reminiscences for him. I felt a pride in seeing such a
man a brother-seaman, — one who loved the North because it
had hardships — one who delighted to battle with a noble foe.
'• NVe are the only people," ho said, " who follow the whale,

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

and kill him in spite of the ice and cold." There was the true
sportsman in such feelings. He and the whale were at war,
— not even the ice could save his prey.

A report from deck, that the ice was coming in before a
southerly gale, finished our dinner very abruptly, and the
alteration that had taken place in a couple of hours was
striking. A blue sky had changed to one of a dusky colour,
— a moaning gale sent before it a low brown vapour, under
which the ice gleamed fiercely, — the floes were rapidly press-
ing together. Two whalers were already nipped severely,
and their people were getting the boats and clothing out ready
for an accident.

" The sooner we are all in dock the better," said Captain
S., as he hurried away to get his own vessel into safety, and,
almost as quickly as lean tell it, a scene of exciting interest
commenced — that of cutting docks in the fixed ice, called
land-floe, so as to avoid the pressure which would occur at its
edge by the body of ice to seaward being forced against it by
the fost rising gale. Smart things are done in the Navy, but
I do not think any thing could excel the alacrity with which
the floe was suddenly peopled by about 500 men, triangles
rigged, and the long saws (called ice-saws) used for cutting

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the ice, were manned. A hundred songs from hoarse throats
resounded through the gale ; tlio sharp chipping of the saws

DOCKIXCr JX Till-: ICE.

tokl that the work was living; aii;! thi; Ituid hiuirh or broad
witticisms of the crews mingled wiili tlic words of command
and encouragement to exertion given by the oflicers.

The pencil of a Wilivie cuuld hardly convey the ciiaracter-
istics of such a scene, and it is far beyond my humble pen to
tell of the stirring animation exliibited l)y some twenty
ships' companies, who knew that on their own exertions
depended the safety of their vessels and ihe success of their
voyage, llie ice was of an average thickness of three feet,
and to cut this saws often feet long were used, ^'\e length of
stroke being about as far as the men directing the saw could
reach up and down. A little powder was used to break up
the pieces that were cut, so as to get them easily out of the
mouth of the dock, an operation wiiich the ollicers of our ves-
sels performed whilst the men cut away with the saws. In a
very short time all the vessels were in safety, the pressure
of the pack expending itself on a chain of bergs some ten
miles north of our present position. The unequal contest
between floe and iceberg exhibited itself there in a fearful
manner; for the former pressing onward against the huge
grounded masses was torn into shreds, and thrown back
piecemeal, layer on layer of many feet in elevation, as if
mere shreds of some flimsy material, instead of solid, har4
ice, every cubic yard of vvhich weighed nearly a ton.

The smell of our numerous fires brought a bear in sight;
Nimrods without number issued out to slay him, the weapons
being as varied as the individuals were numerous. The chase
would, however, have been a fruitless one, had not the bear
in his retreat fallen in with and killed a seal ; his voracity
overcame his fbars, and being driven into the water, he was
shot from the boat of one of the whalers which had perseve-
ringly followed him.

The brute was of no great size — not more than five feet in

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length. The coat, instead of being white, was turned to a
dingy yellow, much rcscmbiing in colour decayed ice ; a
reseinljhxncc which enabled the animal, no doubt, to approach
the seals with greater facility.

By midnight all fears for the safety of the vessels had
ceased ; indeed, as far as our searching ships had been con-
cerned, there never had been much cause for fear, the opera-
tion of docking having been carried out by us more for tho
s.'iko of practice than from necessity. We were tightly
beset until the following evening, when the ice as suddenly
moved off as it had come together; and then a scene of joy-
ful excitement took place, such as is only to be seen in the
arctic regions — every ship striving to be foremost in her
escape from imprisonment, and to lead ahead. Want of
wind obliged the whalers and i'enny's brigs to be tracked
along tho lloe-e'lge by the crews — a laborious operation,
which is done on our b'nglish canals by horses ; here, how-
ever, the powerful crews of fishermen, mustering from thirty-
five to fifty hands, fastened on by their track-belts to a whale-
line, and, with loud songs, made their vessels slip through the
water at an astonishing pace.

An odd proof of tho unhandiness of such vessels as the
" IJesolute" and " Assistance" was given to-day : the former
endeavoured to tow iierself ahead by the aid of all her boats,
a distance of about three or four hundred vards, and was
(juite unal>le to do so, although tho wind against her hardly
amounted to a cat's paw; tho consequence was, that until
tho steam vessels got hold, she was fast v..i'opping astern of
tho whalers, and, as was usually tho case, every one's temper
was going wrong, 'i'ho run was not a very long one, and in tho
heart of a fleet of icebergs we again "hrouglit up: one whaler,
" Tho T' nelove,'' having turned back in despair of a passage
north-about to Pond's Viny. ^■

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rnACKixcr AS I) towixg.

From our position a good view of ^Melville Bay was to
1)C had, and a more melancholy one, eye never rested upon.
Surrounded as we were with bergs, we had to climb a neigh-
bouring mass to obtain a clear horizon ; the prospect to sea-
ward was not cheering ; and from the Devil's Thumb north-
ward, one huge glacier spread itself. The Hrst sensation we
felt was that of pity for the poor land — pressed down and
smothered under so deadly a weight : here and there, a strip
of cliir protruded, black and bare, from the edge of the mer-de-
ffhice, whose surface, rough and unpleasing, was of a sombre
yellowish tint, with occasional masses of basalt protruding
through it, like the uplifted hands of drowning men: it
seemed Earth's prayer for light an<l life; but the ice, shroud-
like, enveloped it, and would not give up the dead.

JhIi/ ^fh, — Every day taught us something: we had
learned that the ice went olf as rapidly, if not more so, than it
came in; and when an opening occurred to-day, the '' IMo-
neer," with the " Kesolute" again in tow, was ahead of the
whalers, and close on Pcnnv's heels.

The ice to-day lay much across, forming very tortuous
channels ; and the performance of the screws, in twisting
themselves and their tail-pieces (the ships) round floc-picces
and bergs, was as interesting as it was satisfactory. In some
places wc had to adopt a plan, styled by us "making a can-
non !" from its resemblance to the same feat in billiards.
This generally occiuTcd at sharp and intricate turns, where
the breadth of water was considerably less than tlie length
of the vessels ; we then, in order to get the vessel's stem in
the proper direction, used to steer her in such a way, that the
how on the oppc)site side to which we wanted iier t<> turn struck
the ice with 'omc force ; the eonsccpicnce was, the steamer
would turn short off, and save the risk of getting athwart

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

" the lead," and aid in checking the ship round at the same
time.

Another novel application of steam took place to-day.
We came to a bar of ice, formed of loose floc-pieccs of all
sizes, but too small to heave through by means of ico-anchors
and lines; Penny stood close up to it, but he could neither
sail through it, nor warp ; he had therefore to make a long
di'tour round its edge : nteam however was able to do it ; and
wilh our knifo-likc bows, aided by the propeller, we soon
wedged a road through for ourselves and the '• IJesolute."

Detentions in the ice were amoiiiT.st the most trviufj mo-
ments of our life in the North ; and from the composition
of our s(^uadron, namely, two fast vessels, and two slow
ones, the constant waiting lor one another put me much in
mind of the old doggerel : —

"The Earl of Cliatham with sword drawn,
"Was waitini^ for Sir liichard Strachan;
Sir Kicliard lon^iiicf to br at 'cm,
Was waiting for the Earl of Chatham."

Tiic risk of detention in such a region can be understood
by all ; but few, perhaps, will appreciate the foding of
mingled passion and regret with which the leading vessel in
such a mission as we had in hand found herself obliged to
wait to close her consort, when all was water ahead, jind tlio
chances of it remaining so were but slight. A few hours wo
all knew had often made the ditllrence of a passage across
Melville Bay without detention, or of a long, laborious voyage
—hero wo were waiting fur our consorts.

On the lOlh, a short tow; and in company with a portion
of tlie whalers, for several had retreated, we again had to
dock, to escape ni])ping froni the ice, and on the morrow, a

FA VOURABLE PROSrECT.

similar scene of hurry and excitement toolc place when libera-
tion came.

Thursday^ Wth. — Seven of the most enterprising whalers
still hung on our heels, and to-day found us all at a bar
beyond which there was a sea of water. Patience ! was the
" mo^ iVordre ;''"' and it vented itself in a number of dinners
and the winding-up <jf letters ; fur we all felt that the hour
of separatit>n from the whalers would soon arrive. They all
were dolightcd with the performance of the steam vessels in
the ice, and quizzed our crews for sitting at their ease, whilst
they had to drag like horses. Ca})tain Penny, likewise, can-
didly at'knuwledi^cd that he never thouij-ht thev could have
answered so well ; and regretted that he had not had a steam
vessel. Our seamen fully appreciated the good service the
screws had done them : they had now been eleven days in the
ice, duriug every day of which period they had witnessed it
working elleetually under every circumstance ; they had seen
the crews of tlie whalers labouring at the track-line, at the
oar, and in making and shortening sail, both by day and by
night ; whilst our crews had nothing to do beyond taking the
ships in tow and casting them off again; already I observed
a really sincere anxiety upon all their parts for the safety of
the " screw." I heard from hencefortii in([uirie« amongst
them, whenever a shock took place, " Whether she. was all
right?'' or to my orders, a ready response — " All right, sir!
she is all free of the ice !"

At nigl»t the bar opened, and giving the ''Lady Franklin'*
a jerk into the water beyond, the '• hitrepiil" and " I'ioneer"
rattled away with the ships iu tow, as hard as steam could
take them. Oh, for one run of ninety miles! There was
open water ahead; but, alas! we could only get three miles
an hour out of our vessel — alone, wo could liave gone five ;

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ARCTIC JOUIiXAL.

making in a day's work the dilTerence between seventy-two
and cue luindrcd and twenty miles.

By two o\'l(K'k in the morning wc had outrun both Penny
and liic wiialers; and, could wc only have gone faster, as-
suredly the pas^sage of Melville Bay would have been that
day elfeeted. The land-flue was still fast, reaching twenty-
five or thirty miles oil" shore, and the pack had drifted off
some ten or fifteen miles; between the two we were steam-
ing at five o'clock in the morning of the 12ih of July, and all
was promising — a headland called Cape Walker and Melville
Monument opening fast to view. The (piarter-master grinned,
as he made his report, that he was sure we were in what was
a fair lead into the North Water !

Hope is not prophecy ! and so they will find who labour
in the North ; for how changed was the prospect when I went
on deck after a sliort sleep — a south wind had sprung up.
W^c were under sail. The pack was coming in fast, and the
signal "Prepare to take the ice," flying from the Commo-
dore's mast-head. We did take it, as the pack came against
the land-floe, with Cape Walker about abreast of us; and, in
a few hours, the " nip" took place. The " Intrepid" and
"IMoncer" having gone into a natural dock together, were
secure enough until the projecting points of the land-floe gave
way, when the weight of the pressure came on the vessels,
and then we felt, for the first time, j Melville Bay S(picczo.
The vessels, lifted by the floes, shot alternately ahead of one
another, and rode down the floe for some fifty yards, until
firmly imbedded in ice, which, in many layers, formed a
peifect cradle under their bottoms. We, of course, were
passive spectators, beyond taking the ]M"ecautlon to have a
few men following the vessels over the ice with two or three
of the boats, in case of a fatal squeeze. The "Sweet little
Cherub" watched over the steamers, liowevcr, and, in a short

XAR WJLiLES.

time, the pressure transferred itself elsewhere. Next day
showed all of Ilcr Majesty's squadron beset in ^lelville Bay.
The gale had abated, but an immense body of ice had come
in from the S. W. To the N. W. a dark haze showed a
water sky, but from it we must have been at least forty
miles. Between us and the shore, a land-floe, of some thirty
miles in width, followed the sinuosities of the coast-line.
Bergs here and there strewed its surface ; but the major part
of them formed what is called a " reetV' in the neiifhbour-
hood of Devil's Thumb, denoting either a bank or shoal
water in that direction.

A powerful sunlight obliged spectacles of every shade,
size, and description to be brought into use ; and, as we
walked about from ship to ship, a great deal of joking and
flicetiousness arose out of the droll appearance of some in-
dividuals, — utility, and not beauty, was, however, gcnt'raliy
voted the great essential in our bachelor community ; and
good looks, by general consent, put away for a future day.
Great reflection, as well as refraction, existed for the time we
remained beset in this position ; and the refraction on one
occasion cnal)led us to detect Captain Penny's brigs as well
as the whalers, although they must have been nearly thirty
miles distant.

The ice slackening a little formed what arc called " holes
of water," and in these we soon observed a shoal of nar-
whales, or unicorn fish, to be blowing and enjoying them-
selves. By extraordinary luck, one of the oflicers of the
"Intrepid," in fning at them, happened to hit one in a vital
jtart, and the brute was captured ; his horn forming a hand-
some trophy for the sportsman. The rcs\ilt of this was, that
the untbrtunatc narwhales got no peace ; directly they showed
themselves, a shower of balls was poured into them.

This fish is found throughout the fishing-ground of Baffin's

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

Bay, but is not particularly sought for by our people. The
Esquimaux kill it with ease, and its flesh and skin are eaten
as luxuries; the latter especially, as an anti-scorbutic, even
by the Avhalers, and some of our crews partook of the ex-
tremely greasy-looking substance, — one man vowing it was
very like chestnuts ! (?) I did not attempt to judge for my-
self; but I have no doubt it would form good food to a really
hungry person. The narwhales vary in size, ranging some-
times, I am told, to fourteen feet; the horns, of which I saw
a great many at Whale-Fish Isles, were from three feet to
seven feet in length. The use of this horn is a matter of
controversy amongst the fishermen : it is almost too blunt
for ofience, and its point, for about four inches, is always
found well polished, whilst the remainder of it is usually
covered with slime and greenish sea-weed. Some maintain
that it roots up food from the bottom of the sea with this
horn ; others, that it probes the clefts and fissures of the
floating ice with it, to drive out the small flsh, which are said
to be its prey, and which instinctively take shelter there from
their pursuers. The body of the narwhale is covered with a
layer of blubber, of about two inches in thickness. This was
removed, and carefully boiled down to make oil ; and the
kranr/, or carcass, was left as a decoy to molliemauks and
ivory-gulls, — these latter birds having for the first time been
seen by me to-day. They are decidedly the most graceful
of sea-birds ; and, from the exquisite purity of their plumage
when settled on a j)ieco of ice or snow, it recpiired a practised
eye to detect them. Not so the voracious and impertinent
mollies — the l^rocellaria of naturalists. Their very ugliness
appeared to give them security, and they are, in the Nortli,
what the vulture and carrion crow are in more pleasant climes
— Nature's scavengers.

The 14th and 15th of July found us still firmly beset, and

ANXIETY AXD HOPE.

sorely was our patience taxed. In-shoro of us, a firm un-
broken sheet of ice extended to the land, some fifteen miles
distant. Across it, in various directions, like hedge-rows in
an English landscape, ran long lines of piled-up hummocks,
formed during the winter by some great pressure ; and on
the surface, pools of water and sludge* broke the general
monotony of the aspect.

The striking mass of rock, known as ^Melville's ^Nlonu-
mcnt, was clear of snow, because it was too steep for ioe to
adhere ; but every where else huge domes of white showed
wl Greenland lay, except where Cape Walker thrust its
blaciv Iff through tlie ^' vicr to scowl upon us.

Tantalus never longed for water more than wo did. Those
who have been so beset can alone tell of the watchfulness and
headaching for water. Now to the mast-head with straining
eyes, — then arguing and inferring, from the direction of wind
and tide, that water must come. Others strolling over to a
hole, and with fragments of wood, or a measure, endeavour-
ing to detect that movement in the floes by which liberation
was to be brought about. Some sage in uniform, perhaps,
tries to prove, by the experience of former voyages, tliat the
lucky day is passed or close at hand ; whilst wiser ones con-
sole themselves with exclaiming, "That, at any rate, we are,
as yet, before Sir James lloss's expedition, — lioth in lime
and position."

The lOth of July showed more flivourable symptoms,
and Captain Penny was seen working for a lane of water, a
long way in-shorc of us. In the night, a general disruption
of the fixed ice was taking place in the most marvellous
manner ; and, by the next morning, there was nearly as
much water as there had before been ice. The two steamers,

«• it*.

and

• Is the term applied to half-thawed ice or snow.

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

firmly imbedded in a mass of ice, many miles in circumfer
ence, were drifting rapidly to the southward, whilst the two
ships, afloat in a large space of water and fastened to the floe,
awaited our liberation.

The prospect of a separation from the ships, when un-
avoidable, in no wise depressed the spirits of my colleague
of the " Intrepid," nor myself Like the man who lost a
scolding wife, we felt if it must be so, it was for the best,
and we were resigned. But it was not to be; the "In-
trepid" with her screw, and the " Pioneer" with gunpowder,
which, for the first time, was now applied, shook the frag-
ments apart in which we were beset, and again we laid hold
of our mentors. A thick fog immediately enveloped us, and
in it we got perfectly puzzled, took a wrong lead, and, tum-
bling into a peifect cul de sac^ made fast, to await a break in
the weather. The 18th of July, from the same cause, a
dense fog, was a lost day, and next day Penny again caught
us up. lie reported the whalers to have given up all idea
of a Northern fishery this season. Alas ! for the many
friends who will be disappointed in not receiving letters !
and alas ! for the desponding, who will croak and sigh at the
whalers failing to get across the bay, believing, therefore,
that we shall fail likewise.

Penny had passed a long way inside of the spot the
steamers had been beset and nipped in ; and he witnessed a
sight which, although constantly taking place, is seldom seen
— the entire dissolution of an enormous iceberg.

This iceberg had been observed by our squadron, and
remarked for its huge size and massiveness, giving good
promise of resisting a century of sun and thaw. All on
board the " Lady Franklin" described as a most wonderful
spectacle this iceberg, without any warning, falling, as it
were, to pieces; the sea around it resembled a seething

il,-

DISSOLUTION OF AX ICEBERG.

league

In-

caldron, from the violent plunging of the masses, as they
broke and rebroke in a thousand pieces ! The floes, torn
up for a distance of ten miles by the violent action of the
rollers, threatened, by the manner the ice was {igitated, to
destroy any vessel that had been amongst it ; and they con-
gratulated themselves, on being sufficiently removed from
the scene of danger, to see without incurring any immediate
risk.

The fog again lifted for a short time. Penny went in my
-' crow's nest," as well as into the " Ilesolute's," and soon
gave us the disagreeable intelligence, that the land-floe had
broken up, and we were in the pack, instead of having, as we
had fancied, '"fast ioe" to hold on by; and, as he remarked,
" We can do nothing but push for it ; — it's all broken ico,
and push we must, in-shore, or else away we go with the
loose floes !"

With this feeling the six vessels started in the night, in an
indiflferent and cross lead, we towing the " Resolute" and
" Lady Franklin," — the " Intrepid," with " Assistance" and
" Sophia," astern. Breaking through two light barriers of
ice, the prospect was improving ; and, as they said from the
"crow's nest," that eight miles of water was beyond a neck
of ice ahead, I cast off the vessel in tow to charge the ice ; at
first she did well, but the floe was nearly six feet thick, hard
and sound, and a pressure on it besides. The " Pioneer" was
again caught, and the squadron anchored to the floe to await
an opening. A few hours afterwards we were liberated, and,
moving the vessel as far astern as we could, the fact was duly
reported to the senior oflicer ; but, as the road ahead was not
open, no change of position could be made. On the morning
of the 20th we were again beset, and a south gale threatened
to increase the pressure; escape was, however, impossible,
and " Fear not, but trust in Providence" is a necessary motto

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ARCTIG JOURNAL.

for Arctic seamen. My faith in this axiom was soon put to
the proof After a short sleep I was called on deck, as the
vessel was suflering from great pressure. ]SIy own senses
soon made it evident; every timber and plank was cracking
and si'oaninjf, the vessel was thrown considerably over on her
side, and lifted bodily, the bulkheads cracking, and treenails
and bolts breaking with small reports. On reaching the
deck, I saw indeed that the poor " Pioneer" was in sad peril ;
the deck was arching with the pressure on her sides, the scup-
per-pieces were turning up out of the mortices, and a quiver
of agony wrung my craft's frame from stem to talTrail, whilst
the floe, as if impatient to overwhelm its victim, had piled up
as high as the bulwark in many places.

The men who, whaler-fashion, had, without orders I after-
wards learnt, brought their clothes on deck, ready to save
their little property, stood in knots, waiting fjr directions
from the ofiicers, who, with anxious eye, watched the (loe-
edgc as its ground passed the side, to see whether the strain
was easing; suddenly it did so, and we were safe ! But a deep
dent in the '• Pioneer's" side, extending for some forty feet,
and the fact, as we afterwards learnt, of twenty-one timbers
being broken upon one side, proved that her trial had been
a severe one.

Again had the ice come in upon us from the S. W., and
nothing but a steady, watchful progress through the pack was
left to our squadron, as well as Penny's. But I shall not
weary the reader with the dry detail of our every-day
labours, — tlieir success or futility. Keenly and anxiously
did we take advantage of every move in the ice, between
the 20th and 31st July, yet, not seven miles in the right
direction was made good; the first of August found us doubt-
ing, considerably, the prospect of reaching Lancaster Sound
by a noithern passage; and Capt. Penny decided, if the

1^'

' ' PIONEER " NIPPED.

right

water approachcJ him from the south, to strike to the
westward in a lower hititudo.

The ships — generally tlie 'vKesolute" — kept the lead in
our heaving and warping operation through tlie pack; antl,
leaving a small portion of tiie crews to keep the other vessels
close up under her stern, the majority of the oflieers and men
laboured at the headmost ship, to move her through the ice.
]Ieaving ahead with stout hawsers, blasting with gunpowder,
cutting with iee-saws, and clipping with ieo-chisels, was per-
severiugly carried on ; hut the progress fell far short of the
labour expended, and the blulf bow slipped away from the
nip instead of wedging it open. War])ing tiie '" liesolute"
through a barrier of ice by lines out of her hawse-holes, put
me in mind of trying to do the same with a cask, by a line
through the bung-hole : she slid and swerved every way but
the right one, ahead ; I often saw her bring dead up, as if a
wall had stopped her. After a search, some one would
exclaim, " Here is the piece that jams her !" and a knock
with a two-pound chisel would bring up a piece of ice two or
three inches thick ! In short, all, or nearly all, of us soon
icarnt to see, that the fine bow was the one to get ahead in
these regions ; and the daily increasing advantage which
Penny had over us, was a proof which the most obstinate
could not dispute.

1 often thought how proud our countrymen would be of
their seamen, could they have looked on the scene of bu^y
energy and activity displayed in the solitude of Melville
Bay : — the hearty song, the merry laugh, and zealous
labours of the crew ; day after day the same difficulties
to contend with, yet day after day met with fresh lesolu-
tion and new resources ; a wide horizon of ic-e, no sea in
sight, }et every foot gained to the northward was talked of
with satisfaction and delight ; men and officers vicing with

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

one another in laborious duties, llie latter especially, finding
amongst a body of seamen, actuated by such noble and
enthusiastic feelings, no necessity to fear an infringement
of their dignity. The etiquette of the quarter-dock was
thrown on one side for the good of the common cause ;
and on every side, whether at the capstan, at the track-line,
hauling, heaving, or cutting, the officer worked as hard as the
seamen, — each was proud of the other, and discipline sutlered
nought, indeed improved : for here Jack had both precept
and example.

If we had our labours, it is not to be wondered at that we
had also our leisure and amusements, usually at night, — a
polar night robed in light, — then, indeed, boys fresh from
School never tossed care more to the winds than did the ma-
jority of us. Games, which men in any other class of society
would vote childish, were entered into with a zest which
neither gray hairs nor stout bodies in any degree had damped.
Shouts of laughter ! roars of "Not fair, not fair! run again!"
" Well done, well done !" from individuals leaping and clap-
ping their hands with excitement, arose from many a merry
ring, in which " rounders," with a cruelly hard ball, was being
played. In other directions the fiddle and clarionet were
hard at work, keeping pace with heels which seemed likely
never to cease dancing, evincing more activity than grace.
Here a sober few were heaving quoits, there a knot of Solo-
mons talked of the past, and argued as to the future, whilst
in the distance the sentimental ones strolled about, thinking
no doubt of some one's goodness and beauty, in honour of
whom, like true knights, they had come thus Air to win
bright honour from the " Giant of the North."

Sometimes a bear would come in sight, and then his risk
of being shot was not small, for twenty keen hands were out
after the skin : it had been promised as a gage (Tamour by

'%:

LIEUT. IIALKETT'S MOAT.

»"

were

one to liis Lotrotliccl ; to a sister bv another : a third in-
tended to open tlic purse-strings of a hard-hoarted parent by
sncii a proof of regard ; and not a few were to go to the First
Lord with it, in exehangc for a piece of parchment, if ho
would n(»t object to tlie arrangement.

Every day our sportsmen brought home a fair proportion
of loons and little auks, the latter bird flying in immense
flocks to all the neighbouring pools of water, and to kill ten
01" twelve of them at a shot when settled to feed, was not
considered as derogatory to the character of a Ximrod, where
the question was a purely ga^^tronomic one. I found in my
shooting excursions an India-rubber boat, constructed upon
a plan of my dear friend i?eter TTalkett, to be extremely con-
venient; in it I floated down the cracks of water, landed oi;
floe-pieces, crossed them drag^'-ing mv boat, and again
launched into water in search of my fei. hered friends. At
the Whale-Fish Islands, much to the deiglt of my Esquimaux
friends, I had paddled about in *;;, inflated boa., and its por-
tability seemed fully to be appi .ciaied by them, though they
found fault with the want of speed, in which it fell far short
of their own fairv craft.

The separation of the squadron, occasioned by either mis-
take or accident, detained us for a few days in the beginning
of August, in order that junction might again take place.
Penny, by dint of hard tracking and heaving, gained seven
miles upon us. For several days a schooner, a ketch, and a
single-masted crafi, h. ! been seen far to the southward ; they
were now rapidly closijig, and we made them out to be the
"Felix," Sir J. Iloss, with his boat towing astern, and the
" Prince Albert,'' belonging to Lady Franklin, in charge of
Commander 1 orsyth.

^rm

^m§

August 6th. — Plenty of water. The " Assistance" re-

^1,

AIU.'TKJ JOURXAL.

ceivcd orders to proceed (when her consort the '• Intrepid"
joined her) to tlie north sliorc of Lanciister Sound, examine
it and Wcllinifton Ciiannel, and liaving assured themselves
tliat Franklin had not gone up by that route to tlie N. W.,
to meet us between Capo Ilothani and Cape AVallvcr. I re-
gretted tiiat tho shore upon which the lirst tra*'es would
undoubtedly be found, sliouhl have fallen to another's share:
iiowever, as there seemed a prospect of separation, and by
doing so, progress, I was t<to rejoiced to ;{ive it a second
thought; and that the '•Assistance'' would do her work well,
was apparent to all who witnessed the Z(\il and skill dis-
I)layed by her people in the most ordinary duty.

Taking in our ice-anchors, and getting hold of the " Ileso-
lute," I bid my friends of the "Assistance" good-bye, thinking
tiiat advance was now likely : this ht>{>e soon failed me, for
again we made fast, and again we all waited for one another.

Amongst many notes of the superiority of steam over
manual labour in the ice, I will extract two made to-day.

The "Assistance ' Mas towed by the "lutrepid"' in fifteen
minutes, a distance which it took the " IJesolute," followed
by the " Pioneer," from 10 a. m. to 3 p. m. to track and warp.
The "Intrepid" steamed to a berg in ten minutes, and got
past it. The rest of the squadron, by manual labour, suc-
ceeded in accomjdishing the same distance in three hours and
a half, namely, from 7 i*. m. to 10 JiO r. m., ])y which timo
the ice had closed ahead, and we iiad to make fast.

Auffust i\fh andlth. — Very little progress: and a squadron
of blank faces showed that there were many taking a deep
and anxious interest in ti»e state of alVairs. The remark that
Sir James lloss's expetlition was by tiiis time, in iSlS, in a
better position tlian ourselves, and only foiuid time to secure
winter quarters at Leopold Island, was constantly heard :

r^'.

CUARGIXG THE ICE.

there was, in flict, but one hope loft, — we had steam, and
there was yet thirty. days of open navigation.

Frit^iy the 9th of August at last arrived. Captain Penny's
squadroii was gone out of sight in a lane of water towards
Cape York. Tiie schooner and ketch were passing us : cau-
tion yielded to the grim necessity of a push for our very
honour's sake : the ship was dropped out of the nip, the
'• Pioneer*' again allowed to put her wedge-bow, aided by
steam, to the crack. In one hour we were past a barrier
which had checked our advance for three lon<; weary davs.
All was joy and excitement : the steamers themselves
seemed to feel and know their work, and exceeded even our
sanguine expectations ; and, to every one's delight, we were
this evening allowed to carry on a system of ic..-breaking
which will doubtless, in future Arctic voyages, be carried out
w ith great success. For instance, a piece of a floe, two or
three hundred yards broad, and three feet thick, prevented
our prtigress : the weakest and narrowest part being ascer-
tained, the ships were secured as close as possible without
obstructing the steam vessels, the major part of the crews
])eing despatched to the line wiiere the cut was t«j be made,
with tools and gunpowder for blasting, and plenty of short
handdines and claws.

The " I'ioneer'" and "Intrei)id," then, in turn rushed at the
lloe, breaking their way through it until the impetus gained
in the o|)en water was lost by the resistance of the ice. The
word " Stop he ' IJack turn, easy !" was then given, and the
screw went astern, carrying with her ti>ns of ice, by means
of numerous lines which the blue-jackets, who attended on
the f(»recastle, and others on broken pieces of the floe, held
on by. As the one ves^-sel wont astern, the other (lew ahead
to her work. The ()j»eratioii was, moreover, aided by the ex-
plosions of powder ; and altogether the scene was a iiighiy

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ARCTIC JOrNVAL.

interostiiiif and iiistni'tivt^ <mo: it was a ficsli laiiicl In tlio
screw's wroath ; and the gallant " lntii'[iid*' f^avc a cniiji-dc-
(/race to the mass, whieh si'Ut it eoach-wheelinir louml, as it is
tenned ; and the Nvhole of tlie s({uadi-on tai<in<jr the nip, as
Arctic sliips shonld (h), wo wore next morning in the true
lead, and our troubles in Melville Hay were at an end.

It was now the 10th of August. By heavens! I shall
never forget the light-heartedness of that day. Forty days
had we been beset in the iee, and one day of I'air ajiplieation
of steam, powder, and men. and the mnch-talked-of bay was
mastered. There was. however, no time to be lost. The air
was cahn, the water was smooth ; the land-floe (for we had
again reached it) lay on the one hand — on the other the pack,
from whose grip we had just escaped, still threatened us.
l^emiv had been out of sight some time, and the '' Felix" and
"Prince Albert' were nearly ten ndles ahead !

(ientle IJeader, I'll bore you no longer I We had calm
water and steam, — the ships in tow. — our ])rogress rapid, —
the "Albert" and "Felix" were caught. — their news joy-
fuUv received, — and thev taken in tow likt>wise. The dates
from lOngland were a month latrr than our own: all our
friends were well, — all hopeful; and, putting those last dear
letters away, to be read and re-read during the coming winter,
we pushed on, and there was no time to be lost. Several
nights before we escaped from the pack the frost had been
intense, and good sliding was to be had on the pools formed
by summer heat on the floes. The bav-ice* was forming'
fast, and did not all melt during the day. The birds had
finished breeding; and, with the fresh millions that had b(>en
ndilcd to their numbers, were feeding up preparatory to their

• First winter ice, or yotnig ice, is called bay-ice, from nn old
Yorkshire word btn/, to bend. — Author.

DETENTION OFF CAPE YORK.

• rinin;^

.'Ml old

departure south. The sun was swcopino;, nighthj^ nearer and
nearer to the northern horizon. Niirht once set in, wo knew

full well the winter would ef)ine with iiiaiit stride:

l\ish

on, good screw!" was on every one's li|>; and anxiety was
seen on every brow, if by accident, or fur any purptjse, the
])ropeller ceased to move, " What's the matter ? All ri/^ht,
I hope !" Then a chuckle of satisfaction at l)eing told that
"nothitiir was amiss !*'

did not alK

I verilv beli

'ht have

ime ciia not allow us, or i verily helievc we migut
killed tons of birds between Cape Walker and Cape York,
principally little auks i^Aha (tile); — they actually blackened
the etlge of the flue fur nules. I had seen, (>n the coast of
Peru, near the great (luanu mines, what I thought was an
inconceivable number of birds congregated together; but
thcv were as nothinjj compared with the mvriads that wo
disturbed In our passage, and their stupid tameness would
have enabled us to kill as many as we pleased.

On August loth. Cape York being well in sight, Penny's
brigs were again in view; anil whilst the '"Intrepid" and
'•Assistance," with the "Prince Albert," commnnieated
with the natives of Cape York, the "I'loncer'' pushed on,
and soon })assed the brigs, who, although they knew full well
that the late arrivals from Kngland had letters for them,
were to bo seen pushing tooth and nail, to get to the west-
ward.

Slow — as slow ns possible — we steamed all day alon^, iho
*' Crimson Clills of I'everlev." The interview with the natives
of Cape York, alas! was to cost us much. My iVame of mind
at the time was tar from heavenly; fur '* Large Water" was
ahead, oiir squadron many a long mile from its work ; and I
was neither inti-restcd, at the time, in Arctic Highlanders or
"Crimson Snow!" hi the evening the "Assistance" joined
us J and I was told that "important information had been

if ' • ^

/?v^^

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

gained." Wc were to turn biick ; and the " Intrepid" went
in chase of Penny, to get the aid of his interpreter, Mr.
Petersen.

I remember being awoke at six o'clock on the morning
of the 14th of August, and being told a hobgoblin story,
which made me rub my eyes, and doubt my own hearing.
What I thought of it is neither here nor there. Suffice it
that Adam Becli — may he be branded for a liar! — succeeded,
this day, in misleading a large number of Her Majesty's
oflicers (as his attested document proves), and in detaining,
for two days, the squadrons in search of Franklin. No one
with common perception, who witnessed the Interview on
our deck between ^Ir. Petersen, Adam Beck, and our new
shipmate, the f^squimaux from Cape York, could fail to per-
ceive that Mr. P. and the Cape York native understood one
another much better than the latter could the vile Adam
15eck ; and had I had any doubts upon the subject, they
would have been removed when I learnt that l*etersen had
seen and communicated with these very natives before our
squadron came up, and that no such bloody tale had been
told him ; in fact, it was the pure coinage of Adam Beck's
brain, cunningly devised to keep, at any rate, his own ship
on a coast whither he could escape to the neighbourhood of
his home in South Greenhuid.

The fact of the "Nortii Star" having wintered last year
in Wolstenholme Sound, or " Pctowack," was elicited, and
that the natives had been on l)oard of lier. The " Assistance"
and "Intrepid," therefore, remained to visit that neighbour-
hood, whilst wc proceeded to the south shore of Lanwister
Sound, touching, as liad been pre-arranged, at Pond's Bay
and Cape Possession.

Steaming along the Crimson ClifTs for a second time, wc
left the "Lady Franklin" and "Sophia," in a stark calm, to

<-'l

TILE WEST WATER.

do their best. Fewer ships, the faster progress ; and heartily
did all cheer when, at luiduight, wc turned to the N. W.,
leaving the second division to do their work in Wolstenholme
Sound. So ended the memorable 14th of August : it will
be, doul.)tless, remembered by many with far from pleasant
feelings; and some who have been "gulled" in England may
thaniv ^Ir. Petersen that a carrier-pigeon freighted with a
cock-and-bull story of blood, iire, wreck, and nmrd^r, was
not despatched on that memorable day.

The 15th wc struck westward, that is, the " Pioneer,"
with " Resolute" and " Prince Albert" in tow. After four
hours of very intricate navigation, called '• reeving through
the pack," we reached the West Water, — a wide oceai\ of
water without one piece of floe-ice, and very few icebergs.
The chanire was wonderful — incredible. Here was nothing
but water; and wc were almost within sight, as we steered
to the S. W., of the spot where, for forty-seven days, wc had
had nothing but ice ! ice ! ice ! TiCt us hurry on. The West
Water (as usual with the water at this season of the year)
was covered with f )g : in it wc steered. The " Pesolute," as
a capital joke, in return for the long weary miles we had
towed her, set, on one occasion, all studsaiU, and gave us a
tow ft)r four hours. When olf the mouth of Lancaster
Sound, the " Prince Albert" was cast ofl*; and she departed
to carry out, as I then thought, a i)art of the grand scheme
of land travelling next year, into which it became almost
daily apparent the search for Franklin would resolve itself.
Already had niuht commenced ; next came winter.

Touching at Pond's Bay was made a longer proceeding
than was ever calculated upon, for a succession of thick fogs
and strong gales prevented the "Pioneer" running into the
bav, or ascertaining whether cairns or other marks had been
erected on the coast.

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ARCTIC JOriiXAL.

The 21st of August came before we had a change of
weather : happily it then took place ; and tlie " Pioneer"
(having some days before left the " Resolute," to cruise off
Possession Bay) entered Pond's Bay, running up the northern
shore towards a place called Button Point.

The " West Land," as 'his side of Baffin's Bay is called,
strikes all seamen, after struggling through the icy region of
Melville Bay, as l)eing verdant and comparatively genial.
We all thought so, and feasted our eyes on valleys, which, in
our now humbled taste, were voted beautiful, — at any rate
there were signs and symptoms of verdure; and as we
steered close along the coast, green and russet colours were
detected and pointed out with delight. The bay was calm
and glassy, and the sun to the west, sweeping along a water
liorizon, showed pretty plainly that Pond's Bay, like a good
many more miscalled bays of this region, was nothing more
tlian the bdl-shaped mouth to some long fiord or strait.

One of my ice-quartiMMnastcrs, a highly intelligent seaman,
assured mo he had been in a whale-boat up this very inlet,
until they conjectured themselves to be fast approaching Ad-
miralty Inlet ; the country there improved much in appear-
ance, and in one place they found abundance of natives, deer,
and grass as high as his knees. I landed with a boat's crew
on Button Point. The natives had retired into the interior to
kill deer and salmon : this they arc in the habit of doing
every season when the land i<e breaks up. Numerous un-
roofed winter habitations and carefully secured eachts of
seal-blubber proved that they had licen here in some num-
bers, and would return to winter after the ice ha<l again
formed in the bay, and the seals began to appear, upon
wiiieh the existence of tlu' Ksruiimaux depends.

On first landing we had been stai'tled by observing nu-
merous cairns, standing generally in pairs: these we pulled

LA XV A S TK'd SO UMj.

!inge of
*ioncer"
uisc off
loi'thcrn

s called,
}glon of

genial.
• liich, iu
inv rate
I as we
irs were
'as calm
a water
! a good
ig more
lit.

seaman,

ry inlet,

ing Ad-

appear-

s, deer,
's crew
erior to
f doing
ous un-
dies of
|ie num-
1 again
r, npon

down one after the other, and examined without finding any
thing in them ; and it was only the accidental discovery by
one of the men of a seal-hlubljer cache^ which shosved that
the cairns were merely marks by which the Esquimaux, on
their return in the winter, could detect their stores.

The winter abode of these Es<|uimaux appeared to be
sunk from three to four feet below the level of the ground:
a ring of stones, a few feet high, were all the vestiges we
saw. No doubt they completed the habitation by building
a house of snow of the usual dome shape over the stones and
sunken floor. Having no wood, whale-bones had been here
substituted for rafters, as is usual along the whole breadth
of the American coast-line from I'chring's Straits; but many
of the hovels had no rafters. On the whole the impression
was, that the natives here lived in a state of much greater
barbarity and discomfort than those we had seen about the
Danish settlements on the opposite s^hore.

A cairn was erected bv us; a record and some letters
deposited for the natives to put on boanl whalers at a future
season; and having placed a number of j)resents f(»r the poor
creatures in the ditlerent huts, and on the cachh^ we hurried
on board and made the best of our way to Possession Bay,
and rejoined the " liesolute," from whom we learnt that the
"North Star" had placed a record there, to say, that after
havinji failed to cross liaflln's i'av in I84t), she had done so
in 1850, and had gone \i{) Lancaster Sound to seek the " En-
terprise"' and '• Investigator," under Sir .lumes lloss, they
iiaving, as we knew, meanwhile, gone home, been paid ofl',
recommissioned, and were now, please God, in the Arctic
Ocean, 1)y way of Uehring's Straits.

i-^f

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mg nu-
i pulled

Atttfitst 2"2(/, 1850. — The "Kesolutu" in company, and
steering a course up Lanciister Sound.

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

The great gateway, within whose portals -we were now
fast entering, has much in it that is interesting in its associa-
tions to an English seaman. Across its mouth, the bold
navigator Baffin, 200 years before, had steered, pronounced it
a sound, and named it after the Duke of Lancaster. About
thirty-five years ago it was converted into a bay by Sir John
Ross ; and within eighteen months afterwards. Parry, the
prince of Arctic navigators, sailed through this very bay, and
discovered new lands extending half of the distance towards
Behring's Straits, or about 000 miles. To complete the re-
maining 000 miles of unknown region, -ir John Franklin
and his 140 gallant followers had devoted themselves, — with
what resolution, with what devotion, is best told by their
long absence and our anxiety.

The high and towering ranges of the Byam j\[artln Moun-
tains looked down upon us from the southern sky, between
fast-passing fog-banks and fitful gusts of wind, which soon
sobbed themselves into a calm, and steam, as usual, became
our friend : with it the " Pioneer," towing the •" Resolute"
astern, steered for the north s^liore of Lancaster Sound ; and
on August 25th we were off Croker Bay, a deep indentation
between Cape AVarrender and Cape Home. The clouds
hung too heavily about the land, distant as we were, to see
more than tiie bare outline, but its broken configuration gave
good hope of numerous harbours, fiords, and creeks. From
Cape Home, we entered on a new and peculiar region of
limestone formation, lofty and tabular, offering to the sea-
board cliffs steep and escarped as the imagination can picture
to be possible. By the beautiful sketches of Parry's officers,
made on his first voyage, we easily recogniz-ed the various
headlands; the north shore being now alone in view; and
indeed, except the mountains in the interior, we saw nothing

ii:

ICEBERGS AXD GLACIERS.

more of the south shore of Lancaster Sound after leaving
Possession Bay.

Of Powell Inlet we saw an extensive glacier extending
into the sound, and a few loose 'berg pieces floating about.
This glacier was regarded with some interest ; for, remark-
ably enough, it is the last one met with in sailing westward
to Melville Island.

The iceberg, as it is well known, is the creation of the
glacier ; and where land of a nature to form the latter does
not exist, the former is not met with.

The region we had just left behind us is the true home of
the iceberg in the northern hemisphere. There, in Baffin's
Bay, where the steep cliffs of cold granitic formation frown
over waters where the ordinary "deep sea lead-liiiu" fails to
find bottom, the monarch of glacial formations floats slowly
from the ravine which has been its birth-place, until fairly
launched in the profound waters of the Atlantic, and in the
course of manv years is carried to the warmer regions of the
south, to assist Nature in preserving her great laws of equi-
librium of temperature of the air and water.

At one period — and not a very distant one either —
savans, and, amongst others, the French philosopher St.
Pierre, believed icebergs to be the accumulated snow and ice
of ages, which, forming at the poles, detached themselves
from the parent mass : this, as they then thought, had no
reference to the existence of land or water. Such an hy-
pothesis fur some time gave rise to ingenious and startling
theories as to the effect which an incessant accumulation of
ice would have on the globe itself; and St. Pierre hinted at
the possibility of the huge cupolas of ice, which, as he be-
lieved, towered aloft in the cold heavens of the poles, suddenly
launching towards the equator, melting, and bringing about a
second deluge.

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ARCTIC JOURXAL.

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Had the iininortal Cook been awiire of the ccrtauUy of
land being ch.>se to him, when, in the Antaretlc regions, he
found himself amongst no less than one hundred and eighty-
six icebergs in December, 1773; he who, from the deck of a
cf)llier, had rist^i to be the Columbus of England, might have
then plucked the laurel which Sir James Koss so gallantly
won in the discovery of the circumpolar continent of Queen
Victoria's Land.

On every side of the southern pole, on every meridian of
the great iSouth Sea, the seaman meets icebergs. Not so in
the north, hi the "MM) degrees of longitude, which intersects
the jtarallel of 70 degrees north (about which parallel the
coasts of America, Eurojte, and Asia will be found to lie),
icebergs are only found over an extent of some 55 degrees
of lonuitude, and this is immediatelv in and aboat Greenland
and IJaflin's Bav. \n fict. for 1375 miles of ,'ongitude we
have icebergs, and then for 7<)o5 geographical miies none arc
met with. This interesting fact is, in my opinion, most
cheering, and points strongly to the possibility that no exten-
sive land exists about our northern pole, — a supposition
which is borne out l)y the fact, that the vast ice-fields off
Spitzbergen show^ no symptoms of ever having been in con-
tact with land or gravel. Of course, the more firmly we can
bring ourselves to believe in the existence of an ocean road
leading to IJehring's Straits, the better heart we shall feel in
searching the various tortuous channels and different islands
with which, doubtless, Franklin's route has been beset. It
was not, therefore, without deep interest that I passed the
boundary which Nature had set in the west to the existence
of icebergs, and endeavoured to form a correct idea of the
Ciiuse of such a jtlienomenon.

Whilst this digression upon Icebergs has taken place, the
kind reader will suppose the calm to have ceased, and the

A GALE AV BARROW'S STRAIT.

"Resolute" and ••Pioneer," under sail before a westerly
wiml, to be running from the table-land on the north shore
of Lancaster Sound, in a diagonal direction towards Leopold
Island. On the 2(jth of August, Cape York gleamed through
an angry sky, and as liegent's Inlet opened to the southward,
there was little doubt but we should soon be caught in an
Arctic gale : we, however, cared little, provided there was
plenty of water ahead, though of that there appeared strong
reasons for entertaining doubts, as both the temperature of
the air and water was fast falling.

That niij-ht — for ni«:;liL was now of some two hours' du-
ration — the wind ))iped merrily, and we rolled most cruelly ;
the long and narrow '• l*ioncer"' threatening to pitch every
spar over the side, and refusing all the manoiuvring upon
the part of her beshaken ollieers and men to comfort and
(|uict her.

A ]ioet, vvho had not boon fourteen hours in the cold, and
whose body was not racked bv constant cvmnastic exertion
to preserve his bones from fracture, might have given a
beautiful description of the lifting of a fierce sky at about
halfpast one in the morning, and a disagreeable glimpse
through snow-storm and squall of a Ijold and precipitous
coast not many miles off, and ahead of us. I cannot under-
take to do so, for I remember feeling far from poetical, as,
with a jerk and a r<dl, the "Pioneer," under fore and aft
canvas, came to the wind. Fast increasing daylight showed
us to have been thrown considerably to the northward ; and
as we sailed to the south the ice showed itself in far from
pleasing proximity under the lee — boilinr/, for so the edge of
a pack appears to do in a gale of wind. It was a wiUl sight ;
but we felt that, at any rate, it was optional with a screw
steamer whether she ran into the pack or kept the sea, for
her clawing-to-windward power astonished us who had fought

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

in the teeth of hard gales clscwhcie ■!! Hying Symondite
brigs. Not so, however, thought a tou, '■; olu I'uli quarter-
master, \vh(jse weather-beaten face peerea anxiously over the
lee, and watched the "Jlesolute" beating Cromcr-a-lee, for I
heard him growl out, " Wull, if they are off a strait lec-pack
edge, the sooner they make up their minds to run into it the
better!" "Why so, I Tail ?" 1 inijuired. "Because, sir," re-
plied the old man, "that ship is going two feet to leeward
for one she is going aliead, and she would never work off
notldmj V

" Pleasant!" I mentally ejaculated; but, willing to hear
more from my dry old friend, who was quite a character in
his way, — " Perhaps," I said, " you have occasionally been
caught in worse vessels off such a pack as you describe, or
a lee shore, and still not been lost V

"Oh ! Lord, sir! wc have some rum craft in the whaling
ships, but I don't think any thing so sluggish as the ' lleso-
lute.' Ilowsomdever, they gets put to it now and then.
Why, it was only last year, wc were down on the south-
west fishing-ground : about the 10th of October, it came on
to blow, sir, from the southward, and sent in a sea upon us,
which nearly drowned us : we tried to keep an ofliug, but it
was no use ; we couldn't show a rag ; every thing was blown
away, and it was perishing cold ; but our captain was a
smart man, and he said, — ' Well, boys, we must run for
Hangman's Cove,* altho' it's late in the day ; if wc don't,
I won't answer where we'll be in the morning."

" So up we put the helm, sir, to run for a place like a hole in
a wall, with nothing but a close-reefed topsail set, and the
sky as thick as pea-soup. It looked a bad job, I do assure

* Hangman's Cove, a small harbour on the west side of Davis's
Straits.

STEAmXG UP BARROW'S STRAIT.

yoii, sir. Just as it was dark, we IbunJ ourselves right up
aj^ainst the cliffs, and we did not know whether we were lost
or saved until by good luck we shot into dead smooth water
m a little cove, and let go our anchor. Next day a calm
set in, and the young ice made round the ship : we couldn't
cut it, and we couldn't tow the vessel through it. We had
not three months' provisions, and we made certain sure of
being starved to death ; when the wind came strong otT the
land, and, by working for our lives, we escaped, and went
home directly out of the country."

" A cheering tale, this, of the Hangman's Cove," I thought,
as I turned from my Job's comforter; and, satisfying myself
that the pack precluded all chance of reaching Leopold
Island for the present, I retired to rest.

Next day, the 2Tth of August, found us steering past
Cape Ilurd, off which the pack lay at a distance of some
ten miles, and, as we ran westward, and the breadth of clear
water gradually diminished, the wind failed us; although,
astern in Lancaster Sound, there was still a dark and angry
sky betokening a war of the elements, whereas where we
were off Radstock Bav — all was calm, cold, and arctic.

" Up steam, and take in tow !" was again the cry ; and
as the pack, acted on by the tide, commenced to travel
quickly in upon Cape Ricketts, we slipped past it, and
reached an elbow formed between that headland and Beechey
Island. The peculiar patch of broken table-land, called
Caswell's Tower, as well as the striking clifls of slaty lime-
stone along whose base we were rapidly steaming, claimed
much of our attention ; and we were pained to see, from the
strong ice-blink to the S. W., that a body of packed ice had
been driven up the straits by the late gales.

The sun was fast dipping behind North Devon, and
a beautiful moon (the first we had found any use for since

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

passing Cape Farewell on the 28th of May) was cheerfully
accepted as a substitute, when the report of a boat being
seen from the inast-head startled us and excited general
anxiety. We were then off Gascoigne Inlet, the " Resolute"
in tow. The boat proved to be the '• Sophia's," and in her
Captain Stewart and Dr. Sutherland ; they went on board
the " Ilesoluto," and, shortly afterwards, the interesting
intelligence they then comminiicated was made known to
nie.

It was this, — the " Assi-;trinco " and " Intrepid," after
they left us, had visited Wolstenholinc Sound, and discov-
ered ihc winter quarters of II. ^M. S. " North Star," but
nothing to lead them to j»lacc any faith in Adam Heck's
tale : from thence they had examined the north shore of
Lancasti^r Sound as t'ar as Cape Kiley, without discovering
anything; on landliig there, however, numerous traces of
English seamen having visited the sjjot were discovered in
Rundr} pieces of rag, rope, broken bottles, and a long-iian-
dled instrument intended to rake up things from the bottom
of the sea; marks (jf a tent-j)lacc were likewise visible. A
cairn was next seen on Beechey Island ; to this the " Intrepid"
proceeded, and, as rather an odd incident comieclcd wltli her
search of this spot took place, I shall here mention it,
although it was not until afterwards that the circumstance
came to my knowledge.

The steamer having approached close under the island,
a boat-full of ollieers and men proceeded on shore : on landing,
some relics of European visitors were found ; and we can
picture the anxiety with which the sleep was scaled and 'ho
cairn torii down, every stone tunu>d over, the ground inider-
neath dug up a little, and yet, alasl no document or record
found. Meanwhile an Arctic adventure, natural, but novel
to one portion of the actors, was takitig place. The boat

TRACES OF SIR JOHX FRAXKLIX.

had left the " hilrepid" witliout arms of any description,
and tlic people on the top of the clifT saw, to their dismay,
a hirge white bear advancing rapidly in the direction of tho
boat, wliich, by the deliberate way the brute stopped and
raised his head as if in the act of smelling, appeared to dis-
turb his olfactory nerves. Tiie two men left in charge of
the ])oat happily caught sight of Bruin before he caught hold
of them, and launching the boat they hurried oil" to tho
steamer, whilst the observers left on the clilT were not sorry
to see the bear chase the boat a short way and then turn
towards the packed ice in the ofTing. This event, together
with some risk of the ice separating the two vessels, induced
the party to return on board, where a general (though, as
was afterwards proved, erroneous) impression had been
created on the minds of the people belonging to the two
8h'[>s, that what they had found must be the traces of a retreat-
ing or shii)wrecked ]>arty from the " Erebus" and "Terror,"
A short distance within Cape Iviley, another tent-place was
found ; and tlu'n, after a look at the coast up as far as Capo
Innis, the two vesst-ls proceeded across towards Ca[ie llo-
tham, on the opposite side of Wellington Channel, having in
the lirst place erected a cairn at the base of Cape Kiley, and
in it deposited a document.

Whilst the "Assistance" and "Intrepid" were so em-
ployed, the American squadron, and that under Captain
I'enny, were fast approaehing. The Anu-ricans lirst com-
municated with Captain Ummanney's division, and heanl
of- the discovery of the lirst traces of Sir John Franklin.
The Americans then informed Penny, who was pushing for
Wellington Channel ; and he, after some trouble, succeeded
in catching the "Assistance," and, on going on board of her,
learnt all they had to tell him, and saw what traces they had
discovered. Captain I'eimy then rtLurned — as he figuratively

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"I "■ ■

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

expressed it — " to take up the search from Capo Riley like a
blood-hound," and richly was he rewarded for doing so.

At Cape Spencer he discovered the ground-plan of a tent,
the floor of which was neatly and carefully paved with
small smooth stones. Around the tent a number of bird's
bones, as well as remnants of meat-canisters, }ed him to
ima<Mne that it had l)ecn inhabited for some time as a shoot-
ing station and a look-out place, for which latter purpose it was
admirably ehosen, commanding a good view of Harrow's
Strait and Wellington Channel ; this opinion was confirmed
])y the discovery of a piece of })ap('r, on which was \\ritten,
'• to be called," — evidently the fragments of an ofllcer's night
orders.

Some sledge marks pointed northward from this neigh-
bourhood ; and, the American s(puulron being unable to
advance up the strait (in conse(|ucnce of the ieo resting
firmly against the land close to Capo lunis, and across to
I>arlow Inlet on the opj)osite shore), liieut. do llaveu
despatched parties on loot to follow these sK'dge nuirks,
whilsl IV-miy's s(j\iadron returned to re-examine Beeehey
Island. The American ollicers ImuikI the sledge tracts very
distinet for some miles, but Ijefore they iiad got as far as Capo
Howden, tlie trail ceased, and one empty bottle and a piece of
newspaper were the last things fbiMi<l in that direction.

Not so Captain I'enny's scjuadron : — making fast to the
ice between IJeechey island and Cape Spencer, ill what is
now called Union Hay, and in which they found ♦ho " Felix"
schooner to be likewise lying, jiarties from the "Lady
Franklin" and " Sophia" started towards IJeechey Island.

A long point of land slopes gradually from the southern
blulfs of this now deeply interesting island, mitil it almost
cotuiects itself with the land of North Devon, forming, on
citiier side of it, two good and commodious bays. On this

TRACES OF THE LOST EXPEDITIOX.

slope, a miiltitudo of proscrvoJ meat-tins were strewed
about, and near them, and on tl»e ridgo of the slopo, a
carefully constructed cairn was discovered : it consisted
of layers of meat-tins filled with <^ravcl. and jilaeed to
form a solid foundation. Bfvond this, and aloiif; the
northern shore of IJeechev Island, the followin<j traces
were tlieu quickly discovered : — the einl)ankment of a
house with carpenter and armourer's working places, wush-
ing-tul)s, coal-bags, pieces of old chjthing, rope, and, lastly,
the graves of three of the crew of the, '* Ert-bus" and
" Terror," — placing it beyond all doubt, that the missing
ships had indeed been there, anil bearing date of tho
winter of 184.")— 1<>.

"We, therefore, now hail ascertained the first winter
quarters of Sir John Franklin! Here fell t'> the ground
all the evil forclxnlings of those who had. iji England, con-
signed his ex[)edition to the depths of IJaifin's IJay, on its
outward voyage. Our first prayer had beeti granted by a
beneficent I'rovidence ; and we liad now risen, from doubt
and hope, to a certain assurance of Franklin having reached
thus far without shipwreck or disaster.

Leaving us in high spirits at the receipt of such glorious
intelligence, Captain Stewart proceeded in iiis boat to search
tho coast-line towards Gascoi;rne Inlet and CasneH's Tower.
We continued to steam o\. ■ oCC Capo Ililey a Ixtat was
despatched to examine i.e n* -rd Irfl by tho " Assistan<'e ;"
and, from her, I heard that the " Prince Albert," which ha<l
been ordered by Lady Franklin down Ilegent's Inlet to
Brentford iJay, had v.siied the said cairn, deposited a
document to say .so, and was gone, I now felt certain,
homo.

As tho " Pioneer" slowly steamed through the loose ico
which lay otV Boechey Island, the cairn erected by Franklin's

Oi'-'^.

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

people on tho height above us was an object of deep interest
and conversation ; and, placed so conspicuously as it was, it
seemed to say to the beating heart, " Follow them that
erected me !"

On rounding the western point, three brigs and a schooner
were seen to be last to the land ice in Union Bay ; and, as
we had been in the habit of almost scraping the clifls in
Baffin's Bay, I, forgetting the difference between the ap-
proach to a granite and a limestone cliff, and desirous to
avoid the stream of ice now ])ouring out of Wellington Chan-
nel, went too close to the shore, and eventually ran aground;
the " Kcsohite"' just saved herself by slipping the tow-rope,
aiid letting go an anchor. A rapidly-falling tide soon show^ed
me that I must be patient and wait until next day, and, as the
'' IJesoliite" was in the course of the night worked into the
bay, and secured, we " j^iped down" for awhile.

W('(l/(cs<l(n/, 2Sfh August. — I was awoke by a hearty
sliake, and Oiptain Penny's warm "Good-morning;" he had
come out to me towing the "Mary," a launch belonging to
Sir .I(»hii lloss, in order that 1 might lighten the "Pioneer,"
and oflered me the "Sophia" brig, t<> receive a portion of my
stores, if I would only say it was necessary.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed," and such Captain
Penny proved himself; fu" my position was far from a pleas-
ant one, — on a hard spit of limestone, in which no anchor
could find holding ground, and, at low water, five feet less
than the draught of the "Pioneer," exposed to all the set of
the ice of the Wellington Clianncl and r»arrc»w's Strait, with
about anoth"r week of the "open season" left.

All arrangements having l)een matle to try and float tho
stiamer at high water, I had time to ask Captain Penny his
news ; the best part of which was, that as yet nothing had

FRAXKLIN'S WINTER QUARTER!^.

been found in our neighl)ourhood to lead to the inference
that any juirty in distress luid retreated from tlio " Erebus"
and '"Terror." lie considered the iiarbour chosen by Frank-
lin for his winter quarters was an excellent one.

Captain Penny gave no very cheering account of the pros-
pect of a much farther advance fur ourselves: Wellington
Channel was blocked up with a very heavy floe, and Harrow's
Strait to the westward was choked with packed ice ; the
*' AssistaiiCe" and " Intrepid" w rre to be seen off I3arlo\v
Inlet, but their position was far from a secure one; and,
lastlv, Pennv told me he intended, after the result of a
fresh search for a record on Bccchey Island was known, to
communicate with the "Assistance," in order that Captain
Ommanney might be fully informed of all that had been
discovered, and that we might learn whether any thing had
been found at Cape Jlotham.

(Jn the 21)ili of August, the "Pioneer," much to my joy,
was again afloat, ajul fast to the ice in company with the
other vessels; and, althoMijh mv ofllcers and crew were well

7 7 ~ •*

fagged out with forty-eight hours' hard labour, parties of
them, myself amongst the nund)er, were to bo seen trudg-
ing across the ice of Union Bay towards Franklin's winter
(piartcrs.

It needed not a dark wintrv skv nor a iiloomv day to
throw a sombre shade aniund mv feelings as I landi-d on
Beeciiey .sland .»nd looked down upon the bnv, on whose
bosom, once had ridden Her Majesty's ships " Knd)us" and
"Terror;" there was a sickening anxiety (»f the heart as one
involuntarily clutched at every relic they of l^'ranklirrs '^rjua<l-
ron ha<l left behind, iu the vain hope that some clue ns to
the route they had taken hence might be found.

From the cairn to the long and curving beach, from the
frozen surface of the bay to the tops of the distant clitTs, the

%f.''

' .>.'

U"*lvJ,'i

:r ^

';?*•# *;

ARCTIC JOURXAL.

eye involuntarily but keenly sought for something niore than
had yet been found.

But, no; as sharp eyes, as anxious hearts, had already
been there, and I was obliged to be content with the inlbr-
mation, which my observation proved to be true, that the
seareh had been close and careful, but that nothing was to be
found in tiie shape of written record.

On the eastern slope of the ridge of Beechey Island, a
renuiant of a garden (for remnant it now only was, having
been dug up in the search) told an interesting tale : its neat-
ly-shaped oval outline, the border carefully formed of moss,
lichen, poppies, and anemones, transplanted from some more
genial part of this dreary region, contrived still to show
symptoms of vitality ; but the seeds which doubtless they
had sown in the garden had decayed away. A few hundred
yards lower down, a mound, the foundation of a storehouse,
was next to be seen ; the ground-plan was somewhat thus : —

North side, 61 { fout long.

<>9<-TfrrioNa

KrT.59

|§1fii^~

A B. B D. ^ K rifir ' • bnnkmonls. nbout four f.-cl UiidukIi at llic busi; and flvo foot

A r. K r. i li, i.i vhicli po^ln liiul Imm-ii ><iiiik.

K L. An in<' rior i'inl)iir,knu'nt o' «ainc di'Tiiptlon onclosinij a space, supposed

ftc had niiirk!« of |)( . ' in it likowirtu.
c E. and \ I. i'lio dnt,rwii_M*.
M. Uvidunll) u cmptMilt'i's workshop, from the ihavings, 4cc.

FRAXKLiys WIXTER QUARTERS.

isted of

d i lit 01

consisted ot an extorior ana interior embankment, in

nbankment.

whleh, from the remnants loft, we saw that oak and elm
scantling had ])ecn struck as j)rops to the roofniii; ; in one
part of the enclosed sj)ace some coal-sacks were fmnd, and
in another part numerous wood-shavings proved the ship's
artificers to have been working liore. il1io generally re-
ceived opinion as to the object of this storehouse was, that
Franklin had constructed it to shelter a portion of his
superabundant provisions and stores, with which it was
well known his decks were lumbered on leaving Whale-Fish
lsl"nds.

Nearer to the Ijcach, a heap of cinders and scraps of iron
showed the armourcr''s working-[»lace ; and alonu an old
water-course, now chained up by frost, several tubs, con-
structed of the ends uf salt-meat easks. left no doubt as to the
washing-places of the men of Franklin's squadron: happen-
ing to cross a level piece of ground, which as yet no one had
lighted upon, I was pleased to see a pair of Cashmere gloves
laid out to dry, witii two small stones on the palms to pre-
vent their blowing away; they had been there since 184().
I took them up carefully, as melancholy mementoes of my
missing friends. In another spot a (laniiel was discovered :
and this, together with some things lying about, would, in
my ignorance of wintering in the Arctic lli'gions, have led
me to suppose that there was considerable iiaste displayed
in the departure of the " Erebus" and "Terror" from this
spot, had not Captain Austin assured mo that there was
nothing to ground such a belief upon; and tiiat, from expe-
rience, he could vouch for these being nothing more than the
ordinary traces of a winter station, and this opinion was fully
borne out by those onicers who had in the previous year
wintered at Port Leopold, one of them asserting that people
left winter <iuaiters too well pleased to escape to care much

h5 >.

!• :

:: -I-

AUijriG JOURNAL,

for a handful of shavings, an old coal-bag, or a washing-tub.
This I f/oni experience now know to be true.

Looking at the spot on which Penny had discovered a
boarding-pike, and comparing it with a projecting point on
the opposite side, where a similar article had been found with
a finger nailed on it as a direction-post, I concluded that, in a
line between these two boarding-pikes, one or both of the
ships had been at anchor, and this conjecture was much borne
out by the relative positions of the other traces found ; and
besides this, a small cairn on the crest of Bcechcy Island ap-
pears to have ])cen intended as a meridian mark, and, if so,
Franklin's scpiadron undoubtedly lay where I would place it,
far and eillictually removed from all risk of being swept out
of the bay, which, by the bye, from the flict of the enclosed
area beinjjj manv times broader than the entrance of " Erebus
and Terror 15ay," was about as probable as any stout gentle-
man bein<j blown out of a house throu<fh the kevliole. hi
the one case the stout individual would have to be cut up
small, in the other case the ice would have to be well broken
up ; and if so, it was not likely Franklin would allow himself
to be taken out of harbour, nolens volcns, whilst he had an-
chors to hook the ground with, and ice-saws, with which his
crews could have cut through a mile of ice three feet thick iu
twenty-four hours.

The graves next attracted our attention ; they, like all
that English seamen construct, were scrupulously neat. Go
where you will over the globe's surface, afar in tlie East, or
afar in the "West, down amongst the coral-girded isles of the
South Sea, or here where the grim North frowns on the
sailor's grave, you will always find it alike ; it is the monu-
ment raised by rough liands, but aflectionate hearts, over the
last home of their messmate; it breathes of the quiet church-
yard in some of England's many nooks, where each had

OKA VES OF SEAMEN.

formed liis idea of what was duo to departed worth; and tho
oniainents that Nature decks herstjlf with, even in the deso-
lation of the Frozen Zone, were carefully culled to mark the
dead seamen's home. The good taste of the oHicers had pre-
vented the general sim])licity of an oaken head and foot-board
to each of the three graves being marred by any long and
cliildish epitaj>hs, or the doggerel of a lower-deck Jjoet, and
the tliroH inscriptions were as follows : —

" Sacred to the memory of J. Torrington, who dej^arted
this life. January 1st, 1840, on board of II. M. S. 'Terror,'
aged 20 years."

"Sacred to the memory of Wm. Braine, r. m., of If, M.
S. 'Erebus;' died April 3d, 1840, aged Vyl years.

" ' Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.' — Josh,
xxiv. 15."'

"Sacred to the memory of J. Hartwell, a. b., of II. M.
S. 'Erebus;' died January 4th, 184(3, aged '25 years.

" 'Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, consider your ways.' —
Ilaagai i. 7."

1 thought I traced in the e[utai)hs over the graves of the
men from tho " Erebus," the manly and Christian spirit of
Franklin. In tho true spirit of chivalry, he, their captain
and leader, led them amidst dangers and unknown dillicidties
with iron will stamped upon his brow, but the words of
meekness, gentleness, and truth, were his device. We have
seen his career and wc know his deeds !

ttm*\

" Why hliould their praise in verse be sung ?
Tho n;ime that dwells on every tongue
No minstrel needs."

From the graves, a tedious ascent up the long northern
slope of Beechey Island carried us to tho table-land, on whuso
southern verge, a cairn of stones, to which 1 have before re-

,i^ J.

r^' ."•■HP

I '1 ^'

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

fciTcd, was pla(*C(l ; it li.aJ Loon several times pulled down
by diOerciit searchers, and dug up underneath, but carefully
replaced. The position was an admirable one, and appeared
as if intentionally chosen to attract the attention of vessels
coming up Harrow's Strait: from it, on the day I was up,
the view was so extensive, that, did i not feel certain of
being supported by all those who have, like myself, wit-
nessed the [teculiar clearness, combined with I'cfraction, of
the atmosphere in Polar climes, I should bear in mind the
French adage, — '' La verite n'est pa> toujours le vraisem-
blable," and hold my jicacc.

To the west, the land of Cornwallis Island stretched up
Wellington Chamiel for many miles, and Cape Ilothani
locked with Griffith's Island. In the south-west a dark mass
of land showed Cape Walker, and from Cape Bunny, the
southern shore of Barrow's Strait .^ipread itself until termi-
nated in the steep wall-like clitls of Cape Clarence and Leo-
pold Island.

This latter spot, so interesting from having been the win-
ter quarters of the late relieving squadron under Sir James
Ross, looked ridiculously close, — to use a seaman's term, it
appeared as if a bisenit might have been tossed upon it ; and
the thought involuntarily rose to one's mind, — Would to
God that, in 1848, Sir James Ross had known that within
fortv miles of him Franklin had wintered.

I have now nearly enumerated all the important points, to
which, at all hours of the day and night, parties from the
eight vessels assembled in Union Bay were constantly wend-
ing their way and returning; but around the whole island
there were abundant proofs of the missing expedition hav-
ini; been no sluctrards ; for there was hardiv a foot of the
beaeh-liiie which did not show signs of their having been
there before us, either in shooting excursions or other pur-

DKKCIIFA' ISLAM).

!ssels

suits, and usually in the sliapc (»f a prcservcd-mcat tin, a
piece of rope, or a jstrip of canvas or rag.

On i\w eastern extreme of Hecchcy Island, and under a
beetling elilV which formed the entrance to the bay, a very
neatly-paved piece of ground deiloted a tent-place; much
pains had Ijcen bestowed upon it, and a j'igmy terrace had
been formed around their abode, the nuirgin of which was
decorated with moss and pf>ppy ]'lants: in an adjacent gully
a shooting-gallery had been established, as appeared by the
stones j)Iaccd at proper distances, and a large tin marked
"Soup and liouilli," which, j>erforated with balls, liad served
for a tai'iiet. I careful' \ scanned the (lat slabs of slatv li; .^-
stone, of which the ovi ''igi"g elilfs were formed, in hopes
of seeing some name, r date, scratched upon the smfiec ;
some clue, mayhap, to the information we so dearly longed
for, — ihe route taken by I'ranklin on sailing hence, wliether
to Capo AValker or up Wellington Channel. But, no ; tiic
silent clitT bore no mark; by some fatality, the jirDVcrbial
love for marking their names, or telling their tales, on every
object, which 1 have ever found in seamen, was here an ex-
ception, and 1 turned to my vessel, after thiee unprofitable
walks on Beechey Island, with the sad conviction on my mind,
that, instead of being aide to concentrate the wonderful re-
sources we had now at hand about Beechey Island in one line
of search, we should be obliged to take up tlic three routes
which it was probable Frauklin might have taken in 1840 ;
viz.. S. \V. by Cape Walker, N. W. by Wellington Chan-
nel, or W. by Melville Island, — a division of force tending
to weaken the chance of reaching Franklin as quickly as we
could wish, unless circumstances we

pecul

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ARCTIO JOURNAL.

Bay," induced one of the officers of the " Pioneer" and myself
to arrange with Captain Penny to take a walk in that direc-
tion.

Landing on the north shore of Union Bay, at the base of
the dills of Cape Spencer, we were soon pointed out a deep
sledge-mark, which had cut through the edge of one of the
ancient tide-marks, or terraces, and pointed in a direct line
from the cairn of meat-tins erected by Franklin, on the
northern spur of Beechey Island, to a valley which led to-
wards the bay between Capes Innis and Bowden. I conceived
the trail to be that of an outward-bound sledge, on account
of its depth, which denoted a hcavily-ladened one.

Proceeding onward, our party were all much struck with
the extraordinary regularity of the terraces, which, with
almost artificial parallelism, swept round th-j base of the
limestone clilfs and hills of North Devon. That they were
ancient tidal-marks, now raised to a considerable elevation
above the sea by the upheaval of the land, I was the more
inclined to believe, from the numerous fossil shells, Crustacea,
and corallines which strewed the ground. The latter wit-
nesses to a once more genial condition of climate in these
now inclement regions, carried us back to the sun-l)lest
climes, where the blue Pacific lashes the coral-guarded isles
of sweet Otaheite, and I must plead guilty to a recreant sigh
for past recollections and dear friends, all summoned up by
the contemplation of a fragment of fossil-coral.

Tlie steep abutment of the cliffs on the north of " Erebus
and Terror liay," obliged us to descend to the floe, along the
surface of which we rapidly progressed, passing the point on
which the pike used by Franklin's people as a direction-post
had been ft)und. At a point where these said cliffs receded
to the N. E., and towards the head of Gascoignc Inlet, leav-
ing a long strip of low land, which, connecting itself with the

X¥W4^

PLEDGE TRAILS.

bluffs of Cape Riley, forms the division between Gascoigne
Inlet and "Erebus and Terror Bay," a perfect congery of
sledge-marks showed the spot used for the landing-place, or
rendezvous, of Franklin's sledges .

Some of these sledge-marks swept towards Cape Riley,
doubtless towards the traces found by the "Assistance;"
others, and those of heavily-ladened sledges, ran northward,
into a gorge through the hills, whilst the remainder pointed
towards Caswell's Tower, a remarkable mass of limestone,
which, isolated at the bottom of Radstock Bay, forms a con-
spicuous object to a vessel approaching this neighbourhood
from the eastward or westward.

Deciding to follow the latter trail, we separated the party
in such a manner, that, if one lost the sledge-marks, others
w >uld pick them up.

Arriving at the margin of a lake, which was only one of a
series, and tasted decidedly brackish, though its connection
with the sea Mas not apparent, we found the site of a circular
tent, unquestionably that of a shooting-party from the "Ere-
bus" or "Terror." The stones used for keeping down the
canvas lay around ; three or four large ones, well blackened
by smoke, had been the fire-place ; a porter-bottle or two,
several meat-tins, pieces of paper, birds' feathers, and scraps
of the fur of Arctic hares, were strewed about. Eagerly did
we run from one object to the other, in the hope of finding
some stray note or record, to say whether all had been \\^11
with them, and whither they had gone. No, not a line was
to be found. Disappointed, but not beaten, we turned to
follow up the trail.

The slodg'^-jnarks consisted of two paraiitl lines, about
two feet apart, and sometimes three or four inches deep into
the gravel, or broken limestone, of which the whole plain
seemed to be formed. The difficulty of dragging a sledge

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

over such ground, and under such circumstances, must have
been great, and, between the choice of evils, the sledge-partlcs
appeared at last to have preferred taking to the slope of the
hills, as being easier travelling than the stony plain. A fast-
rising gale, immediately in our faces, with thick, driving snow
and drift, suddenly obscured the land about us, and rendered
our progress difficult and hazardous.

After edging to the northward for some time, as if to
strike the head of Gascoignc Inlet, the trail struck suddenly
down upon the plain : we did the same, and as suddenly lost
our clue, though there was no doubt on any of our minds,
but that the sledge had gone towards Caswell's Tower ; for
us to go there was, however, now impossible, having no
compass, and the snow-storm preventing us seeing more than
a few hundred yards ahead. We therefore turned back walk-
ing across the higher grounds direct for the head of Union
Bay, a route which gave us considerable insight into the
ravine-rent condition of this limestone country, at much cost
of bodily fatigue to ourselves, llie glaciers in the valleys,
or ravines, hardly deserved the name, after the monsters we
had seen in Baffin's Bay, and, I should think, in extraordinary
seasons, they often melted away altogether, for, in spite of so
severe a one as the present year had been, there was but
little ice remaining.

The gale raged fiercely as the day drew on, and, on get-
ting sight of Wellington Channel, the wild havoc amongst
the ice made us talk anxiously of that portion of our squadron
which was now on the, opposite or lee side of the channel, as
well as the American squadron that had pushed up to the
edge of the fixed ice beyond Point Innis.

Seven hours' hard walking left us pretty well done up by
the time we tumbled into our boat, and, thanks to the stal-
wart strokes of Captain Stewart's oar, we soon reached the

WELLINGTON CHANNEL.

"Pioneer," and enjoyed our dinner with more than the
usually keen appetite of Arctic seamen.

Such were the traces found in and about. Franklin's winter
quarters : one good result had arisen from their discovery, —
the safe passage of Franklin across the dangers of Baflin's
Bay was no longer a question ; this was a certainty, and it
only remained for us to ascertain which route he had taken,
and then to follow him.

Wellington Channel engrossed much attention ; the Amer-
icans, with true go-ahead spirit, watched the ice in it most
keenly. The gallant commander of their expedition, De
Haven, had already more than once pushed his crafl up an
angle of water north of Point Innis; his second, Mr. Griffm,
in the " Ivescue," was hard at work obtaining angles, by
which to ascertain the fact of Wellinoton Channel beins a,
channel or a fiord, a point as yet undecided, for there was a
break in tlie land to the N. W. which left the question still
at issue.

Captain Penny, with his vessels, got under weigh one day,
and ran over towards the "Assistance," as far as the pack
would allow him, and then despatched an officer ^^ith a boat
to communicate our Intelligence as well as his own ; a sudden
change of weather obliged Penny to return, and the boat's
crew of the " Lady Franklin," on their way back, under Mr.
John Stuart, underwent no small risk and labour. They left
the "Assistance" to walk to their boat, which had been
hauled on the ice ; a thick fog came on ; the direction was
with dilbculty maintained; no less than eleven bears were
seen prowling around the party ; the boat was found by mere
accident, and, after fourteen hours' incessant walking and
pulling, Mr. Stuart succeeded in reaching the "Lady Frank-
lin."

Through him we learnt that Cape Ilotham and the ncigh-

;:.f"'A

■II '

*, <l 'I

II I

* if

I-

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

Dourhood of Barlow Inlet showed no sign of having been
visited by Franklin, that the pack was close home against
the land, and that the "Assistance" and "Intrepid" had
been subject to some pressure, but were all safe and sound.

Almost every hour during our detention in Union Bay,
large flights of wild fowl, principally geese and eider ducks,
flew past us, as if they had come down Wellington ChMincl,
and were makinjj awav to the southward ; this certain indi-
cation of approaching winter was not to be mistaken, and we
anxiously counted the hours which kept flitting past, whilst
we were chained up in Union Bay.

South-easterly winds forced the pack tighter and tighter
in Wellington Channel, and once or twice it threatened to
beset us even in Union Bay ; and on the 31st of August our
position was still the same, the Americans being a little in
advance, oft' Point Innis.

From the 1st to the 4th of September, we lay wishing for
an opening, the Americans working gallantly along the edge
of the fixed ice of Wellington Channel, towards Barlow Inlet.

September the 5th brought the wishcd-for change. A lead
of water. Hurrah ! up steam ! take in tow ! every one's
spirits up to the high-top-gallant of their joy; long streaks
of water showing across Wellington Channel, out of which
broad floe-pieces were slowly sailing, whilst a hard, cold ap-
pearance in the northern sky betokened a northerly breeze.

With the " Resolute" fast astern, the " Pioneer" slipped
round an extensive field of ice; as it ran aground ©0* Cape
Spencer, shutting ofl* in our rear Captain Penny's brigs and
the " Felix," another mass of ice at the same time caught
on Point Innis, and, unable to get past it, we again made
fast, sending a boat to watch the moment the ice should float,
and leave us a passage to the westward. Whilst thus secured,
we had abundant amusement and occupation in observing the

ing been
e against
pid" had
I sound,
ion Bay,
[or ducks,
Channel,
tain indi-
n, and we
iSt, whilst

id tighter
atened to
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ishing for

t the edge

low Inlet.

A lead

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ic caught

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ould float,

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erving thu

THE WHITE WHALE.

movements of shoals of white whales. Thcv were what the
fishermen on board called " running" south, a term used to
express the steady and rapid passage of the fish from one
feeding-ground to the other. From the mast-head, the water
about us appeared filled with them, whilst they constantly
rose and blew, and hurried on, like the birds we had lately
seen, to better regions in the south. That they had been
north to breed was undoubted, by the number of young
" calves" in everv shoal. The affection between mother and
young was very evident ; for occasionally some stately white
whale would loiter on her course, as if to scrutinize the new
and strange objects now floating in these unploughed waters,
whilst the calf, all gambols, rubbed against the mother's side,
or played about her. The proverbial shyness of these fish
was proved by our fishermen and sportsmen to be an un-
doubted fact, for neither with harpoon nor rifle-ball could
they succeed in capturing any of them.

It was a subject of deep interest and wonder to see this
migration of animal life, and I determined, directly leisure
would enable me, to search the numerous books with which
we were well stored, to endeavour to satisfy my nilnd with
some reasonable theory, founded upon the movements of bird
and fish, as to the existence of a Polar ocean or a Polar con-
tinent.

A sudden turn of tide, which floated the ice that had for
some hours been aground on Point Innis and Cape Spencer,
and carried it out of Wellington ("hannel, which favourable
tide I therefore conjectured to be the flood, enabled the " Pi-
oneer" and "Resolute" to start across Wellington Channel,
towards IJarlow Inlet.

Northward of us, ran, almost in a straight line, east and
west, the southern edge of a body of ice, which we then
imagined, in our ignorance, to he jixcd, extending nortiiward,

■,*«»•. "r.V K„

7' ■''

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i '^'^ . ■ '^- •

■'""^

.1
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100

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

*.,ii ,

— aye, to thcj very pole ; for in the rumour of it being a racro
fiord, or gulf, I had no belief, nor any one else who crossed
it in our ships. The day was beautifully clear, and a cold,
nard sky enabled us to sec the land of North Somerset most
distinctly, though thirty to forty miles distant; and yet
nothing appeared resembling land in the northern part of
Wellington Channel. !More than one of us regretted the
prospect of this yet unsearchcd route remaining so, and the
racing mania for Melville Island and Cape Walker bore for
all of us this day its fruit — unavailing regret.

A fresh and favourable gale from the northward raised
our spirits and hopes, late as it now w^as in the season, and
already, with the adventurous feelings of seamen, we began
to calculate what distance might yet be achieved, should the
breeze but last for two or three days. The space to be
traversed, even to Behring's Straits, was a mere nothing ;
and all our disappointments, all our foiled anticipations, were
forgotten, in the light-hcartedness brought about by a day of
open water and a few hours of a fair wind. As we rattled
along the lane of blue water which wound gracefully ahead
to the westward, the shores of Cornwallis Island rapidly re-
vealed themselves, and oflered little that was striking or pic-
turesque. One uniform tint of ruFsct-brown clothed the
land, as the sun at eight in the evening sunk behind the ice-
bound horizon of Wellington Channel.

Novel and striking as were the colours thrown athwart
the cold, hard sky by the setting orb, I thought with a sigh
of those gay and flickering shades which beautify the heavens
in the tropics, when the fierce sun sinks to his western rest.
No gleams of purple and gold lit up the hill-tops ; no fiery
streaks of sunlight streamed across the water, or glittered on
the wave. No ! all was cold and silent as the grave. In
heaven alone there appeared sunshine and vitality : — it was

CROSSIXG WELLINGTON CHANNEL.

101

rightly so. Frost was fast claiming its dominion, for, with
declining sunlight, the space of water between the pack and
the floe became a sheet of young ice, about the one-eighth of
an inch in thickness.

The " Assistance" and "Intrepid" wcro gone, it was very
evident ; but the American squadron was observed in Barlow
Inlet. As we approached them, at two o'clock in the morn-
ing, they woi'e to be seen firing muskets. We therefore put
our helms down, and performed, by the help of the screw,
figures of eight in the young ice, until a boat had communi-
cated with Commander ])e ITavcn, fi'om whom we learned that
one of his vessels was aground in the inlet, and that it was no
place for us to go into, unless we wanted to remain there.
The passage to the westward, round Cape Ilotham, was like-
wise blocked up, and no alternative remained but to make
fast to the floe to the north of us. This was done, and just
in time; for a smart breeze from the S. E. brought up a
great deal of ice, and progress in any direction was impos-
sible.

I had now time to observe that the floe of Wellington
Channel, instead of consisting of a mass of ice (as was cur-
rently reported) about eight feet in thickness, did not in
average depth exceed that of the floes of Melville Bay,
although a great deal of old ice was mixed up with it, as if
a pack had been re-cemented by a winter's frost ; in which
case, of course, there would be ice of vari .1 .3 ages mixed up -
in the body ; and much of the ice was lying crosswise and
edgeways, so that a person desirous of looking at the Wel-
lington Channel floe, as the accumulation of many years of
continued frost, might have some grounds upon which to base
ais supposition. A year's observation, however, has shown
mo the fallacy of supposing that in dcop-water channels floes
continue to increase in thickness from year to year; and to

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

that subject I will return in a future chapter, when treating
of Wellington Channel.

The closing chapter of accidents, by which the navigation
of 1850 was brought to a close by the squadrons in search of
Sir John Franklin, is soon told.

The " Resolute" and " Pioneer" remained, unable to move,
in Wellington Channel; a northerly gale came on, after a
short breeze from the S. E. ; and imagine, kind reader, our
dismay, in finding the vast expanse, over which the eye had
in vain strained to sec its limit — imagine this field suddenly
breaking itself across in all directions, from some unseen
cause, farther than (as appeared to us) a northerly gale blow-
ing over its surflice, and our poor barks, in its cruel embrace,
sweeping out of Wellington Channel, and then towards Leo-
pold Island. At one time, the probability of reaching the
Atlantic, as Sir James Ross did, stared us disagreeably in
the face, and blank indeed did we all look at such a pros-
pect.

A calm and frosty morning ushered in the 9th of Septem-
ber. The pack was fast re-knitting itself, and we were drift-
ing with it, one mile per hour, to the S. E., when Penny's
brigs, that had been seen the day before crossing to the
northward of us, were observed to be running down along
the western shore, with the American squadron ahead of them,
the latter having just escaped from an imprisonment in
Barlow Inlet. About the same time, a temporary opening
of the pack enabled the steam-power again to be brought to
bear, and never was it more useful. The pack was too small
and broken for a vessel to warp or heave through, there was
no wind " to bore" through it, and the young ice in some
places, by pressure, was nigh upon six inches thick ; towing
with boats was, therefore, out of the question.

The " Resolute" fast astern, with a long scope of hawser,

ALL THE FIJSii'ELS MEET.

103

the " Pioneer," lik^ a prize-fighter, settled to her work, and
went in and won. The struggle was a hard one, — now
through sludge and young ice, which gradually checked her
headway, impeded as she was with a huge vessel astern —
now in a strip of open water, mending her pace to rush at a
bar of broken-up pack, which surged and sailed away as her
fine bow forced through it — now cautiously approaching a
nip between two heavy floe pieces, which time and the screw
wedged slowly apart — and then the subdued cheer with which
our crews witnessed all obstacles overcome, and the Naval
expedition again in open water, and close ahead of the Gov-
ernment one under Penny, and Commander De Haven's
gallant vessels, who, under a press of canvas, were just
hauling round Cape Hotham, A light air and bay-ice gave
us every advantage.

Next day, in succession, we all came up to the " Assist-
ance" and "Intrepid," fast at a floe edge, between Capo
Bunny and Griffith's Island. That this floe was not a fixed
one we were assured, as the " Intrepid" had been between it
and Griffith's Island, nearly as far as Somerville Island ; but,
unhappily, it barred our road as effectually as if it were so.
Penny, with his squadron, failed in passing southward
towards Cape Walker ; and Lieutenant Cator, in the " Intrep-
id " was equally unsuccessful.

I was much interested in the account of the gallant
struggle of the " Assistance" and '• Intrepid" in rounding
Cape Hotham. They fairly fought their way against the ice,
which at every east-going tide was sweeping out of Barrow's
Strait, and grinding along the shore. It is most satisfactory
to see that all risks may be run, and yet neither ships nor
crews be lost ; and it is but fair to suppose, that, if our ships
incurred such dangers unscathed, the " sweet cherub" will not
a jot the less have watched over the " Erebus" and " Terror."

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Ali CTIO JO URNAL.

Of course, the " croakers" say, if the floe had pressed a little
more — if the ship had risen a little less — in fact, if Provi-
dence had been a little less watchful — disasters must have
overtalccn our ships ; but when I hear these " dismal Jem-
mies" croak, it puts me much in mind of the midshipman,
who, describing to his grandmamma the attack on Jean d'Acre,
after recounting his prowess and narrow escapes, assured the
old lady that Tom Tough, the boatswain's mate, had asserted
with an oath, which put the fact beyond all doubt, that if one
of those shot from the enemy had struck him, he never would
have lived to tell the tale.

From my gallant comrade of the " Intrepid," we heard of
the search that had been made in Wolstenholme Sound, and
along the north shore of Lancaster Sound. In both places
numerous traces of Esquimaux had been seen, at Wolsten-
holme Sound especially. These were numerous and recent,
and the "Intrepid's" people were shocked, on entering the
huts, to find many dead bodies ; the friends, evidently, of our
Arctic Highlander, Erasmus York, who, as I before said, had
shipped as interpreter on board the " Assistance." In Wol-
stenholme Sound, the cairns erected by the "North Star"
were discovered and visited, and, whilst speakinfc of her, it
"will be as well for me to note, that Captain Penny, on his
way up Lancaster Sound, met the " North Star" otf Admi-
ralty Inlet, August 21st, gave Mr. Saunders his orders from
England, and told him of the number of ships sent out to
resume the search for Franklin. Captain Penny left Mr.
Saunders under an impression that he was going to Disco, to
land hlri provisions.

There was one remarkable piece of information, which I
noted at the time, and much wondered at ; it was derived from
Captain Penny, and the officers of the " Lady Franklin" and
"Sophia." It appears they crossed Wellington Channel,

THE COMIXG OX OF WIXTER.

105

about ten miles higher up than we did ; the ice breaking
away, it will be remembered, and drifting with the " Reso-
lute" and " Pioneer" to the south. From a headland about
twelve miles north of Barlow Inlet, '^aptain Penny observed
with astonishment that there was only about ten miles
more of ice to the north of his vessels, and then, to use his
own words, "Water! water! large water! as far as I could
see ! to the N. W." ITow this water came there ? what was
beyond it 1 were questions which naturally arose ; but it
was not until the following year that the mystery was ex-
plained, and we learned, what was only then suspected, that
wo had overshot our mark.

Sept. Wth^ 1850. — The W'inter of the Arctic Regions came
on us, in its natural character of darkness, gale, cold, and
snow. First, the wind from the S. E., with a heavy sea,
which sent us careering against the floe-edge, and gave all
hands a hard night's work to keep the anchors in the firm floe,
as the edge rapidly broke up, under the combined effects of
sea and shocks from our vessels ; then, with a gust or two,
which threatened to blow the sticks out of our crafts, the
wind chopped round to the N. W. ; and a falling tempera-
ture, which Arctic statistics told us would not, at this season,
ever recover itself, said plainly, that winter quarters alone
remained for us.

Happily, the " Intrepid" had discovered a harbour be-
tween Cape Hotham and Martyr, on the south side of Corn-
wallis Island. This place, and Union Bay, in Beechey Island,
offered two snug positions, from which operations in the
spring with travelling parties could be well and effectually
carried out. Action, action now alone remained for us ; and
earnestly did we pray that our leader's judgment might
now decide upon such positions being taken up as would

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106

AROTIG JOURNAL.

secure all directions — viz. to the south-west, — north-west
and, lastly, west being provided for.

Sept. VMh. — Found the four vessels of our squadron, and
one of the American brigs, — the " Advance" under Lieuten-
ant De Haven, — all safe at the floe-edge. The floe had
drifted during the gale considerably towards the shores of
North Somerset ; and the wedge-shaped island, called Cape
Bunny, was distinctly visible : the other of the American
brigs had, in the height of the gale, blown adrift and disap-
peared in the darkness and snow-drift. For her, as well as
Her Majesty's brigs under Captain Penny, much anxiety
was ent^^rtained. The American leader of the expedition, I
heard, finding farther progress hopeless, intended, in obedience
to his orders, to return to New York. This he was the more
justified in doing, as no preparation or equipment for travel-
ling-parties had been made by them, and their fittings for
wintering in the Arctic Regions were, compared with ours,
very deficient. The gallant Yankees, however, could not re-
turn without generously offering us provisions, fuel, and
stores ; and the officers, with a chivalrous feeling worthy of
themselves and the cause for which they had come thus fiir,
oflfered to remain out or exchange with any of "ours" who
wanted to return home. We had no space in stowage to
profit by the first offer, nor had enthusiasm yet become suffi-
ciently damped in us to desire to avail ourselves of the prof-
fered exchange ; both were declined, and it was said that
Lieutenant Do Haven was told by our leader, if he could
land any thing for us in Kadstock Bay as a depot, he might
render good service.

Letters were therefore hurriedly closed, letter-bags made
up, and pleasant thoughts of those at home served to cheer
us, as, with the temperature at about zero, and with a fresh

THE AMERICAN SQUADRON.

107

breeze, we cast off together, and worked to the northward,
towards Griffith's Island.

Rubbing sides almost with the " Advance," who cour-
teously awaited with the "Pioneer" the heavy-heeled gam-
bols of the "Resolute," day was drawing on before the
squadron reached Griffith's Island, from the lee of which the
missing American schooner was descried to be approaching.
Lieutenant De Haven now hoisted his colours for home, and
backed his topsail. We did the same ; and after a consid-
erable time he bore up with his squadron for New York,
doubtless supposing, from no letters being sent, that we had
none.

It was far otherwise ; and throughout the winter many a
growl took place, as a huge pile of undespatched letters
would pass before our sight, and blessings of a doubtful na-
ture were showered on our ill luck.

To the ice, which extended unbroken from Griffith's Island
to Cape Martyr, we will leave the Naval expedition secured,
whilst we briefly recount the most striking points in con-
nection with the American expedition that had now left us
on its voyage home.

In 1849, Mr. Henry Grinnell, a merchant of the United
States, actuated by the purest philanthropy that ever influ-
enced the heart of man, determined to devote a portion of
his well-deserved wealth to the noble purpose of relieving
Sir John Franklin, who, it was much to be feared, from the
desponding tone of a portion of the English press on Sir
James Ross's failure, was likely to be left unsought for in
1850. He therefore, at his sole expense, purchased two ves-
sels, one of 140 tons, the " Advance," the other 90 tons, the
" Rescue," and, having strengthened provisionccl, and equipped
them, Mr. Grinnell then placed them under the control of
his Government, in order that they might be commanded

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108

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

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by naval ofTicors and sail under naval discipline. The Amer-
ican Congress passed the necessary acts, and Lieutenant E.
De Haven, who had seen service in the Antarctic seas, took
command of the " Advance," as the leader of the expedition,
and another distinguished officer, Mr. (iriffin, hoisted his
pendant in the " Rescue." On the 23d May, 1850, the two
vessels sailed from New York, touching at Disco, where I
am sorry to say they found m j worthy friend " Ilerr Agar"
to have died shortly after my visit ; they reached the pack
of Melville Bay on the 7th July, and, tightly beset until the
23d, they did not reach Cape York until early in August.

The 7th August they reached Cape Dudley Digues ! (at
that time we were still beset off Cape Walker in Melville
Bay), thence they stood to the south-west, until they reached
the West Water.

On the 18th August, when we had a thick fog and almost
a calm oH* Possession Bay, the American squadron was in a
severe gale in Lancaster Sound ; and on the 25th ^Vugust,
after visiting Leopold Island, the gallant Americans reached
Cape Iiiley close on the heels of the " Assistance" and " lu-
trepid."

From that time we have shown that they lost no oppor-
tunity of pushing ahead ; and if progress depended alone upon
skill and intrepidity, our go-ahead Iricnds would have given
us a hard tussle for the laurels to be won in the Arctic

regions.

As a proof of the disinterestedness of their motives, men
as well as ofllcers, 1 was charmed to hear that before sailing
from America they had signed a bond not to claim, under
any circumstances, the £20,000 reward the British Govern-
ment had offered for Franklin's rescue; wo, I am sorry to
say, had acted ditferontiy. America had plucked a rose from
our brows ; but in such generous enterprise, we for the most

GO INTO WIXTER QUARTERS.

109

part felt that no narrow-minded national prejudices could
enter, and I gloried in the thought that the men \vho had so
nobly borne themselves, as well r^. he, the princely merchant
who had done his best to assist the widow and orphan to
recover those for whom they had so long hoped and wept,
were men who spoke our language, and came from one
parent-stock — a race whose home is on the great waters.

Looking at my rough notes for the following week, I am
now puzzled to know what we were hoping fjr ; it must
have been a second open season in 1850, — a sanguine dis-
position, no doubt brought about by a break in the weather,
not unlike the Indian summer described by American writers.

September lAth. — I went in the " Pioneer," with some
others, to see if the floe had opened a road to the south of
Griffith's Island ; it had not, nor did it appear likely to do so
this season, though there was water seen some fifteen miles
or so to the westward.

One day the " Assistance" and " Intrepid" started for
Assistance Harbour, to winter there, but came back again,
for winter had barred the route to the eastward as well as
westward. One day after this, or rather, many days, we
amused ourselves, with powder, blowing open a canal astern
of the " Resolute," which froze over as quickly as we did it.
At other times, some people would go on the top of the
island, and see oceans of water, where no ship could possibly
get to it, and then others would visit the same spot after a
night or two c' frost, and, seeing ice where the others had
seen water, asserted most confidently that the first were
cxaggerators !

At any rate, September passed ; winter and frost had un-
doubted dominion over earth and sea; already the slopes of
Griffith's Island, and the land north of us, were covered with

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

snow ; the water in sight was like a thread, and occasionally
disappeared altogether. Fires all day, and candles for long
nights, were in general requisition. Some cross-fire in the
different messes was taking place as the individuals suffered
more or less from the cold. Plethoric ones, who became
red-hot with a run up the ladder, exclaimed against fires, and
called zero charming weather ; the long and lethargic talked
of cold draughts and Sir Hugh Willoughby's fate ; the testy
and whimsical bemoaned the impure ventilation. A fox or
two was occasionally seen scenting around the ships, and a
fox-hunt enlivened the floe with men and officers, who chased
the unlucky brute as if they had all come to Griffith's Island
especially for fox-skins ; and the last of the feathered tribe,
in the shape of a wounded "burgomaster," shivered, half
frozen, as it came for its daily food.

October 2(7, 1850. — Lieutenant M'Clintock had very prop-
erly urged the necessity of sending travelling parties to
forward depots of provisions upon the intended routes of the
different parties in 1851 : these were this morning despatched,
— Lieutenant M'Clintock, with Dr. Bradford, carrying out a
depot towards Melville Island; Lieutenant Aldrich taking
one to Lowther Island, touching at Somervillo Island on the
way.

Lieutenant Mecham was likewise sent to examine Corn-
wallis Island, between Assistance Harbour and Cape Martyr,
for traces of Franklin.

We, who were left behind, felt not a little anxious about
these parties whilst absent, for winter was coming on with
giant strides ; on the 4th, frost-bites were constantly occur-
ring, and the sun, pale and bleary, afforded more light than
warmth. Our preparations for winter were hurried on as
expeditiously as possible; and the housing, which, like a

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LIEUTENANT MECHAWS ADVENTURE.

Ill

tent, formed a complete covering to our upper decks, afibrded
great comfort and shelter from the cold bleak wind without.

On the 5th, Lieutenant Aldrich returned from his journey ;
he had not been able to go beyrnd Somerville Island — the
sea between it and Lowther Island being covered with broken
packed ice, half-frozen sludge, and young ice. On the 7th,
Lieutenant Mecham arrived with the intelligence that the
"Lady Franklin" and "Sophia" were, with the "Felix," safe
in Assistance Harbour. Captain Penny, after his failure in
reaching Cape Walker, had a narrow escape of being beset
on the shores of North Somerset ; but by carrying on through
the pack, in the gale of the 11th September, he had happily
secured his ships in excellent winter quarters.

Lieutenant Mecham had an adventure on his outward
route, which had some interesting features : as he was cross-
ing the entrance of a bay, since named Resolute Bay, ho
observed a bear amongst some hummocks, evidently breaking
the young ice by a sort of jumping motion ; and he then saw
that ho and his party had unconsciously left the old ice, and
were travelling over bay-ice, which was bending with the
■weight of the men and sledge. Bruin's sagacity here served
the seamen in good stead, and the sledge was expeditiously
taken to firmer ice, whilst Mr. 1,1. went in chase of the bear ;
having mortally wounded it, the brute rushed to seaward, and
the sportsman only desisted from the pursuit when he ob-
served the bear fall, and in doing so break through the ice,
which was too weak to sustain its weight.

Captain Penny, on the following day, sent over his dog-
sledge to secure the flesh for his dogs, by which time the
unlucky bear was frozen to a hard and solid mass.

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placed his depot forty miles in advance, towards Melville

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ARCTIC JOURN'AL.

Island, — three clays' imprisonment by bad weather, in the
tents, having foiled his hopes of reaching Bedford Bay in
Bathurst Island, where he originally intended to have reached.
Tliis party had, likewise, met water to the westward, and
there was now but little doubt on our minds, that, had the
large field of ice which was blocking the way between Cape
Bunny and Griflith's Island bn^ken up or drifted away, our
squadron would have reached, in all probability, as far as
Parry did in '20 ; but now, the utmost we could hope to
attain in the following year was Melville Island, which would
be our goal^ instead of our starting point.

Autumn travellinor difters, in some measure, from that
of the spring. I will, therefore, give the indulgent reader an
account of a short excursion 1 made for the purpose of con-
necting the search from where Lieutenant Mecham left the
coast, to the point at which Lieutenant M'Cliutock had again
taken it up ; in iact, a bay, facetiously christened by the sea-
men (who had learned that newly-discovered places were
forbidden to be named), "Bay, Oh! no we never mention
it !" and " Cape No Name."

My kind friend, ^Mr. May of the " Resolute," volunteered
to accompany me, and on Thursday, the 10th of October, we
started with our tent, a runner-sledge, and five days' pro-
visions. The four seamen and our two selves tackled to the
drag-ropes, and, with the temperature at C° above zero, soon
walked ourselves into a state of warmth and comfort.

Three hours' sharp dragging brought us to Cape Martyr;
ascending the beach until we had reached a ledge of smooth
ice which fringed the coast within the broken line of the tide-
marks, we turned to the westward, and commenced searching
the beach and ncighl)ouring headlands. I shall not easily
cfiace from my memory the melancholy impression left by
this, my first walk on tho desolate shores of Cornwallis

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soon

liiriXS ON CORNWALLIS ISLAND.

113

Island. Like other things, in time the mind became ac-
customed to it ; and, hy comparison, one soon learned to see
beauties even in the sterility of the North.

Casting off from the sledge, I had taken a short stroll by
myself along one of the terraces Avhich, with almost artificial
regularity, swept around the base of the higher ground l>ehind,
when, to my astonishment, a mass of stone-work, and what at
first looked exactly like a cairn, came in view ; it required no
spur to make me hasten to it, and to discover I was mistaken
hi supposing it to have been any thing constructed so recently

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114

ARCTIG JOURNAL.

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as Franklin's visit. The ruin proved to be a conical-shaped
building, the apex of which had fallen in. Its circumference,
at the base, was about twenty feet, and the height of the
remaining wall was five feet six inches. Those who had
constructed it appeared well acquainted with the strength of
an arched roof to withstand the pressure of the heavy falls
of snow of these regions ; and much skill and nicety was
displayed in the arrangement of the slabs of slaty limestone,
in order that the conical form of the building might be pre-
served throughout.

We removed the stones that had fallen into the building,
but found nothing to repay our labour; indeed, from the
quantity of moss adhering to the walls, and filling up the
interstices of the masses which formed the edifice, I conjec-
tured it was many years since it was constructed, though it
would be impossible to guess when it was last inhabited ;
for, at Pond's Bay, I observed the remains of the native
habitations to have -the appearance of extreme old age and
long abandonment, although, from the fresh seal-blubber
cachis, there was not a doubt of the Esquimaux having been
there the previous winter.

A mile beyond this ruin we halted for the night. Four
of us (for, in Arctic travelling, officer and man are united by
the common bond of labour) erected the tent over a space
■which we had cleared of the larger and rougher pieces of
limestone, leaving what was called a soft spot as our castle
and bedroom. One man, who dubbed himself cook for the
day, with a mate, whose turn it would be to superintend the
kitchen on the morrow, proceeded to cook the dinner. The
cooking apparatus was a boat's stove, eighteen inches long,
and nine inches broad, in which lignum vitae was used as
fuel.

Water having first to be made from ice and snow, and

A WINTER'S EVENING.

115

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then boiled in the open air, the process was not an expedi-
tious one, and I took my gun and struck inland ; whilst Mr.
May, in an opposite direction, made for a point of land to
the westward.

No pen can tell of the unredeemed loneliness of an October
evening in this part of the polar world : the monotonous,
rounded outline of the adjacent hills, as well as the flat, un-
meaning valleys, were of one uniform colour, cither deadly
white with snow or striped with brown where too steep for
the winter mantle as yet to find a holding ground. You felt
pity for the shivering blade of grass, which, at your feet,
was already drooping under the cold and icy hand that would
press it down to mother earth for nine long months. Talk
of "antres vast and deserts idle," — talk of the sadness awa-
kened in the wanderer's bosom by the lone scenes, be it even
by the cursed waters of Judea, or afllicted lands of Assyria, —
give me, I say, death in any one of them, with the good sun
and a bright heaven to whisper hope, rather than the solitary
horrors of such scenes as these. The very wind scorned
courtesy to such a repulsive landscape, and as the stones
rattled down the slope of a ravine before the blast, it only
recalled dead men's bones, and motion in a catacomb. A
truce, however, to such thoughts — May's merry recognition
breaks the stillness of the frosty air. He has been to the
point, and finds it an island ; he says — and I vow he means
what he says — that May Island is a beautiful spot ! it has
grass and moss upon it, and traces of game : next year he
intends to bag many a hare there. Sanguine feelings are
infectious ; 1 forget my own impressions, adopt his rosy ones,
and we walk back to our tent, guided by the smoke, plotting
plans for shooting excursions in 1851 !

"Pemmican is all ready, sir!" reports our Soyer. In
troth, appetite need wait on one, for the greasy compound

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

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would pall on moderate taste or hunger. Tradition said that
it was composed of the best rump-steaks and suet, and cost
Is. 6d. per pound, but we generally voted it composed of
broken-down horses and Russian tallow. If not sweet in
savour, it was strong in nourishm(;nt, and after six table-
spoonfuls, the most ravenous feeder might have cried, hold!
enough !

Frozen pork, which had been boiled on board the ship,
was quite a treat, and decidedly better than cold, thawed
pork could have been ; this, with plenty of biscuit and a
"jolly hot" basin of tea, and, as one of the seamen observed,
"an invitation to Windsor would have been declined." The
meal done, the tent was carefully swept out, the last careful
arrangement of the pebbles, termed "picking the feathers,"
was made, and then a water-proof sheet spread, to prevent
our warm bodies, during the night, melting the frozen ground
and wetting us through. Then every man his blanket bag, a
general popping thereinto of the legs and body, in order that
the operation of undressing might be decently performed, the
jacket and wet boots carefully arranged for a pillow ; the
wolf-skin robes, — Oh, that the contractor may be haunted by
the aroma of the said robes for his life-time ! — brought aloni;
both over and under the party, who lie down alternately,
head and feet in a row, across the tent. Pipes are lighted,
the evening's glass of grog served out ; and whilst the cook
is washing up, and preparing his things ready for the morning
meal, as well as securing the food on the sledges from foxes,
or a hungry bear, many a tough yarn is told, or joke made,
which keep all hands laughing until the cook reports all right,
comes in, hooks up the door, tucks in the fur robe ; and
seven jolly mortals, with a brown-holland tent over their
heads, and a winter's gale without, try to nestle their sides
amongst the softest stones, and at last drop into such a sleep

A CTLWLXAL TEA V EL LING.

117

as those only enjoy %vho drag a sledge all day, with the tem-
perature 30° below freezing point.

Friday morning, at seven o'clock, we rolled up our beds,
or rather sleeping-bags, stowod the sledge, dranlc boiling hot
chocolate, and gnawed cheerily at frozen pork and biscuit ;
the weather beautiful, calm, and very cold, below zero, we
started, skirting round the bay. By noon a gale sprung up,
sending a body of icy spicule against our faces, causing both
pain and annoyance. Two mock suns for the first time were
seen to-dav. At noon we sat down under the lee of our
sledge, and partook of a mouthful of grog and biscuit, and
again marched rapidly towards " Cape No Name !" By tlie
evening we had marched fourteen miles, the entire circuit of
the bay, without observing any trace of Franklin having
visited the neighbourhood ; and as frost-bites began to
attack our faces, we erected our tent as expeditiously as
possible, and in it took shelter from the wind and cold. The
pungent smoke of the lignum vitoe kept us weeping, as long
as the cooking went on ; and between the annoyance of it,
the cold, and fatigue, we all dropped off to sleep, indifferent
to a falling temperature, prowling bears, or a violent gale,
■which threatened to blow us from the beach on which we had
pitched our fluttering tent.

Next day, my work being done, we struck homeward
for the squadron, and reached it the same evening, the said
12th of October being the last autumnal travelling of our
squadron.

The following week the temperature rallied a little, and
the weather was generally finer; our preparations for winter-
ing were nearly completed, and the poor sickly sun barely
for two hours a day rose above the heights of Griffith's
Island.

To our great joy, on the 17th of October, Captain Penn}

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118

ARCTIC JOITRNAL.

came over from Assistance Ilarhoiir. lie had happily de-
cided on taking up the search of Wellington Channel ; and
an understanding was come to, that his squadron should carry
out the travelling operations next spring on that route, whilst
our squadron accomplished the farthest possible distance
towards Melville Island, and from Cape Walker to the south-
west.

Captain P. expressed it as his opinion that the Americans
had not escaped out of Barrow's Strait, in consequence of a
sudden gale springing up from the southward, shortly after
they had passed his winter quarters. This supposition we
of course afterwards found to be true, although at the time
we all used to speak of the Americans as being safe and snug
in New York, instead of drifting about in the ice, within a
few miles of us, as was really the case.

W^ith Penny's return to his vessels, may be said to have
closed all the Arctic operations of the year 1850. Our upper
decks were now covered in ; stoves and warming apparatus
set at work ; boats secured on the ice ; all the lumber taken
off the upper decks, to clear them for exercise in bad weather ;
masts and yards made as snug as possible; rows of posts
placed to show the road in the darkness and snow-storms
from ship to ship ; holes cut through the ice into the sea, to
secure a ready supply of water, in the event of fire ; arrange-
ments made to insure cleanliness of ships and crews, and a
winter routine entered upon, 'which those curious in such
matters may find fully detailed in Parry's " First Voyage,"
or Ross's " Four Years in Boothia."

The building of snow-walls, posts, houses, &;c., was at first
a source of amusement to the men, and gave them a great
field in which to exercise their skill and ingenuity. People
at home would, I think, have been delighted to see the pretty
and tasteful things cut out of snow : obelisks, sphinxes, vases,

»■•(:■: <

pily de-
al ; and
Id carry
', whilst
listance
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e pretty

s, vases,

Ay ARCTIO PRAYER.

119

cannon, and, lastly, a stately Britannia, looking to the west-
ward, enlivened the floe, and gave voluntary occupation to
the crews of the vessels. These, however, only served for a
while ; and as the arctic night of months closed in, every
one's wits were exerted to the utmost to invent occupation
and entertainment 11 r our little community.

On November the 8th, two .officers ascended the heights
of Griffith's Island, and at noontide caught the last glimpse
of the sun, as it happened to be thrown up by refraction,
though in reality it was seventeen miles below our horizon.
We were now fairly about to undergo a dark, arctic winter,
in 74^ degrees of north latitude ; and light-hearted and con-
fident as we felt in our resources of every description, one
could not, when looking around the dreary scene which
spread around us on every side, but feel how much our lives
were in His hands who tempers the wind to the shorn lamb ;
and wanting must he have been in feeling who did not oiler
up a heartfelt prayer that returning day and returning sum-
mer might find him able and fit to undergo the hardship and
fatigue of journeys on foot, to seek for his long-lost fellow-
seamen. On leaving England, amongst the many kind,
thoughtful presents, both public and private, none struck me
as being more appropriate than the following form of prayer : —

A PRAYER FOR THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

"0 Lord God, our Heavenly Father, who teachest man
knowledge, and givest him skill and power to accomplish his
designs, we desire continually to wait, and call, and depend
upon Thee. Thy way is in the sea, and Thy paths in the
great waters. Thou rulest and commandest all things. We
therefore draw nigh unto Thee for help in the great work
which we now have to do.

" Leave us not, we beseech Thee, to our own counsel, not

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111.

120

ARCTIC JOi'RNAL.

to the imaginations of our own foolish and deceitful hearts :
but lead us by the way wherein we should go, that discretion
may preserve us, and understanding may keep us. Do Thou,
O Lord, make our way prosperous, and give us Thy blessing
and good success. Bring all needful things to our remem-
brance ; and where we have not the presence of mind, nor
the ability, to perform Thy will, magnify Thy power in our
weakness. Let Thy good providence be our aid and protec-
tion, and Thy Holy Spirit our Guide and Comforter, that we
may be defended from all adversities which may happen to
the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and
hurt the soul. Endue us with such strength and patience as
may carry us through every toil and danger, whether by sea
or land ; and, if it be Thy good pleasure, vouchsafe to us a
safe return to our families and homes.

" And, as Thy Holy Word teaches us to pray for others,
as well as for ourselves, wo most humbly beseech Thee, of
Thy goodness, O Lord, to comfort and succour all those who
are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity,
especially such as may now be exposed to the dangers of the
deep, or afllictcd with cold and hunger. Bestow upon them
Thy rich mercies, according to their several wants and ne-
cessities, and deliver them out of their distress. Thev are
known to Thee by name, let them be known of Thee as the
children of Thy grace and love. Bless us all with Thy fa-
vour, in which is life, and with all spiritual blessings in Christ
Jesus; and grant us so to pass the waves of this troublesome
world, that fuially we may come unto Thy everlasting king-
dom. Grant this, for Thy dear Son's sake, Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen."

J- 1*

While touching on a religious point connected with our
expedition, I must say, that as yet we have not in the Navy

WINTER OCCUPATIONS.

121

a single good set of sermons adapted to interest and instruct
the seamen. The commander, or commanding officer, of a
man-of-war usually reads, in the absence of the chaplain, the
Divine Service on Sundays. We, of course, did not fail to
do so; but 1 never saw an English sailor who would sit down
and listen attentively to the discussion of some knotty text,
exhibiting far more ingenuity on the part of some learned
commentator, than simplicity and clearness adapted to plain,
uninformed minds : in a future expedition, and, indeed, in
the Navy generally, it is to be hoped this deficiency will be
remedied. Sermons in the pure and Christianlike tone of
Porteus's Lent Lectures, I would humbly recommend as a
guide for those who may be inclined to take the good work
in hand.

A theatre, a casino, and a saloon, two Arctic newspapers,
one of them an illustrated one, evening-schools, and instruc-
tive lectures, gave no one an excuse for being idle. The
officers and men voluntarily imposed on themselves various
duties in connection with the different departments ; one
was scene-painter, and under his talented pencil the canvas
glowed with pictures one almost grieved to see thus em-
ployed. Decorators and statuaries produced effects which,
with such limited means, were imily astounding; vocalists
and musicians practised and pciseverod until an instrumental
band and glee-club were formed, to our general delight;
officers and men sung who never sang before, and maybe,
except under similar circumstances, will never sing again ;
maskers had to construct their own masks, and sew their own
dresses, the signal ffags serving in lieu of a supply frorji the
milliner's; ahd, with wonderful ingenuity, a fancy dres?j ball
was got up, which, in variety and tastefulness of costume,
would have borne comparison with any one in Europe.

Here, editors floundered through a leader, exhibiting

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122

ARCTIC JOURNAL,

French ingenuity, in saying their say without "bringing them-
selves within the gnisp of the censors; here, rough contribu-
tors, whose hands, more accustomed to the tar-brush than
the pen, turned flowing sentences by the aid of old mis-
cellanies and well-thumbed dictionaries. There, on wooden
stools, leaning over long tables, were a row of serious and
anxious faces, which put one in mind of the days of cane and
birch, — an Arctic school. Tough old marines curving "pot-
hooks and hangers," as if their very lives depended on their
performances, with an occasional burst of petulance, such as,
*' D — the pen, it won't write ! I beg pardon, sir ; this 'ere
pen will splutter !" which set the scholars in a roar. Then
some big-whiskered top-man, with slate in hand, reciting his
multiplication-table, and grinning at approval ; whilst a
" scholar," as the cleverest were termed, gave the instructor
a hard task to preserve his learned superiority.

In an adjoining place, an observer might notice a tier of
attentive, upturned faces, listening, like children to some
nursery-tale. It was the fust lieutenant of the " Kesolute,"
my much-loved, faithful friend ; ho was telling them of the
deeds of their forefathers in these regions. Parry's glorious
pages open by his side, he told those stern men with tender
hearts, of the suflcrings, the enterprise, the courage, and the
reward of imperishable renown exhibited and won by others.
The glistening eye and compressed lip showed how the good
seed had taken root in the listeners around, and every even-
ing saw that sailor audience gather around him whom they
know to be the " gallant and true," to share in his feelingn
and borrow from his enthusiasm.

For some time after the sun had censed to visit our
heavens, the southern side of the horizon, for a few hours at
noon, was strongly illumined, the sky being shaded, from
deep and rosy red through all the most delicate tints of pink

ing them-
con tii bu-
rn sh than
old mis-
)n wooden
urious and
f cane and
ing " pot-
;d on their
■c, such as,
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em of the
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by others,
w the good
jvcry even-
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his feelings

visit our
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laded, from
ints of pink

WIXTER SCENERY.

123

and blue, until, in the north, a cold bluish-black scowled
angrily over the pale mountains, who, in widowed loneliness,
had drawn their cowls of snow around, and, uncheercd by the
roseate kiss of the bridegroom sun, seemed to mourn over the
silence and darkness at their feet. Such was a tine day in
November, and through the gray twilight the dark forms of
our people, as they travcrs J the flo(>, or sealed the clilfs of
Griflith's Island, or, maybe, occasionally hunted a beai, com-
pleted the scene.

Charmed as we wore with the evanescent colouring of our
sky on a ^ma day, it was in loveliness far surpassed by the
exceeding beauty of Arctic moonlight. Daylight but served
to show the bleakness of frozen sea and land ; but a full, sil-
very moon, wheeling around the zenith for several days and
nights, threw a poetry over every thing, which reached and
glowed in the heart, in spite of intense frost and biting
breeze. At such a time we were wont to pull on our warm
jackets and seal-skin caps, and, stiiding out u])on the floe,
enjoy to the utniost the elasticity of health and spirits with
which we were l)lest under so bracing a climate. There,
with one's friend, the mutual recognition of Nature's beauties
and congratulations, at being there to witness it, richly re-
warded us for our isolation from the world of our fellow-
men ; and general enthusiasm had its full sway as, from the
heights of Griflith's Island, we looked down on our s<piadron,
whose masts alone pierced the broad wliite expanse over
Barrow's Strait, and threw long shadows across the floe.
The noble mission for which they had been sent into the north
was ever present to us, and away instinctively flew our
thoughts to our gallant friends in the " Krcbus" and " Ter-
ror :" Jms alternately elated and saddened, wo enjoyed, with
t'lirnest feelings, tlie wondrous scene around us.

Imagine yourself, dear reader, on the edge of a lofty tnblo-

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124

ARCTIC JOlfRNAL.

land, which, dipping suddenly at your feet, sloped again to
the sea of ice, at a distance of some 500 feet below ; fancy a
vast plain of ice and snow, diversified by tiers of broken-up
ice and snow-wreaths, which, glistening on the one side,
reflected back ♦^he moonlight with an exceeding brilliancy,
whilst the strong shadow oi the farther side of the masses
threw them out in strong relief; four lone barks, atoms in
the extensive landscape, — the observers' home, — and beyond
them, on the horizon, sweeping in many a bay, valley, and
headland, the coast of Cornwallis Island, now bursting upon
the eye in startling distinctness, then receding into shadow
and gloom, and then anon diversified with flickering shades,
like an autumnal landscape in our own dear land, as the
fleecy clouds sailed slowly across the moon, — she the while
riding through a heaven of deepest blue, richly illuminated
by the constellations of the northern hemisphere, wheeling
around the Polar Star like armies in review, — and say if the
North has not its charms for him who can appreciate such
novel aspects of Nature.

If you still doubt it, let us descend the adjacent ravine,
formed as if some giant hand had rent the firm ciff" from
crown to basement ; stand we now at its upper entrance,
where it slopes away to the table-land behind, — didst ever
see a sight more wildly beautiful ? The grim and frowning
buttresses on either hand, too steep for even the snow-flake
to rest upon, whilst over its brow a pigmy glacier topples
with graceful curve, or droops in many an icy wreath and
spray, threatening us with destruction as we slide down the
sharp declivity. Now, with many a graceful curve, the
gorge winds down to the frozen sea, a glimjise of which
forms the background to the lower entrance. Observe how
the snow, which, by wintry gales, has been swept into the
ravine, has hardened into masses, resembling naught so

OPEN WATERS IN BAIiROW'S STRAIT.

125

much as a fierce rapid suddenly congealed ; and then look
overhead, to a deep blue sky, spangled with a million
spheres ; if thou couldst have seen this, and much more
than pen or tongues can tell, and not admire it, then I say,

" God help thee,
Thou hast reason to be sad."

As late as the 18th of November, water, m a broad lane,
was seen to the S. E. from the extreme of Grillith's Island,
showing the pack to be in motion in Barrow's Strait, a
belief we otherwise arrived at from the frequent appearance
of a water-sky in the same direction, especially after spring-
tides or strong N. W. gales. A few bears, perhaps eight in
all, visited our ships during the closing period of 1850,
showing they did not hibernate immediately the sun dis-
appeared ; indeed, so long as there was water near us, they
would find seal, their usual, perhaps their only, food. And,
apart from the appearance of water in our immediate neigh-
bourhood, we were convinced that Lancaster Sound was still
open, from the sudden rise of the temperature of the air,
whenever the wind drew to that quarter; and, what was
more extraordinary still, whenever the wind was from the
northward, a black vapour, a certain indication of water, was
seen to be rolling past Cape Ilotham out of Wellington
Channel : could that have been open so long after the sea
in our neighbourhood was closed 1

However, to return to the bears. Whenever an unlucky
IS seen, the severe c

brute

ipeti

possess his skin, entailed no small risk of life upon the hunt-
ers as well as the proprietor of the coveted prize ; and
crossing tlie line of fire was recklessly performed, in a man-
ner to have shocked an " Excellent" gunner or a Woolwich
artilleryman. Discretion v.as the better part of Ursine

4'. r.'|^ .•.

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126

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

valour, and one brute was alone bagged, although a good
many were very much frightened ; the frequent chases, and
constant failures, giving rise to much quizzing on the part
of the unsportsmanlike, and learned dissertations by the
Nimrods upon the rules to be observed in bear-shooting.
As instances of what risks the community ran, whilst the
furor for skins was at its height, I will merely say, that two
unconscious mortals who had got on a hummock to see
around, were mistaken in the twilight for bears, and stood
fire from a rifle, whleh, happily for them, on this occasion,
missed its mark; and one day, a respectable individual,
trottinjj amonn; the snow ridires, was horrified to see on a
piece of canvas, in large letters, "Beware of spring-guns!"
Picture to oneself the person's feelings. IIow was he to
escape? The next tread of his foot, and, maybe, off into
his body might be discharged the murderous barrel secreted
for a bear. Fate decreed otherwise ; the alarmed seaman
escaped ; and the spring-gun was banished to some lonely
ravine, from which the proprietor daily anticipated a dead
bear, and I, a dead shipmate; some of whom, pining for
forlorn damsels at home, were led to sentimentalize in
retired places.

My captain of the forecastle, whose sporting propensities
I have elsewhere noted, cured me of a momentary mania for
trophies of the chase, thus : a large bear and cub, after
coming towards the "Pioneer," for some time halted, and
were fired at by three ofiicers with guns : of the three barrels
only one went off, wounding the cub, which, with its mother,
made for Grilllth's Island. I chased, followed bv some of the
men, the foremost of whom was my ancient mariner, who
kept close to my heels, urging mo on by declaring we were
fast catching the brutes. We decidedly had dor^ so. By
the time I reached the island, and both bears were within

CHKL^TAIAS-DAY ON BOARD.

127

shot, climbing up, with cat-like agility, the steep face of the
cliffs, again and again I failed to get my gun off; and as the
she-bear looked at one time inclined to come down and see
who the bipeds were that had chased her, I looked round at
my supporters, who were vehemently exclaiming that " we
should have her in a minute !" Thev consisted of Old
Abbot, armed with a snow-knife, and some men who ran,
because they saw others doing so. Now, a snow-knife con-
sists of nothing more than a piece of old iron beaten out on
an anvil so as to cut snow, having an edge, which, when I
anxiously asked if it was sharp, I was figuratively told, "The
owner, John Abbot, could have ridden to the devil upon it
without injury to his person." Yet, with this, I verily believe,
the old seaman would have entered the list against the teeth
and talons of Mistress Bruin. I objected, however, and
allowed her to escape with becoming thankfulness.

Christmas-day was, of course, not forgotten, and our best,
though humble flire was displayed in each of the vessels.
Hospitality and good-fellowship, however, were not confined
to this day alone ; and had not the bond of friendship, which
knit the officers and men of the squadron together, taught
them the necessity of sharing the little they had, the open-
handed liberality of our hospitable leader would have done
so. At his table, petty differences, professional heart-burn-
ings, and quarter-deck etiquette, were forgotten and laid
aside. A liberal and pleasant host made merry guests ; and
amongst the many ways ui which we strove to beguile the
winter of 1850-51, none have more agreeable recollections
than his dinner-parties.

It may not here be out of place to describe the ordi-
nary clothing worn, as yet, by officers and men : the tem-
perature ranging often as low as 35° below zero, with strong

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128

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

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Additional for walking.

Box-cloth pea jacket.

"Welsh wig.

Seal-skill cap.

Beaver-skin mitts.

Shawl or comfortable.

Men with tender faces re-
quired a cloth face-cover
in the wind.

Clothing ichen indoors.

1 Flannel shirt with sleeves.

1 Cotton ditto.

1 Waistcoat with sleeves, lined

with flannel.
1 Drawers flannel.
1 Pair trowsers, box-cloth, lined

with flannel.
1 Pair thick stockings.
1 Do. thin ditto.
1 Horse-hair sole.
1 Pair carpet boots.

January, 1851. — ^That we were all paler, was perceptible
to every one ; but only a few had lost flesh. A very little
exercise was found to tire one very soon, and appetites were
generally on the decrease. For four hours a-day, we all, men
and oflScers, made a point of fiicing the external air, let the
temperature be what it would ; and this rule was carefully
adhered to, until the return of the sun naturally induced
us to lengthen our excursions. Only on three occasions was
the weather too severe for communication between the
vessels, and the first of these occurred in the close of
December and commencement of January. To show
one's face outboard, was then an impossibility ; the gale
swept before it a body of snow higher than our trucks,
and hid every thing a few yards off from sight. The
"Resolute," three hundred yards off, was invisible; and
the accumulation of snow upon our housing, threatened to
burst it in. The floe seemed to tremble as the gale shrieked
over its surface, and tore up the old snow-drifts and deposited
them afresh. A wilder scene man never saw : it was worthy
of the Arctic regions, and a lit requiem for the departing
year.

Mm'

AURORAS AND CLOUDLESS SKIES.

129

After one of these gales, walking on the floe was a work
of much duTiciilty, in consequence of the irregular surface it
presented to the foot. The snow-ridges, called sastrugi by
the Russians, run (where unobstructed by obsta js which
caused a counter-current) in parallel lines, waving and
winding together, and so close and hard on the edges, that
the foot, huge and clumsy as it was with warm clothing and
thick soles, slipped about most helplessly ; and we, therefore,
had to wait until a change of wind had, by a cross drift., filled
up the ridges thus formed, before we took long walks ; and
on the road between the vessels parties were usually em-
ployed mending the roads.

With one portion of the phenomena of the North Sea, we
were particularly disappointed — and this was the aurora. The
colours, in all cases, were vastly inferior to those seen by us
in far southern latitudes, a pale golden or straw colour
being the prevailing hue ; the most striking part of it was
its apparent proximity to the earth. Once or twice the
auroral coruscations accompanied a moon in its last quarter,
and generally previous to bad weather. On one occasion, in
Christmas-week, the light played about the edge of a low
vapour which hung at a very small altitude over us ; it never,
on this occasion, lit up the whole under-surface of the said
clouds, but formed a series of concentric semicircles of light,
with dark spaces between, which waved, glistened, and van-
ished, like moonlight upon a heaving, but unbroken sea.

At other times, a stream of the same coloured vapour
would span the heavens through the zenith, and from it
would shoot sprays of pale orange colour for many hours;
and then the mysterious light would again as suddenly
vanish.

Clouds may have been said to have absented themselves
from our sky for at least two months of the winter ; the

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130

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

heavens, the stars, and moon, were often obscured, but it
invariably appeared to be from snow-drift rather than from a
cloudy sky. Snow fell incessantly, even on the clearest day,
consisting of minute spiculae, hardly perceptible to the eye,
but which accumulated rapidly, and soon covered any thing
left in the open air for a few minutes. With returning day-
light, and the promise of the sun, clouds again dotted the
southern heavens, and mottled with beautiful mackerel skies
the dome above us.

The immense quantity of snow which in a gale is kept
suspended in the air by the action of the wind, and is termed
drift, quite astounded us ; and on two occasions, with north-
westerly gales, we had a good opportunity of noting its accu-
mulation. The " Pioneer" and " hitrepid" laying across the
wind, the counter-current caused a larger deposition around
us than elsewhere. On the first occasion, after the wind sub-
sided, we found a snow-wreath along the weather-side of the
vessel for a length of one hundred and eighty feet, about
eleven feet deep in the deepest part, and sloping gradually
away for one hundred yards. After weighing a cubic foot of
the snow, I calculated that, at the low * t computation, the
mass thus deposited in twenty-four hours was not less than
four hundred tons in weight ! How the floe bore the pressure
seemed unaccountable to me ; but it did around the " Pio-
neer," although that near the " Intrepid" broke down, and
the water flowed up above the snow, forming it rapidly into
ice.

Much later in the winter — indeed in the month of March
— a succession of furious gales quite smothered us ; the drift
piled up as high as the top of the winter housing, which was
fifteen feet above the deck, and then blew over to leeward,
filling up on that side likewise ; whilst we, unable to face the
storm without, could only prevent the housing from being

WINTER EMPLOYMEym.

131

broken in, by placing props of planks and '^r i ' o suj ort
the superincumbent weight. We had actuui.j to dig »ur
way out of the vessel ; and I know not how we should have
freed the poor smothered craft, had not Nature assisted us,
by the breaking down of the floe. This at first threatened to
injure and strain the " Pioneer," for, firmly held as she was
all round, the vessel was immersed some two feet deeper
than she ought to have been by the subsiding ice. We set
to work, however, to try and liberate her, when one night a
serie" of loud reports awakened me, and the quarter-master
ac the same time ran down to say, in his quaint phraseology,
that " she was a going off"!" a fact of which there was no
doubt, as, with sudden surges, the " Pioneer" overcame the
hold the floe had taken of her poor sides, and after some time
she floated again at her true water-line ; while the mountain
of snow around us had sunk to the level of the floe, and at
first formed enormously thick ice ; but this in time, by the
action of the under-cur rents of warm water, reduced itself to
the ordinary thickness of the adjoining floe.

Before we enter upon the subject of returning spring, and
the new occupations and excitement which it called forth, let
me try to convey an idea of a day spent in total darkness,
as far as the sun was concerned.

Fancy the lower deck and cabins of a ship, lighted entirely
by candles and oil lamps ; every aperture by which external
air could enter, unless under control, carefully secured, and
all doors doubled, to prevent draughts. It is breakfast-time,
and reeking hot cocoa from every mess-table is sei 'ling up a
dense vapour, which, in addition to the breath of so many
souls, fills the space between decks with mist and fog.
Should you go on deck (and remember you go from 50®
above zero to 40° below it, in eight short steps), a column
of smoke will be seen rising through certain apertures called

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ARCTIO JOURNAL.

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ventilators, whilst others are supplying a current of pure air.
Breakfast done, — and, from the jokes and merriment, it has
been a good one, — there is a general pulling on of warm
clothing, and the major part of the officers and men go on
deck. A few remain, to clean and clear up, arrange for the
dinner, and remove any damp or ice that may have formed
in holes or corners during the sleeping hours. This done, a
muster of all hands, called " divisions," took place. Officers
inspected the men, and every part of the ship, to see both
were clean, and then they dispersed to their several duties,
which at this severe season were very light ; indeed, confined
mainly to supply the cook with snow to melt for water,
keeping the fire-hole in the floe open, and sweeping the
decks. Knots of two or three would, if there was not a
strong gale blowing, be seen taking exercise at a distance
from the vessels ; and others, strolling under the lee, dis-
cussed the past and prophesied as to the future. At noon,
soups, preserved meats, or salt horse, formed the seamen's
dinner, with the addition of preserved potatoes, a treat which
the gallant fellows duly appreciated. The officers dined
somewhat later — 2 p. m. A little afternoon exercise was
then taken, and the evening meal, of tea, next partaken of.
If it was school night, the voluntary pupils went to their
tasks, the masters to their posts ; reading men producing
their books, writing men their desks, artists painted by can-
dle-light, and cards, chess, or draughts, combined with con-
versation, and an evening's glass of grog, and a cigar or pipe,
served to bring round bed-time again.

Monotony was our enemy, and to kill time our endeav-
our: hardships there was none: for all we underwent in
winter quarters, in the shape of cold, hunger, or danger, was
voluntary. Monotony, as I again repeat, was the only dis-
agreeable part of our wintering at Griffith's Island. Some

MASK BALLS.

133

men amongst us seemed in their temperament to be much
better able to endure this monotony than others : and others
who had no source of amusement — such as reading, writing,
or drawing — were much to be pitied. Nothing struck one
more than the strong tiiidency to tallc of home, and England :
it became quite a disease. We, for the most part, spoke as
if all the most affectionate husbands, dutiful sons, and at-
tached brothers, had found their way into the Arctic expedi-
tions. From these maudlins, to which the most strong-
minded occasionally gave way, we gladly sought refuge in
amusements, — such as theatres and balls. To give an idea
of the zest with which all entered these gayeties, I will recount
a list of the characters assumed by the officers, at the first
fancy dress ball.

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Capt. Austin .

Oramanney
Lieut. Aldrich .
Cator .
M'CHntock
Osborn .
Bro^\^l .
Mecham
Dr. Donnet
Bradford .
Ward
Mr. King
Rearse
May .
Hamilton .
Eds .
Markham .
Cheyne
M'Dougall
Lewis

Old Chairs to mend.

3Iayor of Griffith! s Island,

Fancy dress.

Old English Gentleman.

Blue Demon.

Blach Domino.

Bed Devil.

Blue and White Domino.

A Lady, then a Friar,

A Capuchin.

A Beadle.

Jocliey.

Smuggler.

Roman Soldier.

A Spinster,

Spanish Dancing Girl,

As Allegory.

3fiss Maria.

Vivandiere.

Farmer Wapstraw,

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134

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

Mr. Allard

. Mahomet AIL

Webb

. Bedouin Arab.

Ilarwood .

. Jliss Tahitha Flick.

Allen

. Greenwich Pensioner.

Brooman .

. Punch.

Crabbe

. Sir Charles Grandison.

Richards .

. A Scot.

Whilst pirates, Turks, gipsies, and ghosts, without number,
chequered the ball-room.

These our amusements ; but the main object of our
coming to the North was kept constantly in view, and noth-
ing that labour or ingenuity could devise towards the suc-
cessful accomplishment of our mission was wanting.

Some turned their attention to obtaining information foi
the general good, upon all that related to travelling in frozen
regions ; others plodded through many a volume, for mete-
orological information upon which to arrange a safe period
of departure for the travellers in the spring ; others tried to
found some reasonable theory as to the geography of the
unexplored regions around us; whilst a portion more
actively employed themselves in bringing into action divers
practical means of communicating with our missing country-
men which had been supplied to us in England.

Rockets, in the calm evenings of early winter, were fired
with great eflect ; in proof of which, signals wore several
times exchanged, both in the autumn and spring, between
Assistance Harbour and our squadron, by the aid of these
useful projectiles, although the distance was twenty miles.

The balloons, however, as a more novel attempt for dis-
tant signalizing, or, rather, intercommunication, were a sub-
ject of deep interest. The plan was simple, and ingenious;
the merit of the idea, as applicable to the relief of Sir John
Franklin, by communicating to him intelligence of the posi-

E CKETS.—BALL ONS.

135

tion of the

due to ISEr. Shopperd,

xrching parties, beii
c. E. It was as follows : a balloon of oiled silk, capable of
raising about a pound weight when inflated, was filled with
hydrogen evolved from a strong cask, fitted with a valve,
in which, when required for the purpose, a certain quantity
of zinc filings and sulphuric acid had been introduced. To
the base of the balloon, when inflated, a piece of slow match,
five feet long, was attached, its lower end being lighted.
Along this match, at certain intervals, pieces of coloured
paper and silk were secured with thread, and on them the
information as to our position and intended lines of search
were printed. The balloon, when liberated, sailed rapidly
along, rising withal, and, as the match l)urnt, the papers
were gradually detached, and, falling, spread themselves on
the snow, where their glaring colours would soon attract
notice, should they happily fall near the poor fellows in the
" Erebus" and " Terror."

Every' care was taken to despatch these balloons with
winds from the southward and south-east, so that the papers
might be distributed to the north and north-west, and west-
ward. Fire-balloons, of which there were a few, were likewise
despatched ; but the impression in my own mind is, that the
majority of the balloons despatched by us, after rising to some
height, were carried by counter-currents — always the most
prevalent ones at the cold season of the year — to the south-
ward and south-west. On two occasions I <listinctly saw the
balloons, when started with S. E. winds, pass for a while to
the N. W., and then, at a great altitude, alter their course
under the influence of a contrary current, and pass as raj>idly
to the S. E., in the teeth of the light airs we had on the floe.

The farthest distance from the point of departure at which
any of these papers were found, as far as I know, appears to
have been within Mi'^ miles. The " Assistance" despatched

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136

ARCTIC JOURNAL,

some from near Barlow Inlet, which were picked up on the
opposite side cf Wellington Channel north of Port Innis.
Neither this, however, nor our non-discovery of any papers
during our travelling in 1851, can be adduced as a proof
against their possible utility and success; and the balloons
may still be considered a most useful auxiliary.

Next — indeed we should say before the balloons — as a
means of communication, came carrier-pigeons. When first
proposed, in 1850, many laughed at the idea of a bird doing
any service in such a cause ; and, maybe, might have laughed
yet, had not a carrier-pigeon, despatched by Capt. Sir John
Ross, from his winter quarters in 1850, actually reached its
home, near Ayr, in Scotland, in five days. In our expedi-
tion none of these birds had been taken ; but on board the
" Felix" Sir John Ross had a couple of brace. I plead guilty,
myself, to having joined in the laugh at the poor creatures,
when, with feathers in a halfmoulted state, I heard it pro-
posed to despatch them from Beechey Island, in 7^ degrees
N. and 1)2 degrees W., to the meridian of Greenwich and
50 degrees N. latitude, even though they were slung to a
balloon for a part of the journey. At any rate it was done,
I think, on the 0th October, 1850, from Assistance Harbour.
Two birds, duly freighted with intelligence, and notes from
the married men, were put in a basket, which was attached
to a balloon in such a manner, that, after combustion of a
certain (quantity of match, the carrier-pigeons would be
launched into the air to commence their flight. The idea
being that they would fetch some of the whaling vessels
about the mouth of Hudson's Straits ; at least so I heard.
The wind was then blowing fresh from the north-west, and
the temperature below zero.

When we in the squadron olT Griffith's Island heard of tho
departure of tho mail, the opinion prevalent was, the birds

CARRIER-FIGEONS.— KITES.

137

,-■■ --I •

would be frozen to death. We were mistaken ; for, in about
one hundred and twenty hours, one of these birds, as verified
by the lady to whom it iiad ori<,nnally belonged, reached her
house, and flew to the nest in which it had been hatched in
the pigeon-house. It had, however, by some means or other,
shaken itself clear of the packet entrusted to its charge.
This marvellous flight of three thousand miles is the longest
on record ; but, of course, we are unable to say for what
portion of the distance the bird was carried by the balloon,
and when or where liberated ; that depending upon the
strength and direction of tl e gale in which the balloon was
carried along.

Kites, which the kind Mr. Benjamin Smith had supplied
me with, both as a tractile power to assist us in dragging
sledges, as well as a means of signalizing between parties,
afibrded much interest, and the success of our experiments
in applying them to dragging weights was so great, that all
those I was able to supply gladly provided themselves with
so useful an auxiliary to foot-travellers. Experience, how-
ever, taught us how impossible it was to command a fair
wind, without which they were useless weight, and in severe
weather there was some danger, when handling or coiling up
the lines, of having to expose the hands and being frost-
bitten.

My attempts failed to despatch the kites with a weight
attached suflicient to keep a strain on the string, and so keep
the kite alofV, whilst at the same time it was enabled to
proceed through the air in any direction I chose; for, as may
be conceived, a little too much weight made the kite a fix-
ture, whilst a little too little, or a sudden flaw of wind, would
topple the kite over and bring it to the earth. As a moans
of signalizing l)etween ships when stationary, the flying of
kites of diflereut colours, sizes, or numbers, attached one to

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138

AUCTIC JOimJTAL.

the other, would, I am sure, in the clear atmosphere of tho
Arctic regions, be found wonderfully efficacious.

Lastly, we carried out, more I believe from amusement
than from any idea of being useful, a plan which had sug-
gested itself to the people of Sir James Ross's expedition
when wintering in Leopold Harbour in 1848-49, that of en-
closing information in a collar, secured to the necks of the
Arctic foxes, caught in traps, and ther* liberated. Several
animals thus entrusted with despatches or records were
liberated by different ships ; but, as the truth must be told,
I fear in many cases the next night saw the poor "postman,"
as Jack facetiously termed him, in another trap, out of which
he would be taken, killed, the skin taken off, and packed
away, to ornament, at some future day, the neck of some
fair Dulcinea. As a "sub," I was admitted into this secret
mystery, or otherwise, I with others might have accounted
for the disappearance of the collared foxes by believing them
busy on their honourable mission. In order that the crime
of killing the "postmen" may be recognized in its true light,
it is but fair that I should say, that the brutes, having par-
taken once of the good cheer on board or around the ships,
seldom seemed satisfied with the mere empty honours of a
copper collar, and returned to be caught over and over again.
Strict laws were laid down for their safety, such as an edict
that no fox taken alive in a trap was to be killed : of course
no fox was after this taken alive; they were all unaccount-
ably dead, unless it was some fortunate wight whose brush
and coat were worthless : in such case he lived either to drag
about a quantity of information in a copper collar for the
rest of his days, or else to die a slow death, as being intended
for Lord Derby's menagerie.

The departure of a postman was a scene of no small mer-
riment : all hands, from the captain to the cook, we e out to

DESULTORY OCOUPATIOys.

139

•»

chase the fox, who, half frightened out of its wits, seemed to
doubt which way to run ; whilst loud shouts and roars (jf
laughter, breaking the cold, frosty air, were heard from ship
to ship, as the fox-hunters swelled in numbers from all sides,
and those that could not run mounted some neighbouring
hummock of ice, and gave a view halloo, which said fur more
for robust health than for tuneful melody.

During the darker period of the winter, and when the
uncertainty of the weather was such that, from a perfect calm
and clear weather, a few hours would change the scene to a
howling tempest and thick drift, in which, if one had been
caught, death must inevitably have followed, great care was
necessary in taking our walks, to prevent being so overtaken ;
but, nevertheless, walks of seven or eight miles from the
vessels were, on several occasions, performed, and a severe
temperature faced and mastered with perfect inditfercnce. I
remember well on the loth January seeing mercury, in a
solid mass, with a temperature of 40° below zero, and being
one of a good many who had taken three hours hard walking
for mere pleasure.

We joked not a little at the fireside stories at home, of
bitter cold nights, and being frozen to death on some English
heath ; it seemed to us so incredible that people should be
frost-bitten, because the air was below freezing point ; whilst
we should have hailed with delight the thermometer standing
at zero, and indeed looked forward to such a state of our
climate, as people in the temperate zone would to May
sunshine and Howers.

With the increasing twilight, many an anxious eye was
cast frt)m the top of (iriilith's island, to see the prospect of
good foot-travelling olfered by the floe: it caiuiot have been
said to be cheering, for broken and hummocky ice met the
eye whichever way one looked, with here and there a small

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140

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

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smooth space ; and if it looked so from the heights, we knew
full well that when actually amongst those hummocks, the
travellinjT would be arduous indeed. There was some time
yet, however, to elapse before the tussle commenced ; and
manv a snow-storm had time meanwhile to ra2je. With
seamen's sanguineness, we trusted that they would fill up
the hollows, and help to smooth over the broken pack ; any
way, we all knew " a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull alto-
gether," would master more difficulties than as yet had
shown themselves in the Arctic regions.

Such were our occupations, such the amusements, such
the hopes and fears of our winter quarters off Griffith's
Island ; and looking back now at ^hat period, we happily
forget its dreariness, and recollect only its brighter moments
— the fast friendship there formed for many, the respect and
admiration for all.

i- •

in •

\1^ ■■■ .

February Ith^ 1851. — The stentorian lungs of the " Reso-
lute's" boatswain hailed, to say the sun was in sight from the
mast-head ; and in all the vessels the rigging was soon
manned to get the first glimpse of the returning god of
day. Slowly it rose, and loud and hearty cheers greeted
the return of an orb whom the world, without the frozen
zone, does not half appreciate, because he is always with
them. For ninety-six days it had not gladdened us, and
now its return put fresh life into our night-wearied bodies.
For a whole hour we feasted ourselves with admiring the
sphere of fire, which illumined without warming us ; and,
indeed, the cold now increased rather than otherwise, and
our lowest temperature and severest weather did not occur
until March. ♦

Preparations for spring travelling were now hastened ;
daily committees of officers met, by order, to discuss every

PREPARATIONS FOR TRAVELLIXQ.

141

point, and receive, approve, or reject proposals and plans.
Every soul, high and low, exerted his ingenuity and abilities
to invent articles, portable and useful for travellers ; whilst
others sent in to the leader of the expedition schemes of
scai'ch, in which distances, directions, weights, and material
were duly considered. Hopes rose high, as every one felt
that the field was thrown open to individual ability and skill.
Every one, naturally, (for orders " to put the men in train-
ing" did not come out until afterwards,) commenced to
" harden up" for the labour before them. Zealous individ-
uals might be daily seen trying all sorts of patents. Out
of their hard-earned waives some of the men bought and
made sails of peculiar cut for their sledges ; others, after the
" working hours" were over, constructed water-bottles, velo-
cipedes, cooking-tins ; in tllct, neither pains nor trouble were
spared — officers and men vying in zeal.

Early in March an interchange of visits between our
squadron and that under Captain Penny opened the commu-
nication. His vessels had got through the winter equally
well with ourselves, and he, in like manner, was bard at
work, preparing for the foot journeys; and, as no sledges or
other equipment had been brought by him from England, in
consequence of his hurried departure, every nerve had to be
strained, and every resource called into existence, to enable
him to overcome his difficulties in lack of material.

On the 8th of March, at 11 a.m., the temperature in the
shade having been a couple of hours previously at 41-' below
zero, and mercury solid in the open air, we were delighted
to see a solitary drop of water trickle down the black paint
of the " Pioneer's" side : at that moment, oddly enough, the
temperature in the shadj was 30° — , and in the sun the
thermometer only rose to 2° below zero ! Water, however,
it undoubtedly was, and as such we cheerfully hailed it, to

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142

ARCTIC JOURXAL.

prove the increasing lieatof the sun, and to promise a coining
summer. All March was a scene of constant business, diver-
sified witli sledge parades and amusing miiitarv evolutions,
recalling to our minds unpleasant recollection-, of sweiteriDg
field-days and grand parades.

Having briefly touched upon the leading Incidents con
nected with our winter, and brought events up to the pre-
parations for a search on foot, it may not here be out of
place to give a brief sketch of the causes wdiich had brought
about the necessity for so many Englishmen to be sojourning
in these inclement rcijrions, as well as occasioned the vovMoro
of that distinguished navigator whose squadron we hoped to
rescue.

The seamen of Northern Europe, the Norsemen nnd
Scandinavians, seem, from the earliest records extant, to
have sought for the glory attendant upon braving the perils
of Polar Seas. From a. d. 800 to 9S-2, from the sea-rover
Naddod's discovery of Iceland, to Eirek " of the Red Hand's"
landing on Greenland, near Hergolf 's Ness, neither wreck,
disaster, nor tempest, checked the steady, onward march of
their explorations; robbing, as they eventually did a century
afterwards, the immortal Genoese of one half his honours,
by actually landing, under the pirate Biarni, on the new
continent south of the river St. Lawrence.

In Greenland, a hardy race, the descendants of the North-
land warriors, appear to have multiplied; for, in a. d. 1400,
a flourishing colony stood on this threshold of the new world ;
converted to Chiistianitv. the cathedral of Garda had been
constructed, and the archives in Iceland proved it to have
been successively held by no less than seventeen bishops ;
the col(>nies were known under the general terms of East and
West BygJ (Bight), and numbered in all sixteen parishes,
and two hundred and eighty flirms, numerously populated.

acotniM"
.>>s, diver-
volutions,
i\ve;terii!g

cuts con
) the pre-
)e out of
1 brought
ojourning
he voyage
! hoped to

^incn and
extant, to
the perils
B sea-rover
d Hand's"
her wreck,
I march of
i a century
is honours,
n the new

the North-
A. D. 1400,
new world ;
I had been

it to have
n bishops ;
of East and
m parishes,
opuLatod.

KORTn- WEST DISCO VER Y.

143

Strict commercial monopoly, and the naturally secbided
position of the Scandinavian colony in Greenland, seonie<l
to have occasioned its perfect decadence, or, otluir\vi>e, as
traditions tell us, a sudden hostile inroad of the Escpiiniaux
swept off the isohued Europeans : from either cause there
remained, atl:er the lar . of two centuries, but the moss-
covered ruins of a few churches, some liunic inscri[»tions,
and the legends of the Esquimaux, who talked of a tall, fair-
haired race, their giants of old.

The heirloom of the northern pirates, the dominion of the
sea, passed, however, into England's hands, and with it that
same daring love of the didicult and unknown, which had led
the Viking from conquest to conquest : and whilst southern
Europe sought for the wealth of the Indies in the more genial
regions of the south, English seamen pushed their barks to
the west, in the boisterous seas of high northern latitudes.
Confining myself purely to those who essayed the passage
to Cathay Clpango, and the Indies, by the north-west, first
on the glorious scroll stands Frobisher. That sturdy seaman
of Elizabeth's gallant navy, on the 11th of July, 1570, with
three craft, whose united burden only amounted to seventy-
jive tons, — this " proud admiral" sighted the east coast of
Greenland, in 01° north latitude. Unable to aj>proach it for
ice, which then, as now, hampers the whole of that coast, he
was next blown by a gale far to the south-west on to the
coast of Labrador, reaching eventually to 03° north latitude,
and landing in Frobisher's Straits. He extricated his vessels
with difiiculty, and returned home, carrying a quantity of
mica, which was mistaken for gold ; and awakening the
cupidity of the court, nobles, and merchants, three more
expeditions sailed, exhibiting laudable courage and skill, but
adding little to our geographical knowledge.

Such a succession of miscarriages damped the ardour for

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144

ARCTIC JOURNAL,

north-west discovery for a while; until, in 1535, "clivers
woruhipful merchants of London, and the West country,
moved by the desire of advancing God's glory, and the good
of their native land," equipped " John Davis" for a voyage
of discovery to the unknown regions of the north-west.

Piteous as were his hardships — doleful as were his tales
of the " lothsome view of y* shore, and y" irksome noyse of
y* yce," " y® stinking fogs and cruelle windes" of Desolation
Land — the seamen of that day seemed each to have deter-
mined to see and judge for himself, and ably were they sup-
ported by the open-handed liberality of wealthy private
individuals, and the corporation of London merchants ;
whose minds, if we may judge of them by such men as Sir
John Wolstanholme, Digges, Jones, and others, soaied far
above Smithfield nuisances and committees on sewers. Af-
ter Davis we see Waymouth, then Hudson, who perished
amid the scenes of his hardships and honours. O'ptains
Button and Bylot, followed by the ablest, the first of Arctic
navigators — Baffin, — he sweeping, in one short season, round
the great bay which records his flime, showed us of the present
day the high-road to the west ; and did more ; for he saw
more of that coast than "sve modern seamen have yet been
able to accomplish. Lastly, in that olden time, we have the
sagacious and quaint Nor-West Fox, carrying our flag to the
head of Hudson's Bay ; whilst James's fearful sufferings in
the southern extreme of the same locality, completed, for a
"while, the labours of British seamen in these regions.

A lull then took place, perhaps occasioned by the granting
of a charter to certain noblemen and merchants in 1608, un-
der the title of "Governor and Company of Adventurers of
England," trading into Hudson's Bay, with the understanding
that the discovery of a north-west passage was to be perse-
vered in by them. During a century, they accomplished, by

EXGLISH K W. DISCOVERIES.

145

their servants, " Ilcarne and Mackenzie," — the former in 1771,
and the latter in 1780, — the tracing of the Copper-mine and
the Maclvenzie rivers to their embouchures into an arctic sea
in the 70° parallel of north latitude ; whilst a temporary
interest, on the part of Great Britain, during the reign of
George the Third, occasioned two names, dear to every sea-
man's recollection, to be associated with the accomplishment
of geographical discovery in the same direction : the one was
Nelson, who served with Captain Phipps, afterwards Lord
Mulgrave, in his attempt to pass over the Pole ; and the
other, the greatest of English navigators — Cook, who, in
177G, failed to round the American continent by coming to
the eastward from Behrincr's Straits.

At the commencement of the current ccnturv, our knowl-
edge of the northern coast of the American continent
amounted to a mere fraction. On the west, Cook had hardly
penetrated beyond Behring's Straits ; and on the east, Hud-
son's and Baffin's Bay formed the limit of our geographical
kno'A'ledge ; except at two points, where the sea had been
seen by Ilearne and Mackenzie.

Shortly after the Peace, one whose genius and ability
were only to be equalled by his perseverance, the late Sir
John Barrow, Secretary of the Admiralty, turned his atten-
tion to Arctic discovery, and especially the north-west passage.
He had himself been to Spitzbergen, and as far north as the
80th parallel of latitude. Combating the prejudiced, con-
vincing the doubtful, and teaching the ignorant, he awakened
national pride and professional enterprise in a cause in which
English seamen had already won high honours, and Great
Britain's glory was especially involved. What difficulties
he mastered, and how well he was seconded by others, and
none more so than by the enlightened First Lord of the Ad-
miraltv, Viscoinit Melville, Sir J«.)hn Barrow himself has

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140

ARCTia JOURNAL.

told, in the able volumes which imperishably chronicle the
deeds of ancient and modern explorei-s in Polar regions.
Since 1818, with the exception of Sir John Ross's first voyage,
we may have been said to have constantly added to our
knowledge of the north-west.

It was in 1819 that Parry sailed to commence that mag-
nificent series of discoveries which, since completed by
Franklin, Richardson, Beechey, the Rosses, Back, Simpson,
and Rae, have left us, after thirty-five years of well-spent
toil and devotion, in perfect possession of the geographical
features of Arctic America, and added three thousand six hun-
dred and eighty miles of coast-line to our Polar charts. Is
this nothing] If the mere quid jn-o quo is required of public
servants, surely the Arctic navigator has far better repaid to
his country the pay and food he has received at her hands
than those who, in a time of universal peace, idle through
year after year of foreign service in her men-of-wai ; and
most assuredly, if we are proud of our seamen's fame and
our naval renown, where can we look for nobler instances of
it than amongst the records of late Arctic voyages and jour-
neys. The calm, heroic sufferings of Franklin, — always suc-
cessful, let the price be v>^hat it would ; the iron resolution of
Richardson ; Back's fearful winter march to save his com-
rades ; the devoted Hepburn, who, old though he be, could
not see his former leader perish without trying to help him,
and, whilst I write these lines, is again braving an Arctic
winter in the little "Prince Albert;" Parry, who knew so
well to lead and yet be loved ; James Ross, of iron frame,
establishing, by four consecutive years of privation and in-
domitable energy, that high character which enabled him to
carry an English squadron to the unvisited shores of Victoria
Land at the southern pole; and lastly, the chivalrous men,
who, again under Franklin, have launched, in obedience to

NORTH- WEST DISCOVERT.

147

ronicle the
ir regions,
rst voyage,
led to our

\ that mag-
ipleted by
, Simpson,

well-spent
eographical
nd six hun-

charts. Is
d of public
ir repaid to

her hands
lie through
•f-\vai ; and
s fame and
nstances of
5 and jour-
always suc-

solution of
'•e his com-
le be, could
o help him,
; an Arctic
ho knew so

iron frame,
;ion and in-
bled him to

of Victoria
alrous men,
jedience to

their Queen and country, into the unknown regions between
the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, to execute their mission or
fall in the attempt.

It was to save these devoted servants, that the spring
of 1851 saw full 500 British and American seamen within
the frigid zone. That portion of thom that had come by
Baffin's Bay had been so far successful in their mission, that
they had dispelled all the visions — gratuitous enough — of
Franklin having perished by shipwreck or other disaster in
his passage across the bay.

We had seen his winter quarters; wc had seen his look-
out posts, and the trail of his explorations. They all said.
Onward ! To be sure, wc did not at once know by which
route he had gone onward. The uncertainty, however, gave
a spur to those about to be engaged in the searching parties,
and each man thought there were especial reasons for believ-
ing one particular route to be the true one. The majority —
indeed all those who gave the subject any consideration — be-
lieved Franklin to have gone either by Cape Walker, or to
the north-west by Wellington Channel.

Hope, thank God, rode high in every breast, and already
did the men begin to talk of what they would do with their
new shipmates from the "Erebus"' and "Terror" when they
had them on board their respective ships : and I have no doubt
they would have done as one gallant fellow replied, when I
asked him if he thought himself equal to dragjjlng 200 lbs.,
"O yes, sir, and Sir John Franklin too, wlien we fuid him."

Increasing light, decreasing cold, plenty to do, and certain
anticipations upon each man's part, that he would be the for-
tunate one to find and save Franklin, made the month of
April come in on us before we had time to think of it, but
not before we were ready.

The original intention was for uhe sledges to have started

W^ :

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148

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

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on the different routes laid down by our commodore on the
8th of April ; but a fall of temperature on the Gth altered
this plan, and a delay of one week was decided upon. I
therefore availed myself of the occasion to visit Captain
Penny's winter quarters ; proceeding there on the dog-sledge
of Mr. Petersen, who happened to be on board our vessel at
the time.

Nothing, I conceive, can be more exhilarating than dog-
sledging in the Arctic regions on a fine day, especially
when, as in my case, the whole affair has the charm of novel-
ty. The rattling pace of the dogs, their intelligence in choos-
ing the road through the broken ice ; the strict obedience
paid by the team to one powerful dog whom they elect as
leader ; the arbitrary exercise of authority by the said leader;
the constant use of the whip, and a sort of running conversa-
tion kept up by the driver with the different dogs, who well
knew their names, as in turn Sampson ! Caniche ! Foxey !
Terror ! &.c., &c,, were duly anathematized, aff.)rded constant
amusement; apart from Petersen's convenation, which was
replete with interest, and the information he gave me of the
distances accomplished on the coast of Greenland by the
Danes with dog-sledges, made me regret much we had not
provided ourselves with a team or two for accomplishing
any necessarily rapid journey.

When Mr. Petersen, at Uppernavik, had so nobly thrown
up an appointment under the Danish crown to serve as inter-
preter with Penny in the search for Franklin, he brouglit with
him a sledge and a few dogs : these had twice littered, and
the numerous puppies were already grown into serviceable
dogs, forming two efficient teams. The major part of the
winter, scarcity of food, such as seal and bear, had told
severely upon the poor creatures ; but an Es([uimaux dog
lives on little when not worked ; and, with a little oatmeal

on the
, altered
jpon. 1

Captain
)g-sledge
vessel at

ban dog-
5spocially
of novel-
in choos-
Dbedlence
Y elect as
id leader ;
convcrsa-
who well
! Foxcy!
1 constant
which was
me of the
d by the
B had not
)niplishing

)ly thrown
,'c as inter-
011 gilt with
tercd, and
serviceable
)art of the
had told
niaux dog
le oatirieul

ADVAM'AGB OF WIXTERINQ IX HARBOUR.

149

and grease, they had all outlived the severe season ; and
some bear's flesh having been luclvily procured, there was
every probability of good service being rendered by them.
Our rate of travelling was over five miles per hour, and
though making a considerable detour to avoid broken ice, I
was shaking Penny by the hand four hours after leaving the
"Pioneer :" the distance between the squadrons being about
twenty miles in a straight line.

I was much struck with the great advantage of wintering
in harbour, and near the shore, over a position, such as our
squadron's, in the midst of the floe. There was a cheerfulness
in the vicinity of the land, barren though it was, quite refresh-
ing to one who had always a mile to walk during the winter
to reach Griflith's Island, or remain satisfied with the mo-
notony of the ice-field around the " Pioneer." Besides being
snug in harbour. Captain Penny, satisfied of the security of
his vessels, intended to leave only one man in each of them,
— every other soul being told oil" for sledge-parties, — whereas
our squadron would have some sixty men and ofllcers left
behind to take care of them, exposed as they were to bo
swept into Barrow's Strait, or farther, by any sudden disrup-
tion of the ice. I, therefore, mentally gave my adhesion to
the opinion expressed by authorities at home, to secure
winter quarters in some bay or harbour, and not to winter
in the pack, unless it is unavoidable.

llic oldest English oflTicer who had ever wintered within
the Arctic circle on a voyage of discovery, Sir John Koss,
was nc^t likely to !)e forgotten by me ; and I sincerely
congratulated the veteran on his escape from sickness
during the past winter : and, though a wonderful in-
stance of physical endurance, I, with others, could not
but feel regret that a Naval ofTii-er so advanced in years,
and who had served so long, should bo necessitated to

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150

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

undergo privations, of which those who did not witness
them can form no conception.

Time enabkd me to do little more than admire the per-
severance displayed by Capt. Penny, his oflicers and men, in
their preparations {ov travelling. Sledges, cooking appara-
tuses, tents, in short, every thing was ready, having been
made by themselves in the course of the winter ; and, on the
13th April, six sledges, drawn by seamen, with an officer to
each, and provisioned for forty days, would start for Wel-
lington Channel, there to part into two divisions. — Capt.
Stewart, of the " Sophia," taking the one side of the
Channel, whilst Capt. Penny, Mith two extra dog-sledges,
would direct the search in general. Delighted with all the
arrangements, and erpially so with the high spirit of chival-
rous devotion apparent in every word and action of these our
gallant coadjutors in the purest of enterprises, my heart was
full as I said " Good-bye" to my hospitable friend Penny,
on the 11th of April; and a rapid drive by Mr. Petersen
carried me to the " Pioneer" in less than three hours. After
a. short halt, ^Ir. P. returned to Assistance Harbour, doing
full forty miles, within twelve hours, on his dog-sledge.

I was astonished to find, on my return, that as yet the
temperature at our winter quarters had not been registered
as being above zero ; whereas, in Assistance Harbour, Capt.
Penny's quartei-s, the thermometer had occasionally for the
past week ranged above it, and on the day before I left
showed 11° in the shade. This dlHerence of temperature
was, doubtless, occasioned by the radiation of heat from the
land, V)y which they were, unlike ourselves, surrounded.

During my absence, I was told that Mr. M'Dougal, of the
" Kesoluto," who had been despatched as early as the 4th
April to inspect the depots formed in the autunm, had
returned to the ships, and brought accounts of a whole-

SLEDQE EQUIPMENT.

151

sale destruction of the one on Somerville Island, by boars.
Hunger and mischlevousness seemod alike to have induced
the brutes to break and tear to pieces what they could not
possibly eat — such as tins of patent chocolate, some of which
were fairly bitten through. This information induced us all
to take extra precautions in securing the provisions, of which
depots during the march were to be formed.

It is now time to describe the sledges and their equip-
ment, upon the completeness of which the lives of our trav-
ellers so entirely depended.

The sledges, constructed of tough and well-seasoned wood,
had been carefully constructed in Woolwich Dockyard.
Thev were shod with iron, and the cross-bars or battens
which connected the two runners, and formed the floor upon
which the load was placcJ, were lashed in their places by us
when required for use. At the four corners of the sledges
li \^ iron stanchions dropped into sockets, and formed the
I ♦ irt for the sides of a species of tray or boat, capable of
serving to ferry the sledge crew across water in an emer-
gency, as well as to keep the provisions and clothing in it
dry. This boat was made in some cases of gutta-percha, in
others of oiled canvas ; —

Ibi.

And, together with the sledge and drag-ropes, wliich were
made of horse-hair, to prevent their becoming hard and
brittle from frost, weighed

Two fur blankets and spare blanket, two weighed

Nine blankct-ba{;s for sleeping in

A tent of oblong form, made of a species of brown holland,
supported by four boarding-pikes, and a lino which
served as a ridgc-rope, and was set up to any licavy
thing that came to hand

Mackintosh floor-cloth to spread over the snow or gravel .

A shovel to dig out snow for banking-up with .

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152

ARCTIO JOURNAL.

w>','.

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A cooking apparatus, invented by Lieutenant M'Clintock,
capable of cooking a pint apiece of tea, cocoa, or pem-
mican, with a spirit lamp, tallow lamp, and spare
kettle

Sextant, 1 gun, and gear

A bag containing 5 tin pannikins and 5 spoons

A knapsack for each man, containing 1 flannel shirt, 1
Guernsey frock, 1 serge frock, 1 pair of drawers, flan-
nel, 1 pair of boot liose, 1 pair of stockings, 2 pairs of
blanket-socks, 1 towel, 1 comb, 1 lb. soap .

Spare boots, and thick Guernsey frocks for sleeping in

A tin case, containing pepper, salt, herbs dried, lucifcr
matches, grog-measure, calico and flannel bandages,
plaster adhesive, lint, liniment, eye-wash, pills, simple
ointment, glycerine, lancet, tinctm'e of opium, pins,
needles, and thread

Store-bag, containing broom or brush for sweeping the
tent down with, spare boot-soles, wax, bristles, twine,
shoe-tacks, crape awls, slow-match, nettle stuff, and
strips of hide, cylinders for documents, printed records

Sparc ammunition, cleaning rods, and wrench .

Xites and string

Ibfl.

48
86

11
14

Dead weight, lbs. 440

Such were the weights of the sledge equipmei t in the case
of one of those intended for a long journey. Nothing, it will
be seen, was forgotten, and there was nothing superfluous ;
yet, as the 440 lbs. had to be dragged by six men, there was
already 73 lbs. per man, which would, from its nature, bo
hardly any ligliter at the end of the journey; and as about
200 lbs. was judged to be as much as a man could dr;g,
there only remained 172 lbs. per man availal)Ie for provision
and paciinge.

The daily scale of provision, as ordered by Capt. Austin,
during the journeys, was to be as follows: —

'v^d "At

SCALE OF PEO VISION.

153

'»

•

12i

Pcmmican

Boiled pork

Biscuit

Rum, concentrated . . •

Tobacco

Biscuit dust

Tea and sugar ....
Chocolate and sugar (alternate days)
Lime-juice (for 10 days)

lib.
6 oz.
12 oz.

f gill.
\ oz.
1 oz.
f oz.
Ifoz.
\ oz.

ty of seven men,
its of wine, or one

The fuel allowed to cook this, for a pari
amounted to one pint and one gill of spiri
pound eight ounces of tallow.

A little calculation soon showed that about forty days'
provision was as much as any one sledge could take with it,
or for an outward journey of about twenty days; which, at
an average distance of ten miles per diem, would only give
an extent of coast-line examined by any one sledge of two
hundred miles.

Before I endeavour to show how, by a system of depots
and relays, greater distances were achieved, the complete
load of a long-party sledge may as well be shown.

»■

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Total dead weight . . . .440

Pcmmican and cases .

. 330

Biscuit and dust, &c. .

. 278

Pork and packages

. 123

Tea, sugar, chocolate, tobacco, &c

, in a

case ....

. 47

Lime-juice and rum

. 67

Spirits of wine and tallow .

. 78

Siuidries, tins, &c.

. 45

Number of men to drag

•, 7 . 1408

201 lbs. per man.

■\',f>;. ^ , ^..

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154

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

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The officer's load consisted of a gun, powder and ball,
telescope, compass, and note-book ; and as all the party, in
anticipation of cold weather, had to be heavily clad, it may
be supposed that the total weight to be dragged through
snow and over rough ice was quite as much as the stoutest
physical powers were capable of. Several days previous to
departure we had travelled short journeys, in perfect march-
ing order, and sledges ladencd, — an arrangement which was
highly beneficial ; and from the way the sledges went over
the floe, they gave us high hopes of answering our expecta-
tions in the forthcoming march.

From head-quarters the following arrangement of sledges
was made public : —

Capt. Erasmus Ommanney was to cross Barrow's Strait
to Cape Walker, with the following sledges and officers under
his orders: he there was to use his own judgment as to the
disposal of the force, it being required, in the event of two
routes showing themselves, viz., one to the S. W., and the
other W., that Lieut. Sherard Osborn was to be ordered to
take up the latter.

CAPTAIN OMMANNErS COMMAND.

155

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156

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

To the highly important direction northward up the un.
known channel of Byum Martin Island, and which, as Lieut.
Aldrich very properly thought, would hitercept the course
of Franklin, should he, from Wellington Channel, have sailed
north about for Behring's Straits, two sledges were told off
under that officer : —

S^>' «'.■ • f

■ fa '■■:■ -jt; ^

'■■■riV «'

%'\-

kit'

Long-party

sledge

|- Lady Franldin <

■i

Supportmg )

, , >• Hotspur .

sledge . ) *

Faithful and

firm.
In Uco con

fide .

Lieut. K. D. Al-
drich, 7 men.
Mr.ll.Il.Pcarse

(mate), 7 men.

Lastly to Melville Islard, on which route a depot, forty
miles in advance, had already been placed in the autumn,
and renewed in the spring, the following party was appointed :
Lieut. M'Clintock, on his reaching the said island, acting as
he should judge fit as to despatching Mr. Bradford along the
northern shores, whilst he prosecuted the search to and be-
yond Winter Harbour : —

Lonff-party ) _ ( Persevere to )

11 y Perseverance i ^, , >■

sledge . ) ( the etia . )

Do.

Resolute

Supporting ) jj^^^jj^^^^
Bledge . )

Persevere to ) Lieut. M'Clintock, G
men
r St. George "
and merry

England > Dr. Bradford, 6 men.
Onward to
the rescue^

:Mr. W. May (mate),
6 men.

j liespice, )

* ] prosj)icc f
j Faithful & ) Mr. Shellabcar (2d

* ( intrepid ) master), 6 men.

_ _. ( Endeavour ) Mr. Che^'ne (mate),

Do. Parry . • i ^ , h ^ "^ ^ '

•' ( to deserve ) 7

Do.

Dasher .

men.

Mr. M'Dougal, I have before said, started during the first
week of April with his sledge, the " Beaufort," —

•">"■

DIVISIOXS OF SLEDGES.

157

That future pilj^rims of the wave may be
Secure from doubt, from every danger free.

He had to replenish the depot formed for Lieut. M'Clin-
tock, and then to connect the search round a deep buy, which
connected Bathurst and Cornwallis Lands, for separate islands
they were proved by him no longer to be.

Thus fifteen sledges, manned by one hundred and five men
and officers, were equipped for the search, leaving on board
the four vessels of the squadron, seventy-five souls, which
number was afterwards further reduced by Mr. K. C. Allen
being sent to search the islands to the westward with the
sledge " Grinnell" and seven men.

It now only remains for me to show in what manner it
was proposed to enable the supporting sledges to apply their
resources, so that the long-parties should reach far beyond
the two hundred miles, or twenty days' journey, of which
they were alone capable when dependent on their own pro-
vision.

The plan proposed in the southern division will give the
best idea. The supporting sledge "Success" was capable
of feeding all the division for five days, by which time we
hoped to be at Cape Walker, and then have sufficient to re-
turn back to the squadron, where it could again replenish,
and, returning to the same point at which we had separated
from it, form such a depot tiiat each of the sledges in return
would find five days' provisions to carry them home. By
this means six out of the seven sledges in the southern search
will be seen to reach a point fifty miles from their original
starting-point in perfect condition so far as their provisions
arc concerned.

We will, for the sake of clearness, cause these six sledges
to divide into three divisions, of two each, viz., a long-party

■ • . i • I*!

..? .M

■"•■.■ ;■>.,- .'■T

158

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

• ti.

sledge and a support : in each case the support can feed the
long party for ten days, and then, formhig a depot of pro-
visions equal to ten days more, have sufficient left to reach
back to Walivcr, and thence home. The long party are now
still complete, after receiving two supports, equal to fifteen
days, or 150 miles ; and two depots stand in their rear, the
one for ten days, the other for five days. The long party
now starts, consuming its own provision (forming its own
depots for the returning march), advances for twenty days,
and accomplishes 200 miles ; which, with that done whilst
supported, makes in all a journey outward of thirty-five
days, or 350 miles from the ships. Of course, with an
increased number of supports, this distance and time may be
carried on as long as the strength of the men will endure, or
the travelling season admit of.

On the 12th of April, the day calm and cold, some 50°
below freezing-point, a scene of bustle and merriment showed
that the sledges were mustering previous to being taken to
the starting-point, under the north-west bluff of Griffitli's
Island, to which they marched with due military pomp in
two columns, directed by our chiefs. Our sense of decorum
was constantly overthrown by the gambols of divers dogs,
given to us by Captain Penny, with small sledges attached
to them, on which, their food duly marked and weighed, with
flags, mottoes, &c., in fact, perfect fac-si miles of our own,
were racing about, entangling themselves, howling for assist-
ance, or else running between the men's legs and capsizing
them on the snow, amidst shouts of laughter, and sly witti-
cisms at the tenders, as they were termed. Reaching the
halting-place, tents were pitched, luncheon served, out, and
all of us inspected, approved of, ordered to fall in, a speech
made, which, as was afterwards remarked, buttered us all up
admirably; the thanks of our leader given to Mr. M'Clintock,

0'm: ■ \'-'J%.

SLEDGES READY TO START.

159

to whose foresight, whilst in England, and whose valuable
information collated during his travelling experience under
Sir James Ross, we were so entirely indebted for the perfect
equipment we now had with us.

The inspection over, we trudged back to our ships, Sun-
day being spent by the men in cooking and eating, knowing
as they did that there were a good many banian days ahead,
packing up and putting away their kits, and making little
arrangements in the event of accidents to themselves. Mon-
day was no day for a start ; but on the evening of the i5th
April the breeze slackened, and the temperature only some
14° below freezing-point, we donned our marching attire,
girded up our loins, and all hands proceeded to the sledges.

As we shut in our wooden homes with a projecting i)oint
of Griffith's Island, the weather suddenly changed, and a fast
increasing breeze enveloped us in snow-drift. Reaching the
sledges, and shaking them clear from the snow of the last
two days, r, hasty cup of tea and a mouthful of biscuit were
partaken of, a prayer oftered up, beseeching His mercy and
guidar.ce whose kind providence we all knew could alone
support us in the hazardous journey we were about to under-
take ; hearty farewells, in which rough jokes covered many
a kindly wish towards one another; and then, grasping their
tracking lines, a hundred hoarse voices joined in loud cheers,
and the divisions of sledges, diverging on their different
routes, were soon lost to one another in snow and mist.

An April night, with its gray twilight, was no match fur
the darkness of a snow-storm from the S. W., and we had
almost to feel our road through the broken ice off the blufls
of Griffith's Island.

At two o'clock in the morning we reached much piled-up
ice ; and in the hope of clearer weather in the evening, the
word to halt and pitch the tents was given. The seven

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160

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

sledges of the division, picking out the smoothest spots, were
soon secured. The tents fluttering in the breeze, a little tea
cooked, short orders given, and then each man got into hig
blanket-bag, and dreamed of a fme day and finding Sir John
Franklin.

In the evenlnjT the weather was still thick as pea-soup,
with a double-reef topsail breeze blowing in our teeth; but
detention was impossible, so wo again packed up after a
meal of chocolate and biscuit, and facing towards Capo
Walker, we carried the hummocks by storm. Ignorance
was bliss. Straight ahead, over and through every thing,
was the only vray ; and, fresh, hearty, and strong, we sur-
mounted tier after tier, which more light and a clearer vieN/
might only have frightened us from attempting. Here, a
loud cheer told where a sledge had scaled the pile in its path,
or shot in safety down the slope of some huge hummock.
There, the cry, one ! two ! three ! haul ! of a party, and
quizzical jokes upon name, flag, or motto, betokened that
"Success" or "True Blue" had floundered into a snow-
wreath, above which the top of the sledge-load was only to
be seen, whilst seven red-faced mortals, grinning, and up to
their waists in snow, were perseveringly endeavouring to
extricate it ; ofllicers encouraging, and showing the .way ; the
men labouring and laughing. A wilder or more spirit-stirring
scene cannot be imagined.

A hard night's toil cleared all obstacles, and nothing but
a fair, smooth floe was before us, sweeping with a curve to the
base of Cape Walker ; but a fresh difllculty was then met
with, in the total absence of hummock or berg-piece, by
which to preserve a course in the thick, foggy weather, that
lasted whilst the warm south wind blew. Imagine, kind
reader, a grayish haze, with fast-falling snow, a constant wind
in the face, and yourself trying to steer a straight course

TRAVELLING BY NIGHT.

101

A hand Jog-

where floe and sky were of one uniform colour,
vane was found the best guide, for of course it was impos-
sible to keep a compass constantly in hand ; and the ofhecrs
forming in a line ahead, so. as just to keep a good sight
of one another, were followed by the sledges, the ci-ows of
which soon learned that the easiest mode of travelling, and
most equal division of labour, consisted in marching directly
after one another ; and as the leading sledge had the extra
work of forming the road through the snow, and straining the
men's eyes in keeping sight of the ofiicers, the foremost
sledge was changed every half hou' or hour, ac( ording to
their will.

It will be seen that we travelled by night, and hoped by
such means to avoid the glare of the sun, und co'' eque;it
snow-blindness. It entailed, however, at this eaH^ season
of the year, great suffering in the shape of cold, the peop^o
being exposed to the weather during the seven st part of tae
day. From the 15th to the 19th the M'eather was of the same
nature, — constant gales of wind in our faces, snow-storms,
and heavy drift ; against which we struggled, helped by a
rising temperature, that we flattered ourselves would end iu
summer, — a mistake for which we afterwards suflTered bit-
terly, the men having, from the ease with which they kept
themselves warm, become careless of their clothing, and heed-
less of those precautions against frost-bite which a winter's
experience had taught them.

Easter Sunday came in gloomily, with a wind inclined to
veer to the northward, and with every appearance of bad
weather. Setting our sam on the sledges, and kites likewise
when the wind served, the division hurried on for Gipe
Walker, which loomed now and then through the snow-drift
ahead of us. The rapidity of the pace at which we now ad-
vanced — thanks to the help afforded by the sails — threw all

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162

ARCTIG JOURNAL.

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into a profuse perspiration, especially the seamen, who really
looked as if toiling under a tropical sun rather than in
an arctic night, with the temperature below freezing-point.
Fatigue obliged us to halt short of the land, and postpone for
another day's march the landing on the unvisited shores of
Cape Walker.

During the sleeping hours, the increased attention to tho
fur covering, and the carefully closed door, told us that the
temperature was falling; and the poor cook, with a rueful
countenance, announced that it was below zero, as he pre-
pared tho morning meal. ^lore than \isual diOiculty was
found in pulling on our stillly-frozen boots, stockings, and
outer garments ; and when the men went out of the tent
they soon found their clothing becoming perfectly hard, from
the action of the intense cold on what had been for several
days saturated with perspiration. To start and march l)riskly
was now the only safety, and in double-quick time tents were
down and sledjjjes moving. A nor'-wester was fast turniiiff
up, and as the night of lilaster Monday dosed around us,
the cold increased with alarming rapidity. One of ihoso
magnificent conglomeratitms of halos and parhelia common
to these regions lit up the northern heavens, and, by tho
brilliancy of colouring and startling number of false suns,
seemed as if to be mocking the sullerings of our gallant fel-
lows, who, with faces averted and Ijended bodies, strained
every nerve to reach the land, in hoj)es of obtr.lning nioro
shelter than the naked floe alVorded. from the nipping eOects
of tlie cutting gale. Every moment some fresh case of frost-
bite would occur, which tlie watch^'ul care of the oflicers
would immediately detect. The man would fall out from
his sledgo, restore the circulation of the atrected }>art, gen-
erally tho face, and then hasten bark u his post. Constant
questions of "How arc your feetl'' wore heard on all sides,

^■>.

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1 ti

COLD AXD FROST-BITES.

163

with the geneml response, " Oh ! I hope they arc all i iglit ;
but I've not felt them since I pulled inv boots on."

One halt was made to remove and clianrrc all leather
booLS, which, in consequence of our late warm weather, had
been taken into use, but were now no longer safe ; and then,
with a rally, the piled-up iloc around the dills of Cape
Walker was reached. t^'oM and hunsrv as we were, it must
have been a heavy barrier indrcd to have stopped our men
from taking their sledges to the land ; and i>iled as the floe
was against the Cape, full fifty feet high, we carried our craft
over it in safety, and just in time too, for the north-west
wind rushed down upon ns, as if to dispute our right to
intrude on its dominion. Hastily securing the tt-nts, wc
hurried in to change our boots, and to see whether our feet
were frost-bitten or not; for it was only by ocidar proof tiiat
one could be satisfied of tlu-ir safety, sensation having a[>pa-
rently long ceased. 1 shall not easily forget my painful
feelings, when one gallant fellow of my party, the captain of
the sledge, exclaimed, " l)oth feet gone, sir !" and sure enough
they were, white as two lumps of ice, and equally cold ; for
as wc of the tent l>arty anxiously in turn placed our warm
hands on the frostdjitten feet, the heat was extracted in a
marvellously short time, and oin* half-frozen hands had to bo
succeeded by fresh ones as quickly as possible. With re-
turning circulation the poor felk)w's agonies must liave been
intense; and some hoii . afterwards large l)listers formed
over the frost-bitten parts, a's if the feet had been severely
scalded. Sadly cramped as wo were for room, much worse
was it when a sick man was amongst our number. Sleep
was out of the question ; and to roll up in the smallest pos-
sible rf)mpass, and try to thiidv of something else than tho
cold, wiiieh pierced to tho very marrow in one's bones, was
our only resource.

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164

ARCria JOURXAL.

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Next day, Tuesday, '^^d April, wind N. "W. blowing
hard, and tcnii)craturu at 44° below freezing-point, parties
left the encampment under Lieutenants Browne and ^Eecham,
to look around for cairns, vVe., and report u})on the trend of
the land, whilst the rer>t of us secured a depot of Ilalkett's
boats, and built a cairn as a record of our visit.

As it is not my intention to ^^ive a detailed account of the
operations of the Southern Division, but merely to tell of
those events which will convey to the reader a general idea
of the incidents connected with Arctic travelling, I shall with-
out further comment give them, leaving to the curious in the
mitmtite of the journeys the amusement of readiiig in the Ad-
miralty Blue Books the details of when we eat, dranic, slept,
or marched.

Cape Walker was found to form the eastern and most
lofty extreme of a land-trending to the south-west on its
northern coast, and to the south on its eastern shore. The
cape itself, full 1000 feet in altitude, was formed of red sand-
stone and conglomerate, very abrupt to the eastward, but
dipping with an undulating outline to the west.

In its immediate neighbourhood no traces of Franklin
having visited it were to be seen, and, as a broad channel
ran to the southward (there was every reason to believo
down to the American continent, and thence to Behring's
Straits), by which Franklin might have attemj)ted to i)ass,
Captain Ommanney, very properly despatched Lieutenant
Browne to examine the coast of Cai)e Walker Land, down
the channel to the southward ; and then, the "Success"' sledgo
having previously departed with invalids, the five remaining
sledges, on the evening of the 24th of April, marched to tho
westward, rrevlous to that date it had been impossible to
move, on account of a strong gale in our faces, together with
a severe temperature.

JXJURY TO THE EYES.

1G5

.1 .«j

Every mile that we advanced sliowcd us that the coaNt
was one which could only bo approachable by ships at extra-
ordinary seasons: the ice appeared the accunuilation of many
years, and bore, tor some forty miles, a quiet, undisturbed
look. Then we passed into a region with still more aged
features : there the inequalities on the surface, occasioned by
the repeated snows of winter and thaws of summer, gave it
the appearance of a constant succession of hill and dale, lui-
tangled amongst it, our men laboured with untiring energy,
up steep acclivities and through pigmy ravines, in which the
loose snow caused them to sink deeply, and sadly increased
their toil. To avoid this description of ice, amongst which u
lengthened joiu'ney became perfectly hopeless, we struck in
for the land, preferring the heavy snow that encumbered the
beach to such a heart-breaking struggle as that on the floe.
The injury had, however, been done during our last day's
labour amoiig the hummocks ; a fuie clear evening had given
us the full cllccts of a powerful sunlight upon the j>ure virgin-
snow : the painful ellect, those alone can conceive who have
witnessed it. All was white, brilliant, and dazzling ; tlu; eye
in vain turned from earth to heaven for rest or shade, — there
was none ; an unclouded sunlight poured through the calm
and frosty air with merciless })ower, and the sun, being ex-
actly in our faces, increased the intensity of its effects.

That day several complained of a dull aching sensation in
the eyeball, as if it had been overstrained, and on the morrow
blindness was rapidly coming on. From experience, I can
speak of the mental anxiety which must have likewise, with
others, supervened, at the thought of one's entire helplessness,
and the encun»branco one had become to others, who, CuA
knows, had troubles and labour enough of their cnvn. (Grad-
ually the fdni spread itself, objei'ts became dimmer and
dimmer, and at \\x< all was darkness, with an intense horror

■i .".

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166

ARCTIC JOUIiXAL.

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of the slightest ray of sunlight. In tliis condition, many of
the four sledge-parties reached a place called by us all, in
commemoration of the event, " Snow-blind Point," at the
entrance of a bay in 100° W. long.

Unable to advance in consequence of a severe gale, which
raged for six-and-thirty hours, we fuiuid, on the 1st of May,
that sixteen men and one oflicer were, more or less, snow-
blind and otherwise unwell ; a large proportion out of the
entire number of thirty souls. To be ill in any place is
trying enough ; but such an hospital as a brown-hollanc tent,
with the thermometer in it at 18° below zero, the snow for
a bed, your very breath forming into a small snow called
" barber," which penetrated into your very innermost gar-
ments, and no water to be procured to assuage the thirst of
fever until snow had been melted for the purpose, called for
much patience on the part of the patients, and true Samaritan
feelings on the part of the "doctors," — a duty which had now
devolved on each oflicer of a sledge-party, or, in default of
him, upon some kind volunteer amongst the men. IJappily,
the effects of snow-blindness are not lasting, for we recovered
as suddenly as we had been struck down. The gale blew
itself out, leaving all calm and still, as if the death-like sce-
nery was incapable of such wild revelry as it liad been on-
joying ; and again wc plodded onwards, parting from the
last supporting sledge on the 6th of May.

Since leaving Cape Walker on the 24th of April, we had
gradually passed, in a distance of sixty miles, from a red
sandstone to a limestone region ; the scenery at every mile
becoming more and more monotonous, and less marked by
bold outline, clifl', or mountain : as far as the i)My. of which
Snow-blind Point formed one extreme, a long range of hills,
soft and rounded in contour^ faced the sea, and sloped to it
with a gradual inulination, some three miles in length ; ravines

ZEAL OF TUB MEN.

107

iiariy of
s all, in
" at the

0, wliich
of Mav,
is, snow-
It of the
place is
iiu; tent,
>no\v for
w called
ost gar-
hirst of
illcd for
maritan
had now
fault of
Jappily,
! cove red
lie blew
like sce-
boon on-
oni the

we had
1 a ri'd
!ry iiiilo
'ke<] by
f which
of hills,
•ed to it

ravines

became more and more scarce ; and after passing the bay, in
100° long. W., none of any size were to be seen. Drearily
monotonous as all Arctic scenery must naturally be, when
one universal mantle of snow makes earth and water alike,
such a tame region as this was, if possible, more so ; and
walking along the weary terraces, which in endless succession
swept far into the interior, and then only rose in diminutive
heights of maybe 500 feet, I recalled to memory the like
melancholy aspect of the Arctic shores of Asia as described
by Baron Wrangell.

The broken and rujriicd nature of the floes obliujed us to

fro o

keep creeping along the coast-line, whilst our ignorance of
the land ahead, its trend or direction, occasioned, together
with the endless thick weather that we had until the 14th
May, many a weary mile to be trodden over, which a knowl-
edge of the bays or indentations woidd have saved us. It
was under such unprofitable labour that the sterling value of
our men the more conspicuously showed itself. Captain
Ommanney, myself, and ^fr. Webb of the " Pioneer," (who
sooner than be lel't behind had vi>luntarily taken his place as
one of the sledge-crew,) were the only three (-llicers; we
were consequently thrown much into the society of the men,
and I feel assured I am not singular in saying that that inter-
course served much to raise our opinion of the character and
indomitable spirit of our seamen and marines. On them fell
the hard labour, to us fell the honours of the enterprise, and
to our chief the reward; yet none equalled the men in cheer-
fulness and sanguine hopefulness of a successful issue to our
enterprise, without which, of course, energy would soon have
flagged. Gallant fellows ! th«'y met our commiseration with
a smile, and a vow that they could do far mure. They spoke
of cold as "Jack Frost," a real tangible foe, with whom they
could combat and would master. Hunger was met with a

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1G8

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

laugh, and a chuckle at some future feast or jolly recollections
told, in rough terms, of by-gone good cheer ; and often, stand-
ing on some neighbouring pile of ice, and scanning the horizon
for those we sought, have I heard a rough voice encouraging
the sledge-crew by saying, " Keep step, boys ! keep step !
she (the sledge) is coming along almost by herself: there's
the ' Erebus's' masts showing over the point ahead ! Keep
step, boys ! keep step !"

We had our moments of })leasurc too, — plenty of them,
in spite of the cold, in spite of fatigue. There was an honest
congratulation after a good day's work ; there was the time
after the pemmican had been eaten, and each one, drawing
up his blanket-bag around him, sat, pannikin in hand, and
received from the cook the half-gill of grog ; and after
drinking it, there was sometimes an hour's conversation, in.
which there was more hearty merriment, I trow, than in
many a palace, — dry witticisms, or caustic remarks, which
made one's sides ache with laughter. An old marine, may-
hap, telling a giddy lamby of a seaman to take his advice
and never to be more than a simple private ; for, as he phil-
osophically argued, " whilst you're that, do you see, you
have to tliink of nothing : there arc petty oflicers, ofllcers,
captains, and admirals paid for looking after you and taking
care of you!" or perhaps some scamp, with mock solemnity,
wondering whether his mother was thinking of him, and
whether she would cry if he never returned to England ;
on which a six-foot marine remarks, that " thank God, he
has got no friends ; and there would only bo two people in
England to cry about liim, — the one, the captain of his
company, who liked him because he was the talK'st man in
it, and the canteen sergeant, whom he had forgot to pay for
some beer." Now a joke about our flags and mottoes, which
one vowed to be mere jack-acting; then a h-arned disquisi-

■4 .»■<

PLEASING DEEAMS.

1G9

lections
I, staiid-
horizou
urafj-'inii;
p Step !
there's
Keep

f them,
I honest
he time
il rawing
ind, and
id after
ition, in.
than ill
;, which
ic, may-
; advieo
he phil-
ee, vou
oHlcers,
] taking
enmity,
iin, and
ngland ;
God, ho
cople ill
L of his
man in
pay for
iS, whieh
disqiiisi-

tion on raising the devil, which one of the party declared ho
had seen done, one Sunday afternoon, for the purpose of
borrowing some c*'ish to play skittK'^s with. In fact, caro
and thought ^vel•e thrown to the winds; and, tired as wo
were, sleep often overtook us, still laughing at the men's
witticisms. And then such d.-cams, — thev seemed as if an
angel had sent them to reward us fur the hard realities of
the day : we revelled in a sweet elysium; home was around
us, — friends, kind, good friends, plenty smiled on every side ;
we eat, drank, and were merry ; we visited old scenes with
by-gone shipmates ; even those who had long gone to that
bourne whence traveller returuet.i not, came back to cheer
our sleeping hours ; and many a one, nigh forgot amongst
the up-hill struggles of life, returned to gladden us with their
smiles: and as we awoke to the morning meal, many a
regret would be heard that so pleasant a delusion as the night
had been spent in should be dispelled : each succeeding night,
however, brought again "the cherub that watcheth over
poor Jack," to throw sunny thoughts around the mind, and
thus relieve our wayworn bodies.

On the 14th of May, the " Reliance" and '-True Blue"
sledges reached a wide break in the continuation of tlie land,
looking like a channel, and some heights to the S. W. ap-
peared to mark the op})Osite shore of a channel full twenty-
five miles wide. Captain Ommanney and myself ascended
an elevated mass of table-land, and looked upon the wide-
spread wintry scene. Landward, to the south, and far over
the rugged and frozen sea, all was death-like and silent as the
gmve : we felt we might have been the first since " creation's
morn" to have looked upon it; the very hills were still
clothed in their winter's livery, and the eye could not detect
the line of demarkation between land and sea. The frozen
foot-prints of a musk-ox excited our curiosity, as being the

>4.

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1 i, f .' •

AECTIG JOURNAL.

fii'st and only ones we liad seen, and, together with like
traces of reindeer, a short distance from Cape Walker, was the
sum total of the realizalion of all our once rosy anticipations
of beef and venison to be found during the southern journey.

Ptarmigan, in small numbers, were occasionally seen,
and about four brace shot ; and now and then a stray fox
was espied, watching us, although their numerous tracks
showed them to be pretty plentiful : traces of hares were
very numerous, but none were fallen in with by our sports-
men, except at Cape Walker, where many w ~t seen by
later visitors, and several shot; indeed, it appeared as if it
was the limit, in this direction, of animal life : the Polar
bears, and ergo the seals, not showing themselves west of
the same headland in our route.

On the 17th May the "Reliance" and "True Blue"
parted company, each having ]irovisions left to enable them
to advance for a further period of five days ; Captain Om-
manney generously allowing me, his junior, to take the search
up in a westerly direction, whilst he went down the channel
to the southward, which after all ended in a blind bav. I
went some fifty miles farther, and, finding the coast trend to
the south, endeavoured to march in a westerly direction
across the floe. The sledge was light, with only ten days'
provision, and the men were well inured to their work ; but
I saw, that from the severe strains that were brought on tho
fastenings of the sledge, that wood, iron, and lashings would
not long stand it ; and as every foot we advanced, progress
became more laborious, and risk greater, I desisted in the
attempt; for, situated as we were, nigh three hundred miles
from our ship, the breaking down of the sledge would have
entailed fearful misery, if not destruction, to my party.
Turning southward, wo nifain closed the land, when another
severe storm, on the 21st of May, obliged us to take

t *-\

CONCLUSION OF JOURNEY.

171

h llko
,'us the
nations
lurnev.
r seen,
ray I'ox

tracks
5S were

sports-
;ccn by

as if it
c Polar
west of

e Blue"
ale tlicin
aiii Oin-
le search
channel
bay. I
trend to
direction
en days'
ork; but
it on tho
s would
progress
d in the
ed miles
)uld have
ly party,
n another
to take

shelter in our tent, and remain there until it was time to
return.

The journey homeward was light work : the sledges were
now half emptied; the weather had become mild, being only
a little below freezing-point ; wo knew the ground, and could
make short cuts, and by forced marches we succeeded in
making two days' journey in one, thereby giving ourselves a
double quantity of food to consume. Lost flesh was Cjuk-kly
recovered ; and the two sledges, again rej(jining, reached
by the night of the 4th of June a depot formed at Snow-blind
Pay.

Here we met Lieutenant !Mecham. lie informed us that
neither by our parties, or those of Penny's, had intelligence
of Franklin been brought back by the supporting sledges.
There was, however, hope yet : the long parties had not yet
come in ; and Captain Penny had been stopped by xvater —
open loater — early in ^Lay. He had again gone out with a
boat ; and all attention was directed to Wellington Channel,
for every one felt that on no other route was there a chance
of Franklin being heard of. Lastly, great fears were enter-
tained lest our long parties should not beat those of the
"Lady Franklin" and "Sophia" in time and distance; a
piece of eaprit-de-corps highly commendable, no doubt, but
which, I blush to say, I took no interest in, having gone to
the Arctic regions for other motives and purposes than to
run races for a Newmarket cup, or to l)e backed against tho
field like a Whitechapcl game-cock.

AVhilst Captain Onimanncy went to Cajtc Walker for
some observations, we pulled foot (with forced marches)
straiiiht across the floe for (Jriflitlvs Island. Every hour
M'asted in tlic return journey was a crime, we felt, towards
those wh(Hn we had come here to save. The fast increasing
heat told that the open season was at hand : and even if we

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172

A R VTIO JO UliNAL.

.,•■1/' . • ■* '•■•

could not get our sliip to the water, we had Ijvought out a
number of beautiful boats, built expressly, at a great ex-
pense ; our foot journeys in the spring had been new and
successful, what might we not yet expect fi-om boat expedi-
tions when the floes were in motion "?

On reaching that part of the frozen strait which was evi-
dently covered with only one season's ice, namely, that uf
about three feet in thickness, symptoms of a speedy disrup-
tion were very apparent ; long narrow cracks extended con-
tinuously for miles; the snow from the surface ha»l all melted,
and, running through, served to render the ice-fields porous
and spongy : the joyful signs hurried us on, though n(jt with-
out sufierhig from the lack of pure snow, with Mhich to pro-
cure water for drinking. At last (jiriillth's Island rose above
the horizon ; a five-and-twenty-mile march brought us to it,
and another heavy drag through the melting snow carried us
to our ships, on the Tith June, after a journey of five hun-
dred miles in direct lines, in fifty-eight days. We were
2^unished for our last forced march by having five out of the
sledge-crew laid up with another severe attack of snow-
blindness.

pjght-and-forty hours afterward-^, Captain Oinmanney
arrived; he had crossed some of the cracks in the floe
with difliculty, aided by a bridge of boarding-pikes ; and
Lieut. Mechani, with the sledge " Russell," coming from
Cape Walker, on the 17th of June, was obliged to desert
his sledge, and wade through water and sludge to Griflith's
Island, and thence to the ships : showing how remarkably
the breaking up of the ice in Barrow's Strait promised to
coincide in date with the time it was first seen to be in
motion, by Sir E. Parry's squadron, in 1820,

All the parties were now in, except three sledges and
twenty-one men, towards Melville Island ; the supports in

LIEVTEXAyr M'CLIXTOCK JUCTCRXS.

173

t out a
cat ex-
GW and

expcdl-

rt\is evl-

that of
■ disrup-
led cou-

iiieltcd,
s porous
lot with-
i to pro-
se above

us to it,
arried us

ivc hun-
V'e were
jt of the
of snow-

amanney

the floe

<es ; and

n)g from

to desert

GriflitVs

markablv

(inised to

to be in

idizos and
ipports in

that direction had sulfercd in about the same ratio as our-
selves to the soLitliward ; tlic progress, liowcvor, as might bo
expected where the eoast-line was l\noNvn, was more rapid.
The total number of acoidents from frost-bites amounted to
eighteen, and amongst them were several cases in wiiich
portions of injured feet had to be amputated ; only one man
had fallen, John Malcolm, a seaman of the " Resolute ;" he,
poor fellow, appears to have been delicate from the outset,
having fainted on his road to the }»lacc of inspection and
departure, in April, 1851.

After an absence of sixty-two days, Lieut. Aldrich, with
the " Lady Franklin" sledge, arrived from Byarn ^Fartin
Channel. lie had searched the west coast of Bathurst
Island, which tended a little westerly of north until in
latitude 70*^ 15' N. At that point, the channel was still
fidl twenty miles wide between Bathurst and Melville
Islands, and extended northward as far as could be seen.
The only things of note observed, were reindeer, in the
month of Apri/, on Bathurst Island, and, with the temper-
ature at 00° below freezing-point, they were grazing on moss
or lichen ; this ]»oinl })laccd beyond doubt the fact, which is
now incontestal)le, that the animals of the Parry group do
not migrate to the American continent in the winter. On
his wav back, Lieut, A. fell in with large flocks of wild fowl

1/ 7 CD

winging their way norl/nvard.

The floes around our ships were entirely covered with the
water of the melted snow, in some places full four feet in
de[)th, eating its way rapidly through in ,i!l directions, when
Lieut. ^M'Clintock's sledge, the " Porscvorance," and the
" liesolute"' sledge, Dr. Bradford's, hove in sight, having
been out exactly eighty days. Lieut. ]\LClintock had been
to Winter Harbour, and visited all the points known to
Parry's sipiadron, such as Bushman Cove, Cape Dundas,

♦ ^ -VM

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174

ABC TIC JOURXAL.

,!?- .; ■ H' V;'

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(kc. ; hut of course no traces of Franklin. He h,i;i, however,
brought a portion of J*arry's last wheel, used in l,\^-i journey,
and substantial proofs of the extraordinary abundance of ani-
mal life in that remote region, in the hides and heads of
musk-oxen, the meat of which had helped to bring back his
crew in wonderful condition. Eighty head of oxen and rein-
deer had been counted by ^Mr. M'C.'lintock, and he could have
shot as many as he pleased. Dr. Bradford's journey was not
so cheering a one. lie had been early knocked u]» from a
fall, — si'rious symptoms threatened, and for nearly a month
the gallant oflicer was dragged upon his sledge; carrying out
— thanks to his own pluck, and the zeal of his men — the
object of his journey, — the search of the eastern side of
Melville Island. AVe M'ere now all in : Lieut. M'Clintock
had fairly won the palm, — " palmam qui meruit ferat ;" in
eighty days he had travelled eight hundred miles, and
heartily did we congratulate him on his success.

The day followiiig, July 7th, I and one of the oflicers of
the " Pioneer" started to visit Penny's expedition : he was
expected back, and we longed to hear the news ; Captain
Penny having last been reported to have reached the water
with a sound boat, a good crew, and a month's provisions.
Landing at Cape Martyr, w'et up to our necks with splashing
through the pools of water, nowhere less than knee-deep, and
often a mile in extent, we did not willingly leave the dry
land again. On ascending a slope which gave us a view of
the south shore of Cornwallis Island as far as Cape Ilotham,
and near a point known as that whence the dog-sledges in the
winter used to strike ofl* when communicating with the ships,
our astonishment was great at finding the ice of Barrow's
Strait to have broken up ; — the gray light of the morning,
and the perfect calm, prevented us seeing to what extent, but
there was plenty of it, and a sea again gladdened our eye-

DISAPPEARAXCB OF ICE.

175

at;" ill

sight. Oil I it was a joyous, cxliilarating siglit, after niuo
Inontlis of eternal ice and snow.

Tlie ground (lew under our feet as, elevated in spirits, we
walked rapidly into Assistance Bay, and grasped by the hand
our old friends of the "Lady Franklin." Wc had each our
tale to recount, our news to exchange, our hopes and disap-
pointments to prose over. One thing was undoubtedly
certain, — that, on ^fay lOth, Captain Penny had discovered
a great extent of water northward of Cornwallis Island : that
this same water prevented Captain Stewart, of the "Sophia,"
from passing some precipitotis clilTs, against which a heavy
sea was beating : that this same sea was clear of all but sco-
was/icd ice, and no floes were to be seen. A[oreovcr, owing
to a soutlterbj breeze, which blew away to seaward the ico
over which Dr. Goodsir had advanced to the westward, his
retreat was nearly endangered by the water obliging him
with his sledge to take to the neighbouring heights : and all
this, a month before any iJiing like a diaruption had taken
place in Barroio's Strait. This latter event, it seems, took
place about the 25th of June, 1851 ; and, on the 28th June,
the commander of the " Sophia" had gone in a whale-boat
from the entrance of the harbour to Wellington Channel.

Three days after our arrival at Assistance Harbour, not a
particle of ice w\as to be seen, east or west, in Barrow's
Strait, looking from the highland on the east side of the
anchorage, except between Griflith's Island and Cape Martyr,
where, some ten miles from the water, and in the centre of a
fixed floe, our unlucky squadron was jammed. Every where
else a clear sea spread itself, sparkling and breaking under a
fresh southerly breeze. Some individuals, who had visited
Cape Ilotham, reported the water in Wellington Channel to
have made up as high as Barlow Inlet, beyond which, up to
the north water, a floe still intervened.

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176

\RCrir. JOURXAL.

In (Icfiiult of IVnny's arrival, I was mncli intorestod in a
jcuruey, u{)Oii Avliich Mr. .John Stuart, siirijcon of the " Lady
i^ rank! in," had boi-n despatched to follow the traces of some
of Franklin's sledges, towards ( aswelTs Tower, and to re-cx-
aniinc the traces found in 18r)0. The sledge tracts, which I
have elsewhere alluded to, as existing on the east side of
" Erebus and Terror Bay," ^Ir. Stuart found, as wc conjec-
tured, to have been those of sonic ex[)loring party, sent from
Beeehev Island to Caswell's Tower, in IJadstoek liav : for
at the base of the said tower — a remarkable detached ma-^s
of limestone — two carefullv-constructed cairns were found,
but no record in them ; ])eyond this, no f irther signs of th(^
missing navigators were found — nothing whatever that eouM
indicate a retreating »artv. That these cairns were placed
to attract attention, appep.rs certain ; the most conspicuous
=5 have been chosen for them;

fully built, evidently not the mere work of an idle hour.

Failing Pennv, and his intelligence, 1 contented mvself
with visiting the neighbourhood of Assistance Harbour, and
with observing the various phenomena connected with tiie
dissolution of the winter ice and snow upon the land; and,
of these, none was more interesting than the breaking out of
the ravines, which, having filled with snow during the winter,
had ft.)rmcd, during the previous fortnight, into large lakes of

'lOUS

water, sometimes of acres in extent

an(

I tl

len, in one mo-

ment, the barriers which had pent np the ravines gave way,
and, with irresistible force, the v.aters rushed over every ob.
stacle to the sea. Three large ravines broke open whiUt I
was ill Assistance iTarboiir, and the tluuidering sound of the
ice, water, and shingle, which swej)t down, aiul soon cut a
broad channel for many yards through the (loe in the bay,
was a cheering tune to the gallan! fellows who were looking
foiwai'd to being released from their winter imprisonment.

\i^ ' § ^

ASSISTANCE H ARBOUR.

177

ed in a
" Lady
f some
^ ro-cx-
Ahich I
side of
con] ce-
lt from

d mass
fi)iind,
5 of the
it eouM
])!aeed
iplcuous
1(1 Ciire-
ur.

luvself
)nr, and
^•ilh the.
1; and,
\ out of
M inter,
akes of
\\K\ mo-
ve way,
.cry o!i-
\vliil>t I
1 of the
n cut a
he WaN',
looking
[jnmeiit.

Within twcnty-foiir hours the body of water in these ravines
would release itself, and an almost dry water-eourse be left.
Nothing in the bhape of a river seemed to exist in this island
— rather a remarkable fact, considering its size, and the im-
mense quantity of snow annually thawed in its interior val-
leys and plahis.

A beautiful lake existed about two miles inland ; and,
having been discovered by one of Captain Peiuiy's peojile on
the anniversary of the battle of Trafjdgar, was very appro-
priately called 'J'rafaJgar Lake ; in it a small species of trout
had been caught occasionally throughout the winter; and if
the ice broke up early, a good haul of fish was anticipated
from the seine-nets : on elevated land around the lake, sor-
rel and scuivy-grass grew in abundance. 1 need hardly say
\SQ. eat of it voraciously, for the appetite delighted in any
thing like vegetable food.

Occasionally eider and j>ln-tailed duck were shot, as well
as a few brent-geese, but these birds appeared remarkably
shy and wary, although evidently here to breed.

During the lirst week (»f my stay in Assistance Harbour,
immense llights of wild fowl were to bo seen amongst the
loose ice in Harrow's Strait; but when the ])ack had dis-
persed, and left nothing but an open sea, the birds appeared
to have gone elsewhere for food. Indeed, I always observed
that at the edge of ice more birds were invariably to bo
found in the Arctic regions, thr.n in large or open water, —
a rule ccpialiy aj)plicable to the whale, seal, and bear, all
of which aro to be found at the floe-edge, or in loosely-
packed ice.

A galo of wind from the southward occurred, and I was
extremely anxious to see whether it would bring over the ice
from the opposite shore, as the croakers in Assistance Ifar-
bour, unablj to dejiy the existence of water along (In- n(»rth

J',

178

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

4^y: ♦^ '

shore of Barrow's Strait, consoled themselves by declaring
that the floe had merely formed itself into pack, and was now
IvinfT alonii the coast of North Somerset, ready at an hour's
warning to spread itself over the waters. The southerly
gale, however, piped cheerily. A heavy swell and surf —
Oh ! most pleasant sound ! — beat upon the fixed ice of Assist-
ance Harbour ; yet no pack came, nor floe-pieces cither, and
thus was placed beyond all doubt tlie fart that, at any rate,
as fur west as Griflith's Island, Barrow's Strait was clear of
ice. In an angle f>rmed between Leopold Island and North
Somerset, there was evidently a pack ; for an ice-blink, which
moved dailv about in that direction, showed that the mass
was acted upon by the winds ; and at last the southerly wind
drove it up into Wellington Channel. To be condemned to
inactivity, with such a body of water close at hand, was pain-
ful to all but those whose age and prudence seemed to justify
in conffratulatini; ihemselves on bcina: vet frozen in ; and try-
ing as iiad been many disappointments we experienced in the
Arctic regions, there was none that [)aincd us more than the
ill luck which had consigned our squadron, and its 180 men,
to inactivity, in an icy prison under Griflidi's Island, \\hilst
so nnjch might have been done during the thirty days that
the waters of Barrow's Strait, and God onlv knows how
much more ])i'side, were dear from ice in every shape, and
seeming to beckon us on to the north-westward.

It was now we felt the full evil result of our winter
quarters. Boats could not bo despatched, I suppose, becuu.ie
the ships might at any time in July have been swept by
the ice whither it phased, and the junction of boats and ships
rendered uncertain. Future expeditions Mill, however, hit
this nail on the head, and three distinct periods for Arctic
exploration will })e found to exist, viz. : — I'he spring, tVom
April to Juno 25th, for foot journeys; from Juno 25th to

BARRO W\S STRAIT CLEAR OF ICE.

179

the first week in August, for boat expeditions ; and then six
weeks (for steam vessels) of navigable season.

Unable to remain with satisfaction away from our squad-
ron, to be daily tantalized with looking at a sea which
might as well not have existed for us, we returned to the
"Pioneer," calling the attention of the ofticers of Penny's
squadron to the possibility of a vessel from England, sent to
communicate with the squadrons, actually running past us
all, and reaching Melville Island, mayhap, without detecting
our winter quarters ; an opinion in which all seemed to con-
cur ; and a large cairn was therefore afterwards erected upon
the low land, in such a josition as to attract the attention of
a craft bound westward.

On our return to the Naval squadron, we found them still
seven miles from the water to the southward from Gritlith's
Island. Towards the westward, on the 2r>th of July, all was
water, and a water skv. About Somerville Island, and Hrown
Island, a patch of fixed ice, similar to that we were in, con-
nected itself with the Cornwall is Island shore ; but between
that and us the water was fast making ; indeed, it every day
became a[>parent that we should bo released from the north-
ward^ and not from the southward. One olficer saw Lowther
Island in a sea of water ; and thus early, if not earlier, I had
the firmest conviction on my inind 'hat a ship might have
been carried in a lead of water, v«.ry similar to that I'arry
found in 1829, into Winter Il'irboi'i , Mc'viile Island ; or,
what, in view of our object, would have been moro desirable,
up to the north-west, by Byam j\r,vrlin Chai'u-l.

Griflilirs Island had, by Jul" '^lo^h, put on its gayest sum-
mer aspect — the ravines had emptied themselves — the snow
had disappeared from the skqies — a uniform dull brown
spread from one end of the island to the t)thcr — on its shel-
tered terraces, poppies, saxifrage, and sorrel in full flower,

180

ARGTW JOUIiXAL.

L-f'«

f^f

interniiiiglcd '.vith lidicns and mo.sses of every hue and de-
scripti(jn ; and wo, poor mortals, congratulated ourselves upon
verdur(^, which was only charming by comj>arison. The great
body of melted snow that had Ijcen on top of the floe, had
now nearly all escaped through it in numerous Assures and
Ijoles, and they were rapidly connecting themselves one with
the other. Canals, which had been formed in the floe, for the
purpose of cnalding the squadron to get out, should the walcr
make exactly in the same way it did last year, now spread
snake-like over the iloe, and the waters of Barrow's Strait
had approached to within a distance of four miles. Thus
closed the month of July, with the additional disapj)ointing
intelligence, that l^enny, who returned to Assistance Harbour
on the 25th, had not been able, owing to the constant preva-
lencc of contrary winds setting in from the N. W., and his
want of provisions, to make much progress in Wellington
Channel. Indeed, he luid, from all accounts, found his boat
but ill-adapted to contend with the strong breezes, heavy
sea, and rapid tides into which he had launched between the
islands north of Cornwallis Island, and never succeeded in
obtaining a desirable ofihig ; the islands, however, were tho-
roughly searched for traces ; a small piece of fresh Jt^nglish
elm was found on one of them, which I'enny believed tc have
been thrown overboard from the "Erebus" and ''Terror;"
also a bit of charred pine, which Sir John Jiichardson believes
to have been burnt by a party belonging to the same ships.
Hut the most important result of Penny's etHjrts was the
verification of the existence of a great body of open water,
norlh-west, and beyond the barrier of ice which still existed
in Wellington Channel.

I will not bore the reader with some days of liard labour,
in which we cut to the southward into the ice, whilst the
water was trying hard to get to us from the north j it evcn-

STEAMIXCr FOR ASSISTAXCE H ARBOUR.

181

tually caught us, and (.SiituRlay, August 8th.) wo wore all
afloat ill open water, with a barrier of ioo still snul/urard
toivards Harrow'' s t^trail. The '" lntri'pl(.r' had been si'ut
early in the week to look round the north end of (Jrillitirs
Island, and reported a narrow neck of lee from the N. W.
bluffs towards Somerville Island. Eastward, and not west-
ward, was, however, to be our course, and wi^ therefore re-
mained where we were. On tne Utii and lOlh, a general
disruption of the little remaining ice took jthue : we nuulo
gentle and very cautious moves towards Barrow's Strait ;
and, at last, on August 11th, the ice, as if heartily tired of
us, shot us out into Barrow's Strait, by turning itself fuiriy
round on a pivot. We were at sea because we could not
help it, and the navigable season was proclaimed to have
commenced.

Taking, like another Sinbad, our " Resolute" old burden
behind us, the " Pioneer" steamed away for Assistance Har-
bour, from whence, as we had been given to understand some
days previously, Jones's Sound was to be our destination ; a
plan to whieh 1 the more gladly submitted, as I felt confident,
fi-oni all 1 had heard and seen of its geography or of that of
the neighbouring land, that it would be fomid to connect
itself with Penny's North \\ ater ; once in it wc felt failure
of our object to be iuipossible ; we had still three years' pro
visions, and nearly tour years of many things. One man had
died, perhaps luilf-a-dozen more were invalids, but the rest
■si-ero strong and hearty ; to be sure, wc all lacked much of
that sanguineness whieh had animated us hitherto. Kepeated
disapp()intment, long journeys in the wrong direction (as it
had proved), over regions whieh had, of course, shown no
trace of those we had hoped to rescue — had all combined to

damp

our

feel

niLrs.

The morning fog broke, and u day, beautiful, serene, and

18Ji

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

,v -

•?^-^

im;

1 *•

i§'

t'^

>f..

-f'i.

fl^

; ' ,

. ., '^

sunny, welcomed us into Assisttance Harbour, which we
found had just cleared out of ice ; and the " Lady Franklin,"
"Sophia," and "Felix," with anchors down, rode all ready
for sea. As we towed the " Resolute" up to her anchorage.
Captain Penny pulled past in his gig, evidently going to
make an official visit to our leader. Directly after the
"Pioneer" was secured, I went on board the "licsolute," to
hear the news, her first lieutenant having been in Assistance
Harbour (Captain Penny's quarters) \ip to the moment of
our arrival. I then learned that Penny was going to volun-
teer to proceed up Wellington Channel, if it cleared out, in
one of our steamers; and my gallant friend, the first, lieuten-
ant, spoke strongly upon the necessity of still trying to reach
the North Water by the said route, whilst i maintained that,
until we had visited Jones's Sound, it was impossible to say
whether it would not ])e found an easier road into the o{)en
sea seen by Captain Penny than Wellington Channel ap-
peared to be. Captain Penny soon joincu us, and there, as
well as afterwards on board the " T.ady Franklin," I heard
of his proposal above alluded to, which liad been declined.
Failing in his (jfler of cooperation, which was for one reason
not to be wondered at, — insomuch that our large and elfu'ient
squadron needed no assistance either in men or material to
do the work alone, — Captain Penny had decided on returning
home, believing tliat Franklin was so far to the N. W. as to
be beyond his reach, and also looking to the tenor of his
instructions, which strictly enjoined him to return to England

in 185*^.

* >k m It * It

Next morning. .- f ..r o'clock, we were all bound to the
eastward. A few ri'uongst thos' f our squadron still hoped
by Jones's Sound u^ reach that sea of whose existence, at any
rate, we had no longer any doub«- whatever might be its

DEPARTURE FOR JONES'S SOUXD.

183

difficulty of access. Oft' Capo Ilotham we found a loose
pack: it extended about half way across Wellington ("han-
nel, and then a clear sea spread itself eastward and northward
along the shores otf North Devon to Cape Bowden. From
a strong ice-blink up Wellington Channel there was reason
to think the barrier*^ still atlnvart it; we did not, however,
go to ascertain whether it was so, but, fivourod by a fair
wind, steamed, sailed, and towed the " Resolute," as fast as
possible past Beechey Island. The form of sending letters
to England had been duly enacted, but few were in a humour
to write; tlie news would be unsatisfactory, and, unless
Jones's Sound was an open sea, and we could nut therelbre
help entering it, there was a moral certainty of all being in
England within a short time of one another.

And so it proved. Leaving the "Assistance" and "Reso-
lute" to join us olT Cape Dudley Diggos, the steamers pro-
ceeded, under Captain Austin, with three months' provisions,
on the night of the 14th of August, for Jones's Sound.

Next mornini; l)rou<dit the steamers close in with the
shore between Capos Ilorsburgh and Osborn, along which we
steered towards Jones's Sound. Glacier and iceberg again
abounded, and the comparatively tame scenery of Barrow's
Strait was changed for bold and picturesf[uo mountains and

• Had we but happily known at that time of the perfect do-
«cription of the Wrlliiigton Channel ice subsequent to our passage
across in I80O, as shown by the tract of the American l'!.\[)(diti()a
and Lieutenant De Haven's udnuruble report, we should not then
have fallen into the error of believing hum'ira of ice to be ])ernia-
nent in deep-water channels, a fallacy which it is to be hoped has
exploded with many other misconceptions ns to the lixcd nature
of ice, and the constant accum"latiou of it in Polar regions.

*;?i^

^■■■y'^.

'9^
'ft'.- ■•

m'm

5*^?:;

''■/■.•

184

ARCTIC JOURKAL.

headlands. As the evening of the 15th drew in, Jones's
Sound gradually opened itself in the Coburg Day of the
charts, and, in spite of a strong head-wJnd, we drew up to
and commenced working up it under sail and steam. During
the night, Cape Leopold showed to be an island, dividing the
sound into two entrances ; and the exhilarating effect of a
fine i)road expanse of water leading to the westward, up
which vvc were thrashing under a press of canvas, was only
marred by the unpleasant fact that we had parted from the
ships containing our main stock of 2)rovisions, without the
means of following up any traces, should we be happy
enough to discover them, of the poor missing expedition.

Saturday^ August IC^A, 1851. — The sound is evidently
narrowest about the entrance ; from a point to the N. W. of
us it evidently increases in width ; loose patches of ice arc
occasionally met with, and the tides seem somewhat strong,
judging by tlie set of the vessel. The scenery is magnificent,
cs2)ecially on the south shore, where some ten miles in the
interior a hnge dome of pure white snow cnvolopes land some
3000 or 4000 feet high, which Captain Austin has named
the Trenter Mountains, in compliment to the family of Sir
John Jiarrow, (that being the maiden name of the Dowager
Lady Barrow.) From this range long winding glaciers pour
down the valleys, and project, through the ravines, into the
deep-blue waters of this magnificent strait. Northward of
us the land is peculiar, lofty table-land, having here and
there a sudden dip, or thrown up in a semi-peak. The
draught of the wind lias blown constantly down the strait.
Such are my rough notes made during the day, as the
"Pioneer"' and " Intrepid" worked to the westward; but as
evening drew on, the increasing smoothness of the water,
Biid a hard icy bliuk to the west, prepared us for a report

'%- ■•

STOPPED BY ICE-FIELDS.

185

which came from the crow's nest about niiJniglit, that there
■was very much ice to tlie windward of us.

Next dav, 17th. after a foij which caused sonic delav had
cleared otf, the disagreeable truth revealed itself: from a
little beyond a conical-shaped island on the north shore, tlie
sound was still barred with floes, although at tiiis point it
increased at least twelve miles more in breadth, (ioing up
to the floe-edge, the steamers crossed to the S. W., following
the ice carefully along until it impinged upon the southern
shore. The night was beautifully serene and clear; and, as
if to add to our regret, four points and a half of the compass,
or 54° of bearing to the westward, showed no symptom of
land. The northern side of the sound trended away to the
west, preserving its lotty and marked character; whilst on
the south the land ended abruptly some fifteen miles farther
on, and then, beyond a small Ijreak, one of those wedge-
shaped hills peculiar to the limestone lands of Barrow's
Strait showed itself at a great distance; and the natural sug-
gestion to my own mind was, that tlie opening between the
said wedge-shaped hill and the land on our southern hand
would have been found to connect itself with the deep fiords
running to the northward from Croker Bay, in Lancaster
Sound ; and for an opinion as to the direction of Jones's
Sound, whose frozen surface forbade us to advance with our
vessels, I was, from what I saw, fully willing to believe in
the report of my ice quarter-master. Uobert Moore, a clever,
observant seanuui, as the annexed report will show : —

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Sir,

" It was in LS-IS that I was with Captain Lee in the
'Prince of ^Vales,' when we ran up Jones's Sound. Tliu
wind was from the S. S. H compass [E. X. E. true), thick
weather, with a strong breeze. We steered up Jones's

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186

ARCTIC JOURXAL.

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Sound, N. E. by compass [westicardhj true), for fourteen
hours, when, seeing some ice aground, we hauled to.

" The next day, being fnie weatlier, we proceeded farther
up, and seeing no ice or fish {wh((lcs), a boat was sent on
shore. She, returning, reported not Ijaving seen any thing
but veri/ high land and deep imter close to rocks on the south
shore.

" Wo tacked ship, and stood to the N. E. compass (lY.
W. tntc); saw some ice aground on a sand-bank, with only
six feet water on it at low water, but standiiiL^ on the N. E.
compass (iV. W. (rue), found deep water from five to eight
miles across from the sand to the north shore. When past
the sand, open water as fiir as we could see from the mast-
head, and extending from about JV. L\ to N. aV. IF. comjmss
(N. W. to W. S. W. true). We then returned, being fine
and clear, and could not sec what we were in search of
(whales).

" Leaving the north land, a long, low point, running up to
a table-top mountain^ ive came across to the south side, which
was bold land rhjlU out of the sound.

" We saw the Pinnacle Rocks at the end of that sound
{^Princess Charlottc^s MonunuPt) ; and this and the low land
between, that sound and Lancaster Sound, as we were running
to the S. E., makes me confident is the same place which wo
were up in the 'Pioneer.'

" The distance we ran up the sound in the ' Prince of
Wales,' I think, to the best of my judgment, was about a
hundred and fifty or sixty miles, &:c.

" (Signed) Ror ..rt Moore,
"Ice quarter-master, II. M. S. 'Pioneer.'

"To Lieut. Sherard Osborn."

Tlie italics in the abovo letter servo to show how cor-

9-' :>

ERECTION OF A CAlllK.

187

3 which wo

rectly these observations of my quarter-master agreed with
the sound wo were up ; and taking this, together with the
description of the land seen by ( aptain Stewart and Dr.
Sutherland, during thoir late journey up tiie eastern side of
Wellington Ciianncl, I believe that a vcrv narrow inter-
venlng belt of low land divides Jones's Sound from llaring
Bay, in Wellington Channel, and that, turning to the north-
ward, this sound eventually opens into the same great
Polar Sea which washes the northern shores of the Parry
group.

Unable to advance, we returned, upon our wake, to tlie
conical island on tiic north -Ide of the sound ; and a boat,
with two otiicers In it, was to erect a cairn. They re-

turned next morning, haviu:; .ound. what interested me very
much, numerous Esquimaux traces, though of very ancient
date, and shot several birds — ;i seasonalde increase to our
stock for table-consumption. One of the sportsmen assured me
that, in spite of the increased number of ghiciers around us,
and other appearances ol'a more severe climate tlian we had
been in the liabit of seeing in Barrow's Strait, he. was of
opinion that there was much more vegetation in our neigh-
bourhood than in the more southern latitude of Cornwallis
Island. The specimens of plants brought oif in the boat,
such as poppies, saxit'rage, and moss, were all fmer than we
had seen elsewhere ; and reindeer horns, near the Esquimaux
ruins, showed that these animals were to be found.

The island was a mass of gray-coloured granite, with
some dark masses of ferruginous-coloured rock intermixed,
the whole nmcli broken and rent by the agency of frost and
water.

[Monday, the ISth of August, we proceeded along the
northern shore, towards another entrance whieh had shown
itself on the north side of Leopold Ishmd, — the Jones's Sound

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of the old charts, — wliieh wa now proved not to have been
blocked up by either kind or glaciers.

The land about Cape Ifardwicke was little else, in my
opinion, than a group of islands, — an impression in which I
became the more confirmed when the ice obliged us to strike
off directly to the eastward ; and Cape Clarence stood out
bold and clear, with a midnight sun behind it : and the light
streamed through the different ice-choked channels between
Capes Ilardwicke and Clarence, throwing up the land, ivhere
there was land, in strong and dark relief.

Beyond Cape Clarence I saw no symptom of land, nor did
any one else either. It is said to recede ; very possibly it
may ; but as neither we, nor the " Kesolute" and " Assist-
ance," (who all reached a higher latitude than any discovery-
ships have been since Ballin's memorable voyage.) ever saw
iand north of Cape Clarence, I trust, for the sake of geography,
that the beautifidlv-indented line which now joins the land
about Smith's Sound to that of Clarence Head, in our charts,
may be altered into a doited one, as denoting that the said
coast exists rather In the imagination of channel-closing
voyagers than actually in the north-west corner of IJaflin's
Bay.

A multitude of grounded icebergs showed a shoal, which
appears to bar the northern entrance to Jones's Sound ; and,
during the night, a sudden gale from the north, together with
high water in the tides, set them all floating and dancing
around us in a very exciting style. Jvlging constantly along
hirgo floe-pieces, wo were eventually carried next day into
the packed ice, through .which our way had to be found under
double-reefed sails, the two j>retty screw-scjiooncrs thrashing
away in gallant style, mitil a dead calm again lelt us to steam
our best; indeed, all night of tiie lS)th was a constant heavy
tussle with a pack, in which tin- old floe-j>ieces were being

EASTERX SIDE OF EAFFLVS BA Y.

189

glued together by young ice, varyiug from two to five inches
in thickness; patclies of water, perhaps each an acre in
extent, were to he seen from the crow's nest, and frotn
one to the other of these we had to work oiu' wav. l)v-
and-hy the Cary Isles showed themselves to the northward,
and then the flat-topped land between Cape York and Dudley
Digiics.

(.>ur last hope of doing any service this season lay in the
expectation that open water would be found along tiie north-
east side of Baflin's Bay ; but this expectation was darnj^od
bv the disaixreeable knowledge that oui provisions (jn board
the steamers were too scanty to allow us to follow up any
opening wo should have found.

On the afternoon of the 28th of August, a strong water-
sky and heavy bank showed the sea to be close at hand to
the south, as well as a strong breeze behind it. AVe rattled
on for Wolstcnholme Island, reached under its lee bv the
evening, and edged away to the nortli, (piickly opening out
Cape Stair, and fuiding it to be an islaiul, as the Cape York
Esquimaux, on board the "Assistance," had lc(l us to believe.
Passing sonu:; strikingdooking land, which, although like that
of the more soutl\eru parts of ( Jri'cidand, was l)old and j»re-
cipitous, intersected with deep valh-ys, yet comparatively
free from glaciers, wc saw the I'cxjth Sound of Sir .bdui
Ros?, and shortly afterwards sighti'd what j)roved afterwards
to be the southern blulf of \Vliale Sound. We could not
approach it, however, and, choosing un iceberg, wc anchored
our steamers to await an opening.

On Thursday, the 21st of August, I started in a boat with
Mr. MacDougal. to sec if wc could get as far as \Vhab;
Sound. The baydce, in which we could neither pull nor
sail, whilst it was too thin to stand u[ton. or track tlio boat
through, materially cheeked our progress. Bythe afteni(»on

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190

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

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we reached a close pack-edge, which defied farther progress ;
but, on landing, wc found ourselves to be at the entiance of
a magnificent inlet, still filled with ice, which extended to the
eastward for some fifteen miles, having in its centre a j)ecii-
liarly-shaped rock, which the seamen immediately chiistrncd
" Prince Albert's Hat," from its resemblance to a marine's
shako. The numerous traces here of Esr^uimaux weie [)er-
fectly startling ; their tent-places, winter abodes, caches, and
graves, covered every prominent point about ns. Of what
date they were, it was impossible, as I have elsewhere said,
to form a correct idea. The enamel was still perfect on the
bones of the seals which strewed the rocks, the flesh of which
had been used for food. On opening one of the graves, I
found the skeleton of an old man, with a good deal of the
cartilage adhering to the bones, and in the skull there was
still symptoms of decaying flesh ; nothing, however, was seen
to denote a recent visit of these interesting denizens of tlie
north. Each cache, or rather, circle of stones, had a flat slab
for a cover, with a cairn near it, or else an upright mass of
stone, to denote its position ; and some of the graves were
constructed with a degree of care and labour worthy of a
more civilized people : several had huge slabs of stone on the
top, which it must have required a great many men to lift,
and some ingenuity to secure.

Scurvy-grass in great abundance, as well as another an-
tiscorbutic plant, bearing a small white flower, was found
wherever we landed ; and I likewise observed London-pride,
poppies, sorrel, dwarf willow, crow-feet grass, saxifrage, and
tripe-dc-roche, besides ]>lenty of turf, which, with very little
trouble, would have served for fuel, — and this in latitude
70° 52' N. Large flocks of geese and ducks were flying
about; the great northern diver passed overhead, and uttered
its shrill warning cry to its mate, and loons, dovekies, and

VISIT FROM ESQUIMAUX.

191

rogross ;
ranee of
•J to the
.' a ])ecu-
iristi-ncd
marine's
vci'c pcr-
I'hes, and
Of what
ere said,
ct on the
of which
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was seen
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mass of
ives were

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ne on the
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other an-
as found
on-pride,
■aij;o, and
(TV little
latitude
re (Iviniij
d uttered
kies, and

plalaropes, in small numbers, gave occasional exercise for

our guns.

The coast was all of granitic formati(.)n : and if one might
judge from the specimens of iron pyrites and coj>per ore
found here and there, the existence of minerals in large quan-
tities, as is the case about Uppernavikj may be taken for
granted.

The 22d, 23d, 24th, and 25th of August passed without a
favourable change taking place ; indeed, by this time our
retreat, as well as advance, had been barred by the pack.
Pressed up from Baftin's Bay by the southerly gales of this
season of the year, the broken floes seemed to have been
seeking an outlet by the north-west. The winter was fast
setting in, temperature falling thus early, and the birds every
day more scarce.

About one o'clock on the morning of the 2()th August, I
was aroused and told that Esquimaux were coming off on
dog-sledges. All hands turned out voluntarily to witness the
arrival of our visitors. They were five in number, each man
having a single sledge. As they approached, they uttered
an expression very like Tima! or rather Timouh ! accom-
panied by a loud, hoarse laugh. Some of our crew answered
them, and then they appeared delighted, laughing most im-
moderately.

The sledges were entirely constructed of bone, and were
small, neat-looking vehicles : no sledge had more than five
dogs ; some had only three. The dogs wore fine-looking,
wolfish animals, and eitlier white or tan colour. The well-
fed appearance of the natives astonished us all ; Nvithout being
tall (averaging about 5 ft. 5 in.), ti»ey were brawny-looking
fellows, deep-chested, and large-lind)ed, with 'J'artar beards
and moustachios, and a breadth of shoulder which di-noted
more than ordinary strength. Their clothing consisted of a

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193

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

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dressed seal-skin frock, with a hood which serve a for a cap
when it w\as too cold to trust to a thick head of jet-black hair
for w^armth. A pair of bear-skin trowsors reaching to the
knee, and walrus-hide boots, completed their attire. Know-
ing how perfectly isolated these people were from the rest
of the world, — indeed, they are said with some degree of
prol)ability to have believed themselves to be the only peo-
ple in the -world, — I was not a little delighted to sec how
well necessity had taught them to clothe Lhemselves ; and
the skill of the women was apparent in the sewing, and in
oiic case tasteful ornamental work of their habiliments.

I need hardly say that we loaded them with presents :
their ecstacy exceeded all bounds when each was pjesented
with a boat-hook staff, a piece of wood some twelve feet long.
They danced, shouted, and laughed again with astonishment
at possessing such a prize. Wood M\as evidently with them
a scarce article ; thev had it not even to construct sledges
with. York, the interpreter, had before told us they had no
canoes for want of it ; and they seemed perfectly incapable
of understanding that our ships and masts were altogether
made of wood. The intelligence shown by these people was
very gratifying ; and from having evidently been kindly
treated on board the " North Star," during her sojourn in
this neighbourhood, they were confident of good treatment,
and went about fearlessly. On seeing a gun, they laughed,
and said, " Pooh ! pooh!" to imitate its sound. One man
danced, and was evidently anxious to repeat some nautical
shuflling of the feet to the time of a fiddle, of which he had
agreeable recollections, whilst another described how we slept
in hammocks. After some time, a document was given them,
to show any ship, they might visit hereafter; and they were
sent away in high spirits. The course they had taken, both
coming and going, proved them to be from Wolstenholme

'All

GALE IX THE PACK.

193

Sound ; and, as well as we could understand, they had lately
been to the northward, looking for pousies (seals), and no
doubt were the natives whose recent traces had been seen by
some of the officers near Booth Inlet, who had likewise ob-
served the remnants of some old oil-cask staves, which once
had been in an Euglish whaler.

Aur/ust 2Gth, 1851. — Beset against a floe, which is in mo-
tion, owing to the pressure of bergs upon its southern face ;
and as it slowly coaclnvheels (as the whalers term it) round
upon an iceberg to seaward of us, we employ ourselves heav-
ing clear of the danger. A gale fast rising, and things look-
ing very ugly. The " Intrepid," who had changed her berth
from the " inshore" to the " ofishore" side of the " Pioneer,"
through some accident of ice-anchors slipping, was caught
between the floe and the iceberg, and in a minute inextri-
cably, as far as human power was concerned, surrounded with
ice ; and as the floe, acted upon by the pressure of bergs and
ice driving before the gale, forced more and more upon the
berg, we were glad to see the vessel rise up the inclined
plane formed by the tongue of the iceberg under her bottom.
Had she not done so, she must have sunk. Sending a por-
tion of our crew to keep launching her boats ahead during
the night, w^ watched with anxiety the fast-moving floes and
icebergs around us. A wilder scene than that of this night
and the next morning it would be impossible to conceive.
Our forced inactivity — for escape or reciprocal help was im-
possible — rendered it the more trying.

Lieutenant Cator has himself told the trials to which the
"Intrepid's" qualities were subjected that night and day;
how she was pushed up the iceberg high and dry ; and how
the bonnie screw came down again right and tight. We
meanwhile drifted away, cradled in floe-pieces, and perfectly

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194

ARCTIC JOURNAL

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helpless, shaving past icebergs, in close proximity, but safeW,
until the gale as suddenly abated, and avc found ourselves
some six miles north of the "Intrepid," and off the Sound,
which, for want of a name, we will call "Hat Sound."
Steaming and sailing up a head of water back towards our
consort, we soon saw that she was all right and afloat ajrain,
though beset in the pack. We therefore took advantage of
an opening in the ice to run to the northward alone. About
midnight, the Whale Sound of Baflin being then open to our
view, but filled with broken ice, and our farther progress im-
peded by the pack, we again made fast at this, the fjirthest
northern latitude reached by any of our squadron, viz., 77°
north latitude.

Friday^ Aur^ust 2dth, — Finding progress in this direction
hopeless, we rejoined the " Intrepid" as close as the ice would
allow us, and learnt that she had injured her rudder and
screw-framing. It was now decided to rejoin the " Reso-
lute" and •' Assistance" at their rendezvous off Cape Dudley
Digges ; and as the winter snow was .''ist covering the land,
and pancake-ice forming on the sea, there was little time to
be lost in doing so.

The 80th and 31st, the " Pioneer" made fruitless attempts
to reach the " Intrepid." The leads of water were evidently
separating us more and more : she was working in for Wol-
stenholme Sound, whilst we were obliged to edge to the
westward.

September 1st, 1851, came in on us. From the crow's
nest one interminable barrier of ice spread itself around ;
and as the imprisonment of our vessels would have entailed
starvation upon us, it was necessary to make a push, and en-
deavour, by one of us at any rate reaching supplies, to secure
the means of rescue to both.

<-<l

FonrixG Timor an the pa^k.

195

A lucky slackenins; of (ho. ice eii('oiir.'in;eJ us lo outer tho
pack, and wo entered it. It was a lunji and toujih struirszlcr,
sometimes for an hour not making a sliip's K'ligth of liead-
"way, then bursting into a crack of M'ater, which seemed an
ocean by comparison. Screwing and heaving, my gallant
crew working like Britons, now over the stern, booming olf
pieces from the screw as she w(Mit astern for a tVesli rusii at
some obstinate bar; now over the bows, coaxing her sharp
stem into the crack wliich had to be wedged open until the
hull could pass ; now leaping from j/iece to piece of the
broken ice, clearing the lines, resetting the anchors, then
rushing for the ladders, as the vessel cleared tho obstacles,
to prevent being left behind, — light-hearted, obedient, and
zealous, if my heartfelt admiration of them could have
lightened their labours, I should have been glad indeed.
Late in the evening, the "Intrepid" was seen working inside
of Wolstenholme Island : we made fast to a lofty iceberg, to
obtain a good view, for the most promising lead of water;
and the experienced eye of a quarter-master, Joseph Organ,
enabled him to detect the glisten of open water on the ho-
rizon to the westward. For it we accordingly struck through
tho pack. Never were screw and steam more taxed. To
stop was to be beset for the winter, and be starved and
drifted Heaven knows where. An iron stem and a good
engine did the work, — I will not bore the non-professional
reader how. A ^''i!e before midnight the '• Uesolute" and
" Assistance"' were -een, and by four o'clock on the morning
of the 2d September we were alongside of them. Shortly
afterwards our amateurs and visitors left us, and the three
vessels cruised about, waiting for the "Intrepid," it being
generally understood that when she icjoined the squadron
we were to return to England.

We learned that the ships had been in open water as high

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

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as the Gary Islands : thei/ had seen no land on the west side, north
of Cape Clarence. On Cary Islands they had found traces of
the remote visits of whalers, and had shot immense numbers
(about 700) of birds, loons especially. On one occa'>ion they
had been placed in trying circumstances by a gale from the
southward amongst the packed ice, the extraordinary disap-
pearance of which to the northward, was only to be accounted
for by supposing the ice of Baflin's Bay to have been blown
through Smith's Sound into the Polar Sea, a small gateway
for so much ice to escape by. In my opinion, however, the
disappearance of the ice, which a fortnight earlier had spread
over the whole sea between the Arctic Highlands and Jones's
Sound, under the influence of southerly gales, confirmed me
the more strongly in my belief that the north-west portion
of Baffin's Bay is open, and forms no cul-de-sac there any
more than it does in Jones's Sound, Lancaster Sound, or
Pond's Bay.

From Hudson's Straits, in latitude 00° N., to Jones's
Sound, in latitude 76° N., a distance of 900 miles, we find
on the western hand a mass of islands, of every conceivable
shape and size, with long and tortuous channels intersecting
the land in every direction ; yet vain men, anxious to put
barriers in the way of future navigators, draw large con-
tinents, where no one has dared to penetrate to see whether
there be such or not, and block up natural outlets without
cause or reason.

I will now, with the reader's permission, carry him back
to a subject that here and there has been cursorily alluded to
throughout these pages — the Esquimaux traces and ruins,
every where found by us, and the extraordinary chain of
evidence which, commencing in Melville Island, our farthest
west, carries us, link by link, to the isolated inhabitants of
North Greenland, yclept Arctic Highlands.

ESQ UUfA UX TEA CES.

197

Strange and ancient signs were found by us in almost
every sheltered nook on the scalioard of tliis sad and solitary
land, — signs indubituhly of a race liaving once existed, ^vllo
have cither decayed away, or else, more probably, migrated to
more hospitable portions of the Arctic zone. That all these
traces were thc^se of the houses, caches, hunting-posts, and
graves of the Esquimaux, or hmuit, there could be on our
minds no doubt ; and looking to the immense extent of land
over which this extraordinary race of fishermen have been,
and are to be found, well might Captain Washington, the
talented compiler of the Es(|uimaux vocabulary, say, that
they are one " of the most widely-spread nations of the
globe."

The scat of this race (arguing from traditions extant du-
ring Baron Wrangell's travels In Siberia) might be placed in
the north-east extreme of Asia, the western boundary being
ill defined ; for on the dreary banks of the Lena and Indigirka,
along the whole extent of the frozen Tundra, which faces the
Polar Sea, and in the distant isles of New Siberia, rarely
visited by even the bold seekers of fossil ivory, the same
ruinedclrclesof stone, betokening the fonner abode of human
beings, the same whalebone rafters, the same stone axes, the
same implements of the chase, are to be found as to this day
are used, and only used, by the Tchuktches of Behring's Straits,
the Innuit of North America, or the Esquimaux of Hudson's
Straits and Greenland, — a people identical in language (of
which they all speak dillcrent dialects), habits, and disposition.

Supposing, then, that from the east of Asia these people
first migrated to the American continent, and thence, even-
tually wandered to the eastern shores of Greenland, it became
an interesting question to us, how the lands upon our northern
hand, in our passage to the west up Barrow's Strait, should
bear such numerous marks of human location, whereas upon

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ARCTIC JOURNAL.

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the southern side they were comparatively scarce; and how
the natives residiMir in tlic norlhc-n portion of Baflin's Hay
should have been ignorant that their i)rcthren dwelt in great
numhers southward of the glaciers of Melville Bay.

Sonic amongst us — and I was of this number — objected
to the theorv Kumniarilv advanced, that at a remote period
these northern lands had been peopled from the south, and
that the population had perished or wasted away from in-
creased severity of climate or dimiiuition of the means of
subsistence. Our ol)jections were argued on the following
grounds : — If the Parry group had been colonized from the
American continent, that continent, their nursery, -would
have shown signs of a large population at points immediately
in juxtaposition, which it does not do.

From the estuary of the Coppermine to the Great Fish
Itlver, the Esquimaux traces are less numerous than on the
north shore of 13arrow's Strait. To assert that the Esqui
maux have travelled from the American continent to the
bleak shores of Bathurst Island, is to suppose a savage capa-
ble of voluntarily quitting a land of plenty for one of gaimt
famine : on the other hand, it seems unreasonable to attribute
these signs of a by-gone people's existence to some convulsion
of nature, or some awful increase of cold, since no similar
catastrophe has occurred in any other part of the world.
Contrary to such opinions, we opined that the traces were
those of a vast and prolonged emigration, and that it could
be shown, on very fair premises, that a huge number of the
Innuit, Skrailing, or Esquimaux — call them what you please
— had travelled from Asia to the eastward along a much
higher parallel of latitude than the American continent, and,
in their very natural search for the most hospitable region,
had gone from the north to2vards the south, not from the south
towards the north, or, what may yet one day be laid open to

ESQ LIMA UX TRA CES.

199

the worlJ, reached a liigli nortlieni latitude, in Nvliloh a deep
and uncongcah'blc sea gives rise to a milder climate and an
increased amount of the capabilities of subsistence.

I 'will now lightly sketch the probable route, of the Esqui-
maux emigration, as I believe it to have taken place in the
north-east of Asia. The Tchuktches, the only independent
tribe in Siberia, arc seen to assume, amongst that portiun
of them residing on the sea-coast, habits closely analogous to
those of the Esqnimaux. The hunters of Siberia tell how a
similar race, the Omoki, '• whose hearths were once more
numerous on the banks of the Lena than the stars of an Arctic
night," are gone, none know whither. The natives now
living in the neighbourhood of Cape Chelajskoi, in Siberia,
aver that emigration to a land in the nor(h-cast had occurred
within the memory of their fathers ; and amongst other cases
we find them telling Wrangell, that the Onkillon tribe had
once occupied that land, but, being attacked by the Tchuktches,
thcv, headed bv a chief called Krachnoi, had taken shelter in
the land visible northward from Cape Jakan.

This land, Wrangell and others did not then believe in.
British seamen have, however, proved the assertion to be a
fact; and Captains Kellett and Moore have found "an exten-
sive land" in the very direction the Siberian fishermen declared
it to exist. Il is not my purpose to enter into a disquisition
upon the causes M'hich brought about this emigration. Sad
and bitter necessity alone it must have been which thrust
these poor members of the human family into localities
which, even in Asia, caused the Russians to exclaim, " What
could have led men to forsake more favom-ed lands for this
grave of Nature '?" Choice it coidd not have been, for, in
America, we see that the Esquimaux has struggled hard to
reach southern and genial climes. In the Aleutian Isles, and
on the coast of Labrador, local circumstances favoured the

./->

'^H

200

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

m :

•*.

.J ' »' ' 'I

attempt, and the Indian hunter was iinaLle to subsist in lands
which were, comparatively, overflowing with subsistence for
the Arctic fishermen ; but elsewhere the bloodthirsty races
of North America obliged the human tide, which for some
wise cause was made to roll alon<^ the mari>in of the Polar
Sea, to confine itself purely to the sea-coast ; and although
vast tracts, such as the barren grounds between longitudes
99*^ and 109" W., arc at the present day almost untenanted,
still a suflicient population remains to show that an emigra-
tion of these tribes had taken place there at a remote period.

These people reached, in time, the shores ol' Davis's
Straits and the Atlantic Ocean; and, in a line parallel to
them, others of their l)rethren who reached the land lately
re-discovered, northward of Behring's Straits, may have
likewise wandered along the Parry Group to Lancaster
Sound.

hi order to have done this, land must be presumed to
extend from the meridian of Behring's Straits to ^lelville
Island, — a point upon which few who study the geogi'a[>hy
of that region can have now a doubt; and eminent men havo
long supposed it to be the case,* from various phenomena,
such as the shallow nature of the sea between the ^Mackenzie
lliver and Bchring's Straits, and the non-appearance of heavy
ice in that direction — all indicating that a barrier lay north-
ward of the American continent. The gallant squadron,
under Captains Collinson and ^MTlun^, will, doubtless, solvo
this problem, and connect, either by a continent or a chain
of islands, the ruined yourts of Capo Jakan with the time-
worn stone huts of ^Melville Island.

* The present talented hydrogrni)licr of the navy, Sir F. Beau-
fort, foretold to llio author, a year before it was discovered, tho
exihtcnco of land north of Behrin{^'s Straits.

ESQ riJIA rX TRA CES.

201

Hcau-

Situated as these places arc, under the same degree of
latitude, the savage, guided by the length of his seasons and
the periodical arrival of bird and l)east, would fearlessly
progress along the north shore of the great strait, which may
be said to extend from Lancaster Sound to the Straits of
Behring. This progress was, doubtless, a work of centuries,
but gradual, constant, and imperative. The seal, the rein-
deer, and the whale, all desert or avoid places where man or
beast wages war on them whilst multiplying their species,
and have to be Ibllowed, as we find to be the case w ith our
hunters, sealers, and whalers of the present day.

As the northern Es(|uimnux travelled to the east, oflshoots
fi'om the main body no doubt struck to the southward. For
instance, there is every reason to believe Boothia to have
been originally peopled from the north. The natives seen
there by Sir John lioss spoke of their fathers having fished
and lived in more northern lands. Thev described the shores
of North Somerset sufiiciently to show that they knew that it
was only by rounding Cape Bunny, that lioss could carry his
vessel into that western sea, from whose waters an isthmus
barred him : and this knowledge, traditional as I believe it to
have been, has since been proved to be correct by those who
wintered in Leopold Harbour finding Esquimaux traces about
that neighbourhood, and by the foot journey of Sir James
Ross, in 184S, round Cape Bunny towards the Magnetic
Pole.

In corroboration of my idea that these inhabitants of the
Arctic zone were once very numerous along the north shore
of Barrow's Strait and Lancaster Sound, the following local-
ities were found to abound with ruins: — The gulf })etwcen
Bathurst and Cornwallis Land, the whole soutinTU shore of
Cornwallis Island, Wellington Channel, Cape Spenser, and
Cape Riley ; Radstock Bay, Ommanney Harbour, neai Cape

r t ^ .r-

202

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

Warrcnder, where the "Intrepid" discovered numerous well-
fiiiishcd graves, bearing the marks of a comjxirativehj more
recent date. Passing Cape Warrcnder, I supposed tho
remnant of the northern emigration from Asia to have stiil
travelled round the coast ; the more so, as at Jones's Sound,
the only spot one of our officers happened to land upon,
Esquimaux had evidently once lived. ( Vide page 173.) Tiie
Arctic IJighlander, Erasmus York, who was serving in our
squadron, seemed to believe his mother to have dwelt about
Smith's Sound : all his ideas of things that he had heard of,
but not seen, referred to places northward. He knew a
musk-ox when shown a skeiv-h of one, and said that thev
were spoken of by his brethren : with a pencil he cuuld
sketch the coast-line northward oi where he embarked, Cape
York, as far as Whale Sound, or even farther, by tradition ;
but souUiwurd he knew of nothing.

Old whale-fishermen say that, when in former days their
pursuit carried them into the head of Baffin's Bay, they found
the natives numerous ; and it is undoubted that, in spite of
an apparently severe mortality amongst these Arctic High-
landers, t)r Northern Esquimaux, the stock is not yet extinct.
Every whaler who has visited the coast northward of Capo
York, during late years, reports deserted villages and dead
bodies, as if some sudden epidemic had cut down men and
women suddenly and in their prime. Our squadron foimd
the same thing. The " Inlrepid's" j^eople found in the luits
of the natives which were situated dose to the winter quarters
of the "North Star," in Wolstenholme Sound, numerous
corpses, unburied, indeed, as if the poor creatures had been
suddenly cut off, and their brethren had fled fioni them.
Poor York, who, amongst tho dead, recognized his own
brother, described the malady of which they died as one of
the chest or lungs: nt any rate, the mortality was groat.

ESQ LIMA UX TRA CES.

203

Where did the supply of human life come from ? Not
from the south, for then the Northern and Southern Esqui.
maux would have known of each other's existence. Yet the
Southern Esquimaux have faint traditions of the head of
Baffin's Bay and Lancaster Sound ; and Egede and Crantz
tell us of their belief in a nortlicrn origin, and of their tales
of remote regions where beacons on hills had been erected to
denote the way. Surely all this points to the long and land-
ward route pursued by this extraordinary people.

It may be quite possible that a portion of the Esquimaux
crossed Davis's Straits by accident from the west to the east:
such things have occurred within the memorv of livinir men ;
but I deny that it would ever be a voluntary act, and there-
fore unlikely to have led to the population ^j'l South Green-
land. A single hunter of seals, or more, might have been
caught in the ice and been drifted across, or u boat's load of
women may have been similarly obliged to perform a voyage
which would have been very disfnsteful to an Esquimaux ;
but such accidents do not populate i-ouiitries.

Lastly, before I quit this subject, it would be as well to
call the attention of those interested in such questions to the
extraordinary fact of the existence of a constantly starving
race upon the cafit side of Greenland. The Danish surveyors
(Capt. Graah) remarks lead me to the opinion that these
people come from more northern parts of their own side of
Greenland ; and it would be a curious circumstance if future
geographical discoveries should give us grounds to believe
t.hat from the neighbourhood of Smith's Soiuid the Esquimaux
migration divided, and the one branch of it followed down
the shores of Baffin's Bay and Davis's Straits, whilst the
other, tracing the northern coasts of Greenland, eventually
descended by the eastern seaboard to Cape Farewell. The
nursery, the hot-bed of this race, I believe to exist northward

204

ARCTIC JOURXAL.

h »

!'.»■

of spots visited by us in Baffin's Strait, — for V)ay it is not,
even if it had no other outlets into the Polar Sea than Lan-
caster, Jones's, and Smith's Sound.

Revenons a nos moutons ! The 2d, 3d, and 4th of Sep-
tenfiber passed with much anxiety ; the signals thrown out
by our leader, " Where do you think the ' Intrepid' is gone ?"
and on another occasion, " Do you think the ' Intrepid' is to
leeward of the pack ?" denoting how much he was thinking
of the missing steamer. We of the sister screw had little
anxiety as to her safety or capability of escaping through
any pack ; especially when alone and unhampered by having
to keep company. A knowledge of the screw, its power, and
handiness, gave us a confidence in it, which we had never
reason to regret. At first we had been pitied, as men doomed
to be cast away : wo had since learned to pity others, and to
be envied in our safe vessels. The "great experiment," as it
was called, had succeeded, in spite of the forebodings of the
ignorant and the half-measured doubts of cjuestionable friends;
but its crowning triumph was vet to come : the. shtffh sfeamo'

Ola. »'

was, alone, unaided, to penetrate the pack and seek her miss-
ing mate. Find her, if she could; if not, winter, and seek
with foot parties, both this autumn and next spring.

There was a momentary pang of regret on the morning
of the 5th Se])tember, when I first learned that the "Pioneer"
was to return into Wolstenholmc Sound with provisions suffi-
cient for herself and the " Intrepid"' to meet two winters
more ; but [)ride soon, both with myself and my officers and
men, came to the rescue. The " Intrepid" might have been
caught, and unable to extricate herself. Of course it was an
honourable mission to go to the aid of our comrades, to givo
them the means of subsistence, to spend the winter with
them, and, please (jlt)d, escape next season, if not before,
from the disagreeable position into which our summer tour in

'<,'

SEARCH FOR THE " IXTREPWr

205

ikU

isiilli-
uters

and
iii'cn
as an

givo
with

Baffin's Bay had carried us : and furthermore, the screws,
helpless babes ! were to winter alone, alone to find tlieir way
in and out of the ice, and alone make their way iiome,
whilst the huge incubi that had ridden us like niglitmaros du-
ring the search for Franklin would be (I). V.) safely lashed
in Woolwich dockyard.

The 5th was spent in sending away all our sickly or weak
hands, increasing the complement of seamen by four, receiv-
ing abundance of public and private stores, bidding good-bye
to our dear brother officers in the squadron, and frien<ls, who
generously pressed upon us every thing they had to spare, in
which they were not more generous than our leader, who put,
with the utmost liberality, both his kit and storeroom at out-
disposal. The "Pioneer" was by midnight as deep as a
sand-barge. Next morning the commodore came on board,
gave me highly flattering orders, and, having read prayers,
made a speech, in which ho took an aflectionate farewell of
the '' Pioneers," and struck with happy efloct the two strongest
chords in our hearts, thus : — " You hold," said he, " Pioneers,
the honour of the squadron in your hands. I thank you all
for the alacrity and spirit with which you have pr«'pared
yourselves to re-enter the ice. You shall be no losers by it ;
and on my arrival in England I will take care to insure that
you are not forgotten in rewards: indeed, I shall consider
that you have the first claim, provided your commander, on
his arrival in England, reports favourably on your conduct."
At eight o'clock we parted c(unpany, and, under sail and
steam, steered direct for Wolstenholme Island.

A little after ten o'clock wc broke through a neck of ice,
and had just put the helm up to run down a lead, when,
happening to look over my shoulder at the " Resolute," now
hull down to the westward, I was astonished to see what ap-
peared the smoko of a gun, and soon afterwards another, and

206

ARCTIC JOURNAL

another. The general recall at the mast-head was next scon,
and the " Assistance," under all sail, pressing to the south,
showed that the " Intrepid"' had been caught sight of. Joy
was strongly marked on every countenance as we turned on
our heel, and one exclamation — "Thank God for our escape
from a second winter," was on every tongue. It would have
Wen indeed an unprofitr/nle detention to have been caught
in Wolstenholmc Sound by the pack, as we undoubtedly
should have been, svhilst the vessel we went to relieve was
safe without it. However, the evil was now averted ; the
whole squadron was united, my provisions, men, and stores
again taken out, and a memorandum issued, the purport of
which was that we were to go to Woolwich. At eight
o'clock the yards were squared, sails spread, and homeward
we steered.

Fresh and fair gales, a sea entirely clear of all but stray
icebergs, and here and there a patch of broken ice, gave us
nothing to do but endeavour to reduce our speed sufliciently
under canvas to insure not outrunning our consorts. \\\
eight days we reached the latitude of Cape Farewell. Once
in the Atlantic, strong gales and dark nights rendered it
impossible for such ill-matched consorts to keep company,
and we found ourselves alone, sighting the Orkneys fourteen
days after bearing up from the latitude of AVolstenholme
Island in Baflln's Bay, and anchored at Grimsliy in the river
Ilumber, exactly three weeks from the commencement of
our homeward-bound voyage. The rest of the squadron
followed us to Woolwich, where all were paid olF sale and
sound, with the exception of one man, the only one missing
out of the original one hundred and eighty officers and men
who had sailed in 1850, under Captain Horatio T. Austin,
c. B., to rescue or solve the fate of the expedition com-
mandcd by Captain Sir John Franklin.

i^^

OPIXIOy OP FBTEyDS AND THE PUBLIC.

207

Our self-importance as Arctic heroes of the first water
received a sad downfall when we were first asked by a kind
friend, what the deuce we came home for ? We had a jrood
many hecauses ready, but he overturned them altogt'thor;
so we had resort to the usual resource of men insudi a posi-
tion: we said, '• Tiicro was a barrier of ice across Welling-
ton Channel in 1850." Our friend said, "I deny it was a
permanent one, for the Americans drifted through it !" " In-
deed !" we exclaimed, "at any rate there was one there in
1851." "Yes, granted, on the 12th of August; but you
know there was a month of open season left: and, like an
honest man, say how long it would take for that barrier,
fifteen or twenty miles wide, to disperse." " As many
hours!"' was our reply: "and we have f(^rsworn in future
barriers of ice as well as barriers of land."

What the deuce we came home for? and why we deserted
Franklin? were pleasant questions; and at first we felt
inclined to be angry. Those, however, who asked them
had cause and reason for doing so. We were in the dark as
to much that had been arrived at in England. We knew
but of our own limited personal experience, and had had
neither time nor opportunity to compare notes with others.
The public at home sat down with the accumulated evidence
of two British expeditions and an American one. They
passed a verdict that Franklin had gone up Wellington
Channel, and that, having gone up there, in obedience to his
country's orders, it was the duty of that country to send
after him, save him, or solve his fate. I f)r one knew I
had done my duty in the sphere allotted to me, although
feeling at first that the public verdict reflected somewhat
upon me as well as others. But " Vox populi, vox Dei."
I bowed tacitly to its decision, until attempts were made to
damp the hopes of the more sanguine, — in fact, to save our

208

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

credit at the expense of Franklin's existence. It -vvas time
then to reconsider in all its points the subject of iu; ther
search, to compare my own recent impression of things %vilh
facts that were now before the world, and' then to judge fur
myself whether any one had a right to declaim against
farther efforts to save Franklin's expedition.

Need I say I found none. On comparing the informa-
tion, the phenomena observed in our own squadron with
those of Captain Penny's, and the Americans under Lieu-
tenant Dc Haven, I saw more and more clearly that a north-
ern sea, an open water, must have been close to us in 1850
and 1851, when we were about Wellington Channel; that
that sea was not blocked M'ith ice in 1850, as we had igno-
rantly supposed ; and that as assuredly as it was proved
that Sir John Franklin had not gone to Cape Walker, nor
disobeyed his orders by going to Melville Island, so certain
did it now become that up Wellington Channel he had
steered to that open sea, which, whether limited or encircling
the Pole, it was his object to enter. It was water and an
open sea that Franklin wanted to achieve the North-west
Passage ; and there it \vas before him. Can any one sup-
pose him, accuse him, capable of hesitating to enter it 1

Those who will not admit this, have recourse to two
infallible Arctic solutions for the dilemma in which they are
))laced; it must be either an impenetrable barrier of ice in
W^ellington Channel, or the ships must have been beset in
the pack, and have perished, without God's providence help-
ing them, as it has helped all others similarly placed, without
leaving a single survivor or a vestige of any description.
No such wholesale calamity is on record.

Let us inquire into this barrier of ice in Wellington
Channel. Twice had Parry seen the channel, in 1819 and
1820 ; he saw no barrier then. We reached it in the fall

CIlAyCES OF FUTURE SICCESS.

200

of 1850, after a very backward and severe summer, with
winter fast closing in upon us. We saw long flights of birds
retreating from their summer breeding-places somewhere
beyond the broad fields of ice that lay athwart its channel.
"We wondered at the numerous shoals of white whale passing,
from some unknown northern region, southward to more
gonial climes. We talked of fixed ice, yet in one day twelvo
miles of it came away, and nearly beset us amongst its
fragments. We heard Captain Penny's report that thero
was water to be seen north of the remaining belt, of about
ten miles in width. We were like deaf adders ; we were
obstinate, and went into winter quarters under (jriflith's
Island, believing that nothing more could be done, because
a barrier of fixed ice extended across Wellington Channel!
We were miserably mistaken.

The expedition under Lieutenant De Haven was then drift-
ing slowly over the place where we, in our ignorance, had
placed fixed ice in our charts ; and to them likewise the
wisdom of an all-merciful Providence revealed the fact of a
northern sea of open water, that they might be additional
witnesses in the hour of need. We cannot do better than
read the plain unvarnished tale of the gallant American — a
tale of calm heroism under no ordinary trials, which stamps
the document as the truthful narration of a gentleman and a
sailor. He says, after describing the being beset by young
ice in the mouth of AVellington Channel, and drifting north-
ward, owing to southerly winds, —

"On the 18th September we were above Cape Bowden.
.... To account for this drift, the fixed ice of Wellington
Channel, which we had observed in passing to the ivesttmrd^
must have been broken up, and driven to the soutliward by
the heavy gale the 12th (September).

" We continued to drift slowly to the N. N. W. until the

210

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

22d, when our progress appeared to be arrested by a small
low island, which was discovered about seven miles distant.

li '^K

r.t*'ili

'■''Between Cormoallis Island and some distant high land
visible in the north, appeared a wide channel^ leading to the
westivard. A dark, misty-looking cloud which hung over it
(technically termed frost-smoke) was indicative of much open
water in that direction.

" Nor was the open water the only indication that pre-
sented itself in confirmation of theoretical conjecture as to a
milder climate in that direction. As we entered Wellington
Channel the signs of animal life became more abundant."

So much, then, for the barrier of ice in Wellington Chan-
nel in 1850. Let us now speak of what was there in 1851.
On the 11th of August about as much fixed floe was remain-
ing in Wellington Channel as had been found by us on the
previous year, a month later in the season. On that occasion,
late as it was, we have the evidence of Lieutenant De Haven
to prove the channel opened : why should we doubt it doing
so in 1851 1 An open sea existed on both p' ies of a belt of
ice, rotten, full of holes, unfit to travel ^ver (as Penny's
officers reported it), full thirty days before the winter set in ;
is there an Arctic navigator hardy enough to say he believes
that that belt would have been found there on the next
spring-tiae after our squadron was liberated from Grlflith's
Island ] Then, I repeat, if it is allowed that Wellington
Ohannel was open in 1819, 1820, 1850, and 1851, it is natu-
ral to infer that it was open when Franklin wished to pass
through it in 184G, and that, under such circumstances, he
would, in obedience to his orders, have gone by it to the
N.W.

The day has not long passed by when it was tried to be
proved, on undoubted testimony^ that Barrow's Strait was

CHAXCES OF FUTURE SUCCESS.

211

in;

I
i

barred with the accumiilater] ice of vears, — and this in the
face of an autumnal drift of a naval squadron for .*>50 miles
in the pack of Lancaster. \Vhat say tiiese barrier-builders
to the winter drift of the American schooners under Lieu-
tenant Dc Haven? Does his marvellous cruise teach us
nothing? Between the 1st of November. 1850, and the (5th
of June, lvS51, his squadron was swept in one vast field of
ice from the upper part of Wellington Channel to the south-
ward of Cape Walsinghain, in Davis's Straits, through a tor-

tuous route of full 1000 miles ! Yes, reader, tl

les-

cue"' and "Advance" were beset in vounu bav-ice in and
about Wellington Channel ; but during the winter, amidst
the darkness, air.idst fierce gales, when the God of storms
alone could and did shi<dd those brave barks, they and
the ice in which tliey had been beset, moved, with few pauses,
steadily and slowly to the Atlantic Ocean, and reached it
by the summer of the following year.

It is true, our expedition was prevented, by ice, from ad-
vancing to the west of GriHlth's Island. But let it not be
supposed that we came, in that direction, upon any Jixed bar
of ice or interminable floe-edge : far otherwise ; for when, as
I have elsewhere said, Lieutenant Aid rich was sent, a few
days after our arrival at winter quarters, to travel <»n foot to
Lowther Island, he found the task a ho])eless one, as ivatcr,
bay-ice, and a broken pacU, lay between Somerville Island
and it. We, likewise, in our spring journeys, found ice,
smooth as glass, formed, evidently during the past winter,
surrounding Lowther Island. It was traced bv Lieutenant
M'Clintock, leading, in exactly the form of the lead of water
found in 1819 and 1S'20 by Sir E. Parry, in his voyage to
Winter Island ; and there can be little doubt, that, beyond
the floe-pieces which choked the channel between Griffith's
Island and Cape Bunny, we should, in 1850, have found

212

ARCTIC JOURNAL.

water leading us to Winter Hnrljour, and up the noble chan-
nel north of Jjvani Martin Island.

Enough of icy barj-iers. I do not believe in Nature bar-
ing placed such lixtures on the " vasty deep ;" but I am ready
to allow that there arc places in Nvhich accumulations of ice
naturally exist, and where the ice moves away less rapidly
than in other parts. By looking at the chart, and talving into
consideration the geographical conformation of such spots,
the cause will at once appear.

In a line across the head of Davis's Straits, the pack hangs,
because it is there met, in its downward course, by the whole
weight of the Atlantic Sea, and strong southerly gules blow-
ing up that funnel-shaped strait. About Leopold Island the
pack hangs, for it is acted upon by the cross-tides of Welling-
ton Channel and Regent's Inlet running athwart those of Bar-
row's Strait, and forming a sort of eddy, or still water. This
occurs aijain in the elbow of Wellinfrton Channel, and between
Griffith's Island and Cape Bunny, where a narrowing strait,
and the cross-tide of the channel towards the American coast,
tie up the broad floes formed in the great water-space west of
that point ; and lastly, a similar choke takes place, apparently
off the S. W. extreme of Melville Island.

Failing in barriers, these Job's comforters dismiss the
subject by swallowing up the " Erebus" and "Terror," hull,
masts, sails, and crew, in some especially infernal tempest or
convulsion executed for the occasion : thev — the Job's coYn-
forters — have no similar case to adduce in proof of such a
catastrophe. Every body who goes to the frozen regions
tells of the hairbreadth escapes and imminent dangers attend-
ant on Arctic navigation. I am free to acknowledge, I have
" piled the agony" to make my work sell. Behold the " Pio-
neer" in a nip in Melville Bay ; the " Resolute" thumping
the pack off Griffith's Island ; the "Assistance" holding on to

CHAXCES OF FUTURE SUCCESS.

213

a floc-cdgc Nvllh a moving one threateninir to sink her; and
the "Iiitrei>id" on the slope of an iceberg, high and dry : yet
all arc safe and sound in Woolwich dockyard: the brigs, " Kes-
cue" and '-Advance," beset fur 2GT davs, driftinjj during a
Polar winter 1150 miles, enduring all possible hardship and
risk, yet both vessels and men are safe and sound. Captain
Penny's two vessels, the "Lady Franklin" and '' Sophia," if
their figure-heads could speak, would "a tale unfold." Not
the most extraordinary part of their adventures was, lieing
caught in a gale in a bay on the coast of Greenland, and being
forced by a moving iceberg through a field of ice full three
feet thick, the vessels rearing and plunging through it; yet
they are all safe and sou;id. The " North Star," the " Enter-
prise," and "Investigator," and farther back, the "Terror,"
farther still, the "Dorothea" and "Trent," have, with many
more we could enumerate, seen no ordinary Arctic dangers ;
but, thanks to a merciful Providence, unattended with loss
of life. Why, therefore, in the name of charity, consign
those who are dear to us, as relatives, friends, or country-
men, to sudden death in the dark waters of Lancaster Sound
or Baffin's Bay. No one who knew the men of that gallant
squadron would so libel the leader, or his officers, as to sup-
pose them to have turned back when at the threshold of
their labours : if he does so, he does them foul injustice.
And against such I appeal, in the name of that humanity
which was never invoked in vain in a Christian land.

Give the lost ones the benefit of the doubt, if there is one
on your minds. Let not selfish indiflerence to your fellow-
creatures' fate induce you to dismiss the question by adopting
any of the horrible opinions to which unfeeling men have
given utterance. True it is, they are in sad peril ; true it is,
they have suffered long and much ; true it is. that many may
have fallen by the way : but the remnant, however small, of

214

ARCTIC JOURXAL.

1 1

that heroic band, be assured, l)y one who knew many of them
intimately and dearly, will despair not, but, tiustiui^f in their
God, their Queen, and eountry, they will cling to hope with
life's latest breath.

They have done their dutv : let us not l)e wnntini; in ours.
The rescue of Franklin's s(iuadioii, or the solution of their
fate, entails no extraoidinary risk of life upon the part of
those employed in the search. Insurances to any amount —
and I speak from a knowledge of the fact — may be ellected
in the various insurance ofliccs in London with a lighter
premium than is demanded for the Bights of Benin or Ben-
gal. This is a pretty good test, and a sound practical one,
too, of the much-talkcd-of dangers of Polar navigation. Ships
are often lost ; but the very floe which by its pressure sinks
the vessel saves the crew.

In short, we have every thing to stimulate Arctic explo-
ration. No loss of life ; (for Franklin it will be time enough
to mourn when we know he is not of the living ;) the won-
derful proofs lately acquired of a Polar sea ; the undoubted
existence of animal life in regions which were previously
supposed to bo incapable of supporting animal life ; the
result of the deeply philosophical inquiries of the talented
geographer, ^Ir. Peterman, which seem to establish the fact
of an open Polar sea during the severest season of the year;
and lastly, the existence of Esquimaux in a high northern
hititude in Baflin's Bay, who appear to be so isolated, and so
unconnected with their brethren of South (Greenland, as to
justify us in connecting them rather with the numerous
ruined habitations found westward as far as Melville Island,
and lead the mind to speculate upon some more noMtiern
region, — some krra incor/niia, yet to be visited by us, —
encourages us, aye, urges us not to halt in our explo-
ration. Humanity and science are united in tiie cause :

CHANCES OF FUTURE SUCCESS.

215

■ yofir ;

and so
as to

llUM'OUS

Island,
hilhoin

VIS. —
l'X[>lo-

k'uusc :

where one falters, let a love for the other encourage us to
persevere.

Franklin and hU matchless followers need no culoiiv
from me ; the sufferings they must have undergone, the mys-
tery that hangs over them, are on every tonu;uo in evtrv
civilized land.

The blooming child lisps Franklin's name, as with glis-
tening eye and greedy car it hears of the won<leis of the
North, and the brave deeds there done. Youth's liosom
glows with genero\is emotion to emulate the fame of him
who has gone where none as yet have followed. And who
amongst us does not feel his heart throb fister in n'ealling
to recollection the calm heroism of the veteran leader, who,
when about to enter the unknown regions of whieh Welling-
ton Channel is the portal, addressed his crews in tliosc solemn
and emphatic words ot' Holy Writ, — his motto, doubtless, —
"Choose ye this day whom you will serve;'' and f»und in
that blissful ehoice his strength and his endurance.

To rescue even one life were surely well worthy our best
endeavours ; but if it si; please an all-mereifid Providence
that aid should reach Franklin's ^hips too late to save evtMi
that one, yet would we have fulfdled a high and imperative
duty : and would it be no holy satisfaction to trace the last
resting-place of those gallant spirits ? to recover the records,
there as>uredly to be found, of their manly struggle, luider
hardships and dilficulties, in achieving that \orth-west Pas-
sage, in the execution (;f which they liad laid down lliilr
lives] and to l)ring back to their surviving relatives and
friends those last kind messages ot' love, wliiih show tint
sincere alfection and stern sense of duty sprang from one
source in their gallant and generous hearts \

Yes, of course it would. Tlien, and not till then — taking
this, the gloomiest view of the subject — shall we have done

tl6

ARCTIC JOURy-AL.

our duty towards the captains, officers, and crews of Her
Majesty's ships " Erebus" and " Terror ;" and then, and not
until then, of their honoured leader we may safely say :—

" His soul to Him who gave it rose ;
God led its long repose,

Its glorious rest!
And thoiigh the warrior's sun has set,
Its light shall linger round us yet,
Bright, radiant, blest!"

f/i .

;^i

THE END.

f Her
id not