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JkltO, M.S; JOHN CHURCHILL, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. ■i'.^-M^^ ''.^•■" -lit 18(K>. ■ vv. ii'V0-': *%. .»u K Uf !' ^KJ n^fK^t mmbom: pbintei) by j. miles amd 00. wabdoub stbebt, ozvobd st. -^*»^1^ 3TREXT, OZVOBD ST. P « ^ ta ii S o i§ o w - ^ •-3 n 2i " \ \ SC3SS V " Turn to Dr. King's Conjectural Map of '45, by which he sustained his views of the position of The Franklin Expedition, and to the subsequent Admiralty Chart of '59, and mark how wonderftilly his geographical arguments were proved true by the vouchers of the Admiralty itself."— iSun, 3 Oct. '59. H s 0) UJ u) cL D h O uJ 2 O o z tup J { a S ^ > 17, Savile Row, 20 January '60. My Lord Duke, — I venture to solicit [your Grace's most earnest attention to the [following proposal for the despatch of a party [upon a land journey for the purpose of com- pleting the search for the remains, and pos- lible survivors, of The Franklin Expedition. As your Grace may enquire upon what [grounds I address you, in reference to a iBubject which has been dealt with by another department, I venture to observe that almost jail Polar Land Journeys, properly so called, [that have been despatched under the com- land of ofl&cers appointed by the Crown, have )een undertaken under directions emanating rom the Secretary of State for the Colonies, ind in now pressing upon your Grace the expediency of a further search for the remains >f The Frankhn Expedition, to be accom- )Ushed by means of a land journey from the continent of America, I do not propose that ^our Grace should assume a responsibility lat has not been accepted by former lecretaries of State, under circumstances |f far less pressing importance than the present. Before submitting the particulars of the U «,:( 4 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION plan I am about to propose, as well as the grounds upon which I urge its adoption, I think it but right to lay before your Grace such particulars respecting my services in connexion with the Polar regions, as shall show that my plan is not that of a crude speculator, but is based upon the experience acquired by actual service in the precise locality where some remains of Franklin's companions have been found ; and it is now certain, if Her Majesty's Government had accepted my offer, four tirtus m^de in '47, and repeated in '48, to proceed to that very spot, a large portion of The Franklin Expedition would be alive and at home. In the years '33-5 I was the medical ofl&cer to the party despatched upon the Polar Land Journey in search of Sir John Ross, and, for a considerable period I commanded that party, which descended Great Fish River, and explored a portion of the coast of America at the mouth of that stream. The knowledge I then acquired led me to entertain views, in regard to the position of the North-west Passage, which were at variance with the opinions expressed by other Polar travellers, but which have since '*-^-^.: DITION FROM FIRST TO LAST. as well as the its adoption, I ore your Grace my services in egions, as shall hat of a crude 1 the experience in the precise s of Franklin's ; and it is now overnment had m/ide in '47 j and 3 that very spot, klin Expedition TB.& the medical i upon the Polar Sir John Ross, >d I commanded ed Great Fish on of the coast lat stream, uired led me to the position of which were at 3 expressed by bich have since been proved by subsequent discoveries to be entirely correct. In proof of this statement I may observe that in the year '45 I published a con- jectural chart, enclosed herewith and marked A, showing the position in which I then assupied the existence of a North-west. passage. The accuracy of my views in that respect is evidenced by the accompanying reduced copy marked B, of the present Admiralty chart, showing that the passage is situated in the position which I assigned tO' it, fifteen years since. Within two years after the departure of the Erebus and Terror under the command of Sir John Franklin, in the year '45, I pointed out to Her Majesty's Government the position in which those ships were then probably ice-bound or lost, the direction of the journey which, in my opinion, the- crews would thereupon take, and the only certain and available way of conveying, succour to them, by means of a laud journey down Great Fish River and through the country, with which I was familiar. Most unfortunately, as subsequent events proved, my views had no weight with Her A3 i « THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION f^ m w Majesty's Government, my offers of service v?rere declined. Year after year, with occa- sional intervals, I repeated them, and urged the inexpensive nature of the journey I pro- posed. Year after year, while fruitless expedi- tions by sea were dispatched at a cost of about J. 2,000,000, my offers were declined. The nature of these offers will be perceived upon an inspection of the following chronological table of events, in connexion with The Franklin Expedition, which also shows the remarkable manner in which my views have now been proved to be correct, by the dis- coveries of Rae, Anderson, and M'Clintock. In this table the several events are noticed in consecutive order, according to the dates when they occured, but it must be borne in mind that the particular events, of which the notices are here italicised, were not known in this country until some years subsequently to the periods, when they respectively took place. — h 1845. The Franklin Expedition composed of the ships Erebus and Terror, sail in search of the North-west Passage. FROM FIRST TO LAST. T 1846. The Expedition ivinters at Beechy Island. 1846. September 12. The Expedition is heset in the ice^ and winters 1 5 miles north-west of King William Land. 1847. June 10. I offer to Her Majesty's Government to lead a party by Great Fish Kiver to the western land of North Somerset,^ which I assign as the position of the missing Expedition. 1847. June 11. Sir John FravMin dies on hoard his ship 15 miles north-west of King William Land. 1847. November 11. I inform Her Majesty's Government that, " To the Western land of North Somerset, " where, I maintain, Sir John Franklin will " be found, the Great Fish River is the " direct and only route," and I offer to lead a party by Great Fish River, to reach that land, before the close of the summer of '48. 1 King William Land is an island lying off the irestem land of North Somerset. 8. THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION i !> 1847. December 8. I urge the same views on Her Majesty's Government. 1847. December 16. I urge the same views on Her Majesty's Government. 1848. Fehrmry. I repeat the proposal to reach the Western Land of North Somerset, by Great Fish River, before the close of the summer of '48. 1848. March 3. I repeat the proposal to reach the Western Land of North Somerset, by Great Fish River, before the close of the summer of '48. 1848. April 26. One hundred and five men land from the deserted ships Erehus and Tenor^ upon the western coast of King William Landj and com- mence tlieir march for Great Fish Biver. 1850. Fehrmry IS. I inform Her Majesty's Government that, All that has been done by way of search since February '48, tends to draw attention " closer and closer to the Western Land of " North Somerset, as the position of Sir John " Franklin, and Great Fish River as the, C( (( FROM FIRST TO LAST. J (( high road to reach it," and I repeat the same proposal as before. 1850. Spring of the Year. Forty white men are seen hy the Esquimaux on King William Land, and the bodies of thirty- five were suhsequ£nly seen also hy the Esquimaux near the mouth of Great Fish River. 1866. August. Mr. Anderson, the leader of a party des- patched down Great Fish River by tlie Hudson Bay Company, at the expense of Her Majesty's Government, finds traces of the missing Expedition, at Montreal Island. 1856. January 23. I point out the unsatisfactory nature of the search made by Mr. Anderson and I offer for the fifth time, to Her Majesty's Government, to conduct a search down Great Fish River. 1856. Traces are seen, hy Indians, of fresh encampments of ten or twelve men, near the \locality where Mr. Anderson turned bach in '55. 1866. December 8. I propose in conjunction with Commander Bedford Pirn, R.N. a joint sea and land search of the mouth of Great Fish River. '■•"^"•(Bmnuw^., fi 10 THE FRANKLIN FXPEDITION 1867. February 15. I make a further proposal to a similar efifect. Upon a perusal of the foregoing table your Grace will observe that in the year '47 I four times implored Her Majesty's Govern- ment to undertake a search by a land journey down Great Fish River to King William Land, that if any of these proposals had been acceeded to, the survivors of the Expedition, who deserted their vessels and commenced their journey over the ice, in the spring of '48, would have been met, in their passage to the south, by the party in search, and that some of them at least, together with the records of the Expedition would have been saved, and the enormous cost of subsequent Expeditions would have been spared ; also, that if my proposals of '48 and '60 had been carried into effect, there is a strong pro- 1 bability that some survivor might even then have been found and saved from a horrible death ; and further, that the information that first reached England as to the fate of the Expedition, was obtained as the result of land journeys despatched by the same route, PEDITION FROM FIRST TO LAST. 11 i and in the same economical manner as I had urged although with such Httle success. I have entered into these details for the urpose of showing that I am justified in xpressing my opinions respecting the missing xpedition, its possible survivors, and its still to be discovered records, with the authority of a traveller, whose views, hitherto expressed upon the same subject have been incontestably found to be correct, although ihey were met, at the time when they were promulgated, with the determined opposition f the advisers of Her Majesty's Govem- ent. The question now for consideration s as follows, viz. — Is there such & reasonable probability of ihe discovery either of any survivors of the missing Expedition, or of any more complete record of their proceedings than has been idready found, as to justify a Airther search ? I answer in the affirmative and beg to ubnrit the grounds upon which my opinion is based. Up to the present moment we know the bllowing to be facts because they are evi- -denced either by the written statement of the ofl&cers of the Erebus and Terror or ■!\ . 12 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION by those of M'Clintock and Anderson, viz., — ^that one hundred and five survivors of the Erebus and Terror deserted their ships, and landed 2 April, '48, at Point Victory on King William Land, and started for Great Fish River, a distance of about two hundred miles. And that the remains of three, out of those one hundred and five survivors, and various relics of clothing &c., have been found at different spots upon the line of march referred to. It has also been stated by the Esquimaux that about forty white men (being evidently some of the one hundred and five survivors) died on King William Land, at Point Ogle and on Montreal Island, in the embouchure of Great Fish River, in or about the year '30. And it has been asserted in the Hudson Bay settlements, that the Indians came upon the fresh traces of an encampment of ten or twelve white men somewhere near the mouth of Great Fish River so lately as '56. Taking these several statements for what they are respectively worth, it must next be observed that the line of mai'ch of the one hundred and five survivors is known to have CPEDITtON FROM FIRST TO LAST. IB and Anderson, ■ commenced at Point Victory, — to have ex- nd five survivors )r deserted their •il, '48, at Point and, and started distance of about of three, out of ive survivors, and &c., have been ipon the line of )y the Esquimaux I (being evidently nd five survivors) , at Point Ogle and le embouchure of lut the year oO. 1 in 4;he Hudson idians came upon Qpment of ten or e near the mouth ly as '56. ements for what it must next be aai'ch of the one 3 known to have tended southwards from thence along the western shore of King William Land, across Simpson Strait to Point Ogle, and down the embouchure of Great Fish River to Montreal Island and the mouth of Great Fish Biver, (The searches near this extent of country have been as follows : Mr. Anderson, in the summer of '55, descended Great Fish River from the Hud- son Bay Settlements, examined Montreal Island and the coast of the continent in the [vicinity, and the result may be summed up [in very few words. despatched by the Hudson Bay Company, with insufficient [means and information, he was unable to converse with the Esquimaux because he had no interpreter ; he did not know there was a particular hiding place in Montreal ! Island, called King Cache,^ that was known, jto Franklin, and where the leaders of the [lost Expedition, would probably deposit their records. He had no proper map, and being contented with a cursory examination of |Montreal Island and the coast about Point f 2 " Narrative of Discoveries on North Coast of America," \)y Thomas Simpson, p. 370. B 14 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION Ogle, he never crossed to King William Land, or made further search in the line of march which we now know to have heen taken hy the fated one hundred and five. He found a few relics, purchased others from the Esquimaux, and after spending seven or €ight days about the mouth of Great Fish Biver hastened homeward with all speed. Captain M'Clintock in the spring of '69 while his vessel the Fox, despatched hy Lady Franklin and a few friends at their private cost, was frozen up in Bellot Strait, | equipped several sledge parties and started southward from that place for the purpose! of examining King WiUiam Land, he went ^ over the whole of the known line of march of The Franklin Expedition, but his search was made while the surface was buried in icel and snow, beneath which the records of! the Expedition still lay buried, and it is matter for surprise, not that he did not] succeed in recovering more detailed and| explicit accounts of the fate of the Ex- pedition, but that he was able to bring I home even the meagre information that he # obtained as to the departure of the one hundred and five survivors from Point! :XPEDITION to King William arch in the line of now to have been hundred and five, 'chased others from spending seven or )uth of Great Fish 1 with all speed. the spring of '69 ox, despatched by 3w friends at their ip in Bellot Strait, parties and started ice for the purpose iam Land, he went lown line of march I ition, but his search ce was buried in ice ch the records of] buried, and it isj b that he did not more detailed and I J fate of the Ex- w&s able to bring Information that be •arture oi the one dvors from Point! FROM FIRST TO LAST. 15 Victory on their march to Great Fish River. Of the whole known line of march there- fore extending over a distance of about two i hundred miles, the portion near the mouth I of Great Fish River was imperfectly examined by Anderson in the summer of '55, and the country about Great Fish River was 'only seen by M'Clintock, when the ground was covered with ice and snow, and where — as he himself admits — many remains may have been hidden from the sight of his party, by these natural causes. The nature of the remains that I still believe to be recoverable, are easily set forth. In the first place, it is to be assumed that the logs of the Erebus and Terror were left on board when those vessels were deserted, and that extracts of them were carried oflf by the retreating crews, for deposit in some secure place on shore. Now it must be remembered, that M*CHntock — probably from want of time and provisions — never visited the wrecks of the Erebus and Terror, nor have any extracts of the logs been found in the course of the searches hitherto made. But there is no satisfactory evidence that ^ 16 JHE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION these wrecks — or at least one of them — are not still above water, nor can it be denied that one of their logs is possibly recoverable, nor that a summer search of King William Laud may be the means of obtaining documents that would throw full light on the disastrous fate of our unhappy countrymen. Upon the question as to the possibility of any individual member of the expedition being alive, I venture to submit a few facts to your Grace. The arguments against the existence of any survivors, are to the following effect, viz. 1. That the country about Great Fish River is inhospitable, and produces very little to support life ; and that a civiUsed man cannot succeed in procuring food in the same manner as an Esquimaux, and 2. That the various communities of Esquimaux seen by Rae, Anderson, and M'Clintock state that none survive. In reply to these assertions, I have to observe : That the evidence of travellers, who have descended Great Fish River, or have jour- neyed along the coast at its mouth, places it beyond doubt that animal life is most IXPEDITION PROM FIRST TO LAST. 17 abundant during many months in the year, as the following extracts will testify : — "At the mouth of Great Fish River Simpson found abundance of salmon, and a little fish, called oonglak by the Es- quimaux, and as seals were exceedingly numerous, there can be no question that various fish on which they prey, abound in these transparent waters. The objects seen on the coast ai'e easily enumerated : a lime> stone country, low and uninteresting, but abounding in reindeer and musk ox.'' Heame describes Great Fish River " as. flowing through a country so abounding in animals, as not only to furnish an ample supply to his pai'ty, at that time consisting of two hundred people, but also to enable the Indians to kill great numbers, merely for the fat, marrow, and tongues."* Sir George Back says of Great Fish River) " that many parts have a close re- semblance to the lava round Vesuvius, the intermediate spaces being filled up wiih green patches of meadow, which literally swarmed 8 Narrative of discoveries on the North Coast of Ameiioa by Thomas Simpson, p. 365. * Geographical JoiU'nal, vol. iii, p. 70. 18 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION ■with reindeer, not fewer than twelve or fifteen hundred having been seen within the last twelve hours.""* Between Lake Beechy and Lakes Pelly, Garry, and McDougall, "the country was composed of rocky hills and swampy prairies, though the latter was far more extensive, all thickly inhabited by deer." Again, " we glided quickly along with the strong current, passing by peaked sand hills covered with deer to the amount of many thousands."" Between Lake McDougall and the Sea, " near a picturesque and com- manding mountain, called Mount Meadow Bank, cattle were feeding."' Again, " near Montresor River is a solitary bank of sand, a favorite resort of geese, which having frequented it in numberless flocks during the moulting season, had left thousands of the finest quills strewed on the sand, carts might have been laden with them."® Between Musk Ox Lake and Lake Beechy, " sandy banks are frequently met with, with small streamlets winding round their bases, afford- ing pasturage to musk oxen and deer."" * Narrative of the Arctic Land Expedition to the mouth of Great Fish River, by Capt. Back, R.N. p. 328. « Idem, p. 3:31 » Idem, p. 360. » Idem, p. 371. » Idem, p. 319. EXPEDITION FROM FIRST TO LAST. 19 er than twelve or een seen within the bween Lake Beechy y, and McDougall, osed of rocky hills )ugh the latter was thickly inhabited glided quickly along passing by peaked eer to the amount of 3en Lake McDougall i jturesque and corn- ed Mount Meadow ig."' Again, " near iitary bank of sand, lese, which having rless flocks during d left thousands of I on the sand, carts hthem."^ Between Beechy, "sandy t with, with small their bases, afford- oxen and deer."^ Again, *' a still sheet of water, where numerous deer were feeding, brought us 1 to a long and appalling rapid."^" Again, " occasionally we found some low islands, and many deer were feeding in the prairies on either side."" Again, " near a lake, two or three hundred deer, and apart from these, herds of musk oxen were either grazing or sleeping."^'' Again, " our hunters, unable to resist the tempting neighbourhood of so many animals, were allowed to go in pursuit ; with the express stipulation, that they were not to fire at the does or the last year's fawns."^^ To these statements, I may add the testimony expressed in my narrative" of the journey down Great Fish River, and to the fact, that at Point Ogle, which lies at the mouth of that stream, my own party had no less than seven head of reindeer and a musk ox, which they had shot, lying dead at one time ; and M'CUntock, on his arrival there in the depth of winter " saw a herd of eight rein- deer, and succeeded in shooting one of them, xpedition to the mouth of <. p. 328. « Idem, p. 331 'dem, p. 319. w Idem, p. 320. " Idem, p. 323. « Idem, p. 325. " Idem, p. 326. ** Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Arctic Ocean by Richard King, M.D. m 20 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION and in the evening, Peterson shot another, — some willow grouse were also seen ; there we found much more vegetation than upon King William Land, or any other arctic land I have yet seen"^^ As regards the assertion that a civilised man cannot procure winter food in the same manner as the Esquimaux, I have to observe that the survivors of the Expedition had the advantage of superior weapons, by the assistance of which, they could in summer lay up a store of food sufficient for their winter wants. With the aid of such weapons, white men have already wintered in com- parative comfort, in the immediate vicinity of Great Fish River. For example, Rae, in '46-7, wintered in Repulse Bay, within a short distance of Great Fish River, and reports that his pai'ty of twelve men suffered no privation as regards food, although only two of his men had ever previously practised reindeer shooting. *' By our own exertions," he says, "in a country, previously totally unknown to us, we obtained the means of subsistence for twelve months, why may not 1* MoClintock's Narrative p. 371. PEDITION FROM FIRST TO LAST. 21 n shot another, — so seen ; there we than upon King arctic land I have n that a civiHsed food in the same I have to observe ! Expedition had weapons, by the could in summer iifficient for their , of such weapons, «rintered in com- mmediate vicinity )r example, Rae» lulse Bay, within Fish River, and elve men suflfered od, although only eviously practised ur own exertions," previously totally led the means of iths, why may not ve p. 371. J The Franklin Expedition party do the same ? llf it has been providentially thrown on or liioar a part of the coast where reindeer and ifish are at all numerous, surely out of so many iofficers and men, sportsmen may be found jexpert enough to shoot the former, and ishermen to seize or net the latter, or take them with hook and Hne set under the ice. \We sliot one hundred and sixty-two deer, two ^hmidred partridges , a couple of seals , and nets kunder the ice yielded constantly salmon "^^ Why then, I ask, should not some of the survivors of the lost Erebus and Terror have )een able to pass, not only one, but many winters in the same country? It must be femembered, that among the crews of those ressels, there were four men — Mainely, [Blankey, McDonald, and Read, — ^well ac- [quainted with the means employed by the Esquimaux to obtain their winter food. One of these men had already passed four winters in this very locality , with Sir John Ross ; and in country, where the Esquimaux — with the idest weapons — contrive, not only to live, Ibut attain a good old age, — where, during 'i IB Franklin and the Arctic Regions, p. 235-6. i I 32 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION several months of the year, both land and water teem with animal life — ^it does seem incredible that some of our countrymen, blessed with superior intelUgence and su- perior weapons, should not have succeeded in supporting their lives. 2. It is asserted, however, that if any of the missing crews are still alive, their existence would have been known to the Esquimaux, who had been seen by Rae, Anderson, and M'Clintock, but the know- ledge we already possess of the inhabitants of that region, is sufficient to show that the range of the habitat of each family or tribe is extremely hmited, — that little or no com- munication takes place between different families, and that some of them have been found to be ignorant of events that had taken place in the immediate vicinity ofj their . resting places ; nor is there any | communication — except in isolated cases — between the Esquimaux who frequent the coast of North America, and the Indians who inhabit the country between the coast and the Hudson Bay territory. On the contrary, there is an open hostility between the races; instances have been known of; i vfis I EXPEDITION ^ear, both land and life — it does seem 1 f our countrymen, itelligence and su- lot have succeeded wever, that if any re still alive, their ►een known to the ►een seen by Rae, ck, but the know- of the inhabitants it to show that the jach family or tribe at little or no com- between different of them have been P events that had nediate vicinity of nor is there any | n isolated cases — who frequent the ., and the Indians between the coast lerritory. On the a hostility between Lve been known ofi FROM FIEST TO LAST. ss parties of the Esquimaux having been nearly exterminated by the Indians, and the pro- Ibability therefore is, that if any scattered :emnant of our countrymen is still located long the Esquimaux, they cannot hope escape to the Hudson Bay territory, mt must remain to perish by degrees, [unless assistance is rendered to them, and i the means of escape supplied by the English Government. For instance, Sir George Back states, " It has been said that we should, ere this, have [heard of the missing Expedition through the [medium of the Esquimaux and the Hudson Bay Company. But I may state that the Esquimaux have no intercourse whatever with the Hudson Bay Company ; and, with the exception of the hordes that frequent Mackenzie River, never communicate even with the Indians."** "The large horde of Esquimaux, exceeding one hundred in number, met by Rae on Victoria Land (in close proximity to King WiUiam Land) had never seen ships or white men. "6 a Sir G; Back in "Geographical Journal," vol. til, p; 70: b " Arctic Expedition Blue Book, 1862, pp; 177 & 179. 1 ir ! 24 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION Mr. Simpson says of the Esquimaux of Eich- ardson River, that the circle of their lives was confined to Behren's Isles and that stream.'' Taking into consideration, therefore, the unsatisfactory nature of the searches hitherto made, — the fact that not more than forty men out of the numher that landed from the ships, have been accounted for, and that, whether any are still surviving, or whether the whole of the residue have perished, a summer search^ which can only be accom- plished by a Land Journey — all the Sea Expeditions having failed down to the last, that of McClintock — ^would probably lead to the elucidation of the mystery, I trust that your Grace will feel convinced that such a search would be productive of important results, and that Her Majesty's Government will not hesitate to undertake the re- sponsibility of adopting my proposal. The manner in which such a search should be conducted, would be by means of a ;party of native Indians to be despatched in canoes down Great Fish River. Arrived at the mouth of the stream, the party would examine King c "Simpson's Narrative," p. 315. '■m 9fi EXPEDITION Isquimaux of Rich- ie of their lives was and that stream .<^ ion, therefore, the e searches hitherto b more than forty lat landed from the ted for, and that, rviving, or whether 3 have perished, a n ovUy he accom- rney — all the Sea i down to the last, lid probably lead to stery, I trust that Lvinced that such a ive of important lesty's Government dertake the re- iv proposal, ch a search should means of a party patched in canoes rived at the mouth luld examine King FROM FIRST TO LAST. S5 Le," p. 315. Cache at Montreal Island, and Simpson Cache at Cape Britannia, which M'Clintock neglected to search, as well as Point Ogle and |he adjoining country where the Indians are §tated to have seen traces of our countrymen '66. Accompanied by a proper inter- ireter the party would have the means of lonversing with the Esquimaux who frequent Hhe mouth of the river, and ascend it for a lort distance, during the summer months, >r the purposes of the chase. The future coui'se of the party would be spendent upon the nature of the information be obtained from the Esquimaux, but, in ly case. King William Land would be plored at a period of the yeai', ichen the rets that tvere hidden beneath tlui icy coat winter, during M*Glintoch's search, would laid bare. The pai'ty being in no want 5 pi o\isions, would be able to seek for the ains of the wreck or wrecks. If the ;ers washing the western shore of King iUiam Land should still be frozen, the 'ch would be made over the ice, but, if sea should be open, the canoes used in descent of Great Fish River, would be ilable, or in the event of their being c 1 ! ' i ' "1 i- i i 1 1 ' i ! ■ THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION insufficient, recourse could be had to the boat discovered by M'CUntock on King William Land, and which there can scarcely be a doubt, is still fit for use. A search of this description could be carried into effect for a trifling sum. Hundreds of thousands have been expended in efforts, which have failed, to clear up the fate of the lost Expedition, and I cannot bring myself to the behef that Her Majesty's Government will be satisfied to leave the matter in its present state, when a sum of ^.2000 or ^£.3000 would be suffi- cient to equip a party that could scarcely fail to gather sufficient information to render their search complete and final. But such a search ought not to he entrusted to ilie agents of a commercial company. To the insufficiency of the equipment of the party despatched by the Hudson Bay Company, under their factor Mr. Anderson, is principally to be attributed the meagre results obtained by that Expedition, and the final search for the materials of the history, yet unwritten, of the discovery of the North-west Passage by the Erebus and Terror, ought to be carried into effect under ^EDITION FROM FIRST TO LAST. m I be had to tlie itock on King lere can scarcely )tion could be trifling sum. been expended d, to clear u^) edition, and I belief that Her be satisfied to ent state, when ' would be suffi- luld scarcely fail tion to render al. )t to be entrusted company. To ipment of the Hudson Bay Mr. Anderson, ed the meagre :pedition, and iterials of the discovery of the J Erebus and to effect under an officer appointed by Her Majesty's Govern- ment. For the seventh time I offer to lead a party upon such a search, in the manner here pointed out ; too happy, if in the dischai'ge of a duty self-imposed, but not the less onerous, I should be the chosen means of clearing up the mystery in which the fate of The Franklin Expedition is still enveloped. The proved accuracy of my views respecting the position of the lost ships, and the south- ward march of their crews ; my knowledge of the country through which the searching party must pass ; my acquaintance with the character of the various tribes, upon which the leader of such a party would be dependent for information ; my profession which would give me a power over those tribes that the leader of no other Expedition has possessed, are circumstances, which point to the con- clusion that a summer search under my com- mand would commence with no ordinary ad- vantages. I feel confident, therefore, that Her Majesty's Government will sanction a further effort, complete yet inexpensivej as to life as well as money, for the purpose of unravelling the dreadful secret of the f 15 '»>/ "T i''\ 88 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION &C. fate of our unhappy countrymen, and possibly of recovering some living member of the Expedition that sailed in all glory and enthusiasm under Franklin, Crozier, and Fitzjames, and that my claim to lead the party entnisted with a service of such world-wide importance will he favourably considered. I have the honour to le, My Lord Duke, Your faithful Servant, RICHARD KING, M.l). To His Grace The Duke of Newcastle, Secretary of State for the Cohnies, dtc. d'c. dc. raOM FIBST TO LAST. 29 mntrymen, and living member of 1 all glory and h Crozier, and im to lead the >rvice of such be favourably The Naval and Military Gazette, 6th Nov., '69. It is frequently urged as a reproach against those philosophers who seek to establish the laws of the moral universe, that their labours are incapable of that highest proof, the verification by obser- vation of the predictions arrived at by a sound induction. The actions of men in society have not yet yielded to science results at all comparable to those obtained by the study of the motions of the hea- venly bodies or the phenomena of terres- trial gravitation. There are, however, some gifted natures who appear occasionally endowed with almost prophetic foresight; and either by mere acute observation, or larger induction, are enabled to arrive at almost as certain results in the domain of social as of physical science. The exercise of this faculty would prob- ably be found of more frequent occurrence but for the difficulty of obtaining satis- factory proof of the existence of the pre- diction antecedent to that of the pheno- mena predicted. We are fortunate enough 1 8Q THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION for once to be in possession of documents sufficiently numerous and complete to satisfy the exigencies of the most sceptical. The discovery of a passage available for the purposes of navigation through the intricacies of the Polar Seas had stimulated the energies of our navigators for upwards of three centuries. Slowly, but surely, we had been extending our knowledge in that direction until Parry's famous voyage to Melville Island eclipsed all his predeces- sors, and afforded some hopes of a solution of this great problem. The want of success which attended his subsequent eflfbrts, more especially when compared with what had been obtained at a tenth part of the cost by the Polar land travellers — Heame, Mackenzie, Franklin, and Simpson — ^would clearly have indi- cated to even ordinary minds the means best calculated to attain the end. Not so the British Admiralty; that body deter- mined that, notwithstanding the repeated failures of expeditions by sea, and the suc- cess of those by landy that by sea the passage should be sought; and 12th De- cember, 1844, appointed Sir J. Franklin, [from first to LASri 81 an officer fifty-nine years of age, who had won a wide and well-earned reputation by his Polar land Journeys, to the command of the Erebus and Terror. On 20th February, 1845, Dr. King addressed a letter to Lord Stanley, now Lord Derby, then Secretary of State for the Colonies, pointing out the dangers which Sir J. Franklin would incur, and indicating how the object he was sent to effect might be attained with little risk and less cost. It must be remembered that Dr. King was not then a theoretical geo- grapher; he had led the expedition in search of Sir John Ross into and out of the Polar region, and had, as Sir George Back's Medical Officer, accompanied him down Great Fish River to the shores of the Polar Sea; he was, therefore, pre-emi- nently an authority, and entitled to a respectful hearing, which, however, he was not successful in obtaining. Nothing daunted by the contumelious^ silence of the Colonial Office, on 10th June, 1847, he addressed Earl Grey, who had succeeded Lord Stanley, in a letter com- mencing with the memorable words, " My s 32 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION Lord, one hundred and thirty-eight men axe at this moment in imminent danger of perishing from famine." He again reca- pitulated the dangers of which he had abeady warned Lord Stanley, and in lan- guage clear and forcible indicated " the probable position of The Franklin Expe- dition, the condition of the Polar lands about it, and the best means of saving it." He says, "The position, then, that I should assign to the lost expedition, is the Western Land of North Somerset, the midway between, the settlements of the Hudson Bay Company on the Mackenzie and the fishing grounds of the whalers in Barrow Strait Jf Sir J. Franklin has attempted to make a short cut westward instead of sailing southward, along the "Western Land of North Somerset, and wrecked himself on Banks and WoUaston Land, he has run headlong into that danger against which I expressly warned him." As to the means of affording relief to the lost expedition. Dr. King pointed out that North Somerset could easily be reached by a party travelling down Great Fish River, that depots of provision might be FROM FIRST TO LAST. 33 formed on the Mackenzie and Great Slave Lake, to which they might be conducted, and himself volunteered to be their con- ductor. In conclusion, he recounted the terrible ravages which would be effected among them by scurvy, should they be compelled to pass a third winter in those regions. No further notice having been taken of these earnest appeals, on November 25, 1847, he again addressed Earl Groy : ** The last ray of hope has passed, when Sir J. Franklin, by his own exertions, can save himself and his one hmidred and thirty-seven followers from the death of starvation." He recapitulated the argu- ments he had already so forcibly urged, and earnestly entreated to be allowed to lead an expedition to Sir J. Franklin's relief. This offer he renewed 8th De- cember and 16th December; and being referred by the Colonial Office to the Ad- miralty, he in February summed up the whole case for their benefit; receiving no reply to his communications, he, on 3rd March, reminded them that the 18th was the latest date at which he could start to > 34 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION be of any service that season, and that it would be necessary for him to make ar- rangements for vacating tiie appointments he held as a practising physician in London. The Colonial Office were sa- tisfied with coolly ignoring him ; the Ad- miralty thought it necessary thus delibe- rately to insult the man who was desirous of making an heroic effort to rescue those men whom their official pigheadedness had consigned to destruction. On 3rd March Mr. Ward writes, " I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to acquaint you that they have no intention of altering their present arrangements, or of making any others which will require your assistance or force you to make the sacrifices which you appear to contemplate." Not content with urging his views upon every department of Government, Dr. King, upon hearing that Lady Franklin had offered £1,000 reward to any whaling ships finding the expedition, addressed her Ladyship, 29th March, pointing out the inadequacy of her offer to effect its pur- pose, and urging with how much greater IPEDITION FROM FIRST TO LAST. m Jason, and that it | him to make ar- I tiie appointments I ng physician in Office were sa- ing him ; the Ad- ssary thus delibe- who was desirous Tt to rescue those )igheadedness had ird writes, " I am I ds Commissioners cquaint you that of altering their ►r of making any [•e your assistance le sacrifices which te." ig his views upon Grovernment, Dr. it Lady Franklin [•d to any whaling ion, addressed her pointing out the to effect its pur- iow much greater effect the money might be spent in sending an expedition down Great Fish River. The voice of public opinion was, how- ever, not wholly inoperative, and compelled the Admiralty to take some steps in search of the lost party. Three expeditions were accordingly despatched; Sir James Ross through Lancaster Sound ; Captain Moore through Behring Straits ; Sir J. Richardson to search the Polar Coast, from the Mac- kenzie to the Coppermine Rivers. Neither of these expeditions bore the slightest fruit, and three private expeditions were fitted out under command of Sir J. Ross and Commander Forsyth on behalf of the Bri- tish public; and under Lieutenant De Haven on behalf of the citizens of the United States. The Admiralty, not to be behindhand, sent ^ Captains McClure and CoUinson to Behring Straits; Captains Austen, Ommaney, Penny, and Stewart, with Lieutenants Cator and Osbom, by Barrow Strait. The only part of the Polar Coast proposed to be omitted was that adjacent to the mouth of Great Fish River. Accordingly Dr. King again addressed the Admiralty, 18. July, '50, pointing out the ^■ 36 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION causes of failure of preceding expeditions, and recapitulating the evidence in favour i of the position he had assigned to Sir J. Franklin. The Admiralty again "must decline the offer of his services." Commander Forsyth, Lieutenant De Haven, and Sir J. Ross, obtained no re- sults ; but Captain Austen organised a com- plete examination of the Shores of Barrow Strait and Wellington Channel, as far west as Melville Island ; and Captain Penny dis- covered Sir J. Franklin's first wintering in Beechy Island in '46-'47. The Admiralty next appointed an Arctic Council, consisting of Sii* F. Beaufort, Sir E. Parry, Sir J. Richardson, Sir James Ross, Sir G. Back, Col. Sabine, Capt. Hamilton, Capt. Bird, Capt. Beechy, and Mr. Barrow. It is to be supposed that every particle of evidence bearing upon the question was laid before these gentle- men — at any rate some of them must have had official cognisance of Dr. King's re- peated memorials, — ^nevertheless : — Sir F. Beaufort arrived at the conclusion that they were locked up in the Archi- pelago to the west of Melville Island. PEDITION FROM FIRST TO LAST. 37 Sir E. Parry's belief was, that, after the \ first winter, Franklin went up Wellington Channel. Sir J. Richardson did not think that, under any circumstanceSf Sir J. Franklin would attempt the route of Great Fish River. Sir James Ross could not conceive any posi- tion in which the Franklin expedition could he \ placed from which they would make for Great Fish River. Sir G. Back requested the Secretary of the Admiralty " to impress on my Lords Commissioners that I wholly reject all and every idea of any attempts on the part of Sir J. Franklin to send boats or detach- ments over the ice to any point of the mainland in the vicinity of Great Fish Rivei*." Colonel Sabine conceived that the crews may have been at length obliged to quit their ships and attempt a retreat, not towards the continent, because too distant, but to Melville Island. Captain Beechy alone took a comprehen- sive view of the subject : " I am of opinion that nothing should be neglected in the i/ ^ \^ m THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION direction of the northern coast of America, | for it seems to me almost certain that Sirj J. Franklin has abandoned his ships and| made for the continent." Two other members of the Comicil have] not recorded their opinions. It cannot be too strongly urged on our I readers' attention that, notwithstanding the | earnest and repeated warnings and en- treaties of Dr. King, always accompanied | by a well-reasoned expose of the grounds of his opinions, the Admiralty obstinately persisted in ignoring every argument urged I by him, even when supported by such an | officer as Captain Beechy. As if to con- summate their extravagance and eniel mockery \ of his efforts, they despatched Sir E. Belcher in command of a fleet of four ships in the precise track which Captain Austen j had just explored without result. The same verdict cannot be passed upon him, inas- much as one of his lieutenants, Bedford Pim, R.N., was the fortunate means of dis- covering and rescuing Captain M'Clure and the crew of the Investigator at Mercy Bay. The first gleam of light which pierced the cloud that enveloped Franklin and his SXPEDITION FROM FIRST TO LAST. 39 )f the Council have followers, was perceived accidentally by a man perhaps of all Arctic travellers the least qualified to avail himself of its indica- tions. Mr. Rae, a chief factor in the service of the Hudson Bay Company, was sent by them to examine the Isthmus of Boothia and adjoining tract, his course necessarily leading him in the immediate vicinity of j Great Fish River ; it was to be anticipated that neither he nor his employers would lose so favourable an opportunity for veri- [fying Dr. King's conjectures. Not at all; either entire ignorance of the whole ques- tion, or perverse and obstinate determina- tion that whatever might be Franklin's fate he would not be a party to confirming anything Dr. King had said, induced Mr, Rae thus publicly to record his own eon- 1 demnatiotiy giving a description of his journey [in the direction of Great Fish River. "I I do not mention the lost navigators, as there lis not the slightest hope of finding any I traces of them in the quarter to winch I am going." But at Pelly Bay he met a party of Esquimaux, from whom he ob- tained silver spoons and other articles bearing the crests and initials of Franklin ! 40 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION and his Officers. He further stated, that from the same Esquimaux he learned that the bodies of thirty white men had been found on the continent and five on an island near ; and from their description of the locality he identified it as the shore near Point Ogle and Montreal Island ; he also asserted, on Esquimaux authority, that our men had had recourse to cannibalism as a means of prolonging existence. Such an assertion was not likely to go unchallenged; and Mr. Rae was severely called to account both by the relatives of the lost party and by Dr. King ; their strict cross-examination elicited from him the fact that, having no interpreter, he had learned all his alleged facts from signs ! It was also remarked as singular, that, although within six or eight hours' journey of the alleged scene of the final catastrophe, as he then' supposed, he made no effort to verify his Esquimaux information. On 20th June, 1855, the Hudson Bay Company, to supply his deficiency, at last despatched an expedition in charge of Mr. Anderson, in the very course prescribed by Dr. King, — and with what result ? FROM FIRST TO LAST. 41 e Hudson Bay ficiency, at last At the rapids below Lake Franklin they found Esquimaux having in their possession various articles belonging to a boat, such as tent poles, pieces of mahogany, elm, oak, pine, copper and sheet iron boilers, tin soup tureens, pieces of instruments, tools, &c. They endeavoured to ascertain whether they had any books or papers, but in vain ; by a singular want of pro- vision, this expedition, like Rae's, was unaccompanied by any Esquimaux inter- preter. On Montreal Island, at the mouth of Great Fish River, the very spot indicated by Dr. King, abundant traces were dis- covered, such as chain, hooks, chisels, blacksmiths' tools, pieces of rope, and a number of sticks strung together, on one of which was cut " Stanley," the surgeon of the Erebus, and on a chip the word ** Terror." They also found at Point Ogle a small piiJC9 of cod-line and a strip of striped cotton. On receipt of the intelligence of Mr. AndersoTi's journey. Dr. King again volmi- teered his services to proceed down Great Fish River, 23rd January,'56, recapitulating his previous arguments, pointing out how ' l\ 42 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION they had been verified by Anderson's dis- coveries " on the very spot where Mr/Rae and the Arctic Council had come to the conclusion that the lost navigators could hy no human possibility be found, and in the identical locality which he had never ceased to urge was the precise point which Franklin would endeavour to reach, and where traces of the expedition would in- fallibly be found." Dr. King also pointed out the object of the party visiting Mont- real Island, viz., to dej^osit a record of the proceedings of the expedition in the cairn constructed by him in '34, visited by Simp- son in '39, and well known to Franklin. This cairn does not appear to have been searched by Mr. Anderson, and therefore Dr. King urged, with great probability, that the last news of the heroic survivors will be found there. By a singular fatality^ Cap- tain M^ Clintock appears^ on his recent visit to Montreal Island, to have been totally unaware of the very existence of King cache, and, therefore, was unsuccessfiil in finding any records in that locality. Perhaps it will scarcely be necessary to tell our readers that "the Admiralty did not think it PEDITION FROM FIRST TO LAST. 43 advisable to undertake suck an expe- dition." By this time Dr. King had come to regard the refusal of his offers, as a natural phenomenon, standing in the mutual re- lation of cause to effect, and therefore, 8th December, '56, volunteered for a combined search, by sea and landy in conjunction with Commander Bedford Pim, R.N. On February 14, Capt, Sherard Osbom forwarded to the Times a report from Red River settlement, that the Indians had seen two or more encampments of white men on the island on some point where Mr. Anderson had turned back, and that one of the encampments was quite fresh, and had probably contained ten or twelve men; the indefatigable Dr. King lost no time in knocking at the doors of the Ad- miralty, 23rd February, '57, again pointing out the causes of failure of previous expedi- tions, urging the probability of the truth of the report, and volunteering his services to test it. The Admiralty contented them- selves with acknowledging his letter. But the hour had now struck when the painftd mystery was to be solved, and the > 44 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION culpability of Her Majesty^s Government in so long neglecting the voice of warning and advice to be completely demonstrated. Lady Frankljn and her friends had fitted out a small vessel, the Fox, under command of Captain M'Clintock, to make a fiirthor search. She sailed in '57 ; she passed the first winter in the ice, unable to effect anything; in September, '58, she passed through Bellot Strait, and wintered on North Somerset. Here they learned from the Esquimaux that several years ago a ship had been crushed on the northern coast of King William Land, that all her people landed safely and went away to Great Fish River, where they died. A thorough search of the western shore of North Somerset, as well as of King William Land, was organised in the spring, and upon Point Victory (Sir J. R.'s farthest search in '28-'30) a cairn was found, con- taining a record, signed by Captains Cro- zier and Fitzjames, stating that the Erebus and Terror were beset in the ice off King William Land. Franklin died 11th June, '47; on 22nd April, '48, the ships were abandoned, five leagues N.N.W. of Point FROM FIRST TO LAST. 45 Victory, and the survivors, 105 in number, had landed, under command of Captain Crozier ; the paper was dated 25th April, *48, and the following day they intended to start for Great Fish River. A vast quantity of stores and clothing were strewed about, as if everything was thrown away that could possibly be dispensed with. About midway between Point Victory and Cape Herschell a large boat was found containing two skeletons and a further quantity of cast-oif articles, intended for the ascent of Great Fish River, but was aban- doned on a return journey to the ships, the sledge on which she was mounted being pointed in that direction. Two double- barrelled guns stood against the side, with ammunition in abundance. The evidence is now complete of the entire accuracy of Dr. King's predictions, as well as of the efficiency of the means by which he proposed to alleviate the fatal results he so accurately foresaw. He told the Admiralty, 10th June, '47, — "One hundred and thirty-eight men are at this moment in imminent danger of perishing from famine." Sir J. Franklin himself 46 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION died on the very next day to the date of that remarkable letter, in which his warn- ing voice first sounded the alarm, — "If Sir J. Franklin has attempted to make a short cut westward, instead of sailing southward along the Western Land of North Somerset, and wrecked himself on Banks and WoUaston Land, he has run headlong into that danger of which I ex- pressly warned him." . . . . "If, however. Banks and Wollaston Land should form the resting-place of the Erebus and Terror, it will not be that of the Expe- dition. If the party have kept together, and woe be to them if they have not, they will take to their boats and make for the Western Land of North Somerset, for the double purpose of reaching Barrow Strait in search of the northern whalers, as Sir J. Ross did successfully, and Great Fish River, in search of the Esquimaux, for provision or for letter conveyance to the Copper Indians, with whom the Esquimaux are now in friendly relation." On that very land the first traces were found; to that very point the expedition directed their steps. Had Dr. King's offer been accepted in the summer of '48, he would have *^ FROM FIRST TO LAST. 47 Esquimaux are reached the mouth of Great Fish River, for which Captains Crozier and Fitzjames were starting with the survivors, 25th April, '48 ! ! Could human foresight more accurately have indicated the time, the place, the nature of the catastrophe, and the means for averting it ? Could human infatuation more obstinately persist in stop- ping its ears to the warning voice ? Let the Admiralty, however, urge in extenua- tion that they were not alone in their re- jection of all words of warning or advice. In the Athenceum^ 19 June, '47, we find a letter signed, "Charles Richard Weld," dated 15th June, stating that he felt it his duty, as a connexion of Sir J. Franklin, not to allow Dr. King's communications to pass without observation. He argues that Franklin was provisioned for the summer of '49, and that there were no grounds whatever for the assertion that " one hundred and thirty-eight men are at this moment in imminent danger of perish- ing by famine." " There isy therefore, no cause as yet for flying to his rescue.^^ June 11, '47, four days before the date of Mr. Weld's letter, Franklin was dead. 48 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION United Service Museum, Oct. '59. THE FRANKLIN RELICS. Superior to all the sights and exhibi- tions in London at the present moment, especially to the patriot and the philan- thropist, is the collection of relics of The Franklin Expedition in the United Service Institution, Whitehall. Since the opening of the collection of these relics, it has been visited by all classes of the commmiity ; and much as they are experienced in sight- seeing — ^for the metropolitan public will incur any inconvenience and exertion, and even suiGFer extortionate demands, to wit- ness gewgaw or tomfoolery spectacles, if they bear at all the mark of novelty — it is absolutely instructive to observe the varied impulses of feeling which gush, as it were, from the fountain of the heart of every spectator who gazes upon the FROM FIRST TO LAST. 49 cs, it has been memorials of the ill-starred Polar adven- tm-ers. The great secret of the popular sympathy now awakened is the fact that The Franklin Expedition met its fate by ne- glect of duty on the part of the Executive authorities at home, and that these relics do not represent the classic ages of other lands, but call up t r^ memories of men who were " bone o' .,^n bone, and flesh of our flesh." This great metropolis, boast- ing of its museimis, and halls, and gal- leries replete with the productions of Nature, and enriched with the trophies of art and science, the citizen and the stranger delight to view the handiwork of the higher intellectual labours of man ; but does the fruit of wondrous mechanical skill ehcit the throbbing interest with which the spectator looks upon the dip-circle or the sextant of the lonely wanderers who pe- rished at Point Victory ? The connoisseur may be gratified with the great works of art by the old and modern masters ; but it is unquestionable that his susceptibilities will be more excited at sight of the once gaudy remains of clothing found around the skeleton of that forsaken adventurer, ^ ! ( f* 50 THE FBANKLIN EXPEDITION who, like his companions, " dropped by the way " not far distant from Cape Hers- chell. The antiquary loves to muse over the emblazoned shields and banners of an- cient heraldry; but deeper feelings have been evoked, and holier sympathies en- listed, at sight of the weather-battered ensign found in the snow-heap on King William Land. The votaries of vertil may prize articles which have been recovered from the ruins and dSbrts of the palaces of potentates who ruled the world before the Christian era ; but passionate has been the grief of kindred on looking at the pocket- watches and travelling equipments identi- fied as having belonged to the ill-fated voyagers. The British people, from time to time, have bestowed almost incalculable wealth upon individuals who brought to our shores memorials of ancient Powers and Principalities, whether these were relics of imperial cities upon which once smiled the rugged grandeur of the Alps, the simny mountains of Asia, the peaks of the Andes, or the gigantic heights of Africa— " Atlas with his head above the clouds ;" many relics of ancient empires of the world ITtOM FIRST TO LAST. 51 — relics from Palmyra or Paestum, from Nineveh or Helicamassus — and works which distinguished the genius, the taste, and the luxury of the Greeks and Italians, embellish the rooms of our public institu- tions, and adorn the mansions of our fellow- subjects. But let those treasures indicate, as they do, the ostentatious magnificence of the ancients, and at whatever sacrifice of labour or of money let them have been procured ; still, there have been recovered from the cairns, the deserted snow-huts, and the boat abandoned (which contained the two skeletons that told the tale of lonely sadness and resignation to the death), such articles as belonged to the band of martyrs which shall ever have a priceless value in the eyes of the whole British community. Peerless above the knick-knacks which are now stored in the various cases, however, are the well-worn memorials of the religious tone which per- vaded Franklin's surviving companions, for the parts of Bibles and Testaments, Family Prayers, Christian Melodies, and Goldsmith's inimitable moral romance, attest the solemn frame of mind and heart ■I 52 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION of each lost wanderer. Who can tell of supplications at the Throne of Mercy by- men whose hearts quailed not at death in the battle-line or at the roar of waters — by those whose tones " grew fainter and more faint" in prayer, and who, strug- gling with darkness and the rigours of their icy prisons, sighed to God again and again," Hide not Thyself," — and by others, who, brooding over the horrible deaths that seemed to overwhelm them, lisped the wish of having "wings like a dove," as David of Israel once prayed to his God, " for the?j would they flee away, and be at rest " ? Since the Franklin relics have been opened to public view, surmises and ques- tions are " the order of the day" relative to the entire history of the Expedition, which, it may be remembered, was resolved upon in December, 1844, in search of the North-West Passage — an endeavour to solve the problem of 300 years. Sir Jolm Franklin, then 59 years of age, was en- trusted with the command of the explo- ration; but his instructions appearing to be fraught with danger, and the Ex- FROM FIRST TO LAST. 53 pedition doubted as a failure, in con- sequence of those instructions leading him "an adventurous way, through an unknown sea," several eminent geogra- phers protested against Franklin being destined to lead such a " forlorn hope." Chief of the opponents of the Admiralty- scheme was Dr. King, of London — alike eminent in science and geography. Many of the points referred to are derived from epistolary correspondence quoted in " The Franklin Expedition, from First to Last," by Dr. King, published originally in 1855. The work has, however, been continued till the present time, and contains sound opinions relative to the Expedition of M'Clintock. But it is chiefly valuable as embracing Dr. King's conjectural chart (of 1845) of the Polar Sea, when he devised measures for the discovery of the North-West Passage by means of a Land Journey, in opposition to The Franklin Expedition by sea; also another chart, of 1859, which thoroughly verifies the conjec- tural chart of 1845 — showing the position of Franklin's ships when abandoned, the 3 54 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION traces of the Lost Expedition, and the point where the great geographical problem was accidentally solved by M'Clure. • It was on the 20th February, 1845, when Dr. King addressed a communication to Lord Stanley, now the Earl of Derby, then Secretary of State for the Colonies, con- tending against The Franklin Expedition by 8ea, from an honest conviction of its im- practicability in the then state of our know- ledge of Arctic lands, and proposing for adoption a plan for a land journey. It was proposed that a party of two officers, one of the medical profession, a boat carpenter, and thirteen men, fully equipped for the service, should start from Montreal, in Canada, and reach the Athabasca Lake in summer. After certain preliminary ar- rangements, such as the collecting and hoarding of provisions, and winter quar- ters fixed, the exploring party were to be on the shores of the Polar Sea as early as the navigation permitted. When the Cop- permine River and the Great Fish River were open, the Expedition was to be in progress ; one detachment to go one way ' — ^for Cape Britannia, on the Western FROM FIRST TO LAST. 55 Land of North Somerset — and the other to trace Victoria Land, westerly, with the view of testing its value relatively to the North-West Passage. To strengthen his views, Dr. King informed the Colonial Secretary, that " in two instances journeys by land had been set in motion to aid ex- peditions by sea;" and he informed his Lordship that his position at that date was very different to that of 1836— remarking, with a candid spirit worthy of the noble cause he espoused, ^^ I was then unknown.; and, from the simplicity and economy of my views, considered a visionary." This observation is in reference to Dr. King's practical opinions, contained in a commu- nication to the Geographical Society, on the best means by which Arctic discovery was to be pursued; namely, " by a small party rather than by a large nmnber of persons ;" quoting, as precedents, the cases of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, who made *' all his discoveries in a North-canoe ; and Heame, who discovered the mouth of the; Coppermine River without even a single attendant ;" and citing quite opposite results in the cases of Park and Lander, "who suc- I 56 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION I ceeded in their researches when alone, but failed and lost their lives when accompanied by a party." Let that be as it nay, Dr. King, who had pleaded from 1836 to 1845 in favour of a land journey to prosecute Arctic discovery, received no encourage- ment from the Government of Sir Robert Peel, even though that indefatigable and enterprising geographer " was ready to vo- lunteer the whole command, or part of the command, with any officer Lord Stanley might appoint, provided the said officer was of Dr. King's own age, and in posses- sion of the same amoimt of physical capa- biHty." S^, John Franklin's Expedition, which consisted of 138 officers and men, lefr the shores of England in 1845. It was last heard of on the 26th of July of the same year, in lat. 74°, long. 66°, of Baffin Bay. The spring of 1846 brought no tidings of the voyagers, and their relatives and friends became anxious about their safety. The showers and sunshine of that year beauti- fied the landscapes around the rural home- steads of the British people — smiling plenty blessed the harvest — ^and the sterility of FROM FIRST TO LAST. 57 winter, even in this favoured southern clime, bound stream and cascade in icy fetters. It was then that fear and appre- hension — spreading, like a contagion, from wife to wife, from father to mother, from sister to brother, as to the difficulties of their kindred in the frozen regions— took possession of the public mind. But when the matter was broached incidentally at head-quarters, relatives were put off by a side-wind, told to pay attention to their own business, and informed that Franklin and his comrades knew well enough how to husband their resources. The public were satisfied for a time with the cool as- surances of the Board of Admiralty, until Dr. King, in the smnmer of 1847, addressed a communication to Earl Grey, who, at that time, was Secretary for the Colonies in place of Lord Stanley — ^the Whigs having displaced the Conservatives in power. Dr. King, ever watchful over the interests of the cause which he felt warmly at heart, made the Colonial Secretary aware " that an attempt would be made to save our country- men, if not by the efforts of the Govern- ment, by the British public ;" and suggested 58 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION that the service of succour be open to public competition. " Let the attempt that is to be made to save Sir John Franklin," he impressively remarked, "be made fully public, that the proposed plans — for there will, doubtless, be several — may be dis- cussed, and therein be raised a praise- worthy competition, which will, at all events, have the semblance of an endeavour to follow the right course." In addition to suggesting an honourable rivalry in the mode of search, he most pointedly assigned the position of the missing Ex- pedition to the Western Land of North Somerset, which he described as being midway between the settlements of the Hudson Bay Company, on the Mackenzie River, and the fishing grounds of the whalers in Barrow Strait. And why did he assign this position? Because, if Sir John Franklin had attempted to make '^ a short cut westward^ instead of sailing south- ward along the Western Land of North Somerset, and wrecked himself on Banks and WoUaston Land, he ran headlong into that danger of which he was expressly warned before he sailed — ^Polar Sea expedi- public liat is to lin," he ie fiiUy or there be dis- i praise- y at all ideavour addition vabry in pointedly sing Ex- ^f North as being ts of the Mackenzie 8 of the 1 why did se, if Sir make " a ling south' of North on Banks idlong into expressly 5ea expedi- FROM FIRST TO LAST. 59 tions, since 1818, having in < . ery instance failed from the same cause ; the clinging to lands having an eastern aspect: Sir Edward Parry, Sir John Ross, Sir George Back, Captain Lyon, Captain Beechy, and Captain Buchan being the unsuccessful navigators." With experience and forethought for his guide, and discretion and common sense for his monitor. Dr. King, in his efforts to pilot the way to the missing voyagers, assured Earl Grey " that the Western Land of North Somerset could easily be reached by a party travelling overland from Canada; and that it could not be denied that a land journey afforded the only sure mode of ex- tending our geographical knowledge, and, therefore, the only sure ladder by which to reach Sir John Franklin. If he is to be reUeved, it must be in the summer of 1848. He must be spared the winter of that year." But while this zealous advocate w£is pleading at the bureau of the Whig Go- vernment in behalf of the Expedition, little did he know that the gallant Frank- lin was struggling with death on the very 1 ■' I -I V * 11 1 J 60 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION day on which this celebrated epistle was penned to Earl Grrey, and that on the following day — ^the eventful 11th of June, 1847— his spirit winged its flight from those hyperborean regions to a brighter and a better world. Though the captain of the host was no longer spared to preside over the councils of his comrades, they were then devising means of escape. It was not, therefore, until the spring of the following year, the 22nd of April, 1848, that the ships were abandoned " in theiccy^^ upon the north-west coast of King William Land, and that the survivors, in all amount- ing to 105 individuals, under the command of Captain Crozier and Captain Fitzjames, were proceeding to the Great Fish River. These facts, brought to light by the suc- cessfiil Expedition of Lady Franklin, do not alter Dr. King's position a single hair's-breadth as to his energy towards endeavouring to rescue the survivors. We know from records found by M^Clintock, that up till the day when the survivors had determined to push their way to the Great Fish River, the total loss was nine officers and thirteen FROM FIRST TO LAST. 61 \q was [)n tlie ' June, b from righter captain preside s, they ipe. It r of the , 1848, the icBj^ William amount- )mmand tzjames, h Eiver. the suc- Jdin, do single towards urvivors. and by ly when to push iver, the thirteen a men. Such being the case, then. Dr. King threw a heavy responsibility upon the Go- vernment — and that responsibility we know now, alas ! was not too heavily imposed — ' if every effort that experience could suggest was not made to save the Expedition from the ordeal of passing the winter of 1848 in the Polar Seas — very gently and cour- teously, withal, hinting to Earl Grey in ihese words — *^ The least that the present Government can do is to lessen the evils that their predecessors have allowed the veteran to heap upon himself." This communication was unanswered. On the 25th November of the same year, Dr. King renewed his proposition " to at- tempt to reach the Western Land of North Somerset before the close of the summer of 1848, by which he would incur the risk of having to winter with the Esquimaux, or of having to make the journey along the barren ground to winter quarters on snow shoes." Jn this fresh communication. Dr. King, discarding the Pacific route as an idea of bygone dr^ys, and considering the Atlantic route to be doubtful of success, renewed his desire for a land joimiey as '^ I . ( 62 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION alone reliable for success, and beckoned the way, once more, to the Western Land of North Somerset, where, he maintained, the Expedition would be found, with the Great Fish River as the direct and only- route ; " and although the approach to it," he says, " is through a country too poor and too difficult of access to admit of the transport of provisions, it may be the medium of communication between the lost Expedition and the civilized world." In impressing upon the mind of the Colo- nial Secretary the ardent wish that he might be allowed to have a "place" in the great effort which should be made for the rescue of the Expedition, Dr. King em- phatically observes — " The journey which I proposed to Lord Glenelg in 1835, after- wards to Lord Stanley, and which I now, at the expiration of twelve years, propose to your Lordship, is along a land which has a western aspect, and which I have shown is almost invariably ice-free. My progress, therefore, to the spot where I suppose the lost Expedition will be found will be unimpeded ; and not only will the question as to the peninsularity of North FROM FIRST TO LAST. 63 5ckoned a Land itained, ^th the id only b to it," ;oo poor it of the be the een the world." he Colo- that he ^" in the e for the [ing em- ey which J5, after- h I now, , propose id which I have ^ee. My where I be found will the of North Somerset be set at rest, but that which remains undone of the northern configura- tion will be completed; for it is by hug- ging the Western Land of North Somerset only that we can expect to fall upon the traces of the lost Expedition." Could there have been anything clearer or more dis- tinct than this geographical portraiture ? It having transpired that the Board of Admiralty had resolved to make a search for the missing Expedition, Dr. King re- sumed communication with Earl Grey, and renewed his proposal to reach the Polar Sea across the continent of America — to proceed from land known to be continent, where, he said, "every footstep is sure." He very cleverly combated the Board of Admiralty theory of an Arctic search, which virtually amounted to the declara- tion that the lost Expedition could not be relieved unless the North- West Passage was discovered; in other words, first discover the " Passage," and then seek for the lost Expedition. He directed the attention of Earl Grey to the necessity of the Govern- ment filling up the blank which the Admi- ralty had left in their intended search; l! 64 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION 1 namely, that while Sir James Ross and Captain Moore, in command of a fleet of four vessels, were to search the sea, and Sir John Richardson in conmiand of a land jomney across the continent of Ame- rica, the latter's knowledge of the Mac- kenzie and the Coppermine Rivers, and Dr. King's knowledge of the Great Fish River and its estuary, would be guarantees that the work would be done well : — " this state of independence, " remarked Dr. King, " insuring a large amount of effort, even though it were merely in a spirit of emulation." But though he submitted his " offer of service " to the consideration of the Govern- ment, not only on pure and disinterested grounds, but in the cause of humanity, what must have been Dr. King's feeling? on receiving aletter from the Colonial Office more than a fortnight afterwards, telling him that, as he had solicited employment^ it did not fall within the province of the Secretary for the Colonies to confer ap- pointments in connexion with the searching Expedition, and referring him to the Board of Admiralty on the subject? We are M FROM FIRST TO LAST. 65 )ss and a fleet he sea, oaand of of Ame- be Mac- ers, and •eat Fish aarantees [:— "this rked I>r« of effort, a spirit of 86 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION of the death of the whole party, but which did not give the slightest clue to their history, it was assumed that all farther search would be in vain, and those who represented the nation declared that nothing more should be done. We were to wear our mourning, and then dismiss the poor creatures from our minds. The injustice and folly of that repudiation, and deter- mination not to meddle more in the matter, have, however, been shown clearly by the discoveries of M*Clintock. The search was not, as we were told, a useless exposure of valuable lives. We have acquired a cer- tainty of Franklin's death j we know where the ships are, and where and how the years which preceded the abandonment were spent. We have learned it at the cost of Lady Franklin. Kepudiation need not, however, be per- petual. Nations may repent as well as individuals, and we ask Englishmen to say that they have erred, to admit that they were deceived into the abandonment of their duty, and to demand from the Government a further search for the crews of the Erebus and Terror, Su its jv groui bers ( still £ it ma^ • these King, Fish I memb their well a the ini expresj atBri^ some c they ai fate im of this Dr. Ki the po{ the ere sibility ascerta: out tha the aba is cleai FROM FIRST TO LAST. 87, Such an appeal, we allow, requires for its justification the existence of reasonable grounds, for hoping, either that these mem- bers of the Expedition unaccounted for are still alive, or that their fate, however sad it may have been, can be discovered. All these grounds do justify the appeal. Dr. King, who has himself descended Great Fish River — the point to which, be it re- membered, Crozier and Fitzjames directed their course — and who is, consequently, well acquainted with the district in which the interest of search would centre, has expressed, in the lecture delivered by hhfn at Brighton the other day, his beUef that some of the party may still survive. If they are all dead, some particulars of their fate may be discovered. Now, an opinion of this kind ought not to be neglected. Dr. King, who knows the country, asserts the possibility of the existence of some of the crew in it ; and if there is such a pos- sibility, an attempt ought to be made to ascertain the fact. Dr. King also pointed out that it would be most desirable to reach the abandoned ships, the position of which is clearly marked out in the document 88 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION found by M^Clintock ; and which an expe- dition, availing itself of the proper season, and directing its attention to the special object, might effect without much difficulty. He thinks that the results of the observa- tions made by Franklin might thus be obtained ; and, however that might be, it is much to be wished that the ships should be visited, and as many particulars as pos- sible of the voyage gleaned. That, however, is a minor consideration; the great point is the fate of the men. Dr. King, who speaks with authority — and his views are shared by other persons of Arctic experience — tells us that some of them may be alive ; at all events, that their doom may be discovered. Why, then, should not an expedition to Great Fish River be at once organised ? The cost of another search will be but a trifle; the most vehement Financial Re- former would not, we are confident, oppose such an idea ill the Miscellaneous Esti- mates. Volunteers in plenty will imder- take the task ; and if brave men are pre- pared to risk their own lives in a reasonable hope of saving those of their fellow-coun- trym perfo maini Pn thing econo of sav risked attem] can st Dubi The posed Frank row, Noven letters lute spring Fish I well a< conjun ^might ThiJ n FROM FIBST TO LAST. 89 ttymen, or, at the worst, of being able to perform the last pious offices to their re- mains, it would be disgraceful to stay them. Prudence and economy are very good things, but the paltry prudence and petty economy which would neglect the chance of saying human life, because life might be risked and money must be spent in tho attempt, are the most hideous vices that can stain a powerful nation. Dublin University Magazine, 1 February, *60. The only man in England who pro- posed an effecttial plan for the relief of Franklin, was Dr. Richard King, of Savile- row, who, on the 10th of June, 27th of November, 1847, and February 1848, in letters to the Admiralty, urged the abso- lute necessity of an expedition in the spring of 1848, to the mouth of the Great Fish River, with which • locality he was well acquainted ; offering to go himself, in conjunction with any officer the Admiralty jbight name. This rational proposal, the adoption of 90 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION which would have saved Crozier and Fitz- james, and a large proportion of the 105 survivors, was shelved by referring it to the Arctic Council ; who, with the honour- able and single exception of Captain Beechey, were unanimous in rejecting it : Dr. King's proposal, doubtless, seeming to them not only erroneous in principle, but premature in point of time ; as but few of those supposed to be well informed in Arctic and scientific matters could bring themselves to believe in the possibility of disaster to so well-appointed an Expedi- tion. It is worth while to place on record some of the opinions given on Dr. King's pro- posal : — " Sir John Bichardson. — "With respect to the Great Fish River, he did not think, under any circumstances, Sir John Frank- lin would attempt that route. " Sir James Boss. — I cannot conceive any position in which The Franklin Expedi- tion could be placed, from which they would make for the Great Fish River. " Sir George Back. — ^You will be pleased, sir, to impress on my Lords Commissioners, that] any i Franl over t in the Tn neithe was fi theSe him t] and tl make appear the ^rs of any Erebug risked, iIl-con( jects fatalit^^ pelago — and by a pi receive Upon t this su( heaped PROM FIRST TO LAST. 91 that I wholly reject all and every idea of any attempt on the part of Sir John Franklin, to send boats or detachments over the ice to any point of the mainland in the vicinity of the Great Fish River." Truly, age does not confer experience — neither experience, wisdom. Dr. King was finally silenced by a polite note from the Secretary of the Admiralty, informing him that his services were not required, and that it was imnecessary for him to make the professional sacrifices which he appeared to contemplate. Thus vanished the first and only hope of saving the lives of any of the officers and crews of the Erebus and Terror. Hundreds of lives risked, and thousands of pounds spent, in ill-conceived though ably carried out pro- jects of exploration; and, by a singular fatality, every comer of the Arctic Archi- pelago was searched except the right otie, — and this last comer was finally explored by a private expedition, which has not yet received any public reward for its success. Upon the gallant M^Clintock, the leader of this successfiil search, honours have been heaped from various quarters. The Uni- m I I I?; \ \ 93 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION yersity of Dublin hastened to enrol his name, honom causdj among those of her most highly honoured sons ; the City of Londonhas conferred upon him her citizens' Freedom ; the City of Dublin has presented him with a public address, at a large and most influential meeting of citizens con- vened by the Lord Mayor ; and his native town of Dundalk has shown her sense of the honour conferred upon her by the brave deeds of her son; but, as yet, no public recognition by the Government has taken place of the success of those who brought home to England 'Hhe only authentic intelligence " of the fato of Franklin and his brave followers. Once a Week, Slst December, *59. A PHASE OF THE ARCTIC MYSTERY. The details of the expedition sent out by Lady Franklin in the steam yacht Fox, shortly will be, if they are not already, before the public. Sir John FrankHn, as we learn, died as PROM FIRST TO LAST. 93 ill early as June 11th, 1847. His ships the Erebus and Terror were beset on Sep- tember 12th, 1846, in lat. 70° 05' N., and long. 88° 23' W. On 22nd April, 1848, the ships were abandoned five leagues N.N.W. of Point Victory, King William's Island, where 105 survivors under Captain (Jrozier landed, and on April 25th de- posited in a cairn the records brought home by Captain M'Clintock. That gallant officer, with Lieutenant Hobson, made a minute search of the whole coast of King William's Island, and on its south shore found death-traces of members of the expedition, at a point exactly oppo- site that portion of the mainland of North America, whence the relics sent home in 1854, and now in Greenwich Hospital, had been procured, viz.. Point Ogle, a cape at the mouth of the Great Fish River, and Montreal Island in its estuary. It is impossible to rise from the perusal of Captain M'Clintock's journal, without the absolute conviction that the late Sir John Franklin's companions died the vic- tims, less of those perils of their profession which they were naturally prepared to i '■ i 94 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION it encounter, than of official apathy, or at least of mistaken judgment. The following facts, arranged in order of date, are relied on to prove that this repre- sentation is correct. It is to be borne in mind, that King William's Island lies off the west land of North Somerset, and that the silent but ter- ribly convincing testimony of the bleached skeletons on the way, proves that, from the moment of landing on Point Victory, the survivors were struggling in a death- flight for the Great Fish River. I2th Dec, 1844.— "My Lords" Com- missioners of the Admiralty resolve upon another expedition by sea in search of the North West Passage, and appoint Sir John Franklin to the command. 20th Feb., 1845. — ^A distinguished Arctic traveller and eminent physician, Dr. King, of Savile-row, who, so far back as 1835, had acquired renown as medical officer and second in command of an overland journey in search of Sir John Eoss, — hearing of the proposed expedition by sea, and re- garding it, to use his own phrase, as a ** forlorn hope," — addresses to the Secretary FROM FIRST TO LAST. 95 ;ary of State for the Colonies, Lord Stanley, now the Earl of Derby, a proposal for a land journey by the Great Fish River, to aid the Franklin expedition in its geo- graphical survey. 6th May, 1845.—" My Lords" issue their instructions to Sir John Franklin, who sails with the Erebus and Terror. 2Qth July, 1845. — The ships are seen in Baffin Bay, for the last time, \Oth June, 1847. — ^Dr. King writes to Earl Grey, Secretary of State for the Colonies, " My Lord, one hundred and thirty-eight men are at this moment in imminent danger of perishing by famine ;" he regrets that Lord Stanley does not entertain the proposition for a land journey by the Great Fish River, renews his pro- posal, shows how it can be carried out, assigns the western land of North Somerset as the position of the lost expedition, points out that if Sir John Franklin is to be re- lieved, it must be in the summer of 1848, and implores permission to render him "the only succour which has the proba- bility of success." 26th Nov., 1847. — ^Dr. King again ad- i 11 ■k i .i4 Mi 96 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION dresses Earl Grey, Lord Stanley's suc- cessor in the administration of the Colonial Department: "The last ray of hope has passed that Sir John Franklin by his own exertions can save himself and his one hundred and thirty -seven followers from the death of starvation. I trust, therefore, your Lordship will excuse my calling your attention to my letter of 10th June last, which is acknowledged, but which remains unanswered." Dr. King argues most ably the geographical question, and once more begs to be allowed a place in " the great effort which must be made for the rescue of the one hundred and thirty-eight men who compose the lost expedition." 8M Dec, 1847.— Dr. King, for the third time, addresses Earl Grey on the subject of a new expedition, proposed by the Admiralty, to search the coast of North America for Franklin, from the Mackenzie to the Coppermine rivers, with WoUaston land, opposite that coast, in 1848, and Victoria land in the summer of 1849. He also offers to go at once by the Great Fish River to Victoria land, as well as to the western land of North Somerset. 1 ledj Gre tion oft] Earl from thin^ byF "soli ing t sary ] bund] addin make giving point]| loss 8tan( only lQt\ "My| as to and has n\ also el volun^ FBOM FIBST TO LAST. 97 IQth Dec, 1847. — Dr. King acknow- ledges the receipt of a reply from Lord Grey, desiring him to address any applica- tion he may desire to make, to " My Lords" of the Admiralty. Dr. King regrets that Earl Grey should have delayed his answer from June to December, because, if any- thing is to be done, it must be in progress by February. He explains that he is not " soliciting employment," but " endeavour- ing to induce Earl Grey to take the neces- sary measures for saving the lives of one hundred and thirty-eight fellow-creatures ;" adding that he does not ask Earl Grey to make good the loss he would sustain by giving up his private practice and five ap- pointments of honour and emolument — ^a loss which cannot be measured by a money standard, but that he ^^ comes forward again only for the sake of humanity." 16^A Feb., 1848.—Dr. King writes to " My Lords," repeating fully his arguments as to the western land of North Somerset, and undertaking to do in one summer what has not before been done under two ; he also explains how he can do it, and again volunteers to go by the Great Fish River. i' !li '• 98 THE FRANKLm EXPEDITION Srd Marchy 1848. — Dr. King complains to Mr. H. G. Ward, Secretary to "My Lords," that he has received no reply to his letter of February 16th; states that March 15th is the latest period at which he should feel justified in starting on this expedition, and requests early information of their Lordships' decision, as he will have to make arrangements to vacate his pro- fessional appointments. Srd March, 1848.— Mr. H. G. Ward is commanded by " My Lords" to acquaint Dr. King that " they have no intention of altering their present arrangements, or of making any others that will require his assistance, or force him to make the sacri- fices he appears to contemplate." \9>th Feb,, 1850. — Dr. King again urges on " My Lords" the overland expedition by the Great Fish River, and is strengthened in his convictions by the unsuccessful re- sults of the various attempts to relieve Franklin by sea. ^%th Feb,, 1850.— "My Lords" must decline the offer of Dr. King's services, \^th July, 1854. — Dr. Rae, a Chief Factor in the service of the Hudson Bay Com- panj; the Repi] that Esqu: gathe past ( men the ic same coverc island N.W. is, as '. island River. 20^/ a Chie son Bi Fish tembej solute story, 8ol\ * Oot-I River. ?5^. FROM FIRST TO LAST. 99 Lon led Ire- 3ve ^ust ctor )in- pany, engaged in completing a survey of the west coast of Boothia, writing from Repulse Bay, reports to " My Lords" that on the 17th April he has met with Esquimaux in Pelly Bay, from whom he gathered, " that in the spring, four winters past (spring, 1850), a party of forty white men were seen travelling southward over the ice. * * * At a later date in the same season, the bodies of thirty were dis- covered on the continent, and five on an island near it, about a long day's journey N.W. of the Oot-ko-hi-ca-lik," * The land is, as Dr. Rae states. Point Ogle, and the island Montreal Island, in the Great Fish River. 20th JunCf 1855. — Mr. James Anderson, a Chief Factor in the service of the Hud- son Bay Company, started for the Great Fish River, and returned on 17th Sep- tember. He found on Montreal Island ab- solute proofs of the truth of the Esquimaux story, as related to Dr. Rae. So lately as 1850, some of Sir John Frank- lirCs party were absolutely alive upon the Great Fish River. * Oot-ko-hi-ca-lik is the Esquimaox name for Oreat Fish River. ^^■ 100 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION We cannot venture to do more than offer the above facts to our readers. We dare not trust ourselves to comment on them. Englishmen must decide between Dr. King and the successive Secretaries of State and Admiralty Boards, who disregarded a pro- posal, by which it is now clear that this remnant might have been saved. " My Lords" were too official to enter- tain the right proposal ; can they now be touched by the story of an Esquimaux woman who records the fate of the last Arctic victim to the " Foul Anchor ?" Let them listen : " One of the lost crew died upon Mon- treal Island. " The rest perished on the coast of the mainland. " The wolves were very thick. " Only one man was Hving when their tribe arrived. " Him it was too late to save. " He was large and strong, and sat on the sandy beach, his head resting on his hand ; and thus he died." VOYAGEUB. Oaf yachtj remaii to Brit title ' proof t success attends has so ( at the ( tions wi Frankl get tha urged authorii of resci of a plaj would results ; saving pertiuac for the To Dr. ing out FROU FIRST TO LAST. 101 British Medical Journal, 1st October, '59. i I Captain M^Clintock's return in the Fox yachtj and the results of his search for the remains of The Franklin Expedition, give to British perseverance another claim to the title "indomitable," and afford another proof that, with the Briton, to fail implies success. But, amidst the congratulation attendant on the completion of a task that has so often been attempted, and the regrets at the confirmation of our worst anticipa- tions with regard to the fate of Sir John Franklin's gallant crews, we must not for- get that a member of our own profession urged with untiring pertinacity upon the authorities, so long as there was a chance of rescuing a single survivor, the adoption of a plan of relief which events have proved would have been attended with the happiest results ; and subsequently, after the hope of saving life had become vain, with equal pertinacity urged a similar plan of search for the remains of the missing expedition. To Dr. King belongs the honour of point- ing out the true path to the final resting- i^ \ 102 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION place of The Franklin Expedition. In February '47, Dr. King wrote to the au- thorities, to state his fears for the safety of the expedition, volunteering his services to conduct by Great Fish River a party for its relief. Again and again was this offer of service repeated. The authorities were, of course, deaf to Dr. King's arguments. Not deterred by official obduracy, or rather stimulated by it, Dr. Kinghas during the past ten or twelve years done his utmost to keep the public mind interested in the fate of his lost countrymen ; agitating at one and the same time in the cause of humanity and of national honour. So lately as December '56, Dr. King, in co-operation with Captain Bedford Pim, proposed to the Government a joint land and sea expedition, which, humanly speaking, would have given, had it been permitted, the most complete eluci- dation to the Franklin mystery. Surely, for such perseverance in so noble a cause, Dr. King deserves some fitting tribute. HED The naval i have I the re John ] death ^ official Lords work, € fi-omF had on they w( FrankU spot wl their ski claims He ha( commai isearch i only a invest!^ city led! tHOM FIRST TO LAST. 103 The Weekly Dispatch, 9th October, *59. BED TAPE AND SIR JOHN FRANKLIn! The gentlemen who administered our naval affairs between the years '45 and '54 have now the pleasure of knowing, that the reasons why the companions of Sir John Franklin were starved and frozen to death were, next to cold and hunger, the official insolence and corruption of the Lords of the Admiralty. From Dr. King's work, entitled " The Franklin Expedition from First to Last," it appears that if they had only taken Dr. King's advice in 1847, they would have found the members of the Franklin Expedition living in the very spot where Captain M^Clintock discovered their skeletons. Dr. King had considerable claims to the attention of the Admiralty. He had taken part in, and for some time commanded, the successful expedition in search of Sir John Ross. Thus he was not only a practical, but a practised Arctic investigator. His experience in that capa- city led him, in the first instance, before 104 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION the departure of Sir John Franklin, to pro- ject a land-party of explorers who should co-operate with the naval expedition. This plan he submitted to the Colonial Secre- tary, the present Earl Derby, proposing that he himself should be joined in the command of the auxiliaries. His sugges-^ tion was disregarded. In June, '47, friars began to be entertained for the fate of the Erebus and Terror. He then wrote to Lord Grey, who had succeeded Lord Stanley in office, a letter in which he pointed out as probable those very particulars with re- gard to the Franklin Expedition which the search of Captain M^Clintock has actually verified. This letter received a mere for- mal acknowledgment — no reply. Five months afterwords Dr. King wrote Lord Grey a second letter, which this time re- ceived the compliment of an answerfrom the courteous nobleman's second, Mr. Hawes, referring him to the Lords of the Admiralty. If this answer had been returned to Dr. King's first letter, no particular blame could have attached to Lord Grey. He was not bound to know Dr. King, nor to be ac- quainted with anybody's business but hia PROM FIRST TO LAST. 105 ac- own, which was that of administering Colonial government J a work wherein he was so eminently successful and gave such universal satisfaction. His Lordship would not have been charge- able with the insulting negligence of giving no answer to an important letter. Dr. King then applied to the Admiraltj^, having previously apprised Earl Grey of the rea- sons which disinclined him to address his application to that quarter. His views with regard to Arctic discoveries differed from those of the Admiralty, with this material aggravation of their offensiveness, that they had been proved correct. He had offered to administer medical relief to the suffering crew of the steamer L'Eclair. My Lords suppressed his nam6 in the return made to the House of Commons of the officers and men who volunteered to serve on the occasion to which he alluded. There was thus a lie between my Lords and Dr. King, and little doubt with which party the lie rested. The suppression of truth is as great a lie as the assertion of falsehood, and, according to Dr. King, my Lords had told the former lie. However, he swallowed the contumely, 106 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION the injustice, and the mendacity of my Lords, and wrote them a letter in which he pointed out that Sir John Franklin had probably been arrested between Melville Island and Bank's Land, had made for the American Continent, turned to south and west towards Victoria or WoUaston Lands, and had probably been wrecked there- abouts. In this very locality M^Clintock found the mouldering remains of the Ex- pedition. My Lords of the Admiralty imitated the gracious conduct of my Lord Grey. They left Dr. King's letter without an answer. He therefore wrote to the Secretary requesting to know my Lords' decision, in order that he might make ar- rangements to vacate his various profes- sional appointments in case my Lords should determine to employ him. The fol- lowing was the reply : — " I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admi- ralty to acquaint you that they have no in- tention of altering their present arrange- ments, or of making any others that will require your assistance, or force you to make the sacrifice which you appear to contem- plate." This was my Lords' answer to a pre intere gallai skelet anyfi Write It is a pointe the lal satiricj servan work tions, ( given was a rebuff cannot did the meet, i rejectic pears, : have b( at the A with n exercise and p£ the twi FROM FIRST TO LAST. 107 a proposal to hazard life, and to sacrifice interest, for the chance of rescuing the gallant commander and crew who are now skeletons because it was not accepted. From any future edition of the " Complete Letter Writer," that epistle must not be omitted. It is a splendid example of a regular official^ pointed by a vulgar sarcasm. Whether the latter was an effort of my Lords' own satirical powers, dictated to their humble servant who penned it ; whether it was the work of that menial having general instruc- tions, or " the office," as the thieves say, given him to be insolent; or whether it was a lackey's gratuitous addition to the rebuff which he was ordered to convey, cannot perhaps be ascertained. But why did the offer of Dr. King's valuable services meet, at the hands of my Lords, with rejection accompanied by insult? It ap- pears, from two causes which until lately have been in constant and strong operation at the Admiralty, Dr. King was unpopular with my Lords, and my Lords wanted to exercise patronage. Spite on the one hand, and partiality on the other, have long been the two great principles presiding ov^r 108 THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION my Lords who presided over the Navy. Valuable officers shelved for life, inefficient, doting, decrepit commanders appointed to the most important charges, have been the familiar instances of the influence of those two great motives on my Lords. In the meantime, France distances us in naval progress, and England has lost her supre- macy, if not her equality, on the sea. My Lords, such Lords as those who cast aside Dr. King, have ever been insolent in exact proportion to their incapacity, which was always vast, and they have been uniformly remarkable chiefly for superciliousness and favouritism. May we hope that my pre- sent Lords are altogether another kind of men, and that the loss of the Erebus and Terror will not prove ominous of the ruin of the British Navy I L. The Medical Times, 8th October, '59. The news recently brought home as to the fate of Sir John Franklin, shows very remarkably the fault committed by Govern- ment in neglecting to follow the advice of a weJ Dr.K ships King land expedi shore < contin( Island, River. propos( Secreta the wes The F Two y felt for madeh by the search difficult was dat enough] died 01 after th| spot wl After FI records FROM FIRST TO LAST. 109 a well-known member of our profession, Dr. Eong. It is now known that Franklin's ships were wrecked close to an island — King William Island — ^lying ofif the western land of North Somerset ; and traces of the expedition have been found on the southern shore of this island, at Point Ogle, on the continent of America, and at Montreal Island, in the estuary of the Great Fish River. Now, in February, '45, Dr. King proposed to Lord Grey, then Colonial Secretary, to go by Great Fish River to the western land of North Somerset to aid The Franklin Expedition in its survey. Two years afterwards, when anxiety was felt for the fate of the expedition, Dr. King made his second offer to Lord Grey to go by the same route to the same coast to search for and assist the expedition in its difficulty. The letter making this offer was dated 10th of June, '47, and, curiously enough, it is now shown that Franklin died on the 11th of June, one day only after this letter was written, near the very spot which Dr. King proposed to explore. After Franklin's death, it appears from the records found by M'Clintock, 105 survivors 11 no THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION were on the road to Great Fish River, in April '48 ; so that had Dr. King's proposals of '45 and '47 been accepted^ he must have met the party and rescued them. Year after year Dr. King reiterated his warnings and offers, and in '56 memorialised the Admiralty to arrange a combined effort by sea and land, again directed to the precise spot where the remains of the expedition have been found. Had his offers been accepted, not only would our gallant countrymen have been rescued, but no necessity would have arisen for the ex- peditions of Ross, Richardson, Oollinson, Austin, Penny, Belcher, or Kellet, at a Government expense of two millions ; nor for the private expeditions under Ross, Kennedy, and M*Clintock, or the American efforts of De Haven and Kane. We do not mention this in any spirit of vain regret, but to point out that a summer land search up Great Fish River would be devoid of danger, would be inexpensive, and might be successful in rescuing some of the 105 survivors, all of whom can scarcely have perished in a country where there is plenty of game. ? ""T'fl FROM FIRST TO LAST. Ill The Lancet, 1st October, '59. The medical officers who have accom- panied those Arctic expeditions which have so greatly glorified the name of English seamen and honom-ed English enterprise, have always been distinguished for the intelligent contributions, embodying the results of the voyages, which they have offered to the literary and scientific world. Among the most distinguished of Arctic medical officers is Dr. King, whose pub- lished works have attested equally his zealous devotion to the great Arctic ques- tion and his intimate acquaintance with the geographical and meteorological rela- tions of this terra incognita. When the continued absence of the Franklin party first excited the fears of English seamen, and] became the subject of comment among the savans, Dr. King discussed with great minuteness and inge- nuity the probability of The Expedition having taken one of the several routes open to them, and maintained that they must evidently have taken the route towards -^»l li 112 THE FEANKLIN EXPEDITION Great Fish Eiver. These views Dr. Ring again and again brought before the atten- tion of the Admiralty, and volunteered to conduct an expedition in the presumed route of the ill-fated party, which might have been arranged with ease and at little cost. At the very time that he was press- ing his offer upon the Government, Sir John Franklin and his devoted followers were traversing that path and pursuing the very course which he marked out. The reasons which Dr. King adduced were fiilly stated, and so powerfiil was their united bearing that one would imagine that only a foregone acquaintance with other facts not known to Dr. King could have justified the refusal on the part of the authorities to entertain his proposition. It now appears that they were not in posses- sion of any such facts, and the motives which operated to prevent them from allowing Dr. King to follow up the traces of these brave and devoted men are as mysterious as that refusal has been disas- trous and deplorable. THE ] TAB! wwi'iii.'ii"i" ;■ li s; mm THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION FSOK FIRST TO LAST. TABULAR FORM OF CONTENTS. a s 1^ o a CO 9 t ^OJ WO 1-^ P^ w PS 8 H O H m e« 0$ 3 o O £ 5 pis .3 % to ■o e« eo <9 <3Q Pm 00 00 1^ 09 €4 la 00 00 « >l il §2 - ^ to 9 eo nww* SB u a i'..',l,tiri>.!.'^'!'iiii..,,i, 4} I. •p g I -I 'if 1^ 1.1 Bs§ -§ •43 Dm o » 1^. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. " Db. Kino pointed out the locality where the relics of The Franklin Expedition have been found, as a likely spot to find them." Spectator. " Db. Kimo is the one man whose unheeded foresight certain information* has since completely Justified. Examiner. " Db. Kimo speaks with authority, and his views are shared with other persons of Arctic experience. He tells us that some of The Franklin Ex- pedition may be alive ; at all events, that their doom may be discovered."— Homing Chronicle, U.ll.'69. "Could human foresight more accurately have indicated the time, the place, the nature of the catastrophe, and the means for averting it, than that of Dr. Kino, in his offer to search for IheFranklin Expedition in '47.—— Navai and Military Qazette, 5.11.'69. " Had the Admiralty accepted the offer of Dr. Kino, those whose bones are bleaching under a Polar Sky, would be alive and at home."— Star, 12.1.'60. " Had Dr. Kimo been listened to. The Franklin Expedition would have been discovered while yet a numerous living band." Mom. Poit, 4.10.'S0. " The discoveries of M'Cuktock in '50 confirm Dr. Kino's prophecies of 47 to the letter." Sun, 3.10.'69. " It is impossible not to regret most deeply that Dr. Kino was not permitted . to go In search of The Franklin Expedition." WeeMy TitMt, 9.10.'C9. " The only man in England who proposed an effectual plan for the relief of Franklin was Dr. Kino.— Dublin Vt^vertity Magasine, Feb. '60 mJtijjj^..-4tw"" -9