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BEINQ DETAILED ACCOUNTS OW THE SEVERAL .EXPEDITIONS TO THE NORTH SEAS, BOTn ENGLISH AND AMERIUAN, CONDUCTED BT BOSS, PAERT, BACK, FRANKLIN, M'CLUEB AND OTHERS. INCLUDING THE FIRST GRINNELL EXPEDITION, ' ITNDER LIEUTENANT DE HAVEN, AND Tm FINAL EFFORT OF DR. E. K. KANE .♦ • . IN SEARCH OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. EDITED AND COMPLETED BT SAMUEL M. SMUCKER, A. M., ATTTHOB OF " OOTTBT AMD BEIGN OF OATHBRINB H.," " NICHOLAS L," " MEHOBABU SOElfES IN CSXNCH HUTOBT," "HISTOBT OF THB ItOBlIONS," STC. NEW YORK AND AUBURN : MILLER, ORTON & 0., New York : 25 Park Bow—Aabura : 107 GoBesee-st 1857. Entered according to Act of Congress, In tlio year one thonsand eight hundred and flfty-seven, BY MILLER, ORTON & CO., In the Clerk's OfUce of the Dlatrict Court of the Northern District of New York. PREFACE. The records of maritime adventure and discovery con- stitute one of the most attractive pages in literature. Nearly three thousand years before the birth of Christ, the bold Tyrians and Phoenicians deserted the confines of their native continent to explore new realms, and to ob- tain from the then unknown land of Spain, the means of augmented splendor, luxury, and wealth. From that re- mote period, down through succeeding ages until the present, the most enterprising and dauntless of human spirits have found their congenial field of labor and ac- tivity in adventuring into untrodden and unfamiliar re gions in search of riches, celebrity, and conquest. It was this spirit which has in the past given birth to many great states and empires. It was this spirit which planted Carthage on the northern shores of Africa, and eventually rendered her the dangerous and not unworthy rival of Rome. It wgis this spirit which built Marseilles, Aries, Nismes, and many of the most important cities of IV 1' in: FACE. France, "whidi rontnin to tliis day impressive monuments of Roman origin and Hupromacy. It was this spirit wliich made Eni^land pass successively under the resistless sway of her Roman, Saxon, Danish, and Norman conquerors. But more especially was it this restless and insatiable genius of adventure which created the greatness of the chief maritime cities of modern Italy, of Genoa and Ven- ice, as well as that of the kingdom of Portugal and Spain. To this same desire for discovery the world is indebted for the glorious achievements of Columbus, Vespucius, and De Soto ; and for the revelation of the magnificent novelties and unparalleled beauties of these western con- tinents, ladencd with the most valuable treasures and products of the earth, which they threw open to the knowledge and the possession of mankind. After the discovery of the American continents, and af- ter tlie thorough exploration of the Southern and Pacific oceans, it was generally supposed that the materials for further adventures of this description had all been ex- hausted. The whole habitable globe seemed then to have been made accessible and familiar to men, both as apostles of science and as emissaries of commerce. It was thought that the era of maritime discovery, the days of Vasco de Gama, of Marco Polo, and of Sydney, had ended forever. But this supposition was erroneous. One additional field of this description yet remained. It was indeed a gloomy and repulsive one. It was totally de- void of the attractive and romantic splendors which in other days had allured men to sail through tranquil oceans to fragrant islands, which bloomed like gardens on the bosom of summer seas ; or to continents which were covered with the richness of tropical vegetation and luxu PKEFAOE. rianco, and were storctl with spiccp, gold, and gems. But it was a field which demanded greater heroism, greater endurance, and was fraught with greater perils, than any other department of discovery. This region lay far up toward the Northern Pole. It was the vast frozen land of everlasting snow-fields, of stupendous ice-bergs, of hyperborean storms, of the long, cheerless nights of tiio Arctic Zone. To navigate and ex[)loro these dismal realms, men of extreme daring, of sublime fortitude, of miconquerablo perseverance, were absolutely necessary. And such men possessed one great element of diLjtinguish- hig greatness, of which the explorers of more g(3nial and inviting climes were destitute. Their investigations were made entirely without the prospect of rich reward, and chiefiy for the promotion of the magnificent ends of science. The discovery of a north-western passage was indeed not forgotten ; but it must be conceded that other less mercenary and more philanthropic motives havo given rise to the larger portion of the expeditions which, during the progress of the nineteenth century, liave in- vaded the cheerless solitudes of that dangerous and re- pulsive portion of the globe. The following pages contain a narrative of the chief adventures and discoveries of Arctic explorers during this century. No expedition of any importance has been omitted ; and the work has been brought down in its de- tails to the present time, so as to include a satisfactory account of the labors, sufferings, and triumphs of that prince of Arctic explorers and philanthropists, Dr. Kane ; whose adventures, and whose able narrative of them, en- title him to fadeless celebrity, both as a hero in the field, and as a man of high genius and scholarship. I! I ! VI PREFACE. Every reader who carefully peruses the following pa-' _ s must be convinced that the Arctic hemisphere has now been thoroughly explored. Every accessible spot has been visited and examined by some one or other of the various expeditions which have been sent out ; and that vast extent of countries and of seas which intervene from Smith's Sound and Wolstenholme Sound in the ex- treme east, being the remotest northern limits of Green- land, to the westward as far as to Behring's Straits, which divide America from Asia, has been examined. These limits inclose an area of about four thousand miles, every attainable portion of which has been subjected to the scrutiny of recent Arctic explorers. It can scarcely be ex- pected that any traces of the existence and fate of Sir John Franklin still remain on the globe, which further perse- verance and research could possibly reveal. Even if the great chapter of Arctic discovery and adventure should now be closed, it will constitute one of the most remark- able and entertaining departments of human heroism, enterprise, and endurance, which biography or history presents. CONTENTS. Introductor7 Remarks, 25 Little known of tlie Arctic Regions — Notice of Capt. Phipps' Voyage — Parry's ana Franklin's opinions (in a northwest passage — Abstract of Sir Jolin Barrow's works on Arctic Discovery — England's neglect of her nautical heroes. Captain Sir John Ross's Voyage in the Isabella and Alexander to Hudson's Bay in 1818 37 Names of the officers and men— Ships visited by the natives of Greenland — Abun- dance of birds on this coast — Gale of wind — Red snow — Lancaster Sound — The fabu- lous Croker mountains — Agnes monument — Large bear shot — Return home. Voyage of Biichan and Franklin in the Dorothea and Trent, to Spitzbergen, <fec., 1818, 45 Names of officers and complement, &c. — Fanciful appearance of icebergs — Shipu arrive at Spitzbergen — Anchor in Magdalen Bay — Hanging icebergs — Immense flocks of birds — Dangerous ascent of Rotge Hill — Attack of walruses — Surprised by unlooked- for visitors — Devout feeling of recluses — Expedition puts to sea again — Party lose themselves on the ice — Ships damaged by the pressure of the floes — Dangerous position of the ships — They take refuge in the main pack of icebergs — Vessels put into Fair Haven to stop leaks and refit — Return home. Fmnklin's First Land Expedition, 1819-21 61 Party leave England in the Prince of Wales — Reach Hudson's Bay factory by tho end of August — Proceed by the rivers and lakes to Cumberland House — Arrive at Fori Chipewyan after a winter journey of 857 miles — Engage voyageurs and guides — Make the acquaintance of Akaitcho, the Indian chief— Push on fr Fort Enterprise, which is made their winter residence after a voyage of 563 miles — Exploring excursions car- ried on during the winter — " Green Stockings," the Indian beauty — Stores and Esqui- maux interpreters arrive — Severity of the winter — Sufferings of the Indians — Party set out for the Polar Sea — Examine the coast westward of Point Turnagain — Dreadftil hardships and sufferings endured on their return Journey, from famine and fatigue- Death of several of the party — Mr. Hood is murdered by Michel the Iroquois, who, for their mutual safety, is killed by Dr. Ricluirdson — Hunger and famine endured by the party — Their ultimate relief. Farry's First Voyage in the Hecla and Griper, 1819-20, 85 Names of oflicers serving, &c. — Enter Lancaster Sound — The Croker mountains prove to be fallacious — Parry discovers and enters Regent Inlet — Also discovers and names various islands, capes, and channels — Reaches Meh-ille Island — Expedition cross the meridian of 110" W., and become entitled to the Parliamentary reward of jC.5000 —Drop anchor for the first time — Land on the island — Abundance of animals found — An exploring pr'ty lose themselves for three days, but are recovered and brought back — Vessels get into wmter-quarters — A MS. newspaper published — amat«>ur plays performed — Observatory destroyed by Are — Scurvy makes its appearance — Crews put on short allowance — An excursion of a fortnight made to examine tbi island — Ships get mle&T of the ice — But are unable to make further progress to the westward, and thoir nturn to England is deter mlnod on. 1 I Vlll C N T E NTS. Parry's Second Voyage in the Fury and Ilecla, 1821-23 lUl His opinion as to a northwest passage — Make Kcsolution island, at the entrance of Hudson's Strait— Dangers o the iei' — Fall in >vith Hudson' sHay Company's sliipu, and emigrant vessel, with Dutch colonists proceeding to Ked Kiver — Two innnense bears killed — Descrii>tion of the Escjuiinaux — Surveys made of all the indentations and coasts of this hjcality — Ships driven back by the current and dritl-ice — Take up their winter- quarters — And resort to theatrical amusements again — Schools established — Great severity of the winter — Surveying operations resumed — Intelligent Esquimaux female afi'ords valuable hydrograi)hical inf<n'mation — Perilous position of the Hecia — Her miraculous release — Ships pass their second winter at Igloolik — The Fury and HecIa Strait examined— Ice breaks up — Ships driven about by the current for thirty-five days — At last gain the Atlantic and make for England. . Clavering's Voyage to Spitzbergen and Greenland in the Griper, 1823 126 Conveys out Capt. Sahine to make observations — Reach Spitsbergen — Proceed thenca to Pendulum Islands — Northeastern coast of Greenland surveyed — Cai)tjiin Clavering and a party of nineteen men carry on an exploring expedition for a fortnight — Meet with a tribe of Es(iuiniaux — Ship puts to sea — Make for the coast of Norway — Anchor in Drontheira Fiord — Observations being completed, ship retm'us to England. Lyon's Voyage in the Griper, 128 Is sent to survey and examine the straits and shores of Antic America — Arrives in the channel known as Roe's Welcome — Encoiuiters a territicr gale — Is hi imminent dan- ger in the Bay of God's Mercy — SuH'ers from anotlier fearful storm — The s'aip being quite crippled, and liaviiig lost all her anchors, &c., is obliged to return liome. Parry -s Third Voyage in the Hecla and Fury, 1824-2.5 130 Names and number of the officers, iHco. — Tlecla laid on her broadside by tlie ice — Ships reach Lancaster Sound — Enter l{egent Inlet, aiid winter at Port Bowen — Dreary char I iter of the arctic winter — Former amusements worn threadbare — Polar Bal Masqtj) pot up — Explorhig parties sent out inland and along the coast — Sliips are releasee, but beset by the ice, and carried by the pack down tVie inlet — Fury driven ou shore and abandoned — Return voyage necessarily determined on — Scarcity of animal food in this locality — Hecla arrives at Peterhead — Parry's opinions of the northwest passage. Franklin's Second Land Expedition, 1825-26 137 Names of the officers accomjiany ing liim — A rrive in New York and proceed through the Hudson's Bay Company's territories — Winter at Fort Franklin on Great Bear Lake — A pioneer party proceeds to examine the state of the Polar Sea — Return and pass the long winter — Descend the Mackenzie in the spring— Party divide ; Franklin and Back proceeding to the westward, while Dr. Ricli.irdson and Mr. Kendal, &c., follow the Coppermine River — Franklin encounters a fierce tribe of Esquimaux at the sea — After a month's snrvej' to the eastward, Franklin and his party retrace their steps — Find Richardson and Kendal had retiirnd before them, after reaching and explor- ing Dolphin and Union Strait — Another winter spent at Fort Franklin — Intensity of the cold— Large collection of objects of natural history made by Mr. Drumraond^ Franklin's struggle between affection and duty — Party return to England. Captain Beechey's Vovago to Behring's Strait in the Blossom, 1825-26 " 140 Anchors off Petropaulowski — Receives intelligence of Parry's safe return — Interview wit.>> the natives — Correct hydrographical descriptions given by the Esquimaux- Ship 8 boat pushes on to the eastward as far as Point Barrow, to communicate with Franklin — Crew in danger from the natives — Obliged to return to their ships — Tlie Blossom proceeds to the Pacific, to replenish her provisions — Returns to Kotzebue Sound in the summer — Ship grounds on a sand-bank, but is got ofV^— Boat sent out to learn tidings of Franklin, is wrecked— Crew come into collision with hostile natives, and are wounded; picked up by the ship— Dispatches left for Franklin, and the ak ^ returns to England. # 1 CONTENTS. IX Parry's Fourth or Polar Voyage in the Hecla, 1827 144 Plaus and suggestions of Scoresby, Ueaufi)y and Franklin for travelinor in sledgei over the ice — Names of tlie otUcers employed— Sliip embarks reindeer on tiio Norway coast — Experiences a tremendous gale — Beset by ice fur a month — Anchors at Spitz- bergen — Sledge-boats prepared for the ice journey — Description of tlieni — Night turned into day — Slow progress — Occupations of tlie party — Lose ground by the southward drift of the ice — Bear aliot — Notices of animals seen — Ueacli northernmost known land — The islet named after Koss — Keturn to the ship— Parry's subsequent suggestions on this mode of traveling — Sir John Barrow's connnents thereon — Opin- ions of this perilous ice journey — lleview of Parry's arctic serrices. Captain John Ross's Second Voyage in the Victory, 1829-33 155 Ross seeks official employment from the Admiralty on another arctic voyage — is re- fused — Funds are furnished by Mr. Felix Booth — The Victory steamer purchased^ En[jages his nephew, Commander James Ross, as his second in connnaud — List of other otHcers — Ship encounters a gale, and is obUged to put into Ilolsteinberg to refit —Proceed on their voyage — Enter Lancaster Sound and Regent Inlet — Reach Fury Beach — Find abundance of stores there, and preserved meat in excellent condition — Replenish their stock — Proceed down the Inlet — Perils of the ice — Vessel secured in Felix Harbor for the winter — Esquimaux visit the ship — Furnish very correct sketches of the coast — '^jramandor James Ross makes many excursions inland and along the bays and inlets — Explores Ross's Strait, and pushes on to King William's Land — UilU- culty of distiiiguisbixjg land from sea — Reaches Point Victory and turns back — Ship gets dear of the ice, after eleven months' imprisonment, but in a week is again frozen in, and the party are detained during another severe winter— Further discoveries made, and Connn;inder Ross plants the British tlag on the north magnetic pole — In August, IblJl, the ship is warped out, an*l makes sail, but after beating about for a month, is again frozen in ; and rather than spend u fourth winter, there being no prospect of releasuig the ship, she is abandoned, and the crew make for Fury Beach — Provisions «nd boats taken on with great labor — Party erect a canvas but, which they name Som- erset House — In a month, the boats being prepared for tlie voyage, the party embark, and reach the moutli of the mlet — Barrow's Strait is found one compact mass of ice— They are obliged to fall back on the stores at Fury Beach to spend their fourth winter- Placed on short allowance — In the spring they agaui embark in their boats and succeed in reaching Lancaster Sound — Fall in witli whalers — Are received on board the Isabella, Captain Rosjj's old ship — Arrive home — Public rejoicmgs for their safety — Rewards granted — Resume of Captain John Ross's services. Captain Back's Land Journey in search of Ross, 1833-34 168 Attention called to the missing expedition by Dr. Richardson — Plana of relief sug- gested — Public meeting held to consider the best measures — Ample funds raised — Capt Back volnnteers— Leaves England with Dr. King — Voyageurs and guides, &c., engaged in Canada— Party push through the northwest country — Dreadful sufferings from Insect pests — Reach Fort Resolution, on Great Slave I<ake — Motley description of the travelers and their encampment — Arrangements are completed, and the journey m search of the Great Fish River commenced — Frightful nature of the precipices, rap- »d3, falls, ravines, &c. — Meet with old acquaintances — Obliged to return to their wintef quaiters — Dreadful sufferings of the Indians — Famine and intense cold — Noble conduct of Akaitcho, the Indian chief— News received of Captain Ross's safe return to England — Franklin's faithful Esquimaux interpretei", Augustus, endeavoring to join Back, in frozen to death — A fresh journey toward the sea is resolved on — Provisions for three months taken — Indian encampment — Green Stockings, the beauty— Interview with the chief, Akaitcho — Arduous and perilous progress toward the sea — Pilfering propensi- ties of the Indians — Meet with a large friendly tribe of Esquimaux — Reach tlie sea, and proceed along the coast to the ea.stward, unable to arrive at the Point Turnagaia jf Franklin — Privations of the party on their return journey — Difficulties encountered in re-ascending the river — Reach Fort Reliance after four months' absenc»^ — Pass the winter there — Cajitain 1' ck arrives in England in September, after an absence of two years and a half^Dr. King foUows him in the Hudsons Bay spring ships. Back's Voyage in the Terror up Hudson's Strait, 1 836 186 Ship arrives at Salisbury Island — Proceeds up Frozen Strait — Is blocked up by the ice, and driven about powerless for more than six months— Cast on her beam enda for three d;i\s— From the crippled .state of the -liip and the insurmountable difficultiefi Tf th6 navi;>:ation, the return to England is determined on — Sumuiary of Captaia Back's cjftic sernces. CONTENTS. Messrs. Dease and Simpson's Discoveries on the coast of Arctic America, 1836-39 , 187 Descend the Mackenzie to the sea — Survey the western part of the shores of North America from Return Reef to Cape Barrow— DiBooTer two new rivers, the Garry •nd Colville — After reaching ELson Bay, return to winter at Fort Confidence, on Great Bear Lake — Survey resumed in the ensuing spring — Dangerous rapids on the Copper- mine river — Encamp at its mouth — Copper ore found here — Victoria Land discovered and 140 miles of new coast traced — Re-ascent of the Coppermine commenced — Boatu abandoned, and the Barren grounds traversed on foot — Spend another winter at Fort Confidence — Tlie following season a third voyage commenced— RichardsQn's River •.\amined — Coronation Gulf found clear of ice — Coast survey to the eastward prose- cuted — ISimpson's Strait discovered— Back's Estuary reached — Deposit of provisioni made by Back five years previous, found — Aberdeen Island, the extreme point reached —Parts of coasts of Boothia and Victoria Land traced — One of the boats abandoned- Descent of the Coppermine, and safe arrival at Fort Confidence. Dr. John Rae's Land Expedition, 1846-47 199 Hudson's Bay Company dispatch Rae and a party of thirteen men to complete th» ■urvey between Dease and Simjison's furthest, and the Fury and Hecla Strait — Expe- dition leaves Fort Churchill — Reaches Wager River — Boats taken across Rae's Isthmus — Winter residence constructed — Short commons — West shore of Melville Peninsula, &c., examined — Party return to their encampment, and proceed to Fort Churchill- Gratuity of X40U awarded to Dr. Rae. Captain Sir John Franklin's Last Expedition in the Erebus and Terror, 1845-51 196 Probability of the safety of the expedition — Montgomery's lines on ice-imprisoned vessels — Lady Franklin's devotion and enthusiasm — Verses — Her appeal to the north-— Sir E. Parry's opinion — Outfit and dispatch of Franklin's expedition — Names of the officers employed — Outline of Franklin's services — Notices of the serWces of other of the officers — Searching expeditions sent out in 1848 — Different volunteers offer — Ab- sence of intelligence of Franklin — TTis latest dispatches and letters — Copper cylinders — Franklin's views and intentions — i^etters of Capt^iin Fitzjanies — General opinions of the most experienced arctic officers jis to Franklin's safety — Offer of services and sug- gestions by Dr. King — Opinions of Captains Parry and James Ross thereon — Consulta- tion of officers at tlie Admiralty — Report of the hydrographer — Advice tendered by tliose consulted — Views of Mr. Bnow and Mr. McLean — Public and private rewards offered for discovery and assistance to be rendered — Second report of Admiral Beaufort to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty — Various private and official letters and dispatches, pointing out, or commenting on plans and modes of relief— Abundance of animal food found in the arctic regions — A ballad of Sir John Franklin. The Government and private Searching Expeditions 281 List of the vessels and commanders, &c., now employed on the search in the arctio regions — Notices of those returned home. Voyage of the Enterprise and Investigator under Captains Sir J. 0. Ross and E. J. Bird, 1848-49 281 Names of the officers employed in this expedition — Ships arrive at Uppernavick— Proceed on their voyage — Force a passage through the ice — Enter Barrow's Strait- After being driven about in the pack, take shelter for the winter in the liarbor of Port I,eopo!d — Surveying trips carried on down the inlet, and round the northern and wp<5(-Hrn shores of Root.hi* — Foxes trapped and liberated with copper collars on — Fury open water— Beset by the loose pack, and the temperature falling, the whole body of ice is formed into one solid mass, and the ships are drifted with the field into Baffin's Bay — The return to England determined on — Outline of Sir James Ross's arduous services in the polar regions. Voyaare of the transport, North Star, 1849 f«}0 Names of the officers of the ship— Official dispatch from the Commander— Sfilp CONTENTS. Lrctic 187 es of North I, the Garry ;e, on Great he Copper- . discovered iced — BoatH ter at Fort jqn'g River I'ard prose- provisiont int reached tiandoned — .193 )mplete th» •ait— Expe- e's Isthmus i Peninsula, Churchill — and 196 imprisoned he north— mes of the •f other of offer — A^- t" cylinders pinions of and sug- Consulta- dered by rewards Beaufort etters and idance of ...281 ;he arctio .0. ...281 navick— Strait— of Port ern and -Fury bodv of Baffin's arduous ...WO -SfAlp beset in an ice-ZUId in the northern part of BaflRn's Bay— Drifted with it for sixty-two days — Wintei fc in M'olstenholme Sound — Deartli of animals tliero — Ship p;ct8 clear of ice and makes for I^ancaster Sound — The Lady Franklin and Felix aie spoken with— Being prevented by the ije from reaching Port Bowen or Port Neil, tlie provisions taken out by the North Star are landed at Navy Board Inlet — Speaks tiie Prince Albert .—Receives dispatches for England — Returns home — Commander Saunders appointed to Malta Dock-yard. Second voyage of the Entei-prisc and Investigator under Captain CoUinson and Commander M'Clure, 1850 294 Names of officers attached to the ships — Esquimaux interpreter appointed to the Enterprise — Vessels arrive at the Sandwich Islands — Exjiressed intentions of the com- manders of the vessels — Ships reach Behrinp's Strait — Conmiiniicate witli the Herald and Plover — Latest dispatches of Captain Collinson and Commander M'Clure — Position of their Ships. V"oyage of the Plover, and Boat Expeditions nnder Commander Puilen, 1848-51 307 Purport of instructions issued from the Admiralty — Ship arrives in Behrir.g's Strait -Disrovers new land and islands to the north of the Strnit — Winters in Kotzebuo Sound — Lieutenant Puilen and party proceed in boats alonjr the coast to the Mackenzie River — No tidings gleaned of Franklin's ships — Letter from Lieut. Hooper — Latest offi- cial disp<>tch from Commander PuUen — His intentions — Sir John Ricliardson's advice. Voyage of the Lady Franklin and Sophia, purchased govemment ships, under the command of Mr. Ponny 312 Nature of the instructions given — Printing Press supplied — Ships sail and reach Wolstenholme Sound — Prevented by the ice from examining Jones' Sound — Reach Wellington Channel, and are left there by the Prince Albert. Voyage of the Resolute and Assistance, under command of Captain Austin, with their steam tenders, Pioneer and Intrepid, 1850-51 313 Ships purchased and are renamed by the government — Officers employed — instruc- tions given to search Wellington Channel, and push on to Melville Inland — Official dispatch from Captain Ommaney— MS. newspaper started on board the Assistance- Extracts tlierefront. Voyage of Captain Sir John Ross iu the Felix private schooner 1850-51 319 Is fitted out by the Hudson's Bay Company and private subscription — Arrives at Whalefish Islands, and overtakes the Advance and Resolute — Proceeds in company^ Esquimaux reports of the destruction of Franklin's ships, and murder of the cre>\»— Proved by investigation to be devoid of ibundation — Letter of Sir John Ross to the Secretary of the Admiralty. American Govemment Searching Expedition in the United States ships Advance and Rescue, under the command of Lieutenant De Haven, 1850-51 325 Lady Franklin's appeal to the American nation — Mr. Clayton's reply— Second letter of Lady Franklin to the President — Suggestions of Lieutenant S. Osliorn, R. N. — De- bate in Congress — Resolutions agreed to — Munificence of Mr. H. Grinnell— Ships fitted out and dispatched- Names of officers employed — Dispatches from the commander. Remarkable Voyage of the private ship Prince Albert, under the command of Captain Forsyth, R. N., to Regent Inlet and back, 1850 348 Fitted out by Lady Franklin and by private subscription — Reasons for the expedition —Officers and crew — Discover traces of Franklin — Fall in with otlier ships — Visit! Begent Inlet — Is forced to return home— Remarks on this voyage Jill CONTENTS nil ¥\ |! ! \ fi ; I ! The American Grinnell Ex])eflition in search of Sir John Frank- lin, in the Advance and Jlescue, under the command of Lieu- tenant E. De Haven, in the years 1850-51 361 Officers of tlio Expedition— Prosrross of tlie voyaice— First encounter with an Ice- berjf— Acres of tirolien ic«— Landintr at Wlialo Islnnd— I'rocnro winter clotliing and Biipplies at a Daiiisli settlement— Perilous position of tlie liesciio — Polar bears — 0|)»!ii sea— Joined bv llio I'rince Albert, Uoyal navy— Crimson ClilTs— Tremendous gale-Articles belongins,' to Franklin's 8lii|)S— 'lliriio t;raves of Franklin's men — Other traces of the inissiny navim'ator- Approucli of the Arctic winter- Battling witli ice — Extreme perils — Five months in tlje ice— Arctic amusements and em- ployments—Arctic nifiht — Ke-api)earanco of tlio sun — Liberation of the ice-bound vessels— Farther Exi)lorations— Declile to return— Arrival at the Navy yard— Effects of tlie Expedition— WlNTLlt IN THE AKCTIG OCEAN by Lieutenant Do Haven. A Summer Search for Sir John Franklin, with a Peep into the Polar Basin, by Commander E. A. Ingleiield, ia the Scrow- steamer Isabel, in 1852 411 First glimpse of Greenland— Singular accident— Examination of shores of Wol- Btenholme Sound— Nortlmmberland Island — Point Frederick VII. — Ai)pearance of the ice — Visits tlie graves of Franklin's men at Beecliey Island — IJilliculties of ad- vancing — Loss of spars — The return of the Isabel. Eighteen Months in the Polar Regions in search of Sir John Franklin's Expedition, in the years 1850-51, by Lieutenant Sherard Osborii, Avith tlie Steam-vessels Pioneer and Intrepid 421 Dangers of anchoring to an ice-berg — Entangled in the pack — Enters Baffin's Bay — Lancaster Sound — Philosophy of ice-bergs — Uegent's Inlet — Visit to Beecliey Island — Thorough search of that island — Visits Barlow's Inlet — Passing the winter in the ships — Occui)ations—Exiieditions organized in the spring — Visit to Jones' Sound — Description of the Esquimaux races— Beturn homo. Arctic Searching Expedition ; a Journal of a Boat voyage through Rupert's Land and the Arctic Sea, in search of Sir John Franklin, by Sir John Ricliardson, in 1851 438 Start from Montreal — Designated route — Intercourse with the Esquimaux — Sketch of the Esquimaux — Kussell Inlet— Ilarrowbv Bay— Oapo Bathurst — Cape Kendall — Coppermine River — Kendall liiver — The Esquimaux of this region — Their religion — Their different races and tribes — The Kutchins — Fort Coufldence — Basil Hall Bay — Bear Lake — Keturn. The Second Voyage of the Prince Albert in search of Sir John Franklin, under the command of William Kennedy, in 1853 461 Origin of this expedition — Tlio outfit and instructions — Melville Bay — Prince Re- gent's Inlet — Port Leopold — Winter quarters at Wlialer's Point — Fury Beach — Inci- de: is during the winter — Cape Garry — Batty Bay — lieturn to England. Arctic Explorations ; the Secoiul Grinnell Expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, in 1853, '51, 55, by Dr. E. K. Kane, in the brig Advance 473 Outfit and purpose of the expedition— Visit to Danish settlements of Greenland- Pass Crimson Cliffs— Smitli's Sound— Discovery of the Great Humboldt Glacier — Butter Island — Establishment of provision depots — Life on board the brig — Incidents of the first winter in the ice — Perilous expedition — Further examination of Hum- boldt Glacier— West Land— Robert Morris Bay— Bear-Hglit— Peep into the Polar Basin— View of nature five hundred miles from the North Pole— Littleton Island — Second winter in tlio ice— Ojierations in tiie spring — Exploration of Kennedy Chan- nel — Third view of Humboldt Glacier — Bear hunts — Preparations for return — De- parture from Che brig— Conveyance of the sick— Anoatok— Sledge Party— Perilous adventure— Death of Christian Ohlsun— North Baffin's Bay— The embarkation— Dif- CONTENTS xni flciilt navlcrixtlon— Mnrcli!"«on Cliannol— Nnrrow c?fnpp — NVoary Mftii'? Fwost— 3f(»r- dedtnce-l'niw York — NVniit of pnivi.xioii^ — ^I'liI liiint— C'ci-t of (irocnlniKl— 'I'lio llaviik— l)iso()iira!.rin<i news— Arrival nt I'lxTiiavlck — Captain llartstcne's I'xnoill- tioh in the Arctic and tin- HcU-asi'— Advi'Mtiiri'sot'lliut expodltion— licturn to Upor- navick and discovery of IJr. Kaue's party— lieturn to New York. 08 of Wol- loarance of Hies of ad- inter iu tlie I THE PROGRESS OF AECTIC DISCOVERY IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. If we examine a map of Northern, or Arctic, Amer- ica, showing what was known of the countries around the North Pole in the commencement of the present century, we shall find that all within the Arctic circle was a complete blank. Mr. Hearne had, indeed, seen the Arctic Sea in the year 1771 ; and Mr. Mackenzie had traced the river which now bears his name to its junc- tion with the sea ; but not a single line of the coast from Icy Cape to Baffin's Bay was known. The east- ern and western shores of Greenland, to about 75° lat- itude, were tolerably well defined, ftom. the visits of whaling vessels ; Hudson's Bay and Strait were par- tially known; but Baffin's Bay, according to the state- ment of Mr. Baffin, in 1616, was bounded by land on the west, running parallel with the 90th meridian of longitude, or across what is now known to us as Bar- row's Strait, and probably this relation led to the sub- sequently formed hasty opinion of Captain Sir John Ross, as to his visionary Croker Mountains, of which I shall have occasion to speak hereafter. As early as the year 1527, the idea of a passage to tlie East Indies by the North Pole was suggested by a 26 ri{0GRES3 OF AllCTIC DISCUVKIiY'. Bristol merchant to ircnry YIII., but no voyac^c Rcoma to liave been undertaken tor the purpose ofnavifjjating the Polar seas, till the conimencenient of the fullovving century, when an expedition was fitted out at the ex- pense of certain mercnants of London. To this attein])t several others succeeded at different periods, and all of them were projected and carried into execution by l)rivate individuals. The adventurers did not indeed accomplish the object tliey exclusively sought, that of reaching India by a nearer route than doubling the Cape of Good Hope, but though they failed in tliat respect, the fortitude, perseverance, and skill which they manifested, exhibited the most irrefragable proofs of the early existence of that superiority in naval af- fairs, which has elevated this country to her present eminence among the nations of Europe. At length, after the lapse of above a century and a half, this interesting question became an object of lioyal patronage, and the expedition which was com- manded by Captain Phipps (afterward Lord Mulgrave,) in 1773, was fitted out at the charge of Government. The first proposer of this voyage was the Hon. Daines Barrington, F. R. S., who, with indefatigable assiduity, began to collect every fact tending to establish the practicability of circumnavigating the Pole, and as he accumulated his materials, he read them to the Poyal Society, who, in consequence of these representations, made that application to Loi*d Sandwich, then First Lord of the Admiralty, which led to the appointment of this first official voyage. Captain Phipps, however, found it imjoossible to penetrate the wall of ice which extended for many degrees between the latitude of 80° and 81°, to the north of Spitzbergen. His vessels were the Racehorse and Carcass ; Captain Lutwidge being his second in command, in the latter vessel, and hav- ing with him, then a mere boy, Nelson, the future hero of England. From the year 1648, when the famous Russian navi- gator, Senor Deshnew, penetrated from the river Kolyma through the Polar into the Pacific Ocean, the INTRODUCriUN. ST ac^c pcoins isiviguting 5 following at the ex- ii8atteiTi])t 3s, and all joution by lot indeed it, that of ibling the }d in that vill which ble proofs naval af- er present ury and a object of was com- Inlgrave,) ^ernment. n. Dainea assiduity, blish the ind as he he Royal ntations, len First ointment lowever, ;e which le of 80° jels were je being tnd hav- future m navi- ie river ;an, the Iliissians have been as arduous in their attempts todib- cover a northeast passage to the north of Capo Shcl- atskoi, as the English have been to bail to the north- west of the American continent, through Battin's Bay and Lancaster Sound. On the side of the Pacitic, many efforts, have, within the last century, been made to further this object. In 1741, the celebrated Captain Behring discovered the straits which bear his name, as we are informed by Muller, the chronicler of Russian discoveries, and several subsequent commanders of that nation seconded his endeavors to penetrate from the American continent to the northeast. From the period when Deshnew sailed on his expedition, to the year 1704:, when Admiral Tchitschagof, an indefatiga- ble and active oflficer, endeavored to force a passage round Spitzbergcn, (wliich, although he attempted with a resolution and skill which would fall to the lot of few, he was unable to effect,) and thence to the present times, including the arduous etibrts of Captain Billings and Vancouver, and the more recent one of M. Von Wrangell, the Russians have been untiring in theii' at- ternpts to discover a passage eastward, to the north of Cfape Taimurand Cape Shelatskoi. And certainly, if skill, perseverance, and courage, could have opened this passage, it would have been accomplished. Soon after the general peace of Euro4)e, wlien war's alarms had given way to the high pursuits of science, the government recommenced the long-suspended work of prosecuting discoveries within the Arctic circle. An expedition was dispatched under the command of Sir John Ross, in order to explore the scene of the former labors of Frobisher and Baffin. Still haunted with the golden dreams of a northwest passage, which Barrington and Beaufoy had in the last age so enthu- siastically advocated, our nautical adventurers by no means relinquished the long-cherished chimera. It must be admitted, however, that the testimony of Parry and Franklin pass for much on the other side of the question. Both these officers, whose researches in the cause of scientific discovery entitle then to very m i: ■! i I \ I 1 I 28 PROORE88 OF AUCTIC DI8COVKRY. liij^h respect, have declared it as their opinion that encli a })aHHa<i;e does not exist to the nortii of the 75th defijree of latitude. Captain Parry, in the concludinjif remarks of his first voyaj^e, (vol. ii. p. 241,) says — *' Of the existence of a northwest passage to the Pacific, it is now scarcely possible to doubt, and from the success which attended our efforts in 1811), after ])aHsing through Sir James Lancaster's Sound, we were not unreasonable in anti- cipating its conndete accomplislniient," ttc. And Franklin, in the eleventh chai)ter of his work, is of the same opinion, as to the practicability of such a passage Put in no subsequent attemj)t, either by themselves or others, has this long sought desideratum been ac- complished ; impediments and barriers seem as thickly thrown in its way as ever.* An expedition was at length undertaken for the sole purpose of reaching the North Pole, with a view to the ascertainment of ])hilosophical questions. It was planned and placed under the command of Sir Edward Parry, and here first the elucidation of phenomena connected with this imaginary axis of onr planet formed the primary object of investigation. My space and ])nrpose in this work will not permit me to go into detail by examining what Barrow justly terms " those t)rilliant periods of early English enter- prise, so conspicuously displayed in every quarter of the globe, but in none, probably, to greater advantage than in those bold and persevering efibrts to pierce through frozen seas, in their little slender barks, of the most miserable description, ill provided with the means either of comfort or safety, without charts or instru- ments, or any previous knowledge of the cold and in- hospitable region tlirough which they had to force and to feel their way ; their vessels oft beset amidst end- less fields of ice, and threatened to be overwhelmed with instant destruction from the rapid whirling and bursting of those huge floating masses, known by the * rVilonial Magasino, ^'ol ziii, p. 340 in ion that )t' tlio 75th iof hirt fii'Ht stence ot' a w Bcurcely h iitteiulcti Sir Jaincfl bio in tiuti- tfcc. And rk, is of tho I a [)as8U<;o themselves ni been ac- II as thickly for the sole li a view to ns. It was Sir Edward )henoniena our planet not permit rrow justly yish enter- quarter of advantage Is to pierce rks, of the the means or instru- >ld and in- force and Imidst end- rwhelmed irling and •wn by the I INTRODUCTION. 2» name <>f iceborn^s. Yet so powerfully infused into the miridt» of Hritons was the spirit of enterj)ri8e, that some of tho ablest, tho most learned, and most respect- able men of the times, iiot only lent their countenance and support to expeditions titled out for the discovery of new lands, but strove ea<;erly, in their own persons, to share in the glory and the danger of every daring adventure." To the late Sir John Barrow, F. K. S., for so long a period secretary of the Adiniralty, and who, in early life, himself visited the S[)itzbergen seas, as high as the 80th parallel, we are mainly indebted for the ad- vocacy and promotion of the several expeditions, and the investigations and Inquiries set on foot in the pres- ent century, and to the voyages which have been nith- erto so successfully carried out as regards the interests of 8»Mence and our knowledge of the Polar regions. Although it is absurd to impute tlie direct responsi- bility for these expeditions to any other quarter than the several administrations during which they were undertaken, there can be no question but that these enterprises originated in Sir John Barrow's able and zealous exhibition, to our naval authorities, of the several facts and arguments upon which they might best be justified and prosecuted as national objects. The general anxiety now prevailing respecting the fate of Sir John Franklin and his gallant companions, throws at this moment somewhat of a gloom on the subject, but it ought to be remembered that, up to the present period, our successive Polar voyages have, without exception, given occupation to the energies and gjillantry of British seamen, and have extended the realms of magnetic and general science, at an ex- pense of lives and money quite insignificant, compared with the ordinary dangers and casualties of such expe- ditions, and that it must be a very narrow spirit and view of the subject which can raise the cry of ^*Cui bono,^^ and counsel us to relinquish ,the honor and peril of such enterprises to ^Russia aud tJie United States oi America ! "'"wl ' I i li 30 PROOIIKSS OF ARCTIC DTSCOVEUY. It can scarcely be deemed ont of place to give here a sliort notice of the literary labors of this excellent and talented man, as I am not aware that such an out- line has appeared before. Sir John Ban ow was one of the chief writers for the Quarterly Review, and his articles in that journal amount to nearly 200 in number, forming, v/hen bound up, twelve separate volumes. All those relating to the Arctic Exjieditions, &c., which created the great- est interest at the period they were published, were from his pen, and consist chiefly of the following pa- pers, commencing from the 18th volume; — On Polar Ice; On Behring's Straits and the Polar Basin ; On Ross's Voyage to Ballin's Bay ; On Parry's First Voy- age ; Kotzebue's Voyage ; Franklin's First Expedition ; Parry's Second and Third Voyages, and Attempt to Reach the Pole ; Franklin's Second Expedition ; Lyon's Voyage to Repulse Bay ; Back's Arctic Laud Expe- dition, and his Voyage of the Terror. Besides these he published " A Chronological History of Voyages to the Arctic Seas," and afterward a second volume, "On the Voyages of Discovery and Research within the Arctic Regions." He also wrote lives of Lord Macartney, 2 vols. 4to; of Lord Anson and Howe, each 1 vol. 8vo ; of Peter the Great; and an Account of the Mutiny of the Bounty, (in the "Family L ' rary ; ") "Travels in Southern Africa," 2 vols, 4to; and "Travels in China aud Cochin China," each 1 vol. 4to. In the "Encyclopedia Britannica" are ten or twelve of his articles, and he wrote one in the Edin- burgh Review by special request. In addition to these Sir John Barrow prepared for the press innumerable MSS. of travelers in all parts of the globe, the study of geography being his great delight, as is evidenced by his having founded the Royal Geographical Society of London, which now holds so high and influential a position in the learned and scientific world, and has advanced so materially the progress of discovery and research in all parts of >5 INTRODUCTION. tl ■I the j?1obe. Lastly, Sir Joliri Barrow, not Ions; before his death, published his own autobiography, iu whicti he records the labors, the toil, and adventure, of a lou^ and honorable public life. Sir John Barrow has described, with voluminous ca\« and minute research, the arduous services of all the chief Arctic voyagers by sea and land, and to his voi ume I must refer those who wish to obtain more exten sive details and particulars of the voyages of preceding* centuries. lie has also graphically set forth, to use his own words, " their several characters and conduct, so uniformly displayed in their unflinching perseverance in difficulties of no ordinary description, their patient endurance of extreme suft'ering, borne without mur- muring, and with an equanimity and fortitude of mind under the most appalling distress, rarely, if ever, equaled, and such as could only be supported by a superio dejcree of moral courage and resignation to the Divine will — displaying virtues like those of no ordinary caste, and such as will not fail to excite the sympathy, and challenge the admiration of every right- feeling reader." Hakluyt, in his " Chronicle of Voyages," justly ob- serves, that we should use much care in preserving the memories of the worthy acts of our nation. The different sea voyages and land journeys of the present century toward the North Pole have redounded to the honor of our country, as well as reflected credit on the cli M'acters and reputation of the officers engaged in them ; and it is to these I confine my observations. The progress of discovery in the Arctic regions has been slow but progressive, and much still within the limits of practical navigation remains yet unexplored. As Englishmen, we must naturally wish that discov- eries which were first attempted by the adventurous spirit and maritime skill of our countrymen, should be linallv fiehieved by the same means. "Wil it not," says the worthy 'preacher,' Hakluyt, " in all posteritie be as great a renown vnto our En- glish natione, to have beene the first discouerers of a I 32 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. \',\ sea Ijeyond the North Cape, (nener certainely knowen before,) and of a conuenient passage into the huge em- pire of Russia by the Baie of St. Nicholas and of the Riuer of Daina, as for the Portugales, to have found a sea beyond the Cape of Buona Esperanza, and so consequently a passage by sea into the East Indies ? " I cordially agree with the Quarterly Review, that " neither the country nor the naval service will ever believe they have any cause to regret voyages which, in the eyes of foreigners and posterity, must confer lasting honor upon both." The cost of these voyages has not been great, while the consequences will be permanent ; for it has been well remarked, by a late writer, that "the record of enterprising hardihood, physical endurance, and steady perseverance, displayed in overcoming elements the most adverse, will long remain among the worthiest memorials of human enterprise." " How shall I admire," says Purchas, " your heroic courage, ye marine worthies, beyond all names of worthiness! that neyther dread so long eyther the presence or absence of the sunne ; nor those foggy mysts, tempestuous winds, cold blasts, snowe and hayle in the ayre ; nor the unequall seas, which might amaze the hearer, and amate the beholder, when the Tritons and Neptune's selfe would quake with chilling feare to behold such monstrous icie Hands, renting themselves with terror of their own massines, and dis- dayning otherwise both the sea's sovereigntie and the sunne's hottest violence, mustering themselves in those watery plaines where they hold a continual civill warre, and rushing one upon another, make windes and waves give backe ; seeming to rent the eares of others, while they rent themselves with crashing and B})litting their congealed armors." So thickly are the Polar seas of the northern hemi- sphere clustered with lands, that the long winter months serve to accumulate filed ice to a ])rodigious extent, S(? as to foi-m an almost impenetrable barrier of hypei borean frost — INTRODUCTION. 83 lely knowen be huge em- 5 and of the have found nza, and so 5t Indies?" leview, that 36 will ever ages which, must confer sjreat, wliile it has been 3 record of , and steady ements the le worthiest your heroic names of eyther the hose foggy snowe and hich might L when the lith chilling Is, renting 5S, and dis- :ie and the '^es in those lual civil] Ite windes le eares of ishing and lern hemi- ter months extent, so I of hyper ■1 3 " A crystal pavement by the breath of Heaven Cenieulea linn." Although there are now no new continents left to discover, our intrepid British adventurers are but too eager to achieve the bubble reputation, to hand down their names to future ages for patient endurance, zeal, and enterprise, by explorations of ihe hidden mys- teries of — " the frigid zone, "Where, for relentless months, continual ni^ht Holds o'er the glittering waste her starry light ; " by undergoing perils, and enduring privations and dangers which the mind, in its reflective moments, shudders to contemplate. It is fair to conjecture that, so intense is the cold, aud so limited the summer, and consequently so short the time allowed lor a transit within the Arctic circle, from Baffin's Bay to Behring's Straits, that a passage, even if discovered, will never be of any use as a chan- nel. It is not likely that these expeditions would ever have been persevered in with so much obstinacy, had the prospects now opening on the world of more prac- ticable connections with the East been known forty years ago. Hereafter, when the sacred demands of humanity have been answered^ very little more will be heard about the northwest passage to Asia ; which, if ever found, must be always hazardous and pro- tracted, when a short and quick one can be accom- plished by railroads through America, or canals across the Isthmus. A thorough knowledge of the relative boundaries of land and ocean on this our globe has, in all ages and by all countries, been considered one of the most im- portant desiderata, and one of the chief features of po])ular information. But to no country is this knowledge of such prac- tical utility and of such essential importance, as to a maritime nation like Great Britain, whose mercantile marine visits every port, whose insular position ren- ders her completely dependent upon distant quarters 1] 84 PR0GBES8 OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. for half the necessary supplies, wlietlier of food or lux- ury, which her native population consume, or which the arts and manufactures, of which she is the empo- rium, require With a vast and yearly increasing dominion, cover- ing almost every region of the habitable globe, — the chart of our colonies being a chart of the world in out- line, for we sweep the globe and touch every shore, — it becomes necessary tliat we should keep pace witli the progress of cc onization, by enlarging, wherever possible, our maritime discoveries, completing and veri- fying our nautical surveys, improving our meteorologi- cal researches, opening up new and speedier perodical pathways over the oceans which were formerly trav- ersed with so much danger, doubt, and difficulty, and maintaining our superiority as the greatest of maritime nations, by sustaining that high and distinguished rank for naval eminence which has ever attached to the British name. The arduous achievements, however, of our nautical discoverers have seldom been appreciated or rewarded as they deserved. We load our naval and military heroes — the men who guard our wooden walls and successfully fight our battles — with titles and pen- sions ; we heap upon these, and deservedly so, princely remuneration and a.l manner of distinctions; but for the heroes whose patient toil and protracted endurance far surpass the turmoil of war, who peril their lives in the cause of scie ice, many of whom fall victims to pestilential climaoes, famine, and the host of dangers which environ the voyager and traveler in unexplored lands and unknown seas, we have only a place in the niche of fame. What honors did Ens^land, as a maritime nation, con- fer on Cook, tJie foremost of her naval heroes, — a man whose life was sacrificed for his country ? His widow had an annuity of 200^., and his surviving children 25^. each per annum. And this is tlie reward paid to the most eminent of our naval discoverers, before whom Cabot, Drake, Frobisher, Magellan, Anson, and I \' INTRODUCTION. 35 food or Inx- le, or which s the empo- nion, cover- ^lobe, — the i^orld in out- irv shore, — 3 pace witli 2^, wherever ing and veri- neteorologi- er perodical •merly trav- fficiiltj, and of maritime uished rank ihed to the )ur nautical )r rewarded d military walls and and pen- 0, princely IS ; but for endurance sir lives in Ivictims to )f dangers mexplored |ace in the ition, con- — a man "is widow children I'd paid to 5, before ison» and the arctic adventurers, Hudson and Baffin, — although all eminent for their discoveries and the important services they rendered to the cause of nautical sci- Quce^ — sink into insignificance ! If we glance at the results of Cook's voyages we find that to him we are indebted for the innumerable discoveries of islands and colonies planted in the Pacific ; that he determined the conformation, and surveyed the numerous bays and inlets, of New Holland ; established the geogra- phical position of the northwestern shores of America ; ascertained the trending of the ice and frozen shores to the north of Behring's Straits; approached nearer the South Pole, and made more discoveries in the Austra- lian regions, than .ill the navigators who had preceded him. On the very shores of their vast empire, at the extremity of Kamtschatka, his active genius first taught the Russians to examine the devious trendinga of the lands which border the Frozen Ocean, in the neighborhood of the Arctic circle. He explored both the eastern and western coasts above Behring's Straits to so high a latitude as to decide, beyond doubt, the question as to the existence of a passage round the two continents. He showed the Russians how to navigate the dangerous seas between the old and the new world; for, as Coxe has remarked, "before his time, every thhig was uncertain and confused, and though they had undoubtedly reached the continent of Amer- ica, yet they had not ascertained the line of coast, nor the separation or vicinity of the two continents of Asia and America." Coxe, certainly, does no more than justice to his illustrious countryman when he adds, " the solution of this important problem was reserved for our great navigator, and every Englishman must exult that the discoveries of Cook were extended fur- ther in a single expedition, and at the distance of half the globe, than the Russians accomplished in a long series of years, and in a region contiguous to their own empire." Look at Weddell, again, a private trader in seal- ekius, who, in a frail bark of 160 tons, made important B 4 Hi I J if] 1^ 36 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. I ■! discoveries in the Antarctic circle, and a voyage of greater length and peril, through a thousand miles of ice, than had ])reviou.sly been performed by any navi- gator, paving the way for the more expensively fitted expedition under Sir James Hoss. Was Weddell re- munerated on a scale commensurate with his important services ? Haifa century ago the celebrated Bruce of Kinnaird, by a series oi' soundings and observations taken in the Ked Sea, now the great highway of overland eastern traffic, rendered its navigation more secure and punc- tual. How was he rewarded by the then existing min- istry ? Take a more recent instance in the indefatigable energy of Lieutenant Waghorn, R. IST., the enterprising pioneer of the overland route to India. What does not the commerce, the character, the reputation, of tiiis country owe to his indefatigable exertions, in bringing the metropolis into closer connection with our va^^t and important Indian empire? And what was the reward he received for the sacrifices he made of time, money, health and life ? A paltry annuity to himself of 100^., and a pension to his widow of 25^. per annum ! Is it creditable to us, as the first naval power of the world, that we should thus dole out miserable pittances, or entirely overlook the successful patriotic exertions and scientific enterprises and discoveries of private adventurers, or public commanders ? The attractions of a summer voyage along the bays and seas where the sun shines for four montlis at a time, exploring the bare rocks and everlasting ice, with no companion but the white bear or the Arctic fox, may im all very romantic at a distance ; but the mere thought ol a winter residence there, frozen fast in some solid ocean, with snow a dozen feet deep, the thermometer ranging from 40° to 50° below zero, and not a glimpse of the blessed sun from ISTovember to February, is enough to give a chill to all adventurous notions. But the ofiicers and men engaged in the searching expedi- tions after Sir John Franklin have calmly weighed all FIRST VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN ROSS. 37 voyac^e of id miles of Y any iiavi- ively litted V"eddell re- j important f Kirmaird, ike II in the nd eastern and pimc- isting min- iefatigable titerprising at does not on, of til is n bringing ir vast and lie reward e, money, If of 100^., n ! er of tlie pittances, exertions f private the bays it a time, L with no jfox, may thought me solid iioineter glimpse fuarv, is IS, "But expedi- :hed all these difficulties, and boldly gone forth to encounter the perils and dangers of these icy seas for tlio sake of their noble- fellow-sailor, whose fate has been so long a painful mystery to the world. It has been truly observed, that "this is a service for which all officers, however brave and intelligent they may be, are not equally qualilied ; it requires a peculiar tact, an inquisitive and persevering pursuit after details of fact, not always interesting, a contempt of danger, and an enthusiasm not to be damped by ordinary difficulties." The records which I shall have to give in these pages of vc'Vages and travels, unparalleled in their perils, their duration, and the protracted suiFerings which many of them entailed on the adventurers, will bring out in bold relief the prominent characters who have fio-ured in Arctic Discovery, and whose names will descend to posterity, emblazoned on the scroll of fame, for their bravery, their patient endurance, their skill, and, above all, their linn trust and reliance on that Almighty Being who, although He may have tried them sorely, has never utterly forsaken them. Capt. John Ross's Voyage, 1818. In 1818, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent having signified his pleasure that an attempt should be made to find a passage by sea between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were pleased to fit out four vessels to pro- ceed toward the North Pole, under the command of Captain John Ross. No former expedition had been fitted oi7t on so extensive a scale, or so completely equipped in every respect as this one. The circum- stance which mainly led to the sending out of these vessels, was the o])en character of the bays and seas in those regions, it having been observed ifor the pre- vious three years that very unusual quantities of the polar ice had floated down into the Atlantic. In the W Id 38 PR00RKS9 OP AKCrnO DISCOVERT. ■i )| (1 > f I I year 1817, Sir Jolin Barrow relates that the eastern coHBt of Greenland, which had been shut up with ice for four centuries, was fuund to be accessible from the 70th to the 80th degree of latitude, and the interme- diate sea between it and Spitzbertren was ro entirely open in the latter parallel, that a Hamburgh ship had actually sailed along this track. On the 15th of January, 1818, the four ships were put in commission — the Isabella, 385 tons, and the Alexander, 252 tons — under Captain Ross, to proceed up the middle of Davis' Strait, to a high northern lati- tude, and then to stretch across to the westward, in the hope of bt^ing able to pass the northern extremity of America, and reach Behring's Strait by that route. Those destined for the Polar sea were, the Dorothea, 382 tons, and the Trent, 249 tons, which were orderad to proceed between Greenland and Spitzbergen, and seek a passage through an open Polar sea, if such should be found in that direction. I shall take these voyages in the order of their pub- lication, Ross having given to the world the account of his voyage shortly after his return in 1819 : while the narrative of the voyage of the Dorother*, and Trent was only published in 1843, by Captain Beechey, who served as Lieutenant of the Trent, during the voyage. The followinsj w^ere the officers, &c., of the ships under Captain Ross : — Jsahella. Captain — John Ross. Lieutenant — W. Robertson. Purser — W. Thom. Surgeon — John Edwards. Assistant Surgeon — C. J. Beverley. Admiralty Midshipmen — A. M. Skene and James Clark Ross. Midshipman and Clerk — J. Bushnan. Greenland Pilots — B. Lewis, master; T. "Wilcox, mate. Captain (now Colonel) Sabine, R. A. ;ry. fitjst voyaoi: of captain koss. 39 t tlie eastern t up with ice ible iVoiii the the internie- as :o entirely irgh ship had ir ships were OI18, and tiie 58, to proceed northern lati- westward, in irn extremity )y that route, le Dorothea, ivere ordered zbergen, and sea, if such of their pub- the account 1819: while fi. and Trent eechey, who the voyage. of the ships and James T. Wilcox, I i m 45 petty officers, seamen, and marines. Whole complement, 67. Alexander. Lieutenant and Commander — "William Edward Parry, (now Captain Sir Edward.) Lieutenant — II. II. Iloopner, (a first rate artist.) Purser — W. 11. Hooper. Greenland Pilots — J . Allison, master ; J. Philips, mate. Admiralty Midshipmen — P. Bisson and J.^ius. Assistant Surgeon — A. Fisher. Clerk — J. Halse. 28 petty officers, seamen, &c. Whole complement, 37. On the 2d of May, the four vessels being reported fit for sea, rendezvoused in Brassa Sound, Shetland, and the two expeditions parted company on the follow- ing day for their respective destinations. On the 26th, the Isabella fell in with the first ice- berg, which appeared to be about forty feet high and a thousand feet long. It is hardly possible to imagine any thing more exquisite than the variety of tints which these icebergs display ; by night as well as by day they glitter with a vividness of color beyond the power of art to represent. While the white portions have the brilliancy of silver, their colors are as various and splendid as those of the rainbow ; their ever-changing disposition producing effects as singular as they are new and interesting to those who have not seen them before. On the 17th of June, they reached Waygatt Sound, beyond Disco Island, where they found forty-five whalers detained by the ice. Waygatt Island, from observations taken on shore, was found to be 5° longi- tude and 30 miles of latitude from the situation as laid down in the Admiralty Charts. They were not able to get away from here till the 20th, when the ice began to break. By cutting passages iii^ * «'ij PI 'ill I '; 40 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. through the ice, and by dint of towing and warping, u slow ))rogres3 was made with the ships until the 17th of July, when two ice-floes closing in upon them, threatened inevitable destruction, and it was only by the greatest exertions that they hove through into open water. The labors of warping, towing, and tracking were subsequently very severe. Tliis tracking, al- though hard work, atfurded great amusement to the men, giving frequent occasion for the exercise of their wit, when some of the men occasionally fell in through holes covered with snow or weak parts of the ice. Very high mountains of land and ice were seen to the north side of the bay, which he named Melville's Bay, forming an impassable barrier, the precipices next the sea being from 1000 to 2000 feet high. On the 29th of June, the Esquimaux, John Sacheuse, who had accompanied the expedition from England as interpreter, was sent on shore to communicate with the natives. About a dozen came off to visit the ship, and, after being treated with coffee and biscuit in the cabin, and having their portraits taken, they set to dancing Scotch reels on the deck of the Isabella with the sailors. Captain Ross gives a pleasant description of this scene — " Sacheuse's mirth and joy exceeded all bounds ; and with a good-humored officiousness, justi- fied by the important distinction which his superior knowledge now gave him, he performed the office of master of the ceremonies. An Esquimaux M. C. to a ball on the deck of one of H. M. ships in the icy seas of Greenland, was an office somewhat new, but Nash himself could not have performed his functions in a manner more appropriate. It did not belong even to Nash to combine in his own person, like Jack, the dis- cordant qualifications of seaman, interpreter, draughts- man, and master of ceremonies to a ball, with those of an active fisher of seals and a hunter of white bears. A daughter of the Danish resident (by in Esquimaux woman,) about eighteen years of age, and by far the best looking of the half-caste group, wa& the object of Y. FIRST VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN ROSS. 41 ind warping, ips until the n upon them, was only by igh into open and tracking tracking, al- iment to the rcise of their 11 in through * the ice. were seen to id Melville's e precipices high. hn Sacheuse, 1 England as unicate with isit the ship, )iscuit in the [ they set to sabella with tion of this receded all sness, justi- jiis superior he office of M. C. to a he icy seas , but Nash ctions in a ing even to |ck, the dis- , draughts- Iwith those Ihite bears, squimaux |by far the object of JacV^ particular attentions; which being observed by one of our otHcers, he gave him a lady's hIhiwI, orna- mented with spangles, as an ottering for her accL'ptanco. lie presented it in a nu)st respectful, and not ungrace- ful manner to the damsel, who bashfully took a pew- ter ring from her linger and gave it to him in return, rewarding him, at the same time, with an eloquent smile, which could leave no doubt on our Esciuimaux's mind that he had made an impression on her heart.''* On the 5th of August the little auks (Mergulfus alle,) were exceedingly abundant, and many were ehot for food, as was also a large gull, two feet live inches in length, which, when killed, disgorged one of these little birds entire. A fortnight later, on two boats being sent from the Isabella to procure as many of these birdj as possible, for the purpose of preserving them in ice, they re- turned at midnight with a boat-load of about 1500, havinur on an averasje, killed fifteen at each shot. The boats of the Alexander were nearly as successful. These birds were afterward served daily tg each man, and, among other ways of dressing them, they were found to make excellent soup— not inferior to hare soup. Not less than two hundred auks were shot on the 6th of August, and served out to the ships' compa- nies, among whose victuals they proved an agreeable variety, not having the fishy flavor that might be ex- pected from their food, which consists of Crustacea, small fishes, mollusca, or marine vegetables. On the 7th of August the ships were placed in a most critical situation by a gale of wind. The Isabella was lifted by the pressure of ice floes on each side of her, and it was doubted whether the vessel could long withstand the grips and concussions she sustained ; " every support threatened to give way, the beams in the hold began to bend, and the iron water-tanks settled together. The tv/o vessels v^^'® thrown with violent concussion against each other, the ice-anchors i n ■ 1 1 H* • VoL I, p. 67. 6a pKOOEfiss OF a.j:ctic discovkkt. I!' and cftbloB broke one after the t)thor, a boat at the Bterii wiis Rinaslied in the cullision, aiul tlie masts wore hourly expected to ^o by the board; but at this juncture, when certain derftruction was luomentarily loolced tor, by the niercifid interposition of Providence the iields of ice suddenly opened and foimed a clear passage for the ships." A singular physical feature was noticed on the part of the coast near Cape Dudley Digges : — "We have discovered, (says Ross,) that the snow on the face of the cliffs presents an appearance both novel and inter- esting, being apparently stained or covered by some substance which gave it a deep crimson color. This snow was penetrated in many places to a depth of ten or twelve feet by the coloring matter." There is noth- ing new, however, according to Barrow, in the discov- ery of red snow. Pliny, and other writers of his time mention it. Saussure found it in various parts of the Alps ; Martin found it in Spitzbergen, and no doubt it is to be met with in most alpine regions. In the course of this tedious, and often laborious progress thTough the ice, it became necessary to keep the whole of the crew at the most fatiguing work, some- times for several days and nights without intermission. "When this was the case, an extra meal was served to them at midnight, generally of preserved meat ; and it was found that this nourishment, when the mind and body were both occupied, and the sun continually present, rendered them capable of remaining without sleep, so that they often passed ui'ee days in this man- ner without any visible inconvenience, returning after a meal to their labor on the ice or in the boats quite refreshed, and continuing at it without a murmur. After making hasty and very cursory examinations of Smith's and Jones' Sounds, Ross arrived, on the 30th of August, off the extensive inlet, named by Baf- fin, Lancaster Sound. The entrance was perfectly clear, and the 60i!ndings ranged from 650 to 1000 fath- oms. I shall now quote Ross's own observations on this subject, because from his unfortunate report of a i ■ awiMi i i t i^wiM i ifl r i; rrii?BB ggiM FIK8T V()YA(n: OK CAPTAIN liO^S. 43 >()at at the tlie nmsts but ut this iMinentarily Providence led a clear on the part "We have :he face of 1 and inter- jd by some lolor. Tiiia epth of ten ere is noth- the discov- of his time oarts of the d no doubt laborious ry to keep ork, aoine- Itermissiou. Is served to eat ; and the mind ;ontinually ig without this man- l-ning after )oats quite irmur. Iminations jd, on the jd by Baf- perfectly 11 000 fath- nations on jport of a range c:ill»'<l the Ciokei' nu>untai!\s, Ktivtching across this Strait, lias resulted nmcli of tlio ridicule and dis- credit whieh iuis attaelied to his accnunts, and clouded his eai'ly reputation — "On the .".1st (he says) we dis- covered, for till! iirst tiint», that the huul extended from the south Ivvo-thirds across this aj)parent ^>trait ; hut the i'o'^ which continually occu})ie(l that ([uarter, ob- scured its real figure. During the day much interest was excited on board by the a])j)earance of this Strait. The general o])inion, however, was, that it was only an inlet. The lantl was partially seen extending across ; the yellow sky was ])erceptil)le. At a little before four o'clock A. M., the land was seen at the bottom of the iiiKt by the otKcers of the watch, but before I got on deck a space of about seven degrees of the compass was obscured by the fog. The land which I then saw was a high ridge of juuuntains extending directly across the bottom of tlic inlet. This chain a})peared extremely high in the center. Although a passage in this direc- tion ap])eare(l hopeless, I was determined to explore it com}>letely. 1 therefore continued all sail. Mr. Bev- erly, the sui'geon, who was the most sanguine, went up to the crow's nest, and at twelve reported to me that before it tjecame thick ho had seen the land across the bay, except for a very short space. "At thi'ee, I went on deck ; it completely cleared for ten minutes, when I distinctly saw the land round the bottom of the bay, forming a chain of mountains con- nected with those which extended along the north and south side. This land appeared to be at the distance of eight leagues, and Mr. Lewis, the master, and James llaig, leading man, being sent for, they took its bear- ings, which were inserted in the log. At this moment I also saw a continuity of ice at the distance of seven miles, extending from one side of the bay to the other, between the nearest cape to the north, which I named after Sir George Warrender, and that to the south, which was named after Yiscount Castlereagh. The mountains, which occupied the center, in a north and 3 B^ 44 rUOUUKSo OF AliCTIC 1 )!.-('< tVKJiV. :i.;!i liiii south direction, were named Croker's ]\IountaiiiS, after the Secretary to the Admiralty."* They next proceeded to Possession Bay, at the en- trance of the Strait, where a great many animals were observed. Deer, fox, ermine, bears, and hares, were cither seen, or proved to be in abundance by their tracks, and the skeleton of a whale was found stranded about 500 yards beyond high-water-mark. Finding, as Eoss supposed, no outlet through Lancaster Strait, the vessels continued their progress to the southward, ex- ploring the western coast of Baffin's Bay to Pond's Bay, and Booth's Inlet, discovering the trendino- of the land, which he named North Galloway, and North Ayr to Cape Adair, and Scott's Bay. On September the 10th, the}^ landed on an island near Cape Eglington, which was named Agnes' Monu- ment. A flag-staff and a bottle, with an account of their proceedings was set up. The renuiins of a tem- porary habitation of some of the Esquimaux were here observed, with a fire-place, part of a human skull, a broken stone vessel, some bones of a seal, burnt wood, part of a sledge, and tracks of dogs, &c. "While the boat was absent, two large bears swam off to the ships, which were at the distance of six miles from the land. They reached the Alexander, and were immediately attacked by the boats of that ship, and killed. One, which was shot through the head, unfor- tunately sank ; the other, on being wounded, attacked the boats, and showed considerable play, but was at length secured and towed to the Isabella by the boats of both ships. The animal weighed 1131 i lbs., besides the blood it had lost, which was estimated at 30 lbs more. On the following day, Lieut. Parry was sent on shore to examine an iceberg, which was found to be 41(^9 yards lon^, 3869 yards broad, and 51 feet high, being aground m 61 fathoms. When they had ascended to the top, which was perfectly flat, they found a huge • Vol. I, p. 241-46. 8vo. ed. ^ i:v. VOYAGE OF liUCIlAN AND FKANKLIN. 45 imtaiiiS, after ly, at the en- animals were [ hares, were nee by their unci stranded Finding, as ter Strait, the outhward, ex- ay to Pond's ending of the r, and North on an island A.giies' Monu- m account of lins of a tem- lux were here iiman skull, a , burnt wood, 3ar8 swam off 1 of six miles der, and were lat ship, and 3 head, uu for- ded, attacked , but was at by the boats lbs., besides d at 30 lbs ?ent on shore to be 4109 hiffh, beino ascended to mnd a huge ■■■$ white bear in quiet possession of the mass, who, much to their mortification and astonishment, plunged with- out hesitation into the sea from the edge of the preci pice, which was fifty feet high. From careful observation it was found that there was no such land in the center of Davis' Strait as James' Island, which was laid down in most of the charts. Nothing deserving of notice occurred in the subsv quent course of the vessels past Cape Walsingham to Cum- berland Strait. The 1st of October having arrived, the limit to M'hich his instructions permitted him to remain out, Ross shaped his course homeward, and after encountering a severe gale olf Cape Farewell, arrived in Grimsby Roads on the 14tli of November. As respects the pur- pose of Arctic discovery, this voyage may be considered almost a blank, none of the important inlets and sounds of Eafiin's Bay having been explored, and all that was done was to define more clearly the land-bounds of Davis' Strait and Baftin's Bay, if we except the valu- able magnetic and other observations made by Captain Sabine. The commander of the expedition was pro- moted to the rank of captain on paying off the ships in December, 1818. The account of his voyage, published by Capt. Ross, is of the most meager and uninteresting des( ription, and more than half filled w4th dry details of the outfit, copies of his instructions, of his routine letters and orders to his officers, &c. BuCHAN AND FkANKT-IN. Dorothea and Trent to Pole^ 1818. In conjunction with the expedition of Captain John Ross, was that sent out to the coast of Spitzbergen, and of v/hich Captain Beechy has publisned a most inter- esting account, embellished with some very elegant illustrations from his pencil. The charge of it was given to Captain D. Buchan, who had, a few years pre- viously, conducted a very interesting expedition into i ^aa m m w I a;'., II I p. I m i-;i :i Mi; 46 PROGKIiSS OF AKCTIC DISCOVKKY. the interior of jSewtbuiKllaiicl. The first and most im- portant object of this exjiedition was the discovery of a passage over or as near tlie Pole, as miglit be possibk^, and through Behring's Straits into the Pacific. But it was also hoped that it might at the same time be the means of improving the geography and hydrography of the Arctic regions, of which so little was at that time known, and contribute to the advancement of sciewce and natural knowledge. The objects to which attention was specially pointed in the Admiralty instructions, were the variation and inclination of the magnetic nee- dle, the intensity of the magnetic force, and how far it is affected by atmospherical electricity ; the tempera- ture of the air, the dip of the horizon, refraction, height of the tides, set and velocity of the currents, depths and soundings of the sea. Collections of specimens to illustrate the animal, mineral and vegetable kingdoms, were also directed to be made. The officers and crew appointed to these vessels were : Dorothea.^ 382 tons. Captain — David Buchan. Lieutenant — A. Morell. Surgeon — John Duke. Assistant Surgeon — W. G. Borland. Purser — John Jermain. Astronomer — George Fisher. Admiralty Mates — C. Palmer and W. J. Dealy. Greenland Pilots — P. Bruce, master; G. Crawfurd, mate. 45 petty officers, seamen, &c. Total complement, 55. Trent, 249 tons. Lieutenant and Commander — John Franklin. Lieutenant — Fred. W. Beechy, (artist.) Purser — W. Barrett. Assistant Surgeon — K. Gilfillan. Admiralty Mates — A. Reid and George Back. Greenland Pilots — G. Fife, master ; G. Kirby, n* ^e. 30 petty othccrs and seamen. Total complement, 38. VOYAGE OF BUOHAN AND FRANKLIN. 47 id most iin- iscovery of be possible, llic. But it time be the ydrography at that time t of sciewce ch attention instructions, agnetic nee- \ how far it he tempera- ction, height 3nts, depths ipecimens to e kingdoms, essels were : r. Dealy. \. Crawfurd, iklin. iBack. jrby, n> ^e. f Having been properly fitted for the service, and ta- ken (»n board two years' provisions, the ships sailed on the 2r)th of April. The Trent had hardly got clear of the river before she sprang a leak, and was detaint-d in the poru of Lerwick nearly a fortnight undergoing re[)aii'S. •ed On the ll'rli of May, the ships encountered a severe gale, and under even storm stay -sails were buried gun- wale deep in the waves. On the 24th they sighted Cherie Island, situated in hit. 74^"' 33' N., and'long. IT'' iO' E., formerly so noted for its fishery, being much frequented by walrusses, and fur many years tiie Mus- cov^y Company carried on a lucrative trade by sending ships to the island for oil, as many as a thousand ani- mals being often captured by the crew of a single shij) in the course of six or seven hours. The progress of the discovery ships through the small floes and huge masses of ice which floated in succes- sion past, was slow, and these, from their novelty, were regarded with peculiar attention from the grotes(|ue sha])es they assume. The progress of a vessel through such a labyrinth of frozen masses is one of the most in- teresting sights that offer in the Arctic seas, and kept the oflicers and crew out of their beds till a late hour watcliing the scene. Capt. Beechey, the graphic nar- rator of the voyage, thus describes the general impres- sion created : — " There was besides, on this occasion, an additional motive for remaining up; very few of us had ever seen the sun at midnight, and this night ha])peniiig to be particularly clear, his broad red disc, curiously distorted by refraction, and sweeping majes- ticalh^ along the northern horizon, was an object of im- posing grandeur, which riveted to the deck some of our crew, who would perhaps have beheld with indifterenco the less im]x>sing efl'ect of the ice1»ergs; or it might have been a (combination of both the^^e ])henomena ; for it cannot be denied that the novelty, occasioned by the flonti ng masses, was nni.tcriallv heiirhtened bv the sin- gular efl'ect ])roduced i)y tlie very low altitude at wliich the sun cast his fiery beams over the icv surface of the ir mi 111 m 48 I'ROGKESS OF AllCTlCJ DISCOVERY. i [«"• sea. The rays were too oLliqne to ilhiiniiiate Tiiore tliaii the ine(jiiulitie8 of the tloes, and tViliiiig thun pari iuily on the grotesque shapes, either really assuinei;! Ly tlie ice or distorted by the unequal retraction of the atmos- phere, so betrayed the imagination that it re(|uired ]io groat exertion of fancy to trace in various directions ar- chit-ectural edilices, grottos and caves here and there flittering as if with precious metals. So generally, in- eed, was the deception admitted, that, in dircctino- the route of the vessel from aloft, we for awhile deviated from our nautical phraseology, and shaped our course for a church, a tower, a bridge, or some similar structure^ instead of for lumps of ice, which were usually desig- nated by less elegant appellations." Tiie increasing difficulties of this ice navigation soon, however, directed their attention from romance to the reality of their position, the perils of which soon be- came alarmingly apparent. " The streams of ice, between which we at first pur- sued our serpentine course wuth comparative ease, grad- ually became more narrow, and at length so impeded the navigation, that it became necessary to run the ships against some of these imaginary edifices, in order to turn them aside. Even this did not alwavs succeed, as some were so substantial and immoveable, that the vessels glanced off to the opposite bank of the channel, and then became for a time embedded in the ice. Thus cir- cumstanced, a vessel has no other resource thant^iat of patiently awaiting the change of position in the ice, of which she must take every advantage, or she wnll settle bodily to leeward, and become completely entangled." On the 26th the ships sighted the southern promon- tory of Spitzbergen, and on the 28th, while plying to windAvard on the western side, were overtaken by a violent gale at southwest, in which they parted com- pany. The weather was very severe. ''The snow fell in heavy showers, and several tons weight of ice accu- mulated about the sides of the brig, (the Trent,) and form ed a complete casing to tne ])]anks, which received an additional layer at each plunge of the vessel. So great ■I ■:&■ lY. VOYAGE OF BUCIIAN AND FIl.XJS'KLIX. 49 te more tliau lined Lv the )t' the titiiiob- rec^iiired no lii'cctioiis ar- :'e and tiiere t>:eiiera]!v, in- in direetino- Idle deviated id our course lar structure^ Lsualiy desig- igation soon, niance to the icli soon be- at first pur- ,^e ease, grad- I so impeded run the ships order to turn ;eed, as somo ; the vessels bannel, and ThMs cir- than diat of n the ice, of le will settle entangled." rn promon- le plying to taken bv a parted com- -le snow fell of ice accu- t,) and form received ar: el. So great e. r indeed, ^^•as the accumulation about the bows, that we v/erc obliged to cut it away repeatedly with axes to re- lieve tlie bow-sprit from the enormous weight that was attached to it ; and the ropes were so thickly covered with ice, that it v/as necessary to beat them with large sticks to keep them in a state of readiness for any evo- lution that might be rendered necessary, either^ by the appearance of ice to leeward, or by a change of wind." On the gale abating. Lieutenant Franklin found him- self surrounded by the main body of ice in lat. 80° N., and had much difliculty in extricating the vessel. — Had this formidable body been encountered in thick weather, while scudding before a gale of wind, there would have been very little chance of saving either the vessels or the crews. The Trent fortunately fell in with her consort, the Dorothea, previous to entering the ap- pointed rendezvous at Magdalena Bay, on the 3d of June. This commodious inlet being the first port they had anchored at in the polar regions, possessed many objects to engage attention. What particularly struck them was the brilliancy of the atmosphere, the peace- ful novelty of the scene, and the grandeur of the vari- ous objects with which nature has stored these unfre- quented regions. The anchorage is formed by rugged mountains, which rise precipitously to the height of about 3000 feet. Deep valleys and glens occur between the ranges, the greater part of which are either filled with immense beds of snow, or with glaciers, sloping from the summits of the mountainous margin to the very edge of the sea. The bay is rendered conspicuous by four huge gla- ci(}rs, of which the most remarkable, though the small- est in size, is situated 200 feet above the ^sea, on the elope ci a mountain. From its peculiar appearance this glacier has been tenned the Hanging Iceberg. Its position is such that it seems as if a very small matter would detach it from the mountain, and precip- itate it into the sea. And, indeed, large portions of its front do occasionally break aw^ay and fall with head- long impetuosity upon the beach, to the great hazard ii! SI il .'■« 4 'II i;i <! MIL fi{ II! f ii 60 rnooREss of arctic discovery. of any boat that may chance to be near. The large-t of tliese glaciers occupies the liead of the bay, and, according to Captain Jieechey's account, extend^; from two to three miles inland. ^Numerous large rents in its upper surface have caused it to bear a resemblance to the ruts left by a wagon ; hence it was named by tiio voyagers the " AVagon Way." The frontage of tins gla- cier presents a perpendicuhir surface of 300 feet in height, by 7000 feet in length. Mountain masses — " Wliose blocks of sappliire seem to mortal eye Hewn from cerulean quarries in the sky, With glacier battlements that crowd the spheres, The slow creation of six thousauvJ years, Amidst immensity the} tower sublime, "Winter's eternal palace, built by Time." At the head of the bay there is a high pyramidal mountain of granite, termed Eotge Hill, from the myr- iads of small birds of that name which frecjuent its base, and appear to prefer its environs to every other part of the harbor. " They are so numerous that we nave frequently seen an uninterrupted line of them ex- tending full half way over the bay, or to a distance of more than three miles, and so close together that thirty have fallen at one shot. This living column, on an aver- age, might have been about six yards broad, and as many deep ; so that, allowing sixteen birds to a cubic yard, there must have been nearly four millions of birds on the wing at one time. The number I have given cer- tainly seems large ; yet when it is told that the littlo rotges rise in such numbers as completely to darken the air, and that their chorus is distinctly audible at a distance of four miles, the estimate will not be thought to bear any reduction." One of their earliest excursions in this bay was an attempt to ascend the peak of Kotge Hill, "upon which," says Captain Beechey, " may now, perhaps, be seen at the height of about 2000 feet, a staii that once carried a red flag, which was planted there to mark the great- est heiglit we were able to attain, partly in consequence of the steepness of the asceiit, but mainly on account of the detached masses of rock which a very slight 1 ■ ;f$. M VOYAGE OF RUCTIAN AND FRANKLIN. 51 The largest le Itay, and, 'xtcnd.-; ir(.)iu V. rents in its t'inbUukx' to -med hy the e of til is gla- 300 feet in masses — ares. pj^ramidal >m the myr- frequeiit its every otiier 'US that we of them ex- distance of tliat tliirty on an aver- 'ad, and as to a cubic •ns of birds ) given cer- t the little to darken tidible at a 3e thought ay was an )n which," be seen at ce carried the great- 3 sequence 1 account n-y slight -■•.-3" mutter would displace and hurl down the precipitous declivity, to the utter destruction of him who depended uj)on their sup])ort, or who might happen to be in their path below. The latter part of our ascent was, indeed, much against our inclination ; but we found it impossible to descend by tlie way we had come up, and were compelled to gain a ledge, wliich promised the only secure resting-place we could lind at that height. Dili's we were able to eiFect by sticking the tomahawks with which we were provided, into crevices in the rock, as a support for our feet ; and some of these instru- ments we were obliged to leave where they were driven, in consequence of the danger that attended their recovery." During the vessel's detention in this har- bor, the bay and anchorage were completely surveyed. When tlie first party rowed into this bay, it was in quiet possession of herds of walruses, who were so un- accustomed to the siglit of a boat that they assembled about her, apparently highly incensed at the intrusion, and swam toward her as though they would have torn the planks asunder with their tusks. Their hides were so tough that nothing but a bayonet would pierce tliem. Q^he wounds that were infiicted only served to increase their rage, and it was witii much difficulty they were kept off with fire-arms. Subsequently the boats went l)etter prepared and more strongly supported, and many of these monsters were killed ; some were four- teen feet in length, and nine feet girth, and of such pi'odigious weight, that the boat's crew could scarcely turn them. The ships had not been many days at their anchor- age wlien they were truly astonished at the sight of a strange boat pulling toward the ships, which was found to ])el(mg to some Russian adventurers, who were en- gaged in tlie collection of peltry and morse' teeth. This is the hist remaining establishment at Spitzborgen still upheld bv the merchants of Archano-el. Altliougli equally sur]>rised at the sight of the ves- sels, the boat's crew took courage, and ai>er a careful scrutiny, went on board the Dorothea; Captain Buchan ral m :i In 1 y ^li H: m m 52 PROGRK88 OF AliOTIO DISCOVP^RY. giivo them a kind reception, and supplied tliem with vviiut^vei' they wanted ; in return for which they sent on board, the following day, a side of venison in excel- lent condition. Wisiiing to gain some further informa- tion of these f»eople, an officer accompanied them to tlieir dwelling at the head of a small cove, about four miles distant from the bay, where he found a comfort- able wooden hut, well lined with moss, and stored with venison, wild ducks, &c. It is related by Captain Beechey that it was with ex- treme pleasure they noticed in this retired spot, proba- bly the most northern and most desolate habitation of our globe, a spirit of gratitude and devotion to the Al- mighty rarely exercised in civilized countries. " On landing from the boat and approaching their residence, these people knelt upon its threshold, and oifered up a prayer with fervor and evident sincerity. The exact nature of the prayer we did not learn, but it was no doubt one of thanksgiving, and we concluded it was a custom which these recluses w^ere in the habit of observ- ing on their safe return to their habitation. It may, at all events, be regarded as an instance of the beneficial effects which seclusion from the busy world, and a con- templation of the works of nature, almost invariably produce upon the hearts of even the most uneducated part of mankind.'" On the 7th of June the expedition left the anchorage to renew the examination of the ice, and after steering a few leagues to the northward, found it precisely in the same state as it had been left on the 2d. In spite of all their endeavors, by towing and otherwise, the vessels were driven in a calm by the heavy swell into the packed ice, and the increasing peril of their situa- tion may be imagined from the following graphic de- pc'i'ir)tion : — ••^ The pieces at the edge of the pack were at one time wholly immersed in the sea, and at the next raised far al)Ove their natural line of flotation, while those further ,,-, h'Aug more extensive, -were alternately depressed or VUYAGE OF BL'CIIAN AUD FKANKI^IN. 53 1 tliem witli cli thuy sent son in excel- her intbnna- iod tliLMu to 3, about four (I a conifort- . stored with was with ex- spot, proba- abitation of •n to the Al- tries. " On ir residence, offered up a The exact it it was no led it was a it of observ- It may, at e beneficial and a con- invariably neducated anchorage [er steering precisely in In spite jrwise, the I swell into [heir situa- •aphic de- one time -aised far fui-ther k*essed or elevated at either extremity as the advancing wiivo forced its way along. '•Tiie see-saw motion wliich was thus produced was ahirmiii"", not merely in appearance, but in fact, ujid niii.-t have proved fatal to any vessel that had encoun- tered it ; as lloes of ice, several yards in thickness, were continually crashing and breaking in pieces, and liie sea for miles was covered with fragments ground so small that they actually ft>rmed a thick, pasty sub- stance — in nautical language termed, 'hris/i ice' — which extended to the depth of five feet. Amidst this giddy element, our whole attention was occupied in en- deavoring to place the bow of the vessel, the strongest part of her frame, in the direction of the most fonnida- ble pieces of ice — a maneuver which, though likely to be attended with the loss of the bowsprit, was yet jj refer- able to encountering the still greater risk of having the broadside of the vessel in contact with it ; for this would have subjected her to the chance of dipping her gun- wale under the floes as she rolled, an accident which, had it occurred, would either have laid oj)en her side, or have overset the vessel at once. In either case, the event would probably have proved fatal to all on board, as it would have been next to impossible to rescue any person from the confused moving mass of brash ice which covered the sea in every direction." The attention of the seamen was in some degree di- verted from the contemplation of this scene of diffi- culty by the necessity of employing all hands at the pump, the leak having gained upon them. But, for- tunately, toward morning, they got quite clear of the ice. Steering to the westward to reconnoiter, they fell in, m longitude 4° 30' E., with several whale ships, and were informed by them that the ice was qnite compact to the westward, and that fifteen vessels were beset in it. Proceeding to the northward, the ships passed, on the 11th of June, Cloven Cliff, a remarkable isolated roc'k, wliich marks the northwestern boundary of Spitz- bergen, and steered along an intricate channel between 4 i'ii' i^ i m II n!! i h 6i PROOKKbiS OF AilJCTIC I)I!<(.(>V1:UV. tlie land uiul ice ; but, next moniinf^, their furtlier ad- vanco was Ktoppcd, and the channel l)y which the ves- sels liad entered became so completely closed up as to preclude tlie possibility also of retreating. Lieutenant l>eechey proceeds to state — ''The ice soon began to press heavily upon us, and, to add to our dilliculties, we found the water so shallow that the rocks were plainly discovered under the bot- toms of tlie ships. It was impossible, however, by any exertion on our part, to improve the situations of the vessels. They were as lirmly fixed in the ice as if they had formed part of the pack, and we could oidy hope that the current would not drift them into still shal](.)wef water, and damage them against the ground." The ships were here hemmed in in almost the same position where Baflin, Hudson, Poole, Captain Phipps, and all the early voyagers to this quarter had been stopped. As the tide turned, the pieces of ice immediately around the ships began to separate, and some of them to twist round with a loud grinding noise, urging the vessels, which were less than a mile from the land, still nearer and nearer to the beach. By great exertions the ships were hauled into small bays in the floe, and secured there by ropes fixed to the ice by means of large iron hooks, called ice anchors. Shifting the ships from one part of this floe to the other, they remained attached to the ice thirteen days. As this change of position could only be effected by main force, the crew were so constantly engaged in this har- assing duty, that their time was divided almost entirely between the w^indlass and the pump, until the men at length became so fatigued that the sick-list was seriou.sly augmented. During this period, how^ever, the situation of the leak was fortunately discovered, and the danuigo repaired. An ofticer and a party of men w'lio left the Dorothea to pay a visit to tlie shore, al)out three or four miles distant, lost themselves in the fog and snow, and wan- dered about for sixteen hours, until, quite overcome •3 VOVAOE OF BUCHAN AND FK AN KLIN. 55 ir fnrtlier ad- liic'li tlie voK- >t5L'{l up as to J^ieuteiiant poll 118, and, er so sliallow ider tho bot- eyer, hy any Ltions of the CO as if the y d only hopo ill shallower id." )st the same tain Phipps, r had been mmediately •me of them ui'gino^ the le land, still into small fixed to the ce anchors. o the other, days. As d by main n this har- ost entirely he men at IS seriously e situation e damage n Dorothea bur miles and wan- overcome m V,V5, with wet, cold and fati<j;ne, they sat down in a state of dosjH>ndency, upon a piece of ice, determined to submit tlicir fate to "^Providence. Their trou!)les are thus told : ''To travel over raijj^ed pieces of ice, upon which there were two feet of snow, and often more, sorinoinrr from one slij)pery piece to the other, or, when tlie chiiii- ncls between them were too wide for this purpose, fr- rvin:^ themselves upon detached fragments, was a wovk which it required no ordinary exertion to execute. "Some fell into the water, and were with ditHculfy preserved from drown in «5 by their companions ; while others, afraid to make any hazardous attempt whatever, wei-e left upon pieces of ice, and drifted about at the mei'cy of tlie winds and tides. Foreseeing the proba- bility of a separation, they took the lirst opportunity of dividing, in equal shares, the small (piantity of pro- vision which they had remaining, as also their stock of ])!)wder and ammunition. They also took it in turns to tire muskets, in the hope of being heard from the shi])s." The re)X)rts of the fire-arms were heard by thcur ship- mates, and Messrs. Fife and Kirby, the Greenland ice- masters, ventured out with ])oles and lines to their assistance, and liad the good fortune to fall in with the ]):irty, and bring them safely on board, after eighteen hours' absence. They determined in future to rest sat- isfied with the view of the shore which was afforded tliom from the ship, having not the slightest desire to att(Mnpt to approach it again by means of the ice. The pressure of the ice against the vessels now be- came very great. "At one time, when the Trent appeared to be so closely wedged up that it did not seem possible for her to be moved, she was suddenly lifted four feet by an enor- mous mass of ice getting under her keel ; at another, the fragments of the crumlring floe were piled up under the bows, to the great danger of the bowsprit. "The Dorothea was in no less imminent danger, es- pecially from the point of a floe, which came in contact with her side, where it remain^'d a short time, and then glanced off, and became checked by the field to which •H m 'i:i "i 50 PKOOKKSS OF AliCTIC DISCOVKIiT. slic was mooivd. Tlie eiioi'inoiis prossuru to win tlio hlii|» liad lioiMi Mil)jc't'UMl was now appari'iit l)y tl»e tield l)i'ini;' /•////. aial its point hruUc-n into t"ra<i;inonts, whicli wt'iv spi'odily lii'api'd nj) in a jAnnnid, tliirty-livc t'eut in lKM;j!,lit, npon tlio vwy sninniit of wliicli tiiero ap- j)C'aivd a Imui^ mass, boarin*;' tiie impression of tlio ])lanks and holts of the vessePs ]>ottom." AvaiUn^ thom.sulvus of a hivalv in tlie ice, the sliipa were moved to an anchorai>e between tlie ishinds con- tiivnons to the Cloven ('lili'; and on tlie 2Sth of Jnne, anchored in fifteen fathoms water, near Yosjel San^. On the islands they found plenty of game, and eidei*- duclvs. The island of Yoo-el Sang alone supplied the crew8 with forty reindeer, which were in sucli high condition that the tat upon the loins of some measured from four to six inches, and a carcass, ready for being dressed, weighed 285 pounds. Later in the season, the deer were, however, so lean that it was rare to meet with any fat ui)on them at all. On the r)th of July, iinding the ice had been driven to the northward, the ships again put to sea, and Capt. Buchan determined to prove, by a desperate effort, what advance it was possible to make hy dragging the vessels through the ice whenever the smallest opening occurred. This laborious experiment was performea by fixing large ropes to iron hooks driven into the ice, and by heaving upon them with the windlass, a party removing obstructions in the channel with saws. But in spite of all their exertions, the most northerly posi- tion attained was 80*^ 37' N. Although fastened to the ice, the ships were now drifted bodily to the southward by the prevailing current. They were also much in- jured by the pressure of hummocks and fields of ice. On the 10th of July, Captain Beechey tells us, the Trent sustained a squeeze which made her rise four feet, and heel over five streaks ; and on the 15th and 16th, both vessels suffered considerable damage. "On that occasion," he says, "we observed a field fifteen feet in thickness break up, and the pieces pile upoD r ■I VOYAGK OF millAN AM) FKANKJ.IN. 57 'o wlii tlio 1)V tlio tield ft/ K'llts, Wllifll rtv-livo tout 'h tliero ap- aioii of tlio ;e, the ships slaiuls cun- ^th of June, , and eitlei'- (1 the crew8 ;1j condition d from four ng dressed, n, the deer )et with any )een driven , and Capt. rate effort, a^^ging the St opening performed ito the ice, ss, a party aw8. But lerly posi- ned to the southward much in- s of ice. Is us, the rise four 15th and ■2:e. " On Id fifteen )ile upoD each (»tliorN)a great height, until they upset, wIkmi they rolled over with a tivnitMuhtus crash. The ice near the pliil>.s was piled up ahuve their hulwarks. Kortuuatdv, the vessels rose to the pressure, nr they must have had their sides forced in. The Trent receive(l her greatest damage ui>on tlu^ (puirters, and was ho twisted that the doors"of all the cabins Hew open, and the panels ot some started in the frames, while her false stern-post was moved three inches, and her timbers cracked to a most serious extent. The Dorothea suffered still more : some <»f her l)eams were sprung, and two jdaidvs on the lower deck were s))lit fore and aft, and doubled up, and she otherwise sustained serious injury in her hull. It was in vain that we attemptcul any relief; our ])uny efforts were not even felt, though continued for ei«jcht hours with unabated zeal; and it was not until the^tide changed that the smallest effect was produced. AVhen, however, that occurred, the vessels ri^^hted and 6ettU;d in the water to their proper draught." From the 12th to the 10th, they were closely beset with ice. For nine successive days following this the crews were occupied, .Ight and day, in endeavoi'ing to extricate the ships, and regain the open sea. Thinking he had given the ice a fair trial here, the connnander determined upon examining its condition toward the eastern coast of Greenland, and in the event of finding it equally impenetrable there, to proceed round the south cape of Spitzbergen, and make an attempt be- tween that island and Nova Zembla. On the 30th of July, a sudden gale came on, and brought down the main body of the ice upon them, so that the ships were in such imminent danger that their only means of safety was to take refuge among it — a practice which has been resorted to by whalers in ex- treme cases — as their only chance of escaping destruc- tion. The following is a description of the preparation made to withstand the terrible encounter, and the hair- breadth escapee from tlie dangers : — " In order to avert the ^ffaeta of this as much as pos- 3 'l!i''l 11 11 111 ff n J I 1 ^>^«* luil l" li 1 1 '11 1 m t t t '\ I I ' i!!: 58 PROGRESS OF ARCllC DISCOVERY. sible, a cable was cut up into thirty-feet lengtlis, aiiO these, with plates of iron four feet S(piare, wliich Jiad been supplied to us as. fenders, together witli sonio walras' Jiides, were hung round the vessels, especially about the bows. The masts, at the same time, were se- cured with additional ropes, and the hatches were bat- tened and nailed down. By the time these precautions had been taken, our approach to the breakei's only left us the alternative of either permitting the ships to be drifted broadside against the ice, and so to take their chance, or of endeavoring to force faii!y into it by put- ting before the wind. At length, the hopeless state of a vessel placed broadside against so formidable a body became apparent to all, and we resolved to attempt the latter expedient." Eagerly, but in vain, was the general line of the pack scanned, to find one place more open than the other. All parts appeared to be equally inij^enetrable, and to present one unbroken line of furious breakers, in which immense pieces of ice were heaving and subsiding with the waves, and dashins; losrether with a violence which nothing apparently but a solid body could withstand, occasioning such a noise that it was with the greatest difiiculty the officers could make their orders heard by the crew. The fearful aspv-^ct of this appalling scene is thue sk'jtched by Captain Beech ey : — " No language, I am convinced, can convey an ade- quate idea of the terrific grandeur of the effect now pro- duced by the collision of the ice and the tempestuous ocean. The sea, violently agitated and rolling its ni(oin- tainous waves against an opposing body, is at all times a sublime and awful sight ; but when, in additiiai, It encounters immense masses, which it has set in motion with a violence equal to its own, its effect is prodigi- ously incr(5ased. At one moment it bursts upon these ic}^ fragments and buries them many feet beneath its wave, and the next, as the buoyancy of the depressed body struggles for reascendancy, the water rushes in tbaming cataracts over its edges ; while every indi- i VOYAGE OF BUCIIAN AND FKANIvLIN. 69 pngtlis, and wiiicli Jiad with soniQ 1, especially lie, were se- 's were bat- precautions ;rs only left ships to be L) take their it by put- ess state of ible a body to attempt of the pack the other, ble, and to 's, in which siding with ence which withstand, s greatest heard by ne is thug ey an ade- now pro- nipestuous its moun- t all times dditi(.>n, It in motion s prodigi- pon these neath its depressed rushes in ^ery indi- « vidual mass, rocking and laboring in its bed, grinds igaiust and eontencls with its opponent, until one is e^.her split with the shock or upheavod upon the sur- face of the other. Nor is this collision confined to any particular spot ; it is going on as far as the sight can reach ; and when from this convulsive scene below, the eye is turned to the extraordinary appe.vi-ance of the blink in the sky above, where the ur:iatural clear- ness of a calm and silvery atmosphere presents itself, bounded by a dark, hard line of stormy clouds, such as at this moment lowered over our masts, as if to mark the confines within which the efibrts of man would be of no avail. The reader may imagine the sensation of awe which must accompany that of grandeur in the mind of the beholder." "If ever," continues the narrator, "the fortitude of seamen was tairly tried, it was assuredly not less so on this occasion ; and I wdll not conceal the pride I felt in witnessing the bold and decisive tone in which the orders were issued by the commander (the present Captain Sir John Franklin) of our little vessel, and the promptitude and steadiness with which they were exe- cuted by the crew." As the laboring vessel flew before the gale, she soon neared the scene of danger. "Each person instinctively secured bis own hold, and with his eyes fixed upon the masts, awaited in breathless anxiety the moment of concussion. " It soon arrived,-— the brig, (Trent) cutting her way throuo;h the light ice, came in violent contact with the main body. In an instant we all lost onr footing ; the masts bent with the impetus, and the cracking timbers from below bespoke a pressure which was calculated to awaken our serious apprehensions. The vessel stag- gered under the shock, and for a moment seemed to recoil ; but the next wave, curling up under her coun- ter, drove her about her own len^.;th within the margin of the ice, where she gave one roll, and was immedi- ately thrown broadside to the wind by the succeeding wave, which beat furiously against her stiirn, and 4 C ! .lil ■ ^ I i li \l I ; 60 PROGRESS OP ARCTIC DISCOVERY. brought her iee-side in contact with the main body, leaving her weather-side exposed at the same time to a piece of ice about twice her own dimensions. This unfortunate occurrence prevented the vessel jienetrat- ing sutiiciently far into the ice to escape the effect of the gale, and placed her in a situation where she was assailed on all sides by battering-rams, if I may use the expression, every one of which contested the small space which she occupied, and dealt such unrelenting blows, that there appeared to be scarcely any possibil- ity of saving her from foundering. Literalb tossed from piece to piece, we had nothing left but patiently to abide the issue ; for we could scarcely keep our feet, much less render any assistance to the vessel. The mo- tion, indeed, was so great, that the ship's bell, which, in the heaviest gale ot wind, had never struck of itself, now tolled so continually, that it was ordered to be muffled, for the purpose of escaping the unpleasant as sociation it was calculated to j^roduce. " In anticipation of the worst, we determined to at tempt placing the launch upon the ice under the lee, and hurried into her such provisions and stores as could at the moment be got at. Serious doubts were reason- ably entertained of the boat beii.g able to live among the confused mass by which we ^\ ere encompassed; yet as this appeared to be our only refuge, we clung to it with all the eagerness of a last resource." From the injury the vessel repeatedly received, it became very evident that if subjected to this concus- sion for any time, she could not hold together long ; the only chance of escape, therefore, appeared to depend upon getting before the wind, and penetrating further into the ice. To effect this with any probability of success, it be- came necessary to set more head-sail, though at the risk of the masts, already tottering with the pressure of that which was spread. By the expertness of the eeamen, more sail was spread, and under this additional pressure of canvass^ the ship came into the desired position, and with the aid of an enormous mass under ! i main body, same time to Qsions. Tiiis ;sel jDenetrat- the effect of here she was i' I may use ted the small L unrelenting any possibil- eralb tossed Dut patiently Lcep our feet, el. The mo- )ell, which, in uck of itself, rdered to he npleasant as •mined to at nder the lee, ores as could were reason- live among npassed; yet 1 clung to it received, it this concus- ler long ; the 1 to depend ting further ccess, it be- ough at the ;he pressure tness of the is additional the desired mass under VOYAOE OF nUOHAN AND FKAXKLIN". 61 the stern, she split a small field of ice, fourteen feet in thickness, wiiich had hitlierto impeded her progress, and effected a passage for herself between the pieces. In this improved position, by carefully placing the protecting fenders between the ice and the sliip's sides, I the strokes were much diminished, and she managed 'to weather out the gale, but lost sight of her contort in I the clouds of spray which were tossed about, and the ?huire intervenin": masses of ice amont!: which thev were embayed. On the gale moderating, the ships were for- tunately got once more into an open sea, although both ' disabled, and one at least, the Dorothea, which had sustained the heavy shocks, in a foundering condition. For the main object of the expedition they were now useless, and, both being in a leaky state, they bore up for Fair Haven, in Spitzbergen. In approaching the anchorage in South Gat, the Trent bounded over a sunken rock, and struck hard, but this, after their re- cent danger, was thought com.paratively lif^ht of. On examining the hulls of the vessels, it was found they liad sustained frightful injuries. The intermediate lining of felt between the timbers and planks seems to have aided greatly in enabling the vessels to sustain the rej^eated powerful shocks they had encountered. Upon consulting with his officers, Captain Buchan came to the opinion that the most prudent course, was to I patch up the vessels for their return voyage. Lieuten- I ant Franklin preferred an urgent request that he might ; be allowed to proceed in his own vessel upon the inter- esting service still unexecuted ; but this could not be complied w^ith, in consequence of the hazard to the crew of proceeding home singly in a vessel so shat- jtered and unsafe as the Dorothea. After refitting, they Eut to sea at the end of August, and reached England y the middle of October. Fkanklin's FmsT Land Expedition, 1819-21. In 1819, on the recommendation of the Lords of ' % Admiralty, (Japt. Franklin was a2)pointed to command 'if 62 PROO^^ESS OF ARCl'lO DISCOVERY. an overland expedition from Hudson's Bay to the north- ern shores of America, for the purpose of determining the latitudes and longitudes, and exploring the coast of the continent eastward from the Coppermine liiver. Dr. John Kichardson, E. N., and two Admiralty Midship- men, Mr. George Back, (who had been out on the polar expedition, in the previous year, in H. M. S. Trent,) and Mr. Robert Hood, were placed under his orders. Pre- vious to his departure from London, Capt. Franklin oh- tained all the information and advice possible from Sir Alex. Mackenzie, one of the only two persons wlio had yet explored those shores. On the 23d of May, the party embarked at Gravesend, in the Prince of Wales, belong- ing to the Hudson's Bay Company, which immediately got under weigh in company with her consorts, the Ed- dystone and Wear. Mr. Back, who was left on shore by accident in Yarmouth, succeeded in catching the ship at Stromness. On the 4th of August, in lat. 59^ 58' N., and long. 59° 53' W., they first fell in with large icebergs. On the following day, the height of one was ascertained to be 149 feet. After a stormy and perilous voyage they reached the anchorage at York Flats on the 30th of August. On the 9th of September, Capt. Franklin and his party left York Factory in a boat by the way of the rivers and lakes for Cumberland House, another of the Company's posts, which they reached on the 22d of October. On the 19th of January, Franklin set out in company with Mr. Back and a seaman named Hepburn, with pro- visions for fifteen days, stowed in two sledges, on their journey to Fort Chipewyan. Dr. Richardson, Mr. Hood and Mr. ConoUy accompanied them a short distance. After touching at different posts of the Company, they reached their destination safely on the 26th of March, after a winter's journey of 857 miles. The greatest diffi- culty experienced by the travelers was the labor of walk- ing in snow shoes, a weight of between two and three pounds being constantly attached to galled feet and swelled ankles. On the 13th of July, they were joined by Dr. Richard- [ly to the north- 3t' determining ng the coast oi' ine lliver. Dr. iralty Midship- ut on the polar ;. S. Trent,) and 3 orders. Pre- )t. Franklin ob- >ssible from Sir arsons wlio hud May, the party Wales, belong- ;h immediately msorts, the Ed- left on shore hy ling the ship at lat. 59° 58' N., 1 large icebergs, vas ascertained us voyage they )n the 30th of Q and his party ' the rivers and the Company's October, lit in company )nrn, with pro- idges, on their son, Mr. Hood hort distance. )ompany, they 6th of March, 5 greatest diffi- labor of walk- two and three lied feet and Dr. Richard- KKAA'KMM's first LA^D KXl'EDrriON. aa eon and Mr. Hood, who had made a very expeditious journey from Cumberland House; they had only one day's provisions left, the pemmican they had received at the posts being so mouldy that they were obliged to leave it behind. Arrangements were now made for their jour- ney northward. Sixteen Canadian voyageurs were en- ; gaged, and a Chipewyan woman and two interpreters were to be taken on from Great Slave Lake. The whole stock of provisions they could obtain before starting was only sufficient for one day's supply, exclusive of two bar- rels of flour, three cases of preserved meats, some choco- late, arrow-root and portable soup, which had been brought from England, and were kept as a reserve for the journey to the coast in the following season; seventy pounds of deer's flesh and a little barley were all that the Company's ofticers could give them. The provisions were di-^trih-uted among three canoes, and the party set ofli' in r > >d sj)irits on the 18th of July. They had to make an inroad very soon on their preserved meats, for they were very unfortunate in their fishing. On the 24th of July, however, they were successfid in shooting a buflalo in the Salt River, after giving him fourteen balls. At Moose Deer Island they got supplies from the Hudson's Bay and North West Companies' ofl^icers, and on the 2Tth set out again on their journey, reaching Fort Providence by the 29th. Shortly after they had an interview with a celebrated and influential Indian chief, named Akaitcho, who was to furnish them with guides. Another Canadian voya- geur was tliore enp^aged, and the party now consisted of the officers already named, Mr. Fred. Wentzel, clerk of the N. W. Fur Company, who joined them here, John Hepburn, the English seaman, seventeen Canadian voy- ageurs, (one of whom, named Michel, was an Iroquois,) and three Indian interpreters, besides the wives of three of the voyageurs who had been brought on for the pur- pose of making clothes and shoes for the men fit the winter establishment. 1 he whole number were twenty- nine, exclusive of three children. I give the list of those whose names occur most frequently in the narrative: i (ill (1 tl'lil 64 rK(.)GKi;bs or akctic discoveky. J. B. Belanger, Peltier, Solomon Eelanger, Samandre, Beiioit, Pentiiilt, Antonio Fontano, Beauparlant, Yail- lant, Credit, Adam St. Germain, interpi-eter; Augustus and Junius, Esquimaux interpreters. They had provis- ions for ten days' cimsumption, besides a little chocolate and tea, viz : two casks of flour, 200 dried reindeer tongues, some dried moose meat, portable soup, and a little arrow-root. A snudl extra canoe was provided for the women, and the journey foJ* the Coppermine liiver was commenced on the ^d of August. The party met with many hardships — were placed on short diet — and some of the Canadians broke out into open rebellion, refusing to proceed farther. However, they were at last calmed, and arrived on the 20th of August at Fort En- terprise, on Winter Lake, which, by the advice of their Indian guides, they determined on making their winter quarters. The total length of the voyage from Chipe- wyan was 552 miles; and after leaving Fort Providence, they had 21 miles of portage to pass over. As the men had to traverse each portage with a load of 180 lbs., and return three times light, they walked, in the whole, upward of 150 miles. In consequence of the refusal of Akaitcho and his party of Indians to guide and accompany them to the sea, because, as they alledged, of the approach of wdn- ter, and the imminent danger. Captain Franklin was obliged to abandon proceeding that season down the river, and contented himself with dispatching, on the 29th, Mr. Back and Mr. Hood, in a light canoe, with St. Germain as interpreter, eight Canadians, and one Indian, furnished wdth eight days' provisions — all that could be spared. ! They returned on the 10th of September, after hav- ing reached and coasted Point Lake. In the mean time, Franklin and fJichardson, accompanied by J. Hepburn and two Indians, also made a pedestrian excursion tow- ard the same quarter, leaving on the 9th of September, and returning on the fourteenth. The whole party spent a long winter of ten months at Fort Enterprise, depending uprm the iish they could catch, and the sue cess of their Indian hunters, for food. 3. i 1 I i ::£■:■; m; '■»■_ FKA^KIA.N S Fli;.-ir LA.M) EXPEDITION. G5 , Samandre, arlant, Yail- r; Augustus had provis- lo cliocolate ed reindeer soup, and a )rovided for mine Kiver 3 party met t diet— and 1 rebellion, i^'ere at last at Fort En- ice of their heir winter •om Chipe- 'rovidence, is the men )f ISO lbs., the whole, o and his em to the ih of win- iklin was down the g, on the noe, with and one - all that On the 6tli ot' October, the oflicer.^ (juitted tlu.-ir tents for a food log house which hud been built. Tiie ehiy witli which the walls and roof were plastered, had to be tempered before the lire with water, and froze j^s it was daubed on ; l)nt afterward cracked in such a man- ner, as to admit the wind from every quarter. Still the new abode, with a good fire of fagots in the capa- cious clay-built chimney, was considered quite comfort- able wdien compared w'ith the chilly tents. The reindeer are found on the banks of the Copper- mine Kiver early ii-. May, as they then go to the sea- coast to bring fort'a their young. They usually retire from the coast in July and August, rut in October, and shelter themselves in the woods during winter. Before the middle of October, the carcasses of one hundred deer had been secured in their store-house, together with one thousand pounds of suet, and some dried meat ; and eighty deer were stowed aw^ay at various distances from their house, e?i cache. This placing provisions " en cache," is merely burying and protecting it from wolves and other depredators, by heavy loads of wood or stone. On the 18th of October, Mr. Back and Mr. Wentzel, accompanied by two Canadian voyageurs, two Indians and their wives, set out for Fort Providence to make the necessary arrangements for transporting the stores they expected from Cumberland House, and to see if some further supplies might not be obtained from the establishments on Slave Lake. Dispatches for Eng- land were also forwarded by them, detailing the pro- gress of the expedition up to this date. By the end of the month the men had also completed a house for themselves, 34 feet by 18. On the 26th of October, Akaitcho, and his Indian party of hunters, amounting withw^omen and children to forty souls, camejn, owing to the deer having migrated eouthw^ard. This addeu to the daily number to be provided for, and by this time their ammunition was nearly expended. The fishing failed as the weatiier became more severe, and was given up on the 5th of November. About ■<!' y u;? mm if m Ml 66 PKOOKICSS OK ARCTIC DISCO VKRY. ;iin I 1200 white fish, of from two to three pounds, liad heon procured duriun' tlie seiiKon. The iish froze as tliev were taken from the nets, becoming in a short time a (Solid mass of ice, so that a blow or two of the hatchet would easily split them open, when tlie intestines miglit be removed in one lump. If thawed before the hre, even after being frozen for nearly two days, the fish would recover their animation. On the 23d of November, they were gratified by the appearance of one of the Canadian voyageurs who had set out with Mr. Back. His locks were matted with enow, and he was so encrusted with ice from head to foot, that they could scarcely recognize him. He re- ported that they had had a tedious and fatiguing jour- ney to Fort Providence, and for some days were desti- tute of provisions. Letters were brought from England to the preceding April, and quickly Avas the packet thawed to get at the contents. The newspapers con- veye(^. tha intelligence of the death of Geor^/elH. The advices as to the expected stores were disheartening ; of ten bales of ninety pounds v^ach, five had been lA'^, by some mismanagement at the Qi'and Rapid on t]iK) Sattkatchawan. On ihe 28tti of November, St. Ger- main the interpreter, with eight Canadian voyageurs, and four Indian hunters, were sent off to bring up the stores from Fort Providence. On the 10th of December, Franklin managed to get rid of Akaitcho and his Indian party, by representing to them the impossibility of naaintaining them. The leadei', however, left them his mother and two female attendants; and old Kaskarrah, the guide, with his wife and daughter, remained behind. This daughter, who was designated " Green Stockings," from her dress, was considered a great beauty by her tribe, rnd although but sixteen, had belonged successively to two husbands, and would probably have bren the wife of many r.ore, if her mother had not requi] xl her services as a nurse. Mr. Hood took a good likeness of the young lady, but her mother was somev;iiat averse to her sitting' for it, fearing that " her daugl iter's likeness would induce *m. <ls, lijifl hpoii ■oze as tliev ^bort time a ' the Jiatchet stinos might ->re the tire, lys, the iish ;ified by the irs wlio had nattcd with )m head to m. He re- guing jour- were desti- m England the packet >apers con- bIII. The eartening ; f been l^i\ h'd on th^ St. Ger- ^ojagenrs, ng np the Ced to get FKANKLI.n's FlUHT LAND EXriCniTION. 07 the Great Chief who resided in England to send for the Soriu'inall " . -, , . i ' the diet of the party in their winter abode consisted almost entirely of reindeer meat, varied twice a week by iish, and occasionally by a little Hour, but they had ' no vegetables of anv kind. On Sunday morning they had a cup of chocolate ; but their greatest luxury was tea, which they regularly had twice a day, although without sugar. Candles were formed of reindeer fat and strips of cotton sliirts; and Hepburn acquired con- siderable skill in the manufacture of soap from the wood ashes, fat and salt. The stores were anxiously looked for, and it was hoped they would have arrived by New Year's Day, (1821,) so as to have kept the festival. As ■ it was, they could only receive a little flour and fat, both of which were considered great luxuries. On the 15th, seven of the men arrived with two kegs of rum, one barrel of powder, sixty pounds of ball, two rolls of tobacco, and some clothing. " They had been twenty-one days on their march from Slave Lake, and the labor they underwent was suffi- ciently evinced by their sledge collars having worn oat the shoulders of their coats. Their loads w^eighed from sixty to ninety pounds each, exclusive of their bedding and provisions, which at starting must have been at least as nmch more. We were much rejoiced at their arrival, and proceeded forthwith to pierce the spirit cask, and issue to each of the household the portion of rum which had been promised on the first day of the year. The spirits, which were proof, were frozen; but after stand- ing at the fire for some time they flowed out, of the consistence of honey. The temperature of the liquid, even in this state, was so low as instantly to convert into ice the moisture which condensed on the surface of the dram-glass. The fingers also adhered to the glass, and would doubtless have been speedily frozen had they been kept in contact with it ; yet each of the voyageurs swallowed his dram without experiencing the slightest inconvenience, or complaining of toothache." It apiieared that the Canadians had tapped the rum- C* I 1 t.1 1 '■m ti i' V ■i i I'I I' if: 08 I'KOGUKaa ()!•• aklik; discuvluv. f,i r Hllil ll'i m cask on tlicir juuniey, and helped themselves rathor freely. On the 2Tth, Mr. Wentzel and St. Germain arrived, witli two Esquimaux interpreters who had been engaged, possessed of euphonious names, representing the belly and the ear, but which had been Anglicised into Au- gustus and Junius, being the months they had respec- tively arrived at Fort Churchill. The former spt)ke English. They brought four dogs with them, which pj'oved of great use during the season in drawing in wood for fuel. Mr. Back, at this time, the 24th of December, had gone on to Chipewyan to procure stores. On the 12th of February, another party of six men was sent to Fort Providence to bring up the remaining supplies, and these returned on the 5th of March. Many of the caches of meat which had been buried early in the winter were found destroyed by the wolves ; and some of thtse ani- mals prowled nightly about the dwellings, even vt:tur- ing upon the roof of tlieir kitchen. The rations were reduced from eight to the short allowance of five ounces of animal food per day. On the ITth of March, Mr. Back returned from Fort Chipewyan, after an absence of nearly live months, during which he had performed a journey on foot of more than eleven hundred miles on snow shoes, with only the slight shelter at night of a blanket and a deer ekin, with the thermometer frequently at 40° and once at 57°, and very often passing several days without food. Some very interesting traits of generosity on the part of the Indians are recorded by Mi'. Back. Often they gave up and would not taste of fish or birds which they caught, with the touching remark, " We are accustomed to starvation, and you are not." Such passages as the following often occur in his narrative : — " One of our men caught a fish, wdiich, with Jhe assistance of some weed scraped from the rocks, (tri^^e de roohe) which forms a glutinous substance, made us a tolerable sup])er : it was not of the most choice kind, 'm i m fi;ankmn s Mi;sT i.\ni> Kxi'i:i>iTioN. 60 isclves ratlicr main arrived, been engaged, ;ing the ))elly ised into Au- y had respce- fonner spoke them, which in drawing in ecember, had On the 12th assent to Fort supplies, and ' of the caches e winter were of thtse ani- even vt:tiir- rations were f five ounces ed from Fort five months, y on foot of shoes, with t and a deer 0° and once ays witJiout r on the part Often they 5 which they accustomed cur in his which, with the rockfl, ance, made hoice kind. AV'liiUi wo wore eat- yet good enougli tur hungry men. 111. /it, I p.'rei'ived oni- of tiie women I)u>ily ein})l<>ye(l Fcrapiriii; an old skin, the contents of wiiicii her husband ]>rcsentr(l us with. They consisted of pounded meat, fat, and a greater proportion of Indian's and deer's hair than either ; and, though such a mixture may iu>t appear verv allurintr to an English stomach, it was thought a great luxury after three days' privation in these cheer- less reirions of America." " On ■'s To return to the proceedings of Fort Enterprise. Oi the '2^(1 of March, the last of the winter's stock of deer' meat was expended, and the party were compelled to consume a little pounded meat, which had been saved for nuiking pemmican. The nets scarcely produced any fish, and tiieir meals, which had hitherto been scanty enough, were now restricted to one in the day. The poor Indian families about the house, consisting principally of sick and infirm women and children, suf- fered even more })rivation. They cleared away the snow on the site of the Autumn encampment to look for bones, deer's feet, bits of hide, and other oftal. J' When (says Franklin) we beheld them gnawing the pieces of lii(ie, and pounding the bones for the purpose of extract- ing st)me nourishment from them by boiling, we regret- ted our inability to relieve them, but little thought that we should ourselves be afterward driven to the neces- sity of eagerly collecting these same bones, a second time from the dung-hill." On the 4th of June, 1821, a first party set off from the winter quarters for Point Lake, and the Coppermine River, under the charge of Dr. Richardson, consisting, in all, voyageurs and Indians, of twenty -three, exclusive of children. Each of the men carried about 80 lbs., be- sides his own personal baggage, weighing nearly as much more. Some of the party dragged their loads on sledges, others preferred carrying their burden on their backs. On the 13th, Dr. Richardson sent back most of the men ; and on the 14th Franklin dispatched Mr. "Wentzel and a party with the canoes, which had been repaired. Following the water-course as far as practi- I I ''I '1 i 1! \f 70 VKOGREf^S OF AJiCTIC DISCiJVKUY. llinr.'i cable to Wintor Lake, Franklin tnllowed himself with lli'phurn, thi'ee Canadians, two In«lian Imntei's, and the two K8(|uiinaux, and joined Dr. liicliardson on tlie 2lid. On the 2.")th they all resuineil their Journey, and, as they proceeded (h.>wn the river, were t'urtunute iii killing, occasionally, neveral musk oxen. On the 15th they got a distinct view of the sea from the summit of a hill ; it appeared choked with ice and full of islands. About this time they fell in with small parties of Escinimanx. On the 19th Mr. Wentzel de})arted on his return for Slave I>iike, taking with him four Canadians, who had been discharged for the purpose of reducing the ex})en- diturc of provisions as much as pos8il>le, and dispatches to be forwarded to England. He was also instructed to cause the Indians to deposit a relay of provisions at Foi-t Enterprise, ready for the party should they return that way. The remainder of the party, including olH- cers, amounted to twenty persons. The distance that had been traversed from 1 ort Enterprise to the mouth of the river was about 334 miles, and the canoes had to be dragged 120 miles of this. Two conspicuous capes were named by Franklin after Heame and Mackenzie ; and a river which falls into the 5ea, to the westward of the Coppermine, he called after his companion, Kichardson. On the 21st of July, Franklin and his party embarked in their two canoes to navigate the Polar Sea, to the eastward, having with them provisions for fifteen days. On the 25th they doubled a bluff cape, which was named after Mr. Barrow, of the Admiralty. An open- ing on its eastern side received the appellation of Inman Harbor, and a group of islands were called after Pro- fessor Jameson. Within the next fortnight, additions were made to their stock of food by a few deer and one or two bears, which were shot. iBeing less fortunate afterward, and with no prospect of increasing their sup- ply of provision, the daily allowance to eac*li man was limited to a liandful of pemmican and a small portion of portable soup. ■ * I I i I I fkankI'In's fikst land expedition. 7i liiMiself with liuiitors, and nlsoii (HI tlie jouriu'v, and, fortunute in the sea fVum with iee and u with small is return for ns, who had ^ the exjK'ii- d dispatches instructed )rovi8ions at they return eluding otK- istance that p the mouth noes had to anklin after iills into the called after 7 embarked Sea, to the fteen days, which was An open- of Inman after Pro- additions er and one fortunate their sup- man was 11 portion f v^ff On the morninn; of the r>t}i of August they came to the mouth of a river blocked ui) with shoals, which Fninklin named after his friend and companion P>ack. The time spent in exploring Arctic and Melville Sounds and Bathurst Iidet, and the failure of meeting with Escpiimaux from whom provisions coidd he ol>- tained, precluded any possibility of reaching K^'pulse liay, and therefore having but a day or two's provisions left, Franklin considered it ])rudent to turn back atler reaching Point Turnagain, havin«r sailed nearly GUO geogra[)hical miles in tracing the cleeply indented coast of ('orc»nation Gulf from the Coppermine River. On tl»e 2lM August, the return voyage was commenced, the boats making for Hood's Kiver by the way of the Arctic Sound, and bein^^ taken as far up the stream as possible. On the 31st it was found impossible to pro- ceed with them farther, and smaller canoes were made, suitable for crossing any of the rivers that might ob- ptiMict their progress. The weight carried by each man was about 90 lbs., and with this they progressed at the rate of a mile an hour, including rests. On the r»th of September, having nothing to eat, the last piece of pennnican and a little arrow-root having formed a scanty supper, and being without the means of making a fire, they remained in bed all day. A se- vere snow-storm lasted two days, and the snow even drifted into their tents, covering their blankets several inches. " Our suffering (says Iranklin) from cold, in a comfortless canvass tent in such weather, with the tem- oerature at 20°, and without fire, will easily be im- agined ; it was, however, less than that which we felt from hunger." Weak from fasting, and their garments stiffened with the frost, after packing their frozen tents and bedclothes the poor travelers again set out on the 7th. After feeding almost exclusively on several species of Gyrophora, a Kjhen known as tr^pe de roche, which scarcely allayed the pangs of hunger, on the lOtli " they got a good meal by killing a musk ox. To skin and cut up the animal was the work of a few minutes. Tlie h 'fl 72 PROGRESS OF AIVCTTIC DISCOVERY. li, I ill ' I contents of its stomach were devoured upon the spot, and the raw intestines, which were next attacked, wei'o pronounced by the most delicate amongst us to be ex- cellent." AVearied and worn out with toil and sufiering, many o't the party got careless and indifferent. One of the canoes was broken and abandoned. With an improvi- dence scarcely to be credited, three of the iishing-nets were also thrown away, and tlie floats burnt. On the 17th they managed to allay the pangs of hun- ger by eating pieces of singed hide, and a little t/'ipe de roche. This and some mosses, with an occasional sol- itary partridge, formed their invariable food ; on very many days even this scanty supply could not be obtained, and their appetites became ravenous. Occasionally they picked up pieces of skin, and a few bonca of deer which had been devoured by the wolve^' in the previous spring. The bones were ren- dered fria])le by burning, aiid now and then their old shoes "Vvere added to the. repast. On the 26th they reached a bend of the Coppermine, which terminated in Point Lake. The second canoe had been demolished and abandoned by the b^^arers on the 23d, and they were thus left without any means of water transport across the lakes and river. On this day th.e carcass of a deer was discovered in the cleft of a rock, into which it had fallen in the spring. It was putrid, but little less acceptal)le to the poor starv- ing travelers on that account ; and a fire being kin- dled a large portion was devoured on the spot, afford- ing an unexpected breakfast. On the first of October one of the party, who had been out hunting, brought in the antlers and backbone of another deer, which had been killed in the summer. The wolves and birds of prey had picked them clean, but there still remained a quantity of the spinal mar- row, which they had not been able to extract. This, although putrid, was ester med a valuable prize, and the spine being divided into portions was distributed equally. *' After eating the mai-roAv, (says Franklin,) '■m 'Ili-!i :y. [X)u the spot, ttacked, wej-o ; us to be ex- Bering, many One of the lan improvi- J iishing-nets nt. •angs of hun- ittle tripe de casional sol- od ; on very be obtained, skin, and a iired by the 23 were ren- en their old oppermine, cond canoe bearers on y means of ^covered in the spring, poor starv- being kin- pot, afford- ', wlio had backbone e summer, em clean, )inal mar- ict. This, prize, and istribr.ted Franklin,) franklin's first land EXr edition. 73 J m which was so acrid as to excoriate the lips, we ren- dered the bones friable by buaiing, and ate thein also." The strength of the whole party now began to fail, from the privation and fatigue which they endured.— Franklin was in a dreadfully debilitated state. Mr. liood was also reduced to a perfect shadow, from the severe ])Owel-complaiHts which the tripe de roche never failed to give him. Back was so feeble as to require the support of a stick in walking, and Dr. Kichardson had lameness superadded to weakness. A rude canoe was constructed of willows, covered with canvass, in which the party, one by one, managed to reach in safety the southern bank of the river on the 4th of October, and went supperless to bed. On the following morning, previous to setting out, the whole party ate the remains of their old shoes, and whatever scraps of leather they had, to strergthen their stomachs for the fatigue of the day's journey. jMr. Hood novr broke down, as did two or three more of the party, and Dr. Eichardson kindly volunteered to remain with them, while the rest pushed on to Fort Enterprise for succor. Not being able to iind any tripe de roche ^ they drank an infusion of the Labrador tea- plant {Lcdrurn palustre^ var. decu?nhe7is,) and ate a few morsels of burnt leather for supper. This contin- ued to be a frequent occurrence. Others of the party continued to drop down with fa- tigue and weakness, until they were reduced to five persons, besides Franklin. When they had no food or nourishment of any kind, they crept under their blank- ets, to drown, if possible, the gnawing pangs of hunger and fatigue by sleep. At length they reached Fort En- terpiise, and to their disappointment and grief found it a perfectly desolate habitation. There was no de- posit of provision, no trace of the Indians, no letter from Mr. "VVentzel to point out where the Indians might be found. "It would be impossible (says Franklin,) to describe our sensations after entering this miserable abode, nnd discovering how we had been neglected : the whole party shed tears, not so much for our own ill !?( I: I- 1 . 74 PKUWRESS OF ARCrnO DISCOVERY. Hi!! '! if fate as for that of our friends in the rear, whose lives depended entirely on our sending immediate relief from this place." A note, however, was found here from Mr. Back, stating that he had reached the house by another route two days before, and was going in search of the Indians. If he was unsuccessful in hnd- ing them, he proposed walking to Fort Providence, and sending succor from thence, but he doubted whether he or his party could perform the journey to that place in their present debilitated state. Franklin and his small party now looked round for some means of pres- ent subsistence, and fortunately discovered several deer skins, which had been thrown away during their former residence here. The bones were gathered from the heap of ashes ; these, with the skins and the addition of tvlpe dc Toche^ they considered would support life tolerably well for a short time. The bones were quite acrid, and the soup extracted from them, quite putrid, excoriiited the mouth if taken alone;, but it was some- what milder wiien boiled with the lichen, and the mix- ture was even deemed palatable with a little salt, of which a cask had been left here in the spring. They procured fuel by pulling up the flooring of the rooms, and water for cooking by melting the snow. Augustus arrived safe after them, just as they were sitting round the fire eating their supper of singed skin. Late on the 13th, Belanger also reached the house, with a note from Mr. Back, stating that he had yet found no trace of the Indians. The poor messenger was almost speechless, being covered with ice and nearly frozen to death, having fallen into a rapid, and for the third time since the party left the coast, narrowly escaped drowning. After being well rubbed, having had his dress changed, and some warm soup given him, he recovered suflicieutly to answer the t^ ^estions put to him. Under the impression that the Indians must be on their way to Fort I'rovidence, and that it would he possible to overtake them, as they usually traveled n ■Vi ih ;v. r, whose lives lediate relief 18 found here hed the house was goin^ in esst'iil in lind- : Providence, ibted whether to that place iklin and his lears of pres- l several deer ^ their former red from the the addition support life BS were quite quite putrid, it was some- and the niix- iittle salt, of )ring. Tliey ►f the rooms, V. IS they were er of singed the house, he had jet messenger th ice and I rapid, and st, narrowly bed, having soun given e (^ .estions must be on would he \y traveled franklin's first land expedition. 75 k' bIowIv with their families, and there being likewise a prospect of killing deer about Keindeer J.tike, where they had been usually found abundant, Franklin de- termined to take the route for that post, and sent word to Mr. Back by Belanger to that effect on the 18th. On the 20th of October, Franklin set out in com- pany with Benoit and Augustus to seek relief, having patched three pairs of snow shoes, and taken some singed skin for their support. Poltier and Samandre had volunteered to remain at the house with Adam, who was too ill to proceed. They were so feeble as scarcely to be able to move. Augustus, the Esqui- maux, tried for ilsh without success, so that their only fare was skin and tea. At night, composing them- selves to rest, they lay close to each other for warmth, but found the night bitterly cold, and the wind pierced through their famished frames. On resuming the journey next morning, Franklin had the misfortune to break his snow-shoes, by falling between two rocks. This accident prevented him from kef ping pace with the others, and in the attempt he b icame quite exhausted ; unwilling to delay their pro- (i^ress, as the cafety of all behind depended on their obtaining early assistance and immediate supplies, Franklin resolved to turn back, while the others pushed on to meet Mr. Back, or, missing him, they were directed to proceed to Fort Providence. Frank- lin found the two Canadians he had lefu at the house dreadfully weak and reduced, and so low spirited that he had great difficulty in rallying them to any exer- tion. As the insides of their mouths had become sore from eating the bone-soup, they now relinquished the use of it, and boiled the skin, which mode of dressing was found more palatable than frying it. They had pulled down nearly all their dwelling for fuel, to warm themselves and cook their scanty meals. The tripe de roche^ on which they had depended, now became entirely frozen; and what was more tantalizing to their perishing frames, was the sight of food within their reach, which they could not procure. " We saw 5 ii I 76 PKOGKESS OF AKCl'IC DISCOVERY. : : \]' r It 'il'^ ill 'in (says Franklin) a herd of reindeer sportlnj^ on tho river, about half a mile from the house ; they re- mained there a long time, but none of the party felt themselves strong enough to go after them, nor was there one of us who could have lired a gun without resting it." While they were seated round the fire this eveninir, discoursing about the anticipated relief, tho sound of voices was heard, which was thought with joy to be that of the Indians, but, to their bitter disappoint- ment, the debilitated frames and emaciated counte- nances of Dr. liichardson and Hepburn presented thenit^elves at the door. Tlicy were of course gladly received, although each marked the ravages which fam- ine, care and fatigue had made on the other. The Doctor particularly remarked the sepulchral tone of the voices of his friends, which he rec^uested them to make more cheerful if possible, unconscious that his own partook of the same key. Hepburn having shot a ])artridge, which was brought to the house. Dr. Richardson tore out the feathers, and having held it to the lire a few minutes, divided it into six portions. Franklin and his three compan- ions ravenously devoured their shares, as it was the first morsel of flesh any of them had tasted for thirty- one days, unless, indeed, the small gristly particles which they foucd adhering to the pounded bones may be termed flesh. Their spirits were revived by this small supply, and the Doctor endeavored to raise them still higher by the prospect of Hepburn's beini,' able to kill a deer next day, as they had seen, and even fired at, several near the house. He endeavored, too, to rouse them into some attention to the comfort of their apartment. Having brought his Prayer-book and Testament, some prayers, psalms, and portions of scripture, appropriate to tlieir situation, were read out by Dr. Hichardson, and they retired to their blankets. Early next morning, the Doctor and Hepburn went out in search of game ; but though they saw several FRANKLIN 8 FIRST LAND EXPEDITION. 77 )rtiiii^ on tho se ; thoy re- the party felt Jem, nor was gun without this evenins:^, tlio sound of ith joy to be r disappoint- iated counte- irn presented course gladly es which fam- other. Tlie chral tone of isted them to sious that his 1 was brought the feathei's, utes, divided iree compan- s it was the Bd for thirty- tly particles d bones may ived by tliis red to raise turn's beini: d seen, and endeavored, the comfort rayer-book nd i)ortioiis were I'ead )d to their ]>burn went saw sev(;nil herds of deer, and fired some shots, they were not so fortunate as to kill any, being too weak to hold their guns steadily. The cold compelled the former to re- § turn soon, but Hepburn perseveringly persisted until late in the evening. " My occupation, (continues Franklin) was to search for skins under the snov/, it being now our object im- I mediately to get all that we could ; but I had not '§ strength to drag in more than two of those which were ;^ within twenty yards of the house, until the Doctor % came and assisted me. We made up our stock to I twenty-six ; but several of them were putrid, and ^ scarcely eatable, even by men suffering the extremity I of famine. Peltier and Samandrc continued veiy I weak and dispirited, and they were unable to out fire- i wood. Hepburn had, in consequence, that laborious ;| task to perlbrni after ho came back late fi'oni hunting." ;^To tlie exertions, honesty, kindness, and consideration f of this worthy man, the safety of most of the party is ''-: to be attributed. And I may here mention that Sir tTohn Franklin, when he became governor of Van Diemen's Land, obtained for him a good civil appoint- . ment. This deserving man, I an^ informed by Mr. ^ Barrow, is now in England, having lost his office, 'which, I believe, has been abolished. It is to be hoi)ed something will be done for him by the govern- ment. After their usual supper of singed skin and bone soup, Dr. Kichardson acquainted Franklin with the events that had transpired since their parting, particu- larly with the afflicting circumstances attending tho death of Mr. Hood, and Michel, the Iroquois ; the par- ticulars of which I shall noiv proceed to condense from his nairativo. After Captain Franklin had bidden them farewell, [having no tripe de roche they drank an infusion of the ountry tea-plant, which was grateful from its warmth, Ithough it afforded no sustenance. They tlu^n retired o bed, and kept to their blankets all next day, as the iu>w drift was so heavy as to prevent their lighting a % ■>x T8 PROGUKSS OF AUCTIC DISCOVERY. !'i'»l' .1 il!i!| lii 'i -J [,■■ fire with the green and frozen willows, which were their onlv fuel. Through the extreme kindness and forethought of a lady, tiie party, previous to leaving Londcju, had l)eeii furnished with a small collection of religious books, of which, (says Richardson,) we still retained two or three of the most portable, and they proved of incalculable beneiit to us. " We read portions of them to each other as we lay in bed, in addition to the morning and evening service, and found that they inspired us on each perusal with 80 strong a sense of the omnipresence of a beneficent God, that our situation, even in these wilds, appeared no longer destitute ; and we conversed not only with calmness, but with cheerfulness, detailing with unre- strained confidence the past events of our lives, and dwelling with hope on our future prospects." How beautiful a picture have we here represented, of true piety and resignation to the divine will inducing pa- tience and submission under an unexampled load of misery and privation. Michel, the Iroquois, joined them on the 9th of Oc- tober, having, there is strong reason to believe, mur- dered two of the Canadians who were with him, Jean Ba})tiste Belanger and Perrault, as they were never seen afterward, and he gave so many rambling and contradictory statements of his proceedings, that no credit could be attached to bis story. The travelers proceeded on their tedious journey by slow stages. Mr. Hood was much afi*ected with dim ness of sight, giddiness, and other symptoms of ex trenie debility, which caused them to move slowly and to make frequent halts. Michel absented himself all day of the 10th, and only arrived at their encampment near the pines late on the 11th. He reported that he had been in chase of some deer whicli ])a8sed near his sleeping place in the morning, and although he did not come up with them, yet he tl'und a wolf which had been killed bv the stroke of a (Iter's burn, and had brought a i)art of it. lY. , which were brethoiiglit of LondtH], had of religious still retained ley 2)rovod of her as we lay 3niiig service, perusal with a beneficent ds, appeared lot only with g with unre- ur lives, and ects." How uted, of true inducing pa- ipled loud of e 9th of Oc- elieve, mur- h hini, Jean were never mbling and ngs, that no journey hy 1 with dim toms of ex J slowly and himself all icampmenfc some deer e morning, em, yet he e stroke of FKANKIJN 8 FIRST LAND EXl'KDITION. 79 :i'/> Eichardson adds — "We im[)licitly believed this \ litory then, but afterward became aware — from cir- ■ cunistances, the details of which may be spared — that it must have been a portion of the body of Bel anger, or Perrault. A question of moment here presents it- eel f — namely, whether he actually murdered these men, or either of them, or whether he found the bodies in the snow. Captai'.i Franklin, who is the best able to judge of this matter, from knowing their situation when no parted from them, suggested the former idea, and that both these men had been sacrificed ; that Michel, having already destroyed Belanger, completed his crime by Perrault's death, in order to screen himself from detection." Although this opinion is founded only on eircum- Btances, and is unsupported by direct evidence, it has been judged proper to mention it, especially as the subsequent conduct of the man showed that he was capable of committing such a deed. It is not easy to assign any other adequate motive for his concealing from Richardson that Perrault had turned back; while his request, over-night, that they would leave him the hatchet, and his cumbering himself with it when he went out in the morning, unlike a hunter, who makes use only of his knife when he kills a deer, seem to indicate that he took it for the purpose of cutting up eomcthing that he knew to be frozen. Michel left them early next day, refusing Dr. Eich- ardson's offer to accompany him, and remained out all day. He would not sleep in the tent with the other two at night. On the 13th, there being a heavy gale, they passed the day by their fire, without food. " Next day, at noon, Miiliel set out, as he said, to hunt, but returned unexpectedly in a short time. This conduct surprised his companions, and his contradictory and evasive answers to their questions excited their sus- picions still further. He subsequently refused either to hunt or cut wood, spoke in a very surly manner, and threatened to leave them. When reasoned with by Mr. Hood, his anger was excited, and he replied it i< ! 80 PKOOKKSS OK AKCTIO DIlSt'( VEKY. • !' WHS no use hnntinfr — there were no animals, and tlicy had hotter kill and eat him. *At this period," ohserves Dr. Kichardson, "we avoided, as much as poasible, convcrsinf»; n[)on the hopelesrness of our sitiu^tion, and generally endeav- ored to lead the conversation toward our future ]u*()s- p'icts in life. The fact is, that with the decay of our strength, our minds decayed, and we were no longer able to bear the contemplation of the horrors that Bur- rounded us. Yet we were calm and resigned to our late ; not a murmur escaped us, and we were ])unctual and fervent in our addree^ses to the Su})reme iVing." On th» moi-n'ng of the 20th, they aguin urged Michel to go a-iiuatr-;;', tb it lie inight, if possible, leave them soiiie pr.i-, i^i'^is, as he intended quitting them next day, bu.. h, -•;b>vv>r' great unwillingness to go out, and lingered aboui: thu n'e imder the pretense of cleaning his gun. After the morning service had been read, Dr. Kichardson went out to gather some tn2>e de roclie^ leaving Mr. Hood sitting before the tent at the fire- side, arguing with Michel ; Hepburn was employed cutting tire-wood. While they were thus engaged, the treacherous Iroquois took the opportunity to ]>lace his gun close to Mr. Hood, and shoot him through the head. He represented to his companions that the de- ceased had killed himself On examination of the body, it was found that the shot had entered the back part of the head and passed out at the forehead, and that the muzzle of the gun had been applied so close as to set fire to the nightcap behind. Michel pi'o- tested his irmocence of the crime, and Hepburn and Dr. Hichardson dared not openly evince their suspi- cion of his guilt. Next day, Dr. Eichardson determined on goinji straight to the Fort. They singed the hair otf a ])ar( of the buffalo robe that belonged to their ill-fated coin panion, and boiled and ate it. In the course of theii march, Michel alarmed them much by his gesture( cir.d conduct, was constantly muttering to hinii^olf, ex- pressed an unwillingness to go to the Fort, and tried I ' ii HY. mals, and thoy liardsoTi, " we i"^' ii[)on the n-dUy eudeav- Jr future jiros- s decay of our ere no ]on<^er n-ors til at sur. jsigned to our vere pnnotual sine iVj.rr," iii'^ed Michel e, leave them ? them next go out, and 3 of cleaning i^ been read, "ipe de roc he ^ t at the fire- is eni])loyed ns engaged, nity to place through the that tlie de- ation of the ed the back rehead, and lied Fo close Michel pro- epbnrn and their snspi- 1 on goins ■ off a jiari -fated com I'fic of theii is gesture! liniself, ex- , and tried % FIJANKLIN's KIKSI- LANT) KX1M;I)1TU)N. 81 -'to ]K'r>u!ule tliem to go snuthward to the woods, wIkm-o lie siiid iu' could niaintuin himself all the w'nter by Ivilliug deer. '' In consecpicnce of this behavior, and Itln,' expression of \\\i^ countenance, I recpiested him (siivs lvich:u(lson) to leave ns, and to go to the south- V iVd by hin.self This proposal increased his ill-na- ture ; he hrew uiit sonio obscure hints of fi-eeing liiniself froi 1 all restraint on the morrow ; and I over- heard I.ini muttering thro as against ITepbnrn, whom lie ')i>enlv accused of havimj told stories acjainst him. • lie also, for the first time, assumed ench a tone of , en; erioiit} in addressing me, as evinced that he c<m- si(lere(l us to be completely in his ])ower ; and he gave ,; vent to several ex])ressions of hatred toward the white I i)LM)])1e, some of whom, ho said, had killed and eaten .f| his uncle and two of his relations. In shoi't, taking '% every circumstance of his conduct into consid u' ii., 4 I came to the conclusion that he would at^Mnp to destroy us on the first opportunity that off^r« ^, and that he had hitherto abstained from doing b., ."'Yhu his iiinorance of his way to the Fort, but that he wuuld never suffer us to go thither in company ?<'. him. Hepburn and I were not in a condition to resist even an open attack, nor could we by any device escape fi'om him — our united strencjth was far inferior to his; and, beside his gun, he was armed with two j^istols, an Indian bayonet, and a knife. "In the afternoon, coming to a rock on which there was some trip(' dc rochc^ he halted, ,'ind said he would gather it while we went on, and that he would soon overtake us. " Hepburn and I were now loft together for the first time since Mr. Hood's death, and heac(juaii!ted me with several material circumstance's, which he had observed of IMicheFs bi-liavior, and wliic-h coniirmed me in the o]>inion that there was no safety for us exce]^t in his death, and he offered to be the iiistrument of it. I de- termiiu^d, however, as I was th' roughly conviiu^ed of the necessity of such a dreadful act, to' take the whole rcs])onsibility upon myself; and immediately upon Mi- f\ n ^■•A ■i ' If ^'i m Sd PROGRESS OF AliCTIU DISCOVERY. f li':- ^ 1 cliel's coming up, I put an end to his life by sliooting him through the Iieiul with ii piatoh Had my own lite alo'io been tiu'oatened," observes Kichardson, in conehi- Bion, " 1 woukl not liave jiurchased it by such a measure, but 1 considered myself as intrusted also with tlie pro- tection of Hepburn's, a man who, by his humane atten tions and devotedness, had so endeared himself to nu;, that 1 felt more anxiety for his safety than for my own. " Michel had gathered no tripe dc rocJu^ and it was evi- dent to us that he had halted for the purpose of puttint^' his gun in order with the intention of attacking us — perhaps while wo were in the act of encamping." Persevering onward in tlicir journey as well as the Bnow storms and their feeble lindw would permit, they saw several herds of deer ; but lle])burn, who used to be a good marksnum, was now unal)le to hold the gun Btniiglit. Following the track of a wolverine which had be*!n dragging something, he however found the spine of a deer which it had dropped. It was clean picWl, and at least one season old, but they extracted the spinal nuirrow from it. A species of cornicularia^ a kind of lichen, was also met with, that was found good to eat when moistened and toasted over the lire. They had still some pieces of singed buffalo hide remaining, and Hepburn, on one occasion, killed a partridge, after firing several times at a flock. About dusk of the 29th they reached the Fort. " Upon entering the desolate dwelling, we had the eatisfaction of embracinoj Ca])t. Franklin, but no words can convey an idea of the filth and wretchedness that met our eyc-3 on looking around. Our own misery had stolen upon us by degrees, and we were accustomed to the contemplation of each other's emaciated figures; but the ghastly countenances, dilated eye-balls, and sepulchral voices of Captain Franklin and those with Lim were more than we could at first bear." Thus ends the narrative of Richardson's journey. To resume the detail of proceedings at the Fort. On the 1st of November two of the (Canadians, Peltier and Sanumdro, died from sheer exhaustion. tCY. fo by shooting 1(1 my own \\i\i Iboii, in conclu- iich II ineuHuiv, ) with the pro- liumane utten iimself to me, n for my own. and it was evi- L»KO of puttijic, ttackiiig us -^ mpiu^." ta weJI as the permit, they I wJjo used to hold the gun lie which had nd the spine clean picked, ted the spinal ben, was also n moistened some pieces [lepburn, on ring several they reached we had the >ut no words ledness that I misery had customed to ted figures; fi-balls, and those with journey. Fort. On Peltier and 4 FKANKLIN's I'IKST land KXl'KDITION. § On tlio 7th of November they were relieved from itheir i)rivations and sutferings by the arrival of three #Lidians, l)ringing a sunplv of dried meat, some fat, and ?ia few tongues, which luul been sent off by Back with fall haste fi'om Akaitcho's encampment on the oth. These Indians nursed and attended them with the greatest care, cleansed the house, collected 11 re- wood, and studied every means for their general comfoi't. Tlieir sulferings were now at an end. On the 2()th of Novem- ber they arrived at the encampment of the Indian chief, Akaitcno. On the 0th of December Belanger and an- other Canadian arrived, bringing further supplies, and letters from luigland, from Mr. liack, and their former com])anion, Mr. NV^entzel. Tlie dispatches from England announced the success- ful termination of Captain Parry's voyage, and the pro- motion of Captain Franklin, Mr. Back, and of poor Mr. Hood. Op the 18th they reached the Hudson's Bay Compa- ny's establishment at Moose Deer Island, where they joined their friend Mr. Back. They remained at Fort Chipewyan until June of the following year. It is now necessary to relate the story of Mr. Back's journey, which, like the rest, is a sad tale of suffering and privation. Having been directed, on the 4:th of October, 1821, to proceed with St. Germain, Belanger, and Beaupar- lant to Fort Enterprise, in the hopes of obtaining relief for the party, he set out. Up to the 7th they met with a little tripe de roche^ but this failing them they were compelled to satisfy, or rather allay, the cravings of hunger, by eating a gun-cover and a pair of old shoes. The grievous disappointment experienced on arriving at the house, and finding it a deserted ruin, cannot bo told. "AVithout the assistance of the Indians, bereft of every resource, we felt ourselves," says Mr. Back, " re- duced to the most miserable state, which was rendered still worse from the recollection that our friends in the rear were as miserable as ourselves. For the moment, D I' I i I'lr * i; . m 84 ritOOKKSS OF AKC'IIC D18(X)VI':KY. H I :!'•: i. liowcvcr, Imnpjcr prcvm'lcd, niul eaoli licit^n to p^rlJ\^v tlic KcriipH of ])utri(l iiinl tVo/cii imsat tiiul suin tlmt wcrij lyint!: ul)oiit, without wuitiii^^ to i)ivi)iiro theiii.'" A tiro Was, iiowovi'i", at'tiTward made, and the neck and hc>iu'.s of a deer found in the house were hoi led and devouivd. After restin/j^ a day at the ht>use, Mr. l>ack ])ushed dn with his companions in search of the Indians, leaviui,^ ;i note for Ca])tain Fraid<lin, informinjj^ him if he failed in meetiuf^ with the Indians, ho intended to push on tur the Urst trading cstahlishment — distant about l;}(( miles — and send us succor from thence. On the llth he set out on the journey, a few old skina liaving been first collected to serve as food. On tlie 13th and 14th of October they liad nothiiit; whatever to eat. Belanger was sent off with a note tu Franklin. On the 15th they were fortunate enough to fall in with a partridge, the bones of which were eaten, and tlie renuiinder reserved for bait to fish with. Enough tr/'pe do roche was, however, gathered to make a meal, lleauparlant now lingered behind, worn out by extreme weakness. On the ITtli a number of crows, ]>erched on some high pines, led them to believe that some carrion was near; and on searching, several heads of deer, half burled in the snow and ice, without eyes or tongues, were fouiul. An expression of " Oh, nu'rci- ful God, we are saved," broke from them both and with feelings more easily imagined than described, thej shook hands, not knowing what to say for joy. St. Germain was sent back, to lu'ing uj) I'eauparlant, for whose safety Back became very anxious, but ho found the poor fellow frozen to death. The night of the 17th was r;old and clear, but they could get no sleep. "From the j^ains of having eaten, we suffered (observes Back) the most excruciating tor- ments, though I in particular did not eat a ([uarter of what would have satisfied me ; it might have been from having eaten a quant itv of raw or fro;:en sinews of tiie legs of deer, which neither of us could avoid doing, so great was our hunger."" On the fulloM'ing day Belanger returned famishing liY. hvmn to ^nnw 1 Mvin that wcr,, tliciu;' A i\n. leck and bom.;. and dovouri.f] >ack j)ii8h('d (,ii lianR, louviiiiTu I it' ho failed' in to publi on fur iit a])ont l:\u On tho mil 8 having been Y had notliiiirr with a note tu late enough to •h were eaten, to fish witli. lered +o muh ind, worn out liber of croM's, believe tluit several heads without eves " Oh, nierei- )oth and with scribed, thej joy. 'k'auparlant, ious, but ho takuv'h must vovaok. 85 ar, but they aving eateii, leiating tor- !• (piarter of 'e been from news of the id doing, so i famishino: trith linnirfr, and t<»ld of the i)itiable state of Franklin nd hi> j'vduced [)artv. Jiack, both this day and the ext, tried to ur^^e on l)is coinpanions toward the oltji'ct f thiir jouvJiey, but he could not eoncjuer their stub- urn (b'feruiiiuitions. They said they were unable to tneeed fr.-ni weakness ; kiiew not the M'ay ; /hat J>aek .Vanted to expose theui again to death, and in fact loi- "(MhmI greedily about the remnants of the deer till tho ml of the nionth. "It was not without the greatest itlieulty that I could restrain the men from eating ev- ery scrap they found ; though they were well aware of the necessity there was of being economical in our pres- ent situation, and to save whatever they could for our journey, yet they could not resist the temptation ; and whenever my back was turned they seldom failed to enatch at the* nearest piece to them, whether cooked or raw. Having collected with great care, and by self- denial, two snudl packets of dried meat or sinews sufti- *cient (for men who knew what it was to fast) to last for eiglit days, at the rate of one indifferent meal per day, they set out on the 30th. On the 3d of November they came on the track of Indians, and soon reached the tents of Akaitcho and his followers, when food was obtained, and assistance sent off to Franklin. In July they reached York Factory, from whence fthev had started three years before, and thus terminated la journey of 5550 miles, during which human courage iand patience were exjx^sed to trials such as few can ibear with fortitude, unless, a^ is seen in Franklin's in- '^teresting narrative, arising out of reliance on the cver- Bustaining care of an Almighty Providence. Parry's First Voyage, 1819-1820. The Admiraltv havinoj determined to continue tho ?rogress of discovery in the Arctic seas, Lieut. AV. E. 'airy, who ad been second in command under Capt. ^Koss, in the \'oyage of the previous year, was selected i to take chaige of a new expedition, consisting of the lllec^a p.nd Griper. The cliief object of this voyage w;ie l>ursue the survey of Lancaster Sound, and declda '.in \}4 f ! i r. 86 rROGRl«:68 OF AKCrnC DI8C0VKRY. <ii ^1 on the ])robability of a northwest passage in that diroc. tion ; failing in which, Smith's and Jones' Soiini were to be explored, with the same purpose in V'cw, The respective oflScers appointed to the bhibs, were — Hecla^ 375 tons : Lieut, and Commander — "VV. E. Parry. Lieutenant — Fred. W. Beechey. Captain — E. Sabine, R. A., Astronomer. Purser — AY. H. Hooper. Surgeon — John Edwards. Assistant Surgeon — Alexander Fisher. Midshipmen — James Clarke Ross, J. Nias, "W. J Dealy, Charles Palmer, John Bushnan. Greenland Pilots — J. Allison, master; G. Craw furd, mate. 44 Petty Officers, Seamen, ttc. Total com[)lement, 58. Grvpei\ 180 tons: Lieutenant and Commander — Matthew Liddon. Lieutenant — II. P. Hoppner. Assistant Surgeon — C. J. Beverley. Midshi])men — A. Reid, A. M. Skene, W. N Griffiths. Greenland Pilots — George Fyfe, master ; A. Eld mate. 28 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c. Total complement, 36. The ships were raised upon, strengthened, and woll found in stores and provisions for two yenrs. On the 11 til of May, 1819, they got away from the Tiiamcs, and after a fair passage fell in with a ccmsiderabltMpiaii- tity of ice in tlie middle of Davis' Straits about the 2()th of June ; it consisted chieily of fragments of ice- bergs, on the outskirts of the ghiciers that form alon<,' the shore. After a tcMJious jmssage through the tloes of ice, eft'ected chieiiy by heaving and war])iiig, they arrived ac Possession Bav on the m ,'.'ninnr of the iilst M l| •J * ij >VKiir. ge in that diroc Jones' Soiin, irpose in V'ew to the ^hii,", )mer. er J.Nias, W.J man. er; G. Craw Bw Liddon. ene, W. K er ; A. Eld ed, and woll ars. On the the Thaiiios, UTal)ltM|ujni- ts about the nonts of* Icc- t t'onn aloiii^^ }i;h tho tlocs V])il]«>^, tlu^y of the 3ik PAKUYS FIKST VOYAGE. 87 July, being just a month earlier than they were ^ero on the previous year. As many as Hfty whales rere seen here in the course of a few hours. On land- er, they were not a little astonished to find their ov/n footprints of the previous year, still distinctly visible in jhe snow. During an excursion of three or four miles Into the interior, a fox, a raven, several ring-plovers and snow-buntings, were seen, as also a bee, from which it nuiy be inferred that honey can be procured even in these wild regions. Vegetation flourishes remarkably (Well here, considering the hi^h latitude, for wherever ithore was moisture, tufts and various ground plants Igrew in considerable abundance. Proceeding on from hence into the Sound, they veri- jfied the opinion which had previously been entertained ^by many of the otiicers, that the Croker Mountains {liad no existence, for on the 4th of August, the ships IyWctc in long. 86° 56' "VV"., three degrees to the westward |of where land had been laid down by JRoss in the pre- ' vious vear. The strait was named after Sir John Bar- row, and was found to be pretty clear ; but on reach- ing Leopold Island, the ice extended in a compact body to the north, through which it was impossible to pene- trate. Kather than remain inactive^, waiting for the .dis>;olutioii of the ice, Parry determined to try w^hat I could be done by shaping his course to the southward, ithrough the magnificent inlet now named Regent In- |let. About the 6th of August, in consequence of the |lo(tal attraction, the ordinary compasses became use- lless from their great variation, and the binnacles were '* removed from the deck to the carpenter's store-room as .^P us* less lumber, the azimuth compasses alone remain- ling ; and these became so sluggish in their motions, Ithiit they required to be very nicely leveled, and fre- Squi'iitly tapped before the card traversed. The local at- ^. traction was very great, and a mass of iron-stone found ton sliore attracted the mngnet powerfully. The ships proceeded VIO mile- from the entrance. I On the 8lh of August, in hit. 72° 13' K, and hmg. J 90' 2i)' W., (his extreme point of view Parry named I'll f i' f"; ' .!i !^^ { i f' i t m 88 PKOGRESS OF AKCl'IC DISCOVERY. i! ■ 1 ill •■■ gi a 'it ■ i Cape Kater,) the Ilecla came to a compact barrier of ice extend in«^ across the inlet, wliicli rendered one of two alternatives necessary, eitlier to remain here until an opening took place, or to return again to the noith- ward. The latter course was determined on. Making, therefore, for the nortliern shore of Barrow's Strait, on the 20th a narrow channel was discovered between the ice and the land. On the 22d, proceeding due west, after passing several bays and headlands, they noticed two large openings or passages, the first of which, more than eif^ht leagues in width, he named Wellington Channel. To various capes, inlets, and groups of isl- ands passed. Parry assigned the names of Jiotham, Barlow, Cornwallis, Bowen, Byam Martin, Griflitli, Lowther, Bathurst, &c. On the 28th a boat was sent on shore at Byam Martin Island with Capt. Sabine, Mr. J. C. Koss, and the surgeons, to make observations, and collect specimens of natural history. The vegeta- tion Avas ratlier luxuriant for these regions; moss in particular grew in abundance in the moist valleys and along the banks of the streams that flowed from tho hills. The ruins of six Esquimaux huts were observed. Tracks of reindeer, bears, and musk oxen were noticed, and the skeletons, skiUls, and horns of some of these animals were found. On the 1st of September, they discovered the large and line island, to which Parry has given the name of Melville Island after the First l^ord of the Admiralty of that day. On the following day, two boats with a party of otncers were dispatched to examine its shores. Some reindeer and musk oxen were seen on landinpf, but being startled by the sight of a dog, it was found impossible to get near them. There seemed here to bo a great quantity of the animal tribe, for the tracks of bears, oxen, and deer were numerous, and the horns, skin, and skulls were also found. The burrows of foxea and ticld-mice were observed; several ptarmigan were shot, and flocks of snow-bunting, geese, and ducks, were noticed, ])robably commencing their migration to a mihler climate. Along the beach tliere was an iin- RY. ►act barrier of ndered ono of tain here until 11 to the iioith- on. Making^ uw's Strait, on d between the inff due west, 1, they noticed )f wliich, more d "Wellington groups of isl- I of Jiotharn, rtin, Griffith, boat was sent Capt. Sabine, observations, The vegeta- ons; moss in it valleys and ycd from the ere observed, were noticed, ^me of these ed the large the name of e Admiralty boats with a le its shores, on landing, t was found d here to be le tracks of the horns, >W8 of foxes . iiigan were clucks, were ration to a vas an iin- rARKY'S FIRST VOYAGE. 89 lense number of small shrimps, and vario .s kinds of On the 4th of September, Parry had \hi satisttiction f crossing the meridian of 110° W., in the latitude of 4° 44' 20", by which the expedition became entitled «o the reward of £5000, granted by an order in Coun- cil upon the Act 58 Geo. lU., cap. 20, entitled, "An ^ct for more effectually discovering the longitude at lea, and encouraging attempts to find a northern pas- gage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and to Apjjroach the North Pole." This fact was not announced the crews until the following day ; to celebrate the vent they gave to a bold cape of the island then lying i sight the name of Bounty Cape ; and so anxit)U8 ere they now to press forward, that they began to .alculate the time when they should reacb the longi- tude of 130° W., the second place specified by the order in Council for reward. On the afternoon of the 5th, the compactness of the ice stopped them, and therefore, for the first time since leaving England, the anchor was let go, and that in 110^ "W. longitude. I A boat was sent on shore on the 6th to procure turf or peat for fuel, iind, strangely en^/Ugh, some small pieces of tolerably good coal were found in varit)us places scattered over the surface. A party of officers that went on shore on the 8th killed several grouse on ..the island, and a white hare; a fox, some field-mice, i^everal snow-bunting, a snowy owl, and four musk <»xen •^'ere seen. Ducks, in small nocks, were seen along the f shore, as well as several glaucous gulls and tern, and a Bolitary seal was observed. As the ships were coasting along on the 7th, two erds of musk oxen were seen grazing, at the distance of ;ii)out three-quarters of a mile from the beach : one nenl consisted of nine, and the other of five of these ■cattle. They had also a distant view of two reindeer. Tlie average weight of the hares here is about eiglit ^pounds. Mr. Fisher, the surgeon, from whose intercst- Jing journal I quote, states that it is very evident that this isla.nd must be frequented, if not constantly iidiab- 90 PKUCJllKSS OF AUCTIC DISCOVKKY. islWl 'I''' ■ m lip. I;;i!il it] ited, by musk oxen in great numbers, for their bones and horns are found scattered about in all directions, and the greatest part of the carcass of one was discovered on one occasion. The skulls of two carnivorous ani- mals, a wolf and a lynx, were also picked up here. A party sent to gather coals brought on board about halt a Jbushel — all they could obtain. On the morning of the 10th, Mr. George Fyfo, the master pilot, with a party of six men belonging to tlie (i riper, landed with a view of making an exploring trip of some fifteen or twenty miles into the interior, riioj only took provisions for a day with them. Grea^ na. easiness was felt that they did not return ; and wlujii two days elapsed, fears began to be entertained fur their safety, and it was thought they must have lost their way. Messrs. Reid, (midshipman) Beverly, (assistant sur- geon) and Wakeman (clerk) volunteered to go in seiiicli of their missing messmates, but themselves lost their way ; guided by the rockets, tires, and lights exhibited, they returned by ten at night, almost exhausted with cold and fatigue, but without intelligence of their friends. Four relief parties were therefore organized, and sent out on the morning of the 13th to prosecute the search, and one of them fell in with and brought back four of the wanderers, and another the remaining three before nightfall. The feet of most of them were much frost-bitten, and they were all wearied and worn out with their wander- ings. It appeal's they had all lost their way the eve- ning of the day they went out. With regard to food, tliey were by no means badly off, tor they managed (o kill as many grouse as they could eat. They found fertile valleys and level plains in tlie in- terior, abounding with grass and moss ; also a hike of fresh water, aV)out two miles long by one broad, in which were several species of trout. They saw several herds of reindeer on the plains, and two elk ; also nuiny hares, but no musk oxen. Some of those, however, wlin had b(M^n in search of the stray party, noticed herds of these cattle. M< iliY. heir bones and lirections, und ^'as discovered rnivuroiia aui. J up Iiere. A ird about halt PAltRYS FIKST VOYAUE. 91 >rge Fyfo, the longing to the exploring trip iterior. fliej' n. Grea); un. •n j and when iitertained fur :uet have lost (assistant sur- J go in search ves lost their hts exhibited, diausted with :' their friends, zed, and sent ite the search, ba(;k four of ; three before st-bitten, and ;heir waiidor- way the eve- jard to fodd, managed to ins in tlie in- Iso a lake of 3ad,in which everal herds also many owevur, who ced herds of »; Tlie ^vinter now began to set in, and the packed ice tas 80 thick, that fears were entertained of being locked «p ia an exposed position on the coast ; it was, there- '%>re, thought most prudent to put back, and endeavor ^ reach the harbor which had been passed some days |»efore. The vessels now got seriously buffeted among j^ie tloes and hummocks ot ice. The Griper was forc(;d ftgrou ul on the beach, and for some time was in a \(}vy critical position. Lieutenant Liddou having been coa- ^ned to his cabin by a rheumatic complaiiit, was pressed ft this juncture by Commander Parry to allow himself |o be removed to the Ilecla, but he nobly refused, stating j^at he should be the last to leave the ship, and contin- ued giving orders. The beach being sand, the Griper ^as got on without injury. On the 23d of September they anchored off the mouth of the harbor, and the thermometer now fell to 1°. The crew were set to work to cut a channel through the ice to the shore, and in the course of three days, a canal, two and a half miles in length, was completed, through which the vessel was tracked. The ice was eight or nine inches thick. An extra allowance of pre- served meat was served out to the men, in considera- tion of their hard labor. The vessels were unrigged, and every thin^ made snug and secure for passing the ^winter. Captam Parry gave the name of the North Georgian Islands to this group, after his Majesty, King beorge III., but this has since been changed to the ^arry Islands. Two reindeer were killed on the 1st of Octooor, and leveral white bears were seen. On the 6th adc • was ulk'd, which weighed 170 pounds. Seven we seen m tlie 10th, one of which was killed, and ano er se- rerely wounded. Following after this animul, night )vertook several of the sportsmen, and the i: al sig- lals of rockets, lights, &c. were exhibited, • guide horn back. One, John Pearson, a marii: .jad his lands so frost-bitten that he was obliged, on the 2d of S"ovember, t - liavethe four fmgers of his left h;md am- mtated. A wolf and four reindeer were seei on the 6 D* » I k\ } ,- 92 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVKKT. % hi'r. li liiii '. r ' ,!i 14th. A herd of fifteen deer were seen on the 15th; but those who saw them could not bring down any, as their fowling-pieces missed fire, from the moisture freezing on the locks. On the 17th and 18th herds of eleven and twenty respectively, were seen, and a small one w^s shot. A fox was caught on the 29th, which is described as equally cunning with his brethren of the temperate regions. To make the long winter pass as cheerfully as possi- ble, plays were acted, a school established, and a news- paper set on foot, certainly the first periodical publica- tion that had ever issued h'om the Arctic regions. The title of this journal, the editorial duties of which were undertaken by Captain Sabine, was "The Winter Chronicle, or New Georgia Gazette." The first num- ber appeared on the 1st of November. On the evening of the 6th of November the farce of " Miss in her Teens " was brought out, to the groat amusement of the ships' companies, and, considering the local difliculties ana disadvantages under which the performers labored, their first essay, according to the officers' report, did them infinite credit. Two hours were spent very happily in their theater on the quarter- deck, notwithstanding the thermometer outside tlie ship stood at zero, and within as low as the freezing point, except close to the stoves, where it was a little higher. Another play was performed on the 24th, and so on every fortnight. The men were employed during the day in banking up the ships with snow. On the 23d of December, the officers performed " The Mayor of Garrett," which was followed by an after- piece, written by Captain Parry, entitled the " North- West Passage, or the Voyage Finished." The sun hav- ing long since departed, the twilight at noon was eo clear that books in the smallest print could be distinctly read. On the 6th of Januarv, the farce of " Bon Ton " was performed, with the theiniometer at 27° below zero,— The cold became n'ore and more intense. On the 12th it was T)!' bfjow zero, in tlie open air ; brandy froze to r. on the 15th; down any, as the moisture 1 8th herds of 1, and a small 29th, which is •ethren of the fully as possi- 1, and a news- dical publica- regions. The *f which were ■The Winter he first num- r the farce of to the groat I, considering (ler which the irding to the Two hours 1 the quarter- tside the ship pezing point, little higher. I, and so on during the brmed"The )y an after- he "North- riie sun hav- noon was 80 je distinctly n Ton " was ?low zero.~ On the 12th ndy froze to PARKY S FIRST VOYAGE. 93 ^he consistency of honey; when tasted iu this state it 4eft a smarting on the tongue. The greatest cold expe- 'riencod was ton the 14th of January, when the ther- mometer fell to 52° below zero. On the 3d of Febru- jary, tlie sun was first visible above the horizon, after jEiglity-four days' absence. It was seen from tlie nuiin- (top of the ships, a height of about fitty-one feet above the sea. K On the forenoon of the 24th a fire broke out at the storehouse, which was used as an observatory. All ^ands proceeded to the spot to endeavor to subdue the •flames, but having only snow to throw on it, and the (mats with which Uie interior was lined bein^very dry, 'it was found impossible to extinguish it. The snow, Jiowever, covered the astronomical instruments and se- cured them from the fire, and when the roof had been pulled down the fire had burned itself out. Consider- al)le as tlie fire was, its influence or heat extended but a very short distance, for several of the officers and men were frost-bitten, and confined from their efforts for several weeks. John Smith, of the Artillery, who was Captain Sabine's servant, and who, together with Sergeant Martin, happened to he in the ' >use at the time the fire broke out, suffered much i.h • severely. In their anxiety to save the dipping needle, which was standing close to the ptove, and of which they knew the value, they immediatelv ran out with it; and Smith not having time to put on his gloves, had his fingers in half an hour so benumbed, and the animation so com- pletely suspended, that on his being taken on board by Mr. Edwards, and having his hands plunged into a basin of cold water, the surface of the water was im- mediately frozen by the intense cold thus suddenly communicated to it; and notwithstanding the most hu- mane and unremitting attention paid him by the med- ical gentlemen, it was found necessary, some time after, to rt'surt to the amputation of a part of four fingers on one hand, and three on the other. Parry adds, *» the appearance which our faces pre- itrd at the fire was a curious one; almost every noae '-'U i i ■ i'i ill 94 PROOKESS OF AUCTIO DiecOVEliY. wif •'•I ', and eheok hiiving become qnife whit^e with frost bites, in live niinutts after being exposed to tiio weiitlier, so that it was deemed necessary for the mi^lical gentle- men, together with some others appointed to assist them, to go constantly round while the men were work ing at the iire, and to rub with snow the parts alleeted, in order to restore animation." The weather got considerably milder in March; on the 0th the thermometer got up to zero for the fir^^t time since the 17th of December. The observatory house on shore was now rebuilt. The vapor, which had been in a solid state on the ship's sides, now thawed below, and the crew, scraping off the coating of ice, removed on the 8th of March, above a hundred l)ucketsfull each, containing from live to six gallons, which had accumulated in less than a month, occasioned principally from the men's breath, and the steam of victuals at meals. The scurvy now broke out among the crew, and prompt measures were taken to remedy it. Captain Pari'y took greiit pains to raise mustard and cress in his cabin for the men's use. On the 3(>th of April, the thermometer stood at the freezing point, which it had not done since the 12th of Septemi>er last. On tlu^ 1st of May, the sun was seen at midnight for the first time that season. A survey was now taken of the provisions, fuel, and stores; much of the lemon juice was found destroyed frou' rJie bursting in the bottles by the frost. Having been only victialed for two years, and half that period having expired, Captain Parry, as a matter of prudence reduced all hands to two-tliirds allowance of all sorts of provisions, except meat and sugar. The crew were now set to work in cutting away the ice round the ships : the average thickness was found to be seven feet. Many of the men who had been out on excursions began to suffer much from snow blind- ness. Tlie sensation when first experienced, ic de- scribed as like that felt when dust or sand gets into the eyes. They were, however, cured in the course of i» i'Akby's fikb'I' voyage. 95 h frost bites, 3 WCllthoi', 80 rtical goiitli^. tl to assint 1 vvoro woi'k irts ailbeti'd, March; on for tho fir.«,t observatory tato on tlio 3\v, scrap! ji a 1 of Marcl?, i.i^ from live less than a en's breath, crew, and t. Captain lud cress in tood at the the 12th of n was seen s, fuel, and I destroyed t. Ilavinof that period f prudence nil sorts of : away the was found i been out low blind- ed, ic de- gets into coui'se of 'm two or three days by keeping the eyes covered, and hatliinir them occas'onally witli sugar of lead, or some otlier cooling lotion. To j)revent the recurrence of the complaint, tho men wor<' ordered to wear a piece of crape or some substi- tute for it over the eyes. Tile channel round the ships was completed by the ITtli of May, and they rose nearly two feet, having been ke})t <h>wn by the pressure of the ice round them, altlidugh lightened during the winter by the consump- tion of food and fuel. On the 24:th, they were aston- ished by two sho\^•er8 of rain, a most extraordinary plienomenon in these remons. Symptoms of scurvy again aj>peared among tlie crew ; one of the seamen wlio ha(l l)een recently cured, having inqjrudently- been in the habit of eating the fat skimmings, or "slush," in which s!.lt !:ieat had been boiled, and which was served out for : loi]' lamps. As the hills in many places now be- en me caoos^mI and vegetation commenced, two or three ]>ieces ol ground were dug up and sown with seeds of radishes, onions, and other vegetables. Captain Parry determined before leaving to make an excursion across the island for the ])urpose of examining its size, bound- aries, ])roductions, Are. Accordingly on the Ist of Juno, an expedition was organized, consisting of the com- mandei'. Captain Sabine, Mr. Fisher, the assistant-sur- geon, ^Fr. John Nias, midshipman of tho Ilecla, and !N[r. Reid, midshipman of the Griper, with two ser geants, and five seamen and marines. Three weeks provisions were t:iken, which, together with two tents, wood fur fuel, and other articles, weighing in all about 800 lbs., was drawn on a cart prepared for the purpose by the men. Each of the oiHcers carried a knapsack with his own private baggage, weighing from 18 to 24- lbs., also hia gun and ammunition. The partv started in high glee, under three hearty cheers from tlieir comrades, sixteen of whom accompanied them for five miles, carrying tlieir knapsacks and drawing the cart for them. They travtded by night, taking- le^t by day, as it WM i' .i :■'' i 96 PK0(aiKS8 OF ARCriC DISCOVKKV. * :; 'II' I ■ found to he warmer for sleep, and they had only a cov criiig of a single blanket each, beside the clothes tijoy had on. On the 2d, tliey came to a small lake, about half a mile h)ng, and met with eider-ducks and ptarmigan ; seven of the hitter were shot. From the top of a range of hills at which they now arrived, they could see the masts of the ships in AVinter Harbor with the naked eye, at about ten or eleven miles distant. A vast plain was also seen extending to the northward and west- ward. The party breakfasted on biscuit and a pint of gruel each, made of sulep powder, which was found to be a very palatable diet. Reindeer with their lawns were met with. They derived great assistance in drai?ging their cart by rigging upon it one of the tent-bhmketa as a sail, a truly nautical contrivance, and the wind favoring tliem, they made great ])rogress in this way. Captain Sabine being taken ill with a bowel complaint, had to be con- veyed on this novel sail carriage. Tliey, however, had some ugly ravines to pass, the crossings of which were very tedious and troublesome. On trie 7th the party came to a large bay, which was named after their ships, Hecla and Griper 13ay. The blue ice was cut through by hard work with boarding pikes, the only instruments they had, and after digging fourteen and a half feet, the water rushed up ; it was not very salt, but sutticiait to satisfy them that it was the ocean. An island seen in the distance was named after Captain Sabine ; some of the various points and capes were also named after others of the ;>art3\ Although this «hore was found blocked up with sucli heavy ice, there appear to be times when there is open water here, for a piece of iir wood seven and a half feet long, and about the thickness of a man's arm, was found about eighty yards inland from the hummocks of the beach, and about thirty feet above the level of the sea. Before leaving the sliore, a monu- ment of stones, twelve feet high, was erected, in which were deposited, in a tin cylinder, an account of their ily a cov tlies tijoy "t linlf a iimigan ; f a range J see the le naked ast plain ad west- of gruel i to be a ns were leir cart a sail, a g them, Sabine be con- er, had ;Ji were i party r ships, hrorgh iiments If teet, fficiont d seen ; some i after found times wood ess of ! from above iionu- i\'hic'h their TAUUV S Kllihl VUVAUIj:. 07 ?' \^ ceedinffs, a few coins, and several naval buttons. he expedition now turned back, shaping its courHo ia a more westerly direction, toward some high blue hills, which had long been in eight. On many days several ptarmigans were shot. The horns and tracks of deer were very numerous. On the 11th thev came in sight of a deep gulf, to which Lieutenant hiddon's name was given ; tlie two capes at its entrance being called after Bet^^hey and Hoppner. In the center was an island about three-(piar- ters of a mile in length, and rising abruptly to the height of 700 feet. Tne shores of the gult were verv rugged and precipitant, and in descending a steep hill, the axhvtree of their cart broke, and they had to leave it behind, taking the body with them, however, for fuel. The wheels, which were letl on f ho spot, may astonish some future ad venturer who discovers them. The stores, &c., were divided among the officers and men. Making their way on the ice in the gulf, the island in the center was explored, and named after Mr. Hooper, the purser of the Ilecla. It was found to be of sand- stone, and very barren, rising perpendicularly from the west side. Four fat geese were killed here, and a great many animals were seen around the gulf ; some atten- tion being paid to examining its shores, &('., a tine open valley was discovered, and the tracks of oxen and deer were very numerous ; the pasturage appeared to be excellent. On the 13th, a few ptarmigan and golden plover were killed. No less than thirteen deer in one herd were seen, and a musk ox for the first time in this season. The remains of six Esquimaux huts wei*3 discovered about 300 yards from the beach Vegetation now be- gan to flourish, the sorrel was found far advanced, and a species of saxifrage was met with in 1 ^ossom. They reached the ships on the evening of the 15th, after a journey of about 180 miles. The ships' crews, dus-ing their absence, had been occu- pied in getting ballast in and re-stowing the hold. Shooting parties wore now sent out in various direc- i. ' •■ * i- r I ! ''\\ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) v.. ^ s 1.0 |28 |25 1^ IIIII2.2 I.I 11.25 Z l££ 12.0 U 1 1.6 /l" o V "■'> ■> "^ .V -» -■»» .v> '^ «> Hiotographic Sciences Corporation « 40^ ^^ ^•v ^ *% v» O^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^4 &p I/. 4c % 9 \ \ ;\ 98 PKOGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVER Y. ■' iijr. m III ^ iil i tions to procure game. Dr. Fisher gives an interestint^ account of his ten days' excursion with a couple of men. The deer were not so lumerous as they expected to find them. About thirty were seen, of which his party killed but two, which were very lean, weighing only, when skinned and cleaned, 50 to 60 lbs. A couple of wolves were seen, and some foxes, with a great many hares, four of which were killed, weighing trom 7 to 8 lbs. The aquatic birds seen were — brent geese, king ducks, long-tailed ducks, and arctic and glaucous gulls. The land birds were ptarmigans, plovers, sanderlinga and snow buntings. The geese were pretty numerous for the first few days, but got wild and wary on being disturbed, keeping in the middle of lakes out of gun- shot. About a dozen were, however, killed, and fifteen ptarmigans. These birds are represented to be so stu- pid, that all seen may be shot. Dr, Fisher was sur- prised on his return on the 29th of June, after his ten days' absence, to find how much vegetation had ad- vanced ; the land being now completely clear of snow, was covered with the purple-colored saxifrage in blos- som, with mosses, and with sorrel, and the grass was two to three inches long. The men were sent out twice a week to collect the sorrel, and in a few minutes enough could be procured to make a salad for dinner. After being mixed with vinegar it was regularly served out to the men. The English garden seeds that had been sown got on but slowly, and did not yield any produce in time to be used. On the 30th of June "Wm. Scott, a boatswain's mate, who had been afflicted with scurvy, diarrhoea, &c., died, and was buried on the 2d of July — a slab ol sandstone bearing an inscription carved by Dr. Fisher, being erected over his grave. From observations made on the tide during two months, it appears that the greatest rise and fall here is four feet four inclies. A large pile of stones was erected on the 14th of July, upon the most conspicuous hill, containing the usual notices, coins, &c., and on a large stone an inscription was left, notifying the winter iiigof the shi])s liere. pakuy's viust voyage. 99 On the 1st of August, tlie ships, which had been pre- viously warped out, got clear of the harbor, and found a channel, both eastward and westward, clear of ice, about three or four miles in breadth alonff the land. On the 6th they landed on the island, and in the course of the night killed fourteen hares and a number of glaucous gulls, which were found with their young on the top of a precipitous, insulated rock. On the 9th the voyagers had an opportunity of ob- serving an instance of the violent pressure that takes place occasionally by the collision of heavy ice. " Two pieces," says Dr. Fisher, " that happened to come in contact close to us, pressed so forcibly against one an- other that one of them, although forty-two feet thick, and at least three times that in length and breadth, was forced up on its edge on the top of another piece of ice. But even this is nothing when compared with the pres- sure that must have existed to produce the eftects that we see along the shore, for not only heaps of earth and stones several tons weight are forced up, but hummocks of ice, from fifty to sixty feet thick, are piled up on the bench. It is unnecessary to remark that a ship, although fortified as well as wood and iron could make her, would have but little chance of withstanding such over- w^helming force." This day a musk-ox was shot, which weighed more than 700 lbs.; the carcass, when skinned and cleaned, yielding 421 lbs. of meat. The flesh did not taste so very strong of musk as had been represented. The ships made but slow progress, being still thickly beset with floes of ice, 40 or 50 fe^t thick, and had to make fast for security to hummocks of ice on the beach. On the 15th and 16th they were ofi" the southwest point of the island, but a survey of the locality from the precipitous cliff of Cape Dundas, presented the same interminable barrier of ice, as far as the eye could reach. A bold high coast was sighted to the southwest, to wliich the name of Bank's Land was given. Captain Parry states that on the 23d the ships re- ceived by far the lieaviest shocks they had experienced J) > < > u •ft w a' i M it ill 1 1 I ,9 ' T< I 11 ! I II 1 McMASTER UNIVERSITY LIBRARY lOO PROOKESS UK AliCTItl 1)IH(;0VKIJV. ^w Mi!:i I'ii; Pm^ during the voyage, and performed six miles of the most ditHcult navigation he had ever known among ice. Two musk bulls were shot on the 24th by parties who landed, out of a herd of seven which were seen. They were lighter than the first one shot — weighing only about 3()0 lbs. From the number of skulls and skele- tons of these animals met with, and their capabiuties of enduring the rigor of the climate, it seems probable that they do not migrate southward, but winter on this island. Attempts were still made to work to the eastward, but on the 25th, from want of wind, and the closeness of the ice, the ships were obliged to make fast again, W' ithout having gained above a mile after several hours' labor. A fresh breeze springing up on the 26th opened a passage along shore, and the ships made sail to the eastward, and in the evening were off their old quarters in Winter Harbor. On the following evening, after a tine run, they were off tho east end of Melville IsKnd. Lieut. Parry, this day, announced to the officers and crew that after due consideration and consultation, it had been found useless to prosecute their researches farther westward, and therefore endeavors would be made in a more southerly direction, failing in which, the expedition would return to England. Kegent Inlet and the southern shores generally, were found so blocked up with ice, tliat the return to England was on the 30th ot August publicly announced. This day. Navy Board and Admiralty Inlets were passed, and on the 1st of September the vessels got clear of Barrow's Strait, and reached Baffin's Bay on the 5th. They fell in with a whaler belonging to Hull, from whom they learned the news of the death of George the Third and the Duke of Kent, and that eleven vessels having been lost in the ice last year, fears were entertained for their safety. The Friendship, another Hull whaler, informed them that in company with the Truelove, she had looked into Smith's Sound that summer. The Alexander, of Aber- deen, one of the ships employed on the former voyage of discovery to these seas, had also entered Lancaster if ' the most ^ ice. irties who in. They ling only nd skele- pabidties probable 3r OD this eastward, closeness st again, al hours' h opened il to the quarters ?, affer a e Islnnd. ?ers and atio^, it searches ould be which, nt Inlet blocked le 30th Board 1st of lit, and with a led the Duke t in the safety. them ed into Aber- ^oyage I caster TAKUV S SIX'OM) VOYAGE. 101 Sound. AfVor touching at Clyde's River, where they iiu't u good-natured tribe of Esquiiiuiux, the ships luude the best ot their way across the Atlantic, and after a somewhat boisterous passage, Commodore Parry landed at IVterhead on the 80tli of October, and, accompanied by Capt. Sabine and Mr. Hooper, posted to London. Parry's Second Yoyage, 1821—1823. The experience which Capt. Parry had formed in his previous voyage, led him to entertain the opinion that a connnunication might be found between Regent Inlet and Roe's Welcome, or through Repulse Bay, and thence to tiie northwestern shores. Tlie following are his re- nuu-ks : — " On an inspection of the charts I think it will also appear probable that a communication will one day be found to exist between this inlet (Prince Regent's) and Hudson's Bay, either through the broad and unexplored channel called Sir Thomas Roe's Wel- come, or through Repulse Bay, which has not yet been satisfactorily examined. It is also probable that a chan- nel will be tbund to exist between the western land and the northern coast of America." Again, in another place, he says : — " Of the existence of a northwest passage to the Pacific it is now scarcely possible to doubt, and from the succesf which attended our efforts in 1819, after passing tin ..ugh Sir James Lancaster's Sound, we were not unreasonable in anticipating its complete accomplishment. But the season in which it is practicable to navigate the Polar Seas does not exceed seven weeks. From all that we observed it seems desir- able that ships endeavoring to reach the Pacific Ocean by this route should keep if possible on the coast of America, and the lower in latitude that coast may be found, the more favorable will it prove for the purpose ; hence Cumberland Strait, Sir Thomas Roe's Welcome, and Repulse Bay appear to be the points most worthy of attention. I cannot, therefore, but consider that any expedition equipped by Great Britain with this view ^1 I PI i:? "H -! il t 1 t » . I $M il 1 I Wm I rli 102 PROGRESS OF AKCTIC DI8C0VEKY. I ' i,( i If > ought to employ its best energies in attempting to pene- trate from the eastern coayt ot* America ak)ng its north- ern shore. In consequence of the partial success which has hitherto attended our attempts, the whalers have already extended their views, and a new lield has been opened lor one of the most lucrative branches of our commerce, and what is scarcely of less importance, one of the most valuable nurseries for seamen which Great Britain possesses."* Pleased with his former zeal and enterpnse, and in order to give him an opportunity of testing the truth of his observations, a few months after he returned home, the Admiralty gave Parry the command of another ex- pedition, with instructions to proceed to Iludson^s Strait, and penetrate to the 'westward, until in Repulse Bay, or on some other part of the shores of Hudson's Bay to the north of Wager River, he should reach the westei'ii coast of the continent. Failing in these quarters, he was to keep along the coast, carefully examining every bend or inlet, which should appear likely to afford a practicable passage to the westward. The vessels commissioned, with their officers and crews, were the following. Several of the officers of the former expedition were promoted, and those who had been on the last voyage with Parry I have marked with an asterisk : — Fury. Commander — *"W. E. Parry. Chaplain and Astronomer — Rev. Geo. Fisher, (was in the Dorothea, under Capt. Buchan, in 1818.) Lieutenants — *J. Nias and *A. Reid. Surgeon — *J. Edwards. Purser — '^W. H. Hooper. Assistant-Surgeon — J. Skeoch. Midshipmen — * J. C. Ross, * J. Bushnan, J. Hender- son, F. R. M. Crozier. •Parry's First Voyage, vol. ii, p. 240. PARIJY S SECOND VOYAGE. 103 pene- s iiortli- s wfiich rs have as been } of our ICO, Olio h (ireut and in e truth i homo, "her ox- Struit, 30 Bay, Bav to vorttei'n ers, }ie X every fford a ', (was ender- Greenland Pilots — '^J. Allison, master ; G. Grawturd, mate. 47 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c. Total complement, GO. Hecla, Commander — G. F. Lyon. Lieutenants — *IL P. Hoppner and *C. Palmer. Surgeon — '^A. Fisher. Purser — J. Germain. Assistant-Surgeon — A. M'Laren. Midshipmen — ^^W. N. Griffiths, J. Sherer, C. Kich- ards, E. J. Bird. Greenland Pilots — *G. Fife, master; *A. Elder, mate. 46 Petty Officers, seamen, &c. Total complement, 58. Lieutenant Lyon, the second in command, had ob tained some reputation from his travels in Tripoli, Mourzouk, and other parts of Northern Africa, and was raised to tlie rank of Commander, on his appointment to the Hecla, and received his promotion as Captain, when the expedition returned. The ships were accompanied as far as the ice by the Nautilus transport, freighted with provisions and stores, which were to be transhipped as soon as room was found for them. The vessels got away from the little Nore early on the 8th of May, 1821, but meeting with strong gales off the Greenland coast, and a boisterous passage, did not fall in with the ice until the middle of June. On the 17th of June, in a heavy gale from the south- ward, the sea stove and carried away one of the quar- ter boats of the Hecla. On the following day, in lat. 60° 53' ]Sr., long. 61° 39' W., they made the pack or main body of ice, having many large bergs in and near it. On the 19th, Eesolution Island, at the en- trance of Hudson's Strait, was seen distant sixty-four miles. Capt. Lyon states, that duung one of the 'I '. 104 PliOGREfiS OF ARCTIC 1)I8C0\T':KY. ¥r- 'I I I" :" watches, a large fragment was observed to fall frons an iceberg near the Jlecla, which threw up the watei to a great height, sending forth at the same time a noise like the report of a great gun. From this pe- riod to the 1st of July, the ships were occupied in clearing the Nautilus of her stores, preparatory to her return home, occasionally made fast to a berg, or driven out to sea by gales. On the 2d, after running through heavy ice, they again made Resolution Island, and shaping their course for the Strait, were soon in- troduced to the company of some unusually large ice- bergs. The altitude of one was 258 feet above the surface of the sea ; its total height, therefore, allowing one-seventh only to be visible, must have been aboul 1806 feet! This however, is supposing the base un der water not to spread beyond the mass above water The vessels had scarcely drifted past this floating mountain, when the eddy tide carried them with great rapidity among a cluster of eleven bergs of Luge size, and having a beautiful diversity of form. The largest of these was 210 feet above the water. The floe ice was running wildly at the rate of three miles an hour, sweeping the vessels past the bergs, against any one of which, they might have received incalcu- lable injury. An endeavor was made to make the ships fast to one of them, (for all of them were aground,) in order to ride out the tide, but it proved unsuccess- ful, and the Fury had much difficulty in sending a boat for some men who were on a small berg, making holes for her ice anchors. They were therefore swept past and soon beset. Fifty-four icebergs were count^jd from the mast-head. On the 3d, they made some progress through very heavy floes ; but on the tide turning, the loose ice flew together with such rapidity and noise, that there was barely time to secure the ships in a natural dock, be- fore the two streams met, and even then they received some heavy shocks. Water was procured for use from the pools in the floe to which the ships were made fast; and this being the first time of doing so, at parry's second voyage. 105 afforded great amusement to the novices, who, even when it was their period of rest, preferred i)elting each other with snow-balls, to going to bed. Buffet ino" with eddies, strong currents, and dangerous bergs, they were kept in a state of anxiety and danger, for a week or ten days. On one occasion, with the pros- pect of being driven on shore, the pressure they ex- perienced was so great, that five hawsers, six inches thick, were carried away, and the best bower anchor of the Hecla was wrenched from the bows, and broke off at the head of the shank, with as much ease as if, instead of weighing upward of a ton, it had been of crockery ware. For a week they were embayed by the ice, and during this period they saw three strange ships, also beset, under Resolution Island, which they contrived to join on the 16th of July, making fast to a floe near them. They proved to be the Hudson's Bay Company's traders, Prince of Wales, and Eddystone, with the Lord Wellington, chartered to convey 160 natives of Holland, who were proceeding to settle on Lord Selkirk's estate, at the Red River. " While nearing these vessels, (says Lyon,) we observed the settlers waltzing on deck, for above two hours, the men in old-fashioned gray jackets, and the women wearing long-eared mob caps, like those used by the Swiss peasants. As we were surrounded by ice, and the thermometer was at the freezing point, it may be supposed that this ball, al vero fresco^ afforded us much amusement." The Hudson's Bay ships had left England twenty days after the expedition. The emigrant ship had been hampered nineteen days among the ice before she joined the others ; and as this navigation was new to her captain and crew, they almost despaired of ever getting to their jour- ney's end, so varied and constant had been their im- pediments. The Dutchmen had, however, behaved very philosophically during this period, and seemed determined on being merry, in spite of the weather and the dangers. Several marriages had taken place, the surgeon, who was accompanying them to the col- 5) !l !'' ft 0) , IT", aj 1 1/1 ' w f i h\ ft. 1 i 106 PKOGKKSS OF ARCTIO DISCOVKRY. l!,W'' ony, officiating as clergyman,) and many more were in agitation ; eacli happy couple always deterring the ceremony until a tihe day allowed of an evening ball, which was only terminated by a fresh breeze, or a fall of snow.* On the 17th, the ships were separated by the ice, and they saw no more of their visitors. On the 2l8t, they were only oft' the Lower Savage Islands. In the evening they saw a very large bear lying on a piece of ice, and two boats were instantly sent oft" in chase. They approached very close before he took to the water, when ho swam rapidly, and made long springs, turning boldly to face his pursuers. It was with difiiculty he was captured. As these animals, although very fat and bulky, sink the instant they die, he was lashed to a boat, and brought alongside the ship. On hoisting him in, they were astonished to find that his weight exceeded sixteen hundred pounds, being one of the largest ever killed. Two instances, only, of larger bears being shot are recorded, and these were by Barentz's crew, in his third voyage, at Cherie Island, to which they gave the name of Bear Island. The two bears killed then, measured twelve and thirteen feet, while this one only measured eight feet eight inches, from the snout to the insertion of the tail. The seamen ate the flesh without experiencing any of those baneful effects which old navigators at- tribute to it, and which are stated to have made three of Barentz's people " so sick that we expected they would have died, and their skins peeled off from head to foot." Bruin was very fat, and having pro- cured a tub of blubber from the carcass, it was thrown over board, and the smell soon attracted a couple of walruses, the first that had been yet seen. They here fell in with a numerous body of the Es quimaux, who visited them from the shore. In less than an hour the ships were beset with thirty " ka- yaks," or men's canoes, and five of the women's large Doats, or " oomiaks." Some of the latter held up- ward of twenty women. A most noisy but merry barter instantly took place, the crew being as anxious * Lyon's Private Journal, p. 11. parky's second voyage. 107 to pnrcliasG Esquimaux curiosities, as the natives were to procure iron and European toys. ^•It is quite out of my ].jwer, (observes Captain Lyon,) to describe the shouts, yells, and laughter of tlie savages, or the confusion which existed for two or tliree hours. The females were at first very shy, and unwilling to come on the ice, but bartered every thing from their boats. This timidity, however, soon wore off, and they, in the end, became as noisy and bois- terous as the men." " It is scarcely possible, (he adds) to conceive any thing more ugly or disgusting than the countenances of the old women, who had intlamed eyes, wrinkled skin, black teeth, and, in fact, such a forbidding set of features as scarcely could be called human ; to which might be added their dress, which was such as gave them the appearance of aged ourang- outangs. Frobisher's crew may be pardoned for hav- ing, in such superstitious times as a. d. 1576, taken one of these ladies for a witch, of whom it is said, ' The old wretch whom our sailors supposed to be a witch, had her buskins pulled oiF, to see if she was cloven-footed ; and being very ugly and deformed, we let her go.' " In bartering they have a singular custom of ratify- ing the bargain, by licking the article all over before it is put away in security. Captain Lyon says be fre- quently shuddered at seeing the children draw a razor over their tongue, as unconcernedly as if it had been an ivory paper-knife. I cannot forbear quoting here some humorous passages from his journal, which stand out in relief to the scientific and nautical parts of the narrative. " The strangers were so well pleased in our society, that they showed no wish to leave us, and when the market had quite ceased, they began dancing and playing with our people, on the ice alongside. This exercise set many of their noses bleeding, and discov- ered to us a most nasty custom, which accounted for their gory faces, and which was, that as fast as the blood ran down, they scraped it with the fingers 7 E I iiiiii 1 I' ri ^ i a: I'l ii i i .1 :'h ■ a I ,if' 11 m 108 nioauESft OF Aiuriio disco vi:jiy. 't ( into their moutlis, appearing to considci* it as a re- freshnient, or diiiiiLy, it* wo luigiit jiidgu by the /est with whicli they sniacked their lips at eacii 8iipi)]y." * * •» * •» •x- "In order to amnso our new acquaintances as nnicli a8 possible, the fiddler was sent on the ice, whero ho instantly found a most delightful set of dancers, of whom some of the women kept pretty good time. Their only figure consisted in stamping and jiimj)ing with all their might. Our musician, wlio was a lively fellow, soon caught the infection, and began cutting capers also. In a sliort time every one on the floe, otHcers, men, and savages, wore dancing together, and exhibited one of the most extraordinary sights I ever witnessed. One of our seamen, of a fresh, ruddy complexion, excited the admiration of all the young females, who patted his face, and danced around him wherever he went. " The exertion of dancing so exhilarated the Esqui- maux, that they had the appearance of being boister- ously drunk, and played many extraordinary pranks. Among others, it was a favorite joke to run slily be- hind the seamen, and shouting loudly in one ear, to give them at the same time a very smart slap on the other. While looking on, I was sharply saluted in this manner, and, of course, was quite startled, to the great amusement of the bystanders : our cook, who was a most active and unwearied jumper, became so great a favorite, that every one boxed his ears so soundly, as to oblige the poor man to retire from such boisterous marks of ai3probation. Among other sports, some of the Esquimaux rather roughly, but with great good humor, challenged our people to wrestle. One man, in particular, who had thrown sev- eral of his countrymen, attacked an ofHcer of a very strong make, but the poor savage was instantly thrown, and with no very easy fall ; yet, although every one was laughing at him, he bore it w^ith exemplary good humor. The same officer afforded us much diversion by teaching a large party of women to bow, courtesy, PAKIiY I* SKCONI) VOYAOK. 109 fihrtko liandfl, turn their toes out, and perform sun- dry otlier polite accoiuplishnienU ; the whole party master and pu[»ils, preservinfj^ tho wtrictest gravity. "Toward midnight all our men, except the watch on deck, turned in to tiieir bedn, and the latlguctl and hun^-ry Es([uimaux returned to their boats to take ^hcir BUppor, which conrtisted of lumps of raw llesh and blub- ber of seals, birds, entrails, &c. ; licking their lingers with great zest, and with knives or fingers scraping the blood and grease which ran down their chins into their mouths." Many other parties of the natives were fallen in with during the slow progress of the ships, between Salisbury and ^ ottingham Islands, who were equally us eager to beg, barter, or thieve ; and the mouth was the general repository of most of the treasures they received ; nee- dles, pins, nails, buttons, beads, and other sinall etcete- ras, being indiscriminately stowed there, but detracting in nowise from their volubility of speech. On the 18th of August the w^eather being calm and fine, norwhals or sea-unicorns, were very numerous about the ships, and boats were sent, but without success, to strike one. Tliero were sometimes as many as twenty of these beautiful fish in a shoal, lifting at times their immense horn above the water, and at others showing their glossy backs, which were spotted in the manner of coach dogs in England. The length of these fish is about fifteen feet, exclusive of the horn, which averages five or six more. Captain Parry landed and slept on Southampton Isl- and. His boat's crew caught in holes on the beach sufficient sillocks, or young coal-fish, to serve for two meals for the whole ship's company. During the night white whales were seen lying in hundreds close to the rocks, probably feeding on the sillocks. After carefully examining Duke of York Bay, the ships got into the Frozen Strait of Middleton on the morning of the 20th, and an anxious day was closed by passing an oi^ening to the southward, which was found to be Sir Thomas Roe's Welcome, and heaving to for the night off a bay IF ':i 110 PEOGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. it till;: 11' ^ii ift»'/ gim nil I Jill'" m I i to the north w The ships got well in to Hepulse Bay on the 22l^ nd a careful examination of its shores was made by the boats. Captains Parry and Lyon, with several officers from each ship, landed and explored the northern shores, while a boat examined the head of tire bay. The wa- ters of a long cove are described by Captain Lyon as being absolutely hidden by the quantities of young eider-ducks, which, under the direction of their moth- ers, were making their first essays in swimming. Captain Lyon with a boat's crew made a trip of a couple of days along some of the indents of the bay, and discovered an inlet, which, however, on being en- tered subsequently by the ships, proved only to be the dividing channel between an island and the main-land, about six miles in length by one in breadth. Proceed- ing to the northward by Hurd's channel, they expe- rienced a long rolling ground swell setting against them. On the 28th, ascending a steep mountain. Captains Lyon discovered a noble bay, subsequently named Gor » Bay, in which lay a few islands, and toward this the" i directed their course. Captain Parry, who had been two days absent wit*i boats exploring the channel and shores of the strait, rr~ turned on the 29th, but set oft' again on the same day with six boats to sound and examine more minutel;'. When Parry returned at night, Mr. Griffiths, of tf e Heel a, brought on board a large doe, which he h&d killed while swimming (among large masses of ice) fro. a isle to isle ; two others and a fawn were procured c n shore by the Fury's people. The game laws, as thv y were laid down on the former voyage while winteri\ 3 at Melville Island, were once more put in force. The ta '^enacted that for the purpose of economizing the shi<\'s provisions, all deer or musk-oxen killed should 6e served out in lieu of the usual allowance of meat. Hares, ducks, and other birds were not at this time to be included. As an encouragement to sportsmen, the head, legs, and oftal of the larger animals were to bo the perquisites of those who procured the carcasses for PAPwRY 8 SECOND VOYAGE. Ill the general good." " In the animals of this day (ob- serves Lyon) we were convinced that our sportsmen had not forgotten the latitude to which their perquisites might legally extend, for the necks were made so long as to encroach considerably on the vertebrae of the back ; a manner of amputating the heads which had been learned during the former voyage, and, no doubt, would be strictly acted up to in the present one." While the ships on the 30th were proceeding through this strait, having to contend with heavy wind and wild ice, which with an impetuous tide ran against the rocks with loud crashes, at the rate of five knots in the center stream ; four boats towing astern were torn away by the ice, and, with the men in them, were for some time in great danger. The vessels anchored for the night in a small nook, and weighing at daylight on the 31st, they stood to the eastward, but Gore Bay was found closely packed with ice, and most of the in- lets they passed were also beset. A prevalence of fog, northerly wind, and heavy ice in floes of some miles in circumference, now carried the ships, in spite of constant labor and exertions, in three days, back to the very spot in Fox's Channel, where a month ago they had commenced their opera- tions. It was not till the 5th of September, that they could again get forward, and then by one of the usual changes in the navigation of these seas, the ships rar well to the northeast unimpeded, at the rate of six knots an hour, anchoring for the night at the mouth of a large opening, which was named Lyon Inlet. The next day they proceeded about twenty-five miles up this inlet, which appeared to be about eight miles broad. Captain Parry pushed on with two boats to examine the head of the inlet, taking provisions for a week. He returned on the 14th, having failed in finding any outlet to the place he had been examining, which was very extensive, full of fiords and rapid overfalls of the tide. He had procured a sufiiciency of game to afford his people a hot supper every evening, which, after the constant labor of the day, was highly acceptable. He ': It: ii^'L fU:} ■i ' i i ■■ 112 PKOGKESS OF MiCTIC DISCOVEU'V. Ms II fell in also with a small party of natives a^ Ivo displayed the usual thieving propensities. Animal food of all kinds was found to be very plen- tiful in this locality. A fine salmon trout was brought down by one of the officers from a lake in the moun- tains. The crew of the Hecla killed in a fortnight four deer, forty hares, eighty -two ptarmigan, fifty ducks, three divers, three foxes, three ravens, four seals, er- mines, marmottes, mice, &c. Two of the seals killed were immense animals of the bearded species {Phoca harhata^ very fat, weighing about eight or nine cwt.; the others were the common species, {P. mtulina.) Captain Parry again left in boats, on the 15th, to ex- amine more carefully the land that had been passed so rapidly on the 5th and 6th. Not finding him return on the 24th, Captain Lyon ran down the coast to meet him, and by burning blue lights, fell in with him at ten that night. It appeared he had been frozen up for two days on the second evening after leaving. When he got clear he ran down to, and sailed round, Gore Bay, at that time perfectly clear of ice, but by the next morning it was quite filled with heavy pieces, which much impeded his return. Once more he was frozen up in a small bay, where he was detained three days ; when, finding there was no chance of getting out, in consequence of the rapid formation of young ice, by ten hours' severe labor, the boats were carried over a low point of land, a mile and a half wide, and once more launched. On the 6th of October, the impediments of ice con- tinuing to increase, being met with in all its formations of sludges or young ice, pancake ice and bay ice, a small open bay within a cape of land, forming the southeast extremity of an island off Lyon Inlet, was sounded, and being found to be safe anchorage the ships were brought in, and, from the indications which were Betting in, it was finally determined to secure them there for the winter ; by means of a canal half a mile long, which was cut, they were taken further into the bay. The island was named Winter Isle. Preparations were now made for occupation and PARKY S SECOND VOYAGE. 113 amusement, so as to pass away pleasantly the period of detention. A good stock of tlieatrical dresses and properties having been laid in by the officers before leaving England, arrangements were made for perform- in"* plays fortnightly, as on their last winter residence, asli means of amusing the seamen, and in some degree to break the tedious monotony of their confinement. A s there could be no desire or hope of excelling, every officer's name was readily entered on the list of dra- matis personoB^ Captain Lyon kindly undertaking the difficult office of manager. Those ladies (says Lyon) who had cherished the growth of their beards ana whiskers, as a defense against the inclemency of the climate, now generously agreed to do away with such unfeminine ornaments, and every thing bade fair for a most stylish theater. As a curiosity, I may here put on record the play bill for the evening. I have added the ship to which each officer beloncjed. THEATER ROYAL, WINTER ISLE. The Public are respectfully informed that this little, yet elegant Theater, will open for the season on Fri- day next, the 9th of November, 1821, when will be performed Sheridan's celebrated Comedy of THE RIVALS. Sir Anthony Absolute Captain Parry, (Fury.) Captain Absolute - - Captain Lyon, {Hecla.) S^r Lucius 0^ Trigger, Mr. Crozier, {Fury) ~ - - - Mr. J. Edwards, {Fury.) Faulhland, Acres, . - - Fay,^ - . - . David, - - - Mrs. Malap7'op, Jalia, - - - Lydia Languish, Mr. J. Henderson, {Fury.) Lieut lloppner, (llecla^ Lieut. Reid, {Fury.) Mr. C. Richards, {Mecla) Mr. W. H. Hooper, {Fury) Mr. J. Sherer, {Hecla) Lucy, M.v.'W.'M.ogg,{crkofirecla.) 114: PROGlilMB OF AllCTIU DISCO\"EIiY. il-l ii;i!' ri Songs by Messrs. C. Palmer, (Hecla,) and J. Hen- derson, will be introduced in the course of the eve- ning. On the 17th of December, a shivering set of actors performed to a great-coated, yet very cold audience, the comedy of the " Poor Gentleman." A burst of true English feeling was exhibited during the perform- ance of this play. In the scene where Lieut. Wo7'th' ington and Corporal Foss recount in so animated a manner their former achievements, advancing at the same time, and huzzaing for " Old England," the whole audience, with one accord, rose and gave three most hearty cheers. The}' then sat down, and the play continued uninterrupted. On Christmas Eve, in order to keep the people quiet and sober, two farces were performed, and the phantasmagoria, (which had been kindly presented anonymously to the ships before leaving, by a lady,) exhibited, so that the night passed merrily away. The coldness of the weather proved no bar to the performance of a play at the appointed time. If it amused the seamen, the purpose was answered, but it was a cruel task to performers. " In our green-room, (says Lyon,) which was as much warmed as any other part of the Theater, the thermometer stood at 16°, and on a table which was placed over a stove, and about six inches above it, the coffee froze in the cups. For my sins, I was obliged to be dressed in the height of the ftishion, as Dich Dowlas^ in the " Heir at Law," and went through the last scene of the play with two of my fingers frost-bitten ! Let those who have witnessed and admired the performances of a Young, answer if he could possibly ha»^e stood so cold a recep- tion." Captain Parry also states in his Journal, " Among the recreations which afforded the highest gratifica- tion to several among us, I may mention the musical parties we were enabled to muster, and which assem- bled on stated evenings throughout the winter, alter PAKRYS SECOND VOYAGE. 115 nately in Commander Lyon's cabin, and in my own. More skillful amatem's in music might well have smiled at these, our humble concerts, but it will not incline them to think less of the science they admire, to be assured that, in these remote and desolate regions of the globe, it has often furnished us with the most pleasurable sensations which our situation was capable of aflbrding ; for, independently of the mere gratifica- tion afforded to the ear by music, there is, perhaps, scarcely a person in the world really fond of it, in whose mind its sound is not more or less connected with ' his far distant home.' There are always some remembrances which render them inseparable, and those associations are not to be despised, which, while we are engaged in the performance of our duty, can still occasionally transport us into the social circle of our friends at home, in spite of the oceans that roll be- tween us." But their attention was not confined to mere amusements. Much to the credit of the seamen, an application was made in each ship for permission to open an evening school, which was willingly ac- ceded to. Almost every man could read, and some could write a little, but several found that, from long disuse, it was requisite to begin again. Mr. Halse volunteered to superintend the classes in theFury; while Benjamin White,a seaman, who had been educated at Christ's Hospital, officiated as schoolmaster in the Hecla, and those best qualified to assist aided in the instruction of their shipmates, who made rapid progress under their tuition. On Christmas Day, Capt. Lyon states that he received sixteen copies from men, who, two months before, scarcely knew their letters. These little specimens were all well written, and sent with as much prido as if the writers had been goo4 little schoolboys, instead of stout and excellent seamen. An observatory was erected on shore, for carrying on magnetical, astronomical, and other scientific opera- tions. Foxes were very plentiful about the ships ; fifteen were caught in one trap in four hours on the night of the 25th of October, and above one hundred were I,' '.« {J. I .]: ji J 1 ■ i f"- I H'M I'} J IIG PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. \\ I either trapped or killed in the course of three months, and yet there seemed but little diminution in their numbers. Captain Lyon says he found them not bad eating, the flesn much resembling that of kid. A pack of thirteen wolves came occasionally to have a look at the ships, and on one occasion broke into a snow-house alongside, and walked oif with a couple of Esquimaux dogs confined there. Bears now and then also made their appearance. A very beautiful ermine walked on board the Hecla one day, and was caught in a small trap placed on the deck, certainly the first of these animals which was ever taken alive on board a ship 400 yards from the land. The ravenous propensities of even some of the smallest members of the animal kingdom are exempli- fied by the following extract : — " We had for some time observed that in the fire- hole, which was kept open in the ice alongside, a count- less multitude of small shrimps were constantly rising near the surface, and we soon found that in twenty-four hours they would clean, in the most beautiful manner, the skeletons." After attending divine service on Christmas day, the officers and crews sat down to the luxury of joints of English roast beef, which had been kept untainted by being frozen, and the outside rubbed with salt. Cran- berry pies and puddings, of every shape and size, with a full allowance of spirits, followed, and, probably the natural attendance of headaches succeeded, for the next morning it was deemed expedient to send all the people for a run on the ice, in order to put them to rights ; but thick weather coming on, it became neces- sary to recall them, and, postponing the dinner hour, they were all danced sober by one o'clock, the fiddler being, fortunately, quite as he should be. During this curious ball, a witty fellow attended as an old cake woman, with lumps of frozen snow in a bucket ; and such was the demand for his pies on this occasion, that he was obliged to replenish pretty frequently. The year had now drawn to a close, and all enjoyed excel- lei fui mJ asT nil alll Th tlel la: tie an to ler id at PARKY 8 SECOND VOYAGE. 117 lent health, and were blessed with good spirits, and zeal fur the renewal of their arduous exertions in the sum- mer. No signs of scurvy, the usual plague of such voy- ages, liad occurred, and by the plans of Captain Parry, as carried out on the former voyage, a sufficiencv of mustard and cress was raised between decks to anbrd all hands a salad once, and sometimes twice a week. The cold now became intense. Wine froze in the bot- tles. Port was congealed into thin pink laminae, which lay loosely, and occupied the whole length of the bot- tle. White wine, on the contrary, froze into a solid and perfectly transparent mass, resembling amber. On the 1st of February the monotony of their life was varied by the arrival of a large party of Esqui- maux, and an interchange of visits thenceforward took place with this tribe, w^ich, singularly enough, were proverbial for their honesty. Ultimately, however, they began to display some thievish propensities, for on one evening in March a most shocking theft was committed, which was no less than the last piece of English corned beef from the midshipmen's mess. Had it been an 181b. carronade, or even one of the an- chors, the thieves would have been welcome to it ; but to purloin English beef in such a country was unpar- donable. On the 15th of March Captain Lyon, Lieutenant Palmer, and a party of men, left the ship, with pro- visions, tents, ifec, in a large sledge, for an excursion of three or four days, to examine the land in the neigh- borliood of the ships. The first night's encampment was anything but com- fortable. Their tent they found so cold, that it was determined to make a cavern in the snow to sleep in ; and diggirg this aftbrded so good an opportunity of warming themselves, that the only shovel was lent from one to the other as a particular favor. After digging it of sufficient size to contain them all in a sitting pos- ture, by means of the smoke of a fire they managed to raise the temperature to 20°, and, closiHg the entrance c> £ (/) c m in I' I: H i i . i; i ■ • i if ,1 i I >-i f ^m 4^\ :, 1.' . J: i ^ H' w 118 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. if i I I ! I : i ! with blocks of snow, crept into their blanket bags and tried to sleep, with the pleasant reflection that their root' might fall in and bury them all, and that their one spade was the only means of liberation after a night's drift of snow. They woke next morning to encounter a heavy gale and drift, and found their sledge so embedded in the snow that they could not get at it, and in tlie attempt their faces and extremities were most painfully frost- bitten. The thermometer was at 32° below zero ; they could not, moreover, see a yard of the road ; yet to re- main appeared worse than to go forward — the last plan was, therefore, decided on. The tent, sledge, and luggage were left behind, and with only a few pounds of bread, a little rum, and a spade, the party again set out ; and in order to depict their suiierings, 1 must take up the narrative as related by tlie commander himself : "Not knowing wliere to go, we wandered among the heavy hummocks of ice, and suffering from cold, fatigue and anxiety, were soon completely bewildered. Several of our party now began \ o exhibit symptoms of that horrid kind of insensibility which is the pre- lude to sleep. They all professed extreme willingness to do wha^ they were told in order to keep in exercise, but none obeyed ; on the contrary, they reeled about like drunken men. The faces of several were severely frost-bitten, and some had for a considerable time lost sensation in their fingers and toes ; yet they made not the slightest exertion to rub the parts affected, and even discontinued their general custom of warming each other on observing a discoloration of the skin. Mr. Palmer employed the people in building a snow wall, ostensibly as a shelter from the wind, but in fact to give them exercise, when standing still must have proved fatal to men in our circumstances. My atten- tion was exclusively directed to Sergeant Speckman, who, having been repeatedly warned that his nose was frozen, had paid no attention to it, owing to the state of stupefaction into which he had fallen. The frost- bite had now extended over one sid<* of his face, which rAKKY S SECOND VOYAGE. 119 to n. ^«yas frozen as hard as a mask ; the eyelids were stiff, and one corner of the upper lip so drawn up as to expose the teeth and gums. My hands being still wiirm, I had the happiness of restoring the circulation, after which I used all my endeavors to keep the poor follow in motion ; but he complained sadly of giddi- ness and dimness of sight, and was so weak as to be unable to walk without assistance. His case was so alarming, that I expected every moment he would lie down, never to rise again. " Our prospect now became every moment more gloomy, and it was but too probable that four of our party w^ould be unable to survive another hour. Mr. Palmer, however, endeavored, as well as myself, to cheer the people up, but it was a faint attempt, as we had not a single hope to give them. Every piece of ice, or even of small rock or stone, was now supposed to be the ships, and we had great difficulty in prevent- ing the men from running to the different objects which attracted them, and consequently losing themselves in the drift. In this state, w^hile Mr. Palmer was running round us to warm himself, he suddenly pitched on a new beaten track, and as exercise was indispensable, we determined on following it, wherever it might lead us. Having taken the Sergeant under my coat, he re- covered a little, and we moved onward, when to our infinite joy we found that the path led to the ships." As the result of this exposure, one man had two of his fingers so badly frost-bitten as to lose a good deal of the flesh of the upper ends, and for many days it was feared that he would be obliged to have them am- putated. Quarter-master Carr, one of those who had been the most hardy while in the air, fainted twice on getting below, and every one had severe frost-bites in different parts of the body, which recovered after the usual loss of skin in these cases. One of the Esquimaux females, by name Igloolik, who plays a conspicuous part in the narrative, was a general favorite, being possessed of a large fund of useful information, having a good voice and ear for ; 1 'I'l m .1 » ' 1 i ' 1 1 1 1 i 1 1' ^H , 1' '^M !: 1 .- 1 . ■ i i ' ' 1 t : ; i i' j, ' 1 :] ' 'n^'im ■\ ' ' ' in I al '1 H I 1 > ' :\ 1 H if) i V;; 1 «««.i ' 1 ill 1 M 1 ' liii i ' m :x/ In c !i| •p ' ■'*■,; •*^. ' ■ '. •«... ! ; •-1 j j i . iP 'i . i ' 1 , \ i i 1^: ' I..,,' i !j!. ■1 \ ij: III I ■ ' ^^ \ ■'p ■ 1 ' ' \ I ('• :^ ' ■ ffl ; 1 . ' * %-M .i;:!;^--^i ' '.'^t !ii 1 m 120 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. m f !': - 1 m w 1 M music, being an excellent seamstress, and having snch a good idea of the hydrography and bearings of the neighhoring Koa-coasts, as to draw charts whicli guided Parry mucli in his future operations, for he found her sketches to be in the main correct. 8he connected the jand from their winter quarters to the northwest sea, rounding and terminating the northern extremity of this part of America, by a large island, and a strait of sufficient magnitude to afford a safe passage for the ships. This little northwest passage, observes Lyon, set us all castle-building, and we already fancied the worst part of our voyage over ; or, at all events, that before half the ensuing summer was past, we should arrive at Akkoolee, the Esquimaux settlement on the western shore. Half-way between that coast and Re pulse Bay, Igloolik drew on her chart a lake of consid- erable size, having small streams running from it to the sea, on each siue ; and the correctness of this infor- mation was fully proved by Rae in his recent expedi- tion in 1846. On the 13th of April their Esquimaux friends took their departure for other quarters ; towards the end of the month the crews completed the cutting of trenches round the vessels, in order that they might rise to their proper bearings previous to working in the holds, and the ships floated like corks on their native element, after their long imprisonment of 191 days. As the season appeared to be improving, another land expedi- tion was determined on, and Captain Lyon and Lieu- tenant Palmer, attended by a party of eight men, set off on the 8th of May, taking with them twenty days' provisions. Each man drew on a sledge 126 lbs., and the officers 95 lbs. a-piece. " Loaded as we were," says the leader, " it was with the greatest difficulty we made our way among and over the hummocks, ourselves and sledges taking some very unpleasant tumbles. It required two and a half hours to cross the ice, although the distance was not two miles, and we then landed on a small island, where we passed the night." PAKUYS 8K<JU^^) VOYAGK. 121 Several islands and shoals in the strait were named LinTs Isles. At noon on the ilth, they canip(Hl at tlie head of a line bay, to which the name of Dhike was £yiven. In spite of all the caro wliich had been taken by usinnj crape shades, and other coverings for the eyes, live of the party became severely atiiicted with snow blindness. Before evening two of the sufferers were quite blinded by the inilammation. Their faces, eyes, and even heads, being much swollen, and very red. Bathing woidd have alforded relief, but the sun did not produce a drop of water, and their stock of fuel being limited, they could only spare enough wood to thaw Buow for their midday draught. As the morning of the 12th brought no change in the invalids, another day was lost. Toward evening, ])y breaking pieces of ice, and placing them in the full glare of the sun, sufficient water was obtained, both for drinking and for the sick to bathe their faces, which aiforded them amazing relief, and on the morrow they were enabled to resume their journey. At noon the sun was sufficiently powerful to afford the travelers a draught of water, without having to thaw it, as had hitherto been the case. For nearly three days after this, they were imprisoned in their low tent by a snow-storm, but on the morning of the 18th, they were enabled to sally out to stretch their legs, and catch a glimpse of the sun. After exam- ining many bays and indentations of the coast, the party returned to the ships on the evening of the 21st. A canal was now cut through the ice, to get the ships to the open water, in length 2400 feet, and varying in breadth from 60 to 197 feet. The average thickness of the ice was four feet, but in some places it was as much as twelve feet. This truly arduous task had occupied tlie crews for fifteen days, from six in the morning to eight in the evening ; but they labored at it with the greatest spirit and good humor, and it was concluded on the 18th of June, when the officers and men began to take leave of their several haunts and promenades, purticniarly the " garden " of each ship, which had become +'ivorite •^l! 5** •Sh. o a-- i C' H ,r- i: ^¥ V W '^ ^M: Pt U ill !:i I' 122 riiOOKESS OF AliCTlC DISCOVERY. lounges during their nine months' detention. A few ili-liited bunting came near enough to bo shot, and were instantly roasted for a farewell supper, and bright vis- ions of active exertions on the water on the morrow were universally entertained. But the night dispeiK;(l all these airy castles, for with the morning's dawn they found that the whole body of ice astern of <"he ships had broke adrift, lilled up the hard-wrought canal, and imj)risoned them as firm as ever. Death now for the first time visited the crews. James Priiigle, a seaman of the llecla, fell from the mast-head to the deck, and was killed on the 18th of May. Wm. JSouter, quarter-master, and John Reid, Carpenter's mate, l)elunging to the Fury, died on the 26th and 2Tth, of natural causes. Toward the end of June, the sea bt'gun to clear rapidly to the eastward, and the bay ice soon gave way as far as where the ships were lying, and on the 2d of July they put to sea with a fresh breeze, after having been frozen in for 267 days. In making their way to the northward, they were fre- quently in much danger. On the 3d, the ice came down on the liecla with such force as to carry her on board the Fury, by which the Hecla broke her best bower anchor, and cut her waist-boat in two. On the 4:th, the pressure of the ice was so great as to break the Hecla adrift from three hawsers. Four or five men were each on separate pieces of ice, parted from the ships in the endeavor to run out a hawser. A heavy pressure closing tne loose ice unexpectedly gave them a road on board again, or they must have been carried away by the stream to certain destruction. On the 8th, the Hecla had got her stream-cable out, in addition to the other hawsers, and made fast to the land ice, when a very heavy and extensive floe took the ship on her broad ^iide, and being backed by another large body of ice, gradually lifted her stem as if by the action ot a wedge. " The weight every moment increasing, obliged us,"' says Captain Lyon, " to veer on the hawsers, whose fric- tion was so great as nearly to cut through the bitt-heads, and ultimately to set them on fire, so that it became pauuy's second voyage. 123 :/ reqiUBite for people to attend with buckets of water. The prefitiiiro was at length too powerful for resistance, and tlie streain-cablo, with two six and one tive-inch hawsers, all gave way at the same moment, three others soon following them. The sea was too full of ice to allow the ship to drive, and the only way in wliicli she could yield to the enormous weight which oppressed her, v/as by leaning over on the land ice, while ner stem at the same time was entirely lifted to above the height of five feet out of the water. The lower deck beams now complained very much, and the whole frame of the ship imderwent a trial which would have proved fatal to any less strengthened vessel. At the aame moment, the rudder was unhung with a sudden jerk, which broke up the rudder-case, and struck the driver-boom with great force." From this perilous position she was released almost by a miracle, and the rudder re-hung. The ships a. last reached the island which had been so accurately described to them by the Esquimau!, lady — Iglolik, where they came upon an encampment of 120 Esquimaux, in tents. Captains Parry and Lyon and other officers made frequent exploring excursions along the shores of the Fury and Ilecla strait, and in- land. On the 26th of August the ships entered this strait, which was found blocked up with flat ice. The season had also now assumed so wintry an aspect that there seemed but little probability of getting much far- ther west : knowing of no harbor to protect the ships, unless a favorable change took place, they had the gloomy prospect before them of wintering in or near this frozen strait. Boating and land parties were dis- patched in several directions, to report upon the differ- ent localities. On the 4th of September, Captain Lyon landed on an island of slate formation, about six miles to the west- ward of the ships, which he named Amherst Island. The result of these expeditions proved that it was impracti- cable, either by boats or water conveyance, to examine any part of the land southwest of Iglolik, in conse- quence of the ice. 8 , I I 'I 'I Ij!' i lllli 124 PEOOEE88 OF AKOTIO DI8COVEBY. Mr. Reid and a boat-party traveled about sixty miles to the westward of Amherst Island, and ascertained the termination of the strait. On a consultation with the officers, Captain Parry determined to seek a berth near to Iglolik, m which to secure the ships for the winter. They had now been sixty-five days struggling to set forward, but had only in that time reached forty miles to the westward of Iglolik. The vessels made the beet of their way to the natural channel between this island and the land, but were for some time drifted with the ice, losing several anchors, and it was only bv hard work in cutting channels that they were brought into safer quarters, near the land. Some fine ^eams of dogs were here purchased from the Esquimaux, which were found very serviceable in making excursions on sledges. Their second Christmas day in this region had now arrived, and Lyon informs us — " Captain Parry dined with me, and was treated with a superb display of mustard and cress, with about fifty onions, rivaling a fine needle in sizo, which I had reared in boxes round my cabin stove. All our messes in either ship were supplied with an extra pound of real English fresh beef, which had been hanging at our quarter for eighteen months. "We could not afford to leave it for a farther trial of keeping, but I have no doubt that double the period would not have quite spoika its flavor." This winter proved much more severe than the for mer. Additional clothing was found necessary. The stove funnels collected a quantity of ice within them, notwithstanding fires were kept up night and day, so that it was frequently requisite to take them down in order to break and melt the ice out of them. Nothing was seen of the sun for forty-two days. On the 15th of April, Mr. A. Elder, Greenland mate of the Hecla, died of dropsy: he had been leading man with Parry on Ross's voyage, and for his good conduct Vas made mate of the Griper, on the last expedition. On the 6th of September, 1823, Mr. George Fife, the pilot, also died of scurvy. PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE. 125 After taking a review of their pro^dsions, and the probability of having to pass a third winter here, Capt. rarry determined to send the Hecla home, taking from her all the provision that could be spared. Little or no hopes covdd be entertained of any passage being found to the westward, otherwise than oy the strait now 60 firmly closed with ice ; but Parry trusted that some interesting additions might be made to the geography of these dreary regions, by attempting a passage to tlio northward or eastward, in hopes of finding an outlet to Lancaster Sound, or Prince Kegent's Inlet. On the 2l8t of April, 1823, they began transshipping the provisions ; the teams of dogs being found most useful for this purpose. Even two anchors of 22 cwt. each, were drawn by these noble animals at a quick trot. Upon admitting daylight at the stern windows of the Hecla, on thje 22d, the gloomy, sooty cabin showed to no great advantage ; no less than ten buckets of ice were taken from the sashes and out of the stern lockers, from which latter some spare flannels and instruments were only liberated by chopping. On the 7th of June, Captain Lyon, with a party of men, set off across the Melville Peninsula, to endeavor to get a sight of the western sea, of which they had re- ceived descriptive accounts from the natives, but ow- ing to the difliculties of traveling, and the ranges of mountains they met with, they returned unsuccessful, after being out twenty days. Another inland trip of a fortnight followed. On the 1st of August, the Hecla was reported ready for sea. Some symptoms of scurvy having again made their appearance in the ships, and the surgeons report- ing that it would not be prudent to continue longer, Captain Parry reluctantly determined to proceed home with both ships. After being 319 days in their winter quarters, the ships got away on the 9th of August. A conspicuous landmark, with dispatches, was set up on the main-land, for the information of Franklin, should he reach this cuiarter. ■t iW- C '4-n i ^li;;' J ^ .!■ ' i ; . i 126 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. Bi : 1' On reaching "Winter Island^ and visiting their las year's garden, radishes, mustard and cress, and onions were brought off, which had survived the winter and were still alive, seventeen months from the time they were planted, a very remarkable proof of their having been preserved by the warm covering of snow. The ships, during the whole of this passage, were driven by the current more than three degrees, entirely at the mercy of the ice, being carried into every bight, and swept over each point, without the power of help- ing themselves. On the 1st of September, they were driven up Lyon Inlet, where they were confined high up till the 6th, v/hen a breeze sprung up, which took them down to within three miles of Winter Island ; still it was not until the 12th, that they got thoroughly clear of the in- draught. The danger and suspense 6t these twelve days were horrible, and Lyon justly observes, that he would prefer being frozen up during another eleven months' winter, to again passing so anxious a period of time. " Ten of the twelve nights were passed on deck, in expectation, each tide, of some decided change in our affairs, either by being left on the rocks, or grounding in such shoal water, that the whole body of the ice must have slid over us. But, as that good old seaman Baffin expresses himself, ' God, who is greater than either ice or tide, always delivered us I ' " For thirty-five days the ships had been beset, and in that period had driven with the ice above 300 miles, without any exertion on their part, and also without a possibility of extricating themselves. On the 23d of September, they once more got into the swell of the Atlantic, and on the 10th of October, arrived at Ler- wick, in Shetland. Cl/lvering's Yotage to Spitzbergen and Green- land, 1823. In 1823, Capt. SalMne, R. A., who had been for some Hmo fiicr.'ifr^nl in mufjnetic observations, and also in 1 ! OLAVERTNGS VOYAGE. 127 N- experiments to determine the configuration of the earth, by means of pendulum vibrations in difterent latitudes, having perfected his observations at different points, from me Equator to the Arctic Circle, suggested to the Koyal Society, through Sir Humphry Davy, the impor- tance of extending similar experiments into higher lat- itudes toward the Pole. Accordingly, the government placed at his disposal H. M. S. Griper, 120 tons, Com- mander Clavering, which was to convey him to Spitz- bergen, and thence to the east coast of Greenland. The Griper sailed from the Nore, on the 11th of May, and proceeded to Hammerfest, or Whale Island, near the North Cape, in Norway, which she reached on the 4:th of June, and Capt. Sabine having finished his shore observations by the 23d, the vessel set sail for Spitzber- gen. She fell in with ice off Cherry Island, in lat. 76° 6', on the 27th, and on the 30th disembarked the tents and ill -truinents on one of the small islands round Hakluyt's Headland, near the eightieth parallel. Capt. Clavering, mean Awhile, sailed in the Griper due north, and reached the latitude of 80° 20', where being stop- ped by close packed ice, he was obliged to return. On the 24tn of July, they again put to sea, directing their course for the highest known point of the eastern coast of Greenland. They met with many fields of ice, and made the land, which had a most miserable, deso- late api)8arance, at a point which was named Cape Bor- lase Warren. Two islands were discovered, and as Capt. Salnne here landed and carried on his observa- tions, they were called Pendulum Islands. From an island situate in lat. 75° 12', to which he gave the name of Shannon Island, Clavering saw high land, stretch- ing due north as far as lat. 76°. On the 16th of August, Clavering landed with a party of three officers, and sixteen men on the main- land, to examine the shores. The temperature did not sink below 23°, and they slept for nearly a fortnight they were on shore with only a boat-cloak and l)lanKet for a covering, without feeling any inconvenience from the cold. A tribe of twelve Esquimaux was met with I ' r Ml I f: ' •> I. 11 iiiii':; 'Hi' ( ■I 128 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. here. They reached in their journey a magniiiceiil inlet, about fifty miles in circumterence, which was sup- posed to be the same which Gale Hamkes discovered in 1654, and which bears his name. The mountains round its sides were 4000 to 5000 feet high. On the 29th of August, they returned on board, and having embarked the tents and instruments, the ship again set sail on the 31st, keeping the coast in view to Cape Parry, lat 72 i°. The cliiFs were obse ved to be sev- eral thousand feet high. On the 13th of September, as the ice in shore began to get very troublesome, the ship stood out to sea, and after encountering a very heavy gale, which drove them with great fury to the southward, and it not being thought prudent to make for Ireland, a station in about the same latitude on the Norway coast was chosen instead by Capt. Sabine. They made the land about the latitude of Christian- sound. On the 1st of October, the Griper struck hard on a sunken rock, but got off' undamaged. On the 6th, they anchored in Drontheim Fiord, where they were received with much kindness and hos- pitality, and after the necessary observations had been completed the ship proceeded homeward, and reached Deptford on the 19th of December, 1823. Lyon's Yoyage in the Griper. In 1824, three expeditions were ordered out, to carry on simultaneous operations in Arctic discovery. To Capt. Lyon was committed the task of examining and completing the survey of the Melville Peninsula, the adjoining straits, and the shores of Arctic America, if possible as far as Franklin's turning point. Capt. Lyon was therefore gazetted to the Griper gun-brig, which had taken out Capt. Sabine to Spitzbergen, in the pre- vious year. The following oflScers and crew were also appointed to her : — Griper, Captain — G. F. Lyon. Lieutenants — P. Manico and F. Harding. lyon's voyage. 12^ Aesistant-Surveyor — E. N. Kendal. Purser — J. Evans. Assistant-Surgeon — W. Leyson. Midshipman — J. Tom. 34 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c. Total complement, 41. It was not till the 20th of June, that the Griper got away from England, being a full month later than the usual period of departure, and the vessel was at the best but an old tub in her sailing propensities. A small tender, called the Snap, was ordered to accompany her with stores, as far as the ice, and having been relieved of her supplies, she was sent home on reaching Hud- son's Straits. The Griper made but slow progress in her deeply la- den state, her crowded decks being continually swept by heavy seas, and it was not until the end of August, that she rounded the soutbern head of Southampton Island, and stood up toward Sir Thomas Roe's Wei come. On reaching the entrance of this channel they encountered a terrific gale, which for a long time threatened the destruction of both ship and crew. Drifting with this, they brought up the ship with four anchors, in a bay with five fathoms and a half water, in the momentary expectation that with the ebb tide the ship would take the ground, as the sea broke fear- fully on a low sandy beach just astern, and had the an- choi*s parted, nothing could have saved the vessel. Neither commander nor crew had been in bed for three nights, and although little hope was entertained of sur- viving the gale, and no boat could live in such a sea, the officers and crew performed their several duties with their accustomed coolness. Each man was or- dered to put on his warmest clothing, and to take charge of some useful instrument. The scene is best described in tlie words of the gallant commander : — "Each, therefore, brought his bag on deck, and dressed himself; and in the fine athletic forms which Btood exposed before me, I did not see one muscle qui- u '■ m I, I . i i , hi 130 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVSaiY. ill ■!-;ll| III ver, nor the slightest sign of alarm. Prayers were read, and they then all sat down in groups, sheltered from the wash of the sea by whatever they could find, and some endeavored to obtain a little sleep. Never, perhaps was witnessed a finer scene than on the deck of m^ little ship, when all hope of life had left us. Noble as the character of the British sailor is always allowed to be in cases of danger, yet I did not believe it to be pos- sible that among forty-one persons not one repining word should have been uttered. Each was at peace with his neighbor and all the world ; and I am nrmly persuaded that the resignation v/hich was then shown to the will of the Almighty, was the means of obtain- ing His mercy. God was merciful to us, and the tide, almost miraculously, fell no lower." The appropriate name of the Bay of God's Mercy has been given to this spot on the charts by Captain Lyon. Proceeding onward up the Welcome, they encoun- tered, about a fortnight later, another fearful storm. On the 12th of September, when off the entrance of "Wager Inlet, it blew so hard for two days, that on the 13th the ship was driven from her anchors, and carried away by the fury of the gale, with every prospect of being momentarily dashed to pieces against any hid- den rock ; but the same good Providence which had so recently befriended them, again stood their protec- tor. On consulting with his officers, it was unani- mously resolved, that in the crippled state of the ship, without any anchor, and with her compasses worse than useless, it would be madness to continue the voy- age, and the ship's course was therefore shaped for England. Imay observe, that the old Griper is now laid up as a hulk in Chichester Harbor, furnishing a residence and depot for the coast guard station. Parry's Third Yoyage. In the spring of 1824 the Admiralty determined to give Capt. Parry another opportunity of carrying ovt " i :; ! l:| i I!l parry's third voyage. 131 the great problem which had so long been sought af- ter, of a northwest passage to the Paciiic, and so gen- erally esteemed was this gallant commander that he had but to hoist his pennant, when fearless of all dan- ger, and in a noble spirit of emulation, his former as- sociates rallied around him. The same two ships were employed as before, bui Parry now selected the Hecla for his pennant. The staff of officers and men was as follows : — Hecla, Captain — W. E. Parry. Lieutenants — J. L. Wynn, Joseph Sherer, and Henry Foster. Surgeon — Samuel Neill, M. D. Purser — W. H. Hooper. Assistant Surgeon — W. Rowland. Midshipmen — J. Brunton, F. R. M. Crozier, C. Richards, and H. N. Head. Greenland Pilots — J. Allison, master; and G. Champion, mate. 49 Petty Officers, Seamen, and Marines. Total complement, 62. Fury, Commander — H. P. Hoppner. Lieutenants — H. T. Austin and J. 0. Boss. Surgeon — A. M'Laren. Purser — J. Halse. Assistant Surgeon — T. Bell. Midshipmen — B. Westropp, C. C. Waller, and E. Bird. Clerk — "W. Mogg. Greenland Pilots — G. Crawford, master; T. Don- aldson, mate. 48 Petty Officers, Seamen, and Marines. Total complement, 60. The William Harris, transport, was commissioned U) accompany the ships to the ice with provisions. F 3*w j i ! W. ' ; I \ i \\ % m J-; fi I' ■II 'I ■ il: ii' i!|i!r' i'l:; I 132 PROGRESS OF AROTIO DISCOVERY. Among the promotions made, it will be seen, were Lieut. Hoppner to the rank of Commander, and second in command of the expedition. Messrs. J. Sherer, and J. C. Ross to be Lieutenants, and J. Halse to be Purser. The attempt on this occasion was to be made by Lancaster Sound through Barrow's Strait to Prince Regent Inlet. The ships sailed on the 19th of May, 1824, and a month afterward fell in with the body of the ice in lat. 601°. After transhipping the stores to the two vessels, and sending home the transport, about the middle of July they were close beset with the ice in Baffin's Bay, and "from this time (says Parry) the obstructions from the quantity, magnitude, and close- ness of the ice, which were such as to keep our people almost constantly employed in heaving, warping, or sawing through it ; and yet with so little success that, at the close of July, we had only penetrated seventy miles to the westward." After encountering a severe gale on the 1st of August, by which masses of overlay- ing ice were driven one upon the other, the Hecla was laid on her broadside by a strain, which Parry says must inevitably have crushed a vessel of ordinary strength ; they got clear of the chief obstructions by the first week in September. During the whole of August they had not one day sufficiently free from rain, snow, or sleet, to be able to air the bedding of the ship's company. They entered Lancaster Sound on the 10th of Sep- tember, and with the exception of a solitary berg or two found it clear of ice. A few days after, however, they fell in with the young ice, which increasing daily in thickness, the ships became beset, and by the cur- rent which set to the east at the rate of three miles an hour, they were soon drifted back to the eastward of Admiralty . Inlet, and on the 23d they found them- selves again off Wollaston Island, at the entrance of Navy Board Inlet. By perseverance, howe sr, and the aid of a strong easterly breeze, they once more man- aged to recover their lost ground, and on the 27tb reached the entrance of Port Bowen on the eastern IP PARKY 8 TlIIJiD STOYAOE. 133 shore of Prince Regent Inlet, and here Parry reBolved upon wintering; this making the fourth winter this enterprising commander had passed in these inhospi- table seas. The usual laborious process of cutting canals had to be resorted to, in order to get the ships nea ■ to the shore in secure and sheltered situations. Parry thus describes the dreary monotonous character of an arctic winter : — "It is hard to conceive any one thing more like another than two winters passed in the higher latitudes of the polar regions, except when variety happens to be afforded by intercourse with some other branch of the whole family of man. "Winter after winter, nattire here assumes an aspect so much alike, that cursory ob- servation can scarcely detect a single feature of variety. The winter of more temperate climates, and even in some of no slight severity, is occasionally diversified by a thaw, which at once gives variety and compara- tive cheerfulness to the prospect. But here, when once the earth is covered, all is dreary monotonous white- ness, not merely for days or weeks, but for more than half a year together. W hichever way the eye is turn- ed, it meets a picture calculated to impress upon the mind an idea of inanimate stillness, of that motionless torpor with which our feelings have nothing congenial ; of any thing, in short, but life. In the very silence there is a deadness with which a human spectator ap- pears out of keeping. The presence of man seems an intrusion on the dreary solitude of this wintry desert, which even its native animals have for awhile forsaken." During this year Parry tells us the thermometer re- mained below zero 131 days, and did not rise above that point till the 11th of April. The sun, which had been absent from their view 121 days, again blessed the crews with his rays on the 22d of February. Du- ring this long imprisonment, schools, scientific observa- tions, walking parties, &c., were resorted to, but " our former amusements," says Parry, " being almost worn threadbare, it required some ingenuity to devise any A in ' ■\i: '\- . 1 ■ n ■ " t'f. '■' ! ; i V 134 PKOORE88 OF ARCTIC DI8C0VKRY. li r I ■::tli!ili plan that should possess the charm of novelty to re- commend it." A happy idea was, liowever, hit upon b^^ Commander Hoppner, at whose 8ug<i^estion a monthly bal masque was held, to the great diversion of both officers and men, to the number of 12U. The populai commander entered gayly. into their recreations, and thus speaks of these polar masquerades : — " It is impossible that any idea could have proved more happy, or more exactly suited to our situation Admirably dressed characters of various descriptions readilv took their parts, and many of these were sup- ported with a degree of spirit and genuine good humor which would not have disgraced a more refined assem- bly ; while the latter might not have been disgraced by copying the good order, decorum, and inoftensive cheerfulness which our humble masquerades presented. It does especial credit to the dispositions and good sense of our men, that though all the officers entered fully into the spirit of these amusements, which took place once a month alternately on board of each ship, no instance occurred of any thing that could interfere with the regular discipline, or at all weaken the respect of the men toward their superiors. Ours were mas querades without licentiousness — carnivals without excess.'^ Exploring parties '^ere sent out in several directions. Commander Hoppner and his party went inland, and after a fortnight's fatiguing journey over a mountain- ous, barren, and desolate country, where precipitous ra- vines 500 feet deep obstructed their passage, traveled a degree and three-quarters — to the latitude of 73° 19', but saw no appearance of sea from thence. Lieutenant Sherer, with four men, proceeded to the southward, and made a careful survey of the coast as far as 72i^, but had not provisions sufficient to go round Cape Kater, the southernmost point observed in their former voyage. Lieutenant J. C. Koss, with a similar party, traveled to the northward, along the coast of the inlet, and from the hills about Cape York, observed that the sea was PARRY 8 THIRD VOYAGE. 136 perfectly open and free from ice at the distance of twenty-two miles from the ships. After an imprisonment of about ten months, by great exertions the ships were got clear from the ice, and on the 20th of July, 1825, upon the separation of the floe across the harbor, towed out to sea. Parry then made for the western shore of the Inlet, being desirous of ex- amining the coast of North Somerset for any channel that might occur, a probability which later discoveries in that quarter have proved to be without foundation. On the 28th, when well in with the western shore, the Hecla, in spite of every exertion, was beset by floating ice, and alter breaking two large ice anchors in en- deavoring to heave in snore, was obliged to give up the efibrt and drift with the ice until the 30th. On the following day, a heavy gale came on, in which the Hecla carried away three hawsers, while the Fury was driven on shore, but was hove off at high water. Both ships were now drifted by the body of the ice down the Inlet, and took the ground, the Fury being so nipped and strained that she leaked a great deal, and four pumps kept constantly at work did not keep her clear of water. They were floated off at high water, but, late on the 2nd of August, the huge masses of ice once more forced the Fury on shore, and the Hecla narrowly escaped. On examining her and getting her off, it was found that she must be hove down and repaired ; a basin was therefore formed for her reception and completed by the 16th, a mile further to the southward, within three icebergs grounded, where there were three or four fathoms of water. Into this basin she w^as taken on the 18th, and her stores and provisions being removed, she was hove down, but a gale of wind com- ing on and destroying the masses of ice which shel- tered her, it oecame necessary to re-embark the stores, &c., and once more put to sea ; but the unfortunate vessel had hardly got out of her harbor before, on the 21st, she was again driven on shore. After a careful survey and examination, it was found necessary to abandon her : Parry's opinion being thus expressed — 5»' — ! V\ C: f," \\\ ii \> 136 PROGRESS OF AROTIO DISCOVERY. l!ill iiiiiill ^1 i I 11)11 "(ii " Every endeavor of ours to get her off, or if got off, to float her to any known place of safety, would be at once utterly hopeless in itself, and productive of ex- treme risk to our remaining ship." The loss of this ship, and the crowded state of the remaining vessel, made it •impossible to think of con- tinuing the voyage for the purposes of discovery. " The incessant labor, the constant state of anxiety, and the frequent and imminent danger into which the surviving fe4iip was thrown, in the attempts to save her comrade, which were continued for twenty-five days, destroyed every reasonable expectation hitherto cher- ished of the ultimate accomplishment of this object." Takinff advantage of a northerly wind, on the 27th the Hecla stretched across the lilet for the eastern coast, meeting with little obstruction from the ice, and anchored in Weill's Harbor, a short distance to the southward of their winter quarters. Port Bowen, where the ship was got ready for crossing the Atlantic. The Hecla put to sea on the Slst of August, and en- tering Barrow's Strait on the 1st of September, found it perfectly clear of ice. In Lancaster Sound, a very large number of bergs were seen ; but they found an open sea in Bafiin's Bay, till, on the 7th of September, when in latitude 75° 30', they came to the margin of ♦"he ice, and soon entered a clear channel on its eastern side. From thirty to fortjr large icebergs, not less than 200 feet in height, were sighted. On the 12th of October, Captain Parry landed at Peterhead, and the Hecla arrived at Sheemess ok «ae 20th. But one man died during this voyage — John Page, a seaman of the Fury — who died of scurvy, in Weill's Harbor, on the 29th of August. This voyage cannot but be considered the most unsuc- cessful of the three made by Parry, whether as regards the information gleaned on the subject of a northwest passage, or the extension of our store of geographical or scientific knowledge. The shores of this inlet were more naked, barren, and desolate than even Melville Island. With the exception of some hundreds of white FRANKLIN 8 BKCONU EXI'tDITION. 137 whales, seen sporting about the southernmost part of the Inlet that was visited) few other species of animalB were seen. " We have scarceljr," says Parry, " ever visited a coast on which so little ot animal life occurs. For days to- 'v-pether only one or two seals, a single sea-horRO, and now and then a flock of ducks were seen." He still clings to the accomplishment of the great object of a nortnwest passage. At page 184 of his offi- cial narrative, he says: — " I feel confident that the undertaking, if it be deemed advisable at any future time to pursue it, will one day or other be accomplished ; for — setting aside the acci- dents to which, from their very nature, such attempts must be liable, as well as other unfavorable circum- stances which human foresight can never guard against, or human power control — I cannot but believe it to be an enterprise well within the reasonable limits of practicability. It may be tried often and fail, for seve- ral favorable and fortunate circumstances must be com- bined for its accomplishment ; but I believe, neverthe- less, that it will ultimately be accomplished." " I am much mistaken, indeed," he adds, " if the northwest passage ever becomes the business of a single summer ; nay, I believe that nothing but a concurrence of very favorable circumstances is likely ever to make a single winter in the ice sufficient for its accomplish- ment. But there is no argument against the ;po88iDility of final success ; for we know that a winter in the ice may be passed not only in safety, but in health and comfort." Not one winter alone, but two and three have been passed with health and safety in these seas, under a wise and carefiil commander. FaANKLm's Second Expedition, 1825-26. Undaunted by the hardships and sufferings he had encountered in his previous travels with a noble spirit of ardor and enthusiasm, Captain Franklin determined ri if in t ? i ';■ i 1 c 1 ft* I i • i i nil ! > ! ■:, t? t i i 1 «: a > :rti| '!;ti I'll; ji 138 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. to prosecute the chain of his former discoveries from the Coppermine river to the most western point of the Arctic regions. A sea expedition, under the conni^and of Captain Beechey was at the same time sent round Cape Horn to Behring's Straits, to co-operate with Parry and Franklin, so as to furnish provisions to the former, and a conveyance home to the latter. Captain Iranklin's offer was therefore accepted by the government, and leaving Liverpool in February, 1825, he arrived at New "i^rk about the middle of March. The officers under his orders were his old and tried companions and fellow sufferers in the former jour- ney — Dr. Kichardson and Lieutennnt Back, with Mr. E. N. Kendal, a mate in the navy, who had been out in the Griper with Capt. Lyon, and Mr. T. Drummond, a naturalist. Four boats, specially prepared for the pur- poses of the expedition, were sent out by the Hudson's Bay Company's ship. In July, 1825, the party arrived at Fort Chipewyan. It is unnecessary to go over the ground and follow them in their northern journey; suffice it to say, they reached Great Bear Lake in safety, and erected a winter dwell- ing on its western shore, to which the name of Fort Franklin was given. To Back* and Mr. Dease, an offi- cer in the Hudson's Bay Company's service, were in- trusted the arrangements for their winter quarters. From here a small party set out with Franklin down the Mackenzie to examine the state of the Polar Sea. On the 6th of September they got back to their com- panions, and prepared to pass the long winter of seven or eight months. On the 28th of June, 1826, the season being suffi- ciently advanced, and all their preparations completed, the wholfc party got away in four boats to descend the Mackenzie to the Polar Sea. Where the river branches oft* into several channels, the party separated on the 3d of July, »'Japtain Franklin and Lieutenant Back, with two bonlis and fourteen men, having with them the faithful Esquimaux interpreter, Augustus, who had been with them on the former expedition, proceeded to feanklin's 8EC0ND expp:dition. 139 the westward, while Dr. Kichardson and Mr. Kendal in the other two boats, having ten men under their command, set out in an easterly direction, to search the Coppermine River. Franlvlin arrived at the mouth of the Mackenzie on the 7th of July, where he encountered a large tribe of tierce Esquimaux, who pillaged his boats, and it was only by great caution, prudence and forbearance, that the whole party were not massacred. After getting the hoats afloat, and clear of these unpleasant visitors, Franklin pursued his survey, a most tedious and difii- cult one, for more than a month ; he was only able to reach a point in latitude 70° 24' N., longitude 149° 37' W., to which Back's name was given ; and here pru- dence obliged him to return, although, strangely enough, a boat from the Blossom was waiting not 160 miles west of his position to meet with him. The extent of coast surveyed was 374 miles. The return journey to Fort Franklin was safely accomplished, and they arrived at their house on the 31st of September, when they found Eichardson and Kendal had returned on the first of the month, having accomplished a voyage of about 500 miles, or 902 by the coast line, between the 4th of July and the 8th of August. They had pushed forward be- yond the strait named after their boats, the Dolphin and tin ion. In ascending the Coppermine, they had to abandon tlieir Ijoais and carry their provisions and baggage. Having passed another winter at Fort Franklin, as soon ^s tne season broke up the Canadians were dis- missed, and the party returned to England. The cold experienced in the last winter was intense, the thermometer standing at one time at 58° below zero, but having now plenty of food, a weather-tight dwell- ing, and good health, they passed it cheerfully, "f^r. Richardson gave a course of lectures on practical geol- ogy, and Mr. Drummond furnished information on natu- ral history. During the winter, in a solitary hut on the Rocky mountains, he managed to collect 200 specimens Df birds, animals, &c., and more than 1500 of plants. 9 F* c- f,'i I ' ■':P' i ill 111 140 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISOOVKRY. "When Captain Franklin left England to proceed on this expedition he had to nndergo a severe struggle between his feelings of aiiection and a sense of duty. His wife (he has been married twice) was then lying at the point of death, and indeed died the day after he left England. But with heroic fortitude she urged his departure at the very day appointed, entreating him, as he valued her i:)eace and his own glory, not to delay a moment on her account. His feelings, therefore, may be inferred, but not described, when he had to elevate on Garry Island a silk flag, which she had made and given him as a parting gift, with the instruction that he was only to hoist it on reaching the Polar Sea. iiiiii^! illift! Beechey's Yoyage. — 1826-28. H. M. SLOOP Blossom, 26, Captain F. W. Beechey, sailed from Spithead on the 19th of May, 1825, and her instructions directed her, after surveying some of the islands in the Pacific, to be in Behring's Straits by the summer or autumn of 1826, and contingently in that of 1827. It is foreign to my purpose here to allude to those parts of her voyage anterior to her arrival in the Straits. On the 28th of June tlie Bk>ssom came to an anchor off the town of Petropolowski, where she fell in with the Russian ship of war Modeste, under the commano of Baron AV^i-angel, so well known for his enterjDrise ir. the hazardous expedition by sledges over the ice to thf northward of Cape Shelatskoi, or Errinos. Captain Beechey here found dispatches informing him of the return of Parry's expedition. Being bese^ by currents and other difliculties, it was not till the Sth of July that the Blossom got clear of the harbor, and made the best of her way to Kotzebue Sound, reaching the a])pointed rendezvous at Chamiso Island on the 2oth. After landing and burying a barrel of flour upon Puffin Itock, the most unfrequented spot about tiie island, the Blossom occupied the time in surveying and examining BEECIIEY 8 VOYAGE. 141 the neighboring coasts to the northeast. On the 30th she took her departure from the island, erecting posts or land-marks, and bm'ying dispatches at Cape Krusen- stern, near a cape which he named after Franklin, near Icy Cape. The ship returned to the rendezvous on the evening of the 28th of August. The barrel of flour had been dug up and appropriated by the natives. On the first visit of one of these parties, they con- structed a chart of the coast upon the sand, of which, however. Captain Beechey at first took very little notice. " They, however, renewed their labor, and performed their work upon the sandy beach in a very ingenious and intelligible manner. The coast line was first marked out with a stick, and the distances regulated by the day's journey. The hills and ranges of mountains were next shoM n by elevations of sand or stone, and the islands represented by heaps of pebbles, their propor- tions being duly attended to. As the work proceeded, some of the bystanders occasionally suggested altera- tions, and Captain Beechey moved one of the Diomede Islands, which was misplaced. This was at first ob- jected to by the hydrographer, but one of the party recollecting that the islands were seen in one from Cape Prince of Wales, confirmed its new position and made the mistake quite evident to the others, who were much surprised that Captain Beechey should have any knowl- edge of the subject. When the mountains and islands were erected, the villages and fishing-stations were marked by a number of sticks placed upright, in imita- tion of those which are put up on the coast wherever these people fix their abode. In time, a complete hy- drographical plan was drawn from Cape Derby to Cape Krusen'tern. This ingenuity and accuracy of description on the part of the Esquimaux is worthy of particular remark, and has been verified by almost all the Arctic explorers. The barge which had been dispatched to the east- ward, under charge of Mr. Elson, reached to latitude 71° 23' 31'' N., and longitude 156° 21' 31" W., where in i.' p- ■}. "' < r vt-' i h ,■] ; W " ll i.l^i'N: 142 PROOBES8 OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY fihe was stopped by the ice which was attached to the shore. The farthest tongue of land they reached was named Point Barrow, and is about 126 miles northeast of Icy Cape, being only about 160 or 160 miles from Franklin's discoveries west of the Mackenzie river. The wind suddenly changing to southwest, the com- pact body of ice began to drift with the current to the northeast at the rate of three and a half miles an hour, and Mr. Elson, finding it difficult to avoid large floating masses of ice, was obliged to come to an anchor to pie- vent being driven back. " It was not long before he was so closely beset in the ice, that no clear water could be seen in any direction from the hills, and the ice continuing to press against the shore, his vessel was driven upon the beach, and there left upon her broad- side in a most help! ^ss condition ; and to add to his cheerless prospect ^he disposition of the natives, whom he found to increase in numbers as he advanced to the northward, was of a very doubtful character. At Point Barrow, where they were very numerous, their over- bearing behavior, and the thefts they openly prac- ticed, left no doubt of what would be the fate of his little crew, in the event of their falling into their power. They were in this dilemma several days, dur- ing which every endeavor was made to extricate the vessel but without effect, and Mr. Elson contemplated sinking her secretly in a lake that was near, to prevent her falling into the hands of the Esquimaux, and then making his way along the coast in a baidar, which he bad no doubt he should be able to purchase from the natives. At length, however, a change of wind loos- ened the ice, and after considerable labor and trial, in which the personal strength of the officers was united to that of the seamen, Mr. Elson, with his shipmates, fortimately succeeded in efiecting their escape. Captain Beechey was very anxious to remain in Kotzebue Sound until the end of October, the period named in his instructions, but the rapid approach of winter, the danger of being locked up, havi..g only five weeks' provisions left, and the nearest point at beechey's voyage. 143 which he could replenish being some 2000 miles dis- tant, induced his officers to concur with him in the necessity of leaving at once. A barrel of flour and other articles were buried on the sandy point of Cha- miso, for i ranklin, which it was hoped would escape the prying eyes of the natives. After a cruise to California, the Sandwich Islands, Loochoo, the Bonin Islands, &c., the Blossom returned to Chamiso Island on the 5th of July, 1827. They found the flour and dispatches they had left the pre- vious year unmolested. Lieut. Belcher was dispatched in the barge to explore the coast to the northward, and the ship followed her as soon as the wind permitted. On the 0th of September, when standing in for the northern shore of Kotzebue Sound, the ship drifting with the current took the ground on a sand-bank near Hotham Inlet, but the wind moderating, as the tide rose she went off the shoal apparently without injury. After this narrow escape from shipwreck they beat up to Chamiso Island, which they reached on the 10th of September. ITot finding the barge returned as ex- pected, the coast was scanned, and a signal of distress found flying on the southwest point of Choris Pen- insula, and two men waving a white cloth to attract notice. On landing, it was found that this party were the crew of the barge, which had been wrecked in Kot- zebue Sound, and three of the men were also lost. On the 29th a collision took place with the natives, which resulted in three of the seamen and four of the marines being wounded by arrows, and one of the na- tives killed by the return fire. After leaving advices for Franklin, as before, the Blossom finally left Chamiso on the 6th of October. In a haze and strong vind she ran between the land and a shoal, and a passage had to be forced through breakers at the imminent danger of the ship's striking. The Blossom then made the best of her way home, reaching England in the first week of October, 1828. i I . »ii (^ ?! If !!!.• 'i ii i- i: ' \ 'i'y' '..I li'llli!: :: i 144 PB0GKE8S OF ARCJriO DISCOVERY. Faeky's Fourth, or Polar Voyage, 1827. In 1826, Capt. Parry, who had only returned from his last voyage in the close of the preceding year, was much struck by the suggestions of Mr. Scoresby, in a paper read before the Wernerian Society, in which he sketched out a plan for reaching the highest latitudes of the Polar Sea, north of Spitzbergen, by means of sledge boats drawn over the smooth fields of ice which were known to prevail in those regions. Col. Beau- foy, F. R. S., had also suggested this idea some years previously. Comparing these with a similar plan orig- inally proposed by Captain Franklin, and which was placed in his hands by Mr. Barrow, the Secretary of the Admiralty, Capt. Parry laid his modified views of the feasibility of the project, and his willingness to un- dertake it, before Lord Melville, the First Lord of the Admiralty, who, after consulting with the President and Council of the Koyal Society, was pleased to sanc- tion the attempt ; accordingly, his old ship, the Hecla, was fitted out for the voyage to Spitzbergen, the fol- lowing officers, (all of whom had been with Parry be- fore,) and crew being appointed to her : — JSecla, Captain — "W. E. Parry. Lieutenants — J. C. Ross, Henry Foster, E. J. Bird, F. R. M. Crozier. Purser — James Halse. Surgeon — C. J. Beverley. On the 4th of April, 1827, the outfit and prepara- tions being completed, the Hecla left the Nore for the coast of l^orway, touching at Hammerfest, to embark eight reindeer, and some moss {Oenomyce rangiferiha) sufficient for their support, the consumption being about 4 lbs. per day, but they can go without food for several days. A tremendous gale of wind, experienced off Hakhiyt's Headland, and the quantity of ice with which the ship was in consequence beset, detained the voyagers for nearly a month, but on the 18th of June, PAKRY 8 FOUKTII VOYAGE. 145 a southerly wind dispersing the ice, they dropped anchor in n cove, on the northern coast of Spitzbergen, which appeared to offer a secure haven, and to which the name of the ship was given. On the 20th, the boats, which had been especially prepared in England for this kind of journey, were got out and made ready, and they left the ship on the 22d of June. A descrip- tion of these boats may not here be out of place. They were twenty feet long and seven broad, flat floored, like ferry boats, strengthened and made elas- tic by sheets of felt between the planking, covered with water-proof canvass. A runner attached to each side of the keel, adapted them for easy draught on the ice after the manner of a sledge. They were also fit- ted with wheels, to be used if deemed expedient and useful. Two officers and twelve men were attached to each boat, and they were named the Enterprise and Endeavor. The weight of each boat, including pro- visions and every requisite, was about 3780 lbs. Lieuts, Crozier and Foster were left on board, and Capt. Parry took with him in his boat Mr. Beverley, Surgeon, while Lieut, (now Capt. Sir James) Ross, and Lieut, (now Commander) Bird, had charge of the other. The reindeer and the wheels were given up as use- less, owing to the rough nature of the ice. Provisions for seventy-one days were taken — the daily allowance per man on the journey being 10 ozs. biscuit, 9 ozs. pemmican, 1 oz. sweetened cocoa powder (being enough to make a pint,) and one gill of rum ; but ecanty provision in such a climate, for men employed on severe labor ; three ounces of tobacco were also served out to each per week. As fuel was too bulky to transport, spirits of wine were consumed, which answered all the purposes re- quired, a pint twice a day being found sufficient to warm each vessel, when applied to an iron boiler by a shallow lamp with seven wicks. After floating the boats <br about eighty miles, they came to an unpleas- ant mixed surface of ice and water, where their toilsome journey commenced, the boats having to be laden and ■55 1 wKR if ', '■ i \ 1 ■ • ' 1 1 ji "^ ll 1 i (i? i * 1 M « ' ;||J >| sr i 1' /j <^ 4 ; « IT ^ '' ^' i >■ :• ] 8 ^> A '' i '■ « •-•) ' f 1 fTi -i ' ::ii : > C: '' ■ • •} !! •■"3 ' ■ .; *>tZ. ■ ' ' •*-K *^^. ^' i n^ '^'j \-^^ LT: '■■i " »^«.«, "-i "< J. ''■til ■; ■'; n 2;» ' ■ '^zi ^f ' 1' ^ < ; 1 ■• 1 Hi • 1 i 1 '||f -■ ' Pii* f ^M j ' Jl'l ^ ■ ' i i j:;L^ ■ 1 i f^' WinM I '.PtB^'A ^\ '. ^■mM i ^a^M 1 i ill sBm 146 rnOGRESS OF AEOTIO DISCOVERY. 'iiiii iiiiii: '■■ .1 ' i unladen several times according as they came to floea of ice or lanes of water, and they were drifted to the southward by the ice at the rate of fom* or five miles a day. Parry found it more advantageous to travel by night, the snow being then harder, and the inconven- ience of snow blindness being avoided, while the party enjoyed greater warmth during the period of rest, and had better opportunities of drying their clothes by the sun. I cannot do better than quote Parry's graphic de- scription of this novel course of proceeding: "Travel- ing by night, and sleeping by day, so completely in- verted the natural order of things that it was difficult to persuade ourselves of the reality. Even the officers and myself, who were all furnished with pocket chro- nometers, could not always bear in mind at what part of the twenty-hours we had arrived ; and there were several of the men who declared, and I believe truly, that they never knew night from day during the whole excursion. " When we rose in the evening, we commenced our day by prayers, after which we took off our fur sleep- ing-dresses and put on clothes for traveling ; the former being made of camlet lined with raccoon skin, and the latter of strong blue cloth. "We made a point of al- ways putting on the same stockings and boots for traveling in, whether they had been dried during the day or not, and I believe it was only in five or six in- stances at the mosj: that they were not either still wet or hard frozen. This indeed was of no consequence, beyond the discomfort of first putting them on in this state, as they were sure to be thoroughly wet in a quarter of an hour after commencing our journey; while, on the other hand, it was of vital importance to keep dry things for sleeping in. Being 'rigged' for traveling, we breakfasted upon warm cocoa and biscuit, and after stowing the things in the boats, and on the sledges, so as to secure them as much as pos- sible from wet, we set off on our day's journey, and usually traveled four, five, or even six hours, accord- iuir to circumstances." an( no( of Lit del ce ? PARTIY'8 FOURTH VOYAGE. 147 In five days, notwithstanding their perseverance and continued journeys, they found, by observation at noon, on tlie 30th, that they had only made eight miles of direct northing. At Walden Island, one of the Seven Islands, and Little Table Island, reserve supplies of provisions were deposited to fall back upon in case of necessity. In halting early in the morning for the purposes of rest, the boats were hauled up on the largest piece of ice that offered the least chance of breaking through, or of coming in contact with other masses, the snow or wet was cleaned out and the sails rigged as awnings. " Every man then immediately put on dry stockings and fur boots, after which we set about the necessary repairs of boats, sledges, or clothes, and after serving the provisions for the succeeding day, we went to sup- per. Most of the officers and men then smoked their pipes, which served to dry the boats and awnings very much, and usually raised the temperature of our lodg- ings 10° or 15°. This part of the twenty-four houra was often a time, and the only one, of real enjoyment to us ; the men told their stories, and fought all their battles o'er again, and the labors of the day, unsuccess- ful as they too often were, were forgotten. A regular watch was set during our resting time, to look out for bears, or for the ice creaking up round us, as well as to attend to the drying of the clothes, each man alter- nately taking this duty for one hour. "We then con- cluded our day with prayers, and having put on our fur dresses, lay down to sleep with a degree of comfort which perhaps few persons would imagine possible un- der such circumstances, our chief inconvenience being, that we were somewhat pinched for room, and there- fore obliged to stow rather closer than was quite agree- able." This close stowage may be imagined when it is re- membered that thirteen persons had to sleep in a boat seven feet broad. After sleeping about seven hours, they were roused from their slumbers by the sound of a bugle from the cook and watchman, which announced o ■—I ft! c:; :^: ■ •r. " i tt» 14 t ! ii' ; ! i ii!' I' A i^: 148 PKOOKEBS OF AltCTIC DISCOVKUY. I!! that their cocoa was smoking hot, and invited them to breakfast. Their progress was of the most tedious and toilsome character, heavy showers of rain rendering the ice on many occasions a mass of " slush ;" on others there was from six to eighteen inches of snow lying on the sur- face. Frequently the crew had to proceed on their hands and knees to secure a footing, and on one occa- sion they made such a snail-like progress that in two hours they only accomplished 150 yards. On the 12th of Jul^, they had reached the latitude of 82° 14' 28". After live hours' unceasing labor on the 14th, the pro- gress was but a mile and a half due north, though from three to four miles had been traversed, and ten at least walked, having made three journeys a great part of the way ; launched and hauled up the boats four times, and dragged them over twenty-five separate pieces of ice. On the 18th, after eleven hours of ac- tual labor, requiring for the most part the exertion of the whole strength of the party, they had traveled over 1 space not exceeding four miles, of which only two were made good. But on halting on the morning of the 20th, having by his reckoning accomplished six and a half miles in a N. N. W. direction, the distance traversed being ten miles and a half. Parry found to his mortification from observation at noon, that they were not Jive miles to the northward of their place at noon on the 17th, although they had certainly traveled twelve miles in that direction since then. On the 21st, a floe of ice on which they had lodged the boats and sledges, broke with their weight, and all went through with several of the crew, who, with the sledges were providentially saved. On the 23d, the farthest northerly point was reached, which was about 82° 45'. At noon on the 26th, the weather being clear, the meridian altitude of the sun was obtained, " by which," eays Parry, " we found ourselves in latitude 82° 40' 23", 60 that since our last observation (at midnight on tho 22( hal sot tra iiit( of PARRY 8 FOURTH VOIAOE. 149 22d,) we had lost by drift no less than thirteen and a halt' miles, for we wero now more than three miles to the Bonthward of that observation, though we had certainly traveled between ten and eleven, due north in this interval I Again, we were but one mile to the riorth of our place at noon on the 2l8t, though we had esti- mated our distance made good at twenty-three miles." After encountering every species of fatigue and dis- heartening obstacles, in peril of their lives almost every hour, Parry now became convinced that it was hope- less to pursue the journey any further, and he could not even reach the eighty-third parallel ; for after thir- ty-five days of continuous and most fatiguing drudg- ery, with half their resources expended, and the mid- dle of the season arrived, he found that the distance gained in their laborious traveling was lost by the drift and sea of the ice with the southerly current dur- ing the period of rest. After planting their ensigns and pennants on the 26th, and making it a day of rest on the 27th, the return to the southward was com- menced. Nothing particular occurred. Lieutenant Koss managed to bring down with his gun a fat she bear, which came to have a look at the boats, and af- ter gormandizing on its tlesh, an excess which may be excused considering it was the first fresh meat they had tasted for many a day, some symptoms of indi- gestion manifested themselves among the party. On the outward journey very little of animal life was seen. A passing gull, a solitary rotge, two seals, and a couple of tiies, were all that their eager eyes could detect. But on their return, these became more numerous. On the 8th of August, seven or eight nar- whals were seen, and not less than 200 rotges, a fiock of these little birds occuring in every hole of water. On the 11th, in latitude 81"^ 30', the sea war, found crowded with shrimps and other sea insects, on which numerous birds were feeding. On this day they took their last meal on the ice, being fifty miles distant from Table island, having accomplished in fiteen days what had taken them thirty-three to etiect on their outward "Sill ■—■I t: . -■;:•■ ■!li . IM m It' 1 1' ino IMtOOKESM OF ARCTIC DISCOVKRY. journev. On tho 12tli, they firrived at tluR iHlatul. Tho l)t'jirrt htid wulkoil oft' with tho reluv of hreml uliic'i had been depoaited there. To an inlet lyinfj; oft' 'JuhK- Island, and the most northern known land upon the globe, Parry gave the name of lloss, for " no mdivid- ual," he observes, " could have exerted himself more strenuously to rob it of this distinction." Putting to sea again, a storm obliged the boats to bear up for Walden Island. " Every thing belofigiiig to UB (says Captain Parry) was now comj^letely drenched by the spray and snow ; we had been fifty-six hours without rest, and forty-eight at work in the bouts, ro that by the time they were unloaded we had baruly strength left to haul them up on the rocks. However, by dint of great exertion, we managed to get the bouts above the surf ; after which a hot supper, a blazing fire of drift wood, and a few hours quiet rest, restored us." They finally reached the ship on the 2l8t of August, after sixty-one days' absence. " The distance traversed during this excursion was 6GD geographical miles ; but allowing for the times we had to return for our baggage, during the greater part of the journey over the ice, we estimated our actual traveling at 978 geographical, or 1127 statute miles. Considering our constant exposure to wet, cold, and fatigue, our stockings having generally been drenched in snow-water for twelve hours out of every twenty- four, I had great reason to be thankful for the excellent health in which, upon the whole, we reached the ship. There is little doubt that we had all become in a certain degree gradually weaker for some time past ; but only three men of our party now required medical care — two of them with badly swelled legs and general de Ivlity, and the other from a bruise, but even these three returned to their duty in a short time." In a letter from Sir W. E. Parry to Sir John Barrow, dated November 25, 1845, he thus suggests some im- provements on his old plan of proceedings : — " It is evident (he says) that the causes of failure in two I stutj tho diroi mere possi io rJ svhicl way, light ; pakuy's fourth voyage. 151 foriiier utfonipt, in the year 1827, were prlncipiiUy two : lii'Ht, and chieHy, the broken, rugjijeil, and Hotl Btute of tlic ice over which we traveled ; and secondlv, the drifting of the whole body of ice in a Boutherly direction. " My amended plan is, to f^o out with a single ship to Spitzbergen, just as we did in the Ilecla, but not so early in the season ; the object for that year being merely to find secure winter quarters as far north as possible. For this purpose it would only be necessary \o reach Hakluvt's Iicadland by the end of June, which would arford ample leisure for examining the more northern lands, especially about tlie Seven Islands, where, in all probability, a secure nook might be found tor the ship, and a starting point for the proposed ex- pedition, some forty or lifty miles in advance of the point where the Ilecla was before laid up. The winter might be usefully employed in various preparations for the journey, as well as in magnetic, astronomical, and meteorological observations, of high interest in that latitude. I propose that the expeditioTi should leave the ship in the course of the month of April, when the ice would present one hard and unbroken surface, over which, as I confidently believe, it would not be difficult to make good thirty miles per day, without any expo- sure to wet, and probably without snow blindness. At this season, too, the ice would probably be stationary, and thus the two great difficulties which we formerly had to encounter would be entirely obviated. It might form a part of the plan to push otit supplies previously, to the distance of 100 miles, to be taken up on the way, so as to commence the journey comparatively light ; and as the intention would be to complete the enterprise in the course of the month of May, before any disruption of the ice, or any material softening of the surface had taken place, similar supplies might be sent out to the same distance, to meet the party on their return." The late Sir John Barrow, in his last work, com- menting on this, says, " With all deference to so dia- ^n-i :l* H •II m.' ':i'- I lilt' 152 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. tingnished a sea officer, in posRession of so much expe- rience as Sir Edward Parry, there are others who express dislike of such a plan ; and it is not improba- ble that many will be disposed to come to the conclu- sion, that so long as the Greenland Seas are hampered with ice, so long as floes, and hummocks, and heavy masses, continue to be formed, so long as a determined southerly current prevails, so long will any attempt to carry out the plan in question, in like manner fail. No laborious drudgery will ever be able to conquer the opposing progress of the current and the ice. besides, it can hardly be doubted, this gallant officer will admit, on further consideration, that this unusual kind of dis- gusting and unseamanlike labor, is not precisely such as would be relished by the men ; and, it may be said, is not exactly fitted for a British man-of-war's-man ; moreover, that it required his own all-powerful example to make it even tolerable." Sir John therefore sug- gested a somewhat diiferent plan. He recommended that two small ships should be sent in the early spring along the western coast of Spitzbergen, where usually no impediment exists, as far up as 80°. They should take every opportunity of proceeding directly to the north, where, in about 82°, Parry has told us the large floes had disappeared, and the sea was found to be loaded only with looR.a, disconnected, small rj.asses of ice, through which ships would find no difficulty in sailing, though totally unfit for boats dragging ; and as this loose ice was drifting to the southward, he further says, that before the middle of August a ship might have sailed up to the latitude of 82°, almost withoni touching a piece of ice. It is not then unreasonable to expect that beyond that parallel, even as far as the pole itself, the sea would be free of ice, during the six summer months of perpetual sun, through each of the twenty-four hours ; which, with the aid of the current, would, in all probability, destroy and dissipate the polar ice. The distance from Hakluyt's Headland to the pole is GOO geographical miles. Granting the ships to make h.ad parry's fourth voyage. 153 liglit only twenty miles in twenty-four hours, (on the suppo- sition of much sailing ice to go through,) even in tliat case it would rer[uire but a month to enable the e ':- plorer to put his foot on the pivot or point of the axis on which the globe of the earth turns, remain there a month, if necessary, to obtain the sought-for informa- tion, and then, with a southerly current, a fortnight, probably less, would bring him back to Spitzbergen. * In a notice in the Quarterly Review of this, one of the most singular and perilous journeys of its kind ever undertaken, except perhaps that of Baron AVran- gell upon a blmilar enterprise to the northward of Behr- ing's Straits, it is observed, — "Let any one conceive for a moment the situation of two open boats, laden with seventy days' provisions and clothing for twenty- eight men, in the midst of a sea covered nearly with detached masses and floes of ice, over whicli these boats were to be dragged, sometimes up one side of a rugged mass, and down the other, sometimes across the lanes of water that separate them, frequently over a surface covered with deej) snow, or through pools of water. Let him bear in mind, that the men liad little or no chance of any other supply of provisions than that which they carried with them, calculated as just sufficient to P".stain life, and consider what their si^-ua- tion would have been in the event, by no means an improbable one, of losing any part of their scanty stock. Let any one try to imagine to himself a situa- tion of this kind, and he will still have but a faint idea of the exertions which the men under Captain Parry liad to make, and the sufferings and privations they had to undergo." Captain Parry having thus completed his fifth voy- age into the arctic regions, in four of which be com- manded, and was second in the other, it may here be desirable ^o give a recapitulation of his services. In 1818 he was appointed Lieutenant, commaiiding the Alexander, hired ship, as second ofiicer with his uncle, Commander John Koss. In 1819, still as Lieu- * Barrow's Voyages of Discoveiy, p. 316. Jgr } o ■S'^ " * o> i '**"j ' ft 5 ;-V .*;ti *•«• «.. i>f !«* :^. **-;. "<. rTi u,:. (y:. '■. *-^--,, *'•< "< 1-1 »--, > If 25* .' :C7 c 't: ■ c 1 1 1 m 154 PEOGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. tenant, he was appointed to command the Hecla, and to take charge of the second arctic expedition, on which service he was employed two years. On the 14th of November, 1820, ne was promoted to the rank of Commander. On the 19th of December, 1820, the Bedfordean Gold Medal of the Bath and West of England Society for the Encom*agement of Arts, Manutactures, and Commerce, was unanimously voted to him. On the 30th of December of that year, he was appointed to the Fury, with orders to take command of the expedi- tion to the Arctic Sea. With the sum of 600 guineas, subscribed for the purpose, " the Explorer of the Polar Sea " was afterward presented with a silver vase, highly embellished with devices emblematic of the arctic voyages. And on the 24th of March, 1821, the city of Bath presen^'^d its freedom to Captain Parry, in a box of oak, higL j and appropriately ornamented. On the 8th of November, 1821, he obtained his post' captain's rank. On the 22d of November, 1823, he was presented with the freedom of the city of Win- chester ; and, on the 1st of December, was appointed acting hydrographer to the Admiralty in the place of Captain Hina, deceased. In 1824 he was appointed to the Hecla, to proceed on another exploring voyage. On the 22d of November, 1825, Captain Parry was formally appointed hydrographer to the Admiralty, which office he continued to hold until the 10th of November, 1826. In December, 1825, he was voted the freedom of the borough of Lynn, in testimony of the high sense enter- tained by the corpoi ation of nis meritorious and enter prising conduct. In April, 1827, he once more took the command of his old ship, the Hecla, for another voyage of discovery toward the North Pole. On his return in the close of the year, having paid off the Hecla at Deptford, h^ resumed, on the 2d of November, his duties as hydro- grapher to the Admiralty, which office he held until ♦he 13th of May, 1829. Having received the lv«ior of SM^- of to of the ter- ter CAITAIN BOBS 8 SECOND VOYAGE. 156 knighthood, he then resigned in favor of the present Admiral Beaufort, and, obtaining permission from the Admiralty, proceeded to IS^ew South Wales as resident Commissioner to the Australian Agricultural Com pan}^, taking charge of their recently acquired large territory in the neighborhood of Port Stephen, lie returned from Australia in 1834. From the 7th of March, 1835, to the 3d of February, 1836, he acted as Poor Law Commissioner in Norfolk. Early in 1837, he was appointed to organize the Mail Packet Service, fhen transferred to the Admiralty, and afterward, in April, was appointed Controller of steam machinery to the Navy, which office he continued to hold up to De- cember, 1846. From that period to the present time he has filled the post of Captain Superintendent of the Royal Navy Hospital at Haslar. Captain John Ross's Second Yotage, 1829-33. In the year 1829, Capt. Ross, the pioneer of arctic exploration in the 19th century, being anxious once more to display his zeal and enterprise as well as to retrieve his nautical reputation from those unfortunate blunders and mistakes which had attached to his first voyage, and thus remove the cloud which had for nearly ten years hung over his professional character, endeavored without effect to induce the government to send him out to the Polar Seas in charge of another expedition. The Board of Admiralty of that day, in the spirit of retrenchment which pervaded their coun- cils, were, however, not disposed to recommend any further grant for research, even the Board of Longi- tude was abolished, and the boon of 20,000^. ottered by act of parliament for the promotion of arctic dis- covery, also withdrawn by a repeal of the act. Caiitain Ross, however, undaunted by the chilling indifference thus manifested toward his proposals by the Admiralty, still persevered, having devoted 3000//. out of his own funds toward the prosecution of the ob- ject he had in view. He was fortunate enough to 10 Q aa nil It 1 Pi fcl \ Isi; 1 156 PROGRESS OF AKOTIO DISCOVFRT. meet with a public-spirited and affluent coadjutoi And supporter in the late Sir Felix Booth, the eminen dis- tiller, and that gentleman nobly contributed 17^^)00^. toward the expenses. Captain Ross thereupon set to work, and purchased a small Liverpool steamer named the Victory, whose tonnage he increased to 150 tons. She was provisioned for three years. Captain Ross chose for his second in command his nephew, Com- mander James Ross, who had been with him on his first arctic expedition, and had subsequently accompa- nied Parry in all his voyages. The other officers of the vessel were — Mr. William Thom, purser ; Mr. George M'Diarmid, surgeon ; Thomas Blanky,Thos. Abernethy, and George Taylor, as 1st, 2d, and 3d, mates ; Alex- ander Brunton and Allen Macinnes as 1st and 2d engi- neers ; and nineteen petty officers and seamen ; making a complement in all of 28 men. The Admiralty furnished toward the purposes of the expedition a decked boat of sixteen tons, called the Krusenstern, and two boats which had been used by Franklin, with a stock of books and instruments. The vessel being reported ready for sea was visited and examined by the late King of the French, the Lords of the Admiralty, and other parties taking an interest in the expedition, and set sail from Woolwich on the 23d of May, 1829. For all practical purposes the steam machinery, on which the commander had greatly relied, was found on trial utterly useless. Having received much damage to her spars, in a severe gale, the ship put in to the Danish settlement of Holsteinbers:, on the Greenland coast, to refit, and to' ssUed again to the northward on the 26th of June. They found a clear sea, and even in the middle of Lan- caster Sound and Barrow's Strait perceived no traces of ice or snow, except what appeared on the lofty sum- mits of some of the mountains. The thermometer stood at 40°, and the weather was so mild that the officers dined in the cabin without a fire, with the skylight partially open. On the 10th of August they passed Ca])e York, and thence crossed over into Rc?gent InU * 11 1 " ' I OAPTAIN BOSS 8 SECOND VOYAGE. 167 making the western coast between Sepping's and Elwin Bay on the 16th. They here fell in with those formidable streams, packs, and floating bergs of ice which had offered such obstructions to Parry's ships. From their proximity to the magnetic pole, their compasses became useless as they proceeded southward. On the 13th they reached the spot where the Fury was abandoned, but no rem- nants of the vessel were to be seen. AH her sails, stores, and provisions, on land, were, however, found ; the hermetically-sealed tin canisters having kept the provisions from the attacks of bears ; and the flour, bread, wine, spirits, sugar, &c., proved as jgood, after being here four years, as on the first day they were packed. This store formed a very seasonable addition, which was freely made available, and after increasing their stock to two years and ten months' supply, they still left a large quantity for the wants of any future explorers. On the 15th, crossing Cresswell Bay, they reached Cape Garry, the farthest point which had been seen by Parry. They were here much inconvenienced and delayed by fogs and floating ice. While moun- tains of ice were tossing around them on every side, they were often forced to seek safety by mooring them- selves to these formidable masses, and drifting with them, sometimes forward, sometimes backward. In this manner on one occasion no less than nineteen miles were lost in a few hours ; at other times they under- went frequent and severe shocks, yet escaped any seri- ous damage. Captain Ross draws a lively picture of what a ves- sel endures in sailing among these moving hills. He reminds the reader that ice is stone, as solid as if it were granite ; and he bids him " imagine these moun- tains hurled through a narrow strait by a rapid tide, meeting with the noise of thunder, breaking from each other's precipices huge fragments, or rending each other asunder, till, losing their former equilibrium, they fell over headlong, lifting the sea around in break- ers and whirling it in eddies There is not a moment Co ti 1 t 1 - i i ) I Mil ; . I" 'I ! ! };■ it m i:-t t- l- 158 PE0GRES8 OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. In which it can be conjectured what will happen in the next ; there is not one which may nf^t be the last. The attention is troubled to fix on any thin/? amid such con fusion ; still must it be alive, that it may seize i.»n the single moment of help or escape which may occur Yet with all this, and it is the hardest task of all, there is nothing to be acted, — no effort to be made, — he must be patient, as if he were unconcerned or careless, waiting, as he best can, for the fate, be it what it may, which he cannot influence or avoid." Proceeding southward, Ross found Brentford Bay, about thirty miles beyond Cape Garry, to be of consid- erable extent, with some fine harbors. Landing here, the British 'colors were unfurled, and the coast, named after the promoter of the expedition, was taken posses- sion of in the name of the King. Extensive and com- modious harbors, named Ports Logan, Elizabeth, and Eclipse, were discovered, and a large bay, which was called Mary Jones Bay. By the end of September the ship had examined 300 miles of undiscovered coast The winter now set in with severity, huge masses of ice began to close around them, the thermometer sanl} many degrees below freezing point, and snow fell very thick. J3y sawing through the ice, the vessel was got into a secure position to pass the winter, in a station which is now named on the maps Felix Harbor. Tho nmchinery of the steam engine was done away with, the vessel housed, and every measure that could add to the comfort of the crew adopted. They had abundance of fuel, and provisions that might easily be extended to three years. On the 9th of January, 1831, they were visited by a large tribe of Esquimaux, who were better dressed and cleaner than those more to the northward. They dis- played an intimate acquaintance with the situation and Gearings of the country over which they had traveled, and two of them drew a very fair sketch of the neigh- boring coasts, with which they were familiar ; this was revised and corrected by a learned lady named Teriksin, — the females seeming, from this and former lill'Vll Vff' OAFfAIN ROSS S SECOND VOYAGE. 159 instances, to have a clear knowledge of the hydrography and geography of the continent, bays, straits, and riv- ers which they had once traversed. On the 6th of April, Commander Ross, with Mr. Blanky, the chief mate, and two Esquimaux guides, set out to explore a strait which was reported as lying to the westward, and which it was hoped might lead to the western sea. After a tedious and arduous journey, they arrived, on the third day, at a bay facing to the westward and discovered, further inland, an extensive lake, called by the natives Nie-tyle--.e, whence a broad river flowed into the bay. Their gu'.des informed them, however, there was no prospect of a water comunica- tion south of their present position. Capt: Ross then traced the coast fifty or sixty miles further south. Several journeys were also made by Commander Ross, both inland and along the bays and inlets. On the 1st < 'f May, from the top of a high hill, he observed a large inlet, which seemed to lead to the western sea. In order to satisfy himself on this point, he set out again on the 17th of May, with provisions for three weeks, eight dogs, and three companions. Having crossed the great middle lake of the isthmus, he reached his former station, and thence traced an inlet which was found to be the mouth of a river named by them Garry. From the high hill, they observed a chain of lakes lending almost to Thom's Bay, the Victory's sta- tion in Felix Harbor. Proceeding northwest along the coast, thov crossed the frozen surface of the strait which has since been nnmed after Sir James Ross, and came to a large island which was called Matty ; keeping along its northern shore, and passing over a narrow strait, which they named after Wellington, they found themselves on what was considered to be the main- land, but which the more recent discoveries of Simpson have shown to be an island, and which now bears the name of King William's Land. Still journeying on- ward, with difiiculties continually increasing, from heavy toil and severe privation, the dogs became ax- hausted with fatigue, and a burden rather than an aid to the travelers. {A ■ 1 f 'ri r:M ! > I p-»v '' / iiiil 160 PFiOGKKaS OB' ARCTIC DISCOVERY. One of their greatest embarrassments was, how to distinguish between land and sea. " When all is ice, and all one dazzling mass of white — when the surface of the sea itself is tossed up and fixed into rocks, while the land is, on the contrary, very often flat, it is not always so easy a problem as it might seem on a super- ficial view, to determine a face which appears in words to be extremely simple." Although their provisions began to fall short, and the party were nearly worn out, Commander Ross was most desirous of making as much western discovery as possible ; therefore, depos- iting every thing that could be dispensed with, he pushed on, on the 28th, with only four days' provisions, and reached Cape Felix, the most northern point of thib Island, on the following day. The con.s'c here cook tt southwest direction, and there was an unbounded ex- panse of ocean in view TLc next morning, after hav- ing traveled twenty miles farther, they reached a point, v'hich Koss railed Point Victory, situated in lat. 64* 46' 19'', long. 98° 32' 49", whiletothemof-t distant one in view, estimated to be in long. 99° 17' £8", he gave the name of Cape Franklin. However loath to turn back, yet prudence compelled them to do so, for as they had only ten days' short allowance of food, and more than 200 miles to traverse, there could not be a moment's h( itatior in adopting this step. A high cairn of stones was erected before leaving, in which wap deposited a narrative of their proceedings. The party endured much fatigue and suffering on their return journey ; of the eight dogs only two sur- vived, and the travelers in a most exhausted state ar- rived in the neighborhood of the large lakes on the 8th of June, where they fortunately fell in with a tribe of natives, who received them hospitably, and supplied theui plentifully with fish, so that after a day's rest they resumed their journey, and reached the ship on the 13th. Captain Ross in the meanwhile had made a partial survey of the Isthmus, and discovered another large lake, which he named after Lady Melville After eleven months' imprisonment their little ship . '^ ^ up CAPTAIN KVKBS »JKC()NI) VOYAOK. 161 once more floated bMoyant on the waves, having been released from iier ifv barrier on the ITth of September, but for the oext few days made but little progress, being beaten about among the icebergs, and driven hither and tl»7.ther by the currents. A change?! in the weather, however, took place, and on the 23d they were once more frozen in, the sea in a week after exhibiting one clear and unbroken surface. All October was passed in cutting through the ice into a more secure locality, and another dreary winter hav- ing set in, it became necessary to reduce the allowance of provisions. This winter was one of unparalleled severity, tl e thermometer falling 92° below freezing point. During the ensuing spring a variety of explo- ratory journeys were carried on, and in one of these Commander feoss succeeded in planting the British flag on the North Magnetic Pole. The position which had been usually assigned to this interesting spot by the learned of Europe, was lat. 70° N., and long. 98° 30' "W". ; but Ross, by careful observations, determined it to lie in lat. 70° 5' 17" N., and long. 96° 46' 45" W., to the southward of Cape Nikolai, on the western shore of Boothia. But it has since been found that the cen- ter of magnetic intensity is a movable point revolving within the frigid zone. " The place of the observatory," Ross remarks, " was as near to the magnetic pole as the limited means which I possessed enabled me to determine. The amount of the dip, as indicated by my dipping-needle, was 89° 69', being thus within one minute of the vertical ; while the proximity at least of this pole, if not its ac- tual existence where we stood, was further confirmed by the action, or rather by the total inaction, of the several horizontal needles then in my possession." Parry's observations placed it eleven minutes distant only irom the site determined by Ross. "As soon," continues Ross, "as I had satisfied my ovvU mind on the subject, I made known to the party this gratifying result of all our joint labors ; and it was then that, amidst mutual congratulations, we fixed the '■^ II 11' »■; i \'m If '4 ?ti '^ :• 162 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. British flag on the spot, and took possepsion of the North Magnetic Pole and its adjoining territory in the name of Great Britain and King William IV. AVe had abundance of materials for uiiilding in the frag- ments of limestone that covered the beach, and we therefore erected a cairn of some magnitude, iiiuU'r which we buried a canister containing u record of the interesting fact, only regretting that we had not the means of constructing a pyramid of more importance, and of strength sufficient to withstand the assaults of time and of the Esquimaux. Had it been a pyramid as large as that of Cheops, I am not quite sure that it would have done more than satisfy our ambition under the feelings of that exciting day." On the 28th of August, 1831, they contrived to warp the Victory out into the open sea, and made sail oa the following morning, but were soon beset with ice, as on the former occasion, being once more completely frozen in by the 27th of September. On the previous occasion their navigation had been three miles ; this year it extended to four. This pro- tracted detention in the ice made their present posi- tion one of great danger and peril. As there seemed no prospect of extracting their vessel, the resolution was come to of abandoning her, and making the best of their way up the inlet to Fury Beach, there to avail themselves of the boats, provisions, and stores, which would assist them in reaching Davis' Straits, where they might expect to fall in with one of the whale ships. On the 23d of April, 1832, having collected all that was useful and necessary, the expedition set out, drag- ging their provisions and boats over a vast expanse of rugged ice. "The loads being too heavy to be car- ried at once, made it necessary to go backward and forward twice, and even oftener, the same day. They had to encounter dreadful tempests of snow and drift, and to make several circuits in order to avoid impas- sable barriers. The general result was, that by the 12th of May they had traveled 329 miles to gain thirty i ,1'- s- OAPJAIN ROSa 8 6KCOMD VOYAGE. 163 in a direct line, having in this labor expended a month." After this preliminary movement, thev hade a farewell to their little vessel, nailing her colorH to the mast. Capt. Ross describes himself as deeply af- fected ; this being the first vessel he had been (tbliged to abandon of thirty-six in which he had served dur- ing the course of forty-two years. On the 9th of June, Commander Ross and two others, with a fortnight's provisions, left the main body, who were more heav- ily loaded, to ascertain the state of the boats and sup- plies at Fury Beach. Returning they met their com- rades on the 25th of June, 'reporting that they had found three of the boats washed away, but enough still left for their purpose, and all the provisions were in good condition. The remainder of the journey was accomplished by the whole party in a week, and on tb? Ist of July they reared a canvas mansion, to whuh they gave the name of Somerset House, and enjoyed a hearty meal. By the 1st of August the boats were rendered ser- viceable, and a considerable extent of open sea being visible, they set out, and after much buneting among the ice in their frail shallops, reached the mouth of the inlet by the end of August. After several fruit- less attempts to run along Barrow's Strait, the obstruc- tions of the ice obliged them to haul the boats on shore, and pitch their tents. Barrow's Strait was found, from repeated surveys, to be one impenetrable mass of ice. After lingering here till the third week in September, it was unanimously agreed that their only resource was to fall back on the stores at Fury Beach, and there ppend their fourth winter. Thev weie onlv able to ijet half the distance in the boats, which were hauled on shore in Batty Bay on the 24th of September, and the rest of their journey continued on foot, tlie pro- visions being dragged on sledges. On the 7th of Oc- tober they once more reached their home at the scene of the wreck. They now managed to shelter their canvas tent by a wall of snow, and setting up an ex- tra stove, made themselves tolerablv comfortable until G* V i .1:; is; '-•< 1 . 1 104 PB00RI<»8 OF ARCTIC DI8C0VKEY. the increasinf^ severity of the winter, and rigor of the cold, lidded to the tempestuous weather, made them perfect prisoners, and sorely tried their patience. Scurvy now bet^an to attack several of the party, and on the IGth of February, 1833, Thomas, the carpenter, fell a victim to it, and two others died. "Their situ- ation was becoming truly awful, since, if they were not liberated in the ensuing summer, little prospect appeared of their surviving another year. It waa necessary to make a reduction in the allowance of preserved meats; bread was somewhat deficient, and the stock of wine and ^irits was entirely exhausted. However, as they caught a few foxes, which were con- sidered a delicacy, and there was plenty of flour, sugar, soups, and vegetables, a diet could be easily arranged sufficient to support the party." While the ice remained lirm, advantage was taken of the spring to carry forward a stock of provisions to Batty Bay, and this, though only thirty -two miles, oc- cupied them a whole month, owing to their reduced numbers from sickness and heavy loads, with the jour- neyings to and fro, having to go over the ground eight times. On the 8th of July they finally abandoned this de- Sot, and encamped on the 12th at their boat station in latty Bay, where the aspect of the sea was watched with intense anxiety for more than a month. On the 15th of August, taking advantage of a lane of water which led to the northward, the party embarked, and on the following morning had got as far as the turn- ing point of their last year's expedition. Making their way slowly among the masses of ice with which the inlet was encumbered, on the 17th they found the wide expanse of Barrow's Strait open before them, and nav- iijable, and reached to within twelve miles of Cape York. Pushing on with renewed spirits, alternately rowing and sailing, on the night of the 25th they rested in a good harbor on the eastern shore of Navy Board Inlet. At four on the following morning they were roused from their slumbers by the joyful intelli- CAITAIN UUbHb BIlCOMD VOYAGE. 105 ^oncc of ft fillip hvlntr in sight, and never did men more liurricdly and energetically set out; but the ele- ments conspiring against tlieni, after being battled by calms and currents, they had the misery to see the ship leave them with a fair breeze, and found it im- possible to overtake her, or make themselves seen. A few hours later, however, their despair was lelieved by the sight of another vessel which was lying to in a calm. By dint of hard rowing they were this time more for tunate, and soon came up with her ; she proved to be the Isabella, of Hull, the very ship in which lioss had made his first voyage to these seas. Capt. Koss was told circumstantially of his own death, &c., two years previously, and he had some difficulty in convincing them that it was really he and his party who now stood before them. So great was the joy with which they were received, that the Isabella manned her yards, and her former commander and his gallant band of adventurers were saluted with three hearty cheers. The scene on board can scarcely be described ; each of the crew vied with the other in assisting and com- forting the party, and it cannot better be told than in Ross's own words : — " The ludicrous soon took place of all other feelings ; in such a crowd, and such confusion, all serious thought was impossible, while the new buoyancy of our spirits made us abundantly willing to be amused by the scene which now opened. Every man was hungry, and was to be fed ; all were ragged, and were to be clothed ; there was not one to whom washing was not indispen- sable, nor one whom his beard did not deprive of all human semblance. All, every thing too, was to be done at once : it was washing, shaving, dressing, eating, all intermingled ; it was all the materials of each jumbled together, while in the midst of all there were intermina- ble questions to be asked and answered on both sides ; the adventures of the Victory, o^r own escapes, the politics of England, and the news which was now four years old. " But all subsided into peace at last. The sick weie a?" *m.. til ^ i I M 'i ' m 166 PROORESS OF ARCTTIC DISCOVERT. accommodated, the seamen disposed of, and all waa done for us which care and kindness could perform. " Night at lengih brought qviiet and serious thoughts, and 1 trust there was not a man among us who did not then express, where it was due, his gratitude for that interposition wliich had raised us aU from a despair which none could now forget, and had brought us fruiii the very borders of a most distant grave, to life and friends and civilization. Long accustomed, however, to a cold bed on the hard snow or the bare rock, few could sleep amid the comfort of our new accommoda- tions. I was myself compelled to leave the bed wdiich had been kindly assigned me, and take my abode in a chair for the night, nor did it fare much better with the rest. It was for time to reconcile us to this sudden and violent change, to break through wdiat had become habit, and inure us once more to the usages of our former days." The Ist\bella remained some time longer to prosecute the fishery, and lett Davis' Strait on her homeward passage on the 30th September. On the 12th of Oc- tober they made the Orkney Islands, and arrived at Hull on the 18th. The bold explorers, who had long been given up as lost, were looked upon as men risen from the grave, and met and escorted by crowds of sympathizers. A public entertainment was given to tiiem by the townspeople, at which the freedom of the town was presented to Captain Koss., and next day he left for London, to report to the Admiralty, and was honored by a presentation to the king at Windsor. The Admiralty liberally rewarded all the parties, except indeed Captain Ross. Commander J. C. Ross was appointed to the guardship at Portsmouth to com- plete his period of service, and then received his post rank. Mr. Thorn^ the purser, Mr. M'Diarmid, the sur- geon, and the petty officers, were appointed to good situations in the navy. The seamen received the usual double pay r^iven to arciio explorers, up to the time of leaving their ship, and full pay from that date until their arrival in England. iiii: CAPTAIN K088 8 8EC0ND VOYAGE. 167 t Lies, loss !Oin- pOflt siir- :ood iiial imc iitil A committee of the House of Commons took up the case of Captain Ross early in the session of 1834, and ou their recommendation 5,000/. was granted him as a remuneration for his pecuniary outlay and privations. A baronetcy, on the recommendation of tlie suine committee, was also conferred by his Majesty William IV. on Mr. Felix Booth. In looking back on the results of this voyage, no im- partial inquirer can deny to Captain Ross the merit of having eftected much good by tracing and surveying the wliole of the long western coast of Regent Inlet, proving Boothia to be a peninsula, and setting at rest the probability of an}*^ navigable outlet being discovered from this inlet to the Polar Sea. The lakes, rivers and islands which were examined, proved with suthcient accuracy the correctness of the information furnished to Parry by tne Esquimaux. To Commander James Ross is due the credit of resolving many important scientific questions, such as the comoination of light with magnetism, fixing the exact position of the magnetic pole. He v/as also the only person in the expedition competent to make obser- vations in geology, natural history and botany. Out of about 700 miles of new land explored. Commander Ross, in the expeditions which he planned and con- ducted, discovered nearly 500. He had, up to this time, passed fourteen summers and eight winters in these seas. The late Sir John Barrow, in his " Narrative of Yoy- ftges of Discovery and Research,^' p. 518, in opposition to Ross's opinion, asserted that Boothia was not joined to the continent, but that they were "completely divi- ded by a navigable strait, ten miles wide and upward, leading past Back's Estuary, and into the Gulf (of Boothia,) of which the proper name is Akkolee, not Boothia ; and moreover, tnat the two seas flow as freely into each other as Lancaster Sound does into the Polar 8ea." This assumption has since been shown to be incorrect. Capt. Ross asserts there is a difierence in the level of these two seas. •—■I # 111! !'i- ! '^^^f y i^' 168 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOTERT. I! Il iiH:, I may here fitly take a review of Captain R«,48'8 ser- vicer. He entered the navy in 1790, served fifteen years as a midshipman, seven as a lieutenant, and seven as a commander, and was posted on the 7th of December, 1818, and appointed to the command of the first arctic expedition of this century. On his return he received many marks of favor from continental sovereigns, was knighted and made a Companion of the Bath on tlio 24th of December, 1834 ; made a Commander of the Sword of Sweden, a Knight of the Second Class of St Anne of Prussia (in diamonds,) Second Cla«;s of the Legion of Honor, and of the Red Eagle of Prussia, and of Leopold of Belgium. Received the royal premiuii from tho Geographical Society of London, in 1833, fo his discoveries in the arctic regions; also gold medal* from the Geographical Society of Paris, and the Royjvi Societies of Sweden, Austria, and Denmark. The fre^ dom of the cities of London, Liverpool, and Bristo) *, six gold snuff-boxes from Russia, Holland, Denmark Austria, London and Baden ; a sword valued at lOO guineas from the Patriotic Fund, for his sufferings, hav mg been wounded thirteen times in three different actions during the war ; and one of the value of 200/. from the King of Sweden, for service in the Baltic and the White Sea. On the 8th of March, 1839, he was appointed to the lucrative post of British consul at Stockholm, which he held for six years. Captain Back's Land Journi:y, 1833-35. Four years having elapsed without any tidings being received of Capt. Ross and his crew, it began to bo generally feared in England that they had been added to the number of former sufferers, in the prosecution of their arduous undertaking. Dr. Richardson, who nad himself undergone such frightful perils in the arctic regions with Franklin, was the first to call public attention to the subject, in a letter to the Geographical Society, in which he suggested a project for relieving them, if still alive and to be found ; CAPTAIN BACK S LAND JOURNEY. 169 at and Ht the bame time volunteered his services to the Colonial Secretary of the day, to conduct an exploring ""Si: Although the expedition of Capt. Ross was Tiot under- taken under the auspices of government, it became a national concern to ascertain the ultimate fate of it, and to make some eftbrt for the relief of the party, whose h'jme at that time might be the boisterous sea, or whose shelter the snow hut or the floating iceberg. Dr. Rich- irdson proposed to proceed from Hudson's Bay, in a northwest direction to Coronation Gulf, where he was to commence his search in an easterly direction. Pass- ing to the north, along the eastern side of this gulf, he would arrive at Point Turnagain, the eastern point of his own former discovery. Having accomplished this, he would continue his search toward the eastward until he reached Melville Island, thus perfecting geographical discovery in that quarter, and a continued coast line might be laid down from the Fury and Hecla Strait to Beechey Point, leaving only the small space between Franklin's discovery and that of the Blossom unexplored. The proposal was favorably received ; but owing to the political state of the country at the time, the oner was not accepted. A meeting was held in Kovember, 1832, at the rooms of the Horticultural Society, in Regent street, to obtain funds, and arrange for fitting out a private relief expe- dition, as the Admiralty and Government were unablo to do this ofiicially, in consequence of Captain Ross's expedition not being a public one. Sir George Cock- hurn took the chair, and justly observed that those offi- cers who devoted their time to the service of science, and braved in its pursuit the dangers of unknown and imgenial climates, demanded the sympathy and assist- » ,ce of all. Great Britain had taken the lead in geo- graphical discovery, and there was not one in this coun- try who did not feel pride and honor in the fame she had attained by the expeditions of Parry and Franklin ; hut if we wished to create future Parrvs and Franklins, if we wished to encourage British enterprise and com «^,./ ' I i iro PBOOBESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. age, we must prove that the officer who is out of eight of his countryuien is not forgotten ; that there is con- 6 deration for his sufferings, and appreciation of his spirit. This reflection will cheer him in the hour of trial, and will permit him, when surrounded by dangers and privations, to indulge in hope, the greatest blessing of man. Captain George Back, R. rT., who was in Italy when the subject was first mooted, hastened to England, and offered to lead the party, and his services were accepted. A subscription was entered into, to defray the necessary expenses, and upward of 6000/. was raised ; of this sum, at the recommendation of Lord Goderich, the then Secretary of State, the Treasury con- tributed 20001. After an interview with the king at Brighton, to which he was specially summoned, Captai" Back made prepa- rations for his journey, and laid down his plan of opera- tions. In order to facilitate his views, and give hiin greater authority over his men, special instructions and authority were issued by the Colonial Ofhce, and the Hudson's Bay Company granted him a commission in their service, and placed every assistance at his disposal throughout their territory in iN'orth America. Every thing being definitely arranged, Capt. Back, accompanied oy Dr. Kichard King as surgeon and natu- ralist, with three men who had been on the expedition with Franklin, left Liverpool on the 17th of February. 1833, in one of the New York packet ships, and arrived in America after a stormy passage of thirty-five days. He proceeded on to Montreal, where he had great diffi- culty in preventing two of the men from leaving him, as their hearts began to fail them at the prospect of the severe journey with its attendant difficulties, which they had to encounter. Four volunteers from the Royal Artillery corps here joined him, and some voyageurs having been engaged, the party left, in two canoes, on the 25th of April. Two of his party deserted from him in the Ottawa river. On the 28th of June, having obtained his comple- ment of men, he may be said to have commenced his u CAPTAIN back's LAND JOURXEY. 171 journey. They siiiFered dreadfully from myriads of 6:;nd-tlies and musquitoes, being so disfigured by their attacks that their features could scarcely be recognized. Horse-flies, appro2:)riately styled " bull-dogs," were an- other dreadful pest, which pertinaciously gorged them- selves, like the leech, until they seemed ready to burst. " It is in vain to attempt" to defend yourself against these puny bloodsuckers ; though you crush thousands of them, tens of thousands arise to avenge the death of their companions, and you very soon discover that the conflict which you are waging is one in which you are sure to be defeated. So great at last are the pains and fatigue in buffeting away this attacking force, that in despair you throw yourself, half sufltbcated, in a blanket, with your face upon the ground, and snatch a few min- utes of sleepless rest." Oapt. Back adds that the vig- orous and unintermitting assaults of these tormenting pests conveyed the moral lesson of man's helplessness, since, with all our boasted strength, we are unable to repel these feeble atoms of creation. " How," he says, " can I possibly give an idea of the torment we endured from the sand-flies? As we divided into the confined and suftbcating chasms, or waded through the close swamps, they rose in clouds, actually darkening the air ; to see or to s])eak was equally difficult, for they rushed at every undefended part, and fixed their poisonous fangs in an instant. Our faces streamed with blood, as if leeches had been applied, and there was a burning and irritating pain, followed by immediate inflamma- tion, and producing giddiness, which almost drove us mad, and caused us to moan with pain and agony. At the Pine portage. Captain Back engaged the Services of A. R. McLeod, in the employ of tne Hud- son's Bay Company, and who had been fixed upon by Governor Simpson, to aid the expedition. He was accompanied by his wife, three children, and a ser- vant; and had just returned from the Mackenzie River, with a large cargo of furs. The whole family were at- tached to the party, and after some detentions of a general and unimportant character they arrived at 11 •-•< • ii • f I 1 172 PROOBE8S OF A^IiCTilO DISCOVERY. im ■* l! if Si I I Fort Chipewyan on the 20th of July. Fort Resoui tion, on Great Slave Lake, was reached on the 8tli of August. The odd assemblage of goods and voyageurs in their encampment are thus graphically described by the traveler, as he glanced around him. " At my feet was a rolled bundle in oil-cloth, con- taining some three blankets, called a bed ; near it a piece of dried buffalo, fancifully ornamented with long blfick hairs, v^hich no art, alaa, can prevent from insin- uating themselves between the teeth, as you laboriously masticate thei tough, hard flesh; then a tolerably clean napkin, spread by way of table-cloth, on a red piece of canvas, and iBupporting a tea-pot, some biscuits, and a salt-cellar ; near this a tin plate, close by a square kind of box or safe of the same material, rich with a pale, greasy hair, the produce of the colony at Red Kiver ; and the last, the far-renowned ^cm?nica/i, unquestion- ably the best food of the country for expeditions such as ours. Behind me were two boxes containing astro- nomical instruments, and a sextant lying on the ground, while the diflferent corners of the tent were occupied by a washing apparatus, a gun, an Indian shot-ponch, bags, basins, and an unhappy-looking japanned pot, whose melancholy bumps and hollows seemed to re- proach me for many a bruise endured upon the rocks and portages between Montreal and Lake Winnipeck. Nor were my crew less motley than the furniture of the tent. It consisted of an Englishman, a man from Stornaway, two Canadians, two Metifs or half-breeds, and three Iroquois Indians. Babel could not have pro- duced a worse confusion of unharmonious sounds than was the conversation they kept up." Having obtained at Fort Resolution all possible in- formation, from the Indians and others, relative to the course of the northern rivers of which he was in search, he divided his crew into two parties, five of whom were left IS an escort for M**. McLeod, and four were to ac- company himself in search of the Great Fish River, since approprfately named after Back himself. "^r CAl'TAIN IJACaC S LAND JOURNET. 173 On the 19th of August they began the ascent of the Hoar Frost River, whose course was a series of the most fearful cascades and rapids. The woods hero were so thick as to render them almost impervious consisting chiefly of stunted firs, which occasioned in finite trouble to the party to force their way through added to which, they had to clamber over fallen trees through rivulets, and over bogs and swamps, until tho difficulties appeared so appalling, 9'\ almost to dis- hearten the party from prosecuting their journey. Tho heart of Captain Back was, however, of too stern a cast to be dispirited by difficulties, at which less persever '.ng explorers would have turned away discomfited, and cheering on his men, like a bold and gallant leader, the first in the advance of danger, they arrived at length in an open space, where they rested for awhile to recruit their exhausted strength. The place was, indeed, one of barrenness and desolation ; crag was piled upon crag to the height of 2000 feet from tlie base, aid tho course of the river here, in a state of contraction, was marked by an uninterrupted line of foam. However great tho beauty of the scenery may be, and however resolute may be the will, severe toil will at length relax the spirits, and bring a kind of despon- dency upon a heart naturally bold and undaunted. This was found particularly the case now with the intei'pre- ter, who became a dead weight upon the party. Rapid now succeeded rapid ; scarcely had they surmounted one fall than another presented itself, rising like an am- phitlieater before them to the height of fifty feet. They, however, gained at length the ascent of this turbulent and unfriendly river, the romantic beauty and wild scenery of which were strikingly grand, and after pass ing successively a series of portages, rapids, falls, lakes, and rivers, on the 27th Back observed from the summit of a high hill a very large lake full of deep bays and islands, and which has been nanied Aylmer Lake, after the Governor-General of Canada at that time. The boat was sent out with three men to search for the lake, or outlet of the river, which they discovered on the eec- ZX) KZ t:: .\ < ir4 PROORF-SS OF ARCTIC DISCOS' Ell Y. !i ox\(\ day, and Captain Back himself, during tlieir ah- senco, also accidentally discovered its source in the Sand Hill Lake, not far from his encampment. Not prouder was Bruce when he stood on the green sod which covers the source of the Nile, than was Captain Back when he found that he was standing at the source of a river, the existence of which was known, but the course of which was a problem, no traveler had yet ven- tured to solve. Yielcling to that pleasurable emotion which discoverers, in the first bound of their transport, may be pardoned for indulging. Back tells us he threw himself down on the bank and drank a hearty draught of the limv'd water. "For this occasion," ho addfc). "I hpd reserved a lit- tle grog, and need hardly s:.j v it :* \ j;at cheerfulness it w%T,s sliared among the crew, wiiose v ^ ^ome tidings had verified the notion of Dr. Richardson and myself, and thus placed beyond doubt the existence of the Thlew-ee-choh, or Great Fish River. On the 30th of August, they began to move toward the river, but on reaching Musk-ox Lake, it was found impossible to stand the force of the rapids in their frail canoe, and as winter was approaching, their return to the rendezvous on Slave Lake was determined on. At Clinton Colden Lake, some Indians visited them from the Chief Akaitcho, who, it will be remembered, was the guide of Sir John Franklin. Two of these In- dians remembered Captain Back, one having accom- panied him to the Coppermine River, on Franklin's first expedition. At the Cat or Artillery Lake, they had to abandon their canoe, and perform the rest of the journey on foot over precipitous rocks, through frightful gorges and ra- vines, heaped with masses of granite, and along narrow ledges, where a false step womd have been fatal. At Fort Reliance, the party found Mr. McLeod had, di^ring their absence, erected the frame-work of a com- fortable residence for them, and all hands set to work to complete it. After many obstacles and difficulties, it was tinished. CAll'AIN BACK'S LAND JOURNEY. 17i Dr. Kinff joined them on the IGth of September, with fwo lacU'H Diiteaux. On tlie 5th of Novemher, they exchanged tlieir cold tents for the nev7 house, whicli was fifty feet long hy thirty broad, and contained four rooms, besides a spa- cious hall ill the center, for tho reception and accom- modation Ot ae Indians, to which a sort of rude kitchen was attachti . As the '^ nter advanced, bands of starving Indians continued t- arri\ e, in the hope of obtaining some re- lift! as Htthj or nothing wa" to be procured by hunting. They would stand around while the men were taking their meals, watching every mouthful with the most longing, imploring look, but yet never uttered a com- plaint. At other times they would, seated round the fire, oc- cupy themselves in roasting and devouring small bits of their reindeer garments, which, even when entire, afforded them a very insutiicient protection against a temperature of 102° below freezing point. The sufferings of the poor Indians at this period are described .s frightful. " Famine with her gaunt and bony arm,'^' says Back, " pursued them at every turn, withered their energies, and strewed them lifeless on the cold bosom of the snow." It was impossible to afford relief out of their scanty store to all, but even small portions of the mouldy pemmican intended for the dogs, unpalatable as it was, was gladly received, and saved many from perishing. " Often," adds Back, " did I share my own plate with the children whose helpless state and piteous cries were peculiarly distress- ing ; compassion for the full-grown may, or may not, be felt, but that heart must be cased in steel which is insensible to the cry of a child for food." At this critical juncture, Akaitcho made his appear- ance with an opportune supply of a little meat, which in some measure enabled Captain Back to relieve the sufferers around him, many of whom, to his gieat de- light, went away with Akaitcho. The stock of meat was soon exhausted, and thoy hud to open their pern- hi I ',;• I I 176 PROOHESS OF AROnO DISCOVERT. m ['■ mican. The officers contented themselves with the ebort supply of half a pound a day, but the laboring men could not do with less than a pound and three- quarters. The cold now set in with an inteuKity which Ca])tain Back had never before experienced, — the ther- mometer, on tlie 17th of Januarv, being 70° below zero. " Such indeed, (he says,) was the abstraction of heat, tluit with eight large logs of dry wood on the iire, I could not get the thermometer higher than 12° below zero. Ink and paint froze. The sextant cases and boxes of seasoned wood, principally fir, all split. The skin of the hands became dry, cracked and opened into unsightly and smarting gashes, which we were obliged to anoint with grease. On one occasion, atler washing my face within three feet of the fire, my hair was actually clotted with ice before I had time to dry it." The hunters sufiered severely from the intensity of ^he cold, and compared the sensation of handling their guns to that of touching red-hot iron, and so excessive was the pain, that they were obliged to wrap thongs of leather round the triggers to keep their fingers trom coming into contact with the steel. The sufierings which the party now endured were great, and had it not been for the exemplary conduct of Akaitcho in procuring them game, it is to be doubted whether any would have survived to tell the misery they had endured. The sentiments of this worthy sav age were nobly expressed -r-" The great chief trusts in us, and it is better that ten Indians perish, than that one white man should perish through our negligence and breach of faith." On the 14th of February, Mr. McLeod and his family removed to a place half way between the fort and the Indians, in order to facilitate their own support, and assist in procuring food by hunting. His situation, however, became soon one of the greatest embarrass- ment, he and his family being surrounded by difficul- ties, privations, and deaths. Six of the natives near him sank under the horrors of starvation, and Akaitchc and his hunters were twelve days' march distant. vi I CAITAIN BACK'S LAND JOURNEY. 177 Toward the end of April, Capt. Back began to make arrangements for constructing boats for prosecuting tho expedition once more, and while so employed, on the 25th a messenger arrived with the gratityin|j intelli- irence, that Capt. Ross had arrived safely m England, fonfirmation of which, was afforded in extracts frum the Times and Herald^ and letters from the long lost adventurers themselves. Their feelings at tliese glad tidings are thus described : — " In the fullness of our hearts we assembled together, and humbly offered up our thanks to that merciful Providence, who in tho beautiful language of scripture hath said, ' Mine own will I bring a^^am, as I did sometime from the deeps of the sea.' Trie thought of so wonderful a preserva- tion overpowered for a time the common occurrences of life. We had just sat down to breakfast ; but our appetite was gone, and the day was passed in a fever- ish state of excitement. Seldom, indeed, did my friend Mr. King or I indulge in a libation, but on this joyful occasion economy was forgotten ; a treat was given to the men, and for ourselves the social sympathies were quickened by a generous bowl of punch." Capt. Back's former interpreter, Augustus, hearing that he was in the country, set out on foot from Hudson's Bay to join him, but getting separated from his two companions, the gallant little fellow was either exhausted by suffer- ing and privations, or, caught in the midst of an open traverse, in one of those terrible snow storms which may be f aid to blow almost through the frame, he had Bunk to lise no more, his bleached remains being dis- covered not far from the Riviere a Jean. " Such," says Capt. Back, " was the miserable end of poor Au- gustus, a faithful, disinterested, kind-hearted creature, who had won the regard, not of myself only, but I may add, of Sir J. Franklin and Dr. Richardson also, by qualities which, wherever found, in the lowest as iu the highest forms of social life, are the ornament and charm of humanity." On the 7th of June, all the preparations being com- l^eted, McLeod having been previously sent on to hunt, % ■■ - » m ...;ii! 1 , 1 1' I \. H I f 178 PROOUK38 OF AKCriO DISCOVERr. and deposit csisks of meat nt various stagca, Back set out with Mr. King, accompanied by four voyagers and an Indian guide. The stores not required were buried, and the doons and windows of the liouso blockcMl up. At Artillery Lake, Back picked up the renuiinder of his i)arty, with the carpenters who had been em l)lt)yed preparing boats. The liglitest and best was chosen and jilaced on ruiniers phited with iron, and in this manner she was drawn over the ice by two men and six fine dogs. The eastern siiore of the hike was fol- lowed, as it was found less rocky and precipitous than tlie oj)posito one. The march was prosecuted by night, the air being more fresh and pleasant, and the i)arty took rest in the day. The glare of the ice, the ditii- culty encountered in getting the boat along, the ice be- ing so bad that the spikes of the runners cut through instead of sliding over it, and the thick snow which fell in June, greatly increased the labor of getting along. The cold, raw wind pierced through them in spite of cloaks and blankets. After being caulked, the boat was launched on the 14th of June, the lake being suf- ficiently unobstructed to admit of her being towed along shore. The weather now became exceedingly unpleasant — hail, snow, and rain, pelted them one after the other for some time without respite, and then only yielded to squalls that overturned the boat. With alternate spells and baitings to rest, they however, gradually advanced on the traverse, and were really making considerable progress when pelting showers of sleet and drift so dimmed and confused the sight, dark- ening the atmosphere, and limiting their view to only a few paces before them, as to render it an extrc:aely perplexing task to keep their course. On the 23d of June, they fortunately fell in with a cache made for them by their avant-couriei\ Mr. Mc- Leod, in which was a seasonable supply of deer and musk-ox flesh, the latter, however, so impregnjited with tlse odor from which it takes its name, that the men de- clared tliey would rather starve three days than swal low a mouthful of it. To remove this unfavorable inl- and CAFFAIN UAC;iv8 LAM) JOUUNET. 170 )0 prcBsion, Capt. J>ack ordered tlic daily rations !o Ik Berved tVoni it tor liis own mess as well as theirs, tak ini]f occasion at the fcanie time, to imnress on their minds tlie injnrioUH consecjnences of voluntary ahstineuee, and the necessity of accommodating tiieir tastes to Biicli food as the conntry mif^ht supply. Soon after an- other cacJii' was met with, thus njaking eleven animaU in all, that had hi'cn thus obtained and secured for them by the kind care of Mr. McLeod. On the 27th, they reached Sandy Hill Bay, where tliey found Mr. McLeod encamped. On the 2Sth, the boat being too frail to be dragged over the portage, about a quarter of a mih^ in length, was carried bodily by the crew, and launched safely in the Thlew-ee-choli or Fish River. After crossing the portage beyond Mnsk-ox Rapid, about four miles in length, and having all his ]iarty together. Captain liack took a survey of his provisions for the three months of operations, m nich he tound to consist of two boxes of maccaroni, a case of cocoa, twenty-seven bags of ]iemmican of about SO l])s. each, and a keg w'ith two gallons of rum. This ho considered an adequate supjily if all turned out sound and good. The ditKculty, however, of transj)orting a weiglit of 5000 lbs, over ice and rocks, by a circuitous route of full 200 miles, may be easily conceived, not to mention the pain endured in walking on st)me parts where the ice formed innumerable spikes that pierced like needles, and in other places where it was so black and decayed, that it threatened at every step to engulf the adventurous traveler. These and similar difficul ties could only be overcome by the most steady perse verance, and the most determined resolution. Among the group of dark figures huddled together in the Indian encampinent around them, Capt. Back found his old acquaintance, the Indian beauty of whom mention is made in Sir John Franklin's narrative un- der the name of Green ^♦■ockings. Although sur- rounded with a family, with one urchin in l»er cloak clinging to her back, and several other maternal ac- iompanimcnts, Capt. Back immediately recognized I . •:;Ji- • ^' ti ^ ;'Mt 18C PROGRESS OF AKClIU DISCOVERY, (I: her, and called her by he/ name, at which she laughed, aiul said she was an old woman -'.ow, and bfggect that she might be relieved by the " medicine man " for she was very much out of health. However, notwithstand- ing all this, she was still the beauty of her tribe, and with that consciousness which belongs to all belles, sav- age or polite, she seemed by no means displeased wh^jii Back sketijhed her portrait. Mr. McLeod was now sent back, taking with him ton persons and fourteen dogs. His instructions were to proceed to Fort Resolution for the stores expected to he sent there by the Hudson's Bay Company, to build a house in some good locality, for a permanent Ushin^^ station, and to be again on tne banks of the Fish liivor by the middle of September, to afford Back and his party any assistance or relief they might require. Tlie old Indian chief Akaitcho, hearing from the in- terprv'ti'r that Capt. Back was in his immediate neigli- borliood, said, "I have known the chief a long time, and I am afraid I shall never see him again ; I will go to him." On his arrival he cautioned Back against the dangers of a river which he distinctly told him the present race of Indians knew nothing of. He also warned him against the treachery of tlie Esquimaux, which he said was always masked under the guise of friendship, observing they would attack him when he least expected it. " I am afraid," continued the good old chief, " that I shall never see you again ; but should you escape from tlie great water, take care you are not caught by the v/inter, and thrown into a situation like that in which you were on your return from the Cop ])ennine, for you are alone, and the Indians cannot assist you." The carpenters, with an Iroquois, not being further required, were dismissed to join Mr. McLeod, and on the 8th of July they proceeded down the river. The boat was now launched and laden with her cargo, which, together with ten persons, she stowed well enough for a smooth river, but not for a lake or sea wav. The wt'iirht was calculated at 8nno Ihs., exclusive of thii awniiit):, polos, sails, &c.. and the crew. CAPTAIN back's LAND JOURNEY. 181 Their progress to the sea was now one continued suc- tfussion of (lant^erous and formidable falls, rapids, and cataracts, whiclifi'equently made Back hold his breath, ex])ecting to see the boat clashed to shivers agi-inst some protruding rocks amidst the foam and fury at tlic foot of a rapid. The only wonder is how in their frail leaky boat they ever shot one of the rapids. Rapid alter raj^id, and fall after fall, were passed, each accompa- nied with more or less danger ; and in one instance the built was only saved by all Lands jumping into the breakers, and keeping her stern up the stream, until she was cleared from a rock that had brought her up. They had hardly time to get into their places again, wlien they were carried with considerable velocity past a river which joined from the westward. After passing no less than five rapids within the distance of three miles, they came to one long and appalling one, full of rocks and large boulders ; the sides hemmed in by a wall of ice, and the current flying with the veluo ity and force of a torrent. The boat was lightened of her cargo, and Capt. Back placed himself on a high rock, with an anxious desire to see her run the rapid, lie had every hope which confidence in the judgment and dexterity of his principal men could inspire, but it was impossible not to feel that one crash would be fatal to the expedition. Away they went with the speed of an arrow, and in a moment the foam and rocks hid them from view. Back at last heard what sounded in his ear like a wild shriek, and he saw Dr. King, who was a hundred yards before him, make a sign with his gun, and then run forward. Back followed with an agitation which may be easily conceived, when to his inexpressible joy he found that the shriek was tlie tri umphant whoop of the crew, who had landed sMfely in a small bay beiow. For nearly one hundred miles of the distance they were impeded by these frightful whirl pools, and strong and heavy rapids. On opening one of their bags ot pemmican, tlie in ojenuity of the Indians at pilfering was discovered, sue eessivc layers of mixed sand, stones, and green mea f '•' 2 ! • ' i» •P 'i ii \ ■ 182 PKOGBESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. having been artfully and cleverly substituted for the dry meat. Fearful that they might be carrying heaps of stone instead of provision, Back had to examiim carefully the remainder, which were all found sountl and well-tasted. lie began to fear, from the inclination of the river at one time toward the south, that it would bo found to discharge itself in Chesterfield Inlet, in Hudson's Bay, but subsequently, to his great joy, it took a direct course toward the north, and liis hopes of reaching the Polar Sea were revived. The river now led into several large lakes, some studded with islands, which were named successively after Sir H. Pelly, and Mr. Garry, of the Hudson's Bay Company ; two others were named Lake Macdougall and Lake Franklin. On the 28th of July, thev fell in with a tribe of about thirty-five very friendly Esquimaux, who aided them in transporting their boat over the last long and steep Sortage, to which his men were utterly unequal, and lack justly remarks, to their kind assistance he is mainly indebted fur getting to the sea at all. It was late when they got awav, and while threading their course between some sand-banks with a stroujj; current, they first caught siglit of a majestic headland in the extreme distance to the north, which had n coast-like appearance. This important promontory, Back subsequently named after our gracious Queeu, then Princess Victoria. " This, then," observes Back, " may be considered as the mouth of the Thlew-ee-choh, which after a violent and tortuous course of 530 geographical miles, runnino; through an iron-ribbed country, without a single troo on the whole line of its banks, expanding into tivo large lakes, with clear horizon, most embarrassing to tlie navigator, and broken into falls, cascades, and raj)- ids, to the number of eighty-three in the whole, ])our8 its water into the Polar Sea, in bit. fJT" 11' N., and lon<^'. 94° 30' AV., that is to say, about thirty-seven niiU's more south than the Cop])ennino IMver, and nineteen miles more south than tlnit of Back's River, (of Frank lin,) at the lower extrem'ty of BathnrsiV Inlet." h i CAPTAIN BACK 8 LAND JOURNEY. 183 For several days Back was able to make but slow progress along the eastern shore, in consequence of the Bolia body of drift-ice. A barren, rocky elevation of 800 feet high, was named Cape Beaufort, after the present hydrographer to the Admiralty. A bluff point on the eastern sicie of the estuary, which he considered to be the northern extreme, he named Cape Hay. Dean and Simpson, however, in 1839, traced the shore much beyond this. The difficulties met with here, be- gan to dispirit the men. For a woek or ten days they hud a continuation of wet, chiliy, foggy weather, and Ihe only vegetation, fern and moss, was so wet that it would not burn ; being thus without fuel, during this time they had but one hot meal. Almost without water, without anv means of warmth, or any kind of warm or comfortmg food, sinking knee-deep, as tliey ])roceeded on land, in tlie soft slush and snow, no won- der that some of the best men, benumbed in their limbs and dispirited by the dreary and unpromising prospect before them, broke out for a moment, in low murmur- iiigs, that theirs was a hard and jiainful duty. Captain Back found it utterly impossible to proceed, as ho had intended, to tlic Point Turnagain of Franklin, and after vainly essaying a land expedition by three of the best walkers, and these having returned, after mak- ing ])ut fifteen miles' way, in consequence of the heavy rains and the swamj^y nature oi the ground, he came to the resolution of returning. Reflecting, he says, on the long and dangerous stream thev had to ascend combining all the bad features of the worst rivers in the country, the hazard of the falls and the rapids, and the slender hope which remained of their attaining even a single mile further, he felt he had no choice. Assembling, therefore, the men around him, and un- furling the Jlritish flag, which was saluted with three cheers, he announced to them this determination. The latitude of this place was 08" 13' 57" N., and longitude 94-° 58' 1" W. The extreme point seen to tlie north- ward on the western side of the estiiary, in latitude 08° 40' N., longitude 00° 20' W., Back named Cape Rich- .•- flu. 1:3 :> •i .4 ♦t; } 3 184 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. ardson. The spirits of many of the men, whose health had suffered greatly for want of warm and nourishinfy food, now brightened, and they set to work with alac- rity to prepare for their return journey. The boat be- ing dragged across, was brought to the place of their foi-mer station, atler which the crew went back four miles for their baggage. The whole was safely con- veyed over before the evening, when the water-casks were broken up to make a fire to warm a kettle of cocoa, the second hot meal they had had for nine days. On the 15th of August, they managed to make their way about twenty nnles, on their return to the south- ward, through a breach in the ice, till they came to open water. The dilHculties of the river wore doubled in the ascent, from having to proceed against the stream. All the obstacles of rocks, nipids, sand-banks, and long portages had to be faced. In some days as many as sixteen or twenty rapids were ascended. They found, as they proceeded, tliat many of the deposits of pro- visions, on which they relied, had been discovered and destroyed by wolves. On the IGth of Septembei*, tliey met Mr. McLeod and his party, who had been several days at Sand Hill l>i'y, waiting for them. On the 24tli, they reached the Ah-hel-dessy, where they met with some Indians. They were ultimately stopped by one most formidable perpendicular fall, and as it was found im})ossible to convey the boat further over so rugged and mountainous a country, most of the declivities of which were coated with thin ice, and the whole hidden by snow, it was here abandoned, and the party pro- ceeded tiie rest of the journey on foot, each laden with a pack of about 75 lbs. weight. Late on the 27th of September, they arrived at their old liabitation. Fort Reliance, after being absent nearly four months, w^earied i^^xleed, but " truly grateful for the mnnifold mercies they had experienced in the cournc of their long and perilous journey." Arrange- ments wen^ now made to pass the winter as comforta- l)ly as their neans would ])ermit, and as there was no |)r(>bability liuit Li:ej 3 would Le sufiieient food in the J. i«*i.. Hi • f I'll |)ro- OAFfAIN BACKS LAND JOUKNEY. 185 house for the consumption of the whole party, all ex- cept six were sent with Mr. McLeod to the fisheries. The Indians brought them provisions from time tu time, and their friend Akaitcho, with his foll||^r8, though not very successful in hunting, was ndHR'anting in his contributions. This old diieftain \np, however, no longer the same active and important personage he had been in the daye when he renderea such good service to Sir John Franklin. Old age and infirmities were creeping on him and rendering him peevish and tickle. On the 2l8t of March following, having left direc- tions with Dr. King to proceed, at the ]>r()per soMson, to the Company's factory at Hudson's Bay, to embark for England in their spring ships, Captain Back set out on his return through Canada, calling at the Fishe- ries to bid farewell to his esteemed frienci, Mr. McLeod, and arriving at the Norway House on the 24th, where he settled and arranged the accounts due for stores, (fee, to the Hudson's Bay Company. He proceeded thence to New York, embarked for England, and ar- rived at Liverpool on the 8th of September, after an abserce of two years and a half. Back was honored with an audience of his Majesty, who expressed his ajv probation of his efforts — first in tlie cause of human- ity, and next in that of geographical and scientific re- search. He has since been knighted ; and in 1835, the Koyal Geographical Society awarded him their gold medal, (the Boyal premium,) for his discovery of the Great Fish River, and navigating it to the sea on the arctic coast. Dr. King, with the remainder of the party, (eight men,") reached England, in the Hudson's Bay Com- pany's ship, in the following month, October. Of Captain Back's travels it has been justly observed tliat it is impossible to rise from the perusal of them witliout being struck with astonishment at the extent of pufibringp which the liumun frame can endure, siiid ;it tlie Piinie time the wondrous displry of fortitude which was exhil)ited under circumstances of so appalling a nature, [1 • N i : t > ^ «■■«! J » ^^1 186 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC PISCO VEST. ;J as to invest the narrative with the character of a roman- tic fiction, rather than an unexaggerated tale of actual reality, lie, however, snftercd not despair nor dospuii- dency to overcome him, but gallantly and undauntedly pursued his course, until ho returned to his native laiul to add to the number of those noble spirits whoso names will be carried to posterity as the brightest ornaments to the country which gave them birth. Captain Back's Voyage of the Terror. In the year 1836, Captain Back, who had only re- tunK3d the previous autumn, at the recommendation of the Geographical Society, undertook a voyage in the Terror up Hudson's Strait. He was to reach Wager River, or Repulse Bay, and to make an overland journey, to examine the bottom of Prince Regent's Inlet, sending other parties to the north and west to examine the Strait of the Fury and llecla, and to reach, if possible, Franklin's Point Turn- again. Leaving England on the 14th of June, he arrived on the 14th of August at Salisbury Island, and proceeded up the Frozen Strait ; off Cape Comfort the ship got frozen in, and on tlie breaking u]3 of the ice by one of tliose frequent convulsions, the vessel was drifted right up tlie Frozen Channel, grinding large heaps that op- posed lier progress to powder. From December to March she was driven about by the furv of the storms and ice, all attempts to release lier being utterly powerless. She thus floated till tlie loth of July, and for three days was on lier beam-ends ; but on the 14tli she suddenly righted. Tlie crazy vessel with her gaping wounds was scarcely able to transport the crew across the stormy waters of the Atlantic, but the return voyage which was rendered absolutely neccs- saiT, was fortunately accomplished safely. I shall now give a concise summary of Captain Sir George Back's arctic services, so as to present it more rcadilv to the reader: were sei DBASE AND SIMPSON S DISCOVERIES. 187 In 1818 he was Admiralty Mate on board the Trent. ,inder Franklin. In 1819 he again accorr.]..anied him on his first overland jonrney, and was with him in all those perilons sufterings whicli are elsewhere narrated. He was also as a Lieutenant with Franklin on liis sec- ond journey in 1825. Having been in the interval ]n'o- iiioted to the rank of Commander, he proceeded, in 18o3, accompanied hy Dr. King and a party, througli Nortii- ern America to the Polar Sea, in search of Captain John lloss. He was posted on the 30th of September, 1835, and appointed in the following year to the com- mand of the Terror, for a voyage of discovery in Hud- son's Bay. Messrs. Dease and Simpson's Discoveries. In 1836 the Hudson's Bay Company resolved upon undertaking the completion of the survey of the north ern coast of their territories, forming the shores of Arctic America, and small portions of which were left undetermined between the discoveries of Captains Back and Franklin. They commissioned to this task two of their officei*s, Mr. Thomas Simpson and Mr. Peter Warren Dease, who were sent out witii a party of twelve men from the com pany's chief fort, with proper aid and nppliunecs. De- scendinj; the Mackenzie to the sea, thev reached and surveyed in July, 18G7, the remainder of the western ])nrt of the coast left unexamir.ed by Fiuvnklin in 1.S25, tVuni his Retm-n Reef to Cape Barrow, where the Bios sum's boats turned l^ack. Proceeding on from Return Reef two new rivers were discovered, — tlie Garry and the Culville; the hitter more than a thousand miles in length. Although it was the height of summer, the ground was found frozen several inclies below the surface, the spray froze un tlie oars and rigging of their boat<, and the ice lay smooth and solid in the bays, as in the depth of winter. On the 4th of Auirust. having left the boats and ])ro needed on by bind, Mr. Simpson arriv(»d at Elson Bay 12 H* •■f^*- f., m i^ u- <r <*:> '*• .„.| ii< n '■.■ u fi ... ^.f ^' t- s *■: ':> ?.: ".} ■•■ '■ i N. i t Ill Hll . ' i: " H IftS PROORKflfl OF AROTIO DISCOVERY. V wliich point Licutoiiaut Elson had retirhod in tlio IMos- BOin's \n\r<ro in 182(5. The j>!irt y >u)\v retunicd to winter lit Fort (confidence, on (treat Boar Lake, whence they were instructed to prosecute their search to the eastward next season, and to coninuuiicato if possiblo with Sir George Back's expedition. Tliey left their winter quarters on the Oth of Jinie, 1838, and descended Dease'H River. They found tiie Coppermine Kiver much swollen l>y floods, and encuni- btred with masses of floatini^ ice. Tlie rapids they iiad to pass were very ])erilou8, as nniy bo inferred from the following graphic description: — "Wo had to pull for our lives to keep out of the suc- tion of the precipices, along whoso base the bieakcrs raged and foamed with overwhelming fury. SluMtiy betore noon, we came in sight of Escape Rapid of Franklin ; and a glance at the overhanging clilf told us that there was no alternative but to run down with a full cargo. In an instant," continues Mr. Simpson, " we were in the vortex ; and before we were aware, iny l)oat v/ns Vorne toward an isolated rock, which the boilino surge almost concealed. To clear it on the outside wa^ no longer p.;ssible ; our only chance of safety was to run between it and the lofty eastern cliiT. The word was passed, and every breath was hushed. A stream which dashed down u])on us over the brow of the ])reci pice more than a hund ed feet in height, mingled with the spray that whirled upward from the rapid, forminj^ a terrific shower-bath. The pass was al)out eight feet wide, and the error of a single foot on either side wouhl hove been instant destruction. As, guided by Sinclair's consummate skill, the boat shot safely through those jaws of death, an involuntary clieer arose. (3ur next impulse was to turn round to view the fate of our coni- raaea behind. They had profited by the peril we in- curred, and kept without the treacherous rock in time." On the Ist of July they readied the sea, and en- camped at tlie mouth of the river, where tliey waited for tlie opening of the ice till the 17th. They doubled (! "' ** -■ , DKAfiE AND SIMPnON 8 DIB. OVRUIEH. 189 ('ape Burrow, one of the iiortlicrn points oi' 15utliur8t'8 InU't, on the 2l)tli, l)ut wiTCf priivcintu^l crosKJng tlu; inlet hy the continuity of the ice, and ol)li;^c(l to niukc a ciVcnit of nearly 150 niili'H hy Arctic Sound. Some very pure spcciinenH of copper ore were found on one of tlic Hurry IsIuikIh. A'ttM* doulilin<^ (.'ape Flinders on the Dth of August, thi; bouts \v(M'e urre8te(| by the ice in u little Imy to which the name of Jioat lluven was given, .sitiuite about thret? miles from Frank- lin's farthest. Here the boats lingered for the bcit part of a month, in utter hopelessness. Mr. Simj)son pushed on therefore on the 2<)tli, with an ex])loring party i»r* seven men, provitsionod for ten days. On the tirst (hiy they i)a88ed l\)int Turnuguin, the limit of Frank- lin's survey in 1821. On the ii;kl th(\v had reached an elevatiMl cape, with lund apparently closing all round to the northward, so that it was feared they had only been traversing the coast of a huge l)ay. ]3ut the ])erseveranco of the adventurous explorer was fully re- warded. "With bitter diFappointinent," writes Mr. Simpson, '^ I ascended the height, fron^. whence a vast and splen- did prospect burst sudch^nly upon me. The sea, as if transformed by enchantment, rolled its fierce waves at mv feet, and beyond the reach of vision to the eastward, Islands of various shape and size overspread its surface ; and the northern land teiminated to the eye in a bold and lofly cape, bearing c^ast northeast, thirty or forty- miles distant, "while the continental coast trended away southeast. I stood, in fact, on a remurkuble headland, at the eastern outhitof an ice-obstructed strait. On the extensive land to the northward I l)estowed the name of our most gracious sovereign Queen Victoria. Its eastern visible extremity 1 calhnl Cape Pelly, in com- pliment to the governor of Hudson's liay Company." Having readied the limits which prudence, dictated in the face of the long journey back to the boats, many of his men too being lame, Mr. Simpson retraced his Bteps, and the party reached Bout-haven on the 20th of August, having traced nearly 14'> miles of new coast. 1 • ••!». •—J 4,: '■ i t • : k !< \H I n \\4 t ICO PROGRESS OF AUCTIO DISCOVERY. I* &, TIio boats wore cut out of tJieir icy prifion, and com menoctl their rt'-ascfiit ot'tlie Co])i)enuiiio on the JJtl oi Bei)t«inher. At its juuctioii with the Kendal liiver tlie^? left tiieir boats, and shouldering their i)ack8, tra\'crse(l the barren grounds, and arrived at their residence ou the Mm by the 14th of September. The following season these persevering explorers com- menced their third voyage. Thcv reached the Llooily Fall on the 22d ofJune, 1839, and occupied themselves for a week in carefully examining Kichardson's Iliver, which was discovered in the previous year, and dis- charges itself in the head of Hack's Inlet. On the ;{d of July tliey reached Capo Barrow, and from its rocky lieights were surprised to observe Coronation (iulf almost clear of ice, while on their former visit it could have been crossed on foot. They were at Ca])o Franklin a month earlier than Ml S'uij-son readied it on foot the previous year, and doubled Cape Alexander, the northernmost capo in this quarter, on the 28th of July, after encountering a vio- lent gale. They coasted the huge bay extending for about nine degrees eastward from this jxiint, being fa- vored with clear weather, and protected by the various islands they met from the crushing state of the ice drifted from seaward. On the 10th of August they opened a strait about ten miles wide at each extremity, but narrowing to four or live miles in the center. This strait, which divides the nniin-land from Boothia, has been called Simpson'n Strait. On the IStliof Augmt tl.eyhad passed Kichardson's Point and doubled roint Ogle, the furthest point of Back's journey in 1834. By the 16th they had reached Montreal Island in Back's Estuary, where they found a deposit <»f pro- visions which Captain Back had left there that day five years. The pemmican was unfit for use, but out of several pounds of chocolate half decayed the men con- trived to pick Bufhcient to nuike a kettleful acceptable drink in honor of tho occasion. Tiicro were also a tin DEASB AND SIMl'SON B DmCOVKltlhlS. 191 cape find a few fis]i-lionl<<5, of M-liich, ohscrvos Mr. SiiMi)S(m, " i\ri'. rX'iiso 1111(1 I took posscssitm, as iirmmo- rials of our luivinnj l)ivakfasti'(l on tlio \'ery spot wIuto the tent of our ixallant, tlionirli less siicccv-isful precursor stood tliat vi'rv (lav fivo voars before. J>y the 'Jotli of Aui^Uht they had reached ua far as Aberdeen Island to the eastward, from wliich they liad a view of an apparently largo gulf, corresponding with that which had been so correctly described to Parry by the intelligent Esquimaux female as Akkolee. From a mountainous ridge about three miles inland a view of In. id in the northeast was obtained supj^osed to be one of the southern ])romontories of IJoothia. High and distant islands stretching irom K. to E. N. K. (probably some in Committee l^ay) were seen, and two considerable ones were noted far out in tht; otHng. Kemcni'it'riiig the length and ditlicultv of their return route, tl. • explorers now retraced their steps. On their return Vv)yage they traced sixty miles of tiie south coast oflioothiu, where at one time they were not more than ninety miles from the site of the magnetic pole, as de- termined by Cai)tain Sir James C. Koss. On the '2.5th of August they erected a high cairn at their faithest point, near Cape Ilerschel. About 150 miles of the high, bold shores of Victoria Land, as far as Capo Parry, w^re alpo examined ; Welling: on, Cambridge, and Byron Bays being sur- veyed and accurately laid down. Tliey tlien stretched ncro83 C ironation Oulf, and re-entered the Coj)per- inine Kiver on the ICth of Sei^tember. Abandoning hero one of their boats, with the re- iiiiiins of their useless stores and other arti-les not iHupiired, they ascended the river and reacht 1 Fort (yontidence on the 24th of September, after one of the longest and most successful boat voyages ever per- formed on the Polar Sea, having traversed more than 1600 miles of sea. In 183'3, before the intelligenco of this last trip had been received, Mr. Simpson was presented by the Koyal Geographical Society of London with the ,1 V. I if ■!,« :^r :. t>.. f >■> rMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) fe «// /q 1.0 11.25 |jo '■^" IIbh '■ Ki 112.2 :!f U4 u f.-^i 1.4 2.0 ME 1.6 X-V^ 7 Photographic Sciences Corporation V ^v ^ <.1>^ k c\ \ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 o^ /^%<%^ ' <.. ^^: &/ ^ ^ :\ \ 0^ 192 PKOGlil^SS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. ^liii I Founder's Gold Medal, for discovering and tracing in 1837 and 1838 about 300 miles of the arctic shores ; but the voyage which I have just recorded has added greatly to the laurels which he and his bold compan- ions have achieved. Dk. John Kae's Land Expedition, 1846-47. Although a little out of its chronological order, I give Dr. Rae's exploring trip before I proceed to no- tice Franklin's last voyage, and the different relief expeditions that have been sent out during the past two years. In 1846 the Hudson's Company dispatched an ex- pedition of thirteen persons, under the command of Dr. John Rae, for the purpose of surveying the unex- plored portion of the arctic coast at the northeastej'n angle of the American continent between Dease and Simpson's farthest, and the Strait of the Fury and Hecla. The expedition left Fort Churchill, in Hudson's Bay, on the 5th of July, 1846, and returned in safety to York Factory on the 6tli September in the follow- ing year, after having, by traveling over ice and snow in the spring, traced the coast all the way from the Lord Mayor's Bay of Sir John Ross to within eiojlit or ten miles of the Fury and Hecla Strait, thus prov- ing that eminent navigator to have been correct in stating Boothia to be a peninsula. On the 15th of July the boats first fell in with the ice, about ten miles north of Cape Fullerton, and it was so heavy and closely packed that they were obliged to take shelter in a deep and narrow inlet that opportunely presented itself, where they w^ere closed up two days. On the 22d the party reached the most southerly opening of Wager River or Bay, but were detained the w^hole day by the immense quantities of heavy ice driving in and out with the flood and ebb of the tide, which ran at the rate of eight miles an hour, forcing up ii, 11' 1 PR. JOHN liAES LAUD EXPEDITION. 193 the ice and grinding it agfiinst the rocks witli a noise like thunder. On the night of the 24th the boats ancht)red at tlie he-id ot'tlie Repulse Bay. Tlie follow- ing day they anchored in Gibson's Cove, on the banks of which they met with a small party of Esqnimanx ; several of the women wore beads round their wrists, which t!iey had obtained from Ca[)tain Pari-y's ship when at Igloolik and Winter Island. But they had neither heaid nor seen anything of Sir John Franklin. Learniu": from a chait drawn bv one of the natives, that the isthmus of Alolville peninsula was only about forty miles across, and i-hat of this, owing to a number of large lakes, but five miles of land would have to be passed over, Dr. Rae determined to make his way over this neck in preference to proceedii^g by Fox's Channel through the Fujy and Hecla Strait. One boat was therefore laid up with her cargo in security, and with the other the party set out, assisted by three Esquimaux. After traversing several large lakes, and crossing over six " portages," on the 2d of August they got into the salt water, in Committee Bay, but being able to make but little progress to the northwest, in consequence of heavy gales and closely packed ice, he returned to his starting point, and made preparations for wintering, it being found impossible to proceed with the survey at that time. The other boat was brought across the isthmus, and all hands were set to work in making preparations for a long and cold y inter. As no wood was to be had, stones were collected to build a house, which was finished by the 2d of Sep- tember. Its dimensions were twenty feet by fourteen, and about eight feet high. The roof was formed of oil-cloths and morse-skin coverings, the masts and oars of the boats serving as rafters, while the door was made of parchment skins stretched over a wooden frame. The deer had already commenced mijrrating south- ward, but whenever he hvx] leisure. Dr. Rae shoul- dered his rifle, and had frequently good success, ehoot- .'a^wS^ ■ 'i: /:> I"' -s t 1* , ""mV- J "-tr ■ I ' ■ il I I ' * \U H} ! t m ^H 194 PKOORE88 OF ARCTIC DI800VKRT. ing on OTie day seven deer within two miles of then encMinpineiit. On tlie 16th of October, the thennometer fell to zero, and the greater part of the reindeer had j)assed ; but the party liad by this time shot 130, and (lining the remainder of October, and in Nox-ember, thirty- two more were killed, &o that with 200 partridges and a few salmon, their snow-built larder was pretty well stocked. Sufficient fuel liad been collected to last, with econ- omy, for cooking, until the spring; and a couple of seals which had been shot ])i'oduced oil enough fur their lamps. By nets set in the lakes under the ice, a few salmon were also caught. After passing a very stormy winter, with the tem- perature occasionally 47° below freezing point, and often an allowance of but one meal a day, toward the end of February preparatic ^s for resuming their sur- veys in the spring were made. Sleds, similar to those used by the natives, were constructed. In the begin- ning of March the reindeer began to migrate north- ward, but were very shy. One was shot on the 11th. Dr. Rae set out on the 5th of April, in company with three men and two Esquimaux as interpreters, their provisions and bedding being drawn on sleds by four dogs. Nothing worthy of notice occurs in this exploratory trip, till on the 18th Rae came in sight of Lord Mayor's Bay, and the group of islands with which it is studded. The isthmus which connects the hind to the northward with Boothia, he found to be only about a mile broad. On their return tlie party fortunately fell in with four Esquimaux, from wliom they obtained n quantity of seal's blubber for fuel and dog's food, and some of the flesh and blood for their own use, enougli to maintain them for six davs on half allowance. All the party were more or less affected with snow blindness, but arrived at their winter quarters in Ke- pulse Bay on the 5th of May, all safe and well, but as black as negroes, from the combined effects of frost- bites and oil smoke. On starte west carrie Bei thawii wei'e blank( Ha^ long., they 1 turn b and F of Ma Thoma well, b shot ar were p their si "Oi the mo exercis the Avh merrily inches - alio wan Ontl their er twenty- to woi'k the boa up on tl winter and sto 31st of , A gr£ Hudson bad thu of 1 ch ,« nd ■ nit ; el] 1 111 ml g»' nw [le- 1 as ^ >st- 1 DB. JOHN KAE's LAI«) EXPEDITION. 195 On the evening of tlie IStli May, Dr. Tlae again started with a clio>en party of foiii* men, to trace the west shore of Melville peninsula. Each of the men carried about TO lbs. weight. Being unable to obtiiin a drop of water of nature's thawing, and fuel being ratlier a scarce article, tliey wei'e obliged to take small kettles of snow under the blankets with them, to thaw by the heat of the body. Having reached to about 69° 42' N. lat., and 85° 8' long., and their provisions being nearly exhausted, they were obliged, much to their disappointment, to turn back, when only within a few miles of the Ilecla and Fury Strait. Early on the morning of the 30th of May, the party arrived at their snow hut on Cape Thomas Simpson. The men they had left there were well, but verv thin, as thev had neither caug-ht nor shot any thing eatable, except two marmots, and they were preparing to cook a j)iece of parchment skin for their supper. " Our journey," says Dr. Kae, " hitherto had been the most fatiguing I had ever experienced ; the severe exercise, with a limited allowance of food, had reduced the whole party very much. However, we marched merrily on, tightening our belts — mine came in six inches — the men vowing that when they got on full allowance, they would make U]) for lost time." On the morning of the 9th of June, they arrived at their encampment in Kepulse Bay, after being absent twenty-seven days. The w^hole party then set actively to work procuring food, collecting fuel, and preparing the boats for sea; and the ice in the bay having broken up on the 11th of August, on the 12th they left their winter quarters, and after encountering head winds and stormy weather, reached Churchill Biver on the 31st of August. A gratuity of 400Z. was awarded o Mr. Bae, by the Hudson's Bay Company, for the * 'iportant services he had thus rendered to the cause i' science. J "■ «■ j!-'. Z* H, M^i 'li :k 'xj;'.''' «| V r.. 1 ■ I i»;j 196 PROGRESS OF ARUTIC DISCOVERY. Captain Sir John Franklin's Last Expedition* 1845-51. That Sir John Franklin, now nearly six years ab- sent, is alive, we dare not affirm ; but that his ships should be so utterly annihilated that no trace of them can be discovered, or if they have been so entirely lost, that not a single life should have been saved to relate the disaster, and that no traces of the crew or vessels should have been met with by the Esquimaux, or the exploring parties who have visited and investi- gated those coasts, and bays, and inlets to so consid- erable an extent, is a most extraordinary circumstance. It is the general belief of those officers who have served in the former arctic expeditions, that whatever accident may have befallen the Erebus and Terror, they cannot wholly have disappeared from those seas, and that some traces of their fate, if not some living remnant of their crews, must eventually reward the search of the diligent investigator. It is possible that tliey may be found in quarters the least expected. There is still reason, then, for hojpe^ and for the great and honorable exertions which that divine spark in the soul has prompted and still keeps alive. "There is something," says the Athenaeum, "in- tensely interesting in the picture of those dreary seas amid whose strange and unspeakable solitudes our lost countrymen are, or have been, somewhere imprisoned for so many years, swarming with the human life that is risked to set them free. JSTo haunt was ever so ex- citing — so full of a wild grandeur and a profound patlios — as that w^hich had just aroused the arctic echoes ; that wherein their brothers and companions have been beating for the track by which they may rescue tlie lost mariners from the icy grasp of the Ge- ;.ius of the North. Fancy these men in their adaman tine prison, wherever it may bo, — chained up by the polar spirit whom they had dared, — lingering through years of cold and darkness on the stinted ration that scarcely feeds the blood, and the feeble hope that FJjAMa,UN s LAar expedition. 197 scarcely sustains the heart, — and then imagine the rusli of emotions to greet the first cry tV'^u mat wild hunting ground which should reach th>;.i ears! Through many summers has that cry '.jeen listened for, no doubt. Sometliing like an expectation of the rescue which it sliould announce has revived with each returning sea- son of comparative light, to die of its own baffled in- tensity as the long dark months once more settled down upon their dreary prison-house. — There is scarcely a doubt that the track being now struck, these long- pining hearts may be traced to their lair. But what to f)ie anxious questioning which has year by year gone forth in search of their fate, will be the answer now revealed ? The trail is found, — but what of the weary feet that made it? We are not willing needlessly to alarm the public sympathies, which have been so gene- rously stirred on behalf of the missing men, — but we are bound to warn our readers against too sanguine an entertainment of the hope which the first tidings of the recent discovery is calculated to suggest. It is scarcely possible that the provisions which are sufficient for three years, and adaptable for four, can by any economy which implies less than starvation have been spread over five, — and scarcely probable that they can have been made to do so by the help of any accidents which the place of confinement supplied. We cannot hear of this sudden discovery of traces of the vanished crews as living men, without a wish v/hich comes 'ike a pan^ that it had been two years ago — or even ast year. It makes the heart sore to think how close re ^ef may have been to their hiding-place in former yef.rs — when it turned away. There is scarcely reason to doubt that had the present circumstances of the search occurred two years ago — last year perhaps — the wanderers would have been restored. Another year makes a tVio-htful diiference in the odds : — and we do not think the public will ever feel satisfied with what has been (lone in this matter if the oracle so long questioned, and silent so long, shall speak at last — and the answer shall be, ' It is too late.' " : jrat* "■ if ,1 T'ii,..»,.. il *'-.., .^ I ' li ii ' Ml' II I % 198 PROGRESS OF AKOl'IO DISCOVERY. In tlie prosecution of the noble enterprise on which all eyes are now turned, it is not merely scientific ro- eearcli and geographical discovery that are at jjresent occupying the attention of the commanders of vessels sent out ; the li' of human beini]js are at stake, and above all, the lives of men who liave nobly periled every thing in the cause of national — nay, of universal l^rogress and knowledge ; — of men who have evinced on this and other expeditions the most dauntless bra- very that any men can evince. Who can think of the probable fate of these gallant adventurers without a shudder? Alas ! how truthfully has Montgomery depicted the fatal imprisonment of vessels in these regions : — There lies a vessel in that realm of frost, Not wrecked, not stranded, yet forever lost ; Its keel embedded in the solid mass ; Its glistening sails appear e:;panded glass ; The tiansverse ropes with -^earls enormous sti'ung^ The yards with icicles grotesquely hung. Wrapt i 11 the topmast shrouds there rests a boy, His old sea-faring father's only joy ; Sprung from a race of rovers, ocean bom, Nursed at the helm, he trod dry land with scorn , Through fourscore years from poit to port he veer'd ; Quicksand, nor rock, nor foe, nor tempest feai''d; Now cast ashore, though like a hulk he lie, His son at sea is ever in his eye. He ne'er shall know in his Northumbrian cot, How brief that son's career, how strange his lot ; Writhed round the mast, aud sepulchred in air. Him shall no worm devour, no vulture tear ; Congeal'd to adamant his frame shall last. Though empires change, till tide and time be past Morn shall return, and noon, and eve, and night Meet here with interchanging shade and light ; But from tliat barque no timber shall decay. Of these cold forms no feature pass away ; Perennial ice around th' encrusted bow, The peopled-deck, and full-rigg'd mast shall grow Till fiom the sun iiimself the whole be hid. Or spied beneath a crystal pyramid : As in pure amber with divergent lines, A rugged shell embossed with sea-weed, shines, From age to age increased with annual snow. This now Mont Blanc among the clouds may glow. Whose conic peak that earliest greets the dawn. And latest from the sun's shut eye withdrawn, m-i' FRANKLIN'S LAST EXPEDITION. 199 Shall fiom the Zenith, through incumbent gloom, Burn like n lump uj)on this ntival tomb. But when th' archangel's triimpet sounds on high, The pile shall burnt to atoms through the sky, And leave its dead, upstarting at the call, Naked and pale, before the Judge of all. All who read these pages will, I am sure, feel the deepest sympatJiy and admiration of the zeal, persever- ance, and conjugal affection displayed in the noble and untiring efforts of Lady Franklin to relieve or to dis- cover the fate of her distinguished husband and the gal- lant party under his command, despite the difficulties, disappointments, and heart-sickening "hope deferred" with which these efforts have been attended. All men must feel a lively interest in the fate cf these bold men, and be most desirous to contribute toward their resto- ration to their country and their homes. The name of the present Lady Franklin is as "familiar as a house- hold word " in every bosom in England ; she is alike the object of our admiration, our sympathy, our hopes, and our prayers. Nay, her name and that of her hus- band is breathed in prayer in many lands — and, oh! how earnest, how zealous, how courageous, have been her efforts to find and relieve her husband, for, like Desdemona, "She loved him for the dangers he had passed, And he loved her that she did pity them." How has she traversed from ]3ort to port, bidding "God ppeed their mission " to each public and private ship going forth on the noble errand of mercy — how freely and promptly lias she contributed to their comforts. How has she watched each arrival from the north, scanned each stray paragraph of news, hurried to tlie Admiralty on each rumor, and kept up witli unremit- ting labor a voluminous correspondence with all tlie quarters of the globe, fondly wishing that she had the \vino;s of the dove, that she miirht flee awav, and be with him from whom Heaven has seen fit to separate her so long. An American poet well depicts her sentiments in the following lines : — 1 ll 1.. " "'" ' ■ * ;' ill'' ••■Ii|* j tlj' " >• I li . < I : ) ■ 1 HI li TfBB 1 li 1^ 1 '(,' K 'HI M m MM 200 I'Kouinoss of auotiu discovkkt. LADY FRANKLIN'S APPEAL TO THE NORTH. Oh, where, my long lost-one I ait thou, 'Mid Arctic seas uiid wintry skies? Deep, Polar nif^Iit is on me now, And Hope, long wrecked, but mocks my cno8 I am like thee ! from frozen plains In the drear zone and sunless air, My dying, lonely heart complains, Aud chills in sorrow and despair. Tell me, ye Northern winds ! that sweep Down from the rayless, dusky day — "Where ye have borne, and where ye keep, My well-beloved within your sway; Tell me, when next ye wildly bear The icy message in your breath, Of my beloved I Oh tell me where Ye keep hira on the shores of death. Tell me, ye Polar seas ! that roll From ice-bound shore to sunny isle— ■ Tell me, when next ye leave the Pole, Where ye have chained my lord the while! On the bleak Northern clifF I wait With tear-pained eyes to see ye come I Will ye not tell me, ere too late ? Or will ye mock while I am dumb ? Tell me, oh tell me, mountiiin waves I Whence have ye leaped and sprung to-day t Have ye passed o'er their sleeping graves That ye rush wildly on your way ? Will ye sweep on ana bear me too Down to the caves within the deep ? Oh, bring some token to my view That ye my loved one safe will keep I Canst thou not tell me, Polar Star I Where in the frozen waste he kneels T And on the icy plains afar His love to God and me reveals ? Wilt thou not send one brighter ray To my lone heart and aching eye? Wilt tliou not turn my night to cfay. And wake my spirit ere I die ? Tell rae, oh dreary North I for now My soul is like thine Arctic zone; Beneath the darkened skies I bow. Or ride the stormy sea alone 1 Tell me of my beloved ! for I Know not a ray my lord without I Oh, tell me, that I may not die A sorrower on tlu^ soa of doubt I IIP 1 FKANKLIN 8 LAST EXrEDITION. 201 In the early part of 1849, Sir E. Parry stated, thai in offering his opinions, he did so under a deep sense of the anxious and even painful responsibility, both as regarded the risk of life, as well as the inferior consid- eration of expense involv^ed in further attempts to res cue our gallant countrymen, or at least the surviving portion of them, from their perilous position. But it was his deliberate conviction, that the time liad not yet arrived when the attempt ought to be given up as hopeless : the further efforts nuiking might also be tlie means of determining their fate, and whether it pleased God to give success to those efforts or not, the Lords of the Admiralty, and the country at large, would hereafter be better satisfied to have followed up the noble attempts already made, so long as the most dis- tant hope remains of ultimate success. In the absence of authentic information of the fate of the gallant band of adventurers, it has been well observed, the terra incognita of the northern coast of Arctic America, will not only be traced, but minutely surveyed, and the solution of the problem of centuries will engage the marked attention of the House of Com- mons, and the legislative assemblies of other parts of the world. The problem is very safe in their hands, so safe indeed that two years will not elapse before it is solved. The intense anxiety and apprehension now so gener- ally entertained for the safety of Sir John Franklin, and the crews of the Erebus and Terror, under bis com- mand, who, if still in existence, are now passing through the severe ordeal of a fifth winter, in those inclement regions, imperatively call for every available effort to be made for their rescue from a position so perilous ; and as long as one possible avenue to that position re- mains unsearched, the country will not feel satisfied that every thing has been done, which perseverance and experience can accomplish, to dispel the mystery which at present surrounds their fate. Capt. Sir James Ross having returned successful from iiifi antarctic expedition in tlie close of the preceding ' l^^H 1 ^^H 1 1 ' H 1 1 i ! J i ( 1 1 ■ ;■'■ III . jTrt. 1 1 1 , '"k.., H«-l '1 ■«' |:| ^ 1 ! i ^ i'....p" ; ''11'' ■*' : ■■'■ ■;■ , '"""•ff J 1 -i'^' ■i i{ * 1 • 1 '^ 1 1 hk. ■M 202 PROGRESS OK -A TTIO I)ISC<:)VERY. year, in the Piiriri^ of 1845, the Lords (yomnusflioncrs of tlie Admiralty, upon tlie reconiniendation of Sir John Barrow, determined on sending out another ex- pedition to tlie North Pole. Accord in fijly the command was civen to Sir John Tr'iuklin, who re-coinmissioned the Erebus and Terror, the two vessels which liad just returned from the Soutli Polar Seas. The expedition sailed from Sheerness on the 20th of May, 1845. The following are the officers belonging to these vessels, and for whose safety so deep an interest is now felt : — Erehus. Captain — Sir John Franklin, K. C. H. Commander — James Fitzjames, (Capt.) Lieutenants — Graham Gore, (Commander,) Henry T. D. Le Vesconte, James William Fairnolme. Mates — Chas. F. des Vaux, (Lieut.,) liobert O'Sar- gent, (Lieut.) Second Master — Henry F. Collins. Surgeon — Stephen S. Stanley. Assistant-Surgeon — Harry D. S. Goodsir, (acting.) Paymaster and Purser — Chas. H. Osmer. Ice-master — James Keid, acting. 58 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c. Full Complement, 70. Terror, Captain — Frap ""l. M. Crozier. Lieutenants — Edward Little, (Commander,) Geo. H. Hodgson, John Irving. Mates — Frederick J. Hornby, (Lieutenant,) Robert Thomas, (Lieut.) Ice-master — T. Blanky, (acting.) Second Master — G. A. Maclean. Surgeon — John S. Peddie. Assistant-Surgeon — Alexander McDonald. Clerk in Charge — Edwin J. H. Helpman. 57 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c. Full Complement, 68. tenant, 1808, a from I very a New ( wound ( this oci for pro] "Umed accomp the per of Spit; In Apr; ceding of an ej shores c larly of of the C shores o FRANKLIN 8 IJiST EXPEDITION. 203 Those ofiieors wlioso rank is wi'tliiii parentliosis have bet'ii proinutod durin;^ tlicir absciico. The following is an uiitlino of Cant. Franklin's ser- vices as re{M)i'<U'(l in OMJyrnt'^s Naval l^iography : — Sir John Franklin, Kt., K. K. (I., K. C. II., I). C. L., F. li. S., was born in 1780, at kSi)ilsby, in J.inculnshire, and is brother of the late Sir W. Franklin, Kt., C'hief Justice of Madras. Ho entered the navy in October, 1800, as a boy on board the I*oly[)hcinus, 04, Captain John Lawford, under whom lie served as midshipman ill the action ofl' Copenhagen, 2d of A])ril, 1801. llo then sailed with Captain Flinders, in H. M. sloop In- vestigator, on a voya<^e of discovery to New IJolland, joining there the armed store-ship Porpoise ; he was wrecked on a coral reef near Cato Bank on the 17th of August, 1803. I shall not follow him through all his subsequent period of active naval service, in which he displayed conspicuous zeal and activity. But we find hiin taking part at the battle of Trafalgar, on the 21st of October, 1805, on board the Bcllerophon, where he was signal midshipman. He was coniirmed as Lieu- tenant, on board the Bedford, 74, 11th of February, 1808, and he then escorted the loyal family of Portugal, from Lisbon to South America. He was engaged in very arduous services during the expedition against New Orleans, in the close of 1814, and was slfghtly wounded in boat service, and for his brilliant services on this occasion, was warmly and officially recommended for promotion. On the 14th of January, 1818, he as- eumed command of the hired brig Trent, in which he accompanied Captain D. Buchan, of the Dorothea, on the perilous voyage of discovery to the neighborhood of Spitzbergen, which I have fully recorded elsewhere. In April, 1819, having paid off the Trent in the pre- ceding November, he was invested with the conduct of an expedition destined to proceed overland from the shores of Hudson's Bay, for the purpose more particu- larly of ascertaining the actual position of the mouth of the Coppermine Kiver, and the exact trending of the shores of the Polar Sea, to the eastward of that river. ,i >.,(,,.,ii;5». , ■«i...i'*..i 1"' "S 'iKf ' n !'., ' \ . i 13 I 204 PKOGKEaS OF AltCTIC DISCOVERY. J V MA i i'M^ ■ ^:|'! The details this fearful undertaking, which en- dured until tht. oammer of 1822, and in the course of which, he readied as far as Point Turnagain, in latitude 68° 19' K, and longitude 109° 25' W., and effected a journey altogether of 5550 miles, Captain Franklin has ably set forth in his " ^Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea, in the year 1819-22," and which I have abridged in preceding pages. He was promoted to the rank of Commander, on the 1st of January, 1821, and reached his post rank on the 20th of November, 1822. On the 16th of February, 1825, this energetic officer again left England on another ex- l)edition to the Frozen Regions, having for its object a co-operation with Captains F. W. Beechey, and W. E. Parry, ^'n ascertaining from opposite quarters the ex- istence of a northwest passage. The results of this mission will be found in detail in Captain Franklin's "Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea, in 1825-7." On his return to England, where he arrived on the 26th of Sept., 1827, Franklin was presented by the Geographical Society of Paris, with a gold medal val- ued at 1200 francs, for having made the most important acquisitions to geographical Knowledge during the pre- ceding year, and on the 29th of April, 1829, he received the honor of knighthood, besides being awarded in July following the Oxford degree of a D. C. L. From 1830 to 1834, he was in active service in com- mand of II. M. S. Rainbow, on the Mediterranean sta- tion, ; nd for his exertions during that period as con- nected with the troubles in Greece, was presented with the order of the Redeemer of Greece. Sir John was created a K. C. H. on the 25th of January, 1836, and was for some time Governor of Yan Diemen's Land. He married, on the 16th of Augusl;, 1823, Eleanor Anne, youngest daughter of W. Porden, Esq., architect, of Berners Street, London, and secondly, on the 5th of November, 1828, Jane, second daugnter of John Grif- fin, Esq., of Bedford Place. Captain Crozier was in all Parry's expeditions, hav- "rr- FRANKLLNS LAST EXPEDITION. 206 ing been midshipman in the Fury in 1821, in the Hecla in 1824, went out as Lieutenant in the Hecla, with Parry, on his boat expedition to the Pole in 1827, volunteered in 183G to^o out in search of the missing whalers and their crews to Davis' Straits, was made a Captain in 1841, and was second in command of the antarctic expedition under Sir James Ross, and on his return, appointed to the Terror, as second in command under Franklin. Lieutenant Gore served as a mate in the last fearful voyage of the Terror, under Back, and was also with Eoss in the antarctic expedition. He has attained his commander's rank during his absence. Lieutenant Fairholme was in the Niger exj)edition. Lieutenant Little has also been promoted during his absence, and so have all the mates. Commander Fitzjames is a brave and gallant officer, who has seen much service in the East, and has attained to his post rank since his departure. The Terror, it may be remembered, is the vessel in which Captain Sir G. Back made hi& perilous attempt to reach Repulse Bay, in 1836. The Erebus and Terror were not expected home un- less success had early rewarded their efforts, or some casualty hastened their return, before the close of 1847, nor were any tidings anticipated from them in the in- terval ; but when trie autumn of 1847 arrived, without any intelligence of the sliips, the attention of H. M. Government was directed to the necessity of searching for, and conveying relief to them, in case of their being imprisoned in the ice, or wrecked, and in want of pro- visions and means of transport. For this purpose a searching expedition in three divisions was fitted out by the government, in the early part of 1848. The investigation was directed to three different quarters simultaneously, viz : 1st, to that by which, in case of success, the ships would come out of the Polar Sea, to the westward, or Behring's Straits. This consisted of a single ship, the Plover, commanded by Captain Moore, which left England in the latter end '.'^.■^'■> :::;::■ ij' it"' '• .,«n..,].J; 7!; Si:,;;J':? ■l<\\>:. I: ) ' ' ■ '! 111!!' i! k mm If i ■ >r! V,- ;■ r- li'l ii t \\ 206 rROOKESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. "I of January, for the purpose of entering Behring's Strait. It was intended that she should arrive there in the month of July, and having looked out for a winter har- bor, she might send out her boats northward and east- ward, in which directions the discovery ships, if suc- cessful, would be met with. The Plover, however, in her first season, never even approached the place of her destination, owing to her setting oiF too late, and to her bad sailing properties. ller subsequent proceedings, and those of her boats along the coast, will be found narrated in after pages. The second division of the expedition was one of boats, to explore the coast of the Arctic Sea between the Mackenzie and Coppermine Rivers, or from the 135th to the 115th degree of W. longitude, together with the south coast of AVollaston Land, it being sup- posed, that if Sir John Franklin's party had been com- pelled to leave the ships and take to the boats, they would make for this coast, whence they could reach the Hudson's Bay Company's posts. This party was placed under the command of the faithful friend of Franklin, and the companion of his former travels. Dr. Sir John Richardson, who landed at New York in April, 1848, and hastened to join his men and boats, which were already in advance toward the arctic shore. He was, however, unsuccessful in his search. The remaining and most important portion of this searching expedition consisted of two ships under the command of Sir James Ross, which sailed in May, 1848, for the locality in which Franklin's ships entered on this course of discovery, viz., the eastern side of Davis' Straits. These did not, however, succeed, owing to the state of the ice in getting into Lancaster Sound until the season for operations had nearly closed. These ships wintered in the neighborhood of Leopold Island, Regent Inlet, and missing the store-ship sent out with pro- visions and fuel, to enable them to stop out another year, were driven out through the Strait by the pack of ice, and returned home unsuccessful. The subse- quent expeditions consequent upon the failure of the FliANKLIN 8 LAST EXPKDITION. 207 foregoing will be found fully detailed and narrated in their proper order. Among the number of volunteers for the service of exploration, in the difterent searching expeditions, were the following: — Mr. Chas. Eeid, lately commanding the whaling ship Pacilic, and brother to the ice-master on board the Erebus, a man of great experience and resi The Kev. Joseph Wolff, who went to Bokhara in search of Capt. Conolly and Col. Stoddart. Mr. John McLean, who had passed twenty-five years as an officer and partner of the Hudson's Bay Company, and who has recently published an interesting narra- tive of his experience in the northwest regions. Dr. Richard King, who accompanied Capt. Back in his land journey to the mouth of the Great Fish River. Lieut. Sherard Osborn, R. N., who had recently gone out in the Pioneer, tender to the Resolute. Commander Forsyth, R. N., who volunteered for all the expeditions, and was at last sent out by Lady Frank- lin in the Prince Albert. Dr. McCormick, R. N., who served under Captain Sir E. Parry, in the attempt to reach the North Pole, in 1827, who twice previously volunteered his services in 1847. Capt. Sir John Ross, who has gone out in the Felix, fitted out by the Hudson's Bay Company, and by pri- vate subscriptions ; and many others. Up to the present time no intelligence of any kind lias been received respecting the expedition, and its fate is now exciting the most intense anxiety, not only on the part of the British government and public, but of the whole civilized world. The maratime powers of Europe and the United States are vying with each other IS to who shall be the first to discov^'r some trace of the nissing navigators, and if they be still alive, to render .liem assistance. The Hudson's Bay Company have, with a noble liberality, placed all their available re- sources of men, provisions, and the services of their chief and most experienced traders, at the disposal of government. The Russian authorities have also given ^TTWl^l*.. ''■ ..■.-■•I ;,' •■-•;3i-; hWnlSj '.■•4, ■i!:t;;:j.;::* .;....'if ,; I'l'' ..' ti t hI 208 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. ? -? every facility for diffusing information and affording lussifetance in their territories. In ii letter from Sir John Franklin to Colonel Sabine, dated from the Whale Fish Islands, 9th of July, 1845, after notieing that, including what they had received from the transport which had accompanied them so far, the Erebus and Terror had on board provisions, fuel, clothing and stores for three years complete from that date, i. e. to July, 1848, he continues as follows: — '•] liope my dear wife and daughter will not be over-anxious if we should not return by the time they have fixed upon; and I must beg'of you to give them tiie benefit of your advice and experience when that arrives, for you know well, that even after the second winter, without success in our object, we should wish to try some other channel, if the state of om* provisions, and the health of the crews justify it. Capt. Dannett, of the whaler, Prince of "Wales, while in Melville Bay, last saw the vessel - of the expedition, moored to an iceberg, on the 26th of July, in lat. T4° 48' N., long. ^^'^ 13' W., waiting for a favorable open- ing through the middle ice from J3aflin's Bay to Lancas- ter Sound. Capt. Dannett states that during three weeks after parting company with the ships, he exj^erienced very fine w^eather, and thinks they would have made good progress. Lieut. Griffith, in command of the transport which accompanied them out with provisions to Baffin's Bay, reports that he left all hands well and in high spirits. They were then furnished, he adds, with every species of provisions for three entire years, independently of five bullocks, and stores of every description for the same period, with abundance of fuel. The following is Sir John Franklin's official letter sent home by the transport : — " Her Majesty'' s Ship ' Erebus^ " Whale-Fish Islands^ 12th of July ^ 1845. " I have the honor to acquaint you, for the informa- tion of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiraltv, that FKANKLIn's last EXrEDITION. 209 her Majesty's ships Erebus and Terror, with the trans- port, arrived at this anchorage on the 4th instant, hav- ing had a passage of one month from Stromness : the transport was immediately taken alongside this ship, tliat she might be tlie more readily cleared ; and we have been constantly emploj^ed at that operation till last evening, the delay having been caused not so much in getting the stores transferred to either of the ships, as in maldng the best stowage of them below, as well as on the upper deck ; the ships are now com- plete with supplies of every kind for three years ; they are therefore very deep; but, happily, we have no reason to expect much sea as we proceed farther. "The magnetic instruments were landed the same morning ; so also were the other instruments requisite for ascertaining the position of the observatory ; and it is satisfactory to iind that the result of the observa- tions for latitude and longitude accord very nearly with those assigned to the same place by Sir Edward Parry; those for the dip and variation are equally sat- isfactory, which were made by Captain Crozier with the instruments belonging to tlie Terror, and by Com- mander Fitzjames with those of the Erebus. "The ships are now being swung, for the purpose of ascertaining the dip and deviation of the needle on board, as was done at Greenhithe, which, I trust, will be completed this afternoon, and I hope to be able to sail in the night. "The governor and principal persons are at this time absent from Disco, so that I have not been able to receive any communication from head quarters as to the state of the ice to the north ; I have, however, iearnt from a Danish carpenter in charge of the Es- quimaux at these islands, that though the winter was severe, the spring was not later than usual, nor was the ice later in breaking away hereabout ; he supposes also that it is now loose as far as 74° latitude, and that our prospect is favorable of getting across the barrier, and as far as Lancaster Sound, without much obstruc- tion. ■'•'•; '11, :ll:a.. M,..J ■■■}':.}■ It ] -ii::: 7 •( Si-;;' ui;''-' 210 prwOGliESS OF AliCTIC DISCOVERY. V t. "The transport will sail for England this day. 1 shall instruct the agent, Lieutenant Griffiths, to pro- ceed to Deptford, and report his arrival to the Secre- tary of the Admiralty. I have much satisfaction iu bearing my testimony to the careful and zealous man- ner in which Lieut. Griffiths has performed the service intrusted to him, and would beg to recommend him, as an officer who appears to have seen much service, to the favorable consideration of their lordships. " It is unnecessary for me to assure their lordships of the energy and zeal of Captain Crozier, Commander Fitzjames, and of the officers and men with whom I have the happiness of being employed on this service. "I have, &c., (Signed) John Franklin, Captain. "The Eiglit Hon. H. L. Corry, M. P." It has often been a matter of surprise that but one of the copper cylinders which Sir John Franklin was instructed to throw overboard at stated intervals, to record his progress, has ever come to hand, but a re- cent sight of the solitary one which has been received proves to me that they are utterly useless for the purpose. A small tube, about the size of an ordi- nary rocket-case, is hardly ever likely to be observed among huge masses of ice, and the waves of the At- lantic and JPacific, unless drifted by accident on shore, or near some boat. The Admiralty have wisely or- dered them to b J rendered more conspicuous by being headed up in some cask or barrel, instructions being issued to Captain Collinson, and other officers of the different expeditions to that effect. According to Sir John Richardson, who was on inti- mate terms with Sir John Franklin, his plans were to shape his course in the first instance for the neighbor- hood of Cape AValker, and to push to the westward in that parallel, or, if that could not be accomplished, to make his way southward, to the channel discovered on the north coast of the continent, and so on to Behring's Straits ; failing success in that quarter, he meant to re- trace his course to Wellington Sound, and attempt a :!:l';:''|.:. um iii;f. FliAKKLI^''8 LA<r EXPEDITION. 211 passage northward of Parry's Islands, and if foiled there also, to descend Regent Inlet, and seek the passage along the coast discovered by Messrs. Dease and !Sini2> 6on. Captain Fitziames, the second in command under Sir John Franklin, was much inclined to try the pas- sage northward of Parry's Islands, and he would no doubt endeavor to persuade Sir John to pursue this course if they failed to the southward. In a private letter of Captain Fitzjames to Sir John Barrow, dated January, 1845, he writes as follows : — " It does not appear clear to me w^hat led Parry down Prince Regent Inlet, after having got as far as Melville Island before. The northwest passage is certainly to be gone through by Barrow's Strait, but whether south or north of Parry'n Group, remains to be proved. I am for going north, edging northwest till in longitude 140°, if possible." I shall now pro<*-eed to trace, in chronological order and succession, the opinions and proceedings of the chief arctic explorers and public authorities, with the private suggestions offered and notice in detail the re- lief expeditions resulting therefrom. In February, 1847, the Lords of the Admiralty state, that having unlimited confidence in the skill and re- sources of Sir John Franklin, they " have as yet felt no apprehensions about his safety ; but on the other hand, it is obvious, that if no accounts of him should arrive by the end of this year, or, as Sir John Ross expects, at an earlier period, active steps must then be taken." Captain Sir Edward Parry fully concurred in these views, observing, " Former experience has clearly shown that with the resources taken from this country, two winters may be passed in the polar regions, not only in safety, but wilh comfort ; and if any inference can be drawn from the absence of all intelligence of the expe- dition up to this time, I am disposed to consider it ra- tlier in favor than otherwise of the success which has attended their efforts." Captain Sir G. Back, in a letter to the Secretary of 1* Ir iiii ■'■JMlJt*' i;]f",.,..i«...| V, • Mil ' V Mi- 212 I'KOGKKSS OF AKCMIO DISCOVEKV. 1'^^ 1^1 i '. 1 l!li tho Admiralty, -under date 27th of January, 1848, pays, *' I cannot brinjij myself to entertain more than ordi- nary anxiety for the safety and return of Sir Julm Franklin and his gallant companions." Captain Sir John Koss records, in Februarj^ 1S47, Ids opinion that the expedition was frozen up bevond Melville Island, from the known intentions of Sir jdlm Franklin to put his ships into the drift ice at the west- ern end of Melville Island, a risk which was deonied in the highest degree imprudent by Lieutenant Paiiv and the otKcers of the expedition of 18J.9-20, with ships of a less draught of water, and in every respect better calculated to sustain the pressure of the ice, and other dangers to which they must be exposed ; and as it is now well known that the expedition has not suc- ceeded in passing Behring's Strait, and if not totally lost, must have been carried by the ice that is known to drift to the southward on land seen at a great dis- tance in that direction, and from which the accumu- lation of ice behind them will, f\s in Ross's own ea-e, forever prevent the return of th j ships ; consequently thev must be abandoned. AVhen we remember with what ey^'reme difficulty Eoss's party traveled 300 niilea over much smoother ice after they abandoned their vessel, it appears very doubtful whether Franklin and his men, 138 in number, could possibly travel 60Q miles. In the contingency of the ships having penetrated some considerable distance to the southwest of Capo "Walker, and having been hampered and crushed in the narrow channels of the Archipelago, which there are reasons for believing occupies the space between Vic- toria, Wollaston, and Banks' Lands, it is well re- marked by Sir John Richardson, that such accidents among ice are seldom so sudden but that the boats of one or of both ships, with provisions, can be saved ; and in such an event the survivors would either returc to Lancaster Strait, or make for the continent, accord jng to their nearness. Colonel Sabine remarks, in a letter dated WoolvicJ*, fkanki.in's last expedition. 213 5th of Mav, 1847,—" It was Sir John Franklin's inten- tion, if foiled at one point, to try in succession all the jirohable openings into a more navigable ])art of the Polur Sea: the range of coast is considerable in which memorials of the ships' progress would liave to be sought for, extending from Melville Island, in the west, to the great Sound at the head of Baffin's Bay, in the east." Sir John Richardson, when appealed to by the Admi- ralty in the spring of 1847, as regarded the very strong apprehensions expressed at that time for the safety of the expedition, considered they were premature, as the ships were specially equipped to pass tvo winters in the Arctic Sea, and until the close of that year, he saw no well-grounded cause for more anxiety than was nat- urally felt when the expedition sailed from this country on an enterprise of peril, though not greater than that which had repeatedly been encountered by others, and on one occasion by Sir John Ross for two winters also, but who returned in safety. Captain Sir James C. Ross, in March, 1847, writes* "I do not think there is the smallest reason for appre- hension or anxiety lor the safety and success of the expedition ; no one acquainted with the nature of the navigation of the Polar Sea would have expected they would have been able to get through to Behring's Strait without spending at least two winters in those regions, except under unusually favorable circumstances, M^hich all tne accounts from the whalers concur in proving they have not experienced, and I am quite sure neither Sir John Franklin nor Captain Crozier expected to do so. "Their last letters to me from Whale Fish Islands, the day previous to their departure from them inform me that they had taken on board provisions for three years on full allowance, which they could extend to four years without any serious inconvenience ; so that we may feel assured they cannot want from that cause until after the middle of July. 1849 ; it therefore does not appear to me at all desirable to send after them until the spring of the next year." (1848.) i||- .1 '«•■•] 'iijjir't;;! Ml 4 ''J H'li..! .■'-■ ill!* J i'W": . Mr }:■ ■'■■ I. i .li 1 ^. ; L.h. i ii;^' f : 2K PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISUOVKRY. fj i if'-' In the plan submitted by Captain F. W. Beechcy, R. N., in April, 1847, after premising "that there does not at present appear to be any reasonable apprelicii- sion for the safety of the expedition," he suggested tluit it would perhaps be prudent that a reliet expedition should be sent out that season to Cape Walker, where information of an important nature would most likelv be found. From this vicinity one vessel could proceed to examine the various points and headlands in llegeiit Inlet, and also those to the northward, while the other watclied the passage, so that Franklin and his party might not pass unseen, should he be on his return. At the end of the season the ships could winteil* at Port Bowen, or any other port in the vicinity of Leopold Island. " In the spring of 1848," he adds, "a party should be directed to explore the coast, down to llecla and Fury Strait, and to endeavor to communicate with the party dispatched by the Hudson's Bay Company in that direc- tion ; and in connection with this part of the arrano^e- ment, it would render the plan complete if a boat could be sent down Back's River to range the coast to the eastward of its mouth, to meet the above mentioned party ; and thus, while it would complete the geography of that part of the American coast, it would at the same time complete the line of information as to the extensive measures of relief which their lordships have set on foot, and the precise spot where assistance and depots of provisions are to be found. This part of the plan has suggested itself to me from a conversation I had with Sir John Franklin as to his first effort beine: made to the westward and southwestward of Cape "VValker. It is possible that, after passing the Cape, he may have oeen successful in getting down upon Victoria Land, and have passed his first winter (1845) thereabout, and diat he may have spent his second winter at a still more advanced station, and even endured a third, without either a prospect of success, or of an extrication of his vessels within a given pei'iod of time. "If, in this condition, which I trust may not be the OPINIONS AND BUOOE8TION8. 216 case, Sir John Franklin should resolve upon taking to his boats, he would prefer attempting a boat navigation through Sir James lioss's Strait, and up Regent Inlet, io a long land journey across the continent, to the IJud- Bon's Bay Settlements, to which the greater part of his crew would be wholly unequal/' Sir John Richardson remarks upon the above sugges- tions, on the 5th of May, 1847, — " With respect to a party to be sent down Back's River to the bottom of Kegent Inlet, its size and outfit would require to be equal with that of the one now preparing to descend the Mackenzie River, and it could scarcely with the utmost exertions be or^^anized so as to start this sum- mer. The present scarcity of provisions in the Hudson's Bay country precludes the hope of assistance from the Company's southern posts, and it is now too late to provide the means of transport through the interior of Bupplies from this country, which require to be embarked on board the Hudson's Bay ships by the 2d of June at the latest. " Moreover there is no Company's post on the line ol Back's River nearer than the junction of Slave River with Great Slave Lake, and I do not think that under any circumstances Sir John Franklin would attempt that route. " In the summer of 1849, if the resources of the party I am to conduct remain unimpaired, as I have every reason to believe they will, much of what Capt. Beechey suggests in regard to exploring Victoria Land may be done by it, and indeed forms part of the original scheme. The extent of the examination of any part of the coast in 1848 depends, as I foraierly stated, very much on the seasons of this autumn and next spring, which influ- ence the advance of the boats through a long course of river navigation. As Governor Simpson will most likely succeed in procuring an Esquimaux to accom- pany my party, I hope by his means to obtain such information from parties of that nation as may greatly facilitate our finding the ships, should they be detained in that quarter. -' ■ 11 1 1 ^^^1 11 • : " 1 , m '; ^^^H ^^H 1 t ■ i' r ' IH I \ ■ j 1 1 1- ^M 1 ) i 1 1 ^H 1 ■ i 1 ■ i: :-:at!»- h '1 : ..'"••J«. * -i 1 iH '1 "i;;*:!- , ' 11 <,.*•:> 1 1 1 ■ • iii'«ni«'-j [ II^^H ':1i !f-i-;r- ir ^M *^il I ' '' ;!T'"- i' Urn i P \ m ■ ^ l» ' V 'I i;t!S :;;> ' •; ! ' ', '■ (;;}'"'■ '. ^ I'll '''J ' ' ■. , i '*.: t i'-\ i ^ 1 ; ' •': ' ' ! ■ '1 1 lii 1' '■m : I ; I 1 ■ ■ ■m li'l 1 ^' m 31 •: I fi .....^ 210 PKOOKKSS OF AUCTIC l)I90OVEUY. '' Were Sir Jolin Fninldin thrown upon tho north coast of the continent with liis hoiitM, and nil his cruw 1 <lo not tiiiiik lie would iittenii)t tho ttscont of any river, excoi)t tho ^liickonzie. It is navigal)lo for boats of lur^^e draught, witliout a porta<j;o, for 1300 miles from the sea, or within forty miles of Fort Chipowyan, one nf tho Company's ju'incipal depots, and the"e are livii other posts in that distance. Thoufjfh these posts could not furnish provisions to such a party, they could, hy providing them with nets, and distributing the men to various fishing stations, do much toward procuring food for them. "1 concur generally in what Captain Beechey has said with regard to J3ohring's Straits, a locality witli which he is so intimately ac(iuainted, but beg leave to add one remark, viz : that in high northern latitudes tho ordinary allowance of animal food is insufficient in the winter season to maintain a la])oring man in health ; and as Sir John Franklin would deem it prudent when detained a second winter to shorten the allowance, symj)toms of scurvy may show themselves among tho men, as was the case when Sir Edward Parry wintered two years in Fox's Channel. " A vessel, therefore, meeting the Erebus and Terror this season in Behring's Straits, might render great service." * The late Sir John Barrow, Bart., in a memorandum dated July, 1847, says : — " The anxiety that prevails regarding Sir John Frank- lin, and the brave fellows who compose the crews of the two ships, is very natural, but somewhat premature ; it arises chiefly from nothing having been received from them since fixed in the ice of Baffin's Bay, where the last whaling ship of the season of 1845 left them, oppo* site to the opening into Lancaster Sound. Hitherto no ditliculty has been found to the entrance into that Sound. If disappointed, rather than return to the south- ward, with the view of wintering at or about Disco, I •Pari. Paper, No. 264, Seiwion 18tS. OPINIONS AND SUGOKSTIONS. 217 ehould bo inclinod to think that thoy would ondonvor to eiiUT Sinitirri Sound, so lii.i,ddy snokcn of by l>:illin, and which just now that «^idhint and adventurous liussiati, Admiral Count Wrau'^el, has jutintod out in a paper addressed to the Geo<^rai)liical Society as the Htarhn<' phico for an attempt to reach the North l*oUi; it wouhl appear to be an inlet that runs up hio-h to the northward, uri an otKcer in one of I'arry's snips states that ho flaw in tho line of direction along that inlet, the sun at mid- nif^ht skimming the horizon. ''From Lancaster Sound Franklin's instructions di- rected him to proceed through Barrow's Strait, as far a3 the islands on its southern side extended, w'dch is short of Melville Island, which was to bo avoided, not only on account of its dangerous coast, but also as being out of tho direction of the course to tho intended olitject. Having, therefore, reached the last known land on the southern side of Barrow's Strait, they were to shape a direct course to Behr'ng's Strait, without any devia- tion, except what obstruction might be met with from ice, or from islands, in the midst of tho Polar Sea, of which no knowledge had at that time been procured ; but if any such existed, it would of course be left to their judgment, on the spot, how to get rid of such ob- structions, by taking a northerly or a southerly course. " The only chance of bringing them upon this (the American) coast is tho possibility of some obstruction having tempted them to explore an immense inlet on the northern shore of Barrow's Strait, (short of Mil ville Island,) called Wellington Channel, which Parry felt an inclination to explore, and more than one of the present party betrayed to me a similar inclination, which I discouraged, no one venturing to conjecture even to what extent it might go, or into what difliculties it might lead. " TJnder all these circumstances, it would be an act of folly to pironounce any opinion of the state, condi- tion, or position of those two ships ; they are wel] suited ~- m 1 ^^1 ! , i H ^^H 1 ^ i: j j I , 1 I ' I « it ill ( I^^H ■^' ■ ii I ■ i 1 ■ 1 1 1 " ' ! II' ■ '1 , i ; <■':;;; , 1, 1 'ti ■ ill lip J ::|l' ' 1 ' 1 f »! 4 ■ - ■1 . J ^ 1 ^1 k ! 1 i ■ 1 1 ; , h4 ; I i ^^ I \' 1 1 . ii i ■ ii iH 218 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. ■i 1 for their purpose, and the only doubt I have is that of their being hampered by the screws among the ice." Sir James C. boss, in his outline of a plan for afford- ing relief, submitted to the Admiralty in December, 1847, sugcjested that two ships should be sent out to examine Wellington Channel, alluded to in the forego- ing memorandum of Sir John Barrow, and the coast between Capes Clarence and Walker. A convenient winter harbor might be found for one of the ships near Garnier Bay or Cape Rennell. From this position the coast line could be explored as far as it extended to the westward, by detached parties, early in the spring, as well as the western coast of Boothia, a considerable distance to the southward ; and at a more advanced period of the season the whole distance to Cape Kicolai might be completed. The other ship should then proceed alone to the westward, endeavoring to reacn Winter Harbor, in Melville Island, or some convenient port in Banks' Land, in which to pass the winter. From these points parties might be sent out early in the spring. The first party should be directed to trace the west- ern coast of Banks' Land, and proceed direct to Cape Bathurst or Cape Parry, on each of which Sir John Richardson proposes to leave depots of provis'ons for its use, and then to reach the Hudson's Bay Company's settlement at Fort Good Hope, on the Mackenzie, whence they might travel by the usual route of the traders to the principal settlement, and thence to Eng- land. The second party should explore the eastern shore of Banks' Land, and make for Cape Krusenstern, where, or at Cape Hearne, they will find a cache of provision left by Sir John Richardson, with whom this party may communicate, and whom it may assist in comple- ting the examination of Wollaston and Victoria Lands, or return to England by the route he shall deem most advisable. Sir James Ross was intrusted with the carrying out OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 219 of this search, in the Enterprise and Investigator, and . an account of the voyage and proceedings of these ves- sels will be found recorded in its chronological order. The following letter from Dr. Richard King to the Lords of the Admiralty contains some useful sugges- tions, although it is mixed up with a good deal of ego- tistical remark; — "17, Saville Row^ February^ 1848. "*The old route of Parry, through Lancaster Sound and Barrow's Strait, as far as to the last land on its southern shore, and thence in a direct line to Behring's Straits, is the route ordered to be pursued by Frank- lin.' * "The gallant oflBcer has thus been dispatched to push his adventurous way between Melville Island and Banks' Land, which Sir E. Parry attempted for two years unsuccessfully. After much toil and hardship, and the best consideration that great man could give to the subject, he recorded, at the moment of retreat, in indelible characters, these impressive thoughts : 'We have been lying near our present station, with an easterly wind blowing fresh, for thirty-six hours together, and although this was considerably off the land, the ice had not during the whole of that time moved a single yard from the shore, affording a proof that there was no space in which the ice was at liberty to move to the westward. The navigation of this part of the Polar Sea is only to be performed by watching the occasional opening between the ice and the shore, md therefore, a continuity of land is essential for this purpose ; such a continuity of land, which was here about to fail, as must necessarily be furnished by the northern coast of America, in whatsoever latitude it may be found.' Assuming, therefore. Sir John Frank- lin has been arrested between Melville Island and Banks' Land, where Sir E. Parry was arrested by dif- ficulties which he considered insurmountable, and hr has followed the advice of that gallant officer, and 14 * Barrow's Arctic Voyages, p. 11. iim * -■-■ ■ ■%^HI It ^^^^1 I • > ^^1 \ 1 1 H i 1 1 'i''l ! 1 : n i r 1) t 1 1 1 1 1 '3: lilt;!** 1;",, •*■•;> ! ;:"-i i - ' , ■ ■ '1 1 !i.«.'f- ■ ijj:.. -. 1 ■ ; , '; If ( i •■-■' .; 1 1: . : 1 Ami t . ■J A 220 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. m III ji'i m made for the continuity of America, he will have turned the prows of his vessel south and west, accord- ing as BauKs' Land tends for Victoria or Wollaston Lands. It is here, therefore, that we may expect to find the expedition wrecked, whence they will make in their boats for the western land of North Somerset, if that land should not be too far distant. "In order to save the party from the ordeal of a fourth winter, when starvation must be their lot, I propose to undertake the boldest journey that has ever been attempted in the northern regions of America, one which was justifiable only from the circumstances. I propose to attempt to reach the western land of North Somerset or the eastern portion of Victoria Land, as may be deemed advisable, by the close of the ap- proaching summer ; to accomplish, in fact, in one sum- mer that which has not been done under two. " I rest my hope of success in the performance of this Herculean task upon the fact, that I possess an in- timate knowledge of the country and the people throuih which I shall have to pass, the health to stand the rigor of the climate, and the strength to undergo the fatigue of mind and body to which 1 must be subjected. A glance at the map of North America, directed to Behring's Strait in the Pacific, Barrow's Strait in the Atlantic, and the land of North Somerset between them, will make it apparent that, to render assistance to a party situated on that coast, there are two ways l)y sea and one by land. Of the two sea-ways, the route by the Pacific is altogether out of the question ; it is an idea of by-gone days ; while that by the Atlantic is so doubtful of success, that it is merely necessary, to put this assistance aside as far from certain, to mention tliat Sir John Ross found Barrow's Strait closed in the suni- raer of 1832. To a land journey, then, alone we can look for success ; for the failure of a land jonrncy would be the exception to the rule, while the sea expe- dition would be the rule itself. To the western land of North Somerset, where Sir John Franklin is likely to be found, the Great Fish Kiver is the direct and only OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 221 route ; and although the approach to it is through a country too poor and too difficult of access to admit of the transport of provisions, it may be made the medi- um of communication between the lost expedition and the civilized world, and guides be thus placed at their disposal to convey them to the hunting grounds of the Indians. Without such guides it is impossible that they can reach these hunting grounds. It was by the Great Fish River that I reached the Polar Sea while acting as second officer, in search of Sir John Ross. I feel it my duty, therefore, as one of two officers so peculiarly circumstanced, at the present moment to place my views on record, as an earnest of my sincer- ity. Even if it should be determined to try and force provision vessels through Barrow's Strait, and scour the vicinity in boats for the lost expedition, and should it succeed, it will be satisfactory to know that such a mission as I have proposed should be adopted ; while, Jf these attempts should fail, and the service under con ('deration be put aside, it will be a source of regret that not only the nation at large will feel, but the whole civilized world. When this regret is felt, and every soul has perished, such a mission as I have proposed will be urged again and again for adoption ; for it is impossible that the country will rest satisfied until a search be made for the remains of the lost expedition. " The fact that all lands which have a western aspect nre generally ice-free, which I dwelt largely upon when Sir John Franklin sailed, must have had weight with the gallant officer ; he will therefore, on finding him- self in a serious difficulty, while pushing along the east- ern side of Victoria Land, at once fall upon the western land of !N"orth Somerset, as a refuge ground, if he have the opportunity. The effort by Behring's Strait and Banks' Land is praiseworthy in attempt, but forlorn in hope. In the former effort, it is assumed that Sir John Franklin has made the passage, and that liis arrest is between the Mackenzie River and Icy Cape ; in the latter, that Sir James Ross will reach Banks' Land, and trace its continuity to Victoria and Wollaston Land, ! i Mi;, ri M|;",, <*'■",> ,,(.„,.,.., V Mj,;;,, ■•j'i; '« I , ... i,< ■ ■"■• ■ il "i: ;;3 ill ''-f ' *!« IK.. m ... I \l VW \-]\ I 11 ill Hii'^1 ,i i iWl ■V; '■ *■ mmr •;^'! m \ . 4 ^, ■ Vc t* W'w I.I 7,1 ■ it > h 222 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. and thus make the ' passage.' First, "We have no rea- son to believe that Sir John Franklin and Sir James Koss will be more fortunate than their predecessors, and we cannot trust to their success. Secondly, We are unable to assume that Sir James lioss will reach Bank's Land ; Sir E. Parry was unable to reach it, and only viewed it from a distance ; much less are we able to assume that the gallant officer will find a high road to Victoria Land, wnich is altogether u terra incognita. " Mr. T. Simpson, who surveyed the arctic coast comprised between the Coppermine and Castor and Pollux Rivers, has set that question at rest, and is the only authority upon the subject. ' A further explora- tion,' remarks Mr. Simpson, from the most eastern limit of his journey, ' would necessarily demand the whole time and energies of another expedition, having some point of retreat much nearer to tlie scene of operations than Great Bear Lake, and Great Bear Lake is to be the retreat of Sir John Richardson.' " What retreat could Mr. Simpson have meant but Great Slave Lake, the retreat of the land party in search of Sir John Ross ? and what other road to the unex- plored ground, the western land of North Somerset, could that traveler have meant than Great Fish River, that stream which I have pointed out as the ice free and high road to the land where the lost expedition is likely to be found, — to be the boundary of that pass- age which for three and a half centuries we have been in vain endeavoring to reach in ships ? " Captain Sir W. E. Parry, to whom Dr. King's pro- posal was submitted by the Admiralty, thus comments on it : — " My former opinion, quoted by Dr. King, as to the difficulty of ships penetrating to the westward beyond Cape Dundas, (the southwestern extremity of Melville Island,) remains unaltered ; and I should expect that Sir John Franklin, being aware of this difficulty, would use his utmost efforts to get to the southward and west- ward before he approached that point, that is, between the 100th and 110th degree of longitude. The more I OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 223 have considered this subject, (which has naturally occu- pied much of my attention lately,) the more difficult I find it to conjecture where the expedition may have stopped, either with or without any serious accident to the ships ; but as no information has reached us up to this time, I conceive that there is some considerable probability of their being situated somewhere between the longitude I have just named ; how far they may have penetrated to the southward, between those meri- dians, must be a matter of speculation, depending on the state of the ice, and the existence of land in a space hitherto blank on our maps. " Be this as it may, I consider it not improbable, as suggested by Dr. King, that an attempt will be made by them to fall back on the western coast of North Somerset, wherever that may be found, as being the nearest ]ioint affording a hope of communication, either with ^\ iiulers or with ships sent expressly in search of the expedition. "Agreeing thus far with Dr. King, I am compelled to difer with him entirely as to the readiest mode of reaching that coast, because I feel satisfied that, with the resources of the expedition now equipping under Sir James Ross, the energy, skill, and intelligence of that officer will render it li matter of no very difficult enterprise to examine the coast in question, either with his shipo, boats, or traveling parties ; whereas an at- tempt to reach that coast by an expedition from the continent of America must, as it appears to me, be ex- tremely hazardous and uncertain. And as I under- stand it to be their lordships' intention to direct Sir James Ross to station one of his ships somewhere about Cape Walker, while the other proceeds on the search, and likewise to equip his boats specially for the pur- pose of examining the various coasts and inlets, I am decidedly of opinion, that, as regards the western coast of North Somerset, this plan will be much more likely to answer the proposed object, than any overland expedition. This object will, of course, be the more easily accomplished in case of Sir James Ross finding Mi;;.^ji "•■"■•« v::; ■'if,,:' 'it'i''C,. ir:; :? n f ft .ii;nli ^1,1 m ai^i 1 i il I il : I' i> 224: PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. m- the western coast of North Somerset navigable for hia ships. *' In regard to Dr. King's suggestion respecting Y[q toria Land and Wolhiston Land, 8iii)posing Sir John Franklin's ships to have been arrested between tlie meridians to which I have already alluded, it does seem, by an inspection of the map, not improbable that parties may attempt to penetrate to the continent in that direction ; but not being well acquainted with the facilities for reaching the coast of America opposite those lands in the manner proposed by Dr. King, I am not competent to judge of its practicability." Nearly the whole of the west coast of North Somer- set and Boothia was, (it will be found hereafter,) ex- plored by parties in boats detached from Sir James feoss's ships in 1849. I append, also, the most important portions of Sir James Koss's remarks on Dr. King's plan. " Dr. King begins by assuming that Sir John Frank- lin has attempted to push the shij)S through to the west- ward, between Melville Island and Banks' Land, (al- though directly contrary to his instructions;) that hav- ing been arrested by insurmountable difficulties, he would liave ' turned the prows of his vessels to the south and west, according as Banks' Land tends for Victoria or Wollaston Land ;' and having been wrecked, or from any other cause obliged to abandon their ships, their crews would take to the boats, and make for the west coast of North Somerset. " If the expedition had failed to penetrate to the westward between Banks' Land and Melville Island, it is very probable it would have next attempted to gain the continent by a more southerly course ; and suppos- ing that, after making only small progress, (say 100 miles,) to the southwest, it should have been then finally stopped or wrecked, the calamity will have occurred in about latitude 72 i° N., and longitude 115° W. This point is only 280 miles from the Coppermine River and 420 miles from the Mackenzie, either of wliicl would, therefore, be easily attainable, and at each of OPINIONS AND SL'GOKSTIONS. 225 Avliicli, abundance of provision might be procured by tlieni, and tlicir return to England a measure of no great difficulty. " At the point above mentioned, the distance from the west coast of North Somerset is probably about 360 miles, and the moutli of the Great 1 ish River full 500 ; at neither of these places could they hope to obtain a single day's provisions for so large a party ; and Sir John Franklin's intimate knowledge of the imj^ossibil- ity of ascending that river, or obtaining any food for liis party in passing through the Barren grounds, would concur in deterring him from attempting to gain either of these points. " I think it most probable that, from the situation pointed out, he would, when compelled to abandon his ships, endeavor in the boats to retrace his steps, and passing through the channel by which he had advanced, luid which we have always found of easy navigation, seek the whale ships which annually visit the west coast of Baffin's Bay. " It is far more probable, however, that Sir John Franklin, in obedience to his instructions, would en deavor to push the ships to the south and west as soon as they passed Cape Walker, and the consequence of such a measure, owing to the known prevalence of westerly wind, and the drift of the main body of the ice, would be (in my opinion) their inevitable embarrass- ment, and if he persevered in that direction which he probably would do, I have no hesitation in stating my conviction ho would never be able to extricate his ships, and would ultimately be obliged to abandon them. It is therefore in latitude 73° N. and longitude 105° W. that we may expect to find them involved in the ice, or shut up in some harbor. This is almost the only point in which it is likely they would be detained, or from which it would not he possible to convey informa- tion of their situation to the Hudson's Bay Settlements. " If, then, we suppose the crews of the ships should be compelled, either this autumn or next spring, to abandon their vessels at or near this point, they woul«J mZmtt •if.* >. 1 % III :••* 'i-i! ir? W: <-L 226 niOGltlSttd OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. most assuredly endeavor, in their boats, to reach Lan- caster Sound ; but I cannot conceive any position iu which they could be placed from which they would make for the Great Fish River, or at which any party descending that river would be likely to overtake tneni ; and even if it did, of what advantage could it be to them ? " If Dr. King and his party, in their single canoe, did fall in with Sir John Franklin and his party on the west coast of I^orth Somerset, how does he propose tA assist them ? he would barely have sufficient provision for his own party, and would more probably be in a condition to require rather than aiford relief. He could only tell them what Sir John Franklin already knows, from former experience, far better than Dr. King, that it would be impossible for so large a party, or indeed any party not previously provided, to travel across the bar- ren grounds to any of the Hudson's Bay Settlements." " All that has been done by the way of search since February, 1848, tends," persists Dr. King, " to draw attention closer and closer to the western land of North Somerset, as the position of Sir John Franklin, and to the Great Fish (or Back) River, as the high road to reach it." Dr. King has twice proposed to the Admiralty to proceed on the search by this route. " It would," he states, " be the happiest moment of my life (and my delight at being selected from a long list of volunteers, tor the relief of Sir John Ross, was very great) if their lordships would allow me to go by my old route, the Great Fish River, to attempt to save human life a sec- ond time on the shores of the Polar Sea. What I did in search of Sir John Ross is the best earnest of what I could do in search of Sir John Franklin." A meeting of those officers and gentlemen most con- versant with arctic voyages was conv^med by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty cn the 17th of January, 1849, at which the following were present : — Rear- Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, K. C. B., Captain Sir W. E. Parry, R. N., Captain Sir George Back, R. OPINIONS AND 8L00EBTI0NS, 227 N"., Captain Sir E. Belcher, H. N., Colonel Sabine, R. A., and the Rev. Dr. Scoresby. A very pretty painting, containing portraits of all the principal arctic voyagers in consultation on these mo- mentous matters, has been made by Mr. Pearse, artist, of 53, Berners Street, Oxford Street, which is well worthy of a visit. The beautiful Arctic Panorama of Mr. Burford, in Leicester Square, will also give a graphic idea of the scenery and appearance of the icy regions ; the whole being designed from authentic sketches by Lieut. Browne, now of the Resolute, and who was out in the Enterprise in her trip in 1848, and also with Sir James Ross in his antarctic voyage. The expedition under Sir James Ross having re- turned unsuccessful, other measures of relief were now determined on, and the opinions of the leading officers again taken. Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, in his report to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, on November 24th, 1849, observes : — " There are four ways only in which it is likely that the Erebus and Terror would have been lost — by fire, by sunken rocks, by storm, or by being cnished be- tween two fields of ice. Both vessels would scarcely have taken fire together ; if one of them had struck on a rock the other would have avoided the danger. Storms in those narrow seas, encumbered with ice, raise no swell, and could produce no such disaster ; and there- fore, by the fourth cause alone could the two vessels have been at once destroyed ; and even in that case the crews would have escaped upon the ice (as happens every year to the whalers ;) they would have saved their loose boats, and reached some part of the American shores. As no traces of any such event have been found on any part of those shores, it may therefore be safely afiirmed that one ship at least, and both the crews, are still in existence ; and therefore the point where they now are is the great matter for consideration. "Their orders would have carried them toward Mel- ville Island, and then out to the westward, where it is J ;!!';;;.r 'II '( '•4 I If "'H„ ^' r,. . (i: I I: Ip ;!i^ ^ • ■ ^ M t ■ l\ 228 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT therefore probable that they are entangled among islands and ice. For should they have been arrested at some intermediate place, for instance, Cape Walker, or at one of the northern chain of islands, tliey would, undoubtedly, in the course of the three following years, have contrived some method of sending notices of tlicii position to the shores of North Somerset or to Barrow's Strait. "If they had reached much to the southward of Bank's Land, they would surely have communicated with the tribes on Mackenzie River ; and if, failing to get to the westward or southward, they had returned with tlie intention of penetrating through Wellington Channel, they would have detached parties on the ico toward Barrow's Strait, in order to have deposited statements of their intentions. " The general conclusion, therefore, remains, that they are still locked up in the Archipelago to the westward of Melville Island. Now, it is well known that tlie state of the weather alternates between the opposite sides of Northern America, being mild on the one when rigorous on the other ; and accordingly, during the two last years, which have been unusually severe in Baffin's Bay, the United States whalers were successfullv trav- ersing the Polar Sea to the northward of Bohring's Straits. The same severe weather may possibly prevail on the eastern side during the summer of 1850, and if so, it is obvious that an attempt should be now made by the western opening, and not merely to receive the two ships, if they should be met coming out (as for- merly,) but to advance in the direction of Melville Island, resolutely entering the ice, and employing every possible expedient by sledging parties, by reconnoitering balloons, and by blasting the ice, to communicate wutE them. "These vessels should be intrepidly commanded, effectively manned, and supplied with the best means for traveling across the ice to the English or to the Russian settlements, as it will be of the greatest impor- tance to be informed of what progr-^ss the expedition OPINIONS AND 8UOOESTION8. 229 liiis made ; and for tliis purpose likewise the Plover will be of material service, lying at some advanced point near Icy Cape, and ready to receive intelligence, and to convey it to Petropaulski or to Panama. "These vessels should enter Behring's Straits before the first of August, and therefore every eftbrt should be now made to dispatch them from Lndand before Cliristmas. They might water at the Falkland Islands, and again at the Sandwich Islands, where they would be ready to receive additional instructions via Panama, by one of the Pacific steamers, and by which vessel they might be pushed on some little distance to the northward. " It seems to me likely that the ships have been push- ing on, summer after summer, in the direction of Behr- ing's Straits, and are detained somewliere in the space southwestward of Banks' Land. On the other hand, sliould they, after the first or second summer, have been unsuccessful in that direction, they may have attempted to proceed to the northward, either through Wellington Channel, or through some other of the openings among the same group ol islands. I do not myself attach any superior importance to Wellington Channel as regards the northwest passage, but I understand that Sir John Franklin did, and tnat he strongly expressed to Lord Haddington his intention of attempting that route, if he should fail in effecting the more direct passage to the westward. "The ships having been fully victualed for three years, the resources may, by due precautions, have been extended to four years for the whole crews ; but it has occurred to me, since I had the honor of confer- ring with their lordships, that, if their numbers have been gradually diminished to any considerable extent by death, (a coi.'tingency which is but too probable, con- sidering their unparalleled detention in the ice,) the resources would be proportionably extended for the survivors, whom it might, therefore, be found expedient to transfer to one pf the ships, with all the remaining stores, and with that one ship to continue the endeavor 1 '( . J -.! ! 1 1 1 ; i ' ■ i 1 i ' ■ f 1 • , ' 1 1 ^M 1 • i ■ t > < H 1 I I i I'. ••'11 «*, ! ■'|(|;::»... 1 ':' 1 ■ i ;i-< 1 ■'"■'ill , , (tin. il..l„... 1 '■ ■ ■1 1 •r, ! 1 , i 1' ! i ' '1'^ ' Ml i ' ■ 'Mi 1 230 PROGRESS OP ABCTIO DISCO VKKY. i I to pufili westwarfl, or to return to the eastward, as cir- cuniHtanceH might render expedient ; in tliat cane, the neceHsity for quitting hotli tlie slilps in the past Hiim. mer mi«'ht not iniprol)ably have been obviated. " Under these circumstances, whicli, it must be admit ted, amount to no more than mere conjecture, it set'niH to me expedient still to prosecute the search in botli directions, namely, by way of Behring's Strait (to whicJi I look with the strongest hope,) and also by that of Barrow's Strait. In the latter direction, it ouglit, I til ink, to be borne in mind, that the more than usual difficulties with which Sir James Ross had to contend, have, in reality, letl us with very little more infunim- tion than before he left England, and I cannot contoin- plate without serious apprehension, leaving that opLMiiiiir without still further search in the ensuing spring, in case the missing crews have fallen back to the eastiiii coast of North Somerset, where they would natunilly look for supplies to be deposited for them, in addition to the chance of finding some of those left by the Fury. For the purpose of further pursuing the search by way of Barrow's Strait, perhaps two small vessels of 150 or 200 tons might suffice, but they must be square rigo;ed for the navigation among the ice. Of course the object of such vessels would be nearly that which Sir James Ross's endeavors have failed to accomplish ; and the provisions, &c., left by that officer at Whaler Point, as well as any which may be deposited in that neigh- borhood by the North Star, would greatly add to the re- sources, facilitate the operations, and lessen the risk of any attempt made in tnat direction. " If, however, there be time to get ships to Behring's Straits by the first week in August, 1850, which would perhaps require the aid of steam vessels to accomplish with any degree of certainty, I recommend that the Enterprise and Investigator be forthwith equipped and dispatched there, with instructions to push through the ice to the E. N. E. as far as possible in the ensuing sea- son, with the hope of meeting with at least one of tlie ships, or any of the parties which may have been igh- 1 3re- 1 1 kof nor's 1 mid m dish the and the sca- the een OPINIONS AND BUOOE8TION8. 231 detached from them. ThiB attempt has never yet been miulo by any ships, and I cling very fitrongly to the belief tluit such an effort might bo attended with suc- cess in rescuing at least a portion of our people. "My reaHon for urging tnia upon their Lordships is, that the admirable instructions under which the Plover, assisted by the Uerald, is acting, embraces only the search of the coast line eastward from Icy Cape ; since the boats and baidars cannot effect any thing except by creeping along as o])portunities offer, between the ice and the land, so tlfat this plan of operations meets only the contingency of parties reaching, or nearly reaching, the land ; whereas the chance ol rescue would, as it appears to me, be immensely increased by ships push- ing on, clear of the coast, toward Banks' Land and Melville Island, as far at least as might bo practicable in the best five or six weeks of the season ot 1850." Captain Parry says — "Although this is the first at- tempt ever made to enter the ice in this direction, with ships properly equipped for the purpose, there is no reason to anticipate any greater difficulties in this navi- gation than those encountered in other parts of the Sorth Polar Sea ; and, even in the event of not suc- ceeding in reaching Banks' Land in the summer of the present year, it may be possible to make such progress as to afford a reasonable hope of effecting that object in the following season (1851.) Indeed it is possible that, from the well known fact of the climate being more temperate in a given parallel of latitude, in going westward from the Mackenzie River, some comparative advantage may be derived in the navigation of this part of the Polar Sea. "It is of importance to the security of the B}ii|)s and of their crews that they should winter in some harlior or bay not at a distance fi'om land, where the ice might be in motion during the winter ; and it will be desira- ble, should no land be discovered fit for this purpopc, in the space at present unexplored between Point Bar- row and Banks' Land, that endeavors should be made to reach the continent about the mouth of the Mackenzie ;«' Up' ill 1 II :;:. i I. ! .¥ '!■■ 'i I , I ft S , 1*i. 232 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. River, or further eastward, toward Liverpool Bay, where there is reason to suppose that sufficient slielter may be found, and in which neighborhood, it appears, there is generally no ice to be seen from the shore for about six weeks in tlie months of August and Septem- ber. Sir John Franklin's narrative of his second jour ney, that of Messrs. Dease and Simpson, and the Admiralty Charts, will furnish the requisite hydro graphical information relative to this line of coast, sp tar as it has been attained. " The utmost economy should be exercised in the use of provisions and fuel during the time the ships are in winter quarters ; and if they should winter on or near the continent, there would probably be an opportunity of increasing their stock of provisions by means of game or fish, and likewise of fuel, by drift or other wood, to some considerable amount. '' If the progress of the ships in 1850 has been con- siderable — for instance, as far as the meridian of 120° W. — the probability is, that the most practicable way of returning to England will be, still to push on in the same direction during the whole season of 1851, with a view to reach Barrow's Strait, and take advantage, if necessary, of the resources left by Captain Sir James Ross at Whaler Point, near Leopold Harbor ; if not the same season, at least after a second winter. If, on the other hand, small progress should have been made to the eastward at the close of the present summer, it might be prudent that when half tlie navigable season of 1851 shall have expired, no further attem])ts should be made in proceeding to the eastward, and that tlie remaining half of that season should be occupied in returning to the westward, with a view to escape fiom the ice by way of Behring's Straits after the winter of 1851-52, so as not to incur the risk of passing a third wintei' in the ice. " ruring the summer season, the most vigilant look- out ijhould be kept from the mast-heads of both ships night and day, not only for the missing ships, but for iny detached parties belonging to them ; and during n If! luige, 1 ames 1 ot the S' n the f' de to ^' ler, it eason i lioukl 1' it the 1 ed in %' fiom ,c ■,er of third loolv- I ships : it for iiring J OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 233 the few hours of darkness which prevail toward the close of each season^s navigation, and also when in winter quarters, signals, by fires, blue lights, rockets or guns, siiould be nuide as the means of pointing out the posi- tion of the ships to any detached parties belonging to the missini>' expedition. And in the spring before tlie ships can oe released from the ice, searching parties might be sent out in various directions, either in boats or by land, to examine the neighboring coasts and inlets for any trace of the missing crews." Captain Sir George Back also comments (1st of De- cember, 1849,) on these intentions, in a letter to the Sec- retary of the Admiralty : — " You will be pleased. Sir, to impress upon my Lords Commissioners, that I wholly reject all and every idea of any attempts on the part of Sir John Franklin to send boats or detachments over the ice to any part of the main-land eastward of the Mackenzie River, because I can say from experience, that no toil-worn and ex- hausted party could have the least chance of existence by going there. " On the other hand, from my knowledge of Sir Jolm Franklin, (having been three times on discovery to- gether,) I much doubt if he would quit his ship at all, except in a boat ; for any attempt to cross the ice a long distance on foot would be tempting death ; and it is too laborious a task to sledge far over such an uneven sur- face as those regions generally present. Tliat great mortality must have occurred, and that one ship, as Sir E. Beaufort hints at, may be lost, are greatly to be feared ; and, as on all former expeditions, if the survivors are paralyzed by the depressing attacks of scurvy, it would tlien be impossible for them, however desirous they niiglit be, to leave the ship, which must thus become their last most anxious abode. "If, however, open w^ater should have allowed Sir John Franklin to have resorted to his boats, then I am persuaded he would make for eitlier tlie Mackenzie Kiver, or, which is far more likely, from tlie almost certaint}^ he must have felt of finding provision, Capo Clarence and Fury Point. 1 ^« -1 r ' ■1 III I T :' ( 1 . i ; ( , 4 :;' f ■ l\' \ ' ' ■'■■ i 1 n. ' in;; ' i ( t' 1 1 ^ i i i ;iSt.!»"' "' «• !l , !■ . \i I'Ti !:'^'i 1b i5;r>" !•' 1 ' u '\: f Hi- ^!;1 'Cj- . i| * ffl .■;l!l '::i.> ■ f-n H ! ^., f 234 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. "I am aware tliat the wliole cnanccs of lite in tliis ])aiiitul case depend on food ; but when 1 reflect on Sir John Franklin's former extraordinary preservation nnder miseries and trials of the most severe description, living often on scraps of old leather and other refnse, 1 cannot despair of his finding the mear.s to prolong exist- ence till aid he happily sent liim." Dr. Sir John Richardson on the same day also sends in his opinion, as requested, on the proposed dispatcii of the Enterprise and Investigator to Benring's Strait : " It seems to mo to be very desirable that the western shores of the Archipelago of Parry's Islands should bo searched in a high latitude in the manner proposed by the hydrographer. " If the proposed expedition succeeds in establishing its winter quarters among thcRj islands, parties de- tached over the ice may tra\'el to the eastward and southeastward, so as to cross the lino of search which it is hoped Mr. Rae has been able to pursue in the prcsent summer, and thus to determine whether any traces of the missing ships exist in localities the most remote from Behring's Strait and Lancaster Sound, and from whence shipwrecked crews would find the greatest ditH- culty in traveling to any place wliere they could hope to find relief. " The climate of Arctic America improves in a sensi- ble manner with an increase of western longitude. On the Mackenzie, on the 135tli meridian, t)ie summer is warmer tlian in any district of the continent in the same f)arallel, and it is still finer, and the vegetation more uxuriant on the banks of the Yucon, on the 150th me- ridian. This superiority of climate leads me to infer, tliat ships well fortified asjainst drift-ice, will find the navigation of the Arctic Seas more practicable in its western portion than it has been found to the eastward. This inference is supported by my own personal expe- rience, as far as it goes. I met with no ice in the month of August, on my late voyage, till I attained the 123d meridian, and which I was led, from that circumstance, to sn])])ose coincided with the western limits of Parry's Ai'chi])('la.t>'o. OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 235 'The grcfiter facility of navigating from tliowost lias Itjon i)owerfully advocated by others on former occa- sions ; and the chief, perhaps the only reason why the attempt to penetrate the Polar Sea from that quarter has not been resumed since the time of Cook is, that the length of the previous voyage to Behring's Strait would considerably diminish the store of provisions ; but t!ie facilities of obtaining supplies in the Pacific are now so augmonted, that this objection has no longer tho same force." Captain F. W. Becchey, writing fi'om Cheltenham, on the 1st of December, 1849, says : — " I quite agree w^ith Sir Francis Beaufort in what he has stated with regard to any casualties which Sir J. Franklin's ships may have sustained, and entirely agree with him and Sir Edward Parry, that the expedition is probably hampered among the ice somewhere to the southwestward of Melville Island ; but there is yet a possibility which does not ai)pear to have been contem- ])lated, which is, that of the scurvy having spread among the crew, and incapacitated a large proportion of them from making any exertion toward their release, or that the whole, in a debilitated state, may yet be clinging by their vessels, existing s]3aringly upon the provision which a large mortality may have spun out, in the hope of relief. " In the first case, that of the ships being hampered and the crews in good health, I think it certain that, a? the resources of the ships would be exi^ended in May last. Sir John Franklin and his crew have abandoned the ships, and pushed forward for the nearest point where they might reasonably expect assistance, and which they could reasonably reach. "There are consequently three points to which it would be proper to direct attention, and as the case is urgent, every possible method of relief should be ener- getically pushed forward at as early a period as possi- l)le, and directed to those points, v/hich, I need scarcely say, are Barrow's Strait, Behring's Strait, and the northern coast of America. 15 J* ] \m»mtt . .*•"■.> ,■1;... •ill:: J "^^\ it ! T IIIU'I 5:!^ ;■■'.. r-i 'H \v\ Ik i. IIP-: Vi 'i '!■ l/h\ II % \>4k4H ^! I! 236 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. " Of the measures which can be resorted to on thi northern coast of America, the officers who have had experience. there, and the Hudson's Bay Company, will be able to judge ; but I am of opinion that nothing should be neglected in that quarter ; for it seems to me almost certain that Sir John Franklin and his crew, if able to travel, have abandoned their ships and made for the continent ; and if they have not succeeded in gaining the Hudson's Bay outposts, they have been overtaken by winter before they could accomplish their purpose. "Lastly as to the opinion which naturally forces itself upon us, as to the utility of the sending relief to per- sons whose means of subsistence will have failed them more than a year by the time the relief could reach them, I would observe, that a prudent reduction of the allowance may have been timely made to meet an emergency, or great mortality may have enabled the survivors to subsist up to the time required, or it may be that the crews have just missed reaching the points visited by our parties last year before they quitted them, and in the one case may now be subsisting on the sup- plies at Leopold Island, or be housed in eastward of Point Barrow, sustained by depots which have been fallen in with, or by the native supplies ; so that under all the circumstances, I do not consider their condition so utterly hopeless that we should give up the expectation of yet being able to render them a timely assistance. " The endeavors to push forward might be continued until tlie 30th of August, at latest, at which time, if tht ships be not near some land where they can conven iently pass a winter, they must direct their course for the main-land, and seek a secure harbor in which they could remain. And on no account should they risk a winter in the pack, in consequence of the tides and shallow water lying off the coast. " Should the expedition reach Herschel Island, or any other place of refuge on the coast near the mouth of the Mackenzie or Colville Rivers, endeavors should be made to communicate information of the ships' posi- OPINIONS AND BUQGESTI0N8. 23T tion and summer's proceedings through the Hudson's Bay Company or Russian settlements, and by means of interpreters ; and no opportunity should be omitted of gaining from the natives information of the missing f essels, as well as of any boat expeditions that may hav^e ^one forward, as well as of the party under Dr. Rae. " If nothing should be heard of Sir John Franklin in 1850, parties of observation should be sent forward in the spring to intercept the route the ship would have pursued, and in other useful directions between winter quarters and Melville Island ; taking especial care that they return to the ship before the time of liberation of the ships arrives, which greatly depends upon their locality. " Then, on the breaking up of the ice, should any favorable appearance of the ice present itself, the expe- dition might be left free to take advantage of such a prospect, or to return round Point Barrow ; making it imperative, however, either to insure their return, so far as human foresight may be exercised, or the cer- tainty of their reaching Melville Island at the close of that season, and so securing their return to England in 1852. " If, after all, any unforeseen event should detain the ships beyond the period contemplated above, every exertion shonJd be used, by means of boats and in- terpreters, to communicate with the Mackenzie ; and should any casualty render it necessary to abandon the vessels, it should be borne in mind that the reserve-ship will remain at her quarters until the autumn of 1853, unless she hears of the safety of the ships and boats in other directions ; while in the other quarter. Fort Macpherson, at the entrance of the Mackenzie, may be relied upon as an asylum. "The Plover, or resorve-ship, should be provided with three years' provisions for her own crew, and for contingencies besides. She should be placed as near as possible to Point Barrow, and provided with inter- preterp, and the means of offering rewards for infor- mation ; and she should remain at her quarters so long ! 'A i« ■ f i M 238 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. m it- as there can be any occasion for her presence in tlie Arctic Seas ; or, if she does not hear any thing of tlie expedition under Captain Collinson, as long as her provisions will last." Sir John Kichardsou offers the following advice for this expedition : — " If," he says, " it should winter near the mouth of the Yucan or Colville, that river may be ascended in a boat in the month of June, be- fore the sea ice begins to give way. The river varies in width from a mile ana a half to two miles, aud flows through a rich, well-wooded valley, abounding in moose deer, and having a comparatively mild climate. A Russian trading post has been built on it, at th? dis tance of three or four days' voyage from the sea, with the current ; but as the current is strong, from nine to twelve days must be allowed for its ascent, with the tracking line. It would be unsafe to rely upon receiv- ing a supply of provisions at the Russian post, as it is not likely that any stock beyond what is necessary for their own use is laid up by the traders ; and the moose deer being a very shy animal, is not easily shot by an unpracticed hunter ; but the reindeer abound on the neighboring hills, and are much more approachable. The white-fronted goose also breeds in vast flocks in that district of the country, and may be killed in num- bers, without difficulty, in the month of June. " If the expedition should winter within a reason- able distance of the Mackenzie, Captain Collinson may have it in his power to send dispatches to England by that route. "The river opens in June, and as soon as the ice ceases to drive, may be ascended in a boat, with a fair wind, under sail, or with a tracking line. " The lowest post at present occupied by the Hud- son's Bay Company on this river is Fort Good Hope. The site of this post has been changed several times, but it is at this time on the right bank of the river, in latitude 66° 16' N"., and is ten or eleven days' voyage from tlie sea. At Point Separation, opposite to the middle channel of the delta of the river, and on the OPINIONS yiND SUGGESTIONS. 239 promontory which separates the Peel and the Mac- kenzie, there is a case of pemraican (80 lbs.) buried, ten feet distant from a tree, which has its middle branches lopped off, and is marked on the trunk with a broad arrow in black paint. A fire was made over the pit in which the case is concealed, and the remains of tne charcoal will point out the exact spot. This hoard was visited last year by a party from Fort Macpher- eon. Peel's River, when all was safe. " Eight bags of pemmican, weighing 90 lbs. each, were deposited at Fort Good Hope in 1848, and would remain there last summer for the use of any boat parties that might ascend the river in 1849 ; but it is probable that part, or the whole, may have been used by the Company by next year. "A boat party should be furnished with a small seine and a short herring net, by the use of which a good supply of fish may often be procured in the eddies or sandy bays of the Mackenzie. They should also be provided with a good supply of buck-shot, swan- shot, duck-shot, and gunpowder. The Loucheux and Hare Indians will readily give such provisions as they may happen to have, in exchange for ammunition. They will expect to receive tobacco gratuitously, as they are accustomed to do from the traders. "The Mackenzie is the only water-way by which any of the Hudson's Bay Company's posts can be reached from the Arctic Sea. There is a post on the Peel River which enters the delta of the Mackenzie, but no supplies can be procured there. To the east- ward of the Mackenzie no ship-party would have a chance of reaching a trading post, the nearest to the sea being Fort Resolution, on Great Slave Lake, situ- ated on the 61st parallel of latitude, and the interven- ing hilly country, intersected by numerous lakes and rapid rivers, could not be crossed by such a party ii less than an entire summer, even could they depenu on their guns for a supply of food. Neither would be advisable for a party from the ships to attempt to reach the posts on the Mackenzie by way of the Cop- \t M..:., K ;;» 11 Ml- 1 1 ;!» i' . ' V ■ .: ii 240 PEOGRESS OF AKOTIO DISCOVERY. .J: i pcrmine Kiver and Fort Confidence; as, in the ab- sence of means of transport across Great Bear Lake, the journey round that irregular sheet of water, would be long and hazardous. Bear Lake Kiver is more than fifty miles long, and Fort Norman, tlie nearest post on the Mackenzie, is thirty miles above its mouth. Mr. Rae was instructed to engage an Indian family or two to hunt on the tract of country between the Cop- E ermine and Great Bear Lake in the summer of 185(1; ut no great reliance can be placed on these Indians remaining long there, as they desert their hunting quarters on very slight alarms, being in continual dread of enemies, real or imaginary. " A case of pemmican was buried on the summit ot the bank, about four or five miles from the summit of Cape Bathurst, the spot being marked by a pole planted in the earth, and the exact locality of the deposit by a fire of drift-wood, much of which would remain unconsumed. " Another case was deposited in the cleft of a rock, on a small battlemented cliff, which forms the extreme part of Cape Parry. The case was covered with loose stones ; and a pile of stones painted red and white, was erected immediately in fi'ont of it. This cliff" re- sembles a cocked-hat in some points of view, and pro- jects like a tongue from the base of a rounded hill, which is 600 or 600 feet high. " Several cases of pemmican were left exposed on a ledge of rocks in latitude 68° 35' N., opposite Lambert Island, in Dolphin and Union Strait, and in a bay to the westward of Cape Krusenstern, a small boat and ten pieces of pemmican were deposited imder a high cliff, above high water mark, without concealment. The Esquimaux on this part of the coast are not nu- merous, and from the position of this hoard, it may escape discovery by them ; but I have every reason to believe that the locality has been visited by Mr. Rae in the past summer. A deposit of larger size, near Cape Kendall, has been more certainly visited by Mr. Rae." Captain Sir J. C. Ross writes from Haslar, 11th of February, 1850. OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 2il " With respect to the probable position of tLe Erebus and Terror, 1 consider that it is hardly possible they can be anywhere to the eastward of Melville Island, or within 300 miles of Leopold Island, for if that were the case, they would assuredly, during the last spring, have made their way to that point, with the hope of receiving assistance from the whale-ships which, foi several years previous to the departure of that expedi- tion from England, had been in the habit of visiting Prince Regent Inlet in pursuit of whales ; and in that case they must have been met with, or marks of their encampments have been found by some of the numer- ous parties detached from the Enterprise and Investi- gator along the shores of that vicinity during the only period of the season in which traveling is practicable in those regions. "It is probable, therefore, that during their first Slimmer, which was remarkably favorable for the navi- gation of those seas, they have been enabled (in obedi- ence to their orders) to push the ships to the westward of Banks' land, and have there become involved in the heavy pack of ice which was observed from Melville Island always to be setting past its westernmost point in a southeast direction, and from which pack they may not have been able to extricate their ships. " From such a position, retreat to the eastward would be next to impossible, while the journey to the Mac- kenzie River, of comparatively easy accomplishment, together with Sir John Franklin's knowledge of the resources in the way and of its practicability, would strengthen the belief that this measure will have been adopted by them. during the last spring. "If this be assumed as the present position of the Erebus and Terror, it would manifestly be far more easy and safe to afford them relief by means of an ex- pedition entering Behring's Straits, than from any other direction, as it would not be necessary for the ships to depart so far from the coast of North America as to preclude their keeping up a regular communication with the Russian settlements on the River Colville, or 16 |:pi:i»>i ri ;i J 1 1 I iiiil' tt,. i 'ti m !^ i ; m. 242 rROOKESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. those of the Hudson's Bay Company near the mouth of the Mackenzie, while the whole space between any position in which the ships might winter, and EankB' Land could be thoroughly examined by traveling i)ar- ties early in the spring, or by boats or steam launches at a more advanced period of the following season." Mr. W. Snow, in a letter from New York, dated 7th of January, 1850, suggests a plan for a well organized expedition of as many men as could be fitted out from private funds. " For instance, let a party of 100 picked men, well disciplined and officered, as on board a ship, and accompanied with all the necessary food, scientitic instruments, and every thing useful on such expeditions, proceed immediately, by the shortest and most avail- able routes, to the lands in the neighborhood of the un- explored regions. If possible, I would suggest that they should proceed first to Moose Fort, on the south ern part of Hudson's Bay, and thence by small craft to Chesterfield Inlet, or otherwise by land reach that quarter, so as to arrive there at the opening of summer. From this neighborhood let the party, minus ten men, be divided into three separate detachments, each with specific instructions to extend their researches in a northerly and northwesterly direction. The wbfitern- most party to proceed as near as possible in a direct course to the easternmost limits of discovery yet made from Behring's Straits, and on no account to deviate from that course on the western side of it, but., if ne- cessary, to the eastward. Let the central party shape a course as near as possible to the position of the Mag- netic Pole ; and the easternmost division direct tc Prince Regent Inlet, or the westernmost point of dis- covery from the east, and not to deviate from that course easterly. Let each of these detachments be formed again into three divisions, each division thus consisting of ten men. Let the first division of each detachment pioneer the way, followed on the same track by tht second and the third, at stated intervals of time. On the route, let the pioneers, at every spot necessary, leave* distinguishing marks to denote the way, and also to T1 OPINIONS AND SUOCilSTIONS. 243 give information to either of the other two principal detachments as may by chance fall into their track To second the efibrts of the three detachments, let con stant succors and other assistance bo forwarded hy way of Moose Fort, and through the ten men left at Cliesterfield Inlet ; and should the object for which such an expedition was framed be happily accom- plished by the return of the lost voyagers, let messen- gers be torwarded with the news, as was done with Captain Back, in the case of Captain Ross. Let each of the extreme detachments, upon arriving at their re- spective destinations, and upon being joined by the whole of their body, proceed to form plans for uniting with the central party, and ascertaining the results already obtained by each by sending parties in that direction. Also, let a chosen number oe sent out from each detachment as exploring parties, wherever deemed requisite ; and let no effort be wanted to make a search in every direction where there is a possibility of its proving successful. " If a public and more extensive expedition be set on foot, I would most respectfully draw attention to the following suggestions: — Let a land expedition be formed upon a similar plan, and vdth the same number of men, say 300 or more, as those fitted out for sea. Let this expedition be formed into three great divisions ; the one proceeding by the Athabasca to the Great Slave Lake> and following out Captain Back's discoveries ; the second, through the Churchill district ; or, with the third, according to the plan laid out for a private expe- dition alone ; only keeping the whole of their forces as much as possible bearing upon the points where success may be most likely attainable. " Each of these three great divisions to be subdivided and arranged also as in the former case. The expense of an expedition of this kind, with all the necessary outlay for provisions, &c., I do not think would be more than half what the same would cost if sent by sea ; but of this I am not a competent judge, having no definite means to make a comparison. But there is yet another, i ii i> rt:'! \ ■)! 4. i! i ' ■ , I 244 IMtOOKKSS OF AKOTIO Dl^COVKUY. and, I cannot help conceiving, a more easy way of o|>. visiting all (litliciilty on this point, and of reducing the experiHo conHidorahly. "It must bo evident that the present position of the arctic voyagers is not very accessible, either by land or sea, else the distinguished loader at the head of tlui expedition would long ere this have tracked a nmUi whereby the whole party, or at least some of tliciu could return. "In such a case, therefore, the only way to roa(!h them is by, if I may use the expression,, /(^/'cmy an ex- pedition on toward them ; I mean, by keeping it con- stantly upheld and pushing onward. There may be, and indeed there are, very great ditHculties, and ditH- culties of such a nature that, I believe, they would themselves cause another great difficulty in the procur- ing of men. But, if I might make another bold sug- gestion, I would respectfully ask our government at home, why not employ picked men from convictcMl criminals, as is done in exploring expeditions in Aus- tralia ? Inducements might be held out to them ; and by proper care they would be made most serviceable auxiliaries. Generally speaking, men convicted of offenses are men possessed of almost inexhaustible mental resources ; and such men are the men who, w^th physical powers of endurance, are precisely those required. But this I speak of, merely, if sufficient free men could not be found, and if economy is studied." Mr. John McLean, who has been twenty-five years a partner and officer of the Hudson's Bay Company, and has published an interesting narrative of his adven- tures and experience, writing to Lady Franklin from Canada "West, in January, 1850, suggests the following very excellent plan as likely to produce sorhe intelli- gence, if not to lead to a discovery of the party. " Let a small schooner of some thirty or forty tons burden, built with a view to draw as little water as possible, and as strong as wood and iron could make her, be dispatched from England in company with the Hudson's Bay ships. This vessel would, immediately OriNloNS AND BtrOOEfiTIONa. 245 -1 arr.ving at York Factory, proceed to the Strait ...med Sir Thomas Ko»3'h Welcome, which divides Southampton iHland from the main-land ; then dirc(!fc her course to Wager River, and proceed onward until interrupted by insurmountable oDstacles. The party being safely landed, I would recommend their remain- ing stationary until winter traveling became practicable, when they should sot out for the shores of the Arctic Sea, which, by a reference to Arrowsmith's map, ap- pears to be only some sixty or seventy miles distant ; then dividing in two parties or divisions, the one would proceed east, the other west ; and I think means could be devised of exploring 250 or 300 miles in either direction ; and here a very important question pre- sents itself, — how and by what means is this enterprise to be accomplished ? " In the first place, the services of Esquimaux would be indispensable, for the twofold reason, that no reliable information can be obtained from the natives without their aid, and that they alone properly understand the art of preparing snow-houses, or ' igloes,' for winter en- campment, the only lodging which tho desolate wastes of the arctic regions aiford. Esquimaux understanding the English language sufficiently well to answer our purpose, frequent the Hudson's Bay Company's post m Labrador, some of whom might be induced, (I should fain hope,) to engage for the expedition , or probably the ' half-breed ' natives might do so more readily than the aborigines. They should, if possible, be strong, active men, and good marksmen, and not less than four in number. Failing in the attempt to procure the na- tives of Labrador, then I should think Esquimaux might be obtained at Churchill, in Hudson's Bay ; the two who accompanied Sir John in his first land expedi- tion were from this quarter." An expedition of this kind is to be sent out by Lady Franklin this spring under the charge of Mr. Kennedy. There are various ways of accomplishing this object, the choice of which must mainly depend on the views and wishes of the officer who may undertake the com P' • "III ';> t II I ' :.r\ if. I ,. i. 'M w \-r., K iW: 246 PROGRESS OF AROTIO DISCOVERY. ^■' '■', mand. Besides the northern route, or that by Regent Inlet, it is possible to reach Sir James Ross and Simp- son's Straits from the south, entering Hudson's Bay, and passing up the Welcome to Rae Isthmus, or again by entering Chesterfield or "Wager Inlet, and gainiiig the coast by Back's or the Great Fish River. By either of these routes a great part of the explora- tion must be made in boats or on foot. In every case the main points to be searched are James Ross's Strait and Simpson's Strait, if indeed there be a passage in that direction, as laid down in Sir John Franklin's charts, though contradicted by Mr. Rae, and considered still doubtful by some arctic navigators. The following extract from the Geographical Jour- nal shows the opinion of Franklin upon the search of this quarter. Dr. Richardson says,*-- -" No better plan can be proposed than the one suggested by Sir John Franklin, of sending a vessel to Wa^er River, and car- rying on the sur\rey from thence in boats." Sir John Franklin observes,! — '' The Doctor alludes in his letter to some propositions which he knew I had made in the year 1828, at the command of his present Majesty,, ^William IV.,) on the same subject, and partic- ularly to th<5 suggestion as to proceeding from Repulse or Wager Bay. * * * A recent careful reading of all the narratives connected with the surveys of the Wager and Repulse Bays. r.nd of Sir Edward Carry's Voyage, together with the information obtained from the Esqui- maux by Sir Edward Parry, Sir John lioss, and Cap- tain Back, confirm me in opinion that a successful de- lineation of the coast east of Point Turnagain to the Strait of the Fury and Hecla, would be oest attained by an expedition proceeding from Wager Bay, the northern parts of which cannot, I think, be farther dis- tant than forty miles from the sea, if the information received by the above-mentioned officers can be de- pended on." Dr. McCormick particularly draws attention to Jones* and Smith's Sounds, recommending a careful examin * Journal of Geographical Society, vol. vi. p. 40. t Ibid. p. 43. t- OPimONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 247 ation of these to their probable termination in the Polar Sea : — " Jones' Sound, with the Wellington Channel on the west, may be found to form an island of the land called ' North Devon.' / 11 prominent positions on both sides of these Sounds should be searched for flag staves and piles of stones, under whcih copper cylinders or bot- tles may have been deposited, containing accounts of the proceedings of the missing expedition ; and if suc- oesstul in getting upon its track, a clue would be ob- tained to the fate of our gallant countrymen." The Wellington Channel he considers affords one of the best chances of crossing the track of the missing expedition. To carry out this plan efficiently, he recommended that a boat should be dropped, by the ship conveying the searching party out; at the entrance to the Welling- ton Channel in Barrow's Strait ; from this point one or both sides of that channel and the northern shores of the Parry Islands might be explored as far west as the season would permit of. But should the ship be en- abled to look into Jones' Sound, on her way to Lancas- ter Sound, and find that opening free from ice, an attempt might be made by the Boat Expedition to push through it inf-* the Wellington Channel. In the event, however, of its proving to be merely an inlet, which a short delay v: juld be sufficient to decide, the ship might perhaps be in readiness to pick up the boat on ite re- / turn, for conveyance to its ultimate destination through ' Lancaster Sound ; or as a precaution against any un- foreseen separation from the ship, a depot of provisions should be left at the entrance to Jones' Sound for the boat to complete its supplies from, after accomplishing the exploration of this inlet, and to afford the means,! if compelled from an advanced period of the season or other adverse circumstances, of reaching some place>5^ of refuge, either on board a whaler or some one of the' depots oi provisions on the southern shores of Barrow's" Strait. In- 'Inn ,11 "•". ?'UI h''' I 24S PROGRESS OP ARCTIC DISCOVERT. Mr. Perny, in charge of the Lady Franklin, before 'ailinp^, observed : — " If an early passage be obtained, I would examine rones' Sound, as I have generally found in all my early voyages clear water at the mouth of that sound, and *^here is a probability that an earlier passage by this route might be found into Wellington Strait, which out- let ought by all means to be thoroughly examined at the earliest opportunity, since, if Sir J. Franklin had taken that route, with the hope of finding a passage westward, to the north of the Parry and Melville Islands, he may be beyond the power of helping him- self. No trace of the expedition, or practical commu- nication with Wellington Strait, being obtained in this quarter, I would proceed in time to take advantage of the first opening of the ice in Lancaster Sound, with the view of proceeding to the west and entering "Wel- lington Strait, or if this should not be practicable, of proceeding farth<, ^vestward to Cape "Walker, and be- yond, on one or other of which places Sir John Frank- lin will probably have left some notices of his course." The government has seen the urgent necessity of causing the Wellington Channel to be carefully exam- ined ; imperative orders were sent to Sir James Ross to search it, but he was drifted out of Barrow's Strait against his will, before he received those orders by the North Star. I have already stated that Sir John Franklin's in- structions directed him to try the first favorable open- ing to the southwest after passing Cape Walker ; and failing in that, to try the Wellington Channel. Every ofiicer in the British Service, as a matter of course, follows his instrii'Aitions, as far as they are compatible with the exigencies of the case, be it what it may, nor ever deviates from them without good and justifiable cause. If, then, Sir John Franklin failed in finding an opening to the southwest of Cape Walker it is reason- able to suppose ho obeyed his instructions, and tried tlie Wellington Channel. The second probability in favor of this locality is, that Sir John Franklin ex- OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 249 pressed o many of his friends a favorable opinion of the Wellington Channel, and, which is of far more consequence, intimated his opinion officially, and be- fore the expedition was determined upon, that this strait se&med to offer the best chance of success. Moreover, Capt. Fitzjames, his immediate second in command in the Erebus, was strongly in favor of the Wellington Channel, and always so expressed himself. See his letter, before quoted, to Sir John Barrow, p. 203. Who can doubt that the opinion of Capt. Fitzjames, a man of superior mind, beloved by all who know him, f*nd in the service "• the observed of all observers," would have great weight with Sir John Franklin, even if Sir John had not been liimseif predisposed to listen to him. What adds confirmation to these views is, that in 1840, a few years prior to the starting of the expedition, Col. Sabine published the deeply interesting "i^arrative of Baron Wrangcl's Expedition to the PoUr Sea, under- taken between the years 1820 and 1823," and in his pre- face the translator points to the Wellington Channel as the most likely course for the successful accomplishment of the northwest passage. "Setting aside" he says, "the possibility ot the existence of unknown land, the probability of an open sea existing to the north of the rarry islands, and communicating with Behring Strait, appears to rest on strict analogical reasoning." And again he adds, " all the attempts to eftect the northwest passage, since Barrow's Strait was first passed in 1819, have consisted in an endeavor to force a vessel by one route or another through this land-locked and ice-encum- bered portion of the f olar Ocean." No examination has made known what may be the state of the sea to the north of the Parry islands ; whether Pimilar impediments may there present them- selves to navigation, or whether a sea may not there exist offering no difficulties whatever of the kind, as M. Von Wrangel has shown to be the case to the north of the Siberian Islands, and as by strict analogy we should be justified in expecting. Colonel Sabine is an officer of great scientific expe- ■»:>„ '1 ii ] )1 1 I^^^H ' ^ ' ^^^^1 ! 1 ^^^^H ■ i 1 ,^H 'i H i ■J ^^M ii| ' < 'n t ; IH ' l^^l > f 1 I ii i " f |n i ' 1 > 1, : It ■ » ' i M.'t ■ >il \ M ■ ^^ !H '.'ii iJ ■\'\\ iiill .If.l.Bt'lI 1 ■ :| { n ' ' '' i 4Hf ■' i '1 ■ : ' 4 ,.'' 1 1 1 ih'' 1 .'i 1' h. i-\ ;.li p^ liiu 'Bo i Ii \ ■ i:i-H r ' - -,^3 ''!i 3 i ivm i 250 PROGRBSB OF AKCTIO DI800VEKY. rience, and from his having made several polar voyages, he has devoted great attention to all that relates to tliat quarter. He was in constant communication with Sir John Franklin when the expedition was fitting out, and it is but reasonable to suppose that he would be some- what guided by his opinion. We have, then, the opinions of Franklin himself. Colonel Sabine, and Captain Fitzjames, all bearing on this point, and we must remember that Parry, who dis- covered and named this channel, saw nothing when passing and re-passing it, but a clear open sea to the northward. Lieut. S. Osborn, in a paper dated the 4:th of January, 1850, makes the following suggestions : — "General opinion places the lost expedition to the west of Cape W alker, and south of the latitude of Mel- ville Island. The distance from Cape Bathurst to Banks' Land is only 301 miles, and on reference to a chart it will be seen that nowhere else does the American conti- nent approach so near to the supposed position of Frank- lin's expedition. " Banks' Land bears from Cape Bathurst N. 41° 49', E. 302 miles, and there is reason to believe that in the summer season a portion of this distance may be trav- ersed in boats. " Dr. Richardson confirms previous reports of the ice being light on the coast east of the Mackenzie Biver lo Cape Bathurst, and informs us that the Esquimaux had seen ' no ice to seaward for two moons.' '' Every mile traversed northward by a party from Cape Bathurst would be over that unknown space in which traces of Franklin may be expected. It is advis- able that such a second party be dispatched from Cape Bathurst, in order that the prosecution of Dr. Rae's examination of the supposed channel between AYoUas- ton and Victoria Lands may in no way be interfered with, by his attention being called to the westward." In March, 1848, the Admiralty announced their inten- tion of rewarding the crews of any whaling ships that brought accurate information of the missing expedition, OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 251 wirh the sum of 100 guineas or more, according to cir- cumstances. Lady Franklin also about the same time offered rewards of 2000^. and 3000^., to be distributed amonff the owner, officers, and crew discovering and affording relief to her husband, or making extraordi- nary exertions for the above object, and, if required, bringing Sir John Franklin and his party to England. In March, 1850, the following further rewards were offered by the British government to persons of any country : — 1st. To any party or person who in the judgment of the Board of Admiralty, shall discover and effectually relieve the crows of H. M. ships Erebus and Terror, the sum of 20,000Z., or, 2d. To any party or parties, &c., who shall discover and effectually relieve any portion of the crews, or shall convey such intelligence as shall lead to the relief of any of the crew, the sum of 10,000Z. 3d. To any party or parties who shall by virtue of his or their efforts, first succeed in ascertaining their fate, 10,000Z. In a dispatch from Sir George Simpson to Mr. Rae, dated Lachine, the 21st of January, 1850, he says : — "If they be still alive, I feel satisfied that every effort it may be in the power of man to make to succor them will be exerted by yourself and the Company's officers In Mackenzie River ; but should your late search have unfortunately ended in disappointment, it is the desire of the Company that you renew your explorations next summer, if possible. " By the annexed correspondence you will observe that the opinion in England appears to be that our explora- tions ought to be more particularly directed to that por- tion of the Korthern Sea lying between Cape Walker on the east, Melville Island and Banks' Land to the north, and the continental shore or the Victoria Islands to the south. " As these limits are believed to embrace the course that would have been pursued by Sir John Franklin, Cape Walker being one of the points he was particu- 16 K •Ill ', mm }!i . V::) 252 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. larly instructed to make for, you will therefore be pleased, immediately on the receipt of this letter, to lit out another exploring party, to proceed in the direction above indicated, but varying the route that may liave been followed last summer, which party, besides their own examination of the coast and islands, should be instructed to ofter liberal rewards to the Esquimaux to search for some vestiges of the missing expedition, and similar rewards should be offered to tne Indians inhab iting near the coast and Peel's River, and the half bred hunters of Mackenzie River, the latter being, perhaps, more energetic than the former; assuring them that whoever may procure authentic intelligence will be largely rewarded. " Simultaneously with the expedition to proceed to- ward Cape "Walker, one or two small parties should be dispatched to the westward of the Mackenzie, in the direction of Point Barrow, one of which might pass over to the Youcon River, and descending that stream to the sea, carry on their explorations in that quarter, while the other, going down the Mackenzie, might trace the coast thence toward the Youcon. And these parties must also be instructed to offer rewards to the natives to prosecute the search in all directions. " By these means there is reason to believe that in the course of one year so minute a search may be made of the coast and the islands, that in the event of the expedition having passed in that direction, some trace of their progress would certainly be discovered. " From your experience in arctic discovery, and pe- culiar qualifications for such an undertaking, I am in hopes you may be enabled yourself to assume the command of the party to proceed to the northward ; and, as leaders of the two parties to explore the coast to the westward of the Mackenzie, you will have to select such officers of the Company's service within the district as may appear best qualified for the duty: Mr. Murray, I think, would be a very fit man for one of the leaders, and if one party be sent by way of the Y(nicon, he might take charge of it. In the event of OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 253 your going on this expedition, you will be pleased to make over the charge of the district to Chief Trader Bell during your absence. "In case you may be short-handed, I have by this conveyance instructed Chief Factor Ballenden to en- gage in Red River ten choice men, accustomed to boat- ing, and well fitted for such a duty as will be required of them; and if there be a chance of their reaching Mackenzie River, or even Athabasca, before the break- ing up of the ice, to forward them immediately. " Should the season, however, be too far advanced to enable them to accomplish the journey by winter traveling, Mr. Ballenden is directed to increase the party to fourteen men, with a guide to be dispatched from Red River immediately after the opening of the navigation, in two beats, laden with provisions and flour, and a few bales of clothing, in order to meet, in fioine degree, the heavy drain that will be occasioned on our resources in provisions and necessary supplies m Mackenzie River. The leader of this party from Red River may, perhaps, be qualified to act as the conductor of one of the parties to examine the coast to the westward." On the 5th of February, 1850, another consultation took place at the Admiralty among those officers most experienced in these matters, and their opinions in writing were solicited. It is important, therefore, to submit these as fully as possible to the consideration of the reader. The first is the report of the hydrographer of the Admiralty, dated the 29th of January, 1850: — ^''Memorandum hy Rear- Admiral Sir Fi^ancis Beau fort, K. C. B. "The Behring's Strait expedition being at length lairly off', it appears to me to be a duty to subm.it to their Lordships that no time should now be lost in equipping another set of vessels to renew the search on the opposite side, through Baffin's Bay; and this being the fifth year that the Erebus and Terror hiive '■ I'* N. IB' • n » . ';)•■, ' '\> •■f lliil I"' !l I ; :'i,|i i I 254 PROGRESS OF AROTIO DISCOVERY. been absent, nnd probably reduced to only casual sup- plies of food and fuel, it may be assumed that this search should be so complete and eftectual as to leave unexamined no place in which, by any of the supposi- tions that have been put forward, it is at all likely they may be found. " Sir John Franklin is not a man to treat his orders with levity, and therofore his first attempt was un- doubtedly made in the direction of Melville Island, and not to the westward. If foiled in that attempt, he naturally hauled to the southward, and using Banks' Land as a barrier against the northern ice, he would try to make westing under its lee. Thirdly, if both of these ruads were found closed against his advance, he perhaps availed himself of one of the four passages between the Parry Islands, including the "VYeilington Channel. Or, lastly, he may have returned to Baffin's Buy and taken the inviting opening of Jones' Sound. "i/Jl those fonr tracks must therefore be diligently examiiied before the search can be called complete, and the only method of rendering that examination prompt and efficient will be through the medium of steam ; while only useless expense and reiterated dis- appointment will attend the best efforts of sailing ves- sels, leaving the lingeringr survivors of the lost ships,, as well as their relatives in England, in equal despair. Had Sir James Ross been in a steam vessel, he would not have been surrounded with ice and swept out of the Strait, but by shooting under the protection of Leo- pold Island, he would have waited there till that fatal field had passed to the eastward, and he then would have found a perfectly open sea up to Melville Island. "The best application of steam to ice-going vessek would be Ericson's screw ; but the screw or paddles of any of our moderate-sized vessels might be made t( elevate .vith facility. Vessels so fit.:ed would ■ ot re- quire to be fortified in an extraordinary degree, not more than common whalers. From the log-like quies- cence with which a sailing vessel must await the crush of two approaching floes, they must be as strong aa Ill iiiiwiii -■-"^ "''^■*>l( OPINIONS AND 8UOOESTION8. 255 wood and iron can make them ; but the steamer slips out of the reach of the collision, waits till the shock is past, and then profiting by their mutual recoil, darts at once through the transient opening. "Two such vessels, and each of them attended by two tenders laden with coals and provisions, would be sufficient for the main lines of search. Every promi- nent point of land where notices might have been left, woulu be visited, details of their own proceedings would be deposited, and each of the tenders would bo left in proper positions, as points of rendezvous on which to fall back. "Besides these two branches of the expedition, it would be well to allow the whaling captain (Penny,) to carry out his proposed undertaking. His local knowl- edge, his thoroug-n acquaintance with all the mysteries of the ice navigation, and his well known skill and resourc s, soem to* point him out as a most valuable auxiliary. " But whatever vessels may be chosen for this service, I would beseech their lordships to expedite them ; all our attempts have been deferred too long ; and there is now reason to believe that very early in the season, in May or even in April, Baffin's Bay may be crossed be- fore the accumulated ice of winter spreads over its surface. If they arrive rather too soon, they may very advanta/jjeously await the proper moment in some of the Greenland harbors, preparing themselves for the coming cfTbrts and struggles, and procuring Esquimaux interpreters. " In order to press every resource into the service of this noble enterprise, the vessels should be extensively furnished with means for blasting and splitting the ice, perhaps circular saws might be adapted to the steamers, a launch to each party, with a small rotary engine, sledr^es for the shore, and light boats with sledge bear- ings ibr broken ice-fields, balloons for the distribution of advertisements, and kites for the explosion of lofly fire-balls. And, lastly, they should have vigorous and numerous crews, so that when detachments are away, IK r II ! i 1-ti] ( ! I li r mi ■(;' 256 PliOOKESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. other operations should not be intermitted for want of physical strength. " As the council of the Eoj^al Society, some time ago, thought proper to remind their lordships of the propriety of instituting this search, it would be fair now to calh/u that learned body for all the advice and suggestioiiM, that science and philosophy can contribute toward tiie accomplishment of the great object on which the eyes of all England and indeed of all the world, are now entirely iixed." Captain Beechey, writing to the Secretary of the Ad- miralty, 7th of February, 1850, says : — " The urgent nature of the case alone can justify tho use of ordinary steamers in an icy sea, and great pru- dence and judgment will be required on the part of their commanders, to avoid being disabled by collision and pressure. • " 1 would also add, as an exception, that I think Leo- pold Island and Cape Walker, if possible, should both be examined, prior to any attempt being made to pene- trate in other directions from Barrow's Strait, and that the bottom of Regent Inlet, about the Pelly Islands, should not be left unexamined. In the memorandum submitted to their lordships on the 17th of January, 1849, this quarter was considered of importance ; and I am still ot opinion, that, had Sir John Franklin aban- doned his vessels near the coast of America, and much short of the Mackenzie River, he would have preferred the probability of retaining the use of his boats until he found relief in Barrow's Strait, to risking an over- land journey via the before-mentioned river ; it must be remembered, that at the time he sailed, Sir George Back's discovery had rendered it very probable that Boothia was an island. " An objection to the necessity of this search seems to be, that had Sir John Franklin taken that route, he would have reached Fury Beach already. However, I cannot but think there will yet be found some good grounds for the Esquimaux sketch, and that their mean- ing has been misunderstood ; and as Mr. M'Cormick is ■ '•**»ir OriNIONS OF ARCTIC *0 VARIOUS. 257 betbr ijtorprising perfion, wlioso name has already been •e their lorclships, I would siibinit, whether a boat expedition from Leopold Depot, under his direction, would not satistUctorily set at rest all inquiry upon this, now the onl^^ quarter unpi'ovided for." Captain Sir VV". E. Parry states : — "1 am decidedly of opinion that the main search should be renewed in the direction of Melville Island and Banks' Land, including as a part of the plan the thorough examination of w ellington Strait and of the other similar openings between the islands of the group bearing my name. 1 entertain a growing conviction of the probability of the missing ships, or at least a con- siderable portion of the crews, being shut up at Mel ville Island, Banks' Land, or in that neighborhood, agreeing as I do with Rear Admiral Sir Francis Beau- fort, in his report read yesterday to the Board that ' Sir John Franklin is not a man to treat his orders with I 'Hty,' which he would be justly chargeable with doing if he attached greater weight to any notions he might personally entertain than to the Admiralty instructions, which he well knew to be founded on the experience of former attempts, and on the best information which could then be obtained on the subject. For these rea- sons I can scarcely doubt that he would employ at least two seasons, those of 1845 and 1846, in an unremitting attempt to penetrate directly westward or southwestward to Behring^s Strait. " Supposing this conjecture to be correct, nothing can be more likely than that Sir John Franklin's ships, hav- ing penetrated in seasons of ordinary temperature a considerable distance in that direction, nave been locked up by successive seasons of extraordinary rigor, thus baffling the efforts of their weakened crews to escape from the ice in either of the two directions by Behring's or Barrow's Straits. "And here I cannot but add, that my own conviction of this probability — for it is only with probabilities that we have to deal — has been greatly strengthened by a letter I have lately received from Col. Sabine, of 17 1 \ I*" I* ;>■ II l^( i: I '! Mil 258 PROGRESS OF ARCmc DISCOVERY. I the Royal Artillery, of which I had tlie honor to Riib- mit a coj^y to Sir Francis Baring. Colonel Sabine having accompanied two successive expeditions to Baf- fin's Bay, including that under mv command which reached Melville Island, I consider his views to be woll worthy of their lordships' attention on this part of the subject. "It must be admitted, however, that considerable weight is due to the conjecture which has been oflercd by persons capable of fonning a sound judgment, that havmg failed, as I did, in the attempt to penetrate west- ward, Sir John Franklin might deem it prudent to re- trace his steps, and was enabled to do so, in order to try a more northern route, either through Wellington Strait or some other of those openings between the Parry Islands to which I have already referred. And this idea receives no small importance from the fact, (said to be beyond a doubt,) of Sir John Franklin having, before his departure, expressed such an intention in case of failing to the westward. " I cannot, therefore, consider the intended search to be complete without making the examination of "Wel- lington Strait and its adjacent openings a distinct part of the plan, to be performed by one portion of the vessels which I shall presently propose for the main expedition. " Much stress has likewise been laid, and I think not altogether without reason, on the propriety of search- ing Jones' and Smith's Sounds in the northwest parts of Baffin's Bay. Considerable interest has lately been at- tached to Jt)nes' Sound, from the fact of its having been recently navigated by at least one enterprising whaler, and found to be of great width, free from ice, with a swell from the westward, and having no land visible from the mast-head in that direction. It seems more than probable, therefore, that it may be found to communi- cate with Wellington Strait ; so that if Sir John Frank- lin's ships have been detained anywhere to the north- ward of the Parry Islands, it would be by Jones' Sound that he would probably endeavor to eftect his escape, -Vj* OPINIONS AND SL'OGi:ftTlONl». 259 rnther than by the lesa direct route of Barrow's Strait. 1 do not mvself attucli niucli importance to the idea of Sir John Iranklin having ho far retraced his steps as to come back through Lancaster Sound, and recom- mence liis enterprise by entering Jones' Sound ; but the possibility of liis attempting his escape through this fine opening, and the report, (though somewhat vague,) of a cairn of stones seen by one of the whalers on a headland within it, seems to me to render it highly expedient to set this question at rest by a search in this direction, including the examination of Smith's Sound also." I beg to cite next an extract from the letter of Dr. Sir John llichardson to the Secretary of the Admiralty : — ^'•Haslar Hospital^ Gosport^ 7th of February ^ 1850. " With respect to the direction in which a successful search may oe predicated with the most confidence, very various opinions have been put forth ; some have supposed either that the ships were lost before reaching Lancaster Sound, or that Sir John Franklin, finding an impassable barrier of ice in the entrance of Lancaster Sound, may have sought for a passage through Jones' Sound. I do not feel inclined to give much weight to either conjecture. "When we consider the strength of the Erobus and Terror, calculated to resist the strongest pressuie to which ships navigating Baflin'a Bav have been known to be subject, in conjunction with the fact that, of the many whalers which have been crushed or abandoned since the commencement of the fishery, the crews, or at least the greater part of them, have, in almost every »^ase, succeeded in reaching other ships, or the Danish settlements, we cannot believe that the two discovery ships, which were seen on the edge of the middle ice so early as the 26th of July, can have been so suddenly and totally overwhelmed as to preclude some one of the intelligent ofiicers, whose minds were prepared for every emergenc}^ with their select crews of men, experienced in the ice, from placing a boat on the ice or water, and thus carrying intelligence of the ••< ^■^;; ^ : ; Ri J 260 PEOGBE38 OP AEOTIC DISCOVERY. disaster to one of the many whalers which remained for two months after that date in those seas, and this in the absence of p^y unusual catastrophe among the fishing vessels that season. " With respefjt to Jones' Sound, it is admitted by all who are intimatelj' acquainted with Sir John Franklin, that his first endeavor would be to act up to the letter of his instructions, and that therefore he would not lightly abandon the attempt to pass Lancaster Sound. From the logs of the whalers year after year, we learn that when once they have succeeded in rounding the middle ice, they enter Lancaster Sound with facility : had Sir John Franklin, then, gained that Sound, and from the premises we appear to be fully justified in concluding that he did so, and had he afterward en- countered a compact field of ice, barring Barrow's Strait and Wellington Sound, he would then, after be- ing convinced that he v/ould lose the season in attempt ing to bore through it, have borne up for Jones' Sound, but not until he had erected a conspicuous landmark, and lodged a memorandum of his reason for deviating from his instructions. ''The absence of such a signal-post in Lancaster Sound is an argument against the expedition having turned back from thence, and is, on the other hand, a strong support to the suspicion that Barrow's Strait was as open in 1845 as when Sir W. E. Parry first passed it in 1819 ; that, such being the case. Sir John Frank- lin, without delay and witliout landing, pushed on to Cape Walker, and that, subsequently, in endeavoring to penetrate to the southwest, he became involved in the drift ice, which, there is reason to believe, urged by the prevailing winds and tho set of the flood tides, is carried toward Coronation Gulf, through channels more or less intricate. Should he have found no open- ing at Cape Walker, he would, of course, have sou^lit one fui-ther to the west ; or, finding the southerly and westerly opening blocked by ice, he might ^.ave tried a northern passage. *' In either case, the plan of search propounded by ■^^jj^ OPINIONS AND 6UGGESTION8. 261 Sir Francis Beaiifoi't seems to provide against every contingency, especially when taken in conjunction with Captain Collinson's expedition, via Behring's Strai-'", and the boat parties from the Mackenzie. " 1 do not venture to offer an opinion on the strength or equipment of the vessels to be employed, or other merely nautical questions, further than by remarking, that the use of the small vessels, which forms part of Sir Francis Beaufort's scheme, is supported by the suc- cess of the early navigators with their very small craft, and the late gallant exploit of Mr. Shedden, in round- ing Icy Cape and Point Barrow, in the Nancy Dawson yacht. "And further, with respect to the comparative merits of the paddles and screw in the arctic seas, I beg leave merely to observe, that as long as the screw is immersed in water it will continue to act, irrespective of the tem perature of the air ; but when, as occurs late in the autumn, the atmosphere is suddenly cooled below the freezing point of sea water, by a northerly gale, while tlie sea itself remains warmer, the paddles will be speedily clogged by ice accumulating on the floats as they rise through the air in every revolution. An in- cident recorded by Sir James C. Ross, furnishes a strik- ing illustration of the powerful action of a cold wind ; I allude to a fish having been thrown up by the spray .against the bows of the Terror, and firmly frozen there, during a gale in a high southerly latitude. Moreover, even with the aid of a ready contrivance for topping the paddles, the flatness or hollowness of the sides of a paddle steamer renders her less fit for sustaining pres- sure ; the machinery is more in the way of oblique beams for strengthening, and she is less efiicient as a sailino: vessel when the steam is let off." Memorandum inclosed in Dr. WCormicJc's Letter of the 1st of January^ 1850. " In the month of April last, I laid before my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty a plan of search for the missing expedition under the command of Captain (•:i» f Hi 1: If ll 262. PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. Sir John Franklin, by means of a boat expedition up Jones' and Smith's Sounds, volunteering myself to conduct it. " In that plan I stated the reasons which had induced me to direct my attention more especially to the open- ings at the head of Baffin's Bay, which, at the time, were not included within the general scheme of search. "Wellington Channel, however, of all the probable openings into the Polar Sea, possesses the highest de- gree of interest, and the exploration of it is of sucli paramount importance, that I should most unquestion- ably have comprised it within my plan of search, had not Her Majesty's ships Enterprise and Investigator been employed at the time in Barrow's Strait for tlio express purpose of examining this inlet and Ca})o Walker, two of the most essential points of search in the whole track of the Erebus and Terror to tlie west- ward ; being those points at the very threshold of liis enterprise, from which Sir John Franklin would take his departure from the known to the unknown, whether he shaped a southwesterly course from the latter, or attempted the passasje in a higher latitude from the former point. " The return of the sea expedition from Port Leo- pold, and the overland one from the Mackenzie River, both alike imsuocessful in their search, leaves the ftite of the gallant Franklin and his companions as proble- matical as ever ; in fact, the case stands precisely as it did two years ago ; the work is yet to be begun ; every thing remains to be accomplished. " In renewal of the search in the ensuing spring, more would be accomplished in boats than in any otlier way, not only by Beh ring's Strait, but from the east- ward. For the difficulties attendant on icy navigation which form so insuperable a barrier to the progress of ships, would be readily surmounted by boats ; by meane of which the coast line may be closely examined for cairns of stones, under which Sir John Franklin would most indubitably deposit memorials of his progress ^n all prominent positions, as opportunities might offer. *ii i-'h-r OPINIOXB AND SUGGESTIONS. 263 " The discovery of one of these mementos would, in ft. A prob:»biiity, anord a clue that might lead to the res- cue of our enterprising countrymen, ere another and sixth winter close in upon them, should they be still in existence ; and the time has not yet arrived for aban- doning hope. "In renewing once more the offer of my services, which I do most cheerfully, I see no reason for chan«^- ing the opinions I entertained last spring ; subsequent events have only tended to confirm them. I then be- lieved, and I do so still, after a long and mature con- sideration of the subject, that Sir John Franklin's ships have been arrested in a high latitude, and beset in the heavy polar ice northward of the Parry Islands, and that their probable course thither has been through the Wellington Channel, or one of the sounds at the north- ern extremity of Baffin's Bay. " This appears to me to be the only view of the case that can in any way account for the entire absence of all tidings of them throughout so protracted a period of time (unless all have perished by some sudden and overwhelming catastrophe.) "Isolated as their position would be under such cir- cumstances, any attempt to reach the continent of America at such a distance would be hopeless in the extreme: and the mere chance of any party from the ships reaching the top of Baffin's Bay at tlie very mo- ment of a whaler's brief and uncertain visit would be attended with by far too great a risk to justify the at- tempt, for failure would insure inevitable destruction to the whole party ; therefore their only alternative would be to keep together in their ships, should no dis- aster have happened to them, and by husbanding their remaining resources, eke them out with whatever wild animals may come within their reach. " Had Sir John Franklin been able to shape a south- westerly course from Cape Walker, as directed by his instructions, the probability is, some intelligence of him would have reached this country ere this, (nearly five years having already elapsed since his departure 12 (I'm t '. V: I u •t; 264 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. from it.) Parties would have been sent out from his ships, either in the direction of the coast of America or Barrow's Strait, whichever happeued to be the most accessible. Esquimaux would nave been fallen in with, and tidings of the long-absent expedition have been obtained. " Failing in penetrating beyond Cape Walker, Sir John Franklin would have left some notice of his fu- ture intentions on that spot, or the nearest accessible one to it ; and should he then retrace his course for tlie Wellington Channel, the most probable conjecture, he would not pass up that inlet without depositing a fur- ther account of his proceedings, either on the western or eastern point of the entrance to it. "Therefore, should my proposal meet with their Lordships' approbation, I would most respectfully sub- mit, that the party I have volunteered to conduct should be landed at the entrance to the Wellington Channel, or the nearest point attainable by any ship that their Lordships may deem fit to employ in a fu- ture search, consistently with any other services that ship may have to perform ; and should a landing be effected on the eastern side, I would propose commenc- ing the search from Cape Riley or Beech ey Island in a northerly direction, carefully examining every re- markable headland and indentation of the western coast of TS^orth Devon for memorials of the missing ex- pedition ; I would then cross over the Wellington Channel and continue the search along the northern shore of Cornwallis Island, extending the exploration to the westward as far as the remaining portion of the season would permit, so as to secure the retreat of the party before the winter set in, returning either by the eastern or western side of Cornwallis Island, as cir- cumstances might indicate to be the most desirable at the time, after ascertaining the general extent and trending of the shores of that island. "As, however, it would be highly desirable that Jones' Sound should not be omitted in the search, more esj^ecially as a whaler, last season, reached its entrance OPINIONS AJJD SUGGESTIOKB. 265 and reported it open, I would furlner fffopose, that the ship conveying the exploring party out should look into this opening on her way to Lancaster Sound, if circum- stances permitted of her doing so early in the season ; and, if tound to be free from ice, the attempt might be made by the boat expedition to push through it to the westward in this latitude ; and should it prove to be an opening into the Polai Sea, of which I think there can be little doubt, a great saving of time and distance would be accomplishecl. Failing m this, the ship should be secured in some central position in the vicmity of the Wellington Channel, as ^ point d^appui to fall back upon in the search from that quarter. (Signed,) R. M'Cokmick, R. N. " Twickenham^ lat of January^ 1850." Outline of a Plan of an Overland Journey to the Polar Sea, hy the Way of the Coppermine liiver, in Search of Sir John I^ankUn*8 jExpedition, sug- gested in 1847. " If Sir JohTj Franklin, guided by his instructions, has passed through Barrow's Strait, and shaped a south- westerly course, from the meridian of Cape "^^dker, with the intention of gaining the northern coast of the continent of America, and so passing through the Dol- phin and Union Strait, along the shore of that conti- nent, to Behring's Strait; " His greatest risk of detention by the ice through- out this course would be found between the parallels of 74° and 69° north latitude, and the meridians of 100° and 110° west longitude, or, in other words, that por- tion of the northwest passage which yet remains unex- plored, occupying the space between the western coast of Boothia or. the one side, and the island or islands forming Banks' and Victoria Lands on the other. " Should the Erebus and Terror have been beset in the heavy dritVice, or wrecked among it and the bro- ken land, which in all probability exists there while contending with the prevalent westerly winds in this quarter ; ( \ ir N t' ii 266 PEOGRESS OF ARCTIO DISCOVERT. " The Coppermine River would decidedly oifer the most direct route and nearest approach to that portion of the Polar Sea, and, after crossing Coronation Gulf, the average breadth of the Strait betv;een the Conti nent and Victoria Land is only about twenty-two miles. *' From this point a careful search should be com- menced :in the airection of Banks' Land ; the interven- ing space between it and Victoria Land, occupying about five degrees, or little more than 300 miles, could, I think, be accomplished in one season, and a retreat to winter c^uarters effected before the winter set in. As the ice m the Coppermine River breaks up in June, the searching party ought to reach the sea by the be- ginning of August, which would leave two of the best months of the year for exploring the Polar Sea, viz . August and September. " As it would be highly desirable that every available day, to the latest period of the season, should be de- voted to the search, I should propose wintering on the coast in the vicinity of the mouth of the Coppermine River, which would also afford a favorable position from which to recommence the search in the following spring, should the first season prove unsuccessful. " Of course the object of such an expedition as I have proposed is not with the view of taking supplies to such a numerous party as Sir John Franklin has under his command ; but to find out his position, and acquaint him where a depot of provisions would be stored up for himself and crews at my proposed winter quarters, where a party should be ieft to build a house, establish a fishery, and hunt for game, during the absence of the searching party. " To carrv out this plan efficiently, the Hudson's Bay Company should be requested to lend their powerful cooperation in furnishin^^ guides, supplies of pemmican, &c., for the party on their route and at winter quarters. Without entering into details here, I may observe, that I should consider one boat, combining the necessary requisites in her construction to fit her for either the river navigation, or that of the shores of the Polar Sea, '^'(Tri the tion iult; onti liles. cum- fveu- ould, eat to As June, le be- e best , viz ; lilable be de- on the irmhio psition owin^ I have ,0 such ler his quaint •ed up arters, ablish of the I's Bay Iwerful lican, [arters. e, that lessary ler the ir Sea, OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 267 would be quite sufficient, with a crew one half sailors, and the other half Canadian boatmen ; the latter to be engaged at Montreal, for which place 1 would propose leaving England in the month of February. " Should such an expedition even fail in its main ob- ject — tlie discovery of the position of the missing ships a?d their crews, the long-sought-for polar passage may be accomplished. (Signed,) R. J^'Cormick, E. N. « Woolwich, 1847." Coj>i/ of a Letter from Lieutenant Sherard shorn to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. " Ealing, Middlesex, 4:th January, 1850. " My Lokds, — A second attempt to reach Sir John Franklin's expedition being about to be tried during the present year, I take the liberty of calling your at- tention to the inclosed proposition for an overland party to be dispatched to the shores of the Polar Sea, with a view to their traversing the short distance between Cape Bathurst and Banks' Land. My reasons for thus tres- passing on your attention are as follows ; " 1st. General opinion places the lost expedition to the west of Cape Walker, and south of the latitude of Melville Island. " The distance from Cape Bathurst to Banks' Land is only 301 miles, and on reference to a chart it will be seen that nowhere else does the American continent approach so near to the supposed position of Franklin's expedition. " 2d. As a starting point, Cape Bathnrst offers great advantages ; the arrival of a party sent there from England may be calculated upon to a day ; whereas the arrival of Captain Collinson in the longitude of Cape Barrow, or tnat of an eastern expedition in Lan- caster Sound, will depend upon many uncontrollable contingencies. Ihe distance to be performed is com- paratively little, and the certainty of being able to fall back upon supplies offers great advantages. Captain' 17 It'" ; !»;1 m .rt(l 4 268 FBOaSEBS OF ABOTIO DISOOYEBT. 4 I CoUinson will have 680 miles of longitude to traverMi between Cape Barrow and Banks' Land. An Eastern Expedition, if opposed by the ice, (as Sir James Ross has been,) and unable to proceed in their vessels farther than Leopold Harbor, will have to journey on foot 330 miles to reach the longitude of Banks' Land, and if any accident occur to tLeir vessels, they will be in as critical a position as those they go to seek. " 3d. Banks' Land bears from Cape Bathurst N. 4P 49' E. 302 miles, and there is reason to believe that in the summer season a portion of this distance may be traversed in boats. " 4th and 5th. Dr. Richardson confirms previous re- ports of the ice being "ight ♦ a he coast east of llu: Mackefizie Riv.r to C;.u« iJatl urst, &iid iuiorms us that the Esquimaux had scea no ice to seaward for two moons. " 6th. Every mile traversed northward by a party fi'om Cape Bathurst would be over that unknown space in which traces of Franklin may be expected. " 7th. It is advisable that such a second party be dispatched from Cape Bathurst, in order that the pros- ecution of Dr. Rae's examination of the supposed chan- nel between Wollaston and Victoria Lands may in no way be interfered with by his attention being called to the westward. "8th. The caches of provisions m^de at different points of the Mackenzie and at Cape Bathurst, would enable a party to push down to their starting point with great celerity directly the River Mackenzie opens, which may be as early as May. " I would also remind your Lordships that the pro- posed expedition would carry into execution a very im- Sortant clause in the instructions given to Sir James ^oss ; viz : that of sending exploring parties from Banks' Land in a southwesterly direction toward Cape Bathurst or Cape Parry. " In conclusion, I beg to offer my willing services to- TTCvd the execution of the proposed plan ; and seeking it from no t>vl5«h motives, but thoroughly impressed OPINIONS AND aUOGESTIONS. ^69 with its feasibility, yon may rest assured, my lords, should I have the honor of being sent upon this service, that I shall not disappoint your expectations. "I have, &c., (Signed,) " Sherard Osborn, Lieut., R. N." Cojpy of (/ Letter from Colonel Sabine^ R. J.., to Cap- tain Sir W. Edward Parry. " Castle-down Terrace^ Hastings^ " Ibth of Janua/ry^ 1850. "Then oan be little doubt, I imagine, in the miud of ay one who has re..d attentively Franklin's instruc- tions, and, (in reference to them,) your description of the state of the ice and of the navigable water in 1819 and 1820, in the route which he was ordered to pursue; still less, I think, can there be a doubt in the mind of any one who had the advantage of being with you in those years, that Franklin, (always supposing no pre- vious disaster,) must have made his way to the south- west part of Melville Island either in 1845 or 1846. It has been said that 1845 was an unfavorable season, and as the navigation of Davis' Strait and Baffin's Bay was new to Franklin, we may regard it as more probable that it may have taken him two seasons to accomplish . what we accomplished in one. So far, I think, guidod by his instructions and by the experience gained in 1819 and 1820, we may reckon pretty confidently on the first stage of his proceedings, and doubtless, in his progress he would have left memorials in the uncial manner at places where he may have landed, some of which would be likely to fall in the way of a vessel fol- lowing in his track. From the west end of Melville Islana our inferences as to his further proceedings must become more conjectural, being contingent on tm state of the ice and the existence of navigable water in the particular season. If he found the ocean, as we did, covered to the west and south, as far as the eye could reach from the summit of the highest hills, with ice of a thickness unparalleled in any other part of the Polai ! '«■ , '-'^ I 270 FR00RE8S OF ABOTIO DlSCOViCJiT. Sea, he would, after probably waiting through one whole season in tlie hope of some favorable change, have re- traced his Hteps, in obedience to the second part of his instructions, in order to seek an opening to tlie north which might conduct to a more open sea. In tiiis case some memorial of the season passed by him at tlie southwest end of Melville Island, and also of his pur- pose of retracing his steps, would doubtless have been left by him ; and should he subsequently have found an opening to the north, presenting a favorable appear- ance, there also, should circumstances have permitted, would a memorial have been left. " lie may, however, have found a more favorable Btate of things at the southwest end of Melville Island than we did, and may have been led thereby to at- tempt to force a passage for his ships in the direct line of Behring's Strait, or perhaps, in tne first instance, to the south of that direction, namely, to Banks' Land In such case two contingencies present themselves* first, that in the season of navigation of 1847 he may have made so much progress, that in 1848 he may have preferred the endeavor to push through to Behring's Strait, or to some western part of the continent, to uii attempt to return by the way of Barrow's Strait ; the mission of the Plover, the ifnterprise, and the Inves- tigator together with Dr. Kae's expedition, supply, 1 presume, (for I am but partially acquainted with their instructions,) the most iudicious means of affording re- lief in this direction. There is, however, a second con- tingency ; and it is the one which the impression left on my mind by the nature and general aspect of the ice in the twelve months which we ourselves passed at the southwest end of Melville Island, compels me, in spite of my wishes, to regard as the more probable, viz., that his advance from Melville Island in the sea- son of 1847 may have been limited to a distance of fifty, or perhaps one hundred miles at farthest, and that in 1848 he may have endeavored to retrace his steps, but only with partial success. It is, I apprehend, quite a conceivable case, that under these circumstances, iMK^ -' \ >. OPINIONS AND SUOOESTIONS. 271 incapable of extricating the ships from the ice, the crewd may have been, at length, obliged to (juit tliem, and attempt a retreat, not toward the continent, because too distant, but to Melville Island, where certainly food, and probably fuel (seals,) might be obtained, and where they would naturally suppose that vessels dis- patched from England for their relief would, in the lirst instance, seek them. It is quite conceivable also, I apprehend, that the circumstances might be such that their retreat may have been made without their boats, and probably in the April or May of 1849. "AVhere the Esquimaux have lived, there Englishmen may live, and no valid argument against the attempt to relieve can, I think, be founded on the improbability of finding Englishmen alive in 1850, who may have made a retreat to Melville Island in the spring of 1849 ; nor would the view of the case be altered in any ma- terial (1 'j;rco, if we suppose their retreat to have been made in 1848 or 1849 to Banks' Land, which may afford facilities of food and fuel equal or superior to Melville Island, and a further retreat in the lollowing year to the latter island as the point at which they would more probably look out for succor. " Without disparagement, therefore, to the attempts made in other directions, I retain my original opinion, which seems also to have been the opinion of the Board of Admiralty, by which Ross's instructions were drawn up, that the most promising direction for re- search would be taken by a vessel which should follow them to the southwest point of Melville Island, be pre- pared to winter there, and, if necessary, to send a party across the ice in April or May to examine Banks' Land, a distance (there and back) less than recently accomplished by Ross in his land journey. "I learn from Ross's dispatches, that almost imme- diately after he got out of Port Leopold (1849,) he was entangled in apparently interminable fields and floes of ice, with which, in the course of the summer, he was drifted down through Barrow's Strait and BaflSn's Bay nearly to Davis' Strait. It is reasonable to pre- If \ \ ii \' 272 PBOORK80 OP AROTIO DISCOVERY. I y sumo, therefore, that the localities from whence this ice drifted are likely to he less encumbered than usual by accumulated ice in 1850. It is, of course, of the highest importance to reach Barrow's Strait at the ear- liest possible period of the season ; and, connected with this point I learn from Captain Bird, whom I had the pleasure of seeing here a lew days ago, a very remark- able fact, that the ice which prevented their crossing Batlin's Bay in 72° or 73° of latitude (as we did in 1819, arriving in Barrow's Strait a month earlier tluin we had done the preceding year, when we went round by Melville Bay, and nearly a month earlier than Rosa did last year) was young ice, which had formed in the remarkably calm summer of last year, and which the absence of wind prevented their forcing a passage through, on the one hand, while on the other, the ice was not heavy enough for ice anchors. It was, he said, not more than two or two and a half feet thick, and ob- viously of very recent formation. There must, there- fore, have been an earlier period of the season when this part of the sea must have been free from ice ; and this comes in confirmation of a circumstance of which I was informed by Mr. Petersen (a Danish gentleman Bent to England some months ago by the Northern So- ciety of Antiquaries of Copenhagen, to make extracts from books and manuscripts in the British Museum,) that the Northmen, who had settlements some centu- ries ago on the west coast of Greenland, were in the habit of crossing Baffin's Bay in the latitude of Uper- navic in the spnng of the year, for the purpose of fish- ing in Barrow's Strait, from whence they returned in August ; and that in the early months they generally found the passage across free from ice. " In the preceding remarks, I have left one contin- gency unconsidered ; it is that which would have fol- lowed in pursuance of his instructions, if Franklin should have found the aspect of the ice too unfavorable to the west and south of Melville Island to attempt to force a passage through it, and should have retraced his steps m hopes of finding a more open sea to the northward, OPINION'S AND 8DOOE8TION8. 278 ./ithcr in "Wollinprton Strait or elsewhere. It Is quite ('unct'ivHl)le that here also tlie expedition may have en- eoiintered, at no very great distance, in8Ui)erttblo ditti- culties to tlieir advance, and may have tailed in accom- plishing a return with their ships. In this case, the retreat of the crews, supposing it to liave been made across land or ice, would most probably be directed to some part of the coast on the route to Melville Island, on which route they would, without doubt, expect that succor would be attempted." Mr. Robert A. Goodsir, a brother of Mr. H. D. Good- sir, the assistant-surgeon of Sir John Franklin's ship, the Erebus, left Stromness, as surgeon of the Advice, whaler, Capt. Penny, on the 17th of March, 1849, in the hopes of gaining some tidings of his brother ; but returned unsuccessful atler an eight months' voyage. He has, however, j3ublished a very interesting little narrative of the icy regions and of his arctic voyage. In a letter to Lady Franklin, dated Edinburgh, 18th of January, 1850, he says : — " I trust you are not allow- ing yourself to become over-anxious. I know that, although there is much cause to be so, there is still not the slightest reason that wo should despair. It may be presumptuous in me to say so, but I have never tor a moment doubted as to their ultimate safe return, having always had a sort of presentiment that I would meet my brother and his companions somewhere in the regions in which their adventures are taking place. This nope I have not yet given up, and I trust that by next sum- mer it may be fulfilled, when an end will be put to the suspense which has lasted so long, and which must have tried you so much." The arctic regions, far from being so destitute of ani- mal life as might be supposed from the bleak and inhos- pitable character of the climate, are proverbial for the boundless profusion of various species of the animal kingdom, which are to b met with in difierent locali- ties during a great part ot the year. The air is often darkened by innumerable flocks of arctic and blue gulls, {Lestris Parasiticus^ and Larua ; 'i. il ^Jl 4 p u:j 274 PROGRESS OJi' ARCTIC OISCOYEKY. glaitms^ the ivory gull or Rtiow-bird, {Lavus ehxirupvx ) the k.:ti\vake, the fulmar or i^etrel, snow ^eese, torus, cooiis, dovekies, &c. Trie cetticeoiis animals comprise the great Greenland whale, {J^aloena Tnysticetus,) the sea unicora or narwhal, {Monodon monoceros^) the white whale or beluga, {Del/phinua leucos,) the morse or walrus, {Trichecua rosmarus^ and the seal. There are also plenty of porpoises occasionally to be met witii, and although these animals may not be the best of food, yet thciy can be eaten. Of .he land animals I may in- stance the polar bear, the musk-ox, the reindeer, the arctic fox and wolves. Parry obtained nearlv 40001b8. weight of animal food during his winter residence at Melville Island ; Ross nearly the same quantity from birds alone when winter- ing at Port Leopold. In 1719, the crews of two Hudson's Bay vessels, the Albany and Discovery, a ship and sloop, under the command of Mr. Barlow and Mr. Knight, were cast on shore on Marble Island, and it was subseq^uently ascer- tained that some of the party supported life for nearly three years. Mr. Hearne learned the particulars from some of the Esquimaux in 1729. The ship it appeared went on shore in the fall of 1719 ; the party being then in number about fifty, began to build their house for the winter. As soon as the ice permitted in the follow- ing summer the Esquimaux paid them another visit, and found the number of sailors much reduced, and very unhealthy. Sickness and famine occasioned such havoc among them that by the setting in of the second winter, their number was reduced to twentv. Some of the Esqui- maux took up their abode at this period on the opposite side of the harbor, and supplied them with what provis- ions they could spare in the shape of blubber, seal's flesh, and train oil. Tlie Esquimaux left for their wanderings in the spring, ana on revisiting the island in the summer of 1721, only five of the crews were found alive, and these were so ravenous for food, that they devoured the blub- "ThJ •'went looked vessels a cons] they sa length so far ( attempt and oth above g Sir J( to be oh over the toria an the autu of vast skill in cured on August, are easif prey to f the stock and we passed a Repulse of n hort ous ])iirtj year. Si Sir John qnato to j would re one body boats cut ABUNDANCE OF ANIMAL FOOD MET WITH. 275 ber and seal's flesh raw, as they purchased it of the native.-, which proved so injurious in their weak state, that tliree of them died fn a few days. The two sur- vivors, though very weak, managed to bury their com- rades, and protracted their existence fo^- some days longer. "They frequently," in the' words of the narrative, •'went to th(i top of an adjacent rock, and earnestly looked to the south and east, as if in expectation of some vessels coming to their relief. After continuing there a considerable time, and nothing appearing in sight, they sat down close together, and wept bitterly. At length one of the two died, and the other's strength was so far exhausted, that he fell down and died also in attempting to dig a grave for his companion. The skulls and other large oones of these two men are now lying above ground close to the house." Sir John Richardson, speaking of the amount of food to be obtained in the polar region, says, "Deer migrate over the ice in the spring from the main shore to Vic- toria and Wollaston Lands in large herds, and return in the autumn. These lands are also the breeding places of vast flocks of snow geese ; so that with ordinary skill in hunting, a large supply of food might be pro- cured on their shores, in the months of June, July, and August. Seals are also numerous in those seas, and are easily shot, their curiosity rendering them a ready prey to a boat party." In these ways and by fishing, the stock of provisions might be greatly augmented — and we have the recent example of Mr. Rae, who passed a severe winter on the very barren shores of Kepulse Bay, with no other fuel than the withered tufts of a herbaceous andromada, and maintained a numer- ous ]>iirty on the B]x>ils of tlie chase alone for a whole yojir. Sucli instances, forbid us to lose hope. Should Sir John Franklin's provisions become so fjir inade- quate to a winter's consumption, it is not like y tliat he would remain longer by his ships, but rather that in one body, or in several, the office rs and crews, with boats cut down so as to be light enough to drag over Tir h Mi i|t ! I "L! in ^l\ I ill ?ii ii'l 276 PROORESS OP ARCTIO DISCOVERY. the ice, or bnilt expressly for that pnrpose, would en- deavor to make their way eastward to Lancaster Sound or southward to the main-land, according to the lonai- tude in which the ships were arrested. We ought not to judge of the supplies of food that can be procured in the arctic regions by diligent hunt- ing, from the quantities that have been actually ob- tained on the several expeditions that Ijave returnevi, and consequently of the means of preserving life tliere. When there was abundance in the ships, tlie address and energy of the hunting parties was not likely to be called fortli, as they would inevitably be when the exis- tence of the crews depended solely on their personal efforts, and formed their chief or only object in their march toward quarters where relief might bo looked for. This remark has reference to the supposition that on the tailure of the stock of j^rovisions in the ships, the crews would, in separate parties under their officers, seek for succor in several directions. With an empty stomach, the power of resisting exter- nal cold is greatly impaired ; but when the process of digesting is going on vigorously, even with compara- tively scanty clothing, the heat of the body is preserved. There is in the winter time, in high latitudes, a craving for fat or oleaginous food, and for such occasions the flesh of seals, walruses, or bears, forms a useful article of diet. Captain Cook says that the walrus is a sweet and wholesome article of food. Whales and seals would also furnish light and fuel. The necessity for increased food in very cold weather, is not so great when the people do not work. Mr. Gilpin, in his narrative in the Nautical Maga- zine for March, 1850, writes thus : — "About the 20th of June a small water bird, culled the doveky, had become so numerous, and so many were daily shot by those who troubled themselves to go after them, that shooting parties from each shin, con- sisting of an officer and marine, wore establiHiied at Whaler Point, whore tliey roinained the whole week, returning on board on Saturday night. In a week or »i&%Mu(ib:&<f»--v^'*.* ABUNDANCE OP ANIMAL FOOD MET WITH. 277 60 after this tlic coon, a much heavier bird, became more plentiful than the little doveky, and from thii^ time to the middle of August, so successful and untir- ing were our sportsmen, that the crew received each a bird per man a day. " The account kept on board the Investigator showed the number of birds killed to have amounted to about 4000, and yielding near 25001b8. of meat. But more than this was obtained, as many were shot by individ- uals for amusement, and not always noted." Mr. Goodsir, surgeon, when in the Advice whaler, on her voyage up Lancaster Sound, in the summer of 1849, sneaking of landing on one of the Wollaston Islands, on tfie west side of Navy Board Inlet, says ho disturbed about half a dozen pairs of the eider-duck {Somate7'ia mollissima.) Their eggs he found to be within a few hours of maturity. There were, besides, numerous nests, the occupants of which had probably winged their way Bouthward. Two brent geese, {Anse7' hernida,) and a single pair of arctic terns, {Sterna arctica^ were most vociferous and courageous in defense of their downy offspring wherever he approached. These were the only birds he saw, with tne exception of a solitary ra- ven, {Corvus corax,) not very high overhead, whoso sharp and yet musically bell-like croak came startling upon the ear. Mr. Snow, in his account of the voyage of the Prince Albert, p. 162, says, (speaking of Melville Bay, at the northern head of Baffin's Bay,) " Innumerable quanti ties of birds, espociallj the little auk, {Alca alle) and the doveky, {Colyrabus grylle^ were now seen, (Au- gust 6th,) in every direction. Xh«y weni to be ob- served in thousands, on vhe wing and in the water, and often on pieces of ice, where they wore clustered together so ♦vhick that scores might have Ij^en shot at a time by two or three fowling pieces." In passing up Lancaster Sound a fortnight later sev- eral slioal of eider-ducks and large quantities of otb«r birds were also seen. I ; i i i It 1 it;: \\\\ 1 i 978 PBOOREPS OF ARCTIC DIBCOVKRY. A BALLAD OF SIR JOHN FRANKLI^ " The ice was liere, tlie ice wan there, The ice was all urouiuL" — Oolkhioor. "Whitf/er sail you, Sir John Franklin ? Cried a wlmler in Baffin's Buy ; To know if between the land and the Polo, I may find a broad sea-way. I charge you back, Sir John Franklin, As yoir would live and thrive, For between the land and the frozen Fold Ko man may sail aliva But lightly laughed the stout Sir Jolm, And spoke unto his men : — Half England is wrong, if he is right ; Bear off to westward then. 0, whither sail vou, brave Englishman 7 Cried the little Esquimaux. Between your land and the polar star My goodly vessels go. Come down, if you would journey there. The little Inaian said ; And change your cloth for fur clothing, Your vessel for a sled. But lightly laughed the stout Sir John, And the crew Liughed with him too ; A sailor to change from ship to sled, I ween, wore something new I All through the long, long polar day, The vessels westward sped ; And wherever the sail of Sir John was blown, The ico gbve way and fled. Gave way with many a hollow groan, And with many a surly roar ; But it murmured and threatened on every sida^ And closed where he sailed before. Ho I see ye not my merry man, The broad and open sea f Bethink ye what the vhiiler said, Bethink ye of ihi* little Imlian's sled I The crew liuiu:lied out in glee. 8i» John, Sir John, 't is bitter cold, The 8cu»i drives on the breeze, ,The ice conies looming from the norths The very sunbeams ficeze. Bright summer goes, dark winter cumes— We cannot rule the year; But long ere summer's sun goes down, 1 yorAw set we'll steer. A BALLA.D OF SIB JOHN fBANKLIN. 279 The dripping ico^Kirgg dipped and rose. And floundered down the gale ; The ship were staid, the yaras were manned. And lurled the useless sail. The summer *« gone, the winter 's come, We sail not on yonder sea ; Why caii we not, Sir John Franklin t — A silent man was he. The winter goes, the summer comes, We cannot rde the year ; I ween, we cannot rule the ways, Sir John, wherein we 'd steer. The cruel ice came floating on. And closnd heneath the lea. Till the tliickuning waters dashed no mora^ 'T was ice around, behind, before — My God I there id no sea I Wliat think vou of the whaler now ! What of the Esquimaux ? A sled were better than a ship. To cruise through ice and snow. Down sank the baleful crimson sun ; The northern-light came out, And glared upon the ice-bound ships, And shook its spears about The snow came down, storm breeding ttorn^ And on the decks was laid ; Till the weary nailor, sick at heart. Sank down beside his spade. Sir John, the night is black and long. The hissing wind is bleak ; The hard, gieen ice is strong as death :— • I prithee, captain, speak. The night is neither bright nor short; The singing breeze is cold. The ice is not so strong ns hope, The heart of man is bold I What hope can scale this icy wall, High o'er the main flag-staff? Above the ridges the wolf and bear Look down with a patient, settled stare-* Look down m us and laugh. The summer went, the winter came— We could not rule the year ; But summer will melt the ice again, And open a path to the ^unny main. Whereon our ships shall steer. h : ii S80 ll ''I PR00RES8 OF AROllO DI800VKEY. The winter went, the aummer went, The winter came around ; But the hard, green ice was stronff as death. And the voice of hope sank to a breath, Yet caught at every sound. Hark I heard jou not the sound of guns f And there, i.nd there again ? 'T is some uneasy iceberg's roar. As he turns in the frozen main. Hurra I hurra ! the Esquimaux Across the ice^fiolds steal : Ood give them grace for their charity I Ye pray for the silly seal Sir John, where are the English field% And where the English trees, And where are the little English flowers, That open in the breeze ? Be still, be still, my brave sailon t You shall see the fields again. And smell the scent of the opening flowei% The grass, and the waving grain. Oh I when shall I see my orphan child T My Mary waits for mo ; Oh I when shall I see my old mother. And pray at her trembling knee ? Be still, be still, my brave sailors t Think not such thoughts again I But a tear froze slowly on his cheek — He thought of Lady Jane. Ah I bitter, bitter grows the cold. The ice grows more and more ; More settled stare the wolf and bear. More patient than before. Oh 1 think you, good Sir John Franklin, We Ml ever see the land ? 'T was cruel to send us here to starve. Without a helping hand. 'T was cruel, Sir John, to send us here, So far from help or home ; To starve and freeze on this lonely sea ; I ween, the Lords of the Admiralty Had rather send than come. Oh ! whether we starve to death alone, Or sail to our own country. We have done what man has nover done — The open ocean danced in the sun — We passed the Northern S^ I #|if^ the searching expeditions. 281 The Government and Private Searching Expeditions AFTER Sir John Franklin. The following is a complete list of the several relief and exploring vessels which have been sent out during the last two years by the British government, by private individuals, and by the American nation : — Ships. Men, Comrnanders. 1. H. M. S. Enterprise - - 68 Capt. Collinsou. 2. H. M. S. Investigator - - 65 Com. M'Clure. 3. H. M. S. Plover - - - 52 Com. Moore. 4. H. M. S. Resolute - - - 68 Capt. H. Austin. 5. IT. M. S. Assistance - - 60 Capt. E. Ommaney. 6. H. M. S. Intrepid, (screw steamer,) 30 Lieut. S. Osbom. 7. II. M. S. Intrepid, (screw steamer,) 38 Lieut. Cator. 8. The Lady Franklin - - 26 Mr. Penny. 0. The Sophia, (a tender to the above,) 22 Mr. Stewart. 10. United States brig Ad- vance 20 Lieut. De Haven. 11. United States vessel Res- cue 18 Mr. S. P. Griffin. 12. Felix yacht Capt. Sir John Ross. 13. Mary, (tender to the Felix.) 14. The North Star, Master and Commander Saunders. 15. The Prince Albert - - 18 Com. Forsyth. Of these vessels the /ilnterprise. Investigator, and Plover, are at present engagecf on the western branch (»f Fearch through Beh ring's Straits. The rest have all jMoceeded through Baihn'tJ Bay to Lancaster Sound, and flic cliannels branching out from thence, except the iant two, which have returned homo. V^oyage of the "Enterprise" and " Intestioator'' under Captain Sir Jakes C. Ross, 1848-49. In the spring of J 848, Captain Sir James C. Rosa was placed in command of a well found and ficted ex- pedition, with means and advantages of unusual extent, i 282 PKOORK88 OF AJiUllO DIHOOVKKY. nnrl witli nn object that, could not fiiil to fitimnlatc in till" hi<>:l»est (Icgruo the energies and perrieverance of all cniljsii ked in it. With the over present feelinp^, too, that tlie lives of their countrymen and brother aailors de- peuded, (under God's good providence,) upon tiieir unliinching exertions, Captain Ross and his followers Went forth in the confident hope that their efforts might be crowned with success. The season was considerably advanced before tie whole of the arrangements were completed, for it was not until the 12th of June, 1848, that Cai^tain Ross letl England, having under his charge the Enterprise and Investigator, with the following officers and crews :— Enterprise^ 640 tons. Captain — Sir James C. Ross. Lieutenants — R. J. L. M'Clure, F. L. McCUntock, and W. PL J. Browne. Master — W. S, Couldery, (acting^ Surgeon — AV. Robertson, ijj) M. D. Assistant Surgeon — IL Matthias. Clerk — Edward Whitehead. Total complement, 68. Investigator^ 480 tons, Captain — E. XBird. Lieutenants — M. G. IL W. Ross, Frederick Robinson and J. J. Barnard. Master — W. T*>tham. Surgeon — Rob rt Anderson. Mates — L. J. Moore and S. G. Cresswell. Second Master — John H. AUard. Assistant-Surgeon — E. Adams. Clerk in Charge — James D. Gilpin. Total complement, 67. The ships reached the Danish settlement of Upper- navick, situated on one of the group of Woman's Islands on the western shore of Baffin's Bay, on the 6th of July. Running through this intricate archipelago, they VOTAQE OF ENTERPRISE ANT) INVKfiTIOATOR 283 were made fust, on the 20tli, to an iceberg aground off Cape Shackleton. The ships were towed, during thu next few days, through hjose streams of ice, anfl on tlio morning of the 2t)th were oft* the three ishmds of J^atlin ill latitude 74^ N. Calms and light winds so greatly impeded any movement in the ])ack, that day aftei (lay passed away until the season had so far advanced as to preclude every hope of accomplishing much, if any thing, before the setting in of winter. No exertions, however, were spared to take advantage of every opportunity of pushing forward, until, on tho 20th of August, during a heavy breeze from the north- east, the ships under all sail bored tlirough a ])ack of ice of but moderate thickness, but having among il heavy masses, through which it was necessary to drive them at all hazards. The shocks the ships sustained during thia severe trial were great, but fortunately without serious damage to them. Getting into clear water in hit. 75 h N., and long. CS*^ W., on the 23d tho ships stood in to Pond's Bay, but no traces of Esquimaux or other human beings were discovered, although signals were made and guns fired at repeated intervals. The ships were kept close to the land, and a ligid examination made of tho coast to the northward, so that neither peoj^le nor boats could have passed without being seen. On the 2()th tlie ships arrived oft* Possession Bay, and a party was sent on shore to search for any traces of the expedition having touched at this general point of rendezvous. Xothing was found but tlie i)aper left there recording the visit of Sir Edward Parry, on the very day (August 30th) in 181f). From this point the examination of the coast was continued with equal care. On the 1st of September they arrived oft" Cape York, and a boat's crew was sent on shore, to fix a conspicuous mark, and leave information for the guidance of any future party that might touch here. I shall now take up the narrative in Sir James Ross's own words — " We stood over toward northeast cape until we came in with the edge of a pack, too dense wr us to penetrate, lying between us and T.eopold Island, i8 L^^ , , ) h\l r. i' I I"; ; '•' i' ^84 PKOOUEBS OF ARCTIO DI80OVEUV. 9^, filf r,: about fourteen miles broad ; we tbereforo coasted the north sliore of Barrow's Strait, to fieuk a harbor t'lirther to thewentward, and tooxaniine tlie ninnerous inlets of that sliore. Maxwell Bay, and several smaller indenta- tions, were thoroughly explored, and, although we ^^jt near the entrance of VVelhngton Channel, the linn har- rier of ice which stretched across it, and which had not broken a'A'ay this season, convinced us all was iniprac- tical)le in that direction. Wo now stood to the south- west to seek for a harbor near Cape Rennell, but found a heavy body of ice extending from the west of Corn- wallis Island in a compact mass to Leopold iHhuid. Coasting along the pack during stormy and togj,'y weather, wo had difhculty in keeping the ships tree during the nights, for 1 believe so great a quantity of ico was never before seen in Barrow's Strait at this period of the season." Fortunately, after some days of anxious and arduous work, the ships were got through the pack, and secured in the harbor of Port Leopold on tho 11th nf Septeml^er. No situation could be better adapted for tho purpose than this locality ; being at the junction of tlie four great channels of Barrow's Strait, Lancaster Sound, rrince Kcgcnt Inlet, ai'd "Wellington Channel, it was hardly possible for any party, after abandoning their ships, to pass along the shores of any of those inlets, witliout tinding indications of tho proximity of these ships. The night following the very day of the ships' gettin<» in, tho main pack closed with tho land, and completely sealed tho mouth of tho harbor. Tho long winter was passed in exploring and surveying journeys along tho coasts in all directions. During tho winter as nuiny us fitly white foxes were taken alive, in trai>s made of empty casks set for the purpose. As it was well known how large a tract of country these animals traverse in search of food, copper collars, (ujmn which a notice of the position of the ships and depots of provisions was engraved,) were clinched round their necks, and they were then set free, in the hope that some of these four- A! VOYAOK OF ENTI-niPniSE AND INVESTIGATOR. 285 footed messengers might be the moans of conveying the intelligenco to the Erebus and Terror, as tlie erewH of those vesisels wouhl naturally be eager for their cajiture. Tlie months of April and May were occupied by Oupt. Koris, Lieut. McClintock, and a party of twelve men, in examining and thoroughly exj)loring all the inlets and Binaller indentations of the northern an<l western coasts of Boothia peninsula, in which any ships might have found shelter. From the liigli land in the neighborliood of Capo Bunny, Capt. Koss obtained a very extensive view, and observed that the whole space between it and (..'ape Walker to the west, and Wellington Strait to the north, was occupied by very heavy hummocky ice. " The examination of the coast,'' Sir James Koss tells us, "was pursued until the 5th of June, when, having consumed more than half our provisions, and tlu Btrength of the party being much reduced, I was rehu tantly compelled to abandon further operations, as it was, moreover, necessary to give the men a diiy of rest. But that the time might not wholly be lost, 1 proceed ed with two hands to the extreme south point in sight from oir encam])ment, distant about eight or nine mih»s." This extreme point is situate in hit. 72'^ 38' ^., and lung. 95° 40' W., and is the west face of a small high peninsula. The state of the atmosphere being at the time peculiarly favorable for distinctness of vision, land of any great elevation might have been seen at the dis- tance of 100 miles. The nighest capo of the coast was not more than fifty miles distant, l)earing nearly duo south. A very narrow isthmus was found to separate Prince Regent Inlet from th* western sea at (/resswell jind Brentford Bays. The ice in this quarter Droved to be eight feet thick. A largii cairn of stones wa- erected, iind on the Cth of June, the return journey was com- menced. After encountering a variety of ditHeultie tliey reaehed the ships on the ii3d, so completely worn out by fatigue, that every man was, from some cause or otlier, in the doctor's hands for two or three weeks. During their absence, Mr. Matthias, the assistant-surgeon inS^ '^.^^ V^. ..a^ ^ <^ /i ^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 |4S ISO 1^ IM ■^ 1^ 12.2 Slag ii^ I.I ■u u Photographic Sdences Corporation // ^ .^«i.. \s\ 1.25 1 1.4 I'-* * 6" - ► 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ,v .^^^^ V 4 ^ '^ y i m > :r-^^-U^ fM I i 286 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. of the Enterprise, had died of consumption. Several of the crews of both ships were in a declining state, and the general re]3ort of health w.as by no means cheeriuf/. "VVliile Captuin Ross was away, Commander Bird had dispatched other surveying parties in different di- rections. One, under the command of Lieutenant Bar- nard, to the northern shore of Barrow's Strait, crossing tiie ice to Cape Hind ; a second, commanded by Lieu- tenant Browne, to the eastern shore of Regent Inlet- and a third party of six men, conducted by Lieutenant Robinson, along the western shore of the Inlet. Tiie latter officer extended his examination of the coast as far as Cresswell Bay, several miles to the southward of Fury Beach. He found the house still standing in which Sir John Ross passed the winters of 1832-33, together witli a quantity of the stores and provisions of tlie Fury, lost there in 1827. On opening some of the packages containing flour, sugar and peas, they were all found to be in excellent preservation, and the pi-eserved soup as good as when manufactured. The labors of these searching parties were, however, of comparatively short duration, as they all suffered from snow-blindness, sprained ankles, and debility. As it was now but too evident, from no traces of the absent expedition having been met with by any of these parties, that the ships could not have been de- tained anywhere in this part of the arctic regions, Captain Ross considered it most desirable to push for- M\ird to the westward as soon as his ships should be lib- erated. His chief hopes now centered in the efforts of Sir John Richardson's party; but he felt persuaded that S:," John Franklin's ships must have penetrated so far beyond Melville Island as to induce him to prefer making for the continent of America rather than seek- ing assistance from the whale ships in Baffin's Bay. The crews, weakened by incessant exertion, were now in a very unfit state to undertake the heavy labor which they had yet to accomplish, but all hands that were able were set to work with saws to cut a channel toward the point of the harbor, a distance of iather VOYAGE OF ENTERPltISP: AND INVESTIGATOR. 287 )een de- regions, usli for- i be lib- fforts of rsuaded etrated ;o prefer Ian seek- Bav. lere now y labor ds that cbannel If \atber more than two miles, and on the 28th of August tlio ships got clear. Before quitting the port, a house was built of the spare spars of both ships, and covered with such of the housing cloths as could be dispensed with. Twelve months' provisions, fuel, and other necessaries were also left behind, together with the steam launch belonging to the Investigator, which, having been pur- posely lengthened seven feet, now formed a fine vessel, capable of conveying the whole of Sir John Franklin's party to the whale ships, if necessary. The Investigator and Enterprise now proceeded toward the northern shore of Barrow's Strait, for the purpose of examining Wellington Channel, and, if pos- sible, penetrating as far as Melville Island, but when about twelve miles from the shore, the ships came to the fixed land-ice, and found it impossible to proceed. On the 1st of September a strong wind suddenly arising, brought the loose pack, through which they had been struggling, down upon the ships, which were closely beset. At times, during two or three days, they sustained severe pressure, and ridges of hum- mocks were thrown up all around ; but after that time the temperature falling to near zero, it formed the whole body of ice into one solid mass. The remainder of the narrative, as related by the Commander of the expedition in his official dispatch, will not bear abridgment. " We were so circumstanced that for some days we could not unship the rudder, and when, by the labori- ous operation of sawing and removing the hummocks from under the stern, we were able to do so, we found it twisted and damaged ; and the ship was so much strained, as to increase the leakage from three inches in a fortnight to fourteen inches daily. The ice was stationary for a few days ; the pressure had so folded the lighter pieces over each other and they were so interlaced, as to form one entire sheet, extending from shore to shore of Barrow's Strait, and as far to the east and west as the eye could discern from the mast-head, while the extreme severity of the temperature had 'ii li Tit 1 • t ! li ' 1 Mi 'V ■ i Ilk;- tut > »■ h w 288 PKOQKESS OF ARCTIO DISCO VEKY. cemented the whole so firmly together that it apr)eared hii^lily improbable that it could break up again this season. In the space which had been cleared away for unshipping the rudder, the newly-formed ice was fifteen inches thick, and in some places along the ship's side the thirteen-feet screws were too short to work. We had now fully made up our minds that the sliips were fixed for the winter, and dismal as the prospect appeared, it was far preferable to being carried aloncr the west coast of BaflSn's Bay, where the grounded bergs are in such numbers upon the shallow banks off tliat shore, as to render it next to impossible for ships involved in a pack to escape destruction. It was, therefore, with a mixture of hope and anxiety that, on the wind shifting to the westward, we perceived the whole body of ice begin to drive to the eastward, at the rate of eight to ten miles daily. Every effort on our part was totally unavailing, for no human power could have moved either o'^^he ships a single inch ; they were thus completely taken out of our own hands, and in the center of a field of ice more than fifty miles in circum- ference, were carried along the southern shore of Lancaster Sound. " After passing its entrance, the ice drifted in a more southerly direction , along the western shore of Bafiin's Bay, until we were abreast of Pond's Bay, to the south- ward of which we observed a great number of icebergs stretching across our path, and presenting the fearful prospect of our worst anticipations. But when least expected by us, our release was almost miraculously brought about. The great field of ice was rent into innumerable fragments, as if by some unseen power." By energetic exertion, warping, and sailing, the ships got clear of the pack, and reached an open space of water on the 25th of September. " It is impossible," says Captain Ross, in his con eluding observations, "to convey any idea of the sen sation we experienced when we found ourselves once more at liberty, while many a grateful heart poured forth its praises and thanksgivings to A.lmlghty God for this unlooked for deliverance." tjator " Af it is ^^m 3 ship's ) work, e ships I'ospect i along funded nks off •r ships It was, hat, on ^ed the , at the on our r could iy were i in the sircum- lore of a more Baffin's south- ebergs fearful n least ilously nt into ower." e shipa >ace of is con le sen once 3onred yGod VOYAGE OF ENTERPRISE AND INVESTIGATOR. 289 *'The ad stance of winter had now closed all the har- bors against ns ; and as it was impossible to ])enetrate to the westward through the pack from which we had just been liberated, I made the signal to the Investi- irator of mv intention to return to Enirland." After a favorable passage, the ships arrived home early in IS^ovember, Captain Sir J. C. Ross rei)orting himself at the Admiralty on the r)th of November. As this is the last arctic voyage of Sir James C. Ross, it is a fitting place for some record of his arduous services. Captain Sir James Clarke Ross entered the navy in 1812, and served as volunteer of the first class, mid- shipman and mate until 1817, with his uncle Com- mander Ross. In 1818 he was aj^pointed Admiralty midshipman in the Isabella, on Commander Ross's first voyage of discovery to the arctic seas. He was then midshipman in the two following years with Captain Parry, in the Ilecla ; followed him again in the Fury in his second voyage, and was promoted on the 26th of December, 1822. In 1824 and 1825, he was lieu- tenant in the Fury, under Captain Iloppner, on Parry's third voyage. In 1827, he was appointed first lieuten- ant of the tlecla, under Parry, and accompanied him in command of the second boat in his attempt to reach the North Pole. On his return he received his promo- tion to the rank of commander, the 8th of November, 1827. From 1829 to 1833, he was employed with his uncle as second in command in the Victory on the pri- vate expedition sent out by Mr. Felix Booth. During this period he planted, on the 1st of June, 1831, the British flag on the North Magnetic Pole. For this, on his return, he was jDresented by the Herald's College with an addition to his family arms of an especial crest, representing a flag-stafl[' erect on a rock, with tlie union jack hoisted thereon, inscribed with the date, " 1 June, 1831." On the 23d of October, 1834, he was promoted to the rank of Captain, and in the following year em- ployed in making magnetic observations, preparatory to the general magnetic survey of England. In the f lU ' H 1 ' •i! wm\ |.K|I A\ ' :% if t i / r 290 PKOGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVJiKY. If' close of 183C, it having been represented to the Ad niirtilty, from Hull, that eleven whale ships, having oa board 000 men, were left in tlie ice in i)avis' Strait, and in imminent danger of perishing, unless relief weru forwarded to them, the Lords Connoissioners resolved upon sending out a ship to search for them. Captain Koss, with that promptitude and humanity which has always characterized him, volrnteered to go out in the depth of winter, and the Lieutenants, F. 11. M. Crozier, Inman, and Ommaney, with the three mates, Jesse, Buchan, and John Smith, and Mr. Ilallett, clerk in cliarge, joined him. Tliey sailed from England on the 21st of December, and on arriving in Davis' Strait, after a stormy passage, found that nine of the missing ships were by that time in England, that the tentli was re- leased on her passage, and that the other was in all probability lost, as some of her water-casks had been picked up at sea. From 1837 to 1838, Captain Eoss was employed in determining the variation of the com- pass on all parts of the coast of Great Britain ; and from 1839 to 1843, as Captain of the Erel3us, in com- mand of the antarctic expedition. In 1841, he was presented with the founder's medal of the Royal Geo- graphical Society of London, for his discoveries toward the South Pole ; and he has also received the gold medal of the Geographical Society of Paris. On the 13th of March, 1844, he received the honor of knight- hood from the Queen, and in June of the same year the University of Oxford bestowed on him their honor- ary degree of D. 0. L. In 1848, he went out, as we have just seen, in the Enterprise, in Command of one of the searching expeditions sent to seek for Franklin. S Ih YOYAGE OF II. M. S. " IS'ORTH StAR." The ISTorth Star, of 500 tons, was fitted out in the spring of 1849, under the command of Mr. J. Saunders, who had been acting master with Captain Back, in the Terror, in her perilous voyage to the Frozen Strait, in 1836. VOYAGE OF THE NORTH STAK. 291 1 1 in all been Eoss i com- ; and 1 com- e was Geo- pward gold n the iio;lit- year lonor- .s we one ddin. the |ders, the it, m The following are the officers of the ships : — Master Commanding — J. Sannders. Second Masters — John Way, M. !N^orman, H. B. Gawler. Acting Ice-masters — J. Leach, and G. Sabestor. Assistant Surgeon — James Eae, M. D. Clerk in Charge — Jasper Rutter. The North Star sailed from the river Thames, on tlio 26th of May, 1849, freighted with provisions for the missing expedition, and with orders and supplies for the Enterprise and Investigator. The following is one of the early dispatches from the commander : — • " To the Secretary of the Admiralty. " //. if. S. North Star, July 19, 1849, lat. 74° 3' iT., long. 59° 40' W. "Sir, — I addressed a letter to their Lordships on the 18th lilt., when in lat. 73° 30' N., and long. 56° 53' W., detailing the particulars of my proceedings up to that date, "svhich letter was sent by a boat from the Lady Jane, whaler, which vessel was wrecked, and those boats were proceeding to the Danish settlements. Since then, t regret to state, our progress has been almost entirely stopped, owing to the ice being so placed across Mel- ville Bay as to render it perfectly impassable. " On the 6th inst., finding it impossible to make any progress, I deemed it advisable to run as far S. as 72°, examining the pack as we went along. At 72° 22' the pack appeared slacker, and we entered it, and, after proceeding about tw^elve miles, found ourselves com- pletely stopped by large floes of ice. We accordingly put back, and stecied again for the northward. " Having this day reached tlie latitude of 74° 3' N., and long. 59° 40' W., the ice appeared more open, and ^ve stood in toward the land, when we observed two boats approaching, and which afterward, on coming alongside, were found to belong to the Prince of Wales, rvlialer, which vessel was nipped by the ice on the 12th net., in Melville Bay. \ ■ I i: I 202 rrtOORKSS UK AKCIICJ DISCOVEKY. " By the captain of the Prince of Wales I forward this letter to their Lonl8hii)s, lie intending to proceed in his boats to tlie Danish settlements. " 1 have the honor to l)e, etc. "J. Saundeks, Master and Commander. " P. S.- ^rew all well on board." On tlic 20th of July, liaving reached the vicinity of the Devil's Thumb and Melville Bay, in the northerly part of Baffin's Bay, she was beset in an ice-iield, with wdiich she drifted helplessly about as the tide or wind impelled her, until the 16th of August, when, a slight opening in tlie ice appearing, an effort was made to heave through into clear water. Tliis proved labor in vain, and no further move was made until the 21st of September, except as she drifted in the ice floe in wliicli she was fixed. On the day last named she was driving before a hard gale from the S. S. W., directly down upon an enormous iceberg in Melville Sound, upon which if she had sti'uck in the then prevailing weather, her total destruction would have been inevitable. Providen- tially a corner of the ice-field in which she was beino; carried furiously along came into violent co-llision with the berg, a large section was carried away, and sho escaped. On the 20th of September, 1840, having been sixty-two days in the ice, she took up her winter quar- ters in North Star Bay, so called after herself, a small bay in Wolstenholme Sound, lying in 76° 33' north lat- itude, and 68° 56' west longitude ; the farthest point to the north at which a British ship ever wintered. T'lo ship was fixed about half a mile from the shore, and made snug for the winter, sails were unbent, the masts struck, and the ship housed over and made as warm and comfortable as circumstances would permit. The ice soon after took across the Sound, so that the crew could have walked on shore. The cold was intense ; but two or three stoves warmed the ship, and the crews were cheered up and encouraged with all sorts of games and amusements, occasionally visiting the shore for the purpose of skylarking. There w\as, unfortunately, but little game to shoot. Former accounts gave this pb ^», ■; ■ was »^' warm The 3 crew ense ; crews yames or the 7, but pi? ^», 1 VOYAGE OF 'IWE NORTH STAR. 293 a high character for deer and other animals ; bnt the crew of the North Star never saw a sin<]::le head of deer, and other animals were scarce ; about fifty liares wero killed. Foxes were numerous, and a number shot, but none taken alive. A few Esquimaux families occasion- nlly visited tlie ship, and one poor man was l)roiight on board witli his feet so frozen that they dropp.ed. ilo was placed under the care of the assistant-siu'geon. Dr. Rae, who paid him much attention, and his legs were nearly cured ; but ho died from ?. pulmonary disorder after having been on board some six weeks. The North Star was not able to lep.ve this retreat until the 1st of August, 1850, and got into clear water on the third of that month. On the 21st of August, she spoke the Lady Franklin, Captain Penny, and her consort the Sophia, and the following day the Felix, Sir Jolin lloss, in Lancaster Sound. Captain Penny reported tliat he had left Captain Austin all well on the 17th of August. On the 23d of August, the North Star began landing the provisions she had carried out in Navy Board In- let ; 73° W N. latitude, 80° 56' W. longitude. Slie remained five days there, and was occupied four and a half in landing the stores, which were deposited in a ravine a short distance from the beach of Supply Bay, the bight in Nayy Board Inlet, which the commander of the North Star so named. The position of the stores was indicated by a flag-staif, with a black ball, and a letter placed beneath a cairn of stones. They had pre- viously tried to deposit the stores at Port Bowen, and Port Neale, but were prevented approaching them by the ice. On the 30th of August, the North Star saw and spoke the schooner Prince Albert, Commander Forsyth, in Possession Bay. On the 31st, a boat was sent to the Prince Albert, when Commander Forsyth came on board and reported that he had also been to Port Neale, but had not been able to enter for the ice, and had found one of the American ships sent out to search for Sir John Franklin ashore in Barrow's Strait, that he had tendered assistance, which had been de- clined by the American commander, as, his ship being 1 t! I 1 1 t ! i i, ,' ( ; M ■ I I l< 'ill ■•I ;- ■! I ; 1 1 f t .t \-\ \: ' %i mmtm'''^i^^ 294 PROGItKSS OF AUCrriC I^ISCOV'KIiY. uninjured, lie believed liis own crew comi^ctcnt to jrct her ofi'. Coinmunder Forsyth reported that (Captain Austin had proceeded to Pond's Bay in the Intrepid, tender to the Assistance, to hind letters. Tlie North Star went on to Pond's Bay, but could not find any in- dication of Caj^taiu Austin's having been there. It is conjectured that ho had passed the appointed spot in a fog. The North Star's people suffered much from the intense cold, but only lost five hands during her peril- ous trip and arctic winter quarters. She left there on September 9th, and reached Si^ithead on the 28tli of September, 1850. Since his return Mr. Saunders has been appointed Master Attendant of the Dock-yard at Malta. The Admiralty have received dispatclies from Captain Sir J. lloss. Captain Penny, and Captain Oni- maney. Cai)tain Ommaney, in the Assistance, dating from off Lancaster Sound, latitude 75° 40' N., loni^'i- tude 75° 49' W., states that some Esquimaux had de- scribed to him a ship being hauled in during the last winter, and, on going to the spot, he found, from some papers left, that it was the North Star. Ho was pro- ceeding to search in Lancaster Sound. CajDtain Pennj^, of tlie Lady Franklin, writing from Lancaster Sound, August 21, states, that having heard on the 18th from Captain Austin of a report from the Esquimaux, that Sir John Franklin's ships had been lost forty miles north, and the crews murdered, he went with an inter- preter, but could find no evidence for the rumor, and came to the conclusion that the whole story had been founded on the North Star's wintering there. He con« eidered that his interpreter, M. Petersen, had done much good by exposing ihe fallacy of the story of Sir J Koss's Esquimaux. m CU Her Majesty's Smps "Enterprise" and "Investiga tor" under Captain Collinson. The Enterprise and Investigator were fitted out agair immediately on their return liome, and placed undei the charge of Captain B. Collinson, C. B., with the fol i dating luni^i- iid do- 1 much ;ir J 3TIGA lagair II) del lefol SECOND TRIP OF ENTERPRISE AND INVESTIGATOR. 295 lowing officers attaclied, to proceed to Beliriiig's Strait, to resumo the search in that direction : — Enterprise^ 340 tons. Captain — K. Collinson. Lieutenants — G. A. Phayre,* J. J. Barnard,* and C. T. Jago. Master — R. T. G. Legg. Second Master — Francis Skead. Mate — M. T. Parks. Surgeon — Robert Anderson.* Assistant-Surgeon — Edward Adams.* Clark in Charge — Edwa^'d Wliitehead.* Total complement, QQ, Investigator, Commander — R. J. M'Clure.* Lieutenants — W. II. Haswell and S. G. Cresswell.* Mates — H. H. Saintsbury and R. J. Wyniatt. Second Master — Stephen Court.* Surgeon — Alexander Armstrong, M. D. Assistant-Surgeon — Hy. Piers. CJ^rk in Charge — Joseph C. Paine. Total complement, QQ. Those officers marked with a star had been with the ehipr, in their last voyage. Tliese vessels sailed from Plymouth on the 20th of January, 1850. A Mr. Micrtsching, a Moravian mis- sionary, was appointed to the Enterprise, as interpreter. This gentleman is in the prime of life, of robust health, inured, by a service of hve years in Labrador, to the hardships and privations of the arctic regions, and suffi- ciently acquainted with the language and manners of the Esquimaux to be able to hold friendly and unre- served intercourse with them. > The Investigator and the Enterprise were at tlio Sandwich Islands on June 29th. Captain Collinson purposed sailing in a few days, and expected to reach the ice about the 8th of July. Prior to his arrival, !/'■ m !i(i I ' ,! m\i \ 1 ^ \ i 1 "' j, jm #, t III ' '\ ; t4lr ■ ■ ^■ .1 M » iiii 296 PROOKK88 OF AUCl'IC DISCoVKRY. niiincronfl wlmlors had stiirttMl tor tho Strait, one in par ticuhir, iiiidor the cumnuind of a Captain Koyw, with tlio o.\|)i't'ss('(l intcntiun of ondcuvonng to earn tlio Franlvlin reward. These vessels arc intended to penetrate, if possible, to tlio western extremity of Melville Island, tliere to winter, and make fnrtlier seareli, in the spring of 1851, for tliy crews of the lost ships. In a letter from Captain Collinson to Commander Mc Clure, dated Oahu, Jnne 29th, 1850, with a sight of which I have been favored at the Admiralty, he thus describes his intentions — " 1 intend making the ])ucl\ close to the American shore, and availing njyself of tho first favorable opening west of the coast stream ; pressing forward toward Melville Island. In the event of meet- ing land, it is most probable that I wonld pursue tho southern shore." The latest letter received from Commander McClure 18 dated Kotzebuo Sound, July 27th, 1850, and the following is an extract ; — " You will be glad to learn that to this we have been highly favored, carrying a fair wind from Whoa, which place we left on the 4th. We passed the Aleutian Islands on the 20th, in 172° 30' W., and got fairly through tlie Straits to-day, and we consider we are upon our ground ; the only detriment has been very dense fogs, which have rendered the navigation of the islands exceedingly nervous work ; but as the object to be achieved is of so important a nature, all hazards must be run to carry out the intentions of those at home, which have very fortunately terminated without acci- dent. We are now making the most of our wind, and we hope to meet an American whaler, of which I be- lieve there are a great number fishing this season, and to whom we must intrust our last disj^atches. Sincerely do I trust that, ere we return, some tidings of poor Sir John and his noble companions may reward our search ; which will render the long-sought for passage, should it l)e our fortune to make it, one of the most memorable in the annals of our times, and relieve many an anxious breast " Cap c]atc< from with Chan cod in ward retur son's esty's sliort Lslant Ijurne Auguj Moore ined tl withoi tion. fered having in Grai Island ] the sou Dispj linson. Comma of whic the proc rnand sii "Bein Western < and mac August, : burne, in par with 1 tlio )k', to iiitei', 31' tlio ;rMc ;lit of i tlius I ])ac'k of the 'cssiiii' niect- ue the cCluro id the e been .which eutiiui fairly upon deiiso slanda to be must home, acci- :1, and I be- , and lerely lOr Sir arch ; hoiild rable xious SECOND TKIP OF ENTKKIMtlSK AND INVK8TIUAHJK. 207 Oispatchcs luivo lu'on roci-ivod ut tlio Adnilndtv from ii) lli-ndd^ dated at sea, tlio 14th of October, 1850, on hirt return Captain Kellet, C. !>., of lier Majesty's bhij) llendd. from Belirin<('s Strait. The ilerahl had coniinunieated with her ^[ajosty'ti sldp rit)ver, on the lOth of .July, at Chaniisso Island, where the Plover had i)assed the pre- cc(lin«]^ winter. The two ships proeeeded to tlie north- ward until they sighted the pack-ice, when the Herald returned to Capo Lisburne, in quest of Captain CoUin- Bon's expedition, and on the Slst fell in with lier ^[aj- esty's ship Investigator, which had made a surprisingly short pa8sa<:;o of twenty-six days from the Sandwich Islands. Tlie Herald renuiined cruising oif Cai)e Lis- Ijurne, and again fell in with the Plover on the loth of A^ugust, on her return from Point Barrow, Commander Moore having coasted in his boats, and minutely exam- ined the several inlets as far as that point from icy Capo without gaining any intelligence of the missing expedi- tion. Commander Moore and his boat's crew had suf- fered severely from exposure to cold. Captain Kellet, having fully victualed the Plover, ordered her to winter in Grantley Harbor (her former anchorage at Chamisso Island not being considered safe,) and tl eii returned to the southward on his way to Englanc' Dispatches have also been received from Captain Col- linson, C. B., of her Majesty's ship Enterprise, and Commander M'Clure, of her Majesty's ship Investigator of whicli the following are copies : — " ITer Majesty^ s Ship ^Enterpriser ''Fort Clarence, Sept. 13, 1850. "Sir, — I have the honor to transmit an account of the proceedings of her Majesty's ship under my com rnand since leaving Oahu on the 30th of June. "Being delayed by light winds, we only reached tho western end of the Aleutian Chain by the 29th of July, and made the Island of St. Lawrence on the 11th of August, from whence I shaped a course for Cape Lis- burne, in anticipation of falling in with the Herald or 1 IH 1 11 ' 1 1 1 r, 1 . 1 1 1 ' 1 1 '. 1 ' ill 1 1 In, ''If' -I' II i ' I i 298 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. HI the Plo'"<^r. Not, however, seeing either of these vea* eele, a. ,.nding nothing deposited on shore, I went on to Wainwright Inlet, the last rendezvous appointed. Here we communicated on the 15th, and being alike unsuccessful in obtaining any information, I stood to the north, made the ice following morning, and readied the latitude 72° 40' N. in the meridian of 159° 30' W., without serious obstruction. Here, however, the pack became so close that it was impossible to make way in any direction except to the southward. Having extri- cated ourselves by noon on the 19th, we continued to coast along the edge of the main body, which took a southeasterly trend, running through the loose streams, so as not to lose sight of tight pack. At 4 a. m. on the 20th we were in the meridian of Point Barrow, and ■"wenty-eight miles to the north of it, when we found open water to the N. E., in which we sailed, without losing sight of the ice to the north until the morning of the 21st, when we were obstructed by a heavy bar- rier trending to the southwest. A thick fog coming on, we made a board to the north, in order to feel the pack edge in the upper part of the bight, and not to leav^ any part unexj ^ored. Having satisfied myself that no opening existed .a this dir'^-ction, we bore away to tlie south, running through heavy floes closely packed, and pushing to the eastward when an opportunity ofiered. In this, however, we were unsuccessful, being com- pelled to pursue a westerly course, the floes being very heavy and hummocky. By 8 p. m. we were within thirty miles of the land, and having clear weather, could see the ice closely packed to the south that lefc no doubt in ray mind that a stop was put to our pro- ceeding in this direction, by the ice butting so close on tlie shoal coast as to leave no chance that our progress along it would justify the attempt to reach Cape Bath- urst, a distance of 570 miles, during the remaining portion of this season; and finding this opinion was coincided in by those officers on board qualified to form an opinion on the subject, I determined to lose no time in communicating with Point Barrow, but to attei lane woul fore ing t than we to up, u sudd lowed in lat trend endea dition warpe direct] say, w we enl thick \ lane. 28°, an accom] Lordsh Point ] bottle ( that it Harbor with th enablin pany b' found h having < take th: to the c] duced tl the ship opportui leased fj irregulai the wind e vea* enton tinted. alike )0d tf! sached 0' W., 3 pack way in J extri- ued to took a reams, on the iw, and 3 found »vitliout lorning vy bar- ling on, le pack ,0 leaY3 hat no to the d, and jflfiered. com- ig very within eather, lat left ur pro- lose on ogress Bath- aining n was ed to Ito lose Ibut to i SECOND TRIP OF ENTERPRISE AND INVESTIGATOR. 299 attempt the passage further north, in hopes that the lane of water seen last year by the Herald and Plover would afford me an opening to the eastward. I there- fore reluctantly proceeded again to the west, and turn- ing the pack edge fifteen miles further to the SDuth than it was on the day after we left Wainwright Inlet, we followed the edge of a loose pack greatly broken up, until we reached 163° W. long., when It took a sudden turn to the north, in which direction we fol- lowed it until the morning of the 27th, when we were in latitude 73° 20', and found the pack to the westward trending southerly. I therefore plied to the eastward, endeavoring to make way, but such was its close con- dition that we could not work, although we might have warped through, had the condition of the ice in that direction afforded us any hope ; but this, I am sorry to say, was not the case, and, on the contrary, the further we entered, the larger the floes became, leaving us, in thick weather, often in great difficulty where to find a lane. On the 29th the thermometer having fallen to 28°, and there being no prospect of our being able to accomplish any thing toward the fulfillment of their Lordships' instructions this season, I bore away for Point Hope, where I arrived on the 31st, and found a bottle deposited by the Herald, which informed me that it was intended to place the Plover in Grantley Harbor this season. I accordingly proceeded thither, with the view of taking her place for the winter, and enabling Commander Moore to recruit his ship's com- pany by going to the southward. On my ariival I found her inside, preparing her winter quarters, and having examined and buoyed the bar, I attempted to take this vessel inside, but failed in doing so, owing to the change of wind from south to north having re- duced the depth of water four feet, and had to relieve the ship of 100 tons, which was quickly done by the opportune arrival of the Herald, before she was re- leased from a very critical position. The tides being irregular, the rise and fall depending principally on the wind, and that wind which occasions the highest 19 M ■ji I >»n» in ?!' I II I ! .1 k :•;' i.. !}•' 1 i ':■ m .1^! \. j, Ki 300 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. water producing a swell on the bar, it became a ques- tion whether a considerable portion of the ensuing season might not be lost in getting the ship out of Grantley Harbor ; and on consulting Captains Kellet and Moore, finding it to be their opinion, founded on the experience of two years, that the whalers coiniiK^ from the south pass through the Strait early in June whereas the harbors are blocked until the middle of July, I have come to the conclusion that I shall better perform the important duty confided in me by return- ing to the south, and replenishing my provisions, in- stead of wintering on the Asiatic Shore, where there is not a prospect of our being of the slightest use to the missing expedition. It is therefore my intention to proceed to Hong Kong, it being nearer than Valpa- raiso, and the cold season having set in, my stores and provisions will not be exposed to the heat of a double passage through the tropics ; and as I shall not leave until the Ist of April, 1 may receive any further in- structions their Lordships may please to communicate. "The Plover has been stored and provisioned, and such of her crew as are not in a fit state to contend with the rigor of a further stay in these latitudes have bee\. removed, and replaced by Captain Kellet, and the ])aragraph8 referring to her in my instructions fulfilled "I have directed Commander Moore to communi- cate annually with an Island in St. Lawrence Bay, in latitude 65° 38' N., and longitude 170'' 43' W., which is much resorted to by the whalers, and where any communication their Lordships may be pleased to send may be deposited by them, as they are not in the habit of cruising on this side of the Strait; and I have requested Captain Kellet to forward to the Admiralty all the information on this head he may obtain at the Sandwich Islands. " It is my intention to proceed again to the north, and remain in the most eligible position for afibrding assistance to the Investigator, which vessel, having been favored with a surprising passage from the Sand- wich Islands, was fallen in with by the Herald on the '^Eer Ma latitud Sir, — 2 Collinson, yfhiah I i tope of m being deta Sound, it i, be made tc ture to ho dl8t of Jli]y^ fyff p . TT V"" °° "o Wii be exposed tn til- . "-'"Pe ^atbnrst forced on a shoal BZTeVnd\V'^'"J'^''tkkofS boa^s I shall not fo,;4:"t"S ^'.^ '^"^^ '° '^^^ ot roint Hope until the seMon^ ^ *^ northward to.ne„re their having taCunfi.'- *^': ^''^«°eed ^ for th,g gg^g^^ b aKen np their winter quarters J- nave received fm m pany that assistance a^? a^erifvT .t""^ ^''■P'« <«>«- of their duty, which tI.o^ uP •'^"^ ^^^ Performanf.« engaged mni Se and tt'^ "''T '" ^iieh we are port that (under the' blessinr^f^r* «?''-sfaction to r^ means the rlord<ilimo i ^ ^' ®od) owin</ to thL and provisions? t'rrpSlt-r tie sick list notwithstandinrf? ? ^'thont a man oi our voyage. ""^^'anding the lengthened period of "Ihave, &c., "The Secretary of tfcZirahyT°"' ^''P'»»- 1-:'^ :-if u I i i I j i I i \,:h j^hich I incloseot ;r"eed"';r^""'\H"g. fa Z'S^ hope of meeting him in S '? •^'P'' -Lisburne in the being detained t day ortwo bvZ'^,"' ^'. «"««» '- - hope that even-fc-Zt-^Kcd ' r !i 'J 302 PROGRESS OF AKCTIO DISCOVERY. ■i ,' 1 ,ji:*< % k w Mi •hI. stances I shall be so fortunate as to accomplish it ere the Enterprise will have rounded that cape, from hor superior sailing, she hitherto having beaten us by eight days to Cape virgins, and from Magellan Strait to Oahu six. It is, therefore, under the probable case that tliis vessel may form a detached part of the expedition that I feel it my duty to state, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, the course which, under such a contingency, I shall endeavor to pursue, and have to request that you will lay the same oefore their Lordships. " 1. After passing Cape Lisburne, it is my intention to keep in the open water, which, from the different reports that I have read, appears about this season of the year to make between the American coast and the main pack as far to the northward as the 130th meridian, unless a favorable opening should earlier appear in the ice, which would lead me to infer that I might push more directly for Banks' Land, which I think is of the utmost importance to thoroughly examine. In the event of thus far succeeding, and tiie season continuing favor- able for further operations, it would bo my anxious desire to get to the northward of Melville Island, and resume our search along its shores and the islands adja- cent as long as the navigation can be carried on, and then secure for the winter in the most eligible position which oiFers. " 2. In the ensuing spring, as soon as it is practicable for traveling parties to start, I should dispatch as many as the state of the crew will admit of in different direc- tions, each being provided with forty days' provisions, with directions to examine minutely all bays, inlet:3 and islands toward the northeast, ascending occasionally some of the highest points of land, so as to be enabled to obtain extended views, being particularly cautious in their advance to observe any indication of a break up in the ice, so that their return to the ship may be effected without hazard, even before the expenditure of theii provisions would otherwise render it necessary.- " 3. Supposing the parties to have returned? without obta Hl)ei be t( that scare shou Capt I sho tion that point cerni then painfi all hu theref duty, endea ject nj tion, I no app safety three j from tl much c of four ing par which -1 " It ^ oflbcts ( which \ in the i] are in a and evi disposit "5. S com pas? doubt w deem it it ere tn her ' eight • Oahu at this )n that of the course Ivor to e same tention ifterent ison of Liid the pridian, r in the it push 3 of the le event g favor- anxious nd, and adja- on, and position ticable 8 many t direc- visions, ets and ionally inabled ious in k up in ifected f tlieii dthout I SECOND TRIP OF ENTEKPlilSE AND INVESTIGATOR. 303 obtaining any clue of the al)8ent ships, and the vessel liberated about the 1st of Auo-ust, my object wouhl then be to piisli on toward AVeliin<>tuii Inlet, assuming that that channel communicates witli tlie Pohir Sea, and search both its shores, unless in doing so some indication should be met with to show that parties from any of Captain Austin's vessels had previously done so, when 1 should return, and endeavor to penetrate in the direc- tion of Jones' Sound, carefully examining every place that was practicable. Should our efforts to reach this point be successful, and in the route no traces are dis- cernible of the long missing expedition, I should not then be enabled longer to divest myself of the feelings, painful as it must be to arrive at such a conclusion, that all human aid would then be perfectly unavailing ; and therefore, under such a conviction, 1 would think it my duty, if possible, to return to England, or at all events endeav(ii' to reach some port that would insure that ob- ject upon the following year. " 4. In the event of this being our last communica- tion, I would request you to assure their lordships that no apprehensions whatever need be entertained of our safety until the autumn of 1854, as w^o have on board three years of all species of provisions, commencing from the 1st of 8e])tember proximo, which, without much d(>privation, may be made to extend over a period of four years ; moreover, whatever is killed by the hunt- ing parties, I intend to issue in lieu of the usual rations, which will still further protract our resources. " It gives mo p-i-eat pleasure to say that the good effects of the fruit and vegetables, (a large quantity of wiiich w^e took on board at Oahu,) are very perceptible in the increased vigor of the men, who at this moment are in as excellent condition as it is possible to desire, and evince a spirit of confidence and a clieerfulness of disposition which are beyond all appreciation. " 5. Should difficulties apparently insurmountable en- compass our pi'ogress, so as to render it a matter of doubt whether the vessel could be extricated, I should deem it expedient in that case not to hazard the lives •^ 1^ : ' 1 1 1/1 , II I 1 : I !i I !Hi it •f-'\U \ . ' : I' 1 . mj \i > I: ■ I- ib; , i i ■ m 804 prookp:s8 op arctic discovery. in I'll m •.»5 'r % .1 of those intrusted to my charge after the winter of 1852, but in the ensuing spring quit the vessel with sledges and bouts, and make the best of our way either' to Pond's Bay, Leopold Harbor, the Mackenzie, or for whalers, according to circumstances. "Finally. In this letter I have endeavored to give an outline of what I wish to accomplish, (and what, under moderately favorable seasons, appears to me attainable,) the carrying out of which, however, not resting upon human exertions, it is impossible even to surmise if any, or what, portion may be successful. But my object in addressing you is to place their Lordships in possession of my intentions up to the latest period, so far as possi- ble, to relieve their minds from any unnecessary anxiety as to our fate ; and having done this, a duty which is incumbent from tlie deej) sympathy expressed by their Lordships, and participated in by all classes of our countrymen, in the interesting object of this expedition, I have only to add, that with the ample resources which a beneficent government and a generous country have placed at our disposal, (not any thing that can add to our comfort being wanting,) we enter upon this distin- guished service with a firm determination to carry out, as far as in our feeble strength we are permitted, their benevolent intentions. " I have, &c., "EoBEKT M'Clure, Commander." "jETe/* Majesty's ship *• Enterprise^ ''Oahu^June 29,1850. " Memorandum. — As soon as Her Majesty's ship under your command is fully complete with provisions, fuel, and water, you will make the best of your way to Cape Lisburne, keeping a good look-out for the Herald, or casks, and firing guns in foggy weather, after passing Lawrence Bay. The whalers also may afford you infor- mation of our progress. " Should you obtain no intelligence, you will under- gtand that I intend to make the pack close to the Ameri- s4 er. » [under ,, fuel, Cape lid, or issing I infor- mder- Lineri- DI«1'ATCUKS Fitl>M E^TEKhlilSE AND LX V K«i liGA'i'OB. 305 can shore, and pursue tbc first favoial>le opening west <)'' the Coast stream, pressing- forward toward MclvilJ"! Mand. In the event of meeting land, it is most probr ble that I would pursue the southern shore, but conspit uous marks will be erected, if practicable, and inform* tion buried at a ten-foot radius. " As it is necessary to be prepared for the contin gency of your not being able to follow by the ice clos ing m, or the severity of the weather, you will in that case keep the Investi^^ator as close to the edge of the pack as is consistent with her safety, and remain there until the season compels you to depart, when you will look into Kotzebue Sound for the Plover, or informa- tion regarding her position ; and having dejDosited un- der her charge a twelve month's provisions, you will jH'oceed to Valparaiso, replenish, and return to the Strait, bearing in mind that the months of June and July are the most favorable. " A letter from the hydrographer relative to the vari- ation of the compass is annexed ; and you will bear in mind that the value of these observations will he greatly enhanced by obtaining the variation with the ship's head at every second or fourth point round the com- pass occasionally, and she should be swung for devia- tion in harbor as often as opportunity may offer. " Should you not find the rlover, or that any casualty has happened to render her inefficient as a defot, you will take her place ; and if, (as Captain Kellett sup- poses,) Kotzebue Sound has proved too exposed for a winter harbor, you will proceed to Grantley Harbor, leaving a notice to that effect on Chamisso Island. The attention of your officers is to be called, and you will read to your ship's company, the remarks of Sir J. Richardson concerning the communication with the Esquimaux, contained in the arctic report received at Plymouth. " Your operations in the season 1851, cannot be guided by me, nor is there any occasion to urge you to proceed to the northeast ; yet it will be highly desir- able, previous to entering the pack, that you completed •"m lii iii ! I I I ' I' !,ir 'i«jj 1 i" r't . Hi lit I ll'^: I 'SI ■|ii k , i-i !lt ^ I Ktti , I !• m'\ 306 PU0GKKS8 OF ARCTIC DISCOVICIJY. Mi 'jt: provisions from whalers, find obtained as miioh roindocr meat as possible. Captain Kellett's narrative will point out where the latter is to be had in most abuii<hiiice, and where coal can be picked up on the hcAwh ; hut husband the latter article during tlio winter, by u.siu..' all the drift-wood in your power. " In the event of leaving the Strait this season, you will take any weak or sickly men out of the Pluvor, and replace them from your crewn, affording Com- mander Moore all the assistance in your power, und leaving with him Mr. Miertsching, the interpreter ; in- structions with regard to whose accommodations you have received, and will convey to the captain of the Plover. "Richard Collinson. " To Commander JiPGlure^ of her Majesty's ship * Investigator.'' " Should it be the opinion of Commander Moore that the services of the Investigator's ship's company in ex- ploring parties during the spring would be attended with material benefit to the object of the expedition, he will, notwithstanding these orders, detain you for that purpose ; but care must be taken that your effi- ciency as a sailing vessel is not crippled by the parties no* returning in time for the opening of the sea. " R. C." " Her Majesti/s discovery ship ' Investigator^^ July 28, 1850. Kotzebue Sound, latitude m^" 54' iV'., longit^- deles'" W. " Sir, — I have the honor to acquaint you, for the in- formation of the Lords Commissioners of the Admi- ralty, that to this date we have had a most excellont run. Upon getting clear of Oahu, on the morning of the 5th, we sliaped a course direct for the Aleutian group, passing them in 172° 40' W., upon the evenino^ of the 20th ; continued our course with a fine south- easterly breeze, but extremely thick and foggy weather, (which retarded the best of our way being made.) Got fairly out of Behring's Strait upon the evening of the 1 floor [xtiiit, ; l)iit ii.siii n I, yon lovor, C(»m- r, und r ; in- s you of the SON. re that in ex- tended dition, ou tor ur effi- arties C." July cbe in- .duii- »ellent |ng of iutian [■enincj jonth- [ather, Got )f the VOYAGK OF THE I'LOVKH, KTO. 307 27th. and are now in a fair wav of realizinij tlieir Lord- sliipK' expectations of reacliinji; the ice by tlie l)e<::in- mufj; of Angnst, our prt)t;'i'('>s hciiii^ advanced hy tlio favorable circnnistances i.>f a line southerly wind and tolerably clear weather. Tiie latter we luive known nothing of since the IDth, which, 1 can assure yon, ren- dered the navigation amonn^ the islands a subject of much and deep anxiety, seldom having a horizon above 480 yards, that jnst enabled the dark outline of the land to be observed and avoided. " It is with much satisfaction that I report the good qualities of this vessel, having well tried her in the heavy gales experienced during five weeks oflt* ("ape Horn, and in moderate weather nong the intricate navigation of these islands, where so much depended upon her quick obedience to the helm, although laden with every species of stores and provisions for upward of three years. From these circumstances I am, there- fore, fully satisfied she is as thoroughly adapted for this service as could be reasonably wished. " I have not seen any thing of the Enterprise, nor is it my intention to lose a moment by waiting off Cape Lisburne, but. shall use my best endeavors to carry out the intentions contained in my letter of the 20th, of which I earnestly trust their Lordships will approve. " I am happy to be able to state that the whole crew are in excellent health and spirits, and every thing as satisfactory as it is possible to desire. " I have, &c., " Robert M'Cluee, Commander. " The Secretary of the Admiralty.''^ YoYAGE of H. M. S. " Plover," and Boat Expeditions UNDER Commander Pullen, 1848-51. In the copy of the instructions issued f'-om the Ad- miralty to Lieutenant, (now Commander,) Moore, of the Plover, dated 3d of January, 1848, he was directed to make the best of his way to Petropaulowski, touch- ing at Panama, where she was to be joi-ned by II. M. I lit I I ' I, ll !:; 1 1 . 1 , J, u iii, V m I'll I ' 1 808 PBOGUE88 OF AliCrno DI800VEKY. ■ ".,(■1 l| S. lloriild, and afterward both vessels were to proceed to Belii'iiig's Strait, whore tiiey were expected to arrive ahout tiie leit of July, and then push along the Ameri- can coast, as far as possible, consistent with the cer- tainty of preventing the ships being beset by the ice. The tlover was tlien to be secured for the winter in some safe and convenient port from whence boat par- ties might be dispatched, and tlio Herald was to return and transmit, via Panama, any intelligence necessary? to England. Great caution was ordered to bo observed in communicating with the natives in the neighborhood of Kotzebue Sound, should that quarter be visited, aa the people in that part of the country differ in charac- ter from the ordinary Esquimaux, in being compara- tively a fierce, agile, and suspicious race, well armed with knives, tfec, for offense, and prone to attack. They were also ordered to take interpreters or guides from a small factory of the Russian-American Company in Norton Sound. The Plover was safely ensconced for the winter of 1849-50 in Kotzebue Sound, after the termination of a hard season's work. She had, conjointly with the Her- ald, discovered to the north of fiehring's Strait, two islands, and several apparently disconnected patches of very elevated ground. Lieut. Pullen had previously quitted her off Wainwr'ight Inlet, with four boats, for tne purpose of prosecuting his adventurous voyage along the coast to the moutli of the Mackenzie River, where he arrived safely on the 26th of August, after a perilous navigation of thirty-two days, but had obtained no clue or intelligence regarding the prime object of his expedition. At a later date he encountered at Fort Simpson, higher up the river, Dr. Rae, and gathered from tha*". gentleman that the party led by him down the Coppermine, with the view of crossing over to Yic toria or "VVoUaston Land, had, owing to the unusual difficulties created by the more than customary rigor of the season, met with entire failure ; the farthest point attained being Cape Krusenstern. Lieut. Pullen is occupied during the present year in a al.l bel iuj is 11 lettl J^al tai]J troii quiij wat( Mac IJud VOYAGK OP THE TLOVER, ETC. 309 If^,, '\ two itches jioasly ts, for )yage liver, Ifter a lained )f his Fort bered flown Yic isual lor of )oini lar in ? ■ *4 a journ^'y frointlie mouth of the Mackenzie eastward, uh)n*j: the arctic coast, as far an Ca|)e IJatliurst, and tliis being successfully accouiplisiied, he Durnuses atteniut- in<^ to cross the intervening space to lianks' Land, lie is furnished with two boats, botii open. Lieut. AV. IL Hooper, one of the party, in a recent letter to his father in London, writing from Great Slave Lake, nnder date June 27, 1850, gives some further de- tails of their proceedings. Having had considerable trouble and a slight skirmish with some parties of Es- quimaux, thev were oblio^ed to be continually on the watch. At tlie end of August, the party entered the Mackenzie liiver, and in a few days reached one of the Hudson's Bay Comj)any'8 posts on the Peel lliver, a branch of the Mackenzie, where Commander Pullen left Lieut. Hooper and half the party to winter, while he proceeded farther up the river to a more important post at Fort Simpson. After renuiining at Peel's River station about a fortnight, Mr. Hooper found that his party could not be maintained throughout the winter there, and in consequence determined on following Capt. Pullen, but was only able to reach Fort Norman, one of his party being frost-bitten on the journey. They thence made their way across to Great Bear Lake, where they passed the winter, subsisting on lish and water. Dr. Kae arrived there as soon as the ice broke up, and the party proceeded with him to Fort Simpson. On the 20th of June, Commander Pullen and all his party left with the company's servants, and the stock of furs, on their way to the sea, to embark for England, when they were met, on the 25th, by a canoe with Ad- miralty dispatches, which caused them to retrace their steps ; and they are now on their route by the Great Slave Lake to Fort Simpson, and down the Mackenzie once more, to the Polar Sea, in search of Sir John Franklin. " However grieving," Lieut. Hooper adds, " it is to be disappointed of returning home, yet I am neverthe- less delighted to go again, and think that we do not hopelessly undertake another search, since our intended I ) ill I I 1 1] • i i ( ■ i-'l- 1 i- r ' tl 1. r 810 I'HOORKSS OF AUCTIO DISCOVKUY. (lircotion is coTisidcnMl tlio most ])rol>al>l(» cliannol fox iiiidinjjj tho missini^ sliips or crcwM. Wi' «jjo down tho ^hicla'iizic, Jiloiii^ th« cojist t'jistwanl t<> IN.iut Uatliuist, unci tlu'iHu; f^triki^ across to Wolhihtoii nr l^anlvs' Land. TIk^ H('aso?j will, of C'Diir.-o, nuudi influfnct'oiir j)nK'('('d. \n<fH ; hilt wo hIiuII lu'obaldy ivtiirn up tlic liitlicrto luu'Xplort'd river wliudi runs into tlio Arctic ()ci>aii from Jiivcrpool Bay, between tho Coi)permine and Mjickcnzio." The lutcHt official dispatch from Commander Pullon ifl dated (treat Slave Lake, June 28tli. He liad hecii 8to)>ped by the ice, and intended returniii".; to Fort Simpson on the 21)th. One of his l)outs was ho hattei-iMl about as to ])e ])erfcctly useless ; he intended ))at('liiii'.^' np the other, and was also to receive a new hoiit Ix-- Ion<2jin«jj to the Hudson's .l>ay Coini)any, from Fort Simpson. He had dismissed two of his ])arty, as tluy were both suftering from bad health, but proposed cn- gaginc^, at Fort Good Hope, two Hare Indians as hunt- ers and guides, one of whom had accompanied I^Fessrs. Dease and Simpson on their trips of discovery in 1S38 and 1839. This would augment the party to seventeen persons in all. " M}'' present intentions," he says, " are to proceed down the Mackenzie, along the coast, to Caj^e Bathurst, and then strike across for Banks' Land ; my operations must then, of course be guided by circumstances, but I shall strenuously endeavor to search along all coasts in that direction as far and as late as I can with safety venture ; returning, if possible, by the Mackenzie, or by the Beghoola, which the Indians speak of as beina: navigable, as its head waters are, (according to S r John Richardson,) only a nine-days' passage froai Fort Good Hope ; to meet which, or a si?nilar contingency, I take snow shoes and sledges, c^c. " In conclusion, I beg to assni'e th'Mr Lordships of my earnest determination to carry out their views to the utmost of my ability, being confident, fi'om the eagerness of the party, that no pains will be spared, no necessary labor avoided, and, by God's blessing, we ; t' hoi ga na nial m •ocecd :hurst, iations but I Lsts in safety ;ie, or [Leing Jolin take , of i VOYAGE OF THE PLOVER, ETC. 3H hope to be fluccoHHtul in(liHCov(u*iii<ij floinotidinnjfl of our galliitit cuJintryineii, or evon in restoring tlieiu to their iiativo bind and anxious relatives." Mr. Cliief Factor Rao was al)Out to follow Com- mander I'ullon and hin party from Porta^^e La Ii(»('lie. Dr. liichardson observes that "Commander I'lillcn will require to be fully victualed for at least 120 days from the 20th of July, when he may be expect e<l to commence his sea voyage ; whicli, for sixteen men, will re(iuiro forty-rive bags of pemraic^an of J)() lbs. each. This is exclusive of a further supply which he ought to take for the relief of any of Franklin's people he may have the good fortune to find. i\fter he leaves the main-land at Capo Bathurst, he would have no chance of killing deer till he makes Banks' Land, or some in- tervening island ; and he must provide for the chaiK^e of being caught on the floe ice, and having to make his way across by the very tedious portage«, as fully de- scribed by Sir W. E. Parry in the narative of his most adventurous boat voyage north of Spitzbe.gen. " Mr. Rae can give Commander Pullen the fullest information respecting the depots of pemmican made on the coast. " With respect to Commander Pullcn's return from sea, his safest plan will be to make for the Mackenzie ; but should circumstances place that out of his power, the only other course that seems to me to be practicable is for him to ascend a large river which falls into the bottom of Liverpool Bay, to the westward of Cape Ba- thurst. This river, which is named the Begloola Dessy by the Indians, runs parallel to the Mackenzie, and in the latitude of Fort Good Hope, {66° 30' N.,) is not above five or six days' journey from that post. Hare Indians, belonging to Fort Good Hope, might be en gaged to hunt on the banks of the river till the arrival of the party. The navigation of the river is unknown ; but even should Commander Pullen be compelled to quit his boats, his Indian hunters, (of which he should at least engage two for his sea voyage,) will support and guide his party. Wood and animals are most cer- tainly found on the banks of river^ n I i 1 '!i!|.- i V t \\ ,:\ I r t i tl 812 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. "It is not likely that under any circumstances Com- mander Fallen should desire to reach the Mackenzie by way of the Coppermine River, and this conld be effected only by a boat being placed at Dease River, for the transport of the party over Great Bear Lake. This would require to be arranged previously with Mr. Rae ; and Commander PuUen should not be later in arriving at Fort Confidence than the end of September." Voyage of the "Lady Franklin" and "SopmA," Government Vessels, under the command of Mr. Penny, 1850-61. A vessel of 230 tons, named the Lady Franklin, fit- ted out at Aberdeen, with a new brig as a tender, built at Dundee, and named the Sophia, in honor of Miss S. Cracroft, the beloved and attached niece of Lady Franklin, and one of the most anxious watchers for tidings of the long missing adventurers, were purchased by the government last year. The diarge of this expedition was intrusted to Cap- tain Penny, formerly commanding the Advice whaler, and who has had much experience in the icy seas, hav- ing been engaged twenty-eight years, since the age of twelve, in the whaling trade, and in command of ves- sels for fourteen years ; Mr. Stewart w^';^ placed in charge of the Sophia. The crew of the Lady Franklin number twenty-five, and that of the Sophia, twenty, all picked men. These ships sailed on the 12th of April, 1850, pro- visioned and stored for three jeara. They were pro- vided with a printing press, and every appliance to relieve the tedium of a long sojourn in the icy regions. In the instructions issued by the Admiralty, it is stated that in accepting Captain Parry's offer of service, regard has been had to his long experience in arctic navigation, and to the great attention he has paid to the subject of the missing ships. He was left in a great measure to the exercise of his 6 ""Tpr Jom- enzie (I be liver, Lake, with 3t be id of PHTA, F Mr. in, fit- r, built f Miss ■ Lady ers for chased ) Cap- whaler, ?, hav- lage of )f ves- jed in ^y-five, ,, pro- pro- ice to [gions. it is hrvice, [arctic lid to )f his VOYAGE OF THE RESOLUTE AND ASSISTANCE, ETC. 313 own judgment and "discretion, in combining the most active and energetic search after the Erebus and Terror, with a strict and careful regard to the safety of the ships and their crews under his charge. He was di- rected to examine Jones' Sound at the head of Baffin's Bay, and if possible, penetrate through to the Parry Islands ; failing in this, he was to try Wellington Strait, and endeavor to reach Melville Island. He was to use his utmost endeavors, (consistent with the safety of the lives of those intrusted to his command,) to succor, in the summer of 1850, the party under Sir John Frank- lin, taking care to secure his winter-quarters in good time ; and 2dly, the same active measures were to be used in the summer of 1851, to secure the return -of the ships under his charge to this country. The Lady Franklin was off Cape York, in Baffin's Bay, on the 13th of August. From thence she pro- ceeded, in company with H. M. S. Assistance, to Wol- stenholme Sound. She aftei*ward, in accordance with her instructions, crossed over to the west with the in- tention of examining Jones' Sound, but owing to the accumulation of ice, was unable to approach it within twenty-five miles. This was at midnight on the 18th. She, therefore, continued her voyage to Lancaster Sound, and onward to Wellington Channel, where she was seen by Commander Forsyth, of the Prince Albert, )n the 25th of August, with her tender, and H. M. S. Assistance in company, standing toward Cape Hotham. Voyage of H. M. Ships " Resolui'e " and " Assistance," WITH the Steamers "Pioneer" and "Intrepid" as Tenders, under command of Captain Austin, 1850-51. Two fine teak-built ships of about 500 tons each, the Baboo and Ptarmigan, whose names were altered to the Assistance and Resolute, were purchased by the government in 1850, and sent to the naval yards to be oroperly fitted for the voyage to the polar regions. Two screw-propeller steamers, intended to accompany ft!'" i^ ,r HI ,11 in ; I ' ' !l' f h m 814 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. tliese vessels as steam tenders, were also purchased and similarly fitted ; their names were changed from the Eider and Free Trade to the Pioneer and Intrepid. The command of this expedition was intrusted to Captain Horatio T. Austin, C. B., who was first Lieu- tenant of the Fury, under Commander Iloppner, in Captain Sir E. Parry's third voyage, in 1824-25. The vessels were provisioned for three years, and their at- tention was also directed to the depots of stores lodged by Sir James Boss at Leopold Island, and at J!^avy Board Inlet by the North Star. The ships sailed in May, 1850. The officers employed in them were as follows : — Resolute. Captain — Horatio T. Austin, C. B. Lieutenants — R. D. Aid rich, and "W". H. J. Browne. Mates — E. B. Pearse, and W. M. May. Purser — J. E. Brooman. Surgeon — A. R. Bradford. Assistant, ditto — Bichard King. Midshipmen — C. Bullock, J. P. Cheyne. Second Master — G. F. M'Dougall. Total complement, 60 men. Pionee'^^ screw steamer. Lieut.-Commanding — Sherard Osbom. Second Master — J. H. AUard. Assistant-Surgeon — F. R. Picthom. Assistance. Captain — E. Ommaney. Lieutenants — J. E. Elliot, F. L. M'Clintock, and G. F. Mecham. Surgeon — J. J. L. Donnett. Assistant, ditto — J. Ward, {a^ Mates — R. Y. Hamilton, and J. R. Keane. Clerk in Charge — E. ^N". Harrison. Second Master — "W. B. Shellabear. Midshipman — C. R. Markham. Total complement, 60 men. I' ^iii^^ -.^.-r-^.Hl^.:..^ ■..-,^.- ,^-^|.^. ^^.-.. -—■ Tl- "111 ■ VOYAGE OF THE RESOLUTE AND ASSISTANCE, ETC. 315 Intrejpid^ screw steamer. Lieut.-Commander — B. Cater. Each of the tenders had a crew of 30 men. Two ol the officers appointed to this expedition, Lieu- tenants Browne and M'Clintock, were in the Enterprise under Captain Sir James C. Ross in 1848. The Emma Eugenia transport was dispatched in ad- vance with provisions to the Whale-Fish Islands, to await the arrival of the expedition. It having been suggested by some parties that Sir John Franklin might have effected his passage to Mel- ville Island, and been detained there with liis ships, or that the ships might have been damaged by the ice in the neighboring sea, and that with his crews he had abandoned them and made his escape to that island. Captain Austin was specially instructed to use every exertion to reach this island, detaching a portion of his ships to search the shores of Wellington Channel and the coast about Cape Walker, to which point Sir John Franklin was ordered to proceed. Advices were first received from the Assistance, after her departure, dated 5th of July ; she was then making her way to the northward. The season was less favor- able for exploring operations than on many previous years. But little ice had been met With in Davis' Strait, where it is generally found in large quantities, 60 that obstacles of a serious nature may be expected to the northward. Penny's ships had been in company with them. Ice is an insurmountable barrier to rapid progress ; fortifications may be breached, but huge masses of ice, 200 to 600 feet high, are not to be overcome. On the 2d of July the Assistance was towed beneath a perpendicular cliff* to the northward of Cape Shackle- ton, rising to the height of 1500 feet, which was ob- served to be crowded with the fooliph guillemot?, ( TJria t/roile.) When the ship hooked on to an iceberg for the night, a party sent on shore for the purpose brought off 260 birds and about twenty dozen of their eggs. These birds only lay one Qgg each. iP If I ! i \ il t 'i li; 1: ,; ;' V I (i -kK li 1 \i\ \ ) !'■. i:;; :;V' 316 PROGRESS OF AKCTIO DISCOVERY. . " Si ■■ The following official dispatch has been since received from Captain Oramaney : — ^^ Her Majesty^ s ship ^ Assistances^ off Lancaster Sound, latitude 75° 46' i\^., longitude 75° 49' TF., Augmt 17, 1850. " Sir, — I have the honor to acquaint you, for the in- formation of the Lords Commissioners of the Admi- ralty, that her Majesty's ship Assistance, and her tender, her Majesty's steam-vessel Intrepid, have this day suc- ceeded in effecting a passage .cross to the west water, and are now proceeding to Lancaster Sound. Officers and crews all well, with fine clear weather, and open water as far as can be seen. " Agreeably with instructions received from Captain II. Austin, we parted company on the 15th instant, at one A. M., off Cape Dudley Diggs, as the ice was then sufficiently open to anticipate no farther obstruction in effecting the north passage. He was anxious to proceed to Pond's Bay, and thence take up the examination along the south shores of Lancaster Sound, leaving me to ascertain the truth of a report obtained from the Esqui- maux at Cape York respecting some ship or ships hav- ing been seen near Wolstenholme Island, after which to proceed to the north shores of Lancaster Sound and Wellington Channel. " On passing Cape York, (the 14th inst.,) natives were seen. ]By the directions of Captain Austin I landed, and communicated with them, when we were informed that they had seen a ship in that neighborhood in the spring, and that she was housed in. Upon this intelli- gence I shipped one of the natives, who volunteered to join us as interpreter and guide. " On parting with Captain Austin we proceeded toward Wolstenholme Island, where I left the ship and proceeded in her Majesty's steam- vessel Intrepid into Wolstenholme Sound, and by the guidance of the Esqui- maux, succeeded in finding a bay about thirteen miles further in, and sheltered by a prominent headland. In the cairns erected here we found a document stating reived lu(/ud the in- Admi- tender, ay siic- I water, Dfficers d open IJaptam itaut, at 'as then ction in proceed )n along r me to Esqui- ps hav- ^hich to ind and res were (landed, iformed in the intelli- tered to kceeded jiip and lid into Esqui- miles id. In stating VOYAGE OF THE RESOLUTE AJS'D ASSISTANCE, ETC. 317 that the !N"orth Star had wintered in the bay, a copy of which I have the honor to transmit to their Lord- ships. " Previous to searching the spot where the North Star wintered, I examined the deserted Esquimaux >':'>- ment. At this spot we found evident traces of . .iiio ship having been in the neighborhood, from empty ])ro- served meat canisters and some clothes left near a i)ool of water, marked with the name of a corporal belonging to the North Star. " Having ascertained this satisfactory information, I returned to Wolstenholme Island, where a document was deposited recording our proceedings. At a. m., of the 16th inst., I rejoined the ship, and proceeded at two to the westward, and am happy to inform you that the passage across has been made without obstrnction, tow- ing through loose and straggling ice. " The expedition was beset in Melville Bay, sur- rounded by heavy and extensive floes of ice, from the 11th of July to the 9th of August, 1850, when, after great exertion, a release was efiected, and we succeeded in reaching Cape York by continuing along the edge of the land-ice, after which we have been favored with plenty of water. " Captain Penny's expedition was in company during the most part of the time while in Melville Bay, and up to the 14th inst., when we left him oif Cape Dudley Diggs — all well. " In crossing Melville Bay we fell in with Sir John Ross and Captain Forsyth's expeditions. These Capt. Austin has assisted by towing them toward their desti- nations. The latter proceeded with him, and the former has remained with us. " Having placed Sir John Ross in a fair way of reaching Lancaster Sound, with a fair wind and open water, his vessel has been cast off in this position. I shall, therefore, proceed with all dispatch to the exami- nation of the north shores of Lancaster Sound and Wellington Channel, according to Captain Austin's directions. "h '>-' ', I ; * li l.i. (! n . I i\ i I • .(11 » ii 318 PROGRESS OF ARCrnC DISCOVERT. Mi "I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient humble servant. " Erasmus Ommaney, Captain." The Kesolutfcgot clear of the Orkneys on tlie 15tli of May, and arrived with her consort and the two tenders at the Whale-Fish Islands on the 14th of June. The Resolute was in Possession Bay on the 17th of Au|);u8t. From thence her proposed course was alonrr tlic coast, northward and westward, to Whaler Point, situated at the southern extremity of Port Leopold, and afterward to Melville Island. In order to amuse themselves and their comrades, the officers of the Assistance had started a MS. newspaper, under the name of the " Aurora Borealis." Many of my readers will have heard of the " Cockpit Herald," and such other productions of former days, in his Majes- ty's fleet. Parry, too, liad his journal«to beguile tlie long hours of the tedious arctic winter. I have seen copies of this novel specimen of the 'fourth estate," dated Baffin's Bay, June, 1850, in which there is a happy mixture of grave and gay, prose and verse ; numerous very fair acrostics are published. I append, by way of curiosity, a couple of extracts : — " AVhat insect that Noah had with him, were these regions named after ? — The arc-tic." " To the editor of the Aurora borealis. " Sir, — Having heard from an arctic voyager that he has seen ' crows'-nests' in those icy regions, I beg to inquire through your columns, if they are built by tlie crows, {Corvus tintinnahulus^ which Goodsir states to utter a metallic bell-like croak? My fast friend begs me to inquire when rook shooting commences in thotie diggings ? " A Naturaijst. [" We would recommend to * A Naturalist ' a visit to these ' crows'-nests,' which do exist in the arctic regions. We would also advise his fast friend to investigate I unte able who : Engl pickt vans own 3 proce in his was 11 land June, DanisI Jangua Fish Ii gatt Si ships I Intrepi Austin. On t Assista so mewl qnimau it was inglj, L to the 1 whale-b( Intrepid any mea obedient ^taiu." '■ 15tli of ) tenders irth of 18 aloilfr I' Point, •old, and ides, the Pspapei', lany of lerald," 8 Majes- uile the of the n which 3se and hed. I ts : — 'e these JJST. visit to 3^ion8, stigato VOVAOE nv art. tenaMted"'b"':[,;"'°1 f'-"'r^''^y> ^e would find th. «-ould not only (JoLl'^' ('^^^ <i"'"-te.-.n asters wl.'" and the spoi-t,W 1 ™ '"? ■»« '<> tbo apecitTZ-'' '"* -hmtOB."] ^ ""^ " P'g«on may be plucked!: England in the pT' ""1 P"'''''<= ^ubsc.iptfon T '""^'' I vansPh1lrK'K^^;^^''r1bVcon'"JX'.CG.'' ^ own jacht of twelv; ^n '*''" '"''' "'« Mary S , Tnl '" I proceeded as ill! /""'' "' * tender. Mr A I " i" his form:Vvtr:t'p"^'T»'«'='^'^'"P-'ied s!:'7' ■'' sMos i?'*'/^^'''""'^. on%he loT 'f'T"«'' "'« ^^"r- °" I ps Assistance nnrl -p i ■^^'^" <>i August TT lir qmmaux on the ice closeh.^T'"^ ^^'^^ wale £«! was prudently --esolved ^conlr''-'' *««« P-P'e ti I ^f ".'«"«"' Cator in the d •"."'°^*«- ^""wd- ?>attTTfXVe]^ °— ^^^^^^ -trepid's peopK -d tltt T *'^ -'-- Tl a i' I . ■-H iil;i.; :• i '.'. I K', 320 PROQIIESS Ob' AliCTIO DISCOVERY. 1 f Hi ^ 1 'i wB^/K^^m 1 in i: boat of the Felix, containing an Esquimaux interpreter joined the piu'ty, the natives immediately gave sigjis of reoognition and satisfaction, came into the bout with- out the least hesitation, and engaged themselves pro- sently in a long and animated conversation with tlu-ii (iMiiiiti"} man the interpreter. Half an hour was de- voted to this interchange of intelligence, but with uu immediate result, for the interpreter could only trans- late his native language into Danish, and as no pers(ju in the boat understood Danish, the informatiun re- mained as inaccessible as before. In this predicament the boats returned with the intention of confronting the interpreter — whose christianized name is Adam Beek — with Sir John Ross himself. As Sir John, however, was pushing ahead in the Felix toward Cape Dudley Diggs, and as Adam appeared anxious to disburden himself of his newly acquired information, the bouts dropped on board the I rince Albert, another of the exploring vessels in the neighborhood, and there put Adam in communication with the captain's steward, John Smith, who "understood a little of the language," as Sir John Ross says, or "a good deal," as Com- mander Phillips says, and who presently gave such au account of the intelligence as startled every body ud board. Its purport was as follows; — ^That in the win- ter of 1846, when the snow was falling, two ships were crushed by the ice a good way off in the direction of Cape Dudley Diggs, and afterward burned by a fierce and numerous tribe of natives ; that the ships in ques- tion were not whalers, and that epaulettes were worn by some of the white men ; that a part of the crews were drowned, that the remainder were some time in huts or tents apart from the natives, that they had guns, but no balls, and that being in a weak and exhausted condition, they were subsequently killed by the natives w^th darts or arrows. This was the form given to the Esquimaux story by John Smith, captain's steward of the Prince Albert. Impressed with, che importance of these tidings. Captain Ommaney and Commander Phillips immediately made their report to Captain A 111 witi tin to fl preter, e signs Lt wi til- es pre- h tliL'ii '118 (Ic- /ith iKt f trail s- porsoii ;iuii ro- cameut ;in^ the n Beek jwever, Dudley iburdeii e boats ' of the ere put teward, ^uage," s Com- 5uch au )od}' ou be win- )s were tion of I fierce ques- |e worn crews liuie in guns, lausted latives to the ird of nee of ander liptain r. VOYAOK OF SIR JOHN K()S9 IN THE TELIX, ETC. 321 Austin in tlie Repolnto, w^hich was then in company with the Felix near Ca])o Dudloy Dii]:":^. Captain Aus- tin at once decided noon iiivesti«,^at'ini^ tlie credibility of the story, and with this view dispatched a niessaixo to the Lady Franklin, anotlier of the (^xph^rini; ships, which lay a few miles off, and which had tn board a regular Danish interpreter. This interpreter duly ar- rived, but proceeded forthwith to translate the story by a statement " totally at variance " with the interpreta- tion of " the other," whom, as we are told, he called a liar and intimidated into silence ; though no sooner wra the latter left to himself than he again repeated his version of the tale, and stoutly maintained its accuracy. Meantime an additional piece of information becan'ie known, namely, that a certain ship had passed the win- ter safely housed in Wolstenholme Sound — a state- ment soon ascertained by actual investigation to be perfectly true. The following is an extract of a letter from — Captain Sir John Boss^ R. iV., to Captain W. A. B. Hamilton^ R. iV., Secretary of the Admiralty. ^'''' Felix'* discovery yacht ^ off Admiralty Inlet .^ *' Lancaster Sounds August 22. "Sir, — I have to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that the Felix discovery yacht, with her tender, the Mary, after obtaining an Esquimaux interpreter at Holsteinborg, and calling at Whale-Fish Islands, proceeded north way through the Waygatt Straits, and overtook her Ma- jesty's discovery ships, under the command of Captain Austin on the 11th of August; and on the 12th the senior officer and the second in command having cor- dially communicated with me on the best mode of performing the service on which we are mutually em- barked, arrangements were made and concluded for a simultaneous examination of every part of the eastern side of a northwest passage in which it was probable that the missing ships could be bound : documents t*) 11 jm\ \ ■ I ' ' i ! 1 \\ i ^'1 i ! i 1 1 1 1 1 ' -ii 1 1 ( 1' i, :.:! I i I ■'. i i »i. 322 PUOUKElrfS OF AltCriCJ DISCOVERY. that effect were exchanged, and subsequently assented to by Captains Forsyth and Penny. '' On the 13th of August natives were discovered on the ice near to Cape York, with whom it was deunied advisable to communicate. On this service, Lieutenant Cator, in the Intrepid, was detached on the ])art ot* Captain Austin, and on my part Connnander IMnlllps^ with our Esquimaux interpreter, in the whale-boat of the Felix, it was found by Lieutenant Cator that Cap- tain Penny had left with the natives a note for Captain Austin, but only relative to the state of the navigation' however, when Commander Phillips arrived, the Ksqui- maux, seeing one ajjparently of their own nation in tlie whale-boat, came immediately to him, wlien a loni; conversation took place, the purport of which could not be made known, as the interpreter could not ex- plain himself to any one, either in tlie Intrepid or tlie whale-boat, (as he understands only the Dardsh besides his own language,) until he was brought on board tiie Prince Albert, where John Smith, the captain's stew- ard of that vessel, who had been some years at tlie Hudson's Pay settlement of Churchill, and understands a little of the language, was able to give some expla- nation of Adam Peek's information, which was deemed of such importance that Captains Ommaney, Phillips, and Forsyth, proceeded in the Intrepid to the Kesolutc, when it was ^^ecided by Captain Austin to send for the Danish Interpreter of the Lady Franklin, which, hav- ing been unsuccessful in an attempt at getting through the ice to the westward, was only a few miles distant. In the mean time it was known tliat, in addition to the first information, a ship, which could only be the Noitli Star, had wintered in Wolstenholme Sound, called by the natives Ourinak, and had only left it a month ago. This proved to be true, but the interpretation of the Dane was totally at variance with the information givon by the other, who, although for obvious reasons he did not dare to contradict the Dane, subsequently main- tained tho truth of his statement, which induced Cap- tain Austin to dispatch the Intrepid with Captains :1> 10^0. lof the j>;ivi'n llie (lid niaiii- Cap- [ptains VOYAGK OF SIR JOIIN R(HSS IN THK FKI.IX, KTC. 323 On\miiiiey and Phillip>J, taking with them both our in- torprutors, Aihiiii Beek and u young native who had been persuaded to eonie as one of the crew of tlie As- sistance, to examine Wolsteniiolme Sound. In tlic mean time it had been unanimously decided that no alteration should be made in our previous arrangement, it being obvious that while there remained a chance of saving the lives of those of the missing ships who may be yet alive, a further search for those wlio had ])er- ished should be postponed, and accordingly the Reso- lute, Pioneer, and Prince Albert ])arted company on the 15th. It is hero unnecessary to give the official re- ports made to me by Commander Phillips, wliich are of course transmitted by me to the Secretary of the Hudson's Bay Company, which, with the information written in the Esquimaux language by Adam Beek, will no doubt be sent to you for their Lordships' infor- mation ; and it will be manifest by these reports that Commander Phillips has performed his duty with sa- gacity, circumspection, and address, which do him in- finite credit, although it is only such as I must have expected from so intelligent an officer; and I have much satisfaction in adding that it has been mainly owing to his zeal and activity that I was able, under disadvantaL't" lis circumstances, to overtake her Majes- ty's ships, vsailc by his scientific acquirements and ac- curacy in surveying, he has been able to make many important corrections and valuable additions to the charts of the much-frequented eastern side of Baffin's Bay, which has been more closely observed and navi- gated by us than by any former expedition, and, much to my satisfaction, confirming the latitude and longi- tude of every headland I had an opportunity of laying down in the year 1818. "'I have only to add that I have much satisfaction in co-operating with her Majesty's expedition. With such support and with such vessels so particularly adapted for the service, no exertion shall be wanting on my part. But I cannot conclude this letter without acknowledging my obligations to Commodore Austin N I'll ' ih •: '!;■ A' ' ,1 ii ill- 1 , 1 I,. i\n 821 I'ROOKKSS OK AK< TIC PISCOVKUY. fiii<l r;ij)t.'iin Oiniiianoy for tlic assistfiiico tlioy hnvo nf- iordcd mo, mul lor tUo cordiulity and (Mtiirti'sy with wliic'li r lijivo h(>(!n ttvatcMl l»y tlicsc^ (listini^niislu'd dfli. ccrs and otlicrs of tlio ships under IhiMr ohUts. Ani- matod as ww avo, witli an ardent and siiuMM't? (h'sii(! lo reweiio our iiuj)eriled couuti'yuion, I coutideutly trust .hat our unitecl exertions nnd humble cndeuvorH uuiy, mder a merciful Providence, be conii>letely succcRsfill. *'I um, with truth and regard, Sir, your faitliful and v^bedient servant, "John Eoss, Captain, R. N." By the Hccounts broucjlit home by Commander For- Bytli from Lancaster Sound, to the 25th of Auijust, it is stated that Sir Jolui lloss, in the Felix, intended to return to England. The ice was at that period very heavy, extending all around from Leopold Island, at the entrance of Regent Inlet, to Cape Farewell, to the westward, so as to pre- vent the ])o6sibility of any of the vessels pushing on to Cape Walker. AVhen the Prince Albert was between Cai)e Spencer and Cape Innes, in Wellington Channel, ISlv. Snow went at noon to the mast-head, and saw II. IVr. Ship Assistance as near as possible within ('ape Ilotham, under a press of sail. Iler tender, the In- tre})id, was not seen, but was believed to be with her. Captain Penny, with his two ships, the Lady Franklin and Sophia, was endeavoring to make his way up the same Channel, but it was feared the ice would ulti- mately be too strong for him, and that he would have to return home, leaving Captain Austin's 8<:;][uadron only to winter in the ice. The American man-of-war brig Rescue was close bo set with the ice near Cape Bowen. The Pioneer was with the Resolute on the 17th August. K-: LADY FHANKMn's AIM'KAL TO AMKRTrAN NATION. 326 AMKinoAx SKAit( iiiN(j KxiMiDiTrox. — Unitki) Stvith' 8iiirs, " Advanck" and '' Ukscuio," rNDKii tmk Com- mand OK LlKUTKNANT I)k IIaVKN, 1^^.50- f)!. In the Hj)rin^ of 1S41), Lady I-'raiiklin iiiado a ioucli- ing and j)atlii)tic appejil to tlm tt)clin«j;s (»!' tliu AnHM'ii';iii nation, in tlio following letter to the i*re8ident of the Kopublic: — The Lady of Sir John Franklin to the President. ^''Bedford-2)lanc^ London.^ Wi April, 1840. "Sir, — I address myself to you as the head of a great nation, whose ])ower to help me I cannot douht, and in whose disposition to do so 1 have a confidence which I trust you will not deem presumptuous. "The name of my husband, Sir J(din Fraidvlin, is probably not unknown to you. It is intimately con- nected with the northern ])ai't of that continent of which the American re})nl)lic forms so vast and con- spicuous a portion. "Wiien I visited tlie UnitiMl States three years ago, among the many proofs I received of respect and courtesy, there was none which touched and even surprised me more than the ap])reciation everywhere expressed to me of his former services in geographical discovery, and the interest felt in the en- terprise in which he was then known to be engaged." « # # ^ # [Her ladyship here gives the details of the departure of the expedition, and the measures already taken for its relief.] « # « -Jf 4f "I have entered into these details with the view of proving that, though the British government has not forgotten the duty it owes to the brave men whom it has sent on a perilous service, and has spent a very large sum in providing the means for their rescue, yet that, owing to various causes, the means r.,ctually in operation for this purpose are quite inadequate to meet the extreme exigence of the case; for, it must be f.f i I' ;!!■ iii'i I I I r 'r i 1 i lift .t » 326 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. if:: I remembered, that the missing ships were victualed for three years only, and that nearly four years have now elapsed, so that the survivors of so many winters in the ice must be at the last extremity. And also, it must be borne in mind, that the channels by which the ships may have attempted to force a passage to the westward, or which they may have been compelled, by adverse circumstances, to take, are very numerous and compli- cated, and that one or two ships cannot possibly, in the course of the next short summer, explore them all. " The Board of Admiralty, under a conviction of this fact, has been induced to offer a reward of 20,000^. sterling to any ship or ships, of any country, or to any exploring party whatever, which shall render eflicient assistance to the missing ships, or their crews, or to any portion of them. This announcement, which, even if the sum had been doubled or trebled, would have met with public approbation, comes, however, too late for our whalers, which had unfortunately sailed before it was issued, and which, even if the news should over- take them at their fishing-grounds, are totally unfitted for any prolonged adventure, having only a few months' provision on board, and no additional clothing. To the American whalers, both in the Atlantic and Pacific, I look with more hope, as competitors for the prize, be- ing well aware of their numbers and strength, their thorough equipment, and the bold spirit of enterprise which animates their crews. But I venture to look even beyond these. I am not without hope that you will deem it not unworthy of a great and kindred na- tion to take up the cause of humanity which I plead, in a national spirit, and thus generously make it your own. " I must here, in gratitude, adduce the example of the imperial llussian government, which, as I im led 10 hope by his Excellency, the Russian embassador in London, who forwarded a memorial on the subject, will send out exploring parties this summer, from the Asiatic eicio of Behring's Strait, northward, in search of the lost vessels. It would be a noble spectacle to the world, if three great nations, possessed of the widest w c you na- Ld, in I own. lie of led )r in will liatic the the idest LADY FEANKLLN's APPEAL TO AMERICAN NATION. 327 empires on the face of the globe, were thus to unite their efforts in the truly christian work of saving their perishing fellow-men from destruction. "It is not for me to suggest the mode in which such benevolent efforts might best be made. 1 will only say, however, that if the conceptions of my own mind, to which I do not venture to give utterance, werfi realized, and that in the noble competition which followed, Amer- ican seamen had the good fortune to wrest from us the glory, as might be the case, of solving the problem of the unfound passage, or the still greater glory of savins our adventurous navigators from a lingering fate which the mind sickens to dwell on, though 1 should in either case regret that it was not my own brave countrymen ir those seas whose devotion was thus rewarded, yet should I rejoice that it was to America we owed our restored happiness, and should be forever bound to her by ties of aftectionate gratitude. " I am not without some misgivings while I thus ad- dress you. The intense anxieties of a wife and of a daughter may have led me to press too earnestly on your notice the trials under which we pre suffering, (yet not we only, but hundreds of others,) and to pre- sume too much on the sympathy which we are assured is felt beyond the limits of our own land. Yet, if you deem this to be the case, you will still find, 1 am sure, even in that personal intensity of feeling, an excuse for the fearlessness with which I have throwit myself on your generosity, and will pardon the hom age I thus pay to your own high character, and to thr of the people over whom you have the distinction t^ preside. " I have, &c., (Signed) "Jane Fkanklin." To which the following reply was received : — Mr. Clayton to Lady Jane Franklin. ''''Department of State, Washington^ " ^hth April, 1849. "Madam, — Your letter to the President of the United States, dated Ai)ril 4th, 1840, has been received by li; 'I, !!• \ , \ I ! I ! i' ■ ! I 1 ill! \ \ H' 1 ; ! i:: illl 328 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. i liim, and lie has instructed me to make to you the fol- lowinjT^ reply : — '^ Tlio appeal made in the letter with which you have honored hi in, is such as would strongly enlist the sym pathy of tiie rulers and the people of any portion of the civilized world. " To the citizens of the United States, who share s- largely in the emotions which agitate the public min<l in your own country, the name of Sir John Franklin has been endeared by his heroic virtues, and the suffer- ings and sacrifices which he has encountered for the benefit of mankind. The appeal of his wife and daugh- ter, in their distress, has been borne across the waters, asking the assistance of a kindred people to save the brave men who embarked in this unfortunate expedi- tion ; and the people of the United States, who have watched with the deepest interest that hazardous enter- prise, will now respond to that appeal, by the expression of their united wishes that every proper effort may be made by this government for the rescue of your hus- band and his companions. " To accomplish the objects you have in view, the attention of American navigators, and especially of our whalers, will be immediately invoked. All the in- formation in the possession of this government, to enabk them to aid in discovering the missing sliips, relieving their crews and restoring them to their fami- lies, shall be spread far and wide among our people; and all tliat the executive government of the United States, in the exercise of its constitutional powers, can effect, to meet this requisition on American enterprise, skill and bravery, will be promptly undertaken. " The hearts of the American people will be deeply touched by your eloquent address to their Chief Magis- trate, and they will join with you in an earnest prayer to Him whose spirit is on the waters, that your husband and his companions may yet be restored to their coun- try and their friends. " I have, &c., (Signed) " John M. Clayton." "> can '-t".;n of Captain's -t,:* ^' ^*;?'^ "tte/tJiJ fo S editions so „,uol. LaU &4S-" ^^'"^'^ "'''"'« Qin the „:'«!":, ~,of address^ „„,„, ,„ h.»nd, Sir John IVaiikli, I ;r 2- ''"'"''t of ,ny i,„s. whero more so rmf »,. " V,'" «iviJized world Im United Staterot !C:::;:;" f"Sland itselUhi',,' ';: miction of this feet, and with .''\" "",'^'^'- " deep c - appeal to those ^nerallJ. '*'''"'""<' hope tfiat n made altogether fn "1 •„' thTt T""'' ^o^W never i" responded to thitippeaT'' ''hnlv''/'"«"«an people t^t response was co.'^veyeTttmi''"'^^""'^ courtUX' our common kn^nao-e i! '^.r'""''^"'*"'" whenever tliongh difficulties, ^liehTr!" ^■■. """erstood ; a,M advanced state of the seas n^ '""'"'-^ "^"'ff to t e yourofflcialanno„nc?men?ffi;"'''^J '!'«™«el7e l/t'.r government, and prevented tl 1 •'" '".^de known toon • your mtentions, yet the g^ero'/J^f "''^ execution "• was not altogether witlufrTwn ^ f'^" y°" ''ad eiven me that,sl;onId trenece'sitV'fn'' ^'"P'''"^ >•""" "ed contuue to exist. I mi"ht7oo/. •'"'"''^'"^ measures foi- the needed succor.^ °°'' "S^"'" ««'-0'*s the wateS Hopes 'srtheTare'tutVrr.^: -f- our dearest -mna.,nall,eS%t:SttS ' f ■ ■ I li iJ ^ I I 1 r« ! 1 '. { ] r:|n| I :4J :.r^> 'N r : '■' i! '; I r. P 330 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. 1^ forced return of Sir James Ross, without any tidings of tbem, and also by the close of the arctic season. And not only have no tidings been brought of their safety or of their fate, but even the very traces of their course have yet to be discovered ; for such was the concur- rence of unfortunate and unusual circumstances attend- ing the efforts of the brav^e and able officer alluded to, that he was not able to reach those points where indi- cations of the course of discovery ships would most probably be found. And thus, at the close of a second cseason since the departure of the recent expedition of search, we remain in nearly the same state of ignorance respecting the missing expedition as at the moment of its starting from our shores. And in the mean time our brave countrymen, whether clinging still to their shi])s, or dispersed in various directions, have entered upon a lifth winter in those dark and dreary solitudes, with exhausted means of sustenance, while yet their expected succor comes not ! " It is in the time, then, of their greatest peril, in the day of their extremest need, that I venture, encouraged by your former kindness, to look to you again for some active efforts which may come in aid of those of my own country, and add to the means of search. Her Majesty's Ministers have already resolved on sending an expedition to Behring's Strait, and doubtless have other necessary measures in contemplation, supported as they are, in every means that can be devised for this humane purpose, by the sympathies of the nation, and by the generous solicitude which our Queen is known to feel in the fate of her brave people imperiled in their countrv's service. But, whatever be the measures con- templated by the Admiralty, they cannot be such as will leave no room or necessity for more, since it is only by the multiplication of means, and those vigorous and instant ones, that we can hope, at this last stage, and in this last hour, perhaps, of the lost navigators' existence, to snatch them from a dreary grave. And surely, till the shores and seas of those frozen regions have been swept in all directions, or until some memo- s'^ LIEUTENANT OSBOEN's SUGGESTIONS. 331 rial be found to attest tlieir fate, neither England, who sent them out, nor even America, on whose shores tliey have been launched in a cause which has interested the world for centuries, will deem the question at rest. " May it please God so to move the hearts and wills of a great and kindred people, and of their chosen Chief Magistrate, that they may join heart and hand in the generous enterprise I The respect and admiration of the world, which watches with growing interest every movement of your great republic, will follow the chiv- alric and humane endeavor, and the blessing of them who were ready to perish shall come to you ! " I have, &c., (Signed) Jane Franklin. ''^His Excellency the President of the United States.''^ In a very admirable letter addressed to Lady Frank- lin in February, 1850, by Lieut. Sherard Osborn, R. N., occur the following remarks and suggestions, which appear to me so explicit and valuable that I publish them entire : — 1 < ii I ;■ i ,i. t .[V In I is. ^^ Great Ealing, Middlesex, 6th Fehruary, 1850. " My Dear Lady Franklin. — It is of course of vital importance that the generous co-operation of the Ameri- cans in the rescue of Sir John Franklin and his crews be directed to points which call for search, and at the same time give them a clear field for the exercise of their energy and emulation. It would be a pity, for instance, if they should be merely working on the same ground with ourselves, while extensive portions of the xirctic Sea, in which it is equally probable the lost ex- pedition may be found, should be left unexamined ; and none, in my opinion, offers a better prospect of success- ful search than the coasts of Repulse Bay, Ilecla and Fury Strait, Committee Bay, Felix Harbor, the estuary of the Great Fish River, and Simpson's Strait, with the sea to the northwest of it. My reasons for saying so are as follows ; — 21 N* Ij v< 1 1 Ii . ^\' ' Vi \ 111 Ik it 332 niOORESS OF AKtrric discoveuy. " Suppose Sir John Franklin to have so far carried out the tenor of his orders as to have penetrated south- west from Cape Walker, and to have been either ^ ctist away,' or hopelessly impeded by ice, and that either in the past or present year he found it necessary to quit his ships, they being anywhere between 100° and 108^ west longitude, and 70° and 73° north latitude. Kow, to retrace his steps to Cape Walker, and thence to Ko- gent Inlet, would be no doubt the first suggestion that would arise. Yet there are objections to it : firstly, ho would have to contend against the prevailing set of tho ice, and currents, and northerly wind ; secondly, if no whalers were found in Lancaster Sound, how was lie to support his large party in regions where the musk ox or reindeer is never seen ? thirdly, leaving his ships in the summer, he knew he could only reach thu whaling ground in the fall of the year ; and, in such case, would it not be advisable to make rather fur the southern than the northern limit of the seas vis- ited by the whalers ? fourthly, by edging to the south rather than the north. Sir John Franklin would bo falling back to, rather than going from, relief, and in- crease the probabilities of providing food for his largo party. "I do not believe he would have decided on going due south, because the lofty land of Victoria Island was in his road, and when he did reach the American shore, he would only attain a desert, of whose horrors he no doubt retained a vivid recollection ; and a lengthy land journey of more than 1000 miles to the Hudson's Bay settlements was more than his men were capable of " There remains, therefore, but one route for Sir Jolm nnder such circumstances to follow ; and it decided]}- has the following merits, that of being in a direct line for the southern limit of the whale fishery ; that of leading through a series of narrow seas adapted for tho navigation of small open boats ; that of being the most expeditious route by which to reach Fort Churchill, in Hudson's Bay ; that of leading through a region visited LIEUTENAMT OBliORM S SUGGESTIONS. 333 by Esquimaux and migratory animals ; and this route is through the ' Strait of Sir James lioss,' across the narrow isthmus of Boothia Felix, (which, as you re- minded me to-day, was not supposed to exist when Sir John Franklin left England, and has been since discov- ered,) into the Gulf of Boothia, where he could either pass by Hecla and Fury Strait into the fishing-ground of Hudson's Strait, or else go southward down Commit- tee Bay, across the Rae Isthmus into Repulse Bay, and endeavor from there to reach some vessels in Hudson's Bay, or otherwise Fort Churchill. " It is not unlikely either, that when Franklin had got to the eastern extremity of James Ross's Strait, and found the land to be across his path where he had expected to find a strait, that his party might have di- vided, and the more active portion of them attempted to ascend the Great Fish River, where we have Sir George Back's authority for supposing they would find, close to the arctic shores, abundance of food in fish, and herds of reindeer, &c., while the others traveled on the road I have already mentioned. " To search for them, therefore, on this line of retreat, I should think highly essential, and if neglected this year, it must be done next ; and if not done by the Americans, it ought to be done by us. " I therefore suggest the following plan : — Suppose a well-equipped expedition to leave America in May, and to enter Hudson's Strait, and then divide into two divisions. The first division might go northward, through Fox's Channel to Hecla ana Fury Strait, exam ine the shores of the latter carefidly, deposit provisions at the western extreme, erect conspicuous beacons, and proceed to Melville or Felix Harbor, in Boothia, secure their vessel or vessels, and dispatch, as soon as circum- stances would allow, boat parties across the neck of the isthmus into the western waters. Here let them divide, and one party proceed through James Ross's Strait, carefully examining the coast, and push over sea, ice, or land, to the northwest as far as possible. The other boat party to examine the estuarj^ oi* the Great ^ 'f '1 ( i ' , » i ''a: '-, ■ ' . ^ t 1 ■ i: "1:!!!^ ■J'- 1 ' c-.i \-i.M Mi ii- 834 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. ^^I^K: ''sWiSlilmiT fll Fish Kiver, and thence proceed westward along the coast of Simpson's Strait, and, if possible, examine the broad bay formed between it and Dease's Strait. "The second division, on parting company, might pass south of Southampton Island, and coast along from Chesterfield Inlet northward to Repulse Bay, a boat party with two boats ni^ht cross Rae Isthmus into the bottom of Committee Bay, with instructions to visit both shores of the said bay, and to rendezvous at the western entrance of Hecla and Fury Strait. The sec- ond division (be it one or more vessels) should then pass into Fox's Channel, and turning through Hecla and Fury Strait, pick up the boats at the rendezvous ; and thence, if the first division have passed on all right, and do not require reinforcement, the second division should steer northward along the unknown coast, ex- tending as far as Cape Kater ; from Cape Kater pro- ceed to Leopold Island, and having secured their ships there, dispatch boat or traveling parties in a direction southwest from Cape Ttennell, in North Somerset, be- ing in a parallel line to the line of search we shall adopt from Cape Walker, and at the same time it will traverse the unknown sea beyond the Islands lately observed by Captain Sir James Ross. "Some such plan as this would, I think, insuie yom gallant husband being met or assisted, should he be to the south or the west of Cape "Walker, and attempt to return by a southeast course, a direction which, I think, others as well as myself would agree in thinking a very rational and probable one. " I will next speak of an argument which has been brought forward in consequence of no traces of the missing expedition having been discovered in Lancas- ter Sound ; that it is quite possible, if Franklin failed in getting through the middle ice from Melville Bay to Lancaster Sound, that, sooner than disappoint public anxiety and expectation of a profitable result arising from his expedition, he may have turned northward, and gone up Smith's Sound ; every mile beyond its en- triince was new ground, and therefore a reward to the ti;^ yom be to ipt to |think, very t DEBATE IN CONGRESS. 335 discoverer. It likewise brought them nearer the pole, and may be they found that open sea of which Baron Wrangel speaks so constantly in his journeys over the ice northward fro.n Siberia. "It is therefore desirable that some vessels should carefully examine the entrance of this sound, and visit all the conspicuous headlands for some considerable distance within it ; for it ought to be borne in mind, that localities perfectly accessible for the purpose of erecting beacons, &c., one season, may be quite im- practicable the next, and Franklin, late in the season and pressed for time, would not have wasted time, scal- ing bergs to reach the shore and pile up cairns, of which, in all the sanguine hope of success, he could not have foreseen the necessity. " Should any clue be found to the lost expedition in this direction, to follow it up would, of course, be the duty of the relieving party, and every thing would de- pend necessarily upon the judgment of the commanders. "In connection with this line of search, I think a, small division of vessels, starting from Spitzbergen, and pushing from it in a northwest direction, might be of great service ; for on reference to the chart, it will be seen that Spitzbergen is as near the probable position of Franklin (if he went north about,) on the east, as Behring's Strait is upon the west ; and the probability of reaching the meridian of 80° west from Spitzbergen is equally as good as, if not better than, Behring's Strait, and, moreover, a country capable of supporting life always in the rear to fall back upon. " Sherard Osrorn, "Lieutenant Eoyal Navy. "To Lady Franklin." Debate m the American Congress. The following remarks of honorable members and senators, in defense of the bill for carrying out Mr. Grinnell's expedition, will explain the grounds on which the government countenance was invoked for the noble ixndertaking : — V ! I ; i A :!•;,» ! Mi ; I 'I'i 4h' 83C PROGRESS OF ARCTTIO DISCOVERY. "Mr. Miller : I prefer that the government shnnld have the entire control of this enterprise ; but, 8ii-, 1 do not think that can be accomplished ; at all events, it cannot within tiio time re(piired to produce the good results which are to be hoped from this exj)editiun. It is well known to all that the uncertain fate of Sir Jolm Franklin and his companions has attracted the attention and called forth the sympathies of the civilized world. This government, Sir, has been indifferent to the call. An application, an appeal was made to this government of no ordinary character ; one which was cheerfully entertained by the President, and which he was anxioui should be complied with. But it is known to the conn try and to the Senate that, although the President had every disposition to send out an expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, it was found npon inquiry that we had no ships fitted for the occasion, and that the Executive had no authority to procure them for an ex- pedition of this kind, and suitable for this sort of navi- gation. The Executive was therefore obliged, for want of authority to build the ships, to forego further action on this noble enterprise, until Congress should meet, and authorize the expedition. "In the mean time, Mr. Grinnell, one of the most respectable and worthy merchants of the city of New York, understanding the difficulty that the government had in fitting out the expedition, has gone to work, and with his own means has built t\^'o small vessels espe- cially prepared for the expedition ; and he now most generously tenders them to the government, not to be under his own control, but the control of the govern- ment, and to be made part of the navy of the United States. The honorable senator from Alabama (Mr. King) is mistaken with regard to the terms and effect of this resolution. This resolution places these two ships under the control of the government, as much so as if they were built expressly for the navy of the United States. Their direction, their fitting out, their officers and mon, are all to be under the control of the Executive. Their officers are to be offict/rs of our I DEBATE 'N CONG K ESS. 53T navv — their seamen tlie seamen of onrnavy — so tliat the expedition will bo as thtn'oughly under the control (.»!' this pjovernincnt as it' the sliips belon<jjed to us. N«>vv, Sir, I should have no objections myself to anjend this resolution so as to authorize the ]iurchase of these two suKill vessels at once, and make them a part of our na- val establishment; but, when I recollect the majunaui- mous feeling which urged this noble-hearted merchant to prepare tliese Bhii)s, I know that that same feeling would forbid him to make merchandise of that which he lias devoted to humanity. He ofters them for this great cause ; they are his property, prepared for this enterprise, and he ofters them to us to be used by the government in this great undertaking. We must either accept them for the purpose to which he has dedicated them, or reject them altogether. If we refuse these ships, we will defeat the whole enterprise, and lose all opportunity of participation in a work of humanity which now commands the attention of the world. "If we refer this resolution back to the committee, and they report a bill authorizing government to build ships to carry on the expedition on its own account, it would be attended with very great delay, and, in my opinion defeat the object we have in view. In a case of this kind time is every thing. It must be done speed- ily, if done at all. Every hour's delay may be worth the life of a man. Sir John Franklin and his compan- ions may ere this have perished, but our hope is that they are still living in some narrow sea, imprisoned by walls of ice, where our succor may yet reach them. But, Sir, whether our hopes are fallacious or not, the public feeling — the feeling of humanity — is, that the fate of Sir John Franklin should, if possible, be ascer- tained, and as soon as possible. The public mind will never be satisfied till an expedition from this country, 01' from some other country, shall have ascertained their fate. I therefore trust that this resolution, as it is, will be acted upon at once, and that it will receive the unanimous vote of the Senate. * * * -^ ''I am so impressed Mr. President, with the impor- I .■! t I • I ' ' l-,\ 338 PK0OUES8 OF AUCTIC DISCOVERY. m ii tance of time as regards the disposal of this question, that 1 hesitate even to occupy the attention of tho Senate for a few moments ; and I only do so for the purpose of correcting some views wliich have hcen ex- pressed by tlie senator from Mississippi. * ^^ * Tliu question is, whether we siiall udoj)t tiiis resolution, and immediately send forth this expedition for the purjxiso of accomplishing this great object, or whether we slmll throw back this resohition to drag its slow course through Congress, in the form of another bill, to nuike an appropriation for the purpose of building vessels. For wnat object? To secure, as the senator says, to the United States, the sole honor and glory of this ex])LMli- tion. Sir, if this expedition is got up merely for lionor and glory either to the United States or to an individual, I will have nothing whatever to do with it. Sir, there is a deeper and a higher sentiment that has induced the action of Congress on this subject. It is to engage in a great work of humanity, to do that which is not only being done by the government of England, but by pri- vate individuals, who are fitting out expeditions at their own expense, and sending them to the northern seas, for the purpose of discovering the fate of this great man, who had periled his life in the cause of science and of commerce. " Mr President, I have been informed that a private expedition is now being fitted out in England under the direction of that great commander, or I may call him the king of the Polar Seas, Sir John Ross, who is going again to devote himself and his life to this perilous ex- pedition. Sir, altogether I have not had heretofore much confidence in the success of this expedition, yet when I consider the reputation of Sir John Ross, and the fact that he is better acquainted with those seas than any other man living, and understanding that he entertains the belief that Sir John Franklin and his companions are yet alive, and may be rescued, — I sa/, finding such a man as Sir John Ross engaged in an ex- pedition of this kind, I am not without hope that our efforts may, under Providence, be crowned with success. DKIIATE IN CONORESb. 33^ and that that ,8 to bo divkl. i . "^ ''"""'' «'"' «lo.'v- tliero nothing to he dei-iv..,! { !, "'f''vidual. Sir fu act of ),un.a1;itv I^, I "o i" i"'" P^'-'^n'mn,.,,, f, tljat in this instance both the ::/''"''^ * «''''. 't i« «.M Vidua! alhided to are w If^'if 1" """'^•"t «nd tho in.li- Sir, what objection can fT,! i '" ""'"c '»"0''1<- AVcil Poes the honorable sZtotV ^\^i'- "'"' '^"""ec o ? individual his share .IfT \ "'" ^'ssissippi envv Vl , desire to inonopot: if Ji^t ';;;■- «'.f «'o.-}? Xil" of an expre;8lo,*h i'^, '.'7^'^''' ««"'"«'• made n,o inthnate^, if I undSoV ,' thi " "'""'-- "je «^t this was a matter of speZat'ift r^^^ from Mississippi knew Te <.' , ^^'' *'"" ^^ "'e senator this fentlemai: hfCu d no ?^^ ^"^ ""'' ''"^ '"'"to"]^ of l;ear3 such an ins"nna?ion %"" '{i?""' """ hei^ i'b««l donation from aSvid,^,*r"8'' '^is is a alarm gentlemen about aC'l."' ^''l ""^ "««d not but small ships ; and it ;, ^1 '"™'-, ^hese ships are small in orde?that they may bfl^ ^* *«^ «''«"" bo IS, I understand, 160 to^is and thf "f.^^ ^''^ ^f them iave cost, I l.eHevo 30 oon i i? °"'*'" ^^ tons. Thev find this merchant deS V "'"■'• ^°^. ^^en we Purpose of building slZto^eo't ^'■°^'''^' '"'' ^'^ t^'^ markets of the worid when wpT^.'-™''''"''"^ to the the ordinary course jZ we find him retirini/ fmn. the world i^ ~ d and^d^w-P""-^"'* » ^ aH fortune to the buildi-n. ofitT"^ " P^'^^on of hk other purpose but in t&s yoXe^f.''^" ''« "«ed for no imagined that any thou^K^'l V?**"''^' '^«" "'t he co«ld have influeifced hfs condS^tr^NoX" 'oaC '•T II iiii I I ir« s; B ! 1 J, , ! < i i. J S40 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. contrary, it is a high and worthy motive ; and I think it ought to re^'eive the approbation of this and all other intelligent Christian nations, to see a niercliant, who, wliile the commercial world are encompassing the globe by sea and land in quest of profit and of gold, is dedicating himself to his great object, and devoting a part of his fortune to the cause of humanity, and olibr- ing to government, not as a bounty, but because tlie government, with all its means, has not the power and the time to prepare vessels to do this work. That, !Sir, is the object. " Now, if we do not accept these ships, there will be an end of this expedition. Sir, shall it be said, that this government has lost such an opportunity as this of exhibiting the deep interest w^hich our people feel both in the cause of science and humanity, and that, too, at the very time when we are entering into treaties and com- pacts with all the commercial nations of the world, for the purpose of extending commerce and civilization , and opening communications of trade from sea to sea^ When the government is not only doing all by its own power, but also acting in concert with our private citi- zens in constructing rail-roads and canals, and by vari- ous other modes extending commercial civilization throughout the world, shall it be said that we, at this moment, refused, through the fear of losing a little honor and glory and nationtrl dignity, to accept two ships — the only two ships in Americi that can do the work — in the accomplishment of thic* great enterprise? I hope not. Let us not, then, cavil and waste time about these little matters. If the work is to be done at all it must be done now, and done, as I conceiv^e, by the adoption of this resolution. Governor Seward spoke as follows in the Senate on the same subject : — "I am happy to perceive, Mr. President, indications all around the chamber that there is no disagreement in regard to the importance, or in relation to the propriety, of a search on the part of this nation, by the government itself, or by individual citi- zens, for the lost and heroic navigator. Since so much • - 341 tWs7,"y,iJi:°t,^«'=« I co^o from the State w).enoe few words, the obSn,' . ■"'Y'' *° no«<=e, an a ver^ tl'e case I think when S T f "''• ^' ^^ "'wavg pnses which are foasiWe^.f ,;? f "". ■'""' ?■•<'«' en 1^- tJiey are hindered or defeaterff' '*''' °'" '^'^'^ated, t h^ t agreement conceminrf f ' "°' «° wnch bv w nf nf diversify of opinion ci'e^rS*;^^^ ^emselTe ;"« s'bj them mto execntion S°7, •*'' • '"'"^« "*■ «« Winff case the rule which I always Idn f «'\6«''««ll/thf wa^ of obtaining a sreat ™,jfi- u""" ^'*^e my own the best other way whfrh l^'" ?''•'«'"' I «'ill acceT,t cordially agree wi^hfi? ''f' ^'efore me S^t would h^avl'^r'ea tt a^"''™'"^ Se^ato^^Tio^ and m some proper and ,Lk- '".'?*' appiopiiate time government sfoufd haye moWlTt"'.?'"'' ™»"»er Z' this object, as a governmenrnn ^T "'® attainment of f r^i^' th? "•=' °^ '^« S ' And I w ""f."^ '' «^<=J«- leired this, not so inuoli nn n "^ ^^^"^^^ ^lave iirp. jssupposed wouldT/a^t fol,r:ru1t «'"-^^'^^ SBrif f"*'^ «f the ente S hTf "''''i"'^« °f the spims; from a desire of ^}n?,r ^'n'ei'Pnses which disappointment. Tnej};2 f 1 ''^'^ «P' to end in attained by prosecu n. Tn "fi' ^'fj '^ «'ways safe y may be their succe; ° I "f^o*;"' designs 4atev^ haye preferred the altP-ntr ■^' ""' "'^D' that I wonid '\ without stopping to no ,'r' '"f^^''^^ ' b"t 'hrfect whether therefe flu t at ^ Ih";^"'" *^" '■^»" ''eB or moved, and ^e reason which hLT""""^^"' ^"^ "ot W r.0 doubt, the true one V .^^" ^'^'8"«d is, I nas ever been contradinf^/i ,, "°t know that if reason is, that theNtlS?^ "rl^^^ '" q-e^tion tLt no vessels adapted to VA^' ^"""^ States conta^s Bh"ps constructed and fitted i''^'"'^^"' ''onsistsof ?n'J po.-poses than an exn^.- ''^'"-^ '^''ff^'-ent objects lee-bonnd seas of the a.lv °^ expedition amid the consists of vessel adapted ?o?h'- '^"'' "^^a' mar no -"tary armament, A': :^;SZlf^^Z:i^ H 342 PROGRESS OP ARCTIC DISCOVERY. trade on the coast of Africa. The executive portions of the government failed for want of vessels suitable to be employed in this particular service. It therefore devolved upon the Legislature of the United States. But, although we have been here now nearly five months, no Committee of either House, no member of either House of Congress has proposed to equip a na- tional fleet for this purpose. While this fact exists on one side, it is to be remarked on the other, that the time has arrived in which the movement must be made if it is to be made at all, and also that a careful inves- tigation, made by scientific and practical men, had re- vived the hope in Europe and America that the humane object can be attained. There can, then, be no delay allowed for considering whether the manner for carry- ing the design into effect could not be changed. Let U9, then, practically survey the case as it comes before us. The gr ernment of the United States has really no vessels aunpted to tiie purpose. To say nothing of the expense, the government has not time to provide, prepare, or equip vessels for the expedition. Under such circumstances, a citizen of the United States tenders to the government vessels of his own, precisely adequate in number, and exactly fitted in construction and equipment, for the performance of the duty to be assumed. Since he ofiers them to the government, what reason can we assign for refusing them? No reason can be assigned, except that he is too generous, and ofiPers to give us the use of the vessels instead of demanding compensation for it. "Well, Sir, if we do accept them it can be immediately carried into execu- tion, with a cheering prospect of attaining the great object which the United States and the civilized world have such deep interest in securing. Then the ques- tion resolves itself into this — the question raised by the honorable Senator from Alabama (Mr. King) — whether, in seeking so beneficent an object, it is con- sistent with ti\e dignity of the nation to combine indi- vidual action with a national enterprise. I do not think, Mr. President, that that honorable Senator will r of i do 5U- iat •Id 3S- >y n- i- ot 1^ DEBATE IN CONGRESS. 343 find himself obliged to insist upon this objection after lie shall have carefully examined the bill before us. He will find that it converts the undertaking into a national enterprise. The vessels are to be accepted not as individual property, but as national vessels. They will absolutely cease to be under the direction, management, or control of the owners, and will become at once national ships, and for the time, at least, and ■for all the purposes of the expedition, a part of the national marine. "Now, Sir, have we not postal arrangements with various foreign countries carried into effect in the same way, and is the dignity of the nation compromised by them ? During the war with Mexico, the government continually hired ships and steamboats from citizens foi militaiy operations. Is the glory of that war tarnished oy tbe use of those means ? The government in this case, as in those cases, is in no sense a partner. It assumes the whole control of the vessels, and the enter- prise becomes a national one. The only circumstance remaining to be considered is, whether th<^ government can accept the loan of the service of the vessels without making compensation. Now, Sir, I should not have had the least objection, and, indeed, it would have been more agreeable to me if the government could have made an arrangement to have paid a compensation. But I hold it to be quite unnecessary in the present case because the character of the person who tenders these vessels, and the circumstances and manner of the whole transaction, show tliat it is not a speculation. No compensation is wanted. It would only be a cere- mony on the part of the government to offer it, and a ceremony on the part of the merchant to decline it. I am, therefore, willing to march directly to the object, and to assume that these ceremonies have been duly performed, that the government has offered to pay, and the noble-spirited merchant declined to receive. " Now, then, is there any thing derogatory from the dignity and independence of this nation in emj>loying the vessels? Certainly not, since that employment is 'I \ 'II 1 '■ V t it V ' ■ . r li 844 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVKJtV. indispensable. If it were not indispensable 1 do not think that the dignity of the Republic would be ini- E aired ; I think, on the contrary, that it would be en- anced and elevated. It w a transaction wortliy of the nation, a spectacle deserving the contemplation and respect of mankind, to see that not only does the nation prosecute, but that it has citizens able and willing to contribute, voluntarily and without compulsion, to an enterprise so interesting to the cause of science and of humanity. It is indeed a new and distinct cause for national pride, that an individual citizen, not a merchant prince, as he would be called in some other countries, tiut a republican merchant, comes forward in this way and moves the government and co-operates with it. It illustrates the magnanimity of the natibn and of the citizen. Sir, there is nothing objectionable in this fea- ture of the transaction. It results from the character of the government, which is essentially popular, that ^here are perpetual debates on the question how far measures and enterprises, for the purposes of humanity and science, are consistent with the constitutional or- ganization of the government, although they are ad- mitted to be eminently compatible with the dignity, character, and intelligence of the nation. All our en- terprises, more or less, are carried into execution, if they are carried into execution at all, not by the direct action of the government, but by the teding of its favor, countenance, and aid to individuals, to corpora- tions, and to States. Thus it is that we construct rail- roads and canals, and found colleges and imiversities. " Nor is this mode of prosecuting enterprises of great pitli and moment peculiar to this government. Tlierc was a navigator who went forth from a port in Spain, some three or four hundred years ago, on an enter23rise quite as doubtful and quite as perilous as this. After IrjHng unsuccessfully several States, he was forced to be content with the sanction, and little more than the sanc- tion and patronage of the Court of Madrid. The scanty treasures devoted to that undertaking were the private contributions of a Queen and her subjects, and the ves- ki'^^om of Castile 'and t'of'*' a ..ew world to tho "rt"...o.. " recommittal inri ,\ ... °''*"'^es, i s la i vof^* enrest way of proventiL" « JctilT' "f ^''-^ ^'^^ To 8i.bln„e and beneficont'o Lt Ivh-' ?°^ «♦ """''nJiiff tl,o The committoe of both K^^'f p'' contomplaW" Ml. Gnnnoll's petition for mnf , *'"-«''ess, to whom Tl^ f n °" ""^"' dHrins antCno, '■°'' '' ™d the ilio tollowine am f l,„ f • i gonoroiis errand both Honses ot^Cot .l^an. '•«^°'"«o''« vlfi" passed cm Taylor, autho S in! th" pT''", ''P^'-^^'^' b/oon Beasinsearch:t'^|;,iS3;!r,'^r Kesolved by the Spn,fV.'l"'""s companions- at>ves of the Pn ed CI ''".'^ /'^'^e of W,*Z^^^^^^ assembled, That lo S dLt'l'^'"''"''''' « cVn^rc's «»thon.ocl and directed, to S.o'f. '1'"' '« ''«"«''>■ pt the city of New VorV n . °*'°'"HcnryGrinnpll h.mfora^exped]Ut',i;:Ts" ana his companions nnri *^7^^\ot Sir Johji Fr««].i,<, comnussioneS ZX^^ll om"" *'-°'" "'° Navy "sn ' men as may be necessary for 5 f'' ""'^ ^« many ^Ja may be willing to eS f. *^- «^PCf'>'«on, and wlu. and men shall So fnSd l^T": ^''^ ^a-d offi co » discretion of the PresWen? I '""'''''<' ■•»''ons, at f I o «'rco yoa,^, and shXyl't ^ J"'"?^ "ot exceed- <' wstroments as are now on t wJ i "* '""'' "ccessary the Navy, to be acconnted f" """^ <="" ''o spared from "" A*S" r '?- -me"- '•^""-'' ''^ t"c offl.' offlcers,-and 4'"rha '&':,f ' That the said vessel, and regulations of thoNavv of ri«f?""dcr the la'rs' "leir rotm-n, when the sn^-7 " "l" ^"'f"' States until to the said Henry (iZX. p'''^' ^>" be delivered States Shan not i liable ^ a^ da ^^o^''"'" ^^'"^-' ^"7 cjaim for compensation :l i ! m . I'i 1 ' r i J ;i 11 ih; ;,i 1 ii . ( 346 PROGKESS OF ARCTIC DI8C0VEKY. in case of the loss, damage or deterioration of the said vessels, or either of them, from any cause or in any manner whatever, nor be liable to any demand for the use or risk of the said vessels or either of them." Directly the fact became known that the American government had nobly come forward to aid in the searcli which was being so strenuouslv made, the different learned societies of the metropolis vied with each other in testifying the estimation in which this noble conduct was held. At the annual meeting of the Koyal Society, on the 7th of June, upon the motion of Sir Charles Lennox, seconded by the late Marquis of Northampton, a vote of thanks was carried with the utmost enthusiasm, ex- pressive of the gratitude of the Society to the American government, and of tlieir deep sense of the kind and brotherly feeling which had prompted so liberal an act of humanity. A similar vote was carried, on the 11th of June, at a general meeting of the Royal Geograph- ical Society, (of which Sir John Franklin was long one of the vice-presidents.) The American expedition consists of two brigantines — now enrolled in the United States Navy — the Ad- vance, of 144 tons, and the Rescue, 91 tons. These vessels have been provided and fitted out by the gener- ous munificence of Mr. Henry Grinnell, a merchant of New York, at an expense to him of between 50001. and GOOOl. The American government also did much to- tvard fitting and equipping them. The Advance was two years old, and the Rescue quite new. Both vessels were strengthened in every part, and put in the most complete order for the service in which they were to be engaged. They are under the command of Lieutenant Edward S. De Haven, who was employed in Com- ijiander Wilkes' expedition in 1843 ; Mr. S. P. Griffin, acting master, has charge of the Rescue. The other officers of the expedition are Messrs. "W. H. Murdaugh, acting-master ; T. "W. Broadhead, and R. R. Carter, passed midshipmen ; Dr. E. K. Kane, j>assed assistant- surgeon ; Mr. Benjamin Finland, assistant-surgeon ; W THE AMERICAN EXPEDITION. 847 a S. Lovell, midsliipman ; II. Brooks, boatswain ; and complement of thirty-six seamen in the two vessels — the crew of the Advance consisting of fifteen men, and the Rescue thirteen men. The vessels left New York on the 25th of May, 1850. Their proposed destination is through Barrow's Strait, westward to Cape Walker, and round Melville Island. They were provisioned for three years. Whatever may be the result of this expedition, as connected with the fate of the gallant Sir John Frank- lin, it is one which reflects the highest honor upon the philanthropic individual who projected it, and upon the oflicers and men engaged therein. A dispatch has been i?ceived from Lieutenant De Haven, dated off Leopold Island, August 22d, which reports the progress of the expedition thus far. The Advance, in company with her consort, the Rescue, sailed from the Whale Fish Islands on the 29th of June; after many delays and obstructions from calms, stream ice, and the main pack, they forced a passage through it for a considerable distance, but at last got wedged up in the pack immovably until the 29th of July, when by a sudden movement of the floes, an opening pre- sented itself, and under a press of sail the vessels forced their way into clear water. They encountered a heavy gale, which, with a thick fog, made their situation very dangerous, the huge masses of ice being driven along by me strength of the wind and current with great fury. By the aid of warping in calm weather, they reached Cape Yorke on the 15th of August, and a little to the eastward met with two Esquimaux, but could not understand much from them. Between Cape Yorke and Cape Dudley Diggs, while delayed by calms, being in open water, they hauled the ships into the shore at the Crimson Cliff's of Beverlev, (so named from the red snow on them,) and filled their water casks from a mountain stream. On the 18th, with a fair wind, they shaped their course for the western side of Baffin's Bay, and met the pack in streams and very loose, which they cleared entirely by 22 O 1 1 ■)• ' -H kl 11 iit / » ! 1 i :. »i ■ ■' i; ■ J'.l '1? i':i:^ H mM V r. Y\' ■\i 848 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. the following day — getting into the north waters, whore they fell in with Captain Penny's two vesjels, which having been unsuccessful in their efforts to enter Jones' Souno, were now taking the same course up Lancaster Sound. On the 19th, in a violent gale, the Advance parted company with the Eescue. On the morning of the 21st of August, the fog cleared, and Lieutenant De Haven found he was off Cape Crawford, on the south ern shore of the Sound. Here he fell in with the Felix schooner, under Captain Sir John Ross, from whom he learned that Commodore Austin was at Pond's Bay with two of his vessels, seeking for information, while the other two had been dispatched to examine the north shore of the Sound. Lieutenant De Haven proposed proceeding on from Port Leopold to Wellington Chan- nel, the appointed place of rende/v^ous with his consort. Captain I'orsith's Remarkable Yoyage in thk "Prince Ajjjert." In April, 1850, a branch expedition to aid those ves- sels sent out by the government Tvas determined on by Lady Franklin, who contributed largely toward its out- fit ; a considerable sum being also raised by public fiubscription. The expenses of this expedition were nearly 4000^., of which 2500^. were contributed by Lady Frar ilin herself. The object of this expedition was the providing for the search of a portion of the Arctic Sea, which it was distinctly understood could not be executed by the vessels under Captain Austin ; but the importance of which had been set forth, by arctic and other -a athorities, in documents printed in the Parlia- mentary Papers. The unprovided portion alluded to, includes Regent Inlet, and the passages connecting it with the western sea, James Ross's Strait, and other localities, S W. of Cape Walker, to which quarter Sir tlohn Franklin was required by his instructions to proceed in the first in- stance. This search is assumed to be neoessaiy on the following grounds : ■ — VOYAGE OF THE TJilNCE ALBERT. 849 1. The probability of Sir John Franklin having Abandoned his vessels to the S. W. of Cape Walker. 2. The fact that, in his charts, an open passage is laid down from the west into the south part of Regent Inlet. 3. Sir John Franklin would be more likely to take this course through a country known to possess the re- sources of animal life, with the wreck of the Victorv in Felix Harbor for fuel, and the stores of Fury Beach farther north in view, than to full upon an utterly barren region of the north coast of America. 4. He would be more likely to expect succor to be sent to him by way of Lancaster Sound and Barrow's Strait, into which Regent Inlet opens, than in any other direction. In corroboration of the necessity of this part of tho search, I would refer generally to the Parliamentary papers of 1848-9 and 50. As an individual opinion,! may quote the words of Captain Eeechey, p. 31 of the first series. " If, in this condition," (that of being hopelessly blocked up to the S. "VV. of Cape Walker,) " which I trust may not be the case. Sir John Franklin should resolve upon taking to his boats, he would prefer attempting a boat navigation through Sir James Ross's Strait, and up Regent Inlet, to a long land journey across the continent to the Hudson Bay Settlements, to wliich the greater part of his crew would be wholly unequal." And again, in his letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty, Tth of February, 1850, Captain Beechey writes, " * * ^ * the bottom of Regent Inlet, about the Pelly Islands, should not be left unexamined, [n the memorandum submitted to their Lordships, 17th of January, 1849, this quarter was considered of im- portance, and I am still of opinion that had Sir John Franklin abandoned his vessels near the coast of America, and much short of the Mackenzie River, he would have preferred the probability of retaining the use of his boats until he found relief in Barrow's Strait, to risking an overland journey via the before-men- tioned river ; and it must be remembered that at the 1 1' ; :s iH ! » lit I 11.. I i • »! 5 ,' ' W 'si. 350 PROGRESS OP ARCTIC DISCOVERT. time he sailed, Sir George Back's discovery had ren- dered it very probable that Boothia was an island. The memorandum alluded to by Captain Boechey as having been submitted to the Lords of the Ad mi- ralty on the 17th of January, 1849, was, the expression of the unanimous opinion of the arctic officers assem- bled by command of the Admiralty to deliberate upon the best means to be taken for the relief of the missing expedition ; and in this report, clause 14 is expressly devoted to the recommendation of the search of liegent Inlet. The necessity for the proposed search may be tlius further developed. Sir ef ohn Franklin may have aban- doned his ships, when liis provisions were nearly ex- hausted somewhere about the latitude of 73° N., long. 105° W. ; in short, at any point S. W. of Ca])e Walker, not further W. than long. 110°. And in such case, rather than return north, (which might be indeed im- practicable) or moving south upon the American Con- tinent, of which (upon the coast,) the utter barrenness was already well known to him, he mip-ht prefer a southeastern course, with a view of passing in his boats, either through James Ross's, or through Simpson's Straits, into the Gulf of Boothia, and so up into Regent Inlet to the house and stores left at Fury Beach, the only depot of provisions known to him. The advantages of such a course might appear to him very great. 1. Two open passages being laid down in his charts into Regent Inlet, by James Ross's Strait, and by Simp- son's Strait, a means of boat transport for his party would be aftbrded, of which alone perhaps their ex- hausted strength and resources might admit; such a course would obviously recommend itself to a com- mander who had experienced the frightful difficulties of a land journey in tliose regions. 2. The proposed course would lead through a part, the Isthmus of Boothia, in which animal life is known at some seasons to abound. 3. The Esquimaux who have been found on the Isthmus of Boothia are extremely well disposed and friendly. nif ?si VOYAOIi: OF THE I'lilNCE ALDKIIT. 85] 4. It is the direct route toward the habitual yearly resort of the whalers ou the west coast of BalHn's Jiiiy and Davis* Strait ; indeed those ships occasionally de- scend Regent Inlet to a considerable distance south. 5. There are two persons attached to the expedition who are well acnuainted with this region and its re- sources — viz., Mr. Blanky, ice master, and Mr. Mac- Donald, assistant surgeon, of the Terror. The former was with Sir John Koss in the Victory. The latter has made several voyages in whaling vessels and is acquainted with the parts lying between Regent Inlet and Davis' Strait. Where so few among the crews of the missing ships have had any local experience, the concurrent knowledge of two persons would have considerable weight. 6. Opinions are very greatly divided as to the part in wliicli Sir John Franldin's party may have been ar- rested, and as to the course tliey may have taken in consequence. It would be therefore manifestly unfair, and most dangerous, to reason out and magnify any one hypothesis at the expense of the others. The plan liere alluded to sought to provide for the probability of the Expedition having been stopped shortly after passing to the southwest of Cape Walker. The very open season of 1845 was followed by years of unusual severity until 1849. It is therefore very possible tliat retreat as well as onward progress has been impossible — tliat safety alone has become their last object. The hope of rescu- ing them in tlieir last extremity depends, then, (as far as human means can insure it,) on tlie multiplying of simultaneous efforts in every direction. Captain Aus- tin's vessels will, if moving in pairs, take two most im- portant sections only, of tlie general search, and will fend tliey have enough to do to reach their several points of operation this season. The necessity for this search was greatly enhanced oy the intelligence received about this time in England of tlie arrival of Mr. Rae and Commander PuUen at the Mackenzie River, thus establishing the fact, that Sir John Franklin's party had not reached any part of II' f 111 ::ii! ,J H m \ ■ ^n li :■! \ •^t,:i S52 rR()Gui:sa of Aucric discovery. the coast between Beliring's Strait and tlio Coppermine River, while tiio ciieck which Mr. Kue received in bis course to the north of the Coppermine, tended to give increased importance to the (juarter eastward of tJiat position. Commander Charles Codrincton Foi*aytb, 11. N., an cntei'prising young utlicer, who had not long previously been promoted in consequence of his arduous services in surveying on the Australian, African, and American shores, and who had rendered good service to the gov- ernment by landing supplies on the east coast of Africa, under circumstances of great difficulty during the Kafir war, had volunteered unsuccessfully for all the govern- ment expeditions, but was permitted by the Admiralty to command this private branch expedition, in which he embarked without fee or reward — on the noble and honorable mission of endeavoring to relieve his long- imprisoned brother officers. The Prince Albert, a small clipper vessel of about ninety tons, originally built by Messrs. White, of Cowes, in October, 1848, for the fruit trade, was accordingly hastily fitted out and dispatched from Aberdeen, and Captain Forsyth was instructed to winter, if possible, in JBrentford Bay, in Regent Inlet, and tlience send parties to explore the o])po8ite side of the isthmus and the various shores and bays of the Inlet She had a crew of twenty, W. Kay and "W. Wilson acting as first and second mates, and Mr. W. P. Snow as clerk. She Bailed on the 5tli of June, and was consequently the last vessel that left, and yet is the first that has reached liome, having also brought some account of the track of Franklin's expedition. The Prince Albert arrived off Care Farewell, Jidy 2d, entered the ice on the 19th, and on the 21st, came up with Sir John Ross in a labyrinth of ice. She pro- ceeded up Lancaster Sound and Barrow's Strait, fell in with most of the English ships in those seas, and also with the American brig Advance, sailing some time in conq^any, and attempted to enter Regent Inlet and Wel- lington Channel. She left the Advance aground near •i nl \ t i ';,* I >' f'i N li :it ! I VOYAGE OF THE PEINCE ALBERT. 353 Cape Riley, at the entrance of Wellinffton Channel, though not in a situation supposed to oe dangerous. Commander Forsyth, in his otiicial letter to the Lords of the Admiralty, says that " traces of tht missing ex- pedition under Sir John Franklin had been found at Cape Riley and Beechey Island, at the entrance to the Wellington Channel. We observed five places where tents had been pitched, or stones placed as if they had been used for keeping the lower part of the tents down, also great quantities of beef, pork, and birds' bones, a piece of rope, with the Woolwich naval marlc on it, (^yellow,) part of which I have inclosed." Having en- tered Wellington Channel, and examined the coast as far as Point Innis, and finding no further traces of tlio missing vessels, and it being impracticable to penetrate further to the west. Commander Forsyth returned to Ro gent Inlet, but meeting no opening there, the season oeing near at hand when the ice begins to form, and his vessel not of a strength which would enable it to resist a heavy pressure of ice, he determined on return- ing without further delay to England, after examining a number of points along the coast. On the 25th of August, a signal staff being observed on shore at Cape Riley, Mr. Snow was sent by Captain Forsyth to examine it. He found that the Assistance, Captain Ommaney, had been there two days before, and . bad left the following notice : — " This is to certify that Captain Ommaney, with the officers of her Majesty's ships Assistance and Intrepid, landed upon Cape Riley on the 23d August, 1850, where he found traces of encampments, and collected tlie re- mains of materials, which evidently proved that so^ne party belonging to her Majesty's ships had been de- tained on that spot. Beechey Island was vAzo examined, where traces were found of the same party. This is also to give notice that a supply of provisions and fuel * at Cape Riley. Since 15th August, thev have ex- amined the north shore of Lancaster Sound and Bar- row's Strait, witliout meeting with any other traces. Captain Ommaney proceeds to Cape Ilotham and Ca})0 ' j I i* ' ;i >- n 354 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. Walker in search of further traces of Sir John Frank- lin's expedition. Dated on board her Majesty's ship Assistance, ofl* Cape Riley, the 23d August, 1850." The seamen who were dispatched from the Assistance to examine these remains, i'ound a rope with the naval mark, evidently belonging to a vessel which had been fitted out at Woolwich, and which, in all probability, was either the Erebus or the Terror. Other indications were also noticed, which showed that some vessel liad visited the place besides the Assistance. Captain For- syth left a notice that the Prince Albert had called off Cajie Kiley on the 25th of August, and then bore up to the eastward. Captain Forsyth landed at Posses- sion Bay on the 29th August, but nothing was found there to repay the search instituted. The Prince Albert arrived at Aberdeen, on the 22d of October, after a quick passage, having been absent something less than four months. Captain Forsyth proceeded to Londoii by the mail train, taking with him, for the information of the Ad- miralty, the several bones, (beef, pork, &c.,) which were found on Cape Riley, together with a piece of rope of about a foot and a half in length, and a small piece of canvas with the Queen's mark upon it, both in an ex- cellent state of preservation ; placing it almost beyond a doubt that they were left on that spot by the expedi- tion under Sir John Franklin. o'aptain Forsyth, during his short trip, explored re- gions wliicli Sir James Ross was unable to reach tlio previous vear. He was at Wellington Channel, and penetrated to Fury Beach, where Sir E. Parry abun- dcuKMl his vessel, (the Fury,) in 1825, after she had takoM the ground. It is situated in about 72° 40' N. latitude, and 91° 50' W. longitude. This is a point vliich has not been '-oached by any vessel for twenty years past. It was found, however, utterly impossible to land there on account of the packed ice. The whole of the coasts of Baffin's Bay have also now been visited witliout result. The intelligence which Capt. Forsyth brought home VOYAGE OF THE PRINCE ALBERT. 355 has, a8 a matter of course, excited the most mtense in- terest in naval circles, and among the friend i5 and rela- tives of the parties absent in the Erebus and Terror, the more so inasmuch as it has been ascertained at Chatliam Dockyard that the lope which Captain For- 8}'th found on the spot when he visited it, and copied Capt. Ommaney's notice, is proved by its yellow mark to have been manufactured there, and certainly since 1824r ; and moreover, from inquiries instituted, very Btrong evidence has been elicited in favor of the belief that the rope was made between the years 1841 and 18-49. That the trail of the Franklin expedition, or Bome detachment of it, has been struck, there cannot be the slightest doubt in the mind of any one who has read the dispatches and reports. That Captain Om- maney felt satisfied on this score is evident from the terms of the paper he left behind him. The squadron, it appears, were in full cry upon the scent on the 2.5th of August, and we must wait patiently, but anxiously, for the next accounts of the results of their indefatiga- ble researches, which can hardly reach us from Bar- row's Strait before the autumn of 1851. There can be no doubt now in the mind of any one, that the Arctic Searching Expeditions have at length come upon traces^ if not the track of Sir John Frank- lin. The accounts brought by Captain Forsyth must have at least satisfied the most desponding that there is still hope left — that the ships have not foundered in Baffin's Bay, at the outset of the voyage, nor been crushed in the ice, and burned by a savage tribe of Esquimaux, who had murdered the crew. That the former mhjht have happened, all must admit ; but to the latter, few, we imagine, will give their assent, not- withstanding the numerous cruel rumors promulgntod from time to time. It would be idle to dwell upon so impossible an event. Where could this savage tril)o spring from ? Mr. Saunders describes the natives of "Wolstenholme Sound as the most miserable and help- less of mortals. They had no articles ()])t[iined from Europeans ; and he was of opinion that thei. were no \ I n 1 1 ; \\ ■?• J;i ; ■'„K! '^^ p 'k 356 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. settlements further north ; and if there were, doubtless they would be even more impotent than these wretched beinffs. That the ship miffht hav^ foundered all must admit. The President did so with many a gallant soul on board. The Avenger ran on the Sorelli, and 300 brave fellows, in an instant, met with a watery grave ; and till the sea shall give up her dead, who can count tlie tliousands that lie beneath the billows of tiie miglity ocean ? "We liave now certain evidence that Franklin's ships did not founder — not, at least, in R'iiiin's Bay ; and our own belief, (says a well-informed and compe- tent writer in the Morning Herald,) is that the pennant still floats in the northern breeze, amid eternal regions of snow and ice. The voyage performed by the Prince Albert has thus been the means of keeping alive our hopes, and of in- forming us, up to a certain point, of the progress of the expeditions, and the situation of the diflereut ships, of which we might have been left in a state of utter ignorance till the close of this year. Every thing con- nected with the navigation of the arctic seas is a chance, coupled, of course, with skill ; and in looking at this voyage performed by Lady Franklin's little vessel, it must be obvious to every one that Captain Forsyth has had the chance of an open season, and the skill to make use of it. " Live a thousand years," and we may never see such another voyage performed. "We have only to look at all that hav^e preceded. Parry, it is true, in one year ran to Melville Island, and passing a winter, got back to England the following season — and this is at present the ne plus ultra of arctic navigation. Sir John Koss, we know, went out in the Victory to Regent Lilet, and was frozen in for four years, and all the world gave liiin up for lost — but "there's life in the old dog yet," as the song has it. Sir James Ross was frozen in at Leopold Harbor, and only got out, at^O" r»assing a winter, to be carried away in a floe of ice into Baffin's Bay, which no human skill could prevent. VOYAGE OF THE PRINCE ALBERT. 357 Sir George Back was to make a summer's cruise to Wager Inlet, and return to England. The result every one knows or may make themselves acquainted with, by reading the fearful voyage of the 1 error, an ab- stract of which I have already given. It would be Buj^erfluous to enumerate many other of our series of polar voyages, but it is pretty evident that Captain Forsyth's voyage, performed in the summer months of 1850, will bo nanded down to posterity as one of the most remarkable, if not the most remarkable, that has ever been accomplished in the arctic seas — the expe- dition consisting of one solitary small vessel. The main object of the voyage, it is true, has not been accomplished, but as all the harbors in Hcgent Inlet were frozen up, and it was utterly inipossible to cut through a vast tract of ice, extending for perhaps four or five miles, to get the ship to a secure anchor- age, under these circumstances, CJaptain Forsyth had no alternative but to return, and in doing so, he hjis, in the opinion of all the best-informed officers, dis- played great good sense and judgment rather than re- n.ain frozen in at the "Wellington Channel, where he only went to reconnoiter, and where he had no business whatever, Us instructions being confined to Regent Inlet. iii 1 1 ' I .1 » ,!• M It K i! ; . ', :f THE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. The First Grinnell Expedition in the Advance and Rescue, sent out by Henry Grinnell, Esq., under COMMAND OF LlEUTENANT De HaVEN, IN THE YEAK8 1850 and 1851. The safe return ox the expedition sent out by Mr Ilonry Grinnell, an opulent merchant of New York city in search of Sir John Franklin and his companions, is an event of much interest ; and the voyage, though not resulting in the discovery of the long-absent mariners, presents many considerations satisfactory to the parties iniTnediately concerned, and the American public in general. Mr. Grinnell's expedition consisted of only two small brigs, the Advance of 140 tons ; the Rescue of only 90 tons. The former had been engaged in the Havana trade ; the latter was a new vessel built for the mer- cliATit service. Both were strengthened for the arctic voyage at a heavy cost. They were then placed under the directions of our Navy Board, and subject to naval regulations, as if in permanent service. The command was given to Lieut. E. De Haven, a young naval ofiicer who accompanied the United States exploring expedi- tion. The result has proved that a better choice could not have been made. His officers consisted of Mr. Murdoch, sailing-master ; Dr. E. K. Kane, surgeon and naturalist ; and Mr. Lovell, midshipman. The Advance had a crew of twelve men when she sailed ; two of them complaining of sickness, and expressing a desire to return home, were left at the Danish settlement at Dicco Island, on the coast of Greenland. The Expedition left New York on the 23d of May, 1850, and was absent a little more than sixteen months. They passed the eastern extremity of Newfoundland r' ' I i!j i; I I' i k i i \\ ^U i ' li.. !^ *ji- U'i; 362 riiOGItESS OF AECTIC DI8COVE14Y. ten days nfter leavinpj Sandy Hook, and tlicn sailed east-northeast, directly for Cape Comfort, on the coast of Greenland. The weather was generally line, and only a single accident occurred on the v oyaf'e to that country of fro^t and snow. Off* the coast of Labradui they met an iceberg making its way toward the tropics. The night was very dark, and as the huge voyager had no " light out," the Advance could not be censured fur running foul. She was punished, however, by the loss of her jib-boom, as she ran against the iceberg at the rate of seven or eight knots an hour. The voyagers did not land at Cape Comfort, but turning northward, sailed along the southwest coast of Greenland, sometimes in the midst of broad acres of bi-oken ice, (particularly *n Davis' Straits,) a? fur as Whale Island O th •- vo^' the 'mniveisary of our national indcpendeiiro oe -irred ; it was observed by the seamen by' jpli^^r^; t*^o main-brace" — in other words, they were allowed an c? ...'a glass of grog on that dav. From Whale Island, a boat, with two officers and four seamen, was sent to Disco Island, a distance of about 26 miles, to a Danish settlement there, to procure skin clothing and other articles necessary for nse during the rigors of a polar winter. The officers were enter- tained at the government house ; the seamen were com- fortably lodged with the Esquimaux, sleeping in fur bags at night. They returned to the ship the following day, and the expedition proceeded on its voyage. When passing the little Danish settlement of Upernavick, they were boarded by natives for the ffrst time. They were out in government whale-boats, hunting for ducks and seals. These hardy children of the Arctic Circle were not shy, for through the Danes, the English whalers,and government expeditions, they had become acquainted with men of other latitudes. AVhen the expedition reached Melville Bay, which, on account of its fearful character, is also called the DtviVs JVJp^ the voyagers began to witness more of the grandeur and perils of arctic scenes. Icebergs of r.3 ^ M '3 ' i "I I 1 ■ i. h, ■.; i >. I'! ^ '.. *i ( I < ] I c I t t n r I] u y ti c p fl tl k ti ir TlIK .VMKKICAN AUCTIC EXI'EDITIuN. 365 all dimensions came bearing down from the Polar seas, like vast Sipuidrons, and the roar of their rending came over the waters like the booming of heavy broadsides of contending' navies. Tliey also encountered immense floes, with only narrow channels between, and at times their situation was excee<lingly jx'rilous. On one occa- sion, after heaving through iields of ice for live consecu- tive weeks, two immense floes, between whicli tliev were making their way, gradually ap})roached each other, and for several hours they expected their tiny vessels — tiny when compared with the mighty objects around them — would be crushed. An immense calf of ice, six or eight feet thick, slid under the Rescue, lifting her almost "high and dry," and careening her partially upon her beam ends. By means of ice-an- chors, (large iron hooks,) they kept her from capsizing. In this position they remained about sixty hours, when, with saws and axes, they succeeded in relieving her. The ice now opened a little, and they finally warped through into clear water. While they were thus con« flned, polar bears came around them in abundance, greedy fur prey, and the seamen indulged a little in the perilous sports of the chase. The open sea continued but a short time, when they again became entangled among bergs, floes, and hum- mocks, and encountered the most fearful perils. Some- times they anchored their vessels to icebergs, and some- times to noes or masses of hummock. On one of these occasions, while the cook, an active Frenchman, was upon a berg, making a place for an anchor, the mass of ice s])lit beneath him, and he was dropped through the yawning fissure into the Water, a distance of almost thirty feet. Fortunately the masses, as is often the case, did not close up again, but floated apart, and the poor cook was hauled on board more dead than alive, from excessive fright. It was in this fearful region that they first encountered pack-ice, and there they were locked in from the Tth to tlio 23d of July. During that time they were joined by tlie yacht Prince Albert, com- manded by Cui)tuin Forsytli, of tiie Royal Navy, and 'If ,11 , I 1 t'^; ; t ! II 1'.^-'; 8C6 TKOORlv'S OF AKirriC DIrtC'UVKUY. together the three vessels were anchored, for a while, to an immense field of ice, in si^j^ht of the Devil's Thumb. That high, rocky peak, Kituated in latitude 7'P 22', was about thirty miles distant, and with the dark hills adjacent, presented a strange a8})ect whore all was white and glittering. The pack and the hills are masses of rock, with occasionally a lichen or a moss growing upon their otherwise naked surfaces. In the midst of the vast ice-field loomed up many lofty bergs, all of them in motion — slow and majestic motion. From the Devil's Thumb the American vessels passed onward through the pack toward Sabino's Islands, while the Prince Albert essayed to make a more westerly course. They reached Cape York at the beginning of August. Far across the ice, landward, they discovered, through their glasses, several men, apparently making signals ; and for a while they rejoiced m the belief that they saw a portion of Sir John Franklin's companions. Four men, (among whom was our sailor-artist,) were dispatched with a whale-boat to reconnoiter. They soon discovered the men to be Esquimaux, who, by signs, professed great friendship, and endeavored to get the voyagers to accompany them to their homes beyond the hills. They declined ; and as soon as they returned to the vessel, the expedition again pushed forward, and made its way to Cape Dudley Digges, which they reached on the 7th of August. At Cape Dudley Digo^es they were charmed by the sight of the Crimson Cliffs, spoken of by Captain Farry and other arctic navigators. These are lofty cliffs of dark brown stone, covered with snow of a rich crimson color. It was a magnificent sight in that cold region, to see such an apparently warm object standing out in bold relief against the dark blue back-gionnd of a polar sky. This was the most northern point to which the expedition penetrated. The whole coast which they had passed from Disco to this cape is high, rugged, and ban-en, only some of the low points, stretching into the sea, bearing a species of dwarf fir. Northeast from the cape rise the Arctic Highlands, to an unknown alti- H! 1 f' *!.■■■ Rmi TUK AMF,RICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 371 tude ; and stretchine; away northward is the unexplored Smith's Sound, filled with impenetrable ice. From Cape Dudley Digges, the Advance and Res- cue, beating against wind and tide in the midst of the ice-fields, made Wolstenholme Sound, and then chang- ing their course to the southwest, emerged from tlie fidds into the open waterb uf Lancaster Sound. Here, on the 18th of August, they encountered a tremendous gale, which lasted about twenty-four hours. The two vessels parted company during the storm, and remained separate several clays. Across Lancaster Sound, the Advance made her way to Barrow's Straits, and on the 22d discovered the Prince Albert on the southern shore of the straits, near Leopold Island, a mass of lofty, Srecipitous rocks, dark and barren, and hooded and raped with snow. The weather was fine, and soon the ofiicers and crews of the two vessels met in friendly greeting. Those of the Prince Albert were much as- tonished, for they (being towed by a steamer,) left the Americans in Melville Bay on the 6th, pressing north- ward through tlie pack, and could not conceive how they so soon and safely penetrated it. Captain For- syth had attempted to reacli a particular point, wliero he intended to remain througli the winter, but finding the passage thereto completely blocked up with ice, ho had resolved, on the very day when the Americans ap- peared, to " 'bout ship," and return home. This fact, and the disappointment felt by Mr. Snow, are mentioned in our fonner article. The two vessels remained together a day or two, wrhen they parted company, the Prince Albert to re- iurn home, and the Advance to make further explora- tions. It was oft* Leopold Island, on the 22d of Au- gust, that the " mad Yankee " took the lead through the vast masses of floating ice, so vividlv described by Mr. Snow, and so graphically portrayed by the sailor-artist. " The way was before thom," says Mr. Snow, who stood npon the deck of the Advance ; " the stream of ice had to be eitlier gone tlirongh boldly, or a long detour made; and, despite the heaviness of the stream, they pushed ' I H ! ( .' ^ \\ y \ >!' 872 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. the vessel through in her proper course. Two or three shocks, as she came in contact with some lai-ge pieces, were unheeded ; and the moment the last block was past the bow, the officer sung out, * So : steady as she goes on her course ;' and came aft as if nothing more than ordinary sailing had been going on. I observed our own little bark nobly following in the American's wake ; and as I afterward learned, she got through it pretty well, though not without much doubt of the pro- priety of keeping on in such procedure after the ' mad Yankee,' as he was called by our mate." From Leopold Island the Advance proceeded to the northwest, and on the 25th reached Cape Riley, an other amorphous mass, not so regular and precipitate as Leopold iBland, but more lofty. Here a strong tide, setting in to the shore, drifted the Advance toward the beach, whore she stranded. Around her were small bergs and largo masses of floating ice, all under the influence of tlie strong current. It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when she struck. By diligent labor in removing every thing from her deck to a small floe, she was so lightened, that at four o'clock the next morning she floated, and soon every thing was properly replaced. Near Cape Kiley the Americans fell in with a por- tion 01 an English Expedition, and there also the Rescue, left behind in the gale in Lancaster Sound, overtook the Advance. There was Captain Penny with the Sophia and Lady Franklin; the veteran Sir John Ross, with the Felix, and Commodore Austin, with the Resolute steamer. Together the navigators of both nations explored the coast at and near Cape Riley, and on the 27th they saw in a cove on the shore of Beechey Island, or Beechey Cape, on the east side f»f the entrance to Wellington Channel, unmistakable evi dence that Sir John Franklin and his companions were there in April, 1846. There they found many articles known to belong to the British Navy, and some that were the pro])erty of the Erobus and Terror, the ships under the command of Sir John. There lay, bleacUad i ;hree eces, wa8 i she nore pved ;an's ?liit pro- nad the an tute ido, the nail the wo •ent 'lall ext sriy i f« rqi ►or- khe fid, "y Sir in, jr8 pe >ro of vi re es at [)8 'd m § li fl 3 N 8 THE A^natlCAN AKCilC KXI'MDI'l ION. 375 to the whiteness of the surrounding snow, a ])icce of canvas, with the name of the Terror, marked upon it with indestrnctible charcoal. It was very faint, yet perfectly legible. Near it was a guide board, lying flat upon its face, having been prostrated by the wind. It had evidently been used to direct exploring parties to the vessels, or rather, to the en- camp ;nent on shore. The board was pine, thirteen inches in length and six and a half in breadth, and nailed to a boarding pike eight feet in length. It is supposed that the sudden opening of the ice, caused Sir John to depart hastily, and in so doing, this pike and its board were left behind. They also found a large number of tin canisters, such as are used for packing meats for a sea voyage; an anvil block : rem- nants of clothing, which evinced, by immerous patches and their thread- bare character,that they had been worn as long rs the own- ers could keep them ANVIL BLOCK. GUIDE » it >ARD. on ; the remains of an India Rubber glove, lin I i;ith wool ; some old sacks ; a cask, or tub, partly fil I with charcoal, and an unfinished rope-mat, which, 1 j other fibrous fabrics, was bleached white. Brt the most interesting, and at the same ' melancholy traces of the navigators, were thr^ in a little sheltered cove, each with a board ^ lie head, bearing the name of the sleeper below. Thc^o iusurip- iie most graves, M 1 376 PllOUliESB OF AliUTlU JJlriCUX KKV. tions testify positively when Sir John and his comj^an ions were there. The board at the head of the grave on the left has the following inscription : " Sacred to the niemory of Joun Tqrbtnoton, who departed this life, January Ist, a d., 1S46, on board her Majesty's ship Terror, aged 20 years." On the center one — "Sacred to the memory of John IIabtnell, A. B., of her Majesty's ship Erebus ; died, January 4th, 1846, aged 25 years. ' Thus saith the Lord of Jlosts, Consider your ways ;' Ilaggai, chap, i. 6, 7." On the right — "Sacred to the memory of W. Braine, R. M., of her Majesty's ship Erebus, who died April 3d, 1846, aged 32 years. ' Choose you this day whom you will serve :' Joshua, chap, xxiv., part of the 15th verse." THREE GRAVES AT BEECHEY. How much later than April 3d (the date upon the last-named head-board,) Sir .Tohn remained at Beechey, can not be determined. They saw evidences of his having gone northward, for sledge tracks in that di- rection were visible. It is tlie opinion of Dr. Kjuio that, on the breaking up of the ice, in the spring, Sir John passed northward with his ships through Welling- ton channel, into the great Polar basin, and that he did not return. This, too, is the opinion of Captain Penny, and he zealously urges the British government to send a powerful screw steamer to pass through tha^ I 1 I ( I ! ii 1 1 1 THE AMKlilCAN AliCTIC EXl'KDITION. 379 cliannel, and explore the tlieoretically more li08pital)le coustB beyond. Tliis will doubtless ])e undertaken another season, it being the opinions of Captains Parry, lieeehey, Sir John Kass, and others, expressed at a eon- feronce with the board of Admiralty, in Sej)teml)er, that the season was too far advanced to attempt it the i)re3- ent year. Dr. Kane, in a letter to J\Ir. Grinneil, since the return of the expedition, thus expresses his opin- ion concerning the safety of Sir Jolm and his com- panions. After saying, "1 should think that he is now to be sought for north and west of Cornwallia Island," he adds, *' as to the chance of the destruction of hia party by the casualties of ice, the return of our own party after something more than the usual share of them, is the only fact that I can add to what wo knew when we set out. The hazards from cold and privation of food may be almost looked upon as sub- ordinate. The snow-hut, the fire and light from the moss-lamp fed with blubber, the seal, th( narwhal, the white whale, and occasionally abundant stores of mi- gratory birds, would sustain vigorous life. The scurvy, the worst visitation of explorers deprived of perma- nent quarters, is more rare in the depths of a jmlar winter, than In the milder weather of the moist sum mer ; and our two little vessels encountered both seasons without losing a man." Leaving Beechey Cape, our expedition forced its way through the ice to Barrow's Inlet, where they narrowly escaped being frozen in for the winter. They endeav- ored to enter the Inlet, for the purpose of making it their winter quarters, but were jjrevented by the mass of pack-ice at its entrance. It was on the 4th of Sej)- tember, 1850, when they arrived there, aiiH after re- maining seven or eight days, they abanchdied the attempt to enter. On the right and left of the above picture, are seen the dark rocks at the entrance of the inlet, and in the center of the frozen waters and the range of hills beyond. Tliere was much smooth ice witliln the Inlet, and while the vessels lav ancliored to tlie " iield," otlicLMS and crew exercised and amused " ! I 880 PKOGRKSS OF AKCIU? DISCOVEliY. thomsclves hy skiitinj*. On tlie left of the Inlet, (in (licjitcd by tho dark conical object,) they discovered a Cairn, (a lioap of stones with a cavity,) eight or ten feet in height, which was erected by Captain Omraaney of the English Expedition then in the polar waters. Within it he had placed two letters, for *' Whom it might concern." Commander De Haven also depos- ited a letter there. It is believed to be the only post- office in the world, free for tho use of all nations. The rocks, here, presented vast lissures made by the frost ; and at the foot of the cliff on the right that powerful agent had cast down vast heaps of debris. From Barlow's Inlet, our expedition moved slowly westward, battling with tho ice every rood of the way, until they reached Griffin's Island, at about 06° west longitude from Greenwich. This was attained on tlie lltli, and was the extreme westing made by tho expe- dition. All beyond seemed impenetrable ice ; and, despairing of making any further discoveries before the winter should set in, they resolved to return home. Turning eastward, they hoped to reach Davis' Strait by the southern route, before the cold and darkness came on ; but they were doomed to disappointment. Near the entrance to Wellington Channel tliey became completely locked in by hummock-ice, and soon found themselves drifting with an irresistible tide up that channel toward the pole. Now began the most perilous adventures of the navi- gators. The summer day was drawing to a close ; the diurnal visits of the pale sun were rapidly shortening, and soon the long polar night, with all its darkness and horrors, would fall upon them. Slowly they drifted in those vast Holds of ice, whither, or to what result, they knew not. Locked in the moving yet compact mass ; liable at every moment to be crushed ; far away from land ; the mercury sinking daily lower and lower from tho zero figure, toward the point where that metal freezes, they felt small hope of ever reaching home again. Yet they j^repared for winter comforts and winter sports, as cheerfully us if lying safe in Barlow's Inlet. As the \ i M i r"i» ^. .0., V^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) f/, 1.0 no Ui 12.2 Hi Ui I.I I '^ i^ IL25 i 1.4 JA 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 872-4503 \ ^'^ 4.^ <^ % 'o-*-^^"^^^ "^'^ If TUB AMERICAN AECTIO EXPEDITION. 385 <vinter advanced, the crews of both the vessels went on Doard the larger one. They unshipped the rudders of each, to prevent their being injured by the ice, covered the deck of the Advance with felt, prepared their stores, and made arrangements for enduring the long winter, now upon them. Physical and mental activity being necessary for the preservation of health, they daily ex- ercised in the open air for several hours. They built ice huts, hunted the huge white bears and the little polar foxes, and when the darkness of the winter night had spread over them they arranged in-door amusements and employments. Before the end of October, the sun made its appear- ance for the last time, and the awful polar night closed in. Early in November they wholly abandoned the Kescue, and both crews made the Advance their permanent winter home. The cold soon became in- tense ; the mercury congealed, and the spirit thermome- ter indicated 46° below zero ! Its average range was 30° to 35°. They had drifted helplessly up Wellington Cluxnnel, almost to the latitude from whence Captain Penny saw an open sea, and which all believe to bo the great polar basin, where there is a more genial clime than that which intervenes between the Arctic Circle and the 75th degree. Here, when almost in sight of the open ocean, that mighty polar tide, with its vast masses of ice, suddenly ebbed, and our little vessels were carried back as resistlessly as before, through Barrow's Straits into Lancaster Sound! All this while the immense fields of hummock-ice were moving, and the vessels were in hourlv danger of being crushed and destroyed. At lengtn, while drifting through Barrow's Straits, the congealed mass, as it crushed together by the opposite shores, became more compact, and the Advance was elevated almost seven feet by the stern, and keeled two feet eight inches, star- board. In this position she remained, with very little alteration for five consecutive months ; for, soon after entering Baffin's Bay in the midst of the winter, the ice became frozen in one immense tract, covering mil- \\ t: .» * ■, I : i u } ' 'i i%. 380 PROGRESS OF ARCTIO DISCOVERY. lions of acres. Thus frozen in, sometimes more than a hundred miles from land, they drifted slowly along the southwest coast of Baftin's Bay, a distance of more than a thousand miles from Wellington Chaimel. For eleven weeks that dreary night contiimed, and during tliut time the disc of the sun was never seen above the hori- zon. Yet nature was not wholly forbidding in aspect. Sometimes the Aurora Borealis would flash up still further northward ; and sometimes Aurora Parhelia — mock suns and mock moons — would appear in varied beauty in the starry sky. Brilliant, too, were the north- ern constellations ; and when the real moon was at its full, it made its stately circuit in the heavens, without descending below the horizon, and lighted up the vast piles of ice with a pale luster, almost as great as the morning twilights of more genial skies. Around the vessels the crews built a wall of ice ; and in ice huts they sto>,ed away their cordage and stores to make room for exercise on the decks. They organ- ized a theatrical company, and amused themselves and the officers with comedy w^ell performed. Behind the pieces of hummock each actor learned his part, and by means of calico they transformed themselves into female characters, as occasion required. These dramas were acted on the deck of the Advance, sometimes while the thermometer indicated 30° below zero, and actors and audiences highly enjoyed the fun. They also went in parties during that long night, fully armed, to hunt the polar bear, the grim monarch of the frozen Korth, on which occasions they often encountered peril- ous adventures. They played at foot-ball, and exercised themselves in drawing sledges, heavily laden with pro- visions. Five hours of each twenty-four, they thus exer- cised in the open air, and once a week each man washed his whole body in cold snow water. Serioub sickness was consequently avoided, and the scurvy which at- tacked them soon yielded to remedies. Often during that fearful night, they expected the disaster of having their vessels crushed. All through November and December, before the ice became fast IHi: AMKIilOAN ARCTIC KXrKDITION. 387 tlioy slept ill tlicir clothes, with knapsacks on tlicir backs, and sledges upon the ice, laden with stores, not knowing at what moment the vessels might be demol- ished, and themselves forced to leave them, and make their way toward land. On the 8th of December, and the 23d of January, they actually lowered their boats and stood upon the ice, for the crushing masses wero making the timbers of the gallant vessel creak and its decks to rise in the center. They were then ninety miles from land, and hope hardly whispered an encour- aging idea of life being sustained. On the latter occa- sion, when officers and crew stood upon the ice, with the ropes of their provision sledges in their hands, a terrible snow-drift came from the northeast, and intense darkness shrouded them. Had the vessel then been crushed, all must have perished. But God, who ruled the storm, also put forth His protecting arm and saved them. Early in February the northern horizon began to be streaked with gorgeous twilight, the herald ot the ap- proaching king of day ; and on the 18th the disc of the sun first appeared above the horizon. As its golden rim rose above the glittering snow-drifts and piles of ice, three hearty cheers went up from those hardy mar iners, and they welcomed their deliverer from the chains of frost as cordially as those of old who chanted, " See ! the conquering hero comes, Sound the trumpet, beat the drums." Day after day it rose higher and higher, and while the pallid faces of the voyagers, bleached during that long night, darkened by its beams, the vast masses of ice began to yield to its fervid influences. The scurvy dis- appeared, and from that time, until their arrival home, not a man suffered from sickness. As they slowly drifted through Davis' Straits, and the ice gave indica- tions of breaking up, the voyagers made preparations for sailing. The Rescue was re-occupied, (May 13th, 1851,) and her stone-post, which had been broken by the ice in Barrow^s Straits, was repaired. To accom- plish this, they were obliged to dig away the ice whicb t ; t i s » ^f i j .-' 388 rEOGRESS OF ARCrfIC DISCOVERY. was from 12 to 14 feet thick around her, as represented in the engraving. They reshipped their rudders ; re- moved tlie felt covering ; phaced their stores on deck, and then patiently awaited the disruption of the ice This event was very sudden and appalling. It began to give way on the 5th of June, and in the space of twenty minutes the whole mass, as far as the eye could reach, became one vast field of moving floes. On the 10th of June, they emerged into open water, a little south of the Arctic Circle, in latitude 65° 30'. They immediately repaired to Godhaven, on the coast of Greenland, where they refitted, and, unappalled by the perils through which they had ji.st passed, they once more turned their prows northward to encounter anew the ice squadrons of Baffin's Bay. Again they trav- ersed the coast of Greenland to about the 73d de- gree, when they bore to the westward, and on the 7tb and 8th of July, passed the English whaling fleet near the Dutch Islands. Onward they pressed through the accumulating ice to Baffin's Island, where, on the 11th, they were joined by the Prince Albert, then out upon another cruise. They continued in com- pany until the 3d of August, when the Albert departed for the westward, determined to try the more south' ern passage. Here again our expedition encountered vast fields of hummock-ice, and were subjected to the most imminent perils. The floating ice, as if moved by adverse currents, tumbled in huge masses, and reared upon the sides of the sturdy little vessels like monsters of the deep intent upon destruction. These masses broke in the bulwarks, and sometimes fell over upon the decks with terrible force, like rocks rolled over a plain by mountain torrents. The noise was fearful ; so deafening that the marinei'S could scarcely hear each other's voices. The sounds of these rolling masses, to- gether with the rending of the icebergs floating near, and the vast floes, produced a din like the discharge of a thousand pieces of ordnance upon a field of battle. Finding the north and west closed a^i^ainst further progress, by impenetrable ice, the brave De Haven was I esented 31*8 ; re- )n deck, the ice b began pace of ^e could On the a little ■ They oast of 1 by the By once Ejr anew iy trav- 73d de- the 7tb 3et near through ere, on I't, then n com- eparted i south' uutered i to the )ved by reared lonsters masses i^r upon over a I'ful ; BO ir each 5ses, to- g; near, arge of ' "battle, further /■en waa t 3 g a I s I > i ^ » TilK AMKUIOAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 393 balked, and turning bis vessels homeward, they came ont into an open sea, somewhat crippled, but not a plank seriously started. During a storm off the banks of Newfoundland, a thousand miles from New York, the vessels parted company. The Advance arrived safely at the Navy Yard at Brooklyn on the 30th of September, and the Rescue joined her there a few days afterward. Toward the close of October, the govern- ment resigned the vessels into the hands of Mr. Grin- nell, to be used in other service, but with the stipulation that they are to be subject to the order of the Secretary of the Navy in the spring, if required for another ex])edition in search of Sir John Franklin. We have thus given a very brief account of the prin- cipal events of interest connected with the American Arctic Expedition ; afuU report of which, and detailed narratives have been published. Aside from the suc- cess which attended our little vessels in encountering the perils of the polar seas, there are associations which must forever hallow the eftbrt as one of the noblest exhibitions of the true glory of nations. The navies of America and England have before met upon the ocean, but they met for deadly strife. Now, too, they met for strife, equally determined, but not with each other. They met in the holy cause of benevolence and human sympathy, to battle with the elements beneath the Arctic Circle ; and the chivalric heroism which the few stout hearts of the two nations displayed in that terrible conflict, redounds a thousand-fold more to the glory of the actors, their governments, and the race, than if four-score ships, with ten thousand armed men had fought for the mas- tery of each other upon the broad ocean, and battered hulks and marred corpses had gone down to the coral caves of the sea, a dreadful offering to the demon of Discord. In the latter event, troops of widows and or- phan children would have sent up a cry of wail ; now, the heroes advanced manfully to rescue husbands and fathers to restore them to their wives and children. How glorious the thought ! and how suggestive of the beauty of that fast approaching day, when the uAtvvv^ t ' i 394 PHOGUESS OF AKCriC DISCOVERY. Bhall sit down in peace as united children of ono household. Winter in the Arctic Ocean. The following narrative, showing the way tlie wintei of 1851-52 was passed by tliose engaged in the recent arctic expedition, is from the official report made by Lieut. De Haven, the Commander of the expedition : " On the morning of the 13th Sept., 1850, the wind having moderated sufficiently, we got under way, and working our way through some streams of ice, arrived in a few hours at ' Grilhth's ' Island, under the lee of which we found our consort made fast to the shore, where she had taken shelter in the gale, her crew^ hav- ing suffered a good deal from the inclemency of the weather. In bringing to under the lee of the island, she had the misfortune to spring her rudder, so that on joining us, it w^as with nnich difficulty she could steer. To insure her safety and more rapid progress, she was taken in tow by the Advance, when she bore u]) with a fine breeze from the westwai'd. Oii' Cape Martyr, we left the English squadron under Capt. Austin. About ten miles further to the east, the two vessels un- der Capt. Penny, and that under Sir John Koss, w^ere seen secured near the land. At 8 p. m.. we had ad- vanced as far as Cape Ilotham. Thence as far as the increasing darkness of the night enabled us to see, there was nothing to obstruct our progress, except the bay ice. This, with a good breeze, would not have im- peded us much ; butunfortunately the wind, when it \vas most required, failed us. The snow, with which the surface of the water was covered, rapidly cemented, and formed a tenacious coat, through which it was im- possible with all our appliances to force the vessels. At 8 p. M., they came to a dead stand, some ten miles to the east of Barlow's Inlet. "The following day the wind hauled to the southward, from which quarter it lasted till the 19th. During this period the young ice was broken, its edges squeezed ui> 1 of ono lie wintei the recent made by :peclitiun : the wiiu.l way, and :e, arrived the lee of the shore, crew hav- icy of the he isUmd, so til at on )uld steer. s, she was 3 11]) with e Martyr, t. Austin, 'essels iin- ^oss, were e had ad- far as the ► see, there t the bay have im- hen it was which the cemented, it was im- essels. At n miles to 00 * i onthward, Kiring this ueezed \\\> WINTKU IN TIIK AUCilC OCKAN. 895 like liJiniinocks, niul one floo overrun by niiotlior until it nil nssunied tlio aj)i)Ojir;incc <»f liL'iivy ice. The voy- Bcls received some lieuvy nij»8 tVoni it, I)ut tlicy witli- Btood tlieni without injury. Whenever ii |mm»I of water nuide its appeariinec, every ett'nrt was made to reach it, in hoi)C8 that it would lead us into l>eeehey Jshuid, or Bomo other place where the vessel nn«:jht bo ]>hice(l in Becurity ; for the winter set in unusually early, and tho Bcvcrity with which it commenced, forbade all hopes of our being able to return this season. I now became anxious to attain a point in the neighborhood, fnuu whence by means of land parties, in the spring, a goodly extent of Wellington Channel might be examined. *' In the mean time, imdcr the influence of the south wind, wo were being set up tho channel. On the IStli we were above Capo Bowuen, tho most northern point Boon on tliis shore oy Parry. Tho land on both snores was seen much further, and trended considerably to tho west of north. To account for this drift, the fixed ico of Wellington Channel, which we had observed in })ass- ing to the westward, must have been broken u]) and driven to tho southward by the heavy gale of tho 12th. On the 19th the wind veered to the north, which gave us a southerly set, forcing us at the same tinie with tho western shore. This did not last long ; for the next day the wind liaulod again to the south, and blew fresh, bringing the ico in upon us with much ])ressurc. At midnight it broke up all around us, so that we had work to maintain tho Advance in a safe ])osition, and keep her from being separated from her consort, which was immovably flxed in the center of a large floe. " Wo continued to drift slowly to the N. N. W., until the 22d, when our progress appeared to be arrested by a small low island, which w^as discovered in that direc- tion, about seven miles distant. A channel of three or four miles in width separated it from Cornwallis Island. This latter island, trending N. W. from our position, terminated abruptly in an elevated cai)o, to M'hich 1 have given the name of Manning, after a warm ]>er- sonal friend and ardent 6uj>porter of the expedition. Ii i r' Ki ' 1 1 1 ^ t ■ • ■ fM \ 896 P110GRES8 OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. I' I Between Cornwallis Island and some distant high land visible the north, appeared a wide channel leading to the westward. A dark, misty-looking cloud which hung over it, (technically termed frost-smoke,) was in- dicative of much open water in that direction. This was the direction in which my instructions, referring to the investigations of the National Observatory, concern- ing the winds and currents of tlie ocean, directed me to look for open water. Nor was the open water the only indication that presented itself in confirmation of this theoretical conjecture as to a milder climate in that direction. As we entered Wellington Channel, the signs of animal life became more abundant, and Cap- tain Penny, commander of one of the English expe- ditions, who afterward penetrated on sledges much toward the region of the ' frost-smoke,' much further than it was possible for us to do in our vessels reported that he actually arrived on the borders of this open sea. "Thus, these admirably drawn instructions, deriving arguments from the enlarged and comprehensive sys- tem of physical research, not only pointed with em- phasis to an unknown sea into which Franklin had probably found his way, but directed me to search for traces of his expedition iv the very channel at the entrance of which it is now ascertained he had passed his first winter. The direction in which search with most chances of success is now to be made for the missing expedition, or for traces of it, is no doubt in the direction which is so clearly pointed out in my in- Btructions. To the channel which appeared to lead into the open sea over which the cloud of ' frost-smoke' hung as a sign, I have given the name of Maury, after the distinguished gentleman at the head of our National Observatory, whose theory with regard to an open sea to the north is likely to be realized through this chan- nel. To the large mass of land visible between N. W. to N. N. E., I gave the name of Grinnell, in honor of the head and heart of the man in whose philanthropic mind originated the idea of this expedition, and t9 whose munificence it owes its existence. AVliNTER IN THE AECriC OCEAN. 397 " To a remarkable peak hearing N. N. E. from us, distant about forty miles, was given the name of Mount Franklin. An inlet or harbor immediately to the north of Cape Bowden was discovered by Mr. Griffin in his land excursion from Point Innes, on the 27th of August, and has received the name of Griffin Inlet. The small island mentioned before was called Murdaugli's Island, after the acting master of the Ad- vance. The eastern shore of Wellington Channel ai> peared to run parallel with the western, but it became quite low, and being covered with snow, could not bo distinguished with certainty, so that its continuity with the high land to the north was not ascertained. Some small pools of open water appearing near us, an attempt was made about fifty yards, but all our combined efforts were of no avail in extricating the Rescue from her icy cradle. A change of wind not only closed the ice up again, but threatened to give a severe nij). "We unshipped her rudder and placed it out of harm's way. " September 22d, was an uncomfortable day. The wind was from N. E. with snow. From an early hour in the morning, the floes began to be pressed together with so much force that their edge was thrown up in immense ridges of rugged hummocks. The Advance was heavily nipped between two floes, and the ice was piled up so high above the rail on the starboard side as to threaten to come on board and sink us with its weight. All hands were occupied in keeping it out. The pressure and commotion did not cease till near midnight, when we were very glad to have h respite from our labors and fears. The next day we were threatened with a similar scene, but it fortunately ceased in a short time. For the remainder of Septem- ber, and until the 4th of October, the vessels drifted but little. The winds were A'ery light, the thermometer fell to minus 12, and ice formed over the pools in siglit, sufficiently strong to travel upon. "Vve were now strongly impressed with the belief that the ice had be- come" fixed for the winter, and that we should be able to send out traveling parties from the advanced position ii I 1 M ' : I i \ '■ ! * <l 4 i|! f 398 PROGRESS OF ARCTTO DISCOVERY. for the examination of the lands to the northward Stimulated by this fair prospect, another attempt wan made to reach the shore in order to establish a depo^ of provisions at or near Cape Manning, which would materially facilitate the progress of our parties in th^ spring ; but the ice was still found to be detached froip the shore, and a narrow lane of water cut us from it. " During the interval of comparative quiet, prelimi- nary measures were taken for heating the Advance and increasing her quarters, so as to accomodate the officers and crew of both vessels. No stoves had a» yet been used in either vessel ; indeed they could not well be put up without placing a large quantity of stores and fuel upon the ice. The attempt was made to do this, but a sudden crack in the floe where it appeared strongest, causing the loss of several tons of coal, con- vinced us that it was not yet safe to do so. It was not until the 20th of October, we got fires below. Ten days later the housing cloth was put over, and the offi- cers and crew of the Bescue ordered on board the Ad- vance for the winter. Eoom was found on the deck of the Rescue for many of the provisions removed from the hold of this vessel. Still a large quantity had to bo placed on the ice. The absence of fire below had caused much discomfort to all hands ever since the be- ginning of September, not so much from the low tem- perature, as from the accumulation of moisture by condensation, which congealed as the temperature de- creased, and covered the wood work of our apartments with ice. This state of things soon began to work its effect upon the health of the crews. Several cases of scurvy appeared among them, and notwithstanding the indefatigable attention and active treatment resorted to by the medical officers, it could not be eradicated — its progress, however, was checked. "All through October and November, we were drifted to and fro by the changing wind, but never passing out of Wellington Channel. On the 1st of November, the new ice had attained the thickness of 37 inches. Still, frequent breaks would occur in it, often in fearful prox- WINTER IN THK AliCTIC OCEAN. 399 n'thward mpt wafl a depo> zh would es in the :hed frorp Tom it. , prelimi- Advance odate the 38 had as could not y of stores ide to do appeared coal, con- It was not ow. Ten id the offi- 'd the Ad- le deck of >ved from ity had to )elow had ce the be- low tem- >isture by rature de- partments ) work its cases of Inding the [esorted to ited — its Ire drifted issing out Iraber, the les. Still, Irful prox- imity to the vessels. ITnmmocks consisting of massive granite-like blocks, would be thrown up to the lieight of twenty, and even thirty feet. This action in the ice was accompanied with a variety of sounds impossible to be described, but when heard never failed to carry a feeling of awe into the stoutest hearts. In the stillness of an arctic night, they couhl be heard several miles, and often was the rest of all hands disturbed by them. To guard against the worst that could happen to us — the destruction of the vessels — the boats were prepared and sledges built. Thirty days' provisions were placed in for all hands, together with tents and blanket bags for sleeping in. Besides this, each man and officer had his knapsack containing an extra suit of clothes. Tliese were all kept in readiness for use at a moment's notice. " For the sake of wholesome exercise, as well as to in- ure the people to ice traveling, frequent excursions were made with our laden sledges. The officers usually took the lead at the drag ropes, and they, as well as the men underwent the labor of surmounting the rugged hum- mocks, with great cheerfulness and zeal. Notwith- standing the low temperature, all hands usually returned in a profuse perspiration. We had also other sources of exercise and amusements, such as foot-ball, skating, sliding, racing, with theatrical representations on holi- days and national anniversaries. These amusements were continued throughout the winter, and contributed very materially to the cheerfulness and general good 'lealth of all hands. The drift had set us gradually to the S. E., until we were about five miles to the S. W, Df Beechey Island. In this position we remained com- paratively stationary about a week. We once more began to entertain a hope that we had become fixed for the winter, but it proved a vain one, for on the last day of November a strong wind from the westward set in, with thick snowy weather. The wind created an im- mediate movement in the ice. Several fractures took place near us, and many heavy hummocks were thrown up. The floe in which our vessels were imbedded, was being rapidly encroached upon, so that we were in mo- '^.^ y ! HI J I 400 PKOGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVEKY. mentary fear of tbe ice breaking from around them, and that tlicy would be once more broken out and left to the tender mercies of the crashing floes. " On the following day (the 1st of December) tlie weather cleared off, and the few hours of twilight which «ve had about noon, enabled us to get a glim})se of the land. As well as we could make it out, we ap- peared to be off Gascoigne Inlet. "VVe were now clear of Wellington Channel, and in the fair way of Lan- caster Sound, to be set either up or down, at the mercy of the prevailing winds and currents. "We were not long left in doubt as to the direction we had to pursue. The winds prevailed from the westward, and our drift was steady and rapid toward the mouth of the Sound. The prospect before us was now any thing but cheering. "We were deprived of our last fond hope, tiiat of be- coming fixed in some position whence operations could be carried on by means of traveling parties in the spring. The vessels were fast being set out of the region of search. Nor was this our only source of un- easiness. The line of our drift was from two to five miles from the north shore, and whenever the moving ice met with any of the capes or projecting points of land, the obstruction would cause fractures in it, ex- tending oif to and far beyond us. Cape Hurd was the first and most prominent point — we were but two miles from it on the 3d of December. Nearly all day the ice was both seen and heard to be in constant mo- tion at no great distance from us. In the evening a crack on our floe took place not more than twenty -five yards ahead of the Advance. It opened in the course of tiic evening to the width of 190 yards. " No further disturbance took place until noon of the 5th, when we were somewhat startled by the familiar and unmistakable sound of the ice grinding against the side of the ship. Going on deck, I perceived that another crack had taken place, passing along the length of the vessel. It did not open more than a foot ; tliis, Iiowever, was sufficient to liberate the vessel, and sho rose several inches bodily, having become more buoy- m\> them, d left i) the ilight impse VQ ap- clear : Laii- mercy re not lursne. T drift Sound. 3ering. of be- 5 could in the of the I of un- to five noving ints of it, ex- as the :t two 11 day ^nt mo- tning a ity-tive course of the imiliar igainst id that [length ; this, id she buoy- WINTER IN TIIK ARCTIC OCKAN. 401 ant since she froze in. Tlio following day, in the evening the crack opened several yards, leaving the sides 01 the Ad^ancc entirely free, and slie was once more supported by and rode in her own element. "We were not, though, by any means, in a pleasant situation. The floes were considerably broken in all directions around us, and one crack had taken place between the two vessels. The Rescue was not disturbed in her bed of ice* " December 7th, at 8 A. M., the crack in which we were, had opened and formed a lane of water fifty-six feet wide, communicating ahead at the distance of sixty feet with ice of about one foot in thickness, which had formed since the 3d. The vessel was secured to the largest floe near us (that on which our spare stores were deposiited.) At noon, the ice was again in motion, and began to close, affording us the pleasant prospect of an inevitable nip between two floes of the heaviest kind. In a short time the prominent points took our side, on the starboard, just about the main-rigging, and on tiie port under the counter, and at the fore-rigging ; thus bringing three points of pressure in such a position that it muiit^have proved fatal to a larger or less strengthened vessel. The Advance, however, stood it bravely. After trembling and groaning in every joint, the ice passed under and raised her about two and a half feet. She was let down again for a moment, and then her stern was raised about five feet. Her bows being unsupported, were depressed almost as much. In this uncomfortable position we remained. The wind blew a gale from the eastward, and the ice all around was in dreadful commotion, excej^ting, for- tunately, that in immediate contact with us. Tlie com- motion in the ice continued all through the night; and we were in momentary expectation of the destruction of both vessels. Tiie easterly gale had set us some two or three miles to the west. As soon as it was light enough to see on the 9th, it was discovered that the heavy ice on which the Eescue had been imbedded for so long a time, was entirely broken up, and piled . t .' ti I '.I • (1 ;.( '■^.Ui.-M,>-*ilUU^ 403 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. up around her in massive hummocks. On her pumps behig sounded, I was gratified to learn that she remained tight, notwithstanding the immense straining and pressure she must have endured. " During this period of trial, as well as in all former and subsequent ones, I could not avoid being struck with the calmness and decision of the officers, as well as the subordination and good conduct of the men, without an exception. Each one knew the imminence of the peril that surrounded us, and was prepared to abide it with a stout heart. There was no noise, no confusion. I did not detect, even in the moment when the destruction of the vessel seemed inevitable, a sin- gle desponding look among the whole crew ; on the contrary, each one seemed resolved to do his whole duty, and every thing went on cheerily and bravely. For my own part, I had become quite an invalid, so much so as to prevent my taking an active part in the duties of the vessel as I had always done, or even from incurring the exposure necessary to proper exercise. However, I felt no apprehensions that the vessel would not be properly taken care of, for I had perfect confi- dence in one and all by whom I was surrounded. I knew them to be equal to any emergency, but I felt under special obligations to the gallant commander of the Rescue, for the efficient aid he rendered me. With the kindest consideration, and the most cheerful alacrity , he volunteered to perform the executive duties during the winter, and relieve me from every thing that might tend in the least to retard my recovery. " During the remainder of December, the ice re- mained quiet immediately around us, and breaks were all strongly cemented by new ice. In our neighbor- hood, however, cracks were daily visible. Our drift to the eastward averaged nearly six miles per day ; so that on the last of the month we were at the entrance of the Sound, Cape Osborn bearing north from us. "January, 1851. — On passing out of the Sound, and opening Baffin's Bay, to the north was seen a dark hori- zon, indicating much open water in that direction. On limps ained and ormer struck ,8 well I men, inenoe ired to lise, no twhen , a sin- on tVie \ whole )ravely. alid, 80 "t in the en from ixercise. si would >t confi- ided. I . 1 1 felt mander Ired me. Icheerful e duties |ry thing jvery. ice re- lIvS were eiglihor- ur drift day ; so intrance us. Iund,and lark hori- lon. On WINTER IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 403 the 11th, a crack took place between us and the Hescue, passing close under our stern, and forming a lane of water eighty feet wide. In the afternoon the floes be- ^an to move, the lane was closed up, and the edges of the ice coming in contact with so much pressure, threat- ened the demolition of the narrow space which sepa- rated us from the line of fracture. Fortunately, the floes again separated, and assumed a motion by which the Rescue passed from our stern to the port bow, and increased her distance from us 709 yards, where she came to a stand. Our stores that were on the ice were on the same side of the cracks as the Rescue, and of course were carried with her. The following day the ice remained quiet, but soon after midnight, on the 13th, a gale having sprung up from the westward, it once more got into violent motion. The young ice in the crack near our stern was soon broken up, the edges of the thick ice came in contact, and fearful pressures took place, forcing up a line of hummocks which ap- proached within ten feet of our stern. The vessel trembled and complained a great deal. " At last the floe broke up around us into many pieces, and became detached from the sides of the vessel. The scene of frightful commotion lasted until 4 A. M. Every moment I expected the vessel would be crushed or overwhelmed by the massive ice forced up far above our bulwarks. The Rescue being further removed on the other side of the crack from the line of crushing, and being firmly imbedded in heavy ice, I was in hopes would remain undisturbed. This was not the case ; for, on sending to her as soon as it was light enough to see, the floe was found to be broken away entirely up to her bows, and there formed into such high hummocks that her bowsprit was broken ofl', together with her head, and all the light wood work about it. Had the action of the ice continued much longer, she must have been destroyed. We had the misfortune to find sad havoc had been made among the stores and provisions left on the ice ; and few bar- rels were recovered ; but a large portion were crushed and liad dit«aj>poared. . i W 404 riiOOiiESS OV AUCTIO DISCOVEliY. " On the morning of the 14th there was again some motion in tlie floes. That on the port side moved oif from the vessel two or three feet and there became stationary. This left the vessel entirely detached from the ice round the water line, and it was expected she would once more resume Jin upright position. In this, however, we were disa})p()inted, for she remained with her stern elevated, and a C(msiderable lift to star- board, being hold in this uncomfortable position by the heavy masses which had been forced uncfer h'er bottom She retained this position until she finally broke out in the spring. We were now fully launched into Baf- fin's Bay, and our line of drift began to be more south- erly, assuming a direction nearly parallel with the western shore of the Bay at a distance of from 40 to 70 miles from it. " After an absence of 87 days, the sun, on the 29th of January, rose his whole diameter above the south- ern horizon, and remained visible more than an hour. All hands gave vent to delight on seeing an old friend again, in three hearty che irs. The length of the days now w^ent on increasing rapidly, but no warmth was yet experienced from the sun's rays ; on the contrary tl.e cold became more intense. Mercury became con- gealed in February, also in March, which did not occur at any other period during the winter. A very low temperature was invariably accompanied with clear and calm weather, so that our coldest days w^ere per- haps the most pleasant. In the absence of wind, we could take exercise in the open air without any incon- venience from the cold. But with a strong wind blow ing, it was dangerous to be exposed to its chilling blasts for any length of time, even when the thermometer indicated a comparatively moderate degree of tem- perature. " The ice around the vessels soon became cemented again and fixed, and no other rupture was experienced until it finally broke up in the spring, and allowed us to escape. Still we kept driving to the southward along with the " hole mass. Open lanes of water were n some ved oif became itiiched cpected on. In mained to star- i by the bottom oke out ito Baf- 3 soiith- ith the m40 to he 29th e south- in hour, i friend he days ith Avas ontrary lie con- jt occur sry low h clear are per- ind, we r incon- d blow 12; blasts ometer )f tem- mented rienced wed us thward 3r were 'i t .' > ill I WINTER IN THE AKOTIC OCKAN. 405 visible at all times from aloft ; sometimes tliey would be formed within a mile or two of us. Narwlials, seals, and dovekys were seen in them. Our sports- men were not expert enough to procure any, except a few of the latter ; although they were indefatigable in their exertions to do so. Bears would frequently be seen prowling about; only two were killed during the winter ; others were wounded, but made their escape. A few of us thought their flesh very palatable and wholesome ; but the majority utterly rejected it. The flesh of the seal, when it could be obtained^ was re- ceived with more favor. " As the season advanced, the cases of scurvy became more numerous, yet they were all kept under control by the unwearied attention and skillful treatment of tlie medical officers. My thanks are due to them, es- pecially to Passed Assistant Surgeon Kane, the senior medical officer of the expedition. I often had occa- sion to consult him concerning the hygiene of the crew, and it is in a great measure owing to the advice which he gave and the expedients which he recom- mended, that the expedition was enabled to return without the loss of one man. By the latter end of February the ice had become sufficiently thick to en- able us to build a trench around the stern of the Res- cue, sufficiently deep to ascertain the extent of the injury she had received in the gale at Griffith's Isl- and. It was not found to be material ; the upper gud- geon alone had been wrenched from the stern post. It was adjusted, and the rudder repaired in readiness for shipping, when it should be required. A new bow- sprit was also made for her out of the few spare spars we had left, and every thing made seaworthy in both vessels before the breaking up of the ice. '•In May, the noon-day began to take effect upon the snow which covered the ice ; the surface of the floes became w^atiery, and difficult to walk over. Still the dissolution was so slow in comparison with the mass to be dissolved, that it must have taken it a long pe- riod to become liberated from this cause alone. Moro n- • I U , p^; ■'1 ^ 1 tj 400 rROOUKSS OP ARCTIC DISCOVERY. wa8 expected from our Bouthcrly drift, wliich still (^on- tinned, and must soon carry us into a milder cliinato and o])on sea. On the 19th of May, the land about Capo Searle was made out, the first that wo had rc(mi since passing Cape Walter Bathurst, about the 20th of January. A few days later we were oil' Cape AValsiuir. ham, and on the 27th, passed out of the Arctic Zoim. " On the 1st of April, a hole was cut in some ice iluit had been forming since our first bcsetment in Septem- ber; it was found to have attained the thickness of 7 feet 2 inches. In this month, (April,) the amelioration of the temperature became quite sensible. All hands were kept at work, cutting and sawing the ice around tho vessels, in order to allow them to float once more. With the Kescue, they succeeded, after much labor, in attaining this object ; but around the stern of the Ad- vance, the ice was so thick that our 13 feet saw was too short to pass through it ; her bows and sides, as far aft as the gangway, were liberated. After making some alteration in the Rescue for the better accommodation of lier crew, and fires being lighted on board of her several days previous, to remove the ice and dampness, which had accumulated during the winter, both ofHcers and crew were transferred to lier on the 24th of April The stores of this vessel, which had been taken oat, were restored, the housing cloth taken off, and the ves- sel made in every respect ready for sea. There M^as little prospect, however, of our being able to reach the desired element very soon. Tho nearest water was a narrow lane more than two miles distant. To cut through the ice which intervened, would have been next to impossible. Beyond this lane, from tho mast-head, nothing but intermediate floes could bo seen. It was thought best to wait with patience, and allow nature to work for us. " June 6th, a moderate breeze f.om S. E. with pleasant weather — thermometer up to 40 at noon, and altogether quite warm and melting day. During the morning a pecvdiar cracking sound was heard on the floe. I was inclined to impute it to tho settling of the snow drifts as ^VINTEU IN TllK ARCTIO OCKAN. 407 thoy wore actoil upon by the sun, but in tlio afternoon, about 5 o'clock, the i)Uzzlo was 8i>l\'ed very lucidly, aiui to the exceed inn; satistaction of all hands. A crack in the iloo took i)lace between us and the Kcscue, and in a few minutes thereafter, the whole immense field in which we had been ind)ed(led for so many months, was rent in all directions, leavin^^ not a piece of 100 yards in diameter. The rupture M'as not accompanied with any noise. The Itcscuc was entirely liberated, the Advance only ])artially. The ice in which her after part was ind)ed(led, still adhered to her from the main chains aft, keeping lier stern elevated in its unsightly position. The pack, (as it may now be called,) became (pnto loose, ana but for our ])e;tinacious friend acting as an immense drag upon us, we might have made some headway in any desired direction. All oiu' eftbrts were now turned to getting rid of it. "With saws, axes, and crowbars, the people went to work with a right good will, and after hard labor for 48 hours succeeded. The vessel was again afloat, and she righted. The joy of all hands vented itself spontaneously in three hearty cheers. The after part of the false keel was gone, be- ing carried away by the ice. The loss of it, liowever, I was glad to perceive, did not materially aft'ect the sailing or workmg qualities of the vessel. The rudders were shipped, and we were once more ready to move, as efficient as on the day we left New York. "Steering to the S. E. and working slowly through the loose but heavy pack, on the 9th we parted from the Kescue in a dense fog, she taking a dinerent lead from the one the Advance was pui-suing." H it i^i '}•■ • 'I I if •pr 408 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. Ground for Hope. Mr. "Wm. Penny, of Aberdeen, states in a letter to the Times, that Capt. Martin, who, when commanding the whaler Enterprise, in 1845, was the last person to communicate with Sir. J. Franklin, has just informed him that the Enterprise was alongside the Erebus, in Melville Bay, and Sir John Franklin invited him, (Capt. Martin,) to dine with him, which the latter de clined doing, as the wind was fair to go south. Sir John, while conversing with Capt. Martin, told him that he had five years' provisions, which he could make last seven, and his people were busily engaged in salting down birds, of which they had several casks full already, and twelve men were out shooting more. "To see such determination and foresight," observes Mr. Penny, " at that early period, is really wonderful, and must give us the greatest hopes." Mr. Penny says that Capt. Martin is a man of fortune, and of the strictest integrity. The following is the deposition of Capt. Martin, just received in the London Times, of Jan. 1, 1852, con- taining the facts above alluded to : Robert Martin, now master and commander of the whaleship Intrepid, of Peterhead, solemnly and sin- cerely declares that on the 22d day of July, 1845, when in command of the whale ship Entei prise, of Peter- head, in lat. YS** 10', long. 66^ W., calm weather, and towing, the Erebub and Terror were in company. These ships were alongside the Enterprise for about fifteen minutes. The declarant conversed with Sir John Franklin, and Mr. Reid, his ice-master. The conver- sation lasted all the time the ships were closf . That Sir John, in answer to a question by the declarant if he had a good supply of provisions, and how long he expected them to last, stated tliat he had provisions for five years, and if it were necessary he could "make them spin out seven years ;" and he said further, that he would lose no opportunity of killing birds, and whatever else was useful that came in the way, to keep GfiOUND FOR HOPE. 409 up their stock, and that he had plenty of powder and shot for the purpose. That Sir John also stated that he had already several casks of birds salted, and had then two shooting parties out — one from each ship. The birds were very numerous ; many would fall at a single shot, and the declarant has himself killed forty at a shot with white pease. That the birds are very agreeable food, are in taste and size somewhat like young pigeons, and are called b}^ the sailors " rotges." That on the 26th or 28th of said month of July, two parties of Sir John's officers, who had been out shoot- ing, dined with the declarant on board the Enterprise. There was a boat with six from each ship. Their con- versation was to the same effect as Sir John's. They spoke of expecting to be absent four or five, or per- haps six years. These officers also said that the ships would winter where they could find a convenient place, and in spring push on as far as possible, and so on year after year, as the determination was to push on as far as practicable. That on the following day, an invitation was brought to the declarant, verbally, to dine with Sir John, but the wind shifted, and the Enterprise having cut through the ice about a mile and a half, the declarant was obliged to decline the invitation. That he saw the Erebus and Terror for two days longer; they were still lying at an iceberg, and the Enterprise was mov- ing slowly down the country. That so numerous were the birds mentioned, and so favorable was the weather for shooting them, that a very large number must have been secured during the time the declarant was in eight of the two ships. The Prince of "Wales whaler w^s also within sight during the most of the time. That from the state of the wind and weather for a pe- riod of 10 days, during part of which the declarant 'Vas not in sight of the two ships, the best opportunity was afforded for securing the birds. That the birds described are not to be found at all places on the fish- ing ground during the whaling season, but are met with in vast numbers every season on certain feeding I ' i V. V > ;l 5r (I .!'!■■ 410 PROGEESa OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. li banks ana places for brooding, and it appeared at the time by the declarant to be a most fortunate circum- stance that the Erebus and Terror had fallen in with 80 many birds, and that the state of the weather was 80 favorable for securing large numbers of them. The declarant has himself had a supply of the same de- scription of birds, which kept fresh and good during three months, at Davis' Strait, and the last were as good as the first of them. Which declaration, above written, is now made conscientiously, believing the same to be true. Robert Martin. Declared, December, 29th, 1851, before R. Grath, Provost of Peterhead. VOYAGE OF Till-: STKAMER ISABEL. 411 A Suntmer's SEARcn for Sir John Franklin, with a Pass into the Polar Basin, by Commander E. A. Inolefield, in tue Screw Steamer Isabel, in 1852. The profound interest wbich the heroism and mys- terious fate of Sir John Franklin, have excited in the public mind, occasioned other expeditions to start in pursuit of him, both from England and the United States, the details of whose adventures are in tlie highest degree entertaining. On the 12th of July, 1852, Commander Inglefield took his departure in the English steamer Isabel, from Fair Island; and sailed forth toward the frozen realms of the north, to which so many other bold adventurers had already been attracted. His crew consisted of seventeen per- sons, including two ice-masters, a mate, surgeon, en- gineer, stoker, two carpenters, cook, and eight able seamen, who had been whalers. The two ice-masters, Messrs. Abernethy and Manson, were already well known in "Arctic Cirles," as having been connected with former expeditions, and as having great experi- ence in the perils incident to adventurous travel in that perilous zone. The vessel was provided with fuel and provisions for several years. On the 30th of July the expedition gained their first distant glimpse of the snowy mountains of Green- land. On the same day the first icebergs sailed ma- jestically past them. Ere midnight the Isabel was completely surrounded by those massive monuments of the northern seas. Already the utmost caution was necessary to prevent a fatal collision between tliem and the little steamer which slowly and adroitly elbowed her way through their rolling masses. In spite of the utmost prudence, the Isabel occasionally struck ; instantly she trembled from stem to stern, recoiled for a moment, but then again recovered and advanced upon her way. T'le advantages of a screw- steamer for the purposes of navigating polar seas filled with fioating ice, were already apparent at this I .: W ^¥ 1 I»r, i: h, 8' If", ^« i ;| '1 *:l! 412 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. early stage of the expedition. Tlie propelling power being placed at the stern of the vessel, and not at the sides, enabled her to worm her way nnresisted through very many narrow defiles, which a steam- ship of ordinary structure, or even a sailing vessel could not have done. On the 7th of August the expedition reached the neighborhood of Fiskernoes, a Danish settlement; and they were there visited by some Esquimaux in their canoes. Guided b^ these pilots they entered the harbor on which their village is built. They vis- ited the Danish governor, M. Lazzen, and were kindly entertained by him. A few goats supplied his family with milk, and a very small garden protected from the storms of that climate by artificicial means, af- forded them a few vegetables during the summer months. M. Lazzen furnished the vessel with some salmon, codfish, and milk. The residence of the gov- ernor in this inhospitable region, consisted of a small house two stories high, built in an antique but sub- stantial manner. A Danish clergyman visits this ob- scure and remote spot once every two weeks, and preaches to the governor and to the colony of rude Esquimaux over whom he rules. On the 10th of August the Isabel resumed her journey. She then sailed for the harbor of Lievely, in which the expedition obtained a few supplies of sugar, soap, and plank, which they needed ; but they tailed to obtain here either dogs or interpreters. On the 15th, they found themselves o ff Upernavick, a settlement in which they obtained these necessaries. This Greenland village consists of two or three w^ooden houses for the Danish settlers, and a few mud huts for the Esquimaux. In sailing out from this harbor the steam-engine suddenly stopped, and nei- ther the commander nor the engineer was able to discover the difficulty. They were completely puz- zled, until at length it was ascertained that the screw at the stern had caught in a loose cable which floated TOYAOE OF THE STEAMER ISABEL. 413 in the water, which had become wound around the screw so tightly and in such a manner, as to eventu- ally impede its revolutions and stop the engine. After the adjustment of this singular and unusual difficulty, the vessel continued her voyage. On the 17th of August she reached Biichan Islands, passing in her way innumerable icebergs of gigantic size, which reeled and tumbled in the deep, and occasion- ally split up into many fragments, with a roar more grand and deafening than that of thunder. On this day the vessel lost her main-boom ; which in falling on the deck, struck the standard compass and damaged it. In a short time the injuries to both were re- paired, and the Isabel held on her hyperborean way. Having arrived at Wolstenholmo Sound, the navi- gators examined the site of the former winter quar- ters of the "North Star," and had the melancnoly pleasure of inspecting the lonely graves where the remains of sevend of her crew were laid to repose. Captain Ingletield and his officers and men went on shore with pickaxes and shovels. The place is called North Ornenak ; and one Adam Beek, a seamen in one of the former Arctic expeditions, had asserted that here Sir John Franklin had been assailed by the savage and starving natives ; that here he and his crew had beea massacred ; and that here in large cairns they had been buried. The story was an im- probable one ; but Captain Inglelield determined to examine the spot thoroughly, and test the truth of the report. Several large cairns were indeed here found, composed of heavy rough stones. They were immediately pulled down and their interiors inspected. But nothing was discovered save a large quantity of lish bones and the bones of other animals, which seem to have been deposited there for some future use. In the village itself, composed of a few un- derground hovels, occupied by half starved Esqui- maux, were found a quantity of seal and walrus iiesh, intended to supply the wants of nature during the 26 ; . H ! ' 'i \y^\ >,.t 414 PROORESfl OF AitCnO DISCOVERT. nine long months of winter, which these wretched beings are compelled each year to endure. Captain Inglefield determined to continue the thorough examination of the shores of Wolstenholme Sound. He did so, and discovered several islands which were not to be found on any chart. These islands he respectively termed the Three Sister Bees, Manson Isle, and Abernethy Isle. During this por- tion of the cruise, the voyageurs had not encoun- tered as yet much of the severe extremes of northern cold. It w^as still mid-summer, and the trim steamer was able in the absence of compact ice, to sail rap- idly through known and unknown seas, in opposition both to tide and wind. Ou the 25th, the Isabel reached the Gary Islands ; and from this point began the voyage of Captain Ingleiield into untraveled waters, and into regions which had not been explored, at least in a northward direction, by any of his pre- decessors. At this point, in the summer months, a few wretched Esquimaux manage to support exist- ence ; and Captain Ingleiield carefully examined their huts to ascertain whether any memento of the expedition of Sir John Franklin might exist among them. No article of European manufacture was found, except a knife-blade stamped B. Wilson, set in an ivory handle, a broken tin canister, and several small pieces of steel, curiously fixed in a piece of bone. A piece of rope was also obtained, having an eye in it ; but this was supposed to have drifted ashore from some whaling vessel. No trace of the lost naviga- tors had as yet been seen since the commencement of this expedition. Captain Inglefield resumed his voyage, and as he rapidly invaded those new seas, through the tireless power of steam, he discovered many new islands, at that period of the year free from their monstrous bur- dens of ice, to which he gave appropriate names. One he called Northumberland Island, another Her- bert Island) and a third, Milne Island. At this point VOYAOE OF THE STEAMER ISABEL. 416 itched e the holme slands These • Bees, is por- ncoun- >rthern teamer ,il rap- osition Isabel t began raveled :plored, his pre- jnths, a exist- amined of the among re was set in I several )f bone. eye in Ire from Inaviga- Icement as he Itireless Lnds, at lus bur- I names, jr Her- tg point a strait, to which he applied the name of Mnrchison, opened out in an eastern direction, and invited them to enter on its exploration, witli tempting prospects of discovery. But as Sir John Franklin's instructions had been to travel northward and westward from this point, if he ever reached it, it was evidently necessa- ry to follow that designated route, if the intention to seek him was still retained. Accordingly Captain In- glefield was compelled to relinquish the exploration of this summer sea. On the 26th of August the Is- abel reached Cape Alexander, and still boldly steer- ing northward, the gallant craft passed the confines of the Polar Sea, and was about to make her adven- turous dip into the Polar Basin. The soundings at this point were 145 fathoms. It was at this time the hope of Captain I. that from this point he might find his way to Behring's Strait, and might discover the missing navigator somewhere upon this remote line of travel. Even in this distant northern latitude, the weather still remained fair and temperate. The splendors of that clime in mid-summer, transcend the power of language to depict. The sun, shooting his unob- structed rays far into the northern hemisphere, tinges the boundless fields of half melted snow with crimson hues ; and a brightness and brilliancy fill the heav- ens, which almost remind the observer of the boasted beauties and charms of an Italian sky. Those Polar solitudes now resounded with the unaccustomed ech- oes of the steamship, which glided rapidly over half frozen wastes, which sailing vessels could only have traversed at a very slow and tedious rate. Captain Ingletield was now exploring what is known as Smitli's Sound, the upper or northern con- tinuation of Baffin's Bay. The western shore of this body of water, which forms a part of the Polar Ocean, was composed of a high range of frozen mountains. These were called after the Prince of Wales. The extreme northern point of these mountains received i.:^ i If ?i 416 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. the name of Victoria Head, in honor of the British queen. Thus also on the eastern shore of this sea, the most northern point discovered by Captain I. he named after the Danish monarch, Frederick YII. After steaming several days longer in a north-western di- rection, an observation was made of the position of the vessel, when it was found that she had reached 78^ 28' 21" north latitude. From this it appears that Captain Inglefield has the credit, according to his own computation, of reaching the distance of 140 miles further north than had been attained by any previ- ous navigator. The vessel was now surrounded by immense floating icebergs. The frozen shores of the ocean receded far away to the east and to the west. A furious storm of wind and hail drove directly in the face of the bold navigators, as they continued their course toward the pole. !N"o traces of Sir John Frank- lin had yet been discovered. To further persist in the course in which they were then sailing, was only calculated to hem them in with the oceans of ice which the rapidly approaching winter would congeal around them ; and the moment had arrived, in the progress of the expedition, when it became necessary to determine what final course should be pursuet^. While the commander and his ofiicers were deliber- ating on the most suitable decision to be selected, the vessel was suddenly surrounded with perils such as she had not encountered since the commencement of the voyage. A vast land-pack of ice had floated from the west, unperceived through the heavy fog ; and immediately the Isabel became involved in its angry, turbulent, and dangerous embrace. The swell lifted the ship far into the pack ; and the violence and fury of the troubled masses were indicated by the loud roar of the waters surging on the vast floe- pieces by which the vessel was surrounded. The frightful chaos of rolling masse tossing the vessel to and fro like a feather in their midst, seemec* to render escape from the impending peril of being either VOYAGE OP THE STEAMER ISABEL. 417 crushed or subniergjcd, almost impossible. Tlie only possibillity of rescue consisted in threading their way amid the rolling and tossing fragments, by the aid of the steam engine, after first getting the head of the vessel free from its contact with the ice. As the ves- sel carefully and slowly went forward amid the float- ing ice, immense masses dropped astern one after an- other into her wake. She escaped at length through every danger ; though the edges of the fan of the screw were brightened from frequent abrasion against the ice. Captain Inglefield now continued to sail eastward. He passed by and observed new islands which were then unknown and nameless, to which he applied ap- propriate epithets. On the 1st of September the sea had become so completely encumbered with the float- ing ice as to make the further progress of the vessel bothdiiUcult and dangerous, Captain Inglefiald then determined to steer for the purpose of meeting the squadron of Sir Edward Belcher, which had also been sent out for the purpose of searching those seas for Sir John Franklin by the British government ; and which would winter there in accordance with their instructions. Captain Inglefield was induced to pur- sue this course in order that he might carry his sur- plus provisions, stores, and coals to that squadron ; and that he might convey to them the latest news and information from Eiigland. It was his intention then, unless some special service required his exertions, to return to England with intelligence from the squad- ron of Sir L. Belcher, and the prospects of success which still attended their labors of discovery. That squadron Captain Inglefield knew was then stationed at Beechey Island, and thither he immediately steered. So severe had the weather already become, that the heavy seas which broke over the Isabel continually froze, and her bows became one mass of ice, binding the anchor fast to her side. After several days ot rapid sailing, Beechey Island was reached ; but the iri If : t i ; i . 1 i 1 ' i, - 1 , i 1 ' ; i M S 1 ! } >' 418 PROORK88 OP ARCTIO DISCOVERT. North Star alone was found there. The rest of Sir E. Belcher's squadron had sailed, ahout three weeks l>eforo, up Wellint^ton channel, and it was supposed that he had steered thenco tlirough the open waters beyond Parry Strait. It was on tliis Island that Captain Inlegfield was shown tlio tliree graves of some of Sir John Franklin's crew, to which reference has already been made on page 376 of this volume. Plunging through the snow which was knee-deep, he readied, under the guidance of one of the officers of the North Star, those sad and lonely resting places of mortality. He found them unchanged from what they hacl been when visited by Lieutenant Do Haven ; and he was in- formed by his guide that a polar bear of monstrous size was irequently seen keeping his grim and cheer- less vigils over tlie dead, and sitting on the graves. Captain Inglefield picked up some of tlie meat canis- ters which lay scattered on the island, and some relics of canvas and wood which were supposed to have be- longed to the missing ships. He obtained from the commander of the North Star all the information ne- cessary in reference to the condition and prospects of Sir John Belcher and Captain Kellett, both of whom held commands in that squadron. They had as yet discovered no trace of Sir John Franklin ; but it was their purpose to pass the winter in the Polar Seas, for the purpose of renewing their researches in the en- suing spring. As this voyage of the Isabel was only a summer cruise, and as the vessel was neither adapted nor in- tended to confront the overwhelming rigors of the winter season in the Arctic regions, it was but proper that, as the season was now rapidly advancing, Cap- tain Inglelield should resume his voyage homeward, to escape the greater perils which delay would entail. Accordingly, on the 10th of September the Isabel com- raencou to sail in a southern direction. On the 12th she reached Mount Possession. On the 14th she was YOTAOE OF THE BTBAMER ISABEL, 419 opposite Capo Bowen. Captain Inglefiolcl landed hero to oxamiiio tlio traces ot a cairn, which was said to exist. Hut ho saw nothing save the large and deep footprints of a great Polar bear, and those of the small Arctic fox. Here the further progress of tlie Isabel along the coast was stopped by the presence of vast fields of ice. It became necessary to press along the edge of the pack, and seek for an opening to permit Tier to ad- vance. This pack seemed to have been collected here by the immense icel^ergs which had run aground on the Ilecla and Griper banks, and thence drifted south by the continual current which existed on those western shores. The pack stretched away, as far as the eye could reach, both southward and northward. A storm of snow came on, such as one sees only in Arctic latitudes. Tiie sea also became exceedingly rough and boisterous; and wave after wave broke over the whole length of the vessel. Each plunge filled the rigging and hung the spars with monstrous icicles ; and the waves froze as they flooded the deck, the ropes, and the sails ; so that the hands of the sail- ors were frozen fast the instant they touched either of them. On the 21st of September the weather moderated, and the Isabel boldly dashed through the crevices and channels of the pack. Pancake ice was rapidly forming around them, giving the mariners warning that they must soon vacate that locality, or else be frozen in, beyond the power of deliverance, for the winter. Kapidly the Isabel dashed forward, impelled by the unwearied power of her engine. By noon on the 23d, she had cleared the pack, had traveled a hun- dred and seventeen miles in twenty-four hours, and found herself in 69° north latitude. Here Captain Ingletield encountered a gale of the utmost fury, which continued during live days incessantly. The ocean waves now attained tiie size of mountams, and exceeded in violence and fury even those which lash : I 1' 'if \ • < !l I 420 PB00RB8S OF AUCTIO DISCOVERT. the bold promontory of Capo TTorn, wlicre tlio waters of two jjjreiit oceans roll together in hoHtile rivalry. Vast waves continually flooded the decks fore and aft. Torrents of water drenched almost every portion of the vessel, carrying the seamen with it into the lee scuppers. The drifting sleet and snow drove so fierce- ly into the eyes of the sailors, that it was almost im- possible for them to see, or to execute orders. Nev- ertheless, the gallant ship sailed manfully through it all, and safely outrode the gale, though with the loss of her spare spars, and the total ribboning of her sails. In order to repair this damage Captain Inglefield was compelled, after the storm lulled, to steer for the nearest port of llolsteinburg, in order to make repairs. This port he reached on the 2d of October. During the week which the captain spent here, the anniver- sary of the birth-day of the king of Denmark occurred ; which gave an occasion for the observation of the peculiarities of the Esquimaux tribes, who here live as the remotest subjects of that monarch, under the superintendence of a governor sent from Copenhagen. An entertainment was given at the house of the gov- ernor. Esquimaux of both sexes attended, danced their native dances, drank their brandy-punch fur- nished both by the governor and by Captain Ingle- Held, and became elated and uproarious in the ex- treme. The governor's wife was an Esquimaux wo- man ; and Captain Inglefield had the honor of exe- cuting with her the intricate mazes oi an Esquimaux quadrille, to the monotonous scraping of a crippled fiddle, bound around and held together with divers strings and splinters. On the 7tli of October the Isabel again put to sea, and again she encountered a storm of unusual vio* lence. The helmsman was very nearly washed over- board. On the loth the gale moderated, and the VOYAGE OF THE 8TKAMEK ISABEL. 421 vessel then continued her way across tlic Atlantic. No incident wortliy ot'spocial notice occurriMl durinnj the rest of the lioniewurd voyaujo. On the -Ith of No- vember theilsahel anchored at Stroniness, liaviiiij^ heon absent precisely four nioiiths from tlie day of startiui^. And although this expedition, taking place as it did in tlio summer months, was devoid of the usual ex- treme horrors and vicissitudes whicli attend Arctic researches, it accomplished results which wore by no means of secondary importance. Captain Ingletield carefully examined the unknown eastern shore of the Polar liasin, as far north as 78° 35', throwing con- siderable light upon the disputed question, wliether Baffin's Bay opens into the Polar Basin. Ho also explored the waters of the shores of Smith Sound, in search of Sir John Franklin, but in vain. Jones Sound was then examined, with the same result, and he ascertained the probable fact that this sound is a gulf having no outlet, except perhaps by some small frozen strait into the Polar Sea. Lancaster Sound was also visited, and the western coast of Baffin's Bay as far south as the river Clyde. Throughout a coast of six hundred continuous miles, many alterations and additions were made in the geography of those coun- tries. And altogether, for a private expedition of no very great expense, executed in a small vessel, though amply provisioned and stored, the results at- tained were as important as could reasonably have been expected. Eighteen months in the Polar Regions in search of Sir John Franklin's Expedition, in the years 1850 — 51, BY Lieutenant Sherard Osborn, with the Steam Vessels !lf ioneer and Intrepid. In May, 1850, this expedition was fitted out at Woolwich, for the purpose of continuing the search after the missing mariners. The instructions of the British Admirality to the commander were, that he t 1 I ' i 1 ^ k > • 422 PROGRESS OP ARCnO DISCOVERY. should examine Barrow's Straits south-westerly to Cape Walker, westerly toward Melville Island, and north-westerly up Wellington Channel. On the 26th of May the expedition approached the shores of Greenland, and came within view of Cape Farewell. They proceeded rapidly on until they reached their first place of stoppage, the Whale Fish Isles. A day was spent here in taking in provisions and fowls. From this point the view of the shores of Greenland at a distance was picturesque in the extreme. Its glaciers, its lofty peaks, and its frozen headlands presented every variety of shape ; while between them and the vessels, the sea was covered with an infinite variety of tossing icebergs of every possible size and proportion, exhibiting the richest emerald hues, and glowing with the deepest azure tints. The awful silence of the scene was impressive in the highest degree, a silence which would often be suddenly broken by a distant roar reverberating along the surface of the deep, and among the frozen masses. It was the breaking up of some vast ice- bergs, whose fragments would roll over into the sea, plunge beneath its surface, and cover the spot of its descent with foam and spray. This process was re- peated at short intervals, in every direction of the compass around them, and as far as their eyes could reach. The 29th of June still found Captain Osborn cruising opposite the northern extremity of Greenland. He here began to experience the dangers that accom- panied the necessity which he sometimes felt of an- choring to icebergs. This operation is frequently in- dispensable in Arctic regions, when progress in the required direction is for a time iTnpossible. The ice- bergs in consequence of their immense size are often aground, and thus seamen may anchor fast to them in two hundred fathoms of water, without any more trouble than digging a hole in the iceberg, and in- serting a hook into it, called an ice-anchor. This is LIEUTENANT OSBOEN's EXPEDITION. 423 attached to a whale line, which enables the ship to ride out under the lee of this natural breakwater, and often thus to escape both the violence of the winds, and the rude shocks of a lee pack. But the dangers which sometimes accompany this process are considerable. Sometimes the very first stroke of the man setting the ice-anchor, causes a por- tion of the iceberg to break off, and the persons <in\' ployed in the work run great risk of being crushed b) the falling masses. Sometimes pieces of ice become detached from the upper portions of the berg, and falling on the ships below, have injured spars, and crushed sailors to death. Occasionally these masses have been so immense as even to sink the vessel. On the 6th of July Captain Osborn had his first experience of the real perils of the Arctic world. All hands were at dinner when the news suddenly came down from the deck, that a vast body of ice was ap- proaching under the pressure of a strong southerly gale. A heavy brown vapor preceded it, under which the ice gleamed fiercely, and the fioes were rap- idly pressing together. The best security against danger in cases of this kind, is the preparation of docks in the body of the ice, which are cut in the portion which is firm and solid. Into these the ships are then inserted, and they are thus protected from the collisions of the loose fragments. In this cuse one hundred persons were instantly on the solid ice, their triangles were rigged, and their long ice-saws were at work. A hundred manly voices accompanied tlieir labor with the jolly sailor songs of merry old England. The ice was about three feet in thicJinesb, and the saws employed were ten feet in length. Very soon the vast cavity intended torec&ive the ships began to take form and shape, and they then were removed into them. The relief was ntuch need'^d; for the pressure of the pack extended itself some ten miles to the north of the position of the vessels ; the col- lisions between the floes and the iceberg became pro- II •- , I I' 1 .1 ji , -1 II 424 PE0GKE8S OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. Jl! digious ; and had the snips been between them, they would inevitably have suffered severely. But safely ensconced in their docks, the expert seamen could gaze with pleasure at the sublime spectacle presented lor many miles on either side of them. In spite of the vigilance of Capt Osborn, his ships became entangled on the 20th of July, in the midst of a heavy pack, six feet in thickness. So great was the pressure that every plank and timber was crack- ing and groaning. The vessels were thrown over on their sides, and lifted up bodily, the bulkheads crack- ing, the decks arching from the strain, and even the scupper-pieces turning out from their mortices. The ice was rapidly piling up as high as the bulwarks, around the vessels. There seemed to be no possible remedy against the destruction of the ships. The sailors quickly brought their bundles of clothes ou deck, for the purpose of taking refuge on the ice. At this moment a deep dent in the side of the Pion- eer, and the breaking of twenty-one of her timbers, indicated her great danger. But fortunately, at the very moment when it was thought that she must be crushed to pieces, the strain of the floe-edge suddenly eased, and the ship was saved from destruction. From the 20th to the 31st of July the squadron con- tinued to pursue their route ; yet so impenetrable was the ice, tnat but seven miles was made during the whole of that interval, in the right direction I By the 13th of August the squadron nad passed through Mellville Bay, and had reached Cape York. They were still a considerable distance from the chief point of research. Yet here they were detained for two days in chasing up the groundless fabrication of Ad- am Beek, alluded to in the previous article, in refer- ence to the destruction of Sir John Franklin and his crews at this point, by the native Esquimaux. On the 15tli of August Captain Osborn struck west- ward, and entered a wide sea of water which seemed unobstructed by the ice. The shores of this portion LIEUTENANT 08B0RN 8 EXPEDITION. 425 of Baffin's Bay, which is termed the West Land, ap- peared to be free from snow, and to be even compar- atively verdant and. genial. At Button's Point the commander landed, and was able, at this season of the summer, to kill both deer and salmon. The na- tives of this region had here erected numerous un- roofed winter houses, of the rudest structure ; and the navigators di ;covered many cairns, standing gen- erally in pairs. These were instantly pulled down, for the purpose of discovering their hidden contents. Nothing however was found of a suspicious or sug- gestive nature. These cairns seemed to be nothing but marks erected by the Esquimaux, to enable them to discover, on the return of winter, the places where they had stored their sea-blubber cacM. A ring of stones several feet high were all the indications of these Esquimaux Imts which appeared above the sur- face of the ground. It was on the 22d of August that this expedition entered Lancaster Sound. This is the great gate-way to those Arctic waters, around which so many thrill- ing associations cluster of maritime adventure, sufter- ing, and discovery. It was lirst explored by the bold Baffin, two hundred years ago, and was named by him after the duke of Lancaster. Baffin termed it a sound. Sir John Koss, forty years since, discovered that it was a bay ; and Parry, who has not unlitly been termed the prince of Arctic navigators, until the vastly superior abilities and services of the im- mortal Kane justly deprived him of that honorable eminence, explored this bay throughout the extent of 600 miles toward Behring^fci Straits. It was to complete the exploration of the remain- ing 600 miles of this unknown region, that the expe- dition of Sir John Franklin and his 140 gallant asso- ciates had been devoted. Hence in pursuing this line of travel and adventure. Lieutenant Osborn justly supposed that he was following the most prob- able and most certain course to ascertain the fate of It ■I \ i i'i .;i i I ' ■V I! i 426 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. that lost and unfortunate expedition. He had al- ready dificovered one important fact in reference to the phenomena of the Arctic regions ; or if he had not absolutely discovered it, he ascertained its cer- tainty. This was that the iceberg, the most wonder- ful peculiarity of those climes, is the creation of the glacier. It had formally been supposed, even by the most learned, that the iceberg was the accumulation of the ice and snow which the lapse of ages had pro- duced ; that a vast circle of ice many miles in height and depth, surrounded the pole like an eternal belt ; that these huffe cupolas of ice towered far up into the cheerless lieavens of the north ; transcending in size and altitude the utmost creations of human arch- itecture ; and that these stupendous icebergs were merely fragments which had become detached, prob- ably by their own weight, from the parent mass, and had then floated away into more southern seas. This fanciful conception has now been exploded ; and it ic proved that the iceberg is only known to exist where there is land of a nature adapted to form the glacier. Accordingly, Captain Osborn reasoned that where icebergs burdened the ocean, glacier lands could not be far distant ; and he directed the move- ments of his exploring squadron accordingly. It was by following this principle that Sir James Ross dis- covered the circumpolar continent of Queen Victo- ria's Land, in the Southern or Antarctic hemisphere. On the 26th of August the ships entered Regent's Inlet. The nights were only two hours in duration. Next day a pack of ice was discovered some 10 miles to the eastward. They instantly sailed westward, giving the intruders very wide sea-room. They soon reached Beechey's Island, on which the three graves of Sir John Franklin's seamen were to be found, and other evidences which showed that he had sojourned there during 1845-46, the first winter of their ab- sence. This circumstance confuted the opinions of those who held that Sir John jj'ranklin had perished LIEUTENANT OSBORn'S EXPEDITIOW. 427 in the depths of Baffin's Bay on his ontward voyage ; and proved that lie had advanced safely to a very re- mote point in Arctic travel and discovery. On Beechey's Island Captain Osborn saw another mourn- .^ul trace of Sir John Franklin. It was the remnant of a garden, witli a neatly shaped oval outline, the borders carefully covered with moss, lichen, and an- emones, which he had transplanted from a more ge- nial clime ; and these even yet continued to show some traces of vitality. At some distance from this garden the foundations of a store-house were discov* ered. These consisted of an interior and exterior embankment, into which oak and elm scantling had been stuck, as supports to the rooting. Within the enclosure some empty coal-sacks were found, and some wood shavings. It is probable that this store- house had been constructed by Sir John Franklin to preserve a portion of the abundant provisions with which his decks had been encumbered when he left Whale Fish Islands. Captain Osborn also discovered a pair of Cashmere gloves which had been laid out to dry by one of the lost crews ; on each of which a small stone had been placed to prevent them from being swept away by the wind. They had rested there, having been probably forgotten by their owner, ever since 1846 1 Again on this occasion were the three lonely graves of Sir John Franklin's seamen scanned by a sailor's eye, and wept over by those gallant adventurers. These graves are simple and neat in their appearance, such as British sailors erect over the bodies of their departed messmates, in every quarter of the globe, whether in the frozen zones of t!ie north, the coral- girded isle? of the south, the verdant and spicy vales of the east, or the gold-gifted climes of the west. They are graves whicli remind the observer of some quiet church-yard in England or in our own land, where the departed sleep beneath the very eaves of the humble sanctuary, surrounded by the green turf, .J I I ■ : ' i 1 I % 428 PK0GRES8 OF ARCTIC DI8C0VEKY. the waving grass, and the blooming rose, with wh'ch the hand of affection, or the undisturbed frnitfulness of nature ha8 surrounded them. One grave of the three is especially suggestive of mournful thoughts. It is that ol " J. Iiartnell, B. A., of the ship Erebus ; died January 4th, 1846. Aged 25 years." Here was a youth who had been reared amid the classic shades and the ennobling associations of one of En- gland's great universities — either a Cantab or an Ox- onian — and strange to say, he was destined to lay his form to take its long last sleep in the lonely and cheer- less solitude of that frozen zone ; and that, too, in the prime of his years, and far distant from all that was connected with the brilliant hopes of his youthful days I W hen about to leave Beechey Island, Captain Os- born found it difficult to determine what course should be taken. It was evident that Sir John Frank- lin had selected one of three routes, in 1846. The first was south-west by Cape Walker; the second, north-west by "Wellington Channel ; the third, west by Melville Island. Yague reports were current among the crews, that some of Captain Penny's peo- ple had seen sledge-marks on the eastern snores of Erebus and Terror Bay. Captain Osborn determined in person, first to explore Beechey Island, in that di- rection. He landed on the north shore of Union Bay, at the base of the clifis of Cape Spencer, and soon discovered a deep sledge-mark which had been cut through the edge of cue of the ancient natural terraces on the beach. It was in a line between the cairn of meat cans which Franklin had erected on the northern spur of Beechey Island, to a valley be- tween the Capes Ennes and Bowden. From its ap- pearance, it had been evidently an outward-bound sledge^ and its depth denoted that it was heavily la- den. It was an additional evidence of the former presence of Franklin on that island. Upon further examination, various other sledge-marks were dis- LIEUTENANT 08B0RN S EXPEDITION. 429 covered on the island. At one spot they were very numerous, and proved that there a rendezvous had been appointed for the purpose of landing some of the contents of the ships. From this point some of the sledge marks ran northward into a gorge through the hills ; others were directed toward Caswell's Tower, a singular mass of limestone rock, on the shore of Rad- stock Bay, which served as a useful landmark to all vessels approaching either from the east or the west. Captain Osborn here divided his party, and each followed the sledge-marks in an opposite direction, lie discovered the site of a circular tent, which had evidently been constructed and used by a shooting party from the Erebus or Terror. The stones which had been used to confine the canvas to its place, lay around. Several large stones well blackened with smoke, indicated where the fire-place had been ; and porter-bottles, meat-cans, pieces of paper, and feath- ers, were strewed about. Yet no written line or mark was detected, to throw any light on the great mystery which occupied their minds. After seven hours of hard walking. Captain Osborn and his men returned to the ships. Such were all the traces which the utmost industry and scrutiny could dis- cover of Sir John Franklin, in this last known spot of his habitation. From the 1st to the 4th of Sep- tember the ships lay waiting for an opening in the fixed ice, to enable them to resume their voyage. At length on the 5th, the appearance of the ice and the direction of the wind being favorable, Captain Os- born immediately gave orders to proceed across Wel- lington Channel toward Barlow Inlet. Before this course had been pursued for any dis- tance, the channel became blocked up with a vast field of floating ice. A northerly gale began to blow furiously over its surface ; and the ships of the squad- ron were swept along with the ice, in whose embrace they were, out of the channel toward Leopold Island. The squadron drifted at the rate of a mile per hour, 27 I I ! . '! f^ J 430 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. toward the south-east. Suddenly an opening in the pack occurred, and the steam-engine was instantly brought into requisition, to enable the seamen to ex- tricate themselves. Soon they reached again the open water ; and found themselves near the squadron of Captain Penny, and the American vessels, com- manded by De Haven. These were then making sail under a full press of canvas for Cape Hotham. When in this position on the 11th of September, 1850, the Arctic winter descended on the adventur- ers. The heavens became overclouded with black- ness, and the atmosphere filled with hail, snow, and sleet. A heavy sea began to roll, and the loose frag- ments of the rapidly congealing ice again to close around them. A snug harbor was happily discov- ered for the winter, between Capes Hotham and Mar- tvr, on the south side of Cornwallis Island. Here the Pioneer and Intrepid were taken and secured. Several parties were sent out to carry provisions and establish depots on the intended routes of the differ- ent expeditions which would explore this region in the spring of 1851. Lieutenant McClintock carried out a depot toward Melville Island, and Lieutenant Aldrich, taking another toward Lowther Island. Lieutenant Mecham was also sent to examine Corn- wallis Island, between Assistance Harbor and Cape Martyr, for traces of the progress of Sir John Franklin. Captain Osborn determined to embrace this op- portunity to connect the search from the spot where Lieutenant Mecham left the coast, to the point at which Lieutenant McClintock again took it up, thus completing the survey of this whole region, through which it was very naturally inferred that Sir John Franklin had passed. He started on the 10th of Oc- tober, provided with five day's provisions. The party consisted of six persons. The thermometer was six degrees above zero, and accordingly they did not Butfer from the severity of the weather. After a LIEUTENANT 08B0RN 8 EXPEDITION. 431 march of three hours they came to Cape Martyr. Striking inward on Cornwallis Island, Captain Os- born came suddenly in view of a structure which at once excited the utmost interest, with the hope that it might be some unknown monument of the lost navigators. It was a round, conical-shaped building, twenty feet in circumference at the base. The apex had fallen in, but the height of what remained was five feet six inches. It was well built, and those who had reared it seemed to have well understood the strength of the arched roof, to resist the weight of the immense amount of snow which falls in those regions. Much skill was exhibited in the arrangement of the slates of limestone with which the building was con- structed. The stones of the apex which had fallen within the walls were quickly removed, but they dis- covered nothing which could enlighten them as to the origin of the structure. Yet it was evident from the thick moss which adhered to the walls, that it was not of recent origin, and that in fact it must have been built many years before the date of Sir John Franklin's voyage. The position of this mys- terious monument was lonely in the extreme. It seemed to be a solitary landmark in that polar world, of the former and transient abode of some unknown visitant ; and it bore clear evidence that it was not the product of the labor of the rude Esquimaux, who sometimes in their summer wanderings reached even these remote latitudes. Nothing more of interest was discovered on Cornwallis Island ; and Captain Osborn returned to his ships. On the ITth of October the commander of the ships which composed this squadron, determined that as soon as they could commence operations in the en- suing spring. Captain Penny was to continue the ex- ploration of Wellington Channel, while Captain Os- born was to continue his researches toward Melville Island, and from Cape Walker toward the south-west. With the settlement of this arrangement, all the la- I It ^ >. i^ M~ 432 PIIOORB88 OP AROnO DISCOVERT. bors of the squadron for the year 1850 closed, as the utmost rigors of a polar winter were now upon them. The upper decks were then covered in. The stoves and warming apparatus were set to work. The boats were secured on the ice. All the lumber was re- moved from the upper decks. Tlio masts and yards were made as snug as possible ; and rows of posts were placed between the ships, to designate the way amid the darkness and storms of winter. Holes were cut through the ice in order to obtain a ready supply of water in case of fire ; and arrangements were made to ensure the cleanliness of the sbips aud the crews. On the 8th of November several omcers ascended the heights of Griffith's Island, and at noon caught the last glimpse of the sun, which they were destined to see, for some months ; though it was then 17 miles below the horizon, and the rays which they beheld were those only of refraction. The precise position of the vessels was 74J° of north latitude. Though the sun had ceased to visit those Arctic heavens, it must not be supposed that the bold naviga- tors were in darkness. The southern horizon was il- lumed each day during several hours at noon, by a deep and rosy red light, mixed with pink and blue. Toward the north the prevalent appearance of the heavens was a cold, bluish-black. During the rest of the twenty-four hours, a gray twilight prevailed around them, except when the moon was full. At that pe- riod a subdued splendor was cast over the frozen face of nature, which finds no parallel in the natural phe- nomena of other and more favored climes. The love- liness of an Arctic moonlight none can know, save those who themselves have seen it. Thus shut out from all the world, the adventurers endeavored to wear away the monotonous months oi winter. The festivals of Christmas and New Yeai were observed with unusual glee and festivity, with such means as were within their reach. Sometimes the weather was too severe to permit any communi- was re- low, save LIEUTENANT OSBORN 8 EXPEDITION. 433 cation between the vessels. During a portion of the time, the snow was drifted to such immense Iieiglits arouad the ships, that it exchided all view of the sur- rounding wastes. The vessels only three hundred yards distant from each other, were often invisible. Frequently as the furious storms of the north swept over the surrounding ice for many miles, the floor vi- brated and tremblea with the violence of the shock, and communicated this singular motion to the vessels. The aurora borealis alone disappointed those who were connected with this expedition. It was deficient in brilliancy of color. It was also inferior in extent to what they anticipated. The series of concentric semi-circles of light were subdued by dark spaces between them, wnich diminished its luster ancl gen- eral splendor. The snow fell almost incessantly. When heavy gales blew the vessels were nearly smothered ; and vast drifts 15 feet thick above the decks, had to be removed by the continual labors of the seamen. Amid such scenes as these, the long winter slowly passed away. Early in March the crews began to stir. On the 11th of that month the thermometer was 41° below zero; and yet this temperature was not considered as too severe for active operations. On the 4th of April, 1851, preparations were made to travel on sledges, for the purpose of pursuing the inland searches. Captain Ommaney was directed to cross Barrow's Strait and Cape Walker. Lieutenant Aldrich was sent with two sledges and 14 men toward the unknown channel of Byam-Martin Island. Lieu- tenant McCormick was dispatched to Melville Island, to prosecute his researches as far as Winter Harbor, with two sledges and 13 men. Other officers were sent in other directions ; making iii all fifteen sledges, manned by 105 men, who were thus distributed in various directions, in order to obtain information and indications of the career and fate of the squadron of Sir John Franklin. ! < 1 , !^ I! \h- 4 484 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. It waa tlio 12th of April when these expeditions Btiirtcd forth from tlie Hhips. Our space forhids im to follow all tlieir adventures, which wore exciting and perilous in the extreme, over vast tracts of snow and ice, of the most monstrous and irregular 8liai)e8. The whole coast of Capo Walker's Land was sur- veyed. Many of the seamen became snow-blind, and many had frozen feet. They beheld vast tracts of snow-covered land hugged by the icy seas, over which a silence and solitude sullenly brooded, not unlike that of a primitive chaos. Most of the sledge parties accomplisned journeys of 500 miles, in various direc- tions, during the fifty days the expedition lasted. Af- ter the lapse of this period, or nearly so, all the par- ties returned to the ships. Some had searched the whole western coast of Bathurst Island. Some had been to Winter Harbor, Bushman Cove, and Capo Dundas. Others had explored the whole eastern coast of Mellville Island. In eighty days the compa- ny under Lieutenant McClintock had traveled 800 miles, dragging their sledges containing tlieir provis- ions after them. He and liis men had pertbrmed the greatest labor of any of their associates. Yet no- where, amid all these various researches, in every possible and available direction, had the least trace been detected of Sir John Franklin, no tradition of his presence, no monument or evidence of his fate ! On the 14th of August, 1851, the vessels steered for Jones' Sound, which they entered on the evening of the 15th. This sound was discovered to be the narrowest about the entrance. The scenery of the sliores is magnificent. Ten miles inland a huge dome of pure white snow ascended to the height of 4,000 feet, presenting one of the most singular spec- tacles which could well be imagined. Keacning Cape Hardwicke, which was discovered to be in fact a group of islands, they struck eastward toward Cape Clarence, which seemed to be the utmost limit of the land in that direction. Proceedina: onward in their LIEUTENANT OSBOHN 8 EXI'EDrnON. 435 southern route, the squadron soon came in sight of Cury Islen, and then of the tlat-toppcd re^^ion between Cai)0 York and Dudley Di^ejes. The steamers then rapidly advanced on tlieir homeward way. On the 2Sth of August tliey reached Wolstenholme Island. Hero thev were stopped by the floating ice; and an- choring last to an iceberg, they awaited the tirst open- ing which might occur. Here began traces again of the nomade Esquimaux ; and thus they seemed to have returned to communion with the rest of man- kind. By the 1st of September the vessels still re- mained closely packed in the ice ; and nothing ap- peared to the view from tlie mast-head, except the boundless horizon of the frozen ocean. It was nev- ertheless necessary for Captain Osborn to make a bold push of some description, to be released from his continement, for starvation itself might soon surprise liis associates in their imprisonment. In a day or two a fortunate slackening of the ice encouraged them to attempt on entering. So difficult and slow was their progress, that they did not advance more than the snip's length luring the period, and after the labors, of an hour. Hy dint of constant screwing and heaving, however, some advance was made. Gradually the sea became more open ; and then the powers of the steam-engine were brought into play. A moment's further delay might have secured their detention for the whole winter, in those inhospitable and frozen climes. After a day of excessive exer- tions, the ships had wormed their way through the floating ice to the open sea which lay to the south of it, and thus again were free. On the 5th of September the squadron commenced its unobstructed voyage of return to England. In eight days they reached the latitude of Cape Farewell, and at length safely anchored at Grimby, in the River Ilumber, precisely three weeks after the com- mencement of their homeward-bound voyage. The expedition had indeed failed either to rescue Sir John I li \ ■ I I I 436 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. FranHin, or even to solve the great mystery of his fate ; nevertheless it had made " assurance doubly sure" that he had not been lost in the regions which they had visited, but that he must have proceeded on his adventurous way to a very remote and une- qualed extreme of northern latitude. It ascertained ttiat, if he had perished at all, he had perished in the execution of one of the boldest and most desperate resolutions ever entertained by man, to explore if possible, the utmost limits of the accessible earth ; and to arrive as near to the North Pole as it was pos- sible for human heroism, endurance, and determina- tion to approach. But other interesting and valuable researches were made by this expedition, which deserve notice. These established the fact that the Esquimaux tribes which now inhabit portions of the Arctic Zone, were once very numerous along the whole northern shore of Barrow's Straits and Lancaster Sound, and that for- merly the Esquimaux were among the most widely diffused races on the eart^, so iar as superficial ex- tent is concerned. From Melville Island on the west, to the isolated inhabitants of Northern (xreenland, called Arctic Highlands, many strange and ancient remains were discovered in various sheltered nooks and corners on the shore, such as rude houses, caches^ hiii5ting posts, and graves, which clearly proved that inhabitants once dwelt in ihis sad and solitary clime, who have now either become exterminated, or have emigrated to some more genial region. The origin of this people eoems to have been in the north-eastern extremity of Asia ; for on the banks of the Lena and the Indigirka, and along the whole extent of the frozen Tundra^ which faces the Polar Seas, as well as in New Siberia, the same species of circular stone huts, the same whalebone rafters, the same rude axes made of stones, and the same primitive imple- ments of the chase, are still found to exist, and are used alike by the Esquimaux of Hudson Straits and LIEUTENANT OSBORN'S EXPEDITION. 437 Greenland, the Innuit of North America, and the Tchuktches of Behrinff's Straits. It is probable, there- fore, that these people first reached the American c mtinent from the east of Asia. Tht> Tchuktches are the only tribe of Siberia who have maintained their independence; and have defied, assisted by the hor- rid riffors of nature, the overwhelming power of Kus- sia. The other tribes of Siberia narrate how one of the races called by them the Omoki, whose homes were as numerous on the banks of the Lena as the stars of an Arctic night, did formally remove to unknown regions; supposed by them to be in a north-eastern direction. They also tell of an- other tribe, termed the Onkillon, who, having been attacked by the Tchuktches, took shelter in a dis- tant land to the northward from Cape Jakan. This land has now been found actually to exist in that direction. These people eventually reached the shores of Da- vis' Straits and the Atlantic Ocean ; and some of them even advanced as far as Lancaster Sound, along the Parry Group. Compelled by the necebsities of food, and attracted by the products of fishing and hunting, they eventually reached Behring's Straits ; and thus this unfortunate race extended over a vast proportion of those inhospitable but habitable realms which lie nearest to the Pole. Among the proofs of this fact furnished by the researches of Captain Os- born's expedition, may be mentioned tlie following : Ruins of the description already mentioned, were found between Bathurst and Cornwallis Land, on the whole southern shore of Cornwallis Isknd, on Capes Spencer and Riley, on Radstock Bay, Ommaney liarbor. Cape Warrender, and on the shores of Jones' Sound. Formerly, also, many Esquimaux lived even at the head of Baffin's Bay. On the coast northward of Cape York, many deserted villages and . dead bodies have been found ; clearly indicating the ex- istence of a people who have now either become ex* !l^i .,.|k; ' /i 438 PROGRESS OF ASCTIO DISCOVERY. ■I R! 1 i; tinct, or have congregated in a less rigorous locality. All these tribes and races, whatever they may have been, undoubtedly belonged to the general Esquimaux family, who first originated in the north-eastern ex- tremity of Asia. * Arctic Searching Expedition ; a JI ournal of a Boat- voyage THROUGH KuPERt's LaND AND THE ArCTIO Sea, in Search of Sir John Franklin, by Sir John Richardson, in 1851. The commander of this expedition was directed by the British admiralty to leave England in a mail- steamer for Halifax and New York ; and from the latter place to proceed to Montreal, in order to confer with Sir George Simpson, governor of the Hudson Bay ''^pany's settlements. He was ordered thence to travel by Lake Huron to Saut Ste. Marie and Lake Superior, and there embark with a small crew, and sail along the chain of lakes until he overtook Mr. Bell, whom it was supposed he would find at Isle a la Crosse. With four boats well adapted to this service. Sir John Richardson was ordered to proceed and exam- ine the extensive North American coast between the Mackenzie and Coppermine Rivers. Passing the winter at Fort Good Hope, or Confidence, near Great Bear Lake, he was directed in the following spring to resume his journey, and explore the passages between "Wollaston, Banks , and Victoria Lands, so as to cross the routes of Sir J. C. Ross' detached parties ; and thence to return again to Great Bear Lake. It was hoped that this comparatively novel and untried di- rection of search, might probably reveal some satis- factory indications or memorials of the fate and situ- ation of Sir John Franklin. rii Die length of this interior navigation to the Arctic Sea from Montreal, is about 4,400 miles. Sixteen hundred of these are performed on the Mackenzie V i ," i| I ! ] SIB JOHN RIOHAEDSOn's EXPEDITION. 439 River and its tributaries. The uoats employed in tliis expedition measured 30 feet in length, six in breadth, three in depth ; and were providea with masts, sails, oars, anchors, and tools; and each weighed half a ton. A crew of five men was deemed sufficient for each. Among the seamen selected to man the boats, were sappers, miners, carpenters, blacksmiths, armorers, and engineers. These four boats properly provisioned, were embarked, together with the men of the expedition, on board the " Prince of Wales " and " W estmin- ster," bound to York Factory, one of the posts of the Hudson Bay company ; and there both ships eventu- ally arrived, after a stormy passage, with the boats and their respective crews. In May, 1851, Sir John Hichardson and his chief associate, Mr. Rae, left the house of Mr. Ballenden, at Saut Ste. Marie, near Lake Superior, and entered on the active duties of their expedition. We will omit some details of their travels, as long as these continue throagh those intermediate regions which are not directly connected with the Arctic Zone ; and which throw but little light upon the pe- culiarities of that remote portion of the earth. The expedition pursued its designated route, until at length they entered the estuary of the Mackenzie River. At four o'clock in the morning they embarked, and crossing a shallow bar at the end of a sand-bank, they steered between Richards' Island and the main land. They soon perceived about 200 Esquimaux coming toward them in their canoes, and three umiaks filled with women and children. It was necessary to beat oft* these intruders, who by hanging on to the sides of the boats impeded their progress ; nor were the voyagers certain that no hostile attack was in- tended by these half-starved and importunate semi- savages. As soon as these two parties in the several boats came in contact_, a buisy scene of barter began to be enacted. The Esquimaux liad arrows, bows, kniv '^ ■ I i .! f mi 1m 4i :f ^i'M 440 PieOGBESS OF AEOTIO DISCOVERT. of copper, or of bone, and articles of that description to sell ; and for these they received in return knives, files, hatchets, awls, and needles. The articles ob- tained by the explorers were indeed of little service to them ; but they wished to conciliate the Esqui- maux ; and inasmuch as the latter considered a gift without an equivalent accepted in return as an insult, it was necessary to barter with them in order to fur- nish them the articles which they desired. The En- glish boats were much incommoded by the crowds of Esquimaux who were disposed to hold on to their sides, and it became necessarv to use violence some- times to compel them to release their grasp. At length the boat commanded by Lieutenant Clark was attacked by the Esquimaux around it. An attempt was made to plunder it. A struggle ensued between the crew of six men and the assailants, and a musket was fired by Lieutenant Clark, as a signal to his as- sociates for assistance. The other boats then imme- diately wore around, and came to the protection of the assailed. Muskets were presented, and an attack threatened by the English sailors ; the effect of which demonstration was, to induce the Esquimaux at once to desist from all further aggressive operations, and resume friendly relations. Thus, as the boats pursued their way, they were ac- companied by the Esquimaux canoes. At length as they began to lose sight of the land entirely, the Es- quimaux gradually fell behind them, and returned to their encampment on the shore of the estuary. Dur- ing this intercourse between the voyagers and the na- tives, the inquiries of the former were directed to ob- taining information in reference to the discovery ships. But the natives uniformly persisted in de- claring, that they knew nothing about any white peo- ple, or any ships on their coast. They all denied hav- ing been present in any interviews which took place between their countrymen and the navigators of those seas in previous years. One person alone, in answer SIR JOHN RICHARDSON B EXPEDITION. 441 to the inquiries of Captain Richardson, declared that a party of white men were living on a neighboring island, called Richards' Island. Bat as the expedi- tion had visited and examined that locality but a day two previously, his assertion was known to be false. Captain Richardson requested his interpreter to in- form the Esquimaux that he had recently been there, and knew that he was lying ; which declaration only called forth a hearty laugh from the Esquimaux, whose only desire was, by a fabricated story, to in- duce the expedition to sojourn longer in the neigh- borhood, and waste its time in fruitless researches. These Esquimaux are a singular race, and one of their distinctive peculiarities is, that they are strictly a littoral people. They live only on the shore, and they inhabit an area of nearly 6,000 miles of sea- board. Their habitations extend from the Straits of Belle-isle to the Peninsula of Alaska. Tnroughout this vast extent of region there is no material variation in their dialect, except what may be justly termed pro- vincialisms. An interpreter born on the east main or western shore of James' Bay, experienced no diffi- culty in understanding the language of the Esqui- maux of the estuary of the Mackenzie ; although the distance between the two localities was at least 2,500 miles. Traces of the encampments of this same race have been discovered as far north on the American continent as the foot of the boldest adventurer has trodden. Their capacity to endure the privations of these frozen and rugged regions, results evidently from their disposition to subsist on blubber, and their long practiced ability to inhabit houses and huts con- structed of ice and snow. They employ drift-timber whenever it is accessible ; but they can do without it, and can find a good substitute in the fabrication of their weapons, sledges, and boat-frames, in the teeth and bones of whales, morses, and other sea-monsters. They associate together in large numbers, to engage in the pursuit of the whale ; and this fact indicates > ■' 1 ; i ■ -f . i* I' •J't I 442 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOTERT. the possession of no small degree of natural hardi- hood and intelligence. Those of the Esquimaux who have been received into the service of the Hudson Bay company, at the distant fur-posts, have very soon acquired the habits of their white associates, and proved eventually to be more industrious, intelligent, and trustworthy than domesticated Indians. Among themselves a great deal of honesty prevails ; and the private hunting-grounds of the different families are secure from all depredations from other members of tlie nation. But their dexterity and pertinacity in thieving the property of strangers are very remarka- ble. They are brave in their conflicts, and are devoid of the pusillanimity of the Indians of the southern zones. All their peculiarities, both personal and na- tional, serve to establish the position advanced in the preceding article of this work, that the various Es- quimaux tribes possess one and the same origin, and that they emanated originally from the north-eastern extremity of the continent of Asia. As soon as the EsiJ^uimaux canoes had disappeared from view, the boats were steered toward the opposite shore, at a spot where there were several winter hab- itations of the natives. This place is situated about eight miles to the eastward of Point Warren. The buildings are placed on a spot where the water is suliiciently deep for a boat to come close to the beach ; so that the natives may be able to tow a whale or seal to the place where they intend to cut it up. The houses themselves were constructed of drift-timber, strongly built together, and covered with a layer of earth from one to two feet in thickness. Light and air are admitted through a small low door at one ex- tremity ; and even this aperture in winter is closed by a slab of ice. In that case their greasy lamps sup- ply them to some extent with heat, as well as with light. These huts are large enough to permit ten or twelve people to seat themselves around the lire, built in the center on the ground. In winter the im- SIR JOHN RICHARD80N B EXPEDITION. 443 perfect admission of fresh air, and the effluvia ari- sing from their greasy and filthy bodies, render their abodes not only disagreeable in the extreme, but also exceedingly unwholesome. Yet these peculiarities characterize the whole Esquimaux tribes throughout the whole extent and variety of their difiusion. Having resumed their route on the 4th of August, Captain Richardson pulled for three hours across Copland Hutchinson Inlet, and landed at length on its eastern shore. This inlet is about 10 miles in width, and its mouth is obstrncted by sand banks. Having computed their positron, they found it to be 69° 44' north latitude ; and ohe variation of the needle was 68° east. This whole coast is low, though in the in- land, some sandy clifls were discovered. The soil was soft, boggy, and treacherous, and the whole country was covered over with ponds and small lakes. On the 8th of August the expedition reached Cape Brown. Here they came in contact again with the Esquimaux. After the usual exchange of articles had been completed, inquiries were made in refer- ence to the missing ships. The Esquimaux declared that no large ships had ever visited that coast ; and that these were the only white men whom they had ever seen. It seems that Captain Richardson had visited this coast twenty- three years before on a com- mercial expedition ; and had then met some of these same people. But they denied having the least knowledge or recollection of him or of his associates. Captain Richardson crossed Russel Inlet, and passed Cape Brown. They then reached Cape Dal- housie and pitched their tent upon the beach. This island and the cape are flat ; but toward the sea there are steep clitis 40 and 50 feet in height. There are also deep ravines in the interior, produced by the melting of the snows in the beginning of summer. From this point the boats steered across Liverpool Bay, and approached ^' icholson Island. They then landed and encamped otf Cape Maitland. The surface of ! \ i < 444 PROQEE88 OF AKCTIO DISCOVERY. thiB cape is level, but its shores are girt with rugged cliffs 80 feet in height. A frozen surface is con- stantly exposed to view, and permanent ground-ice is everywhere to be found, twenty inches beneath the surface of the soil. Vegetation is very meager and scanty. From this point the expedition proceeded to Har- rowby Bay, and Baillie's Islands. They landed at the latter place at evening, and pitched their tent to pass the night in repose. They soon discovered a large fleet of Esquimaux canoes approaching in the form of a crescent, in the dim twilight. The object of the natives was to trade ; but as Captain Richard- son wished his men to have an opportunity to repose during the night, he ordered a ball to be tired across the path of the cai.oes. This immediately stopped their further progress ; and an interpreter then in- formed the Esquimaux that there would be no barter- ing that night, but that if they would return in the morning their wishes should be gratified. After a short consultation the Esquimaux seemed to be satis- tied with this arrangement and retired. At two o'clock the next morning the expedition resumed their journey, and soon met the approaching Esqui- maux. From thom they ascertained that their sum- mer season here continues only during two months, of which this (August) was one ; that during this pe- riod they have no ice whatever ; and that they car- ried on their black-whale tishing. The extent of their operations usually consists in the capture of two whales during the whole summer — sometimes, though rarely, they obtain three. Sometimes they are alto- gether unsuccessful and secure none. In that case the succeeding winter generally provc'* to be one of great want and hardship. Their i o'norance of the rest of th '^ world may be inferred fro:n the following incidjut : One of them asserted to Captain Richardson that Cape Bathurst was an island. When the latter denied this assertion, the Esquimaux responded with gveat BIB JOHN RICHARDSON 8 EXPEDITION. 445 sincerity, "Are not all lands islands?" At this point Captain Kicliardson buried some pemmican and erected a sipial-post. A hole was dug on the top of the cliff, in which a case of pemmican was deposited, with a memorandum explaining the purposes of the expedition. The utmost care was used in replacing the turf so as to avoid detection ; some drift timber was then placed on the spot and burned ; and a pole painted red and white was planted at a distance of 10 feet. To induce the Esquimaux not to disturb the post, some articles of value were suspended upon it. Soon several Esquimaux were seen running toward the pole ; they quickly stripped it of its hangings; but did not disturb the signal itself. f. From this point the expedition proceeded to the south-east of Cape Bathurst, along the shore, which sometimes rose to the height of 250 feet. At Point Trail, in north latitude 70° 19', the bituminous shale had been ignited and burned ; and the bank had crumbled down from the destruction of the beds, pre- senting a most singular appearance. August the 11 Ui the expedition continued their route along the coast, and at length reached Point Stivens, and on the 13th landed on the shores of Sell- wood Bay. Their next sojourn was on one of the western points which terminate Cape Parry. This portion of the cape presents a singular aspect when approaching it from the sea. It is an eminence 500 feet in height, which far surmounts all the surround- ing region. In the neighborhood of this spot, at Cocked-Hat Point, a letter was deposited with a case of pemmican ; over which were placed fragments of limestones, covered with red paint. It was here that the members of this expedition lirst saw the drift- ice. They sailed on past Clapperton Island, Point Pearce, and Point Keats. The tirst indications of the approach of winter now began to force themselves upon their notice ; for the sea became covered with *^ S 28 i 1 ,(►- 1 ■ f i 440 PROOKESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. thin ice, which sometimes very essentially impeded their progress. At Cape Parry they still saw traces of the Esquimaux ; tliey had the ifirst severe frost during the night; and the ice already exceeded an inch in thickness. On the 12th of September the expedition nearly reached Cape Kendall. It had pro«;ressed thus far along the north-western coast of the North American contment, without meeting any traces of Sir John Franklin. At this point the sea became so obstructed with ice that it was impossible to pursue the jour- ney along the sea-shore, although they were still at some considerable distance from the Coppermine River, the appointed boundary of their travels. Cap- tain Richardson, determined to continue the journey by land. The company provided themselves with thirteen day's provisions of pemmican, with cookii.^: utensils, bedding, snow-shoes, astronomical instru- ments, fowling-pieces, ammunition, and portable boat, nets, and lines. Each man was compelled to carry a load of sixty-five pounds. The boats of the expedi- tion were left behind on the shore, and the tent with a few cooking articles and hatchets, were abandoned to the Esquimaux. On the 3d of September at six o'clock in the morn- ing, the journey commenced. They pursued a direct course toward the bottom of Back's inlet. The snow was deep, and advance was laborious and difficult. So heavy was the way that most of the men were will- ing to leave behind them their carbines. At night they halted under a basalt cliff 200 feet in height. The sea was here full of ice. They still occasionally met Esquimaux, whose services they employed in fer- rying them over the numerous inlets which interrupt- ed their way along the coast. Among the Esquimaux whom Captain Richardson met, were two who are mentioned by Mr. Simpson. One of these was rec- ognized by a large wen which marked his forehead ; and the ottker by his being crippled, and using crutches. '' j 1 early VIA far crican ' John Tucted 6 jour- Btill at ermine . Cap- ourney 3S with cookiug: instni- ^le boat, carry a cxpedi- 11 1 with iudoned Sm JOHN BIOHARDSON 8 EXPEDmOIT. 44 r They had been very kindly treated by Messrs. Dease and Simpson ; and they were therefore disposed to be friendly, together with their whole tribe, toward the white people. The travelers bought skin-boots from them, which proved of very great service. Captain Richardson permitted none of his men to enter their huts, or to offer any indignity to these harmless and forlorn beings. He himself visited one of their cabins, both for the purpose of obtaining a glimpse of their household appearance, and to pre- sent some needles and other articles to their women. He found in one hut six or seven females sewing, seated in a circle. They were nearly naked, and very dirty. On his entrance they seemed both ashamed and afraid. Captain Richardson shrewdly conjec- tured that, as these people had heard of the approach of the strangers, they had purposely rendered them- selves as repulsive as possible, by rubbing mud and ashes on their faces and persons. They received hia presents in a friendly manner ; but seemed quite re- lieved when the hardy old mariner took his leave. This is a singular circumstance, as illustrating how, in every clime and country under heaven, men's pas- sions, their fears, and their artilices are uniformly and invariably the same I At length the travelers arrived on the shores of Richardson's River. This river was discovered in 1822, by some hunters of Sir John Franklin's party, and its outlet w^as then erroneously supposed to be only live miles west of the Coppermine. In 1839 Mr. Simpson explored this river, and ascertained that it falls into Back's Inlet in north latitude 67° 53' 57". Having crossed this river in a small boat of Lieuten- ant Halkett, which could carry but two persons at once, they resumed their march. In a short time they gained the summit of the ridge which divided the valley of the Richardson from that of the Copper- mine River. This ridge was now covered with snow. From its summit they saw in the distance the Cop- . rA 448 PROGRESS OF AROTIO DISCOVERT. pcrmine ; and at threo o'clock in the afternoon tliey reached its bankfi, several miles above Jiloody Fall. On the 10th of September the company struck the Kendal lliver, at some distaiice from its junction witli the Coppermine. They walked nearly three miles along its banks, seeking for a crossing place. No such spot being found, tliey were compelled to construct a raft, and thus transport themselves over. This raft could bear but three persons at a time ; nev- ertheless all of them passed over in safety. From this point they traveled directly across the country to- ward Dease Kivor. Some snow tell both during the day, and also during the succeeding night. On the 12th they reached a tributary stream of the Kendal River, and forded it ; the ice-cold water rising up to their waists. On the 14th the march took a south-western direction. They found the soil cracked, hummocky, and swampv ; and it became exceedingly wearisome and difficult for pedestrians. On the 15th they crossed a branch of the lliver Dease by fording it ; and Jit four o'clock in the afternoon the whole party reached Fort Coniidence, the present appointed ter- mination of their journey, and their quarters for the ensuing winter. It is proper that we should here interrupt the nar- rative of Captain Richardson's expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, by detailing some of the infor- mation which he obtained in reference to the Esqui- maux race — one of the most interesting and impor- tant items of Arctic observation and scrutiny. We have already given a few details on this subject on a previous page ; and the additional light thrown upon it by the researches of Captain Richardson, are both valuable and entertaining. The views presented by Captain R. of this widely diffused people, are, as will be seen, those which describe them as they exist on the northern coast of the American continent — being quite a different locality from that depicted by Cap- tain Osborn. SIR JOHN BI0HARD8OM 8 EXPEDITION. 449 Tlio term Esquimaux is probably derived from the words, Ceux qui Diiaux ; or it may have orii^inatcd from the shouts of Teynio which the natives uttered, when they surrounded the first exploring ships in their canoes. The sailors of the Hudson Bay comj)any's vessels still call them Seymds. The word Esquimaux does not belong to the languago of the nation. These invariably call themselves Inu-it^ the peoj)le^ from I-nuky a man. One peculiaritv of this race is that they alone, of all the aboriginal races, are known to inhabit portions of both the old and the new continents. Their lan- guage and their customs, in consequence of the pe- culiarity of their position, have also remained strange- ly unaltered by any contact or collision with the rest of the world. They contine themselves to the shores ; and neither wander inland, nor cross extensive seas. They t .aciid along the whole northern boundary of America, from Behring's Straits to the Straits of Bell- isle, and along both shores of Greenland and Lab- rador. Their appearance is singular. Their faces are egg-shaped, v/ith considerable prominence in the cheek boues. Their foreheads are narrow and taper upwards. Their chins are conical but not acute. Generally their noses are broad and depressed. Their profiles, in consequence of the receding both of the forehead and the chin, present a more curved outline than is found in any other variety of the Caucasian race. Their complexions are not red, but of an inter- iLcdiate uue between red and white. They have lit- th) or no beards ; but the hair of the head is long, straight, thick, and coarse. The men are of medium size, broad-shouldered, and muscular. In both sexes tlie hands and feet are small and well formed. The teeth, especially of the young girls, are generally of superior regularity and beauty. The chiel subsistence of this extensive race depends upon hunting and hshing. In the spring the opening rivers give them the opportunity to spear and capture : |t '^ \ 1 C^Ml 450 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. I the fish which at that period ascend the streams to r'jawn. Then also they hunt the reindeer, which bring loi th their young on the coasts and islands he- fore the snow is entirely melt(jd on the ground. They ii''so take a large quantity of swans, geese, and ducks. The montlis of July and August are em- ployed in the capture of whales ; and when they are S'2cce3sful in this, their own sustenance for the ensu- ing year is secured. During the two summer months they live in tents made of skins, and then they provide their stores of food for winter use. At mid-winter they are usually in total darkness. At that period they live in houses framed of drift timber, which are thickly covered with earth. They have no windows in their dwellings, and they enter by a low trap door inserted either on the side, or in the roofs. The floor is covered »vith rude timber, and they have no fire- place. A large fiat stone is placed in the center which Bupportb a lamp, Dv the flame of which they often cook. The Esquimaux hunter can trap the seal, notwith- standing the great acuteness and vigilance of that an- imal ; and his plunder also serves to assist in suptain- ing Esquimaux life in the spring months. The summer architecture of this race is peculiar. By that period of tlie year, the snow has acquired a sufficient degree of coherence to form a light build- ing material ; and of this material the Esquimaux erect comfortable huts which are dome-shaped, and are often used in preference to their tents. They first trace a circle on the smooth surface of the snow. The sides are built of slabs of ice instead of brick or granite. The summit is composed of similar slabs ; and the floor is laid with the same material. Each slab in the building is carefully fitted to its place, where it becomes congealed and frozen into the solid mass. AH the crevices are plugged up, and the seama carefully closed, by throwing loose snow over the fabric. The walls are only three or four inches in thickness, and therefore nearly translucent ; so over inches It; 60 BIB JOHN BICHABDSON's KXPEDITION. 45 X. that they admit an agreeable light to the interior from without. All the I'nrrutiire, consisting of seats, tables, and sleeping places, are formed of snow, and are covered with rein-deer or seal skins, which ren- der them quite comfortable. Often these houses are built contiguous to each other, with low galleries running between them. These houses are durable, and the sun rarely acquires sufficient strength in that clime either to thaw or to destroy them. The Esquimaux who live on the estuary of the Mackenzie river, carry on a traffic with tho western Esquimaux from the region of Point Bprrow and Behring's Straits, whom they meet half-way between their respective homes on the coast. The central Esquimaux have but little traffic with the Europeans, and articles of Russian manufacture ai3 never or rarely seen further east than Point Atkinson. Those who live between Behring's Straits rnd the Mac- kenzie pierce the lower lip near the angle of the mouth, and till the aperture with labrets resembling buttons, sometimes made of blue quartz, and some- times of ivory. Many of them transfix the septum of the nose with an ivory needle. The women are generally tattooed on the chin ; and turn up and plait their hair carefully, and are not devoid of pride in theij' personal appearance. From this circumstance northern navigators justly infer that more deference is paid to them by the men, than usually prevails among semi-barbarous tribes. It is said by Captain Richardson, that the unmarried women among the Esquimaux are modest and decorous in their deport- ment; but that the married ones allow themselves very considerable liberties, and that, too, svith the con- nivance of their husbands. Yet this reserve, even among the unmarried Esquimaux women, does not exist among the tribes located on the northern coast of Greenland. There both young and old indicated their vicious laxity to the navigators by signs and gestui'es of the most indelicate and unequivocal uar \ > .! I ! 1 452 PKOGRE8S OF AROTIC DISCOVERT. tnre, and more than once, wives have been knoTvn to be oftered to the strangers by their husbands them- selves, plainly and without disguise, while the wo- man herself stood by, and freely acquiesced in her proposed prostitution. The Esquimaux like most barbarians are excellent mimics. They possess the power of imitating the gestures and voices of others with great ability Ihey also display extraordinary powers of grimace and contortion, and could exhibit themselves in the most singular positions and attitudes. The dress of both sexes is very nearly alike, and consists of a coat with a pointed skirt both before and behind ; pantaloons or leggings which extend to the waist ; and long boots made of seal skin, and water tight, resembling moccasins. They have acquired considerable skill in the preparation of whale, seal, and deer skins. These they use for various purposes, some as thongs and lines in the capture of sea-beasts, some as har- ness for their dog-sledges, and some as soles for their moccasins, which are thus rendered water-proof. They have also invented a light water-proof outer dress, formed from the intestines of the whale, which they secure around the top of their small canoes, and which protects them from the waves of the sea. They acquire extraordinary skill in the management of tlieir canoes or kaiyaks, and possess the hardihood of fearless seamen. Their dogs and reindeer consti- tute their chief wealth, and are in fact quite iudispen- sable to their existence and comfort. The religion of the great Esquimaux race is a sin- gular subject of inquiry, and yet one which furnishes only the most unsatisfactory results. Their religious conceptions are simple and crude in the extreme. There is but little to know of them on this point ; a^ 1 that little is not to their credit. The most prominent idea in their religion is the belief in witchcraft, and in the agency of evil spi. ts. They worship demons much more devoutly than they worship God. Oer BIB JOHN BIOHABDSON 8 EXPEDITION. 453 tain individuals among them profess to possess a great influence over evil spirits. They believe that persons are killed by sorcery ; that they are and may become the messengers and servants of the devil ; that sorcerers niay change the appearance of indi- viduals who are under their spell ; and accordingly, sorcerers are themselves a powerful class among them. Yet the Esquimaux have often become willing and docile converts to the christian faith, as taught them by the Moravian missionaries in Labrador and Green- land. They have readily acquired the art of reading and writing, and displayed no inconsiderable apti- tude for the acquisition of knowledge. The language of the Esquimaux is admitted by the most learned philologists to be similar in its structure to the rest of the J>forth American tongues. There seems to be a singular inconsistency between the comprehensive- ness and artificial structure of the language, and its resemblance to that of neighboring Indian tribes, and the isolation of the people themselves. Their lan- guage does not materially vary along the whole im- mense extent of country over which their race is diffused ; thus furnishing another evidence of the identity and unity of this primitive and singular people. X et the Esquimaux are divided into eaveral tribes according to their different locations. Tiiose on the southern portion of King William's Sound, are called the TohugaUchih 'y and they are located between Behring's Straits and Bristol Bay. Further to the north the Kuskatchewak reside between the island !Nuniwak and Cape ^Newenham. These are neitiier nomadic nor given to the chase; but dwell in per- manent villages, and have a strong attachment to their ancestral homes. In each of these villages there is a public building termed the Kashiin, where coun- cils and festivals are held. It has raised platforms around the walls, with a place in the center for the ; i \ » i » ■ I I ! I 1 ;rii :.1«J: f"'' 454 PROQEK88 OP ARCTIC DISCOVERY. fire, and an aperture in the roof for the escape of the Binoke and the admissioi of light. The Tchukche tribe who inhabit the shores of the Gulf of Anadyn, seem once to have had possession of the coast of Asia, as far westward as tJie one hundred and sixtieth parallel. They are divided in the Sed- entary, and the Reindeer Tchukche. These are both strong and powerful races, and very much resemble in their appearance the North American Indians. The encroachments of the Russians and Cossacks have driven them back beyond the Kolyma, into the north-eastern corner of Asia ; but there they have re- mained free and unsubdued by their more powerful assailants. This tribe has domesticated both the dog and the reindeer, of which they possess numerous herds. They are skillful traders in furs and walrus' teeth, which they exchange for tobacco, articles of iron, hardware, and trinkets. They frequently travel on their sledges drawn by reindeer, accompanied by their women and children, their arms, tents, and household goods. Their yearly journeys continue for six months, for they make circuitous routes in pursuit of pasture and trade. Previous to the establishment of the Russian Fur company, these people yearly traveled for these purposes over an extent of seven- teen hundred miles of North American coast. Another tribe of the Esquimaux are called the Kutchins, v^-Jio live westward between the Macken- zie and Bohring's Sea. The males possess the aver- age height of Europeans, are well formed, with reg- ular features, high foreheads, and light complexions. The women resemble the men ; and Captain Richard- son speaks of the wife of one of the chiefs as being so handsome, that in any country she would be con- sidered a line looking woman. The women have their chins tattooed, and the men paint their faces both red and black. Their arms consist of a bow and arrow, a dagger, knife, and spear. Eire-arms have lately been introduced among them, and are very SIR JOHN RICHARDSON'S EXPEDITTON. 455 much prized. Where a man has not been able to ob- tain a gun, he always cari-ies witli liim a supply of powder and shot, and for these ho obtains a share of the game killed b}'^ the possessors of a gun or rifle. This singular expedient exists very extensively among the Esquimaux tribes. The chipf men among the Kutchins practice polyg- amy, and have two or three wives, and some even five. Very poor men who cannot support a wife re- main single. But it is said that a good wrestler, whether poor or rich, can always obtain a wife. In winter the women perform all the drudgery about the house. They collect the firewood, assist the dogs in hauling the sledges, and bring snow to melt for water. They do everything, in fact, except cooking, and that is attended to by the inen alone. The wo- men carry their infants, like the rest of the Esqui- maux, on their backs in seats made from birch bark, with the sides and back resembling those of an arm- chair. They even bandage the feet of their children to prevent them from growing, inasmuch as small feet are considered handsome. This custom resem- bles that of the Chinese, except that it is not confined to the females. The Kutchins are a lively and cheer- ful people. Dancing and singing are their chief amusements ; wrestling and all kinds of athletic di- versions are in fashion among them. Their religion also consists chietiy in the belief in sorcery and evil spirits, whom they endeavor to propitiate through their shamans, who profess to be able to communicate with the unseen world, and to possess the power of prophesying future events. When any one of their tribe dies suddenly, or unexpectedly, the event is al- ways attributed to sorcery ; and some evil spell is charged against either a member of their own tribe or of some neigboring one. Then blood money is imme- diately demanded, and if it be refused, they do not rest until an opportunity is found to avenge the sup- posed murder by some retributive deed of violence I*. i' 456 PROOBE88 OP ARCTIC DWCOVERTT. and death. An instance is narrated in which blood money was demanded and received for several years, for the supposed death of a relative who was after- ward discovered to be still alive. When demand was again made the ensuing year for the usual payment, three of tlie party making it were slain in expiation of their falsehood and extortion. These Kutchins are treaclierous and warlike ; and generally engaged in hostilities with the surrounding tribes. One half of the population of the Yukon has thus been destroyed during the last twenty-live years. They pass the summer months chiefly in dry- ing the white-lish for winter use. Their wealth con- sists partly in beads ; and to become a chief among the Kutchins, a man must have beads equal in value to the amount of two hundred beavers. In summer when they are traveling they rarely erect their tents. In winter their encampments are usually placed in groves of fir trees, where they either live in huts or m their winter tents constructed of skins with the hair unremoved. The process of courtship among these people is very simple indeed. The lover goes early in the morning to the abode of the object of his passion, and without saying anything, begins to bring in wa- ter ; to heat the stones which are used to create steam for their bath; and to prepare food. The inmates then ask him who he is, and why iie does this. He states that he wishes to obtain the daughter of the man who dwells there as his wife. If he is not re- fused, he remains as a servant in the family for a year, and at the termination of that probationary pe- riod he receives both a reward for his services and his bride into the bargain. No ceremony of marriage takes place between them. When a man dies, he is mourned by his whole clan. Slavery exists among them to some extent ; and those who are in bondage, are prisoners taken captive in war, who are often sold and re-sold by different owners, unless they are re- era JOHN RICHARDSON 8 EXPEDITION. 457 deemed by their own relatives. Tliese slaves liavo been known to be sometimes sacriticed as victims to the shades of their departed warriors and heroes. They also possess the art of manufacturini]^ varior.s articles of iron ware ; an accomplishment which they probably derived at an early period, from their inter- coTU'se with Russian traders. The winter havinj; at length passed away, the trav- elers who composed Sir John Kichardson's company at Fort Confidence, prepared in the ensuing spring to resume their operations. It yet remained their duty to reach Wollaston and Victoria Lands, and thus to com- plete the search in that direction. In consequence of the forced desertion and loss of the boats of the expe- dition as previously narrated, it would have beem im- practicable for the whole party to accompany those who performed this journey ; nor was this in fact necessary ; and Mr. Rae, the younger and more ro- bust associate of Captain Richardson, was selected to perform the service which yet remained. The ability and zeal of this gentleman well fitted him for the task. He had already explored the country between Fort Confidence and the Coppermine River during the winter months, for the purpose of ascertaining the best route to be followed in the spring. Accordingly, in April Mr. Rae, taking charge of the only boat which the expedition still possessed, conveyed provisions, boat-stores, and various other necessaries on dog-sledges, across toward the Kendall River, and posted two men at Flett's Station, together with two Indians, to protect them. Six men composed the crew of the boat under the command of Mr. Rae. Two men were lei' in charge of Fort Confidence. Mr. Rae having waited lor the breaking up of the ice on the Dease River, hauled his boat thither, on ■"vhich he embarked on the 8 th of June. His ascent of the stream was slow, in consequence of the large masses of ice, some of them miles in length, which % '1 ( = impeded his progress. They ascended the south-east- 458 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. ern branch of that stream. On the 17th they passed over the lake from which the river flows, on the ice. It contains some ishmds and is four miles in width. From this lake they traveled overland for six miles nearly due east, and on the 21st they reached the Ken- dall River, to which the provisions had been previ- ously conveyed in April. They then descended the Kendall to the Coppermine River. At this place they were detained by the ice, which was still unbroken, during five days. They then sailed down the Coppermine to the sea ; and found a nar- row channel along the shore of Richardson Bay, where the ice '^^till b? t gainst the rocks. They pro- ceeded on and roiS' icu l^ointltfackenzie, and entered Back's inlet, vuicii v'as then but partially opened. They soon rtJXili' \ liie l^ead of the inlet, and at once sailed up Rae River, wLich Captain Richardson had discovered the preceding autunm. For the purpose of examining the country, Mr. Rae followed the river for twenty geographical miles in- land. It is very straight in its direction, and flows over a bed of limestone. Its banks are extremely rugged, and sometimes presented precipices 200 feet in lieight. The party then returned to the mouth of the river. Their position now was 67° 55' 20" north latitude. They reached Cape Kendall, where they experienced a heavy thunder-storm, which compelled them to land. On the 27th they continued their course to Cape Hearne. Basil Hall Bay they found filled with unbroken ice from one side to the other. The next day a crack occurred in the ice large enough to permit the boat to reach an island in the middle of the bay. On the north side of this island they found some open water which enabled them to ad- vance two miles further. On the 30th they reached Cape Krusenstern. This was the most suitable spot from which to de- sert the shore, and commence the traverse or direct route ^-o Wollaston Land, passing near to Douglass BIB JOHN RICHARDSON S EXPEDITION. 459 Island. This circumstance was more fortunate, as tlie condition of the ice along the shore rendered tlieir further advance in that direction impossible. The party disembarked here and pitched tlieir tents on 4he top of tlie cliffs, and waited for a more favor- able state of the ^*ce ; which liad already commenced to break up. IlfciC they were visited by some Esqui- maux, who ''nformed them that they had seen several natives of Wollaston Land during the preceding win- ter and had been informed by them that no European ships, boats, or seamen had ever visited their coun- try. Tho, chaation of the party here was ascertained to be 68° 24' 35" north latitude. The ice in the bay was not sufficiently cleared to permit Mr. Rae to proceed until the 19th of August. Until this period there had been a closely pr ked stream of ice stretching along the entire shor»x ar i grinding against the rocks as it was drive? up : them by the wind. Having pulled seven m>' s i''*om land and being yet three miles distant from J>»o. .lass Island, they were met by a stream of ice s: closely packed and so rough, that it was impossil Either to pass over it or through it. This compelled the company to return to their former position on the shore. During several succeeding days they poled their way along the beach, and thus advanced a few miles to the southward. On the evening of the 22d Mr. Rae ascended a hill near the shorj, and there be- held with a spy-glass nothing in the direction of Wol- laston Land but the white ice forced upward by the wind into irregular heaps; while to the east and south-east there was a large space of open water, be- tween which and the ice-bound shore, a vast stream of ice some miles in length was driving ra^^idly toward Cape liearne. There was now no prospect that the sea would open BO as to permit the frail craft in which Mr. Rae and his men were embarked to ventr ^e across the main to Wollaston Land. Winter was then very near ; 'I 460 PBOOBE88 OF ABOTIC DI8CX)VERT. and Mr. Kae wns reluctantly compellcrl to pjive the onler to return to the Conpennino Kiver. In usccnd- mff this river to the Jiloocly Fall, the company met the misfortune of losinpj Albert, their Escjuimaux inter- preter, and one of the most useful members of tlie expedition. He was drowned in attempting to extri- cate the boat from a dangerous eddy into which it had been drawn. The boat was lost with him. They then commenced their journey on foot across the land toward Great Bear Lake, each man carrying a weight of about eighty pounds. After seven days' march from the Bloody Fall the party reached Fort Conii- dence, whence the expedition had started. They had failed to discover any traces of Sir John Franklin, and had not even reached WoUaston Land, the pro- posed terminus of their Journey, in consequence of the strait being filled with impassable ice. Meanwhile Captain llichardson and the rest of the men belonging to the expedition, explored Bear Lake and Cape McDonald. They then reached Fort Frank- lin. Tiie only vestige of the latter which remained, was the foundation of the chimney-stack. Theuce they proceeded to Fort Nurman. They then em- barked on Bear Lake River and descended with the current to its mouth. Retracing the route which they had pursued in their outward journey during the preceding year, the company eventually reached Metiiy Lake; where Captain Richardson received his lirbt letters from England, which had been brought up from Canada by the governor's canoe, which annu- ally leaves La Chine in May. He arrived at Norway House on the 13th of August, and there the men composing the expedition were discharged. The Eu- ropeans among them were sent down to York factory to sail to England in one of the ships of the Hudson Bay company. Captain Richardson himself returned by way of Boston to Liverpool ; and thus ended this additional attempt to discover ISir John Franklin's late, without CAPTAIN KKNNEI Y » VOYAGE. 461 liavinp^ ohtrtinofl tlio slii^lifcst cliio of thorn ; altlionnrh tho plan of 8L'ari;li piirsin.'il possessed some novel and very et)iisi(leral)le advantages in its favor. Tiiic Skcond Yoyaok of tiik Pkin'ck Albert in Skarch OF Sir John Franklin, undkb the command of Wil- liam Kennedy, in 185i3. This expedition was fitted out for the second time by the liberality of Lady Franklin. The vessel was bniall, but had proved herself, on a former voyage to the Polar seas, well adapted to the service.* That voyage resulted in discovering traces of the the miss- ing ships at the entnmce ot Wellington Channel ; and on its return Lady Franklin instantly resolved to equip the present undertaking, with hopes of more complete success ; and Captain Kennedy was invited by her to take the command. In May, 1851, the Prince Albert lay in the harbor of Aberdeen ready for sea. Along the sides from the keel to about two feet above the water-line, there had been placed a doubling of planking two and a half inches thick. The bows and stern-posts were sheathed in wrought iron, a quarter of an inch in thickness. Her hold had been strengthened with a perfect labyrinth of cross-beams, for the purpose of better enabling her to endure the immense pressure of the ice. Tiie object of this second expedition of the Prince Albert, was to continue the search by way of Prince UegenCa Inlet^ an important portion of the Polar region, which neither Captain Penny nor Cap- tain Austin had explored, nor any other Arctic voy- ager previous to that period. The crew of the Prince Albert consisted of the commanding olKcer and seventeen men. She was furnislied with two large and valuable boats, one of guttapercha, and the otlier of mahogany ; together * See page 848 of this volume for the details of tbia Toyagtti 29 il J I I ' 8 462 PROGRESS or ARCTIC DISCOVERT. With several Bmallcr ones. Tlio vessel was provi- eioned for two years. On tlio 22(1 nf May slio left Aberdeen IFarhor. Lady Franklin was theti on hoard, and M8 she left the ship after oxi>re8sin::all her wishes and hopes for the Buccess of the gallant erew, was loudly and enthusiastically cheered, as she deserved to he, as she descended the vessel's side to return to the shore. On the 23d of June they made Hoy Sound, and soon reached Cape Farewell. Captain Kennedy had been Mistructed to examine Prince Ile- irent's Inlet, and the ])as8a<]ces connecting it with the Western Sea, south-west of Capo Walker. To the latter point, strong probabilities in favor of finding traces of Sir John iM-anklin concentrated ; inasmuch as it was supposed to bo likely that he abandoned his vessels to the south-west of Cane Walker ; from the fact that ho himself entertainea the opinion that an open passage was to be found from the westward into the south part of Regent's Inlet ; and because this re- gion of country was known to possess considerable animal life, and he would liave the stores placed at Fury Beach soon within his reach. It was also thoujght that he would have pursued this route, inas- much as he more probably expected assistance to be Bent him by way of Lancaster Sound and Barrow Straits, into which Regent's Inlet opened, than by any other direction. By the Ist of July Captain Kennedy was in full view of the shores of Greenland. They then pre- sented a spectacle of more than ordinary interest and sublimity. As far as the eye could reach, they seemed a sterile and iron-bound coast, diversified here and there with huge clitfs of rock and ice, ascending sternly into the wintry heavens a thousand feet in height. Often gloomy caverns were seen in the ice which were portals lor the discharge of some half- frozen stream into the ocean, filled with small ice- bergs wliich were but rolling and tossing in the fiood. The vessel soou passed Capes Desolation and Com- 11^ i CAPTAIN KENNEDY 8 VOYAQK. 463 fort; nnd by the 8tli of July they were tlirco-fonrtha of their wivy up Biitlin'rt Bay, and nearly oj)|K)sito to the Danish village of Upornavick. At this village they to(>k on board six powerful Kscpiiiniiux dogs, and seaUkin hoata adapted to the Aretic r(.'gi()ns. On the l.'>th, the Prince Albert fell in with the American squadron which had just escaped from tlieir extraordinary drift of eight months in the heart of the pack, through Lancaster Sound and Baffin's Bay. Finding ^relvillo Bay completely closed by the ice, Captain Kennedy determined to attempt a passage further south. After four days of dilKcult and peril- ous navigation, they succeeded in effecting an advance of 120 miles through the packed ice, and reached "West Water on the 21st of August. This was a very perilous exploit, and is one which has proved the de- struction of many a bold adventurer in those seas. The s:-:ill dimensions of the Prince Albert seem to have given her great advantages over her more bulky associates. On the 26th of Au<^u8t they were on* Pond's Bay, and were here for the last time visited by a small company of Esquimaux. The extreme rarity of the atmosphere in these northern climes, was proved by the fact, that the voices of the Esqui- maux could be clearly heard as they approached the vessel, !it the distance of eight miles. From Pond's Bay Captain Kennedy steered through Lancaster Sound. On the 3d of September he reached Barrow Straits. At this point he attempted to reach Cape HI ley, in hope of there finding traces of Sir John Franklin ; but after bearing up repeated- ly for the North Land through heavy fogs, snow, and gales, was compelled to abandon the purpose. On tiie 4th of September Captain Kennedy arrived at the mouth of Pn'nce liegent's Inlet, one of the special objects of hib search, lie there found an unbroken barrier of ice extending as far down the west side of Prince liegent's Inlet as the eye could see, piled up in dense masses on the shore. The eastern side ana i V ( I • I I 464 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. middle of the inlet were comparatively open. Tliis state of tile ice forbade further progress in the in- tended direction. They attempted to run into Leo- pold Harbor, but found that also impossible. Thence they ran down to Elwin Bay to Batty Bay, and to Fury Beach, finding them all closed. They were very nearly involved in the position which had proved the destruction o*' the Fury — in a narrow lane be- tween the shore and an extensive field of moving ice. Being thus excluded entirely from the western shore of the inlet, they were compelled to sail to the oppo- site. After making a circuit of some forty hours along a high and dead wall of ice, they reached Port Bowen on the 5th. Landing^here, Captain Kennedy found a few traces of Sir E. Parry's party. These were several cairjis, a fire-place of stones, pieces of canvas, nails, and broken pipes. There was here, also, a single grave, the lonely resting-place of one John Cottrell, a seaman of the Fury, who was buried in July, 1825, aged thirty-nine. It was still regarded as of the utmost importance to reach Port Leopold, and there etiect a landing. On th(} 0th having crossed the inlet, and brought tlie ship to within several miles of Cape Seppings, the southern point of Port Leopold, Captain Ivennedy determined to land with the gutta-percha boat, and four seamen, for the purpose of making explorations. He found a narrow lane of water which brought them quickly to the shore. On ascending the clitts on Cape Seppings, the appearance of the ice was such as to induce Cap- tain Kennedy to conclude that very soon the Regent's Inlet would become clear and navigable. After an hour spent on shore, he prepared to return to the ship, but found his progress entirely cut otf by the ice, which, during his delay, had entirely changed its position. Night soon came on. The ocean was covered with huge masses of ice ; grinding, tossing and rearing furiously on every side. To attempt to reach the ship then, was directly to court destruction. CAPTAIN KENNEDY S VOYAGE. 465 They were compelled to draw up their boat on the beach, and turning her over, to prepare to pass the niglit under her. So intense was the cold tliat Cap- tain Kennedy was compelled to prevent the men from sleeping during the whole night, knowing that that alone would prevent them from freezing to death. "When the next morning dawned, and they looked out on the troubled sea, they found that every vestige of the Prince Albert liad vanished. This position of the captain and his men, was both unpleasant and dangerous. He determined lirst to fall back to Whaler roint, where Sir James Ross had deposited a store of provisions. They found the house erected by Sir James, still standing, and the provisions in good order, consisting of pemmican, chocolate and biscuit. It was now the 10th of September and winter was upon them. The only remedy for the lonely exiles, was to make the best preparations possible to pass the winter at Whaler Point, hoping in the ensuing spring to obtain a rescue. It was a sad and sudden termi- nation to the voyage, and they submitted to it most reluctantly. They went to work and transformed the launch left there by Sir James Ross into a shelter, by laying her main-mast on supports at the bow and stern, and spreading over them two sails. This pro- cured them a shelter. A stove was set up in the center of the boat with the pipe running through the roof. This warmed them. Ihey obtained blankets and clothes from the depot left by Sir James ; and this rendered their condition more tolerable. Thus their dreary residence in those Polar regions began, with the prospect of a long and increasingly rigorous winter before them. What the linal issue might be, they could not predict. Time alone could solve that mystery. The only signs of life which appeared around them, were a few Polar bears and foxes. Happily an unexpected termination was put to their danger and suspense on the 17th of September, II 'V' I i^ ' 466 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. by the sudden appearance of a party of seven men under Mr. Bellot, who had left the Prince Albert in search of the absentees, and had dragged the jolly- boat all the way from Batty Bay. It was tlie third attempt which had been made to discover and rescue them, by the crew on board the ship. The joy of Captain Kennedy and his men at this sudden deliv- erance may readily be imagined. They were thus snatched most probably from the jaws of a frozen and mysterious grave which would soon have closed over them. Five weeks had elapsed during their involuntary absence from the ship, and they seemed to possess the magnitude of years to the despairing wanderers. So far distant were they from the vessel, that it re- quired a journey of several days to conduct them thither. The company then prei)ared to pass the win- ter in their present situation. The deck was cleared of lumber and covered with a housing. They then built out-houses of snow for various purposes, for wash houses, for a carpenter shop, and for forges. All the powder on board was taken on shore and buried in the snow. The winter was to be passed in making extensive land journevs in all directions, in search of Sir John Franklin. They prepared a quan- tity of snow-shoes and winter clothing. As soon as the ice in Prince Regent's Inlet permitted them to travel from the ships with safety, they commenced their explorations. The first object of inquiry was to ascertain whether Fury Beach had been a point of refuge to any of Sir John Franklin's company, since it was visited by Lieutenant Hobinson in 1849. It was also desirable to form a depot of provisions there, to aid in future researches which might be made in the same direc- tion. They followed the base of the lofty cliffs which extend in an almost continuous line from Batty Bay to Fury Beach. The company consisted of five per- Bons including Captain Kennedy. They dragged a f i'- !» CAPTAIN KENNEDY 8 VOYAGE. 467 sleigh with them, which was no easy task, as the ground was covered the entire way with boulders and large fragments of ice, which had been stranded on the beach by many successive tempests. Tliere were also immense eloping embankments of drifted snow, which lay high up against the face of theclitfs. Their entire journey was performed by moonlight, the sun having entirely bidden them farewell before their departure from the ship. Sir John Ross had erected in 1832 at Fury Beach, a building which he had named Somerset House. Many hopes centered around this spot, because it was reasonably supposed that if any of Franklin's party had been imprisoned in the Arctic seas, and had ever come near to Fury Beach, they would have repaired to this well known spot, both for shelter and provis- ions. As soon as Captam Kennedy reached this house on January 8th, he discovered that all his hopes had been illusions. A death-like solitude pervaded the moon-lit and frozen gloom around them. The eye rested on a surrounding waste, relieved by no sign of recent life, cheered by no evidence of the for- mer presence of those whom they sought. The stores which had there been placed were fjidi in perfect preservation. The house itself had I)ecoine much di- lapidated by the severity of the climate, aud by tlio rude salutes of those Arctic storms. The roof was much broken. The inder-statf had been thrown down by tiie winds, and had been gnawed by the famished foxes. One end of the building wus tilled with snow. They lighted a lire in the stove which Sir John Koss had once used, and prepared tlieir sup- per. After spending a few hours in the careful ex- amination of that dreary spot, rendered still more mel- ancholy by the lunar gloom and the disappointment of all their hopes. Captain Kennedy and his men returned after a journey of several days to the ship. No traces of the lost navigators had been seen during thia visit to Furv Beach. The state of the weaiUor I I 46S PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. dnrinor tho ensuing month, connpelle'l Captain Ken- nedy to remain in liis vessel. There ihov were nearly overwliehiied hy avahmches of snow. There seemed to ho hilt one gale during the winter around tiio sliip ; hut that jTiile hlew when she came, and continued till she departed. It was dangerous to venture ioitli even lor a sliort distance; inasmuch as the snowdrifts and the darkness combined, soon involved the traveler in a whirling deluge which rendered it impossible to see six paces off. A small party were actually lost for a short time, when endeavoring to convey some provisiouo a short distance from the ship to form a depot. After pro- ceeding a few hours, a furious hurricane arose, which drifted the snow in fearful masses around them. In attemptins^ to cross a bay on their return, they lost sight of the land by which their course was to he guided. Neidier sun, moon, or stars illumined the heavens. They knew not which way to turn. They tried the expedient of setting the dogs loose wliieh drew the sledge. They all started off at a rapid pace, and afterward reached the ship; but their gait was too 2'apid for the men, whom tliey soon left behind to their fate. They still went on Ivnvever, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling, sometimes climbing over the immense blocks and masses of ice and snow drifts. At length they reached tiie powder magazine, and after some further ditiieulty, they found the ship. Their escape was accidental ; for the men had be- come so benumbed with cold, as to be able no longer to clear their eyelids of tlie accumulation of snow which had rested ou them, and were thus nearly blind. Thus February wore away, and Ca[)tain Kennedy began to prepare for the execution of the chief land journey whicti had been contemplated by the expe- dition. The end of this journey was Cape Walker; for it was supposed that if ISir John i'rankliu had taken his departure for the unknown regions to the SHOW liind. luedy huid lixpe- Iker ; had the OAPTAm KENNEDY'S VOTAOE. 469 west and eonth-west, he would have started from this point, and not from Wellington ChanneL Five men accompanied Captain Kennedy on this excursion. As far as Fury Beach they were accom- panied hy seven persons as a fatigue party. Their Provisions, clothing, and bedding were drawn on two ndian sleighs by iivc dogs. They started on the 25th of February, and were accompanied by the whole crew as far as Batty Bay. On the 5th of March Captain Kennedy reached Fury Beach. Here they remained several days, and found the old stores de- posited here by Sir John Ross, not only in a state of good prodervation, but also much superior in quality to those which they brought with them. These pro- visions consisted ot preserved meats, vegetables, and soups, and after thirty years' exposure to the intense climate of the Arctic zone, they wore found to be still fierfecti The flour had all become caked in solid unips, and had to be reground and passed through u seivo before it could be used; but then it furnished most excellent biscuit. On tiie 2Uth of March Captain Kennedy resumed his march from Fury Beach. Ho had four flat-bot- tomed Indian sleiglis, drawn by the dogs an'^ men. They proceeded toward Cape Garry over a long route of flues and low-lying points. They uniformly com- menced their journey immediately after breakfast, and continued till evening, when a snow hut was greeted, and preparations made to pass the nii^ht in it. Tneir labors were rarely over aud repose 3grn, before ten o'clock at night. On the 1st of April they reached Creswf and in the evening camo to Capo Garry thence proceeded onward to Brentford Bd they "ound a dozen Esquimaux huts, deserted y their inhabitants. Here the party divided fur tl • i>urpose of exploring several channels of open waer which extended toward the interior. Captain Kennedy traveled twenty miles along one of these ci aunela. T Bay, They where III 1' i f. ii:^ ! n 470 PROGRESS or ARCTIC DISCOVERT. From a hill on which he here encamped he saw a broad channel running north-east, which he at first supposed to be a continuation of Brentford Bay. Its great extent however, convinced him that it was a western se", and that the narrow passage through whicii he had just traveled was a strait leading out of Prince Regent's Inlet. This being apparently a new discovery, Captain Kennedy called it Beilot Strait, after the second officer of the expedition. This water was afterward discovered to be the northern extremity of Victoria Strait, which Dr. Rae had ex- plored from another direction. At this point Captain Kennedy determined to pro- ceed in a westward direction, in order to ascertain whether any channel existed there through which Sir John Franklin might have penetrated from Cape Walker. On the 8th of April he started in pursuance of this purpose. Their progress was slow in consequence of the roughness of the ice. The men became much afflicted with snow-blindness, and wore much dis- tressed by the sharp particles of snow drift whicli were dashed by the furious wind into their eyes. The wide region around them was perfectly level, and Captain Kennedy named it Arrow Smith's Plains. Sometimes the severity of the weather compelled them to remain for several days in their snuw-iiut. They traveled on for thirteen days without meeting any indications of tlie approaching sea. This con- vinced Captain Kennedy that there was no passage by water to the south-west of Cape Walker; and that due north was now the most desirable course to be pursued. Following this purpose he traveled in that direc- tion for twenty miles over a level plain. On the 24th of April they arrived at the bottom of a deep inlet, whicli has since been ascertained to be the Oir»:na- ney Bay of Captain Austin's expedition. From this point they steered eastward, iu order to strike the CAPTAIN KENNKDY 8 VOYAGE. 471 jsage that pu be irec- 24th Inlet, 1' ina.- tiiia the channel snppoHcd to bo to the eastward of Cape Bunny, and by t\)llowin<jj it to reach Cape Walker. After three days they came to Browne's Hay. At length on the 4th of May, they ap])roached the bold headland of Cape Walker, for the attainment of which they had endured so much. Here they confidently hoped to find some traces of Sir John Franklin, had he followed the sug^ijestions contained in his original instructions. Captain Kennedy accordingly searched every spot within three miles on both sides of the cape, riiey followed the windings of the rough ice outside the beach. They examined the base of the lofty Cliffs which stretch away northward from the cape. Not a single vestige of the lost navigator could anywhere be discovered. Captain Kennedy now determined immediately to return to the ship. He pushed directly across North Somerset toward Batty Bay, intending to follow the coast to Whaler Point. This route was double the distance of the one already followed ; but it was hoped that perhaps it might lead to some desiraldo results. On the first day they encampe-l :;bout mid- way between Cape Walker and Liines>i( ," Island. They passed by Cunningham Inlet, Cape Gilford, and Cape Kennel. At Cape McClintock they found the small store of provisiuiis which Sir John Ross had left theiG in isij. On the 15th of May they reached Whaler Point. On the 27th, they left Whaler Point, to return directly to the Prince Albert, and on the 3Uth their laud journey ended by their safe arrival at the vessel. Various preparations for their departure now occu- pied the attention of the seamen. On the 2l8t of July, liiese were completed ; but they found it impossible to move the snip. The ice had congealed tinnly around her. Tlie only possibility of releasing lier was by sawing a canal tiirough the ice which still ob- structed the bay. After the hard labor of a week, a canal half a miie in leugtli, and sutUcieuily wide to I' If WlW' 472 PUOOUJSS op- ARCTIC DISroVKIIY. permit tho vessol to pass was cut; thron^li. Tin's chan- nel was then cleared of tlie ice by the use of Cope- land's blasting cylinders. On the Oth of August Captain Kennedy and his crew joyfully bade farewell to Batty Bay, where tho Prince Albert had remained three hundred and thirty days. In Elwin Bay they were detained a whole week by the compact masses of ice which still obstructed the sea. On the 17th, tho ice suddenly cleared away, and they then steered for Bcechey Island. At this point they met the " North Star," from Eng- land, commanded by Captain Pullen, which had been despatched by the British Admiralty, to pursue the search after Sir John Franklin. Having completed the object of tho expedition, as far as had been in his power, though without any very satisfactory results. Captain Kennedy on the 24th of August bore away for England, leaving the North Star preparing to winter at Beechey Island, and carrying with him the latest dispatches for the Ad- miralty from Commander Pullen. He wished to touch on his voyage at Navy Board Inlet, hopin^j to bo able to ascertain the state of the stores which had been placed tliere. Two unsuccessful attempts to ac- complish this purpose wt^ro defeated, and Captain Kennedy was then compelled by stress of weather, to relinquish that design. On the 21st of September the Prince Albert reached Cape Farewell ; and on the 7th of October, sho anchored in Aberdeen Har- bor. Six weeks had elapsed since tho commence- ment of her homeward-bound vovago. The entire expedition had occupied the period altogether of fif- teen months. During their winter stay at Whaler Point, many of the men had traveled two thousand miles in excursions in various directions. Tho expe- dition settled the point, that Sir John Franklin could not have advanced by Cape Walker, but had taken tho portheru route through Queen Channel and Penny Strait ; and that traces of his fate could alone be i Wl as lence- mtire )f lif. [lialer isand lexpe- Icould 511 the jenny ^6 be )t m I !!i j :r DR. rank's KXPF-DITIOIC. 473 found from the wcstwnrrl or "Rolinnaf's Straif;^. Tot there too, otlicr re8earc]»c*>«, 0(|nnlly Hnijacions, jxtsc- verino^ aiul tlioron<;h, liavo all unt'urtiiiuitcly proved equally iinsucceiisnil ! Akctic Expr.oRATToNfl; TiiK aiTOND Okinnkm. Exim;- DITION IN SKAKCH OK SiK JolIN FuANKLIN IN IH.'i.'J, '.Vf, *55, BY Dk. E. K. KaNK, in Tllli JiUIG '' AnVANCK." In December, 1852, Dr. Kane received his orders from the Navv Dej/artment at AVashin<;;ton, to con- duct an expedition into the Arctic re;^ions in search of thejijreatKn^lisli navigator. Thealiip " Advance," in which ho had formerly Railed, was placed under Ids command. ITo immediat' ly proceeded to select his crew, to ecpiip the vessel, and to make the otlnjr preparations which were necessary. His ])ar! y num- nered seventeen picked men, all of whom had volun- teered to try with him the perilous vicissitudes of his darinf^ venture. The brig sailed i'vom the port of Now I'ork, on tho 30th of May, 1853; and in eighteen days arrived at St. Joh s, New Foundlaiid. After providing themselves at this place with au ad- ditional stock of fresh meat, and a valuable team of Newfoundland dogs, thoy steered for tlio coast of Greenland. The avowed purpose of this second Arctic journey of Dr. Kane was, to explore what ho believed to be the probable extension of the northern promontory of the poninsul; of Greenland, lie also thought that the extreme northern headland of this fvozen region undoubtedly contained and vs >uld exhibit traces of the lost navigators. 11^ supposed that the chain of the great land-masses of Greenland miglt extend very far toward the North Pole; that Sir .John Franklin might also have been attriuted by this theory, and might have pursued this route; and that by u thorough search in tli.it direction, tiie utmost limits of which had not yet been invaded or explored by liia I i 'A ->. in^ "^jv}- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. ^c -^ 1.0 i I.I us u ^ I" 40 I IL25 i 1.4 12.0 1.6 V A Hiotographic Sciences Coiporation \ f\^^ ■n? A \ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) «72-4503 ^<h ^ A \ 474 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. bold and adventurous predecessors, some light miwht not only be obtained to solve the great enigma which still engrossed the wonder of men, but also new and independent discoveries might be made in that un- known region. On the 1st of July Dr. Kane entered the harbor of Fiskernoes, oneof the Danish settlements of Green- land. This obscure and lonely community is sup- ported by their trade in codtish. The strangers were received with simple hospitality by Mr. Lazzen, the superintendent of tile colony. Some fresh provisions were here also obtained, and an Esquimaux hunter of superior skill was enlisted in the service of the party. Proceeding on from this point, the other Danish settlements of Greenland were successively visited — Lichtenfels, Sukkertoppen, Proven, U"pernavick,at the last of which places the iirst Grinnell expedition of 1851 had rested after its winter drift. At length they reached Yotlik, the most northern point in Greenland inhabited by human beings. Beyond this the coast may be regarded as having been until that period, unexplored. From Yotlik, Dr. Kane steered north- ward toward Bafiia's Islands, which he found then clear of ice ; and passing by Duck Island, bore away for Wilcox Point. As he approached Melville Bay he was enveloped in a thick i'og, during the preva- lence of which he drifted among the icebergs. Af- ter a hard day's work with the boats, they towed the brig away from these unpleasant and dangerous neighbors. He then determined to stand westward, and double Melville Bay by an outside passage, un- less prevented and intercepted by the pack. In exe- cuting this purpose he concluded, in order to avoid the drifting Hoes, to anchor to an ice-berg. Eigiit hours were spent in the severe labor of wai pi ng, heav- ing, and planting the anchors. But scarcely iiad this tasK been linishcd, when tiie attention of the crew v;as attracted by aloud crackling sound aloft. ISmall frag- ments of ice began to descend. The ship became in harbor Green- is 3up- !rs were sen, the ovisions inter of e party. Danish risited — ;k,atthe iition of gth they reenland the coast ,t period, id north- uid then )re away ille Bay e preva- gs. Af- 3 wed the aiigcrous DR. KANe's expedition. 475 imminent peril from the falling fragments of tlie dis- solving mountain. Scarcely had she cast off from the ice-berg, when the face of it descended in ruins upon the sea, crashing and roaring with a thunder not unlike that of artillery. On the 5 th of August they passed the "Crimson Cliifa," so called, from tlie appearance usually pre- sented by their snow-clad summits. Next day they reached Hakluyt Island ; which is surmounted by a tall spire springing six hundred feet into the heavens above the level of the water. They soon passed Capes Alexander and Isabella, and thus entered Smith's Sound. Uaving reached Littleton Island, Dr. Kane determined to deposit here a supply of provisions, and some permanent traces of his route, to be used in case it should be necessary afterward to send an exploring party to discover the fate of his own. The life-boat was accordingly buried here, containing a supply of pemmican, blankets, and India rubber cloth. They endeavored to fortify the precious deposit from the claws of the Polar bear. And here on this lone- ly spot, the party were surprised to find the traces of Esquimaux life. The ruins of stone huts, and even the frozen corpses of the dead were discovered ; and so singular had been the action of the intense cold upon the dead bodies, that though they had probably occupied their cheerless homes for a century, they were still not decomposed. The 20th of gallant crew dened waters of Smith's Sound. At this date they en- countered a storm of extraordinary fury ; and made one of those narrow escapes from destruction, which sometimes give an air more of romance than of reali- ty to the adventures of Arctic explorers. In a terrific gale their three hawsers were broken, and the brig drifted with fearful rapidity under the furious press- ure of the storm. Only by the utmost heroism and skill was the Advance kept from being dashed to 30 T* August still found the brig and her navigating the dangerous and ice-la- 4- !;i !M I 476 PROGRESS OP ARCTIC DISCOVERY. pieces against the mountains of ice which tossed, rolled, and surged around her in the deep. Tlie greatest danger of all was after the storm had partly lulled, when the bergs continued to thump against the floe-ice ; and the certainty of being crushed be- tween the two, stared the voyagers in the face. A sudden means of escape presented itself, and with ad- mirable dexterity and promptitude the crew availed themselves of it. A low, water- washed berg at that moment came driving along past the Advance. An anchor was instantly planted in its side and held fast by a whale line. Carried along with fearful rapidi- ty by this gigantic tow-horse, the little brig was drifted out of danger, and once more escaped the im- pending ruin. She had a close shave of it neverthe- less, and would have lost her port quarter-boat had it not been taken in from the davits. The navigators con^'nued their northern route by tracking along the ice-belt which hugs the frozen shore. On the 23d of August they had reached 78° 41' north latitude. This placed them further north than any of their predecessors had been, except Cap- tain Parry. During the progress of the journey, the whole coast had been inspected carefully ; yet no traces of Sir John Franklin had been discovered. On the 28th of August Dr. Kane determined to send out an expedition from the vessel to make further search, as the condition of the ice prevented the Advance from being brought near to the shore. The whale- boat was chosen lor this adventure. They took with them a sledge and a supply of pemmican. The par- ty consisted of seven persons selected from the crew. The vessel was placed under the temporary control of Mr. Ohlsen. The adventurers were provided with butialo robes, and other necessary means of protec- tion against the extreme cold. Their progress how- ever was slow, not making more than seven miles per day, in consequence of the obstructions of the ice along the shore. Very soon they were compelled to ^tejoj DR. KANE's expedition. 477 abandon the boat, and employ their sledge. The ab- rupt nature of the ground over which they traveled may be inferred from the fact, that frequently they were constrained to carry the sledge on their shoul- ders over precipices and gorges in the ice, and over high and perpendicular knolls of snow. In this trip the travelers found many skeletons of the reindeer. Dr. Kane ascertained by scientific ob- servation, that the mean elevation of this part of the coast of Greenland was thirteen hundred feet. After five days' laborious travel, he was but forty miles dis- tant from the brig. Here he determined to leave the sledge behind and proceed on foot. On the 5th of September they discovered a bay much larger than any other previously known to extend from Smith's Straits. It was fed by a large river whicli poured a flood of tumultuous waters into it from the interior of North Greenland. It was fully three quarters of a mile wide at its mouth. The gallant navigators gave it the name of Mary Minturn Kiver, after the sister of Mrs. II. Grinnell. This river was traced for forty miles toward its mouth ; and its origin was found to be derived from the melting snows of the interior glaciers. From his researches in this region. Dr. Kane came to the conclusion that this coast of Greenland faced to the north. His longitude here was 78° 41' west. After sixteen miles of foot journey the company reached a great headland to which they gave the name of Thackeray. Eight miles further on, a similar eminence attracted their attention ; to which they applied the epithet of Hawkes. The table-lands here were twelve hundred feet high. The party con- tinued their difficult and dangerous journey until they reached some lofty headlands, where they determined to terminate their excursion. These reached an alti- tude of eleven hundred feet, and overlooked an ex- panse extending beyond the eighteenth parallel of latitude. The view from this elevation was maiked s • I * |:i: ^ii'if 1 1 ■ ,1 •' l' i 478 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. by every element of gloomy and cheerless magnifi- cence. On the left, the western shore of the sound stretched away toward the northern pole. To the right a rugged and rolling country appeared, which ended in the Great Plumboldt Glacier. Toward the north-east the projecting headland called Cape An- drew Jackson, appeared; and the vast area between was a sea of solid ice. Farther still, a stream of ice- bergs presented their rugged and unseemly bulks to the eye of the observer. Having carefully examined the whole country as far as his glasses would reach. Dr. Kane determined to return to the Advance. Winter was now rapidly approaching, and it was necessary to select Some ap- propriate spot in which the crew and the vessel might pass its long, gloomy, and dangerous interval. For various reasons which need not here be detailed, Dr. Kane resolved to remain where he then was. He had arrived at the conclusion that Rensselaer Harbor would be the most desirable winter quarters ; and on the 10th of September they commenced the labors necessary to render their position tenable and safe. They removed the contents of the hold of the vessel to a store-house which they prepared on Butter Island. A deck-house was built on the vessel, in which the different qualities of ventilation, warmth, dryness, room, and comfort, were sought to the utmost possi- ble extent. A site for the observatory was selected. Stones were haufed over the ice on sledges for its erec- tion. Its location was on a rocky inlet about a hun- dred yards from the vessel, which they named Fern Kock. Preparations were also made, preparatory to the work of establishing provision depots on the coast of Greenland. The advantage of these provision de- pots will appear from the fact that by their assistance, expeditions of search could afterward be conducted with the use of sledges and dogs. The provisions for the latter, if taken on the journeys themselves, form 60 heavy a load as seriously to embarrass the move- y t H DR. KANE S EXPEDITION. 479 ments of the travelers. But when they were released from this labor, these dogs conveyed the sledges and their occupants on long journeys successfully, and with great rapidity on their tours of examination. On the 20th of September the first party organized to establish provision depots was sent out. It consist- ed of seven men. A sledge thirteen feet in length, called the '* Faith," was filled with pemmican, and was drawn by those attached to it, by means of track- ropes termed rue-raddies, which were passed around the shoulder and under the arms. The intended lo- cation of this depot was sixty miles from the brig, on the Greenland coast. As the bold and hardy adven- turers started forth, they were saluted with three liearty cheers by their comrades who remained with the vessel. The life of the party which remained in the vessel was not devoid of incident and interest. They made a desperate attempt to smoke out the rats with which they were infested. To accomplish this purpose, a quantity of charcoal was burnt, after the hatches had been shut down, and every visible crevice had been stopped. A large quantity of carbonic acid gas was then generated, and the crew spen^: one night on deck in order to give the rats fair play. One or two of the seamen made a narrow escape from suflbcation, by venturing during the night into the fumigated por- tion of the ship. They were also assailed by another peril. A barrel of charcoal by some means became ignited, which had been left in the carpenter's room at some distance from the stove. After some labor and more anxiety, the fire was suppressed before any very serious damage had been done to the vessel. The corpses of twenty-eight defunct rats, of all sizes, ages, and sexes, became the next day the trophies of the successful attack of the crew upon their foes. By the 10th of October the party which had been sent to establish the first depot of provisions, had been absent twenty days; and thei' return was anx- ' J\ . iiii I' i:\. . <,' 480 PROORE OF ARCViO DISCOVERT. iously expected. Dr. Kane at length determined to start out in search of them. He traveled with one companion on a sledge drawn by four Newfoundland dogs. He averaged twenty miles per day with this singular team. On the 15th, several hours before sun- rise, he perceived on the distant and snowy waste, a dark object which seemed to move. It proved to be the returning depot-party. They had traveled at the rate of eighteen miles per day, and had been twenty- eight days engaged in their laborious expedition. Some of their limbs had been frozen, and they had met with other mishaps, though none were of a very seri- ous nature, and they had accomplished the purpose fur which they had been sent out. The greeting which ensued on their return to the ship, was hearty on both sides. They had made the iirst deposit of provision at Cape Russell. Thirty miles further on, they left about a hundred and ten pounds of pemmi- can and beef, about thirty pounds of a mixture of pemmican and meal, and a bag of bread. On the 10th of October they made their third and last de- posit on an island called James McGary, after the second officer of the expedition. Here they erected a cairn, and buried six hundred and seventy pounds of pemmican, and forty of meat, biscuit, with other items, making in all eight iiundred pounds. One in- cident which occurred during their journey, illustrates very clearly some of the perils which attend Arctic travel. The company had pitched their tent for the night and had retired to rest. It was about mid- night. They had been lulled to slumber by the grand monotonous thundering of the neighboring glaciers. Suddenly the floe on which the tent was placed, cracked with a stupendous report directly beneath them. The sleeping party needed no further prompt- ings to bestir themselves. Repeated reports around them gave evidence that the ice was breaking up. The sledge was immediately placed upon a detached piece of ice, and rowed and paddled to one of the mmf •irilHlAda ■HiMWia DR. KANE 8 EXPEDITION. 481 In rnicr fields M-liich remained attaohed to tlic borcrfl. IUm'c they ol)tained Raf'ety until the niorniiiij:, wlien they quickly removed from their daiiiiierous jjosition. Tliey eventually returned in safety tu tlie brig. By the 7th of November, 1853, the darkness of an Arctic winter began to settle down upon them. It was necessary to keep the lamps lit constantly. They had the comfortable prospect of ninety days of dark- ness yet to come. It was natural that the Umely ad- venturers should begin to devise some means of amusement, by which they might beguile tiie cheer- less monotony of tlieir existence. A fancy ball was projected, and an Arctic journal bearing the appro- priate title of "The Ice Blink," was commenced. Thus the slow and tedious days and nights of their winter sojourn wore on. In spite of the intense cold, Dr. Kane continued to make his magnetic observa- tions in the observatory. AVlien the thermometer stood at forty-nine degrees below zero, and even at sixty-four degrees below zero, he still elfected his as- tronomical investigations and calculations. On the 21st of January the Urst traces of the re- turning light became visible. Its approach was in- dicated by a beauteous orange tint, which flushed the distant southern horizon. But still, the darkness seemed to be eternal and unvarying. The continued absence of light appeared to affect the health of the party, as much as the excessive rigor of the cold. By the 21st of February the sun's rays became clearly visible, and when March arrived, it brought with it the almost perpetual day which alternately takes the place in the Arctic realms of almost perpetual night. During the winter, nine noble Newfoundland, and thirty-tive Esquimaux dogs, which were of the ut- most value, had perished. Six only remained out ot the whole number which had been taken at the commencement of the expedition ; and these were now their only reliance in their future operations. By the 18th of March the spring tides began to R I ( I I '1. I fl 482 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. break and move the massive ice which still hound the Arctic Sea. The ice commenced to ^rind and crush • the water to dash to and fro ; and the vessel to rise and descend in a range of seventeen feet per day. On the 20th a depot-party was sent ont, preparatoiy to the commencement of the operations of tlie sum- mer. Those who remained in the ship commenced to clean it, to take down the forward bulwarks and to clear the decks. The necessary preparations for in- land trips and researches were made ; sledges and accoutrements were contrived, and moccasins were fabricated. While these labors occupied their atten- tion, a portion of the depot party suddenly reap- peared at the vessel. They brought back a terrible report. They had left four of their number lying on the ice frozen and disabled, and they had returned a great distance to obtain instant relief. Not a moment was to be lost. Ohlsen, the only one of the returned party who seemed able to give any information, was wrapped up in buffalo robes and placed upon a sledge. !Nine men started out to the rescue. The cold was intense, ranging seventy-eight degrees below the freezing point. The instant the party ceased to move they would have been frozen to death. Violent exercise alone kept them alive. When they ventured to apply snow to their lips to slake their thirst, it burnt like caustic, and blood im- mediately followed. Some of the men were seized with trembling fits, and some with attacks of short breath. Dr. Xane himself, fainted twice upon the snow under the intense cold. After a laborious and dangerous journey of twenty- one hours, the lost party were discovered. They were nearly forty miles distant from the brig. Their con- dition was perilous in the extreme ; and the succor did not come a moment too soon. But the rescuers were scarcely better off than the rescued. They were compelled to drag a load of nine hundred pounds upon the sledge ; and during their return trip the DR. RANK 8 EXPEDITION. 483 whole party were in imniinont dano^or of boinfj frozen to (loatli. Tlioy could with tlio utmost difHculty resist the disposition to sleej), wnich wouhl have ininiediute- ly sealed their fate. After a fearful journey of sev- eral days the party repjained the hri<ij; hut the suffer- ings of that terrible occasion were almost beyond the power of imagination. They had traveled about ninety miles ; and most of the men had become tem- porarily delirious ; nearly all were frozen in some portions of their bodies ; and two of them ultimately died in consequence of their exposure. On the 2Tth of April, the time having arrived to con- tinue his researches both after Sir John Franklin and in Arctic discovery, Dr. Kane determined to resume his expeditions. He resolved now to follow the ice- belt to the Great Glacier of Humboldt, and thence to stretch along the face of the glacier, toward the west of north, and make an attempt to cross the ice to the American side of the channel. The object of this bold venture was to attain the utmost limit of the shore of Greenland ; to measure the waste which ex- tended between it and the unknown west ; and thua to reveal, if possible, some of the mysteries which surrounded the North Pole. The journey was imme- diately commenced. After many adventures and suflerings which we will not describe, the Great Gla- cier of Humboldt was reached. A more magnificent object than this does not exist on the globe. It pre- sents a shining wall of ice 300 feet in height, frown- ing over the frozen sea below, and extends unbroken for sixty miles. It is the great crystal bridge which has for ages connected together the two continents of America and Greenland, and it extends from the sea toward the interior, through vast and unknown regions. Dr. Kane now determined to organize a double party, in order to ascertain whether a channel or any form of outlet existed to the northern extremity of the coast of Greenland. He was convinced of the i 484 PROORK88 0^ ARCTIC DISCOVERY. im exiatonco of fluch a channel from the movcmentfl of the ico ber^fl ; from the ])hysical cluiracter of the tides ; as well as from certain and uniform analogies of physical p;eo^raphy. On the 3d of Juno one of the parties of explora- tion set out from the hrig. They liad a large sledge thirteen feet long. They aimed directly for the gla- cier-barrier on the Greenland side. Their orders were to attempt to scale the ice and examine the interior of the great mer-de-glace. On the 27th of June one of the parties, directed by McGarry and Bonsall, returned to the brig. Several of them had become nearly blind. After twelve days' travel they had reached the Great Glacier. They found the depot of provisions, which had been deposited the previous season, destroyed by the bears. These brutes had broken open the tin cases in which the pemmican had been deposited. An al- coliol cask strongly bound in iron was dashed into fragments ; and a tin liquor can was mashed and twisted into a ball. This party of explorers had found it impossible to scale the Great Glacier, and returned to the brig without having effected any re- sults of importance. The other party, which had been placed under the guidance of Mr. Morton, left the vessel on the 4th of June. On the 15th they reached the foot of the Great Glacier. They steered northward, keeping parallel with the glacier, and from five to seven miles distant from it. The thickness of the ice over which they journeyed was found to be seven feet five inches. They traveled frequently with the snow up to their knees. When they had reached Peabody Bay they encountered the bergs, whose surface was fresh and glassy. Some of these were rectangular in shape and some were square ; and their length va- ried from a quarter of a mile to a mile. The task of traveling over these bergs was full of difficulty and I DR. KANe's expedition. 485 danger. At len<]jtli they made tlioir way through them to tho smoother ice wliieli hiy hcyond. On the 10th of June, luivin^ encain|)CMl, Morton afl- cended a high berg, in order to examine their future route and survey the surrounding dcsohition. From this point he beheld an extensive plain which stretched away toward the north, which proved to bo tlie Great Glacier of Humboldt, as it appeared toward the in- terior, which also fronted on the bay. From tliis point the advance of the party was ])f3rilou8. They were freqjuently arrested by wide and deep fissures in the ice. This difficulty compelled tliem to turn to- ward the west. Some of these chasms were four feet wide, and contained water at tlie bottom. From this point they beheld the distant northern shore, termed the " "West Land." Its appearance was mountainous and rolling. Its distance from them seemed to be about sixty miles. At length, by the 21st of June, the party reached a point opposite the termination of the Great Glacier. It appeared to be mixed with earth and rocks. Trav- eling on, they reached at length the head of Kennedy channel, and saw beyond that the open water. Passing in their route a cape, they called it Cape Andrew Jack- son. Here they found good smooth ice ; for during the last few days they had passed over rotten ice, which not unfrequently threatened to break beneath them. Having entered the curve of a bay, they named it after Robert Morris, the great financier of the revolution. On the smooth ice in this vicinity the party advanced at the rate of six miles per hour. Kennedy Channel here grew narrower, l)ut after- ward it widened again. Broken ice in large masses was floating in it ; but there were passages lifteen miles in width, which remained perfectly clear. Six miles inward from the channel, mountains rose to the view. On the 22d of June they encamped, after hav- ing traveled forty-eight miles in a direct line. They were still upon the shores of the channel. They could ii 4:86 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. \m plainly s^ *^he opposite shore, which appeared pre- cipitous, d surmounted with sugar-loaf shaped mountains. At this part of their journey they en- countered a Polar bear, with her cub. A desperate fight ensued, in which the singular instincts of nature were strikingly illustrated, by the desperate eflbrts made by the poor brute to protect her helpless oft- Bpring. Both were slain, A shallow bay covered with ICO was then crossed. They passed several isl- ands which lay in the channel, which they named after Sir John Franklin and Captain Crozier. The clilis which here constituted the shore of the chan- nel were very high, towering at least two thou- sand feet above its surface. The party attempted to ascend these cliffs ; but found it impossible to mount more than a few hundred feet. On the highest point which they attained, a walking pole was fastened, with the Grinnell flag of the Antartic attached to it ; and thus for an hour and a half this standard was per- mitted to wave over the highest northern region of the earth ever attained by the foot of man. They here encountered a cape, and the party de- sired to pass around it, in order to ascertain whether there lay any unknown land beyond it. But they found it impossible to advance. This then was the utmost limit and termination of their journey toward the pole. Mr. Morton ascended an eminence here, and carefully scrutinized the aspects of nature all around him. Six degrees toward the west of north, he observed a lofty peak, truncated in its form, and about three thousand feet in height. This elevation is named Mount Edward Parry, after the great pio- neer of Arctic adventure ; and is the most extreme northern point of land known to exist upon the globe. From the position which Mr. Morton had attained, he beheld toward the north, from an elevation of four hundred feet, a boundless waste of waters stretching away toward the pole. Not a particle of ice encum- bered its surface. He heard the dashina: of unfrozen DR. KANE 8 EXPEDITION. 487 waves, and beheld a rolling surf like that of more genial climes, rushing and dashing against the rocks upon the shore. This was certainly a mysterious phenomenon. Here was a fluid sea, in the midst of whole continents of ice, and that sea seemed to wash the Pole itself. The eye of the explorer surveyed at least forty miles of uninterrupted water in a northern direction. The point thus reached in this exploring expedition, was about five hundred miles distant from the Pole. Had the party been able to convey thither a boat, they might have embarked upon the bright and placid waters of that lonely ocean. But having been able to make this journey only with the sledge, further explorations were of course impossible. The most remarkable development connected with these discoveries was, that the temperature was here found to be much more moderate than it was further south. Marine birds sailed through the heavens. Rippling waves followed each other on the surface of the deep. A few stunted flowers grew over the barren and rocky shore. The inference which may be drawn from these and other facts is, that this open sea, termed the Polar Basin, stretches to the Pole itself, or at least continues a great distance until its course is interrupted by oAer projections of the terra firma. These are mysterious inquiries, still the great desid- erata of Arctic travel ; which will remain unanswered, until some more successful explorer, gifted with greater physical endurance, if any such can be, and furnished with ampler and more abundant facilities than any of his predecessors, shall persist in defiance of every impediment in advancing, until he boldly plants his foot upon the very spot now termed the North Pole. The several parties which had been sent forth by Dr. Kane, to explore the regions just described, hav- ing returned, the seaeon of Arctic travel had nearly terminated, and the members of the expedition were about to relapse into winter quarters, with their usual 7 ;i I i I <l 11 \h ■ i ^: wm 488 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. darkness, monotony, and gloom. But before resign- ing themselves entirely to this unwelcome seclusion. Dr. Kane resolved to make an effort to reach Beechey Island. At this point, already so frequently referred to in the preceding pages, Sir Edward Belcher's squadron was then supposed to be stationed; and from them the American explorers might obtain both provisions and information. Accordingly, Dr. Kane manned his boat, called the "Forlorn Hope," which was twenty-three feet long, and six feet and a half beam. The necessary amount of provisions were placed on board, and the bold venture was undertaken. Sometimes the boat was navigated through the un- frozen channels of water, which intervened between the floes of ice ; at others she was placed on a large sledge called the " Faith," and thus transported over the frozen wastes. This party approached Littleton Island, which had been visited by Captain Ingletield. They here ob- tained a vast quantity of eider ducks. They then passed Flagstaff Point and Combermere Cape. Then came Cape Isabella and Cape Frederick VII. On the 23d of July they reached Ilakluyt Island; and thence they steered for Cary Islands. But on the Sist of July, when they had reaiehed a point but ten miles distant from Cape Parry, their further progress was absolutely stopped. A solid mass of ice lay be- fore them on the sea, extending as far as the eye could reach. This barrier was composed of the vast seas of ice which had drifted through Jones' Sound on the west, and those of Murchison's on the east. The adventurers were now compelled to retrace their way. About the 1st of August they regained the brig, without having met with any accident, but also without having succeeded in attaining the object of their excursion. They found the "Advance" just as tightly wedged into the ice as it had been during the preceding eleven mouths, with no hope of getting ner released. Two important questions now demand- tUtgUm-trntmimiB ^i the also let of list as the land- DB. KANE 8 EXPEDITION. 489 ed their attention. The first was, how they were to pass this, their second winter in the Arctic regions ; and how they were to make their escape in the ensu- ing spring. Whatever might be the issue of the future, Dr. Kane determined to leave a memorial at the spot which he then occupied, to prove to his successors the fact that he and his expedition had been there. He paint- ed the words " Advance, A. D. 1853-5V' upon the broad face of a rock, which rested on a high cliff look- ing out upon the frozen waste. Near this spot a hole was drilled into the rock, and a paper containing a history of the expedition and its present condition, was placed in glass, and sealed into the cavity with melted lead. Close at hand were buried the corpses of the two members of the expedition who had al- ready ended their toils and sufferings. Tiie prospect of a second winter amid the eternal snows and ice of the Polar Circle, was not inviting to the adventurers. A portion of them felt convinced of the practicability of an immediate escape to the south. On the 24:th of August Dr. Kane summoned all hands together, and clearly stated to them the as- pects of the case. He advised that all should remain by the brig till the next spring ; although he declared that those who wished to return could make the at- tempt. Eight men concluded to remain ; and nine of them resolved that, rather than endure the miseries of a second winter near the Pole, they would run the risks of an instant attempt to escape. This resolution they made immediate preparations to execute. A full share of the remaining provisions was measured out to them. They were assured of a welcome re- ception if they chose to return; and they started forth on August 28th from the brig. One of this party returned to the vessel in a few days ; the rest wandered for many months, and endured much misery and exposure, before they rejoined their wiser com- rades in the brig. XJ 31 iJ I i t 490 PROGRESS OF ARCTIO DISCOVERY. Dr. Kane and the eight men who remained with him, immediately began to prepare for tho horrors of the ensning winter. They gathered a hirge amount of moss with which they lined and padded the quar- ter-deck. This expedient rendered their cabin imper- ious to the changes and the extreme severity of the atmosphere. They stripped off the outer-deck plank- ing of the brig, for the purpose of fire-wood. The chief necessity of the explorers was fresh meat, to guard them against the scurvy. To obtain this food, frequent excursions were made for the purpose of cap- turing seals. On one of these occasions Dr. Kane narrowly escaped a watery grave. lie was at twelve miles' distance from the brig, with a single attendant. The ice broke beneath their sledge, and they were precipitated into the water. After great exertions and amid extreme danger, they succeeded in regain- ing ice sufficiently strong to bear their weight. They lost their sledge, tent, kayack, guns, and snow-shoes. At length, by the 21st of October, the rays of the sun had ceased to reach them; and darkness — the cold and cheerless darkness of an Arctic night settled down upon them. They were compelled to confine themselves to the precincts of their gloomy cabin, and waste away as best they could, the slow hours of their long winter. Their only light was an occa- sional aurora, whose pale, bright arch of brilliant hues seemed to be resting on the distant Pole. The ther- mometer aow ranged 34° below zero. Thus, in this strange monotony of routine and incident, November and December wore away ; except that during the latter month, a portion of the party who had deserted the bri^ on the 28th of August previous, returned to their old quarters. They had suffered much; and had left the remainder of their party two hundred miles distant in the midst of great destitution. The thermometer was then fifty degrees below zero. When Oiiristmas came it was celebrated for the second time by this gallant crew oi' heroes, amid the Arctic soli- -^ DR. KANE 8 EXPEDITION. 491 tndes, with snch means as tlicy conld command — which indeed were few j and thus ended with them the year 1854. The three most dangerous and dreary months of the year — January, February, and March — were now before them. During these months it was exceeding ly difficult for the adventurers to procure fresh meat, wliich was their only preventive and cure of scurvy. With this disease every member of the party became at last infected ; some so seriously that their lives were in danger. Thus the dreary drama of their Arc- tic exile dragged on. They waited patiently for the time to arrive when they could commence the neces- sary preparations for the journey of thirteen hundred miles which they would undertake in the spring. The vessel would evidently remain so firmly fixed in an ocean of ice, that its removal would be utterly im- possible. Their return must be effected with the com- bined use of sledges and boats. Yet before commenc- ing a final retreat. Dr. Kane resolved to attempt once more a northern excursion, hoping that it might re- sult in some useful discovery connected with the ob- ject of the expedition. The region which was yet to be explored was the farther shores beyond Kennedy Channel. The aid of the dogs was indispensable to the accomplishment of this task ; and there were but four left out of the sixty- two, which composed their stock when they left Newfoundland. An arrangement was however made with Kalutunah, one of the wandering Esquimaux whom they knew, for the use of his dogs and three sledges. Thus reenforced, Dr. Kane, accompanied by several experienced Esquimaux travelers, commenced his journey. In two hours they reached a lofty berg fifteen miles north of the brig. The view of the chan- nel presented from the summit of this berg was not very favorable. The outside channel seemed filled with squeezed ice ; and on the frozen plain beyond, the bergs appeared tcv be much distorted. jll' 492 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. ^ Nevertheless, Dr. Kane resolved to make the ven- ture. They quickly passed fifteen miles further; when the party halted to feed and rest. The journey was then resumed. But unfortunately the traces of a Polar bear soon attracted the attention of the Esqui- maux, and the temptation was too strong for famished men to resist. A chase ensued. The animal was quickly brought to bay, attacked, and dispatched. Then ensued another gorge, and after the gorge there necessarily came an interval of repose and sleep. A sleep of four hours' duration ensued upon the open snow ; after which the party arose and resumed their journey. Dr. Kane desired to steer directly to the northward ; but his associates declared that to cross 80 high up as they then were, was impossible. The fate of Baker and Schubert in the preceding year, who attempted this feat, recurred to their recollec- tion, and convinced them that the attempt would be then extremely hazardous. Again was the leader of the expedition fated to experience a disappointment, and to return to the brig witl out having accomplished the purpose for which he set forth. But before he did so, he embraced the opportunity which was with- in h'l reach, once more to examine the Great Hum- boldt Glacier, one of the most remarkable monuments in nature. The whole horizon before him was bound- ed by long lines of ice-bergs. They undulated about the horizon, but as they descended to the sea, they resembled an uneven plain with an inclination of about nine degrees, still diminishing as they ap- proached the foreground. Vast crevasses appeared in the distance like mere wrinkles. These grew larger as they approached the sea, where they expanded in- to gigantic stairways. The appearance of this Great Humboldt Glacier resembles in some respects the frozen masses of the Alps ; and reminded the bold adventurer of many scenes which he had witnessed in the mountains of K or way and Switzerland. The average height of DR. RANK 8 EXPEDITION. 493 this great glacier along the water's edge was about three hnnured feet ; and this height was presented by an uniform perspective of sixty miles in length ; thus exliibiting one of the most sublime and imposing spectacles which the mind can conceive. The config- urations of its surface and form clearly indicate that its inequalities follow those of the rocky soil on which it rests. Having made various observations upon the phenomena connected with this glacier, Dr. Kane re- sumed his return toward the brig. The company traveled over the frozen surface of tlie ice to the south of Peabody Bay. The first spot at which they landed was called Cape James Kent. It was a rugged and lofty headland ; and it presenvd in the distance a strange spectacle of a rude surface, covered with mil- lions of tons of rubbish, rocks of every imaginable shape, and slates of immense size and of infinite va- riety of forms. On the south-eastern corner of Mar- shall Bay the party found a group of Esquimaux re- mains, consisting of a few deserted huts and graves. They were the rude and melancholy relics of a race of lonely wanderers who had passed away. These remains w^re surrounded by the bones of the seal and the walrus, and the dissevered vertebrae of a whale. There were indications that the spot had long been deserted ; and yet no changes had been eft'ected by the silent lapse of time in those frozen and primeval solitudes, in the appearance and position of these simple monuments. This journey was enlivened by several interesting bear hunts ; and a few details respecting this Arctic entertainment may here not be inappropriate. The dogs with which these hunts are carried on, are very carefully trained to play their part. This part is not to attack the bear, but to hinder and im- pede his flight. While one of these dogs occupies Lis attention in front, another salutes his hind legs with vigorous bites. This keeps the animal oscilla- ting between several distinct parties of foes ; and while : t f ^, i n 49-i PROOKE88 OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. he is battling with one and the other, the hunters come up. In the first instance, as soon as the bear sees the approach of the dogs and men, he rises on Ills haunches, carefully inspects his foes for a mo- ment, and tlien takes to his heels. As the hunter ap- proaches him, if he is riding on his sledge he loosens the traces of his two foremost dogs, which releases them from their burden, and enables them to attack the bear. Soon after, the rest of the dogs are libera- ted in the same way. When there are two hunters, bruin is soon and easily dispatched. They surround him, and while one of them pretends to stab him with a spear on the right side, and thus engages the bear in his defense in that direction, the death wound is inflicted on the left by the same weapon. If there be but one hunter, the task is neither so easy nor so safe. The hunter grasps his lance firmly in his hands, and provokes the bear to pursue him by running across his path, and then pretending to flee. When the bear has begun the chase, the hunter suddenly doubles on his track by a dexterous leap ; and while the bear is in the act of turning around, he is stabbed with the spear in his left side below the shoulder. If this stab be skillfully executed, the bear is at once disabled and soon expires. K it is not, the hunter has then to run for his life, after leaving his spear sticking in the side of his victim. If the bear gets the hunter in his grasp, he salutes him with divers hugs and squeezes, which are much more vigorous and affectionate than agreeable. He sometimes also uses his teeth. Dr. Kane saw some Esquimaux hun- ters who had been bitten behind in the calves of the legs ; and another who had received a similar salute somewhat higher up. Having returned to the brig. Dr. Kane resumed his preparations for final departure. Frozen fast as she was in the ice, there was no possibility of remov- ing her. The only possible means of escape was by the combined use of boats and sledges. The party T DR. KANK 8 EXPEDITION. 495 went to work industriously in tho maniifactiiro of clothing siiitablo to tho journey, (^anvas moccasins were made for eacli of tlie j)arty, and a surnhis sup- ply of three dozen was added to tho stocK. Tiieir boots were made of carpeting, witli soles of walrus or seal hide, and some liad been fabricated from tho chating gear of tho brig. Other portions of their clothing were made out of blankets. Every one act- ed as his own tailor. Their bedding was made out of the woolen curtains with which their berths in tho brig had been adorned. These were quilted with eider down, and bulfalo robes were added to increase their warmth. Their provision bags consisted of sail-cloth, made water-tiglit by the application of tar and pitch. They were of various sizes, so as to be more conveniently stowed away in the boats. The ship-bread was pow- dered by being beaten with a capstan-bar, and then pressed down into tlie bags. Pork-fat and tallow being melted down, were poured into other bags as into moulds, and thus left to freeze. Concentrated beau-soup was cooked up and prepared in the same way. The flour and meat-biscuit were protected from moisture in double bags. Dr. Kane's plan was to subsist his party for some time after they left the brig, by new supplies of provisions which he could bring from the vessel by trips with hia dog-team. The means of conveyance which were to carry the company on this long and weary journey, and which were to be carried by them in a great measure, con- sisted of three boats. These had all suffered very materially from exposure to the ice and the Arctic storms ; and were scarcely sea-worthy. They were strengthened and tinkered in every possible way by oak bottom-pieces, and by wash-boards which protect- ed the gunwales and gave them greater depth. A housing of canvas was stretched upon a ridge line, which was suspended by stanchions, and which were fastened over the sides of the boats to jack-stays. !|; » 496 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. Each boat had a sinfi^lo mnRt, and it was so arranpred that it could bo easily un8hi})pod, and carried along- side the boat. The boats were mounted on sledi^cs. The provisions were stored carefully under the thwarts. The boats were to bo drawn by the men with ruo-rad- dies, or straps, which passed over the shoulder and were attached by a long trace to the pledge. Tire philosophical instruments were carefully boxed and padded, and placed in the stern-sheets of one of the boats. Spy-glasses and small instruments the trav- elers earned on their persons. The powder and shot, which now became of infinite value to them, wore dis- tributed in bags and tin canisters. The percussion caps, the most valuable of all. Dr. Kane himself took charge of and reserved. Having made all the preparations which were pos- sible under the circumstances of the case. Dr. Kane announced to his crew that he appointed the 17th of May as the day of their linal departure from the brig. Each man was allowed to select and retain eight pounds of personal effects. The announcement of their final departure toward the south was not received by the members of the expedition with the enthusiasm which Dr. Kane had expected. Some doubted the reality of the journey home ; and suspected that it was merely a maneuver to remove the sick to the hunting grounds. Others thought that the real pur- pose was only to journey further south, whilst the brig was retained as a refuge for them to retreat to ; while others suspected that their leader merely wished to reach some point on the coast where he could obtain a rescue from passing whalers, or from some of the English Arctic expeditions which were still supposed to be lingering in those remote regions. The sick among the crew, who had long been accus- tomed to inaction and indulgence, declared themselves unfit to be removed, and unable to travel a mile. But in spite of all these obstacles, the resolution of the commander of the expedition was unalterable. TIF -I I I DR. Kane's expedition. 497 IIo was determined to cornmenco this incrnornblo journey on the day appointed, nt all hazards. At len<]jth the day preeedini^ that of departure arrived. The boats were reuiovod from the bri;^ and placed upon the ico. Thisproeeas seemed to revive to somo decree the (lea])ondin«^ spirits of the men. The pro- visions were then conveyed into them ; and other necessary transfers were made. After some hours of active oi)erations, the whole of tlieir task was com- pleted ; and the men returned on board the bri<^, in order to spend their last night in that familiar shelter. After supper they retired to rest, in or<ler to recruit their energies for the toils which were to com- mence on the ensuing day, ui)oii the iinal success of which their future existence depended. At length the wished-for moment arrived when the weary adventurers were to take their last farewell of the vessel which had been associated with them in so many vicissitudes and dangers. All hands were assembled together in silence in the w'liter chamber. The day was Sunday, and the exercises began by the reading of a chapter of the scriptures. Dr. iuino then took Sir John Franklin's portrait from its frame, and enclosed it in an ludia-rubber scroll. The sev- eral reports of inspection and survey were then read, which set forth what results had already been attained, and contained the reasons which induced the com- mander of the expedition to take the steps which were to ensue. He then addressed his men in refer- ence to the journey on which they were about to en- ter, explaining its necessity, the method according to which it was to be conducted, and the certainty of final relief and escape which it would bring them, if they resolutely persisted in carrying it out. Thirteen hundred miles of ice and water lay between their present position and the shores of Korth Greenland. He closed by directing their hopes of safety, not un- fitly, to that great Unseen Power who had already rescued them from a thousand deaths, and who would % 498 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. continue to be their very present help in every time of need. The men responded to the sentiments and purposes expressed by Dr. Kane with more enthusiasm than he seems to have anticipated. They drew up a state- ment in which they expressed their conviction of the necessity which existed of abandoning the brig; the impossibility of remaining a third winter in the ice ; the obligation which rested on them to convey the sick carefully along with them ; and their determina- tion to cooperate with their leader in his proposed measures of escape. This statement was handed to Dr. Kane. He also had prepared a narrative of the considerations which induced him to abandon the ves- sel. This he posted to a stanchion near the gangway, so that ii might attract the attention of any one who approached the vessel. The party then went on deck ; the flags were hoisted to the mast-head, and lowered again ; the men paraded twice around the brig, care- fully scrutinizing her timbers, associated in their minds with so uiany pleasing and painful recollec- tions ; and having thus saluted the vessel for the last time, they rushed away over the ice toward the boats, which had already been removed, lilled with their cargo, and made ready to commence their homeward journey. The whole return party consisted of seventeen per- sons, including Dr. Kane. Four of these were sick, and unable to move. The rest were divided into two companies, and appropriated to the several boats. Dr. Kane took charge of the dog-team, which was to be used for tiie purpose of conveying provisions from the vessel to the crew, during the Srst few days of their journey. To the boat called "Faith," McGary, Ohlseu, Bonsall, Petersen, and Hickey were assigned. To the *' Hope," Morton, ISontag, Kiley, Blake, and Godfrey were detailed. The lii'st stage of the journey was to a spot called Auoatok, which had been a halting place in their win- DB. KANE'S EXPEDITION. 499 ter journeys. It was a single hnt, composed of rude and heavy stones, and resembled a cave more than it did a house. Strange to say, this bleak and for- lorn corner of that frozen hemisphere, the gloomiest and most detestable on the whole face of the globe, bore a name which was imposed by the least poeti- cal of human beings, the Esquimaux^ which was not devoid of beauty ; for Anoatok in the jargon of the shivering natives means " the wind-loved spot." It was perched on the extreme point ot a rocky promon- tory, and commanded a wide view of the icy straits, both toward the north and south. Dr. Kane had exerted himself to repair the hut, and make it fit to shelter the sick. He had added a door to its broken outlet, and had introduced a stove and stove-pipe. Other improvements had been made. A solitary pane of glass, which once had faced a daguerreotype, was inserted in the door, to give a scanty light. The provisions which had been re- moved to this place were eight hundred pounds in weight. Seven hundred pounds still remained in the brig, to be removed by successive journeys of the dog-team. The services of these six dogs were in- deed invaluable. In addition to all their previous journeys, they carried Dr. Kane to and fro, with a well-burdened sledge, nearly eight hundred miles du- ring the first two weeks after they left the brig, be- ing an average of fifty-seven miles per day. So feeble and reduced were the parties who drag- ged the two boats, that they advanced but a mile a day, and on the 24:th had only made seven miles. The halts were regulated entirely by the condition of the men who required longer rest at some periods than at others. The thermometer ranged below zero, and the men slept at night in the boats, protected by their canvas coverings. Had it not been for the shelter which the hut at Anoatok ati:'orded, the four sick men — Groodfeiiow, Wilson, Whipple, and Ste- phenson — they must have perished. At the tnne of 500 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. their removal into it, they were so drawn up with the scurvy that they were wholly unable to move. Yet their delay in this hut was extremely gloomy ; lor it lasted from the time that they were removed from the brig, until they were carried forward by the sledge to the boats which had been dragged by their respec^^ive crews in advance of them. During this interval they were carefully fed and attended by Dr. Kane. Dr. Kane's visits to the brig from time to time, in order to obtain supplies of provisions, were full of in- terest to him. On the first of these he found the ves- sel already inhabited by an old raven, which had often been seen hovering around, and whom they had called Magog. The fire was lighted in the galley, the pork was melted, large batches of bread were baked, dried apples were stewed, and then the sledge was made ready to return with the load. iSuch was usually the routine of Dr. Kane's lonely visits to the brig. Af- ter the first of these visits, when he returned to the ** wind-loved spot," Anoatok, with his sledge, he found that the sick who still remained there had exhausted their provisions ; that their single lamp had gone out; that the snow drifts had forced thuir way in at the door, so that it could not be shut ; that the wind was blowing furiously through the open tenement ; and that the thermometer ranged only thirteen degrees above zero. The invalids were disheartened and hun- gry. A fire was built with tarred rope ; a porridge was prepared for them out of meat biscuit and pea soup ; the door was fastened up ; a dripping slab of fat pork was suspended over their lamp wick ; and then all turned into their sleeping bags, after a hearty though not \ery savory meal. So overcome were they all with exposure and weakness, that they slept until after all their watches had run down. Dr. Kane then hurried forward to the sledge party, who had by that time reached Ten Mile liavine. They were struggling with the deep snows, v/ere over- DR. KANE's expedition. 601 the rty ere ept whelmed with fatigue, and were somewhat disheart- ened. Although their feet were much swollen, they had toiled that day for fourteen hours. Some were suffering from snow-blindness, and were scarcely able to work at the drag-ropes. In spite of all their toils and sufferings, morning and evening prayers were constantly read by the adventurers. Meanwhile the sledge party advanced slowly toward the south. On the 28th Dr. Kane paid his last visit to the brig. He was compelled to leave behind his collections in Natural History, his library, and some of his instru- ments, such as his theodolite and chart-box, the useless daguerrotypes, and other companions and mementoes of Arctic toil and suffering. Then he mounted his sledge ; gave a last look at the blackened hull and spars of the Advance ; fiercely whipped up his dogs in a paroxysm of mournful gloom ; and sped away for the last time, over the snowy waste which had been associated with so many recollec- tions. Thus was left behind at last in its frozen bed, the vessel which had been connected with two Arctic expeditions, one of which is the most remarkable on record ; and there doubtless she remains, an unseen monument of human enterprise, benevolence, and endurance. From Anoatok Dr. Kane's next labor was to re- move the provisions and men further on in their route. A friendly Esquimaux, named Metek, was sent for- ward to the next station, with two bags of bread-dust, each weighing ninety pounds. The next station was Etah Bay. About midnight Dr. Kane approached that vicinity. The sun was low in the heavens, and the air around was marked by that peculiar stillness which accompanies the great solitudes of nature. "While feeling the oppressive weight of that silence, his ears were suddenly greeted by unexpected sounds of mirth and laughter. He nad approached an en- campment of the wandering Esquimaux, consisting of about thirty men, women, and children. The cause i I 602 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVEltT. of their joy was the capture of innumerable birds, called Auks, which tliey were engaged in catching with nets. These birds, though the thermometer was five degrees below zero, were flying about in the great- est abundance ; and the hungry Esquimaux were eating them raw, as soon as taken. He saw two chil- dren fighting for an owl, which as soon as captured was torn limb from limb, and its warm flesh eaten, and its blood drunken, almost be "ore life was extinct. This was the spot which these birds mysteriously chose for the purpose of breeding, from year to year ; and the Esquimaux as regularly found their way thither in pursuit of them. The travelers continued their weary march through the snow, dragging their boats after them. Some- times, when the weather moderated — for it was sum- mer — the sledges broke through. Six men on one occasion were thrown into the water ; and the " Hope " was very nearly lost. Help came to them from the Esquimaux at Etah, who sent them the loan of their dogs, together with an additional supply of fresh pro- visions. The dogs were of infinite service in drawing one of the sledges, upon which the sick men were con- veyed. At this period an accident deprived the ex- pedition by death of one of its most useful members, while crossing a tide-hole, one of the runners of the " Hope " sledge broke through the ice. The energy and presence of mind of Christian Ohlsen alone saved her from being lost. By a prodigious effort he passed a capstan-bar under the sledge, and thus sustained its weight until it was dragged forward to firm ice. In doing this his footing gave way beneath him ; and he thus was compelled to strain himself. The effort ruined him. Some internal injury had been inflicted by the effort ; and he died three days afterward. His body was sewed up in his own blankets, and carried in procession to the head of a little gorge to the east of Pekiutlik, where a grave was excavated in the frozen earth. There his body was deposited with a DR. KANE 8 EXPEDITION. 603 few simple and appropriate ceremonies. His name and age were inscribed by the commander on a atrip of sheet lead ; and ere his grave was tilled by his comrades, the brief and touching memorial was laid upon his manly breast. A small mound was then erected with rocks and stones over his lonely resting- place ; and there now sleep, in that cheerless and win- try tomb, the remains of Christian Ohlsen. By the 6th of June the party reached Littleton Island. From a lofty height here of some eight hun- dred feet. Dr. Kane obtained his first view of the open water. His position at that time was 78° 22' 1" latitude, and 74° 10' longitude. So weary were the men of dragging the sledges over the snow and ice, that they wished to take the direct route to the water, upon which they were eager to embark with tlio boats. But the dangers of the plan proposed over- ruled their wishes, and the inland route, though longer, was selected. The wished-for water which greeted the eyes of the wearj travelers, was Hartstein Bay ; and they welcomed it with emotions of rapture re- sembling those which, as Xenophon records, tilled the minds and excited the enthusiasm of the ten thousand Greeks when, after their long and perilous march through Asia Minor, and their escape from the myr- iads of Artaxerxes, they tirst beheld the distant waves of the sea whose billows laved the shores of their beloved Greece. On the 16th of June the party reached the water. It was at the northern curve of the North BatHn Bay. The surf roared sublimely in their ears, and sounded like sweet music after their long and cheerless absence from its bosom. The next thing to be done was to prepare the boats for the difficult navigation which was to ensue. They were not sea-worthy. They had been split with frost, warped by the sunshine, and were open at the seams. They were to be calked, swelled, launched, and stowed. ,0n the 18th the travelers were surrounded by all the Esquimaux who 604 PBOGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. had been assembled at Etah. They had come to bid the strangers farewell, whom they had served to the best of their ability at an earlier stage of their jour- ney. They were indeed a miserable and forlorn race, though kindly and confiding in their dispositions. Tliey receivea various presents and keepsalces from the travelers — such as knives, files, saws, and lumps of soap. They had been of great service in lending hand-sledges and dogs ; in helping to carry baggage and the sick from one station to another, along their weary route ; and they parted from the strangers — probably the last they were destined ever to behold in that repulsive clime — with feelings of regret which they did not conceal. Dr. Kane urged tliem to emigrate further south ; for there they could ob- tain more abundant food, and escape the perils of starvation which constantly surrounded them. On the evening of Sunday, June 17th, the party hauled their boats through the hummocks, reached the open sea, and launched their frail craft upon its waters. But Eolus seemed determined not to per- mit them yet to embark ; for he let loose his fiercest winds, which began to dash a heavy vjind-lijpper against the ice-floe, and obliged the party to re- move their boats back with each new breakage of the ice. The goods which had been stacked upon the ice were conveyed further inward to the distance of sev- eral hundred yards. The storm continued to rage, and to forbid them to venture on the treacherous ele- ment. At last Dr. Kane saw the necessity of per- mitting the worn-out men to repose, and in order to do so securely, the boats were removed a mile from the water's edge. The sea tore up the ice to the very base of the berg to which they had fled for refuge, and the angry deep seemed like a vast cauldron, boil- ing with intense fury, while the immense fragments of ice crashed and rolled together with a sound re- sembling thunder. At length the fitorm subsided, and the troubled sea DR. KANE 8 EXrEDITION. 505 became tranquil. The boats were again prepared for embarkation. On Tuesday, the 19tn, Dr. Kane suc- ceeded in getting the Faith afloat, and he was soon foUowed by the two other boats. Soon the wind freshened, and the mariners began their welcome progress homeward; but they had a long and perilous voyage before them of many hundred miles. At length they doubled Cape Alexander. They desired first to halt at Sutherland Island ; but the ice-belt which hugged its shores was too steep to permit them to land. They then steered for Ilakluyt Island, but had not proceeded far before the red boat swamped. The crew were compelled to swim to the other boats ; and the former was with difficulty kept afloat, and dragged in tow by her comrades. Dr. Kane then fastened his boats to an old floe ; and thus sheltered, the men obtained their second halt and rest. When they had become somewhat refreshej:!, they rowed for Hakluyt Island, at a point less repulsive and imprac- ticable than the one attempted the day before. A spit to the southward gave them an opportunity to haul up the boats on the land-ice, as the tide rose. From this the men dragged the boats to the rocks above and inland ; and w'ere thus secure. It snowed heavily during the ensuing night. A tent was pre- pared for the sick ; and a few birds were luckily ob- tained to vary their stale diet of bread-dust and tallow. On the next morning, the 22d, the snow storm still continued to pelt them; but they pressed on- ward toward Northumberland Island, and reached it. They rowed their boats into a small inlet of open water, which conducted them to the beach directly beneath a hanging glacier which towered sublimely into the heavens to the immense height of eleven hundred feet. The next day they crossed Murchison Channel, and at night encamped at the base of Cape Parry. The day had been laboriously spent in tracking over the ice, and in sailing through tortuous leads. The day 32 1 '3 I 608 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. following they reach ed Fitz Clarence Rock ; one of the most singular forms to be seen in that strange clime. It rises to an immense height from a vast field of ice, having the shape of an Egyptian pyra- mid surmounted by an obelisk. In more frequented waters it would be a valued landmark to the navigator. Still they continued to toil onward from day to day. Their progress was satisfactory, though their labor was exhausting. Dr. Kane sometimfes continued six- teen hours in succession at the helm. But now their allowance of food began to grow scanty. It was reduced to six ounces of bread-dust per day, and a lump of tallow about the size of a walnut. An occa- sional cup of tea was their only consolation. From this stage in their journey Dairy mple Rock became perceptible in the distance. But the physical strength of the men began to give way beneath their labors and their insufficient diet. At tliis crisis a gale struck them from the north-west, and a lloe, one end of which having grounded on a tongue of ice about a mile to the northward of them, began to swing round to- ward the boats, and threaten to enclose and crush them. Soon the destruction of the surrounding ice threatened their own. For hundreds of yards on every side around them the ice was crumbled, crushed, and piled in irreg- ular and fragmentary masses. The thunder of the con- fused ocean of frozen wrecks was overpowering. Sud- denly the ice seemed to separate and form a channel; and in that channel, so unexpectedly opened before them, the men rowed the boats with the aid of their boat hooks, and escaped a danger which a moment before seemed inevitable and ruinous. Soon they found themselves in a lead of land-water, wide enougii to give them rowing room, and they hastened on to the land, which loomed ahead. Reaching it, they eagerly sought a shelter. The Hope here stove her bottom, and lost part of her weather-boarding. The Wfttev broke over them, for the storm still continued. DB. XANE's expedition. 607 11 to hey llier Ihe led. At length the tide ro8e high enough at tlirec o'clock to enable them to scale the ice-cliff. They succeeded in pulling the boats into a deep and narrow gorge, which opened between the towering cliffs. Tlie rocks seemed almost to close above their heads. An ab- rupt curve in the windings of this gorge placed a pro- tecting rock behind them, which shielded them from the violence of the winds and waves. They had reached a haven of refuge which was almost a cave ; where they found a flock ot eider ducks on which they feasted ; and where for three days they reposed from the danf^ers and labors of their voyage. This retreat they fitly called Weary Man's Rest. The fourth day of July having arrived, it was com- memorated by the adventurers by a few diluted and moderate potations, such as their nearly exhausted whisky flask permitted ; and they then embarked and rowed industriously toward Wolstenholmo Island. During some succeeding days, they continued slowly to progress toward the south, through the various lanes of water which opened between the belt-ice and the floe. By this time, the constant collisions between the boats and the floating ice had rendered them quite unseaworthy. The ice had strained their bottom tim- bers, and constant baling was necessary. Their fresh meat had all been consumed, and the men were now reduced again to short rations of bread-dust. On the 11th of July they approached Cape Dudley Digges ; but their progress was suddenly stopped by an immense tongue of floe which extended out to sea for a prodigious distance. They forced their way into a lead of sludge, and attempted thus to advance. They found this to be impossible ; and were glad to make their escape from it. Dr. Kane was at a loss how to proceed. He mounted an ice-berg to recon- noiter the surrounding prospect. It was gloomy and repulsive in the extreme. They were in advance of the season ; and he discovered that in those waters towai'd Cape York, the floes had not yet broken up. ''I I 608 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVKRY. They seemed to be surrounded in a cul-de-sae^ with exhausted strength and food, and no possibility of es- caping until the summer had broken open for them a pathway of escape tli rough the water. Dr. Kane resolved to steer for the rocky shore. Above a narrow ledge of lofty cliffs mounted one over the other to the prodigious height of eleven hun- dred feet. Tlio waves dashed violently against that ledge ; but still it afforded a shelter to the boats. Here they were for the present again deposited ; and fortunately a quantity of gulls were found in the crevi- ces of the rocks, which afforded the famished wander- ers nutricious food. The glacier which stretched away in front of them was about seven miles across. On ascending the heights above him, Dr. Kane en- joyed a magnificent prospect of the frozen ocean, the ineV'de-glace^ whose glittering surface spread out be- fore and around him. A vast undulating plain of purple-colored ice appeared, extending to the limits of the horizon, resplendent with the varied hues of sun tipped crystal. This spot, where the wanderers enjoyed so welcome a repose, such nutricious food, and such sublime perspective, they named Providence Halt. Here they remained till the 18th of July. In resuming their voyage from this point, they en- countered an accident which might have proved very serious. When they launched the Hope, she was pre- cipitated into the sludge in such a manner as to carry away her rail and bulwark. They lost overboard their best shot-gun, and an equally indispensable utensil, their kettle which had served them m every possible capacity of kettle — such as soup-kettle, paste-kettle, tea-kettle, and water-kettle. Sailing along they passed the Crimson Cliffs, so named by Sir John Koss. They continued thence to hug the shore. The weather now moderated; and their voyage assumed more agreeable and genial features. The men frequently lauded, climbed up the steep cliffs and obtained abundant quantities of auks. Fires were kindled DR. KANE 8 EXl'KmTrON. 609 with the turf, and tlio feasts wliich ensued were rcl« ished with more than an ordinary appetite ; nnd that also the more truly, because the travelers well knew that their good fortune, and tlieir propitious seas and weather, would not long continue. They were now in 78° 20' north latitude. On the 21st of June they reached Capo York. Their provisions had now diminished to six hundred and forty pounds, or about thirty-six pounds to each man. I'he question to be determined was, whether they should delay where they then were for some days until the sliore-ice opened ; or whether they should desert the co.ast and venture boldly upon the open water to the west. Dr. Kano ascended tlie rocks upon the shore, and by the aid of his glass care- fully scrutinized the ice. The latter could be seen immoveably lixed to the shore in nearly an unbroken sweep far beyond Bushnell Island. The outside floes were large ; and one large lead appeared to the view which seemed to follow the main lioe until it was lost to seaward. Dr. Kano explained to his men the motives which induced him to adopt the course upon which he had determined. The boats were then hauled on shore, examined, and repaired. One of these, the Red Erie, was stripped of her cargo and prepared to be broken up as soon as occasion should require. A beacon was also erected on an eminence, which could be dis- cerned both from the south and the west, surmounted by a red flannel shirt. Under the cairn was deposit- ed a short narrative of the condition and purposes of the party. They then resumed their voyage steering south l)y west through the ice-fields. For a while they progressed safely enough. But soon the irregu- liarities of the surface, loaded as it was by hummocks and even larger masses, made it ditticult to discern the state of the ice in the distance. At length they lost their way ; the ofiicer at the helm of the leading boat deceived by the irregular shape of a large ice- iul 510 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERT. borg, had deserted the proper lead, and hud steered far out of the true course. Dr. Kane at once ordered a halt, and ascending an ico-berg some three hundred feet in height, he sur- veyed the prospect. It was by no means encoura- ging. They had advanced into the recesses of the bay, and were surrounded on all sides by immense ice-bergs and floating ice. So dismal appeared their situation that one of the sturdiest members of the ex- pedition, who accompanied the commander in his sur- vey, burst into tears at the sadness of their situation. There was but one means of deliverance, and that it behooved them to adopt instantly. They must re- sume their sledges and retrace their way to the west- ward. One sledge had already been cut up for fire- wood. The boat Ked Erie now shared the same fate ; and was laid upon the floor of the other boats. Three days of hard dragging over the ice ensued ; at the cud of which time they regained the ice-berg which had misled them in the first instance, and had induced them to take a course which had nearly ended in their ruin. From this point made easier by experience, they steered in the right direction into a free lead, and were wafted onward by a friendly breeze from the north. Another trouble now assailed the travelers, not less important than the one they had just escaped. Their provisions had fearfully diminished, and yet they were hundreds of miles distant from the nearest Danish settlement of Greenland. Their strength dimiL.,.lied in proportion with their food. The latter had become 60 much lessened, that five ounces of bread-dust, four ounces of tallow, and three of bird's meat, were all that could be thenceforward allowed each man per day. The commander now determined to try the more open sea, as their progress along the coast had been retarded by its sinuosities. During two days heavy fogs impeded their rapid advance. A south- westerly wind brought the outside pack upon them, •11 DR. KANK a KXPEDITION. 511 and compelled them to haul up on the driftin*^ ico. By this \neans tliey were driftoil with it twenty miles away from their ])roper course. Tlu; hihors and toils of the party were extreme and rxhau8tin<^ ; and yet they manfully kept up their Bpirit^. A 8tran<]:o j)henomenon now showed itself amonn' them; and one too of ominous imj»ort. Thou<i;h worked excessively they yet felt no liun<rer. They also seemed to lose their physical 6tren<j^th. The *' Faith" also very nearly escaped destruction, hy be- in£^ left behind for a short time. The outside pressure had broken the iloe asunder, and the Faith began to float away from them. Her loss would have entailed that of a large portion of the scanty provisions wliich thev still possessed ; and would have inevitably sealed their ruin. By the utmost exertions of the men, some of whom seemed nearly thrown into hys- terics by her threatened loss, she was again secured. The situation of the voyagers continued to become more critical. They experienced a difficulty in breath- ing, and an inability to sleep. Their line of travel lay through the open bay, in the midst of the great ice-drift which hurried from the Arctic climes into the Atlantic ocean. Their boats were frail and shat- tered, and constantly made enough water to require their utmost exertions in bailing, in order to keep them afloat. Their fresh food had been exhausted for some days ; and they sufl'ered from a low fever which prostrated them to the utmost. At this point of their progress they happily killed a seal which they discovered ou a small patch of ice. The flrst sight of it created the utmost enthusiasm among the men. As the boats silently approached him and before they were within rifle shot, the seal raised his head, surveyed the strangers, and was pre- paring to dive into the water. The best marksman of the company with their best rifle, had just drawn Bight upon the seal ; and the lives of the whole party may be said to have depended on the success of tho I 612 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC tlSCOVERY. shot. A moment of breathless anxiety ensued ; but the skill of Petersen prevailed. At the instant the crack of the rifle was heard the seal relaxed his long body, and his head fell flat on the ice upon its utmost verge. With a loud yell the famished men urged forward the boat with their utmost strength. When they reached the ice they rushed over it, laughing, crying, and brandishing their knives. The unhappy seal was cut into strips before he had fairly time to expire ; and was gorging the men with his raw re- mains. Not a single ounce was lost ; the intestines even, were boiled in the soup-kettle ; and the carti- laginous flippers were distributed and chewed to pieces with the utmost relish. This opportune supply of fresh food saved the lives of the party. Their mental and physical health was restored. Several days afterward they killed another seal, and thus each one retained a mens 6ana in sano corpore. On the 1st of August they came within sight of the Devil's Thumb, and were no longer wanderers in unknown regions ; but were within the limits of the district frequented by the whalers. Soon they reached the Duck Islands. At length they passed Cape Shackletuu, and then steered lor the shore of Gi-eenland. Their long voyage with its infinite anxieties and toils — their perilous adventures amid cheerless conti- nents of ice — their narrow escapes from the moun- tainous ice-bergs — their suflTerings from cold, hunger, and disease — their apprciiensions of an unknown grave in the solitudes of the Arctic realms — their doubts of a final happy escape from the innumerable perils, and of their welcome vision of their native land and the firesides of their former years — all these now termiuated in eventuiil triumph and escape. They now gluiped the course directly toward the shores of Greenli.nd, which clearly loomed up in their distant horizon. JN^ext day they met the first inhabitant of that vorld from which they had been so long shut DR. KANE S EXPEDITION. 613 out. It was a Greenlander who, in his small canoe or kayak, was seeking eider down among the islands which stud the coast. They hailed him. One of the men, Petersen, knew him. It was Paul Trocharias. " Don't you know me ? " enquired Petersen, as the boats approached. "I'm Carl Petersen." "No,'' answered the Greenlander, "his wife says he is dead ; " and with this response he rowed away from them. During two days longer they continued to follow the coast, sailing southward. At the end of this time they discerned the single mast of a small shallop, and heard words of minfrled Enojlish and Danish from the sailors on board of her. They soon discerned that it was the Upernavick oil-boat on its way to Kingatok to obtain blubber. The annual ship had arrived from Copenhagen at Proven ; and this was one of the boats which supplied her with a cargo of oil. From the sailors on board the shallop, Dr. Kane first received information of the great events which, during his ab- scence had agitated the world to which he had been so long a stranger ; how England and France had com- bined with the Turk to humble the haughty pride of the imperial Romanoff; and how vast armies were then engaged in mortal strife on the once quiet and fertile phiins of the Crimea. For the first time he learned the importance which Sebastopol had ac- quired in the history and fate of the world, sur- rounded as it then was with a battling host of a hun- dred thousand men. They rowed on. Soon Kasarsoak, the snow-capped summit of Sanderson's Hope appeard to them, tower- ing above the mists ; and as they approached the welome harbor of Upernavick, from which they had issued several years before in the gallant vessel they had now left behind them, they felt as o».ly such men under such circumstances could feel. During eighty- four days they had lived in the open air, tossing in frail boats on the bosom of the angry, half-frozen V 514 PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. deep. They were delivered from a thousand deaths, and arrived at last safely at Upernavick, where they were received with hospitality by the charitable Danes, who inhabit that lonely and cheerless outport of the civilized world. Dr. Kane resolved to embark his party in the Dan- ish vessel the Mariane, which sailed on the 6th of September for the Shetland Islands. They took with them their little boat the Faith, which had accom- panied them through so many adventures. Tlieyonly retained their clothes and documents, of all they had once possessed on board the Advance. On the 11th they arrived at Godhaven, where theyfonnd their for- mer friend Mr. Olrik, the Danish Inspector of North Greenland. Here Dr. Kane first heard of the squad- ron under Captain Hartstene, which had been sent out from the United States in pursuit of him, and learned that it had touched at that spot. This squadron consisted of two vessels, the United States barque "Release," and the United States steam- brig "Arctic." They had sailed from New York in June 1855, and on the 9th of July they were at Lievely on the coast of Greenland. On that day they resumed their search after the party of Dr. Kane, and sailed for Waigat Strait, intending to touch at Uper- navick for information. From Upernavick both vessels stood northward. They soon met the floating ice drifting down; but they persisted in advancing, and thus worked along for forty miles to Wedge Island. Here they were compelled to moor themselves to the bergs, and await the opening of the ice, which liad be- come so compact as to render their immedia^te ad- vance impossible. Afterseveral days the ice opened, and enabled them to proceed. They then steamed to Sugar Loaf Island, and entered the closely packed floe of Melville Bay. By the 13th of August they had forced a passage into the North "Water, after twenty-eight days of laborious sailing. They then passed Cape York and Wolstenholme Island. Here DR. KANE 8 EXPEDITION. 515 in at 5d hastening on in the steamer, Captain Hartstene visited Cape Alexander and Soutlierland Island. These points were beyond the reach of the Esquimaux, and might probably contain traces of Dr. Kane's party. They were thoroughly searched ; but no evidence ap- peared that any human foot had ever invaded those frozen solitudes. Tlience they advanced to Pelham Point, where they ( observed a few stones piled together. A party landed here, and beneath this rude monument they discovered a small vial with the letter K. cut in the cork. The vial contained a large musquito, and a small piece of cartridge paper, on which was written " Dt. Kane, 1853." This discovery induced Captain Hartstene to push further north. The ice however soon stopped his progress ; and drifting southward with the current, he examined Cape Hotturton and Littleton Island. But no trace of Dr. Kane was found, though in a for- mer letter to his brother, he had expressed his inten- tion to erect a cairn on one of these localities. Fif- teen miles north-west of Cape Alexander they discov- ered a party of Esquimaux, who, three miles distant on the Greenland shore, had a temporary settlement of seven tents, inhabited by thirty persons. Here Captain Hartstene found many articles which had be- longed to Dr. Kane's party, and which had been left behind ; such as tin pans and pots, canvas and iron spikes, as well as the tube of a telescope which was recognized as having belonged to Dr. Kane. Captain Hartstene closely interrogated the Es^^ui- maux as to their knowledge of the missing company. From them he learned that Dr. Kane, having lost his vessel somewhere in the ice to the northward, had been at that point with two boats and a sled, and af- ter remaining there ten days had proceeded south- ward toward IJpernavick. With such conclusive ^A- dence before him Captain Harts':ene also determined to return southward. He touched at Cape Alexander, Sutherland Islands, and Hakluyt Island. Thence ho 616 PKOGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY. steered for tlie entrance of Lancaster Sound, and ex- amined the coast between Cape Horsburg and Cape AVarrander. After passing Cape Bullin he found the ice firmly packed, and the vessels seemed frozen into their winter quarters. But after twenty-four hours spent in a laborious attempt to batter their way through the ice they succeeded ; and after thus ma- king tlie circuit of nearly the whole northern part of Batiin's Bay, they returned toward Possession and Pound's Bay. Along this whole voyage they con- stantly fired guns, burned blue-lights and threw up rockets, with the hoj^e of attracting the attention of the wanderers. They were disappointed however, and seeing no traces of Dr. Kane's party whatever. Captain Hartstene concluded that they had passed through Melville Bay to Upernavick ; and he resolved at once to follow them thitiier. His conjecture was right. On the 11th of Septem- ber, as the Greenland vessel Mariane was about set- ting out from the port of Godhaven, having Dr. Kane's party on board, the look-out man at the hill- top announced the approach of a distant steamer. Soon she came nearer, having a barque in tow ; and the immortal stars and stripes floating majestically at her mast-head. Instantly the Faith was lowered from the side of the Mariane, and the party in her pulled lustily for the approaching vessel. All the boats of the settlement hurried after her wake. Pre- sently the Faith was alongside the Arctic ; and Cap- tain Hartstene eagerly hailed a little man in a ragged flannel shirt; ^^ Is that Dr. Kane V^ An affirmative answer was instantly returned by the Doctor him- self; and in a few moments the distinguished naviga- tor bounded on the deck of his country's ship ; was received with loud plaudits of welcome by her com- mander and crew ; and thus he and his party returned again, as those alive from the dead, to an unfrozen world of civilization, comfort, and security. Dr. Kane's labors had not resulted in the d" :covery of DR. KANE 8 EXPEDITION. 617 any traces or remains of Sir John Franklin's party ; but it was the means of securing important additions to geographical knowledge, and valuable acquisitions in botany, meteorology, geology, and other depart- ments of science. Ills researches have left but little to be obtained by any successor in Arctic explora- tions, however resolute, vigorous, and accomplished he may be. Dr. Kane and his associates returned to New York in the squadron of Captain Ilartstene, on the 11th of October, 1855. Id m r. IflQW Work) UnriTalcd for Intcrccitf Value and Invtrnctlloii* The Book of the Age ! RECOLLECTIONS OF A LIFETIME, OR MEN AND THINGH3 I HAVE SEEN IN EVBOFE AND AMERICA. BY S. G. GOODRICH, The veritable " Peter Parley," author of "The IHatory of All Nations," Ac. Ac In two volumes, 1105 pp. large 12mo,, 25 Original Engravings, incl- ding an aceiinite Steel Portrait of the Author. Price, Black or Scarlet Cloth, $3 00 ; Scarlet Cloth, Gilt Edijes, $4 00 ; Half Calf, Marble Edges, $5 00; Full Calf, Gilt Edges, |7 00. This work embraces the prominent public events of the last half century, both at hone and abroad ; a complete Autobiograpliy of tlie author— his early days, education, ana lit- erary career; and an amount of original curious, and valuable Personal Incident, Anec- dote, and Description, seldom, if ever, met with in a single worlc. It is the Author's LiKE-LONO Work, and nothins; superior, if anything equal to it, in blended amusement and iiistrnction, has ever been publislicd. Mr. Goodrich is the author and editor of 170 Vol iiinusf of which over seven inillioiiN of copies have been sold! and this, the creat work of his life, embodies tiie condensed substance of his ample Litsravy and Practical Experieiice; the TTarwii/t /Tw^iuwditt 1812-14, In whl-jh Mr. Goodrich ■was a private soldier; tlio Hartford Convention, whoso operations took place under his Immediate observation, and with most of tlie members of which he was personally ac- qiiaitiU'd. Embracing curious and interesting details respecting Old Jeffersonian 1)6- mocracy. Old Federalimi., and Connecticut Blue Lightit; curious and marvellous events connected with tlio rise and progress of Rrligious Sects in the United States; with descriptions of tlie French Revolution 0/1848, and Louis Napol^m^s Coup d Etat^ both of wliicli tlie author witnessed. Also, a full account of the " PETER PARLEY'S TALE8," of which Kour Millions have been sold. In the course of the work will bo found a Gallery of Pbn and Ink Portraits of men Two Hundred Celebrated Persons— VK&U\e:n\», Vice-Presidents, Kings, Queei;<s Emperors. Soldiers, Poets, Wits, Enthusiasts, Physicians, Preachers, Lawyers, Politi- cians, Diplomatists, i&c. — all described from personal acquaintance or observation — among M'hom are tlie following: Henry Clay, Duke of "Wellington, Benjamin "West, Dan'l Webster, Lord Brougham, Fenimore Cooper, M. Van Buren, Sir J. Mackintosh, Percival, M. Fillmore, King Rhio Rhio, or ~ Mad. Malibraii, J. 0. Fremont, Dog of Dogs, General Scott, Louis Phillippe, Prof. Silliman, Louis Napoleon, Eli Whitney, Thos. A. Emmett, Judge Kent, Bishop Seabury, Geo. Cabot, Bisliop Wainwright, Charles Sprague, H. G. Otis, Dr. Mason, Longfellow, Pn-s't Monroe, Jas. HilUiouse, Dr. Romeyn, Pierpont, J. Q. Adanjs, Uriah Tracy, Archibald Grade, T. Buchanan Seed, Dr. Dwighi;, Kath'l Smith, Minot Sherman, Jacob Perkins. To all which is added, the Author's recent ANECDOTES OF TRAVEL, In England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy, together with a Complete CATALOGtm or tuk Autuok's Works, now for the first time published; with curious commentaries on the (^ouNTEHKEiT Parlkt Books, got up in Loudon. p^ The Publishers will send this work. Postage Paid, to any Post-Ofllce in the Uni- ted States, on receipt of price as above. MILLER, ORTON & CO., Publishers, 26 Park Row, New York, and 107 Genesee-st., Auburn. George IV. Lamartine, ■William IV. Victor Ungo, Prince Albert, Alox. Dumas, Queen Victoria Mad. Catalini, Sir W.Scott, " Lord .Jeffrey, Pasta, J. G. Lockh'art, Talma, "W. Blackwood Mile. Mars, Hannah More, Rachel, Dr (^lialiners, Eilw. Irving, Thos. IIooil. Louis XVIIL Charies X Ristori, Pope Pius IX. Braincrd, "Willis, Hawthorne, Mrs. Sigourney, Miss Secigwick, Mrs. Child, 'LENA EIVERS. BY MAkY J. HOLMES, Author of " Tempest and Sunshine,'" "The English Orphans," '* The Homestead on the Hillside," etc. etc. In One Volume, 416 Puh^ch, 12mo* Price %l 00. > As the social and domestic relations are the great sources of happi- ness, or its opposites, so those romances that properly treat of those re- lations — of tlie virtues that adorn, and of the vices that deform them — are clearly tiie most interesting, impressive, and useful. MiEXA EIVERS is an American Domestic Story, unveiling in a mas- terly manner the sources of social and domestic enjoyment, or of dis- quiet and misery. By intermarriages of New England and Kentucky parties, a field is opened to exhibit both Yankee and Southern dome»tic life, for which the talented authoress was well prepared, being of Yankee birth and early education, and having subsequently resided in the South, tihe was thus especially fitted to dagueri'eotype the strictly domestic and social peculiarities of both sections. 'LENA RIVERS AND THE PRESS. A work of unusual promise Mrs. Holmes possesses an enviable talent in the study of American characttT, whicli is so perfectly developed by acute observation from life, that it would now be impossible tor her to write an uninteresting book. — Phila. iSat, BiMeihh. There still lingers the artist-mind, enlivening, cheering, and consoling by happy thoughts and pleasant words; moving the heart alternately to joy or sorrow, convulsiug with laughter, or bringing tears to the eyes. — Jiodumter American. The cl)aracters are well drawn, and the tale is one of interest. . It will find many well pleased readers. — Albany Statesman. The story is simple, natural, truthful. — Rochester Daily Advertiser. Before we were aware, we had read the first two chapters. We read on — and on — and It wjis long after midnight when we finished the volume. We could not leave it. We know of no work with which we could compare "'Lena Rivers" — so as to form a just estimation of its merits. — MerrichviUe Chronicle. It is not the first of ti>e author's works, but it is the best — State Register. To the sex we commend it, on the assurance of its merit, volunteered to us by ladies in whose critical acumen we have the fullest confidence.— ^w/o/o Express. The story opens in New England, and Is continued in Kentucky, with very lively and characteristic sketches of scenerv and character in botli States, it is both qood and ui- ISTHESTING. — New York Daily Times. The moral of the plot is excellent Cowardly virtue, as exhibited by 'Lena's father, may here le.arn a Itsson without sufl'ering his bitter experience; while the rashness of youth may be warned against desperate acts, before a perfect uaderstondiug is had. — Jiew Bedford Express. ^« ♦ »»■ Jutt Publithedf uniform with the abovej a JWtr JEditton of BY MARY J. HOLMES. In One Volumef 380 pp. 12nio. Price t|l 00. 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WHAT WILL BE FOUND IN WHO WILL WANT THE QREAT WEST, Where the Climate is the Healthiest, Where the Water is tlie Turest, Wht-re the Timber is the Finest, Where the Soil is most I'roductive, Where are lounil tiie Choicest Coal-fields, Where the Iron Mines are liichcet, Wliere the Co[)per's uiost Abundant, How to Travel in the Far West, Where the Emigrant should Settle. What already has been done there, What is going on at present, And in future what may yet be. THE QREAT WEST, The General Reader will want it I The Pleasure Traveler! Holders of Western Stocks I Owners of Western Lands I Those who are seeking their Fortunes I Enterprising Young Men I Ladies watching for the Main Chance 1 Capitalists with Surplus Funds 1 Tliose wlio love to go ahead ! Men with rising Families Those who have Children out there! EvKBYBODY that iikes a Useful Book, OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 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MILLER, ORTON & CO., Publishers, 26 Park Row, New York, and 107 Genesee-st., Auburn. 5T: inesota. ges, Re- itutions, t direct $1 25. :sT. unesi ace I ok, iblic de- d meets ' Moun- is kept excited, Dwerful ems of savage ents of stcli of 3 coin- 3tween e. rehen- practi- toricul easing (I'taiu- it one I cum* 'uro.