IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

1.25

■- IIIIIM
i^ IM

I "^

IhUi-

1.8

U 11.6

<^» A

'cr-l

.""^

0%. ■ v>

7? ^

•'/

Photographic

aQGncGS
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WtBSTES,N.T. 1t530
(716) 872-4503

'^XXXN.

^ 4,

>V<^^

>:^

^1>N

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHM/ICMH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques

Technical and Bibliographic Noter'Notes techniques et bibliographiques

The Institute has attempted to obtain the best
original copy available for filming. Features of this
copy which may be bibliographically unique,
which may alter any of the images in the
reproduction, or which may significantly change
the usual method of filming, are checked below.

L'Institut a microfilme le meilleur axemplaire
qu'il lui a ete possibk de se procurer. Les details
de cet axemplaire qui sont peut-etre uniques du
point da vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier
une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une
modification dans la mcthode normale de filmage
sont indiqu6s ci-dessous.

Coloured covers/
Couverture de couleur

□

Coloured pages/
Pages de couleur

D
D
D

Covers damaged/
Couverture endommagee

Covers restored and/or laminated/
Couverture restaurde et/ou pelliculee

Cover title missing/

Le titre de couverture manque

Coloured maps/

Cartes g^ographiques en couleur

□ Pages damaged/
Pages endommagees

Pages restored and/or laminated/
Pages restaurses et/ou pelliculees

I — l/Pages discoloured, stained oi foxed/
I \A Pages decolorees, tacnetdes ou piquees

I — 1/ Pages detached/
I v'^l Pages detachees

D
D
D

Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/
Encre da couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire)

Coloured plates and/or illustrations/
Plariches et/ou illustrations en couleur

Bound with other material/
Ralid avec d'autres documents

I l/Showthrough/
I V 1 Transparence

□ Quality of print varies/
Qualite indgale de I'impression

□ Includes supplementary material/
Comprend du materiel suppfementaire

Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion
along interior margin/

Lareliure serree peut causer de i'ombre ou de la
distorsion le long de la margo interieure

Blank leaves added during restoration may
appear within the text. Whenever possible, these
have been omitted from filming/
II se peut que cortaines pages blanches ajout^es
lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte,
mais. lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont
pas iti film^es.

□ On!y edition available/
Seule Edition disponible

Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata
slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to
ensure the best possible image/
Les pages totalement ou partiellement
obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure.
etc.. cnt 6t6 fi!m6es d no-»'eau de facon a
obtenir la meilieure image possible.

Additional ccmments:/
Commentaires supplementaires:

This i;em is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/

Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiqud ci-dessous.

10X 14X 18X 22X

12X

16X

2QX

26X

30X

24X

28X

32X

The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks
to the generosity of:

Metropo.itan Toronto Library
Canadian History Department

The Images appearing here are the best quality
possible considering the condition and legibility
of the original copy and in keeping with the
filming contract specifications.

L'exemplaira film6 fut reproduit grfica d la
g6n6rosit6 da: ^

Metropolitan Toronto Library
Canadian History Department

Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec ie
plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et
de la nettet^ de I'exemplaire filing, et en
conformity avec les conditions du contrar de
filmage.

Original copies In printed paper covers are filmed
beginning with the front cover and ending on
the last page with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All
other original copies are filmed beginning on the
first page with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, and ending on the last page with a printed
or illustrated impression.

The last recorded frame on each microfiche
shall contain the symbol — »► (meaning "CON-
TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"),
whichever applies.

Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at
different reduction ratios. Those too large to be
entirely included in ona exposure are filmed
beginning in the upper left hand corner, left t j
right and top to bottom, as many frames as
required. The following diagrams illustrate the
method:

Les exemp'aires originaux dont la couverture en
papier est imprim6e sont film6s en commenpant
par Ie premier plat et en terminant solt par la
dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par Ie second
plat, selon Ie cas. Tous les autres exemriaires
originaux sont filmds en commen^ant par la
premidre page qui comporte une empreinte
d'impression ou d'illustration et en termmant par
la dernidre page qui comporte une telle
empreinte.

Un des symboies suivants apparattra sur la
dernidre imjge de chaque microfiche, selon Ie
cas: Ie symbols — ♦- signifie "A SUIVRE ", ie
symbole V signifie "FIN".

Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvert 6tre
film6s d des taux de r6duction diff6rents.
Lorsque Ie document est trop grand pour etre
reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmi A partir
de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, dc gauche d droits,
ei de haut en bas, en prenant Ie nombre
d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants
illustrent la m^thode.

I the

^ and

bland

r old
aven.

1 still

mdi-

i ■

isby

iiguif

ibour
ban-
, he
: the
B he
ard-
be-

'IS'

110"

106'-

IS'

J? /?

■ ,,;ti^%?#

Pit

ROl'AL
, Z.-tiVfl I

— ) -■

,9.5"°

-.X

S^AMUOi.

K^'

i I ' v*^*****^/

i^ i^ MELV/llE IM.IXO

1 A tP

Arc TIT Seas

Dfitted line aiduatio iciUt. of Cofi*' Au^Uns txpeo

^v.

5M"^': \:>

./"^ Vs- -- ■-..'Pi'

.¥:£;x viikLE strait

STB A IT '■^ ^6iUHthi>-^ "^'M. ^^ ■• - -T -^"^

//.f ■

//c

90-

85'

1 h tP

cTir Seas,

— to Mus&ra/e ,

F.Jifi v . 'U/l , fl* Stra>ul .

SHOBES

WHER]

OHAPI

r.Jiei^; . litA, *l* Strarai. .

FRANKLIN'S FOOTSTEPS

A SKETCH or GESENLAND,

ALONG THE

SHORES OF WHICH HIS EXPEDITION PASSED,

AND OF

WHERE THE LAST TRACES OF IT WERE FOUND.

CLEMENT EOBEET MAEKHAM,

LATE OF II.M.S. ASSISTANCE.

LONDON :
CHAPMAN AND HALL, 193, PICCADILLY.

•1853.

PRINTED BY

JOHN EDWAED TAYLOE, LITTLE QUEEN STREET,
LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS.

fl<f*lt^

The obje
reader ir
verge of i
Arctic Re
to give a
shores of
I have t:
until botl
troductor
GreenlaiK
have reco:
tures of i
I have als
Baffin's I
the age c
enterprisi
Missionar

PREFACE.

The object of the following pages is I " 3

reader in Sir John Franklin's footsteps e

verge of the yet unknown tracts of country in the
Arctic Regions ; to attain this, I have endeavoured
to give a slight sketch of the countries along the
shores of which he is supposed to have passed, and
I have tracked him and his gallant companions
until both are lost to our mental view. In the in-
troductory chapter I have shown how and when
Greenland was discovered by the Normans, and
have recorded the valorous deeds and daring adven-
tures of that hardy race in those northern lands.
I have also enumerated the >^arious Expeditions to
Baffin's Bay and Greenland, of the navigators of
the age of Elizabeth; and shortly alluded to the
enterprising exertions of the ])anish and Moravian
Missionaries. The remainder of the first part of this

the
and
land
old
.ven,
still
ndi-
^by

gulf

jarl,

)our

)an-

the

I he

ird-

be-

ant
jhe
bar,
his
in
ful
ses
leir
itil

PREFACE.

■

little work deals more at large with the voyages of
those embarked in the whalc-tlsbery ; and com-
prises a brief account of the modern Expeditions in
search of a North-west Passage by way of Baffin's
Bay and Lancaster Sound, which have unfortunately
concluded in the disappearance of Sir John Frank-
lin's vessels. What follows is a narrative of the
Expedition under the command of Captain Austin,
in 1850-51, in search of the missing ships and
their ill-fated crews ; and in this Expedition I was
one of the humblest as well as one of the-youngest
labourers. Thus I have endeavoured to furnish
the reader, at one view, and in a condensed form,
with a connected history of what has been done
by way of discovery in the ice-bound regions of the
north from the earliest periods to the present time,
as well as with a detailed narrative of the means
that have been employed towards rescuing those of
our brave co--ntrymen who have been so long lost
in those trackless and " nhospii^ble regions.

C. R. M.

Since th
hands the
tinct wor
Osborn, I
each sep?
Arctic Re
the fate o
panions.
had, ever
pedition, i
own obsei
feet as SO]
that they_
sincere iv
trymen.
may at le
who negl

EDITOR'S PREFACE.

Since the following pages were in the pi-inter's
hands there have appeared no less than three dis-
tinct works upon the same . subject : Lieutenant
Osborn, Dr. Sutherland, and Captain Mangles, have
each separately recorded their experiences in the
Arctic Regicns, and expressed their opinions as to
the fate of Sir John Franklin and his gallant com-
panions. The author of ^ Franklin^ s Footsteps'
had, ever since his return with Captain Austm's Ex-
pedition, determined on submitting the result of his
own observations and researches — slight and imper-
fect as some may deem them — to the public, feeling
that they, in common with himself, felt a deep and
sincere iiiterest in the fate of their missing coun-
trymen. If the work possesses no other merit, it
may at least be relied on as the production of one
who neglected no opportunity of making himself

I the
and
jjland
^old
iven,
IstiU
indi-
sby

igulf
jarl,
Dour
ban-
he
the
phe
ard-

■be.

t
I
I

iant

|l ^6
ear,
his
I in
tM
?ses
leir
atU
Ime

editor's preface.

thoroughly acquamted with the regions he visited,
who kept a truthful journal of every event aixd cu--
cumstance at all worthy of record, and who at least
had no crotchet or theory to advance or serve.
His own opinions are not favourable to the saii-
guine hopes entertained by many of Sir John
Franklin's safety; but the Editor would still draw
the attention of the reader to the fact, that if his
author is not hopeM, he is not obstinately opposed
to the possibility of Franklin's having ascended to-
wards the great Arctic Ocean (if there is one) by
way of Wellington Channel or by way of Jones s

or Smith's Sound. .

- Sir Edwi rd Belcher's Expedition ^viU, it is to
be hoped, be more successful than that which
sailed now three years ago under the command
of Captain Austin, and throw some light on the
route which was taken by the missing ships after
leaving their winter-quarters in Beechey Island
It is at least remarkable that no further ixwx of
any kind should have been discovered. As a smiple
question of evidence, it may be fairly considered as
weighing in favour of the presumption that some
poweriiil inducement to take advantage of a sudden
opening in the ice had rendered a precipitate move-
ment necessary; and it may also be obse^ed, that
at that early period of the expedition Sir John
Franklin would not have had any very particular

object in 1
his future
pected arc
search of
and crews
to comma
mighty it
then wher
not likely
the same
overtaken
of the Pa
have beer
that are 1
connection
of evidenc
to foster
appointed
sonable p]

EDITOR S PREFACE.

Vll

object in leaving behind him such distinct traces of
his future movements, as seems to have been ex-
pected and assumed by the various expeditions in
search of him. The total destruction of the ships
and crews by the Esquimaux is too improbable even
to command a passing thought. Masses of ice
might, it is true, have destroyed the vessels, but
then where are the crews? In such a region it is
not likely that they would have been annihilated by
the same cause. Starvation and disease may have
overtaken them ; but then some traces, like those
of the Patagonian mission, would in all probability
have been found. On the whole, when the facts
that are known are viewed simply and calmly in
connection with probabilities, and as mere matter
of evidence, it is neither rash^ wanton, nor iQ-judged,
to foster hopes which, however doomed to be dis-
appointed, are still fairly within the bounds of rea-
sonable probability.

[

the
i and
pland
jt old
'aven.

ifime

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

EABLY ABCTIC EXPEDITIONS

CHAPTER II.
GREENLAND WHALE-EISHERY

CHAPTER III.
MODEEN ABCTIC EXPEDITIONS .

CHAPTER IV.
CAPTAIN AUSTIN'S EXPEDITION .

CHAPTER V.
ARCTIC WINTEE-QUAETERS .

CHAPTER VI.
AECTIC TRATELLING .

CHAPTER VII.
THE PARRY ISLANDS .

CHAPTER VIII.
CONCLUSION . • • •

Page
1

. 17

. 29

. 46

. 68

. 81

. 102

. 119

FRi!

In the in
of the No
the restles
of adventi
warriors i[
western E
the effemi:
mixture oi
bending I
peculiar c
pastime, a
than of Ic
most of tl
Sagas of
justly est(
the ioftv i

FRANKLIN'S FOOTSTEPS.

CHAPTER I.

EAELY AECTIC EXPEDITIONS.

In the interminable pine-forests and rocky fiords
of the North there was much calculated to attract
the restless imagination, and excite the wild spirit
of adventure, so characteristic of those northern
warriors who in a short time overran the whole of
western Europe, infusing hardihood and vdgour into
the effeminate xaces of the South. The strange ad-
mixture of the sublime and terrible in the stern un-
bending landscape of those ice-bound regions had
peculiar charms for men to whom danger was a
pastime, and whose religion was one of fear rather
than of love. To its influence also we may trace
most of that beautiful poetry which remains in the
Sagas of the Skalds, and which even to this day is
justly esteemed for the richness of its imagery and
the ioftv grandeur of its expression.

Dd the
If and
celand
iir old
eaven,

je stni

candi-

Bss by

[ngulf

\ jarl,
libour
' ban-
il, he
i the
re he
lard-
3 be-

1
t

liant
H he
rear,
r his
s in
irful
isses
heir
mtil
^me

<^ franklin's footsteps.

Far and near those famous Sea Kings of the
North spread the terror of their ams ; there were
few countries in the then known world that had
not felt their power. Not content with sconrmg the
ocean from the deep fiords of Norway to the warm
seas of Spain and Italy, they turned the prows of
their frail harks northward, and, unassisted by the
compass, yet scorning to creep timidly along the
coast like the more southern navigators, coldly
plunged into the unknown and ice-encumbered
ocean, and entered the Arctic Regions Thus
Flokko, a renowned pirate, following the track o.
a stUl more ancient hero, Naddok, settled ma land
surrounded by frozer. seas and covered with lofty

mountains, a.d. 864.

At that time Norway was governed by Jarls, or
Earls, under a system nearly allied to our Heptarchy
in England; bat at length the whole country was
brought under subjection by King Harold Ha^fager^
Many of the nobles however, disdaimng to yield
their liberties, migrated to more favoW lan^.
Ingulf, with his brother-in-law Horhef, led his fol-
lowers to the Snowland or Iceland of Flokko, and
there established a free republic, a.d. 874.

The flower of the Norman nobility either accom-
panied IngiJf or settled in the less distant Ferroe
Islands; but the daring Upllo, driven from hi.
native land by Haafager, and sailing with a chosen
band of nobles, the ancestry of men whose names em-
hellish every page of England's history, conquered

E>RLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

;»

Neustria, and reinvigorated with fresh blood the
exhausted and enfeebled Southrons. Ingulf and
his Norman colony carried with them to Iceland
the Sagas and the stately mythology of their old
country. Odin still ruled their longed-for heaven,
with his mighty sons, VaU and Balder. These still
incited their warlike youth in battle, while Scandi-
navian literature was preserved in all its fulness by
Icelandic bards.

Among the restless spirits who followed Ingulf
to Iceland, was Thorwald, a rich and powerful jarl,
whose son, Eric Raiide, having slain a neighbour
ing jarl in. a duel, was sentenced to three years' ban-
ishment; embarking in a small open vessel, he
directed his course westwards, and landed on the
granite cliffs of an unknown continent. There he
remained during three years of danger and hard-
ship, the period of his banishment, and thus be-
came the discoverer of Greenland, a.d. 982.

Retm-ning to Iceland, he spread such brilliant
reports of this newly-discovered land, which he
called Engroenland, that, in the following year,
twenty-five vessels of colonists asse aibled under his
command, with a view to establish themselves in
this favoured country; but such were the fearful
dangers of the Northern Ocean, vdth its huge masses
of moving ice, that only fourteen ever reached their
destination. More however speedily followed, until
both the east and west sides of Greenland became
colonized by these valorous sons of the North.

m-mmmmmmmmmmmmmi

(

4 franklin's footsteps.

In the year of our Lord 999, Leif, the son of
Eric Raiide, went to the court of Olaus Tryggeson,
king of Norway, who was then endeavouring to
spread the doctrines of the Christian faith with all
the zeal of a recent proselyte ; and having wintered
there, Leif returned to Greenland accompanied by
a priest, who succeeded in bringing the first Arctic
colonists into the fold of Christ.

The enterprising spirit of these Northmen, which
had received so great a stimulus by the peopling
of Iceland, Greenland, and the Ferroe Islands, was
now at its height. Many wealthy Icelanders staked
their fortunes on discovery, and amongst others,
Biom, the son of Hergulf, being driven by contrary
winds to the southward, in the year 1001, landed
on a low coast, overgrown with wood. Returmng
to Greenland, his story attracted the attention of
the adventurous Leif, who, in the following year,
sailed in the same direction with thirty chosen
men. After a prosperous voyage, they landed on
the same kind of low land covered with wood, and
ascended a noble river, probably the St. Lawrence,
which abounded in all kinds of fish. They had
discovered America : nearly five hundred years be-
fore the birth of Columbus the persevering North-
men had set foot on the New World ; and there
are proofs that the great navigator himself was well
aware of their discovery.

The romantic tales of this new country led
m,^«„-oi/i +\^t^ ViT'oth'^T' of Leif to proceed on another

%. ■

EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

expedition in the following year ; but after having
established himself on a wooded island, he was
killed in a skirmish with the natives (who, on ac-
count of their dwarfish stature, were called Skrse-
lings), and was buried with a wooden cross at the
head and foot of his grave,— the first Christian
whose bones found a resting-place in the soil of the
New ¥/orld.

Several expeditions followed, but all met with
disaster, and by degrees the colony of Vinland
almost sank into oblivion. It is true however that
in A. D. 1121 Eric, Bishop of Greenland, is said to
have gone on a visitation to this distant part of his
see ; but the colony gradually became less known,
and was at last completely lost sight of. Many of the
old Norman colonists were probably still heathen,
and, as no intercourse was kept up, they became
in the lapse of years so mixed up with the abori-
gines, that all trace of them was swept away.

Meanwhile Greenland increased in prosperity,
and in a.d. 1122 Sigurd, king of Norway, appointed
Arnold bishop of this Arctic Christian fold, and
suffragan to the archbishop of Drontheim. On ar-
riving there in a.d. 1123, he fixed his episcopal re-
sidence at Gardar, where a flourishing colony' soon
sprang up, and continued to advance in prosperity,
until the year 1023, when it became tributary to
Norway ; from a.d. 1261 it was governed by a regal
deputy, in conjunction with the bishop.

It was in the latter part of the fourteenth cen-

franklin's footsteps.

tury that the Skrselings or Esquimaux, mentioned
before as having been seen in Vinland by the sons
of Eric Eaiide, are said to have first made their
appearance in Greenland ; and from this period the
history of the Norman r>olony becomes very obscure.
The separate existence of the Normans, the de-
scendants of those doughty knights who spread civi-
lization over every country in which they settled,
had ceased; and the communication between Green-
land and the mother country, either by means of
the daring rover, or the more peaceful, though not
unarmed, merchantman, gradually became less fre-
quent, until at last this sterile Arctic coast was
entirely forgotten.

Such, in a few words, is the remarkable history
of Norman Arctic discovery, — of that career of bold
adventure which led the daring sons of the North
from the deep fiords of Norway to the perilous seas
of Greenland, and at length to achieve the dis-
covery of the fertile shores of the St. Lawrence.
It now only remains briefly to recount the same
determined perseverance in Arctic research which
manifested itself at a later period, though previous
to that which forms the chief object of this little
work.

The desire of gain, or of wide-spread fame, has
usually been the urging motive which has sent
forth bold adventurers in all ages, and there is
little in this respect that distinguishes the so-called

days of chivalry from those of commerce. It w

luraa

EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS,

in the fourteenth century that the Portuguese per-
formed their wondrous deeds in India and China ;
that the Conquistadores of Spain astonished the
world by their vast discoveries and conquests ; and
that the British heroes of the Ehzabethan age led
their dauntless followers to the long-neglected shores
of the Arctic regions. Violence and cruelty, it is
well known, disgraced the track of the conquerors
of India and of the New World; and little less
can be said for our own navigators, who unscrupu-
lously attacked the vessels of other nations which
they met with in those frozen seas. It was the spirit
of the age — an age of great deeds performed by
lawless means — which tainted every European na-
tion; and it must be confessed that the govern-
ment which sanctioned the piracies of Drake and
Cavendish cannot with justice be excepted. The
principal motive however was a laudable one (the
desire of reaching China by a shorter r;.„te, and
thus increasing the commercial prosperity of En-
gland), which led the old navigators of this period
to steer their course towards the polar sea. For
nearly two hundred years the coast of Greeidand
had remained unvisited — from the time, in fact, that
the Norman colonies became extinct to the year
1575, when Sir Martin Frobisher reached a land
which he describes as rising like "pinnacles of
steeples, and all covered with snow," in N. lat. 61°,
and which was evidently the south coast of Green-
land. Sir Martin was soon followed by Master John

]• m

"/-

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

Davis, who, in the year 1585, arrived on the same
coast, and anchored in a fiord near Cape Farewell.
In 1587 he penetrated still further, reaching that
bold and picturesque mass of granite to which he
gave the name of "Hope Saunderson;'' he suc-
ceeded also in crossing the straits which bear his
name, where the discoveries of this great navigator
concluded.

A more solid motive however than the mere dis-
covery of unknown countries began at this time to
actuate the English voyagers to the North, and a
cargo of whale-oil amply repaid the first venture of
the merchant. Mr. Jonas Pool may be considered
the founder of the northern whale-fisheries. In
his various voyages he reported having seen so
many whales, and indeed brought home so many
tuns of oil, that the curiosity as well as cupidity
of the whole country was aroused; for this fishery
seemed to open out a field of exhaustless specu-
lation, as well as of almost certain profit. Others
followed with various success, but none of these
gained so much credit as Master F. Edge, who was
sent out by the Muscovite Company in the year
1613. In the meantime attempts at discovering a
North-west Passage were not a^ondoned, and it is
wonderful with what energy in merchant adven-
turers of the seventeenth century . ught to achieve
a shorter route to Cathay and China. Not the least
among these enterprising men was the intrepid
seaman Baffin, who owes his fame not so much to

I i

f a 0m M » m>mm *t$ M

..'»«*!lWI^^^*.

EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

his vast terrestrial discoveries as to his great ability
in nautical astronomy ; for Baffin was not only the
discoverer of the mode of fin ^ng the longitude by
lunar observation, but he was the first to make
use of astronomical observations with any degree
of accuracy.

In the year 1616 Baffin sailed from Gravesend
on board the ' Discovery/ of fifty -five tons, with
the simple orders to '' pass through the north-west
passage, touch at Japan, and so return.^' On the
30th of May, Hope Saunderson, the extreme point
reached by Davis, was passed, and Baffin was the
first Englishman to land on that archipelago of is-
lands which has since become so great a resort for
whalers. Here some Esquimaux were found ; and it
is an important fact, that at the present day the most
northern Esquimaux settlements (with the excep-
tion of the Arctic Highlanders) are at Opernavik,
on the opposite shore of Greenland. These were
the most northern beings seen by Baffin, who, pass-
ing with some diffi.culty through the ice-fields of
Melville Bay, reached a latitude of 78° north, in
Sir Thomas Smith's Sound, where he found the va-
riation of the needle to be 56° west. Skirting the
w^estern shores of the extensive bay that bears his
name, Baffin concluded this, the most successful of
the Arctic expeditions of the period : he arrived at
Dover on the 30th of August, a.d. 1616.

Two interesting Arctic voyages, though not in

\"i

franklin's footsteps.

feature to northern maritime adventure in the
seventeenth century ; and one of these expeditions,
which passed a winter on the frozen shores of Hud-
son's Bay, was the first to perform that perilous
and hardy feat.

Luke, commonly called North-west, Fox, and
Captain James, sailed in 1631 for the Arctic
Regions. Fox entered Hudson's Bay in June, and
penetrating to that point which has ever since
been called ^ N. W. Fox his furthest,'' returned to
England after an absence of six months. Not so
Captain James ; he left England in the ' Henrietta
Maria' of seventy tons, and made Greenland on
the 4th of June ; but encountering many and se-
rious disasters, he was eventually forced to winter
at Charlton Island, in Hudson's Bay. In his for-
lorn position the first mishap was the fatal illness
of the gunner to . lu expedition, who begged in his
dying momento u be allowed to drink a glass of
sack ; but '' the wine froze in the bottle, as well as
the plaster at his wound." Captain James con trived
to b'"lld a house on shore for wintering in, but so
intense was the cold that the men's noses, cheeks,
and hands were fi jzen white as paper : blisters were
thus raised as large as walnuts, and both oil and
vinegar were hard like pieces of wood. But, what
was more mortifying than all the rest, they found,
that after getting over the severe winter, April was
the coldest month : some of the men had ^^ aches,
vtux-^iw i5Vi%^ iiAvu.Liio, ixiouiiiuuu tiiU/i/ ine surgeon cut

EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

.f;

away the flesh from their gums every moniing, and
thus they went through their miseries/' Their
diet consisted of porridge for breakfast, pork and
peas for dinner, and beef which had been Ijoiled in
this porridge for supper; Alicant wine was kept for
the sick. After a long and dreary winter, during
which Captain James exhibited great courage, en-
ergy, and endurance, the * Henrietta Maria' was
extricated from the ice on the 2nd of July, and ar-
rived at Bristol in October 1632. This voyage is
particularly interesting, as being one of the f ^t in
which an Arctic winter was endured and faithfully
recorded, and does honour to the gallant seaman
who conducted it.

The voyages of Hudson, — which have immortal-
ized his name, and opened the fur- trade of the wilds
of North America,— of Waymouth, Willoughby,
Button, Hall, and others of less importance, though
not immediately connected with our subject, all
show with what indomitable perseverance these
navigators prosecuted their search for unknown
lands. Like their Norman predecessors they fear-
lessly braved all the hardships of an Arctic climate,
with no knowledge of the requisites for passing
through the ordeal of a winter; and, like them,
they opened a wide field for the enterprise of their
successors. Frobisher discovered the continent
of Greenland; Hudson's discoveries led the way
to the establishment of the fur company, which
extends its influence over so large a portion of

1
1

franklin's footsteps.

North America ; Davis and Baffin opened the way
to a lucrative whale-fishery; and the names and
exploits of these great men have added a bright
page to the history of British eiiergy_, science, and
adventurous spirit, which has not been surpassed
even by the subseqaent achievements of Franklin,
Parry, and Boss.

Having brought down the account of Arctic
discovery to the middle of the last century, it will
not be amiss to say a few words on the Greenland
Settlements themselves, the history of which is little
more than a relation of the difficulties that have
be^n undergone by those who endeavoured to sow
the seed of Christianity among the wretched natives
who surrounded them. It is sometimes found that
pure philanthropy will induce a high-souled man
to forsake the comforts and conveniences of civil-
ized life, and, actuated by religious zeal and the de-
sire of propagating a sublime and holy creed, to
brave every kind of hardship and danger. Such
a man was Hans Egede, a clergyman of Vogen in
Norway, who, hearing of the wretched state of the
Greenlanders, moral and physical, was induced to
exert himself for their benefit; after fruitlessly
striving for ten years to awaken a similar zeal
among his countrymen, he at length induced the
King to sanction his undertaking a mission to
Greenland. Accompanied by his wife and four
children, with forty other persons, this disinter-
ested man sailed from Bergen in 1721, and after

•\

EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

a tempestuous voyage arrived at Baals river on the
west coast of Greenland, and founded the Danish
colony of Godhaab in N. lat. 64". After vainly
endeavouring to discover the long-lost Norman
colony on the east of Greenland, he, with his com-
panion Albert Top, commenced in good earnest to
learn the language and attempt the conversion of
the Esquimaux. This work was however very slow,
being constantly interrupted and thwarted by the
determined opposition of the Augekoks, or Esqui-
maux priests. These mortifications, added to fa-
mine, disease, and the rigour of the seasons, would
have reduced a weaker mind to despair ; but Hans
Egede was not so easily overcome, and in spite of
the horrors and misery that met his sight on every
side, he, like Pizarro on the isle of Gorgona, formed
the resolution of remaining among the sterile rocks
of Greenland, with his ten surviving companions,
rather than forsake the duties he had undertaken.
This noble endurance soon met with its reward;
and it occasioned no slight joy in the colony to hear
that the Moravian brethren, on being informed of
the exertions of Hans Egede, had sent out mission-
aries to assist him in his holy worl These men
were Christian David, Matthew Stack, and Chris-
tian Stack ; and it is difficult to conceive the sacri-
fices these devoted Moravians must have made, in
relinquishing the comforts of a happy German home,
to minister to the -^vretched Esquimaux.

Their ordinary difficulties were of course no less

14.

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

than those c dured with so much fortitude by
Egede and his companions ; but, to add to their
suflPerings, a virulent small-pox broke out among
the natives and carried them off by thousands, so
that the country was well-nigh depopulated round
the lately established settlement of New Herrn-
huth ; but even this great calamity did not stagger
the missionaries in their enterprise to reclaim the
remaining heathens. From year to year their pri-
vations were so great that two of them determined
to return home, but Matthew Stack, Frederick
Baemish, and John Beck declared that nothing
should induce them to forsake their call, and that^
come life, come death, they would remain among
the rocks of Greenland : " The Lord our God can
preserve us/' said they; "'and if he is not pleased
to do it, we shall fall into his hands.'' The vene-
rable Hans Egede, with his devoted wife, had shared
the sufierings of the Moravian missionaries up to
this time, taught them the Esquimaux language,
and encouraged them under their greatest distress.
His faithful partner however, a true heroine, de-
voted to her husband and to the holy cause for
which he had sacrificed so much, died in the winter
of 1735 ; and in the following spring, Hans Egede
himself, overwhelmed by this addition to his cala-
mities, resolved to leave the scenes of his almost
fruitless toil and return to die in his native land ;
he chose for the text of his farewell sermon, the 4th
verse of the 49th chapter of Isaiah : " Then I said.

EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength
for nought and in vain ; yet surely my judgement is
with the Lord, and my work with my God/' We
may search the annals of many an empire, and not
find a truer hero than this devoted missionary.

After the departure of Hans Egede little progress
was made. The Esquimaux were stupid, ignorant,
and hardened; those who came from a distance
soon forgot what they heard, and the natives
around Baals river listened with careless inatten-
tion*; still the missionaries lost none of their en-
ergy, and down to the year 1767 they were un-
remitting in their endeavours to improve both the
physical and spiritual weFare of those among whom
they laboured. At this time the number of Es-
quimaux converts in the three Moravian settle-
ments was 998 ; subsequent to that period however
they have somewhat diminished, owing to the mor-
tality which prevents any increase in the population
of this Arctic country, since the introduction of
vices and diseases, incident, it might almost be said,
to civilization.

The most southern Danish settlement is at Fre-
derickshaab, established in 1742. The colonies of
Holsteinborg, Leifly in Disco, and the most north-
ern one, Opernavik, where there is a plumbago-
mine, have all been established by Danish mer-
chants, as depots for collecting furs, oil, and skins,
which are annually 'conveyed to Copenhagen!

These SPtf.lpTnPn+e Orp inlioVvi+f^rl ^y, ^ rr-r.-^

^ „^, „,,t: ^ixiitv^/itta m ix grcuc measure

h >

PRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

by a mongrel population; for there can be little
doubt that the pure Danes, who established them-
selves there from time to time, have in many in-
stances intermarried with the natives, and greatly
improved their physical condition; while the labours
of the worthy Danish and Moravian missionaries
have widely diffused spiritual instruction among
the Esquimaux ; it is to be hoped that eventually
by the admixture of European blood the original
stock will disappear and be replaced by a finer race
of men. b.

CHAPTER II.

GEEENLAND WTIALE FISHERY.

The first people who attempted the capture of the
whale ere supposed to have been the fishermen
on the shores of Biscay. Whales were frequently
stranded on the beach, and considerable profit was
realized by the sale of the bone and blubber; so
valuable indeed did these occasional prizes prove,
that in a short time a band of adventurous fisher-
men fitted out a small craft, for the purpose of
attacking and capturing the leviathan of the deep.
Their success inspired others, until few fishmg-
vessels from these parts put to sea without some
rude weapons, to enable them to contend with such
of these monsters as chance should throw in their

way.

It has been seen how successful were the fishing
voyages of Master Jonas Pool and Master Edge in
the beginning of the seventeenth century : these
men were, in fact, the fathers of the English whale-

' ■■ ^ ^ . ' . ? " w s* w ' 'jgm*- '* '

FRANKLIN S FOOTSTEPS.

r, *

fishery; but^ for many years subsequent to their
return, the Dutch and other nations far surpassed
us in tiie success of their ventures. The first en-
terprise of the Dutch in this fishery was in the
year 1612, in the deep bays of Spitzl ergen, where
whales abounded ; and during the seventeenth cen-
tury this branch of trade increased so rapidly, that
a regular town, afterwards called Smeerenberg,
arose on the island of Amsterdam (Spitzbergen) .
Three hundred vessels annually frequented the
surrounding bays, traders of every kind resorted
thither, and for years it was looked upon by the
States General as another Batavia.

From 1630 to 1640 however, the whales, having
been harassed for many years, at length began to
retreat from the coasts to the open sea ; Smeeren-
berg was therefore gradually deserted ; the blubber,
instead of being landed and boiled down on the
shore, was then merely packed in casks, and con-
veyed to Holland ; in 1770 the Duich whale-fishery
began sensibly to decline, and in 1795 there were
only sixty Dutch whalers.

The English meanwhile had, in their fishing
enterprises, met with repeated failures. In 1635
Charles I. ceded the whale-fishery to the Russia
Company, but so little use was made of this grant,
that the trade can hardly be said to have existed
imtil 1725, when the South Sea Company sent
twelve ships to Greenland; they however aban-
doned it in 1737.

GREENLAND WHALE FISHERY.

In the middle of the last century the whale-
fishery began again to assume some importance,
and in 1756 it was generally successful. In 1787
thirty-one ships sailed from Scotland, and returned
with 84 whales and 6571 seals, yielding 1274 tuns
of blubber. Two hundred whalers sailed from
England at the same period.

About this time also the Hull vessels discovered
the volcanic island of Jan Mayen, around which
the fishing continued to be very successful; and
from 1813 to 1818, 68,940 tuns of oil and 3420
tons of whalebone were imported into England.

The fishery on the west coast of Greenland was
not commenced until a much later date than the
fisheries in the seas around Spitzbergen, Jan
Mayen, and East Greenland. The Davis's Straits
fishery was first opened by the Dutch in 1719,
after which time nearly half their whalers yearly
resorted to the bays and fiords of Greenland,—
South Bay, in 66° 30' N., being their usual rendez-
vv.us. The English soon followed them, but it was
long before they had the hardihood to force their
way through the northern barriers of ice, and, fol-
lowing in the track of Baffin, enter the open water
of the bay which bears his name. That clear-
headed navigator saw the profit that would accrue
from the Baffin's Bay fishery, at least two centuries
before any attempt was made to realize the advan-
tages he pointed out. In his letter to Sir John

on the return of his successful

I I

A,\rr»l af oriTl nl TTI p. .

c 2

franklin's footsteps.

expedition in 1619, he speaks thus:— ''And first,
for killing of whales : certaine it is, that in this
hay are great numbers of them, which the Bis-
cainers call the grand baye whales, of the same
kind which are killed at Greenland, and, as it
seemeth to me, easie to be strooke, because they
are not used to be chased or beaten; for we, being
but one day in Whale's Sound, so called from the
number of whales that we saw there, sleeping and
lying aloft on the water, not fearing our ship or
ought else, that if we had beene fitted with men
and things necessarie, it had beene no hard matter
to have stroke more than would have made these
ships a saving voyage/'

It was not until 1817 (the year before the first
modern Arctic expedition sailed) that two or three
English whalers ventured to sail up Baffin's Bay,
where, in July and August, they found the sea
abounding in whales. In the following year several
other vessels passed the barrier of ice between 74°
and 75° north lat'tude, and found a navigable sea
in the northern part of the bay, formed by the
drifting of the ice to thf3 southward, and which has
usually been called the North Water. Since that
time a fleet of whalers have annually resorted
thither, passing the barrier if possible in the be-
ginning of July, and going south along the west
coast of Baffin's Bay. Of late years the whales
have not been so numerous, for, having been dis-
turbed and actively pursued for a lengtxx Ox t.ime,

{

GREENLAND WHALE FISHERY.

they have changed their place of resort ; and conse-
quently the number of whaling ships in these seas
is now much less than formerly.

The whalers in Baffin's Bay are usually of 300
to 400 tons burden, very strong and well fortified
against the ice. The crews, consisting of from
forty to fifty men, are lodged in berths, each cal-
culated to contain three persons. In the rigging
of a whaler, great attention is paid to the adaptation
of purchases, and enabling her to be worked with
as few hands as possible ; for it often happens that
the greater part of the crew are away in the boats,
and three or four men have to tack a ship of 300
tons.

The crow's-nest is another peculiarity in the
whalers : this was invented by Captain Scoresby,
the famous whaling-master, and first used in 1807.
When the vessel is surrounded by floating masses
of ice, it is necessary to have a man constantly
stationed on the look-out, at the mast-head. The
sharp winrls, frequently charged with minute par-
ticles of frozen vapour, cut his face most pain-
fully, until a cylindrically-shaped pent-^onse was
invented, formed of wooden hoops and covered
with painted canvas, with a trap-door in the bottom;
this is lashed to the top-gallantmast-head, and en-
ables the ice-master to look out in comfort : from
its position and form it is called the crow's-nest.

The boats of a whaler hang from davits all
round her, from abreast of the foremast to the

J.Jtl*-»llW(l

jown 'i mia u i' jw

franklin's footsteps.

stern. They arc always carver-built, with the
bow and stern both sharp, and the keel depressed
some inches in the middle, to allow of her turning
more easily. The six-oared boats are twcnty-six
to twenty-eight feet long, and five feet nine inches
broad.

The crew of a whaler receives a gratuity for
each fish besides his monthly pay. The master
and each harpooner receive, instead of wages, a eer-
tam sum before starting, and if the ship returns
wicn no cargo they get nothing more. The master
IS usually paid three guineas for each whale, and
10*. per tun of oil; each harpooner receives half-a-
gumea per whale, and 6s. per tun of oil ; the chief
mate two guineas a month whilst at sea, and a
gumea for each fish; the specksioneer, or chief har
pooner, 10*. 6d, per fish; and the boat-steerers,
Ime-mana^ers, and foremast-men have each 1*. 6d.
per tun.

The vessels usually saU from Hull, Peterhead,
Aberdeen, or Dundee, in the beginning of March ,•
and those engaged in the seal-trade proceed at
once northward, meeting the ice in about lat. 72°;
as th^ season advances they try for whales, which ^
are usuaUy most plentiful in June.

When a whale is seen from the crow's-nest, a
boat is immediately sent in pursuit, provided with
two harpoons and six or eight lances ; the crew
consists of a steerer, a harpooner, a line-manager,
and four rowers. The harpooner commands and

(

GREENLAND WHALE FISHERY.

pulls the bow-oar, while the line-manager takes
stroke ; the steerer looks out, and gives notice to
the hai^ooner when n'^ar enough. The harpoon is
a barbed dart three feet long, with a socket at the
blunt end, into which a handle is fitted. A piece
of 2-ineh*, four fathoms long, is spliced round the
shank of the harpoon, called the '^ foreganger,"
which is fastened to the handle, and keeps it in its
place until the harpoon is thrown ; the handle then
falls out, and the dart sticks firmly into the body
of the whale.

The harpoon-gun, now generally employed, was
invented in 1731, but fell into disuse for many
years. It is a swivel-gun, fitted in the bows of the
boat, about twenty-four inches long, and the bore
li-inch in diameter; the shank of the harpoon ter-
minates in a cylindrical knob, fitting the bore; a
ring, to which the line is attached, works on the
shank, but remains at the muzzle until the gun
is fired, when it flies back to the knob.

The whale-lines are 120 fathoms long, and 2^-
inch; they are spliced together, six for each boat,
and coiled down in racks.

When struck the whale immediately dives, tak-
ing the line with him, which flies out at a tremen-
dous pace. The harpooner usually takes a turn or
two round the boUardf to impede the rush of the

* Rope is caUed l-inch, 2|-mcli, etc., according to its circum-
ference.

t A block of wood, fixed firmly itti the bows of the boat

franklin's footsteps.

whale as much as possible ; even then the line runs
out at such a, rate that he is surrounded with
smoke by the friction, and it would inevitably set
the boat on fire, if the wood of the bollard were
not well seasoned. Meanwhile a flag is put up in
the boat, which gives notice to the ship that the
whale is struck ; the instant this signal is seen, the
crew rush to the boats, and if it is night, the ex-
citement is such that they jump out of their berths
and ily on deck with their clothes in theii* hands,
not to lose a moment in mmecessary preparation.

The boats leave the ship, and assemble near the
place where the whale is expected to rise. If it is
at the edge of a field of ice, he usi.ally dives imder
it obliquely, and comes up exhausted at the edge,
where it is attacked with lances about six feet long,
and killed.

The exhaustion of the whale, on rising, is caused
not so much by the harpoon, as by the great pres-
sure he undergoes in the almost unfathomable
depths to which he has penetrated. The area of a
large whale is 1540 square feet, so that at a depth
of 800 fathoms he undergoes a pressure of 211,200
tons^.

When the whale is dead, the boats take him in
tow, and bring him alongside the ship, ready for
flensing f.

The common Greenland whale {Balaena mystu

* Thirty-five cubic feet of water weighing one ton.
+ Flensing is taking off the fat and whalebone.

4»

GREENLAND WHALE FISHERY.

cetus) is the largest animal in creation. Its ^'^ngth
varies from forty-five to sixty feet, and its circum-
ference, in the broadest part, is from thirty to forty
feet. The enormous mouth, when open, is ten or
twelve feet high and sixteen long, of sufficient size
indeed to allow a large boat to sail into it. There
are two fins, nearer the snout than the tail, which
is six feet long and twenty-six wide. On the top of
the head are the spiracles, or blow-holes, which are
longitudiniil apertures six inches long. The colour
of the skin is velvet-black, grey, and white, and
the blubber, which lies between the cuticle and the
flesh, is generally from ten to twenty inches in
thickness. The whalebone serves as a substitute
for teeth, and is composed of three hundred laminae
on each side of the head; the greatest length is
fifteen feet, and the breadth ten inches.

The whale is now secured by a j^^rchase called
the "kent-purchase,'' which is made fast to the
mainmast-head, the other end being hooked to the
kent, or fat of the neck. The fall is hauled taut
at the windlass, and the fish raised some inches
out of the water.

After the men have reireshed themselves, the
harpooners get on the whale, under the direction
of the specksioneer, while two boats attend along-
side. They first divide the fat into oblong pieces by
means of blubber-spades, and then flay these ofi",
by hauling on a small tackle inboard. The boat-
steerers and line-managers receive tlie blubber

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

on deck w pieces of about half a ton each, and
pass them down to be packed in the hold. The
fat being taken from the belly, the fish is turned by
means of the kent-tackle i the lip is then opened,
and the whalebone dislodged. The whole of the
blubber and whalebone being taken, the carcase
is cast adrift, and insta-itly attacked by thousands
of voracious gulls of all descriptions.

The great difficulty of the Baffin's Bay whalers
consists in passing the barrier of ice, wdiich begins
a little to the north of Upernavik and extends to
Cape York. The loss of one or more of these ves-
sels is of almost yearly occurrence, from their being
pressed, oi " nipped,'' between two fields of ice.
There is something peculiarly striking in the sight
of a fleet of whalers lying motionless at the edge
of the ice, when a large moving floe* drifts down
upon them, threatening them all with instant de-
struction.

When surrounded in this manner, and in danger
of being completely jammec^ np, the crews leave the
ship, and proceed to cut a dock in the ice, with ice-
saws. These are about fourteen feet long, and fitted
with wooden triangles, each of them being attached
to a rope, which, passing through a block in the
triangle, and dividing into belUropeSj is worked by
almost any number of men. This business is ac-

* A/oe is a piece of ice, of great extent, but the end of which
is visible,— in contradistinction to a field, which reaches to the
horizon.

GREENLAND WHALE FISHERY.

companied by singing, and is perhaps tlie liveliest
scene in the whole voyage. When the dock is
cleared, the ships enter, and are for the time safe
from the ice, which however has been known to
come with such force as tu break up the floe in
which the docks are cut, piling up immense masses
of ice, in every variety of shape, over the bows of
the whalers, and overwhelming them.

But the most fearful danger is that of being
forced to winter in these Arctic regions without
requisite preparation. Unable to escape from the
surrounding masses of ice, the crew of the ill-fated
vessel behold their companions getting clear one
by one, until they are left in their icy cradle, to
pass a dreary winter, with the icebergs towering up
around them, and a death-like stillness prevailing
over everything, only broken occasionally by the
crash of some huge block in falling —

Ceerulea glacie concretse atque imbribus atris."

The whaling fleet however usually returns home in
the months of September and October.

Such is a slight sketch of the perils which menace
the Arctic whalers. There is however a charm
about the wild adventures and magnificent scenery
in Baffin^s Bay, and an excitement in the chase of
the whale, the cutting of docks, and the hair-breadth
escapes from destruction, which seldom fails to cap-
tivate the rough seamen engaged in it. Many of
them have been thirty and forty voyages, and many

franklin's footsteps.

more end their lives and are buried on some barren
island, amid the fantastic icebergs and the screech-
ing sea-birds. The neat head-board carved by a
friendly hand tells the short and melancholy tale,
while the eider- ducV frequently keeps watch over
the dead by building her downy nest on the grave^.

* On one of the granite Vrow Islands is the grave of a whale-
fisherman, covered over with moss, in which, above his breast,
an eider-duck had forioed her nest, containing two eggs.— July,
1851.

CHAPTER III.

MODERN ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

The Arctic regions have for ages attracted the at-
tention of the learned and adventurous. Impelled
by various motives, the energy of almost every ma-
ritime nation in Europe has, from time to time,
been directed towards the discovery of those hid-
den lands or seas which, in the most northern parts
of the frigid zone, are hemmed in by almost impe-
netrable barriers of ice.

We have seen how the valorous Normans of
old crossed the stormy Atlantic, and reached the
shores of Greenland and America ; how the brave
old seamen of our Elizabethan age explored the
unknown regions of Davis's Strait and Baffin's
Bay; how the fearless Danish and German mis-
sionaries established themselves among the barren
rocks of a frozen continent ; and how eagerly En-
glish seamen risk their lives in the whale-fishery
amid the perils of an ice-encumbered sea. In our

franklin's footsteps.

own time however a different motive has induced
England to make her gigantic, and partially suc-
cessful, attempts at Arctic discovery.

At the general peace in 1815, public attention be-
came gradually directed to the subject of discovery
and the advancement of science ; and when it was
reported by Scoresby and others that during the
years 1815, 1816, and 1817, there had been a
great clearance of ice in the Arctic regions. Sir
John Barrow and Sir Joseph Banks promoted the
equipment of an expedition in search of a North-
west Passage through Baffin's Bay.

In May, 1818, Captain Ross sailed on this ad-
venturous voyage with two vessels, the *^ Alexander'
and ^Isabella,' and reached the northern part of
the island of Disco on the 17th of June. After en-
countering great difficulty in passing through the
barrier of ice usually extending between Cape York
and the Devil's Thumb, — which line of coast was
called Melville Bay, — the expedition arrived off the
north-west part of that bay, the coast of which is
covered with an enormous glacier, reaching in many
places to the sea. Here Captain Boss fell in with
a tribe of Esquimaux, whom he called '*^ Arctic
Highlanders," — the most northern inhabitants of
the world. They had sledges and dogs, but no
canoes, and appeared to be in a more wretched con
dition than their southern brethren.

This is the only interesting event in the voyage.
Leaving the west coast of Baffin's Bay, an optical

MODERN ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

illusion prevented the ships discovering the en-
trance to those magnificent straits which form the
outlets to its northern shore ; and this expedition,
barren in all practical results, returned to England
in the month of November, 1818.

Unsatisfactory however as was the first modern
Arctic expedition, the thirst for discovery was not
discou ^ bj' the failure of one commander; and
in thf (;;' Adng year Lieutenant Parry, who had
commaix^ed the ^Alexander,' fitted out another
expedition, consisting of the ^ Hecla,' 375 tons, and
' Griper,^ 180 tons, to explore the North-west Pas-
sage by way of Lancaster Sound.

On the 11th of May, 1819, the expedition sailed
from England, and on the 4th of August, after a
prosperous voyage, entered the sound, and passed
. Der the mountains which to Sir John Ross's vision
had unfortunately stopped further progress in that
direction. What must have been the feeling of
these enterprising voyagers, when they found them-
selves sailing with a fresh breeze down an entirely
unknown strait, bounded by perpendicular cliffs
never before beheld by European eye, and with
every prospect of performing that voyage which had
baffled the attempts of centuries ! This strait was
called after Sir John Barrow, the great promoter
of Arctic discovery.

There is something calculated to strike the mind
with reverential awe in first entering upon an un-
known region. The perpendicular cliffs of Bar-

franklin's footsteps.

row's Strait are composed of dark limestone, and
the streams of melted snow falling from their sum-
mits have, in the course of time, worked deep
fissur^:, which make the intermediate buttresses
stand ..' i. in bold relief, and assume the extraordi-
nary appearance of a succession of columns rising
from the sea in frowning majesty, and support-
ing the blue vault of heaven on their snow-covered
architrave. Every eye was directed with intense
eagerness to the westward, and great was the
disappointment when a line of ice was observed
extending to the north from Leopold Island, and
closely packed. A broad opening to the south
was called by Parry " Prince Regent's Inlet," and
was explored as far south as 73° 13' north, where
a compact barrier of ice was found to stretch from
shore to shore. Returning therefore to the northern
coast of Barrow's Strait, the Expedition crossed the
entrance of Wellington Channel, which was clear
of ice as far as the eye could reach, and passed

rapidly to the west.

Many islands were discovered in their progress,
and a line of coast to the northward . Far to the
south a loft^ bluff was seen rising above the ho-
rizon, and was named '^ Cape Walker." The bar-
ren limestone shores of newly discovered land—
Cornwallis, Griffith, Brown, Somerville, Lowther,
Young, Garrett, and Baker Isles,— were passed in
succession ; but no boat landed till the Expedi-
tion reached the sandstone beach of Byam Martin

MODERN ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

Island. Here the remains of six Esquimanx huts
were found, evidently of great age, but curious
and interesting, as being the first traces of man
observed since the Expedition passed the portals of
Lancaster Sound.

Proceeding westward. Parry crossed the meri-
dian of 110° west, and thus the Expedition became
entitled to a reward of ,£5000, granted by an Order
in Council"^. They were here stopped bv a barrier
of ice, and the young ice began to form so rapidly
that it was found necessary to seek safe winter-
quarters. The coast to the north, after leaving
Byam Martin Island, had been landed upon several
times, and was called Melville Island; it is com-
posed of sandstone, and, compared with the barren
limestone rocks between this island and Welling-
ton Channel, abounds in moss, and at certain rea-
sons of the year in animal fo^^ \ The vessels, after
cutting a canal in the ice more than two miles long,
were on the 23rd of September -safely moored in
a winter harbour on the south shore of Melville
Island

Ine Arctic winter that ensued was one of ex-
traordinary rigour, (the last deer, many of which
had been killed, was seen on October 17th,) and a
desolate stillness prevailed, occasionally broken by
the laughter-loving audience of an Arctic theatre
on board the Hecla.

As the warmer months advanced. Parry deter-
* Act 58 Geo. III., cap. 20.

FRANKLIIN S FOOTSTEPS.

minefl on an attempt to explore the northern shore
of Melville Island.

This was the first travelling party which ever
endured the hardships of the frozen ground and
cutting winds of this latitude at a distance from
the ships. It is impossible to overrate the impor-
tance of travelling parties on foot, both for ex-
ploring and searching : more has been done by that
means than will ever be attained by sailing ; and
if ev^ " the North-west Passage is discovered in the
latitude, or north, of Melville Island, it is pro-
bable that such an exploit will be performed by
overland parties. The first attempt therefore at
this mode of discovery is very interesting. The
Expedition was equipped in the following manner.

The provisions were carried on a light cart with
two wheels, carrying also two blanket-tents, wood
for fuel, three weeks' provisions, cooking appara-
tus, ammunition, and three guns, — in all, 800 lbs.
weight. The allowance per man was one pound of
biscuit, two-thirds of a pound of preserved meat,
one pound of sugar, and one gill of spirits. Each
person carried, in addition, a blanket bag, and a
haversack containing one pair (^f shoes, one pair
of stockings, and a flannel shirt, — weighing, in all,
from 18 to 24 lbs. The party left the ships on the
1st of June, and travelled by night, both to prevent
injury to their eyes from the glare of the sun on
the snow, and also to obtain more warmth while
sleeping. Crossing some vast plains covered with

MODERN ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

snow, and several rugged ravines, they reaelied the
sea on the northern shore, and named a distant
island Sabine Island, after that cele1)rated engineer-
ing officer who accompanied the Expedition. Dur-
ing this journey the party experienced great assist-
ance in dragging the cart by rigging it with a sail.

Returning south. Parry left some lofty blue hills
tc the west, and reached a wild, picturesque spot,
which was named Bushnan Cove, situated on the
shores of a deep gulf penetrating the west coast of
Melville Island. This was called Liddon^s Gulf.
In descending a steep and narrow ravine, the axle-
tree of the cart broke in two, and the wheels were
left behind; there they remained until 1851, when
Lieutenant M'Clintock met with them on his won-
derful journey, and used them foi firewood.

Parry^s party returned across the land, and ar-
rived at Winter Harbour by the 15th of June,
having travelled over an estimated distance of 180
miles, at the rate of twelve miles per day.

Such was the first Arctic travelling party in these
latitudes, which, though starting in the warmest
month in the year, and remaining but a short time
away, accomplished the object for which it was
equipped, and discovered land never visited until
the late Expedition.

On the 1st of August, the Hecla and Griper,
after having been fast locked in their icy harbour"^

* The rise and fall of the tide in Winter Harbour was four
feet four inches.

jl^^l

( I

franklin's footsteps.

for ten months, at length got into clear water, and
again attempted to press onwards to the west ; but
an interminable barrier of thick-ribl;ed iee stopped
their progress ; and after naming the extreme west
point visible "Cape Dundas,'' and a coast-line
clearly seen to the southward "Banks's Land/'
Parry thought it advisable to return to England"'^.

On the 30th of August the entrance to Prince
Regent's Inlet was found to be blocked up with
ice, and the Expedition re-entered Baffin's Bay and
left the scenes of its interesting discoveries on the
5th of September.

After a very rough passage across the Atlantic,
Parry landed at Peterhead, and concluded one of
the most successful voyages ever attempted in the

Arctic Regions f.

The unsatisfactory conclusion of this, as of every
other voyage in search of a North-west Passage,
induced Captain Parry to advocate a search in the
northern part of Hudson's Bay, and along the
north coast of America ; and accordingly two years
and a half (1821-3) were spent in the discovery
of "^^ecla and Fury Strait, and the adjoining land.
Bul 'le unsatisfactory termination of this expedi-
tion led Parry again to turn his attention towards
the regions beyond Lancaster Sound, where he

* He bad only two years' provisions on leaving England.

t The islands from Wellington Channel to MelvUle Island,
which were at first called the North Greorgian Group, have since
been known as the Parry Islands.

?10 V,4RN ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

• \

had gained his greatest fame ; and so strong was
the confidence of GoverniTient in this distinguished
officer, that he again received the command of the
Hecla and Fury, which sailed on the 19th of May,
1824.

Disaster attended Parry's third voyage from the
very outset. The immense quantity of ice block-
ing up Baffin's Bay, impeding the progress of the
ships, and frequently placing them in the most
perilous positions, delayed their entrance into Lan-
caster Sound until the 10th of September. The
season was too far advanced to enable them to
proceed much further west ; the young ice formed
rapidly around them, and it was with great diffi-
culty that on the 27th they reached winter-quar-
ters in Port Bowen, on the east coast of Prince
Eegent's Inlet.

The dreary winter was enlivened by an amuse-
ment quite novel in the history of the Parry
Islands. Theatrical entertainments had been given
in Winter Harbour, and 'The Rivals,' 'Miss in
her Teens,' and 'The Mayor of Garratt,' hvA been
acted on an Arctic stage in 1819-20; but it was
left for Captain Hoppner, of the Fury, to propose,
and the Arctic Expedition of 1824 to carry out,
the first bal masque ever heard of in these regions.
It was during the dark and dreary days of an Arctic
winter that these performances took place. Port
Bowen re-echoed to the joyous laughter of the

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

kept up the disguise of a one-leggeu fiddler during a
whole evening ; and in after years, when his First
Lieutenant^ commanded the Expedition of 1850-1,
the memory of its success induced him to resort to
the same pastime, as part of that recreation which
is so necessary during the tedious winter months,
to keep up the health and spirits of the men.

In the spring of 1825 several travelling parties
were despatched in different directions. Captain
Hoppner attempted to explore the interior, but
the depth and frequency of the ravines rendered
his progress slow ; two other parties, of four men
and an officer, likewise examined and surveyed
part of the shore to the north and south of Port

Bowen.

On the 20th of July the vessels got clear of
their-winter quarters. The huge masses of ice
drifted thjm rapidly do^vn the inlet, and on the
2nd of August the Fury was forced on shore, and
on the 21st, being again stranded, she had to be
abandoned ; the stores and provisions were left in
a heap o- the beach, and the crew was taken on
board the Hecla, which arri\ ed off Sheerness in

October.

On the return of Captain Parry, the feasibility
of reaching the North Pole attracted the attention
of that indefatigable navigator ; and in 1827 he
was again given the command of the Hecla, to

* Captain Horatio Thomas Austin, E.N., C.B.

maiic tills uOivA

#^!

MODERN AxlCTIC .^.XPEDITIONS.

^'.\

#•!

on At ril 4th, lie anchored in Hccla Cove, Spitzher
gen, June 22nd.

On June 24th Parry left the ships, with seventy-
one day-' provisions, in two boats, named tiie lln-
terprise ? 1 Endeavour, twenty feet long and se^en
broad, flu floored, with a bamboo mast nineteen
feet long, tarred duck-sails, steer-oar, tourteer
paddles, a spreet, and boathook. Each boat, with
stores complete, weighed 3753 lbs., or 268 lbs. per
man (two officers and twelve men). There were
also four sledges of 26 lbs. each. The allowance
per man was 10 oz. of biscuit, 9 oz. of pemmican,
1 oz. of cocoa, 1 gill of rum, and 3 oz. of tobacco
per week. The cooking apparatus consisted of an
iron builer over a shallow spirit-lamp with seven
wicks, which, with one pint of spirits-of-wine,
boiled twenty-eight pints of cocoa in an hour and

a quarter.

Owing to their starting too late in the season,
the ice was frequently found to be in a state of
motion ; they had to launch the boats, and tlien
haul them again on to the ice ; and sometimes,
after travelling all day, they found that they had
even lost latitude by the ice drifting south ; so that,
after enduring great fatigue, they only reached
82° 45' north, and on the 2nd of August returned
to +^e Hecla, having travelled r69 mile-, during an
absence of fifty-seven days"^.

* Thouffh this Expedition proved unsuceeasfal, I concoive the
attempt to .ach tlie Pole, provided that H. is not surrounded

■) !

i I

pbanklin's footsteps.

The next expedition through Lancaster Sound
was a private one, under Captain Ross, who sailed
m the Victory, of 180 tons, fitted with a small
steam-engine and paddles. His object was to set at

I .! 2' ° * P""^' ''^™ ^ incorrect, and the rceions

around the Pole are imbedded in fleld-iee during the linTa

here .every reason to believe, from the quantfty of Tee P^

iound iiftng south, the plan wo,dd be to despatch a S

cqy.ppcd Arctic ship, and a strong little Norwegian prall The

i-act, say in 83° north, or 84,", or, if lucky, 85°. Karlv in the
ensuing April the whole of the crew wUch composed her-sav

i^v sho°ui; b™'1 '"■ ''''"^ ""' "^ "^^ '"-^ "*- their returZ
boat The distance to the Pole would be, from 85° north, only three
hundred naUes, or from 84° north, three hundred and 1^^
which might be done at ten mUcs a day, in thirty or tlnr ^Ldfy '
thus reaching the North Pole long before the L beginf o bik
up, and returnmg by boat ana sledge, according to the state of
the.ee, to the Heela. This boat, I conceive, shoufd beiia It ed
and supported by a strong sledge, with strong runners, and cross-'
pees and bearer to fit the bottom of the boat, and mlde to take
easily to pieces and stow away. The provisions would be stowed

sleep on the ice m light tents, or in the boat, covered with tar-

on Apnl 4th) they would be spared the annoyance of being drifted
the south, until they had reached the Pole, and on thei! rSurn

e^t, this plan would only be rendered more practicable and les,
laborious by using boat and saUs.

■1

MODERN ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS. 41-

rest the question of a North-west Passage south of
Barrow's Strait. After a prosperous voyage he en-
tered Prince Regent's Inlet, and having supplied
himself with provisions from the stores abandoned
by the Fury (the vessel herself had entirely disap-
peared), the Victory proceeded southland discovered
three hundred miles of new coast-line, which was
called Felix-Boothia*. Captain Ross secured his
vessel in safe winter-quarters in September 1829
The excursions of his second in commandf, as-
sisted by the Esquimaux, enabled him to discover
the North Magnetic Polet, in 70° 5' 17" north, and
95 46' 45" west, near Cape Nikolai, on the western
shore of Boothia : the amount of the dip was 89° 59'
being within one minute of the vertical. As the'
vessel could not be extricated from the ice, she was
abandoned in 1832, and Captain Ross led his men
with boats and provisions, to Fury Beach, where a
fourth winter was passed, in a canvas house banked
up with snow. In the following year the boats
were launched, and after many days of hard pull-
ing Captain Ross and his crew were picked up in
Lancaster Sound by a whaler. The question of a
North-w,«t Passage in any direction south of Lan-

»' From Sir Felix Booth, an opulent distUler, who asbiated thp
equ,pMent of the expedition with £17.000, and 'on ts"!'
made a baronet by William IV.

t Commander James C. Ross.
J The north and south magnetic poles are now supposed to be

I r

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

caster Sound, has been for ever set at rest by this
expedition and the recent discoveries of Dr. Rae
in Repulse Bay.

The travelling parties of Franklin and Eichard-
son, of Dease, Simpson, and Rae, on the shores of
North America, are not sufficiently connected with
my subject to be further noticed. There is a wide
difference between the fir-clad banks of the Mac-
kenzie or the Coppermine, and the naked rocks of
the Parry Islands. Franklin and his brave com-
panions, in the expedition of 1820, were enabled to
live on tripe de roche"^, but in the Parry Islands
sufficient could not be collected to satisfy one man
for a single day. In Repulse Bay even, where no
drift-wood is to be found. Dr. Rae used the club-
moss {Andromeda tetragona) for fuel; but in the
Parry Islands no such useful plant was met vith
between MelviUe Island and Cape Warrender. •

It is evident therefore that even the shores of
Arctic America are not to be compared in desolate
wretchedness with those inhospitable regions which
lie further north, and that the experience of the
one cannot be applied to the other.

Between the return of Sir John Ross, in 1834,
and 1845, little was done in the way of Arctic dis-
covery. Whalers indeed are said occasionally to
have gone up Barrow's Strait, and even the islands
in Wellington Channel seen by the United States
Expedition, and marked on the charts as Mr. Penny's

* A species of lichen.

(•

MODERN ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

discoveries, were first observed by Mr. Parker, of
the ' True Love' whaler; but it was not until the
return of Sir John Franklin from the government of
Van Diemen's Land, that the attention of Govern-
ment was again turned toward the Arctic Regions.
At the instigation of Sir John Barrow, two
bomb-vessels, the Erebus and the Terror, lately
returned from Sir James Ross's Antarctic expedi-
tion, with small auxiliary steam-engines and screw-
propellers, were fitted out under the command of
Sir John Franklin, and sailed from England on

May the 26th, 1845.

That gallant officer, who had already suffered
so many fearful hardships in Arctic America, was
then fifty-nine years old. The expedition consisted
of twenty-three officers and one hundred and
fifteen men,— in all, one hundred and thirty-eight
souls. They arrived at the Whale-fish Islands, a
group to the south of Disco, on the 4th of July,
and on the 26th were seen moored to an ice-
berg in 74° 48' north latitude and 66° 13' west
longitude, by Captain Dannet of the Prince of
Wales-^ (a Hull whaler). They have not been
heard of since ; and no traced, save the remains of
mnter-quarters of 1845-6, at Beechey Island, have
been discovered.

Their long absence began, in 1847, to excite the
apprehension of Government ; and in June 1848

* This whaler, with two others, the Superior of Peterhead,
and Lady Jane of Newcastle, were lost in Baffin's Bay in 1849.

'>iw H » .; *^-^iqipw

franklin's lOOTSTEPS.

Sir James Eoss, an officer who had accompaniec
almost every expedition, both Arctic and Antarctic,
and has been further north and south than any man
living, sailed in search of the missing expedition
with two vessels, the Enterprise and Investigator.

They reached Barrow's Strait in the end of
August, and, owing to the state of the ice, were
forced to winter in Leopold Harbour. During the
following May and June"^, Sir James Eoss and
Lieutenant M'Cliutock explored the whole of the
north and west coasts of North Somersei in two
sledges, with crews of six men each, and returned
to the ships on June 23rd, having been thirty-
nine days absent. During these excursions they
shot seven ducks, eight ptarmigan, one glaucous
gullf, two silver gulls, one kittiwake, three dove-
heys, two boatswains, one red-throated diver, one
snow bunting, — in all, twenty-six birds; they caught
also a lemming, saw three bears, and wounded two
of them. Other parties explored Cape Hurd, Cape
York, and the east ::hore of North Somerset, as far
as Fury Beach, where Sir John Eoss's house and
much of the Fury's provisions still remained. On
the 28th of August the vessels got clear of Leo-
pold Harbour, leaving a wooden house, twelve
months' provisions, fuel, and a small steam-launch,
on Whaler Point. From the 1st to the 25th of

* Started May 15th, returned June 23rd,— tliii-ty-nine days,
t GuUs arrive in May ; early in June a flock of sandpipers and
the first ducks were seen.

MODERN ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.

September the vessels were closely beset by the
ice, and in the greatest danger of being crushed
to pieces, but they eventually drifted into Baffin's
Bay, and having at length extricated themselves,
reached England in November.

Meanwhile the North Star (an old twenty-six-
gun frigate of 500 tons) had sailed from England,
with provisions for the Expedition of Sir James
Ross, in the spring of 1849, but was forced to
winter in Wolstenholme Sound on the west coast
of Greenland, after having been sixty-two days in
the ice.

Such in a brief account of the first unsuccessful
attempts to relieve Sir John Franklin's ships.

til

CHAPTER IV.

CAPTAIN AUSTIN'S EXPEDITION.

On receiving intelligence of the unsuccessful termi-
nation of Sir John Rosses expedition^ the Govern-
ment determined on sending out four more vessels^
in the hope of rescuing, or at least of obtaining
some information respecting the fate of, the missing
vessels.

Captain Austin^ was selected_, on the recommen-
dation of Sir Edward Parry, to command the new
Arctic expedition, consisting of four vessels, which
were commissioned on February 28th, 1850. The
Resolute, of 410 tons, was a bark built at Shields;
the Assistance, commanded by Captain Ommanney,

* Captain Austin was first lieutenant of the Fury, in lier dis-
astrous voyage to the Arctic Regions, 1824-5. He subsequently
served in the Chanticleer (surveying vessel) in the Pacific Ocean,
and has since commanded several steamers. He was at the attack
and taking of Sidon in 1840. When appointed to command
the Arctic expedition, he was Captain of the Blenheim, line-of-
battle ship.

CAPTAIN AUSTIN'S EXPEDITION.

of 430 tons (to which the author was appointed),
was built at Bombay by a son of Sir Robert Sep-
pings, the famous naval architect, and had formerly
been a trader in the China Sea; to each vessel
was attached a screw steam-tender of sixtv-horse
power, the Intrepid and the Pioneer"^. With these
ships the rescue of Sir John Franklin was to be
attempted. The Government also deemed it ex-
pedient to employ two brigs under Mr. Penny, a
whaling captain, to search Joneses Sound; these
were fitted out at Aberdeen; nor would old Sir
John E/Oss be left behind, but followed in a small
schooner of his own.

Captain Austin^ s expedition had a supply of pro-
visions for three years, and a transport was to com-
plete it at the Whale-fish Islands. The complement
of each bark was sixty men, and of the tenders thirty,
— in all a hundred and eighty men. No vessels ever
sailed from England with a greater prospect of suc-
cess : all on board were enthusiastic in the extreme,
and determined to exert their utmost energies and
use all the means in their power to further the noble
cause in which they were engaged ; the vast tracts
of country discovered and explored by Captain
Austin^ s Expedition will remain for ever on the
map of the world a proof of how that determination

* These four vessels were bought by Government. Their
names were changed on the occasion : the Resolute was formerly
the Ptarmigan — the Assistance, the Baboo — the Pioneer, the Ida
— and the Intrepid, the Freetrader. The Resolute was fitted out

i / 1

franklin's footsteps.

has been carried out. We sailed from England on
the 3rd of May, passed Cape Wrath on the 15 th, and,
after a prosperous voyage, arrived at the Whale-
fish Islands, a group on the west coast of Green-
land, south of Disco, by the 16th of June, where
we were to receive the remainder of our supply of
provisions from the transport"^.

* The provisions of H.M.S. Assistance, on leaving England,
were increased one-third at the Whale-fish Islands (except small
stores, milk, chocolate, etc.), being three years' for sixty men, and
two years' salt meat for thirty men, for the tenders, viz.

Eum (40 over proof) 1455 gall.

Biscuit

Salt beef

Salt pork

Flour

Suet . .

Currants

Peas . .

Chocolate

Tea

Sugar

Oatmeal

Vinegar

Tobacco

Soap

Lime-juice

Scotch barley

Rice

Pickles

Preserved meats

21,896 lb.
13,984 „
18,560 „
56,200 „
1,792 „
350 „
77 bsh.
4,148 lb.
1,148 „
13,500 „
12 bsh.
41 gall.
3,467 lb.
2,365 „
4,136
1,280
300
4,000
24,720

Preserved soups . 7,060 lb.
„ vegetables 9,020 „
potatoes 4,928
ap ies

Pepper

Mustard

Salt

Dried yeast

Pemmican

Chocolate paste

Preserved milk

2,352

200

368

280

1,539

250

100 pts.

STORES.

Coals . .
Lignum vitse
Wood . .
Candles
Sperm oil .
Linseed

72 ton.
3,000 lb.

7 cords.
3,000 lb.
400 gall.
100 „

All stowed in 519 casks, 434 cases, jars, bags, etc., and 7608
preserved meat-tins. The tanks held fifty-one tons,— twenty tons
in provisions and thirty-one tons in water. The consumption of
water was one-third of a ton per day.

The vessels were doubled and trebled at the bows, and in every
way fitted to resist as much as possible the pressure of the ice.
Crow's-nests were also provided, and a boom for the foot of the
foresail as used by the whalers.

fcaM

^^ti^MJB Ww ■■" * *: ■"■

CAPTAIN Austin's expedition.

The Whale-fish Islands, eight in number, consist
of large masses of gneiss, piled up in wild confu-
sion and sometimes forming valleys, where moss,
saxifrage and dwarf willow spring up, and small
freshwater lakes are formed by the melting of the
snow in summer. On the rocks, cracked in all
directions by the frost, white and red lichens and
the tripe de roclie, a plant of a bitter taste but with
some nutritious qualities, are occasionally found.

There are about eighty Esquimaux in the Whale-
fisu Islands, and a few half-castes governed by a
Danish carpenter, who when the Erebus and Ter-
ror were there was consulted by Sir John Franklin
on the state of the ice to the north. He resides
in a wretched timber house on " Kron-Prins,'' the
largest island, — yet a palace compared with the
miserable Esquimaux habitations which surround
him ; here he collects the skins and oil, and delivers
them over to the Danish vessel, which calls once a
year.

The interior of the adjacent continent of Green-
land is covered with an enormous glacier, which
fills up the valleys and ravines, and reduces the
whole extent of country, with the exception of a
narrow strip of bleak and rugged rocks on the sea-
coast, to one vast table-land, gloomy, cold, and
uninhabitable.

The coast is composed of huge granitic rocks,
piled up in the wildest confusion, and intersected by

-iv7iA(3 i.x.\ji.\X7iy If ueejj uiitixxjj.t;i», wiiiuil ciru to utJ

LIXXXXC

franklin's POOTSTErs.

traced sometimes for a hundred mUes into the in-
tenor and generally terminate in glaciers; the latter
torced on by the pressure of the upper ice-fields
hll the fiord, project far into the sea, and when
undermmed by the surge, break off in huge masses
with a noise like thunder, and form those enormous
icebergs which render the navigation of Barfm's
Bay so perilous and frequent.y so disastrous.

The rocks are filhd with cracks and fissures, in
which garnets and quartz are found; but the vege
tation is very scanty, being confined to sorrel, saxi-
Irage, a dwarf ranmiculus, some mosses and lichens
which serve as food for the reindeer, dwarf willow'
and grass in the marshy ground. '

The^ Esquimaux inhabit this dreary sea-coast
from Cape PareweU to the northern extremity of
Baffin s Bay, and live entirely on the animals they
kill by hunting. The Polar bears, which are very
numerous and of enormous size,-sometimes eight
or nine feet long, with thin snow-like hair, long
necks and narrow heads,-are kiUed by the natives
with the assistance of their dogs. In winter,
instead of dens or caves, these animals make their
homes under the snow, which, according to the
Esquimaux, are constr .ted with piUars like stately
bmldmgs*. The reindeer also are numerous in
the southern parts of Greenland, where the natives
spend much time in hunting them. Wh^+e hares
and foxes also are caught in stone traps, the remains

* Hans Egede, p. 60.

CAPTAIN Austin's expedition.

of which are to be found wherever the Esquimaux
have encamped, even on the shores of the remote
Parry Islands. The dogs are of a wolfish appear-
ance, with sharp erect ears, and tail curled on the
back; eight or ten harnessed to a sledge, and
dragging five or six of the largest seals, will make
fifteen Gorman miles in the day ovei* rough ice.

Of birds, the ptarmigan, sand-pipers, phalaropes,
ravens, owls, falcons, and snow-bunting, are found
on land ; while immense flocks of gulls, terns, and
skuas breed on the small islands and in the clefts
of the rocks ; the eider, long-tailed and king ducks,
brent geese, and every description of the Alcoae and
Colymbidse are numerous.

The Greenland sea abounds in different sorts of
animals. The whales have for many years attracted
a large fleet of merchant vessels from England and
elsewhere; and among the different species, the Nar-
whal or Sea Unicorn {Monodon monoceros) is the
most remarkable. This animal, with its long horn
projecting from the snout about fifteen feet, attracts
great attention when first seen. The seals on the
ice-fields and rocks of Greenland are of several
kinds, and form the staple food of the Esquimaux.
The sea-horse, with his two large tusks growing
downward from his upper jaw about eighteen
inches, is a most formidable animal. Fierce encoun-
ters sometimes take place between this animal and
the white bear, when the latter is often killed.

The seals are speared by the Esquimaux, in their

E 2

FRANKLIN S FOOTSTFPS.

I \\

light ki ^aks or canoes, with great dcxteiity To
the spear is fastened a line of sealskin, six or seven
fathoms long, at the end of which is a ]>ladder to
prevent the seal from diving after he is struck :
it is pointed sometimes with bone, but riear the
Danish settlements, where iron can be procured,
that metal is of course preferred. The canoe is
sharp at both ends, and at most two feet broad,
with a round hole in the centre, just large enough
for a man to insert his body. In these the Es-
quimaux, with a rouble paddle, fly through the
water with amazing celerity. Besides the ka^ak,
they have a larger boat, the omenak, for their
women, also made of sealskin.

The Esquimaux, though widely scattered among
the rugged granite cliffs of Greenland, are far from
numerous. Their appearance, with coal-black
long coarse hair, broad shoulders, fetid odour, lo^
foreheads, sunken eyes, flattened noses, stupid ex-
pression, and dwarfish stature, is very rppuijsive.
Their dress consists of a sealskin frock_ with a hood,
breeclies, and boots ; no apparent distinction being
observed between the dress of the two sexes, except
that the women tie their hair up in a knot, instead
of letting it hang over their shoulders.

Their winter habitations are low huts built of
stone, about a yard high and with a flat roof. The
floor is four feet below the level of the ground, to
preserve warmth, and the entrance is by a long
narrow passage Several families live together in

CAPTAIN Austin's z '^fdition.

one of these miserable abodes. The fuel for their
lamps consists of seal-oil, and dried moss supplies
the place of cotton wicks, *-he smell of which when
combined with raw seal's flesh, tish, and fat, is over-
powering.

Sealskin tents, vnth the hairy side inwards, are
their summer place of residence, and these are
easily moved from place to place, as the iimiates
wander in search of subsistence.

The food of the Esquimc^ax consists almost en-
tirely of seals' flesh and fish, which is usually eaten
raw, but son- jtimes boiled or dried in the sun.
Their habits are filthy in the extreme ; water never
touching their skin exee^ t by accident ; while they
do not hesitate to eat oflal which would disgust a
starving European.

Such are the Esquimaux of Greenland. The ex-
treme cold, and the hardships to which they have
been subjected for many generations, have had so
baneful an effect upon their minds^ that the won-
drous works of nature in the regions they inhabit
have not sufficed to soften down or imbue them
with any higher feling than the mere desire to
satisfy their appetites. The bold granite cliffs of
Greenland, the sense of solitude cai:sed by the
profound stillness, the towering icebergs, the sun
at midnight, the wonderful mirages, the deep blue
of the heavens, har^ apparently no more effect on
them than upon the bear or fox= Indeed the latter
betray far more intelligence than the lords of crea-

wmm

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

t ,

tion in this part of the world ! With no method
of improving the mind, and no words in their lan-
guage to express abstract ideas, the stupid and
insensate state of the Esquimanx's mind forms a
striking contrast to the unobscured clear horizon
and the calm beautiful scenery which surround
him.

During the summer the WhaJe-fish Islands are
frequented by innumerable flocks of the feathered
tribe. The eider anci long-tailed ducks, and divers,
aie numerous on the lagoons, and were shot in
great numbers; the Alcidse of all descriptions
lodge in the clefts of the rocks, and myriads of
gulls swarm upon the calm unruffled sea.

For eight days these islands echoed with the
reports of our guns. Parties were abroad in p1\
directions, and various devices w'^'-e resorted to
in order to entrap the unwary birds. The most
amusing stratagem perhaps (one at least which
met with the most applause) was that of two expe-
rienced old sportsmen, who floated down towards
the birds in a small dingy, covered Wxth a large
white sheet, to give themselves the appearance of
a lump of ice. On another occasion two officers
(Markham and Hamilton) started on a shooting
excursion, with a hesLVj four-oared gig. It was a
beautifully calm evening, with a sublime view sea-
ward, where the icebergs floated majestically, and
the horizon was adorned with wonderfully fantastic
mirages. After reaching the northernmost island.

W« IIIW l LW )l l<lMl lilli l i | 1> Ut *f!'-^«y*^?yi-«h'»Jf . -

JM1J.»:»- ''- ^-»--

i ^

CAPTAIN Austin's expedition.

which was hidden from the ships by the intervening
rocks, and spending some hours, the one in shoot-
ing, the other in missing, various ducks and divers,
they commenced pulling the boat toward the ships
again. No sooner however had they got midway
between two of the islands, than the bright blue
sky became overcast, and the wind and sea rose
rapidly. In vain they pulled the heavy boat with
all their strength against the opposing waves ; she
was rapidly drifting out to sea. As a last hope
an iceberg was caught hold of with the boathook ;
but the waves surged and foamed around it to such
a degree that they were forced to cast off, and again
toiled on at the oars, without however gaining any
ground. The last point of the islands was not more
than half a mile distant, but it seemed to recede
as for hours they pulled the boat towards it— in-
somuch that it was dubbed then and there Cape
Flyaway.

There was now e\ / prospect of being drifted
out into Davis's Straits ; but at length, with the
desperate energy of reviving hope, and the wind
at the same time abating, they reached the long
wished-for point, and obtained a little rest ; it was
not however until noon the following day that they
reached the Assistance.

The time was passed in these amusements until
the Expedition was again ready for sea. On the
25th of June we proceeded northward, and passing
Disco and the Danish settlement of Upernavik,

TTmim

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

11 '

came for the first time in sight of the broad fields
of ice abreast of the Vrow Islands, and made fast
to an iceberg.

We were surrounded by bergs of aU sizes, some '
grounded, others drifting. On the evening of the
26th I counted ninety-eight, of many different
shapes,— some with pinnacles, others with domes,
towers, hoHow arches, etc., and in the still midnight
huge pieces hourly broke off^ in all directions,
with a loud and terrific crash; while every now
and then the whole mass would fall over, making
the sea boil around itf.

It was on the 1st of July that we first entered
the ice, towed by the steamers through a narrow
lane of water, bounded on one side by the broad
fields of ice, and on the other by the perpendicular
granite cliffs of Greer\and. On the 2nd we made
fast to an iceberg, with extensive floes of ice to the
northward, and the Vrow Islands to the south and
westward.

One of the Vrow Islands is faced on its south
side by a perpendicular cHff of red granite, two
thousand feet high, and covered with myriads of
looms J. A crown of snow co/ered its upper edge,

* T'lis is called " Calving."

t The specific gravity of an iceberg requires that six-sevenths
sh-U be under water ; and consequently when, by the action of the
water, it is much worn away, the .yhole mass loses its cquihbrium
and capsizes.

t Loom— the name given by the whalers to the tliick-biUed
Guillemot,-- JTWa Brmndchii, 'Guillemot h gros bee' of Tern-

■atw m i j !

^-^--SfSfeW* •*

CAPTAIN Austin's expedition.

from which descended many clear rills, falling, un-
broken by any projecting rock, into the sea. At
the foot of this cliff three of our boats assembled,
and killed 1080 of these birds, enfilading the ledges
on which they sat, and bringing them down six
and eight at a shot. When dressed by a skilful
hand, such as the steward of our gun-room, they
make the most delicious soup imaginable. Many
dovekeys^, several ducks, and a small seal, were
also killed on that day.

The following day we proceeded through lanes
of water to the north, accompanied by several wha-
lers and Mr. Penny's brigs. The former however,
finding Melville Bay so blocked up with ice that
the season would be lost if they pushed onwards,
tm-ned their heads to the south. For some days
afterwards we were entirely surrounded by ice, with
not a speck of water to be seen. At length a lane
of water opened, but the ice as suddenly closed,
and we were forced to cut docks to escape being
crushed to pieces.

Sometimes a narrow strip of ice would inter-
vene between us and the sea to ijie north, when
the steamers were made to charge full speed at

minck. The beak is black ; neck, back, and taU black ; belly
white ; legs and toes black ; length eighteen inches.

* Dovekey— the whalers' name for the Black GuiUemot, Una
Grille, ' Guillemot h mu-ou- blanc ' of Temminck. SmaUer than
the former. The whole of the plumage is black, except a patch
on the wing, which is white j legs redj length about fourteen
inches.

J I

franklin's footsteps.

the ice, while at the same time charges of powder^
were exploded, and thus a way was opened for the
advancing squadron. When the ice partially gave
way, the excitement was excessive, and every vessel
pushed forward amidst the cracking of hawsers,
singing, cheering, and confusion.

Thus were we impeded by the mighty ice, now
tracking along the edge of the floes, or pressing
mto narrow lanes of water, sometimes stopped al-
together and nipped by two fields of ice,— playing
rounders, chasing bears, shooting thousands of
rotchesf,— with lovely weather, continual daylight,
and strange fairy-like scenery. On August 14th we
reached the open water off' Cape Yqrk, in company

* Holes were bored at different places in the ice, and charffes
of powder sunk beneath it,-from 2 to 5 lbs, according to the
t uckness of the ice. The ice was nsuaUy five feet thick ; 21b
charges were exploded two feet and a-half beneath it, and the ice
cracked aU round for several yards ; the pieces thus detached were
easily removed. A 5 lb. charge was once exploded nine feet from
the stern of the Assistance, and gave her such a violent shock as
to make aU the beUs rmg. Great caution is therefore necessary.
• The blastmg charges were contained in glass bottles, earthen-
ware jars, or preserved meat tins. The cork or bung, tlu-ough
winch the fuse is inserted, was rendered water-tight by luting (a
composition of beeswax and tallow,) and the fuse cut to twelve
inches m length. The charge was made fasi to a Hue, and
lowered down to the required depth ; the hole was then weU
tamped down with heavy ice. The fuse burned two feet in a
mmute.

t Rotche is the whaler's name for the Little Auk {Mergulm
meiamleucos). It is rarely seen on land, except in the breeding
season. They Uve on smaU moUuscs and Crustacea. Captain Parry
Ghot one in 81° north, (the most northern bh-d ever seen.) They

'■'Wtff- ^-^ e-'—y^ i -.^Bwy^fr. -<

- Jip ' ""'!'i»«o.'M^»^S

now

W'
\ '

CAPTAIN AUSTIN'S EXPEDITION.

with Mr. Penny's brigs, Sir J. Ross'

schooner

i^eiix, and a little vessel commanded by Captain
Forsyth, R.N., destined for Regent's Inlet.

The clearness of the deep blue sky, and the wide
expanse of dazzling ice, bounded by the lofty peaked
mountains and glaciers of Greenland, rendered the
scenery of Baffin's Bay beautiful in the extreme;
but what adds more than anything to the pictu'
resque and almost fairylike appearance of the pro-
spect, are the extraordinary contortions of the land
and icebergs caused by refraction.

Sometimes an iceberg is raised up into the shape
of a lofty pillar, at another a whole chain of them
will assume the appearance of an enormous bridge
or aqueduct, and as quickly change into a succes-
sion of beautiful temples or cathedrals of dazzling
whiteness, metamorphosed by the fantastic wand
of nature. Ships too would in appearance rise up
and stand on their heads, with the main trucks of
the real and imaginary one touching. The gran-
deur of the scenery was rendered tenfold more
beautiful and strange by these wonderful effects,
and during the hard work of pressing through the
ice, our Aveariness was relieved by beholding this
magnificent panorama, constantly changing and

frequent channels of water separating fields of ice, in Bnffin's Bay
m great numbers, and are excellent in soup. The plumage is
black, except on the beUy, where it is white; beak black ; legs
yellowish-brown; length eight inches and a-half; of the wing
ti'om the wrist four inches and a-half

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

presenting new and more beautiful shapes, like the
varying configurations of a kaleidoscope.

Our passage from the Vrow Islands to Cape
York, through Melville Bay, took forty-five days ;
and such were the detentions caused hj the ice,
that off Cape Walker we were nineteen days mak-
ing a single mile. The North Star was still more
unlucky, being kept sixty-two days in Melville
Bay !

OflP Cape York we saw several men on the ice,
and landing, found them to be the Arctic High-
landers of Sir John Ross. We took one, named
Kalahierua, on board, and a story elicited from him
about some ships in Wolstenholme Sound detained
us to examine into its truth^; while the Resolute
proceeded to search Pond's Bay.

It was found that the North Star had wintered
here, and the graves of four men, with the date of
July 3rd, 1850, showed that she had been but re-
cently liberated from her winter prison. But an
appalling spectacle was discovered at a short dis-
tance. On the shores of Wolstenholme Sound were
several huts, in one of which, huddled together in
numbers, lay a heap of human beings. Covered
with a sealskin, it was at first uncertain whether
they were not om* own countrymen ; but on its re-
moval, the long black hair, ijopper-coloured skin,

* This was the origin o. ! Lat fiction about two vessels invented
by Adam Beck, Sir John Boss's interpreter, a Danish Esquimaux,
who proved to be an outrageous scoundrel.

. \

CAPTAIN Austin's expedition. 61

aud high cheekbone, showed them to be the re
mams of some unfortunate Arctic Highlanders, vie
tims of a recent epidemic.

It was resolved to retain Kalahierua on board
who was named Erasmus York; and we then pro-
ceeded westward, in tow of the Intrepid.

Crossing the northern part of Baffin's Bay we
saw tlie sun set at midnight for the first time since
June, m a beautiful calm sea covered with large
Kn ses of floating ice which sparkled like dia-
monds under its rays. On the 18th of August we
entered Lancaster Sound, and passed into an unin-
habited region where we were destined to spend
twelve months without communication with our
lellow-men.

After passing Cape Warrender, Captain Om-
manney and I landed at the entrance of a harbour
never observed before. The ground was covered
with mosses, dwarf willow, and saxifrage, growing
m comparative abundance. Here also were the re-
mams of several Esquimaux huts, long deserted and
strewn with the bones of animals; and about two
hundred yards further on I found twelve tombs
built of limestone slabs, each containing the skele-
ton of a native; in one was a skull, with a violent
fracture on the left parietal bone.

While we were ashore it came on to blow very
hard; the Arctic terns* screamed, whirling in
circles ro^md our heads, the waves covered with

* The Ai'ctio tern (Sterna arotica), 'HirondeUe de mcr Are-

tkanklin's footsteps.

large masses of ice surged and foamed among the
rocks near the beach, whicli, added to the violence
of the gale, gave us but faint hopes of regaining
the ships that night. This newly-discovered haxt
bour was called Port Dundas.

After encountering a heavy gale of wind, and
bemg becalmed for several hours off Port Leopold
we reached Cape Riley, when a boat's crew was sent
on shore to erect a cairn; and at this point the first
traces of Sir John Franklin were fonnd. Pieces of
rope, preserved meat tins, and other remains were
strewn upon the beach* while higher up the cliff
was a caim of stones, and a few charges of shot
scattered about. All this created the greatest ex-
citement, and conjecture was rife whence these re-
mams had come; but at length the discovery of
the name " Goldner" marked upon the meat-tins-
the contractor who had supplied Sir John Franklin
with provisions,-proved to a certainty that a party
from the i^rebus and Terror had been at Cape

A lead of water however opening up Wellington

tique- of Temminck, has the bill coral red; forehead, crown and
n»po Hack . ™gs pearl-grey ., m white , legs orange-ren'rett

^Ih^oTal "° ":?" '"" "''^'' wing'eWeuLhes: Zy
a^e ahnost always on tie wing. It whirls in circles in the air
^d sudden:,- darts down with gr.at rapidity on its prey! 3]

to I "on t' ""' ^""^^ " '°°^ '*'"^' ""» " """' P'^'^« ^'tooted
to It On the cross piece were lashed four bits of iron hoop bent
bie hooks For what this could have been used no one h^
been able to conjecture.

CAPTAIN Austin's expedition. 63

Channel, we pressed forwards, leaving to Captain
Austin, Sir J. Ross, the American Expedition, (so
generously fitted out by Mr. Grinnell,) and Mr.
Penny, the interesting task of searching the adja-
cent Beechey Island. Their respective vessels
shortly afterwards arrived on the spot, and their
joint discoveries were deeply interesting. On Cape
Spencer Mr. Penn^ found a carefully paved floor
of a tent, and bones of birds in large quantities ;
sledge tracks also were traced by the Americans one
day's journey beyond Cape Inr.es, where a bottle
was found. A large pile of tin canisters was also
found on the north point of Beechey Island, and
near it was a small oval space, enclosed by a neatly
formed border of moss : further on was the foun-
dation of a workshop. But by far the most inter-
esting vestiges of the lost Expedition were three
graves, with neatly carved oaken head-boards, and
the following epitaphs : —

Sacred to the
Memory of
John Habtnell,
A.B. of H.M.S.
Erebus,
Died Jan. 4, 1846,
Aged 25 years.
Haggai, c. i. v. 1.
« Thus saith the
Lord of Hosts, Con-
sider your ways."

Sacred to the

Memory of

W. Beaine, E.M.,

H.M.S. Erebus,
Died April 3, 1846,

Aged 32 years.

" Choose you this
day whom you will
serve."— Joshua, c.
xxiv. V. 15.

Sacred to the
Memory of
John Tobrington,
who departed

this Hfe

January 1st,

A.D. 1846,

On board of H.M.S.

Terror,

Aged 20 years.

Such were the TOiter-,|uarters of Sir John

K.i

' I

PRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

iMn in 1845-6. No record or document was
lound to denote in what direction he had gone •
there stood the graves, and the recent vestiges of
his crews having laboured on those very spots where
the workshops and observatories were found • but
they were gone, nor was there anything to tel'l the
anxious searcher whither they had sailed. It was
with feehngs of mortification and regret that, in
the beginning of September, the vessels left Beeehey
Island to continue the search.

Meanwhile the Assistance had been hemmed in
by the ice in the centre of Wellington Channel, and
was in such imminent danger of being crushed to
pieces, that every preparation was made for desert-
ing her. Each person on board was appointed to
a particular boat*; provisions were got on deck
and every two men were allowed one bag between
them for spare clothes, attached to lines which were
passed through the upper deck, ready to be puUed
up at any moment. One day the vessel was raised
SIX leet out of water by the pressure of the ice, and
It became so probable that she would faU over on
her broadside, that the men were employed with

* The boats of the Assistance were—
1 Life boat . 30 feet long, nine feet broad, (buUt by Wliite, of
1 Txn Cowes.)

1 Whale boat, 25 „ „ (mahogany.)

1 Cutter . 23

4 Ice boats . 25

1 Dingey . 12

1 Punt . . T

}}

(ehn, six oars, single bank.)

i ■!

CAPTAIN Austin's expedition. 65

shovels and pickaxes in smoothing a place on the
ice for her to lie upon.

Several bears were seen during this time prowling
about m search of seals. On one occasion I saw a
bear swimming across a lane of water, and pushin-
a large piece of ice before him. Landing on the
noe, ue advanced stealthily toward a couple of seals
which were basking in the sun at some little dis-
tance still holding the ir in front to hide his black
muzzle; but this most sagacious of bears was for
once o-rtwitted, for the seals dived into a pool of
water before he could get ..vithin reach. On another
occasion a female Bruin having been shot from
the deck of the Intrepid, her affectionate cub (an
animal about the size of a large Newfoundland
dog) remamed resolutely by the side of its mother
and on the approach of the commander of the
Intrepid with part of his cre^, a sort of tourna-
ment ensued, in which the youthfol bear, although
belaboured most savagely, showed a gaUant resist-
ance, and at length rushing between the legs of
the Corporal of Marines laid him prostrate on the
ice, floored another man who had seized hold of
his tail, and effected his escape.

At length we were enabled to get clear of the ice
in Wellington Channel, and passing Cape Hotham
jere agam hemmed in by our remorseless enemy
On September 6th, at 9 a.m., a large floe came
down upon us with great violence, and pressing the
vessel against the land ice, lifted her several' feet

iw i nw ii i iiii mm

franklin's footsteps.

out of the water, and threatened almost instant
destruction. Every one on board rushed on deck
at the first shock, Avith the exception of tne car-
penter, a bru,ve and useful man, who coolly sounded
the well to ascertain the depth of water in the hold.
For some hours the ship was in great danger of
being driven on shore ; the ice continued to grind
and pile up around her, while all the ice anchors
were laid out, one of which was wrenched in two by
the tremendous strain, and thrown high up into
the air. The wii>d however providentially changed,
the ice slacked, and we were safe. The land wo had
now entered upon was entirely new. Parr i ideed
had sighted it, but no human being was ever before
known to have landed on any part of the coast be-
tween Cape Riley and Byam Margin Island. There
was therefore all the novelty of a new discovery, as
we coasted along the southern shores of Cornwallis
Island, and came upon a fine bay, which was named
Assistance Harbour.

Proceeding to the westward, our progress was
stopped by a solid barrier of ice, reaching from
Griffith Island to Cape Walker; and here we were
joined by the Eesolute, Pioneer, the American Ex-
pedition"^, and Mr. Penny's brigs. The season for

• * Advance, Lieutenant Deb m ; Rescue, Lieutenant Griffith.
Tlie American vessels, at the .^.proach of the winter, attempted
to return home. On the 13th of September they advanced as
far at Cape Hotham, but were beset at the ei^trance of Wel-
iiugton Channel soon afterwards. On the 18th they were drifted

CAPTAIN Austin's expedition. 67

work however was nearly at an end ; the cold was be-
coming intense, and it was soon found necessary to
seek for safe winter-quarters. Mr. Penny succeeded
in reaching Assistance Harbour, where he wintered
with Sir John Ross ; and our squadron was secured
to a fit"! of ice biitween Cornwallis and Griffith
Islands.

Thus concluded the working season of 1850.
We were now destined to r -.s the winter further
west than any vessel since 1819, and there to pre-
pare for those great efforts for the discovery of Six
John Franklin which were developed during the
following spring.

up the Channel, north of Cape Bowdeu. They drifted slowly
to the N.N. W. until the 22nd, when they observed a smaU island
8' parated from Cornwallis by a channel about tlu-ee miles wide
(Murdagh Isle). To a channel leadiiig north-west was given the
name of Mamy Channel. The island (called by Penny, Baillie
Hamilton) to the N.N.W. was named Orinell Land. On Oc-
tober 20.1i the vessels were housed over and prepared for winter.
During October and November they were drifted about in Wei-*
lington Chaimel. On December 1st they were off Gascoigne Inlet
in BaiTow's Strait. They continued to cbift r' at six miles a
day, and on New- Year's day, 1851, were off Cape Osborn. Dark
sky, intimating open water, was observed to the northward in
Baffin's Bay. On Januaiy 29th the sun appeared. Tne scurvy
now began to be very prevalent. On the 20t]i of May they were
off Cape Walsingham, and on the 27th they passed south of the
Arctic cu-cle. On June 6th the floe in which they were imbedded
broke up, and they got into open water ; and in September, after
remaming for some tune on the coast of Greenland, they returned
to New York.

^ T- " ' T ;iJllMJ i|ppg|pppBB>

\ \

CHAPTER V.

AECTIC WINTEE QUARTEE8.

The vicelike grasp of the encroaching ice soon
fixed the vessels^ and we were surrounded by all
the accompaniments of an Arctic winter.

The sea entirely disappears 1 ; nothing but one
vast icy plain could be discerned from the highest
hills of Griffith Isle; every animal^ save tli3 bears
and foxes, had migrated to the southward ; a death-
like stillness, broken only by our voices, pervaded
all nature ; and the cracking of the ice on the
beach at flood-tide, and the extreme cold of the
clear piercing air, established the reign of Zero"^,
heralding to us the advent of a severe Arctic
Winter t.

Before the season for hibernation had regularly

* In the Arctic Expedition, the thermometer being usually
below Zero, that word was personified, and looked upon much in
the same Hght as "Jack Frost" is, in an English winter.

t The Expedition was frozen in, in lat. 74** 34' north, and
long. 95® 20' west, in a strait between Griffith and Comwallis
Isle. The Assistance was one mile from the former, which is a

ARCTIC WINTER QUARTERS.

set in, however, three parties were despatched to
lay out depots for the spring travellers. One pur-
sued its course eastward, and communicated with
Sir John Boss and Mr. Penny in Assistance Bay;
while the other two went in a westerly direction,
encamping the first night under a point, since
called Cape Sheringham. No sooner however had
they lain down to rest, than the tide rose, cracked
the ice over which their tents were pitched, and
drenched the unfortunate inmates with half-frozen
water. A wild scene of confusion ensued, and the
whole party, disturbed from their refreshing slmii-
bers, fled up the beach by the light of the moon.

These two travelling parties, after experiencing
very severe weather, and leaving depots on Somer-
ville Island and Cape Boss, returned to the ships
by October 10th. They were the first attempts
that had ever been made at travelling in autumn ;
for until Lieutenant M'Clintock established a depot
for provisions at a distanr^e of at least thirty.five
miles from the ships, in a month when the mean
temperature was — 3°, no Arctic voyager had ven-
tured to dare the rigours of this season.

During the latter part of autumn the tii.ts in
the sky are so magnificent, that it would be diffi-
cult to draw any comparison with those which we
'jce accustomed to see in other parts of the world.

barren heap of rocks, about fourteen miles long and seven broad,
and eight from CornwaUis Land, which is a much more extensive
region.

..uu

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS,

It seems as if the suii displays his most glorious
brilliancy in these regions, where his rays brighten
the gloomy prospect only for a time, compensating
by the increased grandeur of his presence for the
long night which is to follow. On one side bril-
liant shades of violet, green, and purple shone forth ;
while on the other, lake, crimson, orange, and yel-
low gave a character of more gorgeous splendour
to the eastern sky.

The Aurora Borealis began also to dart its ever-
changing rays across the heavens. On the 1st of
December a very complete arch, passing through
the zenith, divided the celestial concave into two
equal parts, of a whitish colour tinged with red ;
the stars were seen thruugh it with great bril-
liancy, assuming for the time the same colour as
the Aurora. On the 5th also some very bright
coruscations were seen to dart their rays towards
the zenith. Whenever this phenomenon appeared
unusually intense in any particular quarter, a strong
breeze generally succeeded from the same direc-
tion.

The parhelia, or false suns, were also very beau-
tiful. The four false suns are on a brilliant halo
which srrrounds the real sun, the upper false sun
being sometimes bisected by an inverted halo. The
parhelia were connected by streaks of light tinted
with all the colours of the rainbow, with rch golden
rays shooting up from the sun toward the zenith,
and down toward the horizon.

ARCTIC WINTER QUARTERS.

Paraselense, or false moons, were also seen during
the winter, consisting of a white halo with false
moons at the extremities of the horizontal diame-
ter, sometimes tinged with prismatic hues. Such
is the splendour of the celestial phenomena, that
the pleasure of beholding them is alone worth a
voyage to the Arctic Regions ; and not only were we
enraptured by the beauty of the tints of the sky,
the Am-ora, the parheKa, aud the paraselen^e, but
more brilliant meteors still sometimes excited om-
admiration. On December 2nd one of these phe-
nomena shot through an arc of about 25^ with
great velocity, and on bursting, a globe of intensely
bright pale green detached itself from a scarlet
nucleus.

On November the 4th the sun for the last time
peeped above the horizon, a id then totally disap-
peared for ninety-five days ; bu^ a brilliant twilight
continued to light up our noons for many days
afterwards, and even in the depth of winter a dim
light wab visible toward ■ ^Le south, at iwelve
o'clock, making the surrounding darkness still
more palpable. Dming the month of November
it was sufficiently light to enable us to extend our
walks to the beach of Griffith Island, to scale its
rugged limestone cliffs, and ascend its snow-filled
ravines.

One of the latter, -nost opposite the ships, was
remarkable for its gruu leur. Filled with sro/ ^,0
a depth of ?^eventy or eight)/ feet, its sides roF per-

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

1; 1 ■
if " ■

pendicularly more than four hundred feet, split in
all directions by the action of the frost, the fissures
being filled with transparent ice of the most perfect
azure, while above these rose walls of frozen snow
covered with icicles, dazzlingly w'ute. At certain
intervals the snow seemed to have poured down the
ravine from the overhanging cliffs, and there re-
mained, a hard, firm, inclined plane at an angle of
45°. I remember on one occasion an officer's slip-
ping from the cliff, and sliding down this frozen
road with fearful rapidity, until at length he reached
the bottom of the ravine; but before he could re-
gain his feet, the snowy bed opened, and he disap-
peared, thus finding in ^^+he lowest depth a lower
deep.'' It was ascertair t lat during the summer
a torrent had hollowed . a course in the bottom
of the ravine, arched over by the snow ; his weight
had broken the frozen roof, and he was precipi-
tatv.d unhurt into the bed of the now frozen tor-
rent.

The view fron- the cliffs of Griffith Island pre-
sented a scene of gloomy stiffness. All nature ap-
peared to have lost its usual rounded form, and to
show itself divested of all that makes it fitted for
man's dwelling-place, its wooded heights, grassy
plains, wide expanse of waters, — in a harsh and
naked angularity. The very piles of ice upon the
beach, with their sharp peaks and jagged excres-
cences, looked like the skeletons of the rounded
surf, that in more favoured climes would have sup-

^J^

— -- ij

ARCTIC WINTER QUARTERS.

plied their place. The ships had all the appearance
of frozen pillars, their yards hung with long icy
stalactites ; and the broad ice-field, bounded in one
direction by the horizon, and in the other by the
oleak hills of Cornwallis Land, fantastically re-
fracted, gave an unearthly effect to the scenery.

But the cold and darkness soon restricted our
walks to the vicinity of the ships, Avhere every
preparation was made for winter. In the bottom
of the hold a stove was fitted, from which hot-air
pipes were led round the ship ; and these, together
with the galley fire and stoves in the gun-room
and captain^s cabin, enabled us to keep the lower
deck at a very comfortable temperature during the
whole winter. The upper deck was covered with
hard snow for a depth of two feet, and was roofed
over with a housing of wagon cloth. The sides
were also surrounded by a wall of snow, and a
broad promenade was smoothed round the ship.
The snow was now so hard that it served the pur-
poses of sculpture admirably : posts were erected at
intervals between the ships, and splendid statues,
white as Pentelical marble, of a bear, Britannia,
etc., were carved by artists who, from the know-
ledge displayed of anatomy and graceful proportion,
would have earned immortal fame had their crea-
tions been of a less perishable material.

The Arctic habiliments adopted were very ex-
traordinary, and sometimes no less ludicrous. The
usual dress was a fur coat and gauntlets, cloth

ttmt

mmmmmm

^^ franklin's footsteps.

cap lined with fur, with long additions to cover
the ears and back of the neck, and grey cloth boots
coming half-way up the legs, with thick cork soles.
High fur helmets, fur caps, beaver-skin helmets,
comforters of all colours and dimensions, and even
masks to preserve the nose from the piercing winds,
were not uncommon ; but notwithstanding all these
defences against the severity of the weather, the
extreme cold rendered walking very painful, when
there was the least breath of wind; and frost-bites
on the cheeks, nose, ears, and fingers were fre-
quent. The temperature during the ivinter months
was as follows : —

•

Min. Max. Mean.

October 140 +170 30

November —30 +14 __7

December —39 _^ _22

January _4,7 ^n __^2

February —4s —13 —33

March

^Pi'il —30 +30 ~7

With these low temperatcires, spirits, and below
—39 mercury, are frozen; and, strange as it may
appear, this volatile metal, during one of Captain
Parry's voyages, was actually moulded into bullets,
which were rammed down the barrel of a gun and
fired at a mark.

When the cold was accompanied by gales of
wind, which are not uncommon in these regions, it
was impossible to stir outside the ship, and great
volumes of drifting snow were borne aloft and

I ■

xt^

ARCTIC WINTER QUARTERS.

whirled along the ice, creating vast mountains
around the ships, and sometimes entirely burying
the smaller steamers. A curious efiect is occa-
sionally produced on the snow by these gales,
which we noticed: it has been thus described
by Baron Wrangel : — " He was guided in his jour-
ney by the wave-like stripes of snow (sastr^ugi)
which are formed on the level ice of the sea by any
wind of long continuance. The ridges always in-
dicate the quarter from which the prevailing winds
blow. The inhabitants of the Tundras of Siberia
travel to a settlement several hundred wersts off,
with no other guide through these unvaried wastes
than the sastrugi. They know by experience at
what angle they must cross the greater and lesser
waves of snow in order to arrive at their destination,
and they never fail. It often happens that the true,
permanent sastruga has been obliterated by another,
produced by temporary winds ; but the traveller is
not deceived thereby ; his practised eye detects the
change, he carefully removes the recently drifted
snow, and corrects his course by the lower sastruga
and by the angle formed by the two"^.^^

But even amidst these gales and snowdrifts, and
the piercing cold of an Arctic winter, all modes of
search for our missing countrymen were not aban-
doned. Small gold-beater's skin balloons were in-
flated, and sent off with hundreds of slips of paper
containing information of our position, attached to

* Wrangel's Siberia and Polar Seas, chap, vii., p. 141,

mmm

franklin's footsteps

pose foxes were caught in Z^, Z tZ^ T
attaching to their necks a cyiindrica tin I '
taining a documpnt wifi. ^, •'^ ""™*' "» case con-

hopes'of thcl Mt:fn\*th T T"""*'""' '"^
countrymen and C ^'^ °^ °^^ "^'s^ing

irymen and being captured by chem

Left in a state of inactivity to mssTL. .•

cTn^tShtr^^^^^'-^w:^^

a display of rockets and blue thlf,'"'*
opened on board the IntrenTd f ' '"'""'^ ^"'
strength, and other dvltt'dT"' '"*^ ''^
Pers were published monZ '."h th" .T^"
the "Aurora Borealu- " and t£ ' 7^ V . T^ °'
News*." A thpot, Itt-ustrated Arctic

Assistance on f scat 7'' ''■''*'"^ "'^ ''"^'''l t^-^

^Mering the?. ,r;t: ?x -"" rt'^' ^°'^-

pedition, was truly mar"cnou, t'"" °'^ ''^■
difficulties the r.LT IT ^"^ 'P'*® "^ '^U the

lia^t and artistir^'' "^ *" '"•=°"'^*'^'' *•= ^'^1-

the 9th of November it . ^''* *™" ""^

the upper decTTd tl. I '^' """^ "'^''^^d on

-nva? Doric cdult 1"" "^'^^ ''^P^'''*^'^

columns with vases of fruit and

ktter by Ackemann and Co. ^'""' M>sceUanies." and the

-I; I

ARCTIC WINTER QUARTERS.

ftil

flowers were painted on each side of the curtain,
and two snow statues of the Prince of Wales and
the Princess Royal, were placed on either side of the
orchestra. The first two nights were confined to
farces and songs; but on the 9th of January the
famous extravaganza of " Bombastes Furioso'' was
brought on the boards with great applause; and
on February 28th, the last night of the season,
the historical drama of ''Charles the Twelfth,''
and a pantomime written expressly for the occa-
sion, were brought forward, which produced the
gTeatest mirth and amusement. The pantomime
was entitled ''Zero, or Harlequin Light;" turn-
ing all the dangers and inconveniences to which
we were exposed in those inhospitable climes, into
evil spirits that were leagued against us. It sup-
poses them continually watching every opportunity
to surprise an unfortunate travelling party, till at
length their power is destroyed by the appearance
of the more puissant good spirits Sun and Day-
light. Then the metamorphose takes place. The
good spirit Daylight turns into Harlequin ; Colum-
bine jumps through an oil-skin sun, which had risen
behind the back scene; and frosty old Zero, who
has all along been the leader of the evil spirits is
turned into first Clown ; a bear, which had been for
some time prowling about, was then fired at, and
out tumbled Pantaloon and second Clown. Then
commenced the pantomime of fun and froUc, which

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

kept the whole party in a roar of laughter from
beginning to end.

On board the Resolute, Captain Austin was not
unmindful of the experience of a previous voyage,
and in the form of a masked ball put into execu-
tion a device which he had leai led under the able
tuition of Captain Hoppner, when first lieutenant
of the Fury. A bal masque was accordingly an-
nounced on board the Resolute. Captain Om-
manney arrived in a splendid sedan-chair, mounted
on a sledge, drawn by eight men and attended by
a goodly company, as Mayor of Griffith Island.
Captain Austin wa;^ alternately a " chair-mender,^'
a Carmelite, and a blacking-bottle. The lower
deck of the Resolute was crowded with Arabs
and Highlanders, old farmers and knights-errant,
Jews, and jockeys, old women and youthful dam-
sels. The band played lustily until midnight ; and
the delights of that jovial evening were varied by
punch and polkas, whisky and waltzes, cake and
quadrilles. It was not until an early hour that the
revellers returned to their respective ships, but not
without creating considerable amusement to the
more sober and steady of the party : the High
Priest of Japan, tumbling against a snowy post,
measured his length on the frozen sea ; Bumble the
Beadle was lost in a snowdrift ; and the Moorish
Chief positively refused to go home until daylight
should appear, — a determination which, if perse-

*.s Miijmi»imnl» mm ^m sSf-~ ' S ' ' ~' — ■*"

ARCTIC WINTER QUARTERS.

vered in, would in all proliability liavc necessitated
his staying out some weeks, if not months.

Such were the sort of amusements which were
considered absohr v)ly necessary, and a part of everj^
indi^dduaPs duty to promote, to drive away the
ennui that might otherwise have seriously injured
both the bodily and mental health of the Expe-
dition. Schools were also established on board
each ship, in which the seamen learned reading,
Tvriting, arithmetic, trigonometry, and navigation ;
and the First Lieutenant of the Resolute in-
terested his ship's company by giving lectures on
former Arctic voyages. On the 26th of February,
when the sun, which had been absent for ninety-six
days, again appeared, a party went over to Assist-
ance Bay, and returned with some of Mr. Penny's
officers, who were present at our last theatrical ex-
hibition. They had attempted a higher flight, and,
without the means which we possessed, ha 1 pro-
duced one of Sheridan's five-act comedies. All the
crews were in good health, and old Sir John Ross
sent over two articles for insertion in our news-
paper.

But the time of our remaining in mnter-quarters
was at length drawing to a close. As the month of
April approached, preparations were made for the
equipment of the travelling parties. The histories
of all previous voyages were carefully examined ;
the greatest attention was paid to the weight of each
article to be placed on the sledges; the routes.

y^^ % ^

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

1.25

■"IIIIIM IIM

I^ IM |||m

I" IM '""^

I!^ IAS liio

|||||m

i-4 ill 1.6

>^^

'c^l

^ >^

'n.

<$>:

Photographic
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER. NY 145li0

(716) 872-4503

s:<p

#<r

o^^^

PRANKLIN'S FOOTSTEPS.

time of absence, and depots for each party, were
all arranged with that minute attention to details
so absolutely necessary in Arctic travelling; and
the officer of every party had to lead his men a
daily walk during the month of March, in order
to train them to fatigue after the long confinement
and inaction of the winter.

Thus carefully were those comprehensive plans
conceived and arranged, which in their execution
have met with such signal success. In the search
for Sir John Franklin and our missing country-
men. Captain Austin^s Expedition may justly lay
claim to having explored and discovered vast tracts
of land hitherto unknown, and done all within the
power of man to effect — even to the loss of limb
and life — in furtherance of the great and humane
cause in which it was embarked.

j m

CHAPTER VI.

AECTIC TEAVELLma.

The preparations for an overland search after our
missing countrymen v/ere carried on witli unceas-
ing energy during the whole of the month of
March. Long wa^ks, by way of trainings were
insisted upon, and as each travelling party had a
flag, name, and motto, scattered bodies of men
might have be n seen, clothed in white duck over
their warme lothing to keep oS the drift, and
with banners disj^^^J^*^^ winding their way up the
frowning rapines, crossing the bleak and snow-clad
hills, or advancing along the beach of Griffith Isle.
Here was the Maltese cross, and the arm transfix-
ing a bleeding heart; there the severed tree; in
another direction, the Cornish arms; and again,
the red cross of St. George, with many others,
waving in the breeze; while those who marched
under these several colours exercised their powers
of endurance previous to starting on their sacred
mission.

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

It was determined that the travelling parties
should leave the ships in the middle of April, bnt
a much earlier party wl. to be despatched to ex-
amine the depots of provisions laid out in the
autumn, and I was appointed to it, in company
with another officer and seven men. The provi-
sions were stowed on a sledge, together with a
tent for sleeping in, and other necessaries'^.

The parties left the ships on the 4th of April,
more than a month earlier than any travelling
party from any of the former expeditions, and
when the thermometer was almost constantly be-
low zero. After dragging the sledge over mnch
uneven ice, we arrived at the north-west point of
Griffith Island, and pitched our tent for the night.
The allowance of provisions for each person per
day was as follows —biscuit, I lb. ; boded pork,
6 oz.; pemmican, 1 lb.; rum, 1 gill; lemon-juice,
i oz. ; chocolate, 1^ oz. ; tea, i oz. ; sugar for cho-
colate, i oz. ; sugar for tea, i oz.

The shivering inmates of the tent received their

* The sledges were made of American elm, and cross bars of
cowdy-wood. The cross bars were lashed on with strips of hide,
whilst warm and wet, so that cold would shrink them and keep
aU tight. The width of each bearer bemg 2| mches gave sutti.
dent support by the lashings only, without any stays. If lashed
in the cold, the runners would give out at the bottom. Ihe
dimensions of the tent were about six feet in perpendicular height
six feet hi breadth, and eight feet six inches long ; the breadth
however was greatly reduced on the ice by the bagging of the
sides, so that it was really not more than five feet or five feet two
inches. The sides of Hie tent were about eight feet four mches.

•I

ARCTIC TRAVELLING.

aUowance of a pound of pemmican, boDed in a
cookirig apparatus by means of a taUow fire, and
a giU of rum. After this repast they took off their
^^ boots, rvrapped their benumbed feet in blanket

mocassms, and shook themselves (full dressed with
the exception of external shirt and boots) into
bags made of blanket, about seven feet long, and
thus protooted against the cold, disposed them-
selves to sleep. Thus passed the first night on the
frozen sea, and on the following morning the real
miseries of Arctic travelling commenced. After
drinking a hot pannikin of chocolate, the frightful
agony of forcing the feet into boots frozen hard as
iron was to be undergone, whUe the breath, which
had condensed on the roof of the tent, fell in thick
showers over its half-frozen inmates*. These were
some of the miseries which we endured on first
rising from bed; but at length; everything being
packed up and the men harnessed to the sledge
we were again on foot, bending our steps towards
SomerviUe Island, where, it wHl be remembered, a
depot had been placed during the previous autumn
On our arrival we found that the tin cases in
which the provisions had been packed were torn to
ribands, and their contents devoured by the bears
whose wonderful strength had even crushed the
sohd tin packets of frozen pemmican. Two of
these animals approached us on the foUowing day,

* This nuisance might, I tliink, be obviated by havmg ycnti-
latmg holes at certain intervals in the upper part of the tent.

"Wn

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

and, after a long chase, the female was killed and
converted into fuel.

Our luncheon consisted of a piece of pork fat,
frozen so hard that it broke like biscuit, and half
a gill of rum, to drink which out of a tin panni-
kin required considerable caution and experience,
to prevent the cold metal from taking the skin off
the imbiber's lips. How applicable are the lines
of Hudibras in these regions !—

"Ah me! what perils do environ
The man that meddles with cold iron."

Luncheon indeed was but a sorry meal: we
merely stopped in the middle of the march for one
quarter of an hour, to eat our pork fat and to
drink our allotted dram of spirits,— a proceeding
w' ich was usually accomplished while running up
and down on the 4ce, to keep up the circulation
and escape being frost-bitten. The glare of the
snow during the march frequently caused snow-
blindness, a species of ophthalmia of a most painful

kind.

On the 11th of April, Mr. M'Dougall having
made his report, we again started, at 8 a.m., to
examine and replenish the autumn depot on Corn-
wallis Island, and explore Browr Island and the
coast to the westward of the depot. We were
dragged for some miles by the other travelling
parties, who gave us three cheers on parting, and
at 3.30 P.M. we arrived on the south-west pomt of

ARCTIC TRAVELLING.

Corn\rallis Island, which we named Cape Endea-
vour, after our sledge, and an island in the bay
beyond we called Marryatt Island.

The next day, (according to my journal, from
which I am now giving some literal extracts,) we
started across the bay towards the next point, i)ar-
took of luncheon a little south-by- west of Marryatt
Island, and got a lat. 74° 45' north. At half-past
four we reached a long low point, which we named
Point Frazer, the bay being about ten miles across,
and deep, surrounded by hiUs. We had a beautiful
view of the bay beyond, in which is an extensive
and deep inlet, also noticed by Mr. M^Clintock in
the autumn.

April 13, Sunday. —Elov^m^ fresh. I walked
over Frazer Point, where there is a ledge of rocks
very full of quartz. 10 a.m. Started with a fair
wind (sail of much use), and at 6 p.m. came to on
the floe, nearly opposite the deep inlet.

During the whole of the next day it was blow-
ing so strong a gale of wind, with the thermo-
meter at 4-2, that we were confined entirely to the
tent. My solace, under these circumstances, was
a volume of Hudibras. Passed a good night.

April 15.— Very foggy, and snowing hard. At
1.15 P.M. arrived on an autumn dep6t point, which
was entirely covered with snow. Found three
cases of pemmican, twelve cases of chocolate, and
two potato-cases, torn to pieces by the bears and
quite empty, the same as at Somerville Island.

msm

fJ/

R.S

trankhn's pootsteps.

Employed ourselves for some time in digging a
hole, to contain the renewed depot, which we com-
pletely finished by 6.30 p.m. I took a walk over
the hills, but there was too much mist for me to
get any view of the surrounding country. Supper,
and turned in.

April 16.— Thick misty day. Found, to our
utter discomfiture, that the spirit-lamp was left be-
hind at our last resting-place, and were employed
during the whole of the forenoon in making one
from a bouilli tin. This was absolutely neces-
sary, as spirits-of-wine or the fat of bears, when
we could kill them, was our only fuel either for
procuring warmth or cooking. I took a walk along
the beach, and found a long shallow lagoon be-
tween the first and second ridges of limestone
shiuj^le. This is the most desolate-looking part
of Cornwallis Island that I have yet seen : co-
vered with snow, \nth hardly a rock or large «tone
to relieve the eye, the broad plain stretches away
and bounds the view on the tops of the hills;
while, round the beach, the thick clouds hanging
heavily over the floe, or ever and anon sweeping
fitfully along the great hummocks of ice that
are piled upon the shore, present a scene of un-
equalled wretchedness and desolation. A concert
took place before supper. 7 p.m. On looking out
of the tent, the only thing visible was a staff with
my pocket-handkerchief flying from it, the mist
obscuring everything else. Singing tiU midnight.

\ V

"■^^^

^^^ , . j ^J ' ^ ' B' *

'11

ARCTIC TRAVELLING.

April 17.— Started at 8.30; skirting along the
low land to the northward. The fog suddenly
cleared off, and we discovered land stretching round
lis, and forming a deep bay. At 1.30 p.m. landed
on a low shingly beach. I picked up a fossil bi-
valve and some corallines. Land very low, with
hills inland. 3 p.m. Beached the end of the bay,
and landed on the same kind of beach, the bay
being about six miles deep. 5 p.m. Keached a
long point, which we supposed to be part of
Bathurst Island, and encamped there. Walked
over the top of the point, where I found much
moss and hare-dung. The tent was delightfidly
comfortable, owing, no doubt, to its crowded state,
two of our company being obhged to lie upon the
rest, and thus producing considerable warmth ; my
berth was always against the canvas at the furthest
end from the door.

April 18. — Blowing fresh with much drift : we
were consequently confined to the tent, which is
pitched on the beach just inside a pile of hummocks
of ice ; from the door the hill gradually rises to
a height of about one hundred feet, where the
table-land on the point commences, being about
a mile and a half long and half a mile broad.
This evening we began to use the spirits- of- wine,
and it took two gills and a half to boil a kettle
for soup, and half a gill for water for grog— a
process which, it must always be remembered,
was performed in the same kettle.

•I '

«;

FRANKLIN'S FOOTST^JPS.

April 19. — We remained at this point to obtain
a latitude, so I took the opportunity of wandering
over the table-land till noon. But the sun being
obscured, we started for the next autumn depot
point after luncheon, and, having seen a snow-
bunting on the way, arrived there at 5.30 p.m.,
when we found that the north-west division had
left it on the night of the 18tli, all well. Pitched
the tent and had supper.

April 20. — Made our tea for breakfast by burn-
ing moss, and used no spirits-of-wine. At 9 a.m.
started for Brown Island; very misty. After
luncheon I went ahead, and landed on the north-
east point of Brown Island, and walked all over
it, returning to the tent, which was pitched on
the north-east point. The south-west part of the
island consists of perpendicular limestone clifia,
rising to a height of about 450 feet; the top
forms a valley, where the inner faces of the cliff
slope gradually inland, prouucing various hoUows,
in whicl are small lagoons and some moss. The
north-east part of the island is formed by the
debris which has been washed down from the high
land_, and consists of limestone shingle, sloping
very gradually in terraces_, and ending in a long
low point, on which we were encamped. It came
on to blow a heavy gale of wind. A very cold
night. Thermometer —3.

April 21. — Bemained here during the day, to
obtain a latitude, which we foimd to be 71° 49' 10''

1 1

•mmmmt

ARCTIC TRAVELLING.

aiigJ

n the afternoon M'Dougall got a round
6 P.M. Supper, and turned in.

Ajrril 22. — A bitterly cold morning, thermo-
meter at 8 A.M. —17. Started at 9.30 for the
ships, over a good floe for travelling. At 12, Capes
Martyr and Endeavour appeared before us in a line ;
land opening gradually. A very cold wind blow-
ing, with thermometer — 20 ,- most trying to the
ears, nose, and fingers. At 6 p.m. pitched tent on
the 'iloe for the night. Supper, and turned in.
Though the i\ ^'' .xoter showed fifty-two degrees
of frost, we d' Ter so much from the cold as

on the previoi

April 23. — b. for the ships; during the

early part of the forenoon the fioc r/as very 1mm-
mocky. At 10, came in sight of the ships. Kad
luncheon off the north-west point of Griffith Island,
and, with a fair wind, the sledge arrived alongside
the Resolute by 1.30 p.m.

We had been altogether nineteen days travel-
ling ; and though the thermometer was at one time
as low as —30, blowing fiesh, yet neither I nor
any one else of the party suflPered in any great
degree from frostbites; and after a hard day's
worl: we enjoyed no small comfort in our blanket
bags, two of which were allowed to us, as we had
but one wolf-skin. All the men wore carpet
boots, mth blanket wrappers and stockings (their
feet being examined every night by one of the
officers), instead of the canvas boots worn by the

franklin's footsteps.

other parties, which accounts for their not being
frost-bitten, as tlie canvas boots are tight acrost
the toes, and will not admit of free circulation.
For several days we were confined to the tent by
the violence of the gales, but during the nineteen
days we had travelled 140 miles. This joun-ey
may be t>ken as a type of those which followtd
durmg the remainder of the season. Meanwhile
the other parties, which were destined for more
extensive search, and to be absent a much longer
period, had assembled in two great divisions, under
the respective commands of Captain Ommanney
and Lieutenant M^Clintock,^ previous to leaving
the ships under the north-west bluffs of Griffith
Island. Here they were closely examined, to see
that they were provided with everything that could
contribute to the success of the great undeicaking
tkey had in hand; and, with a view to encourage
them in their arduous task, and to instil into the
men the spirit and enthusiasm which such a course
demanded, and the privations they would be ex-
posed to would inevitalily call for. Captain Austin,
. who ,vas to remain with the ships, addressed them
m a short but emphatic speech on the 15th of
April. ^'As the one entrusted with the Expedi-
tion,^^ he said, '' it has been a cause of sincere
satisfaction to me to behold the unanimity and
good feeling towards each other that has existed
throughout our little community from the day we
embarked under one head, and for one cause; and

AKCTIC TRAVELLING.

I may add, that from the time those extensive ope-
rations, entailing iabou^ and privation, have been
made known, the high spirit and real earnestnosr.
with which all have entered into the prc})aration
has afforded me the highest gratification, and en-
ables me to look forward with much confidence
to the future. In conclusion, I beg to assure all
present that, although I slipll not be personally
sharing the toil with them, ui .ay anxious, warm-
est wishes and earnest prayers will be in constant
action for their protection and guidance until their
return/^

It was a cold murky day, that 15th of April,
with the wind drifting the snow in fitful gusts
around the hummocks of ice that were piled upon
the beach. The divisions separated at once. Cap-
tain Ommanney^s proceeding toward Cape Walker,
and Lieutenant M^Clintock's westward in the di-
rection of Melville Island.

We will, in the first place, follow Captain Om-
manney. On the very first day the strength of
the wind, and the weight of the sledges, together
with the uneven hard ridges of snow, r-endered the
work of dragging very laborious. During the night
the travellers heard the ice crack and groan under
their tents. As they approached Cape Walker the
scene around was one of peculiar solitude and gloom,
— nothing but a snowy desert, without a speck for
the eye to rest on. " Human life seemed obtrusive
and unwelcome in such a scene of desolation.^'

franklin's footsteps.

On the 21st the party arrived at Cape Walker,
an abrupt and lofty headland ; but a line of ice
hummocks intervened between the sledges and the
beach, which was not to be crossed except by un-
loading and double-manning them. Here a furious
gale of wind confined every one to the tents ; the
gusts off the high land moaned and rattled round
the canvas houses almost incessantly, and even
blew through them, creating frostbites on the noses
and fingers of the men while asleep in their blanket
bags.

At this point Lieutenant Brown proceeded south^
and discovered a considerable tract of previously
unknown coast, and returned to the ships, having
been absent forty-five days.

Captain Ommanney and the other parties ad-
vanced to the south-west along a low unknown
coast of limestone formation, until, on the 30th,
they reached a deep inlet, which was discovered by
Lieutenant Mecham to form a strait, dividing the
large island of Russell—one hundred miles in cir-
cumference—from Prince of Wales's Land. Be-
yond the northern outlet of this channel the land
extends west-south-west for twenty-five miles of low
dreary coast, covered with snow, where a deep gulf,
fifty miles in circumference, was explored, which
has since been called after Captain Ommanney,
while Lieutenant Osborn searched some distance
to the southward. They had now come to the
extreme limit of their journey without meeting a

ARCTIC TRAVELLING.

vestige of any European having ever set foot on
those shores. From the shoalness of the water at
considerable distances from the shore, and the
great thickness and apparent age of the ice, it is
f probable that these seas are seldom, if ever, na\d-
f gable for ships. Great had been the mortification
of the travellers when no sign of Sir John Frank-
lin^s expedition had been discovered on Cape
Walker, where it had been generally supposed that
traces would have been found if he had proceeded
in that direction : and now three hundred miles of
land had been discovered and thoroughly examined,
without a trace of the missing ships, — all that was
seen was a barren coast, covered with snow and
bounded by the frozen sea, — monotonous, dreary,
and inhospitable.

On the 6th of June Captain Ommanney com-
menced his return homewards, and on the 12th,
the day before he arrived at the ships, the party
met with a laughable accident, although it might
have had a serious termination. They had all of
them but just got into their blanket bags, when a
peculiar noise, as if something was rubbing up the
snow, was heard outside. The gallant Captain in-
stantly divined its cause, seized, loaded, and cocked
his gun, and ordered the tent-door to be opened,
upon which a huge bear was seen outside. Captain
Ommanney fired at the animal, but^ whether from
the benumbed state of his limbs, or the dim glim-
mering light, he unfortunately missed him, and

■L

■Mna

•»»».

: H

FRi^NKLIN S FOOTSTEPS.

shot away the rope that supported the tent instead.
The enraged monster then poked its head against
the poles, and the tent fell upon its terrified in-
mates, and embraced them in its folds. Their con-
fusion and dismay can more easily be imagined
than described, but at length one man, with more
self-possession than the rest, slipped out of his bag,
scrambled from under the prostrate tent, and ran
to the sledge for another gun : and it was well that
he did so, for no sooner had he vacated his sleep-
ing sack than Bruin seized it between his teeth
and shook it violently, with the evident intention
of wreaking his vengeance on its inmate. He was
however speedily despatched by a well-aimed shot
from the man, the tent was re-pitched, and tran-
quillity restored.

After an absence of sixty days Captain Omman-
ney arrived on board the Assistance; Lieutenant Os-
born, who had accompanied him, returned the pre-
ceding day. The former thus concludes his report :
" It is a consolation to know we have thoroughly
examined all the coast within our reach, and per-
sonally explored two hundred geographical miles
of newly discovered land. Although unsuccessful
in meeting with traces, my mind is firmly convinced
of the impracticability of any ships navigating along
this coast, for these reasons — shoals extend along
the great part of it, and I could see no i indication
of currents or tide-marks, and, from the nature
of the ice, it is impossible to say what time the

ARCTIC TRAVELLING.

oldest of it may have taken to accumulate, pro-
bably for many seasons ; consequently I entertain
no hopes of ships ever reaching the continent of
America south-west of Cape Walker/'

Meanwhile the division under Lieutenant M'Clin-
tock had proceeded rapidly to the westward along
the southern shores of Cornwallis and Bathurst
Lands : the cold was so intense that several men
received frostbites on the toes, and were obliged to
be sent back with the returning sledges to the ships.
In one of these cases the mortification was so rapid
that death ensued twenty-four hours after the suf-
ferer had arrived on board ■^. " It was with sincere
regret/' says Lieutenant M'Clintock, ''that I bade
farewell to those poor fellows, whom it had become
necessary to send back. Unconscious of the danger
of neglecting the extremities, and despising the
pain which labour occasioned, they still desired to
go on, and their sad countenances betrayed the
bitter disappointment felt at being unable to pro-
ceed further on our humane mission.'' On the 1st
of May the parties of M'Clintcck and Bradford
arrived on Byam Martin Island, where they sepa-
rated ; the former pressed on to the westward, and
the latter, having discovered the east coast of Mel-
ville Island as far north as 76° 15', returned to the
ships after an absence of eighty days. Lieutenant
Aldrich also discovered the west coast of Bathurst

* Besides this death from frostbite, four men suffered ampu-
tation of their great toes, and one of part of his foot.

=^«*?=r^-^^t^:

lBBIi gi iIiiB..jm]JlH W M| i r

franklin's footsteps.

Land up to 76° 11', and returned after an absence
of sixty-two days.

0n the 10th of May Lieutenant M^Clintock
landed on the south-east point of Melville Island,
being the first human being who had visited that
distant land — the Ultima Thule of modern times —
since 1820. He was now, with his six men, thrown
entirely on his own resources, exposed to all the
vicissitudes of a rigorous climate, and dependent
on his o^m efforts, and the accidental condition of
the ice, for advance or retreat.

While the sledge skirted the shores of Melville
Island from point to point, with a sail set, which
proved of great assistance, Litatenant M'Clin-
tock carefully examined all the indentations of
the coast, and shot several hares and ptarmigan,
which were now beginning to make their appear-
ance.

On the 16th they passed through a gigantic
range of hummocks of ice, resembling a rumed
waU, p'^eraging twenty feet in height, and appa-
rently piled up by enormous pressure ; and on the
19th a herd of musk-oxen {Ovibos moschatus) were
seen grazing near Cape Bounty : two of these ani-
mals were killed, but only 8 lbs. of fat and 150 lbs.
of beef was obtained from them. A small herd qf
reindeer were also seen.

Passing the winter harbour of Parry the land
near Cape Providence v^as found to consist of
ranges of hiUs with a narrow belt of low land,

.-_ --,,^4,^^^

ARCTIC TRAVELLING.

containing many well-sheltered and comparatively
fertile spots. Fm^ther to the westward the cliffs, 450
feet high, rose directly from the sea, broken occa-
sionally by broad ravines, in one of which there rose
up a perpendicular sandstone pinnacle. Along this
coast the ice is so rough, that Sir Edward PaiTy
called it ^qiiU and dale,''— as if the ocean waves
had suddenly frozen, and become studded with he-
mispherical mounds of ice.

Rounding Cape Dundas, the extreme point seen
by Parry, Lieutenant M^Clintock reached the fur-
thest west ever attained by any European in these
regions, which has since been called Cape James
Eoss^; and ascending a cliff 700 feet high, ob-
served Banks's Land, which appeared to be very
lofty, with steep hills and large ravines. A coast-
line, consisting of a part of Melville Island, was also
discovered, seventy-five miles in length, and form-
ing, with Banks's Land, the two coasts of a strait,
which at the extreme western points was sixty-six
miles in breadthf. This k probably the North-
West Passage.

The party had now arrived at a distance of three
hundred miles from the ships in a direct line, when

* Lat. 740 41' N., Lag. 114° 26' W.

t From the position of Cape James Boss, the angle subtended
between the western extreme of Banks's Land, and that of the
newly discovered land, was 57°. These extremes appeared dis-
tant respectively about twenty leagues and twenty-five leagues,
therefore the breadth of the Strait at this point must be sixty-si^
miles.

tSSB

'»i li'llliiinHHM

franklin's footsteps.

it became necessary to commence the return home;
and accordinjrly tliey proceeded up Liddon's Gulf
and on the 1st of June reached Bushnan Cove.
Here it was that Sir John Franklin, or some of his
crew, if they had wintered anywhere to tlie north
of Melville Island, would have left some traces in
an attempt to reach the continent of America; but
not a vestige was to be found.

In this picturesque spot Parry had left his tra-
velling cart on the 11th of June/l820, and Lieute-
nant M^Clintock found the wheels, which he used for
fuel, several tin water-bottles, and even the bones
of the ptarmigan Parry had dined off. Thus, after
an interval of thirty years, did these explorers re-
visit the place where the first Arctic travellers had
encamped.

Crossing the land from the head of Liddon's
Gulf, the party arrived at Winter Harbour on the
5th, and encamped near the mass of sandstone at
its entrance, on which the names of the '' Hecla''
and ^' Griper'^ were carved.

The foundations of Parry's observatory were
found, with pieces of wood, broken glass, nails, and
a domino, — rare things in these desolate regions !
Here also they found a hare, which dwelt within
twenty yards of their tent, and remained on the
most friendly terms with them during the whole of
their stay, regarding them with the utmost con-
fidence, and even allowing the men to touch her.
There can scarcely be a more convincing proof

nmmm^t^^ftnimtt'Vtm-tit^'

ARCTIC TRAVELLING.

than this, that our missing countrymen had not
been there. On the 8th of June the weather had
become so warm, that drink was enjoyed off Cape
Bounty without the aid of fire ; and from that time
the snow began to melt, which occasioned addi-
tional discomforts; for the tent and baggage on the
sledge frequently got wet and the men had to wade
incessantly through water up to their knees, so
that th'^ pxtreme cold and frosu-bites of Spring were
replaced by the wet and misery of an Arctic Sum-
mer. After a long and weary walk of 250 miles,
Lieutenant M^Clintock arrived on board on the 4th
of July, and thus terminated the most extraordi-
nary journey in the annals of Arctic history. His
party had been absent eighty-one days, during
which time they had travelled over 770 miles of
ground, averaging a distance of ten miles daily.

Such was the crowning effort of the Spring
searching parties of Captain Austin's expedition;
and Lieutenant M^Clintock thus modestly concludes
his journal :—^^ Although some considerable degree
of disappointment is at all times the result of an
unsuccessful expedition, the more so when its object
is to relieve our fellow-creatures in their utmost
extremity, yet in justice to my own feelings, and
to those men whose labours have enabled me to
fulfil my instructions, I cannot conclude this ac
count of a journey of eighty days without express-
ing the satisfaction their conduct has afforded
me. Their ever cheerfid behaviour, untiring perse-

H 2

ARCTIC TRAVELLING.

than this, that our missing countrymen had not
been there. On the 8th of June the weather had
become so warm, that drink was enjoyed off Cape
Bounty without the aid of fire ; and from that time
the snow began to melt, which occasioned addi-
tional discomforts; for the tent and baggage on the
sledge frequently got wet and the men had to wade
incessantly through water up to their knees, so
that th^ pxtreme cold and frosu-bites of Spring were
replaced by the wet and misery of an Arctic Sum-
mer. After a long and weary walk of 250 miles.
Lieutenant M^Clintock arrived on board on the 4th
of July, and thus terminated the most extraordi-
nary journey in the annals of Arctic history. His
party had been absent eighty-one days, during
which time they had travelled over 770 miles of
ground, averaging a distance of ten miles daily.

Such was the crowning effort of the Spring
searching parties of Captain Austin's expedition;
and Lieutenant M^Clintock thus modestly concludes
his journal :—^^ Although some considerable degree
of disappointment is at all times the result of an
unsuccessful expedition, the more so when its object
is to relieve our fellow-creatures in their utmost
extremity, yet in justice to my own feelings, and
to those men whose labours have enabled me to
fulfil my instructions, I cannot conclude this ac-
count of a journey of eighty days without express-
ing the satisfaction their conduct has afforded
me. Their ever cheerful behaviour, untiring perse-

H 2

100

franklin's footstpjps.

fill

ft *■'

verance^ and patient enduring spirit^ under many-
severe trials and privations^ excited my warmest
admiration. For the blessings of liealtli, strength,
and exemption from accident, without which we
' must have sunk under the difficulties of this un-
dertaking, our deepest gratitude is due to "the
Giver of all good gifts/' '

Another party from Captain Austin's ship dis-
covered the deep bay dividing Cornwallis and Ba-
thurst Lands, aid which is terminated on the west
by Markham Point, and on the east by a narrow
inlet ; while Mr. Allen, Master of the Resolute, exa-
mined the shores of Lowther and Garrett Islands.

Meanwhile the expeditions in Assistance Bay had
not been idle. Mr. Penny, with considerable zeal
and ability, had prepared two sledge parties, which
examined part of the east and west shores of Wel-
lington Channel; and he himself, in a dog-sledge,
and afterwards in a boat, explored the islands
previously seen by the Americans, and called by
them Grinell Land. Here some open water, caused
by a strong current, was seen in May, but of what
extent is very doubtful. How many miles these
parties travelled, and in what exact direction, it is
impossible to say, from the want of observations,
and the distances being greatly overrated. No
vestige however of Sir John Franklin was four^d in
the course of Mr. Penny's explorations ; so tnat,
beyond the winter-quarters at Beechey Island, not
a trace had been discovered,— not a clue, by which

lyg

ARCTIC TRAVELLING.

101

to determine his fate, or to guide us in continuing
the search"^. Sir John Ross also dispatched a party
into the interior of Cornwallis Land, but without
reaching its northern shores.

Such were the exertions made during the spring
of 1851, to discover and relieve our long-lost coun-
trymen. Five parties of Captain Austin's expedi-
tion were away from the ships much longer than
any that had preceded them, and braving the hard-
ships of a month, the mean temperature of which
was —7, and the maximum 39; they have, al-
though unsuccessful in the main object, at least
done their utmost, and well merited the praise
which has been bestowed upon their gallant and
untiring efforts.

* A piece of elm, indeed, was found by Mr. Penny on one
of the islands in Wellington Channel, lat. 76° 2' N., eighteen
inches long (a fragment of an inch-thick elm board), but it was
decided by Sir John Eichardson, that from the length of time it
takes in these high northern latitudes to decompose and bleach
woody fibres to tlie extent that this -orocese had advanced, and to
develope the lichenoid bodies (perithecia) found on it, it must have
been exposed to the weather at least ten years, and probably
much longer, and that therefore it has no connection with Sir J.
Frankhn's expedition. From its being tarred it must have be-
longed to civihzed men ; but it might have drifted up from a
whaler in Baffin's Bay, as such things have been known to take
place ; for instance, a part of an oar was found on Cape Hotham,
marked " Friendship," — a whaler wrecked several years before in
Baffin's Bay.

ill.

102

^ CHAPTER VII.

THE PAERY ISLANDS.

If we look on the map of the world, to the north-
ward of the great continent of America, a long
line of blue will be seen running east and west from
Baffin's Bay far into the unknown Arctic regions,
and bounded on the west by a wide expanse of
white, which denotes the land or ice as yet imdis-
covered.

The northern shores of this sea are divided into
two extensive masses by Austin Channel ; the one
consisting of Comwallis and Bathurst Lands, and
the other of Melville Island. These, with a num-
ber of smaller islands, form the Parry group, which
was discovered by Sir Edward Parry in 1819-20,
and first explored by Captain Austin's Expedition
in 1850-51.

This barren r ^try, from Wellington Channel
to Bedford Bay, i )mposed of limestone, forming
monotonous ranges of hills, broken here and there
by the action of the frost, and by deep ravines ;

"^Imk

THE PARRY ISLANDS.

103

while Batlmrst and Melville Lands, from Bedford
Bay to the westermnost 2)oint hitiierto attained, are
composed of sandstone.

To the sou '' vard of Barrow's Strait, the two
masses of land called North Somerset and Prince
of Wales's Land, the one explored hy Sir James
Ross and the other by Captain Omraanney, are of
a different character. North Somerset consists
partly of limestone and partly of sandstone, and
gypsum has also been found here in considerable
quantities; while Prince of Wales's Land, with
the exception of Cape Walker, which is formed of
sandstone and conglomerate, is entirely composed
of limestone.

There are few more interesting studies than that
which treats of the state of our planet, the strange
monsters which inhabited it, and the convulsions it
underwent previously to the creation of man. In
the gradual development of organic beings, from
the first appearance of the lowest radiated animals
till Adam was formed in the image of his Creator,
each class of animals seems in its turn to hav^ ex-
ercised a paramount authority for a considerable
period, unti^. a new order of things ushered into
the world still mightier agents with more comp'"
cated wants. At length ail nature teemed with
animal and vegetable life, of every size and form,
from the humblest Infusoria to the Bimana, whose
dominion extends over all created beings.

The fossil orsranic remains, hnfli pm'rpnl onri

''' " H¥^^^^isa-^i^''- f ■{'•^■JiSHW^.ff'^

. . f -•

104

franklin's footsteps.

vegetable, which arc strewn over every continent,
to clironiclc the generations of beings that lived
and died ages before the Mosaic creation, have un-
folded tliis marvellous history of the pre-Adamitie
world. The highest class of fossil animal found in
the Parry Islandri vvas a species of Crustacea, which
IS widely scattered along the shores of Griffith and
Cornwallis Islands, and is called the Trilobite, from
the hard rings covering its bod^^ and dividing it
uito three 1 -)bes. It was a voracious animal, feed-
ing probably on the molluscs, annelids, and Acriia ;
but it is now extinct, and may be supposed to be
the type from whence in the course of ages the
more perfect lobster and crab are derived.

In the limestone of the Parry Islands, the Ce-
phalopoda, or highest order of Molluscs, are repre-
sented by the Orthoceras, a siphuncled shell, like
the Naucilus, uncoiled anc straightened, which is
found in great numbers. The only species of uni-
valre lu the order Gasteropoda which I found, was
oii^ of the rurritellcB or spire-shells, tolerably per-
feet. • Several descriptions of- fossil bivalves were
collected on different parts ol Griffith Island. But
the most beautiful remains of another age were
the Encrinites, which lay in heaps upon the slabs
of limestone: they we.e a species of radiated
animal, commonly called Stone-lilies, which found
nourishment by moving their bodies through a
limited space from a fixed position at the bottom
of the sea. Corals also of various kinds were nu-

}*.

■V

THE PARRY iSLANDS.

105

merous, some of them - cry perfeet and forming
seTT»i-snhercs.

These were the principal fossils found ixi the
limcclone of the Parry Islands.

The sandstone of Melville and Byam IMartin
Islands is evidently of the carboniferous era, from
the coal which has been found on several parts
of their coasts. C^aptain Pany collected consider-
able quantities ; and between* Capes Dundas and
Hopner/and still further to the westward, Lieu-
tenant M^Clintock fomid much coal, but of such
quality that ft would not burn nlone.

During the winter these regions are covered
with hard frozen snow, and all vegetation becomes
invisible. The sea spreads forth its broad white sur-
face, unbroken even by the majestic icebergs which
are so numerous in Baffin's Bay, but which are
never seen near the shores of the Pa.ry Islands.
This may be accounted for by the fact, that the
small quantity of continuous land, together with
the crumbling nature of the limestone, has pre-
vented the formation of glaciers -— the mighty
parents of the icebergs; while on the more solid
granite and gneiss of Greenland, the enormous
weight of superincumbent snow is easily sup-
ported.

The numerous small lakes formed in all the
hollows of land in the Parry Islands are frozen to
the bottom, and are perfectly transparent ; while
the larger ones are deeply frozen over, but contain

106

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

f«

small fisli {Salmo aulopus) which were procured by
Mr. Penny's people in the depth of winter. In
the sea, the seals are believed to remain without
migrating to the southward, and to retain life by
keeping open holes in the ice, while a sufficiency
of air penetrates through the snow. Some were
seen on the ice in the middle of April.

Every other living creature leaves this desolate
land, and seeks shelter in warmer climates by the
end of September, except three hardy quadrupeds,
of very different sizes, viz. the Bear {Ursus ma-
ritimus), the White Fox {Cams lag opus), and the
Lemming {Arvicola Hudsonica). The former of
these animals is su]3posed never to hibernate, but
to prowl about the whole winter through in a pro-
bably fruitless search after seals. The foxes were
frequently caught in traps, in the coldest months,
usually in good condition, from feeding probably
on the last-mentioned animal, the little Lemming.
This is a small species of Rodentia, with burrowing
feet like the mole, which forms its home under the
snow, and lives on the little granary of seeds it has
collected in the summer^.

Such are the only living things that endure
the winter of these inhospitable Arctic islands,
which in that rigorous season are -vrild and bleak

* We had one of these on board for some time, which used to
run about the table at dessert, and eat bits of wahiut and biscuit
out of Q^-v hands ; fi-equently nestUng up our sleeves, or in the
pahns of our hands. It died before our return to England.

(«

'v4

THE PARRY ISLANDS.

107

indeed. The beach is generally forced up into a
succession of shingly terraces by the hummocks
of ice which line the shores, while the cliffs are
lofty and almost perpendicular, especially in Grif-
fith Island, where they attain an average height of
500 feet.

Thus from September to May these regions are
vast solitudes; but then some few animals begin
to appear, although the snow still covers the land,
and no thaw has taken place. The first that arrives
is the White Hare [Lepus ylacialis), which usually
weighs about 10 lbs. and is excellent eating; the
Ptarmigan {Tetrao lagopus), and the Snow Bunting
[Emberiza nivalis). All these animals are perfectly
white when they first arrive, but gradually change
their colour as the summer advances.

When however the month of June is set in, and
more genial weather arrives with the returning
sun, the face of nature begins to wear a more
cheerful aspect. The snow melts on the hills, and
running into the hollows, small lakes are formed,
which, though covered throughout the summer
with large pieces of floating ice, form a striking
contrast to the snowy wastes they have replaced.

Some scanty vegetation now begins to show
itself on the otherwise na jd rocks. Small tufts
of moss, sorrel, piu-ple saxifrage, a dwarf ranun-
culus, and Stellaria Rossi, appear in the sheltered
spots, while the marshy grounds are covered with
grass and moss. On one broad plain on the

iU8

PRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

'!.:

western shore of Griffith Island was a granite
houlder, under shelter of which a tuft of rank
moss covered with bones appeared, showing that
on this spot an aged bear had lain down to die,
and like a true patriot added to the fertility and
vegetation ol his country. The whole plain in-
deed was covered with similar patches, and in the
centre of each were universally found the bones of
bears, foxes, or birds. It appeared to be the great
cemetery, and consequentlv the most fertile plain,
of Griffith Island.

The largest plants in the Parry Islands are the
dwarf ^, iilow, which does not rise more than two
inches from the ground, and whose stunted branches
creep in lowly insignificance among the surround-
ing stones j and the club-moss (Andromeda tetra-
gona), Avhich however has only been seen at Mel-
ville Island, and there in small quantities.

The warm sun of July and August, always above
the horizon, brings out swarms of mosquitos, w' ich
hover over the lakes ; and Lieutenant M^Clintock
even mentions having seen caterpillars near Cape
Dundas ; but it is probable that the cold prevents
their ever arriving at the more perfect and bean-
tiful stage of their existence.

The Reindeer migrate northward in May, but few
have been met with to the east of Melville Island,
where one was shot and thirty-four were seen!
A few were also observed on the hills of Bathurst
Land, and one of Mr. Penny^s parties reports having

y»-i5T;*infcw.„.,

* -1^

THE PARRY ISLANDS.

109

seen a herd on the shores of Wellington Channel.
The Musk Oxen are entirely confined to Melville
Island, where Lieutennnt M^Clintock shot four,
and saw forty-six. Beyond Point Hearne he got
within two hundred yards of eight of these animals,
which galloped suddenly away for a few yards,
halted, and formed for defence in a semicircle'
close together, with their heads down, and their
strangely curved horns resembling a row of hooks
in a butcher's shop. When within a hundred
yards he shot the largest one, but the rest were
not m the least discomposed, and continued in
the same posture, until he retired to a considera-
ble distance, when they renewed their search for
pasture.

As June passes on, great flocks of ducks, gulls,
and guillemots come to breed in the Parry Islands'
where they are comparatively free from the depre-
dations of wolves, only one of which was seen, and
wounded in Liddon's Gulf.

By the beginning of July all the travelling parties
had returned to the ships, and between this time
and our liberation from the ice, shooting parties
were organized to collect on the face of the cliffs,
and the banks of lagoons, some fresh provisions
for the sick.

On the south-east point of Griffith Island is a
perpendicular cKff, 500 feet high, covered with
dovekeys, glaucous gulls, fulmar petrels, and the
ivory gull,— a bird whose plumage is as white as the

110

franklin's footsteps.

I i

driven snow. Under the cliff a prodigious land-
slip of huge blocks of limestone liad fallen. Some
stood upright nearly square, and twenty feet in
height ; others in the shape of pyramids twenty-
five feet high, and split into perpendicular layers,
with the moss and purple saxifrage growing
thickly in all directions ; and thus they blocked
up the beach from the foot of the cliff to the sea.
It was indeed a scene of wild confusion. Standing
near this tremendous convulsion of nature, with
the perpendicular cliff towering overhead, and the
gulls whirling and screaming in the air, how
sublime to have witnessed the fall of these huffe
masses of rocks, weighing thousands of tons, and
to have heard the tremendous crash, succeeded by
a profound and deathlike silence !

A shooting party under Lieutenant Cator was
stationed at this point until late in July, supplying
the squadron with guillemots and gulls.

The lagoons of Griffith and Cornwalhs Islands
were frequented during the summer by numerous
flocks of eider ducks {Anas mollissima), king ducks,
a beautiful bird with tints of purple, green, and
gold about the head [Soryiateria spectabilis) j long-
tailed ducks {Fuligula glacialis), and brent geese
{Anser torquatus), many of which were shot by the
sportsmen of the expedition. The red-throated
diver [Colymbus septentrionalis) was sometimes,
though more rarely, seen, probably from its being
a bird of greater cunning. It builds its nest on

THE PARRY ISLANDS.

Ill

some little mossy islet in the centre of a lagoon,
secure from the molestations of the fox. On a
small low stony island in Allen Bay, surrounded by
lofty hummocks of ice, which rendered the land
almost invisible from the sea-level, the sole inha-
bitant was one of these wary birds. Red-necked
phalaropes iPhalaropus hyperboi^eus) and curlew
sandpipers [Tringa subarquata) were also frequent-
ers of these wilds ; and the ring dottrel (Phm^adms)
was seen, though seldom. Solitary ravens some-
times flew gloomily along the shore, with their necks
encircled by a white band of congealed breath ; and
noisy little Arctic terns, silver gulls (Larus argen-
tatus), skuas {Lestris parasiticus), and kittiwakes
[Larus tridactylus) , w^ere among the less common
of the winged tribe ^.

All these birds leave this desolate region by the
end of September, so that the Parry Islands are
only enlivened by their presence four months in
the year.

Meanwhile, as the blue water once more begins
to appear, and break up the vast plain which had
so long usurped its place, the inhabitants of the

* Birds killed by a shooting party round G-riffith Isle ; two
guns ; from June 26th to July 2nd : — Eider ducks, 6 ; brent
geese, 2 ; fiilmar petrels, 3 ; Arctic tern, 1 ; phalarope, 1 ; ptar-
migans, 3 ; dovekeys, 14. Total, 30 birds.

Birds killed by a shooting party on Comwallis Isle ; five guns ;
beginning of July ; ten days : — King ducks, 5 ; eider ducks, 3 ;
long-tailed ducks, 4 ; sandpipers, 14 ; phalarope, 1 ; Arctic terns,
2 ; silver gull, 1 ; red-throated diver, 1. Total, 29 bii'ds.

!» .

[M^

franklin's footsteps.

deep show themselves in great numbers. Seals
(Phoca vitulina) sport about in shoals among the
lanes of water in Wellington Channel and Barrow's
Strait ; white whales and narwhals are also nume-
rous, and the fierce-looking walrus is occasionally
seen. On a rock off Port Dundas an immense
number were discovered oasking in the sun, in
August 1850. The food of these mammoths of
the ocean consists of several species of minute
Crustacea, Annelida, etc., which were dredged up
from the bottom of the sea in great quantities,
and the beautiful little Clio borealis, a species of
Pteropod with a transparent body and little purple
tins.

When the water appeared, we naturally felt a
strong inclination to extricate our ships from the
ice, which had held them close prisoners for more
than eleven months, and to renew the search
for our missing countrymen; accordingly a canal
was dug, that the vessels might be enabled to
approach the open water ; and at the same time
charges of powder were used to blast the corner of
the ice-field which still hung on to the south-east
point of Grifiith Island"^. These measures were

* With 216 lbs. of powder, a space 20,000 yards in length,
and averaging 400 yards in breadth, was cleared away. The
ice varied from tliree to five feet in thickness, with occasional
patches of heavy grounded hummocks of ice. The estimated
weight of the ice removed, exclusive of these heavy masses, was
about 216,168 tons. The heaviest charges were of 16 lbs.,
lowered ten feet below five-feet ice.

THE PARRY ISLANDS.

113

eminently successful in their results ; and at length,
on August 14th, the ice broke up, we were liberated
from our winter-quarters, bade farewell to Griffith
Island, anchored for a night in Assistance Bay,
and on the morning of the 15 th departed from
the Parry Islands.

Soon afterwards the whole of the animal and
vegetable life above described disappeared, and
again the wide desolate ice-fields and the snow-
clad hills presented themselves in all their sombre
majesty and deathlike silence, unbroken now by the
merry laugh and joyous mirth of Captain Austin's
happy squadron.

Two lofty cairns were erected on Griffith Island
and Cape Martyr, as memorials that we wintered in
the adjacent floe, and the solitary grave of him who
died in the execution of his sacred duty will be
found by future navigators on the limestone beach.
A neatly carved oaken board tells his short, sad
story, and a border of moss and saxifrage is sown
around his last resting-place. On his grave the
latter plant was sown in the shape of an anchor,
to denote the profession to which he belonged, as
well as the hope which we trust attended his dying
moments,— the last touching attention of those
messmates with whom he had suffered, and among
whom he died.

Such are the gloomy, frozen tracts of Arctic
country which compose the Parry Islands. Scat-
tered remains of Esquimaux encampments, hun-

FKANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

drcds of years old, arc to be found along the beach
in every direction from Melville Island to Cape
Warrendcr — vestiges doubtless of the migration of
Asiatic tribes to the westward, and mournful tokens
of the sterile wretchedness of these regions, so
unproductive that even the Esquimaux were forced
to leave them, and seek in Greenland the means
of preserving a miserable existence. These ruined
huts, however, are suggestive of the origin of the
Greenlanders, and together with the resemblance
in language, religion, and physical appearance,
point out Siberia as the original cradle of the Es-
quimaux race.

The Shaman of Siberia is a mere conjuror, who
professes to evoke the good and evil spirit, and is
the counterpart of the Angekok or Magician of
Greenland, who is supposed to have a Tornguk or
familiar spirit. The language of the Asiatic no-
mades also strongly resembles that of the Green-
landers : they are both of the class containing mo-
nosyllabic roots, and ip both the modifications of
meaning are produced by the annexation of parti-
cles : thc^ are similar also in sound. It is remark-
able that both these languages are very deficient
in adjectives, ?,nd there is almost a total absence
of words to express abstract ideas'^. Thus we find
both the language and religion of the Esquimaux
resemble closely those of the Siberian nomades ;
and when at the same time traces of their progress,
* See Baron Wrangel, cli. vi., p. 117.

THE PARRY ISLANDS.

115

from Bchring's Straits to the coast of Greenland,
are to bo found along the -/hole coast of the ParrjJ
archipelago, North Devon, and the Carey isles;
and of the same race inhabiting the shores of
Arctic America, from Kotzcbue Sound to La-
brador, there can be little doubt that they spring
from a common origin with the tribes of Northern
Asia.

The numerous remains discovered by our tra-
velling parties conduce not a little to settle this
question, and point out the road taken by the
northern travellers. Several huts were discovered
m Melvdle and Byam Martin Isles. At Cape
Capel were ten ruined winter huts, with bones of
bears and seals, some of them cut with a sharp
instrument. The general form of these huts resem-
bles an oval, with an elongated opening at one end,
and their size averages seven feet by ten: they
appear to have been roofed over with stones and
earth, and the roof is supported by the bones of
whales. All along the coast of Bathurst and Corn-
wallis Isles the same ruined habitations, called in
Siberia "yourts,^^ were found, with very perfect
stone fox-traps. In Griffith . .le, too, I found five
summer huts, in one of which was part of a runner
of an Esquimaux sledge. The same deserted
yourts are scattered over Cape Warrcnder, Ports
Dundas and Leopold, and the Carey Islands' which
ktter are within sight of the coast of Greenland.

the emigrants
i2

These testimonifis nf +>io t.^ii+« ^^ xi.

THE PARRY ISLANDS.

115

from Bdiring's Straits to the coasi. of Greenland,
are to be found along the -/hole coast of the Parrj^
archipelago, North Devon, and the Carey isles;
and of the same race inhabiting the shores of
Arctic America, from Kotzebue Sound to La-
brador, there can be little doubt that they spring
from a common origin with the tribes of Northern
Asia.

The numerous remains discovered by our tra-
velling parties conduce not a little to settle this
question, and point out the road taken by the
northern travellers. Several huts were discovered
m Melville and Byam Martin Isles. At Cape
Capel were ten ruined winter huts, with bones of
bears and seals, some of them cut with a sharp
instrument. The general form of these huts resem-
bles an oval, with an elongated opening at one end,
and their size averages seven feet by ten: they
appear to have been roofed over with stones and
earth, and the roof is supported by the bones of
whales. All along the coast of Bathurst and Corn-
wallis Isles the same ruined habitations, called in
Siberia ^^ourts,^^ were found, with very perfect
stone fox-traps. In Griffith . 4e, too, I found five
summer huts, in one of which was part of a runner
of an Esquimaux sledge. The same deserted
yourts are scattered over Cape Warrender, Ports
Dundas and Leopold, and the Carey Islands' which
latter are within sight of the coast of Greenland.
These testimnTiipc r\f +!,« ^^,,j.^ „i? j_i. .

116

franklin's footsteps.

may thus be easily traced from Melville Island to
the eastern shores of Baffin's Bay, where their
descendants are still living.

The causes which induced this extensive migra-
tion are to be sought for in the history of northern
Asia, where we find that, from the fourth to the
fourteenth centuries, a powerful erratic movement
was constantly prevailing. The mighty irruT> -'ons
of Zengis Khan and his successors, — among others
that of his grandson Sheibani, who led a ho...j of
fifteen thousand families into the wilds of Siberia,
and whose descendants reigned at Tobolskoi above
three centuries, from 1242 till the Russian con-
quest, — were among some of the influences which
drove the Siberians to migrate northward and west-
ward ; but the pressure of the warlike and restless
Cossacks, and the ravages of the smallpox, were
vhe more immediate causes.

The Jakutes, who dwell on the banks of the
Kolym.a, have a tradition, that they are not the
first inhabitants of the country, but that many
races of men had occupied the region where they
now dwell. Among these were the Tun^uns, the
descendants of the Mongols, the conquerors of the
earth, who, according to Gibbon, " insensibly de-
generate into a race of deformed and diminutive
savages, who tremble at the sound of arms.'' The
Jakahirs also, the Omokis, and the Chelagis, had
possession of that part of Siberia many years before
various irresistible circumstances led the Jakutes

-^smtm

mmrn^mmgiiuc^.^.

THE PARRY ISLANDS.

117

to establish themselves in that country. The two
latter ti'bes, who lived by fishing and hunting,
have entirely disappeared from Siberia. The
Omoki, it is said, migrated northward^.

TL'^ inhabitants at tli : mouths of the Lena and
Kolyma formerly frequented a large island on the
Polar Sea (since discovered by Anjou), to hunt for
the bones of the fossil mammoth, and took their
families with them in sledges, when it often hap-
pened that, being surprised by a thaw, they were
carried away—no one knows whither— on huge
pieces of ice that were rent from the larger mass;
there can be little doubt that some of these hunters
have been thus conveyed to the Parry Islands,
and, leaving numerous traces as they went, at
length reached the shores of Greenland. It is said
that the fisheries of the walrus, at the mouths of
the Obi, Jenesai, Lena, and Kolyma, have been
known to the Chinese 2300 years, and that the
large ivory tusks of that animal are greatly prized,
as they retain their whiteness a long timet.

The fact therefore that numerous tribes have left
Siberia,— added to their similarity in habits, shape
of the features and skull, religion, language, and
the vestiges of their route from Melville Island to
Cape Warrender,— reduces the Asiatic origin of the
Greenland Esquimaux to the closest verge of cer-

* In their passage they left numerous yourts or huts at the
mouth of the Indigirka. (Wrangel, p. 181.)
t Cuvier, Osiseiuens Fossiles, p. 142.

118

franklin's footsteps.

tainty; and the Arctic Expedition of 1850-51, in
discovering tlic important remains among the Parry
Isles, has assisted not a little in solving this qnes-
tion of tlie ])co])ling of iVrctic America. In the
Parry Islands the wretched Esqnimaux was unalde
to exist, and famine drove him from the inhospi-
table coast.

th(

J
I

119

CHAPTER VIII.

CONCLUSION.

A BAFFLED scarch is always vexatious, aiid when
years of no ordinary privation and suffering have
been voluntarily undergone in the hope of rescu-
ing a number of our fellow-creatures from what we
cannot help feeling and knowing to be a terrible
fate, the disappointment and regret are increased a
hundred-fold.

The season for work however had again arrived,
and it was time to renew in some other direction
our hitherto unavailing efforts. But whither should
we go ? No vestiges of the Erebus and Terror had
been found beyond their winter-quarters at Beechey
Island, — nothing whatever to direct our further
search. To the westward, in the direction of Mel-
ville Island they were not likely to have gone, for
the whole of that coast had been carefully examined
for three»hundred miles, and no traces of them had
been found. To the south-west of Cape Walker

120

franklin's footsteps.

it was equally plain to us, from the nature of the
ice, that no ships coald have passed. Both sides
of Wellington Channel had been examined by Mr.
Penny's crews for some distance. Islands had been
found to block up the passage, and here also, from
the nature of the ice, it was, to say the least, highly
improbable they could have passed without leaving
some traces on those islands, which are said to
abound in birds and eggs— those greatest of dain-
ties to the Arctic voyager; but the sounds in the
northern part of Baffin's Bay (especially Jones's
Sound, where, before leaving the Orkney Islands,
Sir John Franklin had expressed his intention, if
other ways failed, of attempting the North-west
Passage) had not yet been examined; in that direc-
tion therefore Captain Austin determined on con-
tinuing the search, previous to returning home;
and accordingly the Expedition crossed the mouth
of Wellington Channel, and proceeded down Bar-
row's Strait, which was tolerably clear of ice, on
the 15th of August 1851.

Meanwhile Mr. Penny returned home, without
renewing the search; and Sir John Boss, from want
of provisions, also returned to England.

On arriving oif Cape Warrender, Captain Austin
took command of the two steamers, and proceeded
to search Jones's Sound, while the Assistance and
Resolute were ordered to rendezvous oflP Wolsten-
holme Sound. I hmded at the foot of Cjtpe War-
render, a lofty headland, to erect a cairn, and hem

liH H M t-

CONCLUSION.

121

gathered a few tufts of club moss, the first speci-
mens that had been seen between this point and
Melville Island. There were also a few old deer
antlers covered with moss, and near the beach a
little Snow-bunting lay dead upon a rock.

After encountering a heavy gale of wind, and
driving for several days among the broken-up pieces
of ice in Baffin's Bay, we arrived off the Carey
Islands, a group of ten or eleven rocks, composed
of gneiss, in 76'45 north latitude. Five of them
are from one to two miles in diameter, three of
smaller size, and the remainder are nothing more
than detached rocks. The highest parts are about
four hundred feet above the level of the sea.

These islands were discovered by Baffin, who
gave them their present name; Sir John Ross
sighted them in 1818, and in 1827 a whaler must
have sent a boat on shore on one of them, as a
small cairn was found, with a piece of wood having
that date cut upon it.

Thousands of looms were breeding among the
perpendicular cliffs, and nine hundred of them
were shot by parties from the two ships; and at the
foot of the thickly inhabited rocks, large patches
of the scurvy.grass {Cochlearia Grcenlandica) were
growing, which we used as a salad, and found by
no means unpalatable.

Leaving the Carey Islands on the 23rd of Au-
gust, we arrived at our rendezvous of Wolsten-
holme Sound, and there awaited with considerable

iMm^iumitirii-idliirii ii,-|i,- ;: ^y^

*ttlif»

•I

Hi!

122

TRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

anxiety tlic arrival of the Pioneer and Intrepid. In
the distance we had the rugged coast of Green-
land^ unapproacha])le by reason of the ice which
lined the shores, while masses of loose ice sur-
rounded the ships.

Meanwhile the steamers had coasted along the
glacier-bea ;ing shores of North Devon, and entered
Joneses Sound, a broad and open strait, measuring
at the entrance about sixty miles from shore to
shore, and bounded by lofty granite hills rising to
a heig^l of two thousand feet, and terminating in
rugged peaks. The glaciers in many places reach
to the sea, and numerous icebergs were seen, ap-
parently just detached from the parent ice-moun-
tain.

Having proceeded up the south side of Jones's
Sound for forty-iive miles, the progress of the
steamers was arrested by a fixed barrier of ice ex-
tending completely across, about twenty-five miles.
A cairn was therefore erected on an island in the
Sound, and both sides having been carefully ex-
amined, without any traces o^ the missing Expedi-
tion being found, the steamers passed out of this
noble strait, having discovered at its entrance a
large island, since called Cobourg Island; they
then attempted to proceed towards Smith's Sound,
but the immense chains of huge icebergs checked
their progress, and at length they found them-
selves off" the coast of Greenland and near the
entrance of Whale Sounds where they were for

« ■•'

CONCLUSION.

123

several days in great peril of being dashed to pieces.
On the 27 1^^ of August the Intrepid was driven
by a field of ice against a large iceberg two hundred
feet high with a terrific crash. Her destruction
seemed inevitable^ but the hopes of her crew were
speedily revived by observing that she was gra-
dually rising to the pressure. At 9 p.m. the pres-
sure became intense, forcing her tafirail forty feet,
and her bow thirty feet, above the level of the sea ;
the masses of ice running nearly ten feet above
her bulwarks, and piled up one above another in a
frightful manner. One whale-boat and the dingy
were crushed, while the timbers of the vessels
cracked and groaned, threatening all on board with
destruction.

At 2 P.M. on the following day the pressure
eased off, and the Intrepid was saved almost mira-
culously. The steamers joined the ships, the one
on the 2nd and the other on the 6th of September

The Intrepid was visited, while off the coast of
Greenland, by the Arctic Highlanders, who had
been seen by us in August 1850, and were sup-
plied with clothing and other comforts. One of
these people had lived on board the Assistance
during the whole winter, and, though slow to learn
English, had by his constant cheerfulness and
good-humour, and his willingness to make himself
useful, become a general favourite. He returned
with us to England, and is now entered as a student
at St. Augustine^s College, Canterbury.

124

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

Taking into consideration the impossibility of
reaching a secure har])our, the certainty if we
wintered in any exposed part of Baffin^s Bay
of being drifted away into the Atlantic early in
th3 spring, and the advanced season of the year,
Captain Austin determined, agreeably to the spirit
of his instructions, to return to England; and
accordingly, after a good passage from Cape Fare-^
well, we arrived off Scarborough in the end of Sep-
tember, and at Woolwich on the 1st of October,
having been seventeen months absent, and sixteen
without receiving any news or tidings of our
friends.

Thus concluded the exertions of Captain Austin's
Expedition in search of Sir John Franklin. The
whole coast of the Parry Islands, from Beechey Is-
land (where Mr. Penny had discovered the winter-
quarters of the missing Expedition) to the extreme
western point of MeMUe Island— a distance of
350 miles— had been carefully searched; besides
this, vast tracts of land, extending over more than
five hundred miles, had been thoroughly examined
by Mr. Bradford and Lieutenant Aldrich. To the
southward also of Cape Walker four hundred miles
was discovered, and as far as possible surveyed and
explored. Jones's Sound was then examined, and
both sides of Wellington Channel had been traced
by Mr. Penny to a considerable distance ; yet not
a vestige was to be found of the ill-fated Erebus
and Terror.

CONCLUSION.

125

Though the main object remains unattained, yet
the field for future expeditions has been consider-
ably narrowed. We now know that the Franklin
Expedition did not proceed towards Melville Island
or Cape Walker: it is also highly improbable
that they passed up Wellington Channel, which is
blocked up by islands, and in which a current runs
at the rate of five miles an hour; and the northern

and of Baffin's Bay is the only outlet which has
jt been searched. The probability therefore of
their having been destroyed in Baffin's Bay, in
attempting to return home, or while enclosed by
the ice, and having drifted helplessly along, as Sir
James Ross did in 1849, and the American expe-
dition in 1850-51, becomes very strong.

It would be mere trifling in one who has seen
those barren, frozen regions to hold out a hope
that, without provisions or ammunition, and with
the cold of that rigorous climate undermining and
weakening their constitutions for seven years, any
of those gallant men who followed Sir John Frank-
lin in 1845, full of enthusiasm, can still survive.
Much is said about the ^'club-moss,'' which, it is
affirmed, might easily be used for fuel, when there
is not a single specimen from Cape Warrender to
Melville Island,-~and a great deal also about the
abundance of animal life. So far as we saw, there
is not a living thing, save a few wary bears and
foxes, from September to May ; and even in the

sminmpv Tno^.flic innflimif

.1.

V-^J-

SiiOi., ujTuS

126

FRANKLIN S FOOTSTEPS.

could not be obtained to sunport a hundred, or even
fifty men for a month. We hear also of a theory
about a polar basin, and a warm climate far to the
northward ; yet experience shows that the farther
ijjYth. Mr. Penny went in Wellington Channel, the
colder was the climate^; and in 1827 Sir Edward
Parry saw immense fields of ice drifting from the
northward when in 82° north. But for those, I
repeat, who have themselves felt the piercing cold,
and seen the impossibility of men sustaining life
on their own resom'ces on those bleak and barren
shores, it would be heartless wickedness to hold
out delusive hopes to the friends and relatives of
those brave but unfortunate men.

A possibility, a remote and unlikely one indeed,
but still a possibility, remains ; that the Erebus and
Terror may have passed up Wellington Channel, far
out of reach of Mr. Penny's travelling parties, and
there, as Lady Franklin still sanguinely hopes, they
may still be found. But not only have no ves-
tiges of their progress been discovered- either on
the shores of the channel itself or on the islands,
(described as abounding in birds during the sum-
mer,) but the land also on both sides seemed to

* The heat up WeUington Channel decreases with an increase
of latitude. Mr. Manson's Meteorological Journal at Assistance
Bay: — Mean temperature in the shade, May the 11th to June
the 8th, 1851, + 19-9 Fahr. Dr. Sutherland's Journal :— Mean
of ten observations from his leaving 75^^ north to liis return to
it, highest latitude attauaed being 76-20° north (during the same
tune), + IG'5 Fahr. — Blue-Ouok, p. 121.

iV-

|-'

CONCLUSION.

137

«!ft»

close in and form a large bay, tlie distance between
the two extreme points seen being only marked on
the charts as twenty-five miles.

It is also jnst within the range of possibility that
Sir John Franklin may have penetrated np Jones's
or Smith's Sounds, and that there the remains of
his vessels are to be found ; but wh(^ther any of
these remote shores still frown upon this ill-fated
Expedition, or whether, as is more probable, the two
ships have met the fate which has attended so many
whalers before and since, and been crushed to pieces
ly the ice, there can be but little hope that any sur-
vivors still remain ; for even if it were possible that
all tlic hardships and privations, the cold and hun-
ger, of so many years in the Arctic regions could
have been withstood, it is incredible that no part
of the Expedition should have attempted to reach
either the whalers in Baffin's Bay, or the beach
where the Fury wa^ vecked, at which point they
knew provisions had been left ; or the continent of
America, where they would in all probability have
fallen in with one or other of the numerous parties
which were last year traversing the Parry Islands
and the north of America in search of them.

But, as has been before stated, the possibility yet
remains of the vessels being still in existence ; and
actino- on that possibility, Government has sent
forth'another expedition, that every spot of grouna
in the Arctic regions, north and west of the Parry
.1.4- Ko flinrmicrlilv searclicd. Captain

T 1 _- J _

ioiciuue

Xilli

[:,

128

FRANKLIN^S FOOTSTEPS.

Collinson^s vessels arc now pressing eastward from
Behring's Straits, while other ships have been
fitted out for farther search by way of Baffin's
Bay.

The same four vessels which composed Captain
Austin's expedition, with the North Star stationed
at the mouth of Wellington Channel as a depot
in addition, left England at the end of April, 1852,
under the command of Sir Edward Belcher. Many
of Captain Austin's officers form part of the new
expedition; no longer buoyed up by the joyous
hope entertained when last they sailed — of rescu-
ing the crews of the Erebus and Terror from their
icy prisons,— but sustained by the noble resolution
of exploring the unknown regions to the p.orthward
of Wellington Channel and Baffin's Bay, and of
risking their lives, and suffering the well-known
hardships which such an adventure must entail, to
discover the fate of those adventurous spirits they
are in search of.

M'Clintock is amongst them, that gallant officer
so frequently mentioned in these pages, who per-
formed the most wonderful Arctic journey ever re-
corded, and whose experience is surpassed by no
man living; and Osborn, Avho discovered so much
of Prince of Wales's Land, who commanded and
does still command the Pioneer with so much zeal
and ability; and whose zeal will enable him to en-
tertain a last fond hope for the safety of the missing
brave, many of whom were his companions in arms

)

-* U

■^^■«^ «%^W^W«^;»^l« ^j>Jla w ^» M . » 8

CONCLUDING CHAPTER.

129

in the Chinese war. There too is Mecham, the
discoverer of the extensive Island of Russel, — Ha-
milton, whose name is connected with the search of
Young and Lowther Isles ; McDougall, the explorer
of that great bay which bears his name, and several
others.

God speed their noble exertions ! May they be
more successful in this their second undertaking
than they were in their first ; may they again add
vast tracts of land to the map of the known world ;
may they return to receive due praise for their
noble self-sacrifice; and above all, may they at
length discover the fate of Sir John Franklin's
Expedition, and unravel the mystery which as yet
hangs over it.

Here then we must pause, tiU we are in possession
of further intelligence. I hs e endeavoured, in this
short and imperfect sketch, to show how Greenland
was first discovered ; to point out the motives which
led its several visitors and settlers to direct their
steps thither ; and to relate the various featui'cs of
its history. How at last, in searching for a North-
West Passage, the Parry archipelago was discovered
by the great man whose name it bears, and how
voyage after voyage followed, until at length Sir
John Franklin was lost amid its tortuous mazes.

The narrative of the searching Expedition wh
followed has been from my own experience ; and it
m these pages I have been enabled to carry the

minds ui my iCuucrs turouiiu the stimns events

iCuucrs iiirougu tuc Gtixixiig

130

FRANKLIN S FOOTSTEPS.

which occurred on the gloomy continent of Green-
land, along which the Expedition of Franklin passed,
and to picture to them the wild and bleak, yet grand
and awe-inspiring, scenery of the Parry Islands,
where his last traces were discovered, and where the
efforts of our own Expedition were exerted, my
object is gained, and my humble endeavours have
succeeded in leading them to the Arctic Regions,
in Franklin^s footsteps.

Ion
hai

Ze]

mil

]

red

(

ill!

131

ZERO,

HARLEQUIN LIGHT

'Evil Spirits in the shape
of Arctic horrors.

CHAEACTERS.

The Sun . . ) ^ j a • -^
_ } Good Spirits.

Daylight '

Zeeo , .
Beae . .

Feostbite

ICEBERa .
HUNaER .
SCOEBUTUS

• Fox . .

Tracking and Travelling Party of Four.

DRESSES.

Zeeo. — ^Full frosted wig, surmounted by a fanciful crown;
long flowing beard ; loose white robes with large sleeves, icicles
hanging from different parts. Large thermometer with slide at
Zero, and 50 marked on it in large letters.

Frostbite. — Tight dress ; upper third of body and limb^ white ;
middle red ; lower blue, passing into black ; long frosted wig.

HuNGEE. — Long thin mask face, pale dress, loose and scanty.

Scorbutus. — Tiglit white dress, covered with purple and
reddish-browji ppots; mask pale, with bluish-reu and blotched
mouth.

GrOOD Spirit. — Clothed in white, with chaplet and fancy wand.

* See above, p. 77.

iiMwin \m likmm

132

franklin's footsteps.

Scene in the Arctic Regions. One of the ships in a
perilous situation, nipped hy ice ; icebergs and moving
floes drifting past. Stro .g blue light thrown across
the stage. Drums, whistles, and all sorts of discord
by Band. Zero enters, and walks majestically up
and down the stage ; one or two of his Imps pass
quickly across the stage at the back.

Zero advances to the front.
Zero. Old Christmas has almost usurp'd our rights,
Frighten' d me ! Zero ! with his roaring nights ;
But ah ! I'll be revenged, when on the floe
These boisterous Tars shall find it all no go.
In Melville Bay he 's sought to use his might,
When lo ! they blast and cut out of his sight.
And there they found a i^enny * that would pass,
Made of good metal, not of spurious brass.
Their progress once or twice I did arrest,
By closing floes and hummocks f thickly press'd;
They laughed, and took to playing quoits and rounders,
Captains, ofiicers, and seven-pounders J ;
But I am formed for action, and each word
Shortens the time and makes revenge absurd ;
I 'U summon Frostbite, for by education
He laughs at feelings and destroys sensation ;
With papers, plays, and soirees they defy,
JJ 1:0 this moment my supremacy ;
With magic-lantern and the bal masque,
They think to cheat me, — don't I wish they may !

* Mr. Penny, who commanded the mercantile expedition,
t Floes and hummocks — masses of ice.
X The ice quarter-masters: — old seamen who received £7 a
month. Ilence the nickname.

!■'

i I

*™*««""«^^fS9sa%«<«««BS?'-

ZERO, Oft HAftLiTQUIN LIGHT.

133

They've tiim'd a steamer* into a saloon,
Aud tried to gase nie with a news balloon.

[QrUs Frostbite.
Frostbite, you idle rogue, quick, quick appear !

Unter Frostbite.

> ROST. Master, your pale and rigid slave is here.

'// RO. AVait! I .m in humour for reflection.
Of which beware you freeze not in connection.
Dark Winter too his course doth quickly run.
Hasten' d by their good-fellowship and fun ;
My imps of horror they have laugh' d to scorn,
Two dreaded, still remain a hope forlorn.

[^Calls ill a loud tone.
Scorbutus, hither come, and Hunger fierce !
They well, I kn^ w, can any bosom pierce.

Enter Scorbutus and Hunger.
ScoR. and Hun. What would our gracious liege
that we should do ?

Zero. Try when within your grasp \^ they be true.
Begone, and loiter not ! Aw^ay ! be quick !
My spirits falter, I must have music ;
I love operas, Bellini's or a, Verdi.
Play " Sich a gettin' upstairs I never did see."

\_Band plays the air: Zero walks majestically up
and down, keeping time with his thermometer,
then looks out at the side-scenes.
(To Frostbite.) Confound those imps ! they move un-
common slow ;
Go ! call them back, more speed they ought to show.

[Eoc'd Frostbite.

* The Intrepid.

\ I

^ , 3'1..^,«J«»

ri i

134

FRANKLIN'S FOOTSTEPS.

Enter Scoebtjtus and Hungee, about to speah.

In haste I sent you there, my word I pledge,
And off you move as if you dragged a sledge.
Call my slaves here !

[Htjngeb goes out and brings in Imps.
I think it right to mention
There's steam against us, — curse the fast invention !

\_Singing without.
I hear some singing on the floe.

\_Men sing " The sailor loves his bottle, oh !" at
first in a low tone, then gradually increasing
as they pass over the stage.
They come this way, — begone and hide awhile !
At dangers they do nothing else but smile.

[_E3cit Zero.
TEACKiNa Party, singvng, pass across the stage,
Daylight seen as Good Spirit hovering over
them,

Enter Zisno, following the men.
Zero. Oh they've passed me ! Who, am I to blame ?
What 's Zero if his imps grow tame ?
My power o'er these men is minus rather.
Yet Fahrenheit of cold has made me father.

[Zero goes out.

Daylight descends from above as a Good Spirit,

and advances to the front.
Dayl. I dream' d, when slumber hung upon mine
eyes,
Of love, of hope, and Arctic enterprise.
When a soft voice broke through my troubled dreams,
In tones as clear and liquid as are mountain strea m s

4»'

l,3gi-W.ri? l |

ZERO^ OR HARLEQUIN LIGHT.

135

I rose, for well the music charm' d my watchful ear,

Turn'd and beheld a pensive maiden near.

She did entreat me in an earnest way,

But with your leave I '11 sing her simple lay. \_Sin(/s.

The Maiden's F^ong.

Air — "Farewell to the Mountains J^

Bright Spirit of light, grant thy powerful aid,
Guide Englaud's bold sons where the missing have stray'd ;
Or lend me thy swiftness, I'll rush through the air,
Their efforts encourage, their doubtful fate share.

Quite pale are the stars when morning appears.
And pale are our faces with love's silly fears ;
Asleep or awake, we still mutter a prayer,
That success may soon give them again to our care.

Oh ! speed thee, each moment with danger is fraught,
AU bosoms are sad till good tidings are brought ;
Bear with thee our sighs on thy Hfe-cheermg ray.
And chase with thy gay beams their sorrows away.

Knowing that lovers' songs ne'er have an end,
My help at once I promised her to lend ;
Then hither came, I hope to find you well,
But don't expect I 've any news to tell.

'[Looks out at side-scenes.

Oh ! here comes Zero : now 's the time to act ;
His spirit 's low -he 's minus, that's a fact.
I '11 hide, and counteract his evil deeds :
How fierce he '11 be to find he ne'er succeeds.

Enter Zero, pushing down a slide on the thermometer.

i i Tii i «r-i"-- -r-" -"■—

■Ml

trIrtiiliiilBiIMB

"mm

!^;^sjm ^^.'ie.v'^i^^ii,,:^^-^

W (

-it

136

franklin's footsteps.

^ Zebo. It 's time for me to make a noise and fuss,

So to begin, go down fifty minus*.

It 's not a bad thermometer, I tell ye,

Better than Carey's, or a Pastorellif ;

Besides, when Mercury begins to freeze,

It shows exactly thirty-nine degrees.

[Looks out at side-scenes.
Another chance— oh ! then indeed I'm blest.
Hear ! aU my slaves, attend to my behest.
When they have pitched their tent, your work begin,
Till then begone ! and hide you aU within.
They come— away, the times are out of joint,
"When I am forced to tell you all avaunt.

Unter ^ledge-party, who encamp at tie lack of
the stage. Daylight seen at the side where
the sledge enters.

Officer. We'U pitch our tent— this seems a shel-
ter'd place.

[Feostbite passes across lehind first man.
By Jove ! you 've got a frostbite on your face ;
Rub, rub it well ! lucky it is but slight.
(To the other men). Look smart there with the things
— don't be all night !

1st Man. Tom, if those were here as plann'd these
cruises.
How jolly hard they 'd rub their ancient noses.

• That is 82° below freezmg-point,— the lowest we experi-
enced. ^

t There had been a dispute as to wliich were the best thermo-
meters,— Carey's, Pastorelli's, or Newman's.

■ -"'Ha^^^iiFssi^aiii^^jE^ ■.

ZERO, OR HARLEQUIN LIGHT.

137

We 've dragged aU day, and now we 're tired quite.

Get what we want, a stunning appetite.
: I J 2nd Man {finishing the tent).
y^here, that 's all right—just pass the rum and can,

I '11 light the stove, and cook the pemmican.

I wonder how my Peg would like these " wittles."

Scissors ! I 've burnt my finger with the " Kittles."
3rd Mat^ {drinJcing).

I 'm very thirsty, when the rum I sip

The pannikin sticks fast unto my lip.

Officer enters tent with 3rd Man. 2nd Man
seen at entrance taking of his hoots without
Us mits. 1st Man near the sledge arranging
its contents. Enter Fox stealthily at side.

Zero. Now, Prostbite, quickly ! do your work right
well.

And fix his hand fast in your icy spell.

Frostbite touches man's hand, which becomes fixed.

2nd Man. Confound it all, I'm bitten in the thumb.
How soon your flesh becomes cold, white, and numb.
Daylight waves her wand over the man's hand,
and it returns to its former state.

2nd Man. WeU, that 's all right ; and now to have
a smoke.

Fox enters, and steals a piece of porh. 1st
Man runs after him, exclaiming.

Bring me the gun ! Oh ! here's a precious joke :
A fox has stolen a piece of this day's pork.

3rd Man {from tent).
That's what I call uncommon stupid work.

138

FRANKLIN S FOOTSTEPS.

1st Man pushes sledge towards side, and enters
tent.
1st Man holes out of tent.
"Wliat do you think of our Ventilation* ?
Does it meet your learned approbation ?
We have no theories when in a tent,
Nor care which way the foul air finds a vent ;
"We bag our heads, then smoke ourselves to sleep,
And huddling close, each other warm we keep.

\_Shuts tent door.
Zero. Bravo, my fox ! go fetch Dean'sf model bear ;
The morning dawns, now I for work prepare.
K I don't freeze them as they lie asleep,
May I no other promise ever keep !
Ah ! now some pleasures come indeed at last :
How sound they sleep ; I have them " hard and fast."
Zeeo enters tent ; his imps leave the stage ; Har-
lequin leaps through the SunX, and changes
(the Good Spirit) Daylight into Colum-
bine ; theg dance a pa^ de deux.
Bear enters and prowls round the tent ; Har-
lequin slaps the ground near the tent, which
disappears, leaving the Clown grinning and
making faces ; he sees the Bear, becomes
dreadfully alarmed, and m.akes off for a gun ;
returns, snaps the gun, which refuses to go
off; the Bear approaches, when he succeeds
in firing at it ; Bear falls, and out roll 2iid

* There had been much dispute among the learned doctors of
the squadron as to the best mode of ventilating the ships.

t Mr. Dean, the ingenious carpenter, who made a bear for the
pantomime.

X An oiled-silk sun which rises at the back scene.

k^^^MaBBBta

tnrriTrrmifiii

esassi

iw^'

ZERO, OR HARLEQUIN LIGHT.

139

Clown and Pantaloon, Harlequin slap-
ping the ground near the Bear.
Harlequin and Columbine retire ; Clowns
commence tumhling and fooling icith Panta-
loon.

1st Clown (to Pantaloon). Why, what animal are
you?

Pant. A man.

1st Clown. How can that be, when you were got
by a bullet out of a bear ? Ho ! ho ! ho ! you fool !
Pant. Give us an account of your late proceedings.
1st Clown. Well, hero goes. ^Sings.

I'm fond of sport, that is of fun :
I saw a bear, and took my gun ;
Away I went, at a great pace,
My foot it slipp'd in the wrong place.
So down I fell, when in a trice '
I popp'd through a thin young crust of ice.
Tol, lol, idi, idi, idi, idi, aido.

I crusty grew : it was not fair :
To get a wet I couldn't a bear ;
I dragged myself upon the floe,
The bear came near ; oh ! what a go !
I pulled the trigger, but the cap
.Quite finished me, by one false snap.
Tol, lol, etc.

My legs they shook ; my heart, pit pat.
Hit my backbone a loud rat-tat.
He snuffed in me a morning meal.
And thought to fix on me his seal;
When lo ! I thought of boys who put
Their head 'tween legs when bulls would butt.
Tol, lol, etc.

''fmyiti" ••^vm.-^m '*"- ""»- •■«««^~»-«-»»-.- - ■»

',i

140 franklin's footsteps.

Place caps in mouth, and horrid shout,
The bulls they go to the right about ;
I tried the dodge, when, bless my eyes !
The bear stood stiU, quite in surprise :
I gave a shout, he show'd his heels,
Oh, lor ! says I, much better I feels.
Tol, lol, etc.

The moral of this round let it pass.
Bears may make tragedy of farce ;
So if your fun that way doth tend,
Take my advice and take a friend :
Should you miss fire he takes your place,
Frightens the brute with his ugly face.
Tol, lol, etc.

2n(i Clown (to Pantaloon). What foxes are
easiest to shoot ?

Pant. Sleeping foxes ?

2nd Clown. No, not so bad eitlier.

Pant. Eunning? walking? etc.

2nd Clown. Tame ones, to be sure.

1st Clown. What house in this neighbourhood is
the coldest ?

2nd Clown. Mrs. Corset's ?

1st Clown. No.

2nd Clown. What then ? .

1st Glown. Why, the transit observatory, to be
sure, first turning past Nelson's Monument.

2nd Clown. How so ?

1st Clown. Because no one ever " heard" of its
having had a warming*.* Ha ! Ha !

* The Observatory : a snow edifice, which, on its completion,
was to havo had a house-warming at the expense of Mr. Cheyne,
the learned astronomer ; but from some reason the promised en-
tertainment never took place.

ZERO, OR HARLEQUIN LIGHT.

141

2nd Clown. Then, I'd chain up the builder.
1st Clown. What good would that do, stupid?
"Well, why would you ?

2nd Clown. Because he ought to have known no
house can stand there unless it 's had a wet.

1st Clown fetches in a fox-trap^ and 'places it
at hach of stage. All run off and ivatch it.
Wliite fox enters, and the trap falls. Enter
Clowns, who open the trap. Harlequin
slaps the trap, and out comes E. York*.
1st Clown. "Why, a real native ! Why is he like a
man with a bad cold ?

2nd Clown. Answer it yourself.
1st Clown. Isn't he a little H(Uskey)t?
2nd Clown. Why is the Eoyal Arctic Theatre like
Covent G-arden Market ?

1st Clown. Because it's often filled with the fresh
and spicy ?

2nd Clown. Wo. Because it's supported by flowers
and fipuitj.

1st Clown. Why would you like to join the tenders?

2nd Clown. I should have a chance of keeping the
steam up, and going ahead when I was screwed.

2nd Clown. It's my turn now for guessing tlie last.
Here you are: why do all actors think the drop-
scene like a tyrant ?

1st Clown. Not being one, could not possibly say.

2nd Clown. Well then, because they are released
and rejoiced at its fall.

* The Esquimaux we had on board.

t One of the whalers' names for an Esquimaux.

X The decorations of the front.

■MHBHMHMT ~~

142

franklin's footsteps.

ill

Enter people coming from a masquerade^ walk about tJie
stage, Clowns joking them.

Sedan chair enters with a mashed female in costmne.
Clowns run and bomiet chairmen, and open the door,
drag out the female, one lugging one way, the other
the opposite. Harlequin enters ; they put her hach
into the chair, and commence to fight. Harlequin
passes quickly ; slaps the hack of the chair.

1st Clown, having knocked down 2nd Clown, goes to
the chair, opens the door, when out steps North
Polar Star in rough dress, treads on Clown's toe,
advances to the front, and sings.

Aia — Ivy ,.reen,

A noble soul has that man, I ween,

Who braveth these regions cold :
No dangers that threaten his life are seen

When he seeketh the brave and bold.
Oh ! the heart must be hard and bad indeed.

Or ruled by a coward's whim,
If it bounds not to think of the friendly deed

Perform'd in these lands by him.

Seeking where the lost have been,
A gallant band may yet be seen.

Through ages long past, the British name

Has been known in every clime.
And all must trust that the weU-eam'd fame

WiU endure to the end of time.
To rescue from death the friend, or foe.

Was ever the sailor's boast ;
And now, 'mid the terrors of frost and snow,

His courage is needed most.
Seeking, etc.

■I

"i '

ZERO, OR HARLEQUIN LIGHT. 143

Soon night will be past, and spring draweth nigh,

To gladden us all again,
When we'll seek around, with a watchful eye,

Nor at any toil complain.
They await us in England, tlie beauteous, the fair,

When our dangerous task is o'er,
And who would not greater hardships dare

To be prized by them once more ?
Seeking, etc.. etc.

lUxeunt Omnes. JEnter Harlequii' and
Columbine, toho dance a pas de deux.
Clowns and Pantalooist enter, followed hy men bring-
ing in halloon gear. The Clowns drive off the men,
and inflate halloon, loldch, when full, takes up 1st
Clown, ivho exclaims. Oh ! aint I Green ! After a
short time he descends luithout halloon, and advancing
to the front tvith a slip of paper in his hands, reads
news from home. All icell ! And a happy new year
to you ! Notv for my advice :

A fool may sometimes wisdom speak,
Though wanting youth and beauty ;
So let me say,
In Nelson's way,
England expects that every man
This spring will do his duty.

Finale — Grand Tableau.

In
ill

' THE EPILOGUE

AT THE CLOSE OF THE SEASON, AT

E]^t iaogal atretic SCjjeatre,

28th Febefaey, 1851.

'4w

■ I

r! '

tt.

When first this curtain rose, we strove to say,
All our success i: your applause would lay :
Thus trusting, we have tried, and not in vain,
To hear your laughter o'er and o'er again.
One sole regret we had, until tonight,
That those so near* could not with us unite ;
And in this mimic world the hours beguile,
Where all do feel the want of woman's smile.
But now 'tis o'er, the flower of day expands.
And greedy time new sacrifice demands f.
The strength of youth, the wisdom of the sage,
Must soon appear upon life's boundless stage j
Amusement then to duty will give place,
And lines of thought will mark the anxious face.
In merriment and fun w^e've joined together,
Defying cold and every change of weather :
Nobly each and all their means have used,
First the amusers, then in turn the amused.
In health and happiness the time has fled ;
And bri'-ht success on all its rays has shed.
That our next efforts may as well succeed,
Is the great wish in which we're all agreed.

* Penny's crews and Sir J. Boss's in Assistance Bay.
t The travelling parties.

li-i i

wnmm

-'^Bp'^*