Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/373

362 barks at  their  feet,  that  they  might  all  be  spared to welcome  back  the  life-imparting  planet,  we  see these pilgrims  to  the  God  of  light  turn  and  descend into the  darkness  and  gloom  now  hanging  over the bay  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror.

The tale  of  energetic  battle  with  cold  privation and festering  monotony  has  been  often  told: why repeat that  the  officers  and  men  under  Franklin in their  first  winter  within  the  frozen  zone,  as nobly  bore  the  one  and  cheerfully  combatted  the other? The ruins  and  traces  left  behind  them all attest  it. The observatoiy,  with  its  double embankment of  earth  and  stones,  its  neat  finish, and the  lavish  expenditure  of  labour  in  pavement and pathway: the  shooting  gallery  under  the cliff, the  seats  formed  of  stones,  the  remains  of pleasant  picnics  in  empty  bottles  and  meat-tins strewed about: the  elaborate  cairn  upon  the north point  of  Beechey — a pyramid  eight  feet  high, and at  least  six  feet  long  on  each  side  of  the  base — constructed of  old  meat-tins  filled  with  gravel: all tell  the  same  tale  of  manful  anxiety  for  phy- sical employment to  distract  the  mind  from suffering and  solitude. On board  the  ships  we picture  to  ourselves  the  Arctic  school  and  theatre: the scholar  and  dramatist  exerting  themselves  to kill  monotony  and  amuse  or  instruct  their  comrades. There are  not  wanting  traces  at  Cape Riley to  show  how  earnestly  the  naturalists Goodsir and  Stanley  laboured  to  collect  specimens: now was  their  time  to  arrange  and  note  upon their labours. There is  more  than  one  site  still visible of  tents  in  which  the  magnetical  observations were  obtained: now  was  the  time  to  record and compare  such  observations. And, in  addition  to the  charming  novelty  of  a first  winter  in  the  frozen sea, the  officers  in  so  scientific  an  expedition  had abundance of  employment,  in  noting  the  various phenomena which  were  daily  and  hourly  occurring around them.

But at  length  darkness  and  winter  pass  away, sunlight and  spring  return; pale  faces  again recover their  natural  rosy  tint. Only three  of the  original  party  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight souls have  succumbed; * the  rest,  though  thinner, are now  inured  and  hardened  to  all  the  changes of the  Arctic  climate,  and  exhibit  no  lack  of  energy or strength. As soon  as  the  temperature  will admit of  it,  parties  are  despatched  from  the  ships in various  directions  with  sledges  and  tents: some have  scientific  objects  in  view; others  are directed to  try  and  procure  game  for  their  sickly comrades, or  to  eke  out  the  store  of  provisions, now reduced  to  a two  years*  stock: and,  sad  it  is to  record  it,  nearly  all  their  preserved  meats  were those of  the  miscreant  Goldner. Exploratory parties were  likewise  not  wanting; and  those  who came on  their  footsteps  in  after  years  saw  the signs of  their  lost  comrades’  zeal  and  industry  on every  side. From Caswell’s  Tower,  which  looks towards Lancaster  Sound,  to  Point  Tunis  up Wellington  Channel,  the  marks  of  camping  places and the  trails  of  their  sledges  were  frequent. It was sad  to  remark,  from  the  form  of  their  cooking places, and  the  deep  ruts  left  by  their  sledges over the  edge  of  the  terraces  which  abound  in  the neighbourhood of  Beechey  Island,  how  little Franklin’s people  were  impressed  with  the  importance of  rendering  their  travelling  equipment  light and portable,  both  as  a means  of  exploration whilst their  ships  were  imprisoned,  and  to  enable them to  escape  if  their  ships  were  destroyed. The anxiety  for  their  fate,  expressed  by  many  in Captain  Austin’s  expedition,  when  remarking upon the  fearful  expenditure  of  labour  which must have  been  entailed  on  Franklin’s  men  in dragging  about  such  sledges  as  they  had  evidently had with  them,  has  only  been  too  truly  verified. The longest  journey  made  by  sledge  parties  from the Erebus  and  Terror  at  Beechey  Island,  so  far

1, 2.  Ships.

8. Store.

4. Graves  and  Forge.

5. Washing  Place.

6. Shooting  Gallery.

7. Garden.

8. Cairn.

9. Sledge  Marks.

10. Shooting  Gallery.

11. Cairns.

12. Shooting  Gallery.

as we  know,  does  not  exceed  twenty  miles; whereas three and  four  hundred  miles  outward  has  been recently done  by  our  later  Arctic  explorers. Franklin’s experience  of  travelling  in  the  Hudson’s Bay Territory  was  evidently  at  fault  in  the  rugged and desert  region  in  which  he  was  now  sojourning; and  he  had  no  M‘Clintock  at  his  Bide  to  show him how,  by  mechanical  skill  and  careful  attention to  weights  and  equipment,  sledges  might  be constructed  on  which  men  might  carry  boats, tents, clothing,  food,  and  fuel,  and  travel  with impunity from  February  to  August,  and  explore, as he  himself  has  done  in  that  time,  nearly  fourteen hundred  miles  of  ground  or  frozen  sea.

delineated in  the  accompanying  plate,  were  discovered  at  and about Beechey  Island,  in  1850-51,  by  the  expeditions  under ( aptain H.  Austin.  C B.,  Captain  Penny,  aud  Captain  de Haven.  The  tombstones  rec*  rded  the  deaths  of  two  seamen, on  January  1st  and  January  4th,  1846,  and  that  of  a marine, who  died  on  April  3rd  of  the  same  year.
 * All the  traces  alluded  to  In  these  articles,  aa  well aa  those