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29, 1859.] which has  been  carefully  fitted  upon  a sledge; in them  the  sick  and  disabled  are  tenderly  packed; each man  carries  a great  quantity  of  dothing — care is  taken  to  have  plenty  of  guns,  powdefr,  and shot, for  they  can  drag  at  the  utmost  but  forty days’ provision  with  them,  and  at  the  expiration of that  time  they  hope  to  be  in  a country  where their guns  will  feed  them. Every trinket  and piece of  silver  in  the  ships  is  carefully  divided amongst the  men; they  hope  to  conciliate  the natives with  these  baubles,  or  to  procure  food,  and so far  as  fore-sight  could  afford  the  party  every hope of  safety,  all  has  been  done; but  one  fatal error occurred, — the  question  of  weight  to  be dragged,  with  diminished  physical  power,  has never been  taken  into  consideration; or,  if  considered, no  proper  remedy  applied.

On the  22nd  of  April,  1848,  these  gallant  men  fell into the  drag-ropes  of  their  sledges  and  boats; the colours were  hoisted  on  their  dear  old  ships,  three hearty cheers  were  given  for  the  stout  craft  that had borne  them  so  nobly  through  many  perils,  and without a blush  at  deserting  Her  Majesty’s  ships Erebus and  Terror,  Captains  Crozier  and  Fitz- jamea lead  the  road  to  the  nearest  point  of  land, named Cape  Victory.*  Poor  souls,  they  were  three days traversing  the  intervening  distance  of  fifteen miles, and  the  sad  conviction  was  already  pressing upon them,  that  they  had  over-estimated  their physical strength  and  powers  of  endurance. Around the  large  cairn  erected  upon  Point  Victory the shivering  diseased  men  cast  away  everything  that could be  spared; indeed  perhaps  much  that,  at  that inclement season,  they  still  needed  to  shield  their half -starved frames  from  the  biting  blast. Pickaxes, shovels, rope,  blocks,  clothing,  stores  of  all  sorts, except provisions,  sextants,  quadrants,  oars,  and even a medicine-case,  expressly  fitted  up  for  the journey, were  here  thrown  away. Unrolling the record left  here  in  the  previous  year  by  the  good and gallant  Gore,  Captain  Fitzjames  proceeded  to write  round  its  margin  those  few,  alas  I too  few; but graphic  words,  which  tell  us  all  we  shall  ever know of  this  last  sad  page  in  their  touching  history. The ink  had  to  be  thawed  by  fire,  and benumbed must  the  hand  have  been  that  wrote those words; yet  the  writing  is  that  of  the  same firm, self-reliant,  light-hearted  man  who,  three short years  previously  had  been  noted  at  Greenhithe  as  the  life  of  the  expedition.

In spite  of  frostbites  and  fatigue,  the  party presses on. They must  keep  marching  southward towards the  mainland  where  they  hope  to  find deer and  salmon,  for  upon  their  sledges  they  have only got  forty  days’  provision,  and  that  store  will be expended  by  the  7th  of  June,  at  latest,**

How are  they  to  live  after  that? is a sad  thought which flashes  across  the  mind  of  many. They sigh, but  will  not  impart  their  anxieties  to  each other. Seamen like,  the  light  joke  and  merry laugh still  flashes  from  mouth  to  mouth,  and seems for  the  while  to  lighten  the  poor  heart  of its  load  of  misery.

Poor lost  ones! we mark  them  day  by  day, growing weaker  under  the  fearful  toil  of  dragging such ponderous  sledges  and  boats,  as  well  as  their disabled comrades,  through  the  deep  snow,  and over rugged  ice; we  hear  the  cheering  appeal  of the  gallant  officers  to  the  despairing  ones,  the  kind applause heartily  bestowed  to  the  self-sacrificing and the  brave. Bodily endurance  has  its  limits, devotion to  one’s  brother  man  its  bounds,  and  half- way between Cape  Victory  where  they  landed, and Cape  Herschel,  it  becomes  apparent  that  if any  are  to  be  saved  there  must  be  a division  of the  party,  and  that  the  weak  and  disabled  must stay behind,  or  return  to  the  ships. One of  the large boats  is  here  turned  with  her  bow  north- ward, some stay  here,  the  rest  push  on. Of those who thus  remained,  or  tried  to  return,  all  we know  is,  that  in  long  years  afterwards,  two  skeletons were  found  in  that  boat,  and  that  the  wandering Esquimaux  found  on  board  one  ship,  the bones of  another  “large  man  with  long  teeth,”  as they  described  him. On the  fate  of  the  rest  of  the sick and  weak,  and  they  must  have  formed  a large proportion of  the  original  party  of  106  souls  that landed on  Cape  Victory,  we  need  not  dwell.

The rest  push  on,  they  have  tried  to  cheer  their shipmates with  the  hope  that  they  will  yet  return to save  them — vain  hope! Yet we  see  them  with bending bodies,  and  with  the  sweat-drops  freezing upon their  pallid  faces,  straining  every  nerve  to save  sweet  life — they  pass  from  sight  into  the snow-storm, which  the  warm  south  wind  kindly sends to  shroud  the  worn-out  ones,  who  gently  lie down to  die; and  they  died  so  peacefully,  so calmly,  with  the  mind  sweetly  wandering  back  to the  homes  and  friends  of  their  childhood; the long-remembered prayer  upon  their  lips,  and  their last fleeting  thoughts  of  some  long-treasured  love for one  they  would  some  day  meet  in  Heaven. The cairn  on  Cape  Herschel  was  reached,  no  one had been  there  since  “Deare  and  Simpson”  in 1839,  except  themselves. Here the  last  record was placed  of  their  success  and  sad  position,  and then this  forlorn  hope  of  desperate  men  pushed on towards  the  Great  Fish  River;  and,  if  we needed  any  proof  of  Franklin’s  Expedition  having been the  “first to  discover  the  North-west  passage,” or of  the  utter  extremity  to  which  this  retreating party was  reduced,  we  need  but  point  to  the bleaching skeleton  which  lies  a few  miles  south- ward of Cape  Herschel;  that  silent  witness  has been accorded  us,  and  he  still  lies  as  he  fell,  on his  face,  with  his  head  towards  his  home. His comrades had  neither  turned,  nor  buried  him. But why pursue  the  subject  farther? why attempt  to lift  the  veil  with  which  the  AH  Merciful  has  been pleased to  shut  out  from  mortal  ken,  the  last  sad hour of  brave  men  battling  with  famine  and disease.

All we  know  farther  of  this  “forlorn  hope”  is  that Ur. Rae, from  Esquimaux  report,  states  that  about


 * So called  by  Captain  Sir  James  Ross  in  his  exploration of  1830.  It  -was  the  farthest  point  reached  on  King  William’s Land  by  that  indefatigable  Arctic  traveller.

and nutritious  of  food; but  even  had  they  had  some,  it  is well  known  by  the  experience  of  Arctic  travellers  that  forty days is  the  maximum  quantity  of  food,  in  addition  to  other weights, that  the  best  equipped  party  could  have  dragged  on their  sledges,  and  as  the  Great  Fish  River  was  known  not  to open  before  August,  it  must  have  been  dire  necessity  alone that induced  Crosier  and  Fitxjamew  to  quit  their  shipe  at  so early  a period  of  the  year  that  neatly  six  weeks  must  have intervened between  the  expenditure  oi  the  provision  upon their  sledges  and  the  disruption  of  the  ice  upon  the  Great Fish  River.
 * Franklin's expedition  bad  no  pemican,  the  most  portable