FATE OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 245, 7 March 1855, Page 5

FATE OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.

Dr. Rae, whose name has been so celebrated in the annals of Arctic travel, arrived in England on the loth ult., bringing' with him intelligence of the fate of Sir John Franklin and his companions. Dr. Rae was engaged in the survey of the western coast of Boothia, where he obtained intelligence that a party from' the Erebus and .Terror perished by starvation—the most terrible form of death. This information, whiqh Dr. Rae obtained from the Esquimaux, was to this effect:— , In.ihe spring, lour winters past (spring 1S50), a party of "white men,"; amounting to about 40, were seen travelling southward over the ice.

and dragging a boat with them by some Esquimaux, who were killing seal near the north shore of King William land, which is a large island. None of the party could speak the Esquimaux language intelligibly, but by signs the natives were made to understand that their ship, or ships, had been crushed by ice, and they were now going to where they expected to find deerv to shoot. From the appearance of the men, all of whom, except one officer, looked thin, they were then supposed to be getting short of provisions, and they purchased a small seal from the natives. At' a later date the same season, but previous to the breaking up of the ice, the bodies of some 30 persons were discovered on the continent, five on an island near it, aboiit a long day's journey'to the N. W. of a large stream I which can be no other than Back's Great Fish ' River, (named by the Esquimaux Oot-ho-hi-ca-lik), as its description and that of the low shore in the neighbourhood of Point Ogle and Montreal Island agree exactly with that of Sir George Back.: Some of the bodies had been buried (probably those of the first victims of famine) ; some were in a tent or tents; others were under the boat which had been turned over to form a shelter and several lay scattered about in dif' ferent directions. Of tbose'found on the island, one was supposed to have been an officer, as he had a telescope strapped over his shoulder, and his double barrelled gun lay underneath him. '.; .-'■■.;. ■.' ■ .. ■'•■•■.■•. '■'■'"■"■•.■■ From the mutilated state of many of the corpses and the content of the kettles^ it is evident that our wretched countrymen had been been driven to the last resource I—Cannibalism—1—Cannibalism— as a means of prolonging: existence. There appeared to have been abundant stock of ammunition, as the powder was emptied in a heap on the ground by the natives, out of the kegs or cans containing it, and a quantity of ball and shot was found below high water mark, having probably been left on the ice close to the beach. There must have been a number of watchesj compasses, telescopes, guns (several double barrelled) , &c, all of which appear to have been broken up, as I saw pieces of these different articles with the Esquimaux, and, together with some silver spoons and forksVpurcbased as many as I could get. A list of the most important part of these I enclose, with a rough sketch of the crests and initials on the forks and spoons. The articles themselves shall be handed over to the Secretary of the Honourable Hudson's Bay Company on my arrival. None of the Esquimaux with whom I conversed had seen the "whites,'-' nor had they ever been at the place where the bodies had been found, but had their information from those who had been there, and who had seen the party when travelling. The following is a list of the articles purchased of the Esquimaux, said to have been obtained j. at the place where the bodies of the persons I reported to have died of famine were found:— ; ! 1 silver table fork— -crest, an animal's head I with wings, extended above; 3 silver table forks —crest a bird with wings extended; 1 silver, table spoon—crest, with initials " k.b.iu.c. (Captain Croxier, Tenor) ; 1 silver table spoon and 1 fork— crest, bird with laurel branch in mouth, motto, "Spero meliora ;" 1 silver table spoon, 1 tea spoon, and 1 dessert fork— crest, a fish's head looking upwards, with laurel branches on each side; 1 silver table fork —initials, "h. d. s.g.''( Harry D. S. Groodsir, assistant-surgeon, Erebus) ; 3 silver table fork—initials, "a.m.d." (Alexander M'Donald, the assistant surgeon, Terror); I silver table fork—initials, " j.t. ;" 1 silver dessert spoon—initials. " J. s. p." (John S. Peddie, surgeon, Erebus): 1 round silver plate, engraved," Sir John Fraukliu, X.C.8.;" a star or order, with motto, " Nee aspera terrent, G, R. 111., MDCCCXV." Also a number of other articles with no marks by which they could be recognised, but which will be handed" over with those above-named to the Secretary of the Hon. Hudson's Bay Company.