SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 661, 3 December 1851, Page 4

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.

[From the Zhmdee Wardtr,} On Saturday, the 19th July .i, , Flora, of Hull, J. Robb, master wh T been out a year and a half, cast* anch Siromness, and sent her letters and mnera'r post. “F; A letter was received in AU.j., Monday by Mr. John Douglas, King. w ®“ from his brother, Mr. G. Douglas, Blte * f the aforesaid ship. It contains the affecting narrative :— & “ In February last our ship’s crew p rt | all . abandoned the vessel, and erected»large snow house on shore, it being in many respects comfortable than on board, and better suited for hunting operations. Wehadbe?nattlut time five months frozen up in Lancrster Sound. In one of our excursions we fell i n with a party of Esquimaux Indians, nine in number. They had a alight knowledge of car language. They enquired whether we were English or Americans, On being satisfied on that point, they inquired ifwe belonged to the Chief Franklin ? The idea now flashed acron our minds that they knew something of Sir John and his crew, and we answered in the affirmative. They then pointed to the right to a towering heap of snowy mountains, and by their gestures they s’gnified they had gone to sleep, We brought them to our anowhoare when I instantly reported the case to Mr. Robb, our captain, and it was agreed that a party of twelve men should accompany the Indians, and prove their story to tbs fessds, tion. The party consisted of Mr. Page, our surgeon, J. Brown, carpenter, Wilson, Blair, Hall, Murray, Agnew, Crossley, Jones, Jen. kinson, Raffarty (seamen) and myself. We bad a plentiful supply of proriaions, which were packed into a flat bottomed boat, which was covered'with a seal skin, and several rifles, spears, &c. We started on onr journey March 27th. Our route was one of thewiiseat that can be. conjectured. We proceeded in a zig zag course up one hill, down another, then to the right, then to the left, then to the right again. " On the fourth day symptoms of discontent Began to be manifested by our hardy tea Our feet were cut and wounded by tbe sharp projecting fragments of ice ; the thaw in setting in, and we were apprehensive of being buried by the avalanches of snow, which da* cend like lightning down tbe aides of lb mountains. On the tenth day, April sth, our guides led us into a large natural amphilhntn among the mountains. After a joursty w some miles we descried something, waving over the snow. It was a black silk handker- | chief tied to tbe top of a walking slick. We | eagerly drew out the staff, and coastutd operations by digging about two ,- w ? ! We came to the body of a man, and io»«! minutes we discovered three other bodiesThey were frozen like icicles, but deconp* siticn had not commenced. Their be«® I were long and shaggy, while their rigid I lures and wasted limbs spoke in the I of nature—they had died from want. U I " Their dress was that ,of British I in cold latitudes. One man had bi* I* | written or rather engraved on his ' I Carr. The rest were all more or * ,r ' I some had crosses on their breast, 7J ship's letters, &c. Our hearts **. c ~ the sight. We replaced tjiera in their . I solate graves, and set up the W” 16 I mento mori. ‘ Poor fellows,’ I e *JI ‘you have attempted to regain yenr bo# H an overland journey, but yea artW*"" I desert!’ " The Indians could giveua no »or«ij ' ligence, so we returned. *^* ie . conjecture is, thit a large P arl .y/ A . lf hd! from Sir John Franklin’s . thus perished jin all probability th? w I them arc dead?’