FRANKLIN'S SECOND JOURNEY TO THE SHORES OF THE POLAR SEA.*

(From the Quarterly Review.)

CHAPTER I.

CAPTAIN Franklin must be considered, beyond all dispute, as one whose name has a right to be enrolled, eminently conspicuous, and in durable characters, in that

"Stupendous pile, not rear'd by human hands,"

in which the poet, the philosopher, the historian, and the warrior have been admitted. When we consider what the intensity of his sufferings were on his first expedition along the shores of the Polar Sea, how very narrowly he escaped from perishing, by that most lingering and painful process of gradually wasting away-by famine-almost without the faintest ray of hope that he would be relieved; and that the spark of life had, for some time, been only prolonged, by pieces of bones and scraps of skin, picked out of the ash-heap, and boiled down into a wretched mess of acrid soup; that his lodging was in a ruined hovel pervious to wind and snow, with a temperature of 20 deg. below Zero of Fahrenheit's scale; and that the delay of another day, without the arrival of assistance, would, in all human probability, have put an end to his existence and sufferings together-when we contemplate this excellent officer, in this most distressing of all conceivable situations, we cannot sufficiently admire the fortitude and resolution that prompted him to embark a second time on the very same kind of service, liable to the same accidents, and necessarily to the danger of the same kind of hardships.

We deem it unnecessary to follow Captain Franklin and his party through the numerous obstructions and difficulties they encountered, sometimes hurried away with, and sometimes struggling against, the streams of rivers, and dragging their boats and baggage across the portages which separate the waters, or which are crossed to avoid dangerous or impracticable rapids; still less necessary is it for us to enter into any details of the journey over a large portion of North America, which has already been described in the narrative of a former expedition. No portion of this country is by any means inviting; and the wandering groups of native Indians are better calculated to excite compassion than any

"Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea, in the Years 1825, 26, and 27. By John Franklin, Capt. R. N., F.R.S, &c., and Commander of the Expedition; including an Account of the Progress of a Detachment to the Eastward, by John Richardson, M. D, F. R. S., F. L. S., Surgeon and Naturalist to the Expedition.-London, 1828."

pleasurable feeling. We shall, therefore' take up the present journal at that part of ît where the Great Bear Lake River, flowing out of the lake of the same name, joins the Mackenzie River. It was on the banks of the former that the party resolved to take up their winter quarters, and to build a habitation and store, to which, when completed, they gave the name (in honour of their revered commander) of Fort Franklin. This

was done in imitation of the North West Fur

Company, who give to all their stations the name of forts, they being to a certain degree places of defence against, as well as depôts for trade with, the native Indians.†

Having reached this spot so early as the 7th August, Franklin calculated that, by setting off immediately, sufficient time would be allowed him to reach the sea at the mouth of the Mackenzie, and return to winter-quarters before the severity of the cold should have set in. He conceived that, by taking a view of the state of the Polar Sea at that season, with regard to ice, and of the trending of the coast to the westward, he would be enabled to form a tolerably correct notion as to the probability of next year's success. Accordingly, while those best fitted for the purpose were left to complete the construction of the houses, he, with another party, set out on an expedition down the Bear Lake River and the Mackenzie, to the junction of the latter with the sea. We perceive nothing in his progress that deserves particular notice, except the following passage:

"A few miles above the Bear Lake River, and near its mouth, the banks of the Mackenzie contain much wood-coal, which was on fire at the time we passed, as it had been observed to be by Mackenzie in his voyage to the sea. Its smell was very disagreeable. On a subsequent trial of this coal at our winterquarters, we found that it emitted little heat, and was unfit for the blacksmith's use. The banks likewise contain layers of a kind of unctuous mud, similar, perhaps, to that found on the borders of the Orinoco, which the Indians, in this neighbourhood, use occasionally as food during seasons of famine, and even, at other times, chew as an amusement. It has a milky taste, and the flavour is not disagreeable. We used it for whitening the walls of our dwellings; for which purpose it is well adapted."-P. 19.

The Mackenzie falls into the sea in numerous large branches, intersecting an extensive delta of alluvial soil. Captain Franklin was satisfied, on reaching the Whale Island of Mackenzie, the extreme of that enterprising traveller's progress, that he too had reached the sea, but, on tasting the water, found it to

The position of Fort Franklin was determined to be in lat. 65 deg. 11 min. 56 sec. N.. loug 123 deg. 12 min. 44 sec. W. The variation of the compass 39 deg. 9 min. E., dip of the needle 82 deg. 58 min. 15 seconds.

be perfectly fresh; which circumstance may have influenced Mackenzie in not making any mention of what might have raised a doubt whether he had really succeeded in reaching the sea. Franklin, however, did taste the water; and, though perfectly fresh, was not the less certain, from the great expansion of water to the northward, and the sudden diverging of the shore, that, at this point, he had in fact entered into the Polar Sea; and he states that he was the more confirmed in this opinion by the appearance of a seal sporting about the boat. The presence of these animals, however, is by no means a test for the presence of the ocean; they have no objection to fresh water, as is proved by the abundance that are found in the lake Baikal, which is more than a thousand miles from the sea. That they sometimes visit freshwater rivers was not unknown to Virgil

-insolita fugiunt in flumina phocæ." Franklin, however, with a determination to leave no doubt remaining as to the fact, pushed on towards an island much farther out, which looked blue from its distance; and, "under its shelter, the boat passed a line of strong ripples, which marked the termination of the fresh water, that on the seaward side being brackish; and in the further progress of three miles to the island, we had the indescribable pleasure of finding the water decidedly salt." To this island Franklin gave the name of Garry. Its latitude 69 deg. 29 min. N., longitude 135 deg. 41 min. W., variation of the needle 51 deg. 42 min. E.; temperature of the air 52 deg.-of the sea water 51 deg. of the fresh water 55 deg: It abounded with layers of wood-coal, similar to that found in the Mackenzie, besides a bituminous liquid trickling down the sides of the cliff. The discovery of this bituminous shale might have been attended with dangerous, perhaps fatal, consequences. "In the course of the evening," says Captain Franklin, "I found that a piece of the wood-coal from Garry's island, which I had placed in my pocket, had ignited spontaneously, and scorched the metal powder-horn by its side." Small as this island is, numbers of moose and rein-deer, and foxes, were seen upon it; and several kinds of gulls, dotterels, geese, cranes, and swans were flocking around its shores. The vegetation consisted of various shrubby plants in flower, grasses, and mosses; the beach covered with pebbles of granite, greenstone, quartz, and lydian-stone.

When Captain Franklin left England to proceed on this expedition, he had to undergo a severe struggle between the feelings of affection and a sense of duty; his wife then lying at the point of death, and, with heroic fortitude, urging his departure at the very day appointed entreating him, as he valued her peace and his own glory, not to delay a moment on her account: she died, we be VOL. I.

G

lieve, the day after he left her. This will explain the allusion to personal sorrows in the following passage—a passage which will speak to the heart of every one who is capable of understanding the grace that domestic tenderness lends to the gallant fortitude of public enterprise :

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During our absence the men had pitched the tent on the beach, and I caused the silk union-flag to be hoisted, which my deeplylamented wife had made and presented to me, as a parting gift, under the express injunction that it was not to be unfurled before the expedition reached the sea. I will not attempt to describe my emotions as it expanded to the breeze; however natural, and, for the moment, irresistible, I felt that it was my duty to suppress them, and that I had no right, by an indulgence of my own sorrows, to cloud the animated countenances of my companions. Joining, therefore, with the best grace that I could command, in the general excitement, I endeavoured to return, with corresponding cheerfulness, their warm congratulations on having thus planted the British flag on this remote island of the Polar Sea."-P. 36.

Being fully satisfied and highly delighted with the favourable prospect of the land and sea to the westward, from this advanced position, the party made the best of their way back, and joined their companions at winterquarters on the 5th September. About the same time Dr. Richardson returned from the north-eastern shores of Great Bear Lake, where it approached nearest to Coppermine River, whither he had proceeded, for the purpose of fixing upon a spot to which he might bring his party, the following year, from the mouth of that river, in the event of his reaching this ultimate object of his research.

The several northern expeditions have rendered the passing of a long dreary winter so familiar, that little now is thought of it. Employment, however, to shorten the time is quite necessary; and the party under Franklin appear to have had a sufficient share of it. The Canadians and the Indians were engaged in fishing and hunting for the support of the whole party. During the autumn the fishing was so successful, that the nets yielded daily from three to eight hundred fish of the kind called "herring salmon," and occasionally trout, tittameg, and carp. The rein-deer furnished them but scantily with flesh-meat, and in the winter the supply ceased altogether. The officers had ample employment in making and registering the thermometrical, magnetical, and atmospherical observations, in writing up their journals, finishing the charts, drawings, and sketches, examining and arranging the objects of natural history which had been collected, and in various other matters. Persons of education and intelligence seldom find any dif.

ficulty about selecting such means to occupy the mind and pass away the time; but this is not the case with the uneducated. Aware of the necessity of providing occupation for these, Captain Franklin adopted the plan he thus describes :

"As the days shortened, it was necessary to find employment during the long evenings for those resident at the house, and a school was, therefore, established, on three nights of the week, from seven o'clock to nine, for their instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic; and it was attended by most of the British party. They were divided in equal portions amongst the officers, whose labour was amply repaid by the advancement their pupils made: some of those who began with the alphabet learned to read and write with tolerable correctness. Sunday was a day of rest; and, with the exception of two or three of the Canadians, the whole party uniformly attended Divine service, morning and evening. If, on the other evenings for which no particular occupation was appointed, the men felt the time tedious, or if they expressed a wish to vary their employments, the hall was at their service, to play any game they might choose: and on these occasions they were invariably joined by the officers. By thus participating in their amusements, the men became more attached to us, at the same time that we contributed to their health and cheerfulness. The hearts and feelings of the whole party were united in one common desire to make the time pass as agreeable as possible to each other, until the return of spring should enable them to resume the great object of the expedition." Pp. 54, 55.

Every thing seems to have gone on pretty well till the end of the year; but, owing to the extreme severity of the weather in the months of January and February, the sources from whence they had derived their food failed them. All the animals but the wolf and the fox had migrated to the southward; the stock of dried meat was expended; the fish caught did not allow more than three or four small herrings to each man, and being out of season, not only afforded very little nourishment, but caused frequent and general indisposition. Under such circumstances they were obliged to have recourse to their provision of pemmican and portable soup, which had been set apart for the voyage along the sea-coast. Towards March, however, their situation began to improve.

"From this period we had a sufficient supply of provision, because the fisheries improved, and we received deer from time to time. The men who had been indisposed gained strength, from the increased quantity, and amended quality, of the food; and we had also the gratification of seeing the dogs daily fatten, amidst the general plenty. The conduct of the men during the season of

scarcity was beyond all praise; and the following anecdote is worthy of record, as displaying the excellent feeling of a British seaman, and as speaking the sentiments of the whole party. Talking with Robert Spinks as to the difference of his present food from that to which he had been accustomed on board ship, I said I was glad the necessity was over of keeping them on short allowance. Why, Sir,' said he, we never minded about the short allowance, but were fearful of having to use the pemmican intended for next summer; we only care about the next voyage, and shall all be glad when the spring comes, that we may set off; besides, at the worst time, we could always spare a fish for each of our dogs.'

·

In the winter season of this severe climate, the poor Indians suffer greatly, and numbers of them perish for want of food; and this difficulty of procuring sustenance frequently induces them to destroy their female children at their birth. Captain Franklin mentions two women who, just after leaving the fort, were delivered, one of a male the other of a female child, the latter of which was immediately put to death. This custom, however, is by no means common, as would appear from the following incident:

"The wife of one of our Dog-Rib hunters brought her only child, a female, for medical advice. As she entered the room it was evident that the hand of death was upon it. In the absence of Dr. Richardson, who happened to be out, all the remedies were applied that were judged likely to be of service; and as soon as he returned, there being yet a faint pulsation, other means were tried, but in vain. So gentle was its last sigh, that the mother was not at first aware of its death, and continued to press the child against her bosom. As soon, however, as she perceived that life had fled, she cast herself on the floor in agony, heightened by the consciousness of having delayed to seek relief till too late, and by apprehension of the anger of her husband, who was dotingly attached to the child. The Indians evinced their participation in her affliction by silence, and a strong expression of pity in their countenances. At the dawn of day the poor creature, though almost exhausted by her ceaseless lamentation, carried the body across the lake for interment."-Pp. 64, 65.

It has often been remarked with what exactness the migratory animals observe the periods of their arrival and departure. In the northern regions of America, they serve as infallible guides to point out the change of seasons to the untutored Indians. Thus the appearance of swans, and the departure of geese, are the certain signs, the one of the approach of spring, the other of winter. Dr. Richardson has kept a curious "register of phenomena connected with the progress of the seasons at Fort Franklin." From this it

appears, that on the 11th of September the muskitoes cease to be troublesome; on the 2d of October the first ice was observed, and on the 5th, the last swan passed to the south ward; on the 7th, the last rain fell-on the 11th, the last brown duck was noticed. On the 6th of May, the first swans were seen; on the 7th, the geese appeared; on the 8th, the ducks; and on the 9th the gulls arrived; -on the 11th, the first shower fell; on the 16th the mosses began to sprout; on the 17th, various singing birds and orioles made their appearance, and some swifts and white geese arrived; on the 27th, the laughing-geese were first seen; and on the 31st, the goatsuckers brought up the rear ;-on the 3d of June, the dwarf-birch, willows, and shrubbypotentilla were in leaf-and the anemonies, tussilagos, and the Lapland rose (rhododendron lapponicum), and several other plants, were in full flower; and on the 26th of July, ripe whortle-berries were brought to the fort. The lowest temperature occurred on the 1st of January, when Fahrenheit's thermometer descended to 49 deg.; the highest, between the 1st and 10th, was 8 deg. 8 min.; and the mean, 29 deg. 7 min.

By the 15th of June the equipments of the boats were completed. Fourteen men, including Augustus (the Esquimaux interpreter), were appointed to accompany Captain Franklin and Lieutenant Back, in the Lion and Reliance, the two larger boats; and ten, including Ooligbuck (another Esqui. maux), to go with Dr. Richardson and Mr. Kendall, in the Dolphin and Unicorn-the former party to proceed to the westward, the latter to the eastward, of the mouth of the Mackenzie River. On the 28th of June they all quitted the fort, descended the Mackenzie, and on the 4th July reached that part of the river where it divides into various channels, and where the two parties were to pursue different directions. "We felt," says Captain Franklin, “that we were only separating to be employed on services of equal interest; and we looked forward with delight to our next meeting, when, after a successful termination, we might record the incidents of our respective voyages." Augustus, he says, was rather melancholy, as might be expected, on his parting from Ooligbuck, to proceed he knew not whither; but he recovered his wonted flow of spirits by the evening.

The western party had scarcely cleared the branch of the river down which they descended, when they discovered a crowd of tents on an island, with a number of Esquimaux strolling among them. Captain Franklin wished to open a communication with these people, but gave orders that the boats should be kept afloat, and that on no account should any one fire upon them, even if they showed any marks of hostility, until himself, or Lieutenant Back, should set them the example. On approaching the island they made signs

to the Esquimaux to come off. They did so, and "we endeavoured," says Franklin, “to count their numbers as they approached, and had proceeded as far as seventy-three canoes and five oomiaks, when the sea became so crowded by fresh arrivals that we could advance no farther in our reckoning." An amicable trade speedily took place, till an incident happened which produced unforeseen and annoying consequences :

At

"A kaiyack being overset by one of the Lion's oars, its owner was plunged into the water with his head in the mud, and apparently in danger of being drowned. We instantly extricated him from his unpleasant situation, and took him into the boat until the water could be thrown out of his kaiyack; and Augustus, seeing him shivering with cold, wrapped him up in his own great coat. first he was exceedingly angry, but soon became reconciled to his situation, and looking about, discovered that we had many bales, and other articles, in the boat, which had been concealed from the people in the kaiyacks, by the coverings being carefully spread over all. He soon began to ask for every thing he saw, and expressed much displeasure on our refusing to comply with his demands; he also, we afterwards learned, excited the cupidity of others by his account of the inexhaustible riches in the Lion, and several of the younger men endeavoured to get into both our boats, but we resisted all their attempts." Pp. 101, 102.

They now pressed forward in crowds, and stole every thing they could lay their hands on. They began to drag the Reliance towards the shore, and soon after her the Lion :

"Two of the most powerful men, jumping on board at the same time, seized me by the wrists, and forced me to sit between them; and as I shook them loose two or three times, a third Esquimaux took his station in front to catch my arm whenever I attempted to lift my gun, or the broad dagger which hung by my side. The whole way to the shore they kept repeating the word 'teyma,' beating gently on my left breast with their hands, and pressing mine against their breasts. As we neared the beach, two oomiaks, full of women, arrived, and the 'teymas' and vociferation were redoubled. The Reliance was first brought to the shore, and the Lion close to her a few seconds afterwards. The three men who held me now leaped ashore, and those who had remained in their canoes, taking them out of the water, carried them to a little distance. A numerous party then drawing their knives, and stripping themselves to the waist, ran to the Reliance, and having first hauled her as far up as they could, began a regular pillage, handing the articles to the women, who, ranged in a row behind, quickly conveyed them out of sight."-P. 104.

In short, after a furious contest, in which

knives were brandished in the most threatening manner, and several of the men had their clothes cut through, Lieutenant Back ordered his people to seize and level their muskets, but not to fire till the word was given: this had the desired effect; the whole party taking to their heels, and hiding themselves behind the drift timber on the beach. Captain Franklin still thought it best to temporize while the boats were lying aground, for, armed as they were with long knives, bows, arrows, and spears, fire-arms could not have been used with advantage; and he states his conviction, that such was the high excitement to which they had wrought themselves, that the first blood his party had shed would instantly have been revenged by the sacrifice of all their lives.

Augustus now volunteered to go on shore and remonstrate with his countrymen on their bad conduct; they pleaded in mitigation thereof that they had never seen white people before, and that every thing was so new to them and so desirable, that they could not resist the temptation of stealing; they promised they would never do the like again; and as a proof of their sincerity, restored the articles that had been stolen. Their real intention, however, as it afterwards appeared, was to possess themselves of all the property by murdering the whole party. After this, the exploring party met with no interruption from the natives, with whom they had frequent intercourse as they proceeded along the coast, sometimes meeting with very numerous parties, taking the precaution, however, of keeping the boats afloat, as far as it was possible, whenever they approached their stations.

It was observed that the farther they advanced to the westward the native Esquimaux bore a nearer resemblance to those well-known Tartar features, of high cheek bones, and small elongated eyes:

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Every man had pieces of bone or shells thrust through the septum of his nose; and holes were pierced on each side of the under lip, in which were placed circular pieces of ivory, with a large blue bead in the centre, similar to those represented in the drawings of the natives on the N. W. Coast of America, in Kotzebue's Voyage. These ornaments were so much valued, that they declined selling them; and when not rich enough to procure beads or ivory, stones and pieces of bone were substituted. These perforations are made at the age of puberty; and one of the party, who appeared to be about fourteen years old, was pointed out, with delight, by his parents, as having to undergo the operation in the following year. He was a goodlooking boy, and we could not fancy his countenance would be much improved by the insertion of the bones or stones, which have the effect of depressing the under lip, and keeping the mouth open."-P. 118.

With regard to the women, Captain Franklin observes

"Their own black hair is very tastefully turned up from behind to the top of the head, and tied by strings of white and blue beads, or cords of white deer-skin. It is divided in front, so as to form on each side a thick tail, to which are appended strings of beads that reach to the waist. The women were from four feet and a half to four and three-quarters high, and generally fat. Some of the younger females, and the children, were pretty."

Having passed the first range of the Rocky Mountains, and between it and the second, a large river, at least two miles broad, was observed to empty itself into the Polar Sea, after coming, as the Esquimaux informed them, from a distant part of the interior. Near to Herschel's Island, in latitude 69 deg. 33 min. N., longitude 139 deg. 3 min. W., was another river, which they call the Mountain Indian River. Here they fell in with a party of Esquimaux, who traded up that river and to the westward with their countrymen, who obtain their goods from white people, and which Franklin had no doubt, from the appearance of the articles, were of Russian manufacture. There is another large river, to which they gave the name of Clarence: they found among the drift timber on the beach, a pine-tree seven feet and a quarter in girth, and thirty-six feet long, and many others were seen of not much inferior size, which must have grown considerably to the southward.

sea.

From the moment the expedition left the Mackenzie River, scarcely a day passed that the atmosphere was not, at some portion of it, so loaded with fog as to hide every object that was distant only a few miles, and sometimes so dense as to prevent them from seeing one end of the boat from the other. This state of the air is undoubtedly, of all others, the most hazardous for boat navigation in an icy On the former expedition to the eastward of the Coppermine River, they had generally clear weather; here a clear blue sky was a rare phenomenon. Captain Franklin asks-"Whence arises this difference ?" and answers it, as we think, satisfactorily enough. By reason of the low and swampy land that lies between the Rocky Mountains and the sea coast-the very shallow sea washing that coast, which, at the distance of three or four miles, in some places, was found to be scarcely deep enough to float their boats-and the numerous masses of ice brought down by the northerly winds, and grounded every where along this low coastthere is a constant exhalation of moisture during the summer months, which the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains prevents being carried away, and which is therefore condensed into a thick fog.