Dr. Rae's Lecture, "Account of the Various Arctic Expeditions" *

In which the Dr. mentions the discrepancies between his own accounts of Franklins's fate and those of Captain Mc'Clintock, and suggests how they may be reconciled — Another Arctic expedition likely to take place in the fall.

A most interesting lecture was delivered by Dr. Rae on Friday night [28 October, 1859 /LP], on the subject of Franklin's fate and Captain McClintock's discoveries. The speaker, however, by no means confined himself exclusively to this text, but made a number of digressions, to narrate the adventuress of himself and other Arctic travellers, and to illustrate many points of interest.

He commenced by giving a sketch of the life of Sir John Franklin, whose arctic history began in 1818, when he volunteered to take charge of an expedition overland to the mouth of the Copper-mine river, which he did not reach the first winter by a few miles, but succeeded in getting to the next season. On his return he lost nine of his party of eighteen men. The loss was owing to the inexperience of the party, who did not adapt themselves to the necessities of the country. With the indomitable courage which distinguished him, he afterwards returned to the coast, and continued the survey he had set out to perform. The last time Sir John left England, was in 1845, when he took two ships, the Erebus and Terror, and 138 men. Going up through Baffin's Bay he passed through Elephant channel in 1845, returned by the west coast of Cornwallis Island and wintered.

We are not aware of how he came to the point where the ships were abandoned by Lieut. Crozier, but we supposed he came down Queen's Sound, to the west of Somerset Island, which he could do while under the shelter of Prince of Wales Land, but when he reached the mouth of the channel, which was not then known to exist, the force of ice probably crushed the vessels against the coast, where they had to be abandoned by Crozier in 1848 — Sir John Franklin having died in 1847. At that time, the record recently discovered informed us 105 men were alive, and they must have had at least six months provisions.

In 1849 people began to be anxious about Franklin's fate, and two searching expeditions were sent out, one under Sir Jas. Ross and the other Sir John Richardson, of which the lecturer was a member. The party under Ross had to return, having made only 400 miles, as they were caught in the ice and driven down Baffin's Bay.

The expeditions of Austin and Ommaney were the next, to which McClintock was attached, and after this was the one overland, which Dr. Rae, the lecturer, himself commanded. In 1851 he was within 40 miles of the spot where the vessels were abandoned, and found the first traces of Sir John, being two pieces of wood he picked up, which had evidently belonged to government vessels. Briefly mentioning the names of Sir Edmund Belcher, Capt. Collison and Capt. McClure, the Discoverer of the NorthWest Passage, the lecturer proceeded to remark that, in 1853, he proposed to the Hudson's Bay Company to complete the survey of the coasts of North America which had just been done by McClintock. Having received the necessary permission and means, he started, and in 1854 met Esquimaux who told him that four winters previously, that is in the spring of 1850, a party of white men had been seen, travelling towards the mid-day sun and that some time after they had seen 40 dead bodies, and a boat about 25 feet long, turned over as a sort of shelter. The bodies, they said, were thin and the men had been eating each other. He (Dr. Rae) had been much blamed for publishing this last piece of information, but all he could say was, he did not manufacture it. It was from these Esquimaux he obtained the silver forks, British coins, watch cases, &c, which had belonged to various members of Franklin's party.- Another expedition was then planned by the Admiralty and himself, to find the full records and the journal of the voyage of the ill-fated Sir John. He (Dr. Rae) had intended to go on a searching expedition himself, and he had a vessel built at Kingston, but unforeseen circumstances had prevented the accomplishment of this intention, which he all the more regretted, since he had been written again for receiving the reward offered for finding traces of Sir John Franklin.

The Fox was a small screw, a yacht which had been fitted up by Sir Richard Sutton, but not being fast enough to please him, had been sold at a comparatively small price to Lady Franklin. She was, however, greatly assisted by many kind friends. Capt. McClintock volunteered his services gratuitously, and that noble fellow Capt. Young subscribed £500 and then volunteered his services too. McClintock was at first very unfortunate. In crossing Baffin's Bay he got caught in the middle ice, and was drifted 1100 miles during the eight months he was thus shut up. As soon as he was released he pushed back, succeeded in crossing the ice, and after some delay wintered in Bellot's strait. As early as Feb. 2nd, 1848 [sic; read 1849 /LP], he started on an exploring party with dog sleighs and found some Esquimaux, who received him in a most friendly manner, as usual, and told him about the forty dead bodies. Then he found a large boat evidently intended for the navigation of a large river.

There was indeed a difference in the dates given by McClintock and by himself (Dr. Rae,) but he thought it might be accounted for.

Crozier abandoned his ships in the spring of 1848, when thirty-four people must have been dead, if only one hundred and five were alive. At this time — if some of their provisions had turned out bad, and if they had not shot any food for themselves — they must have had six months provisions for the whole party. On leaving the vessel they all pushed South, and his belief was that the first season they tried to push through they failed — the boat's being turned towards the North made him think so. And as they travelled back, dropping by the way, as the Esquimaux told McClintock, they must have been dying of scurvy, for they were not short of provisions, since chocolate was found in the boats. This was in 1847 [sic: read 1848/LP]. They may then have pushed back to the neighbourhood of the ships, where wood and provisions were better to be obtained, and after remaining there another winter [1848-49/LP] they may have again gone southward with a lighter boat and reached the spot where the Esquimaux told him [McClintock//LP] they saw the skeletons of the men who died in 1848.

The stumbling block to this hypothesis was the disappearance of the skeletons. But the land where they were said to have lain was so low that high tides, aided by severe gales, may have covered it and washed everything away. Sir Geo. Back, searching for Ross, encamped on it, but was obliged to move his boat, tent, and provisions in consequence of the rise of the water. Again the spot is near the mouth of an immense river, and if the ice jammed there, the river water would rise and overflow it. [Applause]

A fatality seemed to have attended all the Arctic Expeditions which had gone in search of Sir John. All the coasts had been searched, with the exception of this little spot, where the relics of Franklin's party were to be found. Collison passed within 15 miles of it; Anderson was within 10 miles of where the skeletons were, but there was a strait between filled with ice. He (Dr. Rae) was near it in '54, and could have explored it if he had thought it worthwhile. Brown and Osborne were here.

The experience of late expeditions had established the error of the idea that a civilized white man could live wherever a savage could. He and his party had indeed done so, but they were all experienced hunters, who knew the country. Even Capt. McClintock's party, who wintered at an eligible spot (and Capt. McClintock was the best of Arctic travellers) had only killed 8 deer, 2 bears and 18 seals in 11 1/2 months- while the whole of these would only have lasted him for two.

Captain McClintock's discoveries, although they certainly set at rest the fate of Franklin, and showed that none of the party could be yet alive, were not complete. The journals and the logs of the Franklin expedition had not been discovered. Several cairns had been found, opened, which may have contained them, and indeed the Esquimaux had told the lecturer that they had had eight or ten books which had been given to their children and destroyed, as being of no use. Nevertheless another expedition was talked of, to be commanded by Harrison, which was to go overland, and of which we shall probably see something in the spring.

The Doctor was repeatedly applauded during the lecture; and at its close the audience examined with interest the Arctic Museum he exhibited to them, and the handsome medal "for Arctic discoveries" he wore on his breast.

* Copied from the Daily Spectator and Journal of Commerce, Hamilton, 31 October, 1859.