across land towards a very conspicuous hill,
bearing west of us. On a rocky eminence,
some miles inland, we made a cache of the
seal's flesh we had purchased. Whilst doing
this, our interpreter made an attempt to join
his countrymen. Fortunately, his absence
was observed before he had gone far; and
he was overtaken after a sharp race of four
or five miles. He was in a great fright when
we came up to him, and was crying like a
child, but expressed his readiness to return,
and pleaded sickness as an excuse for his
conduct. I believe he was really unwell—
probably from having eaten too much boiled
seal's flesh, with which he had been regaled
at the snow huts of the natives.

Having taken some of the lading off
Ouligback's sledge, we had barely resumed
our journey when we were met by a very
intelligent Esquimaux, driving a dog-sledge
laden with musk-ox beef. This man at once
consented to accompany us two days' journey,
and in a few minutes had deposited his load
on the snow, and was ready to join us.
Having explained my object to him, he said
that the road by which he had come was the
best for us; and, having lightened the men's
sledges, we travelled with more facility.

We were now joined by another of the
natives, who had been absent seal-hunting
yesterday; but being anxious to see us had
visited our snow-house early this morning,
and then followed our track. This man was
very communicative, and on putting to him
the usual questions as to his having seen
white men before, or any ships or boats, he
replied in the negative; but said that a
party of kabloonans had died of starvation
a long distance to the west of where we then
were, and beyond a large river. He stated
that he did not know the exact place—that
he had never been there, and that he could
not accompany us so far.

The substance of the information then and
subsequently obtained from various sources
was to the following effect.

In the spring, four winters past (eighteen
hundred and fifty), whilst some Esquimaux
families were killing seals near the northern
shore of a large island, named in Arrowsmith's
charts King William's Land, about forty white
men were seen travelling in company southward
over the ice, and dragging a boat and
sledges with them. They were passing along
the west shore of the above-named island.
None of the party could speak the Esquimaux
language so well as to be understood; but by
signs the natives were led to believe that the
ship or ships had been crushed by ice, and
that they were then going to where they
expected to find deer to shoot. From the
appearance of the men—all of whom, with
the exception of an officer, were hauling on
the drag-ropes of the sledge, and were looking
thin—they were then supposed to be getting
short of provisions; and they purchased a
small seal, or piece of seal, from the natives.
The officer was described as being a tall,
stout, middle-aged man. When their day's
journey terminated, they pitched tents to
rest in.

At a later date, the same season, but
previous to the disruption of the ice, the corpses
of some thirty persons and some graves were
discovered on the continent, and five dead
bodies on an island near it, about a long day's
journey to the north-west of the mouth of a
large stream, which can be no other than
Back's Great Fish Eiver (named by the
Esquimaux Oot-koo-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 were in a tent or tents;
others were under the boat, which had been
turned over to form a shelter; and some lay
scattered about in different directions. Of
those seen on the island, it was supposed that
one was that of an officer (chief), as he
had a telescope strapped over his shoulders,
and his double-barrelled gun lay underneath
him.

From the mutilated state of many of the
bodies, and the contents of the kettles, it is
evident that our wretched countrymen had
been driven to the last dread alternative as a
means of sustaining life.

A few of the unfortunate men must have
survived until the arrival of the wild fowl
(say until the end of May), as shots were
heard, and fish-bones and feathers of geese
were noticed near the scene of the sad
event.

There appears to have been an abundant
store of ammunition, as the gunpowder was
emptied by the natives in a heap on the
ground out of the kegs or cases containing it;
and a quantity of shot and ball was found
below high-water mark, having probably been
left on the ice close to the beach before the
spring thaw commenced. There must have
been a number of telescopes, guns (several of
them double-barrelled), watches, compasses,
&c.; all of which seem to have been broken
up, as I saw pieces of these different articles
with the natives,— and I purchased as many
as possible, together with some silver spoons
and forks, an order of merit in the form of a
star, and a small silver plate engraved " Sir
John Franklin, K.C.H."

Enclosed is a list of the principal articles
bought, with a note of the initials, and a
rough pen-and-ink sketch of the crests on the
forks and spoons. The articles themselves I
shall have the honour of handing over to
you on my arrival in London.

None of the Esquimaux with whom I had
communication saw the white men, either
when living or after death, nor had they ever
been at the place where the corpses were
found, but had their information from natives
who had been there, and who had seen the
party when travelling over the ice. From
what I could learn, there is no reason to