FRANKLIN'S EXPEDITION.

THIS splendid work is an additional illustration of the long established claims of this country to preeminence in the improvement of maritime science, the discovery of new sources of human intercourse, and the advancement of those branches of natural history which are!! at once curious and useful. The arduous enterprize of exploring by land the northern coast of America, by the shores of Hudson's Bay, from the mouth of the Copper-Mine river to the eastward, with the view of facilitating the discovery of a North-West passage, was entrusted by his Majesty's government to Captain Franklin, who embarked on the 23d of May, 1819, on board the ship Prince of Wales, at Gravesend. The instructions given to Captain Franklin were judicious, full, and clear. He was informed, that the main object of the expedition was that of determining the latitudes and longitudes of the nor thern coast of North America, and the trending of the coast from the mouth of the Copper-Mine river to the Eastern extremity of that continent: that it was left to him to determine, according to circumstances, whether it might be most advisable to proceed, at once, directly to the northward till he arrived at the sea-coast, and then explore westerly towards the Copper-Mine river; or advance, in the first instance, by the usual route, to the mouth of the Copper-Mine river, and from thence easterly, till he should reach the eastern extremity of that continent; that, as another principal object of the Expedition was to amend the very defective geography of the northern part of North America, he was to be very careful to ascertain correctly the latitude and longitude of every remarkable spot upon his route, and of all the bays, harbours, rivers, headlands, &c. that might occur along the northern shore of the Continent;-that, in proceeding along the coast, he should erect conspicuous marks at places where ships might enter, or to which a boat could be sent; and deposit information as to the nature of the coast for the use of Lieutenant Parry ;-that in the journal of his route, he should register the temperature of the air, at least three times in every twenty-four hours, together with the state of the wind and weather, and any other meteorological phenomenon ;—that he should not neglect any opportunity of observing and noting down the dip and variation of the magnetic needle, and the intensity of the magnetic force-and that he should take particular notice, of any, and what kind or degree of influence the aurora borealis might appear to exert on the magnetic needle, and whether that phenomenon was attended with noise, &c. &c.

The Lords of the Admiralty, anxious to promote the principal objects in view, selected, with peculiar care, three gentlemen, in every respect, qualified to cooperate with Captain Franklin. They were Doctor John Richardson, a surgeon in the royal navy, and Mr. George, Back and Mr. Robert Hood, two admiralty midshipmen, who were joined with him in the Expedition. Doctor Richardson united, with his professional attainments, considerable knowledge as a naturalist, and Messrs. Back and Hood were not only capable of assisting in all

Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea, in the Years 1819, 20, 21, and 22. By John Franklin, Captain R. N. F. R. S. and Commander of the Expedition. 4to.

the requisite observations, but of making correct drawings of the land, the natives, and the various objects of natural history. The wisdom of government had also anticipated the advantages which might result from the expedition both to commerce and to science; for it appears that Captain Franklin was instructed to visit the spot on the CopperMine river, from whence native copper had been brought down by the Indians to the Hudson's Bay establishment, for the purpose of enabling Doctor Richardson to make such observations as might be useful for the improvement of trade or the study of mineralogy.

After touching at Stromness, where Captain Franklin engaged four bowmen and steersmen to assist in the expedition, the Prince of Wales sailed on the 16th of June, and arrived at York Factory, Hudson's Bay, the 30th of August. Here, in consequence of the united opinions of the Governor and gentlemen belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, and the partners of the North-west Company, who were then under detention at the factory, Captain Franklin determined to proceed through the interior by the route of Cumberland House and the chain of posts to the Great Slave Lake. The route directly to the northward was, in fact, rendered impracticable by the impossibility of procuring guides and hunters along the coast, as well as by that of obtaining a vessel capable of conveying him as far north as Wager Bay. The Esquimaux inhabitants had also left Churchill a month previous to his arrival, and no interpreter could be procured from that quarter, before their return in the following spring. Captain Franklin passed but ten days at York Factory, all of which were busily employed in preparations for commencing the journey. The Governor supplied one of his largest boats, which was, however, too small to contain the provisions, stores, and ammunition, of which the expedition stood in need. The party commenced their voyage into the interior of America on the 9th of September, and the difficulties they experienced in the very outset, formed a melancholy presage of the fatigues and hardships for which they were reserved. The current was too rapid to admit of the use of oars to advantage, and the crew were compelled to drag the boat by a line to which they were harnessed. The operation was extremely laborious in these rivers, in consequence of the declivity of the banks, the roughness and wetness of the roads, and the trees, which impeded the passage in a great variety of directions. It was, however, constantly practised, so numerous were the rapids, rocks, and shoals they had to pass during their journey to Cumberland House, which occupied forty-four days. The travelling distance between York Factory and Cumberland House was about six hundred and ninety miles, and the position of the latter was, according to their observations, latitude 53° 56′ 40" N., longitude 102. 16. 41. W., by the chronometers; variation 17. 17. 29. E., dip of the needle, 83. 12. 50.

Of the establishments maintained here by the Hudson's Bay and the North-west Company, Captain Franklin gives the following account: "The houses of the two Companies, at this post, are situated close to each other, at the upper extremity of a narrow island, which separates Pine Island Lake from the Saskatchawan river, and are about two miles and three quar-, ters distant from the latter, in a northern direction. They are log-houses, built without much attention to comfort, surrounded by lofty stockades, and flanked with wooden bastions. The difficulty of conveying glass into the

interior has precluded the use of that material in the construction of the windows, and its place is poorly supplied by parchment, imperfectly made by the native women from the skin of the rein-deer. Should this post, however, continue to be the residence of Governor Williams, it will be much improved in a few years, as he is devoting his attention to that point. The land around Cumberland House is low, but the soil, from having a considerable intermixture of limestone, is good, and capable of producing abundance of corn, and vegetables of every description. Many kinds of pet-herbs have already been brought to some perfection, and the potatoes bid fair to equal those of England. The spontaneous productions of nature would afford ample nourishment for all the European animals. Horses feed extremely well even during the winter, and so would oxen, if provided with hay, which may be easily done. Pigs also improve, but require to be kept warm in the winter. Hence it appears, that the residents might, with common attention, render themselves far less dependant on the Indians for support, and be relieved from the great anxiety which they too often suffer when the hunters are unsuccessful. The neighbourhood of the houses has been much cleared of wood, from the great demand for fuel; there is, therefore, little to admire in the surrounding scenery, especially in its winter garb; few animated objects occur to enliven the scene; an occasional fox, marten, rabbit, or wolf, and a few birds, contribute the only variety. The birds which remained, were ravens, magpies, partridges, cross-bills, and woodpeckers. In this universal stillness, the residents at a post feel little disposed to wander abroad, except when called forth by their occupations; and as ours were of a kind best performed in a warm room, we imperceptibly acquired a sedentary habit. In going out, however, we never suffered the slightest inconvenience from the change of temperature, though the thermometer, in the open air, stood occasionally thirty degrees below zero."

During their residence at Cumberland House, which continued until the 18th of January, 1820, they had the most favourable opportunities of forming a correct estimate of the character, manners, usages, and opinions of the Crees, the Indians who inhabit the district belonging to that post. They are, indeed, thinly scattered,

rari nantes in gurgite vasto,"

over an immense surface of country. The whole district extending about one hundred and fifty miles from East to West along the banks of the Saskatchawan, and about as far from North to South, and comprehending on a rough calculation, upwards of twenty thousand square miles, was then inhabited by only one hundred and twenty Indian hunters. Of these a few have several wives, but the majority have only one, and as some are unmarried, the number of married women may be considered as slightly exceeding that of the hunters. The women marry very young, have a custom of suckling their children for several years, and are besides constantly exposed to fatigue and often to famine; hence they are not prolific, bearing, upon an average, not more than four children, of whom two may attain the age of puberty. Upon these data, the amount of each family may be stated at five, and the whole population in the district at five hundred. The third chapter of the work, written by Doctor Richardson, and appropriated to this subject, contains a variety of interesting particulars. It appears, that the Crees are a vain, fickle, improvident and indolent race, not very strict in their adherence to truth, but at the same time observant of the rights of property, susceptible of the kinder affections, capable of friendship, very hospitable, tolerably kind to their women,

and decidedly inclined to peace. Much of the faulty part of their character originates, no doubt, in their mode of life. Accustomed as a hunter to place his main dependence on chance for his subsistence, the Cree takes little thought of to-morrow; and the most offensive part of his behaviour, the habit of boasting, is probably assumed as a necessary part of his armour, which operates upon the fears of his enemies. Every Cree is in dread of the medical or conjuring powers of his neighbour, but at the same time exalts his own attainments to the skies. "I am god-like," is a common expression among them; and they prove their divinity by eating live coals, and by various tricks, most of which are too clumsy for the most awkward of our jugglers. A medicine bag, furnished with a little bit of indigo, blue vitriol, or vermilion, is, in the possession of a noted conjuror, such an object of terror to the rest of the tribe, as to enable him to fatten at his ease upon the labours of his deluded countrymen. A pleasant anecdote of an impostor of this description is related by Doctor Richardson.

"Notwithstanding the then miserable state of the Indians, the rapacity of this wretch had been preying upon their necessities, and a poor hunter was actually at the moment pining away under the influence of his threats. The mighty conjuror, immediately on his arrival at the house, began to trumpet forth his powers, boasting, among other things, that although his hands and feet were tied as securely as possible, yet, when placed in a conjuringhouse, he would speedily disengage himself by the aid of two or three familiar spirits, who were attendant on his call. He was instantly taken at his word; and that his exertions might not be without an aim, a capot or great coat was promised as the reward of his success, A conjuring-house having been erected in the usual form, that is, by sticking four willows in the ground and tying their tops to a hoop at the height of six or eight feet, he was fettered completely by winding several fathoms of rope round his body and extremities, and placed in its narrow apartment, not exceeding two feet in diameter. A moose skin being then thrown over the frame, secluded him from our view. He forthwith began to chant a kind of hymn in a very monotonous tone. The rest of the Indians, who seemed in some doubt respecting the powers of a devil when put in competition with those of a white man, ranged themselves around, and watched the result with anxiety. Nothing remarkable occurred for a long time. The conjuror continued his song at intervals, and it was occasionally taken up by those without. In this manner an hour and a half elapsed; but at length our attention, which had begun to flag, was roused by the violent shaking of the conjuring-house. It was instantly whispered round the circle, that at least one devil had crept under the moose-skin. But it proved to be only the "God-like man" trembling with cold. He had entered the lists, stript to the skin, and the thermometer stood very low that evening. His attempts were continued, however, with considerable resolution for half an hour longer, when he reluctantly gave in. He had found no difficulty in slipping through the noose when it was formed by his countrymen; but, in the present instance, the knot was tied by Governor Williams, who is an expert sailor. After this unsuccessful exhibition his credit sunk amazingly, and he took the earliest opportunity of sneaking away from the fort."

The Expedition took up sixty-four days in its progress from Cumberland House to Fort Chipewyan, during which it travelled between eight and nine hundred miles, subject to an intermixture of agreeable and disagreeable circumstances. Among the most prominent of the latter was that of walking in snow-shoes, which was attended with the painful inconvenience of marching with a weight of

nearly three cuids constantly attached to galled feet and swelled aneles. and

H eft Fort Chipewyan with three canoes and a bare sufficiency of visions for one day's consumption, the Expedition, after surmounting the various difficulties of the rivers, lakes, and portages, succeeded in reaching Fort Providence, the last establishment of the traders in that direction. It is situated, according to their observations, in latitude 62. 17. 19. N., longitude 114. 9. 28. W.; the variation of the compass was 33. 35. 55. E., and the dip of the needle 86. 38. 02. Here as they approached the grand object which they had in view, their anxiety to prosecute their journey increased, and having mustered the officers and men, they found that the expedition, on leaving Fort Providence, on the afternoon of the 2d of August, consisted of six English-Captain Franklin, Doctor Richardson, Messrs. Back and Hood, Mr. Wentzel, clerk to the North-West Company, John Hepburn, a seaman, and seventeen Canadian voyagers, three interpreters, and three women, the wives of three of the voyagers, who were brought for the purpose of making shoes and clothes for the men at the winter establishment. Their course was then directed towards the CopperMine river, through a line of country which had not been previously visited by any European; and they were accompanied by Akaitcho, a chief of considerable importance in that quarter, and a party of his Indians. On the 20th of August, they arrived at the situation where Akaitcho proposed that they should pass the winter. It possessed all the advantages they could have desired; and they placed their house, formed of the wood of pine trees, on the summit of the bank of a small river, commanding a fine prospect of the surrounding country. The total length of the voyage from Chipewyan was computed at five hundred and fifty-three miles. The name of Fort Enterprize was given to their new residence erected on the summit of the bank. Our limits prevent us from noticing the transactions which occurred at this spot, to which Captain Franklin, with the exception of a short excursion, was for ten months, until his departure on the 14th of June, 1821, necessarily confined by the severity of the weather. Provided with three Canadians, two Esquimaux, and two Indian hunters, Captain Franklin proceeded towards the final object of his anxious wishes. Doctor Richardson had gone forward with another party, but they effected a junction shortly afterwards. The navigation of the Copper-Mine river did not prove so difficult as they had been led to expect; but the impracticability of navigating it upwards from the sea, and the want of wood for forming an establishment, appeared insuperable objections to rendering the collection of copper in that part worthy of mercantile speculation. The Copper mountains vary in height from one thousand two hundred to one thousand five hundred feet. party of twenty-one persons, consisting of the officers, some of the voyagers, and all the Indians, visited hem in search of specimens of the ore. They travelled for nine hours over a considerable space of ground, but found only a few small pieces of native copper. The uniformity of the mountains is interrupted by narrow valleys, traversed by small streams; and the best specimens of metal were found among the stones in these valleys. It would seem, that when the Indians see any sparry substance projecting above the surface, they dig there; but

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