world its first knowledge of that vast
waterway of the northern country, whose extensive resources in timber
and coal, in mineral and animal wealth, still await development.

{89}

CHAPTER IV

THE MEMORABLE EXPLOITS OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN

The generation now passing away can vividly recall, as one of the
deepest impressions of its childhood, the profound and sustained
interest excited by the mysterious fate of Sir John Franklin. His
splendid record by sea and land, the fact that he was one of 'Nelson's
men' and had fought at Copenhagen and Trafalgar, his feats as an
explorer in the unknown wilds of North America and the torrid seas of
Australasia, and, more than these, his high Christian courage and his
devotion to the flag and country that he served--all had made of
Franklin a hero whom the nation delighted to honour. His departure in
1846 with his two stout ships the _Erebus_ and the _Terror_ and a total
company of one hundred and thirty-four men, including some of the
ablest naval officers of the day, was hailed with high hopes that the
mysterious north would at length be {90} robbed of its secret. Then,
as the years passed and the ships never returned, and no message from
the explorers came out of the silent north, the nation, defiant of
difficulty and danger, bent its energies towards the discovery of their
fate. No less than forty-two expeditions were sent out in search of
the missing ships. The efforts of the government were seconded by the
munificence of private individuals, and by the generosity of naval
officers who gladly gave their services for no other reward than the
honour of the enterprise. The energies of the rescue parties were
quickened by the devotion of Lady Franklin, who refused to abandon
hope, and consecrated her every energy and her entire fortune to the
search for her lost husband. Her conduct and her ardent appeals awoke
a chivalrous spirit at home and abroad; men such as Kane, Bellot,
M'Clintock and De Haven volunteered their services in the cause. At
length, as with the passage of years anxiety deepened into despair, and
as little by little it was learned that all were lost, the brave story
of the death of Franklin and his men wrote itself in imperishable
letters on the hearts of their fellow-countrymen. It found no parallel
till more than half a century later, when another and a {91} similar
tragedy in the silent snows of the Antarctic called forth again the
mingled pride