[Illustration: RELICS BROUGHT BACK BY THE FRANKLIN SEARCH EXPEDITION.] About twelve miles from Cape Herschel M’Clintock found a small cairn, built by Hobson’s party, and containing a note for the commander. He had reached this, his extreme point, six days previously, without having seen anything of the wreck or of natives, but he had found a record—the record, so ardently sought for, of the Franklin expedition—at Point Victory, on the north-west coast of King William’s Land. It read as follows:— “‘_28th May, 1847._—H.M. ships _Erebus_ and _Terror_ wintered in the ice in lat. 70° 05’ N., long. 98° 23’ W. “‘Having wintered, in 1846-7, at Beechey Island, in lat. 74° 43’ 28" N., long. 91° 39’ 15" W., after having ascended Wellington Channel to lat. 77°, and returned by the west side of Cornwallis Island. “‘All well. “‘Party, consisting of two officers and six men, left the ships on Monday, 24th May, 1847. “‘GM. GORE, Lieut. “‘CHAS. F. DES VŒUX, Mate.’ “Had this been all, it would have been the record of a grand success. But, alas! round the margin of the paper upon which Lieutenant Gore, in 1847, wrote those words of hope and promise another had subsequently written the following words:— “‘_April 25th, 1848._—H.M. ships _Terror_ and _Erebus_ were deserted on the 22nd April, five leagues NNW. of this, having been beset since 12th September, 1846. The officers and crews, consisting of 105 souls, under the command of Captain F. R. M. Crozier, landed here in lat. 69° 37’ 42", long. 98° 41’ W. Sir John Franklin died on the 11th June, 1847; and the total loss by deaths in the expedition has been, to this date, nine officers and fifteen men. “‘(Signed) “‘(Signed) “‘F. R. M. CROZIER, “‘JAMES FITZJAMES, “‘Captain, and Senior Officer. “‘Captain H.M.S. _Erebus_. “‘And start (on) to-morrow, 26th, for Back’s Fish River.’(39)