overy made in Antarctica was that of Sir
J. C. Ross, who had been sent by the Admiralty in 1840 to identify
the South Magnetic Pole, as we have seen he had discovered that of
the north. With the two ships _Erebus_ and _Terror_ he discovered
Victoria Land and the two active volcanoes named after his ships,
and pouring forth flaming lava, amidst the snow. In January 1842
he reached farthest south, 76 deg.. Since his time little has been
attempted in the south, though in the winter of 1894-95 C. E.
Borchgrevink again visited Victoria Land.

[Illustration: NORTH POLAR REGION--WESTERN HALF.]

On the return of the _Erebus_ and _Terror_ from the South Seas the
government placed these two vessels at the disposal of Franklin
(who had been knighted for his previous discoveries), and on the
26th of May 1845 he started with one hundred and twenty-nine souls
on board the two vessels, which were provisioned up to July 1848.
They were last seen by a whaler on the 26th July of the former
year waiting to pass into Lancaster Sound. After penetrating as
far north as 77 deg., through Wellington Channel, Franklin was obliged
to winter upon Beechey Island, and in the following year (September
1846) his two ships were beset in Victoria Strait, about twelve
miles from King William Land. Curiously enough, in the following
year (1847) J. Rae had been despatched by land from Cape Repulse
in Hudson's Bay, and had coasted along the east coast of Boothia,
thus connecting Ross's and Franklin's coast journeys with Hudson's
Bay. On 18th April 1847 Rae had reached a point on Boothia less
than 150 miles from Franklin on the other side of it. Less than
two months later, on the 11th June, Franklin died on the _Erebus_.
His ships were only provisioned to July 1848, and remained still
beset throughout the whole of 1847. Crozier, upon whom the command
devolved, left the ship with one hundred and five survivors to
try and reach Back's Fish River. They struggled along the west
coast of King William Land, but failed to reach their destination;
disease, and even starvation, gradually lessened their numbers.
An old Eskimo woman, who had watched the melancholy procession,
afterwards told M'Clintock they fell down and died as they walked.

By this time considerable anxiety had been roused by the absence of
any news from Franklin's party. Richardson and Rae were despatched
by land in 1848, while two ships were sent on the attempt to reach
Franklin through Behring