which had joined our ships in Barrow's Straits, and other officers.
There were unequivocal proofs that the missing ships had spent their
first winter in the immediate vicinity of Beechey Island. A finger-post
was picked up, which we at once supposed had been made use of to direct
parties to the ships during winter, if they should happen to have lost
their way in a snowstorm. Captain Parry adopted the same precautions
around his winter quarters at Melville Island; and it is not improbable
some of the posts may be found, after a lapse of thirty years. Our
ideas were, that the ships had wintered in a deep bay between Beechey
Island and Cape Riley, which we called Erebus and Terror Bay.

"Immediately adjacent to the supposed position of the ships, we found
the site of a large storehouse and workshop, and smaller sites, which
were supposed to have been observatories and other temporary erections.
Meat-tins to the amount of 600 or 700, and a great number of coal-bags,
one of which was marked `T-e-r-r-o-r,' were found. _But there were no
papers found anywhere that had been left by the missing ships_."

This station, in the opinion of Captain Penny, was occupied by Sir John
Franklin's party until the 3rd of April 1846, if not longer, as a
look-out up Wellington Channel, to watch the first opening of that icy
barrier which seems so frequently to block it up.

No record, however, was left to show in what direction the bold
explorers had proceeded. With deep regret, therefore, that no further
information could be gained, the various vessels continued the search.
Captain Forsyth had, however, before this returned in the _Prince
Albert_ to England, with news of an interesting discovery made by
Captain Ommaney, of some articles left by Sir John Franklin on Cape
Riley. He reached Aberdeen on the 22nd of October, having been absent
somewhat less than four months.

Early the next year the _Prince Albert_ was again despatched, under the
command of Mr Kennedy, an old Arctic explorer; but he was unable to
effect more than to prove where Sir John Franklin and his followers were
not.

Captain Austin's ships were constantly placed in great peril as they
proceeded on their voyage. "The _Assistance_ was hemmed in by the ice
in the centre of Wellington Channel, and was in such imminent danger of
being crushed to pieces, that every preparation was made to desert her,"
writes an officer belonging to her. "Each person on board was app