Company—that in 1850 the Esquimaux had met forty
Englishmen belonging to Sir John Franklin's ships
travelling on foot and dragging a boat over the ice near
King William's Land. That the officer in command of
these unfortunates had bought from the Esquimaux for
his followers a small seal, being greatly in want of
provisions. That at a later period the Esquimaux
found the dead bodies of all this party on the ice near
Back River, surrounded by evidences that they had been
driven to cannibalism to prolong existence. The
Esquimaux helped themselves to the stores of the dead,
taking gunpowder, silver plate, and whatever else they
thought fit to appropriate. Dr. Rae, in his report to
the secretary of the Admiralty, after narrating the
particulars of the discovery, says; "Some of the bodies
were in a tent or tents; others were under the boat,
which had been turned over to form a shelter, and some
lay scattered about in different directions. Of those
seen on the island it was supposed that one was that of
an officer (chief), as he had a telescope strapped over
his shoulders, and a double-barrelled gun lay underneath
him. From the mutilated state of many of the bodies,
and the contents of the kettles, it is evident that our
wretched countrymen had been driven to the dread
alternative of cannibalism as a means of sustaining life.
A few of the unfortunate men must have survived until
the arrival of the wildfowl (say until the end of May),
as shot were heard and fresh bones and feathers of geese
were noticed near the scene of the sad event. There
appears to have been an abundant store of ammunition,
as the gunpowder was emptied by the natives in a heap
on the ground out of the kegs or cases containing it,
and a quantity of shot and ball was found below high-
water mark, having probably been left on the ice close
to the beach before the spring commenced. There
must have been a number of telescopes, guns, (several
of them double-barrelled), watches, compasses, &c., all
of which seem to have been broken up, as I saw pieces
of these different articles with the natives, and I
purchased as many as possible, together with some
silver spoons and forks, an Order of Merit in the form
of a star, and a small silver plate engraved 'Sir John
Franklin, K.C.B.' Enclosed is a list of the principal
articles bought, with a note of the initials, and a rough
pen-and-ink sketch of the crests on the forks and
spoons. The articles themselves I shall have the honour
of handing over to you on my arrival in London.
None of the Esquimaux with whom I had communication
saw the 'white' men, either when living or after
death; nor had they ever been at the place where the
corpses were found, but had their information from
those who had been there, and who had seen the party
when travelling on the ice. From what I could learn,
there is no reason to suspect that any violence had been
offered to the sufferers by the natives. The following
is the list of articles purchased from the Esquimaux,
said to have been obtained at the place where the bodies
of the persons reported to have died of famine were
found, viz.:—1 silver table fork—crest, an animal's head
with wings extended above; 3 silver table forks—crest,
a bird with wings extended; 1 silver table-spoon—crest,
with initials 'F.R.M.C.' (Captain Crozier, Terror);
1 silver table spoon and 1 fork—crest, bird with laurel
branch in mouth, motto, 'Spero meliora;' 1 silver table
spoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 dessert fork—crest, a fish's head
looking upwards, with laurel branches on each side;
1 silver table fork—initials, 'H.D.S.G.' (Harry D.S.
Goodsir, assistant-surgeon, Erebus); 1 silver table fork
—initials, 'A.M'D.' (Alexander M'Donald, assistant-
surgeon, Terror); 1 silver table fork—initials, 'G.A.M.'
(Gillies A. Macbean, second master, Terror); 1 silver
table fork—initials, 'J.T.'; 1 silver dessert spoon—
initials, 'J.S.P.' (John S. Peddie, surgeon, Erebus);
1 round silver plate, engraved, 'Sir John Franklin,
K.C.B.'; a star or order, with motto, 'Nec aspera
terrent, G. R. III. MDCCCXV.' Also a number
other articles with no marks by which they could be
recognised."

The Rev. Father Mathew has gone to Madeira in
consequence of the state of his health. Before his
departure from Liverpool, a lecture for his benefit was
delivered at the Concert Hall, by James Burke, Esq.,
barrister; and a deputation from the assemblage present
afterwards waited on him with a sympathetic address,
accompanied by a purse containing 100 sovereigns. The
Earl of Sefton, Lord Lieutenant of the county, sent £20;
and the Royal Mail Steamer Company gave him a
free passage, as a compliment for his exertions in the
suppression of intemperance.

Miss Nightingale, who has been appointed to
superintend a corps of female nurses for our military hospitals,
is the daughter of Mr. Nightingale, of Emly-park, near
Southampton. She has devoted herself to the education
of the more humble of her sex, and is described as a lady
of high accomplishments. She left London for the East
on the 21st inst., accompanied by forty nurses, selected
with the greatest care—some of them highly educated
and accomplished—with some experience in their calling
but all devoted to their holy work of charity.

The mayor of Windsor has published an account of
the subscriptions to the Perry Defence and Testimonial
Fund. It appears that the total amount subscribed is
about £2,100, from which sum there will be deducted
200 guineas for law charges, and about the same amount
tor advertising and incidental expenses. This will leave
a balance in hand amounting to about £1,700, which
sum will be invested in the joint names of Lieutenant
Perry and the mayor of Windsor, to be afterwards
expended in the purchase of his promotion in the army
should the verdict of the court-martial hereafter be set
aside, which it is confidently expected will be the case;
but if otherwise, the money to be placed at Lieutenant
Perry's disposal in promoting his best interests as a
civilian.

Rossini, whose state of health, bodily and mental,
was lately described as hopeless, is happily recovering.
His physician, Dr. Uccelli, in a letter, dated Florence
the 12th inst., says:—"The news that I can give you
are altogether good and consolatory. Rossini has indeed
suffered much during the long illness with which he
has been afflicted during the last seven months, and
even now it would be too much to say that he has
perfectly recovered; but as to the lucidity of his mind I
can assure you that the illustrious convalescent is and
ever has been as intelligent as when he gave his great
works to the world."

Mademoiselle Rachel has been sued by M. Legouvé
the dramatic writer, for having, in breach of engagement,
refused to act in a new tragedy, written by him,
entitled Medée, and the Civil Tribunal of the Seine has
decreed that she shall play the part at the Français
forthwith, and in default, shall pay 200f. for every
day's delay for the space of two months. At the end of
that time, if she still refuses, she must pay 40,000f. for
damages. The costs of the suit fall upon her.

Obituary of Notable Persons

THE MARQUIS OF ORMONDE died on the 25th ult., at Loftus
Hall, in the county of Wexford, in his forty-seventh year.
His Lordship was seized with apoplexy while bathing in the
sea with his children.

GENERAL SIR GORDON DRUMMOND, G.C.B., died on the 9th
inst., aged eighty-three. He was the senior general in the
army, which he entered in 1789. He served in Holland in
1794 and 1795, and was present at Nimeguen during the siege
and at the sortie. In 1801 he accompanied the expedition to
Egypt, and was present in the battles of the 13th and 21st of
March, also at the battle of Rhamanieh. and at the surrender
of Grand Cairo and of Alexandria. Sir Gordon saw much
service in the American war, and commanded in the action
near the Falls of Niagara, where he was severely wounded.
By his death the colonelcy of the 8th Regiment has become
vacant.

Miss JANE LANGTON, the god-daughter of Dr. Johnson, died
recently at Richmond, in her seventy-seventh year; and with
this lady, it is said, has passed away the only survivor of all
the persons mentioned in Boswell's biography.

The HON. and REV. T, HOTHAM, Rector of Dennington, and
Canon of Rochester, died on the 9th inst.

CAPT. G. B. MARTIN, Superintendant of Deptford Victualling
and Dockyards, died at Nottingham on the 14th inst.

The EARL OF ABINGDON died at Wytham Abbey on the
16th inst.

Mr. SAMUEL PHILLIPS, a gentleman of considerable note in
the literary world, died at Brighton on the 14th inst., at the
age of thirty-nine.

SIR THOMAS BYAM MARTIN, G.C.B., Admiral of the Fleet,
and Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom, died at Portsmouth
on the 21st inst., at the age of eighty-two.