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JOHN FRANKLIN’S FIRST ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION THROUGH A DOUBLE LENS
[D]etermining the latitudes and longitudes of the Northern Coast of North America,
and the trending of that Coast from the Mouth of the Copper-Mine River to the
eastern extremity of that Continent [...] I was to be guided by the advice and in¬
formation which I should receive from the wintering servants of the Hudson’s Bay
Company, who would be instructed by their employers to co-operate cordially in
the prosecution of the objects of the Expedition... (Franklin I ix—x).
Throughout history, we can predominantly hear Franklin’s narrative and
ideological voice, with the exception of two inserted texts by Dr John Richard¬
son and Lt George Back, on the harshest period of the expedition, towards the
end of their exploration. A Royal Navy officer naturally had acquired strenuous
discipline in the years of previous service, and he planned on as few deviations
from the plan as possible, knowing well the penalty for insubordination or
failure. Although Franklin had specific objectives to accomplish, besides the
unwavering naval-geographic register, he managed to intersperse the entire
history with many descriptions of the natural surroundings which are condu¬
cive to a more enjoyable reading; we can only admire the discipline and
stamina displayed on a daily basis, when apart from all the observations, he
found the time to take in the view for the public that never even imagined what
the countryside that far looked like. This is just a fragment of one among the
many descriptions of the natural surroundings, tame by comparison with the
extreme North that came later:
The surrounding country [around the Hayes River] is flat and swampy, and covered
with willows, poplars, larch, spruce, and birch-trees; but the requisition for fuel
has expended all the wood in the vicinity of the fort, and the residents have now to
send for it to a considerable distance. The soil is alluvial clay, and contains imbed¬
ded rolled stones. Though the bank of the river is elevated about twenty feet, it is
frequently overflown by the spring-floods, and large portions are annually carried
away by the disruption of the ice, which grounding in the stream, have formed
several muddy islands (Franklin 137).
The description of nature is worthy of quality fiction written by contemporary
English novelists: Franklin begins with the broadest possible panorama, with
a lot of details of geology and botany. Then he provides us with some focus on
the dwellings, and almost without any exception, with the anthropological
observations of the “savages” typical of the Western explorers of the age,
although he often objectively stresses that they are “strictly honest” (Franklin
1102). Franklin demonstrates his abilities of a keen observer, even in the zone
almost void of humans; as far as the Natives are concerned, he could see well
the effects of poor health protection, combined with physical exertions, not
abundant fowling or fishing seasons, and the inevitable effects of alcohol on
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