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OCR
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 information 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 Richardson 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 conducive 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 imbedded 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 ¢ 153 +
