Collated below are interesting excerpts from Franklin’s journals, and those of his companions who returned to North America in succeeding decades. Presented in no particular order, the quotes provide fascinating insight into the mindset of the officers and their interactions with and feelings for the people and land they encountered in their travels. Please note that the language of their time is retained.
A Grim Reunion
We came in sight of the Fort at dusk, and it is impossible to describe…
Akaitcho’s Disappointment
He spoke of this circumstance as a disappointment, indeed, sufficiently severe to himself, to whom…
An Act of Pity
One day a gentleman, long resident in this country, espied five young beavers sporting in…
Belief and Unbelief
Of their notions of a Deity, or future state, we never could obtain any satisfactory…
Dread Winter
The unusual earliness of this winter became manifest to us from the state of things…
Fate of Akaitcho’s Band
We rejoiced to find at this post our worthy old Copper-Indian friends, Keskarrah and Humpy,…
Fort Enterprise Days
As it may be interesting to the reader to know how we passed our time…
Hideous Beards
The Indians set about everything with an activity that amazed us. Indeed contrasted with our…
Indian Fairies
On the morning of the 6th we embarked, and descended a series of rapids, having…
Intelligence Gathering
Our first object was to obtain some certain information respecting our future route; and accordingly…
Leaving Fort Enterprise
Our feelings on quitting the Fort where we had formerly enjoyed much comfort if not…
Meeting Greenstockings Again
In the midst of one of these groups was my old acquaintance and Indian belle,…
Sad End of Augustus
The remains of Augustus also had been discovered not far from the Rivière à Jean….
Salvation
We set out before day, though, in fact, we were all much fitter to remain,…
Shoddy Workmanship
This day one of the new trading guns, which we had recently received from Fort…
The Law Giver
The Strong-bows, and Rocky-Mountain Indians, have a tradition in common with the Dog-ribs, that they…
Three Degrees Off
We subsequently learned from the Copper Indians, that the part at which we had crossed…
Unity of Inuit Language
On comparing the language of our two Esquimaux with a copy of St. John’s Gospel,…