#franklin expedition

[radiojamming]

Hey HEY guess WHAT I'm making a podcast series about the Franklin Expedition!

[charlesdesvoeux]

Just found another Irving letter that made me very sad- not because he's melancholic in it, but because in light of what would happen to the expedition it hits very hard. It's to his sister-in-law, Catherine Irving:

(context: in an earlier letter he mentioned that he talked to his father about wanting to go to the Arctic, and he in turn mentioned it to Sir George Clerk, a relative of theirs with good contacts in the Admiralty)

"I shall be glad to be put off it, as it affects my prospects for the summer very materially, there being some difference between the regions of thick-ribbed ice and perpetual snow, and the green fields I might visit if I did not get appointed, for I had some idea of coming down to see you then; but I imagine going would probably assist me in getting advancement in the service; and in the usual routine there is but a poor prospect." -> he didn't even fucking want to go anymore, apparently. he wanted to go back to Scotland to see his family :-( but he thought it would mean promotion once he got back home (and yeah, it probably would) so he went anyway.

"I do not believe I have much chance of going, so your wicked wishes are likely to be gratified. It is not a service of much danger, and they take provisions for only two years; so they must come back in that time, if at all." -> this gives me the impression that Kate thought it was dangerous, didn't want him to go, expressed these concerns; here he tries to assuage her fears both by saying that maybe he wouldn't be selected but even if he did there probably wasn't any danger and if they only had rations for 2 years then that meant they would only stay away for 2 years tops. jesus fucking christ :-(

"I want something more exciting, and not to be lying in a harbour. It is now nineteen months since I last saw you. It seems a long time." -> you might want to just. lie in a harbor if you knew what was coming, sir. but you couldn't, could you? no one could. granted many expeditions had seen death and great duress- but for all its participants to vanish? that was, as far as i know, unprecedented. 19 months. well. you wouldn't see them ever again.

(Link to the letter here)

[heartnell]

Do you ever go insane...do you ever lose your mind...

[astralwhat]

not here! the white north has thy bones

[rosedawsontyler]

Comparisons of the same areas aboard the HMS Erebus wreck (left) and the HMS Terror wreck (right)

HMS Terror is in pristine condition and I get so excited thinking about what we'll learn once Parks Canada is able to more fully explore the wreck and gather more artifacts. I believe they'll be doing more work on Terror this year if weather permits.

(credit in image)

[even-in-arcadia]

neither alive nor dead but a secret, worse thing (stuck in the pack)

[idontkniwanythgin]

Reading anything about Arctic explorers you're just sitting there like

[saintharrowhark]

[werewolfetone]

The Donner Party, Franklin Expedition, and Essex disaster all happened between 1820-1850. Cannibalism Renaissance, if you will

[daincrediblegg]

Is no one going to be not normal with me about the fact that this guy:

YES. THIS MAN:

WROTE THESE?!

OR DO I HAVE TO BE NOT NORMAL ABOUT IT ALL BY MYSELF?!?!!?

[ltwilliammowett]

The wreck of HMS Erebus (1826). She rest in less than 12 metres of water, 300 km from King William Island.

[peglarpapers]

definitely not a link to a de-paywalled version of the new franklin expedition nat geo article

[carpe-mamilia]

someone. appears to have uploaded the entireity of the terror to youtube?

if you want to bully people into watching it your time is now, I guess?

Hot diggetty pig!

Everyone watch this or I'll come to your house and make slightly hurtful remarks about your storage solutions. But I won't be held responsible for any subsequent obsessions relating to Men Suffering on Boats. It's a life-changing series and you'll just have to deal with the consequences of that yourselves.

[puppychase]

Clapping and cheering when I reach the Franklin Expedition portion of the List of incidents of cannibalism Wikipedia page

[jamesfitzjamesdotcom]

THERE HE IS! 🥰 The second Fitzjames daguerreotype of which we only had a picture. Coming up for auction soon at Sotheby's. Oh please let these daguerreotypes be acquired by a public institution. 🙏 You will be able to see the daguerreotypes at Sotheby's London from 15 until 20 September!

Also we finally get to see Francis Crozier's lost daguerreotype, of which we also only had a picture.

See the other daguerreotypes here: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/travel-atlas-maps-photographs/studio-of-richard-beard-a-set-of-14-daguerreotypes

[littleastrobleme]