Beschreibung:

ADMIRAL SIR GEORGE BACK (1796-1878) Autograph letter signed to his brother Charles Back, Fort Chepewyan, 25 May 1820, 4 pages, crossed, 4to with integral address panel 'Fort Chepewyan May 15.1820 To Charles Back Esqr 2 Churchyard Court Inner Temple London GB'. red wax seal (worn and occasionally split at folds with loss of a few characters, small section torn away and adhering to seal). AN IMPORTANT LETTER, WRITTEN DURING FRANKLIN'S FIRST EXPEDITION, DESCRIBING THE JOURNEY MADE BY FRANKLIN AND BACK FROM CUMBERLAND HOUSE TO FORT CHEPEWYAN, BETWEEN JANUARY 18TH AND MARCH 26TH 1820. 'I wrote to you last from Cumberland house - you must now prepare yourself quickly - to accompany me on a winter's voyage of 800 Miles on Snow Shoes... Without entering into the reasons it will be sufficient for your purpose to know, that the Commander and myself determined to precede our friends on this journey - consequently we set out in January intending to trace along the River Saslashawan', describing in detail the trials of a typical day's travel 'One days march on snow shoes will give you a clear idea of the whole - and will be quite sufficient to enable you to reflect on your own happiness when compared to mine in North America', in passing he comments 'There was a wide difference between Franklin and me - and he suffered every evil I have mentioned whilst mine was a slight chafing in the toes occasioned by the Snow Shoes - he had never been accustomed to any vigorous exertion besides his frame is bulky without activity.. however before we got to the end of our journey Franklin recovered and was as lively as any.' The description of the journey continues 'at length we arrived at a Post of the Hudson's Bay Co called Carlton... We went on to an Indian encampment on the plains... We crossed the river and ascended some mountains... passing over a large tract of country we came to Portage la loche... pursuing the river we got to Fort Chipewayan the latter end of March - by looking on the chart you will see Cumberland house, Hudsons house, Green Lake, Isle de la Crosse, Portage la loche and Fort Chipewayan by which... you will have my route'. The letter concludes with some general comments ('the Natives are uncivilised Indians superstitious beyond measure'), business advice and rememberances to various friends and relatives. Franklin and his expedition had arrived at Cumberland House on the 23rd October 1819. The onset of winter prevented them from making any further progress until the following spring, however Franklin took the decision that he and Back should procede to Fort Chepewyan in advance of the main expedition, which would follow on under the command of Mr Hood and Dr (later Sir) John Richardson Back's manuscript journal (now in the McCord Museum, Montreal) records their departure on January 18th 1820: 'after some delay we left Cumberland House this morning at 8h 30m AM... Our number consisted of Lieut. Franklin and myself, our drivers with dogs and carioles, a third one with provisions, and our own servant'. LITERATURE: C.Stuart Houston, editor. Arctic Artist The Journal and Paintings of George Back Midshipman with Franklin, 1819-1822 . McGill-Queen's University Press, 1994. pp.312-317 (transcription and plate).