Copy of a letter from Sir John Franklin to his wife, Lady Jane Franklin

Sir John Franklin (1786-1847) led a British Naval expedition to discover the North West Passage in 1845. His daughter, Eleanor, made a copy of this letter to his wife which was written on his ship, H.M.S. Erebus, over a number of days at Greenland.

He describes their journey so far and the scientific observations that are being made, particularly the catching and recording of sea life by Harry Goodsir, the expedition's naturalist. He himself has been devising a code of signals for the two expedition ships (H.M.S. Erebus and H.M.S. Terror) to use when in the ice, and has been reading about previous expeditions to prepare for what is ahead. Every Sunday, they hold divine service in his cabin, which the whole crew attends. Once they arrive at a Danish seal catching station, he describes the "Esquimeaux" (Inuit) there, their visits on board the ship and his visits to their station. He tells his wife that she need "not have the slightest apprehension respecting our welfare... let me entreat you and Eleanor not to be too anxious."