At the sight hereof divers of the beholders fell a weeping, specially women, who naturally are tender of heart, and have teares at commandment. Then the people began to talke diversely; many seeming to marvel at vain and ordinary things: as namely, that living and dying a virgin, she was born on the vigil of that feast which was yearly kept in remembrance of the birth of our Lady the Virgin, and that she died on the vigil of the feast of the Annunciation of our Lady: that she departed the world at Richmond (where her grandfather King Henry the Seventh, whom she very much resembled, ended his life), and upon the self same day of the week whereon he deceased. That she had reigned so many years, as the greater part then living had never known other prince. Some also there were that spake fondly of predictions going before her death, and, among others, it was given out that an old lion in the Tower, bearing her name (during the time of her sickness), pined away and died.

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But among men of better understanding, the actions of her life, and the manner of her government, were called to mind and censured. Some recounted the long and peaceable time of her reign, her clemency, and other virtues; wishing that things might continue in no worse state than they had done; alledging the old proverb, that seldom cometh the better.' Others again complained, that they could not lightly be in worse state than they were, considering that the people generally were much impoverished by continual subsidies and taxes, besides other exactions and contributions extorted by corrupt officers; that little or no equality was used in those impositions, the meaner sort commonly sustaining the greater burthen, and the wealthier no more than themselves listed to bear; that wrongs, now and then, were either bolstered out by authority, or winked at for private respect; that many privileges had passed under her name for the benefit of some particular men to the detriment of the Commonwealth. Albeit it could not be denied but that, of herself, naturally, she was well-disposed, if she had not been misled by over-much credulity and secret informations of persons about her; an inconvenience which even the best princes oft-times can hardly avoid. These and the like matters were diversely argued, as it falleth out commonly upon like occasions, while the mourners passed along attending the corpse.-Ellis's Letters, Second Series, vol. iii, pp.

191-196.

Michele, in his Report to the Venetian States, already quoted in p. 90, speaking of Queen Elizabeth, says, She is a lady of great elegance, both of body and mind, although her face may rather be called pleasing than beautiful: she is tall and well made; her complexion fine, though rather sallow; her eyes, but above all her hands (which she takes care not to

conceal), are of superior beauty. She is well acquainted with the Greek and Italian languages. Her spirits and understanding are admirable; and she is proud and dignified in her manners.'-Ellis's Letters, Second Series, vol. ii, p. 237. Consult also vol. iii, p. 68, for a singularly curious paper, entitled ' An Abstract touching the Queen's Marriage, by Sir Thomas Smith,' taken from the Harleian MSS.

The Arctic Expedition

[Concluded from p. 242.]

THE LAND EXPEDITION.-About the end of June 1826, Captain Franklin arrived at the last of the Hudson's Bay Company's posts, named Fort Good Hope, in lat. 67 deg. 28 min. N., long. 130 deg. 53 min. W.; the expedition under his command being in excellent health and spirits; and, so far as depended on personal exertion, the equipment of their boats, and the supply of stores and provisions, the most sanguine hopes of success were entertained.

Three days' journey from thence, on the 4th of July, he despatched a party to the eastward, under the command of Dr. Richardson, and proceeded himself, in command of another party, by the western channel of Mackenzie's river, which flows at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, and completed a survey of the coast from long. 113 deg. W. to 149 deg. 38 min. W. Captain Franklin was accompanied by Captain Back, who had been his companion on the former expedition. He was much impeded in his progress by the constant obstructions of ice, unbroken from the shore, in many parts, until the 4th August-by the prevalence of fogs-and by the nature of the seacoast, which, to the westward of the 140th degree, is ́so extremely low and flat as to be unapproachable, even in boats, nearer than two or three miles. Indeed, beyond the 139th degree it was found impossible to land on the main shore, except at one point; and there they were most vexatiously detained eight days, in the best part of the season, by a fog so dense,

that all objects beyond the distance of a few yards were obscured, and during all which time it blew a strong gale.

On every other occasion they had to land on the naked reefs which front the coast, and on which it often happened no fresh water was to be obtained, and but little wood.

Before Captain Franklin had reached more than half way to Icy Cape, most of his party began to have swellings in their legs, and showed other symptoms of extreme suffering, from their unavoidable exposure to wading in the water, for the purpose of dragging the boats where they were under the necessity of landing to rest or to get fresh water; or when they were compelled, by the recurrence of strong gales, to seek the shore. The temperature of the water was generally about the freezing point, whilst that of the air seldom exceeded 36 degrees. The coast westward of Mackenzie's river, under any circumstances, was extremely hazardous to navigate; but under the difficulties which Captain Franklin experienced, further perseverance on his part would have been unpardonable rashness. The whole party being of opinion that the obstructions were insurmountable, being completely beyond human control, were compelled to return, in the conviction, however, that the navigation of the north-west passage is open.

A novel feature has occurred in this expedition in the violence exhibited by the Esquimaux. Both Captain Franklin's and Dr. Richardson's parties were attacked on the same day by great numbers of these people, who had stationed themselves in the eastern and western outlets of the Mackenzie. To this conduct the Esquimaux were probably stimulated by the Indians. The western party were also providentially saved from an attack of a tribe of mountain Indians, by an opportune notice of their intention. Before the attack, however, Dr. Richard

A a

son's party met several parties of Esquimaux, and had friendly communications with them; and it may, in some measure, be ascribed to the small number of the party (twelve in all), and the apparently distressed situation of the boats grounding on the flats of the Mackenzie river. But after the attack was defeated, and fortunately without injury to the natives, pre sents were made to, and barters with, some individuals who belonged to the same tribe, but who had not been engaged in the affair, and who had signified their disapproval of the conduct of the assailants.

The eastern party, under Dr. Richardson, who was accompanied by Mr. Kendall, an intelligent and distinguished young officer, succeeded in reaching the Coppermine river on the 8th of August, and returned to Fort Franklin, Great Bear Lake, on the 1st of September. Like that under the command of Captain Franklin, they experienced repeated obstructions from ice, and occasionally from strong breezes; but they were spared the foggy weather, except on parts of two days, which had caused the western party so much anxiety and difficulty in their progress.

The object of Dr. Richardson's party was to examine the intermediate coast between the Mackenzie and the Coppermine rivers. After separating from Captain Franklin, on the 4th July, they pursued the easternmost channel of the Mackenzie, until the 7th of that month, when finding that it distributed itself by various outlets, of which the more easterly were not navigable for their boats, they chose a middle one, and that night got into brackish water, with an open view of the sea, in lat. 69 deg. 29 min. N., long. 133 deg. 24 min. W.

On the 11th, in lat. 69 deg. 42 min. N. long. 132 deg. 10 min. W., the water was perfectly salt, the sea partially covered with drift ice, and no land visible to seaward. They experienced considerable difficulty in crossing the estuaries of several rivers,

which were deemed to be outlets of the shallow channels of the Mackenzie, that had been left to the eastward. They suffered, besides, some detention from ice and bad weather; and it was not until the 18th of July that, in lat. 70 deg. 37 min., long. 126 deg. 52 min. N., they got entirely clear of the widely spreading mouths of the Mackenzie, and of a large lake of brackish water, which seems to receive one of the branches of that river. The navigation across these wide estuaries was rendered embarassing from extensive sandy flats, which occasionally compelled them to go nearly out of sight of land, and left them exposed to a frequently dangerous surf, in boats too slight to venture out into deep water, amongst heavy ice, in stormy weather.

These dangers were gladly exchanged for a coasting voyage in the open sea. They rounded Cape Parry, in lat. 70 deg. 8 min. N., long. 123 deg. W.; Cape Krusenstern in lat. 68 deg. 46 min. N., long, 114 deg. 45 min. W.; and entered George the IVth Coronation Gulf, by the Dolphin and Union Straits (so named after the boats), which brought them within sight of Cape Barrow, and two degrees of longitude to the eastward of the Coppermine river. Their sea voyage terminated as before mentioned, on the 8th of August, by their actually entering that river.

With the exception of a few hours on two or three days, Dr. Richardson's party experienced contrary winds during their entire progress; and, latterly, were delayed, and compelled to round every inlet of a deep bay, by thick ice driving in from seaward, and packing closely on the shore. The boats' crews, however, without suffering their exertions to flag, and taking every advantage of wind and tide, cut a passage with the hatchet; and by four days of hard labour cleared this obstacle, the most troublesome that occurred during their voyage along the coast.

Although they saw much heavy floe-ice, some of