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Archive Reference / Library Class No. | D8760/F/LIB/6/3 |
Title | Magazines published by Charles Dickens which include articles relating to the last Arctic expedition of Sir John Franklin, his ships and his crews |
Date | 1854-1859 |
Description | After the discoveries made by the explorer John Rae about the fate of the Franklin expedition, including evidence of cannibalism within the crew, which were reported in "The Times" on 23 October 1854, Lady Franklin turned to the famous author and journalist Charles Dickens to help repudiate the claim, arguing that it was inconceivable that personnel of the Royal Navy could have possibly committed such acts of cannibalism and that they must have been committed by the Esqkimaux (now known as Inuits). In spite of Rae's rebuttal, saying that his personal knowledge of that people unequivocably made him think that it was not possible to ahve acted in that way, the consensus in England largely took Dickens's view of the events. It is only comparatively recently that, having looked at the surviving evidence, scientific opinion has upheld the correctness of John Rae's claims. |
Extent | 8 items |
Level | SubSeries |
Repository | Derbyshire Record Office |
Archive Creator | Gell family of Hopton Hall, Wirksworth |
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