ing a fortune. Throughout his service of twelve years in the corps he was constantly employed on particular duty. In the practical instruction of the Cadets at Sandhurst and Woolwich, and in one of the early expeditions to the disputed territory in the state of Maine, he showed much talent and energy, and obtained great credit. For his services at the Falkland Islands no higher testimony could be afforded to a soldier than the repeated warm acknowledgments of Governor Moody. A word may also be given about his horse. Blanco was brought from South America; was perfectly white, and exhibited signs of good breeding. Hearnden purchased him at a rather high figure; but his subsequent usefulness and hardihood in a trying climate gave him ample reason to be satisfied with his bargain. On the 7th January, 1847, at the Falkland Island races, Blanco had the good fortune to win the Governor's cup, worth 501. The cup, made of silver, by Hunt and Roskill, stood about eighteen inches high, and was richly ornamented and chased. On one side the sergeant was represented mounted, with sword, sabre-tache, and gauntlets. In another panel was the inscription. The cover was very massive, and both cover and cup were lined with silver gilt.

1849.

Breach in the sea-embankment at Foulness-Company to Portsmouth-Augmentation to corps-Homeward journey of the Arctic expedition-Private Brodie-Great Slave Lake party-Expedition arrives in England-South Australia-Sergeant R. Gardiner-Road-making in Zetland-Survey of Dover -Wreck of the Richard Dart'-Miserable condition of the survivors on Prince Edward's Island-Found, and taken to the Cape-Remeasurement of the base-line on Salisbury Plain-Shoeburyness-Eulogium by the Marquis of Anglesey-Fatal accident at Sandhurst College.

On the 10th January fifty-five men, under Captain Tylee, R.E., were sent by express conveyances from Chatham to Foulness. Island, near the entrance of the river Burnham on the coast of Essex, to repair the sea embankment which for about 200 feet had been forced away by a heavy sea. The detachment took with it a quantity of intrenching tools, water-boots and stores, including 300 fascines and 3,000 sand-bags, which were made and filled in about three hours. In less than twelve hours from the commencement of the work, the breach was effectually mended by an ingenious placement of fascines and sand-bags, at an expence not exceeding 67. 10s. The party worked in two divisions. The day was extremely wet, but the men laboured with the utmost zeal, and their conduct both on sea and land was exemplary.1

A company was sent from Woolwich to Portsmouth in January to supply the place of the one removed from that garrison to Dublin in February, 1848. The return of a company to Portsmouth induced much opposition to its employment on the part of the civil workmen, and disparaging remarks, with respect both to its conduct and its mechanical abilities, appeared in the provincial journals of the time.

1 The Times,' 12th January, 1849. 'Corps Papers,' i., p. 415.

One company, the twenty-first, was raised 1st February, and another, the twenty-second, on the 1st March, thereby increasing the establishment of the corps from 1,985 to 2,185 of all ranks: The royal warrant, authorizing the formation of the last eight companies, is dated 22nd August, 1849, and on its authority the companies were organized as follows:

Staff-1 Brigade-Major, 1 Adjutant, 1 Quartermaster, 2 Sergeant-majors, 2 Quartermaster-sergeants, and 1 Bugle-major.

2,177

2,185

When the summer fairly set in, the Arctic expedition under Sir John Richardson commenced its return. The van with corporal Mackie, started about a week before Sir John, who followed on the 7th May with Mitchell, Brodie, and three seamen. In five and a half days the journey over the ice was completed, and on the 12th they encamped at Cape Macdonald, clearing away for the purpose snow to the depth of five feet. They then moved on to Fort Franklin, where the advance division had arrived with a good supply of provisions for the voyage. Soon afterwards a detached party was commissioned to Fort Norman for a barge and stores, for which Sir John Richardson waited nearly a month, having with him Mitchell and Brodie and two fishermen, who, in the meantime, lived on trout, whitefish, herrings, and geese, and bivouacked under the shelter of a boat's sail as a substitute for a tent. In time they quitted the vicinity of the fishing hut, and moved to the banks of the Bear Lake river, where they encamped until the 9th June, when the descent of the river commenced. In the fishing coble brought from Fort Norman, Sir John Richardson with three of the party embarked, whilst Mitchell, Brodie, and a fisherman named Morrison, walked along the bank of the river, each of them carrying his own bedding and clothing. Narcisse,

another fisherman, was left behind in charge of some stores. Half an hour after setting out, the party in the coble put ashore, and in a short time Corporal Mitchell and Morrison joined them, but private Brodie, having struck into the woods to make a straight course, did not arrive in the hour that the chief waited for him; and expecting that he had gone past, the voyage was resumed with Mitchell and Morrison added to the party in the boat.2

Fourteen miles from the lake a cache was reached; and as Brodie had not arrived in the course of the day, it was evident he had lost himself, and therefore, corporal Mitchell and Morrison were sent back to the lake to acquaint Narcisse with what had happened, and to engage an Indian living at the fishery to go in quest of Brodie. In the meantime the party at intervals fired their fowling-pieces, and set fire to some trees, that the smoke might be seen by the strayed wayfarer at a distance.3

Next day the men came back from the lake. After placing written directions for Brodie in the cache, the expedition reembarked, and in due time came to the influx of the Black River, then flooded. There another paper of instructions was left for Brodie, directing him to the cache for provisions, and to remain with Narcisse until the barge came for him. The fact of Brodie's straying gave Sir John Richardson much uneasiness, as he feared the wanderer would experience some suffering, though he did not apprehend he would, lose his life, for he was a man of much personal activity and considerable intelligence. When he discovered he was walking in a wrong direction, he began to mend his pace, and to run, as is usual in such cases, but took an inland course, and at length came to the borders of an extensive swamp. Here the woods being more open he obtained a distant view of the "hill at the rapid," which he recognized, from having seen it on his former journey to the cache; and as he knew that the boat must pass it in descending the river, he resolved on walking straight for it, in the hope of arriving there before the others. After this he

2 Sir John Richardson, ii., p. 138.

3 Ibid.

came to the Black River, a rapid, unfordable stream, scarcely passable by a raft; but being a fearless swimmer, he swam across it carrying his clothes on his head. The stream, being very tortuous, came again in his way, when he crossed it a second and a third time in the same manner; but on the last occasion, his bundle slipping off, floated away, and he regained the bank with difficulty in a state of perfect nudity. After a moment's reflection, he came to the conclusion that without clothes he must perish, and that he might as well be drowned in trying to recover them as to attempt proceeding naked. On which he plunged in again, and fortunately landed this time safely with his habiliments. He now refreshed himself with a part of a small piece of dried meat, which in his anxiety he had hitherto left untouched, and forthwith decided on finding the cache and returning from thence to the lake. On the third day (11th June) he found Sir John Richardson's note, together with some provisions which had been suspended to a pole for his use, but he had so husbanded his own small supply, that he had still a morsel of dried meat remaining. He had no difficulty afterwards in joining Narcisse, by keeping sight of the river the whole way, and in due course he joined the expedition at Fort Simpson, in a barge sent to receive him."

At this fort also joined the ten sappers who had wintered on the Great Slave Lake, and on the 25th June Sir John started again on his homeward journey, encountering a succession of hardships, until he arrived at Norway House on the 13th August. The services of the mission were now wholly ended, and of the sappers, Sir John Richardson thus recorded his opinion: "During the time these men were under my coinmand, not a single act of disobedience occurred. Crews better fitted for heavy portage work and for the ordinary duties of a winter's residence in the north, might doubtless have been selected in the country, but none that I could have depended upon with SO much confidence in adverse circumstances."

4 Sir John Richardson, ii., pp. 138-141.

5 Ibid., ii., p. 144. The particulars relative to the expedition have, in the main, been abridged from Sir John Richardson's invaluable Journal.'