When the corpses of [Sir John] Franklin's officers and crew were later discovered, miles from their ships, the men were found to have left behind their guns but to have lugged such essentials as monogrammed silver cutlery, a backgammon board, a cigar case, a clothes brush, a tin of button polish, and a copy of "The Vicar of Wakefield." These men may have been incompetent bunglers, but, by God, they were gentlemen. Anne Fadiman
About This Quote

Sir John Franklin was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. In August 1845, his expedition departed England for the Northwest Passage to seek out the elusive Northwest Passage to Asia. By April 1847, the trip had been unceremoniously ended due to extreme weather and Franklin's death in June. His men were found weeks later, many miles from their ships and in a terrible state, with only a few possessing any sort of supplies. Even more mysterious was the fact that Franklin's men had left behind their guns but to have lugged such essentials as monogrammed silver cutlery, a backgammon board, a cigar case, a clothes brush, a tin of button polish, and a copy of "The Vicar of Wakefield." These men may have been incompetent bunglers, but, by God, they were gentlemen.

Source: Ex Libris: Confessions Of A Common Reader

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