A relic of Sir John Franklin's last expedition 1845-48. An empty pemmican tin found in an abandoned boat at Erebus Bay, King William Island, in May 1859 by the McClintock Search Expedition 1857-59. The rectangular tin is made of sheet iron, tinned and soldered. The letter 'E' has been painted in black on the reverse. An inscription in white paint on the side of the can has been added by the Royal Naval Museum, Greenwich. '(3) PEMMICAN CANNISTER BELONGING TO H.M.S. "EREBUS," MARKED, E. BROUGHT TO ENGLAND BY CAPTAIN SIR F.L. MCCLINTOCK R.N. KNT "FOX" EXPEDITION, 1859.' Pemmican was dried and pounded meat mixed with fat. This Native American recipe preserved the meat for use on journeys.

McClintock's party reached this site on 30 May and discovered that Hobson had been there a few days before on 18 May. The boat was 28 foot long and mounted on a heavy sledge. McClintock found it just above high tide mark pointing back in the direction of the ships and containing a large quantity of abandoned personal possessions and two skeletons.