A relic of Sir John Franklin's last expedition 1845-8. A knife blade made from a saw obtained from the Pelly Bay Inuit on 12 July 1866 by the Hall Search Expedition 1864-9. Charles F. Hall was at Repulse Bay on this date but a group of Inuit from Pelly Bay were in the area. The blade is pierced with two suspension holes.
On an associated paper ' (7) This Inuit knife blade given to me July 12/66 by Koong-e-ou-uk who receiving it from Too-shoo-art-thar-iu who made it of a saw blade the saw one of several that Too-shoo-art-thar-iu found in the tent where were many dead white men on King William Island'. The Inuit reported to Hall that they had found the bodies of about thirty men in a tent at Terror Bay on King William Island. Lieutenant Schwatka searched the area for this site but was told that it had been swept away by the sea.
It was formerly displayed at the Royal Naval Museum, Greenwich, Franklin Room, case 4, number 7. The object is shown in plate entitled: ' Relics found by Captain Hall in his recent Arctic exploring expedition' published in 'Harper's weekly' in October 1869.