A piece of wood, with grooves at the edges. It is painted green on one side, the back is smooth and there are saw cuts at either end. It is inscribed in ink on reverse: 'Piece of the Lion, the boat used by Capt. John Franklin RN on his Land Arctic Expedition 1825-27 built at Woolwich and brought back there October 1827 this piece cut off Decbr 21st 1827 A W Kaye' It was one of three specially designed boats built at Woolwich dockyard. They were intended to be light enough to be used on Canadian Rivers with rapids and also strong enough to resist the waves and ice of the Arctic Ocean. They were double-ended and could be steered with either a rudder or an oar. the frames were ash and the hulls were partially constructed of mahogany. Eleanor Franklin described them as: 'varnished and adorned with blue and gold, and painted with all sorts of mythological devices.' They could carry an officer, crew and two or three tons of cargo.