I used to sing this song occasionally, and told a friend how this song made a powerful impression on me when I knew little about folk music.This was the John Renbourne/Pentangle version that I heard them do live, at maybe the first live gig I ever went to.Renbourne's not a great singer, but he brought out something powerful and moving in the song.
Anyway, this friend is a book and manuscript collector, mainly concerned with 19th century alpine mountaineering, but she presented me with an actual letter of Sir John Franklin, written in 1844 just before his fatal expedition.Its written to another explorer, Sir William Parry, but Franklin simply signs it "yours very faithfully, John Franklin" and doesnt use his title. It feels a privilege to own a unique document like that.