University of Michigan — BUHR
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MARTIN A.McGOFF
BOOKSELLER
<7 MOORFIELDS, LIVERPOOL

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.1252
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PAPERS AND DESPATCHES
RELATING TO THE
ARCTIC SEARCHING EXPEDITIONS
0]? 1850-51-52.
TOGETHER WITH A FEW BRIEF REMARKS AS TO THE
qﬁruhahlz Qliuursz gmrsmtl ﬁg 5h: 35min; .ﬂ’ranklin.
ILLUSTRATED BY A GENERAL MAP OF THE POLAR REGIONS,
A CHART OF THE FIELD OF SEARCH, AND
A SPECIAL MAP OF BEECHEY ISLAND.
COLLECTED AND ARRANGED
BY
James Mangles, Commander, RN.
ﬁwmh QEhitinn,
WITH COPIOUS ADDITIONS.
LONDON: '
FRANCIS & JOHN RIVINGTON,
s'r. PAUL’s CHURCH YARD, AND WATERLOO PLACE.
1852.
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CONTENTS.
ADVANCE and RESCUE, Presentation of Medals to the Crews of, at Page
New York - - - - - - 91
Animals available as Food in the Arctic Regions - - - 8
Arctic Committee ~ - - - - - 35
Summary of their “ Report” - - - 47
Arctic Searching Expeditions. Article from the “ Nautical Magazine” - 11
Austin, Captain. Despatches - - - - - 24
and Captain Penny. Correspondence between - - 32
Bartlett, Dr. Letter accompanying the Medal presented to Mr. Henry
Grinnell at New York - - - - - 91
Beatson, Capt. D. Proposed search after Franklin through Behring Straits 88
Plan of Operations - - - - 89
Blenky, Mrs. Letter to the “ Morning Herald” - - - 85
Coppin, Mr. W. Applicability of Sailing Sledges to the Trans- glacial
Searching Operations - - - - - 89
EREBUS and TERROR. When they Sailed, and where they were last seen,
with a. List of their Oﬂicers _ - - - 86
Exploring Vessels and their Oﬁicers - - - 11-87-94
Fareham Collapsible Life Boat. Account of - - - 92
Fitzjames, Captain. Journal written on Board H.M.S. EREBUS, June 8 to
July 11, 1845 - - - ' - - - 76
Franklin’s Ofﬁcial Instructions - - - - - 39
Franklin, Lady. Letter to Mr. Grinnell - - - - 39
‘ Opinion as to Franklin’s Course - - - 37
Grinnell Testimonials - - - -- - - 91
Mr. 11., Presentation of Gold Medal to, at New York by the
British residents - - - - - 91
Reply to Dr. Bartlett in acknowledgment - -. - 92
—————_- Letter declining the proposed British Testimonial - - 92
Kane, Dr., U.S.N. On the Resources open to Franklin - - 66
Keys to Places on Sectional Map - - - 5 and 9
Maury, Lieut., U.S.N. Reasons for inferring the existence of a Polar Sea 75
Model of the Arctic Regions, notice of - - - - 93
ii CONTENTS.

Narrative of Four Russians who spent Six Years in Spitzbergen - Fag;
Penny, Captain. Despatches - - - - - 18
and Captain Austin. Correspondence between - 32
Letter to the Geographical Society - - 47
Letter recounting Captain Martin’s interview with
Sir John Franklin - - - - - 90
Petermann, Mr. Augustus. Notes on the Distribution of Animals in the
Arctic Regions - — - - - - 63
On the existence of an extensive Arctic Sea - 67
Plan of Search after Franklin - - - 67
Pim, Lieut. Projected Examination of the Siberian Coast Line - 41
---———- Abandonment of his projected Expedition -- ~ 90
Remarks as to the probable Course pursued by Franklin - - 44
Richardson, Sir John. Replies to the Arctic Committee - - 59
Sabine, Colonel. Opinion as to Franklin’s Course - - - 36
Scoresby, Dr. W. Replies to the Arctic Committee - - - 61
Searching Expeditions in progress and in preparation - -. 87
Spitzbergen, Narrative of Four Russians who spent Six Years in - 51
United States’ Expedition - - - - ~ 33
Weld, Mr. C. R. Letter to the “ Times” - - - - 34
W. F. Letter to the “ Times” - - ~ - - 34
ILLUSTRATIONS.
NORTH POLAR CHART - ~ - - Facing page 67
WELLINGTON CHANNEL SECTION - - ~ ,, ,, 5
MAP on BEECHEY ISLAND - - - n a, 19
The Section which accompanies the Pamphlet is a tenth part of the
Admiralty Chart of the North Polar Sea; consequently, ten such would include
the whole area of the Arctic Regions.
The simple method of working the keys (see the ﬁve examples given) is the
same as that devised for the suggested “UNIVERSAL ILLUSTRATED GEO-
GRAPHY AND HYDROGRAPl-IY”. In the large work, no more diﬂiculty would
be experienced in ascertaining the precise position of any required place in the
world, generally, than is here encountered in discovering—by means of the Keys,
Beechey Island, Cape Herschel, Cape Sir John Franklin, or any other point
included in our Arctic List.
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TO FIND A PLACE IN THE LIST.
How, in the ﬁrst instance, should we look for Cape Herschel, and at once
regardless of latitude and longitude, obtain a key to it, and to 482 other
adjacent places?

EXAMPLES 2-—
Position ,- s . g
NAMES a g o s {5 9
X0, ‘ Country. : g ‘g E g 7;
of or a. 3 go 5 '5' Remarks.
L 1' _ he :1 c5 8 :1 Q
Places. 5 001» Ity H O. A h, <,, a

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. Square.
a, Bracket
J, I Symbol.
Cape Herschel Cape N. Devon. . . Amer. 74°53'N. 89°20’ W. Adm. . . . . . . . .
Chart
Cape Riley- - - Cape . Devon. .. Amer. 74°45’N. 90°53’W. Ditto .. . . . . . .
N
D iv 1 9 Cape Bird - - - Cape N.Somrst. . . Amer. 72°1'N. 94°38'W. Ditto . . . . . . . .
ﬁgggklm} Cape AlbertLd. .. Amer. 77°6'N. 100°20'W Ditto _,

Cape Beauft.Ld. .. Amer. 76°47'N. 101°40'W Ditto .. .... ..
L
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF . PLACES.
(482)
WELLINGTON CHANNEL SECTION.
To ﬁnd a Place upon the Chart.
Look for the name in the alphabetical list: for example Herschel, Cape.
In the ﬁrst column stands B iv—the square in which the place is situated
upon the map. '
In the second column appears §{ -the compartment of that square where
the place will be found.
In the thircl column -0 (ll’est) stands the symbol by which the exact
locality in the department is indicated.
So that the person in search of a place reads (in this instance) B—four—
nine—West; and burthens his memory with these data only whilst turning
from the list to the map.
ABANDON BAY.
KATER CAPE .

Position. Position Position. _ Position.
NAMES , _ NAMES ————-_—-_ NAMES H. _ NAMES —————:~;
‘ a ‘:3 '6 e E- r a a ".5 v a‘ s 2
°* "F PM“ as PLZQES s PLACES. (Z 5 PLACES. Us; 5 a? ens. {g 5 5. . 5 n Abandon Bay. . B iv 4 o— Blackwood Pnt. E ii 7 P Coulman, Cape. C iii 9 —o Gladman Point. Ei 11 4 P
Adair Cape . . . . 0 vii 2 Blairs Islands. . D iv 7 P Coutts, Cape . . D vii 1 9 Glen Island. . . . E i 8 S’
Adam Island .. E iii .5 )3 Blue Hills . .. B ii 1 Contt-s Inlet .. D \ll 1 Q Gloucester, Cp. E in 2 b
Adelaide Bay . . C 1v 3 ‘o Booth Point . . E iii 8 ? Craufurd, Cape. (I v 5 Graham Moore, .
Adelaide Pen- E in __, -o Boothia . . . . . . Diii,iv Cresswell Bay. . 1) iv 1 ay . . . . . . . . B ﬁx 5
insula . . . . ' -O BOOthiﬂ, Glllfof 13 i\’, V Crimson Cllﬁ's. . B vii 1 Graham Moore 0 b
Admiralt Inlet C v .5 - , w - 1 Croker Ba ' . . . . (J v 2 )e . . . . . . . . vi 8
Agnes Mgllllmt- D viii l —0 Boothm’ 18th { h’ 1V 4 Croker, Cabpe . . E i 5 Granite, Cape. . C iii 6 O—
Agwisseowik .. E vi 7 d Bounty, Cape .. B ii .5 O- Culgruﬁ‘ Point. . E iii 1 Q Grant Point . l5 iii 7’ q
1 Bowdcn, Cape. . B iv 3 Cunningham, C. B Y S) Griﬁin I’oint .. 15 i" 7 0’
Albert Land . . B iv 2 Bowen, Cape .. C vi 9 CnnninghaniIn. (1 iv 1 Q Griliitli Cape .. E _\'i 1 d
3 Bowen Port. . . . C iv 9 Cunningham ’ q Griﬁith Island.. C 1v 1
Alexander Cape F. i 3 —o Brodie Bay .. . . E viii 3 Q Mountains } B v ' 6 Griﬂitli Point . . B 11 (i
Alexander,Cape A vi 4 Brentford Bay. . D iv 1 Dalryinple’s 111;, A v1 f) (5 Grimble Islnds. 1) iv 1 (5
Alexander Inlet D viii 7 9 Bridport Inlet. . B ii 5 Dealy Island , _ B ii 5 Q Grinnell, Cape... B 1v 8 ‘P
Allington, Cape D iv 7 ,5 Brooking Cuin- Dease Points __ E i ii 0- Hakluyt Island. A vi 8
Allison Bay. . . . B viii 2 ing Inlet . . . . C v 1 d l Halkett Point. . E v 8 '0
Allison Inlet .. B iii 8 5 Brown Island.. D iv 1 b Dease Strait . . E i 2 HilllOWBll, Cape 1‘) V 2 P
Amherst Island E v 2 6 Brown Point .. E ii 4 —o 3 Halse, Cape B ii 5 d
Amitioke . . . . .. E v 9 6 Browne Island...B iii 9 -0 Decision, Point B iv 4 4 Hamilton Bay. . D vii 2 d
Anne, Cape. . . . C iv 1 o- Browne Islds.. A viii 7' DeHaven, Cape B iv 7 <5 Hansteen Lake. E iii 6 “Q
Antrobus, Cape D vii 1 P Buchan Bay .. E i 5 -o Depot Point’, _ B iv 7' O- I‘Iardwieke, Cp.. B vi 1
Apparent Harb. D iv 3 d Buchan IslandmB viii g Devil’s Point . . B viii 3 Harrison Island E iv 5 9
Apparent Harb. 1) viii 7 Q Bullen, Cape . . C v 2 0- Douglas Bay 15 iii 8 0’ Harry Goodsir
Arlagnuk . . . . . . F. vi 4 -o Bunn Inlet . . . . E v 5 Q Duck Lake, _ _ _ _ (3 iv 7 .0 Inlet . . . . . . . . B iii 2
Armitage Point. D iv 1 Q Bunny, Cape . . C iv 1 d Dudleypiggsg, 13 v11 1 Hathorn, Cape“ D vii 1 <5
Arrowsmith, C. E v 5 d Burnet Inlet . . C v 1 b Dundas Cape . . B i 6 -O Hay, Cape . . . . B i 6 1;
Artists Bay. . . . E ill 6 b Bnrney, Cape . . C vi 5 —o Dunira Bay. . . . A viii Hay, Cape . . . . C vi 4
AssistanceHarb. C iv 1 Bushman, Cove B ii 1 0— Eardley Bay _ _ C v l Q Hearne,Point. . B ii 1 ‘o
Astron. Socy. Is. E iv 2 6 ‘Bushman Isld. . A vii g EardleyWilmot, Il ecla. and Fury
Athol, Cape. . . . A vii 7’ Bute Island. . . . D viii .1 5 Cape . . . . . . . . B iv 9 9 Islands . . . . . . E iv 2 ‘o
Athol, Island . . D iv 7’ o- Byam Strait . B ii 6 b Edgeworth, 01).. E in -o Hecla d: Griper
Atkinson Point. E ii 7 <1) Byam Martin I. B iii 1 Edwards, Cape. B ii 1 Bay . . . . . . . . B ii 2
Autridge Bay . . E v 2 -o Byam Martin 0 vi 0- Edwards, Point. E i 2 9 Helen Island . . E iv 3
Auwuk-too -te- Mountain.. 4 o— Eglinton, Cape. D vii 3 ? Herschel, Cape. B iv 9
ak River . . . D iv 7‘ —0 Byron Bay . . . . E i 1 ‘0 Elizabeth Har. . 1) iv 7 \o Herschel, Cape. E iii 1
Babbage Bay .. 1) iv 4 P Caledon, Cape. . B v 3 Ellice, River .. E ii 7 o’ Hewitt, Cape .. 1) viii 4.
Back Point . . . . E ii 1 ? Calthorpe Islds. E vi 4 o’ Elwin Bay . . . . 0 iv 6 9 Heytesbury, C.. 13) iv 4
A vi _- - v a - , Elwin Bay . . . . C v (3 -o Hiiwston Bay. . viii 6
Bafﬁn Bay . .B }vii Cambndge Ba)" L 1 3 b Engleiield,Cape E v :3 (5 Hogarth Point. B iv 5
C viii Campbell Bay. . E ii .1 g Everitt Point . . E i 4 >- Home Bay . . .. E viii 2
Baffin Islands. . B viii 6 Cargenholm, C.. D Vii 1 \O Fanshawe, Cape 0 vi 5 9 Home, Cape . C v 2
Baillie Hamil- Garrick Moore, Fearnall Bay .. D iv 1 P HoneymanIsld. E v 5 &
ton Island .. B iv 4 Cape . . . . . . .. D iv 4 (5 Felix, Cape . . .. E iii 1 Hooper (,‘ape ., E viii 3
Baker Bay . . . . E v 5 5 Cary Islands . . A vi 9 Felix Harbour.. E it 2 Hooper Inlet . . E v (3
Baker Island . . B iii 9 g Cast1ereagh,Cp. C vi 4 o’ Fellfoot, Cape. . C i\ 3 P Hooper Island. B ii 1 Q
Ballenden Lake E iv 9 Castor & Pollux Finlayson Bayz. E v 3 0/ Hope Bay . . . . E i .5 P
Banks Bay . . . . B vi 7 0— River . . . . .. E iii 9 (5 Finlayson,Isld.. E i 3 P Hopkins Inlet. E v .5 d
Banks Land . B i 5 Caswall’s Tower B iv 8 -0 Fisher, Cape . . A ii 8 Hoppner, Cape. B ii 1 d
Baring Bay. . .. B iv 6 Catharine Islds. E iii 1; A Fishers Islands E i 4 4v HOPPIIBI‘, Cape A Vi 9
Baring Island. . B iii 3 A Chapman, Cape E iv (3 }, Fitzgerald Bay.. 1) iv 3 Horsbnrgh, C . . B vi 7
Barlow Inlet . . B iv 7 2 ChapmanIsland E i 1 b Fitzgerald Isld. E ii 4 H orse’s Head-- 13 viii 3 ?
Barrow Inlet . . E iii 8 Charles York Flinders, Cape.. E i 1 R Hot-ham, Cape. . C iv 1
Barrow Strait. . C iv, v Cape . . . . . . . . C v (3 Foggy Bay . . . . E i (5 Q HoustonStewart‘
Barry, Cape. . . . A vi 9 Cheere Island. . E i .1 2 Four Rivers, Island . . . . . . B iii (3 -o
Bathurst Inlet. . E i 7 Chester Bay . . E ii 3 ‘0 Bay of . . . . . . 0 iii 5) b Howe lj-larbonn. C iii 9 (I)
Bathurst Land . B iii 5 Christian, Cape. D vii (3 1, Franklin Bay . . E v ,5 -o HumphreyHead C v a
Batty Bay . C iv 8 ChristianFrede- Franklin, Cape. C v (3 P Hurd, Cape. . . . A v 9
Bear Island. . . . C ii 9 P rick, Cape . E iii (3 ? Franklin, Cape. i 1 d Hurd, Cape. . . . C iv 3
Beaufort IslndsE iii 2 ‘P Clarence, Cape. B vi 1 Franklin Inlet" E iv 5 @- Igloolik . . . . . . E vi .1 P
Beaufort Land. A B iii Clarence Point. 0 iv (3 0/ Franklin Point. E iii 1 Innes Point. . . . B iv .3 a,
Beeher, Cape . . B iv 1 Clouston Points E iv 9 ? Fury Point . . _ , 0 iv 8 Isabella Bay . . I) viii 7 0-
Bedford Bay .. B ii 9 Q Clyde, River .. D viii 4 Fury dc Hecla , . 1 Isabella, Cape. . A vi 4
Beeehey Bay .. B iv a v, Cobban Point. . E i 2 Q Strait ...~ } R "1 .1 Isabella, Cape. . 12 iii 6 5
139901163’ CaPe- - B i 3 Cobolll'g Bey -- B Vi 7 Galina Point . . E i .1 9 Jackson Inlet. . C iv 9 o-
Beechey Island. B iv 8 Cockburn, Cape B iii 3 Garnier Bay . C i\ .5 \o Jameson, Cape. I) vii 1 —o
BeIllJilmlll Hob- Cockblll'n Isld- - D V Garrett Island. B iii 8 @- Jameson Islnds. E i 4 O’
house Inlet .. C v 1 P Corcoran Point. E v s Q Garry Bay .. . . E v 8 J alncs ROSS’S
gerenls, Clijipleg. _i_v g :8 Golborne, Cape. E i s Garry, Cape. . .. Div 1 Fin-urea . E iii 1
ever ey n e .. 11 o - , _ 4 Garry, River . . E iii 1'; James Ross,
Bfil'el'ley Islds- - E iii 6 0- Commmee B' E w 7 Gascogne Inlet . B i\ 8 £- Strait of . . E iii 2
Bird, Cape . . . . D i\ 1 ‘P CornwallisLandB iv 7 Geddes, Cape , _ E iii 7 \o Jekyll, Lake E iv 1 d
Bisson, Cape .. 1) viii :2 0- Gel-non Bay . E ii 7 q John Barrow Id. A iii 9
Black Bluff . . . . D vii 6 o’ Coronation Cf { E i 1 o- Gili'ord, Cape . . C iv 1 9 Jones Sound .. 1; v 3
Black Inlet - . - - E V Y o- Gilford, River. . E v :3 Kate-1‘, Cape. . .. 1) iv ('3
Gillman, Cape. B iii 4 <5 Kater, Cape. . . . 1) viii a

o’—o —o$o\

The Section
each and all found independent oflatitude and longitude.

KEITH BAY. 7 YOI‘NG ISLAND.
1 Position. Position. , v i Position. ' Position.
NAMES‘ . I’; “_ NAMES —*~ g. _ MIMI-1S A~—,—'-_: _ NAMES d _
or i 7% or or .2 ()F g é
5' F: , s >. a PLACES. i n PLACES. : _,_. PLACES. L, ,, PLACES. 2 Ix'eith Bay . 1", w {I Middle Lake .. E iv 4 6 Providence Cp.. B (I; 5 gtairl, Calpe . . .. A vi 9 Q
Keith Island .. 1;‘, 11 S —0 Milne Island .. I") iii 5 . , _ 2 tan ey tiveiz. E iv 1
Kent Bay .... .. 15 in 2 P Minto Islands. .15 1 c r, Queen 5 Chalm- B 1“ i 3 Stewart Point... E ii 9 o’
Kiel; Cape , _ . 1Q iv 6 Morris, Cape . . A v11 9 Radstock Bay. . B iv S q Stl‘imoll Illlelm U V 1 '0
Knight lsland.- 1) iv 7" q NORM. Cape - - A v 9 Red Head . B viii 3 SugarLoafIsH B vii :3 —o
Kouig, Cape .. E vi 2 ‘P Madge, Cape .. B ii 2 —O Regent Inlet .. C iv Surprise, Point. B iv 4 5
Kruscnstn. Lks. E iv 1 5 MundyHarbour E iv 2 Q\ Rennell, Cape. . C iv 1 Suskowallick .. A vii 3 o—
Kull Island. . . . E iv 5 Q Munro Point .. E i 2 0- Richards Bay . . E v '5 P d
Labyrinth Bay.. E i 6 5’ Murdoch, Cape. A vii 9 Richardson, Cp. E v 8 5 Sussex Mtns. D i 8 5’
Lady Anne Bay. B v 6 Murray Bay . D iv 4 0- Ri¢11a1~d$on_'Pm E 111 8 o 5/
Ladyli‘ranklinC. A iii 8 MurrayMaxivell ltigby Bay . . .. B iv 9 P Thom Bay .. . . E iv 1 P
Lady Melville Inlet . . . . . . .. E v1 1 O- l-tiley Bay . E i 1 P Thom Island . . A viii 7 ‘P
Lake . . . . . . . . E ii 4 0\ Navy'Board In.. C v 6 Riley, Cape. . .. B iv 8 Three Capes .. B i 2
Lady Parry Id.. E iv 2 —0 Neill I’Ol't - - - - C iv 9 q Robertson,Cape A vi 5 Thunder Cove. . E iii .‘ —0
Lancaster Snd.. C v, vi Nias, Cape E viii 1 O- Roper, Cape . D xiii 5* Todd Islands .. E iii P
Lang, River .. 1) iv 1 -0 Nias Point B ii 2 ‘P Rosamond Cape C v 2 Q 'l‘oonoodleed B. E iv 4 9
Lax Isl. d: Har. E iv 2 o— Nicolai 1st Cape D iii 8 Rosen Island .. I) iv 7 d Trap, Cape .. . . E i 3 5
Leopold, Cape. B vi l North ChanneluB iv 1 Ross Point . . .. B ii ‘i -0 'l‘ulloch Point.. E iii .3‘ 5
Leopold IslandC iv 6 North Somerset 0 iv Ross Point . . .. l‘l iii 8 0, TurnagainPoint E i 1
Leopold, Port.. (3 iv 6 Ogden Bay . . . . E ii 8 lioxborough, C.. E i b‘ 5 Twins . . . . . . .. E iv 5 P
Lewis, Cape . A viii 7 Ogle Point . . .. E iii 8 -<1 Sabine, Cape . E iii 2 0’ Union River .. 0 iv 7 P
Liddon, Gulf . . 13 ii 1 Ooglit . . . . . . . . E vi 7’ Sabine Island. . B ii 2 Victoria, Cape. . E iii 2 -0
LiddOll, Island“ E v 3 O— Ooglit Island .’. E vi 4 A Sabine Islands. A viii 7 Victoria Hal-1).. E iv 2 P
Limestone Isld. 0 iv 1 5 Operniwick . . . . B viii 6 5 Saiunarcz, Cape A vi 5 Victoria Island. D i.Ei
Lindsay, Cape. . B v 6 ()’Reilly Island. E iii 7’ Scoresby, Cape. D iv 4 Q Wadworth Isld.. 0 iii 6 Q
Liverpool, Cape 0 vi 5 Ormond Island. E v 3 Q Scoresby, Cape. B iv 4 -o Wakcham Pnt. . B ii 4 5
Lofty Cliﬂ‘ . . . . 1) vii O- Osborn, Cape . . B v 9 d Scott Inlet . . . . 1) vii 2 Walker Bay. . . . E i 4 -0
Logan Port- - -. D iv 4 b Osborne, Cape. B iv 8 Scott Point. . .. n iii 6 Y Walker, Cape .. A viii 7
Lord Lindsay R. E iv 1 -0 Oscar Bay . . .. E iii 3 O— Seddon, Cape . . A viii 8 Walker, Cape .. 0 iii 3
Lord Mayor’s B. E iv 1 1" Owen, Lake. . . . 11‘. iv 1 O— Selkirk Bay. . . . I". v 8 ‘o 1, Bay . . . E iii 1. 0-
Low Point . . . . D viii ‘l 5 Palmer Point.. B ii :3 $ Selkirk, Cape .. E iii 9 0’ Walter Bathurst
Lowther Island. 13 iii 9 Palmerston, Cp. D iv 7 Separation Pnt. B iv 7 -0 Ca - - . - - - - - C vi 5
McClintock Op. (3 iv 5 5 Parry Bay . . . . E i 5 0- Seppings, Cape. 0 iv ‘3 0\ Warrender Bay. E i 5
Mcdonall, Cape. 1) iv 4 -0 Parry, Cape. . . . E iii 2 5 Shackleton Cp__ B viii (i Warrender, (11).. C v 3
McGillivravBay E iii 7 d Pam", Cillle- - - ~ E V 5 P Sherer, Mount. . (J iiv 9 ? Waterfall . . . . .. C iv e‘ d
Mackenzie Inlet E v 5 ‘P P . , I 1 d { A i, ii Sheriff Harbour E iv 1 0 Wellington Bay D i 9 o-
Maclotighlin 13.. n iii 7 P “"5 3 an s B i, ii Simpson Pen- 1, . 9 0-- Wellington B i 7
Macloughlin o.. E v s o- Parry Point .. E i 1 -o 1118.11,], ,,__ i J 1" ' o- Strait l’ s
Maconochie Id.. E iii 8 4‘ Pateshall, Cape. B v 8 5 Simpson Strait" E iii 7 W. G. Smith 13.. E v 8 P
McTavish Point E ii 8 i Peakcd Hill .. D vii G P Simpson’s Fur- Whale Sound . . A vi 6
Maculloch Cape (1 vi 9 Pechell Point. . E iii 8 ‘v thest . . . . . . .. E iv 7 Whaler Point .. 0 iv (5 0-
Magnetic Pole. . E iii 2 Peel, Cape .. . E i 2 5 Sir J miles ROSS’ Whitl‘cn Inlet . . E v s o-
Maneetkalig Peii‘er, River .. E iii 8 o— Peninsula ,_ E iv 5 5 White, Cape . A vi 0
Mount . . . . . . E iv 1 b 1, 11 ,B r E . R 5 SirJOhn Frank. White Bear Pnt. E ii 7’ o-
Marcet Island. . E i 4 a e 3 a} ' ‘ " W ' 5 lin, Cape . . . . A iii 9 Whyte Inlet - E V 2 b
Maria Gloria, C. E iii 3 Polly, Mount . . E ii 1 g Skagavoke . . . . E iv 4 P Wilcox Point .. Bviii 3 P
Martin IslandsuE iv 2 ? Petowaak . . . . . . B vii 1 Skene Bay . . . . B ii 5 Willersted Lake E iv I o—
l\[artyr, Cape . . (1 iv 1 —o Pingitkalik . . . . E vi 4 Skene’s Islands A vii 9 0\ WilmOt Bay - E ill 7 9
Mary Jones’s Poctes Bay . . .. E iii 6 \8, Skeoch Bay, _ _ _ E vi 1 Q Wilmot Islands. E i 4- “7
Ba . . . . . . .. E iv 1 0, Ponds Bay .. .. C vi 8 Smith Point . 1:) iii 7 0- Winter Harb. . . B ii 4
Matty Island .. E iii 6 d Porden IslandsE i 4 0 Smith Sound .. A vi 4 Wollaston
Maxwell Bay . . B iv 9 Possession Bay. 0 vi 5 Sinythe, Cape. F. iii 5 5 Gran . . . . .. D viii 8 P
Melbourne Isld. E ii 4 Possession, Ma. 0 vi :3 Q Snares Island. . C iii 2 Wollaston Isld.. 0 vi 4 5
Melville Bay . . A vii 9 Ponncet Island. D iv S o- Somerville Isld. C iii 3 -o Wolstenholme
Melville, Cape. . A vii 8 Powell Inlet . . C v 1 5 Sons of the Island . . . . . . B vi 3
Melville Island. B ii President Bay.. B iv 8 ClergyIslands E iv 4. b Wolstenholme
Melville’sMonw Pressure, Cape. 0 iv 4 -0 Sophia, Cape . . A iii 9 Sound . . . . .. B vii 7’
ment . . . . . . . . A viii 7’ P Prince Alfred B. B iv 2 South Channel..B iv 4 York, Cape . . . . B vii 2
Melville Penin E V, \‘i Prince Regent‘s Sowallick Point A vii R 5’ York, Cape . - C v 4
. ,- , -. , - , Bay . . . . . . .. A vii 8 S. ence Bay. . . . l'l iii 13 5 Young Islant .. 0 iii 2 o’
Mehllh’ 5nd‘ i I‘ 1 a Princess Char- SgencerLCape . B iv R d
lotte Montnn. B vi 4

is a piece of the Admiralty North Polar Chart, 18-19, and of the same scale. The whole
area embraced is 655 geograpl'tical miles by 1000.
Artiﬁcial features, such as villages or towns, there are none.
The named localities, all natural, number about 492, of which there are on our section 167; the abscntees, trans—
posed from the Admiralty two-sheet Chart of Art-tic America, 18-19, and introduced by symbols. amount to 31:’),
DISTRIBUTION OF ANIMALS AVAILABLE AS FOOD IN THE
ARCTIC REGIONS.*
I.-—NOR'r11 STAR, Master Saunders, wintered at Wolstenholme Sound, Sep-
tember 30th to August 1st, 1849-50; during the whole period obtained
but ﬁfty hares and a few wild ducks; several foxes also shot—Nautical
Illagazine, November 1850.
IL—ENTERPRISE and INVESTIGATOR, Captain J. 0. Ross, wintered in Port
Leopold 1848-49. Account kept on board the last named vessel shows
the “number of birds killed to have amounted to about 4,000, yielding
near 2,500 lbs. of meat. But more than this was obtained if the number
shot by individuals for amusement, and not always noted, be included.—
Na'atioal Magazine, XIX, p. 166.
IIL-Sir John Ross, when at Boot/z-ia Felix, 1829-33, found musk oxen,
deer, bears, foxes, hares, &c., frequent; and partridges, ptarmigans,
and ducks, numerous. Salmon were very abundant in the lakes—in
one instance (see Voyage, p. 583) 3,378 were taken at a single haul.
The ﬁsh averaged, when cleaned, 3lbs.
I V.—Sir W. E. Parry, wintering at Melville Island, 1819-20, found Polar hare
very abundant—considerable numbers shot during the summer as a
supply of provisions for the ships’ companies—average weight about 8lbs.
Musk oxen, only three killed. Rein-deer in considerable numbers from
May to October—twenty-four were killed during that interval. Snow
bunting very numerous. Rock grouse in great abundance—are easily
killed, especially in the breeding season, when the female will suffer
herself to be taken on the nest. Killed in considerable numbers at
Melville Island as a supply of provisions to the ships’ companies. Golden
plover in considerable abundance. Ring plover abundant on the shores
of Possession Bay and Prince Regent’s Inlet. Brent goose in great
numbers on the island. King duck very abundant.
V.—Parry (1821-23) referring to Melville Peninsula, says (Voyage, p. 512),
that “ the rein-deer are killed by the Esquimaux in great abundance in
the summer season. For several weeks in the course of the year the
natives retire to the banks of lakes in the interior, which they represent
as abounding with salmon, while the pasture near them aﬁ'ords good
feeding to numerous herds of deer.”

* Where the vegetable matter of the earth's surface is carpeted with snow, the purity of the air
must be great, and high winds, unchecked by forests, must convey horizontally any scent to an
amazing distance; but to the keen noses of carnivorous creatures, the smoke and fumes from fried
animal matter must be enticing from an immense range. It is comforting to think that this power
of allnrement will assist Franklin‘s means of eking out his existence.
Extract from (page 75) Captain Beechc'y’s North Polar Voyage, H.M.S. DOROTHEA and TRENT,
under Captain David B-uchan.
“ We set-ﬁre to some sea-horse fat, in order to entice within reach of our muskets any bears that
might be ranging the ice. About midnight, the agreeable odour of the burnt blubber brought a
white bear within musket range, which we killed and captured.”
9
VI.-Ar.c'rrc SEARCHING EXPEDITIONS, 1850-51. (From Arrows-mith’s
recent llfap.) The following are Lieut. McClintock’s and Capt. Penny’s
accounts of animals killed or seen.
LIEUT. MCCLINTOCK (in Melville Island). CAPT. PENNY (in Victoria Channel).
Musk Oxen . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 killed. . . . 46 seen. Ptarmigans. .3 killed—many more seen.
Rein Deer . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 “ . . . . 34 “ Ducks . . . . . .many shot-—thousands more seen.
Bears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 “ . . . . 10 “ Sea Fowl of all sorts—numerous.
Wolf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 “ . . . . 0 “ Foxes . . . . . . . .a few seen.
Hares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 “ . . . . 81 “ Bears . . . . . . . .4 killed—35 seen.
Lemming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 “ . . . . 0 “ Seals . . . . . . . . . .3 killed—abundance seen.
Ptarmigans . . . . . . . . . . ..20 “ . . . . 8O “ Walrus . . . . . . ..1 killed—abundance seen.
Ravens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 “ . . .. 0 “ Rein Deer .. . .1 killed—aherd of 2001' 30 seen.
‘Snow Owls and Snow Buntings seen. Hares . . . . . . . .14 killed.

BACK KEY OF REFERENCE.
WELLINGTON CHANNEL SECTION.
(315 PLACES.)
To ﬁnd a Name ﬁ'om the Symbol and Compartments, &c. upon the Map.
EXAMPLE—What place is indicated by -0 (West), compartment g} , in B iv
square ?
In the Table of Reference, under B iv square, in the ﬁrst column stands
_9_'| and opposite the symbol -0 (West), bracketed on to the , stands Cape
Herschel, the name sought.
SYMBOL?

w BRACKETS.
“oﬂnwtsr bdw'ﬂqsr 1 a | ‘i
__wss"rlo OJZEAST“ 10 4 5 l u
soon: “1562311?” Ens‘ 7' b‘ l 5'
T Squale S uare S .re Q
I\AMES t; A NAMES 4?". NAMES 4331i? NAMES (‘PM NAMFs
‘ L O 9 ,_ .0 __ a F; .lk
PLZEES Pg OF E OF 9? OF 43 E OF
, a :-¢ :1 F 93 E
l
B viii D iv E " ' ‘ W
. , . 11 E
Dalrymple Rock 6 { g Hingston Bay ‘P Cp. Heytesbury, 1 9’ Mount Pelly 1% Sheriff Harb
. a Opernlwick P Babbage Bay P Back Point 1 l q” Lord Mavor’s B.
smwmick Point (3 1 1 4 *) Cape McDoual —0 Brown Point 0- Lax Id and Bar.
Plasma—11.11101; Q 6 Young Island 2 £01311??? 4 b Fitzgerald Isms 0‘ Mundy Hm‘
S s» f d ( a sen-Bay 2 2: 0_ mp6 Tmmte » e < '_ ‘ a we 10 oria arb.
Thom Ishl 1 q Wddworth Isld. 0- i‘znthol Island _ N 0- Y‘Vlnte Bear Put. -0 Lady Parry Id.
Melville‘ :WIC ? Howe Harbour 0‘ ‘ lght Island I O‘ (‘831011 Bay Hecla‘urm'ylsls
mam bi onu- P B e M Island N ? C/p._P,aln1erston ‘R Atkinson Point Astron. Socy. Is.
. __0 Cape Guulman r ‘ 5) Elixirs Islands P Blackwood Put. 0/ Middle Lake
B 1 \0 Bay of Foul. Lggi‘llgitoo-te-als S { g? Islland oq- ivllllersted Lake
C l 'l' ' . ’ l 1 es er a] a Y M ll'll L.
6% :20 Gig: gggdrts Y “1115523 I m L )3 glllﬂbxellil'l Har. 9 g lSYIcTavish lgnt. (P Toodood‘le‘eld B.
3 L Us J one s _ ape; 111 ton tewart Po’ '0 S' 0 ’ '
____ ( apel loudence d Cape Bunny 8 O— Pouncet Isglgand E ' ' ' m {)9 Sldggabg'kshe
1c]; C H 8; gap: ikInute 1) vii l a Wall Pay Clergy Islds.
tape . o) ner a- far 3'1‘ ’ g ‘ ’; - Sir J - - ’
o- Buslnnad 18love 0‘ Cwmmgha'm In‘ (c; gouttg Inlet q Culgruﬂ Pomt b Penaiisulisss s
0\ Hooper Island 3 C‘IPe Gifford p Cfipe , Outts 9 Byeaufort Isms‘ I 6 Cape Kiel‘
‘P Point Nias Cape Fenfoot l —0 G‘Lpe Inﬂows )3 {mm Bay - 0- Fmnkli-n Inlet
P point Reid --0 Cape Pressure Cap‘; §lmeson 2 “0 ("We Vlctol'la Q Kull Island
_0 Cape Mudﬂe Gunner Bay 3 p. a1 genholin 2 Cape Gloucester S, Harrison 181
Point Hague op. McClintock 0, ggveﬂathom CW6 Paul’ L P Twins 8'
2 PM.“ Wakehmn d Clarence Point 2 { o__ almltoil Bay d Cape Sabine -0 Cape Berens
0/ (is ,8 H11. 0— Whaler Point Lott-V Chff 3 O— Oscm’ Bay 6 -
“'1 i be 6 . . . 3 ‘P Ca e Folinton q C 1 " P Cape Chapman
0- Cape Bounty q Cape b‘"J‘Pllmgs p P pk 7° - {L136 Mama 6
q Deal)’, Islmla Q Elwin Bay 6] b Cea- ed H_111_ ’ Gloria 8 <5 }Pelly Bay
9 Palmer Point N P Union River [ ape Ohms?“ 4 g ? Cal)e Herschel 0/ Helen I -1' 1
P Beverley Inlet 1 _0 Duck Lake D Black Bluﬁ i gladlnan Point o_ S. 5 am
_0 Point ROSS 8 { b Adam-(16133), V111 5 . apeEdgewm-th j o_ Impson Pen
b Byam Strait g: t 1 E) ﬁgnes Monumt l3 9 l 0\ Lake Ballenden
-.. z- < 1 e ' ‘ *- -' '
111 v 9 { q Port Neill 4 a: o, Bait‘; f o, Matty 18km d ? Clouston Points
6 Em‘mg Island 9 Mount Sherer 0- Isabella Bay 0— Beverley Isms‘ E v
<5 APB Gll‘lnan v 7' Q Apparent Harb 0‘ Poems Bay P Cape Hallow“
-o HoustonStewtJ _ _ o . 1 ' ? Cape Christian —0 Autrid *e B ' '
B _ _ Alenandel Inlet . . I» “I
d Amson Inlet P enyannn IIob 8 P W 1‘ rederick B h ~te Inlet
C h t I ‘12. 1 house Inlet - ollast-onGroup V p w 3 I
@- wanet s 111( ‘ - 6< 3- (13117 Cape Engleheld
q Redford Bay -0 Strill-£011 Inlet E 1 '0 Lake Hlansteen o’ Amherst Island
? ginger Island S 1111161111; -° Iiarry Point 2 artists’ Bay 0- Liddon Island
Lo wwne Island 3 '_ s n e b Byron Bay ‘ tape Isabella Q Ormond Island
v d 1)1f‘1)101\l111% t3(311111- a Cape Franklin E Spence Bay P Cape Parry
‘ 1 (Y n e Ca e Flinder Catharine I l . ' ' '
-o (gape Sg‘coresby o- Capg Bullen P Rilpey Bay S P Y Scott Points ds I) 51121113511131?”
5 1 oint burprise Q Cape Rosamond <5 Cape Peel f o’ McGillivrayBay d Hopkin’s 3Inlet
d KrgintdDeoision ? EardleyBay O— Munro Point O- Smith Point ' o- Whitfen Inlet
o— B 01in Bay P Cape 1* rankhn Q Cobban Point 0\ Grant Point Q Bunn Inlet
b Pal 2W 1r Yet -0 Elwin Bay ; Edwards Point 7< 9 Wilmot Bay Q’ Mackenzie In.
-0 out. I gpaiTaqnnonw 5 Cape Chas. York Finlayson Islds. P McLoughlin B. o C. Arrowsmith
oé lggllnet Giimilllvell Ti -0 Cape Alexander '0 }Afle]aid9 P 811- 4" Honey-‘man Id.
0_ Dépét Point ‘5 Wollaston Isds. \o } Cambridge B. L _o m§um Y Black Inlet
6 Innes Point 6 CD Castlereagh 3 C _ ( ‘g gage (reddes P Emmi—111$ Bay
d Cape Spencer 0-
B-mm Martin I d J ape Twp 0’ DH glzhpomt a) Blahardson
Beechev _ o_ Mountains ameson Islds. Out, 8% Bay 5 I<1nlayson Bay
b Bay 0.. o_ P P ﬁe . _
_o caswalrs Tdwel Q Mnt. Possession . o_ Coronation q R“ ePm- 0“ Op ' “helm-‘$121111
9 Cape Grhmen ‘P Cape Fanshawe 0_ Gulf ? 33in Igldlgt 2; (Gjgrcofl‘aln 1Ddomt
‘ r s. ‘ _ _ on s ‘
o-
nle gilet '5 Egg: ? Galina Point 34‘ P Todd Islands P W. G. Snililth B.
D (‘a e < Moore —0 Walker Bay —0 Thunder Cove -0 Halkett Point
9 J pr a1 ey (5 C NI 5 Chapmanlslgmd 0 Richardson Pt. Selkirk Ba
“111mm ape I aculloch , - - - y
Bi _b ’ B . g) Mal-Get Island p Maconoclne Id. Amitioke
P Cage-£13?’ h 1 1 O Por'den Islands "<1 Ogle Point vi
.0 p , sc e oI A Cheere Islands 1” P9011611 Point 6 Ca e Grifﬁth
v 8; d Sussex Mtns. w" Wilmot Islands L i Burrow Inlet o- MdJrra "VI ’
Cape Pateshall d . >- Point Everitt 08's?“ & Pollux Welly-51116?-
E Cunningham 9 o— Welhngton Bay K 4» Fisher’s Islands 9 * Rlvel‘ _ o\ Skeoch Ba
Mountains D iv a Parry Bay ___.2’ Cape Selklrk 2 5’ Cape Konig
0/ Cape ()sborn q Armitage Point r q Melville Si E -v P Ixglloolik
. . O _O - .
g V1 B k , B ‘P Cape Blrd (P Warrender Bay . 0— Lake Owen 4 b pilﬁﬁiik
, 0. an ss ay 1 P Feainall Bay P Hope Bay Q Mary Jones’s B. (I, ()0 8fit I 1 1
3 vii -0 Lang" River -0 Buchan Bay ‘1’ R. Stanley 0/ (mlgthor SeaIn .
1 {q Petowaak 2 Browns Island 2 Minto Islands 1 P Thom Bay 7 d Ag-wissgowii 5'
Grlmble Islands Cape Roxboro’ - -0 Lord Lindsay R. —~"
_ , 3 o’ Apparent Harb. 6 d Labyrinth Bay Mt. Maneetkali Hm se s Head NI ' '
3 . Wile“ Point 4 g o- ;‘111'rayBa.y o- Dease Points KrusensternLk 1 0— Cape Nias
7' . Q (,ape Scoresby Q Foggy Bay k. 4 Lake Jekyll 3 Q Brodie Bay

Sugar Loaf Isl.
ll
THE
ARCTIC EXPLORING EXPEDITIONS.
( Extracted from the Nautical Magazine, October 1851.)
A REVIEW 01* THE PROCEEDINGS or THE ARcTIc SEARCHING EXPEDITIONS,
under the Command of Captain H. T. Austin, 0.3., and Captain .Penng,
with the recent despatches.
“ ARcTIc intelligence which concerns so numerous a portion of our country-
men abroad, and therefore deeply interesting to us at home, has now become
of so much importance, that we need offer no other reason for allowing it to
occupy so large a share of our attention. We shall, therefore, not only
gratify our own readers now, but our absent_voyagers hereafter, by preserv-
ing a full record of their gallant doings.
“ Captain Penny has returned with his ship the LADY FRANKLIN,* and has
brought ‘ favourable’ intelligence, for such is the concluding sentence of the

* With the view of facilitating a reference to the names of all the vessels and theirseveral oﬁicers
on these expeditions, we insert here the following list of them.
I.—H.M.S. REsoLU'rE—Captatn, Horatio T. Austin; Licutenants, R. D. Aldrich, William H. J.
Browne; Master, Robert C. Allen; Surgeon, Abraham R. Bradford; Pa'gmaster and Parser, John
E. Brooman; Mates, Richard B. Pearse, Walter W. May, John P. Cheyne; Assistant Surgeon,
Richard King; Second Master, George F. M‘Dougal.
II.—H.l\’I.S. AssIsrANcE—Captain, Erasmus Ummanney; Dteutenants, Francis L. M‘Clintock,
James E. Elliott, George F. Mecham; Surgeon, James J. L. Donnett; Mates, George R. Keene,
Richard V. Hamilton; Assistant Surgeon, Charles Ede; Second Master, Frederick J. Krabbé ; Clerk in
Charge, Edward N. Harrison; Clerk, Charles Richards, (b).
III.—H.M.S. PIONEER, steam tender to REsoLu'rH—L-ie-utenant, Sherard Osborn; Assistant
Surgeon, Thomas R. Pickthorne; Second Master, John H. Allard.
Iv.—H.M.S. INTREPII), steam tender to Assrs'mnon—L-ieutenant, B. Cator; Assistant Surgeon,
John Ward (a); Second Master, William Shellabeer. ’
V.—-LADY FRANKLIN.—Captain, W. Penny; Ea‘ecut'ioe, First Mate, Mr. John Marshall; Second
Mate, Mr. John Leiper; Third Mate, Mr. John Stewart; Surgeon, Mr. Thomas Goodsir ; Interpreter,
Mr. Petersen.
VL—SOPHIA, tender to the IIADY FRAN Emu—Captain, Alexander Stewart, Commander; Emeeut-ice,
First Mate, Mr. Donald Manson; Second Mate, Mr. James Reid; Surgeon, Mr. Peter Sutherland.
vII.-—FELIX.—Captain, Sir John Ross, R,N., accompanied by Commander Phillips.
vIIL—MARY, yacht tender to FELIX.
IX.—U.S.S. ADVANCE.—-Li6ufcna7tt Commander, E. J. De Haven (Philadelphia), Commander of the
Expedition; Master (acting), W. H. Meerdaugh (Norfolk); Midshipman, W. S. Lovell (New York);
Surgeon, Dr. Kane; Crew, 15. -
x.—-U.S.S. RESCUE—Master Commander, Passed Midshipman, J. P. Griiﬁn (Savannah); Master
(acting), R. B. Carter (Virginia); Jlfidshipman, —— Brooks; ,S'argeon, Dr. Vruland (New York);
Crew, 13. .
X:.-THE PRINCE ALBERT, commanded by Mr. Kennedy, sailed for Prince Regent's Inlet in May
last. The vessels under the orders of Captain Austin sailed in May 1650.
We also add here the ENTERPRISE and INVESTIGATOR, having gone to the Polar Sea by Behring
Straits in January 1850.
xIL—ENTERPRIsR.—Capta-in, R.Collinson, C.B.; L-ieutenants, George A. Phayre, John J .Barnard;
Additional, Charles T. J ago; Surgeon, Robert Anderson; Mates, MR1‘. Parkes, Rowland T. G. Legg;
Assistant Surgeon, Edw. Adams; Second Master, Francis Skead; Clerk in Charge, Edw, Whitehead.
XIIL—INVESTIGATOR.—(]0mmdndc1‘, Robert J. L. M. McClure; Lieutenant-s, William H. Haswell,
Samuel G. Cresswell; Surgeon, Alexander Armstrong, M.l).; Blates, Robert J. Wynniatt, Henry H.
Sainsbury; Assistant Surgeon, Henry Piers; Second Master, Stephen Court.
12
despatch with which he was charged by Captain Austin. We congratulate
Captain Penny on his safe arrival, as well as his own brave followers who
have contributed so much to produce the favourable aspect which the whole
subject has now assumed. Painful as it is to contemplate the condition of
Franklin and his people, locked up so long from us, it seems to have fallen
to the lot of Captain Penny to clear up in a great degree the perplexing
doubts which have hitherto existed as to the route adopted by him in 1846.
His letters, as well as Captain Austin’s despatches, are before the world, and
we hope in the course of these remarks to shew to our readers that by the
knowledge we have gained of Wellington Strait, the prospect of further infor-
mation respecting the missing expedition assumes a very fair degree of
probability.
“While Captain Austin and his oﬂicers were examining every portion of
coast which led towards .Melville Island, removing all possible speculations
that Franklin had adopted the route to Behring Strait by the southward and
westward, Captain Penny and his party were exploring new ground up the
Wellington Strait, and with sledges and boats have opened out a navigation
leading to the north—westward of the Parry Islands, which by many is
believed to be that which was adopted by Franklin. We, however, do not
join in this opinion, and these are our reasons for thus differing from so
general an assumption. Wellington Strait is the contracted outlet of this
navigation into Barrow Strait, and the ice brought by winds and tides from
the north—west obstructs its passage, and hence becomes mostly impassable.
It was closed during the late visit of our ships; and although to all appear-
ance it was open when passed and repassed in 1819 and 1820 by Sir Edward
Parry, it must be remembered that he would be able to see about twelve or
fourteen miles only from the entrance, and it is not likely that he could say
whether this channel, of forty-ﬁve miles in length, was open or not.
“ Franklin having passed his ﬁrst winter at Beeokeg Island, took care beyond
a doubt fully to acquaint himself with the nature and extent of the icy
barrier, which we have reason to conclude so effectually bound his entrance
into Penny’s open sea beyond it, and which his reconnoitring parties must
have discovered; and therefore seeing the impossibility of cutting his way
through (for we learn from Captain Penny that such an attempt would have
been fruitless when he was there), he might then have abandoned all hope
of passing through that channel, retrace his course through Barrow Strait,
and hasten at once to the northward up Baﬂin Bag, with the natural con-
clusion that Jones or Smith Sound offered the only probable road for reach—
in g it.
“ Much has been said about the hurry in which Franklin left his winter
quarters at Beeoheg Island, and that it had the appearance of a retreating
party. We do not exactly understand what is meant by hurry and retreating.
True it is, and much to be lamented, that no written document has been
found there, to throw any light on his intended proceedings; but in our
opinion had Sir John Franklin passed by that strait,* he would have left
some document to say so, and as he failed in his attempt, it is quite possible
that he might have thought it unnecessary to leave memoranda at each

, * This reasoning is hardly applicable here. Assume the ice to have suddenly cleared in the West
Channel, would he not have “ hurried” oﬁ'? Would it not have been, quick! quick! ! bear a hand
everywhere and with everything? Till he had actually passed the Strait he could leave no docu-
ment; and as to his intended proceedings, his beingwhere he was shewed what his intentions were;
and if Franklin found an opening into that“ clear sea” seen by Penny, most assuredly he dashed into
it, with his eagle eye and keen mind looking only forward to the bow, not one instant would he
spare to heave-to and send a boat ashore to put up a post; no, he would naturally say, “We will do
that when we are stopped and can advance no farther this season.” What evidence have we that
Penny’s open sea was not open in 1846-7-8-9? and, IF it was clear water there, would Franklin leave
so promising a range of navigable water bearing away to the tempting north-west, and expanding
' in width ‘from twenty miles to upwards of fort ' miles ? Would he be likely to turn his back on these
hopeful appearances, seen, and consequently believed, to run due east past Cape Warrender about
one hundred and sixty ‘1111168, and about one hundred more miles due north to Jones‘s ten miles wide
Sound, with no ascertained promising points of encouragement ? I think not.
13
point of failure, and considered that the unequivocal mark of his visit, with-
out comment, might serve to demonstrate his abandonment of the route by
Wellington Strait.*
“ Captain Austin was fully aware that Captain Penny’s orders were ‘ in the I
ﬁrst instance specially to examine Jones Sound’,~proceeding by it in the
direction of Wellington Strait, and on to the Parry Islands, and this not
having been done, was an additional inducement for Captain Austin to pro-
secute his search in that direction. And yet opinions appear to be enter-
tained both for and against the probability of Captain Austin’s return to
England, in the course of the present autumn, although there is no part of
his despatch that can in any way warrant the former conclusion.
“ We are disposed to believe that the return of Captain Austin’s expedition
this year will entirely depend upon the success or failure of his attempt to
reach Penny’s open sea by Jones Sound. Should this prove an available
channel, it is a manifest absurdity to expect Austin home this winter. Is it
likely that any officer, much more one of Captain Austin’s zeal and devotion
to the cause in which he is embarked, would go to Jones Sound, merely to
reconnoitre the entrance and then return? And is it not equally certain,
that if he once penetrated into the open sea by that Sound, he could not
return to England this year if he would?
“ On the other hand, if Captain Austin ﬁnds Jones Sound impassable, or a
blind channel, we confess that we are at a loss to know what better step he
could take than to return with his ships to England, and start afresh in the
spring of next year!‘
“ But for the solution of these and many other questions which it presents,
we must patiently wait the issue of time, or perhaps in the midst of our
speculations, the arrival of that hardy old seaman Sir John Ross with the
next despatch from Captain Austin himself; satisﬁed we may be that every-
thing at home has been done that could be, and that as much has been
eifected abroad as circumstances permitted, and as even the most sanguine
amongst us could have expected.
“ Opinions of parties who appear to be ill-informed on this subject have
been freely delivered, condemning Captain Austin’s proceedings, and pro-
ducing an impression on the public mind highly unfavourable to that officer.
To say the least, this is not only unfair, but it is ungenerous. The whole
subject is not only important at the present moment, but it is most especially
necessary, that clear and comprehensive views should be taken of it, so that
the real motives which are directing Captain Austin’s (we will say judicious)
exertions should be clearly understood.
“ The expedition under Captain Austin has been pronounced a failure—the
fairest expedition which ever left this country has been declared ineffective,
because its leader has chosen to adopt a course under circumstances that he
considers to be the most 'proper one, but which does not appear to be under-
stood by these writers. One speaks of Franklin taking the middle passage
across the bay as an index of his knowledge of the subject, when he ought to
know that Franklin’s ships adopted the usual track through Melville Bay,
and were last seen in the parallel of Lancaster Sound, in the upper part of
the bay, standing for its entrance. Again Captain Austin is blamed for
turning his back on Wellington Channel, when he had satisﬁed himself that
the passage by Cape Walker was closed against him, and for intimating his
intention of pursuing his search by Jones Sound.
“ It is asked why did not Austin proceed up Wellington Channel? For this
plain reason we may answer, because he saw that unhappily there lay a stout
barrierI of ice between him and the open sea beyond it of some twenty or

* What proof have we that the I'Vellington Strait was abandoned?
+ Where to go ? and what to attempt? '
i Surely if this “ barrier" was so deliberately seen as it was, we might expect a closer estimate of’
its extent than a jump of ton miles, from twenty to thirty. This very barrier is the key, the whole
key, and nothing but the key, to the entire question.
l4
thirty miles ‘extent, which not only it was impossible for his ships to pene-
trate, but in all probability had been equally fatal to the progress of Sir
.. John Franklin’s. This we consider to be a sound reason why Austin turned
his back on Wellington Channel and for pursuing his search by Jones Sound.
We must not lose sight of the main object of Captain Austin’s expedition.
It is simply, if possible, to trace step by step the missing ships in their pro-
gress, and we therefore quite agree with him in the conclusion at which he
arrived, or at least such is our construction of its meaning—that having
made up his mind that Franklin after failing in Wellington Strait, had gone
to Jones Sound, he would at once follow him there, rather than penetrate the
icy barriers of that strait even if it had been practicable. For let us ask
what possible service towards the great object of Austin’s expedition would
have resulted, had his ships reached Queen Victoria Channel, and thence
pushed on to the north-west with the unhappy chance of having left the
missing ships behind them! This dilemma Austin has wisely avoided.
“But we will now refer to the opinions of our most experienced and emi-
nent ofﬁcers on ‘the necessity of not only exploring Jones Sound as intended
by the Admiralty orders, but of the probability of that being the route which
was adopted by Sir John Franklin, and these we ﬁnd in a useful little volume
from the pen of Mr. P. L. Simmonds, which appeared only a few months ago.
“ Sir F. Beaufort says, Sir John Franklin is not a man to treat his orders
with levity,* and, therefore, his ﬁrst attempt was undoubtedly made in the
direction of Melville Island to the westward. If foiled in that attempt, he
naturally hauled to the southward, and using Ban/es Land as a barrier
against the northern ice, he would try to make westing under its lee.
Thirdly, if both of these roads were found closed against his advance, he
perhaps availed himself of one of the four passages between Parrg Islands,
including the Wellington Channel—or, lastly, he may have returned to Baﬂin
Bag, and taken the inviting opening of JonesSound.
“ Sir E.Parry says, and this idea receives no small importance from the fact
(said to be beyond a doubt) of Sir John Franklin having before his departure
expressed such an intention in case of failing to the westward: ‘ Much stress
has likewise been laid, and I think not altogether without reason, on the
propriety of searching Jones and Smith Sound in the north—eastern part of
Bctﬁln Bag. Considerable interest has lately been attached to Jones Sound,
from the fact of its having been recently navigated by at least one enterpris-
ing Whaler, and found to be of great width, free from ice, with a swell from
the westward, and having no land visible from the mast-head in that direc~
tion. It seems more than probable, therefore, that it may be found to com-
municate with Wellington Strait; so that if Sir John Franklin’s ships have
been detained anywhere to the northward of the Parry Islands, it would be
by Jones Sound that he would probably endeavour to effect his escape,
rather than by the less direct route of Barrow Strait. I do not myself
attach much importance to the idea of Sir John Franklin having so far
retraced his steps as to come back through Lancaster Sound, and recommence
his enterprise by entering Jones Sound; but the possibility of his attempting
his escape through this ﬁne opening, and the report (though somewhat
vague) of a cairn of stones seen by one of the Whalers on a headland within
it, seems to me to render it highly expedient to set this question at rest by
a search in this direction, including the examination of Smith Sound.’
“ Sir J. Richardson observes also, ‘ With respect to Jones Sound, it is ad-
mitted by all who are intimately acquainted with Sir John Franklin, that
his ﬁrst endeavour would be to act up to the letter of his instructionsfi‘ and

* Certainly not; but from the very nature of things these orders must be based 011 contingencies,
hedged in with IFS. Where the packed ice says No, it peremptorily dictate-s, “disobey your orders,
and obey me.”
4- Yes, if the ice would let him; but. here the ice dictates and will take no denial; and the best
reasoning on the whole subject is that which is based on the probable or improbable, and the pos-
sible or impossible condition of the ice.
15
that, therefore, he would not lightly abandon the attempt to pass Lancaster
Sound. From the logs of the Whalers year after year, we learn that when
once they have succeeded in rounding the middle ice, they enter Lancaster
Sound with facility. Had Sir John Franklin then gained that Sound, and
from the premises we appear to be fully justiﬁed in concluding that he did
so, and had he afterwards encountered a compact ﬁeld of ice barring Barrow
Strait and Wellington Sound, he would then, after being convinced that he
would lose the season in attempting to bore through it, have borne up for
Jones Sound, but not until he had erected a conspicuous landmark, and
lodged a memorandum of his reason for deviating from his instructions.’
“ Dr. McCormick also says, ‘In renewing once more the offer of my ser—
vices, which I do most cheerfully, I see no reason for changing the opinions
I entertained last spring; subsequent events have only tended to conﬁrm
them. I then believed, and I do still, after a long and mature consideration
of the subject, that Sir John Franklin’s ships have been arrested in a high
latitude, and beset in the heavy Polar ice northward of Paw'g Islands, and
that their probable course thither has been through Wellington Channel, or
one of the Sounds at the northern extremity of Baﬁin Bag.’ ,
“ To the foregoing we are enabled to add the opinion of the late Sir John
Barrow, ,whose knowledge of Arctic navigation needs no comment here.
Franklin was aware of Sir John Barrow’s aversion to the Wellington Channel,
because it was always blocked up with ice, and having himself found it so,
he will follow his own inclination and try another channel to the northward.
“ We repeat then that here is suﬂicient reason for Captain Austin, having
satisﬁed himself by his own explorations that Franklin did not make his
attempt southward or westward of the Wellington Channel, to proceed imme-
diately to Jones Sound, looking to their lordship’s intention and the imprese
sion which may now become strengthened with reference to their orders.
“ Among other points for which Austin has been condemned is that of not
supplying Captain Penny with assistance! and for what purpose? for effect;
ing the very object which Captain Penny managed to attain without it. But
let us see under what circumstances was Austin when he received this appli-
cation.
“ His letter tells us it was made on the 23rd of May, and that he regretted
his ‘remaining strength’ did not admit of his placing at his disposal sufﬁ-
cient aid to convey a boat across the icy barrier* of Wellington Channel.
“ Now it happens that at this very time Austin’s limited searching parties
were recovering from the effect of their journeys on the ice. They returned
between the 27th of April and the 7th of May, and the extended parties,
consisting of thirty-eight men, besides oﬁicers (as appears by the methodical
tables attached to his letter), were still away, as they returned between the
28th of May and the 4th of July, having been absent since the 10th of April.
What means then had Austin of meeting this demand (with auxiliary par-
ties away also), and the remaining strength of those returned already ex-
hausted by travelling, and which required to be recruited by rest rather
than be again employed in doing for Captain Penny that which he contrived
to do for himself ".1 Was the service injured by this refusal? Not at all; and
we do Captain Penny only justice in saying that he not only performed well
what he undertook with his own means, but that this has been no complaint
of his against Captain Austin. Of Captain Penny it has been predicted that
in a few days he will be on his way to the Arctic waters. The lateness of
the season at once threw doubt on the propriety of such a step, and it
required the calm and deliberate consideration of men whose knowledge and
experience of Arctic matters would enable them to decide whether a steam
vessel should be sent with Captain Penny to communicate with the searching

* And what evidence have we that Franklin, in four or ﬁve years, found not this icy barrier open,
knowing, as we do, what a gale of twenty-four or forty-eight hours, in a particular direction, some-
times eﬁ'ects in these regions.
16
ships this season or not! We read in the daily prints, under the head
‘ Naval’, that, ‘ in accordance with an Admiralty summons, Captain Sir
Edward Parry, Captain Beechey, and Captain Sir James Clark Ross, at-
tended at the Admiralty on Thursday (18th September) in order to meet the
Board and their Hydrographer Rear Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, and to
consult on the proceedings of Captain Austin and Captain Penny in the late
search for Sir John Franklin.’
“ With the deliberations of that council we do not pretend to be acquainted,
but any man who knows ice navigation in Baﬁn Bay will pronounce the
decision of those ofﬁcers, that no vessel should be sent this season, considering
its advanced period, and under present circumstances, both as wise and dis—
creet. Let us suppose a screw-steamer to leave this in a fortnight for Baﬁin
Bay—for in less she could not do so—on a moderate speed of seven or eight
knots (if she could do that) she would reach Cape Farewell (assuming her
departure on the 3rd of October) about the middle of that month, to run the
gauntlet as she might be able, between the middle and shore ice! If she did
escape being beset and passing the approaching winter as the American
vessels did the last in drifting about ﬁxed in the ice, and even penetrated
into Jones Sound, there may be no ships there, they may have reached the
same open sea which Penny saw, and may be snugly wintering in one of its
harbours. But the hope of a vessel getting so far at this late period of the
season, and the uncertainty of ﬁnding any ships if she did, is too futile to be
entertained for a moment; and the council has wisely discarded any such
intention, and no one who is acquainted with the nature of the subject could
otherwise desire.
“ We must, therefore, for the present close our observations on Austin’s
proceedings; not, however, without expressing our admiration of that well-
regulated and systematic management with which he has assigned to his
ofﬁcers their several duties, as well as of the energetic and noble spirit in
which they have been performed. Indeed, each one has vied with the rest
in executing his difﬁcult and perilous task; a gallant emulation has pervaded
every one, and general harmony, goodwill, and fellowship, have welcomed the
rule of discipline. Nor should we disregard the noble exertions of Captain
Penny, in his very interesting and laborious exploration, so well seconded as
they were by his oﬂicers. Not only sledges, but boat work fell to their share;
violent gales, heavy seas, and rapid tides, with snow and rain, it was their
lot to encounter; and though they were not rewarded by ﬁnding Franklin,
they have the glorious reﬂection of having assisted materially in the great
work in hand. They, too, performed well their several tasks; they have
established their claim on the notice of their country, and we trust will, at
the ﬁtting time, receive their reward; or, in the words of Captain Penny,
that it will be ‘ remembered to their advantage’.
“ We perceive by the daily prints that Captain Penny’s ship has arrived.
The account says, ‘ the LADY FRANKLIN, commanded by Captain Penny,
arrived at Wool'wz'ch yesterday afternoon, and was brought up at moorings
alongside the SALSETTE receiving ship, opposite the dockyard; and the
SOPHIA, her sister vessel, is daily expected at that port. The LADY FRANKLIN
is come home safe and sound, in excellent condition, and remarkably clean,
and with as healthy and robust a crew as ever sailed in any region, and
without a single complaint amongst the men on board; if it is excepted that
they say they cannot now eat so much meat as they used to do of fat pork
and other rich edibles, their appetites having greatly abated since they left
the Orlcneg/s for Wool'wich. The Danish interpreter has returned with them,
and appears to be a very decent and passably intelligent person, and ex-
presses his belief that the discovery ships, EREBUS andTERRoR, are still safe.’ ”
l7
EXTRACT
From the United Service Gazette, September 13, 1851.
“ WE insert without any comment the very interesting despatches brought
home by Captain Penny, and we only hope that the information which this
gallant man has been able to impart to the Admiralty, will induce their
Lordships to listen to the suggestions which he has been enabled to make to
them, and which, from his experience as an Arctic voyager, must deserve
some credit at their hands.
“ He was busily engaged at the Admiralty yesterday, and it is believed he
will be despatched again this year to prosecute his search of the Wellington
Channel. Captain Austin’s Expedition may be daily expected.”
_—
SUMMARY.
SIR JOHN ROSS’S EXPEDITION.
“ The following notices of Sir John Ross’s proceedings have reached us :—
“ The FELIX, with Sir John Ross and Commander C. G. Phillips, with her
decked boat in tow, left Ayr 23rd May, 1850.
“August 27th, arrived at Beecheg Island with Captain Penny, and the
American Expedition, and discovered that Franklin had passed the Winter
of 1845 and 1846 there.
“ 28th August, REsoLUTE and PIONEER joined company; detained here till
September 5, when all the vessels proceeded, but the FELIX did not get
across the Wellington Channel till the 9th September. Stayed a few hours
at Barlow Inlet, and 11th September was ﬁnally stopped by ﬁxed ice between
Crigith and Cornwallis Islands. Penny’s Expedition joined company, and
12th September the three vessels got into a bay thirteen miles west of Cape
Hotham, where they passed the winter.
“About the middle of April, 1851, travelling parties set out, details of which
will be found elsewhere. Captain Ommanney visited Cape Walker, and
searched land as far as latitude 72° 44’ N ., longitude 102° 20’ W. Lieutenant
Osborn extended this line to latitude 72° 40’, longitude 105° to 6. Lieutenant
Aldrich along the south shore of Bathurst Land up to latitude 76° 11’, longi-
tude 106° 30’. Dr. Bradford, east coast Melville Island, to latitude 76° 15'.
Lieutenant McClintock visited Winter Harbour in Melville Island, rounded
Cape Dundas into Siddon Gulf as far as Bushnan Cove, returning across the
land to Winter Harbour, and thence to his ship : he was absent eighty days,
saw plenty of deer, musk oxen (four killed), and hares. Captain Penny’s
parties explored a large channel north of Cornwallis and Bathurst lands
(which are united), saw land to the northward with three or four large
openings, and was aﬂoat in a boat from 17th June till late in July. A piece
of elm picked up by him. Particulars of this exploration not made known
at this date.
D
18
“ Commander Phillips attempted to cross Cornwallis Land: absent thirty~
one days, but had to return, having, as he supposes, got three-quarters across.
No other traces of Franklin discovered. The'Americ-an Expedition last seen
13th September 1850, homeward bound.”
CAPTAIN PENNY’S DESPATGH'ES.
“Her Majesty’s ship LADY FRANKLIN, Assistance Harbour,
Cornwallis Island, April 12, 1851.
“ Sir,—I have the honour to inform you, for the information of my Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty, that after parting company with Her
Majesty’s ship N ORTH STAR, on the 1st of August, I reached along the north
shore of Barrow’s Strait until Sunday, the 24th, keeping a strict look-out.
Being then off Beeoliey Island, I spoke the American schooner RESCUE, and
learned that Her Majesty’s ship ASSISTANCE had found traces of the
Franklin expedition in Cape Riley. The ASSISTANCE was then running to the
westward, and, anxious to be possessed of every particular, followed her with
the intention of going on board; but I had not that opportunity until two
p.m., when both vessels were made fast to the land ice, two-thirds of the
distance across Wellington Channel, the ASSISTANCE being about one-and-a-
half miles to the westward of us. Finding that the traces'were apparently
those of a retreating party, I thought it my proper course to return to the
east side of Wellington C/iannel, which I accordingly did. The succeeding
morning I landed with a party, and examined the coast from ten miles to
the northward of Cape Spencer to that promontory, and an encampment was
found near the latter place, seemingly that of a hunting party about three
years previous. Joining company with the ADVANCE, the RESCUE, and the
FELIX schooners the following morning, we made fast in a bight under the
north—west side of Beec/iey Island, and, having consulted with Captain De
Haven and Sir J. Ross, it was agreed that the former should dispatch a
party to continue the search northward, along the east coast of Wellington
O/tannel, while I explored the coast to the eastward. Meantime, a party of
all my officers, which had been dispatched in the direction of Cas'wall’s
Tower, discovered the quarter which had been occupied by the vessels of Sir
John Franklin’s expedition in the winter of 1845-6. Three graves were
also found, the head-boards showing them to be those of three seamen who
had died early in the spring of 1846; but notwithstanding a most careful
search in every direction, no document could be found. The same evening,
a boat-party was dispatched, under Captain Stewart, to explore Radstoclc
Bag/ and its vicinity, but no further traces were found in that direction.
“ The RESoLUTE and PIONEER came up and made fast on Wednesday
morning, and an unfavourable condition of the ice detained us all till even-
ing, when water being opened to the eastward, I stood a certain distance
across Wellington Channel in the morning, and sent away a party under Mr.
J. Stuart, to communicate with the ASSISTANCE. The same evening we were
again in Beeoltey Bay, and the party returned the following forenoon, having
accomplished upwards of forty miles.
“ By them we were acquainted that the ASSISTANCE had found no traces
in about thirty miles of coast examined by her to the north and south of
Barlow Inlet. .
“ The state of the ice prevented the least motion being made with the
ships until Thursday, the 5th of September, when we left Beechey Bay ; but
so little was the ice slackened off, that we were unable to reach the west
side of the Channel before Sunday, the 8th.
“While lying under Beeo/iey Island, arrangements were made with Sir

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19
John Boss to lay up the MARY yacht, and a quantity of provisions was con-
tributed, as our share of the depot there formed.
“ On Sunday, the 8th, I landed with a party about twelve miles to the
northward of Barlow Inlet, and a cairn and pole were erected in a con-
spicuous situation. Wellington Channel being blocked up with old land ice,
no alternative was left but to proceed to the westward, with a view of reach—
ing Cape Wal/cer, or attempting some other passage between the islands of
the Parry Group, or, failing either of these, Mel-ville Island. Following
out this course, we pushed on through the bay ice, which was now so strong
as to retard us greatly ; but notwithstanding that obstacle, we reached Grzﬁit/t
Island on Tuesday, the 10th of September ; and having made fast there on
account of the state of the ice, I had again a consultation with Captain
Austin, with a view to acting in concert.
“ The following morning, the more favourable appearance of the ice
induced me to make an attempt to reach Cape l'Valker; but after proceeding
twenty-ﬁve miles, the ice became packed, which, with a heavy fog, caused
me to put about, and make for our former position. The hourly-increasing
thickness of the bay ice, which had now become such an obstacle, that with
a strong breeze the‘ ship stayed with considerable difficulty, rendered it
absolutely necessary that a place of safety should be obtained for the
vessels, and I accordingly made for this harbour, a rough sketch of which I
had previously obtained from the ASSISTANCE.
“ We brought up at eleven, a.m., on Thursday, the 12th of September, and
shortly afterwards the FELIX, Captain Sir J. Ross, came in and brought up;
two boats were sent ashore and hauled up, to fall back upon should further
progressbe made; but being unable to get out by the 20th, so as to be
usefully employed, preparations were commenced for wintering.
“ With reference to the Winter that we have spent, one fact will speak for
itself, viz.,—that there has not been one single case of sickness in either the
LADY FRANKLIN or SOPHIA ; indeed, so completelyr were both the minds and
bodies kept properly occupied and carefully attended to, that with the crews
I have it would have been surprising to have seen sickness. While on this
subject, I cannot but make mention in terms of praise of Messrs. Sutherland,
Goodsir, and Stuart, their exertions alike to instruct and amuse the men,
greatly contributing to the happy issue.
“ Frequent communication has been held with Captain Austin’s expedition,
which has wintered in the strait between Grlfjit/a and Cornwallis Islands,
and arrangements were made with reference to the different routes to be
taken in the coming travelling. Pursuant to these, there are at present
ready to start from the LADY FRANKLIN and SoPHIA two parties, of three
sledges each, to explore Wellington Channel and the land which may be
found at the head of that great inlet.
“Independent of the above, there are two dog sledges prepared for
extended Search in the same direction; one of these will be. conducted by
the interpreter, Mr. Petersen, of Whom I would beg to make particular
mention, trusting that his noble devotion in the cause of our countrymen
may be remembered to his advantage.
“ The day at present ﬁxed for the start is Monday, 14th of April, should
the weather continue favourable. Previous to starting, I have thought
proper to make out this dispatch for their lordships’ information.
“ I have the honour to be, Sir,
“ Your most obedient servant,
“William Penny.
“Commanding an Expedition in Search of Her
Majesty’s Ships EnEBUS and Tnnnon.
“ To the Secretary to the Admiralty, London.”
20
“Her Majesty’s ship LADY FRANKLIN, at sea,
“Sept. 8, 1851.
_“ Sir,—Resuming my report of proceedings from the date of my last
dispatch, I have to inform you that on the 17th of April six sledges, with
forty-one officers and men, started from the ships, under the command of
Captain Stewart, of the SOPHIA, and I could not but be gratiﬁed at seeing
what our small means had put in our power to do with these parties of men,
alike able and willing. The sledges were variously oﬂicered by Captain
Stewart, Messrs. Marshall, Reid, and J. Stuart, and Drs. Sutherland and
GOOdSII‘.
“ The course intended to be pursued was to proceed so far together up the
west side of Wellington Channel, and, after returning the depot sledges, two
parties to cross the east side of the channel, while the other two followed up
the west coast to the head of the channel, the position of land then seen
determining their future procedure.
“ Each sledge was equipped for forty days, and the average weight per
man was upwards of two hundred pounds. I started from the ship on the
18th, with the dog-sledges, accompanied by Mr. Petersen, and at noon, on
the 13th, I joined the sledges. They had found the ice very heavy, in
consequence of the recent snow and the high temperature, and their journey
of the previous day had not exceeded six and a-half miles. The ineﬁicient
state of our cooking apparatus had ah‘eady begun to cause much in-
convenience.
“ On the 19th the temperature fell, and a gale of wind faced us imme-
diately on entering the channel, which continued, with only partial inter~
missions, till the 22nd. During all that time I was continually among them,
and whatever doubts the want of experience of my young oﬂicers might
have warranted my entertaining, they were all removed by witnessing the
management of their men on this occasion. On the 21st, Mr. J. Stuart
returned with the two depot sledges and only one tent, in consequence of
the extreme severity of the weather. I felt great anxiety for this party;
however, in two marches they reached the ship, with only a short interval of
rest. Meanwhile, the gale continued down the channel, with a temperature
varying from 25° to 30°. This, and the want of numerous articles,
such as a sufficient supply of fuel, &c., caused me to entertain a
fear of failure, if these defects were not remedied in time. I accordingly
consulted my oﬁicers on the subject, and in consequence of our unanimous
opinion that a timely return was the most advisable step, I determined to
deposit all the provisions, and the two best sledges, at this spot, returning
with the other two to receive alterations. The distance to this spot was
forty-two miles. The dog-sledges, on their return, accomplished the distance
in one stage. The other four parties, after making the deposit, returned,
reaching the bay at noon on the 26th, everyone in the best health, and not
a single case of frost-bite; and I cannot but state my admiration of the
constant contentment and steady and willing endurance of the oﬂicers and
men of the parties under circumstances of no small hardship. From this
date to the 5th of May everyone was busily engaged preparing more amply
for what we had found to be necessary in our ﬁrst journey. On the 6th,
after a short prayer to the Almighty to enable us to fulﬁl our duty, the
sledges again started, the crews of the two that had been left up channel
being distributed among them. They were again in charge of Captain
Stewart till such time as I should myself join them at the upper depot,
when I was to see each party take its separate route. At six o’clock, a.m.,
on the 9th of May, I started with Mr. Petersen and Thompson, one of the
seamen, with two dog sledges, and at two o’clock, p.m., we overtook the
parties, then camped at the further depot. From Point Separation, 75° 5'
N. lat., Captain Stewart, with his auxiliary, Dr. Sutherland, and Mr. J.
Stuart, of the LADY FRANKLIN, left, proceeding along the coast to Cape
21
Hard, examining the various beaches, &c., for further traces, as strong
opinions were still entertained that more was to be found in that quarter.
“ Mr. Goodsir, with Mr. Marshall as his auxiliary, had assigned to them
to examine the west side, and to follow up after the dog sledges, receiving
ﬁnal instructions on reaching the head of the channel. Rapid journeys
were made with the dogs to Cape De Haven, in N. lat. 75° 22’. Hence the
land was seen to trend N .W. ten miles, terminating in a point, afterwards
named Point Decision, which was reached at half-past ten, p.m., on the 12th
of May. A hill of four hundred feet in height was ascended, and in con-
sequence of the land running then continuously in a north-westerly
direction, instructions were left to Mr. Goodsir to take this coast along to
the westward, while I myself proceeded in a N .W. by N. direction towards
land seen to the northward. At ﬁve, p.m., on the 14th, we encamped on
the ice, having travelled twenty-ﬁve miles N .W. by N. from Point Decision.
The following day, after travelling twenty miles from the encampment in a
N .W. by N. direction, we landed at seven, p.m., on an island named Baillie
Hamilton Island.
“Ascending a hill about ﬁve hundred feet high above the headland on
which we landed, the ice to the westward, in the strait between Cornwallis
and Hamilton Islands, was seen to be much decayed, and an island was seen
to the westward, distant thirty-ﬁve or forty miles. As the decayed state of
the ice prevented further progress to the westward from this point, and no
trace being found, we proceeded round the island, ﬁrst to the N .N .E.,
and afterwards, on rounding Cape Sooreshg, in a N .N .E. direction. On the
16th we came upon what to all appearances was water ; and on halting, on
the 17th, at Point Surprise, we were astonished to open out another strait,
in which was twenty-ﬁve miles of clear water; an island was seen bearing
W. @— S., distant forty miles ; and a headland, distant ﬁfteen miles W. by N.,
the dark sky over this headland indicating the presence of water, to the
extent perhaps of twenty miles, on the other side. This point was found to
be in 76° 2’ N. lat, and 95° 55’ W. long. Further progress being prevented
by water, and we being still without traces, and the dogs’ provisions being
exhausted, no other course remained than to return to the ships, which we
reached, after rapid journeys, at midnight on the 20th of May.
“ The carpenters and people on board were immediately set about pre-
paring a boat to endeavour to reach the water scene.
“ On the 29th of May, the second mate arrived, having left Mr. Goodsir
in 75° 36’ N ., and 96° W. Water had been seen by them to the northward,
from their furthest station. He made a very rapid return, having run in
one day from twenty-ﬁve to thirty miles. Every one on board continued
actively employed, preparing the boat, provisions, &c., and on the 4th of
June it started with one auxiliary sledge and one dog’s sledge ; the whole
party being in charge of Mr. Manson.
“On the 6th June, Mr. John Stuart returned with his party from Cape
Hurd, after an absence of thirty-one days, but without having found any
traces either indicative of the course pursued by Her Majesty’s ships EREBUS
and TERROR, or of any searching party having subsequently passed along
the coast.
“ After thirty-six hours’ rest, Mr. Stuart again started to join Mr. Manson,
having equipped his sledge for a twenty days’ journey. He overtook the
boat on the morning of the 8th of June, then one mile to the westward of
Cape Hotham. The same day a dog sledge, from Mr. Manson, arrived at
the ship, stating that the sledge on which the boat was placed after trial
had been found unﬁt for the purpose. The armourer, who was returned
with the dog sledge, was immediately set about preparing a longer sledge,
but having no carpenter on board, the wood-work was ﬁnished by Sir John
Ross’s carpenter. On the 11th, at four, a.m., I joined the boat with the two
dogs’ sledges, and all hands were immediately set about ﬁtting and lashing
22
the new sledge, and arranging the packages of the party between the two
long sledges and the two dogs’ sledges. On the 12th, Mr. Manson returned,
no one being left in the ship but the clerk in charge.
“ The improvement in the boats’ sledges was so remarkable, and the ice
also so much better, that a distance of one hundred and ﬁve miles was
accomplished in seven marches. The boat being then launched into the
water and laden, the fatigue party returned, and reached the ship on the 25th
of June, all in good health, the dogs dragging the light sledges the whole way.
“ On our journey out, we met Dr. Sutherland at Depdt Point returning,
after an absence of thirty-eight days. He reported having left Captain
Stewart in 76° 20' N ., in the opening of Wellington Channel, but without
having yet fallen in with any traces. When off Point Griﬁn, on the 14th,
Messrs. Goodsir and Marshall were fallen in with, having examined the
northern shores of Cornwallis and Ballt’llTSl Lanol, as far as 99° W., but still
without having fallen in with any traces. They were obliged to return in
consequence of the water.
“ Resuming the boat journey, after separating from the fatigue sledges on
the 17th of June, we proceeded about ten miles to the westward, when we
were obliged to take shelter in an adjacent bay, in consequence of a head sea
and strong easterly gale. From this date until the 20th of July, three hun-
dred and ten miles of coast were examined by the boat under very disadvan-
tageous circumstances, arising from constant unfavourable winds and rapid
tides. Our provisions being then within eight days of being consumed, and
our distance from the ship such that prudence would not warrant further
perseverance with this supply, we commenced our return, and with a strong
north-west wind, succeeded in reaching Abandon Bay after ﬁfteen and a half
hours. The ice being so decayed as to preclude the launching of even an
empty boat, we were compelled to haul the boat ashore and abandon her,
taking with us four days’ provisions. The Weather during our return was
boisterous in the extreme, with continued rain, which made the streams it
was necessary to ford very rapid. The constant wet caused the greatest dis-
comfort, but from none of my men did I once hear a complaint. In 75°
north latitude, we found a boat, which Captain Stewart had wisely sent out
in search of such a contingency as had occurred; but the ice having set into
the mouth of Wellington Channel, which had up to this time been open, we
were unable to fetch her down further than Barlow Inlet. Thence we walked
to the ships, which we reached at ten p.m. on the 25th of July.
“ Captain Stewart had returned on the 21st of June, having reached Cape
Becker, in 76° 20' north latitude, and 27° west longitude. We here again
started on the 1st of July, and carried up a depot for my return to Cape De
Haven, returning from this journey on the 17th of July. For particulars
during the different searches, I would refer you to the accompanying reports.
“ On my return, I Was equally surprised to hear that Barrow Strait
had been open as far as could be seen since the 2nd of J uly—an occurrence
which was so far to be expected, as the Strait was seen to be in motion till
the 11th of March. The land ice had also come out of l'Vellington C/tannel
as far up as Point Separation, probably about the 5th of July; and on the
27th of July, when our travelling operations concluded, the fast edge in the
channel continued in the same position.
“ The ship continued icebound till the 10th of August; but had our parties
returned in sufficient time to reﬁt and be ready to cut out from the date of
water making, we would not have been at liberty on the 15th of July.
‘ “ On the 11th of August, Captain Austin’s ships entered our harbour in
their progress to the eastward. His parties had penetrated so far as ships
could hope to go, yet, like our own, unsuccessful in ﬁnding the least trace
of the missing expedition. In fact, none had been found such as would
warrant the risk of a second winter, and, my orders being such as left no
alternative, I determined on immediately returning to England, if no instruc-
23
tions to the contrary should be met with. In proceeding down the country,
we landed at Cape Hay and Button Point, in Pond Bay, positions considered
the most probable for dispatches being sent on by the whale ships. Finding
none, we continued our course down along the land, crossing, in ‘70° north
latitude, through a body of a hundred and forty miles of ice. We made
repeated endeavours to reach Sierly, on the island of Disco, to ascertain if
any dispatches had been left there for our guidance; but thick weather and
a strong northerly wind obliged us to haul of, after having made a narrow
escape from a reef lying close in shore. We parted from the SOPHIA about
twenty miles off the land, expecting to rejoin her after having communicated
with the Danish settlement; but the thick weather and strong gale continu—
ing for twenty-four hours, we separated from her, and have not since seen
her. Captain Stewart’s instructions, in case of such an event, were to make
the best of his way to Woolwich, having it in his power to take either the
English Channel or the Pentland Frith as his route, according as the wind
might lead.
“ In speaking of the services of the various officers under De Haven, I
would mention my second in command as an able and energetic coadjutor,
both on board ship and in conducting the search along the east coast of Wel-
lington Channel and the south shores of Albert Land; and his foresight in
laying out a depot and a boat for the boat party greatly facilitated our safe
return. Dr. Sutherland, of the SoPHIA, as his auxiliary in travelling, proved
himself a most indefatigable officer; and his attention, while on board, to
natural history and meteorology, will no doubt afford many useful facts. Of
Mr. D. Morrison, the chief mate of the SOPHIA, an old and experienced
whaling master, I cannot speak too highly. He had charge of the vessel
during the absence of myself and Captain Stewart, and throughout the win-
ter he paid the greatest attention to tidal and barometrical register; and
his services in conducting the boat to Cape Hotharn, under peculiarly disad-
vantageous circumstances, were beyond all praise. Mr. James Reid, the
second mate of the SornIA, a son of the ice-master of the EREBUS, accom-
panied Captain Stewart in the ﬁrst journey as an auxiliary, and afterwards
proceeded with him to his furthest. Of Messrs. Marshall and Lieper, the
chief and second mates of the LADY FRANKLIN, I would make mention as
experienced and skilful ice officers; and the exertions of the one in accom-
panying Mr. Goodsir in the whole extent of his journey, and the other, my
second in the boat, were such as could not but afford me the greatest satis-
faction. The whole of the duties of reﬁtting the ship during my absence fell
upon Mr. Marshall, and were accomplished in a time remarkably short, con-
sidering the few hands on board. Of Mr. 'John Stuart, the youngest officer
under my command, I cannot speak too highly. I Finding that there were no
duties as an assistant surgeon, he acted as third mate, and his exertions in
preparing the travelling equipment, his surveys of various bays during his
travels, and his assistance in preparing charts, etc., have proved of the greatest
use; and for his proceedings during the Search of the beaches, &c., between
Cape Grinnell and Cape Hard, I would refer you to his journal. He after-
wards started as an auxiliary to the boat party, with an interval of only
thirty-six hours, and was subsequently employed in numerous short journeys,
conducting boats, &c.
“ Mr. Goodsir, in his western Search, discharged alike his duty to this ex-
pedition and his missing brother.
“ Mr. Petersen, the interpreter, in conducting the dog sledges, and in
affording much useful information with reference to travelling, as well as his
personal exertion in the same, to the extent even of injuring his health, has
afforded me the greatest satisfaction; and of his services as interpreter on a
former occasion I have made mention in a previous dispatch.
“ Of the seamen of both vessels placed under my command I cannot speak
too highly; for neither in winter quarters, nor while enduring the privations
24
and fatigues of travelling, did ever one complaint or grumble reach my ears.
Of their unwearied exertions, a schedule is laid before you; and if success
has not attended their labours, they have not the less performed their duties.
“ I have, etc., 1
“William Penny.
“ Commanding the Expedition.
“ The Secretary of the Admiralty.”

CAPTAIN AUSTIN’S DESPATOHES.
“ REPORT or PRoCEEDINes.
“ Her Majesty’s ship RESoLUTE, off the winter quarters of Captain Penny’s
Expedition, between Capes Martyr and Hotham, Aug. 12, (l) 1851.
“ SIR,—In order that the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty may learn
by the ﬁrst opportunity the proceedings of the expedition entrusted to my
charge, I consider it advisable that a brief account (amended since the return
of Captain Penny) should be placed on board the LADY FRANKLIN, my brief
report of the 14th instant having been transferred to the FELIx, in conse-
quence of the attempt to send a boat to Pond Bay to communicate with the
Whaler being relinquished.
“ 2} Captain Ommanney having examined Wolstenholme Sound, which
proved to have been the winter quarters of the NORTH STAR, and completed
the Search of the north shore of Lancaster Sound and Barrow Strait, from
Cape Warrender to Cape Fellfoot, looked into Port Leopold, and then pro-
ceeded in further execution of his orders, the INTREPID having, in the mean-
time, examined Jllaocwell Bay and Cape Hard, ﬁnding at the latter place a
record from the INVESTIGATOR.
“ 3. Captain Ommaney, in the INTREPID, reached Cape Riley and Beechey
Island on the night of the 23rd of August, and at both found positive traces
of the missing expedition.
“ 4. On the 24th, Captain Ommanney was joined by the United States’
schooner RESCUE, and in the latter part of that day he dispatched the
INTREPID to search the shore to the northward; but she was stopped by the
ﬁxed ice about four miles beyond Point Innes.
“ 5. On the 25th, a lead opened towards Cape Hot/tam; Captain Omman-
ney, hoping to ﬁnd a record here, dispatched the INTREPID to take advan-
tage of it, following in the ASSISTANCE; Captain Penny, who had now arrived
and communicated, remaining to search the bay between Cape Riley and
Beechey Island.
“6. The REsoLUTE, having in her Search been detained by bad weather,
did not reach Cape Riley and Beechey Island until early on the morning of
the 28th. She found between the latter and Cape Spencer the FELIX, Sir
John Ross, the two brigs of Captain Penny, and the RESCUE, Lieutenant De
Haven, and saw from the crow’s nest the ASSISTANCE and INTREPID on the
opposite shore, near Barlow Inlet; the other United States’ schooner, AD-
VANCE, was beset a few miles to the northward, with a searching party to
Cape Boioden, where a bottle, scraps of newspaper, shot, and other miscel-
laneous fragments were found, conveying the impression that it had been the
resting-place of a shooting or other small party.
“ 7. In rounding Beechey Island, we were hampered by the closing of the
ice, which drove the PIONEER into shoal water, where she grounded, and was
afterwards hove off without having sustained any damage.
“ 8. Previous to the arrival of the REsoLUTE, Captain Penny had found
on Beechey Island three graves, and various other conclusive evidence; which,
the moment I saw them, assured me that the bay between Cape Riley and
Beechey Island had been the winter quarters of the expedition under Sir
John Franklin, in the season 1845-46, and that there was circumstantial
evidence suﬁ‘icient to prove that its departure was somewhat sudden; but
25
whether at an early or late period of the season was very difficult to deter-
mine.
“ 9. The absolute necessity for the RESOLUTE being held ready to push
across the strait at the earliest moment to communicate with Captain Om-
manney, to determine further movements, and get to the westward, prevented
travelling operations, but the immediate neighbourhood of Cape Rileg,
Beecheg Island, and the coast of Wellington Strait, to near Cape Bowden,
were satisfactorily searched without any record whatever being found.
“ 10. On the morning of the 28th, the ice eased off sufficiently to enable
Lieut. De Haven to rejoin his consort round Cape Spencer. On the after-
noon of the 4th of September, upon a southerly movement of the ice, the
ASSISTANCE rounded Cape Hotham, and the United States Expedition reached
to near Barlow Inlet; and on the morning of the 5th, another movement
enabled the RESoLuTE and PIONEER to reach the western shore, but not in
time to obtain security in Barlow Inlet.
“ 11. We continued beset until the evening of the 7th, when the ice gave
way to the northward, and carried us, in a critical position, out of the strait
to the south-east of Cape Hotham. This movement enabled Captain Penny
and Sir John Boss to cross the strait.
“ 12. Early on the morning of the 9th, another change occurred, when we
succeeded in relieving ourselves from the ice, and (with the brigs and
schooners) gained the water between the pack to the southward and Corn-
wallis Island; then pushed onwards with raised hopes to the westward,
steering for the southern extremity of Grijﬁth Island, and sighting in the
evening the ASSISTANCE and tender in that direction.
“ 13. On the morning of the 10th, we reached an extensive ﬁoe, extending
from the south-west end of Griyﬁth Island to the southward, as far as the
eye could reach, to which the ASSISTANCE and tender were secured. We
joined company, as did the brigs, and in the evening the United States ex-
pedition. Captain Ommanney informed me that he had searched by parties
on foot (unhappily without ﬁnding any trace) the shores of Cornwallis Island
from six miles above Barlow Inlet to Cape Martyr; had found two bays on
the south side, eligible for winter security, and had deposited on Cape Hotham
a depot of twenty days’ provisions for ninety men, as also a small depot on
Grigﬁth Island, since taken up.
“ 14. Early in the morning of the 11th, Captain Ommanney,in the IN'I'REP'ID,
was dispatched to the south-westward, to ascertain the state of the ice.
Captain Penny also proceeded. The former returned in the evening, having
only been able to proceed in a southward-and-westward direction about
twenty-ﬁve miles. Of the situation of the brigs I was Somewhat apprehen-
sive, conﬁdent that, from the severe weather, they were to the southward-and-
eastward of their former position.
“ 15. Having now seen the uncertainty of the navigation to the westward,
and the necessity for measures of precaution and prudence, with a view to
subsequent operations, I determined upon placing the ASSISTANCE and tender
in winter quarters in a bay, midway between Capes Hotham and Martyr, and
addressed a letter to the two leaders of the expeditions, apprising them
thereof, and proposing that the whole force might be concentrated, and
arrangements made for each taking such portion of the Search as, under the
circumstances, might best insure the accomplishment of the object of our
IlllSSlOIl.
“ 16. On the morning of the 13th, the weather having somewhat cleared,
with the temperature down to near zero (plus 3°), we cast off. After much
labour and diﬂiculty cleared the bay and stream ice, and reached open water
east of Griﬁth Island, when the United States expedition were seen to com-
municate with each other, hoist their colours, and stand to the eastward ;
and it was not until some short time after that I recollected Lieutenant Dc
Haven had, in reply, apprised me of the probability of his return to America
E
v26
this year, but the circumstances in which we were placed wholly prevented
our bearing up for communication. The same evening we made fast to the
ﬁxed ice between Cape Martgr and Griyﬁtli Island, as the only hope of ﬁnd-
ing security and gaining westing.
, “ 17. On the morning of the 14th, the PIONEER proceeded to examine the
ice to the southward, and returned in the evening, reporting no change; and
early on the morning of the 16th, the AssIs'rANcE and tender left for their
winter quarters, the REsoLU'rE and tender remaining at the edge of the ice,
in the hope of obtaining at least an amount of westing that would be of good
service when carrying out spring operations.
“ 18. The bay ice proving very strong, the ASSISTANCE and tender got
closely beset, and drifted for some time helplessly towards the shore, upon
which (as soon as the vessels could be extricated) Captain Ommanney
deemed it advisable to return, rejoining the same evening.
“ 19. We thus remained in the hope that the REsoLU'rE and tender might
be able to advance until the 24th, when, from the state of the ice and the
low temperature (plus 13?) we were, after mature consideration, reluctantly
compelled to give up all idea of proceeding further, and to consider it i111-
perative to look forthwith to the security of the expedition. The bay ice
having this day slightly eased off a short distance eastern, we commenced to
cut through the newly-formed pressed-up ice, between three hundred and
four hundred yards in extent, and from two to ﬁve feet in thickness, between
us and the lane of water, with a view of reaching the small bay a little to the
eastward of Cape Martyr : but the new ice again making very fast, we were
obliged to relinquish the effort on the evening of the 25th.
“ 20. Although it was now late to hope for much by travelling parties,
yet, as the ships were ﬁxed, I determined to dispatch a limited number to
do all that could be accomplished before the season ﬁnally closed; as pioneers
to the routes of the ensuing spring parties, and to gain experience; there
accordingly started on the 2d of October a party of six men, under the com-
mand of Lieutenant Aldrich, with one runner sledge and thirteen days’ pro-
visions (assisted by one oﬂicer, six men, and one ﬂat sledge, with three days’
provisions), for Someroille and Lowtlier Islands on the Cape Walker route; a
double party of twelve men, under the command of Lieutenant M‘Clintock
and Mr. Bradford, surgeon, with four ﬂat sledges, fourteen days’ provisions,
and a depot, for the Melville Island route; a small party, under the command
of Lieutenant Mecham, towards Cape Hothani, to ascertain if any of the ex-
peditions late in company were in sight from that position; and (afterwards)
a small party, under the command of Lieutenant Osborn, to search the bay
between Cape Illartgr and the cape north-west of our position; but the weather
becoming severe, with a considerable fall of temperature (49° below the
freezing point) they shortly returned, having only succeeded in placing the
depots—Lieutenant Aldrich on Somerrille Island, and Lieutenant M‘Clintock
on Cornwallis Island, to the westward about twenty-ﬁve miles, but without
discovering any traces. Lieutenant Mecham found in the bay intended for
the winter quarters of the ASSISTANCE and tender, the expeditions of Sir John
‘Ross and Captain Penny.
“ 21. On the afternoon of the 17th, Captain Penny arrived in his dog
sledge, when the spring operations were determined upon—Captain Penny
cheerfully undertaking the complete search of Wellington Strait. Thus ended
the season of 1850.
“ 22. The expedition was now prepared for the winter, and every means
taken to pass as cheerfully and healthfully as possible this dreary season;
exercise in the open air, instruction and amusement were resorted to, which,
with the most perfect unanimity and a fair portion of conviviality (under
the blessing of Providence), carried us through the monotony and privations
of an Arctic winter in good health and spirits; for which much credit and
my best thanks are due to Captain Ommanney, the oﬁicers, and all com-
posing the expedition.
27
“ 23. On the 18th of February, 1851, a communication was opened (by a
small party from this expedition) with our neighbours to the eastward (tem-
perature 69%O below the freezing point), and shortly after an interchange
was made with Captain Penny, of the detail of equipment for travelling
parties determined on by each.
“ 24. By the 10th of March, every arrangement had been made and gene-
rally promulgated for the departure of the spring searching parties as early
as practicable after the ﬁrst week in April. All appeared satisﬁed with the
positions assigned to them, and became alike animated in the great and
humane cause. With regard to myself, it appeared imperative that I should
remain with the ships, and leave to those around me the satisfaction and
honour of search and discovery—from their ages well adapting them for such
service, the conﬁdence I felt in their talent and experience being fully equal
to direct the energies and command the powers of the parties under them,
and their determination to carry out the tasks they were appointed to per-
form. I must, however, say, that—if such a feeling could exist on a matter
of duty—I did not, without the sacriﬁce of some personal ambition, refrain
from participating in this great work of humanity.
“ 25. From this period all joined heart and hand in putting forward every
effort in the general preparation. Walking excursions for four hours a day,
when weather permitted (temperature ranging from 10° to 43° minus), and
sledge dragging with the actual weights, were measures of training.
“ 26. By the 28th of March each individual was ready, and the equipment
of the sledges generally complete. The best feeling and highest spirits pre—v
vailed throughout the expedition, and all looked forward most anxiously for
the arrival of the time when weather and temperature would permit their
departure.
“ 27. The weather being more promising on the 4th of April (temperature
38° below freezing point), Mr. M‘Dougal, second master, with one ofﬁcer and
six men, one runner sledge, and twenty days’ provisions, left to examine the
depots laid out in October last, and to search and examine, with the view to
a subsequent survey, the unexplored part between Cornwallis and Batharst
Islands.
“ 28. The temperature having risen on the 5th of April, the ﬁnal depar-
ture of the parties was determined upon for the 9th. On the 7th (tempera-
ture 44° below the freezing point), the sledges were packed and made ready
for that purpose, but fresh winds frustrated the arrangements.
“ 29. The weather becoming more favourable on the morning of the 12th
(temperature 50° below freezing point), the whole of the sledges, fourteen
in number, manned by one hundred and four oﬂicers and men, and provi—
sioned, some for forty, and others for forty-two days, with an average dragging
weight of two hundred and ﬁve pounds per man, were conducted, under the
command of Captain Ommanney, to an advanced position on the ice off the
north-west end of Griﬂith Island, where tents were pitched, luncheon cooked,
and all closely inspected by myself ; the highly satisfactory result gave me
great conﬁdence and hope. All then retired to pass the next day (Sunday)
in quiet reﬂection and prayer.
“ 30. A moderate gale from the south-east, with heavy drift, prevented
their departure on the 14th, as intended.
“ 31. (Temperature 14° below freezing point.) On the evening of the 15th
of April, the wind having fallen, and the temperature having risen to plus
18°, all proceeded to the sledges. On arrival, a short period was devoted to
refreshment, after which all joined in offering up a prayer for protection and
guidance, then started, with, perhaps, as much determination and enthu-
siasm as ever existed, with the certainty of having to undergo great labour,
fatigue, and privation.
“ 32. On the 24th, another party of one officer and six men left to search
Lowther, Davey, and Garrett Islands, and examine the state of the ice to the
28
westward. Between this and the beginning of May the temperature fell
considerably (to minus 37°), accompanied by strong winds.
“ 33. The whole of the limited parties returned at periods between the 27th
of April and the 7th of May, unhappily without any traces. They brought
in casualties of men from frost bite to the number of eighteen, one of which,
it is my painful duty to relate, ended fatally. George S. Malcolm, captain
of the hold of the REsoLUTE, a native of Dundee, whose death was attributed
to exhaustion and frost-bite, brought on while labouring as captain of the
sledge Excellent, virtually, it may be said, died at his post. He was a most
respected petty officer; his remains are at rest on the north-east shore of
Grijﬁth Island.
“ 34. During this interval, four sledges, manned with twenty-seven officers
and men, were dispatched with refreshments for the extended parties in their
return, and to assist them if necessary, as also to make observations, ﬁx
positions, deposit records, etc. ~
“ 35. On the 23rd of May, Captain Penny reached the RESCLUTE, and made
known to me that he had discovered a large space of water up Wellington
Strait, commencing about seventy miles N.W. by N. of Cape Hotharn. I much
regretted that our remaining strength did not admit of my placing at his dis-
posal suﬁicient aid to convey a boat, that he might ascertain its nature and
extent.
“ 36. The extended parties returned—unhappily without any trace what-
ever—between the 28th of May and the 4th of July, in safety and good
health, but requiring short periods of rest and comfort to remove the effects
of privation and fatigue. They were out respectively forty-four, ﬁfty-eight,
sixty, sixty-two, and (the Melville Island parties) eighty days, some portions
of periods they were (from heavy drift) detained in their tents, with the
temperature ranging as much as 69° below the freezing point.
“ 37. The details connected with these operations I must defer for a future
occasion, the following being the general results, viz. :—
ALONG SOUTH SHORE.

,5 ,g. Miles of Extreme
Oﬁieer in Command. ‘5 g :8 gs; coast point '
Name of A g 2 Name of 3 a E searched. reached.
Party. ’— E 740 Sledge. l? 2 8 PM -
Name. Rank. Q :3 New Old. Lat. Long.
Extended - - - - Mr. Erasmus Ommanney Captain- - - - 6 Reliance - - - - 60 480 205 — 72°44 100°42
Extended - - - - Mr. Sherard Osborn - - - - Lieutenant 7 True Blue - - - 58 506 70 10 72°18 103025
Extended - - - - Mr. W. H. Browne - - - - - Lieutenant 6 Enterprise - - - 44 375 150 — 72°49 96°40
Limited - - - - - Mr. George F. Mecham - - Lieutenant 6 Succour - - - - - 29 236 80 — -— —
Limited - - - - - Mr. Vesey Hamilton - - - - Mate - - - - - - 7 Adventure - - - 28 198 — 23 — -
Limited - - - - - Mr. Charles Ede - - - - - ~Assist. Surg. 6 .Inﬁexible - - - - 20 175 — — — -
Auxiliary - - - - Mr. Frederick J. Krabbé Seed. Master 7 Success - - - - - 13 116 — — — ‘-
Reserve and { Mr. George F. Mecham - - Lieutenant 6 Russell - - - - - 23 238 —- 75 _- _
Hydrographl. Mr. Frederick J. Krabbé Seed. Master 6 [Edward Riddle. 18 110 - - - _
ALONG NORTH SHORE.
Extended - - - - Mr. R. D. Aldrich - - - - - Lieutenant 7 Lady Franklin. 62 550 '70 75 76016 104030
Extended - - - - Mr. F. L. M‘Olintock - - - Lieutenant 6 Perseverance - 80 ‘760 40 215 74°38 10-4020
Extended - - - - Mr. A. R. Bradford- - ~ - - Surgeon - - - 6 Resolute - - - - 80 669 135 30 76°23 108015
Limited - - - - - Mr. R. R. Pearse - - - - - - Mate - - - - - 7 Hotspm ~ - - . - . 24 203 ._ _ _ _
Limited ~ - - - - Mr. Walter W. May- - - - - Mate - - - - - 6 Excellent - - - - 34 371 -- — _ --
Limited - - - - - Mr. W. B. Shellabear - - - Seed. Master 6 Dasher - - - - - - 24 245 —- —- — —
Auxiliary - - - - Mr. John P. Cheyne - - - - Mate - - - - - 7 Parry - - - - - - - 12 136 — — -— —
Mr. R. 0. Allen - - - - - - -.Master - - - - '7 Grinnell- - - - - 18 187 — 25 — —
Reserve and Mr. R. C. Allen - - - - - - - Master - - - ~ 5 Raper - - - - - - 7 44 — — — —
Hydrogra- Mr. Walter W. May- - - - - Mate - - - - - 5 --_ 6 45 __ _ __ A _
phical - - - Mr. George F. M‘Dougall Seed. Master 7 Endeavour - - - 18 140 95 20 —— —
Mr. George F. M‘Dougall Seed. Master 6 Beaufort- - - - - 18 198 — — — ——

“ 38. The extent of coast searched will be seen more readily in the accom-
panying outline of a chart.
“ 39. Although all have experienced in the performance of this extensive
undertaking considerable privation, labour, and suffering, and been animated
with corresponding ardour in the great cause of humanity (which I earnestly
29
hope will meet the approbation of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty),
yet I feel it to be due to bring especially before their lordships’ notice the
great performances of Lieutenant M‘Clintock and the crew of the sledge
Perseverance.
“ 40. I cannot omit to notice that the runner sledges have withstood the
severe wear and tear of these journeys most admirably; I believe their con-
struction to have arisen from the experience of Arctic voyages; but I feel it
to be due to express that ‘the manner in which they are put together reﬂects
the highest credit on the persons who did it.
“ 41. I feel it would be a source of great satisfaction to their lordships, to
know that every ofﬁcer reports the conduct of his men to have been most
exemplary, each with their untiring labour and the good feeling exhibited
towards each other was highly gratifying. And I must not omit to men—
tion, that the crews are reported to have been animated by the example
of the junior ofﬁcers, who were almost constantly at the drag ropes.
“ 42. The four vessels composing the expedition are in every way efﬁcient;
the defects of the PIONEER, consisting of twenty-one top timbers crushed by
a heavy nip in Melville Bag, have been made good. The machinery of both
steam-vessels has undergone repairs and numerous adjustments, and is in a
state highly satisfactory, reﬂecting much credit on the engineers.
“43. The complements of the vessels composing the expedition are com-
plete, the vacancy in the REsoLurE having been ﬁlled by James Fox, A.B.,
volunteer (native of Portpatrick, Wigtonshire), who was received on the 17th
of August last from the PRINCE ALBERT (Commander Forsyth) for medical
treatment.
“ 44. Large caverns have been built and records deposited at Beecheg
Island, Cape Martyr, southern end of Griﬁith Island, Cape Walker, in lati—
tude 73° 55’ north, longitude 99° 25' west; and in latitude 75°, longitude
99°. Printed notices have also been deposited on the routes of the several
searching parties.
“ 45. Having yesterday been released from our winter quarters, and most
happily reached to those of Capt. Penny, I have now the honour to state, that
having maturely considered the directions and extent of the Search (without
success) that has been made by this expedition, and weighed the opinions of
the officers when at their extremes, I have arrived at the conclusion, that
the expedition under Sir John Franklin did not prosecute the object of its
mission to the southward and westward of Wellington Strait; and having
communicated with Captain Penny, and fully considered his official reply to
my letter, relative to the search of Wellington Strait by the expedition under
his charge (unhappily without success), I do not feel authorised to prosecute
(even if practicable) a farther Search in those directions.
“ 46. It is now my intention to proceed with all dispatch to attempt the
search of Jones’s Sound; looking to their lordships’ intention, and to the
impression that may now become strengthened with reference thereto, I have
at the last moment the satisfaction of stating that we are proceeding under
favourable circumstances.
“ 47. It is my pleasing duty to report that the health of all composing
the expedition is highly satisfactory.
“ I have the honour to be, &c.,
“Horatio T. Austin,
“ Captain, and in Charge of the Expedition.”
3'0
CAPTAIN AUSTIN’S SECOND DESPATCH.
The following is extracted from Captain Austin’s report of his further
proceedings :—
“ SIR,—In continuation of the report of the 12th of August last, trans-
mitted by Captain Penny, I have now the honour to’ acquaint you, for the
information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that being off Cape
Warrender on the evening of the 14th, in clear water, and under favourable
circumstances, I attached to the INTREPID, Lieutenant Elliott, and Mr. Hamil—
ton, mate ; and to the PIoNEER, Mr. M‘Dougall, Second master, for hydro-
graphical purposes, as also Mr. May, mate, in addition to the latter vessel ;
so that in the event of opportunity offering, the acquirements of those oﬁicers
might be brought to good account. This gave to each vessel six additional
men. Directed Captain Ommanney to erect a cairn and beacon, and deposit a
record on Cape Warrender, and conduct the ships to the east shore of Baﬂin’s
Bag, and rendezvous between Wolsten/iolme Sound and Cape York; then, plac—
ing myself on board the PIoNEER, proceeded at seven o’clock, p.m., with both
steam tenders, along the west shore of Baﬁn’s Bag; rounded Cape Horsbnrg/i
on the 15th; advanced along the coast to the northward about thirty miles,
and then proceeded up by the southern shore of an extensive sound in the
north—west direction, about forty-ﬁve miles. Here our progress was arrested
by a ﬁxed barrier of ice, that was subsequently found to extend from shore
to shore, a distance of twenty-ﬁve miles. The vessels then stood along the
edge of the ice to the north shore, when, proving it impracticable to
prosecute further, a cairn and beacon were erected, and record deposited,
upon a remarkable conical island: after which, we returned by the north
shore out of the sound, having closely examined both sides without discover-
ing traces of the missing expedition.
“ The mouth of this sound is about sixty miles bread, with an island at its
entrance, twenty miles in length, of which Cape Leopold is a part. During
the clearest period we had here, when distant objects were very distinct,
there was every appearance of a well-deﬁned outline of land stretching
across, and terminating it to the westward; and although I am impressed
that there is no outlet in that direction, yet by no means assert such to be
the case.
“There is every reason to consider this the Jones’s Sound of Baﬁ‘in,
although its northern shore is situated about ten miles to the southward of
that upon the chart.
“ The attempt was then made to get to the northward, along the western
shore of Baﬁin’s Bag, to satisfactorily determine this question, but the ice-
rendered it impracticable ; for by this time it had set home upon the coast,
and blocked up both entrances to the Sound. We therefare directed our
course, with considerable difficulty, through a drifting pack, towards the
east shore, in the hope of being able to get to the northward and westward
on that side, but were arrested ten miles to the northward of Wolstenholme
Sound on the 20th, and detained and beset in that locality until the 28th,
during two days of which, with spring tides and a heavy gale from the south
ward, our position was both critical and perilous. Upon one occasion, the
IN'rREPIn was driven upon the tongue of a berg, while her rudder was
carried away, the frame of her screw broken, and two of her boats run over
by a ﬂee, the vessel herself remaining for about twenty hours in great peril,
during a part of which her stern was raised to a very considerable extent,
with the ice piling up forward to her gunwale, and all but falling on her
deck, rendering it doubtful whether it would not become imperative to
abandon her; but, happily, the wind fell, the ice ceased, and she became
relieved in a most remarkable manner, apparently without having sustained.
any vital injury.
31
“ Being unable to join the INTREPID, and the ice easing to the northward,
the PIONEER proceeded in that direction until reaching nearly opposite
Cape Parry, the southern entrance of Whale Sound, where she was again
arrested by the ice in close pack, and made fast, in the hope of being able
to examine that Sound, which is of limited extent (from eight to ten miles
broad at its entrance), takes a north-easterly direction, and was ﬁlled with
ice. After remaining a few hours, the ice began to close from the south—
word, rendering it necessary to forthwith retrace our steps, to avoid being
beset ; and we proceeded in the direction of the INTREPID.
“ Having now, after full consideration, seen the impracticability of pro-
secuting further to the northward or westward in Baﬂin’s Bay without
risking detention for another winter, and the uncertainty of even then being
able. to do so, and considering that Baﬂin’s Bay had been examined as far as
the supposed Jones’s Sound on its west side, and Whale Sound on the east,
without any trace of the missing expedition ; in addition to which, looking
to the late period of the navigable season, I deemed it my duty to proceed
at once to rejoin the ships and return to England, in accordance with the
spirit of my instructions. We were, however, impeded a few miles to the
northward of Wolstenholrne Island, by a close and heavy pack to the south—
ward until the 1st instant, when a slight easing of the ice took place, en~
abling us, after considerable difﬁculty and doubt, to rejoin the ships—the
PIONEER on the morning of the 2nd, and the INTREPID, not being able to
take the same lead, on the 6th.
“ It is here necessary to notice that, had it not been for the capability of the
screw propeller, most remarkable under such circumstances, I do not con-
sider that either the passage across Baﬁin’s Bay, or that to rejoin the ships,
could have been accomplished in the manner or time they were.
“ During the detention off Wolstenholrne Sound, on the night of the 28th,
the vessels were visited by a party of ﬁve Esquimaux, with dog-sledges. The
conﬁdence with which these harmless people approached the vessels, and
their general manners, indicated their having visited the NORTH STAR, or
some other vessel; and their state of health and appearance altogether be-
tokened contentment and comparative comfort.
“ On my return to the ships, I learnt from Captain Ommanney that, in
crossing Baﬁn’s Bay, they had been hampered considerably by the ice, and
were compelled to pass to the northward of the Cary Islands.
“ On the evening of the 6th of September, the expedition proceeded to
make the best of its way out of Baﬂin’s Bay and Davis’s Strait; being much
favoured by fair winds and open water, Cape Farewell was passed on the‘
16th, since which we have been followed by fresh gales and a high sea until
abreast of Aberdeen, on the evening of the 26th.
“ In concluding this report, I feel it to be due to express my sense of the
ready and zealous co-operation I have received from Captain Ommanney, and
of the efficient State in which the ship under his command has been at all
times held; to the ofﬁcers in command of the steam tenders; to the execu-
tive oﬂicers of the expedition, and to the heads of the respective branches,
my best thanks are due; and I must not omit to notice the talented assist-
ance I have had in the navigation of the expedition from Mr. Allen, master
of the RESoLUTE. Of all in their respective stations (not forgetting the
admirable conduct and spirited exertions of the crews) I cannot speak too
highly ; and hope, should their lordships be pleased to think favourably of
the labours of the expedition entrusted to my charge, that they may be
further induced to reward individual merit.”
32
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN CAPTAIN S AUSTIN AND PENNY.
“ Her Majesty’s ship REsoLUTE, off the Winter Quarters of
Captain Penny’s Expedition, August 1.1, 1851.
“ Sir,—-Having this day most unexpectedly reached your winter quarters,
and also having had the satisfaction of a personal communication with you,
I now beg leave to acquaint you that, having maturely considered the direc-
tions and extent of the search (without success) that has been made by the
expedition under my charge, and weighed the opinions of the ofﬁcers when
at their extremes, I have arrived at the conclusion that the expedition under
Sir John Franklin did not prosecute the object of its mission to the south
ward and westward of Wellington Strait.
“ Under these circumstances, I now await your reply to my letter trans-
mitted herewith, in order that I may make known to you at the earliest
moment the plans for the future movements of this expedition.
“ I have, &c.,
“Horatio T. Austin, Captain, ac.
“ Captain William Penny, Her Maj esty’s brig LADY FRANKLIN,
and in charge of an expedition searching for the expedition
under Sir John Franklin.”

“Her Majesty’s ship RESCLUTE, off the Winter Quarters of
Captain Penny’s Expedition, August 11.
“ Sir,——Having this day most unexpectedly reached your winter quarters,
and also having had the satisfaction of a personal communication with you,
I feel it incumbent (previous to making known to you my determination as
to the further movements of the expedition under my orders) to request that
you will be pleased to acquaint me, whether you consider that the search of
the Wellington Strait, made by the expedition under your charge, is so far
satisfactory as to render a further prosecution in that direction, if prac—
ticable, unnecessary. “ I have, &c.,
“Horatio T. Austin, Captain, &c.
“ Captain William Penny, Her Majesty’s brig LADY FRANKLIN,
and in charge of an expedition searching for the expedition
under Sir John Franklin.”
, “Assistance Bay, August 11.
“ Sir,—Your question is easily answered. My opinion is, Wellington
Channel requires no further Search; all has been done in the power of man
to accomplish, and no trace can be found. What else can be done?
“ I have the honour to be, &c.,
. “William Penny.
“ Captain H. T. Austin, C.B., of Her Majesty’sexpedition '
in Search of Sir John Franklin.”

“ Her Majesty’s ship REsoLUTE, off the Winter Quarters of
Captain Penny’s Expedition, August 12, 1851..
“ Sir,—I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of your letter making
known to me the result of the Search of Wellington Strait by the expedition
under your charge.
“ I have now to inform you, that I do not consider it necessary to prosecute
(even if practicable) a further search in that direction with the expedition
under my orders.
“ It is now my intention to proceed to attempt the search of Jones’s Sonnd.
“ I have, &c.,
“Horatio T. Austin, Captain, 8w-
“ Captain William Penny, Her Majesty’s brig LADY FRANKLIN,
and in charge of an expedition searching for the expedition
under Sir John Franklin.”
33
UNITED STATES’ EXPEDITIONJ
The United States’ searching vessel ADVANCE arrived at New York from
the Arctic regions on the 30th ult. She had parted with the RESCUE in a
gale of wind. The following appears on the subject in a New York paper :—
“ It will be remembered that the latest previous intelligence from the
RESCUE and the ADVANCE was to September 1850, received through the
English papers. On that day they parted company with the English
squadron, as mentioned in the despatches of Captain Penny. The same
night they were frozen in at Wellington Channel. From that point com-
menced their northern drift, and they were carried up the Channel to
latitude 75° 25’, the greatest northing ever attained in that meridian.
During this time the violence of the eruptions of the ice was so great that
they could not keep any ﬁres regularly on account of the motion of the
vessel. From that latitude they commenced drifting again to the south,
and in November 1850 entered Lancaster Sound. The mercury in the
thermometer fell below zero, the bedding froze in every apartment, and the
coffee and soup became congealed as soon as taken off the ﬁre. The princi~
pal eruptions in the ice occurred on the 11th November and 8th December,
1850, and 13th January 1851, on which latter day the expedition entered
Baﬁn’s Bag. During the continuance of the vessels in this ice the vessels
were lifted up by the Stern as high as six feet seven or eight inches, with a
lift to starboard of two feet eight inches, the discomforts and inconvenience
of which may well be imagined. During this whole time, also, the men had
their knapsacks constantly prepared, as well as sleighs, &c., not knowing
but that at any moment the vessels, strong as they were, might be crushed
by the ice. They were three weeks without taking off their clothes. Fortu—
nately the ice lifted up rather than crushed the vessels, which lay often at a
considerable elevation on the crest of the upheaving ice. It was at this
time the scurvy broke out, attacking all the crew and oﬂicers. Captain De
Haven and Dr. Kane succeeded by assiduous efforts in curing them all. From
this ice the vessels emerged on the 10th of June, 1851, after an imprison-
ment of nine months. During this time they had drifted 1,060 miles, a polar
drift unprecedented. During this whole imprisonment the two vessels
suffered comparatively little damage. The ADVANCE lost part of her bob—
stays and part of her false keel. The RESCUE had her cutwater and bowsprit
literally chiselled oﬁ‘. Having got both his vessels liberated Captain De
Haven determined again to prosecute his Search, and turned the ADvANCE’s
head to the northward. He succeeded in reaching Upper Melville Bag, but
was therein again hemmed in with ice. From this he was not liberated
until August 19th, at which time the season was so far advanced that
it was impossible for him to proceed. He, therefore, reluctantly de-
termined to return home. The ADVANCE called at the Greenland ports,
where she obtained full supplies of fresh meats, vegetables, fruits, &c.,
and Dr. Kane soon had the happiness of seeing the scurvy entirely disappear.
The expedition has returned without the loss of a man, which speaks
volumes alike for the officers and the men. The American vessels last saw
the English ship PRINCE ALBERT on the 12th day of August, standing to the
south-south-east, after having given up, as Captain De Haven concluded, all
hope of getting round the bay ice, and making for the southern passage.
Captain De Haven thinks it probable that she would reach Prince Regent’s
Inlet. Dr. Kane thinks, after seeing the regions and the resources on shore,
that Sir John Franklin and his crew are probably yet alive. The ADVANCE
has brought home the relics of Sir J ohn’s visit to the place where three of
his men were buried. We learn from Mr. Grinncll, that Lady Franklin
entertained the same opinion as Dr. Kane with respect to her noble husband."
34
MR. 0. R. WELD’S LETTER TO “THE TIMES”.
“ Sir,—-The desponding tone of the letter from ‘ A Captain, R.N.’, seems to
be founded upon a mistaken interpretation of the last words in Captain
Penny’s letter. It is quite evident that some personal discussion of the
question had taken place between Captain Austin and Captain Penny, and
the latter is clearly irritated by being called upon to write any further
opinion. He had done all that man with his means could do. What more
could be expected of him? How else can we understand Captain Penny’s
urgent application, at the very moment of his return to England, to have a
powerful steamer with which to go back to search beyond Wellington Chan-
nel? That channel had received a complete search. The result of the
examination is to show, not only that the route by the north-west pointed out
to Sir John Franklin in his instructions existed, but that it was open to him;
and, knowing as I do the strong feeling that prevailed in the minds of all his
officers, and also of the Admiralty, at that period, I have an entire convic-
tion that this north—west route was taken; and it does seem not a little per-
verse, after the discovery of traces within the entrance to Wellington Channel,
to maintain that the missing expedition did not go up that strait.
“Nor does your correspondent’s assertion, that Lieutenant M‘Clintock’s
wonderful journey to Melville Island demonstrates that Franklin did not
reach that island, hold good; for he may be even now on the northern shores
of that extensive land, whose limits to the west are unknown.
“ Your correspondent overlooks the important fact, that there is evidence of
the means of subsistence being found in high arctic latitudes, even more
than in southern. Captain Penny saw birds innumerable, and bears, seals,
and walruses, the latter of these animals being the most useful of any, in
affording not only food,* but fuel ; and in the island of Spitsbergen, in the
high latitude of 80° N ., herds of deer and musk oxen have been seen.
“ It is clear that Captain Austin could not have shared the opinion of your
correspondent relative to the possibility of supporting life for six or seven
years in some way or other in the Arctic seas, otherwise he would not have
accepted a command, the expected duration of which exceeds the period at
which, according to the above theory, they must cease to exist.
“ I am, sir, your humble servant,
_ “ G. R. Weld.
“ Royal Soclety, Somerset-house, October 7.”
W. F.’s LETTER TO THE “TIMES”.
“ Sir,—Being one most interested in the fate of the missing expedition
under Sir John Franklin, I cannot allow a letter which appears in your
columns of the 7th instant, signed ‘A Captain, R.N.’, to pass unnoticed. It
contains some statements that are at variance with facts, and is of a most
mischievous and dangerous tendency.
“ I do not think that the public generally are aware what Captain Penny’s
opinion upon this‘ subject is, and having had several interviews with him, I
will state in as few words as possible what it is, which will, I think, be the
best answer to the Captain’s letter.
“ In the ﬁrst place, so far from considering Wellington Channel searched,
Captain Penny came home for the express purpose of obtaining from the
government a powerful steamer to do this service. He wished to sail again
this autumn as soon as a steamer could be got ready, but the matter having
been laid before an Arctic council, it was decided that the season was too far
advanced, and that the spring would be a better time to renew the search.
If Captain Penny had considered Wellington Channel searched, why did he

* See note on the facility of enticing and capturing bears, page 8.
35
make an application to Captain Austin for one of his tenders to do this ser-
vice ? Captain Penny is conﬁdent in his own mind that Sir John Franklin,
having wintered at Cape Riley, in 45° 6’, ('2)* went up Wellington Channel.
That there is no document found on Beechey Island is, indeed, extraordinary,
but this Captain Penny attributes to their having left in a great hurry (as
everything on the spot indicates), in consequence of the sudden break up of
the ice.
“ Now, with regard to their means of subsistence. Captain Penny states
that one hundred miles up the Channel from Cape Riley he ﬁnds the ice
becoming rotten; and thirty or forty miles further north he comes to open
water as far as the eye could see, teeming with animal life. He saw deer,
birds of many kinds, seals, and porpoises. This was on the 17th of May.
The ﬁrst bird seen at Cape Riley, more than two degrees south, was on the
2d of June. It would be vain to suppose that if Sir John Franklin came to
this open water, he would stop and land a boat to build a cairn or leave
‘traces. He would consider this waste of time, and make the best of his way.
“ There is no reason to suppose that the expedition is lost, either from being
wrecked or starvation, or that they have died of despair, as some say ;—
Franklin, Crozier, and Fitzjames, would not do that. It is, therefore, the
duty of the government, with the new year, to set about ﬁtting out a fresh
expedition of search, a powerful steamer and two sailing vessels, commanded
by a man of known and tried skill and courage, with ample means at his
command, and empowered to act upon his own discretion.
“ Pardon me for trespassing so long upon your valuable space ; but I know
from your article of the 7th that you are in favour of further Search, and may
England remember that the eyes of all the world are upon her, and may
she never think that she has done her duty till she has either restored our
long lost countrymen to their homes, or ascertained their fate.
- “ Your obedient servant,
“ Lutterworth, October 9.”
“W. F.

ARCTIC COMMITTEE.
(From the Illustrated London News, November 1851.)
“The members of this committee continue to hold their sittings, and exa-
mine oﬁicers of the recent Arctic expeditions. It appears that Captain Sir
John Franklin, when parting with an intimate acquaintance at Woolwich
on the night previous to the day of his sailing in the EREBuS for the Arctic
regions, said it would be a long time before he would return home, as it was
his intention to obey the instructions he had received from the Admiralty
as far as possible ; but his own impression was that he would obtain a
passage up the Wellington Channel, and he would leave no means untried
to effect a passage up that Channel before he returned. The anxiety of the
Admiralty and of Lady Franklin that the Search for the missing expedition
should have previously been made in the direction of Mel/ville Island was
adopted from the best of motives, as, in the event of the vessels having been
wrecked, the most probable place to ﬁnd any of the survivors would have
been in that direction. It having now been ascertained, as the result of the
recent expeditions of Captain Austin and Captain Penny, that the EREBUS
and TERROR have not been wrecked in the direction of Melville Island, the
exertion of the oﬂicers and men of future expeditions will be to effect a
passage up Wellington Channel, as the only direction in which it can
now be expected to ﬁnd or ascertain the fate of the long-absent officers and
crews of Sir John Franklin’s expedition.”

* Point Riley is in Lat. 74° 40’.
36
EXTRACTS
from the Nautical Magazine, for November 1851.
[The following extracts are selected from a paper in the Nautical Maga~
zine, and bear very strongly upon the question as to the route adopted by
Franklin]
CoLoNEL SABINE’S OPINION.
“ You ask me, also, ‘ Could Franklin have gone there ‘2’ (into Smith’s
Sound.) If Sir John Franklin had proved that no passage could be found
south-west of Cape Walker, or to the north-west through Wellington Strait,
which were the directions he was instructed ﬁrst to try, he both could and
would doubtless have tried Smith’s Sound, if the research in the two ﬁrst
named directions had left him a sufﬁciency of provisions. But as we know
that he wintered at Beechey Island, and the traces exist of the heavy sledges
of his reconnoitering parties along the coast to the north and north-west,
since traversed by Captain Penny’s oiﬁcers, we know that he had learnt that
Wellington Strait leads into a wide and extensive sea ; and as we know that
Sir John Franklin was not the man to turn from an examination which he
was directed to make, till he had completed the examination, our ﬁrst point
must be to follow him in the direction which he is most likely to have
taken; and I trust we shall see that tried both with steam-tender and steam-
launches with as little delay as possible.
“ Several circumstances are mentioned to me by Captain Penny, indicative
either of occasional very heavy seas on the coasts and islands of Queen’s
Channel, or of an occasional much higher rise in the level of the water than
can be well attributed to the surface drift of a sea closed to the north or
north—west.”
“ . . . . . I had the advantage of visiting Captain Penny a day or two ago.
He speaks of several pieces of drift-wood found on beaches facing the north,
on the southern shores of the great sea, into which the channels on either
side of Hamilton Island lead; and on islands in that sea. These beaches,
therefore, face the communication, if there be one, with the Great Polar
Sea. We found one piece, and one piece only, as far as I recollect, in all
our exploration of the southern shores of Parry’s Islands: it was toward the
south—east extremity of Melville Island, between Points Ross and Grig’iths,
and was found just as Captain Penny describes those on the north side of
the islands, considerably above the usual high water mark, both in height
and distance. It is remarkable (in connection with this subject) that Sir
Edward Parry considered it probable, for several reasons, that in the vicinity
of the spot where we found the drift-wood, i.e., at the east end of Melville
Island, and on both sides of Byam Martin Island, the ﬂood tide came from
the northward between the islands. We have therefore, as facts, much drift-
wood found in a limited research north of the islands, and a single piece
only in a much more extensive research south of the islands. Granting a
common origin, or channel of arrival (not necessary, but probable), it might
come either from the north or from the south ; but it is most reasonable to
suppose it to have come from the quarter where it is found in considerable
abundance, rather than from the quarter where only a single piece was
found : the supposition of a northern channel for its arrival brings with it
a train of very important consequences, amongst the most prominent of
which are, the indication of a water communication with the continents of
America or Asia more open than that between the southern shores of the
Parry Islands and those of the continent of America lying opposite to them.
“ Respecting tides, of which Captain Penny speaks as being so strong, I
presume he means the set of water, whether tide or current. I understand
him, indeed, to say so distinctly. In either case, a strong set of water such
as he describes, is an indication of a considerable reach of opea sea. Such
an extent of open water as was actually seen by Captain Penny and his
37
oﬂicers, at a period of the year when Captain Austin was fast bound with a
temperature scarcely, I believe, above zero, is indeed a remarkable fact. It
may consist with the condition (if they prove such) of a sea of no extraordi-
nary depth, enclosed all around by land, with no other communication but
by Wellington Strait; but it would be a far more intelligible fact, if that
sea should be found to communicate with a deep and extensive ocean to the
north. Let that ocean be as extensive as it may, if it is a deep sea, and not
much encumbered with land, it will be an open sea whatever may be its
latitude.
“ I consider it therefore a geographical problem of ﬁrst-rate importance, to
ascertain whether or not Queen Victoria Channel leads into a sea of that
description. If it does, a larger portion of the earth’s surface, still unknown
to us, may be accessible, and for its physical relations and phenomena, as
well as for the completion of the descriptive geography of the globe, will
form a ﬁeld for very interesting and important research. The existence of
Wrangel’s sea, in parallel circumstance, north of the continent of Asia,
forms a strong feature in support. We have also much reason to suppose that
we have been preceded in this line of research by Fran/din ; and that in fol-
lowing it we have great probability of ascertaining his fate, not unmixed with
a reasonable probability of still afording aid.”

LADY FRANKLIN’S OPINION.
.... ..“ But notwithstanding this, I am persuaded, now that it is pretty well
proved my husband could not have penetrated south-west, according to
the ﬁrst part of his instructions, that he has taken the only alternative
those instructions presented him, by going up Wellington Channel. Indeed,
whatever argument may be used in opposition, there is one in favor of this
view, which is stronger than any thing that can be urged against it, and
that is, that I know he intended to try it. Private connections and domestic
conﬁdences cannot be brought forward in discussions of a public nature, nor
are likely to be much attended to if they were; but to me they leave no
room for doubt or hesitation whatever. Only tell me that they could not
have taken a south-west course, and then I know they would besiege the
gates of Wellington Channel (supposing they found them closed, which is
only an hypothesis founded on the passing observations of the last two years),
till the happy moment arrived when they yielded to perseverance. For to
say there never is a passage in that direction, cannot be affirmed of Welling-
ton Channel any more than it can of Barrow Strait, which we know was
navigated far to the west by Sir E. Parry, though no one has yet been able
to do so again. Wellington Channel was not only the uppermost Object in
my husband’s mind when he left England, but it was also in Capt. Crozier’s ;
and as to Capt. Fitzjames, it was with the most fervent wishes and anticipa~
tion that he looked to the northern route, and the younger officers had
imbibed the same spirit. There must have been perfect unanimity on the
subject, if such were required.
“The multiplied proofs of the prolonged sojourn of the EREBUS and TERROR
at Beechey Island, were not needed to make me feel assured that if the ships
could not penetrate to the south-west, and if Wellington Channel offered to
them no greater obstacle than it presented to Penny, viz., that of an ex-
tensive but varying barrier of ice, which, as you know, was diminished last
year, in the course of a few hours, by one half of its extent, or ﬁfteen miles !
—they would watch and wait for its Opening. By that passage, doubt not
the ships have gone ; and by that, believe me, they must be followed.” .... ..

LETTER FROM MR. JOHN BARRow.
.... ..“ The author of the article (in the Nautical Magazine) says that
‘ Franklin was aware of Sir John Barrow’s aversion to the Wellington Chan-
nel, because it was always blocked up with ice.’
38
“ The very reverse is the fact; my father’s aversion to it being solely be-
cause (as far as experience went) the Wellington Channel was always entirely
free from ice ; and in corroboration of this, I would refer those who are
interested in the subject, and desirous of arriving at a right judgment upon
all points, to the parliamentary Blue Books, where it will be seen (at page
73, sessional N o. 264, for 1848) that Sir John Barrow says, that ‘ the only
chance of bringing them upon the Asiatic coast, is the possibility of some
obstructions having tempted‘them to explore an immense inlet on the nor-
thern shore of Barrow Strait (short of Melville Island), called Wellington
Channel, which Parry felt an inclination to explore ; and more than one of
the present party betrayed to me a similar inclination, which I discouraged,
no one venturing to conjecture even to what extent it might go, or into what
difficulties it might lead.’
“ It could not have led them far, if it were always blocked up with ice.
My own opinion remains unshaken, that the Franklin expedition has gone
through that channel to the north-west.”

OPINIoN or A FRIEND or CAPTAIN FI-TZ-JAMES.
“ Reasons for believing that Franklin has followed the course of the
l'Vellington Channel :—
“ First—Because Sir John Franklin was ordered to proceed up Wellington
Channel, that is, if he failed in getting to the south—west of Cape Walker.
That he did fail in getting to the south-west is the conclusion arrived at by
Captain Austin.
“ Secondly—Because I know there was the greatest disposition on the
part of Sir John Franklin’s oiﬁcers to go through the Wellington Channel,
and to the northward of the Parry Group, and particularly so on the part
of Captain Fitz-James.
“ Thirdly—Because nothing has been heard of Sir John Franklin, and it
is not easy to assign any other position from which he would not have been
heard of before now.
“ I know it has been asserted that after wintering at Cape Riley, he was
drifted out, or went back through Barrow Strait, intending to return to
England, and was wrecked at the head of Baﬂin Bay. I place no more
faith in this than I did in the former prophecy, of his having foundered in
Baﬂin Bay, before he, had even entered the threshold of his discovery.
“In all letters I received from Captain Fitz—James, there was but one idea
uppermost—to go a-head. The very words he repeatedly used—-‘ Don’t care
is the order of the day ; I mean, don’t care for diﬂiculties or stoppages—
go a-head is the wish.” Again, he says (writing from the Whale Fish
Islands), ‘ We hear this is a remarkable clear season (1845), but clear or not
clear we must go a-head, as the Yankees have it ; and if we don’t get
through, it won’t be our fault.’ ‘ The north-west passage is certainly to be
gone through by Barrow Strait, but whether south or north of Parry’s Group
remains to be proved. I am for north, edging north-west till in longitude
140°.’ ‘ We intend to drink Sir John Barrow’s health in going through
Behring Strait.’ These, and a host of similar expressions, lead me to the
conclusion that they pushed boldly on through the mlington Channel with-
out casting a look behind, or without an idea of even retracing their steps.
The enterprising spirit of Sir John Franklin is known throughout the world;
so is that of Captains Crozier and Fitz-James, and from a personal acquaint-
ance with nearly every oﬁicer in the expedition, I can assert that but ‘one
spirit pervaded the whole.”
39
“ DIGEST or SIR J OHN FRANKLIN’S INSTRUCTIONS.
“ The orders are dated 5th May, 1845, and consist of twenty-three clauses,
the points of which are these :—
“ 1.—Selection to command the expedition.
“ 2.—-To make for Davis Strait and take provisions from Transport.
“ 3.—To get into Lancaster Sound. '
“ 4.——Relating to steam propeller.
“ 5.-—To push to the westward in latitude 74° 15' to about 98° W., thence
to penetrate south-west.
“ 6.—-If prevented going south-west, and if Wellington Strait in passing
was observed open, to consider, whether in the ensuing season he
should not adopt Wellington Strait to the north—west, or persevere
to the south-west.
“ 7.——No land known in the Polar Sea beyond Parry Islands.
“ 8.—If Behring Strait be passed, to proceed to Sandwich Islands and
round Cape Horn home.
“ 9.—Relates to wintering in Polar regions.‘
“ _10.—Discretional powers given as to the wintering and reﬁtting.
“ 11.—Caution against Separating the vessels, and communicating with
captain of the TERROR.
“ 12.-To exchange observations.
“ 13.—Relates to observations on magnetism.
“ 14.—Entrusting magnetic observations to Captain Fitz-James.
“ 15.—Portable observatory.
“ 16.——Relates to observations.
“ 17.—Relates to observations, and deep sea soundings, currents, etc.
“ 18.—Thenorth-west passage to the Paciﬁc the main object of the expedition.
“ 19.—To throw bottles with current papers overboard.
“ 20.—To preserve specimens of natural history.
“ 21.—Measures in the event of either ship being disabled.
“ 22.-—To correspond with the secretary, etc., logs, journals.
“ 23.—-Neutrality.”
LADY FRANKLIN AND THE AMERICANS.
(From the United Service Gazette, November 1, 1850.)
“ In some of the daily papers this week the following letter appeared, with
the signature of Lady Franklin :—
“ 21, Redford-place, London, September 12.
“ My dear Mr. Grinnell—I write to you in much agitation and confusion
of mind, which you will not wonder at when you hear that Captain Penny,
with his two ships, has returned, and announces the approaching return of
Captain Austin’s squadron, after being out for only half the period for
which they were equipped . . . . . . Captain Penny’s letter is to-day before
the Board of Admiralty, urging them in the strongest terms to dispatch
instantly a powerful stgeamer to Wellington Channel, in which quarter, to
the north-west, he has discovered the passage which there can be scarcely a
doubt that the ships have taken, since it is the only opening they have
found anywhere, and hundreds of miles of coast have been explored in the
lower western direction to Cape Walker, Ban/c’s Land, and Melville Island,
without a trace of them. Drift wood in considerable quantities has come
out of this north—west channel, and also a small bit of rather fresh English
elm, which Penny pronounces must have belonged to our ships, and was
probably thrown overboard.
“ Thus the right track of the north-west passage and the course of the
40
missing ships are identical ; and I can only regret that our Squadron was
not told they might attempt the making of the passage if they could, for In
that case we should have had no abandoning of the Search till many more
struggles had been made to get into Behring’s Straits. ' The barrier of ice
in Wellington Channel did not break up last year, nor had done so this, when
Penny left ; but his explorations, which extended to one hundred and eighty
miles from the entrance, were made beyond it in boat sledges ; sixty miles be—
yond this he saw water, with land standing to the north-west. I can hardly
conceive how he could resist following the open water which he saw beyond
him, and which he is convinced leads into the so much talked of Polar basin.
He is also convinced, with Dr. Kane, that there is a better climate in these
more northern latitudes, with more natural resources of food and fuel; some
proofs of which he brings forward. We have every reason, then, to hope that
some of our lost friends and countrymen may yet be able to support lIfe In
this region, though unable to return by the way which they came ; and the
absence of any traces of them north of Cape Innes, on the east side of ‘Wel-
lington Channel, proves nothing at all against it, since they were not likely
to linger on their way, to examine shores and islands, but would push on as
fast as possible while the opportunity favoured them ; and the next trace to
be found would probably be their second winter quarters.
“ In conﬁrmation of this view, Penny tells me that there are signs of their
ﬁrst winter encampment at Beechey Island, and of their having left it suddenly;
and that the summer of 1846, though extremely unfavourable to the Whalers,
who, on account of the prevailing winds, could not cross over to the west
side of Baﬁn’s Bay, must have been quite the reverse to our navigators.*
You may imagine what a state of anxiety and agitation we are in, till we
learn the decision of the Admiralty on the appeal now made to them . . . . . .
Should we fail, we must look to America alone as our resource. To you will
belong all the virtue and credit of continuing the search when our country-
men fail ; and to you will belong the honour and glory of succouring the
distressed, and of settling for ever that vexed question which for centuries
it has been the ambition of Europe, and of England in particular, to solve.
I cannot abandon my husband and my countrymen both to their fate, just
at the moment when the pathway to them has been found ; and, if need be,
and my coming to the United States would help in engaging the active and
energetic sympathies of your countrymen, painful, in many respects, as this
trial would be, I would brace up my courage to the proof.
“But my head is growing weak, and my health is sinking—and then I
have a beloved sister (not to mention an aged father, who is not now in a
state to be conscious of my absence) whom it would almost break my heart to
leave. I am sure you will tell, with all your accustomed truth and candour
and kindness, what is your view of this point, in case the Admiralty fail me....
“ It appears that it was Captain Austin’s intention, to look into Welling-
ton Channel himself, and also into Jones’s Sound before he returned home ;
but as to the former, Penny says he will ﬁnd the ice impassable, so that he
will be sure not to be able, as an eye-witness, to see the opening. Nothing,
perhaps, could penetrate it in its present state but the four hundred horse—
power steamer, and that cannot be done this year, though Penny says, if the
steamer could be ready to sail in three weeks or a month from hence, he
thinks he could still get her up to Lancaster Sound this season, or at any
rate to some convenient locality, which would enable him to commence early
operations next spring.’ I intended writing much more to you about your
own two gallant ships, and their winter of almost unparalleled anxiety; but,
as I wish to address a few lines to Judge Kane, I believe I must forbear,
and refer you to my note to him, which I shall enclose and leave open.
Captain Penny has studded the northern part of Wellington Channel with

* Should we not read “ east side of Baf‘u‘n's Bay”, in place of “ west side".v
41
your names, and the names of our brave and generous allies in your ships.
I am greatly pressed for time, having more writing than I can possibly get
through.
“Believe me, my dear Mr. Grinnell, ever most truly and respectfully
yours,
“ Jane Franklin.”
“ This letter, copied from the New York papers, created some little stir
among the Arctic Committee, who, we believe, called on Lady Franklin to
explain her reasons for so severely reﬂecting on the English Admiralty.
What reply her Ladyship made to the Committee we know not; but sub-
sequently the Morning Herald, in a short paragraph, stated that the letter
was copied from the American papers, and added that its publication must
have been a ‘ breach of conﬁdence’. Whereupon Lady Franklin wrote the
following rejoinder :—
To the Editor of the Morning Herald.
“ Sir—There appeared to my great concern in your paper of yesterday a
private letter of mine to Mr. Grinnell, without any explanation of the source
whence it was derived. Being anxious to exonerate myself from being privy
to its publication, I requested a friend of mine to do me the favour of
inserting a paragraph which would give the necessary explanation, without
dictating the terms in which it was to be made. You have kindly complied
with this request, but in adding that the publication of my letter appeared
‘a breach of conﬁdence’, you have unintentionally caused me still greater
pain by making me appear as the accuser of a beloved and honoured friend
and benefactor, the most noble-minded and honourable of men.
“ I know not how the letter found its way into the American paper, but
it is too easy to perceive that the kindest of motives might have induced
Mr. Grinnell or his friends to publish it to his countrymen.
“ I must entreat you to take some means of counteracting an imputation
which, if supposed to proceed from myself, would convict me of great ingra-
titude and injustice ; and can only regret that it is impossible for you to do
this without, I fear, again bringing my name before the public.
“ Jane Franklin."
THE PROPOSED FURTHER, SEARCH FOR SIR JOHN FRANKLIN
BY LIEUTENANT PIM, R.N.
[From The Times, Nov. 14, 1851.]
“The ﬁrst meeting of the Royal Geographical Society for the session of 1851 ,
was held, on Monday night, at the rooms of the Society, No. 3, Waterloo-
place, and was very numerously attended. The chair was taken, at half-past
eight O’clock, by Sir Roderick Murchison, the President of the Society. He
had to introduce to their notice Lieutenant Pim, a gentleman connected
with the _royal navy, who would lay before the meeting a new plan for the
relief of Sir John Franklin and his gallant companions in the Arctic seas.
“ Sir R.Murchison having read a letter sent by him to the imperial govern-
ment of Russia, with a view of obtaining for Lieutenant Pim the aid and
protection of the Russian government in his proposed endeavours to rescue
Sir John Franklin and his companions from the Arctic regions, introduced
that gentleman to the meeting, who received him with general and enthusi-
astic cheering.
“ Lieutenant Pim commenced by stating that he had been invited to lay
before the Society a detailed plan for discovering Sir John Franklin’s expe-
dition ; and expressed his belief that the missing ships were not to be found
on the coast of America, but on that of Asia. While he was on board Her
Majesty’s ships HERALD and PLovER, exploring the Arctic regions, the fate
of Sir J ohn’ Franklin was daily the subject of consideration ; and he could
G
42
not but be struck with the fact, that the plans adopted for the relief of that
gallant little band had been based on the supposition that the EREBUS and
TERROR had failed at the very commencement of their voyage. In ﬁne, he
was convinced that Sir John Franklin would not be found on the threshold
of the north-west passage. Wrangel’s narrative having been perused attent-
ively, the fact that Wrangel, as well as Anjou, found an open sea in several
places, during the cold season, in comparatively high latitudes, impressed
itself upon him. In support of his views he read an extract from a letter
lately received from Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, in which that oflicer
stated his conviction, that if the ERERUs and TERRoR should succeed in
passing through Wellington Channel, they would ﬁnd the Northern Ocean
comparatively free from ice, and ﬁnd it an easy matter to penetrate to the
westward. Franklin’s diﬁiculties would therefore come when, having made
his westing, he might endeavour to haul to the southward for Behring
Straits; for Cook, Beechey, Kellett, and all navigators who had passed
through that opening, found the soundings decrease on approaching the
southern edge of the ice, making it almost demonstrable that a bank of some
hundreds of miles, in length, and most likely rising up into many islands,
stretched across from west to east. If these ships, therefore, did ﬁnd their
way through Wellington Channel, they had got into some labyrinth of ice
and islands abreast of Behring Straits, or further west, on the ﬂats off the
coast of Siberia. From that opinion of Sir Francis Beaufort, and taking all
other circumstances into consideration, it appeared to him that Sir John
Franklin, having passed through Wellington Channel, attained the Polynesia,
and would then naturally steer to the westward; and when reaching the
meridian of Behri'ég Straits, re-enter the ice,in order to penetrate to the
Paciﬁc Ocean. Di culties, however, would‘ again impede his progress. En~
closed in the frozen masses which had checked the advance of every navi-
"“ tor from the earliest to the present time, he would be at the mercy of the
winds and currents, rendering it problematical to which-coast he would be
driven,——whether to that of the new or old world. The endurance, hardi~
hood, and courage of a Richardson, a Kellett, a Pullen, and a Rae, had
afforded negative evidence that the coast of Northern America was not the
country where the ﬁnal settlement of the question, ‘What has become of
Sir John Franklin?’ must be determined. The next place, therefore, to
which attention turned, was Siberia. Wrangel’s narrative, proving that
pieces of wreck had been found on the Asiatic shores, and historical accounts
stating that various Russian expeditions experienced the greatest difficulties
in penetrating even a short distance easterly, made it evident that the very
cause which produced that effect upon the Russian vessels, would bring
about an opposite result upon any ships which might happen to be about
the meridian of Behring Straits; consequently, that a well-organized search
of the Asiatic shores would afford results highly satisfactory. Her Majesty’s
ship HERALD, after an absence of six years, having returned to England,
after three times visiting Behring Straits, without more success than the
squadron on the eastern side of America, and the fate of Sir John Franklin
being still wrapped in mystery,—he considered it his (Lieutenant Pim’s)
duty to make known that conviction, and to submit to the Lords Commis-
sioners of the Admiralty a plan for obtaining traces of the missing expedi—
tion. His proposal was to start on the 18th of the present month, and to
' travel by way of St. Petersburgh, Moscow, Tobolsh, Irlcute, and Jalcoutz, to the
mouth of the Kolyma, and thence commence exploring the coast of Siberia
east and west,——-a distance little short of 10,000 miles. He did not ask for a
party, but merely for a companion and servant; and stated that the expense
attending the journey would be triﬂing, in comparison with the results
which it appeared to promise. To his great disappointment, the Admiralty
declined to undertake his plan. Lady Franklin, however, impressed with the
hope of obtaining some satisfactory intelligence, requested him (Lieutenant
425
Pim) to carry out his proposal by private means; and, unlimited absence
being granted by the Admiralty, he had no hesitation in responding to her
desire. The funds which Lady Franklin was able to devote to this expedi—
tion_ amounted to no more than £500,——a sum obviously inadequate to such
an undertaking. It was therefore determined to use that money for ﬁtting
out the expedition, and to appeal to his Imperial Majesty of Russia to assist
in effecting this object. An interview with the head of the Foreign-Office
was obtained, and he could not speak too gratefully of the kindness of Lord
Palmerston on that occasion, as well as Mr. Addington’s promptitude in
forwarding the necessary documents. It was accordingly his intention to
proceed to St. Petersburg on the 18th instant, and enlist the sympathy of the
Russian government in the cause. His original plan had undergone some
modiﬁcation ; and, in consequence, he was compelled to proceed alone, and
look forward to companions provided by the imperial service of Russia.
Supposing that the negotiation with the court of Russia terminated favour-
ably, his track would lead from St. Petersburgh to Moscow by railway; from
llloscow to Irhutz, by Teligi, on sledges, a distance of 3,544 miles ; and from
Irhutz to Ja/eoutz, also on sledges, a distance of 1,824 miles. The whole
journey occupying about four months. At Jahoutz all regular travelling
conveniences terminated ; and the 1,200 miles to the River Kolyma, as well
as the 2,000 miles of Search, would have to be performed in a manner best
adapted to the resources of the country. In 1854 the task might be com-
pleted, if, unfortunately, before that time, no traces should have been found.
“ Captain Penny concurred in the view taken by Lieutenant Pim, and be-
lieved that Sir John Franklin might have advanced by Behring Straits, as
he found a large quantity of drift-wood in the channel that he (Captain
Penny) had discovered in his late voyage.
“ The Chairman then moved the thanks of the meeting to Lieutenant Pim
for the lecture they had that night heard, and coupled with it the following
resolution :
“ That the Council of the Royal Geographical Society have requested the
President, on their behalf, to wait on the First Lord of the Admiralty,
and make known to him the proposed expedition of Lieutenant Pim,
the steps which have been taken by the Royal Geographical Society, in
behalf of that officer, with the Russian authorities, and to solicit the
countenance and assistance of the Admiralty.”*
“ The resolution was carried by acclamation.”

* It has been announced in the “Times”, we are rejoiced to add, that Her Majesty’s Government
have since advanced, through the Geographical Society, the sum of £500 in aid of Lieutenant
l’im's projected journey.
44
REMARKS, ETC.
THE course pursued by Sir John Franklin after quitting his winter
quarters at Beechey Island in 1845-6, has been a fruitful subject for
speculation among all interested in the fate of the missing expedition.
Whilst some advance the idea that Sir John proceeded westward,
past Cape Walker, and to the southward of Melville Island, others
imagine that he returned eastward along Barrow Strait, and turning
to the north, attempted the supposed passage by Jones’ Sound; and,
lastly, some conceive that Franklin, assisted by an open season and
favourable winds, sailed up the Channel, at whose southern extremity
he had wintered, and, obtaining a considerable westing in the Great
Gulf or Sea into which Wellington Strait conducts, has, owing to
casualty or unforseen obstacles, and a remote position, become in-
capacitated either to continue his course, or to return to those parts
which are known to us. The evidences collected by the recent
operations under Captains Austin, Penny, etc., though sufficiently
meagre and inconclusive, seem, nevertheless, to tell all one way—and
that in support of the route by Wellington Channel.
The foregoing despatches, etc., have been collected, put together,
and digested, under the hope that from the facts related in the official
reports of the explorers, added to the various comments and opinions
their publication has elicited from the press, some overbalancing
probability (for little beyond a good probability can be attainable in
the case) might, by sifting and weighing, be deducible. And if we
do not deceive ourselves, the following considerations will contribute
towards establishing the probability sought.
1st. The fact of the only traces hitherto discovered being found at
the very gate or entrance of Penny’s newly-discovered Sea.
2nd. The total absence of all other marks, relics, or intelligence
relating to the ships in every other quarter yet explored, taken in
connection with the improbability, (assuming a westerly or southerly
course from Beechey Island to have been adopted, thus naturally
approximating them to the American coast line), of the vessels
having failed to come under the notice of the Esquimaux in case of
their safety, or, in case of their wreck and destruction, some vestige
or token of the catastrophe coming to light during a period so
extended. For nearly the whole seaboard of Arctic America, it must
be remembered, has been examined by various Searching parties,
without reckoning upon the stimulus to observation created by the
45
reward offered .to the natives for information—and its utter un—
productiveness.
3rd. That, presuming the EREBUS and TERROR to have both been
lost whilst following the said westerly or southerly direction, the un--
likelihood that of all the numerous hands not one should succeed in
attaining the adjacent continent, or Hudson’s Bay territories, to relate
the disaster.
4th. It Seems, indeed, that the only conditions under which an
opinion, favourable to the safety of Franklin and his party, can be
sustained are,—
I. His having advanced to a very remote position in some high
latitude, and—
II. His detention there, produced either by wreck or by blockade, and
continued by the lack of means to overcome the distance to be
traversed ere inhabited or frequented regions could be reached.
5th. Bearing upon this part of the question, is the subjoined
paragraph, which is transferred from the President of the Geographical
Society’s last address, delivered in May 1850. It says, “ On the 15th
of last August, the HERALD had attained the latitude of 71° 12' N .,
and longitude 170° 10’ W.; and on the 16th discovered an almost
inaccessible island of granite, rising 1400 feet above the sea, beyond
which a range of high land was seen.” “It becomes a nervous
thing,” continues Captain Kellett, “to report a discovery of land in
these regions without actually landing on it; but as far as a man can
be certain who has one hundred and thirty pair of eyes to assist him,
and all agreeing, I am certain we have discovered an extensive land.”
N ow it will be recollected that Serjeant Andreyev, the active Russian
who conducted an expedition of discovery in the Icy Sea, in 1762,
affirmed that he had reached a country called Tikigen, having a coast
line trending nearly parallel to that of northern Siberia, and inhabited
by a race named Kra'iha'i. This account was held to be apocryphal by
most geographers, and imputed to an optical delusion by Baron von
Wrangel; yet the narrative of Captain Kellett goes far to corroborate
Andreyev’s statement. Even the high land descried by von Wrangel
himself from Yakan may, it is not too much to say, have formed some
portion of the disputed region; and besides the discoveries of Captain
Kellett, elevated peaks, which may reasonably be concluded to form a
part of the same land, were observed by Commander Moore, whose
track lay further eastward than that of the HERALD. Now, putting
these circumstances in conjunction, the inference is far from an im-
probable one, that a continuous coast line may extend from the
vicinity of New Siberia in the west, to the vicinity of Banh's’s Land in
46
the east. In the event of such ‘an hypothesis proving corrrect, it will
be obvious that should Franklin have succeeded in penetrating
through,'and to the westward of Wellington Channel, the interposition
of this tract would preclude all possibility of his bringing his ships
again so far south as to reach Behring’s Strait, unless the westerly
course were greatly prolonged, or the Wellington Channel again
traversed.”
Accepting the preceding theory as a good one, the conditions of re-
moteness and isolation would be fulﬁlled; and it is not so unlikely an
event as at ﬁrst blush it seems, that Franklin may have succeeded in
passing the 170th meridian of west longitude, whilst far to the north
of Behring’s Strait,if and be even now wedged up somewhere above
the continent of Asia; or, not impossibly, that of Europe.
With regard to the means of sustenance offered in these regions,
we would refer to the notes at page 8, and likewise to the evidence
on this head afforded by the foregoing papers. The last, especially,
go to prove an extreme abundance of animal life in the neighbourhood,
and to the north of the Parry Islands, and shew, perhaps, that one of
the worst-founded apprehensions in relation to the absent expedition
is that based upon their imagined Want of food.
* It is scarcely necessary to observe, that the higher the latitude reached, the
shorter the distance between the meridians. Thus, a journey from one given
meridian to another, which would occupy a month’s space in latitude 68°, might,
at the same rate of progress, be accomplished, twelve degrees farther north, in a
fortnight.

(For further observations as to Franklin’s course, see the extracts from
the November number of the Nautical hfagazine, inserted at page 36.
These were not perceived until subsequently to the jotting down of the preced-
ing few remarks, but aid most materially the view which we have there
ventured to take.)
APPENDIX.
ARCTIC COMMITTEE.
Since printing off the foregoing, the Arctic Committee have delivered
their Report.
They recommend, that “ an expedition should be dispatched next year
to Barrow Strait, consisting of the same ships which composed Captain
Austin’s division, via, two sailing ships, and two steamers, with orders
to proceed direct to Beechey Island, and to consider that harbour—beyond
which they think one sailing ship and one steamer should on no account
be taken—as the base of future operations.” '
That “ all the strength and energy of the expedition should be directed
towards the examination of the upper part of Wellington Strait.”
That “ in the event of Wellington Strait being found open on the arrival of
the expedition in the summer of 1852, one of the ships and one of the steamers
should seek winter-quarters to the north ; thus placing themselves in a more
favourable position for commencing the land search in the ensuing season.”
And that, in the opinion of the Committee,—
“ All further exploration in the direction of Melville, or to the south-west
of Cape Walker, is wholly unnecessary.” .

LETTER FROM CAPTAIN PENNY TO THE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.
“ Pulmuir, Aberdeen, Dec. 3, 1851.
“ Sir,—I beg to lay before you, and the scientiﬁc body to which you belong,
a few observations which came under my notice during my late voyage in
Search of Sir John Franklin, which I consider of great importance at the
present critical moment.
“ On the 25th of August, 1850, having joined Captain Ommanney on the
west side of the Wellington Channel, and seen the traces found by him of
the missing ships, I considered it my proper course to return to the eastern
shore of the channel, with the view of examining those parts more closely
than had been done before.
“The result of my return was most satisfactory, for not until then were
the winter quarters of the missing ships discovered; and what is of still
more importance in my estimation as regards the route of the missing ships,
a watch-tent upon a height about four miles north and west from the
position occupied by the ships. The tent was evidently for the purpose of
watching every move of the .ice in Wellington Channel. We also saw the
ruts of sledges going and returning from making observations upon the
channel, and in the tent we found a small piece of paper, with the words
H
48 APPENDIX.
‘ to be called’. The other part of which must have been torn off, thus
evidently showing that a regular watch had been kept.
“ On the 5th of September, 1850, from the top of Cape Spencer, a height
of at least seven hundred and thirty feet, open water was observed beyond
the ﬁxed ice in the channel. The strong easterly gales which we experienced
some time previous to the above date, had counteracted the prevailing current
from the westward, and had driven the ice through Queen Victoria Channel
into the Arctic Basin.
“ On the 7th of September, a strong northerly gale brought away ﬁfteen
miles of ice down Wellington Channel, leaving only about ﬁfteen miles of ice
between the two seas.
“ Having commenced our travelling on the 13th of April, 1851, I came
upon water and decayed ice on the 15th of May, in the channel between
Cornwallis Land and Baillie Hamilton Island, obliging me to return by the
east of the said island, and then to the north : we gained Point Surprise, in
latitude 76° 2’, longitude 95° 55’. The water washed the Point at my feet,
and extended twenty—ﬁve miles west. The sky indicated water to the north
round Dundas Island.
“ The moment I stood upon Point Surprise, with a full view to the west,
1 exclaimed, ‘ Through this channel Sir John Franklin has gone in clear
water. Oh, for a boat.’ With this conviction on my mind I returned, with
the determination to use every exertion to get a boat up to this water.
“ On the 29th of the same month, Messrs. Goodsir and Marshall, advancing
with their party along the shore of Cornwallis Land, were forced to return
for water with still thirty days’ provision upon their sledges.
“Again, on the 31st of May, Captain Stewart, having advanced as far as
Cape Becher, by the east side of the channel, and along Albert Land, came
to water, and from a height of seven hundred feet found nothing but open
sailing ice as faras the eye could reach, to the west and north-west.
‘ On the 6th of June a boat was fully equipped, and a journey commenced
for Victoria Channel, some of the party having only returned thirty-four
hours from a journey of thirty-one days. On the 17th of the same month,
the boat was launched into the water in longitude 96° west, and continued
to contend for thirty-three days with adverse winds and rapid tides, which
brought the drifting ice in such quantities to the eastward, as to block up
the various channels between the islands, leaving an open sea beyond, seen
from the top of Baillie Haniilton’s Island. My utmost exertions were so
hampered, that only three hundred and ten miles of island coast were
examined by the boat party ; but had a strong easterly wind prevailed for
only a short time, so as to counteract the effects of the westerly current,
what might not have been done even with that small boat Z
- “ It is my conviction that the tide ﬂows from the north—west in Victoria
Channel, although there is a regular rise and fall of four feet ; still, in mid-
channel, the current seemed to run the greater part of the twelve hours to
the eastward, which, I have no doubt, was greatly inﬂuenced by the strong
N.W. and W.N.W. winds which prevailed for a whole twelvemonth; but
amongst islands and narrow channels one would require longer time for
making observations to enable him to speak with certainty on this subject.
“ In Dauis’s Straits and Baﬁn’s Bay the tide ﬂows from the south; in
Lancaster Sound it ﬂows from the east.
‘ “ With the knowledge we have acquired by our late search, who can now
doubt the route Sir John Franklin has pursued? A watch-tent to observe
every move in the Strait, and the evident signs of a hasty departure,
amount, in my mind, to a conviction that he had passed in open water
through Wellington Strait and Victoria Channel, and along Prince Albert’s
Land, which I am strongly of opinion exceeds ﬁve hundred miles north-west v;
and until that distance is reached no further traces will be discovered.
“Had not Sir John Franklin been further advanced, would I not have
APPENDIX. 49
found traces of him in the islands I have searched, or about headlands,
where birds build their nests, and thousands of eider and king ducks are to
be found‘? I may mention here, that during my last voyage a whale-boat
was ﬁlled with eggs on a small island on the east side of Davis Straits, in
latitude 73° 40', and we could have taken four boatloads oﬂ‘ the same island
had the birds been in season ; and when such is the result of experience, who
can deny that Sir John Franklin and his brave companions may not exist
still ‘.3
“ On the 20th of June, I saw narwals, walrus, and white whales making
their way down the channel, seeking the protection of the ice, the same as
I have seen in latitude 69° in Davis Straits. These animals migrate north
at the same season every year for the same purpose, which is a convincing
proof that a sea does exist beyond Queen Victoria Channel, comparatively
open and free from ice, and that they instinctively seek the protection of
the ice, which remains longer in these narrow straits.
“ Sir John Franklin and his brave companions left their native shores to
battle for science. Humanity demands that this search should not be given
up until the searchers shall have passed through the Arctic Basin and out
into the Paciﬁc Ocean ; and until such a course be pursued, the fate of our
missing countrymen can never be ascertained.
“ I have, &0.
“ Wm. Penny,
“ Late Commander of an Arctic Expedition.
“ To the President of the Royal Geographical Society.”
NARRATIVE OF FOUR RUSSIAN SAILORS WHO SPENT SIX YEARS
ON THE ISLAND 0F SPITZBERGEN.
(From the “Annual Register ” for 1774, pp. 150-160.)
THESE MEN SUBSISTED ENTIRELY UPON THE PRoDucE or THE CHASE,
THE ANIMALS BEING sEcuRED BY RUDE AND SELF—CONSTRUCTED
WEAPONS, (oNE BOW AND ARRowS AND TWO SPEARS.)

n
V
“ A Narrative of the extraordinary Adventures of four Russian sailors who
were cast away on the desert Island of East Spitzbergen.
“ Some of our readers may perhaps consider this recital in the same hind
of light they do the histor of Robinson Crusoe ; the truth of these adven-
tures, is, however, suﬁt'cient y authenticated. When these unfortunate sailors
ﬁrst arrived at Archangel, they were examined apart by Mr. Klinstadt, Chief
Auditor of the Achniralty of that city, who minuted down all the particulars,
which exactl corresponded with each account. .Mr. Le Roy, Professor of
History in tie Im erial Academy, some time after, sent for two of the men,
via, Alexis Him of, and Him/00f, his godson, to Petersburgh, from whose
mouths he took the ollowing narrative, which also agreed with Mr. Klinstadt’s
minutes. The original was published in the German language, at Peters-
burgh, in the year 1769, and transmitted from thence to the ingenious Mr.
Ban/cs, who, with several other members of the Royal Society, were so well
pleased with the account, that they directed a translation of it to be made into
English.
“ In the year 1743, one Jeremiah Okladmkof, a merchant of Mesen, a
town in the province of Jugovia, and in the government of Archangel, ﬁtted
out a vessel, carrying fourteen men ; she was destined for Spitsbergen, to be
employed in the whale or seal ﬁshery. For eight successive days after they
had sailed, the wind was fair ; but on the ninth it changed, So that instead
of getting to the west of Spitsbergen, the usual place of rendezvous for the
Dutch Ships annually employed in the whale ﬁshery, they were driven east—
ward of those islands; and, after some days, they found themselves at a
small distance from one of them, called East Spitsbergen, by the Russians,
Maloy Broun ; that is, Little Broun (Spitzbergen, properly so called, being
known to them by the name of Bolschoy Broun, that is, Great Broun).
Having approached this island within almost three wersts, or two English
miles, their vessel was suddenly Surrounded by ice, and they found them-
selves in an extremely dangerous Situation. -
“ In this alarming State, a council was held; when the mate, Alexis
Himkof, informed them, that he recollected to have heard that some of the
people of Mesen, some time before, having formed a resolution of wintering
upon this island, had accordingly carried from that city timber proper for
building a hut, and had actually erected one at some distance from the
Shore.
“ This information induced the whole company to resolve on wintering
there, if the hut, as they hoped, still existed ; for they clearly perceived the
H
52
imminent danger they were in, and that they must inevitably perish if they
continued in the ship. They dispatched, therefore, four of their crew in
search of the hut, or any other succour they could meet with. These were
Alexis Himkof, the mate, Iwan Himkof, his godson, Stephen Scharapof, and
Feodor Weregin.
“ As the shore on which they were to land was uninhabited, it was
necessary that they should make some provision for their expedition. They
had almost two miles to travel over loose ridges of ice, which being raised
by the waves, and driven against each other by the wind, rendered the way
equally difficult and dangerous ; prudence, therefore, forbad their loading
themselves too much, lest, being overburthened, they might sink in between
the pieces of ice, and perish.
“ Having thus maturely considered the nature of their undertaking, they
provided themselves with a musket and powder-horn containing twelve
charges of powder, with as many balls, an axe, a small kettle, a bag with
about twenty pounds of ﬂour, a knife, a tinder-box and tinder, a bladder
ﬁlled with tobacco, and every man his wooden pipe. Thus accoutred, these
four sailors quickly arrived on the island, little suspecting the misfortunes
that would befall them.
“ They began with exploring the country, and soon discovered the hut
they were in search of, about an English mile and a half from the shore.
It was thirty-six feet in length, eighteen feet in height, and as many in
breadth. It contained a small ante—chamber, about twelve feet broad, which
had two doors, the one to shut it up from the outer air, the other to form a
communication with the inner room: this contributed greatly to keep the
larger room warm, when once heated. In the large room was an earthen
stove,.constructed in the Russian manner ; that is, a kind of oven without a
chimney, which serves occasionally either for baking, for heating the room, or,
as is customary amongst the Russian peasants, in very cold weather, for a
place to sleep upon.
“The reader must not be surprised at my mentioning a room without
a chimney ; for the houses inhabited by the lower class of people in Russia
are seldom built otherwise. When a ﬁre is kindled in one of these stoves.
the room, as may well be supposed, is ﬁlled with smoke; to give vent to
which, the door and three‘ or four windows are opened. These windows are
each a foot in height, and about six inches wide: they are cut out of the
beams whereof the house is built, and by means of a sliding-board, they may,
when occasion requires it, be shut very close. When, therefore, a ﬁre is
made in the stove, the smoke descends no lower than the windows, through
which, or through the door, it ﬁnds a vent, according to the direction of the
wind ; and persons may continue in the room without feeling any great
inconvenience from it. The reader will readily conjecture that the upper
part of such a place, between the windows and the ceiling, must be as black as
ebony ; but, from the windows down to the ﬂoor, the wood is perfectly clean,
and retains its natural colour.
“ They rejoiced greatly at having discovered the hut, which had, however,
suffered much from the weather, it having now been built a considerable
time: our adventurers, however, contrived to pass the night in it. Early
next morning they hastened to the shore, impatient to inform their comrades
of their success, and also to procure from their vessel such provisions,
ammunition, and other necessaries, as might better enable them to winter on
the island.
“ I leave my readers to ﬁgure to themselves the astonishment and agony
of mind these poor people must have felt when, on reaching the place
of their landing, they saw nothing but anopen sea, free from the ice, which,
but a day before, had covered the ocean. A violent storm, which had arisen
during the night, had certainly been the cause of this disastrous event. But
they could not tell whether the ice which had before hemmed in the vessel,
53
agitated by the violence of the waves, had been driven against her, and
shattered her to pieces, or whether she had been carried by the current into
the main ; a circumstance which frequently happens in those seas. What_
everaccident had befallen the ship, they saw her no more; and as no
tidings were ever afterwards received of her, it is most probable that she
sunk, and that all on board of her perished.
“This melancholy event depriving the unhappy wretches of all hope
of ever being able to quit the island, they returned to the hut from whence
they had come, full of horror and despair.
“ Their ﬁrst attention was employed, as may easily be imagined, in
devising means of providing subsistence, and for repairing their hut. The
twelve charges of powder they had brought with them soon procured them
as many reindeer; the island, fortunately for them, abounding in these
animals. '
“ I have before observed, that the hut, which the sailors were so fortunate
as to ﬁnd, had sustained some damage, and it was this : there were cracks in
many places between the boards of the building, which freely admitted the
air. This inconveniency was, however, easily remedied, as they had an axe,
and the beams were still found (for wood in those cold climates continues
through a length of years unimpaired by worms or decay), so it was easy for
them to make the boards join again very tolerably; besides, moss growing
in great abundance all over the island, there was more than suﬂicient to
stop up the crevices, which wooden houses must ‘always be liable to.
Repairs of this kind cost the unhappy men the less trouble, as they were
Russians ; for all Russian peasants are known to be good carpenters ; they
build their own houses, and are very expert in handling the axe.
“ The intense cold which makes those climates habitable to so few
species of animals, renders them equally unﬁt for the production of vege-
tables. N 0 species of tree, or even shrub, is found on any of the islands of
Spitzbevgen; acircumstance of the most alarming nature to our sailors. Without
ﬁre, it was impossible to resist the rigour of the climate ; and without wood,
how was that ﬁre to be produced or supported 2 Providence, however, had
so ordered it, that in this particular, the sea supplies the defects of the
land. In wandering along the beach, they collected plenty of wood, which
had been driven ashore by the waves, and which at ﬁrst consisted of the
wrecks of ships, and afterwards of- whole trees with their roots, the produce
of some more hospitable, but to them unknown climate, which the overﬂow-
ing of rivers, or other accidents, had sent into the ocean. This will not
appear incredible to those who have perused the journals of the several
navigators who have been forced to winter in Nova Zembla, or any other
country in a still more northern latitude.
“ Nothing proved of more essential service to these unfortunate men
during the ﬁrst year of their exile than some boards they found upon the
beach, having a long iron hook, some nails of about ﬁve or six inches long,
and proportionably thick, and other bits of old iron ﬁxed in them; the
melancholy relicks of some vessels cast away in those remote parts. These
were thrown ashore by the waves at a time when the want of powder gave
our men reason to apprehend that they must fall a prey to hunger, as they
had nearly consumed those reindeer they had killed. This lucky circum-
stance was attended with another, equally fortunate ; they found on the shore
the root of a ﬁr-tree, which nearly approached to the ﬁgure of a bow.
“ As necessity has ever been the mother of invention, so they soon
fashioned this root to a good bow by the help of a knife; but still they
wanted a string, and arrows. Not knowing how to procure these at present,
they resolved upon making a couple of lances to defend themselves against
7 the white bears, by far the most ferocious of their kind, whose attacks they
had great reason to dread.
“Finding they could neither make the heads of their lances nor of their
54
arrows without the help of ahammer, they contrived to form the large iron hook,
mentioned above, into one, by heating it, and widening a hole it happened
to have about its middle with the help of one of their largest nails. This
received the handle, and a round button at one end of the hook served for
the face of the hammer. A large pebble supplied the place of an anvil, and
a couple of reindeer’s horns made the tongs. By the means of such tools,
they made two heads of spears ; and after polishing and sharpening them on
stones, they tied them as fast as possible with thongs made of reindeer-skins
to sticks about the thickness of a man’s arm, which they got from some
branches of trees that had been cast on shore.
'“ Thus equipped with spears, they resolved to attack a white bear ; and
after a most dangerous encounter, they killed the formidable creature, and
thereby made a new supply of provisions. The ﬂesh of this animal they
relished exceedingly, as they thought it much resembled beef in taste and
ﬂavour. The tendons they saw with much pleasure could, with little or no
trouble, be divided into ﬁlaments of what ﬁneness they thought ﬁt. This
perhaps was the most fortunate ‘discovery these men could have made ; for,
besides other advantages, which will be hereafter mentioned, they were
hereby furnished with strings for their bow.
“ The success of our unfortunate islanders in making the spears, and the use
these proved of, encouraged them to proceed, and to forge some pieces of iron
into heads of arrows of the same shape, though somewhat smaller in size than
the spears above-mentioned. Having ground and sharpened these like the
former, they tied them with the sinews of the white bears to pieces of ﬁr, to
which, by the help of ﬁne threads of the same, they fastened feathers of sea-fowl,
and thus became possessed of a complete bow and arrows. Their ingenuity,
in this respect, was crowned with success far beyond their expectation ; for
during the time of their continuance upon the island, with these arrows they
killed no less than two hundred and ﬁfty reindeer, besides a great number
of blue and white foxes. The ﬂesh of these animals served them also for
food, and their skins for clothing and other necessary preservatives against
the intense coldness of a climate so near the Pole.
“ They killed, however, only ten white bears in all, and that not without
the utmost danger ; for these animals being prodigiously strong, defended
themselves with astonishing vigour and fury. The ﬁrst our men attacked
designedly; the other nine they slew in defending themselves from their
assaults ; for some of these creatures even ventured to enter the outer room
of the hut in order to devour them. It is true, that all the bears did not
shew (if I may be allowed the expression) equal intrepidity, either owing to
some being less pressed by hunger, or to their being by nature less car-
nivorous than the others ; for some of them which entered the hut imme-
diately betook themselves to ﬂight on the ﬁrst attempt of the sailors to
drive them away. A repetition, however, of these ferocious attacks threw the
poor men into great terror and anxiety, as they were almost in a perpetual
danger of being devoured. The three different kinds of animals above-
mentioned, viz., the reindeer, the blue and white foxes, and the white bears,
were the only food these wretched mariners tasted during their continuance
in this dreary abode.
“ We do not at once see every resource. It is generally necessity which
quickens our invention, opening by degrees our eyes, and pointing out ex—
pedients which otherwise might never have occurred to our thoughts. The
truth of this observation our four sailors experienced in various instances.
They were for some time reduced to the necessity of eating their meat
almost raw, and without either bread or salt ; for they were quite destitute
of both. The intenseness of the cold, together with the want of proper con-
veniences, prevented them from cooking their victuals in a proper manner.
There was but one stove in the hut, and that being set up agreeably to the
Russian taste, was more like an oven, and consequently not well adapted for
55.
boiling any thing. Wood also was too precious a commodity to be wasted
in keeping up two ﬁres; and the one they might have made out of their
habitation to dress their victuals would in no way have served to warm them.
Another reason against their cooking in the open air was the continual danger
of an attack from the white bears. And here I must observe, that suppose
they had made the attempt, it would still have been practicable for only
some part of the year; for the cold, which in such a climate for some
months scarce ever abates, from the long absence of the sun, then enlighten-
ing the opposite hemisphere, the inconceivable quantity of snow which is
continually falling through the greatest part of the winter, together with
the almost incessant rains at certain seasons, all these were insurmountable
obstacles to that expedient.
“ To remedy, therefore, in some degree, the hardship of eating their meat
raw, they bethought themselves of drying some of their provisions during
the summer, in the open air, and afterwards of hanging it up in the upper
part of the hut, which, as I mentioned before, was continually ﬁlled with
smoke, down to the windows ; it was thus dried thoroughly by the help of
that smoke. This meat, so prepared, they used for bread, and it made them
relish their other ﬂesh the better, as they could only half dress it. Finding
this experiment answer in every respect their wishes, they continued to
practise it during the whole time of their conﬁnement upon the island, and
always kept up by that means a sufﬁcient stock of provisions. Water they
had in summer from small rivulets that fell from the rocks, and in winter,
from the snow and ice thawed ; this was of course their only beverage, and
their small kettle was the only vessel they could make use of for this and
other purposes. -
“It is well known that sea-faring people are extremely subject to the
scurvy, and it has been observed, that this disease increases in proportion as
we approach the Poles, which must be attributed either to excessive cold, or
to some other cause yet unknown. However that may be, our mariners,
seeing themselves quite destitute of every means of cure in case they should
be attacked with so fatal a disorder, judged it expedient not to neglect any
regimen generally adopted as a preservative against this impending evil.
Iwan Himkof, one of their number, who had several times wintered on the
coast of West Spitzber en, advised his unfortunate companions to swallow
raw and frozen meat, broken into small bits ; to drink the blood of reindeer
warm, as it ﬂowed from their veins immediately after killing them ; to use
as much exercise as possible, and, lastly, to eat scurvy-grass (Cochleam'a),
which grows on the island, though not in great plenty.
“ I leave the faculty to determine whether raw frozen ﬂesh, or warm
reindeer blood be proper antidotes to the distemper; but exercise and the
use of scurvy-grass have always been recommended to persons of a scorbutic
tendency, whether actually aﬁiicted with the disorder or not. Be this as it
may, experience at least seems to have proved these remedies to be effectual ;
for three of the sailors, who pursued the above method, continued totally
free from all taint of the disease. The fourth, Theodore Weregin, on the
contrary, who was naturally indolent, averse to drinking the reindeer blood,
and unwilling to leave the hut when he could possibly avoid it, was, soon
after their arrival on the island, seized with the scurvy, which afterwards
became so bad, that he passed almost six years under the greatest sufferings ;
in the latter part of that time he became ' so weak, that he could no longer
sit erect, nor even raise his hand to his mouth; so that his humane com-
panions were obliged to feed and tend him, like a new-born infant, to the
hour of his death. .
“ I have mentioned above, that our sailors brought a small bag of ﬂour
with them to the island. Of this they had consumed about one half with
their meat; the remainder they employed in a different manner, equally
useful. They soon saw the necessity of keeping up a continual ﬁre in so
56
cold a climate, and found that if it should unfortunately go out, they had no
means of lighting it again; for though they had steel and ﬂints, yet they
wanted both match and tinder. '
“ In their excursions through the island, they had met with a slimy loam,
or a kind of clay, nearly in the middle of it. Out of this they found means
to form a utensil which might serve for a lamp, and they proposed to keep
it constantly burning with the fat of the animals they should kill. This
was certainly the most rational scheme they could have thought of ; for to
be without a light in a climate where, during winter, darkness reigns for
several months together, would have added much to their other calamities.
Having, therefore, fashioned a kind of lamp, they ﬁlled it with reindeer’s
fat, and stuck in it some twisted linen, shaped into a wick. But they had
the mortiﬁcation to ﬁnd, that as soon as the fat melted, it not only soaked
into the clay, but fairly run through it on all sides. The thing, therefore,
was to devise some means for preventing this inconveniency, not arising from
cracks, but from the substance of which the lamp was made being too
porous. They made, therefore, a new one, dried it thoroughly in the air,
then heated it red hot, and afterwards quenched it in their kettle, wherein
they had boiled a quantity of ﬂour down to the consistence of thin starch.
The lamp being thus dried and ﬁlled with melted fat, they now found, to
their great joy, it did not leak. But for great security, they dipped linen
rags in their paste, and with them covered all its outside. Succeeding in
this attempt, they immediately made another lamp, for fear of an accident,
that in all events they might not be'ﬂestitute of light ; and when they had
done so much, they thought proper to save the remainder of their ﬂour for
similar purposes.
“ As they had carefully collected whatever happened to be cast on shore
to supply them with fuel, they had found amongst the wrecks of vessels
some cordage, and a small quantity of oakum (a kind of hemp, used for
calking ships), which served them to make wicks for their lamps. When
these stores began to fail, their shirts and their drawers (which are worn by
almost all Russian peasants) were employed to make good the deﬁciency. By
these means, they kept their lamp burning without intermission from the day
they ﬁrst ,made it (a work they set about soon after their arrival on the
island), until that of their embarkation for their native country.
“ The necessity of converting the most essential parts of their clothing,
such as their shirts and drawers, to the use above speciﬁed, exposed them
the more to the rigour of the climate. They also found themselves in want
of shoes, boots, and other articles of dress ; and as winter was approaching,
they were again obliged to have recourse to that ingenuity which necessity
suggests, and which seldom fails in the trying hour of distress.
“ They had skins of reindeer and foxes in plenty, that had hitherto served
them for bedding, and which they now thought of employing in some more
essential service ; but the question was how to tan them. After deliberating
on this subject, they took to the following method. They soaked the skins
for several days in fresh water, till they could pull off the hair pretty easily ;
they then rubbed the wet leather with their hands till it was nearly dry,
when they spread some melted reindeer fat over it, and again rubbed it well.
By this process, the leather became soft, pliant, and‘ supple, proper for
answering every purpose they wanted it for. Those skins which they
designed for furs they only soaked for one day, to prepare them for being
wrought, and then proceeded in the manner before-mentioned, except
only that they did not remove the hair. Thus they soon provided them~
selves with the necessary materials for all the parts of dress they wanted.
“ But here another difﬁculty occurred. They had neither awls for
making shoes or boots, nor needles for sewing their garments. This want,
however, they soon supplied by means of the bits of iron they had occasion-
ally collected. Out of these they made both ; and, by their industry, even
57
brought them to a certain degree of perfection. The making eyes to their
needles gave them indeed no little trouble; but this they also performed-
with the assistance of their knife; for having ground it to a very sharp
point, and heated red hot a kind of wire, forged for that purpose, they
pierced a hole through one end, and by whetting and smoothing it on stones,
brought the other to a point, and thus gave the whole needle a very
tolerable form. I myself. examined some of these needles, and could ﬁnd
fault with nothing except the eye ; which being made in the manner above-
mentioned, was so rough, that it often cut the thread drawn through it ; an
imperfection they could not possibly remedy, for want of better tools.
“ Scissars, to cut out the skins, were what they next had occasion for;
but having none, their place they supplied with their knife; and though
there was neither taylor nor shoemaker amongst them, yet they contrived to
cut out their leather and furs well enough for their purpose. The sinews
of the bears and reindeer, which, as I mentioned before, they had found
means to split, served them for thread ; and thus provided with the
necessary implements, they proceeded to make their new cloaths.
“ Their summer dress consisted of a kind of jacket and trowsers, made of
skins prepared as I have mentioned above ; and in winter they wore long
fur gowns, like the Samojedes, or Laplanders, furnished with a hood, which
covered their head and neck, leaving only an opening for the face. These
gowns were sewed close round, so that to put them on, they were obliged to
bring them over their heads like a shirt.
“ Excepting the uneasiness which generally accompanies an involuntary
solitude, these people, having thus by their ingenuity so far overcome their
wants, might have had reason to be contented with what providence had
done for them in their distressful situation. But that melancholy reﬂection,
to which each of these forlorn persons could not help giving way, that
perhaps he might survive his companions, and then perish from want of sub-
sistence, or become a prey to the wild beasts, incessantly disturbed their
minds. The mate, Alexis Himkof, more particularly suffered ; who having
left awife and three children behind, sorely repined at his being separated from
them ; they were, as he told me, constantly in his mind, and the thought of
never more seeing them made him very unhappy.
“ When our four mariners had passed nearly six years in this'dismal
place, Feodor Weregin, whose illness we had occasion to mention above, and
who all along had been in a languid condition, died, after having, in the
latter part of his life, suffered most excruciating pains. Though they were
thus freed from the trouble of attending him, and the grief of being
witnesses to his misery, without being able to afford him any relief, yet his
death affected them not a little. They saw their number lessened, and every
one wished to be the ﬁrst that should follow him. As he died in winter,
they dug a grave in the snow, as deep as they could, in which they laid the
corpse, and then covered it to the best of their power, that the white bears
might not get at it.
“ Now at the time when the melancholy reﬂections occasioned by the
death of their comrade were fresh in their minds, and when each expected
to pay this last duty to the remaining companions of his misfortunes, or to
receive it from them, they unexpectedly got sight of a Russian ship ; this
happened on the ﬁfteenth of August, 1749.
“ The vessel belonged to a trader of the sect called by its adherents Stara
Vieva, that is, The Old Faith, who had come with it to Archangel, proposing
it should winter in N ova Zemhla ; but, fortunately for our poor exiles,
Mr. Vernezobre proposed to the merchant to let his vessel winter in West
Spitzhergen, which he at last, after many objections, agreed to. _ _ ‘
“ The contrary winds they met with on their passage made it 1mposs1ble
for them to reach the place of their destination. The vessel was driven
towards East Spitzhergen, directly opposite to the residence of our mariners,
58'
who, as soon as they perceived her, hastened to light ﬁres upon the hillsv
nearest their habitation, and then ran to the beach, waving a ﬂag made of a
reindeer’s hide, fastened to a pole. The people on board seeing these
signals, concluded that there were men on the island who implored their
assistance, and, therefore, came to an anchor near the shore.
“ It would be in vain to attempt describing the joy of these poor people
at seeing the moment of their deliverance so near. They soon agreed with
the master of the ship to work for him on the voyage, and to pay him eighty
rubles on their arrival for taking them on board, with all their riches, which
consisted in ﬁfty pud, or two thousand pound weight of reindeer fat, in many
hides of these animals, ‘and skins of the blue and white foxes, together with
those of the ten white bears they had killed. They took care not to forget their
bow and arrows, their spears, their knife and axe, which were almost worn
out, their awls and their needles, which they kept carefully in a bone box,
very ingeniously made with their knife only, and, in short, every thing they
were possessed of.
“ Our adventurers arrived safe at Archangel on the twenty-eighth of
Selpteanber, 1749, having spent six years and three months in their rueful
so 'tu e.
“ The moment of their landing was nearly proving fatal to the loving and
beloved wife of Alexis Himkof, who being present when'the vessel came into
port, immediately knew her husband, and ran with so much eagerness to his
embraces, that she slipped into the water, and very narrowly escaped being
drowned. _
“ All three on their arrival were strong and healthy ;* but having lived so
long without bread, they could not reconcile themselves to the use of it, and
complained that it ﬁlled them with wind. Nor could they bear any
spirituous liquors, and, therefore, drank nothing but water.”

* Thus we see that Nature in the Arctic Regions, as elsewhere, accommodates herself to circum-
stances. The hardships and sufferings of the ﬁrst and second years were probably, by force of habit,
mitigated in the third, and rendered comparatively light during the remainder of their sojourn. The
principle is equally applicable to Franklin and his crews.
ANSWERS T0 QUESTIONS FROM THE ARCTIC COMMITTEE.
BY SIR JOHN RICHARDSON.
“ Question 181;,-Do you suppose it probable that Sir John Franklin, or any
portion of the crews composing his Expedition, still survive? If so, in what
direction 2
“ Answer.—I think it probable that part of the crews may still survive, to
the north, or north-west of jlfelm'lle Island.
“Question 2d.—-What are your grounds for forming that opinion?
“Answer.-—The reply to this question divides itself naturally into two
heads, viz., the possibility of people surviving for a series of years on the
polar islands, and the direction which the discovery ships took after leaving
their winter quarter of 1845-6.
“ With reference to the ﬁrst head, many facts may be adduced to prove
that life may be supported for a number of years on animals inhabiting the
land and waters of the most northern known islands. The existence of
Eskimos up to the 77th parallel, and perhaps still higher in Baﬁin’s Bay,
is in itself suﬂicient evidence of the means of subsistence being produced in
these latitudes. Except practical skill in hunting seals, and the art of
building snow-houses, that people have no qualiﬁcations that may not be
surpassed by the intelligence, providence, and appliances of Europeans. The
islands lying to the north of Lancaster Sound and Barrow’s Straits were
once frequented by Eskimos, and the remains of their winter huts, though
perhaps two centuries old, are still numerous along the coasts. Why these
islands have been abandoned by them in recent times is unknown, but that
the tribes that once resorted thither were not cut off by any sudden pesti-
lence or famine is apparent from the absence of human skeletons in the
vicinity of the deserted dwellings, while the much-decayed bones of whales,
walruses, seals, deer, musk—oxen, birds, and other animals are abundant, and
the small ﬁreplaces built near the huts still contain morsels of charred wood,
hidden beneath the moss which has overgrown them in the lapse of years.
The absence of the natives is favourable, inasmuch as the animals, whether
marine or terrestrial, not being hunted, will be more easily accessible.
“ Musk-oxen frequent Melville Island, and with ordinary caution a whole
herd may be secured by moderately skilful hunters, since it is the habit of
the animals to throw themselves into a circle on the approach of danger, and
to remain in that position, with their heads facing outwards, though indi-
viduals of their number are falling from their ranks under the ﬁre of their
assailants. Lieutenant M‘Clintock, on his recent admirable pedestrian
journey, shot a musk-bull, and having gone to his sledges for assistance to
carry down the meat, on his return with a party of men found the herd still
grazing beside their slaughtered leader. Reindeer also pass over from the
continent to the islands in numbers in the months of May and June, and
though they are shy animals if they be allowed to get scent of man, they
may be readily approached on their lee side by a hunter who possesses the
requisite stock of patience.
“ The nature of the country in the vicinity of the ships will necessarily
inﬂuence its productiveness in animal life, and in the absence of information
respecting it, our conclusions cannot but be in great measure conjectural.
A ﬂat limestone tract, whereon the surface stone is continually splitting
into thin slates under the action of frost, and from which the mud is an-
nually washed into the sea by ﬂoods of melting snow, or a low, shingly, bar-
ren ﬂat, such as that coasted by Captain Ommanney, produces few grasses
and little vegetation of any kind, hence it is shunned by herbivorous animals,
or if they must necessarily cross it in their migrations, they do so at
1
60
speed; but in the sheltered ravines of a sandstone or trap country, or in the
narrow valleys which occur among granite or gneiss rocks, there are grassy
meadows to which deer and musk-oxen resort, the latter also frequent lichen—
producing- acclivities, which are generally denuded of snow by high winds.
Mr. Rae saw the reindeer migrating [south to north] over the ice of Dolphin
and Union Straits in the spring, and passing in great haste into the interior
of Wollaston Land.- There seems to be no reason why these herds should not
range beyond the 80th parallel, if the islands reach so high, since the same
kind of deer travel annually from the continent of Europe to Spitzbergen,
over a wider expanse of sea-ice. Polar hares are also numerous on Wollaston
and Melville Islands, and as they are very tame and consequently easily
shot, they add to the means of support. In the neighbourhood of open
water the polar bear is frequent, and being bold in its approaches, falls a
ready sacriﬁce to a party armed with fowling pieces. The simplicity of the
Arctic fox renders its capture a very easy affair. Fish of various kinds are
by no means scarce in the Arctic seas, and the fresh water lakes abound in
trout. Sir John Franklin was well acquainted with the methods of taking
these by hooks or in nets set under the ice in spring.*
“ Brent geese, cider and king ducks, gulls and many other water fowl,
resort in the breeding season in vast ﬂocks to the most remote islands; and
it may be necessary to state here, that these birds reach their breeding sta-
tions in the high latitudes only in July; hence officers travelling a month or
two earlier, when the ground is 'still covered with snow, are not aware of the
manner in which the most barren islets teem with life later in the summer.
“Walruses and seals of several species were observed by Captain Penny
and his officers to be numerous in Victoria Channel, and beluge and black
whales may be looked for wherever open water of considerable extent exists.
Both kinds abound in the sea that washes Cape Bathurst.
“ This enumeration comprises all the principal animals likely to yield food
to a party shut up by ice in the Arctic Archipelago. How far they could be
made available for feeding the crews of Sir John Franklin’s ships for four
years beyond the expenditure of his English provisions, must depend on
many circumstances concerning which we are at present in total ignorance.
Such as whether the ships were enclosed in ice and drifted to a distance from
the land, in which case the hope of aid from terrestrial animals would fail;
or, whether they were simply shut up in a convenient harbour with their
resources entire; or, thirdly, whether the ships were overwhelmed by ice or
pressed ashore and wrecked, and if so, what clothing and ammunition were
saved, also what portions of the wreck convertible into fuel drifted on shore.
Fuel is as indispensable as food in the high latitudes, and the Eskimos gene-
rally employ animal fat for this purpose, especially in the winter. Drink in
that season can be procured only by melting snow or ice, and for this service
one pound of fat, at least, is required daily to make drink for three people,
exclusive of other cookery.
“ It seemed necessary that I should enter into this lengthened detail, in
order to present a faithful view of the prospects of ships’ crews shut up to
the north of Melville Island. We must also advert to the fact, that provi-

_* “ From all I can learn from men who have spent years in these regions, the provisions which
Sir J. Franklin took out with him from this country, and the certainty of being able ‘to add largely
to the supply, the facts cannot fail to satisfy the most sceptical on this important head. I ﬁrmly
believe he has provisions for years to come.
_ “ Mr. Kennedy, who is gone out in charge of the PRINCE ALBERT, and has spent nearly all his life
in those regions, told me that he has been for two years depending on what he and his party could
procure for food, and that, with any common exertion, he could have got as much in one season as
would serve them for two; he has killed 280 head of deer in four hours, with twelve men, each deer
weighing, on an average, about 2% cwt. Commander M‘Clintock stated to me that, when at Melville
Island, in the last expedition, he could procure suﬁicient food for his party, but had no means of
cooking it. This question is easily answered. Sir John Franklin had a very good stock of coals for
steam purposes, a great portion of which he could reserve. He has also two ships; and Could he
not use one for fuel, if required ?”—Mr. William Coppln, in Letter to Liverpool Albion, Jan. 1852.
61
sions for the whole year must be secured in two short summer months;
hence a skilful and complete organization of the hunting parties would be
necessary to husband the natural resources of the country. Rash and awk-
ward efforts would surely drive the animals out of the district.
“ The shortness of the hunting season would be a great obstacle to the
movement of a large party, either towards the continent orLancaster Sound.
Many of the number would be sick, and the remainder could scarcely trans-
port their disabled companions, the utensils, and a year’s provisions, to any
great distance. We ought also to take into account the probable ravages of
scurvy among the crews, in the course of so many years’ seclusion in the
north. That disorder has hitherto always appeared in a greater or lesser
degree in the discovery ships after the second winter, and it is likely to be
severe and fatal, just in proportion to the scantiness of the diet on which the
people feed.
“ Much of what I have advanced above is conjectural, since we are igno-
rant of the position of the ships, and it is fortunate that we can refer to
facts to prove that life may be maintained in the most Arctic lands under
circumstances, at ﬁrst sight, seemingly the most hopeless. A narrative
printed in St. Petersburgh in 1768, by M. Le Roy, and translated and pub-
lished in Parkinson’s collection, relates the adventures of four Russian
sailors, who being left on Spitzbergen almost destitute of supplies of any
kind, supported themselves there by their ingenuity and activity for six
years and a quarter.*
“ I may also adduce the success of Mr. Rae in wintering on the very un-
promising shores of Repulse Bay, as another proof of the possibility of sus-
taining a party on the products of an Arctic country. That coast yields no
drift timber, but trusting to the withered stems of a herbaceous anolromeda,
he determined on passing the winter there, and having built a house of
stones gathered from the beach, and collected the anolroraeda into small
cocks like so much hay, he fed his party of thirteen men for eleven months,
principally on the produce of his own gun and that of his Eskimo inter-
preterfl‘ In the month of September, 1846, alone, 63 deer, 172 Ptarmigan,
and 116 salmon, were brought into store; and when he departed in 1847,
after completing his discovery and survey of the shores of Ahholee or Com-
mittee Bay, he returned to Churchill with more than a third of the two
months provisions with which he originally set out, and with his well-fed
crew in excellent health and prime working condition. These facts, and
they might be largely added to, will, I believe, be generally considered as
suﬂicient to prove the general argument of the northern islands being fre—
quented in summer by herds of animals suﬂicient to feed large bodies of
men.”
REPLIES T0 QUESTIONS FROM THE ARCTIC COMMITTEE.
BY DR. WILLIAM SCORESBY.
“ Question—Do you suppose it probable that Sir John Franklin, or any
portion of the crews composing his Expedition, still survive ; and what are
the grounds for forming that opinion ‘I
“ Reply—That Sir John Franklin, or some portion of his associates, may
still survive, is a position which cannot be controverted. It follows, there-
fore, that some degree of probability, whatever that degree may be, does
exist. Such probability, it appears to me, is involved in, or supported by, a
variety of considerations. Sir John Ross was absent and unheard of for four
years and some months (though never at a greater distance from positions
often visited by the Whalers than 250 miles), and returned with nearly all

* See detailed account at page 51. _ _
+ A whaling master of great experience strongly advises the supply of Tlﬂ88 to the searching
expeditions. .
62
his crew in health. Hence, I conceive that Sir John Franklin, or some por-
tion of his associates, with incomparably superior equipment and resources,
might yet survive, at some much greater distance beyond the positions
ordinarily visited, though a period of somewhat more than ﬁve years (reckon-
ing from the date of the plain indications and traces of him found on and
near Beechey Island) have since elapsed without further information.
2. The Esquimaux, in similar regions, as cold, as desolate, and as apparently
resourceless (altogether resourceless indeed, except in Arctic animals), live
out, not six or seven winters merely, but a fair portion of the ordinary life
of man. Why then may not hardy enterprizing Britons, sustained, over and
above, by the moral courage and Christian hope which preserved the same
Franklin, a Richardson, a Back, and others, when the ordinary powers of life
in men experienced in like hardships, Canadian voyages, failed '1 Why may
they not be yet surviving amid the desolateness of Arctic solitudes, and the
wreck of the hopes of the timid and doubting ‘l 3. In the well—known case
of four Russian seamen, who, after the loss of their ship on the coast of
Spitzbergen in 1743, took refuge on an island near the main, three out of the
four survived on resources (except a few pounds of ﬂour, and a little
tobacco) entirely provided by themselves, during a period of six years and
three months, whilst unheard of, and assumed to have perished, and were
then rescued, and, enriched with the results of their hunting and ﬁshing,
restored in health to their friends. With facts such as these before us,—with
the knowledge of their extensive original resources, and of the abundance of
animal life in the region into or beyond which I believe they have entered,
available for the extension of their original supplies,-—I cannot but believe
it to be probable, that Sir John Franklin, or some of his associates in adven-
ture, do yet survive.*
“ In the entire absence of either information or traces of the expedition
beyond the spring of 1846, I might observe, there is, in my judgment,
no essential grounds for detracting from the assumed probability. There
being no information,—none among them having yet returned from whence
we could hope to seek them out,-—only necessarily implies, either that their
appliances for ice travelling, or their condition of physical strength (circum-
stances quite to be expected) are inferior to ours. And there being no
observable traces within the extent of recent researches, except at Beechey
Island, can prove nothing against such probability, or against the direction
we believe they have pursued, as marks on shore would scarcely be planted
anywhere except under circumstances of detention, and might not be planted
till the second summer’s progress was closed, or if planted, might not be
seen.
“ It may be proper to notice (as bearing on the question of probability of
success of the expedition) a conjecture which some have entertained, that
the ships may have been wrecked, and that the entire crews may have sum-
marily perished in the Arctic ices. There is only one special case, however,
and that, I think, not in the least degree probable in respect to the Franklin
expedition, in which such summary catastrophe, attended by the imagined
destruction of the adventurers, could, I believe, be rationally contemplated ;
and that is, the case of the ships being drifted out to seaward, after the
manner of Sir James Ross and Captain de Haven, and, on approaching the

* Wherever Sir John Franklin maybe, assuming his ships to be ice-bound, we must bear in mind
that the range of his exploring parties, radiating in any and every direction all round his ships, must
be limited to the distance that can be accomplished in half a summer’s journey, going and coming;
say, in 44, 58, 60, 62, and in two instances (Bradford and McClintock), 80 days. The same number
of days required to advance, must be reckoned upon for return to the ships and resources before the
winter sets in; therefore the number of days of each trip; and the distance gone over, must be
halved. Now a week’s advance up the channel, against a four or ﬁve knot tide, giving us 500 miles
(Penny’s estimate), would leave a large portion of the summer season for land excursions, if not the
ﬁrst year, at least the second; and an exploring party out 80 days, and averaging during the 40 days
they advanced 12 miles a day, would thus in their 40 days cover 480 miles of country in any direc-
tion they might proceed—M.
'63
seaward edge of a pack of ponderous ices, being overturned by a heavy gale
at sea. And even in this possible case, the contingencies are such as not, in
any instance that I am aware of, to have ever been fulﬁlled, even among the
thousands and tens of thousands of adventurers in these regions in pursuit
of the whale ﬁshery, so that the entire crews of two ships, with the ships
themselves (and these, as to the Franklin expedition, among the strongest
ever sent out to the Arctic seas), should be so ‘completely annihilated, as to
leave not a wreck behind. In every other case but this,-—of which I believe
we have no corresponding or commensurate example in modern history, as
to Davis’ Strait, or Bazﬁn’s Barb—any sudden catastrophe happening to a
ship within the icy regions referred to would yield at least the opportunity
of escape to the crew, by the platform of the ice itself, to which, in the ﬁrst in~
stance, they might retreat.* But against the conjecture alluded to, in regard
to its bearing on probabilities, we have to set the incomparably better sup-
ported conjecture of the ships having advanced on the object of their mission
towards the north-west into such a position or circumstances as to render the
self-applied efforts of the voyagers inadequate to the effecting of their
retreat. For as the probability of the discovery ships advancing in the
direction they wished to pursue (as they might have advanced apparently
either to the westward or the north-west) must obviously be greater than
that of their being driven away, under some special embarrassment, in the
very contrary direction, the conjecture of the least likely circumstance, con-
summated by a barely possible issue in total annihilation, should, I conceive,
have the least possible weight when set against the contrary probabilities.”
NOTES ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF ANIMALS AVAILABLE AS FOOD IN
THE ARCTIC REGIONS. BY MR. AUGUSTUS PETERMANN.
(From the “Athencenm”, March 6, 1852.)

“ IT has long been a common but erroneous supposition that animal life
within the Arctic regions decreases more and more as the Pole is approached.
This opinion probably had its origin chieﬂy in the observation made respect-
ing the distribution of mankind; for the number of our fellow-creatures
living beyond the circle is exceedingly small, and, as far as we know, ceases
altogether between the seventy-ﬁfth and seventy-seventh parallels. The
Polar regions permit, indeed, a precarious existence to man; but it is quite
different as regards the Polar animals, many of which are so thoroughly
adapted to the intense cold and other features of those regions, that they
could not even exist in any other clime. Consequently animal life is found
as much in the Polar as in the tropical regions, and though the number of
species is decidedly inferior to the number in the latter, yet, on the other
hand, the immense multitudes of individuals compensate for the deﬁciency
in the former respect. If, as the writer has said-—in the ‘Atlas of Physical
Geography’, some years ago, with regard to this point—-‘ if we were to con~
elude from a large number of species, that there must be a large number of
individuals, we should come to erroneous conclusions, for such is frequently
not the case. The Arctic and tropical countries furnish an excellent example,
at least in their Mammalian and Ornithological Faunas. We need only refer
to the crowds of birds which hover over the islands and shores of the north,
or to the inconceivable myriads of penguins met with by Ross on the Ant-
arctic lands, where there was not even the smallest appearance of vegetation;

* Captain George Harrison (of thirty years‘ experience in command of Whalers) states, in a letter
printed in the April number of the ‘ Nautical Magazine’, his belief that out of the whole of the 103
ships wrecked since the ﬁrst discovery of a passage through Melville Bay, not more than ten lives
have been lost.
64
and, among the quadrupeds, to the thousands of fur animals that are annually
killed in the Arctic regions. Wrangell gives a ﬁne description of animal
life in the Kolyma district of Siberia, one of the coldest regions of the globe:
the poverty of vegetation is strongly contrasted with the rich abundance of
animals; countless herds of rein-deer, elks, black bears, foxes, sables, and
grey squirrels, ﬁll the upland forests ; stone foxes and wolves roam over the
low grounds. Enormous ﬂights of swans, geese, and ducks arrive in spring,
and seek deserts, where they may moult and build their nests in safety.
Eagles, owls, and gulls pursue their prey along the sea coast; ptarmigans
in troops among the bushes, and little snipes are busy along the brooks and
in the morasses. Baer, also, relates that a walrus hunter on the rocks of
Nova Zernbla caught in a few hours 30,000 lemmings. On the other hand,
in Australia, and other regions of the tropical and temperate zones, a traveller
will frequently journey for weeks together, and pass over hundreds of miles
of country, without meeting with a single quadruped.’
“ ‘ I will,’ the writer adds, ‘ in the ﬁrst place, proceed to indicate the regions
to which these remarks refer ; those, namely, which comprise the Arctic
fauna. On this point it will be seen that I have adopted narrower limits
than other authors, inasmuch as I have taken the northern limit of woods
as my southern boundary of the region under consideration. It is true that
some Arctic animals are found to the south of this line, like the rein—deer,—
still these are not exclusively Arctic in their character, and they are also,
more or less, of migratory habits. The ice-fox, a beautiful little animal, well
known to all Arctic voyagers, and decidedly of Arctic character, does not
extend to the south of the line assumed, which also coincides with the ex-
treme northern limit of the reptiles, and corresponds pretty closely with the
line of 50°, mean summer temperature. The region thus comprises Iceland,
Spitsbergen, Nova Zembla, the extreme northern shores of Europe and Asia,
with the north-eastern extremity of the latter, including also the sea of
Kamtchatha and the Aleutian Islands, but excluding the peninsula of Kamt-
chat/ca. On the American side it comprises a considerable portion of British
North America, the northern part of Labrador, and the whole of Greenland.
“ Though several classes of the animal creation—as, for example, the rep-
tiles—are entirely wanting in this region, those of the mammals, birds, and
ﬁshes, at least bear comparison, both as to number and size, with those of
the tropics,—-the lion, the elephant, the hippopotamus, and others, being not
more notable in the latter respect than the polar bear, the musk ox, the
walrus, and, above all, the whale. Besides these, there are the moose, the
rein-deer, the wolf, the polar hare, the seal, and various smaller quadrupeds.
The birds consist chieﬂy of an immense number of aquatic birds. Of ﬁshes,
the salmon, salmon-trout, and herring are the principal, the latter especially
occurring in such myriads as to surpass everything of the kind met with in
tropical regions. Nearly all these animals furnish wholesome food for man.
They are, with few exceptions, distributed over the entire region. Their
number, however, or the relative intensity of the individuals, is very different
in different parts. Thus, on the American side we ﬁnd the animals increase
in number from east to west,—on the shores of Da'ois’s Straits, Baﬁin Bay,
Lancaster Sound, Regent Inlet, fewer are met with than in Boothia Felix and
the Parry Group. The abundance of animal life in MelcilleIsland and Victoria
Channel is probably not surpassed in any other part of the American side.
Proceeding westwards to the Russian possessions, we ﬁnd considerable num-
bers of animals all round and within the sea of Kamtchatka, as also to the
north of Behring’s Straits. The yearly produce of the Russian Fur Company
in America is immense, and formerly it was much greater. Pribylow, when
he discovered the. small islands named after him, collected within two years
2,000 skins of sea otters, 40,000 sea bears (Ursine seals), 6,000 dark ice foxes,
and 1,000 poods of walrus teeth. Liitke, in his voyage round the world,_
mentions, that in the year 1803, 800,000 skins of the Ursine seal alone were,
65
accumulated in Unalasha, one of the depots of the Russian Fur Company;
700,000 of these skins were thrown into the sea, partly because they were
badly prepared, and partly in order to keep up the prices. But in no other
part of the Arctic zoological region is animal life so abundant as in the
north-eastern portion of Siberia, especially between the rivers Kolgma and
Lena. A description of the Kolgma district has already been given in the
preceding remarks, to which the following particulars may now be added.
The ﬁrst animals that make their appearance after the dreary winter, are
large ﬂights of swans, geese, ducks, and snipes; these are killed by old and
vyoung ; ﬁsh also begin to be taken in nets and baskets placed under the ice.
‘In June, however, when the rivers open, the ﬁsh pour in in immense num-
bers. At the beginning of the present century, several thousand geese were
sometimes killed in one day at the mouth of the Kolgma; about twenty
years later, when Admiral Wrangell visited those regions, the numbers had
somewhat decreased, and it was then called a good season when 1,000 geese,
5,000 ducks, and 200 swans were killed at that place. Rein-deer hunting
forms the next occupation of the inhabitants. About the same time the
shoals of herrings begin to ascend the rivers, and the multitudes of these ﬁsh
are often such, that in three or four days 40,000 may be taken with a single
net. On the banks of the river Indigirha the number of swans and geese,
resorting there in the moulting season, is said to be much greater even than
on the Kolgma. West of the Lena, and along the whole of the remainder of
the Siberian shores as far as Nova Zembla, and including that island, animal
life presents a great contrast to the preceding portion, as it is nowhere found
in such abundance as in the districts already described, and in many parts it
is extremely scarce. Spitsbergen completes our very general circumpolar
survey. Here, though plenty of animals are found, among which are very
acceptable fat rein-deer, still the number of animals generally is greatly
inferior to that of north-eastern Siberia. It will naturally be asked, whence
arises this great difference in the distribution, or rather, the relative intensity
of animals within the Arctic region? The reply is furnished by the climate,
and particularly by the distribution of temperature. On comparing the
zoological and also the botanical features with the observations of tempera-
ture made within the Arctic regions, I ﬁnd that the summer temperature is
of the utmost consequence to the existence and development of both animal
and vegetable life, and that, without exception, where the summer tempera—
ture is the highest, animals are found most plentiful, and the reverse where
the temperature is the lowest. Thus, of all the shores of the Arctic basin,
those of the north-eastern Siberia possess the greatest abundance of animal
life, because there the temperature is comparatively the highest in summer,
although in winter the same region is the coldest on the face of the globe.
“ Without going further into detail, I will now merely add a few words as
to the bearings of the foregoing observations on Sir John Franklin’s Expe-
dition.
“ The general opinion is that the missing vessels have been arrested
somewhere between Wellington Channel and Behring’s Straits, and the
Siberian shores, and most probably their position is nearer to the latter than
to the former points. As these three regions abound in animal life, we may
fairly conclude that the intervening portion partakes of the same character,
and moreover, that the further Sir John Franklin may have got away from
Wellington Channel, and the nearer he may have approached the north-eastern
portion of Asia, the more he may have found the animals to increase in
number. The direction of the isothermal lines strongly corroborates this
assumption, as they are indicative of a higher summer temperature in that
region than in any other within the Polar basin. And as those countries
are perhaps entirely uninhabited by man, the animals there would have con-
tinued in their primeval or original numbers, unthinned by the wholesale
massacres in which myriads are destroyed for the sake of their skins or teeth.
66
“ An interesting fact was mentioned in this Society by Lieut. Osborne,
namely, that Captain Penny in September 1850, had seen enormous numbers of
whales running southwards from under the ice in Wellington Ohannel.* We
know this to be also the case in the Spitzbergen Sea every spring, and that
these animals are numerous along the Siberian coasts. This not only proves
the existence of one, or perhaps two, Polar Seas, more or less open through-
out the year, but also that these seas moreover abound in animal life,—to
satisfy enormous numbers of whales an amount of food is required which
cannot be small. And it is well known among the Tchuktchi, on the north-
eastern coasts of Siheria,—where land to the north is said to exist in con-
tiguity and probably connected with the lands discovered by Capt. Kellett,—
that herds of rein-deer migrate between those lands and the continents.
“ Taking all these facts into consideration, the conclusion seems to be a
reasonable one, that Franklin, ever since he entered Wellington Channel, has
found himself in that portion of the Arctic regions where animals probably
exist in greater plenty than in any other. Under these circumstances alone
Franklin’s party could exist as well as other inhabitants of the Polar regions,
but we must not forget, that in addition to the natural resources at their
command, they would in their vessels possess more comfortable and substan-
tial houses than any native inhabitants of the same regions.”
DR. KANE, U.S.N., UPON THE RESOURCES OPEN TO (From the Lectures delivered at Washington.)
“ Nor is there much reason to apprehend that the missing party has
perished from cold or starvation or disease. The Igloé, or snow-house, of
the Esquimaux, is an excellent and wholesome shelter. The servants of
‘ the Hudson’s Bay Company preferred it to the winter hut; and for clothing,
the furs of the polar regions are better than any of the products of Man-
chester. The resources which that region evidently possesses for the support
of human life, are certainly surprisingly greater than the public are gene-
rally aware of. N arwhal, white-whale, and seal, the latter in extreme abun-
dance, crowd the waters of Wellington Channel; indeed, it was described as
a region ‘ teeming with animal lge.’ The migrations of the cider duck, the
brent goose, and the auk-—-a bir about the size of our teal——were absolutely
wonderful. The fatty envelope of these marine animals, known as blubber,
supplies light and heat, their furs warm and well adapted clothing, their
ﬂesh wholesome and antiscorbutic food. The reindeer, the bear, and the
fox, also abounded in great numbers, even in the highest latitude attained.
Add to all this, that the three years provisions which Franklin carried out,
was calculated according to the proverbial liberality of the British Admi-
rality, and was indeed abundant for a support during four years and a half,
and that he was the man of all others whom necessity had taught the lesson
of husbanding his resources, and of adding to them when occasion per-
mitted; and we have a summary of what might be made a conclusive reply
to the apprehensions on the score of a want of food. ,
“ In a word, Dr. Kane announced, that after a careful comparison of all
the natural resources of this region, he was convinced that food, fuel, and
clothing, the three great contributors to human existence, were here in super-
abundant plenty.”

* The breath of the whale ceases the instant the ANIMAL is under water, whether clear of ice or
not. The time this creature can hold its breath is well known, as is likewise the average distance
it can swim without breathing. (The Greenland whale can remain under water from ten to twenty
minutes, and its maximum velocity is stated to be six miles per hour.) Now this very distance, and
no more, may be fairly assumed as the utmost extent of the frozen surface of ice to the north-west,
undeé' whichMi-he whales swam (from clear water to clear water), running south in “ enormous
num ers’ .-— .
l" “ l- " F "err-r."
Q8 A
c ‘I (“sir/is ~ - m
._ l 6'.‘ __\.. I, X The Arctic Basin.
- ' ' to illustrate Y \ --r ‘L_ ,
\_.'/ If
A \* "/IA
man’ during W011’ win In‘ along! flu Arrlu- dmma , 9 ‘
ﬁg‘? ‘ c 1. /Y ‘W m LE)‘ 3 (have v. but-it 1'; ol'conu important! In a‘ can-rd and
17:1 gran armwa down the and emu-n! J- V --I ‘ .JJM _) i ‘ I‘ ‘ ~ ‘ TU “ mmpmhmn're- vmdu'ﬂamhhg ofiluvunu'al 0179'“!
Explanation. '
"1! dark ‘qr-rm mlnur (how; '11! 1.01mi of in for- ﬂu 'rrm Ann: Blunt I'Jymmrqq'npph'nl to the Arr“:
/__ ‘.....

of the Dn'ﬂia- in Jpring and Sinnmcr. \ "' ‘t N )T H I‘ 74/" ﬁnlum, Io {nnlude m‘dzur It 0m.“ fauna-in wink-Am
, i "0‘ \ .1 ‘I w
"u blur mlaur :hone the probable (and. al'apm / a _ ~ .\ dnu'nul "IT by Um:v Oman . Du. mighty Ru'a-n- of "ur-
* ' i‘) “I5 ‘
a . ' l , ‘A. F ‘ ~ . - a r
s!!!‘ l'N- 16'1"!!!’ - i: " ‘51 {pi ‘ ' I l Janka ("It parlu'ularly. an m of (IN prune-winner
a o l _I</ V \\\ I _
1111 blank space is Olllrdy unlaunrn . . r‘ ,7 _ (he Polarﬁumla, break-Ry up the in ﬁrmed dunng MI
E m (bunln'u mnimm'ng ﬁll-"14.77:: du'd' f'nmn - ‘ mm‘. ﬂu. 011m. an)“ Rmrmhn'pabdndie Raw-Mm
region: ha re a. darkn- sh “ding . alum/0M, nniu'i . Luca . Harland: ) 1'4 about the scum a:
_ Countries dun'tuu a!‘ Trm. aims. of (In wlwb (flea-ape . Jgmat ponum of‘
5 .llclcumlogual .Wnnmu. this am is oaupial lfvkrut: from
; .~ as»
“ ‘r . “P vhmoepmmdc Oubziﬁwoodso
,1 V‘ Y
\ ' . bendl'n'nl to dwur of'duAm-
The arr-u of the pliutl'pnl.
Michal-Baron. in
E’rgliJrSq'miI/JJ}
ixrnlld uundl.
fir Region: M1118 av
Q

ISOTHERLIAL LINES
of the coldest and hottest months of the Year.
In mature "gar-ding flu Phyn‘nnl y of‘lln 11min-
lleydm flu amn'dmlion alike Distribuiiou of Trnqnu'lium
is (flmnunmmt importantaacil will be h'mml time flu
(Iialrilmtion. of‘ Animal and Vrgdnlrlr Life, Uu mm! of
be 46c- dlpaui mm‘)! man’ an (In dimrlim ofthelnflmnnal-
line: than on that a!‘ the liars of luln'lude.
Compln'ai ive view of thv lneau Temperature in
J4\NUAHY. Jll LY.
nhmk ._ “3i “Churchill ._.28'.'0 Wininr L . 353-! Melnlb L _-
' Uat Ymuk _39.b “inter I. ._23.2 Sptizlugsulhuiaéd “Franklin
l N'mlnmlotvrmi- 31-3‘ Fl Pranldm _. 22.3 Nuvmn Zcmlia. b 35. 8 Flclull'chill. 38
Mi-lvillr If... . -stal lélonhk _lﬁ.l Poe-llama . .. 36.6 ‘Uni Ylnuk
or! _.- .9. Xm'aik! .' 2.9 Nwaiazcmlu.a 37.1‘X'mhnljmzlvuum. l .
"""""'"""’""""" iii-0023:; jag-:1 n." Zia] a s moulik. ,. 39:1 :Ynludak ' 68.5 “'“Mm' M“
l Godhnab 124 Bomliia Fnlix til-8 l
dab Made d'Jhu.
67
i
MR. AUGUSTUS PETERMANN’S PLAN OF SEARCH.
< (From the Arctic Blue Book.)
To Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort.
“ 5, Camden Street North, 23rd January, 1852.
“ SIR,—I have the honour to make to you the following communication
relative to the search after Sir John Franklin, which I am anxious humbly
to submit to the special notice of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.
“The subject of Sir John Franklin’s expedition has so long ﬁlled the
minds of the most eminent men, and excited the interest of the whole world,
that I fear I am laying myself open to the imputation of great presumption
in venturing suggestions respecting this subject. Nevertheless I have con-
sidered it my duty not to withhold the results of a comprehensive and earnest,
yet calm, inquiry; and having been impressed with the necessity that no
time should be lost in making those results as extensively known as possible,
I inserted in the Athenceum of last Saturday (the 17th instant) the remarks
of which the following is a copy.
“ ‘ It is the general opinion that Franklin has passed through Wkllington
Channel. If so, it is beyond doubt that he must have penetrated to a con-
siderable distance further, so as to have rendered it exceedingly diﬂicult, if
not impossible, to retrace his steps, should he have found it impracticable to
proceed in any other direction. It may be idle to speculate on his probable
direction and distance from Wellington Strait, but a line drawn from Mel-
ville Island to the Herald and Plover Islands (north of Behring’s Straits),
and another from illelville Island to Spitzbergen on the American side, would,
with the Siberian coasts and islands on the Asiatic side, include the space
in which he must have been arrested, a space of fearful extent, when it is
considered that the whole of the regions hitherto explored by the various
expeditions sent in search of him are scarcely one-third of those which
remain unexplored. '
“ ‘It is a well-known fact that there exists to the north of the Siberian
coast, and, at a comparatively short distance from it, a sea open at all
seasons; it is beyond doubt that a similar open sea exists on the American
side to the north of Parrg group; it is very probable that these two open
seas form a large navigable Arctic ocean.
“ ‘It is evident that until an entrance into this Arctic basin has been
effected, that is to say, into that part of it which is comparatively open and
navigable, scarcely any hope can be entertained ‘of rescuing Franklin, or of
ascertaining his fate. The determination to send another expedition to Wel-
lington Channel is noble and generous, but it is perhaps questionable whether
the present season will prove as favourable as the last, and whether, indeed,
the expedition will succeed in passing through Wellington Channel to the
north. In short, Wellington and Behring’s Straits, the two chief entrances
from the American side into the Polar basin, have, owing to the proximity
of the land and accumulation of ice, hitherto frustrated the most determined
advances of the various expeditions in those directions.
“ ‘ There are only two other sea entrances into the Polar basin. These are
‘between Greenland and Spitsbergen, and between Spitzbergen and N ova'ia
'Zemlia. With respect to the former, I shall refrain from comment, as the
diﬂiculties connected with it are very great. I therefore conﬁne myself to
‘the latter; and, coming at once to the point, I would suggest, that the wide
opening between‘ Spitzbergen and No'va'ia Zeml'ia most probabl oﬁ'ers the
‘easiest and most advantageous entrance into the open navigable P0 ar sea, and
perhaps the best route for the search after Sir John Franklin.
K
68
“ ‘ From those navigators who have attempted, during the summer months,
to penetrate northward in that direction—Barents as early as 1594—we
learn that a barrier of ice was found to stretch across the sea between these
two groups of islands. And such undoubtedly is the case every year with
each recurring summer. It is that immense body of Arctic ice which every
spring is known to drift with a powerful current from the Siberian coast
towards the Atlantic Ocean. In the 80th parallel, and beyond it to the
south, it meets with the shores of Greenland, Spitsbergen, and Nora'ia Zeml’ia.
Between the two latter it encounters'the Gulf Stream, which prevents its
drifting further south in that direction, and thus renders the shores of
northern Europe entirely free from that unwelcome visitor, whereas the
American countries in the same latitudes are more or less encased in ice
throughout the whole year. On the other hand, between Greenland and
Spitsbergen, the icebearing current steadily pursues its way, passing Iceland
and the southern extremity of Greenland, and reaching the shores of New-
foundland and as far as 40° north latitude ; so that while its course is arrested
between the northern part of Nora‘ia Zeml‘ia and Spitsbergen,-—no ﬂoating
ice having ever been known to reach North Cape,—on the other side of the
Atlantic it travels upwards of 2,500 miles further south.
“ ‘ The barrier of ice which may justly be supposed to exist between
Spitsbergen and Noraia Zemlia during every summer, unquestionably pre-
sents obstacles to vessels penetrating northward, but there is no reason to
consider these obstacles greater than those on the opposite American side in
Davis’s Straits, Baﬂin’s Bay, Lancaster Sound, and Barrow Straits ; and we
have, moreover, the testimony of numerous Whalers and other navigators in
the Greenland Sea, that whenever they succeeded in pushing through this
barrier of ice, they found to the north of it a sea more or less open and free
from ice. A vessel, then, which, by watching for an opportunity, should
effect a passage through this ice, would, no doubt, ﬁnd itself in the great
open navigable ‘ Polinya’ of the Russians. '
“ ‘ The preceding remarks are offered to the attention of the reader, not as
anything new, but as well established facts, which are submitted, by way of
preparation, for the consideration of that portion of my views which I believe
to be entirely new, and which, without further preface, I now humbly submit
to public notice. My belief is, nay, I think I am able to demonstrate, that
during the Arctic winter months, namely, from September to March, an entrance
into the North Polar Sea through the opening under consideration, may be
much more easily ejected than during the summer months; and also, that the
further navigation of the Siberian Sea may likewise be performed with much
greater facility in winter than in summer.
“ ‘And here the principles which regulate the distribution of the gaseous
and ﬂuid coverings of the earth must, in the ﬁrst instance, be brought to
bear upon the subject. It admits of little doubt that some, at least, of the
currents of the Arctic Ocean, are revolving currents, the direction of which
is during the summer months from the pole to the south, and, in the winter
months, the reverse. Our actual observations of this phenomenon are, un-
fortunately, very limited; but we know just enough to conﬁrm the argument
as far as it relates to the Siberian Sea. According to Wrangell and others,
the current there during the summer runs from east to west; but in autumn,
when the cold sets in, it changes, and proceeds from west to east. Now, if
we take the compasses, and place one point of them on a polar chart, between
Lancaster Sound and Fury and Hecla Strait (as a centre), and the other
point on the Faroe Islands, and with the latter describe a circle to the north-
ward, this circle will touch North Cape, the northern shores of No'vat'a
Zemli'a, Cape Taimura (the extreme northern point of Asia), the northern
coasts of New Siberia, and Behring’s Straits. And as we know that along
the ﬁrst portion of this line, from the Faroe Islands to N ova'ia Zemlia, and
also along the last portion of it from New Siberia to Behring’s Straits, the
69
current in the winter time ﬂows in the direction from the Faroe to Behring’s
Straits, it is hardly possible that a counter current should exist in the inter-
vening portion between Novaia Zemlia and New Siberia. Besides, the prime
movers of the great Arctic current, which ﬂows during summer from the
Siberian coasts towards the Atlantic, namely, the Siberian rivers, are frozen
during the winter, and have, consequently, no inﬂuence on the currents of
the Siberian Sea. Hence there is every'reason for concluding that this great
Arctic current, bringing the drift ice from the Siberian shores, relaxes
in its force by the end of summer, so that the gulf stream, which during
spring and summer was checked and hemmed in by the ice between Nova-‘ta
Zeml'ia and Spitsbergen, makes at last its way towards the Siberian coast,
carrying with it whatever drift ice may have remained in that region,
and actually clearing the way for an easy navigation.
“ ‘ In corroboration of this result, an important physical fact relative to
the distribution of temperature may be adduced. Taking the invaluable
data of Professor Dove as a basis, I have laid down on twelve Polar charts
the lines of equal temperature of every month in the year; and from a
careful study of these lines, I have deduced the following remarkable con-
clusion :—There exists a moveable pole of cold, which in January is found
on a line drawn from Melville Island to the mouth of the River Lena, and
which gradually advances towards the Atlantic Ocean, till in July it is found
on a line between Fury and Hecla Strait and N ovaia Zemlia, whence, in the
succeeding months of the year, it gradually recedes to its former position.
It is clearly manifest that this movement of the temperature is occasioned
by the direction of the currents and the presence of the Polar ice. The
greatest mass of this ice is (it is scarcely necessary to say) formed where
the winter cold is the greatest, namely, in the region of New Siberia, on
the Asiatic side, and in that of Parry group on the American side; and
when broken up and driven away into the Atlantic, masses of ice (as is
well known) in their progress reduce the temperature wherever they go.
Hence, in January and February, Melville Island and Boothia Felix are the
coldest stations on record on the American side, being as much as 10° to 15°
colder than Igloolih and Winter Island; whereas, in July, they are from 5°
to 7° warmer than those places, owing to the ice having ﬂoated down in the
direction of the latter. On the Asiatic side, the difference is still more strik-
ing. In January, the mean temperature along the north-eastern shores of
Siberia, is from 40° to 50° lower than that of the western shores of Nova'i'a
Zemlia; while in July, it is as much as 20° higher. It must be borne in
mind that Wrangell and Anjou, in their memorable expeditions, selected the
most favourable of the winter months for their journeys over the ice, at a
season when they hoped to ﬁnd the ice most solid and of the greatest thick-
ness. Nevertheless, they invariably found the ‘wide immeasurable ocean’
before them, at a comparatively short distance from the land; and this, too,
to the north of what is actually the coldest region on the face of the earth.
Now, it would be a monstrous anomaly, if at some distance to the west,
where a warm current is known to prevail, and where the temperature is
from 40° to 50° higher, we should not ﬁnd the same ‘ wide immeasurable
ocean.’
“ ‘ I could adduce a number of facts from the evidence of the Russian
surveyors and others strongly corroborative of these views, but refrain from
doing so in deference to your space. But I think it important to refer brieﬂy
to what the well-known Norwegian naturalist Keilhau has informed us of
with respect to the climate of Bear (called also Cherry) Island. This island
is situated between North Cape and Spitsbergen, in the same latitude. as
Melville Island, and is exposed to the entire inﬂuence of the surrounding
ocean. Keilhau tells us that in the year 1824, during the whole of the
autumn and winter, the weather was mild, and at Christmas there was rain
(this in the latitude of Melville Island, where the mercury is frozen during
70
ﬁve successive months). February was cold and clear, but the cold never
too great for out—door work. On the 10th of that month, the sun was seen
again for the ﬁrst time, its disc just rising above the sea. In March the cold
increased, especially with north-east wind. April was the coldest month of
all, with northerly and north-easterly wind, the sea steaming and freezing
all round the island. In the middle of that month, the cold was so severe,
and the vapours from the sea so overpowering, that it was with the greatest
difﬁculty they could venture into the open air. In May, irregular winds.
In June, the prevalent wind was north-east, which brought with it a quan-
tity of drift ice. On the 1st of July a great deal of drift ice came with the
north-east wind, but the weather was clear and mild. Thus, we see that dur-
ing the Arctic winter, when the sun was entirely below the horizon, the weather
was exceedingly mild. From November till February not one instance is
adduced of the winds coming from the north-east, but often from the south
and south-west, with rain at Christmas. This warm wind would, of course,
extend farther, precisely in the direction towards the Siberian Sea. But after
the appearance of the sun, when the temperature of the whole Polar region
would be raised, when the ice would begin to break loose, expand, and dis-
perse to southerly latitudes, then it was that the north-east wind prevailed;
and as this wind came from and brought with it the approaching ice masses,
it would naturally lower the temperature gradually from February till April,
when it attained the minimum. In June and July the drift ice itself had
reached the island ; but as the north-east wind now blew from the open sea
behind the drift ice, it became mild. Nothing can be more strikingly, illus-
trative of the moving pole of cold.
“ ‘ Lastly, I will adduce the direct and unimpeachable evidence of one who
actually saw an open sea in winter to the north of Nova'iaZem-l'i'a, namely,
Willem Barentz. This able, bold, and honest seaman is the only one with
his party who ever' spent a winter on the northern shores of that island.
Even on his ﬁrst voyage, when he succeeded during the summer in tracing
the coast of Novaia Zemlia as far north as Icy Cape (in 77 degrees of lati-
tude according to his reckoning), where he was stopped by the ice, he came
to this important conclusion, ‘ We have assuredly found that the only and
most hinderance to our voyage was the ice that we found about Nova Zembla,
under 73 to 76 degrees; and not so much upon the sea betweene both the
landes (viz., Spitsbergen and Novaia Zemlia), whereby it appeareth that not
the nearenesse of the North Pole but the ice that commeth in and out from
the Tartarian Sea about Nova Zem-bla caused us to feel the greatest cold.
As soon as we made from the land, and put more into the sea, although it
was much further northward, presently we felt more warmth.’ On the third
and last of his remarkable voyages, Barentz made the land of Novai'a Zemlia
on the 7th of July 1596, and reached its north-east extremity on the 16th of
August. They were, however, shortly afterwards beset by ice, and obliged
to winter on the north coast of the island. While employed in erecting their
hut, on the 26th of September, the wind came from the west, which drove
the loose ice that was aﬂoat away from the land, and left the sea open near
the coast; of this, unfortunately, they could not take advantage, as the ship
was considerably injured, and was besides imbedded in a closely-packed body
of ice, so that she lay as if upon a ﬁrm and solid rock. On the whole, they
suffered much less from the cold of the winter than they had anticipated,
and so much snow fell during the winter that the Hollanders had almost
every day to clear the entrance to their hut; a proof that open water could
not have been far distant. On the 8th of March, after the appearance of the
sun, the great open sea to the north began to be distinctly visible to Barentz
and his party. In May they had got their two boats aﬂoat, returning along
the coasts to the south. At the commencement of this voyage in the open
boats, Barentz, who had been declining in health, expired, believing, and with
his last breath aﬁirming, that, had he stood more between the two lands, he
would have been able to enter the open sea.
71
“ ‘ I cannot but think, then, that on the consideration of all the circum-
stances,‘ it will be the opinion of those who are most competent to decide on
the question, that an entrance into the Polar Basin through the opening
under consideration, as well as the navigation of that ‘ wide immeasurable
ocean’, might be more easily effected during the Arctic winter than in the
summer months. At all events, I respectfully beg to submit the point,
together with the whole subject, to their serious consideration.
“ ‘ It would ill become me to offer any suggestions as to the mode in which
an expedition, if decided on, should be carried out; but I may, perhaps, be
allowed to remark, that as regards the time of its departure, the remaining
months of the present Arctic winter would seem preferable to the ﬁrst months
of the next, and this for two reasons :—First, a period from six to eight
months would be gained, which under the urgent circumstances of the miss-
ing expedition may be of vital importance; secondly, vessels arriving in the
Polar Sea in February or March, just before or when the sun has made its
appearance, might, if only once able to enter the Polar Basin, easily traverse
it to the opposite side before the power of the sun had set in motion the
great ice-bearing current, and they would then have before them the whole
summer in the fullest sunshine for carrying out the object of their voyage,
namely, the search for Sir John Franklin.
“ ‘ But even if a vessel could not be despatched till later in the year, the
chances of an entrance through the opening under consideration may, after
all, turn out to be greater than through any other opening, inasmuch as the
former is the widest of all, as much as nine times wider than Behring’s Straits.
And as to the great masses of drift ice, we know that they do not present
insurmountable obstacles in an extensive sea. The late Sir John Barrow
said, “ Where ice can ﬂoat, a vessel can ﬂoat also.’
“ ‘ Before concluding, I will merely give the distances, roughly stated, to
the various points :——From Woolwich to‘ the 80th parallel, midway between
Spitsbergen and Nova'i'a Zeml'i'a, is as far as from Woolwich to Cape Farewell,
the southern extremity of Greenland, or about 2,000 geographical miles.
From the said midway point between Spitsbergen and Nova/‘ta Zemlia to the
Herald and Plover Islands, north of Behring’s Straits, is as far as from Cape
Farewell to Beecheg Island, at the entrance of Wellington Channel, or about
1,600 miles. The two distances together, namely, from Woolwich to the
80th parallel, and thence to the Herald and Plover Islands, are not more
than that from Woolwich to New Y or/e, U. S.
“ ‘ A screw-steamer, at the rate of ﬁve miles an hour, would, under ordinary
circumstances, reach the 80th parallel between Spitsbergen and N ovaia
Zeml‘ia in seventeen days.
“ ‘ I have been under the necessity of conﬁning my suggestions to the
merest outlines, as a further developement would have extended my letter
to an unreasonable length. But I shall be most happy to submit the whole
of my data and charts to any one who may desire further explanation and
detail.’
“ To the foregoing communication I beg now to add one observation as to
the existence and nature of the barrier of ice said to stretch across the sea
between Spitsbergen and Novai'a Zemli'a during summer. When I had
recently the honour of a personal interview with you, you asked me what
were my authorities on that subject. I now beg to state that it is my con-
viction that there is no really good authority decisive of the point; that in
fact the passage between Spitzbergen and N ovaia Zemli'a has never yet been
fairlg attempted; and that, as is humbly suggested in my printed letter,
the said opening into the Polar Basin-may after all turn out to be the most
favourable one even during the Arctic summer months.
“ I beg to submit also two charts illustrative of my views, which I hope
may facilitate the consideration of my letter.
~ “ I have, etc.,
“ Augustus Petermann.”
72
Additional Facts.
Communicated in a Letter to Captain Mangles, RN.
SIR,—-—In accordance with your request, I beg'to submit to you some addi-
tional facts bearing on my paper on the Passage into the Arctic Basin between
Spitsbergen and Nova'ta Zeml'i'a, as offering probably the best route for the
search after Sir John Franklin.
Since the publication of my paper, I have had the opportunity of perus-
ing the full accounts of Admiral Liitke’s voyages to the Arctic Ocean in the
four consecutive years ~from 1821 to 1824, for the purpose of surveying the
coasts of Novat'a Zemlia. Of all voyages which have been undertaken in
the direction of my proposed route, these form as yet the most authentic
and important account of that part of the Arctic Ocean, but at the same
time, it will readily be seen that they are, like the other attempts, insuiﬁcient
to set at rest the question in how far the drift ice between Spitsbergen and
Nova'ta Zeml'i'a ofers obstructions to vessels. The object, indeed, of Liitke’s'
voyages, was the survey of the coasts of Nova/ta Zeml'z'a. In the ﬁrst year he
traced its western coast as far as 74° 45’ n. lat., when he found its most
northern parts quite free from ice; and on the 25th August, 1821, when he
commenced to shape his course southward and return, he did not see any ice
whatever to the north as far as his eye could reach. In the following year
1822), on the 11th August, he reached Cape Nassau, in lat. 76° 35' north.
t this prominent cape, where the coast rounds to the east, little ice was
found at ﬁrst, but it soon accumulated in such a manner as to render further
progress difﬁcult and hazardous. In the following year (1823) they reached
the same cape on the 1st of August, and found the drift ice in nearly the same
position. To vessels keeping close along the coast, this cape would certainly
offer considerable obstacles in rounding it; here the elements, particularly
the currents, are in perpetual conﬂict; a strong current from the south was
observed by Liitke to be encountered by an easterly current, which brought the
ice from the Siberian coasts, thence taking a direction towards Spitsbergen.
In his ﬁrst three voyages, Liitke met with very little ice in the high sea
as far as O'ape Nassau; in his fourth and last, in which one of his instruc-
tions was to try what latitude he could attain in the open sea, he, unfortu-
nately, encountered the ice in 7 5% north latitude. In this latitude he shaped
his course to the west, keeping along the edge of the drift ice. When he
had attained a westing of 43° 49' east longitude in 76° 5' north latitude,
and still found the drift ice extending to the west, he abandoned his attempt
and returned to Archangel.
It must be remembered, in the ﬁrst place, that he devoted only three days
to the whole attempt, namely, in sailing from the coast westward along the
ice. A voyage of so short a duration, and in the most unfavourable of four
consecutive seasons, with a vessel unsuitable for navigation among drift ice, is
quite insuﬂicient to decide the question. More unfavourable, however, than
all this, must be regarded the time of the year in which Liitke made his
voyages, namely, in the height of summer; his instructions being not to
arrive at the coasts of Nova'ia Zemlia till late in July, when the land ice
would have driven away from the coasts, allowing the approach of his vessel
near enough for surveying purposes.
Now this time, namely the whole of our summer months, June, July,
August, is precisely the time, as I have elsewhere endeavoured to show, when ,
those seas are most encumbered with the ﬂoating ice which in the preceding
months breaks loose from the Siberian coasts, and is driven away in that direc-
tion. These months, therefore, are the most unfavourable, whereas those of
March, April, and llfay, are the most favourable for vessels proceeding in
that direction; and there is no reasonable ground to doubt that a vessel in
73
those months will easily effect an entrance into the Arctic basin, pass
Nova’ia Zernl'ia, Cape Taimura, and reach the New Siberian Islands, or the
opposite side of the great ‘ Polynia’ of the Russians.
Professor Erman, the well-known explorer of Siberia, has published some
remarks on Lieutenant Pim’s projected expedition, which were brought
home by that gentleman and presented to the Royal Geographical Society.
In this pamphlet, Professor Erman quotes some exceedingly important facts
and opinions of the late Hedenstrom, than whom no one probably has ever
attained a more extensive knowledge of Siberia, and who published a work
(in Russian) containing the results of his twenty years’ residence and travels
in that region. He occupied three years alone in a journey along the Arctic
shores of Siberia and the New Siberian Islands, and is, indeed, the chief ex-
plorer of this group. He says, that to the north of these Islands the Polar
Sea is open and free from ice. It never freezes, and even in March little drift
ice is seen; and he expresses his belief that from these Islands, the opposite
northern extremities of America and Greenland, as well as the North Pole
itself, would be reached far more easily than from any other direction. There
are also two excellent harbours in the Island of Ii’otelnoi, one of the group.
This evidence of one who must be regarded as our highest authority
respecting the sea to the north of the New Siberian Islands, becomes much
more important, when compared and combined with other facts. It will be
recollected that Lieutenant Anjou, in his memorable ice journeys to the
north of the same Islands during three consecutive years, was invariably
arrested, at a very short distance from the land, by the open sea; he arrived
at the conviction that all efforts to advance by the ice to any considerable
distance from land, must prove unavailing, and offered to attempt the same
object with a boat, to which, however, the Russian government refused their
consent.
Respecting the state of the Polar Sea nearly due west from these Islands,
namely, to the north of Cape Taiinura, the northernmost cape of Asia, we
have the very high testimony of Professor Middendorf, who states his belief
that this cape, which he failed to reach by land, may be reached by sea.
From the northernmost point which he attained, he descried that Cape, and
saw to the north of it an open sea without a particle of ice, and no iceblink
in any direction. The unequivocal proof that the same part of the sea was
in open communication with the Great Polynia, is the occurrence of fresh
driftwood, consisting of larches, pines, and ash trees, which could only have
come from the large Siberian Rivers. The tides, too (in Taimyr Bay),
amounting to thirty-six feet, prove the connection of that bay with a large
sea. Still further west we have the testimony of Barentz, Vlaming, the
walrus-hunter Issakow, (who reached the north-eastern extremity of Nova'ia
Zeml'ia in 1834,) and others, that there is an open sea to the north of that
country.
To the north of Spitsbergen, we have the accounts of the numerous Dutch
and other whalers that an open sea is frequently found there, and as pleasant
to navigate as the ‘ sea of Amsterdam:’ and here I may remark, that I see
no ground for entirely rejecting the old. accounts of the Dutch having
attained a very high latitude in those seas, even to within 1° of the Pole.
The observations in those days, I readily acknowledge, were not so accurate
as those of our own, and the instruments were very defective; but the great
care in observing, the honesty and earnestness of purpose of those Dutch
navigators, partly made up for such defects. Admiral Liitke bears high
testimony to, and expresses his astonishment at, the surprising accuracy of
Barentz’s observations, made as far back as 1596, with insuﬂicient instru-
ments, and under the most unfavourable circumstances. The Dutch, it
must be allowed, were not only among the most able and intelligent, but
also among the most hardy and enduring of all navigators at that period.
Willoughby, with the total of the crews of both his vessels, amounting to
74
65 souls, were frozen to death while wintering on the coasts of Russian Lap-
land (in lat. 68° 15’ north), in the year 1554;~ while Barentz, forty-three
years later, passed a winter of more than eight months duration on the north-
eastern coast of Nova'ia Zeml'i'a (lat. 76° north), and of his whole crew,
amounting to seventeen, only two died there.
But even if the early Dutch voyages to the north of Spitzbergen be alto-
gether rejected, we have the evidence of more recent navigators, especially
that of Sir E. Parry, who, indeed, started in the hope of ﬁnding solid ice,
upon which to reach the North Pole in sledge-boats; and what did he ﬁnd ‘5
This will best be seen by extracts from his work. On the 11th June, 1827,
(in lat. 80° 36’,) ‘ there was at this time much clear water to the N. and
N.N.E.’ In lat. 80° 43’, ‘appearance of much clear water.’ In 80° 49’, or
one mile to the north of Phipps’ furthest, nothing like the heavy or main ice
could be seen. The highest latitude obtained by the vessel was 81° 5' 32".
All that could here be seen to the north (14th June) was loose drift ice. It
appears, indeed, the higher they went, the less of the main ice they met with.
To the N.E. it was particularly open. Page 44: ‘ We were much disappointed
in seeing no indication of the main ice, so that although we were now twenty-
ﬁve miles to the north of the station in which Phipps remarked that the ‘ ice
appeared ﬂat and unbroken’, as seen from a considerable height on shore, all
that we could discover was quite of a contrary description.’ Page 47 :—-‘ Traces
of reindeer were found on the Seven Islands; from here the sea to the north
was observed to be perfectly clear.’ In the memorable boat voyage, the fol-
lowing observations occur: ‘ It is a remarkable fact that we had already
(26th June) experienced, in the course of this summer, more rain than
during the whole of seven previous summers taken together, though passed in
latitudes from 7° to 15° lower than this.’ In another place: ‘ I had never
before seen any rain in the Polar regions to be compared to this, which con-
tinued, without intermission, for twenty-one hours, sometimes falling with
great violence and in large drops.’ 16th July. A couple of small ﬂies
upon the ice; the general thickness of the ﬂoes of ice about half of that to
the west of Melville Island. 17th July. Temperature 36° to 40°, one of the
warmest and most pleasant days. At page 92 the weather is compared to an
‘ April day in England.’ Such was the journey on a supposed solid body of
icei which had been conjectured to extend from Spitzbergen to the North
Po e.
On the high authority of Sir E. Parry as to the immense amount of rain
in that sea, as quoted in the vabove, it may reasonably be inferred that a
much greater extent of open water is to be looked for in that quarter than
in the region of his explorations of the seven preceding years in Arctic Ame-
rica, as such an amount of rain cannot come from either land or sea covered
with ice and snow. It is important to observe that rain seemed to fall with
all winds except W.S.W.; which is easily explained, as this wind came from
the direction of Greenland. '
The facts adduced in the foregoing,—and many more could be added,—
derived as they are from high authorities, all tend to prove the existence of
a very large Polar Sea, more or less open, and which extends to the north of
nearly a half circle from the New Siberian Islands to Spitzbergen. There is
no other part of the Arctic Basin where so high an authenticated latitude
as 82° 40’ (probably 45') has been attained; and here the ice was only half
gshe thickness of that at Melville Island. There is, indeed, as far as our actual
knowledge goes, no other part of the Arctic Basin having anything like a sea
so extensive and comparatively open- as the one under consideration.
Captain Beatson, the propounder of the expedition through Beliring’s
Straits, objects to my proposed route, from the diﬁ‘iculty of passing Cape
Taimnra, the northernmost cape of Asia. It is true the attempts of the
.Russians to round this cape have all failed; but this was partly owing to
their keeping ‘close to the shore, and thus coming in collision with the ice,
and partly to the insufficiency of their boats. No one has ever tried to pass
75
this cape in the high sea to the north, and there is no ground whatever to sup—
pose that this cape offers greater difficulties than the northern capes of Spits-
bergen, which are about 3° nearer the Pole. Prominent capes like these,
Where the elements are turbulent, offer more or less difﬁculties in all zones.
Hahlugt’s Headland, the northwesternmost cape of Spitsbergen, is one of those
diﬂicult points, and has on that account been named ‘ Dugvels Hoe/e’ by the
Dutch; but these diﬂiculties are only experienced by vessels approaching
too closely.
Some persons have attempted to ridicule my plan on account of the
dark season. My proposition as to the best time of the year when a vessel
should start, referred to February and March; and I stated distinctly, “ ves-
sels arriving in the Polar sea in February or March, just before or when the
sun has made its appearance, might, if only once able to enter the Polar
basin, easily traverse it to the opposite side before the power of the sun has
set in motion the great icebearing current, and they would then have before
them the whole summer in the fullest sunshine for carrying out the object
of their voyage,” &c. These persons must be ignorant of the fact, that the
sun appears on the 80th parallel in February, and does not entirely disappear
again till October: and they must also know little of the duration of twi-
light and the occurrence of the Aurora Borealis. The Norwegians, indeed,
are out ﬁshing in the Spitzbergen Sea till November, and commence in
February, and their ﬁshing probably extends to as high a latitude as my
proposed route. '
Others have asserted that the sea to the north of Behring’s Straits was well
known, and that the sea to the north of N ova'i'a Zemlia and Siberia was quite
the reverse. In the ﬁrst place, I beg to differ from this assertion, inasmuch
as I think the Russian navigators and explorers have not left us entirely
ignorant of the latter region. Secondly, it is clear that to search for Sir
John Franklin efectuallg, expeditions should not be limited to regions
well known, but should also extend to those entirely unknown. And lastly,
all we know of the sea to the north of Behring’s Straits, and nearly as far as
the New Siberian Islands, tends to show the existence of an extensive land,
approaching the Asiatic continent sufficiently near to compress the sea into
one of those narrow channels, which are well known to offer the greatest
difficulties to Arctic navigation. Whereas, in the whole of the sea from New
Siberia to Spitsbergen, everything tends to show the existence of a large
Polar ocean, and the absence of land, in that region.
I am, in ﬁne, greatly strengthened in my belief, since the publication of
my ﬁrst letter, that a steam vessel could easily, and within a few weeks, in
the way and in the time I have proposed, reach the New Siberian Islands,
which, according to Hedenstriim, our highest authority,form the most favour-
able starting-point, on the Asiatic side, for a voyage across the ‘ Polgnia’ to
the opposite northern extremities of America. On the other hand, it cannot
be denied that eastwards of the New Siberian Islands to the north of the
Kolgma, and as far as Behring’s Straits, very little advance has been made in
vessels since Cook, by either English or Russian navigators.
I have, etc.,
Augustus Petermann.
REASONS FOR INFERRING TE EXISTENCE OF A POLAR SEA.
BY LIEUT. MAURY, U.S.N.
“ The process of reasoning by which I have arrived at the conclusion that
there is probably an open sea near the region of the Parrg Islands, has not
been published. It is partly on well-known facts, and partly derived from
the investigations carried on here with regard to the currents of the ocean.
L
76
“ These are the facts and observations, stated brieﬂy, upon which the
conclusion is based. We have traced the Gulf Stream to the north of the
British Isles, and thence around North Cape into the Arctic Ocean. We
have traced a current from the Paciﬁc at certain seasons of the year also,
into the Arctic Ocean.
“ Geographers have traced also into the same ocean immense bodies of
fresh water that is carried to the Polar regions by the rivers of Northern
Europe, Asia, and America. '
“ We have also made the existence of the fact to appear probable, that the
amount of precipitation over the Arctic Ocean is greater than the evapora-
tion, and that all of these facts go to show, that there is a large balance of
water in that sea always in motion, and which ﬁnds its escape through
‘Davis Strait and Baﬂin Bay into the Atlantic Ocean.
“ The ice has been observed generally when it breaks up, to press against
the north part of this continent ;* it therefore commences to break up ﬁrst
from the north; whence we infer that it has been warmer at the north.
“ The birds and beasts are also found to migrate to the north. These are
two facts which go to induce the belief that there is a climate milder than
that about Mackenzie River, farther to the north; and the presence there of
large quantities'of water in a ﬂuid instead of a solid state, would tend to
make such a difference of climate.
“ That the water in motion must be for the most part in a ﬂuid state is
clear, and that along the northern shores of this continent it is not in a ﬂuid
state for much of the year is also clear; and as the Baﬁin Bay current is
always in motion, the conclusion has been forced upon me that the water
which comes from around North Cape through Behring Strait, and down the
rivers of Europe and Asia into the Arctic Basin, probably passes along to the
north of Parry Islands on its way out into Baﬂin Bay.
“M. F. Maury.
“ Nautical Observatory, Washington, July 1850.”
CAPTAIN FITZJAMES’S JOURNAL.
(From the Nautical Magazine and Leader.)
“ Her Majesty’s ship EREBUS, at sea,
“ June 8, 1845, Ten p.m.
“ You appeared very anxious that I should keep a journal for your
especial perusal. Now, I do keep a journal, such as it is, which will be
given to the Admiralty; but, to please you, I shall note down from time to
time such things as may strike me, either in the form of a letter, or in any
other form that may at the time suit my fancy. I shall probably never read
over what I may have written, so you will excuse inaccuracies.
“ I commence to-night, because I am in a good humour. Every one is
shaking hands with himself. We have a fair wind, actually going seven knots,
sea tolerably smooth, though we do roll a little; but this ship has the happy
facility of being very steady below, while on deck she appears to be plunging
and rolling greatly. Our lat. is now about 60° 0', long. 9° 30’, so you will ﬁnd
out our ‘ whereabouts’. The steamers RATLER and BLAZER left us at noon
yesterday, near the island of Rona, seventy or eighty miles from Stromness.
Their captains came on board and took our letters; one from me will have
told you of our doings up to that time. There was a heavy swell and wind
from north-west; but it began veering to west and south-west, which is fair.

* America.
77
The steamers then ranged alongside us, one on each side, as close as possié
ble without touching, and, with the whole force of lungs of oﬂicers and men,
gave us, not three, but a prolongation of cheers, to which, of course, we
responded. Having done the same to the TERRoR, away they went, and in
an hour or two were out of sight, leaving us with an old gull or two and the
rocky Rona to look at; and then was the time to see if any one ﬂinched
from the undertaking. Every one’s cry was, ‘ Now we are off at last!’ N o
lingering look was cast behind. We drank Lady Franklin’s health at the old‘
gentleman’s table, and, it being his daughter’s birth-day, hers too. But the
wind, which had become fair as the steamers left (as if to give the latest,
best news of us), in the evening became foul from north-west, and we were
going northward instead of westward. The sky was clear, the air bracing
and exhilarating. I had a slight attack of aguish headache the evening
before, but am now clear-headed, and I went to bed thinking of you and
dear , whose portrait is now looking at me; for I am writing at the little
table you will see in the Illustrated News—only you must imagine that the
said table is three feet long, or from the bed to the door, and the picture
just looking down at me.
“This morning we began to have a fair wind; before the day was half
over it was right aft. The TERROR is coming after us, the transport sailing
close to us with as little sail as possible, for she could run us out of sight if
she chose; they fear the ice, doubtless, not being built to shake it away. In‘
our mess we have the following, whom I shall probably from time to time
give you descriptions of :-—First Lieutenant, Gore; second, Le Vescomte;
third, Fairholme; purser, Osmar; surgeon, Stanley; assistant-surgeon,
Goodsir; ice-master (so called), Reid; mates,—Sargent, Des Voeux, Couch ;
second master, Collins; commander, you know better than he does himself.
“The most original character of all—rough, intelligent, unpolished, with
a broad north-country accent, but not vulgar, good humoured, and honest
hearted—is Reid, a Greenland whaler, native of Aberdeen, who has com-
manded whaling vessels, and amuses us with his quaint remarks and descrip-
tions of the ice, catching whales, etc. For instance, he just said to me, on
my saying we should soon be off Cape Farewell, at this rate, and asking if
one might not generally expect a gale off it (Cape Farewell being the south
point of Greenland), ‘Ah! now, Mister J ems, we ’11 be having the weather
ﬁne, sir! ﬁne! No ice at arl about it, sir, unless it be the bergs—arl the
ice ’ll be gone, sir, only the bergs, which I like to see. Let it come on to
blow, look out for a big ’un. Get under his lee, and hold on to him fast, sir,
fast. If he drifts near the land, why, he grounds afore you do.’ The idea
of all the ice being gone, except the icebergs, is racy beyond description. I
have just had a game of chess with the purser Osmar, who is delightful. He
was with Beechey in the BLOSSOM, when they went to Behriny Straits to look
out for Franklin, at the time he surveyed the north coast of America, and
got within 150 miles of him; he was at Petro Paulowshi, in Ifamschatlca,
where I hope to go, and served since on the lakes of Canada. I was at ﬁrst
inclined to think he was a stupid old man, because he had a chin and took
snuff; but he is as merry-hearted as any young man, full of quaint dry say-'
ings, always good humoured, always laughing, never a bore, takes his ‘ pinch
after dinner’, plays a ‘rubber’, and beats me at chess—and, he is a gen-
tleman.
“ The second master Collins is the very essence of good nature, and I may
say good humour. And now, good night, it is past eleven o’clock. I have
written without stopping, all with the porcupine quill. God bless you!
“ 6th.—To-day Sir John Franklin showed me such part of his instructions
as related to the main purposes of our voyage, and the necessity of observing
everything from a ﬂea to a whale in the unknown regions we are to visit.
He also told me I was especially charged with the magnetic observations.
He then told all the ofﬁcers that he was desired to claim all their remarks,

78
journals, sketches, etc., on our return to England, and read us some part of
his instructions to the oﬁicers of the TRENT, the ﬁrst vessel he commanded,
in 1818, with Captain Buchan, on an attempt to reach the N crth Pole, point-
ing out how desirable it is to note everything, and give one’s individual
opinion on it. He spoke delightfully of the zealous co-operation he expected
from all, and his desire to do full justice to the exertions of each.
“ To—day has been a gloomy day, as far as sunshine is concerned, and the
wind has drawn round to the northward, though so little of it, that the old
EREBUS cannot keep her head the right way, or, as we term it, she ‘ falls off’,
with the roll of the sea. Seven or eight large grampuses came shooting past
us to the south-west, which Mr. Goodsir declared were delightful animals.
Last evening a shoal of porpoises were bounding about the bows of the vessel
as she plunged into the sea, and a bird called a mullimauk, a sort of peterel,
which the Arctic people look for as a sign of going toward the icy regions.
“ At dinner to—day Sir John gave us a pleasant account of his expecta-
tions of being able to get through the ice on the coast of America, and his
disbelief in the idea that there is open sea to the northward. He also said
he believed it to be possible to reach the Pole over the ice by wintering at
Spitsbergen, and going in the spring before the ice broke up and drifted to
the south, as it did with Parry on it.
“ Towards midnight—I can’t make out why Scotchmen just caught
always speak in a low, hesitating, monotonous tone of voice, which is not at
all times to be understood—this is, I believe, called ‘cannyness’. Mr.
Goodsir is ‘canny’. He is long and strait, and walks upright on his toes,
with his hands tucked up in each jacket pocket. He is perfectly good hu-
moured, very well informed on general points, in natural history learned,
was Curator of the Edinburgh Museum, appears to be about twenty—eight
years of age, laughs delightfully, cannot be in a passion, is enthusiastic
about all ’ologies, draws the insides of microscopic animals with an imaginary-
pointed pencil, catches phenomena in a bucket, looks at the thermometer
and every other meter, is a pleasant companion, and an acquisition to the
mess. So much for Mr. Goodsir.
“ 7th. 11 P.M.—Pitching heavily, breeze increasing from W.N.W. It
came on as the sun was thinking of setting, about nine, in the form of a
bank, behind which he vanished; it then rose in the form of an arch, and I
expected wind; but, having overspread the sky, it settled into a steadily
increasing breeze. Barometer rising as rapidly as it fell, and I have been
prognosticating a sort of gale in consequence. It was calm all last night,
cloudy all to-day. Passed the day in working and making observations,
when the sun did peep out, with Le Vescomte. There is nothing in this
day ’s journal that will interest or amuse you, at all events, and I am not in
a humour for describing any more messmates.
“8th. I like a man who is in earnest. Sir John Franklin read the
church service to-day and a sermon so very beautifully, that I defy any man
not to feel the force of what he would convey. The ﬁrst Sunday he read
was a day or two before we sailed, when Lady Franklin, his daughter, and
niece attended. Every one was struck with his extreme earnestness of
manner, evidently proceeding from real conviction. We had a heavy sea
and stiff breeze to-day; but it moderated at four o’clock, and the sun came
out clear and beautiful. In latitude 62°, at nine o’clock this evening, we
tacked (if you know what it is), and stood to the south-west. We saw a
ship from Peterhead to-day.
“ 10th.—I was beginning to write last night, but the ship was tumbling
about to such an extent that I went to bed, and had to turn out again im-
mediately and get the top-sails reefed, as it blew very hard in squalls. The
ship pitched about as much as I ever saw any vessel, but still very easily.
Reid says he does not like to see the wind ‘ seeking a corner to blow into’.
I worked observations all yesterday, and to-day took several on deck. The

79
weather moderated this morning, and all day we have had little wind and
tolerably smooth sea. A clear, ﬁne sunset at a quarter to ten, and Goodsir
examining ‘ mollusca’, in a meecroscope. He is in ecstacies about a bag full
of blubber—like stuff, which he has just hauled up in a net, and which turns
out to be whales’ food and other animals. I have been reading Sir John
Franklin’s vindication of his government of Van Diemen’s Land, which was
to come out a week or two after we sailed. He had ready all the sheets,
and cuts up Lord Stanley a few, and says he is haughty and imperious.
“ Here ends, I ﬁnd, my third sheet; so if you don’t like your letter thus
far, pray don’t read the following which I intend to write. There is nothing
to interest you now, and we are not far on our journey, so I wind up this
and call it a letter, just for the sake of adding that I am, as ever, yours, etc.
“ More of the 10th—Couch is a little, black-haired, smooth-faced fellow
-—good humoured in his own way; writes, reads, works, draws, all quietly.
Is never in the way of anybody, and always ready when wanted; but I can
ﬁnd no remarkable point in his character, except, perhaps, that he is, I
should think, obstinate. Stanley, the surgeon, I knew in China. He was
in the CORNWALLIS a short time, where he worked very hard in his vocation.
Is rather inclined to be good-looking, but fat, with jet black hair, very white
hands, which are always abominably clean, and the shirt sleeves tucked up;
giving one unpleasant ideas that he would not mind cutting one’s leg off
immediately--‘ if not sooner’. He is thoroughly good-natured and obliging,
and very attentive to our mess. Le Vescomte you know. He improves, if
possible, on closer acquaintance. Fairholme, you know or have seen, is a
smart, agreeable companion, and a well informed man. Sargent, a nice,
pleasant-looking lad, very good-natured. Des Voeux I knew in the CORN-
WALLIS. He went out in her to join the ENDYMION, and was then a mere
boy. He is now a most unexceptionable, clever, agreeable, light-hearted,
obliging young fellow, and a great favourite of Hodgson’s, which is much
in his favour besides.
“ Graham Gore, the ﬁrst lieutenant, a man of great stability of character,
a very good ofﬁcer, and the sweetest of tempers, is not so much a man of the
world as Fairholme or Des Voeux, is more of Le Vescomte’s style, without
his shyness. He plays the ﬂute dreadfully well, draws sometimes very well,
sometimes very badly, but is altogether a capital fellow.
“ Here ends my catalogue. I don’t know whether I have managed to con-
vey an impression of our mess, and you know me sufficiently to be sure that
I mention their little faults, failings, and peculiarities in all charity. I wish
I could, however, convey to you a just idea of the immense stock of good
feeling, good humour, and real kindliness of heart in our small mess. We
are very happy, and very fond of Sir John Franklin, who improves very
much as we come to know more of him. He is anything but nervous or
ﬁdgety; in fact, I should say remarkable for energetic decision in sudden
emergencies; but I should think he might be easily persuaded where he has
not already formed a strong opinion.
“ Our men are all ﬁne, hearty fellows, mostly north-countrymen, with a
few man-of-war’s men. We feared at Stromness that some of them would
repent, and it is usual to allow no leave—the TERROR did not. But two men
wanted to see—one his wife whom he had not seen for four years, and the
other his mother, whom he had not seen for seventeen—so I let them go to
Kir/ewall, fourteen miles off. I also allowed a man of each mess to go on
shore for provisions. They all came on board to their leave; but ﬁnding we
were not going to sea till the following morning, four men (who probably had
taken a leetle too much whiskey, among them was the little old man who had
7 not seen his wife for four years) took a small boat that lay alongside and
went on shore without leave. Their absence was soon discovered, and Fair-
holme, assisted by Baillie, and 'somebody or other, brought all on board by
three o’clock in the morning. I ﬁrmly believe each intended coming on board
80
(if he had been sober enough), especially the poor man with the wife—but,
according to the rules of the service, these men should have been severely
punished—one method being to stop their pay and give it to the constables,
or others, who apprehended them. It struck me, however, that the punish-
ment is intended to prevent misconduct in others, and not to revenge their
individual misconduct-—men know very well when they are in the wrong—-
and there is clearly no chance of any repetition of the offence until we get
to Valparaiso, or the Sandwich Islands; so I got up at four o’clock, had
everybody on deck, sent Gore and the Sergeant of marines below, and
searched the whole deck for spirits, which were thrown overboard. This took‘
two good hours; soon after which we up anchor, and made sail out. I said
nothing to any of them. They evidently expected a rowing, and the old man
with the wife looked-very sheepish, and would not look me in the face; but
nothing more was said, and the men have behaved not a bit the worse ever
since. I don’t know why I tell you all this. I meant to go to bed when I
ﬁnished the other sheet; but went to look at some beautiful specimens of
crustaceous animals in the microscope, one of which, about a quarter of an
inch long, is an entirely new animal, and has a peacock’s tail. Goodsir is
drawing it. And now I must really say good night; it is past one o’clock.
“ 11th and 12th—All yesterday it blew very hard, with so much sea that
we shipped one or two over the quarter-deck, by which I got a good drench—
ing once. The sea is of the most perfect transparency—a beautiful, delicate,
cold-looking green, or ultramarine. Long rollers, as if carved out of the
essence of glass bottles, came rolling towards us; now and then topped with
a beautiful pot-of-porter-looking head. At sunset the wind moderated, and
was calm at night. This morning a fair wind until four o’clock, P.M., when
thick fogs blew over at last, and settled this evening into a strong northerly
breeze (fair for us), by which we are going on at a good rate, with another
sea getting up in an opposite direction to the last, and between the two we
are rolling somewhat. We are now only six miles from Iceland—south of it.
“ Pith—Yesterday evening the sea went down much, and the wind became
very light. This morning the wind was quite fair, having been so more or
less all night; but instead of having clear weather as with the north-east
wind, it came to south-east, and brought hard rain and thick fogs all day.
We are now, however, (eleven P.M.), going seven knots and a quarter in a
thick fog, with the TERROR on one side and transport on the other, keeping
close for fear of losing sight of us. To-day we arranged all our books in
the mess, and ﬁnd that we have a very capital library. Reid still amuses us.
He has just told me how to boil salt ﬁsh when it is very salt. He saw the
steward towing it overboard, and roared out :——‘ What are you making faces
at there? That’s not the way to get the sarlt oout.’ It appears, that when
it boils it is to be taken off the ﬁre and kept just not boiling. This is Satur-
day night. Reid and Osmar are drinking ‘ Sweethearts and wives ;’ and
they wanted me to join. I said I had not the one, and did not want the
other. Good night. '
(C

Nothing has been written for you these last few days—not be-
cause I had nothing to say, or did not think of you, but because I have had
plenty to do in the writing and calculating way ; and because, just as I was
beginning to get paper and ink ready, I found I was in bed, and fell asleep.
To-day is ‘Waterloo-day’, and we drank the Duke’s health at Sir J ohn’s
table. There was a talk before we left England of a brevet on this day; if
this be true, I think it more than probable that I shall get the rank of
captain. With this idea, I took a glass of brandy and water at ten o’clock,
which, allowing for difference of longitude, answers to half-past seven in
London, and drank your health, in petto—fancying you might be drinking
wine. In fact, we took an imaginary glass of wine together, and I don’t care
81
how soon we may take a real one. Now I am laughing, for Reid has just said,
scratching his head, ‘Why, mister J ems, you never seem to me to sleep at
arl; you’re always writin !’ I tell him that when I do sleep, I do twice as
much as other people in the same time. Now for the journal.
“ 15th.——Wind fair and strong, with a high sea; but we carried on much
sail, heeling over much ; and we actually fancy we went nine knots. In the
evening it moderated, and the weather was clear and cool.
“16th.—Calm day, sea glassy smooth, cloudy weather, no sun. After
breakfast I went on board the TERRoR, to see Captain Crozier about my
‘Fox’ observations (Fox being a dipping-needle invented by him). Fair-
holme and Le Vescomte followed in the India-rubber boat, which was being
tried when you came to Woolwich. Crozier and Little, ﬁrst lieutenant, and
Lieutenant Griffiths, the agent for transport, dined on board with Sir John.
“ 17th.——The sun shone out, and we had a smooth day ; air cold. Since
the 11th, the thermometer on deck in the shade has never been above 50
degrees or below 45 degrees, night or day; generally 46 degrees or 48 degrees.
At night cloudy, with a bright light on the horizon to the north-east, which
Gore says is Aurora Borealis. Reid calls it ‘ ice-blink.’ I say it is the reﬂec-
tion of sunset, though it is north-east. It looks like a large town on ﬁre,
twenty miles off. .
“ To-day (18th) we set to work, and got a catalogue made of all our books,
and ﬁnd we have, amongst us, a most splendid collection. The ‘ crow’s-nest’
is up—which is unusually a cask lined with canvas—at the fore-top-mast-
head, for a man to stand in to look out for channels in the ice. With us, it
is a sort of canvass cylinder, hooped, and is at the main-top-gallant—mast-
head (if you know where that is). Reid, who will have the peculiar privilege
of being perched up there, says it is a very expensive one.
“ 19th.-—Twelve o’clock at night. I suppose we are 140 or 150 miles from
Cape Farewell. Blowing hard, but not a rough sea, although there is a
swell. When I say hard, I mean fresh; we can carry much sail, and do. I
can scarcely manage to get Sir John to shorten sail at all. Still cloudy. At
half-past ten, a bright light appeared in the north-west, which was set down
as Aurora, but turned out really to be the reﬂection of sunset. The clouds
and mist moved off as if a blanket were being withdrawn, leaving an orange-
coloured clearness underneath in the form of an arch, with a well-deﬁned
dark horizon, which clearness turned out to be a real clear sky, cold looking
and ﬁne; and now the oﬂicer of the watch comes to tell me the wind is
lighter, and we certainly are quieter. ‘ Shake a reef out, set the fore-top-
gallant-sail’ (the main being set). ‘ Call me at six if anything happens.’
Good night, good night!
“ 24th.——In Davis Straits. Cape Desolation at noon to-day, bearing east
ninety miles, but we can’t see it. We have just done with a glorious gale of
wind, which has been sending us on in grand style. I wrote last on Thursday
night, and shall sum up from thence. On Friday, the 20th (and Thursday
night also, ‘though I did go to bed so quietly) we kicked and plunged and
danced in a tremendous manner, the sea running all manner of ways; the
day was nearly calm, with a very heavy swell, the ship rolling deeply. A
number of ‘bottle noses,’ a species of whale, about twenty-eight feet long,
came dancing about us; their head is very peculiar, and unless they are very
close, so as to see their beak under water, one fancies their foreheads are
snouts poked up above the water. All this night we jumped and danced
again with a strong breeze dead foul for us, which at midnight had turned
into a complete gale; the air cold, though the thermometer stood ﬁxed at
42 degrees. On Saturday calm again, and smooth water. Molimaules, and
trees with the bark rubbed off by ice, ﬂoating about. Sir John at dinner;
most amusing with anecdotes of an Indian chief, whom he met in the journey
in which he suffered so much—named, I think, Akatcho, who appears to'
have been ajﬁne character. .
82
“ Sunday, 22nd.—It began to blow hard suddenly at seven in the morning
from east (you must recollect that our course is westerly). We struggled
through the church service on the lower deck, the ships rolling and tumbling
much, the sea curling astern beautifully.
“ Yesterday, 23rd.—We had the highest sea I ever saw ; it was very ﬁne.
I know nothing ﬁner than a gale of wind, particularly when you are running
before it. We had a few seas on our decks, one of which found its way down
on to our table, just as we had done dinner. I dined at our mess to—day, Sir
John ﬁnding his guests could not hold on and eat too. We are packed close,
and can’t move very far. But the good humour of every one is perfect; and
we do dance before it so ﬁnely—I mean before the wind. It rained hard all
yesterday and all night; and this morning a glorious sun and a clear blue air,
sent us all up to dry ourselves and our clothes. We have gradually altered
our course, and are now steering due north. At noon to-day Cape Desola-
tion was due east ninety miles, so we are in Davis Straits. The sea is now
moderately smooth, and the wind still fair. I am writing this at half-past
ten, in broad daylight. Sir John says, that in his voyage to Hndson’s Bay,
he passed the very spot we were on yesterday, and was sailing through ice.
We have not yet seen ice or land. The sea is beginning to get colder. The
air still at 41°, but today it felt delightfully cold. The monkey has, however,
just put on a blanket, frock, and trowsers, which the sailors have made him
(or rather her), so I suppose it is getting cold. Adieu for the present.
“ Wednesday, 25th.-—At one this morning, I was on deck looking at the
west coast of Greenland and an iceberg, although the land was forty miles
off, and the berg six or eight. We sailed along it before the wind until noon,
and the thermometer, when I went on deck, had gone down to 39°, though
it still keeps at 42° in the day. The coast of Greenland looks rugged, and
sparkling with snow, the shadows and ravines forming deep black marks:
we regret not being a little nearer to see it better. This morning, one snowy
iceberg was to be seen a long way off. I am now writing, 11 P.M., lat. 63°,
near about a place marked on the chart as Lichtenfels. The sea, as the sun
set half an hour ago, was of the most delicate blue in the shadows; perfectly
calm—so calm, that the TERnoR’s mast-heads are reﬂected close alongside,
though she is half a mile off. The air is delightfully cool and bracing, and
everybody is in good humour, either with himself or his neighbours. I have
been on deck all day, taking observations. Goodsir is catching the most
extraordinary animals in a net, and is in ecstacies. Gore and Des Voeux are
over the side, poking with nets and long poles, with cigars in their mouths,
and Osmar laughing; he is really an original, and a delightfully dry fellow.
I am very sleepy and tired, but did not like to go to bed without writing on
the ﬁrst day on which we have seen Arctic land. Reid says, ‘ We shall soon
see the Huskimays,’ which he says are vulgarly called ‘ Yacks’ by the Whalers,
and ‘ Huski’s’ for shortness.
“ 26th.—A delightful day we have had; quite calm; hot sun. Thermo-
meter 42°. All sorts of beasts being caught in nets. We take turn to ﬁsh
with a net at the end of a long pole, and bring up most strange animals.
Crozier dined on board, and Hodgson came, looking very ill. We saw several
icebergs a long way off, which we hoped would come near us; the scenery
and rugged peaks of Greenland twenty miles off. ’
~ “ 27th.—To-day has been hot and calm and delightful; got bottom in forty
fathoms, and pulled up starﬁsh and shells and strange beasts, and, what is
better, pulled up plenty of large codﬁsh—enough for a good feed or two for
all hands. This afternoon a thick fog suddenly came over us, with a north
wind, in which the thermometer fell to 35°, where it now stands, and we are
sailing in smooth water, and small whales bounding about in all directions.
Latitude, 64°. The fog has cleared away, and we have lost the transport.
.This ‘morning a brig came close to us, and her skipper came on board—a
rough old fellow, from Shetland. He has come to ﬁsh for cod on the banks,
83
and for salmon in the ‘ Fiords’—a new scheme quite in these parts. He
came to see the little old man who had the wife at Stro-mness, who had been
a mate with him.
“ 29th.—-To-day we have had sea smooth as glass, very cloudy, and a cold
air. Thermometer, 35°; and, to my delight, passed several icebergs, within
a mile of a large one. The effect was very ﬁne, for the horizon happened to
be a dark distinct line; and these bergs, catching an occasional gleam of
sunshine, shone like a twelfth cake. I had fancied icebergs were large trans-
parent lumps, or rocks of ice. They look like huge masses of pure snow,
furrowed with caverns and dark ravines. I went on board the TERROR in
the evening, for it was quite calm, and found Hodgson better. When we
came on board, we pulled up for Goodsir beasts, star-ﬁsh, mud, and shells,
from a depth of 250 fathoms, and caught more cod. Last night I remained
up till a late hour, trying to read a watch by the light of certain blubbers,
remarkable jelly-like ﬁsh, which emit a bright phosphorescent light when
shaken in a basin. Land in sight, under dense masses of clouds. We have
found the transport, and a Danish brig is close to us.
“ 30th.-—The coast of Greenland is now very ﬁne. We are nearer than
ever—about twenty-ﬁve miles—but it looks close, and dense clouds overhang
the whole rugged and snowy coast. I saw several glaciers to-day, but the
clouds were too dense to sketch anything, though the effect is very ﬁne of
the masses of cloud and snow, relieved by dark blue craigs. To-day, at six
o’clock in the evening, we crossed the Arctic circle, latitude 66° 30', and
the sun’s declination happening to be more than 23° 10', he will not set to
us tonight at all. I regret that it is too cloudy to see him at midnight.
This evening, sea smooth; no icebergs. _
“ Julg 1st.—To—morrow we expect to get to Disco, or, rather, to the
Whale-ﬁsh Islands close to it, where we shall unload the transport of provi-
sions and coals, and start as soon as we can. I shall, therefore, continue my
journal up to the present time; and if you hear nothing more from me, you
must be satiﬁed that we have arrived at Disco, and are gone on in prosecu-
tion of our journey.
“ This morning was damp and foggy, but it cleared away, and we are now
sailing with the dark blue land on our right, twenty miles off, relieved by
snowy peaks, and a line of craggy icebergs, as far as the eye can reach ahead.
In a few hours we shall be among them. I have just been up in the crow’s
nest, and the appearance of these icy craigs and pinnacles, is beautiful and
singular; far in, close to the land, is a perfect glacier, equal to any Swiss
one. Still, on we go—on, on—the three of us, though the transport wishes
herself back again, no doubt. This evening we sailed in among a shoal of
some hundred walrusses, tumbling over one another, diving and splashing
with their ﬁns and tails, and looking at us with their grim, solemn-looking
countenances and small heads, bewhiskered and betusked. There are sixty-
ﬁve icebergs in sight.
“ In talking to Sir John Franklin, whose memory is as good as his judg—
ment appears to be correct, it appears that one great difficulty is to get
from where we are to Lancaster Sound. Parry was fortunate enough, in his
ﬁrst voyage, to sail right across in nine or ten days—a thing unheard of
before or since. In his next voyage he was ﬁfty-four days toiling through
ﬁelds of ice, and did not get in till September, yet Lancaster Sound is the
point we look to as the beginning of our work. If we are fortunate we
shall be there by the 1st of August, which will be time enough; sooner
would probably put us among the clearing ice. No expedition has ever been
able to leave Disco before the 4th or 5th of July, though some have sailed a
month before we did; except Ross, in his ﬁrst voyage, and he got away by
the 16th of June, and was, I believe, a month going sixty miles further.
So you see all is conjecture; we may do well this year, and, again, we may
not.
M
8'4
“ Midnight, 1st.-I have just been on deck to look again at thesplendid
icebergs we were passing through, and saw one about 200 feet high topple
‘over and come down with a crash, which raised a cloud of foam and spray
and mist like an avalanche. It is a ﬁne, clear, sunshiny night; the Danish
brig is closer in-shore, occasionally hidden from our view by a berg; 180
were in sight at one time.
“ 2nd.—The weather was so thick, that we could not see when we had
gone far enough, but found ourselves in the forenoon right under a dense,
black-looking coast topped with snow, with long furrows and ravines of
snow, and canopied with a mass of clouds and mist. In bold relief, at the
foot of this black mass, the most fantastically formed and-perfectly white
bergs shone out. This was Disco, and we showed our colours to the Danish
ﬂag, hoisted on the house or but of the Governor of the Danish settlement,
called Lievely, near its south end. We are now beating up to Whale-ﬁsh
Islands, which are in the bay, formed by the south end of Disco and the
main land, where we clear the transport, etc., and shall probably be in to-
morrow morning early, as we are now (ten P.1d.) eighteen miles from them.
The scenery is grand, but desolate, beyond expression. I could not help
thinking of the Frenchman who, after a long account of the misery of the
rain and fogs of England, wound up with—‘ Pour quitter ce triste sol je
m’embarque 5. Liverpool.’ Osmar has just come from on deck (midnight),
and is dancing with an imaginary skipping-rope. I said to him, ‘ What a
happy fellow you are, always in good humour.’ His answer is, ‘ Well, sir, if
I am not happy here, I don’t know where else I could be.’ Reid says we
shall see the ‘ Huskimays’ to—morrow morning.
“July 3rd.—,This morning, instead of going into Whale-ﬁsh Islands, by
some mistake, Reid fancied we were wrong, and away we went up to the end
of the bay, thirty miles, to the mouth of the Waigat Channel, looking for
them—the bay full of the most glorious icebergs, packed close along the‘
shore. - At noon we found out our mistake, and had our sail for nothing,
which would be good fun but for the delay. I went on board the Tnnnon.
in the evening, and found Captain Crozier knew the mistake, but fancied we
had given up the idea of going there. Fortunately, the wind favoured us
right round the bay, and we had a delightful sail. We are now running
into these Whale-ﬁsh Islands.
“ 4th, evening—You will bear in mind that all this time the sun is up.
Finding ourselves at last off these rocky islands, we sent Le Vescomte in the
gig to reconnoitre, as Captain Crozier, who had been here some years ago,
did not recognize the place—a certain ﬂag-staff on a hill having been carried
away. Very soon out paddled ﬁve ‘ Huskimays’, in the smallest possible
canoes, all in a row, and two going a-head kept near the ship, and piloted
her into a safe place among the rocks, where we are now moored in a chan-
nel just four times‘the ship’s length in breadth, and perfectly land-locked.
I was ashore all day on Boat Island, observing, with ‘ Fox’, and got very
wet and cold; but plunging into cold water, when I got on board, made me
quite warm.
Sunday, 6th.—A ﬁne sunshiny night, and we had a delightful sunshiny
day, quite warm, the air clear, ice glistening in all directions. The ﬁne bold
land of Disco, black, and topped with snow—clear—the sea covered with bits
of ice, which are rushing through the channel as they break from the ice-
bergs, which fall with a noise like thunder. Every man nearly on shore,
running about for a sort of holiday, getting eider ducks’ eggs, etc.; curious
mosses and plants being collected, as also shells. Le Vescomte and I on the
island since six this morning, surveying. It is very satisfactory to me that
he takes to surveying, as I said he would. Sir John is much pleased with
him. All yesterday I was on the island with Fairholme, with the dipping-
needle. We have a little square wooden house to cover ourselves. Very
large mosquitoes bit'ing us. I shall send you one. The transport will pro-
bably be cleared to-morrow evening or Tuesday, and shall get off on Wed-
85
nesday evening or Thursday; that is, the 9th or 10th—and hard work too.
A man just come over from Lieveli , a Dane, who has married an Esquimaux,
says that they believe it to be one of the mildest seasons and earliest sum-
mers ever known, and that the ice is clear away from this to Lancaster
Sound. Keep this to yourself, for Sir John is naturally very anxious that
people in England should not be too sanguine about the season. Besides,
the papers would have all sorts of stories, not true. I do believe we have a
good chance of getting through this year, if it is to be done at all; but I
hope we shall not, as I want to have a winter for magnetic observations.
And now here goes a new pen into the porcupine, to say that your journal
is at an end, at least for the present. I do hope it has amused you, but I
fear not; for what can there be in an old tub like this, with a parcel of sea
bears, to amuse a ‘ lady fair’. This, however, is a fapon de parler, for I think,
in reality, that you will have been amused in some parts and interested in
others, but I shall not read back, for fear of not liking it, and tearing it up.”
To WILLIAM CoNnvcnAM, Esq.
“ l/Vhaleﬁsh Islands, 11th July, 1845.
“ DEAR CoNINGHAM,—E ’s bundle of yarns will show you that I am
well and happy, and have not forgotten you yet. I have not much time, as
the transport sails to-morrow evening, and we shall be all day at work. It
was a heavy job, clearing the transport, and took us longer than we imagined
it would have done, though we worked from four till six. We are now full—-
very—having three years’ provisions and coals, besides the engine. The deck
is covered with coals and casks, leaving a small passage fore and aft, and we
are very deep in the water. We sail, if possible, to-morrow night, and hope
to get to Lancaster Sound by the 1st of August, which, however, is a lottery.
It is now eleven o’clock, and the sun shines brightly above the snowy peaks
of Disco. From the top of one of the islands, the other day, I counted 280
icebergs, and beautiful objects they are. Should you hear nothing till next
June, send a letter, via Petersbury, to Petro Paulows/ci, in Kamschatlca,
where Osmar was in the BLOSSOM, and had letters from England in three
months. And now God bless you, and everything belonging to you.
“Always your affectionate
“James Fitzjames.”

MRS. BLENKY’S LETTER TO THE “MORNING HERALD”
“ SIR,—Knowing the interest which is now felt in the question of Sir John
Franklin’s long absence, I venture to offer you, for publication in the Morn-
ing Herald, an extract from the last letter I received from my husband, who
is ice-master on board the TERROR, which will show that they looked forward
to the possibility of being detained much longer than had been generally
supposed.
“ I may state that my husband was previously out with Sir John Ross in
the VIc'roRY, when they were so many years missing. The letter was written
on board the TERROR, at Disco Island, and is dated July 12, 1845. He
says z-—‘ The season is a very open one, much such an one as when we came
out with Captain Ross. We are all in good health and spirits, one and all
appearing to be of the same determination, that is, to persevere in making a
passage to the north—west. Should we not be at home in the fall of 1848,
or early in the spring of 1849, you may anticipate that we have made the
passage, or likely to do so; and if so, it may be from ﬁve to six years,—it
might be into the seventh,—ere we return; and should it be so, do not allow
any person to dishearten you on the length of our absence, but look forward
with hope that Providence will at length of time restore us safely to you.’
“I am, etc.,
“'Esther Blenky.”
“ 21, Hope-street, Liverpool, February 6, 1852.”
86
THE EBEBUS AN D TERROR.
Franklin’s Expedition sailed from Sheerness on the 26th May, 1845, and
arrived at the Whale-ﬁsh Islands on the 4th of July. His last despatches
were from this point, bearing date July 12. The EREBUS was spoken on the
22nd of the same month by Captain Martin, of the ENTERPRISE, in lat.
75° 10’, lon. 66° west.
The latest date at which the expedition was actually seen was four days
subsequently. The PRINCE or WALES, Whaler, reported that on the 26th of
July, 1845, she saw Franklin’s vessels in lat. 74° 48', lon. 66° 13’. They
were then moored to an iceberg, awaiting an opening in the middle ice to
enable them to cross over to Lancaster Sound.
Between this period and the 23rd of August, 1850, when the ﬁrst traces
were discovered by Captain Ommaney at Cape Riley, no intelligence, direct
or indirect, was received of the missing ships. The evidences afforded by
these ﬁrst traces were added to four days afterwards (on the 27th) by Captain
Penny’s alighting, at Beechey Island, upon the spot where Franklin spent
his winter of 1845—6.
Our positive accounts of the Expedition extend, therefore, up to the middle
of 1846, as to time, and to Beechey Island, as to place.
Writing in April, 1852, ﬁve years and three quarters have elapsed since
Franklin started anew upon the prosecution of his enterprise; and the pro-
babilities (as we have said in another place) point most strongly to his hav-
ing pursued it northwards up Wellington Ghannel.
Now we have seen, from the Narrative given at page 51, how three sailors,
comparatively destitute of every appliance and resource, existed for upwards
of six years,* almost with comfort, in a land far more Arctic in latitude
than any attained by the recent searching parties. We have seen that when
released from their cold and barren solitude their health and strength were
complete; and there is nothing to show why, in the absence of rescue, they
might not have continued to prolong life for an indeﬁnite number of years.
The conclusion is, therefore, in our humble opinion, both inconsiderate and
premature, which—resting upon the merely negative evidence afforded by
the absence of trace or intelligence during ﬁve years and nine months—
deprecates as hopeless all further search, and would coldly and placidly
suffer the fate of our brave countrymen to lurk for ever in obscurity.
(From Murray’s Navy List, 1851.)

EREBUS. TERROR.
Screw Discovery Ship, 30-Horse Power. Screw Discovery Ship, 80-Horse Power.
1845. 1845.
Captain. . . . .Sir John Franklin . . 3 Mar. Captain . . . .F. R. M. Crozier . . . 8 Mar.
Commander. .James Fitzjames (Capt) 4 Mar. Lieutenant ..Edward Little (Com) . 4 Mar.
Lieutenant . .Graham Gore (Com) . 8 Mar. ,, . .G. H. Hodgson . . 4 Mar.
,, H. J. D. Le Vescomte . 4 Mar. ,, ..John Irving . . . . . 13 Mar.
. ,, J. W. Fairholme . . . 13 Mar. Ice Master . .Thos. Blenky (Act) . . 23 Apl.
Ice Master . .James Read (Act) . . 26 Mar. Surgeon . . . .John S. Peddie . . . . 12 Mar.
Surgeon . . . .S. S. Stanley . . . . 11 Mar. Mates . . . . . .F.J. Homby (I/ieut.) . . 4 Mar.
Payv1.rf"Pu1's.C. H. Osmar . . . . 4 Mar. ,, . . . . . .Robert Thomas (I/ieut.) . 14 Mai
Mates . . . . . .R. 0. Sargent (Lieut.) . 15 Apl. Assist-Sum. Alex. McDonald . . . 11 Mar.
,, . . . . . .C. F. Des Voeux (Lieut.) 4 Mar. SeaMaster . .G. A. Macbean . . . . 31 Mar.
,, . . . . . .Edward Couch (Lieut.) . 14 May Clk. in Ch. . .E. J. H. Helpman . . 4 Mar.
Assist.~.S'ur_(/. H. D. S. Goodsir . . . 11 Mar.
Sec. Master H. F. Collins . . . . 4 Mar.
58 Petty Oﬁicers, Seamen and Marines. 57 Petty Oﬂicers, Seaman and Marines.
* 'l‘hese Russians were at Spitsbergen. six years and three months. Franklin's absence from
Bcechey Island is less than six years.
87
SEARCHING EXPEDITIONS.
The following are the vessels engaged, or about to be so, in the search
after Franklin.
1. ENTERPRISE.
2.
. PRINCE ALBERT.
. ASSISTANCE.
. REsoLUTE.
. PIONEER. Screw steamer, 60-horse power.
. INTREPID.
copoqcsor
. ISABEL.
Captain R. Collinson.
Sailed from England for Behring Strait on the 10th January, 1850.
She penetrated some distance to the north and west of the Strait in
the course of the season, but passed the winter of 1850-51 at Hong
Kong. She departed afresh in May, and our last accounts, brought
by the DzEDALUs, report her having quitted Port Clarence on the 10th
July 1851, for the purpose of carrying on her explorations to the
north-east. For oﬂicers, see p. 11.
INVESTIGATOR. Commander R. J. McClure.
Consort of the ENTERPRISE. Sailed from England for Behring Strait
January 10, 1850. Last seen by the PLovER off the Seahorse Islands,
to the westward of Point Barrow, on the 4th August 1850. (Lat.
70° 44’ N., long. 159° 52' W.) She was then steering to the north
with a strong south-west wind, and had an open sea ahead for some
distance. Capt. McClure’s intention was to pass on to the eastward
for Cape Bathurst, where he purposed wintering. From this point he
would endeavour in the following summer to make the best of his way
north-east to Banks Land. In a letter dated July 20, 1850, Capt.
McClure states, that “ no alarm need be felt should the INVESTIGATOR
not be heard of until 1854.” For officers, see p. 11.
Captain Kennedy.
Sailed from Stromness June 3rd, 1851, for the purpose of exploring
Prince Regent’s Inlet, and to the south. But would endeavour ﬁrst
to make Grijﬁth Island, and would be guided by such information as
might have been left there by Capt. Austin. She was in communica-
tion with Capt. De Haven’s vessel in the following August, and was
last seen by that officer on the 13th, in the neighbourhood of Baﬁin
Islands.
Captain Sir E. Belcher.
Will sail from England in the course of April for the purpose of
thoroughly exploring Wellington Channel. Will be accompanied by
Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8. For officers, see p. 94.
Captain H. Kellett.
Consort of the ASSISTANCE. Will sail in April. For officers, see p. 94.
Commander M‘Clintock.
Accompanies the ASSISTANCE and REsoLUTE to Wellington Channel.
Screw steamer, 60-horse power. Lieutenant Osborn.
Accompanies the ASSISTANCE and REsoLUTE to Wellington Channel.
N ORTH STAR. Commander Pullen. Store ship to Nos. 4, 5, 6, and 7,
will be stationed at the mouth of Wellington Channel.
Steamer, 250 Tons. Captain D. Beatson. On the point of
sailing for Behring Strait. When there, will endeavour to explore
ﬁrst to the west and north, and afterwards to the east. Crew consists
of twelve persons, and is provisioned for ﬁve years.*
To these may be added the PLovER, Commander Moore, stationed at Port
Clarence, Behring Strait, as a reserve or store ship to the ENTERPRISE and
INVESTIGATOB.

* See p. 89.
88
LETTER FROM CAPTAIN BEATSON TO SIR RODERICK MURCHISON,
PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.
“ 36, Moorgate Street, 12th Jan. 1852.
“ Sim—The subject of search for Sir John Franklin having been so
frequently discussed by the members of this scientiﬁc society, and others
well acquainted with the navigation of the Polar regions, I think it would
be presumptuous in me to attempt an explanation of my reasons for com-
mencing the search from the north—west of Behring’s Straits. I believe
that many are of opinion that a high northern latitude may be reached
through the open water seen by Wrangel, and that subsequently an eastern
passage may be forced by a screw steamer. I may, however, be permitted
to mention that this is no hasty idea of mine, but one which I have had in
contemplation for above two years. On my arrival from Africa at the close
of 1849, after the return of Sir James Ross, I began to think seriously of
the probable causes of Sir John Franklin’s detention ; and while in Russia
last winter, in speaking upon the subject with some ofﬁcers of the imperial
navy who had been in the Arctic seas, I found that their opinions were
exactly the same as mine ; namely, that Sir John would pass to the north-
ward of Parry Islands, and never think of returning back till in the
meridian of Behring’s Straits. They were also of opinion that when he
arrived thus far, he would be prevented from getting to the southward by a
chain of islands extending far to the westward, a continuation, in fact, of the
Parry Islands.* Supposing, now, Franklin to have succeeded in getting so
far to the westward, and being stopped there, it cannot be imagined that he
would relinquish the attempt to get through this last barrier to all his hopes,
and the realization of the passage into the Paciyic,—to retrace his steps from
a point which may have taken four years to reach. What would a brave
man do in such a case? Certainly not retreat in two or even three years,
particularly if, as we hope, they have met with suﬂicient animal food to
support them. I believe Sir John Franklin to be somewhere to the north of
Behring’s Straits, and certainly not far to the eastward ; and in that belief
I wrote to Lady Franklin in October last, stating my plan and soliciting her
assistance, which, I am happy to say, was immediately given. I have since
then exerted myself in selecting a suitable vessel, which I have purchased,
and which is now in dock undergoing the necessary alterations. She is a
schooner of nearly 200 tons, but capable of carrying a much larger quantity.
I intend ﬁtting her with three separate engines of eight-horse power each,
with separate boilers, by which arrangement I can effect an immense saving
of fuel, by only working one or more engine as circumstances may require.
In addition to this, I take a steam launch with an engine of ﬁve-horse
power. My crew will consist of only ﬁfteen men and myself. I shall, by a
careful selection of provisions, be enabled to take enough for ﬁve years. The
whole of these arrangements I expect to have completed, and be able to
leave England by the end of next month, and to proceed direct to the
Sandwich Islands, whence, having ﬁlled up with coal, etc., to push on for
the Straits, which I hope to be able to enter by the middle or latter end of
July. When there, of course I must be guided by the condition of the ice.
If there is a possibility of getting to the north, on or about the meridian of
the Straits, I shall do so; otherwise, I intend pushing my way to the north-
west till I arrive at the open water seen by Wrangel, when perhaps I may
be able to get to the north, and then to the east. Should I not succeed in
getting so far ,along the coast this year, I might employ the spring (before
the breaking up'of the ice) in an attempt to reach that land seen by Captain
Kellett from Herald Island, and thus be enabled to perform one part of the
89
scheme proposed by Lieutenant Pim. I would next in the spring push away
to the north and east, in which direction I believe I shall eventually ﬁnd some
traces of our missing ships. I consider it would have been desirable (and,
in fact, it was my ﬁrst intention) to have had another smaller screw steamer
as a tender, and of far greater power. I am sorry to say that I am not able
to accomplish this,-but am, nevertheless, determined to go in the best way
I can. “ I have, etc.,
“Donald Beatson.”
CAPTAIN Bnarsoiv’s EXPEDITION.
(From the “ Illustrated London News,” March 27th.)
“ The Royal Geographical Society held a meeting at the Royal Institution,
Albemarle-street, on Monday; Sir Roderick Murchison in the chair.
“ Captain Beatson gave a general description of his steamer, the ISABEL,
250 tons, in which the search will be performed, the precautions used to
enable the vessel to resist the pressure of the ice, the number of boats,
among which is a life-boat, and the general equipments, which are most
complete, and proceeded to detail the general features of his proposed expe-
dition. He said that his crew would consist of twelve persons, and they
should be provided with provisions for ﬁve years, giving each person one
pound of meat without bone, and one pound and a half of bread, and other
stores in proportion, which could, if necessary, be made to last seven years,
or even more. They were armed with carronades, and- through the gene~
rosity of the Master-General and the Board of Ordnance, they were abun-
dantly supplied with powder, shot, rockets, and blue lights. The course he
proposed to take was to proceed from England at once to the Straits of
Magellan, through which he would pass into the Paciﬁc and direct to O’allao,
where it was proposed to ﬁll up with coals, and, after refreshing the crew,
proceed direct to Behriny’s Straits, unless he should ﬁnd it possible to get a
further supply of coals at the Sandwich Islands. When he arrived at the
ice, he should, of course, be guided by circumstances. His wish, however,
was to push to the north and west along the Asiatic shore, to clear the shoals
on which the heavy ice may have grounded to the north of the Straits—to
get to the north as far as possible this year—perhaps off the land seen by
Captain Kellett. As soon as possible after the breaking up of the winter,
he said he should explore to the east and north-east with sledges,* by which
his future operations must be guided ; but if he could not this year get so
far, he would winter as far to the north-west as possible on the Asiatic

* “I believe I have been the ﬁrst to construct a boat to ply to windward on ice. In 1828-9, I
made several experiments on the river St. J ohn, New Brunswick, and, after spending the beginning
of two winters in making experiments, succeeded in being able to ply to windward at the rate of
twenty-ﬁve miles per hour, forming right angles each tack, and with a strong breeze I have gone at
the rate of forty miles per hour, close-hauled on the wind, with seven men on board as ballast; and,
I believe, a speed equal to any locomotive engine can be obtained with a well-constructed boat and
goodfrunners on smooth ice. I had some difficulty in steering, but, ultimately, succeeded to my
satis action.
“Having had a description of the ice met with in the Arctic sea from some of the oﬂ‘icers of the
late expedition, they all describe it as irregular and very rough; but, notwithstanding, I believe a
boat can be constructed to meet all the objections. I do not say that a speed equal to what I have
stated could be got on such ice, but I do believe a speed of from seven to ten miles per hour could
be obtained with little diﬂiculty where the ice is not too rough. Captain Penny told me that, with a
rudely-constructed sledge, made on board his own ship, he has sailed at the rate of ﬁve miles per
hour, but had diﬁiculty in steering it. As it is likely a good deal must be done by sledge parties by
the next expeditions, I would press the necessity of providing such ice-boats, such as I have proved
to answer so well, for each vessel. The tent cloth would make the sail. Only see what relief it
would be to the men to have the least wind, when the sails would ﬁll, which would help so much
that, with anything of a fresh breeze, they could sit on the boat. I believe a much greater distance
would be accomplished, with less fatigue and additional security, with such a sledge as I have alluded
to, when compared with the rudely constructed sledge used in the last expeditions. The runners
will not impede the boat in the water. Each half boat is a separate boat and‘sledge in itself, and
can be constructed to weigh very little.”—-Mr. W. Coppin, in a Letter to the “Liverpool Albion,”
Jan, 1852.
S
, bl’.
90
shore, and explore that coast to the north-west, previous to starting, in the
spring. Upon every accessible cape or hill, he should embrace every oppor-
tunity of erecting a cairn or cross, and deposit a notice of his intentions, in
a bottle or canister, at twenty feet magnetic north from the pole or cairn;
and as they would take out an alphabet made of iron, every opportunity
would be taken to burn the ship’s name, with date and position, upon as
much drift wood as could be spared, and thrown overboard. It was his in-
tention to use every endeavour to get to the eastward; but, failing in that,
by the situation of the land or condition of the ice, then he should make to
the north, in the belief that if Sir John Franklin had arrived in or about
the 150th meridian, and had been there arrested by land, he would probably
try to make to the west in a .higher latitude. That course he hoped to be
able to follow year by year till he had sutﬁciently explored that part of the
world which those competent to judge believed him to have reached. He
humbly prayed that Almighty God would give him strength to perform the
task which he had so much at heart; and if he was so unfortunate as not to
meet with any traces of them, he should be enabled at least to return to his
country with satisfactory proofs of their not having reached that part, and
the happy consciousness of having done his duty.
“Captain Beatson resumed his seat amidst loud and continued cheering.
“ Lieutenant Pim,* as one deeply interested in the success of the expedi-
tion, wished to call the attention of Captain Beatson to the abundant supply
of vegetable life in the Arctic regions, where he would ﬁnd eight different
kinds of plants, one of which closely resembled potatoes, and would be found
very useful in the prevention of scurvy.” ’
The following letter is from the intrepid explorer Captain Penny. It is
important, not only as containing the evidence of the person who last spoke
the EREBUS, but also from the cheering assurance it affords us of the provi—
dence and foresight evinced by Franklin whilst yet on the very threshold of
his enterprise.
If the commander of the expedition anticipated the possibility of his
efforts in the Arctic Seas extending to a term of seven years, surely it is
premature, while a portion of that interval remains, to despair of his safety.

' CAPTAIN PENNY TO THE EDITOR OF THE “TIMES”.
“ Aberdeen, Dec. 20, 1851. .
“ SIR,—I have lately been at Peterhead (my native place), and have learnt
a very important fact from my old acquaintance Capt. Martin, who, when
commanding the whaler ENTERPRISE in 1845, was the last person to com-
municate with Sir John Franklin.
“The ENTERPRISE was alongside the EREBUS in Melville Bay, and Sir
John invited Capt. Martin to dine with him, which the latter declined doing,
as the wind was fair to go south. Sir John, while conversing with Capt.
Martin, told him that he had ﬁve years’ provisions, which he could make
last seven; and his people were busily engaged in salting down birds, of

9.I\"
.l"’.
‘l’l‘.
* This gentleman’s projected expedition in search of Franklin via Siberia (an account of which
will be found at p. 41), has been abandoned. The difficulties presented by the overland 'ourney'
were, in the opinion of the Russian authorities, insuperable. Lieutenant Pim has returne , there-
fore, from St. Petersburgh, and the residue (£362) of the funds with which he was furnished has been
applied in aid of Captain Beatson’s enterprise.
91
which they had several casks full already, and twelve men were out shooting
more. ~ '
“ To see such determination and foresight at that early period is really
wonderful, and must give us the greatest hopes.
“ I asked Capt. Martin why he had not mentioned this before ? He said
that he did not at ﬁrst think it of any importance, and that when Lady
Franklin was at Peterhead about two years ago, he did not like to intrude
upon her ladyship (not having the honour of knowing her) during her short
stay. He is a man of the strictest integrity, whose word I can depend upon.
He has an independent fortune, which he got by ﬁshing.
“ Your most obedient Servant,
“ William Penny.” *
TESTIMONIALS TO HENRY GRINNELL, ESQ.
(From the New York Daily Tribune, Nov. 15, 1851.)
“ About a dozen of the English friends of Mr. Grinnell, yesterday presented
him with a beautiful gold medal, commemorative of his Polar Expedition.
The subscribers to this little affair were exactly twelve, and there was a
peculiar propriety in the compliment, from the fact of English, Irish, and
Scottish gentlemen being among the contributors: the three kingdoms were
all represented.
“The medal is of the purest gold, and of exquisite workmanship; and,
besides a sketch of the two vessels, depicted in their icy prison-house, con-
tains the following inscription :—
“ ‘ The British residents of New Yorh to Henry Grinnell, in grateful ad—
miration of his noble eﬁort to save Sir John Franhlin.’ ”
A week previously silver medals had been presented to the crews of the
AnvANcE and REscUE. The account in the New Yor/e Tribune, after giving
the speech of Dr. Bartlett (with whom the idea of presenting a medal ori-
ginated) on the occasion, goes on to say :—
“ His daughter, Mrs. Le G-al, then aﬂixed on the left breast of each the
medal, suspended by a silk ribbon, and presented each of them at the same
time with a small box, containing a ﬁve-dollar gold piece. At the conclusion of
the ceremony, Commander Wilson called for three cheers, which, at a signal
from the boatswain’s whistle, were given vociferously. The band then struck
up ‘ Hail, Columbia!’ and Wound up with ‘ God save the Queen’,” etc.
On the 4th November, a complimentary dinner was given by the British
residents in honour of this liberal and estimable gentleman. A lengthened
report of the proceedings is contained in the 1Vew Yor/e Express of the day
following.
Subjoined is the correspondence relating to the medal :—
“ To HENRY GRINNELL, Esq.
“ New York, Nov. 13, 1851.
“Sir,—I am deputed by a few of your friends who own a British birth,
to ask your acceptance of a bit of gold, on which is inscribed their sense of
an important act of your life. If you will accept it—and it is presented by
those who respectively claim lineage with the Three Kingdoms—they will feel
both honoured and gratiﬁed.
“ I am, Sir, with great respect,
“Your obedient servant,
“ John S. Bartlett.”

* The statement conveyed in this letter was subsequently disputed in the “Times” by “A
CAPTAIN, R.N.,’ But the correspondence which ensued leaves little doubt as to the general cor-
rectness of Capt. Martin's report.
N
92
“ REPLY.
“ New York, Nov. 19, 1851.
“ Dear Sir,-—Your note of the 13th inst., accompanied with a beautiful
gold medal, presented to me by yourself and some of your brother country-
men, I have received. I shall preserve it as long as I live, and I trust it will
be handed down to my latest posterity. It commemorates an act of my life,
which, I assure you, was prompted by an inward sense of stern duty, im-
planted in my bosom by the Almighty himself. To him, therefore, all praise
should be given, and not to me, a mere instrument. I accept the medal for
the inﬂuence it may have upon others, and as a token of your regard for me.
“ With great respect for yourself and your companions in this matter,
“ I am, Sir, your friend,
“Henry Grinnell.
“ John S. Bartlett, Esq, New York.”
(From the “ Times”, March 26th.)
“ THE GRINNELL TESTIMONIAL.——The following characteristic letter from
Mr. Grinnell, declining to receive the proposed national token of gratitude,
has been received by the committee; in consequence of which, we understand
that it is in contemplation to return to the subscribers the money received
for the purpose.
“ ‘ New York, Feb. 24.
“ ‘ Gentlemen,—The report being conﬁrmed by the last arrival from
England of your generous intention to present me with a memorial of British
gratitude for my efforts for the relief of Sir John Franklin, I beg to transmit
by the ﬁrst steamer my grateful sense of the feelings which have dictated
the movement, and to request most earnestly that you will dedicate to the
recovery of the missing navigators any sums you may have collected for the
purpose. I claim no merit for my expedition; the cause of Sir John
Franklin is the cause of universal humanity, and my country would have
reaped as much advantage as yours had he succeeded in opening the icy
gates of the Arctic regions. I only regret that the aid was so ineffectual,
and am earnest in hopes that the coming season will witness more powerful
efforts to assist in the recovery of those brave men who have perilled life for
the advancement of knowledge, to beneﬁt not England alone, but the whole
world. Gratefully appreciating your honourable motives, I beg to decline
receiving a testimonial for an act which was simply a duty, especially urgent
upon the citizens of this maritime commonwealth.
“‘ With sentiments of great respect,
“ ‘ I am, Gentlemen, your friend,
“ ‘Henry Grinnell.
“ ‘ To Sir John Ross, Sir W. Edward Parry,
Captain W. Penny, and others.” ’
THE FAREHAM LIFE-BOAT.
(From the “ Nautical Alagasine,” March, 1852.)
“ IF it be admitted as a great desideratum, that every sea—going vessel, and
especially every passenger- steamer and emigrant-ship, should carry life_boats
enough for any emergency, and which, while they possess every necessary
qualiﬁcation as seaboats, shall be quite out of the way of everything else,
and neither hamper a ship’s decks nor sides, then the boat to be described
has a strong claim upon the attention of the public. This newly invented
collapsible boat, which gained a prize medal at the Great Exhibition, has
93
been fully tried upon a considerable scale, and is found to possess advantages
beyond the inventor’s most sanguine expectations. It combines strength
with lightness ‘in a degree far exceeding any other boat; it is quite insub-
mergible, being light even when full of water, and freeing itself very rapidly.
It shuts into one-ﬁfth of its beam,—e. g. a boat ten feet wide shuts into two
feet. The expansion is effected in one second entirely by its own weight,
and when expanded, oars, masts, sails, etc. , are all found in their places.
“ It is a most excellent sea-boat, pulling very lightly, and in sailing, espe-
cially on a wind, it is superior to every other boat of equal draught.
“ It is stowed outboard, frapped to by gripes against the ship’s bulwarks or
hammock nettings, and there presents scarcely anything for wind or sea to
act upon. Owing to its extreme lightness and small dimensions when stowed,
the very largest boats (even big enough to carry 500 persons) may be carried
outboard without inconvenience.
“ Such is a brief enumeration of some of its qualities and peculiarities;
we will proceed next to state the manner in which the Fareham life-boat is
constructed.
“ The framework, which is of wood, American elm, is composed of broad,
thin, and ﬂat timbers running fore and aft; these are all joined together at
the ends with a peculiar but simple chain hinge. The boat shown in the
engraving has eleven such timbers, ﬁve on each side the keel; when shut,
these all lie side by side like the leaves of a closed book; and when open,
they assume the positions of planes radiating from a common axis.
“ On each of the edges of these timbers is stretched a covering of strong
thick felt coated with india-rubber; thus the boat is doubled into ten longi—
tudinal cells or compartments all distinct and separate, so that injury to one
does not affect the buoyancy of the others.
“The ends of the timbers all abutt against a semi-cylindrical block at
each end, which, in addition to other advantages, closes the apertures at
which the air enters the cells.
“ The platform, which is jointed along the middle, is jointed also to one
pair of timbers, and all the thwarts similarly to another. These compose
the chief extenders of the boat. .
“ The great strength, which is truly astonishing, is owing to the planIc-on—
edge principle; these radial planes combining together to produce extreme
rigidity; while the two coverings binding the edges of the timbers in every
direction, a structure is produced far exceeding anything else in the combi-
nation of strength with lightness.
“ It should be well observed that, though so light, this boat is extremely
stiff and quite unequalled in weatherly qualities, depending upon the pecu-
liar form which the bottom takes when in the water. The slightly elastic
material yields a little, and rises in faint grooves between the timbers, im-
mensely increasing the lateral resistance. The ﬁnest and most beautiful
lines can be easily obtained upon this principle. The expense of these boats
is less than other life—boats.”

MODEL on THE ARcrIc REGIONS.
(From the “ Illustrated London News”)
“ We have been much pleased and instructed by a visit to a model of the
Arctic regions, in a room devoted to it in Mr. Wyld’s exhibition of the Globe,
in Leicester-square. It shows the physical construction of that part of the
world, and exhibits the elevations on the surface as in nature. The route of
the Franklin missing vessels is also laid down with plainness and accuracy,
in such a way as to be easily traced and understood. The investigation will
prove interesting to the inquirer, besides being in itself a work of high art,
implying inﬁnite elaboration, both in detail and as a whole.”
94
SIR EDWARD BELcHER’s EXPEDITION.
(From Murray’s List, April 1852.)

ASSISTANCE. REsoLUrE.
Discovery Ship. 1852 Discovery Ship. 1852
Captain . . . .Sir Edward Belcher . . . . . .10 Feb. Captain . . . .Hem'y Kellett . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Feb.
Commander. .G. H. Richards . . . . . . . . . .10 Feb. Comm. Addit. F. L. M‘Clintock . . . . . . ..10 Feb.
Lieutenant . .W. M. May . . . . . . . . . . . . ..14 Feb. (For service in INTREPID.)
,, J. P. Cheyne . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Feb. Lieutenant . .G. F. Mecham . . . . . . . . . .14 Feb.
Addit. . . . .Sherard Osborn . . . . . . . . . .10 Feb. ,, B. C. T. Pim . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Feb.
(For service in PIONEER.) ,, R. V. Hamilton . . . . . . . . . .16 Feb.
Master . . . . . .J. F. Loney . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Feb. Master . . . . . . G. F. McDougall . . . . . . . .14 Feb.
Addit. . .J. H. Allard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Feb. Adcltt. . .F. J. Krabbé . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Feb.
(For service in PIONEER.) (For service in INTREPID.)
Surgeon . . . .David Lyall, M.D . . . . . . . . .16 Feb. Surgeon . . . .W. T. Domville, M.D. .. . .16 Feb.
Mate . . . . . . . .J. B. Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Feb. Mate . . . . . .Richard Roche . . . . . . . . . .16 Feb.
Assis-Surg. } J. B_ Richards _ ~ ' ' . _ _ . _ . 9 Mar. _,, G. S. Nares . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 F eb.
Addtt. Asszst-S'urg. R C S tt ‘,5 Feb
(For service in PIONEER.) Addit. ' ' co ' ' ‘ ‘ ' ‘ ‘ ' ' ' ' ‘ ‘ ' ” '
Clio. in Chge. James Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Feb. (For service in INTRErIn.)
Clerk in Chge. W. H. Richards . . . . . . . . . .16 Feb.
NORTH STAR.
Store Ship. 1852
Commander . . . . . .W. J. S. Pullen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Feb.
Mate . . . . . . . . . . . .A. H. Alston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Feb.
Surgeon . . . . . . . . Robert McCormick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Feb.
Second Master . .William Shellabeer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Mar.
Clerk in Charge . .William Elliott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Feb.
Sir Edward Belcher’s Expedition will be provisioned for three years; but,
irrespectively of this, an additional supply will be carried out by the NORTH
STAR. This, together with the stores left at Port Leopold by Sir James
Ross in 1849, would enable the present expedition to remain out ﬁve or six
years.

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2! .Ui alt 12:54..» (iv :
meals Aiuqhrnlarios