Hills, ~                           _       _    ____         _~    ~   ~  _~_
WITE     UATRS101TH                                      RCI  RLIOS




SIR JOHN FRANKLIN
AND
THE ARCTIC REGION S:
WITH DETAILED
NOTICES OF THE EXPEDITIONS IN SEARCH OF THE MISSINGVESSELS UNDER SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.
BY  P, L.- S I       ONDS,
MANY YEARS EDITOR OF THE COLONIAL MAGAZINE, ETC. ETC.
TO WHICH IS ADDED AN ACCOUNT OF THE
AMERICAN EXPEDITION,
UTNDER THE PATRONAGE OF
HENRY  GRINNELL, ESQ.,
WITH AN INTRODUCTION TO THE AMERICAN EDITION,
BY JOHN C. LOR.D, D. D.
Miserable they
Who here elltangled in the gathering ice,
Take their last look of the descending sun.
CowkEa.
B U F F A L 0:
GEO. H. DERBY  AND  CO.
1852.




Entered acc'ording to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by
GEO. H. DERBY  AND  CO.
In the Clerk's Office of thile District Court for the Northern Diatrict
of New York.
Stereotyped by
BEAD) IE &  B it  T  ER,
B1' FAT O.




TO
gIENRY  GRINNELL, ESQ.,
THIS FIRST AMERICAN EDITION
OF
SIR JO.H4 FRANK,IN AND THE AORCTIO REGIONS,
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
BY HIS
HUMBLE SERVANTS,
THE PUBLISHERS.




PUBLISHERS' NOTICE
The explorations of the Arctic Regions, made during the last
three centuries, have been prompted by the most commendable
spirit, and have called into requisition, and strikingly developed,
traits of character of a high order. The Arctic navigators have
usually been men of extreme daring, wonderful perseverance
and sublime fortitude; and a digest of their heroic toils in the
path of geographical discovery, abounds with scientific facts,
and examples of manly courage and exalted virtues, potential
in their nature, and highly salutary in their tendency.
These considerations have impressed us with the importance
of republishing this work. But as the English edition contains
but slight reference to American enterprise and zeal in the
search for the long absent ships, under the command of Sil
John Franklin, we have deemed it proper to add an account of
the expedition sent out under the patronage of Henry Grinnell
Esq., who is doing more than any other man in our country to
entitle modern merchants to the appellation given to those of
Tyre, in her best days-" the honorable of the earth."  The
account of the expedition which he sent out, is copied from
Lossing's article, in Harper's New Monthly Magazine. The otlher
additional matter will, we trust, be found pertinent, entertaining,
and valuable.  The work, in its present form, must, we feel
assured, meet the approval of a discriminating public.




I NTRODUCTION.
TiE  interest aroused both in this country and
Europe, in regard to Sir John Franklin and his
associates, has in no degree diminished by the failure of the various Exploring Expeditions, to ascertain
the fate of the great navigator.  His well known
intrepidity, his great experience and knowledge of
the Arctic regionls, the abundant' supplies with which
he was furnished, the various casualties which may
have excluded lim from the observation of subsequent navigators, and above all, the traces which
have been discovered of him, have kept alive hopes,
which, under other circumstances, in the long lapse
of time would have been utterly extinguished.  The




Xiv             INTROD UCTION.
heroic woman, whose devotion to her gallant hmuband
has made her name a household word in two continents, whose appeals in his behalf have toucked all
hearts, and filled all eyes with tears, whose conduct
has added another illustration of conjugal affection,
of indomitable perseverance and courage, to the lonel
list of examples of woman's faith and woman's fortitude, the wife of the lost Franklin still hopes.  Sho
cannot believe that the sea has swallowed the gallant
company under the guidance of her husband, or that
the frosts of the Pole have benumbed their energies;
no mounds of snow and ice are seen by her, as
marking the place where they await the voice of the
Archangel, and the trump of God; before the vision
of her mind, the frost-bound voyagers still appear,
watching for some friendly sail in the open channels
of the frozen seas, still husbanding their resources,
still hoping against hope.  She beholds them manfully struggling with the difficulties of their position,
seeking, during the short summer of the high latitudes,
an avenue of escape, and engaged in the winter in
protecting themselves from the cold, by walls of
snow, and renewing their clothing with the spoils
of the shaggy monarch of those solitudes, the polai
bear, whose capture stimulates their energies and




INTRODUCTION.                 XV
invigorates their powers. While such a hope is strong
in the soul of this noble woman, it will live in the
hlealrts of all christendom until the lost are restored
to home and kindred, or their graves are found, and
their forms, untouched by decay, recognized by the
hardy mariners who brave the dangers of an Arctic
Sea. Wllo can tell if this lost company have not
broken through into that open Ocean which is said
to spread out beyond the barrier of ice, and found
there a new world firom which they cannot return to
relate the story of their marvelous voyage?  Who
knows if they are not now reposing upon some island
of that unknown Sea, where a modified climate, and
a fertile soil furnish all the necessaries of life, or
are vainly coasting along that wall of ice through
which they unexpectedly entered, and from  which
they hope to escape by some opening like that in
which they came? Perhaps, curiosity overcoming love
of home and kindred, they have explored or are
now exploring the unknown world upon which they
have been permitted to enter, mapping its islands
and bays, or passing on to the pole itself; full of
high thoughts of the undying fame that will reward
their toils, when the story of their return and their
discoveries shall astonish the world, as when the




Ivi  INTODUC TION.
daring Genoese brought back to Spain and Europ'.
the proofs of the existence of the continent which
should have borne his name.
The discovery of a northwest passage to the Indies,
was the first object of the daring navigators who
explored the northern seas; the pursuit of the whale
has since led a multitude of vessels among the icebergs and ice-fields of the frozen ocean. Any furthei
expenditure of treasure, or hazard of life for the
former purpose is uncalled for —a mere waste of ma
terial and a tempting of providence.  Enough is
known to settle the question that any passage forced
through those seas to Asia, would be too hazardous
and too uncertain to render it of the least comnmercial advantage.  The path to China marked out
by nature, or rather by the God of nature, is by the
isthmus which separates North and South America,
and all ideas of an available northwest passage are
simply Utopian. For the perfecting of the geography
of the earth, for the purpose of ascertaining whether
an open ocean, and a modified climate, and a productive soil are to be found beyond the fields of ice,
may, be worthy the efforts of civilized nations, yet it
might be questioned whether the hardships of the
navigation, and the risk of life in those remote




INTROD UO'ION.               xvii
solitudes, would not justify an abandonment of a region guarded by such awful barriers, which could only
be passed occasionally in the lapse of years.  If it
should appear, that a land like the garden of Eden
lay beyond the domain of frost, how could it be
made practically accessible, or used for the benefit
of mankind?  Would it not forever remain like that
hidden city in the desert, which, according to the
eastern fable, is concealed from all passers by, and
only some favored traveler is perhaps once in a
century permitted to gaze upon its deserted streets
and behold its towers and palaces; or like the lost
Atlantis, would it not be discovered only to disap
pear forever?
For the rescue of the long lost company of Sir
[ohn Franklin, or for the purpose of ascertaining
heir fate, too much can hardly be done. In such
an enterprise, the noblest sympathies of our nature
cannot fail to be enlisted, and higher and more
worthy of remembrance than the conflict of arms, or
the rivalry of the nations in their fabilcs at the
recent great fair of the world in the modern Babylon, Xlas been the competition between England and
the United States, in the voyages of discovery for
the great arctic navigator, and his companions.  In




xviii          INTRODUCTION.
such a contest the bonds of national brotherhood are
strengthened, the friendship of the two great branches
of the Anglo-Saxon race, who, descended from the
same ancestry and speaking the same tongue, have
been intrusted by the divine providence with the
guardianship of civil and religious freedom, is
cemented and made to soar above the petty rivalries,
and the petty provocations, which have heretofore so
often disturbed the good understanding which ought
ever to prevail between those who are brethren in
blood, who have a common ancestry, a common language, and a common faith. Despotism like a dark
cloud is gathering over Europe; France, after numerous revolutions, and a multitude of grandiloquent
protestations for freedom, has tamely yielded to a
military dictatorship more degrading than the rule
of her most despotic monarchs, and nothing marks
her incapacity for liberty, her profound social corruption and the utter loss even of the heroic element
that characterized her in the worst days of the Bourbon dynasty, than the character of the man who
has seized the reins of government. The shadow, or
rather the mockery of a great name, with no reputation as a soldier, with no ability as a statesman,
the dissolute and degenerate nephew of the greA*




INTRODUCTION.                  xix
Warrior, holds France under a rule more disgraceful
to her than that of Louis XV., of whose vices he is
an apt imitator. Under such circumstances, the continued friendship of Great Britain and the United
States, is essential to the highest interests of our
common humanity.  Together they may defy the
world in arms, and blockade the ports of all the despotic powers on the globe, and every generous concert of action, every noble rivalry like that which sent
our ships in search for the lost Franklin, is an omen
of good to the world, and a pledge that despotism is
not to shroud the nations in darkness, superstition,
and ignorance. The vast conspiracy which is now
organizing from St. Petersburg to Paris, and from
the Baltic to the Caspian, against a free press, free
government and free speech, can only be defeated
by the constant friendship and united resistance of
the Anglo-Saxon race on both continents.
It is not a little remarkable that the American
expedition should have originated in private benevolence, and that to the enlightened liberality of a
single individual, the country owes an enterprise
which reflects so much credit upon our republic.
We read in the Scriptures of ancient nations and
cities "whose  merchants were princes:"  if this




KXx           INTRODUOTION.
expression in the Bible implies what it does in mlod
ern parlance, we may congratulate ourselves that we
possess a similar description of citizens -merchants
who are princes, not in the magnificence which
apes the pomp of royalty, but in the large and
liberal spirit that exhibits itself in acts of generosity
and munificence, which may be termed princely in
respect to the grandeur of their conception, and the
efficiency of their execution.
The true genius and character of a people may be
tested by the examples of individuals, no less than
by their institutions and laws. The illustrious citizens of the ancient republics are the memorials and
proofs of their national greatness.  As the Roman
mother said of her children, "these are my jewels,"
so the Commonwealth may say of her distinguished
sons, for they are the glory and the crown of the
State. The name of HENRY GRINNELL, in connection
with the expedition in search of Franklin, will
survive all the marble and granite of the city of
his residence. He might say with truth with the
Latin Poet,
"Exegi monumentum sere perennius."
Whatever is done for truth or for humanity, survives in the remembrance of all ages; the star of




INTRODUCTION.                Xxi
a Howard culminates above those of all the heroes
and conquerers who have filled the earth with violence, and the merchant prince who sent his ships
into the Arctic Seas, to search for the lost of
another nation and people, is entitled to the plaudits of his country and his race.
Nor should the commander, officers, and seamen
3f the American expedition be forgotten by the government, or their countrymen.  In the dangerous
service in which they voluntarily engaged, they exhibited the courage and hardihood, the coolness and
forethought which have characterized the brightest
examples in our naval history.  The narrative of
their hazardous voyage, so far as it has been made
public, reflects the highest credit upon all concerned,
and has added new luster to the annals of American
seamanship.
The naval service is the right arm of the Republic;
no power on earth can assail us while the ocean is
covered with our ships. Great Britain came out of
the contest with Napoleon and the continent with
safety and success, only because she acquired and
kept the dominion of the sea; it is her naval superiority, which now delays the Autocrat of the North
in his contemplated subljugation of Europe, and




&Xii            INTRODUCTION.
prevents his immediate occupation of Constantinople
as the seat of his new Empire. Nor is it merely the
number of men-of-war which are kept afloat, that
creates the naval superiority of a country, but that
extensive commerce which constitutes a nursery of
seamen, whose numbers, knowledge, and courage
may be made available in the hour of danger. In
no respect have our countrymen so uniformly distinguished themselves, as in their naval exploits, nowhere have they been so successful, as on the ocean,
and the safety of the country is more connected with
this department of defense than any other. While
such men as Commander De Haven, Griffith, and
such crews can be mustered from the naval service
of the United States, our shores are safe from foreign
invasion, and our country from all assaults save those
of the demon of domestic discord; if we perish, it
will be suicidally.
While every christian and philanthropist will earnestly desire and pray for the day when men shall
learn war no more, when "the sword shall be beatet
into a plowshare, and the spear into a pruning
hook," it is the height of folly to presume that any
such period is at hand -to blind our eyes to the evident tok-wr  of an approaching contest which is to




INTRODUCJTION.                xxiii
shake the earth, and from which we can only escape
scathless by a position and a force which will compel respect for our rights, and protect our neutrality,
if it be possible to maintain this position in a contest waged for the destruction of civil and religious
liberty.' The narrative of the American expedition
cannot fail to enlist the sympathies of the country
more earnestly in behalf of those
"Whose march is on the mountain wave,
Whose home is on the deep,"
and kindle generous emotions in all hearts. We
hope it may find a place in every habitation
throughout the length and breadth of oar extended
country.








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THE PROGRESS
OF
ARCTIC DISCOVERY
IN THE
NINETEENTH CENTURY.
IF we examine a map of Northern, or Arctic, America, showing what was known of the countries around
the North Pole in the commencement of the present
century, we shall find that all within the Arctic circle
was a complete blank. Mr. Hearne had, indeed, seen
the Arctic Sea in the year 1771; and Mr. Mackenzie had
traced the river which now bears his name to its junction with the sea; but not a single line of the coast
from Icy Cape to Baffin's Bay was known. The eastern and western shores of Greenland, to about 75~ latitude, were tolerably well defined, from the visits of
whaling vessels; Hudson's Bay and Strait were partially known; but Baffin's Bay, according to the statement of Mr. Baffin, in 1616, was bounded by land on
the west, running parallel with the 90th meridian of
longitude, or across what is now known to us as Barrow's Strait, and probably this relation led to the subsequently formed hasty opinion of Captain Sir John
Ross, as to his visionary Croker Mountains, of which
I shall have occasion to speak hereafter.
As early as the year 1527, the idea of a passage to
the East Indies by the North Pole was suggested by a




26        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Bristol merchant to Henry VIII., but no voyage seems
to have been undertaken for the purpose of navigating
the Polar seas, till the commencement of the following
century, when an expedition was fitted out at the expense of certain merchants of London. To this attempt
several others succeeded at different periods, and all
of them were projected and carried into execution by
private individuals. The adventurers did not indeed
accomplish the object they exclusively sought, that of
reaching India by a nearer route than doubling the
Cape of Good Hope, but though they failed in that
respect, the fortitude, perseverance, and skill which
they manifested, exhibited the most irrefragable proofs
of the early existence of that superiority in naval affairs, which has elevated this country to her present
eminence among the nations of Europe.
At length, after the lapse of above a century and a
half, this interesting question became an object of
Royal patronage, and the expedition which was commanded by Captain Phipps (afterward Lord Mulgrave,)
in 1773, was fitted out at the charge of Government.
The first proposer of this voyage was the Hon. Daines
Barrington, F. R. S., who, with indefatigable assiduity,
began to collect every fact tending to establish the
practicability of circumnavigating the Pole, and as he
accumulated his materials, he read them to the Royal
Society, who, in consequence of these representations,
made that application to Lord Sandwich, then First
Lord of the Admiralty, which led to the appointment
of this first official voyage. Captain Phipps, however,
found it impossible to penetrate the wall of ice which
extended for many degrees between the latitude of 80~
and 810, to the north of Spitzbergen. His vessels were
the Racehorse and Carcass; Captain Lutwidge being
his second in command, in the latter vessel, and having with him, then a mere boy, Nelson, the future
hero of England.
From the year 1648, when the famous Russian navigator,- Senor Desllnew, penetrated from the river
Kolymna through the Polar into the Pacific Ocean, the




INTRODUCTION.               27
Russians have been as arduous in their attempts to discover a northeast passage to the north of Cape Shelatskoi, as the English have been to sail to the northwest of the American continent, through Baffin's Bay
and Lancaster Sound. On the side of the Pacific,
many efforts, have, within the last century, been made
to further this object. In 1741, the celebrated Captain
Behring discovered the straits which bear his name, as
we are informed by Muller, the chronicler of Russian
discoveries, and several subsequent commanders of
that nation seconded his endeavors to penetrate from
the American continent to the northeast. From the
period when Deshnew sailed on his expedition, to the
year 1764, when Admiral Tchitschagof, an indefatigable and active officer, endeavored to force a passage
round Spitzbergen, (which, although he attempted with
a resolution and skill which would fall to the lot of
few, he was unable to effect,) and thence to the present
times, including the arduous efforts of Captain Billings
and Vancouver, and the more recent one of M. Von
Wrangell, the Russians have been untiring in their attempts to discover a passage eastward, to the north
of Cape Taimur and Cape Shelatskoi. And certainly,
if skill, perseverance, and courage, could have opened
this passage, it would have been accomplished.
Soon after the general peace of Europe, when war's
alarms had given way to the high pursuits. of science,
the government recommenced the long-suspended
work of prosecuting discoveries within the Arctic circle.
An expedition was dispatched under the command
of Sir John Ross, in order to explore the scene of the
former labors of Frobisher and Baffin. Still haunted
with the golden dreams of a northwest passage, which
Barrington and Beaufoy had in the last age so enthusiastically advocated, our nautical adventurers by no
means relinquished the long-cherished chimera.
It must be admitted, however, that the testimony of
Parry and Franklin pass for much on the other side
of the question. Both these officers, whose researches
in the cause of scientific discovery entitle ther f o very




28        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
high respect, have declared it as their opinion that
such a passage does not exist to the north of the 75th
degree of latitude.
Captain Parry, in the concluding remarks of his first
voyage, (vol. ii. p. 241,) says-" Of the existence of a
northwest passage to the Pacific, it is now scarcely
possible to doubt, and from the success which attended
our efforts in 1819, after passing through Sir James
Lancaster's Sound, we were not unreasonable in anticipating its complete accomplishment," &c. And
Franklin, in the eleventh chapter of his work, is of the
same opinion, as to the practicability of such a passage
But in no subsequent attempt, either by themselves
or others, has this long sought desideratum been accomplished; impediments and barriers seem as thickly
thrown in its way as ever.*
An expedition was at length undertaken for the sole
purpose of reaching the North Pole, with a view to
the ascertainment of philosophical questions. It was
planned and placed under the command of Sir Edward
Parry, and here first the elucidation of phenomena
connected with this imaginary axis of our planet
formed the primary object of investigation.
My space and purpose in this work will not permit
me to go into detail by examining what Barrow justly
terms " those brilliant periods of early English enterprise, so conspicuously displayed in every quarter of
the globe, but in none, probably, to greater advantage
than in those bold and persevering efforts to pierce
through frozen seas, in their little slender barks, of the
most miserable description, ill provided with the means
either of comfort or safety, without charts or instruments, or any previous knowledge of the cold and inhospitable region through which they had to force and
to feel their way; their vessels oft beset amidst endless fields of ice, and threatened to be overwhelmed
with instant destruction from the rapid whirling and
bursting of those huge floating masses, known by the
O Colonial Magazine, vol. xiii, p. 340




INTRODUCTION.                25
name of icebergs. Yet so powerfully infused into the
minds of Britons was the spirit of enterprise, that
some of the ablest, the most learned, and most respectable men of the times, not only lent their countenance
and support to expeditions fitted out for the discovery
of new lands, but strove eagerly, in their own persons,
to share in the glory and the danger of every daring
adventure."
To the late Sir John Barrow, F. R. S., for so long a
period secretary of the Admiralty, and who, in early
life, himself visited the Spitzbergen seas, as high as
the 80th parallel, we are mainly indebted for the advocacy and promotion of the several expeditions, and
the investigations and inquiries set on foot in the present century, and to the voyages which have been hitherto so successfully carried out as regards the interests
of science and our knowledge of the Polar regions.
Although it is absurd to impute the direct responsibility for these expeditions to any other quarter than
the several administrations during which they were
undertaken, there can be no question but that these
enterprises originated in Sir John Barrow's able and
zealous exhibition, to our naval authorities, of the
several facts and arguments upon which they might
best be justified and prosecuted as national objects.
The general anxiety now prevailing respecting the fate
of Sir John Franklin and his gallant companions,
throws at this moment somewhat of a gloom on the
subject, but it ought to be remembered that, up to the
present period, our successive Polar voyages have,
without exception, given occupation to the energies
and gallantry of British seamen, and have extended
the realms of magnetic and general science, at an expense of lives and money quite insignificant, compared
with the ordinary dangers and casualties of such expeditions, and that it must be a very narrow spirit and
view of the subject which can raise the cry of "Cui
bono," and counsel us to relinquish the honor and peril
of such enterprises to Russia and the United States of
America!




30        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
It can scarcely be deemed out of place to give here
a short notice of the literary labors of this excellent
and talented man, as I am not.aware that such an outline has appeared before.
Sir John Barrow was one of the chief writers for the
Quarterly Review, and his articles in that journal
amount to nearly 200 in number, forming, when bound
ip, twelve separate volumes. All those relating to
the Arctic Expeditions, &c., which created the greatest interest at the period they were published, were
from his pen, and consist chiefly of the following papers, commencing from the 18th volume; —On Polar
Ice; On Behring's Straits and the Polar Basin; On
Ross's Voyage to Baffin's Bay; On Parry's First Voyage; Kotzebue's Voyage; Franklin's First Expedition;
Parry's Second and Third Voyages, and Attempt to
Reach the Pole; Franklin's Second Expedition; Lyon's
Voyage to Repulse Bay; Back's Arctic Land Expedition, and his Voyage of the Terror. Besides these
he published " A Chronological History of Voyages
to the Arctic Seas," and afterward a second volume,
" On the Voyages of Discovery and Research within
the Arctic Regions."
He also wrote lives of Lord Macartney, 2 vols. 4to;
of Lord Anson and IHowe, each 1 vol. 8vo; of Peter
the Great; and an Account of the Mutiny of the
Bounty, (in the "Family Library;") "Travels in
Southern Africa," 2 vols, 4to; and "Travels in
China and Cochin China," each 1 vol. 4to.
In the "Encyclopedia Britannica" are ten or
twelve of his articles, and he wrote one in the Edinburgh Review by special request.
In addition to these Sir John Barrow prepared for
the press innumerable MSS. of travelers in all parts
of the globe, the study of geography being his great
delight, as is evidenced by his having founded the
Royal Geographical Society of London, which now
holds so high and influential a position in the learned
and scientific world, and has advanced so materially
the progress of discovery and research in all parts of




INTRODUCTION.                31
the globe. Lastly, Sir John Barrow, not long beforIe
his death, published his own autobiography, in whic.h
he records the labors, the toil, and adventure, of a lorng
and honorable public life.
Sir John Barrow has described, with voluminous caie
and minute research, the arduous services of all the
chief Arctic voyagers by sea and land, and to his vol
ume I must refer those who wish to obtain more exten
sive details and particulars of the voyages of preceding
centuries. He has also graphically set forth, to use his
own words, " their several characters and conduct, so
uniformly displayed in their unflinching perseverance
in difficulties of no ordinary description, their patient
endurance of extreme suffering, borne without murmuring, and with an equanimity and fortitude of mind
under the most appalling distress, rarely, if ever,
equaled, and such as could only be supported by a
superior degree of moral courage and resignation to
the Divine will — displaying virtues like those of no
ordinary caste, and such as will not fail to excite the
sympathy, and challenge the admiration of every rightfeeling reader."
Hakluyt, in his 1" Chronicle of Voyages," justly observes, that we should use much care in preserving the
memories of the worthy acts of our nation.
The different sea voyages and land journeys of the
present century toward the North Pole have redounded
to the honor of our country, as well as reflected credit
on the characters and reputation of the officers engaged
in them; and it is to these I confine my observations.
The progress of discovery in the Arctic regions has
been slow but progressive, and much still within the
limits of practical navigation remains yet unexplored.
As Englishmen, we must naturally wish that discoveries which were first attempted by the adventurous
spirit and maritime skill of our countrymen, should be
finally achieved by the same means.
Wil it not," says the worthy' preacher,' tIakluyt,
"in all posteritie be as great a renown vnto our English natione, to have beene the first discouerers of a




32        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
sea beyond the North Cape, (neuer certainely knowen
before,) and of a conuenient passage into the huge empire of Russia by the Baie of St. Nicholas and of the
Riuer of Duina, as for the Portugales, to have found
a sea beyond the Cape of Buona Esperanza, and so
consequently a passage by sea into the East Indies? 1"
I cordially agree with the Quarterly Review, that
" neither the country nor the naval service will ever
believe they have any cause to regret voyages which,
in the eyes of foreigners and posterity, must confer
lasting honor upon both."
The cost of these voyages has not been great, while
the consequences will be permanent; for it has been
well remarked, by a late writer, that "the record of
enterprising hardihood, physical endurance, and steady
perseverance, displayed in overcoming elements the
most adverse, will long remain among the worthiest
memorials of human enterprise."
" How shall I admire," says Purchas, " your heroic
courage, ye marine worthies, beyond all names of
worthiness! that neyther dread so long eyther the
presence or absence of the sunne; nor those foggy
mysts, tempestuous winds, cold blasts, snowe and
hayle in the ayre; nor the unequall seas, which might
amaze the hearer, and amate the beholder, when the
Tritons and Neptune's selfe would quake with chilling
feare to behold such monstrous icie ilands, renting
themselves with terror of their own massines, and disdayning otherwise both the sea's sovereigntie and the
sunne's hottest violence, mustering themselves in those
watery plaines where they hold a continual civill
warre, and rushing one upon another, make windes
and waves give backe; seeming to rent the eares of
others, while they rent themselves with crashing and
splitting their congealed armors."
So thickly are the Polar seas of the northern hemisphere clustered with lands, that the long winter months
serve to accumulate filed ice to a prodigious extent, so
as to form an almost impenetrable barrier of hyper
borean frost



INTRODUCTION.                33
"A crystal pavement by the breath of Heaven
Cemented firm."
Although there are now no new continents left to
discover, our intrepid British adventurers are but too
eager to achieve the bubble reputation, to hand down
their names to future ages for patient endurance, zeal,
and enterprise, by explorations of the hidden mysteries of"the frigid zone,
Where, for relentless months, continual night
Holds o'er the glittering waste her starry light;"
by undergoing perils, and enduring privations and
dangers which the mind, in its reflective moments,
shudders to contemplate.
It is fair to conjecture that, so intense is the cold,
and so limited the summer, and consequently so short
the time allowed for a transit within the Arctic circle,
from Baffin's Bay to Behring's Straits, that a passage,
even if discovered, will never be of any use as a channel. It is not likely that these expeditions would ever
have been persevered in with so much obstinacy, had
the prospects now opening on the world of more practicable connections with the East been known forty
years ago. Hereafter, when the sacred demands of
humanity have been answered, very little more will
be heard about the northwest passage to Asia; which,
if ever found, must be always hazardous and protracted, when a short and quick one can be accomplished by railroads through America, or canals across
the Isthmus.
A thorough knowledge of the relative boundaries of
land and ocean on this our globe has, in all ages and
by all countries, been considered one of the most important desiderata, and one of the chief features of
popular information.
But to no country is this knowledge of such practical utility and of such essential importance, as to a
maritime nation like Great Britain, whose mercantile
marine visits every port, whose insular position renders her completely dependent upon distant quarters
2




34        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
for half the necessary supplies, whether of food or luxury, which her native population consume, or which
the arts and manufactures, of which she is the emporium, require.
With a vast and yearly increasing dominion, covering almost every region of the habitable globe, - the
chart of our colonies being a chart of the world in outline, for we sweep the globe and touch every shore, -
it becomes necessary that we should keep pace with
the progress of colonization, by enlarging, wherever
possible, our maritime discoveries, completing and verifying our nautical surveys, improving our meteorological researches, opening up new and speedier perodical
pathways over the oceans which were formerly traversed with so much danger, doubt, and difficulty, and
maintaining our superiority as the greatest of maritime
nations, by sustaining that high and distinguished rank
for naval eminence which has ever attached to the
British name.
The arduous achievements, however, of our nautical
discoverers have seldom been appreciated or rewarded
as they deserved. We load our naval and military
heroes — the men who guard our wooden walls and
successfully fight our battles —with titles and pensions; we heap upon these, and deservedly so, princely
remuneration and all manner of distinctions; but for
the heroes whose patient toil and protracted endurance
far surpass the turmoil of war, who peril their lives in
the cause of science, many of whom fall victims to
pestilential climates, famine, and the host of dangers
which environ the voyager and traveler in unexplored
lands and unknown seas, we have only a place in the
niche of fame.
What honors did England, as a maritime nation, confer on Cook, the foremost of her naval heroes, - a man
whose life was sacrificed for his country? His Mwidow
had an annuity of 2001., and his surviving children
251. each per annum. And this is the reward paid to
the most eminent of our naval discoverers, before
whom Cabot, Dralke, Frobisher, Magellan, Anson. and




INTRCODUCTION.               35
the arctic adventurers, -Hudson and Baffin, - although
all eminent for their discoveries and the important
services they rendered to the cause of nautical science, -sink into insignificance! If we glance at the
results of Cook's voyages we find that to him we are
indebted for the innumerable discoveries of islands and
colonies planted in the Pacific; that he determined
the conformation, and surveyed the numerous bays
and inlets, of New Holland; established the geographical position of the northwestern shores of America;
ascertained the trending of the ice and frozen shores to
the north of Behring's Straits; approached nearer the
South Pole, and made more discoveries in the Australian regions, than,ll the navigators who had preceded
him. On the very shores of their vast empire, at the
extremity of Kamtschatka, his active genius first
taught the Russians to examine the devious trendings
of the lands which border the Frozen Ocean, in the
neighborhood of the Arctic circle. lie explored both
the eastern and western coasts above Behring's Straits
to so high a latitude as to decide, beyond doubt, the
question as to the existence of a passage round the two
continents. Ile showed the Russians how to navigate
the dangerous seas between the old and the new
world; for, as Coxe has remarked, "' before his time,
every thing was uncertain and confused, and though
they had undoubtedly reached the continent of America, yet they had not ascertained the line of coast, nor
the separation or vicinity of the two continents of Asia
and America."  Coxe, certainly, does no more than
justice to his illustrious countryman when he adds,
" the solution of this important problem was reserved
for our great navigator, and every Englishman must
exult that the discoveries of Cook were extended further in a single expedition, and at the distance of half
the globe, than the Russians accomplished in a long
series of years, and in a region contiguous to their own
empire."
Look at Weddell, again, a private trader in sealskins, who, in a frail bark of 160 tons, made important




36         PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
discoveries in the Antarctic circle, and a voyage of
greater length and peril, through a thousand miles of
ice, than had previously been performed by any navigator, paving the way for the more expensively fitted
expedition under Sir James Ross. Was Weddell remunerated on a scale commensurate with his important
services a
Half a century ago the celebrated Bruce of Kinnaird,
by a series of soundings and observations taken in the
Red Sea, now the great highway of overland eastern
traffic, rendered its navigation more secure and punctual. How was he rewarded by the then existing ministry?
Take a more recent instance in the indefatigable
energy of Lieutenant Waghorn, R. N., the enterprising
pioneer of the overland route to India. What does not
the commerce, the character, the reputation, of this
country owe to his indefatigable exertions, in bringing
the metropolis into closer connection with our vast and
important Indian empire? And what was the reward
he received for the sacrifices he made of time, money,
health and life? A paltry annuity to himself of 1001.,
and a pension to his widow of 251. per annum!
Is it creditable-to us, as the first naval power of the
world, that we should thus dole out miserable pittances,
or entirely overlook the successful patriotic exertions
and scientific enterprises and discoveries of private
adventurers, or public commanders?
The attractions of a summer voyage along the bays
and seas where the sun shines for four months at a time,
exploring the bare rocks and everlasting ice, with no
companion but the white bear or the Arctic fox, may
be all very romantic at a distance; but the mere thought
of a winter residence there, frozen fast in some solid
ocean, with snow a dozen feet deep, the thermometer
ranging from 40~ to 50~ below zero, and not a glimpse
of the blessed sun from November to February, is
enough to give a chill to all adventurous notions. But
the officers and nmen engaged in the searching expeditions after Sir Jolm Franklin have calmly weighed all




FIRST VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN ROSS.       37
these difficulties, and boldly gone forth to encounter
the perils and dangers of these icy seas for the sake of
their noble fellow-sailor, whose fate has been so long a
painful mystery to the world.
It has been truly observed, that "this is a service
for which all officers, however brave and intelligent
they may be, are not equally qualified; it requires a
peculiar tact, an inquisitive and persevering pursuit
after details of fact, not always interesting, a contempt
of danger, and an enthusiasm not to be damped by
ordinary difficulties."
The records which I shall have to give in these pages
of voyages and travels, unparalleled in their perils,
their duration, and the protracted sufferings which
many of them entailed on the adventurers, will bring
out in bold relief the prominent characters who have
figured in Arctic Discovery, and whose names will
descend to posterity, emblazoned on the scroll of fame,
for their bravery, their patient endurance, their skill,
and, above all, their firm trust and reliance on that
Almighty Being who, although He may have tried
them sorely, has never utterly forsaken them.
CAPT. JOHN Ross's VOYAGE, 1818.
IN 1818, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent
having signified his pleasure that an attempt should
be made to find a passage by sea between the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans, the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty were pleased to fit out four vessels to proceed toward the North Pole, under the command of
Captain John Ross. No former expedition had been
fitted out on so extensive a scale, or so completely
equipped in every respect as this one. The circumstance which mainly led to the sending out of these
vessels, was the open character of the bays and seas
in those regions, it having been observed for the previous three years that very unusual quantities of the:olar ice had floated down into the Atlantic. In the




38         PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
year 1817, Sir John Barrow relates that the eastern
coast of Greenland, which had been shut up with ice
for four centuries, was found to be accessible from the
70th to the 80th degree of latitude, and the intermediate sea between it and Spitzbergen was so entirely
open in the latter parallel, that a Hamburgh ship had
actually sailed along this track.
On the 15th of January, 1818, the four ships were
put in commission-the Isabella, 385 tons, and the
Alexander, 252 tons — under Captain Ross, to proceed
up the middle of Davis' Strait, to a high northern latitude, and then to stretch across to the westward, in
the hope of being able to pass the northern extremity
of America, and reach Behring's Strait by that route.
Those destined for the Polar sea were the Dorothea,
382 tons, and the Trent, 249 toils, which were ordered
to proceed between Greenland and Spitzbergen, and
seek a passage through an open Polar sea, if such
should be found in that direction.
II shall take these voyages in the order of their publication, Ross having given to the world the account
of his voyage shortly after his return in 1819: while
the narrative of the voyage of the Dorothea and Trent
was only published in 1843, by Captain Beechey, who
served as Lieutenant of the Trent, during the voyage.
The following were the officers, &c., of the ships
under Captain Ross: —
Isabella.
Captain - John Ross.
Lieutenant -W. Robertson.
Purser  W. Thorn.
Surgeon - John Edwards.
Assistant Surgeon - C. J. Beverley.
Admiralty Midshipmen - A. M. Skene and James
Clark Ross.
Midshipman and Clerk —J. Bushnan.
Greenland Pilots —B. Lewis, master; T. Wilcox,
mate.
Captain (now Colonel) Sabine, PR. A.




FIRST VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN ROSS.      39
45 petty officers, seamen, and marines.
Whole complement, 57.
Alexander.
Lieutenant and Commander- William  Edward
Parry, (now Captain Sir Edward.)
Lieutenant- IH. H. Hoopner, (a first rate artist.)
Purser -W. H. Hooper.
Greenland Pilots - J. Allison. master; J. Philips,
mate.
Admiralty Midshipmen - P. Bisson and J. Nius.
Assistant Surgeon -A. Fisher.
Clerk — J. Halse.
28 petty officers, seamen, &c.
Whole complement, 37.
On the 2d of May, the four vessels being reported
fit for sea, rendezvoused in Brassa Sound, Shetland,
and the two expeditions parted company on the following day for their respective destinations.
On the 26th, the Isabella fell in with the first iceberg, which appeared to be about forty feet high and
a thousand feet long. It is hardly possible to imagine
any thing more exquisite than the variety of tints which
these icebergs display; by night as well as by day they
glitter with a vividness of color beyond the power of
art to represent. While the white portions have the
brilliancy of silver, their colors are as various and
splendid as those of the rainbow; their ever-changing
disposition producing effects as singular as they are
new and interesting to those who have not seen them
before.
On the 17th of June, they reached Waygatt Sound,
beyond Disco Island, where they found forty-five
whalers detained by the ice. Waygatt Island, from
observations taken on shore, was found to be 50 longitude and 30 miles of latitude from the situation as laid
down in the Admiralty Charts.
They were not able to get away from here till the
20th, when the ice began to break. By cutting passages




40        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY>.
through the ice, and by dint of towing and warping,
a slow progress was made with the ships until the
17th of July, when two ice-floes closing in upon them,
threatened inevitable destruction, and it was only by
the greatest exertions that they hove through into open
water. The labors of warping, towing, and tracking
were subsequently very severe. This tracking, although hard work, afforded great amusement to the
men, giving frequent occasion for the exercise of their
wit, when some of the men occasionally fell in through
holes covered with snow or weak parts of the ice.
Very high mountains of land and ice were seen to
the north side of the bay, which he named Melville's
Bay, forming an impassable barrier, the precipices
next the sea being from 1000 to 2000 feet high.
On the 29th of June, the Esquimaux, John Sacheuse,
who had accompanied the expedition from England as
interpreter, was sent on shore to communicate with
the natives. About a dozen came off to visit the ship,
and, after being treated with coffee and biscuit in the
cabin, and having their portraits taken, they set to
dancing Scotch reels on the deck of the Isabella with
the sailors.
Captain Ross gives a pleasant description of this
scene -" Sacheuse's mirth and joy exceeded all
bounds; and with a good-humored officiousness, justified by the important distinction which his superior
knowledge now gave him, he performed the office of
master of the ceremonies. An Esquimaux M. C. to a
ball on the deck of one of H. M. ships in the icy seas
of Greenland, was an office somewhat new, but Nash
himself could not have performed his functions in a
manner more appropriate. It did not belong even to
Nash to combine in his own person, like Jack, the discordant qualifications of seaman, interpreter, draughtsman, and master of ceremonies to a ball, with those
of an active fisher of seals and a hunter of white bears.
A daughter of the Danish resident (by in Esquimaux
woman,) about eighteen years of age, and by far the
best looking of the half-caste group, was the object of




FIRST VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN ROSS.      41
Jack's particular attentions; which being observed by
one of our officers, he gave him a lady's shawl, ornamented with spangles, as an offering for her acceptance.
He presented it in a most respectful, and not ungraceful maniner to the damsel, who bashfully took a pewter ring from her finger and gave it to him in return,
rewarding him, at the same time, with an eloquent
smile, which could leave no doubt on our Esquimaux's
mind that he had made an impression on her heart."*
On the 5th of August the little auks (Mergulfus alle,)
were exceedingly abundant, and many were shot for
food, as was also a large gull, two feet five inches in
length, which, when killed, disgorged one of these
little birds entire.
A fortnight later, on two boats being sent from the
Isabella to procure as many of these birds as possible,
for the purpose of preserving them in ice, they returned at midnight with a boat-load of about 1500,
having on an average, killed fifteen at each shot. The
boats of the Alexander were nearly as successful.
These birds were afterward served daily to each man,
and, among other ways of dressing them, they were
found to make excellent soup - not inferior to hare
soup. Not less than two hundred auks were shot on
the 6th of August, and served out to the ships' companies, among whose victuals they proved an agreeable
variety, not having the fishy flavor that might be expected from their food, which consists of crustacea,
small fishes, mollusca, or marine vegetables.
On the 7th of August the ships were placed in a
most critical situation by a gale of wind. The Isabella
was lifted by the pressure of ice floes on each side of
her, and it was doubted whether the vessel could long
withstand the grips and concussions she sustained;
" every support threatened to give way, the beams in
the hold began to bend, and the iron water-tanks
settled together. The two vessels were thrown with
violent concussion against each other, the ice-anchors
*  Vol. I, p. 67, 68.




42        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
and cables broke one after the other, a boat at the
stern was smashed in the collision, and the masts
were hourly expected to go by the board; but at this
juncture, when certain destruction was momentarily
looked for, by the merciful interposition of Providence
the fields of ice suddenly opened and formed a clear
passage for the ships."
A singular physical feature was noticed on the part
of the coast near Cape Dudley Digges: -" We have
discovered, (says Ross,) that the snow on the face of
the cliffs presents an appearance both novel and interesting, being apparently stained or covered by some
substance which gave it a deep crimson color. This
snow was penetrated in many places to a depth of ten
or twelve feet by the coloring matter." There is nothing new, however, according to Barrow, in the discovery of red snow. Pliny, and other writers of his time
mention it. Saussure found it in various parts of the
Alps; Martin found it in Spitzbergen, and no doubt
it is to be met with in most alpine regions.
In the course of this tedious, and often laborious
progress through the ice, it became necessary to keep
the whole of the crew at the most fatiguing work, sometimes for several days and nights without intermission.
When this was the case, an extra meal was served to
them at midnight, generally of preserved meat; and
it was found that this nourishment, when the mind
and body were both occupied, and the sun continually
present, rendered them capable of remaining without
sleep, so that they often passed three days in this manner without any visible inconvenience, returning after
a meal to their labor on the ice or in the boats quite
refreshed, and continuing at it without a murmur.
After making hasty and very cursory examinations
of Smith's and Jones' Sounds, Ross arrived, on the
30th of August, off the extensive inlet, named by Baffin, Lancaster Sound. The entrance was perfectly
clear, and the soundings ranged from 650 to 1000 fathoms. I shall now quote Ross's own observations on
this subject, because fiom his unfortunate report of a




FIRST VOYAGE OF CAPTAIN ROSS.       43
range called the Croker mountains, stretching across
this Strait, has resulted much of the ridicule and discredit which has attached to his accounts, and clouded
his early reputation -" On the 31st (he says) we discovered, for the first time, that the land extended from
the south two-thirds across this apparent Strait; but
the fog which continually occupied that quarter, obscured its real figure. During the day much interest
was excited on board by the appearance of this Strait.
The general opinion, however, was, that it was only an
inlet. The land was partially seen extending across;
the yellow sky was perceptible. At a little before four
o'clock A. M., the land was seen at the bottom of the
inlet by the officers of the watch, but before I got on
deck a space of about seven degrees of the compass
was obscured by the fog. The land which I then saw
was a high ridge of mountains extending directly across
the bottom of the inlet. This chain appeared extremely
high in the center. "Although a passage in this direction appeared hopeless, I was determined to explore it
completely. I therefore continued all sail. Mr. Beverly, the surgeon, who was the most sanguine, went up
to the crow's nest, and at twelve reported to me that
before it became thick he had seen the land across the
bay, except for a very short space.
"At three, I went on deck; it completely cleared for
ten minutes, when I distinctly saw the land round the
bottom of the bay, forming a chain of mountains connected with those which extended along the north and
south side. This land appeared to be at the distance
of eight leagues, and Mr. Lewis, the master, and James
Haig, leading man, being sent for, they took its bearings, which were inserted in the log. At this moment
I also saw a continuity of ice at the distance of seven
miles, extending from one side of the bay to the other,
between the nearest cape to the north, which I named
after Sir George Warrender, and that to the south,
which was named after Viscount Castlereagh. The
mountains, which occupied the center, in a north and




44         PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
south direction, were named Croker's Mountains, after
the Secretary to the Admiralty."*
They next proceeded to Possession Bay, at the entrance of the Strait, where a great many animals were
observed. Deer, fox, ermine, bears, and hares, were
either seen, or proved to be in abundance by their
tracks, and the skeleton of a whale was found stranded
about 500 yards beyond high-water-mark. Finding, as
Ross supposed, no outlet through Lancaster Strait, the
vessels continued their progress to the southward, exploring the western coast of Baffin's Bay to Pond's
Bay, and Booth's Inlet, discovering the trending of the
land, which he named North Galloway, and North
Ayr to Cape Adair, and Scott's Bay.
On September the 10th, they landed on an island
near Cape Eglington, which was named Agnes' MonuIment. A flag-staff and a bottle, with an account of
their proceedings was set up. The remains of a temporary habitation of some of the Esquimaux were here
observed, with a fire-place, part of a human skull, a
broken stone vessel, some bones of a seal, burnt wood,
part of a sledge, and tracks of dogs, &c.
While the boat was absent, two large bears swam off
to the ships, which were at the distance of six miles
from the land. They reached the Alexander, and were
immediately attacked by the boats of that ship, and
killed. One, which was shot through the head, unfortunately sank; the other, on being wounded, attacked
the boats, and showed considerable play, but was at
length secured and towed to the Isabella by the boats
of both ships. The animal weighed 11311 lbs., besides
the blood it had lost, which was estimated at 30 lbs.
more.
On the following day, Lieut. Parry was sent on shore
to examine an iceberg, which was found to be 4169
yards long, 3869 yards broad, and 51 feet high, being
aground in 61 fathoms. When they had ascended to
the top, which was perfectly flat, they found a huge
* Vol. I, p. 241-46, 8vo. ed.




VOYAGE OF BUCHIAN AND FRANKLIN.      45
white bear in quiet possession of the mass, who, much
to their mortification and astonishment, plunged without hesitation into the sea from the edge of the precipice, which was fifty feet high.
From careful observation it was found that there was
no such land in the center of Davis' Strait as James'
Island, which was laid down in most of the charts.
Nothing deserving of notice occurred in the subsequent
course of the vessels past Cape Walsingham to Cumberland Strait.
The 1st of October having arrived, the limit to which
his instructions permitted him to remain out, Ross
shaped his course homeward, and after encountering a
severe gale off Cape Farewell, arrived in Grimsby
Roads on the 14th of November. As respects the purpose of Arctic discovery, this voyage may be considered
almost a blank, none of the important inlets. and sounds
of iBaffin's Bay having been explored, and all that was
done was to define more clearly the land-bounds of
Davis' Strait and Baffin's Bay, if we except the valuable magnetic and other observations made by Captain
Sabine. The commander of the expedition was promoted to the rank of captain on paying off the ships in
December, 1818.
The account of his voyage, published by Capt. Ross,
is of the most meager and uninteresting description,
and more than half filled with dry details of the outfit,
copies of his instructions, of his routine letters and
orders to his officers, &c.
BucIrAN AND FRANKLIN.
Dorotheca and lTrent to Pole, 1818.
IN conjunction with the expedition of Captain John
Ross, was that sent out to the coast of Spitzbergen, and
of which Captain Beechy has published a most interesting account, embellished with some very elegant
illustrations from his pencil. The charge of it was
given to Captain D. Buchan, who had, a few years previously, conducted a very interesting expedition into




46        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
the interior of Newfoundland. The first and most iiportant object of this expedition was the discovery of
a passage over or as near the Pole, as might be possible,
and through Behring's Straits into the Pacific. But it
was also hoped that it might at the same time be the
means of improving the geography and hydrography
of the Arctic regions, of which so little was at that time
known, and contribute to the advancement of science
and natural knowledge. The objects to which attention
was specially pointed in the Admiralty instructions,
were the variation and inclination of the magnetic needle, the intensity of the magnetic force, and how far it
is affected by atmospherical electricity; the temperature of the air, the dip of the horizon, refraction, height
of the tides, set and velocity of the currents, depths
and soundings of the sea. Collections of specimens to
illustrate the animal, mineral and vegetable kingdoms,
were also directed to be made.
The officers and crew appointed to these vessels were:
LDorothea, 382 tons.
C/aptain - David Buchan.
Lieutenant- A. Morell.
Surgeon - John Duke.
Assistant Surgeon - W. G. Borland.
Purser - John Jermain.
Astronomer- George Fisher.
Admiralty Mates - C. Palmer and W. J. Dealy.
Greenland Pilots -P. Bruce, master; G. Crawfurd,
mate.
45 petty officers, seamen, &c.
Total complement, 55.
ZTrent, 249 tons.
Lieutenant and Commander -John Franklin.
Lieutenant -Fred. W. Beechy, (artist.)
Purser - W. Barrett.
Assistant Surgeon - A. Gilfillan.
Admiralty Mates -A. Reid and George Back.
Greenland Pilots - G. Fife, master; G. Kirby, nlece.
30 petty officers and seamen.
Total complemeint, 38.




VOYAGE OF BUCHAN AND FR:ANKLIN.       47
Having been properly fitted for the service, and taken on board two years' provisions, the ships sailed on
the 25th of April.'The Trent had hardly got clear of
the river before she sprang a leak, and was detained in
the port of Lerwick nearly a fortnight undergoing
repairs.
On the 18th of May, the ships encountered a severe
gale, and under even storm stay-sails were buried gunwale deep in the waves. On the 24th they sighted
Cherie Island, situated in lat. 740 33' N., and long. 17~
40' E., formerly so noted for its fishery, being much
frequented by walrusses, and for many years the Muscovy Company carried on a lucrative trade by sending
ships to the island for oil, as many as a thousand animals being often captured by the crew of a single ship
in the course of six or seven hours.
The progress of the discovery ships through the small
floes and huge masses of ice which floated in succession past, was slow, and these, from their novelty, were
regarded with peculiar attention from the grotesque
shapes they assume. The progress of a vessel through
such a labyrinth of frozen masses is one of the most interesting sights that offer in the Arctic seas, and kept
the officers and crew out of their beds till a late hour
watching the scene. Capt. Beechey, the graphic narrator of the voyage, thus describes the general impression created: —" There was besides, on this occasion,
an additional motive for remaining up; very few of
us had ever seen the sun at midnight, and this night
happening to be particularly clear, his broad red disc,
curiously distorted by refraction, and sweeping majestically along the northern horizon, was an object of imposing grandeur, which riveted to the deck some of our
crew, who would perhaps have beheld with indifference
the less imposing effect of the icebergs; or it might have
been a combination of both these phenomena; for it
cannot be denied that the novelty, occasioned by the
floating masses, was materially heightened by the singular effect produced by the very low altitude at which
the sun cast his fiery beams over the icy surface of the




48         PROGRESS OF ARCTIC' DISCOVERY.
sea. The rays were too oblique to illuminate more than
the inequalities of the floes, and falling thus partially
on the grotesque shapes, either really assumed by the
ice or distorted by the unequal refraction of the atmosphere, so betrayed the imagination that it required no
great exertion of fancy to trace in various directions architectural edifices, grottos and caves here and there
glittering as if with precious metals. So generally, indeed, was the deception admitted, that, in directing
the route of the vessel from aloft, we for awhile deviated
from our nautical phraseology, and shaped our course
for a church, a tower, a bridge, or some similar structure,
instead of for lumps of ice, which were usually designated by less elegant appellations."
The increasing difficulties of this ice navigation soon,
however, directed their attention from romance to the
reality of their position, the perils of which soon became alarmingly apparent.
" The streams of ice, between which we at first pursued our serpentine course with comparative ease, gradually became more narrow, and at length so impeded
the navigation, that it became necessary to run the ships
against some of these imaginary edifices, in order to turn
them aside. Even this did not always succeed, as some
were so substantial and immoveable, that the vessels
glanced off to the opposite bank of the channel, and
then became for a time embedded in the ice. Thus circumstanced, a vessel has no other resource than that of
patiently awaiting the change of position in the ice, of
which she must take every advantage, or she will settle
bodily to leeward, and become completely entangled."
On the 26th the ships sighted the southern promontory of Spitzbergen, and on the 28th, while plying to
windward on the western side, were overtaken by a
violent gale at southwest, in which they parted company. The weather was very severe. "The snow fell
in heavy showers, and several tons weight of ice accumulated about the sides of the brig, (the Trent,) and formn
ed a complete casing to the planks, which received. an
additional layer at each plunge of the vessel. So great




VOYAGE OF BUCHAN AND FRANKLIN.       49
indeed, was the accumulation about the bows, that we
were obliged to cut it away repeatedly with axes to relieve the bow-sprit from the enormous weight that was
attached to it; and the ropes were so thickly covered
with ice, that it was necessary to beat them with large
sticks to keep them in a state of readiness for any evolution that might be rendered necessary, either by the
appearance of ice to leeward, or by a change of wind."
On the gale abating, Lieutenant Franklin found himself surrounded by the main body of ice in lat. 80~ N.,
and had much difficulty in extricating the vessel.Had this formidable body been encountered in thick
weather, while scudding before a gale of wind, there
would have been very little chance of saving either the
vessels or the crews. The Trent fortunately fell in with
her consort, the Dorothea, previous to entering the appointed rendezvous at Magdalena Bay, on the 3d of
June. This commodious inlet being the first port they
had anchored at in the polar regions, possessed many
objects to engage attention. What particularly struck
them was the brilliancy of the atmosphere, the peaceful novelty of the scene, and the grandeur of the various objects with which nature has stored these unfrequented regions. The anchorage is formed by rugged
mountains, which rise precipitously to the height of
about 3000 feet. Deep valleys and glens occur between
the ranges, the greater part of which are either filled
with immense beds of snow, or with glaciers, sloping
from the summits of the mountainous margin to the
very edge of the sea.
The bay is rendered conspicuous by four huge glaciers, of which the most remarkable, though the smallest in size, is situated 200 feet above the sea, on the
slope of a mountain. From its peculiar appearance
this glacier has been termed the Hanging Iceberg.
Its position is such that it seems as if a very small
matter would detach it from the mountain, and precipitate it into the sea. And, indeed, large portions of its
front do occasionally break away and fall with headlong impetuosity upon the beach, to the great hazard




50         PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
of any boat that may chance to be near. The largest
of these glaciers occupies the head of the bay, and,
according to Captain Beechey's account, extends from
two to three miles inland. Numerous large rents in its
upper surface have caused it to bear a resemblance to
the ruts left by a wagon; hence it was named by the
voyagers the " Wagon Way."  The frontage of this glacier presents a perpendicular surface of 300 feet in
height, by 7000 feet in length.  Mountain masses"Whose blocks of sapphire seem to mortal eye
Hewn from cerulean quarries in the sky,
With glacier battlements that crowd the spheres,
The slow creation of six thousand years,
Amidst immensity they tower sublime,
Winter's eternal palace, built by Time."
At the head of the bay there is a high pyramidal
mountain of granite, termed Rotge Hill, from the myriads of small birds of that name which frequent its
base, and appear to prefer its environs to every other
part of the harbor.  "They are so numerous that we
have frequently seen an uninterrupted line of them extending full half way over the bay, or to a distance of
more than three miles, and so close together that thirty
have fallen at one shot. This living column, on an average, might have been about six yards broad, and as
many deep; so that, allowing sixteen birds to a cubic
yard, there must have been nearly four millions of birds
on the wing at one time. The number I have given certainly seems large; yet when it is told that the little
rotges rise in such numbers as completely to darken
the air, and that their chorus is distinctly audible at a
distance of four miles, the estimate will not be thought
to bear any reduction."
One of their earliest excursions in this bay was an
attempt to ascend the peak of Rotge Hill," upon which,"
says Captain Beechey, "may now, perhaps, be seen at
the height of about 2000 feet, a staff that once carried
a red flag, which was planted there to mark the greatest height we were able to attain, partly in consequence
of the steepness of the ascent, but mainly on account
of the detached masses of rock which a very slight




VOYAGE OF BUCHAN AND FRANKLIN.       51
matter would displace and hurl down the precipitous
declivity, to the utter destruction of him who depended
upon their support, or who might happen to be in
their path below. The latter part of our ascent was,
indeed, much against our inclination; but we found it
impossible to descend by the way we had come up, and
were compelled to gain a ledge, which promised the
only secure resting-place we could find at that height.
This we were able to effect by sticking the tomahawks
with which we were provided, into crevices in the rock,
as a support for our feet; and some of these instruments we were obliged to leave where they were driven,
in consequence of the danger that attended their
recovery." During the vessel's detention in this harbor, the bay and anchorage were completely surveyed.
When the first party rowed into this bay, it was in
quiet possession of herds of walruses, who were so unaccustomed to the sight of a boat that they assembled
about her, apparently highly incensed at the intrusion,
and swam toward her as though they would have torn
the planks asunder with their tusks. Their hides were
so tough that nothing but a bayonet would pierce them.
The wounds that were inflicted only served to increase
their rage, and it was with much difficulty they were
kept off with fire-arms. Subsequently the boats went
better prepared and more strongly supported, and
many of these monsters were killed; some were fourteen feet in length, and nine feet girth, and of such
prodigious weight, that the boat's crew could scarcely
turn them.
The ships had not been many days at their anchorage when they were truly astonished at the sight of a
strange boat pulling toward the ships, which was found
to belong to some Russian adventurers, who were engaged in the collection of peltry and morse' teeth. This
is the last remaining establishment at Spitzbergen still
upheld by the merchants of Archangel.
Although equally surprised at the sight of the vessels, the boat's crew took courage, and after a careful
scrutiny, went on board the Dorothea; Captain IBuchan




52        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
gave them a kind reception, and supplied them with
whatever they wanted; in return for which they sent
on board, the following day, a side of venison in excellent condition. Wishing to gain some further information of these people, an officer accompanied them to
their dwelling at the head of a small cove, about four
miles distant from the bay, where he found a comfortable wooden hut, well lined with moss, and stored with
venison, wild ducks, &c.
It is related by Captain Beechey that it was with extreme pleasure they noticed in this retired spot, probably the most northern and most desolate' habitation of
our globe, a spirit of gratitude and devotion to the Almighty rarely exercised in civilized countries. "On
landing from the boat and approaching their residence,
these people knelt upon its threshold, and offered up a
prayer with fervor and evident sincerity. The exact
nature of the prayer we did not learn, but it was no
doubt one of thanksgiving, and we concluded it was a
custom which these recluses were in the habit of observing on their safe return to their habitation. It may, at
all events, be regarded as an instance of the beneficial
effects which seclusion fiom the busy world, and a contemplation of the works of nature, almost invariably
produce upon the hearts of even the most uneducated
part of mankind."
On the 7th of June the expedition left the anchorage
to renew the examination of the ice, and after steering
a few leagues to the northward, found it precisely in
the same state as it had been left on the 2d. In spite
of all their endeavors, by towing and otherwise, the
vessels were driven in a calm by the heavy swell into
the packed ice, and the increasing peril of their situation may be imagined from the following graphic description:"The pieces at the edge of the pack were at one time
wholly immersed in the sea, and at the next raised far
above their natural line of flotation, while those further
in, being more extensive, were alternately depressed or




VOYAGE OF BEUCHAN A   FRANKLN.        53
elevated at either extremity as the advancing wave
forced its way along.
"The see-saw motion which was thus produced was
alarming, not merely in appearance, but in fact, and
must have proved fatal to any vessel that had encountered it; as floes of ice, several yards in thickness, were
continually crashing and breaking in pieces, and the
sea for miles was covered with fragments ground so
small that they actually formed a thick, pasty substance- in nautical language termed,'brash ice'which extended to the depth of five feet. Amidst this
giddy element, our whole attention was occupied in endeavoring to place the bow of the vessel, the strongest
part of her frame, in the direction of the most formidable pieces of ice - a maneuver which, though likely to
be attended with the loss of the bowsprit, was yet preferable to encountering the still greater risk of having the
broadside of the vessel in contact with it; for this would
have subjected her to the chance of dipping her gunwale under the floes as she rolled, an accident which,
had it occurred, would either have laid open her side,
or have overset the vessel at once. In either case, the
event would probably have proved fatal to all on board,
as it would have been next to impossible to rescue any
person from the confused moving mass of brash ice
which covered the sea in every direction."
The attention of the seamen was in some degree diverted from the contemplation of this scene of difficulty by the necessity of employing all hands at the
pump, the leak having gained upon them. But, fortunately, toward morning, they got quite clear of the
ice.
Steering to the westward to reconnoiter, they fell in,
in longitude 40 30' E., with several whale ships, and
were informed by them that the ice was quite compact
to the westward, and that fifteen vessels were beset in
it. Proceeding to the northward, the ships passed, on
the 11th of June, Cloven Cliff, a remarkable isolated
rock, which marks the northwestern boundary of Spitzbergen, and steered along an intricate channel between




*54       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
the land and ice; but, next morning, their further advance was stopped, and the channel by which the vessels had entered became so completely closed up as to
preclude the possibility also of retreating. Lieutenant
Beechey proceeds to state -
"The ice soon began to press heavily upon us, and,
to add to our difficulties, we found the water so shallow
that the rocks were plainly discovered under the bottoms of the ships. It was impossible, however, by any
exertion on our part, to improve the situations of the
vessels. They were as firmly fixed in the ice as if they
had formed part of the pack, and we could only hope
that the current would not drift them into still shallower
water, and damage them against the ground."
The ships were here hemmed in in almost the same
position where Baffin, Hudson, Poole, Captain Phipps,
and all the early voyagers to this quarter had been
stopped.
As the tide turned, the pieces of ice immediately
around the ships began to separate, and some of them
to twist round with a loud grindinding noise, urging the
vessels, which were less than a mile from the land, still
nearer and nearer to the beach.
By great exertions the ships were hauled into small
bays in the floe, and secured there by ropes fixed to the
ice by means of large iron hooks, called ice anchors.
Shifting the ships friom one part of this floe to the other,
they remained attached to the ice thirteen days. As
this change of position could only be effected by main
force, the crew were so constantly engaged in this harassing duty, that their time was divided almost entirely
between the windlass and the pump, until the men at
length became so fatigued that the sick-list was seriously
augmented. During this period, however, the situation
of the leak was fortunately discovered, and the damage
repaired.
An officer and a party of men who left the Dorothea
to pay a visit to the shore, about three or four miles
distant, lost themselves in the fog and snow, and wandered about for sixteen hours, until, quite overcome




VOYAGE OF BUCHAN AND FRANKLIN.        55
with wet, cold and fatigue, they sat down in a state of
despondency, upon a piece of ice, determined to submit
their fate to Providence. Their troubles are thus told:
"To travel over ragged pieces of ice, upon which
there were two feet of snow, and often more, springing
from one slippery piece to the other, or, when the channels between them were too wide for this purpose, ferrying themselves upon detached fragments, was a work
which it required no ordinary exertion to execute.
"Some fell into the water, and were with difficulty
preserved from drowning by their companions; while
others, afraid to make any hazardous attempt whatever,
were left upon pieces of ice, and drifted about at the
mercy of the winds and tides. Foreseeing the probability of a separation, they took the first opportunity
of dividing, in equal shares, the small quantity of provision which they had remaining, as also their stock of
powder and ammunition. They also took it in turns to
fire muskets, in the hope of being heard from the ships."
The reports of the fire-arms were heard by their shipmates, and Messrs. Fife and Kirby, the Greenland icemasters, ventured out with poles and lines to their
assistance, and had the good fortune to fall in with the
party, and bring them safely on board, after eighteen
hours' absence. They determined in future to rest satisfied with the view of the shore which was afforded
them from the ship, having not the slightest desire to
attempt to approach it again by means of the ice.
The pressure of the ice against the vessels now became very great.
"At one time, when the Trent appeared to be so closely
wedged up that it did not seem possible for her to be
moved, she was suddenly lifted four feet by an enormous mass of ice getting under her keel; at another,
the fragments of the crumbling floe were piled up
under the bows, to the great danger of the bowsprit.
"The Dorothea was in no less imminent danger, especially from the point of a floe, which came in contact
with her side, where it remained a short time, and then
glanced off, and became checked by the field to which




56        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
she was moored. The enormous pressure to which the
ship had been subjected was now apparent by the field
being rent, and its point broken into fragments, which
were speedily heaped up in a pyramid, thirty-five feet
in height, upon the very summit of which there appeared a huge mass, bearing the impression of the
planks and bolts of the vessel's bottom."
Availing themselves of a break in the ice, the ships
were moved to an anchorage between the islands contiguous to the Cloven Cliff; and on the 28th of June,
anchored in fifteen fathoms water, near Vogel Sang.
On the islands they found plenty of game, and eiderducks.
The island of Vogel Sang alone supplied the crews
with forty reindeer, which were in such high condition
that the fat upon the loins of some measured from four
to six inches, and a carcass, ready for being dressed,
weighed 285 pounds. Later in the season, the deer
were, however, so lean that it was rare to meet with any
fat upon them at all.
On the 6th of July, finding the ice had been driven
to the northward, the ships again put to sea, and Capt.
Buchan determined to prove, by a desperate effort,
what advance it was possible to make by dragging the
vessels through the ice whenever the smallest opening
occurred. This laborious experiment was performed
by fixing large ropes to iron hooks driven into the ice,
and by heaving upon them with the windlass, a party
removing obstructions in the channel with saws. But
in spite of all their exertions, the most northerly position attained was 800 37' N. Although fastened to the
ice, the ships were now drifted bodily to the southward
by the prevailing current. They were also much injured by the pressure of hummocks and fields of ice.
On the 10th of July, Captain Beechey tells us, the
Trent sustained a squeeze which made her rise four
feet, and heel over five streaks; and on the 15th and
16th, both vessels suffered considerable damage. "On
that occasion," he says, "we observed a field fifteen
feet in thickness break up, and the pieces pile upon




VOYAGE OF BUCHAN AND FRANKLIN.       57
each other to a great height, until they upset, when they
rolled over with a tremendous crash. The ice near the
ships was piled up above their bulwarks. Fortunately,
the vessels rose to the pressure, or they must have had
their sides forced in. The Trent received her greatest
damage upon the quarters, and was so twisted that the
doors of all the cabins flew open, and the panels of
some started in the frames, while her false stern-post
was moved three inches, and her timbers cracked to a
most serious extent. The Dorothea suffered still more:
some of her beams were sprung, and two planks on the
lower deck were split fore and aft, and doubled up, and
she otherwise sustained serious injury in her hull. It
was in vain that we attempted any relief; our puny
efforts were not even felt, though continued for eight
hours with unabated zeal; and it was not until the tide
changed that the smallest effect was produced. When,
however, that occurred, the vessels righted and settled
in the water to their proper draught."
From the 12th to the 19th, they were closely beset
with ice. For nine successive days following this the
crews were occupied, night and day, in endeavoring to
extricate the ships, and regain the open sea. Thinking
he had given the ice a fair trial here, the commander
determined upon examining its condition toward the
eastern coast of Greenland, and in the event of finding
it equally impenetrable there, to proceed round the
south cape of Spitzbergen, and make an attempt between that island and Nova Zembla.
On the 30th of July, a sudden gale came on, and
brought down the main body of the ice upon them, so
that the ships were in such imminent danger that their
only means of safety was to take refuge among it - a
practice which has been resorted to by whalers in extreme cases - as their only chance of escaping destruction.
The following is a description of the preparation
made to withstand the terrible encounter, and the hairbreadth escape from the dangers: —
" In order to avert the offaaeta of this as much as posR




5 8        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
sible, a cable was cut up into thirty-feet lengths, ana
these, with plates of iron four feet square, which had
been supplied to us as fenders, together with some
walrus' hides, were hung round the vessels, especially
about the bows. The masts, at the same time, were secured with additional ropes, and the hatches were battened and nailed down. By the time these precautions
had been taken, our approach to tle breakers only left
us the alternative of either permitting the ships to be
drifted broadside against the ice, and so to take their
chance, or of endeavoring to force fairly into it by putting before the wind. At length, the hopeless state of
a vessel placed broadside against so formidable a body
became apparent to all, and we resolved to attempt
the latter expedient."
Eagerly, but in vain, was the general line of the pack
scanned, to find one place more open than the other.
All parts appeared to be equally impenetrable, and to
present one unbroken line of furious breakers, in which
immense pieces of ice were heaving and subsiding with
the waves, and dashing together with a violence which
nothing apparently but a solid body could withstand,
occasioning such a noise that it was with the greatest
difficulty the officers could make their orders heard by
the crew.
The fearful aspect of this appalling scene is thus
sketched by Captain Beechey:"No language, I am convinced, can convey an adequate idea of the terrific grandeur of the effect now produced by the collision of the ice and the tempestuous
ocean. The sea, violently agitated and rolling its mountainous waves against an opposing body, is at all times
a sublime and awful sight; but when, in addition, it
encounters immense masses, which it has set in motion
with a violence equal to its own, its effect is prodigiously increased. At one moment it bursts upon these
icy fragments and buries them many feet beneath its
wave, and the next, as the buoyancy of the depressed
body struggles for reascendancy, the water rushes in
foaming cataracts over its edges; while every indi



VOYAGE OF BUCHAN AND FRANKLIN.        59
vidual mass, rocking and laboring in its bed, grinds
against and contends with its opponent, until one is
either split with the shock or upheaved upon the surface of the other. Nor is this collision confined to any
particular spot; it is going on as far as the sight can
reach; and when from this convulsive scene below, the
eye is turned to the extraordinary appearance of the
blink in the sky above, where the unnatural clearness of a calm and silvery atmosphere presents itself,
bounded by a dark, hard line of stormy clouds, such as
at this moment lowered over our masts, as if to mark
the confines within which the efforts of man would be
of no avail. The reader may imagine the sensation of
awe which must accompany that of grandeur in the
mind of the beholder."
"If ever," continues the narrator, "the fortitude of
seamen was fairly tried, it was assuredly not less so on
this occasion; and I will not conceal the pride I felt in
witnessing the bold and decisive tone in which the
orders were issued by the commander (the present
Captain Sir John Franklin) of our little vessel, and the
promptitude and steadiness with which they were executed by the crew."
As the laboring vessel flew before the gale, she soon
neared the scene of danger.
"Each person instinctively secured his own hold,
and with his eyes fixed upon the masts, awaited in
breathless anxiety the moment of concussion.
"It soon arrived,-the brig, (Trent) cutting her way
through the light ice, came in violent contact with the
main body. In an instant we all lost our footing; the
masts bent with the impetus, and the cracking timbers
from below bespoke a pressure which was calculated to
awaken our serious apprehensions. The vessel staggered under the shock, and for a moment seemed to
recoil; but the next wave, curling up under her counter, drove her about her own length within the margin
of the ice, where she gave one roll, and was immediately thrown broadside to the wind by the succeeding
wave, which beat furiously against her stern, and




60        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVEiRY.
brought her lee-side in contact with the main body,
leaving her weather-side exposed at the same time to
a piece of ice about twice her own dimensions. This
unfortunate occurrence prevented the vessel penetrating sufficiently far into the ice to escape the effect of
the gale, and placed her in a situation where she was
assailed on all sides by battering-rams, if I may use
the expression, every one of which contested the small
space which she occupied, and dealt such unrelenting
blows, that there appeared to be scarcely any possibility of saving her frolm foundering.  Literally tossed
from piece to piece, we had nothing left but patiently
to abide the issue; for we could scarcely keep our feet,
much less render any assistance to the vessel. The motion, indeed, was so great, that the ship's bell, which, in
the heaviest gale of wind, had never struck of itself,
now tolled so continually, that it was ordered to bo
muffled, for the purpose of escaping the unpleasant as
sociation it was calculated to produce.
"In anticipation of the worst, we determined to at
tempt placing the launch upon the ice under the lee,
and hurried into her such provisions and stores as could
at the moment be got at. Serious doubts were reasonably entertained of the boat being able to live among
the confused mass by which we were encompassed; yet
as this appeared to be our only refuge, we clung to it
with all the eagerness of a last resource."
From the injury the vessel repeatedly received, it
became very evident that if subjected to this concussion for any time, she could not hold together long; the
only chance of escape, therefore, appeared to depend
upon getting before the wind, and penetrating further
into the ice.
To effect this with any probability of success, it became necessary to set more head-sail, though at the
risk of the masts, already tottering with the pressure
of that which was spread. By the expertness of the
seamen, more sail was spread, and under this additional
pressure of canvass, the ship came into the desired
position, and with the aid of an enormous mass under




VOYAGE OF BUCHAN AND FRANKLIN.       61
the stern, she split a small field of ice, fourteen feet in
thickness, which had hitherto impeded her progress,
and effected a passage for herself between the pieces.
In this improved position, by carefully placing the
protecting fenders between the ice and the ship's sides,
the strokes were much diminished, and she managed
to weather out the gale, but lost sight of her consort in
the clouds of spray which were tossed about, and the
huge intervening masses of ice among which they were
embayed. On the gale moderating, the ships were fortunately got once more into an open sea, although both
disabled, and one at least, the Dorothea, which had
sustained the heavy shocks, in a foundering condition.
For the main object of the expedition they were now
useless, and, both being in a leaky state, they bore up
for Fair Haven, in Spitzbergen. In approaching the
anchorage in South Gat, the Trent bounded over a
sunken rock, and struck hard, but this, after their recent danger, was thought comparatively light of:
On examining the hulls of the vessels, it was found
they had sustained frightful injuries. The intermediate
lining of felt between the timbers and planks seems to
have aided greatly in enabling the vessels to sustain
the repeated powerful shocks they had encountered.
Upon consulting with his officers, Captain 3uchan came
to the opinion that the most prudent course, was to
patch up the vessels for their return voyage. Lieutenant Franklin preferred an urgent request that he might
be allowed to proceed in his own vessel upon the interesting service still unexecuted; but this could not be
complied with, in consequence of the hazard to the
crew of proceeding home singly in a vessel so shattered and unsafe as the Dorothea. After refitting, they
put to sea at the end of August, and reached England
by the middle of October.
FRANKLIN'S FIRST LAND EXPEDITION, 1819-21.
IN 1819, on the recommendation of the Lords of the
AdmirLalty, Capt. Franklin was appointed to command




62        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
an overland expedition from Hudson's Bay to the northern shores of America, for the purpose of determining
the latitudes and longitudes, and exploring the coast of
the continent eastward from the Coppermine River. Dr.
John Richardson, R. N., and two Adlmiralty Midshipmen, Mr. George Back, (who had been out on the polar
expedition, in the previous year, in H. Ml. S. Trent,) and
MIr. Robert Hood, were placed under his orders. Previous to his departure from London, Capt. Franklin obtained all the information and advice possible from Sir
Alex. Mackenzie, one of the only two persons who had
yet explored those shores. On the 23d of May, the party
embarked at Gravesend, in the Prince of Wales, belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, which immediately
got under weigh in company with her consorts, the Eddystone and Wear. Mr. Back, who was left on shore by
accident in Yarmouth, succeeded in catching the ship at
Stromness. On the 4th of August, in lat. 590 58' N.,
and long. 590 53' W., they first fell in with large icebergs.
On the following day, the height of one was ascertained
to be 149 feet. After a stormy and perilous voyage they
reached the anchorage at York Flats on the 30th of
August.
On the 9th of September, Capt. Franklin and his party
left York Factory in a boat by the way of the rivers and
lakes for Cumberland House, another of the Company's
posts, which they reached on the 22d of October.
On the 19th of January, Franklin set out in company
with Mr. Back and a seaman named Hepburn, with provisions for fifteen days, stowed in two sledges, on their
journey to Fort Chipewyan. Dr. Richardson, MIr. Hood
and Mr. Conolly accompanied them a short distance.
After touching at different posts of the Company, they
reached their destination safely on the 26th of March,
after a winter's journey of 857 miles. The greatest difficulty experienced by the travelers was the labor of walking in snow shoes, a weight of between two and three
pounds being constantly attached to galled feet and
swelled ankles.
On the 13th of July, they were joined by Dr. Richard



FRANKLIN'S FIRST LAND EXPEDITION.   63
son and Mr. Hood, who had made a very expeditious
journey from Cumberiand -louse; they had only one
day's provisions left, the pemmican they had received at
the posts being so mouldy that they were obliged to leave
it behind. Arrangements were now made for their journey northward. Sixteen Canadian voyageurs were engaged, and a Chipewyan woman and two interpreters
were to be taken on from Great Slave Lake. The whole
stock of provisions they could obtain before starting was
only sufficient for one day's supply, exclusive of two barrels of flour, three cases of preserved meats, some chocolate, arrow-root and portable soup, which had been
brought from England, and were kept as a reserve for the
journey to the coast in the following season; seventy
pounds of deer's flesh and a little barley were all that
the Company's officers could give them. The provisions
were distributed among three canoes, and the party set
off in good spirits on the 18th of July. They had to
make an inroad very soon on their preserved meats, for
they were very unfortunate in their fishing. On the
24th of July, however, they were successful in shooting
a buffalo in the Salt River, after giving him fourteen
balls. At Moose Deer Island they got supplies from
the Hudson's Bay and North West Companies' officers,
and on the 27th set out again on their journey, reaching
Fort Providence by the 29th.
Shortly after they had an interview with a celebrated
and influential Indian chief, named Akaitcho, who was
to furnish them with guides. Another Canadian voyageur was there engaged, and the party now consisted of
the officers already named, Mr. Fred. Wentzel, clerk of
the N. W. Fur Company, who joined them here, John
hIepburn, the English seaman, seventeen Canadian voyageurs, (one of whom, named Michel, was an Iroquois,)
and three Indian interpreters, besides the wives of three
of the voyageurs who had been brought on for the purpose of making clothes and shoes for the men at the
winter establishment. The whole number were twentynine, exclusive of three children. I give the list of those
whose names occur most frequently in the narrative:




64        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
J. B. Belanger, Peltier, Solomon Belanger, Sanandre,
Benoit, Perrault, Antonio Fontano, Beauparlant, Vaillant, Credit, Adam St. Germain, interpreter; Augustus
and Junius, Esquimaux interpreters. They had provisions for ten days' consumption, besides a little chocolate
and tea, viz: two casks of flour, 200 dried reindeer
tongues, some dried moose meat, portable soup, and a
little arrow-root. A small extra canoe was provided for
the women, and the journey for the Coppermine River
was commenced on the 2d of August. The party met
with many hardships-were placed on short diet-and
some of the Canadians broke out into open rebellion,
refusing to proceed farther. However, they were at last
calmed, and arrived on the 20th of August at Fort Enterprise, on Winter Lake, which, by the advice of their
Indian guides, they determined on making their winter
quarters. The total length of the voyage from Chipewyan was 552 miles; and after leaving Fort Providence,
they had 21 miles of portage to pass over. As the men
had to traverse each portage with a load of 180 lbs.,
and return three times light, they walked, in the whole,
upward of 150 miles.
In consequence of the refusal of Akaitcho and his
party of Indians to guide and accompany them to the
sea, because, as they alledged, of the approach of winter, and the imminent danger, Captain Franklin was
obliged to abandon proceeding that season down the
river, and contented himself with dispatching, on the
29th, Mr. Back and Mr. Hood, in a light canoe, with
St. Germain as interpreter, eight Canadians, and one
Indian, furnished with eight days' provisions - all that
could be spared.
They returned on the 10th of September, after having reached and coasted Point Lake. In the mean time,
Franklin and Richardson, accompanied by J. Hepburn
and two Indians, also made a pedestrian excursion toward the same quarter, leaving on the 9th of September,
and returning on the fourteenth.  The whole party
spent a long winter of ten months at Fort Enterprise,
dependingupon the fish they could catch, and the suecess of tl;ei" Indilan hunters, ifor bod.




FRANKLIN S FIRST LAND EXPEDITION.    65
On the 6th of October, the officers quitted their tents
for a good log house which had been built. The clay
with which the walls and roof were plastered, had to
be tempered before the fire with water, and froze as it
was daubed on; but afterward cracked in such a manner, as to admit the wind from every quarter. Still
the new abode, with a good fire of fagots in the capacious clay-built chimney, was considered quite comfortable when compared with the chilly tents.
The reindeer are found on the banks of the Coppermine River early in May, as they then go to the seacoast to bring forth their young. They usually retire
from the coast in July and August, rut in October, and
shelter themselves in the woods during winter. Before
the middle of October, the carcasses of one hundred
deer had been secured in their store-house, together with
one thousand pounds of suet, and some dried meat;
and eighty deer were stowed away at various distances
from their house, en cac/he. This placing provisions
"en cache," is merely burying and protecting it from
wolves and other depredators, by heavy loads of wood
or stone.
On the 18th of October, Mr. Back and MIr. Wentzel,
accompanied by two Canadian voyageurs, two Indians
and their wives, set out for Fort Providence to make
the necessary arrangements for transporting the stores
they expected from Cumberland House, and to see if
some further supplies might not be obtained from the
establishments on Slave Lake.  Dispatches for England were also forwarded by them, detailing the progress of the expedition up to this date. By the end of
the month the men had also completed a house for
themselves, 34 feet by 18. On the 26th of October,
Akaitcho, and his Indian party of hunters, amounting
with women and children to forty souls, came in, owing
to the deer having migrated southward. This added
to the daily number to be provided for, and by this time
their ammunition was nearly expended.
The fishing failed as the weather became more severe,
and was given up on the 5th of November. About
3*




66        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
1200 white fish, of from two to three pounds, had been
procured during the season. The fish froze as they
were taken from the nets, becoming in a short time a
solid mass of ice, so that a blow or two of the hatchet
would easily split them open, when the intestines might
be removed in one lump. If thawed before the fire,
even after being frozen for nearly two days, the fish
would recover their animation.
On the 23d of November, they were gratified by the
appearance of one of the Canadian voyageurs who had
set out with Mr. Back. His locks were matted with
snow, and he was so encrusted with ice from head to
foot, that they could scarcely recognize him. lie reported that they had had a tedious and fatiguing journey to Fort Providence, and for some days were destitute of provisions. Letters were brought from England
to the preceding April, and quickly was the packet
thawed to get at the contents. The newspapers conveyed the intelligence of the death of George III. The
advices as to the expected stores were disheartening;
of ten bales of ninety pounds each, five had been 1 ftf
by some mismanagement at the Grand Rapid on the
Sattkatchawan. On the 28th of November, St. Germain the interpreter, with eight Canadian voyageurs,
and four Indian hunters, were sent off to bring up the
stores from Fort Providence.
On the 10th of December, Franklin managed to get
rid of Akaitcho and his Indian party, by representing
to them the impossibility of maintaining them. The
leader, however, left them his mother and two female
attendants; and old Kaskarrah, the guide, with his wife
and daughter, remained behind. This daughter, who
was designated " Green Stockings," from her dress, was
considered a great beauty by her tribe, and although
but sixteen, had belonged successively to two husbands,
and would probably have been the wife of many more,
if her mother had not required her services as a nurse.
Mr. Hood took a good likeness of the young lady,
but her mother was somewhat averse to her sitting for
it, fearing that " her daughter's likeness would induce




FRANKLIN'S FIRST LAND EXPEDITION.    67
the Great Chief who resided in England to send for the
orig'inal!"
rthe diet of the party in their winter abode consisted
almost entirely of reindeer meat, varied twice a week
by fish, and occasionally by a little flour, but they had
no vegetables of any kind. On Sunday morning they
had a cup of chocolate; but their greatest luxury was
tea, which they regularly had twice a day, although
without sugar. Candles were formed of reindeer fat
and strips of cotton shirts; and Hepburn acquired considerable skill in the manufacture of soap from the wood
ashes, fat and salt. The stores were anxiously looked
for, and it was hoped they would have arrived by NTew
Year's Day, (1821,) so as to have kept the festival. As
it was, they could only receive a little flour and fat, both
of which were considered great luxuries.
On the 15th, seven of the mnen arrived with two kegs
of rum, one barrel of powder, sixty pounds of ball, two
rolls of tobacco, and some clothing.
" They had been twenty-one days on their march from
Slave Lake, and the labor they underwent was sufficiently evinced by their sledge collars having worn out
the shoulders of their coats. Their loads weighed from
sixty to ninety pounds each, exclusive of their bedding
and provisions, which at starting must have been at least
as much more. We were much rejoiced at their arrival,
and proceeded forthwith to pierce the spirit cask, and
issue to each of the household the portion of rum which
had been promised on the first day of the year. The
spirits, which were proof, were frozen; but after standing at the fire for some time they flowed out, of the
consistence of honey. The temperature of the liquid,
even in this state, was so low as instantly to convert
into ice the moisture which condensed on the surface of
the dram-glass. The fingers also adhered to the glass,
and would doubtless have been speedily friozen had they
been kept in contact with it; yet each of the voyageurs
swallowed his drain without experiencing the slightest
inconvenience, or complaining of toothache."
It appeared that the Canadians had tapped the rum



6S8       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
cask on their journey, and helped themselves rather
freely.
On the 27th, Mr. Wentzel and St. Germain arrived,
with two Esquimaux interpreters who had been engaged,
possessed of euphonious names, representing the belly
and the ear, but which had been Anglicised into Augustus and Junius, being the months they had respectively arrived at Fort Churchill. The former spoke
English. They brought four dogs with them, which
proved of great use during the season in drawing in
wood for fuel.
Mr. Back, at this time, the 24th of December, had
gone on to Chipewyan to procure stores. On the 12th
of February, another party of six men was sent to Fort
Providence to brine up the remaining supplies, and
these returned on the 5th of March. Many of the cac/res
of meat which had been buried early in the winter were
found destroyed by the wolves; and some of these animals prowled nightly about the dwellings, even venturing upon the roof of their kitchen. The rations were
reduced from eight to the short allowance of five ounces
of animal food per day.
On the 17th of March, Mr. Back returned from Fort
Chipewyan, after an absence of nearly five months,
during which he had performed a journey on foot of
more than eleven hundred miles on snow shoes, with
only the slight shelter at night of a blanket and a deer
skin, with the thermometer frequently at 40~ and once
at 57~, and very often passing several days without
food.
Some very interesting traits of generosity on the part
of the Indians are recorded by Mr. Back. Often they
gave up and would not taste of fish or birds which they
caught, with the touching remark, " We are accustomed
to starvation, and you are not."
Such passages as the following often occur in his
narrative:-" One of our men caught a fish, which, with
the assistance of some weed scraped from the rocks,
(tripe de roc/e) which forms a glutinous substance, made
us a tolerable suppe': it was not of the most choice kind,




FRANKILIN'S FIRST LAND EXPEI)TTION.    69
yet good enough for hungry men. While we were eating it, I perceived one of the women busily employed
scraping an old skin, the contents of which her husband
presented us with. They consisted of pounded meat,
fat, and a greater proportion of Indian's and deer's hair
than either; and, though such a mixture may not appear
very alluring to an English stomach, it was thought a
great luxury after three days' privation in these cheerless regions of America."
To return to the proceedings of Fort Enterprise. On
the 23d of March, the last of the winter's stock of deer's
meat was expended, and the party were compelled to
consume a little pounded meat, which had been saved
for making pemmican. The nets scarcely produced any
fish, and their meals, which had hitherto been scanty
enough, were now restricted to one in the day.
The poor Indian families about the house, consisting
principally of sick and infirm women and children, suffered even more privation. They cleared away the
snow on the site of the Autumn encampment to look for
bones, deer's feet, bits of hide, and other offal. " When
(says Franklin) we beheld them gnawing the pieces of
hide, and pounding the bones for the purpose of extracting some nourishment from them by boiling, we regretted our inability to relieve them, but little thought that
we should ourselves be afterward driven to the necessity of eagerly collecting these same bones, a second
time from the dung-hill."
On the 4th of June, 1821, a first party set off from
the winter quarters for Point Lake, and the Coppermine
River, under the charge of Dr. Richardson, consisting,
in all, voyageurs and Indians, of twenty-three, exclusive
of children. Each of the men carried about 80 lbs., besides his own personal baggage, weighing nearly as
much more. Some of the party dragged their loads on
sledges, others preferred carrying their burden on their
backs. On the 13th, Dr. Richardson sent back most of
the men; and on the 14th Franklin dispatched Mr.
Wentzel and a party with the canoes, which had been
repaired. Following the water-course as far as practi



70        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
cable to Winter Lake, Franklin followed himself with
ltepburn, three Canadians, two Indian hunters, and
the two Esquimaux, and joined Dr. Richardson on the
22d. On the 25th they all resumed their journey, and,
as they proceeded down the river, were fortunate in
killing, occasionally, several musk oxen.
On the 15th they got a distinct view of the sea from
the summit of a hill; it appeared choked with ice and
full of islands. About this time they feill in with small
parties of Esquimaux.
On the 19th Mr. Wentzel departed on his return for
Slave Lake, taking with him four Canadians, who had
been discharged for the purpose of reducing the expenditure of provisions as much as possible, and dispatches
to be forwarded to England. He was also instructed
to cause the Indians to deposit a relay of provisions at
Fort Enterprise, ready for the party should they return
that way. The remainder of the party, including officers, amounted to twenty persons. The distance that
had been traversed from Fort Enterprise to the mouth
of the river was about 334 miles, and the canoes had to
be dragged 120 miles of this.
Two conspicuous capes were named by Franklin after
Hearne and Mlackenzie; and a river which falls into the
sea, to the westward of the Coppermine, he called after
his companion, Richardson.
On the 21st of July, Franklin and his party embarked
in their two canoes to navigate the Polar Sea, to the
eastward, having with them provisions for fifteen days.
On the 25th they doubled a bluff cape, which was
named after Mir. Barrow, of the Admiralty. An opening on its eastern side received the appellation of Inman
IHarbor, and a group of islands were called after Professor Jameson. Within the next fortnight, aclditions
were made to their stock of food by a few deer and one
or two bears, which were shot. Being less fortunate
afterward, and with no prospect of increasing their supply of provision, the daily allowance to each man was
limited to a handful of pemmican and a small portion
of portable soup.




FRANKLIN S FIRST LAND EXPEDITION.    7i
On the morning of the 5th of August they came to
the mouth of a river blocked up with shoals, which
Franklin named after his friend and companion Back.
The time spent in exploring Arctic and Melville
Sounds and B3athurst Inlet, and the failure of meeting
with Esquimaux from whom provisions could be obtained, precluded any possibility of reaching Repulse
Bay, and therefore having but a day or two's provisions
left, Franklin considered it prudent to turn back after
reaching Point Turnagain, having sailed nearly 600
geographical miles in tracing the deeply indented coast
of Coronation Gulf from the Coppermine River. On
the 22d August, the return voyage was commenced,
the boats making for Hood's River by the way of the
Arctic Sound, and being taken as far up the stream as
possible. On the 31st it was found impossible to proceed with them farther, and smaller canoes were made,
suitable for crossing any of the rivers that might obstruct their progress. The weight carried by each man
was about 90 lbs., and with this they progressed at the
rate of a mile an hour, including rests.
On the 5th of September, having nothing to eat, the
last piece of pemmican and a little arrow-root having
formed a scanty supper, and being without the means
of making a fire, they remained in bed all day. A severe snow-storm lasted two days, and the snow even
drifted into their tents, covering their blankets several
inches.'" Our suffering (says Franklin) from cold, in a
comfortless canvass tent in such weather, with the temperature at 200, and without fire, will easily be im-.agined; it was, however, less than that which we felt
from hunger."
Weak from fasting, and their garments stiffened with
the frost, after packing their frozen tents and bedclothes
the poor travelers again set out on the 7th.
After feeding almost exclusively on several species
of Gyrophora, a lichen known as trVipe de roche, which
scarcely allayed the pangs of hunger, on the 10th'" they
got a good meal by killing a musk ox. To skin and
cut up the animal was the work of a few minutes. The




73        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
contents of its stomach were devoured upon the spot,
and the raw intestines, which were next attacked, were
pronounced by the most delicate amongst us to be excellent."
Wearied and worn out with toil and suffering, many
of the party got careless and indifferent. One of the
canoes was broken and abandoned. With an improvidence scarcely to be credited, three of the fishing-nets
were also thrown away, and the floats burnt.
On the 17th they managed to allay the pangs of hunger by eating pieces of singed hide, and a little tripe de
roche. This and some mosses, with an occasional solitary partridge, formed their invariable food; on very
many days even this scanty supply could not be obtained,
and their appetites became ravenous.
Occasionally they picked up pieces of skin, and a
few bones of deer which had been devoured by the
wolves in the previous spring. The bones were rendered friable by burning, and now and then their old
shoes were added to the repast.
On the 26th they reached a bend of the Coppermine,
which terminated in Point Lake. The second canoe
had been demolished and abandoned by the bearers on
the 23d, and they were thus left without any means of
water transport across the lakes and river.
On this day the carcass of a deer was discovered in
the cleft of a rock, into which it had fallen in the spring.
It was putrid, but little less acceptable to the poor starving travelers on that account; and a fire being kindled a large portion was devoured on the spot, affording an unexpected breakfast.
On the first of October one of the party, who had
been out hunting, brought in the antlers and backbone
of another deer, which had been killed in the summer.
The wolves and birds of prey had picked them clean,
but there still remained a quantity of the spinal marrow, which they had not been able to extract. This,
although putrid, was esteemed a valuable prize, and
the spine being divided into portions was distributed
equally.  " After eating the marrow, (says Franklin,)




FRANKLIN S FIRST IAND EXPEDITION.     73
which was so acrid as to excoriate the lips, we rendered the bones friable by burning, and ate them also."
The strength of the whole party now began to fail,
from the privation and fatigue which they endured.Franklin was in a dreadfully debilitated state.  Mr.
Hood was also reduced to a perfect shadow, from the
severe bowel-complaints which the tripe de roche never
failed to give him. Back was so feeble as to require
the support of a stick in walking, and Dr. Richardson
had lameness superadded to weakness.
A rude canoe was constructed of willows, covered
with canvass, in which the party, one by one, managed
to reach in safety the southern bank of the river on
the 4th of October, and went supperless to bed. On
the following morning, previous to setting out, the
whole party ate the remains of their old shoes, and
whatever scraps of leather they had, to strengthen their
stomachs for the fatigue of the day's journey.
Mr. Hood now broke down, as did two or three more
of the party, and Dr. Richardson kindly volunteered
to remain with them, while the rest pushed on to Fort
Enterprise for succor. Not being able to find any tripe
de roche, they drank an infusion of the Labrador teaplant (Iedr'um palustre, var. decumbens,) and ate a
few morsels of burnt leather for supper.  This continued to be a frequent occurrence.
Others of the party continued to drop down with fatigue and weakness, until they were reduced to five
persons, besides Franklin. When they had no food or
nourishment of any kind, they crept under their blankets, to drown, if possible, the gnawing pangs of hunger
and fatigue by sleep. At length they reached Fort Enterprise, and to their disappointment and grief found
it a perfectly desolate habitation. There was no deposit of provision, no trace of the Indians, no letter
from Mr. Wentzel to point out where the Indians might
be found. "It would be impossible (says Franklin,) to
describe our sensations after entering this miserable
abode, and discovering how we had been neglected:
the whole party shed tears, not so much for our own




74        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
fate as for that of our friends in the rear, whose lives
depended entirely on our sending immediate relief
from this place." A note, however, was found here
from Mr. Back, stating that he had reached the house
by another route two days before, and was going in
search of the Indians. If he was unsuccessful in inding them, he proposed walking to Fort Providence,
and sending succor from thence, but he doubted whether
he or his party could perform the journey to that place
in their present debilitated state.  Franklin and his
small party now looked round for some means of present subsistence, and fortunately discovered several deer
skins, which had been thrown away during their former
residence here.  The bones were gathered from the
heap of ashes; these, with the skins and the addition
of tripe de roc/e, they considered would support life
tolerably well for a short time. The bones were quite
acrid, and the soup extracted from them, quite putrid,
excoriated the mouth if taken alone, but it was somewhat milder when boiled with the lichen, and the mixture was even deemed palatable with a little salt, of
which a cask had been left here in the spring. They
procured fuel by pulling up the flooring of the rooms,
and water for cooking by melting the snow.
Augustus arrived safe after them, just as they were
sitting round the fire eating their supper of singed
skin.
Late on the 13th, Belanger also reached the house,
with a note from Mr. Back, stating that he had yet
found no trace of the Indians. The poor messenger
was almost speechless, being covered with ice and
nearly frozen to death, having fallen into a rapid, and
for the third time since the party left the coast, narrowly
escaped drowning. After being well rubbed, having
had his dress changed, and some warm soup given
him, he recovered sufficiently to answer the questions
put to him.
Under the impression that the Indians must be on
their way to Fort Providence, and that it would be
possible to overtake them, as they usually traveled




FRANKLIN'S FIRST LAND EXPEDITION.    75
slowly with their families, and there being likewise a
prospect of killing deer about Reindeer Lake, where
thity had been usually found abundant, Franklin determined to take the route for that post, and sent word
to Mr. Back by Belanger to that effect on the 18th.
On the 20th of October, Franklin set out in company with Benoit and Augustus to seek relief, having
patched three pairs of snow shoes, and taken some
singed skin for their support. Poltier and Samandre
had volunteered to remain at the house with Adam,
who was too ill to proceed. They were so feeble as
scarcely to be able to move. Augustus, the Esquimaux, tried for fish without success, so that their only
fare was skin and tea. At night, composing themselves to rest, they lay close to each other for warmth,
but found the night bitterly cold, and the wind pierced
through their famished frames.
On resuming the journey next morning, Franklin
had the misfortune to break his snow-shoes, by falling
between two rocks. This accident prevented him from
keeping pace with the others, and in the attempt he
became quite exhausted; unwilling to delay their progress, as the safety of all behind depended on their
obtaining early assistance and immediate supplies,
Franklin resolved to turn back, while the others
pushed on to meet Mr. Back, or, missing him, they
were directed to proceed to Fort Providence. Franklin found the two Canadians he had left at the house
dreadfully weak and reduced, and so low spirited that
he had great difficulty in rallying them to any exertion. As the insides of their mouths had become sore
from eating the bone-soup, they now relinquished the
use of it, and boiled the skin, which mode of dressing
was found more palatable than frying it. They had
pulled down nearly all their dwelling for fuel, to warm
themselves and cook their scanty meals. The tripe
de rockhe, on which they had depended, now became
entirely frozen; and what was more tantalizing to
their perishing frames, was the sight of food within
their reach, which they could not procure. " We saw




76       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
(says Franklin) a herd of reindeer sporting on the
river, about half a mile from the house; they remained there a long time, but none of the party felt
themselves strong enough to go after them, nor was
there one of us who could have fired a gun without
resting it."
While they were seated round the fire this evening,
discoursing about the anticipated relief, the sound of
voices was heard, which was thought with joy to be
that of the Indians, but, to their bitter disappointment, the debilitated frames and emaciated countenances of Dr. Richardson and tIepburn presented
themselves at the door. They were of course gladly
received, although each mnarked the ravages which famine, care and fatigue had made on the other. The
Doctor particularly remarked the sepulchral tone of
the voices of his friends, which he requested them to
make more cheerful if possible, unconscious that his
own partook of the same key.
Hepburn having shot a partridge, which was brought
to the house, Dr. Richardson tore out the feathers,
and having held it to the fire a few minutes, divided
it into six portions. Franklin and his three companions ravenously devoured their shares, as it was the
first morsel of flesh any of them had tasted for thirtyone days, unless, indeed, the small gristly particles
which they found adhering to the pounded bones may
be termed flesh. Their spirits were revived by this
small supply, and the Doctor endeavored to raise
them still higher by the prospect of Hepburn's being
able to kill a deer next day, as they had seen, and
even fired at, several near the house. He endeavored,
too, to rouse them into some attention to the comfort
of their apartment. Having brought his Prayer-book
and Testament, some prayers, psalms, and portions
of scripture, appropriate to their situation, were read
out by Dr. Richardson, and they retired to their
blankets.
Early next morning, the Doctor and IHepburn went
out in search of game; but though they saw several




FRANKLIN'S FIRST LAND EXPEDITION.    77
herds of deer, and fired some shots, they were not so
fortunate as to kill any, being too weak to hold their
guns steadily. The cold compelled the former to return soon, but Hepburn perseveringly persisted until
late in the evening.
" My occupation, (continues Franklin) was to search
for skins under the snow, it being now our object immediately to get all that we could; but I had not
strength to drag in more than two of those which were
within twenty yards of the house, until the Doctor
came and assisted me. We made up our stock to
twenty-six; but several of them were putrid, and
scarcely eatable, even by men suffering the extremity
of famine.  Peltier and Samandre continued very
weak and dispirited, and they were unable to cut firewood. Hepburn had, in consequence, that laborious
task to perform after he came back late from hunting."
To the exertions, honesty, kindness, and consideration
of this worthy man, the safety of most of the party is
to be attributed. And I may here mention that Sir
John Franklin, when he became governor of Van
Diemen's Land, obtained for him a good civil appointmnent. This deserving man, I am informed by Mr.
Barrow, is now in England, having lost his office,
which, I believe, has been- abolished.  It is to be
hoped something will be done for him by the government.
After their usual supper of singed skin and bone
soup, Dr. Richardson acquainted Franklin with the
events that had transpired since their parting, particularly with the afflicting circumstances attending the
death of Mr. Hood, and Michel, the Iroquois; the particulars of which I shall now proceed to condense from
his narrative.
After Captain Franklin had bidden them farewell,
having no tripe de roche they drank an infusion of the
country tea-plant, which was grateful from its warmth,
although it afforded no sustenance. They then retired
to bed, and kept to their blankets all next day, as the
snow drift was so heavy as to prevent their lighting a




78       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
fire with the green and frozen willows, which were
their only fuel.
Through the extreme kindness and forethought of
a lady, the party, previous to leaving London, had
been furnished with a small collection of religious
books, of which, (says Richardson,) we still retained
two or three of the most portable, and they proved of
incalculable benefit to us.
" We read portions of them to each other as we lay
in bed, in addition to the morning and evening service,
and found that they inspired us on each perusal with
so strong a sense of the omnipresence of a beneficent
God, that our situation, even in these wilds, appeared
no longer destitute; and we conversed not only with
calmness, but with cheerfulness, detailing with unrestrained confidence the past events of our lives, and
dwelling with hope on our future prospects." How
beautiful a picture have we here represented, of true
piety and resignation to the divine will inducing patience and submission under an unexampled load of
misery and privation.
Michel, the Iroquois, joined them on the 9th of October, having, there is strong reason to believe, murdered two of the Canadians who were with him, Jean
Baptiste Belanger and Perrault, as they were never
seen afterward, and he gave so many rambling and
contradictory statements of his proceedings, that no
credit could be attached to his story.
The travelers proceeded on their tedious journey by
slow stages. 3Mr. Hood was much affected with dim
ness of sight, giddiness, and other symptoms of ex
treme debility, which caused them to move slowly and
to make frequent halts. Michel absented himself all
day of the 10th, and only arrived at their encampment
near the pines late on the 11th.
He reported that he had been in chase of some deer
which passed near his sleeping place in the morning,
and although he did not come up with them, yet he
found a wolf which had been killed by the stroke of
a deer's horn, and had brought a part of it.




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FRANKLIN S FIRST LAND EXPEDIT'ON.   79
Richardson adds -- "We implicitly believed this
rtory then, but afterward became aware —from circumstances, the details of which may be spared-that
it must have been a portion of the body of Belanger,
or Perrault. A question of moment here presents itself —namely, whether he actually murdered these
men, or either of them, or whether he found the bodies
in the snow. Captain Franklin, who is the best able to
judge of this matter, from knowing their situation when
he parted from them, suggested the former idea, and
that both these men had been sacrificed; that Michel,
having already destroyed Belanger, completed his
crime by Perrault's death, in order to screen himself
from detection."
Although this opinion is founded only on circumstances, and is unsupported by direct evidence, it has
been judged proper to mention it, especially as the
subsequent conduct of the man showed that he was
capable of committing such a deed. It is not easy to
assign any other adequate motive for his concealing
from Richardson that Perrault had turned back; while
his request, over-night, that they would leave him the
hatchet, and his cumbering himself with it when he
went out in the morning, unlike a hunter, who makes
use only of his knife when he kills a deer, seem to
indicate that he took it for the purpose of cutting up
something that he knew to be frozen.
Michel left them early next day, refusing Dr. Richardson's offer to accompany him, and remained out all
day. He would not sleep in the tent with the other
two at night. On the 13th, there being a heavy gale,
they passed the day by their fire, without food. Next
day, at noon, MIichel set out, as he said, to hunt, but
returned unexpectedly in a short time. This conduct
surprised his companions, and his contradictory and
evasive answers to their questions excited their suspicions still further. He subsequently refused either
to hunt or cut wood, spoke in a very surly manner,
and threatened to leave them. When reasoned with
by Mr. Hood, hlis anger was excited, and he replied it




80        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
was no use bunting- there were no animals, and they
had better kill and eat him.
"At this period," observes Dr. Richardson, "11we
avoided, as much as possible, conversing upon the
hopelessness of our situation, and generally endeavored to lead the conversation toward our future prospects in life. The fact is, that with the decay of our
strength, our minds decayed, and we were no longer
able to bear the contemplation of the horrors that surrounded us. Yet we were calm and resigned to our
fate; not a murmur escaped us, and we were punctual
and fervent in our addresses to the Supreme Being."
On the morning of the 20th, they again urged Michel
to go a-hunting, that he might, if possible, leave them
some provision, as lie intended quitting them next
day, but lie showed great unwillingness to go out, and
lingered about the fire under the pretense of cleaning
his gun. After the morning service had been read,
Dr. Richardson weit out to gather some tripe de rock/e,
leaving Mr. iHood sitting before the tent at the fireside, arguing with Michel; Hepburn was employed
cutting fire-wood.  While they were thus engaged,
the treacherous Iroquois took the opportunity to place
his gun close to Mr. IIood, and shoot him through the
head. I-Ie represented to his companions that the deceased had killed himself:  On examination of the
body, it was found that the shot had entered the back
part of the head and passed out at the forehead, and
that the muzzle of the gun had been applied so close
as to set fire to the nightcap behind.  Mlichel pirotested his innocence of the crime, and Hepburn and
Dr. Richardson dared not openly evince their suspicion of his guilt.
Next day, Dr. Richardson determined on going
straight to the Fort. They singed the hair off a par'
of the buffalo robe that belonged to their ill-fated corn
panion, and boiled and ate it. In the course of their
march, IMichel alarmed them  much by his gesturet
and conduct, was constantly muttering to himself, ex-.
pressed an unwillingness to go to the Fort, and tried




FRANKLEsINtS FIRST LAND EXPEDITION.    81
to persuade them to go southward to the woods, whe re
lie said he could maintain him-self all the winter by
killing deer. " In consequence of this behavior, and
the expression of his countenance, I requested him
(says I tichardson) to leave us, and to go to the souithward by himself: This proposal increased his ill-nature; he threw  out some obscure hints of freeing
himself from all restraint on the morrow; and I overheard him muttering threats against Hepburn, whom
he openly accused of having told stories against him.
lIe also, for the first time, assumed such a tone of
sup)eriority in addressing me, as evinced that lie considered us to be completely in his power; and he gave
vent to several expressions of hatred toward the w}hite
people, some of whom, he said, had killed and eaten
his uncle and two of his relations. In short, taking
every circumstance of his conduct into consideration,
I came to the conclusion that he would attempt to
destroy us on the first opportunity that offered, and
that lie had hitherto abstained from doing so fri-om his
ignorance of his way to the Fort, but that he would
never stuffer us to go thither in company with him.
HIepburn and I were not in a condition to resist even
an open attack, nor could we by any device escape
from him- our united strength was far inferior to his;
and, beside his gun, he was armed with two pistols,
an Indian bayonet, and a knife.
"In the afternoon, coming to a rock on which there
was some tripe de roche, he halted, and said he would
gather it while we went on, and that he would soon
overtake us.
"Hepburn and I were now left together for the first
time since Mr. Hood's death, and he acquainted me with
several material circumstances, which he had observed
of Mlichel's behavior, and which confirmed me in the
opinion that there was no safbty for us except in his
death, and he offered to be the instrument of it. I determined, however, as I was thloroughly convinced of
the necessity of such a dreadiful act, to take the whlole
responsibility upon myself; and inmediately upon MIi4*




82        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
chel's coming up, I put an end to his life by shooting
him through the head with a pistol. Had my own life
alone been threatened," observes Richardson, in conclusion, "  would not have purchased it by such a measure,
but I considered myself as intrusted also with the protection of Ilepburn's, a mall who, by his humane'attentions and devotedness, had so endeared himself to me,
that I felt more anxiety for his safety than for my own.
" AMichel had gathered no tripe dc erochle, and it was evident to us that he had halted for the purpose of putting
hLis gun in order with the intention of attacking us -
perhaps while we were in the act of encamping."
Persevering onward in their journey as well as the
snow storms and their feeble limbs would permit, they
saw several herds of deer; but Hepburn, who used to
be a good marksman, was now unable to hold the gun
straight. Following the track of a wolverine which had
been dragging something, he however found the spine
of a deer which it had dropped. It was clean picked,
and at least one season old, but they extracted the spinal
marrow from it.
A species of cornicularia, a kind of lichen, was also
met with, that was found good to eat when moistened
and toasted over the fire. They had still some pieces
of singed buffalo hide remaining, and Hepburn, on
one occasion, killed a partridge, after firing several
times at a flock. About dusk of the 29th they reached
the Fort.
"Upon entering the desolate dwelling, we had the
satisfaction of embracing Capt. Franklin, but no words
can convey an idea of the filth and wretchedness that
met our eyes on looking around. Our own misery had
stolen upon us by degrees, and we were accustomed to
the contemplation -of each other's emaciated figures;
but the ghastly countenances, dilated eye-balls, and
sepulchral voices of Captain Franklin and those with
him were more than we could at first bear."
Thus ends the narrative of Richardson's journey.
To resume the detail of proceedings at the Fort. On
the 1st of November two of the Canadians, Peltier and
Samandre, died from sheer exhaustion.




FRANKLIN IS FIRST LAND EXPEDITION.    83
On the 7th of November they were relieved from
their privations and sufferings by the arrival of three
Indians, bringing a supply of dried meat, some fat, and
a few tongues, which had been sent off by Back with
all haste firom Akaitcho's encampment on the 5th.
These Indians nursed and attended them  with the
greatest care, cleansed the house, collected fire-wood,
and studied every means for their general comfort. Their
sufferings were now at an end. On the 26th of November they arrived at the encampment of the Indian chief,
Akaitcho. On the 6th of December Belanger and another Canadian arrived, bringing further supplies, and
letters from England, from Mr. Back, and their former
companion, Mr. Wentzel.
The dispatches from England announced the successful termination of Captain Parry's voyage, and the promotion of Captain Franklin, Mr. Back, and of poor Mr.
Hood.
On the 18th they reached the Hudson's Bay Company's establishment at Moose Deer Island, where they
joined their friend Mr. Back. They remained at Fort
Chipewyan until June of the following year.
It is now necessary to relate the story of Mr. Back's
journey, which, like the rest, is a sad tale of suffering
and privation.
Having  been directed, on the 4th of October, 1821,
to proceed with St. Germain, Belanger, and Beauparlant to Fort Enterprise, in the hopes of obtaining relief
for the party, he set out. Up to the 7th they met with
a little trupe de roces, but this failing them they were
compelled to satisfy, or rather allay, the cravings of
hunger, by eating a gun-cover and a pair of old shoes.
The grievous disappointment experienced on arriving
at the house, and finding it a deserted ruin, cannot be
told.
"Without the assistance of the Indians, bereft of
every resource, we felt ourselves," says Mr. Back, " reduced to the most miserable state, which was rendered
still worse fionom the recollection that our friends in the
rear were as miserable as ourselves. For the moment,




84         PROGRESS OF ARC'TIC DISCOVERY.
however, hunger prevailed, and each began to gnaw
the scraps of putrid and frozen meat and siin that were
lying about, without waiting to prepare them."  A fire
was. however, afterward made, and the neck and bones
of a deer found in the house were boiled and devoured.
After resting a day at the house, Mr. Back pushed on
with his companions in search of the Indians, leaving a
note for Captain Franklin, informing him if he failed in
meeting with the Indians, he intended to push on for
the first trading establishment - distant about 130
miles - and send us succor from thence. On the 11th
he set out on the journey, a few old skins having been
first collected to serve as food.
On the 13th and 14th of October they had nothing
whatever to eat. Belanger was sent off with a note to
Franklin. On the 15th they were fortunate enough to
fall in with a partridge, the bones of which were eaten,
and the remainder reserved for bait to fish with.
Enough tripe de roche was, however, gathered to make
a meal. Beauparlant now lingered behind, worn out
by extreme weakness. On the 17th a number of crows,
perched on some high pines, led them to believe that
some carrion was near; and on searching, several heads
of deer, half buried in the snow and ice, without eyes
or tongues, were found. An expression of" Oh, mercifiul God, we are saved," broke from them both and with
feelings more easily imagined than described, they
shook hands, not knowing what to say for joy.
St. Germain was sent back, to bring up Beauparlant,
for whose safety Back became very anxious, but he
found the poor fellow frozen to death.
The night of the 17th was cold and clear, but they
could get no sleep.' From the pains of having eaten,
we suffered (observes Back) the most excruciating torments, though I in particular did not eat a quarter of
what would have satisfied me; it might have been from
having eaten a quantity of raw or frozen sinews of the
legs of deer, which neither of us could avoid doing, s6
great was our hunger."
On the fbllowing day Belanger returned famishing




PARRY'S FIRST VOYAGE.           85
with hunger, and told of the pitiable state of Franklin
and his reduced party. Back, both this day and the
next, tried to urge on his comlpanions toward the object
of their journey, but he could not conquer their stubborn determinatiofis. They said they were unable to
proceed from weakness; knew not the way; that Back
wanted to expose them again to death, and in fact loitered greedily about tle remnants of the deer till the
end of the month. "It was not without the greatest
difficulty that I could restrain the men fiom eating every scrap they found; though they were well aware of
the necessity there was of being economical in our present situation, and to save whatever they could for our
journey, yet they could not resist the temptation; and
whenever my back was turned they seldom failed to
snatch at the nearest piece to them, whether cooked or
raw. Having collected with great care, and by selfdenial, two small packets of dried meat or sinews sufficient (for men who knew what it was to fast) to last for
eight days, at the rate of one indifferent meal per day,
they set out on the 30th. On the 3d of Nlovember they
came on the track of Indians, and soon reached the
tents of Akaitcho and his followers, when food was
olbtained, and assistance sent off to Franklin.
In July they reached York Factory, fiom whence
they had started three years before, and thus terminated
a journey of 5550 miles, during which human courage
and patience were exposed to trials such as few can
bear with fortitude, unless, as is seen in Franklin's interestinog narrative, arising out of reliance on the eversustaining care of an Almighty Providence.
PARRY'S FIRST VOYAGE, 1819-1820.
TuE Admiralty having determined to continue the
progress of discovery in the Arctic seas, Lieut. W. E.
Pa,1i-y, who had been second in command under Capt.
Ross, in the voyage of the previous year, was selected
to take charge of a new expedition, consisting of the
Heca, and Griper. The chief olject of this voyage was
to pursue the survey of Lancaster Sound, and decide




8 6        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
on the probability of a northwest passage in that d,, ection; failing in which, Smith's and Jones' Sounds
were to be explored, with the same purpose in view.
The respective officers appointed to the ships,
were -
Hecla, 375 tons:
Lieut. and Commander -W. E. Parry.
Lieutenant - Fred. W. Beechey.
Captain - E. Sabine, R. A., Astronomer.
Purser -W. If. Hooper.
Surgeon — John Edwards.
Assistant Surgeon - Alexander Fisher.
Midshipmen - James Clarke Ross, J. Nias, W. J.
Dealy, Charles Palmer, John Bushnan.
Greenland Pilots -J. Allison, master; G. Crawfurd, mate.
44 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c.
Total complement, 58.
Griper, 180 tons:
Lieutenant and Commander- Matthew Liddon.
Lieutenant - H. P. HIoppner.
Assistant Surgeon -C. J. Beverley.
Midshipmen — A. Reid, A. M. Skene, W. N.
Griffiths.
Greenland Pilots - George Fyfe, master; A. Elder,
mate.
28 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c.
Total complement, 36.
The ships were raised upon, strengthened, and well
found in stores and provisions for two years. On the
11th of AMay, 1819, they got away from the Thames,
and after a fair passage fell in with a considerable quantity of ice in the middle of Davis' Straits about the
20th of June; it consisted chiefly of fragments of icebergs, on the outskirts of the glaciers that fbrm along
the shore. After a tedious passage through the floes
of ice, effected chiefly by heaving and warping, they
arrived at Possession Bay on the morning of' the 31st




PA.RRY'S FIRST VOYAGE.         87
of July, being just a month earlier than they were
here on the previous year. As many as fifty whales
were seen here in the course of a few hours. On landing, they were not a little astonished to find their own
footprints of the previous year, still distinctly visible in
the snow. During an excursion of three or four miles
into the interior, a fox; a raven, several ring-plovers
and snow-buntings, were seen, as also a bee, from which
it may be inferred that honey can be procured even in
these wild regions. Vegetation flourishes remarkably
well here, considering the high latitude, for wherever
there was moisture, tufts and various ground plants
grew in considerable abundance.
Proceeding on from hence into the Sound, they verified the opinion which had previously been entertained
by many of the officers, that the CUroke Moioauntains
had no existence, for on the 4th of August, the ships
were in long. 86~ 56' W., three degrees to the westward
of where land had been laid down by Ross in the previous year. The strait was named after Sir John Barrow, and was found to be pretty clear; but on reaching Leopold Island, the ice extended in a compact body
to the north, through which it was impossible to penetrate.  Rather than remain inactive, waiting for the
dissolution of the ice, Parry determined to try what
could be done by shaping his course to the southward,
through the magnificent inlet now named Regent Inlet. About the 6th of August, in consequence of the
local attraction, the ordinary compasses became useless from their great variation, and the binnacles were
removed from the deck to the carpenter's store-room as
useless lumber, the azimuth compasses alone remaining; and these became so sluggish in their motions,
that they required to be very nicely leveled, and frequently tapped before the card traversed. The local attraction was very great, and a mass of iron-stone found
on shore attracted the magnet powerfully. The ships
proceeded 120 miles from the entrance.
On the 8th of August, in lat. 72~ 13' N., and long.
90~ 29' WV., (his extreme point of view Parry named
4*




88        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC I)ISCOVERY.
Cape Kater,) the IHecla came to a compact barrier of
ice extending across the inlet, which rendered one of
two alternatives necessary, either to remain here until
an opening took place, or to return again to the northward. The latter course was determined on. [Making,
therefore, for the northern shore of Barrow's Strait, on
the 20th a narrow channel was discovered between the
ice and the land. On the 22d, proceeding due west,
after passing several bays and headlands, they noticed
two large openings or passages, the first of which, more
than eight leagues in width, he named Wellington
Channel. To various capes, inlets, and groups of islands passed, Parry assigned the names of Hotham,
Barlow, Cornwallis, Bowen, Byam Martin, Griffith,
Lowther, Bathurst, &c. On the 28th a boat was sent
on shore at Byam Martin Island with Capt. Sabine,
Mr. J. C. Ross, and the surgeons, to make observations,
and collect specimens of natural history. The vegetation was rather luxuriant for these regions; moss in
particular grew in abundance in the moist valleys and
along the banks of the streams that flowed from the
hills. The ruins of six Esquimaux huts were observed.
Tracks of reindeer, bears, and musk oxen were noticed,
and the skeletons, skulls, and horns of some of these
animals were found.
On the 1st of September, they discovered the large
and fine island, to which Parry has given the name of
Melville Island after the First Lord of the Admiralty
of that day. On the following day, two boats with a
party of officers were dispatched to examine its shores.
Some reindeer and musk oxen were seen on landing,
but being startled by the sight of a dog, it was found
impossible to get near them. There seemed here to be
a great quantity of the animal tribe, for the tracks of
bears, oxen, and deer were numerous, and the horns,
skin, and skulls were also found. The burrows of foxes
and field-mice were observed; several ptarmigan were
shot, and flocks of snow-bunting, geese, and ducks, were
noticed, probably commencing their migration to a
milder climate. Along the beach there was an im



PARRY'S FIRST VOYAGE.            89
mense number of small shrimps, and various kinds of
shiells.
On the 4th of September, Parry had the satisfaction
of crossing the meridian of 110~ W., in the latitude of
74~ 44' 20", by which the expedition became entitled
to the reward of ~5000, granted by an order in Council upon the Act 58 Geo. III., cap. 20, entitled, "An
Act for more effectually discovering the longitude at
sea, and encouraging attenlpts to find a northern passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and to
approach the ~North Pole." This fact was not announced
to the crews until the following day; to celebrate the
event they gave to a bold cape of the island then lying
in sight the name of Bounty Cape; and so anxious
were they now to press forward, that they began to
calculate the time when they should reach the longitude of 130~ W., the second place specified by the order
in Council for reward. On the afternoon of the 5th,
the compactness of the ice stopped them, and therefore,
for the first time since leaving England, the anchor was
let go, and that in 1100 W. longitude.
A boat was sent on shore on the 6th to procure turf
or peat for fuel, and, strangely enough, some small
pieces of tolerably good coal were found in various
places scattered over the surface. A party of officers
that went on shore on the 8th killed several grouse on
the island, and a white hare; a fox, some field-nlice,
several snow-bunting, a snowy owl, and four musk oxen
were seen. Ducks, in small flocks, were seen along the
shore, as well as several glaucous gulls and tern, and a
solitary seal was observed.
As the ships were coasting along on the 7th, two
herds of musk oxen were seen grazing, at the distance
of about three-quarters of a mile from the beach: one
nerd consisted of nine, and the other of five of these
cattle. They had also a distant view of two reindeer.
The average weight of the hares here is about eight
pounds. Mr. Fisher, the surgeon, from whose interesting journal I quote, states that it is very evident that
this island must be frequented, if not constantly inhab



90         PIOGRE:'SS OF ARCT'rIC DISCOVERY.
ited, by musk oxen in great numbers, for their bones and
horns are found scattered about in all directions, and
the greatest part of the carcass of one was discovered
on one occasion. The skulls of two carnivorous animals, a wolf and a lynx, were also picked up here. A
party sent to gather coals brought on board about half
a bushel-all they could obtain.
On the morning of the 10th, Mr. George Fyfe, the
master pilot, with a party of six men belonging to the
Griper, landed with a view of making an exploring trip
of some fifteen or twenty miles into the interior. Tley
only took provisions for a day with them. Great uneasiness was felt that they did not return;-and when
two days elapsed, fears began to be entertained for
their safety, and it was thought they must have lost
their way.
Messrs. Reid, (midshipman) Beverly, (assistant surgeon) and Wakeman (clerk) volunteered to go in search
of their missing messmates, but themselves lost their
way; guided by the rockets, fires, and lights exhibited,
they returned by ten at night, almost exhausted with
cold and fatigue, but without intelligence of their friends.
Four relief parties were therefore organized, and sent
out on the morning of the 13th to prosecute the search,
and one of them fell in with and brought back four of
the wanderers, and another the remaining three before
nightfall.
The feet of most of them were much frost-bitten, and
they were all wearied and worn out with their wanderings. It appears they had all lost their way the evening of the day they went out. With regard to food,
they were by no means badly off, for they managed to
kill as many grouse as they could eat.
They found fertile valleys and level plains in the interior, abounding with grass and moss; also a lake of
fresh water, about two miles long by one broad, in which
were several species of trout. They saw several herds
of reindeer on the plains, and two elk; also many
hares, but no musk oxen. Some of those, however, who
had been in search of the stray party, noticed herds of
thl-ese- " ttlke




PARRY'S FIRST VYOYA(_CT.        91
The winter now began to set in, and the packed ice
was so thick, that fears were entertained of being locked
up in an exposed position on the coast; it was, therefore, thought most prudent to put back, and endeavor
to reach the harbor which had been passed some days
before. The vessels now got seriously buffeted among
the floes and hummocks of ice. The Griper was forced
aground on the beach, and for some time was in a very
critical position. Lieutenant Liddon having been confined to his cabin by a rheumatic complaint, was pressed
at this juncture by Commander Parry to allow himself
to be removed to the Hecla, but he nobly refused, stating
that he should be the last to leave the ship, and continued giving orders. The beach being sand, the Griper
was got off without injury.
On the 23d of September they anchored off the
mouth of the harbor, and the thermometer now fell to
10. The crew were set to work to cut a channel through
the ice to the shore, and in the course of three days, a
canal, two and a half miles in length, was completed,
through which the vessel was tracked. The ice was
eight or nine inches thick. An extra allowance of preserved meat was served out to the men, in consideration of their hard labor. The vessels were unrigged,
and every thing made snug and secure for passing the
winter. Captain Parry gave the name of the:North
Georgian Islands to this group, after his Majesty, King
George III., but this has since been changed to the
Parry Islands.
Two reindeer were killed on the 1st of October, and
several white bears were seen. On the 6th a deer was
killed, which weighed 170 pounds. Seven were seen
on the 10th, one of which was killed, and another severelv wounded. Following after this animal, night
overtook several of the sportsmen, and the usual signals of rockets, lights, &c. were exhibited, to guide
them back. One, John Pearson, a marine, had his
hands so fiost-bitten that he was obliged, on the 2d of
November, to have the four fingers of his left hand amputated. A wolf and four reindeer were seen on the




92         PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
14th. A herd of fifteen deer were seen on the 15th;
but those who saw them could not bring down any, as
their fowling-pieces missed fire, from the moisture
freezing on the locks. On the 17th and 18th herds of
eleven and twenty respectively, were seen, and a small
one was shot. A fox was caught on the 29th, which is
described as equally cunning with his brethren of the
temperate regions.
To make the long winter pass as cheerfully as possible, plays were acted, a school established, and a newspaper set on foot, certainly the first periodical publication that had ever issued firom the Arctic regions. The
title of this journal, the editorial duties of which were
undertaken by Captain Sabine, was "The Winter
Chronicle, or New Georgia Gazette." The first nulnber appeared on the 1st of November.
On the evening of the 5th of November the farce of
"M Iiss in her Teens" was brought out, to the great
amusement of the ships' companies, and, considering
the local difficulties and disadvantages under which the
performers labored, their first essay, according to the
officers' report, did them infinite credit.  Two hours
were spent very happily in their theater on the quarterdeck, notwithstanding the thermometer outside the ship
stood at zero, and within as low as the freezing point,
except close to the stoves, where it was a little hig}er.
Another play was performed on the 24th, and so on
every fortnight. The men were employed during the
day in banking up the ships with snow.
On the 23d of December, the officers performed " The
Mayor of Garrett," which was followed by an afterpiece, written by Captain Parry, entitled the "NorthWest Passage, or the Voyage Finished."  The sun having long since departed, the twilight at noon was so
clear that books in the smallest print could be distinctly
read.
On the 6th of January, the farce of " Bon Ton" was
performed, with the thermometer at 27~ below zero.The cold became more and more intense. On the 12th
it was 510 below zero, in the open air; brandy froze to




PARRY'S FIRST VOYAGE.          93
the consistency of honey; when tasted in this state it
left a smarting on the tongue. The greatest cold experienced was on the 14th of January, when the thermometer fell to 52~ below zero. On the 3d of February, the sun was first visible above the horizon, after
eighty-four days' absence. It was seen from the maintop of the ships, a height of about fifty-one feet above
the sea.
On the forenoon of the 24th a fire broke out at the
storehouse, which was used as an observatory. All
hands proceeded to the spot to endeavor to subdue the
flames, but having only snow to throw on it, and the
mats with which the interior was lined being very dry,
it was found impossible to extinguish it. The snow,
however, covered the astronomical instruments and secured them from the fire, and when the roof had been
pulled down the fire had burned itself out. Considerable as the fire was, its influence or heat extended but
a very short distance, for several of the officers and
men were frost-bitten, and confined from their efforts
for several weeks. John Smith, of the Artillery, who
was Captain Sabine's servant, and who, together with
Sergeant Martin, happened to be in the house at the
time the fire broke out, suffered much more severely.
In their anxiety to save the dipping needle, which was
standing close to the stove, and of which they knew
the value, they immediately ran out with it; and Smith
not having time to put on his gloves, had his fingers in
half an hour so benumbed, and the animation so completely suspended, that on his being taken on board
by Mr. Edwards, and having his hands plunged into
a basin of cold water, the surface of the water was immediately frozen by the intense cold thus suddenly
communicated to it; and notwithstanding the most humane and unremitting attention paid him by the medical gentlemen, it was found necessary, some time after,
to resort to the amputation of a part of four fingers
on one hand, and three on the other.
Parry adds, " the appearance which our faces presented at the fire was a curious one; almost every nose




94        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
and cheek having become quite white with frost bites,
in five minutes after being exposed to the weather, so
that it was deemed necessary for the medical gentlemen, together with some others appointed to assist
them, to go constantly round while the men were working at the fire, and to rub with snow the parts affected,
in order to restore animation."
The weather got considerably milder in March; on
the 6th the thermometer got up to zero for the first
time since the 17th of December.  The observatory
house on shore was now rebuilt.
The vapor, which had been in a solid state on the
ship's sides, now thawed below, and the crew, scraping
off the coating of ice, removed on the 8th of Mlarch,
above a hundred bucketsfull each, containing from five
to six gallons, which had accumulated in less than a
month, occasioned principally from the men's breath,
and the steam of victuals at meals.
The scurvy now broke out among the crew, and
prompt measures were taken to remedy it. Captain
Parry took great pains to raise mustard and cress in
his cabin for the men's use.
On the 3()th of April, the thermometer stood at the
freezing point, which it had not done since the 12th of
September last. On the 1st of Mlay, the sun was seen
at midnight for the first time that season.
A survey was now taken of the provisions, fuel, and
stores; much of the lemon juice was found destroyed
from the bursting in the bottles by the frost. Having
been only victualed for two years, and half that period
having expired, Captain Parry, as a matter of prudence
reduced all hands to two-thirds allowance of all sorts of
provisions, except meat and sugar.
The crew were now set to work in cutting away the
ice round the ships: the average thickness was found
to be seven feet. Many of the men who had been out
on excursions began to suffer much from snow blindness.  The sensation when first experienced, is described as like that felt when dust or sand gets into
the eyes. They were, however, cured in the course of




PARRY'S FIRST VOYAGE.           95
two or three days by keeping the eyes covered, and
bathing them occasionally with sugar of lead, or some
other cooling lotion.
To prevent the recurrence of the complaint, the men
were ordered to wear a piece of crape or some substitute for it over the eyes.
The channel round the ships was completed by the
17th of Mlay, and they rose nearly two feet, having
been kept down by the pressure of the ice round them,
although lightened during the winter by the consumption of food and fuel. On the 24th, they were astonished by two showers of rain, a most extraordinary
phenomenon in these regions.  Symptoms of scurvy
again appeared among the crew; one of the seamen
who had been recently cured, having imprudently been
in the habit of eating the fat skimmings, or " slush," in
which salt meat had been boiled, and which was served
out for their lamps. As the hills in many places now became exposed and vegetation commenced, two or three
pieces of ground were dug up and sown with seeds of
radishes, onions, and other vegetables. Captain Parry
determined before leaving to make an excursion across
the island for the purpose of examining its size, boundaries, productions, &c. Accordingly oD the 1st of June,
an expedition was organized, consisting of the commander, Captain Sabine,:Mr. Fisher, the assistant-surgeon, 3Mr. John Nias, midshipman of the iecla, and
3Mr. Reid, midshipman of the Griper, with two sergeants, and five seamen and marines. Three weeks'
provisions were taken, which, together with two tents,
wood for fuel, and other articles, weighing in all about
800 lbs., was drawn on a cart prepared for the purpose
by the men.
Each of the officers carried a knapsack with his own
private baggage, weighing from 18 to 24 lbs., also his
gun and ammunition. The party started in high glee,
under three hearty cheers from their comrades, sixteen
of whom accompanied them for five miles, carrying
their knapsacks and drawing the cart for them.
They traveled by night, taking rest by day, as it was




96        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
found to be warmer for sleep, and they had only a coy
ering of a single blanket each, beside the clothes they
had on.
On the 2d, they came to a small lake, about half a
mile long, and met with eider-ducks and ptarmigan;
seven of the latter were shot. From the top of a range
of hills at which they now arrived, they could see the
masts of the ships in Winter Harbor with the naked
eye, at about ten or eleven miles distant. A vast plain
was also seen extending to the northward and westward.
The party breakfasted on biscuit and a pint of gruel
each, made of salep powder, which was found to be a
very palatable diet. Reindeer with their fawns were
met with.
They derived great assistance in dragging their cart
by rigging upon it one of the tent-blankets as a sail, a
truly nautical contrivance, and the wind favoring them,
they made great progress in this way. Captain Sabine
being taken ill with a bowel complaint, had to be conveyed on this novel sail carriage. They, however, had
somIe ugly ravines to pass, the crossings of which were
very tedious and troublesome. On the 7th the party
came to a large bay, which was named after their ships,
Hecla and Griper Bay. The blue ice was cut through
by hard work with boarding pikes, the only instruments
they had, and after digging fourteen and a half feet,
thlie water rushed up; it was not very salt, but sufficient
to satisfy them that it was the ocean. An island seen
in the distance was named after Captain Sabine; some
of the var'ious points and capes were also named after
others of the party. Although this shore was found
blocked up with such heavy ice, there appear to be times
when there is open water here, for a piece of fir wood
seven and a half feet lon(g, and about the thickness of
a man's arm, was found about eighty yards inland from
the humlnmocks of the beach, and about thirty feet above
the level of the sea. Before leaving the shore, a monlment of stones, twelve feet high, was erected, in which
were deposited, in a tin cylinder, an account of their




PARRYS FIRST VOYAGE.            97
pi ceedings, a few coins, and several naval buttons.
The expedition now turned back, shaping its course in
a more westerly direction, toward some high blue hills,
which had long been in sight. On many days several
ptarmigans were shot. The horns and tracks of deer
were very numerous.
On the 11th they came in sight of a deep gulf, to
which Lieutenant Liddon's name was given; the two
capes at its entrance being called after Beechey and
HIoppner. In the center was an island about three-quarters of a mile in length, and rising abruptly to the
height of 700 feet. The shores of the gulf were very
rugged and precipitant, and in descending a steep hill,
the axle-tree of their cart broke, and they had to leave
it behind, taking the body with them, however, for fuel.
The wheels, which were left on the spot, may astonish
some future adventurer who discovers them. The stores,
&c., were divided among the officers and men.
Making their way on the ice in the gulf, the island in
the center was explored, and named after Mr. Hooper,
the purser of the Hecla. It was found to be of sandstone, and very barren, rising perpendicularly from the
west side. Four fat geese were killed here, and a great
many animals were seen around the gulf; some attention being paid to examining its shores, &ec., a fine open
valley was discovered, and the tracks of oxen and
deer were very numerous; the pasturage appeared to
be excellent.
On the 13th, a few ptarmigan and golden plover were
killed. INo less than thirteen deer in one herd were
seen, and a musk ox for the first time in this season.
The remains of six Esqnimaux huts were discovered
about 300 yards from the beach. Vegetation now began to flourish, the sorrel was found far advanced, and
a species of saxifrage was met with in blossom. They
reached the ships on the evening of the 15th, after a
journey of about 180 miles.
The ships' crews, during their absence, had been occupied in getting ballast in and re-stowing the hold.
Shooting parties were now sent out in various direc5




98         P.ROGRiESS OF ARCTIC DIStCA)ERYT
tions to procure ganme. Dr. Fisher gives an interestingl
account of his ten clays' excursion with a couple of meln.
The deer were not so numerous as they expected to find
thenm.   About thirty were seen, of which his party
killed but two, which were very lean, weighing only,
when skinned and cleaned, 50 to 60 lbs. A couple of
wolves were seen, and some foxes, with a great many
hares, four of which were killed, weighing from n  to 8
lbs. The aquatic birds seen were - brent geese, king
ducks, long-tailed ducks, and arctic and glaucous gulls.
The land birds were ptarmigans, plovers, sanderlings
and snow buntings. The geese were pretty nmnerous
for the first few days, but got wild and wary on being
disturbed, keeping in the middle of lakes out of gunshot. About a dozen were, however, killed, and fifteen
ptarmnigans. These birds are represented to be so stupid, that all seen may be shot. Dr. Fisher was surprised on his return on the 29th of June, after his ten
days' absence, to find how much vegetation had advanced; the land being now completely clear of snow,
was covered with the purple-colored saxifrage in blossom, with mosses, and with sorrel, and the grass was
two to three inches long. The men were sent out twice
a week to collect the sorrel, and in a few minutes enough
could be procered to make a salad for dinner. After
being mixed with vinegar it was regularly served out
to the men. The E]nglish garden seeds that had been
sown got on but slowly, and did not yield any produce
in time to be used.
On the 30th of June WinWm. Scott, a boatswain's mate,
who had been afflicted with scurvy, diarrhcea, &c.,
died, and was buried on the 2d of July —a slab of
sandstone bearing an inscription carved by Dr. Fisher,
being erected over his grave.
From  observations made on the tide during two
months, it appears that the greatest rise and fall here
is four feet four inches. A large pile of stones was
erected on the 14th of July, upon the most conspicuous
hill, containing the usual notices, coins, &Ce. anmd on a
large stone an inscrsiption weas lefRt, -notifying the wintering of the ships here.




PAIlRY S FITRST VOYAGE.         99
On the 1st of August, the ships, which had been previously warped out, got clear of the harbor, and found
a channel, both eastward and westward, clear of ice,
about three or four miles in breadth along the land.
On the 6th they landed on the island, and in the
course of the night killed fourteen hares and a number
of glaucous gulls, which were found with their young
on the top of a precipitous, insulated rock.
On the 9th the voyagers had an opportunity of observing an instance of the violent pressure that takes
place occasionally by the collision of heavy ice. "' Two
pieces," says Dr. Fisher, " that happened to come in
contact close to us, pressed so forcibly against one another that one of them, although forty-two feet thick,
and at least three times that in length and breadth, was
forced up on its edge on the top of another piece of ice.
But even this is nothing when compared with the pressure that must have existed to produce the effects that
we see along the shore, for not only heaps of earth and
stones several tons weight are forced up, but hummocks
of ice, from fifty to sixty feet thick, are piled up on the
beach. It is unnecessary to remark that a ship, although
fortified as well as wood and iron could make her, would
have but little chance of withstanding such overwhelming force."
This day a musk-ox was shot, which weighed more
than 700 lbs.; the carcass, when skinned and cleaned,
yielding 421 lbs. of meat. The flesh did not taste so
very strong of musk as had been represented.
The ships made but slow progress, being still thickly
beset with floes of ice, 40 or 50 feet thick, and had to
make fast for security to hummocks of ice on the beach.
On the 15th and 16th they were off the southwest
point of the island, but a survey of the locality from.
the precipitous cliff of Cape Dundas, presented the
same interminable barrier of ice, as far as the eye could
reach. A bold high coast was sighted to the southwest,
to which the name of Bank's Land was given.
Captain Parry states that on the 23d the ships received by far the heaviest shocks they had experienced




100       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
during the voyage, and performed six miles of the most
difficult navigation he had ever known among ice.
Two musk bulls were shot on the 24th by parties who
landed, out of a herd of seven which were seen. They
were lighter than the first one shot - weighing only
about 360 lbs. From the number of skulls and skeletons of these animals met with, and their capabilities
of enduring the rigor of the climate, it seems prol,able
that they do not migrate southward, but winter on this
island.
Attempts were still made to work to the eastward,
but on the 25th, from want of wind, and the closeness
of the ice, the ships were obliged to make fast again,
without having gained above a mile after several hours'
labor. A fresh breeze springing up on the 26th opened
a passage along shore, and the ships made sail to the
eastward, and in the evening were off their old quarters
in Winter Harbor. On the following evening, after a
fine run, they were off the east end of Mielville Island.
Lieut. Parry, this day, announced to the officers and
crew that after due consideration and consultation, it
had been found useless to prosecute their researches
farther westward, and thereifore endeavors would be
made in a more southerly direction, failing in which,
the expedition would return to England. Regent Inlet
and the southern shores generally, were found so blocked
up with ice, that the return to England was on the 30th
of August publicly announced. This day, Navy Board
and Admiralty Inlets were passed, and on the Ist of
September the vessels got clear of Barrow's Strait, and
reached Baffin's Bay on the 5th. They fell in with a
whaler belonging to Hull, from whom they learned the
news of the death of George the Third and the Duke
of Kent, and that eleven vessels having been lost in the
ice last year, fears were entertained for their safety.
The Friendship, another Hull whaler, informed them
that in company with the Truelove, she had looked into
Smith's Sound that summer. The Alexander, of Aberdeen, one of the ships employed on the former voyage
of discovery to these seas, had also entered Lancaster




PARRY'iS SECOND VOYAGE.        101
Sound. After touching at Clyde's River, where they
met a good-natured tribe of Esquimaux, the ships made
the best of their way across the Atlantic, and after a
somewhat boisterous passage, Commodore Parry landed
at Peterhead 6n the 30th of October, and, accompanied
by Capt. Sabine and MI[r. Hooper, posted to London.
PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE, 1821- 1823.
TmE experience which Capt. Parry had formed in his
previous voyage, led him to entertain the opinion that
a communication might be found between Regent Inlet
and Roe's Welcome, or through Repulse Bay, and thence
to the northwestern shores. The following are his remarks: —" On an inspection of the charts I think it
will also appear probable that a communication will
one day be found to exist between this inlet (Prince
Regent's) and Hudson's Bay, either through the broad
and unexplored channel called Sir Thomas Roe's Welcome, or through Repulse Bay, which has not yet been
satisfactorily examined. It is also probable that a channel will be fbund to exist between the western land and
the northern coast of America." Again, in another
place, he says:-" Of the existence of a northwest
passage to the Pacific it is now scarcely possible to
doubt, and from the success which attended our efforts
in 1819, after passing thl,ough Sir James Lancaster's
Sound, we were not unreasonable in anticipating its
complete accomplishment. But the season in which it
is practicable to navigate the Polar Seas does not exceed
seven weeks. From all that we observed it seems desirable that ships endeavoring to reach the Pacific Ocean
by this route should keep if possible on the coast of
America, and the lower in latitude that coast may be
found, the more favorable will it prove for the purpose;
hence Cumberland Strait, Sir Thomas Roe's Welcome,
and Repulse Bay appear to be the points most worthy
of attention. I cannot, therefore, but consider that any
expedition equipped by Great Britain with this view




102       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
ought to employ its best energies in attempting to penetrate from the eastern coast of America along its northern shore. In consequence of the partial success which
has hitherto attended our attempts, the whalers have
already extended their views, and a new field has been
opened for one of the most lucrative branches of our
commerce, and what is scarcely of less importance, one
of the most valuable nurseries for seamen which Great
Britain possesses."~
Pleased with his former zeal and enterprise, and in
order to give him an opportunity of testing the truth
of his observations, a few months after he returned home,
the Admiralty gave Parry the command of another expedition, with instructions to proceed to Hudson's Strait,
and penetrate to the westward, until in Repulse Bay,
or on some other part of the shores of Hudson's Bay to
the north of Wager River, he should reach the western
coast of the continent. Failing in these quarters, he
was to keep along the coast, carefully examining every
bend or inlet, which should appear likely to afford a
practicable passage to the westward.
The vessels commissioned, with their officers and
crews, were the following. Several of the officers of the
former expedition were promoted, and those who had
been on the last voyage with Parry I have marked with
an asterisk:-.F i i,.
Commander — W'. E. Parry.
Chaplain and Astronomer - Rev. Geo. Fisher, (was
in the Dorothea, under Capt. Buchan, in 1818.)
Lieutenants -'J. Nias and *A. Reid.
Surgeon -`-J. Edwards.
Purser -*W. II. Iooper.
Assistant-Surgeon - J. Skeoch.
Midshipmen — J. C. Ross, *J. Bushnan, J. iender.,
son, F. R. 1MI. Crozier.
*Parry's First Voyage, vol. ii, p. 240.




PATRTY' S SECOND VOYAGE.        103
Greenland Pilots -*J. Allison, master; G. Crawfird,
mate.
47 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c.
Total complement, 60..Hecla.
Commander-G-. F. Lyon.
Lieutenants — H. P. Hloppner and *C. Palmer.
Surgeon -*A. Fisher.
Purser -J. Germain.
Assistant-Surgeon - A. M'Laren.
MIidshipmen — W. N. Griffiths, J. Sherer, C. Richards, E. J. Bird.
Greenland Pilots -*G. Fife, master; *A. Elder, mate.
46 Petty Officers, seamen, &c.
Total complement, 58.
Lieutenant Lyon, the second in command, had obtained some reputation from his travels in Tripoli,
AMourzouk, and other parts of Northern Africa, and was
raised to the rank of Commander, on his appointment
to the Hecla, and received his promotion as Captain,
when the expedition returned.
The ships were accompanied as far as the ice by
the Nautilus transport, fieighted with provisions and
stores, which were to be transhipped as soon as room
was found for them.
The vessels got away from the little Nore early on
the 8th of May, 1821, but meeting with strong gales
off the Greenland coast, and a boisterous passage, did
not fall in with the ice until the middle of June.
On the 17th of June, in a heavy gale from the southward, the sea stove and carried away one of the quarter boats of the ltecla. On the following day, in lat.
600 53' N., long. 61~0 39' W., they made the pack or
main body of ice, having many large bergs in and
near it. On the 19th, Resolution Island, at the entrance of Hudson's Strait, was seen distant sixty-four
miles.  Capt. Lyon states, that dlring olne of the
5




104        PRlOGiESS OF ARlC'IC DI)iSCOVERY.
watches, a large friagment was observed to fall firom
all iceberg near tile Ilecla, which threw up the watei
to a great height, sending  forth at the same time a
noise like the report of a great gun.  Fromn this period to the 1st of July, tilhe ships were occupied in
clearing the Nautilus of her stores, preparatory to
her return home, occasionally made fast to a berg, or
driven out to sea by gales.  On tile 2d, after running(
through heavy ice, thley a.gain made Itesolution Island,
and shaping their course for the Strait, were soon introduced to the company of some unusually large icebergs.  The altitude of one was 258 feet above the
surface of the sea; its total height, therefore, allowing
one-seventh only to be visible, must have been about
1806 feet!  This however, is supposing the base under water not to spread beyond the mass above water.
The vessels had scarcely drifted  past this floating
mountain, when the eddy tide carried them with great
rapidity among a cluster of eleven bergs of huge
size, and having a beautiful diversity of form.  Thle
largest of these was 210 feet above the water. Thle
floe ice was running wildly at the rate of three miles
an hour, sweeping the vessels past the bergs, against
any one of which, they might have received incalculable injury.  An endeavol was made to make the
ships fast to one of them, (fior all of thein were aground,)
in order to ride out the tide, but it proved unsuccessfill, and the Fury had much difficulty in sendiig a
boat for some men who were on a small berg, mlakllg
holes for her ice anchors.  Tlhev were theretore swept
past and soon beset.  Fifty-four icebergs were counted
from the mast-lhead.
On the 3d, they made some progress through very
heavy floes; but on the tide turning, the loose ice flew
together with such rapidity and noise, that there was
barely time to secure the ships in a natural dock, before the two streams met, and even then they received
some heavy shocks.  Water was procured for use
from the pools in the floe to which the ships were
lmade fast; and this being the first time of doing so,




PAZIRY'S STCOIND VOYAGE~h          105
afforded great amusement to the novices, who, even
when: it was their period of rest, preferred  pelting
each other with snow-balls, to going to bed. Buffleting  with eddies, strong currents, and dangerous bergs,
they were kept in a state of anxiety and danger, for
a week or ten days.  On one occasion, with the prospect of' being driven on shore, the pressure they experienced was so great, that five hawsers, six inches
thick, were carried away, and the best bower anchor
of the Hecla was wrenched from the bows, and broke
off at the head of the shank, with as much ease as if,
instead of weighing upward of a ton, it had been of
crockery ware. For a week they were enlbayed by
the ice, and during this period they saw three strange
ships, also beset, under Resolution Island, which they
contrived to join on the 16th of July, making fast to
a floe near them. They proved to be the Hudson's Bay
Company's traders, Prince of WTales, and Eddystone,
with the Lord Wellington, chartered to convey 160
natives of Holland, who were proceeding to settle on
Lord. Selkirk's estate, at the Red IRiver.  "' While
nearing these vessels, (says Lyon,) we observed the
settlers waltzing' on deck, for above two hours, the
men in old-fashioned  gray jackets, and the women
wearing long-eared mob caps, like those used by the
Swiss peasants. As we were surrounded by ice, and
the thermometer was at the freezing point, it may be
siupposed that this ball, ac  veeo fresco, afforded us
much amusement."   The Hudson's Bay ships had
left England twenty days after the expedition.
The emigrant ship had been hampered nineteen
days among the ice before she joined the others;
and as this navigation was new to her captain and crlew,
they almost despaired of ever getting to their journev's end, so varied and constant had been their irnpedimrents.  The Dutchmen had, however, behalved
very philosophically during this period, and seemed
determined on being merry, in spite of the weather
and the dangers. Several marriatges had taken place,
the surlgeon, who was accollpanying them to the col



106        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
ony, officiating as clergyman,) and many more were
in agitation; each happy couple always deferring the
ceretnony until a fine day allowed of an evening ball,
which was only terminated by a firesh breeze, or a fall
of snow.*  On the 17th, the ships were separated by
thle ice, and they saw no more of their visitors. On
the 21st, they were only off the Lower Savage Islands.
In the evening they saw a very large bear lying on a
piece of ice, and two boats were instantly sent off in
chase. They approached very close before he took
to the water, when he swamn rapidly, and made long
springs, turning boldly to face his pursuers. It was
with difficulty he was captured. As these animals,
although very fat and bulky, sink the instant they die,
lie was lashed to a boat, and brought alongside the
ship. On hoisting him in, they were astonished to
find that his weight exceeded sixteen hundred pounds,
being one of the largest ever killed. Two instances,
only, of larger bears being shot are recorded, and
these were by Barentz's crew, in his third voyage, at
Cherie Island, to which they gave the name of Bear
Island. The two bears killed then, measured twelve
and thirteen feet, while this one only measured eight
feet eighit inches, from the snout to the insertion of the
tail. The seamen ate the flesh without experiencing
any of those baneful effects which old navigators attribnte to it, and which are stated to have made three
of Barentz's people "so sick that we expected they
would have died, and their skins peeled off from
head to foot."  Bruin was very fat, and having procured a tub of blubber from the carcass, it was thrown
over board, and the smell soon attracted a couple
of walruses, the first that had been yet seen.
They here fell in with a numerous body of the Es
quimaux, who visited them from the shore. In less
than an hour the ships were beset with thirty "kayaks," or men's canoes, and five of the women's large
boats, or "oomiaks."  Some of the latter held upward of twenty women.  A most noisy but merry
barter instantly took place, the crew being as anxious
* Lyoon's Pr1ivate Joulrnal, p. 11.




PARTRYS SECOND VOYAGE.             107
to purchase Esquimlaux curiosities, as the natives were
to procure iron and European toys.'It is quite out of my power, (observes Captain
Lyon,) to describe the shouts, yells, and laughter of
the savages, or the confusion which existed for two or
three hours. The females were at first very shy, and
unwilling to come on the ice, but bartered every thing
fiorom their boats. This timidity, however, soon wore
off, and they, in the end, became as noisy and boisterous as the men." " It is scarcely possible, (he adds)
to conceive any thing more ugly or disgusting than
the countenances of the old women, who had inflamed
eyes, wrinkled skin, black teeth, and, in fact, such a
forbidding set of features as scarcely could be called
human; to which might be added their dress, which
was such as gave them the appearance of aged ourangoutangs. Frobisher's crew may be pardoned for having, in such superstitious times as A. D. 1576, taken
one of these ladies for a witch, of whom  it is said,' The old wretch whom our sailors supposed to be a
witch, had her buskins pulled off, to see if she was
cloven-footed; and being very ugly and deformed, we
let her go.'"
In bartering they have a singular custom of ratifying the bargain, by licking the article all over before
it is put away in security. Captain Lyon says lie frequently shuddered at seeing the children draw a razor
over their tongue, as unconcernedly as if it had been
an ivory paper-knife. I cannot forbear quoting here
some humorous passages from his journal, which stand
out in relief to the scientific and nautical parts of the
narrative.
"' The strangers were so well pleased in our society,
that they showed no wish to leave us, and when the
market had quite ceased, they began dancing and
playing with our people, on the ice alongside. This
exercise set many of their noses bleeding, and discovered to us a most nasty custom, which accounted for
their gory faces, and which was, that as fast as the
blood ran down, they scraped it with the fingers




108       PIROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
into their mouths, appearing to consider it as a refr'eshnment, or dainty, if we might judge by the zest
with which they smacked their lips at each supply."
" In order to anmuse our new acquaintances as much
as possible, the fiddler was sent on the ice, where he
instantly found a most delightful set of dancers, of
whom some of the women kept pretty good time.
Their only figure consisted in stamping and jumping
with all their might. Our musician, who was a lively
fellow, soon caught the infection, and began cutting
capers also. In a short time every one on the floe,
officers, men, and savages, were dancing together, and
exhlibited one of the most extraordinary sights I ever
witnessed. One of our seamen, of a firesh, ruddy
complexion, excited the admiration of all the young
females, who patted his face, and danced around him
wherever he went.
" Tile exertion of dancing so exhilarated the Esquimaux, that they had the appearance of being boisterously drunk, and played many extraordinary pranks.
Among others, it was a favorite joke to run slily behind the seamen, and shouting loudly in one ear, to
give them at the same time a very smart slap on the
other. While looking on, I was sharply saluted in this
manner, and, of course, was quite startled, to the
great amusement of the bystanders: our cook, who
was a most active and unwearied jumper, became so
great a favorite, that every one boxed his ears so
soundly, as to oblige the poor man to retire from such
boisterous marks of approbation.   Among other
sports, some of the Esquimaux rather roughly, but
with great good humor, challenged our people to
wrestle. One man, in particular, who had thrown several of his countrymen, attacked an officer of a very
strong make, but the poor savage was instantly thrown,
and with no very easy fall; yet, although every one
was laughing at him, he bore it with exemplary good
humor. The same officer afforded us much diversion
by teaching a large party of women to bow, courtesy,




PARRY l S SECOND VOYAGE.          109
slhake hlands, turn their toes out, and perform  sundiy other polite accomplishments; the whole party
ma:ter andll pupils, preserving  the strictest gravity.
"Toward imidniglht all our mnen, except the watch on
deck, turned in to their beds, and the ~atigued and
hungry Esquimaux returned to their boats to take their
supper, which consisted of lumps of raw flesh and bllubber of seals, birds, entrails, &c.; lickinl  their fingers
with great zest, and with knives or fingers scraping thle
blood and grease which ran down their chins into their
months."
Many other parties of the natives were fallen in with
during the slow progress of the ships, between Salisbury
and Nottinghaln Islands, who were equally as eager to
beg, barter, or thieve; and the mouth was the general
repository of most of the treasures they received; needles, pins, nails, buttons, beads, and other small etceteras, being indiscriminlately stowed there, but detracting
in nowise from their volubility of speech.  On tile 13thi
of August the weather being calm and fine, norwhals or
sea-unicorns, were very numerous about the ships, and
boats were sent, but without success, to strike one.
There were sometimes as many as twenty of these
beautiful fish in a shoal, lifting at times their izmmllense
horn above the water, and at others showing  their
glossy backs, which were spotted in the manner of
coach dogs in England. The length of these fish is
about fifteen feet, exclusive of the horn, which averages
five or six more.
Captain Parry landed and slept on Southampton Island. His boat's crew cauglht in holes on the beach
suflicient sillocks, or young coal-fish, to serve for two
meals for the whole ship's company.  During the night
white whales were seen lying' in hundreds close to tile
rocks, probably feeding4 on the sillocks. After carefully
examining Duke of York Bay, the ships got into the
Frozen Strait of Middleton on the morning of the 20th,
and an anxious day was closed by passing an opening
to the southward, which was found to be Sir Thomas
Roe's WVelcome, hnd heaving to for the night off a bay




110      PROGRESS OF AC''IC )ISCOVERY.
to the northwest. The ships got well in to IZepulse
Bay on the 22d, and a careful examination of its shores
was made by the boats.
Captains Parry and Lyon, with several officers from
each ship, landed and explored the northern shllores,
while a boat examined the head of the bay. The waters of a long cove are described by Captain Lyon as
being absolutely hidden by the quantities of young
eider-ducks, w-hich, under the direction of their mothers, were making their first essays in swimming.
Captain Lyon with a boat's crew made a trip of a
couple of days along some of the indents of the bay,
and discovered an inlet, which, however, on being entered subsequently by the ships, proved only to be the
dividing channel between an island and the main-land,
about six miles in length by one in breadth. Proceeding to the northward by Hurd's channel, they experienced a long rolling ground swell setting against them.
On the 28th, ascending a steep mountain, Captain
Lyon discovered a noble bay, subsequently named Gor
Bay, in which lay a few islands, and toward this the i
directed their course.
Captain Parry, who had been two days absent with
boats exploring the channel and shores of the strait, roturned on the 29th, but set off again on the same da. y
with six boats to sound and examine more minutel'-.
When Parry returned at night, 1Mr. Grifliths, of tI e
Hecla, brought on board a large doe, which he haid
killed while swimming (among large masses of ice) fio: na
isle to isle; two others and a fawn were procured (a
shore by the Fury's people. The game laws, as thb y
were laid down on the former voyage while winteris y
at Melville Island, were once more put in force. The -.e
"enacted that for the purpose of economizing the ship~'s
provisions, all deer or musk-oxen killed should be
served out in lieu of the usual allowance of meat.
Hares, ducks, and other birds were not at this time to
be included. As an encouragement to sportsmen, the
head, legs, and offal of the larger animlals were to be
the perquisites of those who procured the carcasses for




PARRY'S SE:COND VOYAGE.          111
the general good."  "In the animals of this day (observes Lyon) we were convinced that our sportsmen
had not fobrgotten the latitude to which their perquisites
might legally extend, for the necks were made so long
as to encroach considerably on the vertebrae of the
back; a manner of amputating the heads which had
been learned during the former voyage, and, no doubt,
would be strictly acted up to in the present one."
While the ships on the 30th were proceeding through
this strait, having to contend with heavy wind and
wild ice, which with an impetuous tide ran against the
rocks with loud crashes, at the rate of five knots in the
center stream; four boats towing astern were torn
away by the ice, and, with the men in them, were for
some time in great danger. The vessels anchored for
the night in a small nook, and weighing at daylight
on the 31st, they stood to the eastward, but Gore Bay
was found closely packed with ice, and most of the inlets they passed were also beset.
A prevalence of fog, northerly wind, and heavy ice
in floes of some miles in circumference, now carried
the ships, in spite of constant labor and exertions, in
three days, back to the very spot in Fox's Channel,
where a month ago they had commenced their operations. It was not till the 5th of September, that they
could again get forward, and then by one of the usual
changes in the navigation of these seas, the ships ran
well to the northeast unimpeded, at the rate of six
knots an hour, anchoring for the night at the mouth of
a large opening, which was named Lyon Inlet. The
next day they proceeded about twenty-five miles up
this inlet, which appeared to be about eight miles broad.
Captain Parry pushed on with two boats to examine
the head of the inlet, taking provisions for a week.
lie returned on the 14th, having failed in finding any
outlet to the place he had been examining, which was
very extensive, full of fiords and rapid overfalls of the
tide. Ite had procured a sufficiency of game to afford
his people a hot supper every evening, which, after the
constant labor of the day, was highly acceptable. He




112       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVErY.
fell in also with a small party of natives who displayed
the usual thieving propensities.
Animal food of all kinds was found to be very plentiful in this locality. A fine salmon trout was brought
down by one of the officers from a lake in the mountains. The crew of the Hecla killed in a fortnight four
deer, forty hares, eighty-two ptarmigan, fifty ducks,
three divers, three foxes, three ravens, four seals, ermines, marmottes, mice, &c. Two of the seals killed
were immense animals of the bearded species (PAloca
barbata,) very fat, weighing about eight Qr nine cwt.;
the others were the common species, (P. vitulina.)
Captain Parry again left in boats, on the 15th, to examine more carefully the land that had been passed so
rapidly on the 5th and 6th. Not finding him return
on the 24th, Captain Lyon ran down the coast to meet
him, and by burning blue lights, fell in with him at
ten that night.  It appeared he had been frozen up
for two days on the second evening after leaving.
When he got clear he ran down to. and sailed round,
Gore Bay, at that time perfectly clear of ice, but by
the next morning it was quite filled with heavy pieces,
which much impeded his return. Once more he was
frozen up in a small bay, where he was detained three
days; when, finding there was no chance of getting
out, in consequence of the rapid formation of young
ice, by ten hours' severe labor, the boats were carried
over a low point of land, a mile and a half wide, and
once more launched.
On the 6th of October, the impediments of ice continuing to increase, being met with in all its formations
of sludges or young ice, pancake ice and bay ice, a
small open bay within a cape of land, forming the
southeast extremity of an island off Lyon Inlet, was
sounded, and being found to be safe anchorage the ships
were brought in, and, from the indications which were
setting in, it was finally determined to secure them there
for the winter; by means of a canal half a mile long,
which was cut, they were taken further into the bay.
The island was named Winter Isle.
Preparations were now made for occupation and




PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE.        113
amusement, so as to pass away pleasantly the period
of detention. A good stock of theatrical dresses and
properties having been laid in by the officers before
leaving England, arrangements were made for performing plays fortnightly, as on their last winter residence,
as a means of amusing the seamen, and in some degree
to break the tedious monotony of their confinement. As
there could be no desire or hope of excelling, every
officer's name was readily entered on the list of dramatis personar, Captain Lyon kindly undertaking the
difficult office of manager. Those ladies (says Lyon)
who had cherished the growth of their beards and
whiskers, as a defense against the inclemency of the
climate, now generously agreed to do away with such
unfeminine ornaments, and every thing bade fair for a
most stylish theater.
As a curiosity, I may here put on record the play
bill for the evening. I have added the ship to which
each officer belonged.
THEATER ROYAL,
WINTER ISLE.
The Public are respectfully informed that this little,
yet elegant Theater, will open for the season on Friday next, the 9th of November, 1821, when will be
performed Sheridan's celebrated Comedy of
THE RIVALS.
Sir Anthony Absolute  Captain Parry, (Fury.)
Captain Absolute - - Captain Lyon, (Hecla.)
Sir Lucius O'Trigger, Mr. Crozier, (Fury.)
Faulkland, -          Mr. J. Edwards, (Fiury.)
Acres, - -- Mr. J. Henderson, (Fury.)
Fay, -                Lieut. Itoppner, (Ifecla.)
-David, -  --— Lieut. Reid, (Fury.)
3lrs. flalaprop,  - - Mr. C. Richards, (]Hecla.)
Juolia,-           - Mr. W. H. Hooper, (Fary.)
Lydia languish, - - Mr. J. Sherer, (Jiecla.)
Lucy,      - -       Mr. W. Mogg, (cl'k of Hecla.)




114       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Songs by Messrs. C. Palmer, (Hecla,) and J. Henderson, will be introduced in the course of the evening.
On the 17th of December, a shivering set of actors
performed to a great-coated, yet very cold audience,
the comedy of the "Poor Gentleman." A burst of
true English feeling was exhibited during the performance of this play. In the scene where Liest. TVorth/nyton and Corporal Fooss recount in so animated a
manner their former achievements, advancing at the
same time, and huzzaing for " Old England," the
whole audience, with one accord, rose and gave three
most hearty cheers. They then sat down, and the
play continued uninterrupted.
On Christmas Eve, in order to keep the people
quiet and sober, two farces were performed, and the
phantasmagoria, (which had been kindly presented
anonymously to the ships before leaving, by a lady,)
exhibited, so that the night passed merrily away.
The coldness of the weather proved no bar to the
performance of a play at the appointed time. If it
amused the seamen, the purpose was answered, but it
was a cruel task to performers. "' In our green-room,
(says Lyon,) which was as much warmed as any other
part of the Theater, the thermometer stood at 16~, and
on a table which was placed over a stove, and about
six inches above it, the coffee froze in the cups. For
my sins, I was obliged to be dressed in the height of
the fashion, as Dick Dowlao, in the " Heir at Law,"
and went through the last scene of the play with
two of my fingers frost-bitten! Let those who have
witnessed and admired the performances of a Young,
answer if he could possibly ha ve stood so cold a reception."
Captain Parry also states in his Journal, "' Among
the recreations which afforded the highest gratification to several among us, I may mention the musical
parties we were enabled to muster, and which assembled on stated evenings throughout the winter, alter




b"-_ -                                          -
~-~~- -=
~~~~~-   _ ~ ~ ~ ~ --- "-r —
PE~~flOUS SITUATION OF THE ADVANCE AND RESCUE Pf MELVILLE BAY  PAGE 367_~I-~T~








PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE.          115
~'tely mi Saimander Lyon's cabin, and in my own.
More skillful amateurs in music might well have smiled
at these, our humble concerts, but it will not incline
them to think less of the science they admire, to be
assured that, in these remote and desolate regions of
the globe, it has often furnished us with the most
pleasurable sensations which our situation was capable
of affording; for, independently of the mere gratification afforded to the ear by music, there is, perhaps,
scarcely a person in the world really fond of it, in
whose mind its sound is not more or less connected
with' his far distant home.' There are always some
remembrances which render them inseparable, and
those associations are not to be despised, which, while
we are engaged in the performance of our duty, can
still occasionally transport us into the social circle of
our friends at home, in spite of the oceans that roll between us."  But their attention was not confined to
mere amusements. Much to the credit of the seamen,
an application was made in each ship for permission
to open an evening school, which was willingly acceded to. Almost every man could read, and some
could write a little, but several found that, from long
disuse, it was requisite to begin again.
Mr. Halse volunteered to superintend the classes in
the Fury; while Benjamin White,a seaman, who had been
educated at Christ's Hospital, officiated as schoolmaster
in the Hecla, and those best qualified to assist aided
in the instruction of their shipmates, who made rapid
progress under their tuition. On Christmas Day, Capt.
Lyon states that he received sixteen copies from men,
who, two months before, scarcely knew their letters.
These little specimens were all well written, and sent
with as much pride as if the writers had been good
little schoolboys, instead of stout and excellent seamen.
An observatory was erected on shore, for carrying
on magnetical, astronomical, and other scientific operations. Foxes were very plentiful about the ships; fifteen
were caught in one trap in four hours on the night of
the 25th of October, and above one hundred were




116 ~     PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
either trapped or killed in the course of three months,
and yet there seemed but little diminution in their
numbers. Captain Lyon says he found them not bad
eating, the flesh much resembling that of kid. A pack
of thirteen wolves came occasionally to have a look at
the ships, and on one occasion broke into a snow-house
alongside, and walked off with a couple of Esquimaux
dogs confined there. Bears now and then also made
their appearance.
A very beautiful ermine walked on board the Hecla
one clay, and was caught in a small trap placed on the
deck, certainly the first of these animals which was
ever taken alive on board a ship 400 yards from the
land. The ravenous propensities of even some of the
smallest members of the animal kingdom are exemplified by the following extract:"WXe had for some time observed that in the firehole, which was kept open in the ice alongside, a countless multitude of small shrimps were constantly rising
near the surface, and we soon found that in twenty-four
hours they would clean, in the most beautiful manner,
the skeletons."
After attending divine service on Christmas day, the
officers and crews sat down to the luxury of joints of
English roast beef, which had been kept untainted by
being frozen, and the outside rubbed with salt. Cranberry pies and puddings, of every shape and size, with
a full allowance of spirits, followed, and, probably the
natural attendance of headaches succeeded, for the
next morning it was deemed expedient to send all thG
people for a run on the ice, in order to put them to
rights; but thick weather coming on, it became necessary to recall them, and, postponing the dinner hour,
they were all danced sober by one o'clock, the fiddler
being, fortunately, quite as he should be. During this
curious ball, a witty fellow attended as an old cake
woman, with lumps of frozen snow in a bucket; and
such was the demand for his pies on this occasion, that
he was obliged to replenish pretty frequently.  The
year had now drawn to a close, and all enjoyed excel



PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE.          117
lent health, and were blessed with good spirits, and zeal
for the renewal of their arduous exertions in the summer.
WNo signs of scurvy, the usual plague of such voyages, had occurred, and by the plans of Captain Parry,
as carried out on the former voyage, a sufficiency of
mustard and cress was raised between decks to afford
all hands a salad once, and sometimes twice a week.
The cold now became intense.  Wine froze in the bottles. Port was congealed into thin pink laminae, which
lay loosely, and occupied the whole length of the bottle. White wine, on the contrary, froze into a solid
and perfectly transparent mass, resembling amber.
On the 1st of February the monotony of their life
was varied by the arrival of a large party of Esquimaux, and an interchange of visits thencefbrward took
place with this tribe, which, singularly enough, were
proverbial for their honesty.  Ultimately, however,
they began to display some thievish propensities, for
on one evening in March a most shocking theft was
committed, which was no less than the last piece of
English corned beef from  the midshipmen's mess.
Hlad it been an 181b. carronade, or even one of the anchors, the thieves would have been welcome to it; but
to purloin English beef in such a country was unpardonable.
On the 15th of ]MIarch Captain Lyon, Lieutenant
Palmer, and a party of men, left the ship, with provisions, tents, &c., in a large sledge, for an excursion
of three or four days, to examine the land in the neighborhood of the ships.
The first night's encampment was anything but comfortable. Their tent they found so cold, that it was
determined to make a cavern in the snow to sleep in;
and digging this afforded so good an opportunity of
warmning themselves, that the only shovel was lent from
one to the other as a particular favor. After digging
it of sufficient size to contain them all in a sitting posture, by means of the smoke of a fire they managed to
raise the temperature to 20~, and, closing the entrance




118        PROGJIESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
with blocks of snow, crept into their blanket bags and
tried to sleep, with the pleasant reflection that their
roof might fall in and bury themn all, and that their one
spade was the only means of liberation after a night's
drift of snow.
They woke next morning to encounter a heavy gale
and drift, and found their sledge so embedded in the
snow that they could not get at it, and in the attempt
their faces and extremities were most painfully fiostbitten. The thermometer was at 32~ below zero; they
could not, moreover, see a yard of the road; yet to remain appeared worse than to go forward -the last
plan was, therefore, decided on. The tent, sledge, and
luggage were left behind, and with only a few pounds
of bread, a little rum, and a spade, the party again set
out; and in order to depict their sufferings, I must take
up the narrative as related by the commander himself:
"lNot knowing where to go, we wandered among
the heavy hmnmocks of ice, and suffering from cold,
fatigue and anxiety, were soon completely bewildered.
Several of our party now began to exhibit symptoms
of that horrid kind of insensibility which is the prelude to sleep.  They all professed extreme willingness
to do what they were told in order to keep in exercise,
but none obeyed; on the contrary, they reeled about
like drunken men. The faces of several were severely
frost-bitten, and some had for a considerable time lost
sensation in their fingers and toes; yet they made not
the slightest exertion to rub the parts affected, and even
discontinued their general custom of warming each
other on observing a discoloration of the skin. Ml~r.
Palmer employed the people in building a snow wall,
ostensibly as a shelter from the wind, but in fact to
give them exercise, when standing still must have
proved fatal to men in our circumstances. Mty attention was exclusively directed to Sergeant Speckman,
who, having been repeatedly warned that his nose was
frozen, had paid no attention to it, owing to the state
of stupefaction into which he had fallen. The frostbite had now extended over one side of his face, which




PArRn' S SECOND VOYAGE.         119
was frozen as hard as a mask; the eyelids were stiff,
and one corner of the upper lip so drawn up as to
expose the teeth and gums. M[y hands being still
warm, I had the happiness of restoring the circulation,
after which I used all my endeavors to keep the poor
fellow in motion; but he complained sadly of giddiness and dimness of sight, and was so weak as to be
unable to walk without assistance. His case was so
alarming, that I expected every moment he would lie
down, never to rise again.
" Our prospect now became every moment more
gloomy, and it was but too probable that four of our
party would be unable to survive another hour. Mrt.
Palmer, however, endeavored, as well as myself, to
cheer the people up, but it was a faint attempt, as we
had not a single hope to give them. Every piece of
ice, or even of small rock or stone, was now supposed
to be the ships, and we had great difficulty in preventing the men from running to the different objects which
attracted them, and consequently losing themselves in
the drift. In this state, while MIr. Palmer was running
round us to warm himself, he suddenly pitched on a
new beaten track, and as exercise was indispensable,
we determined on following it, wherever it might lead
us. Havingf taken the Sergeant under my coat, he recovered a little, and we moved onward, when to our
infinite joy we found that the path led to the ships."
As the result of this exposure, one man had two of
his fingers so badly frost-bitten as to lose a good deal
of the flesh of the upper ends, and for many days it
was feared that he would be obliged to have them amputated.  Quarter-master Carr, one of those who had
been the most hardy while in the air, fainted twice on
getting below, and every one had severe fiost-bites in
different parts of the body, which recovered after the
usual loss of skin in these cases.
One of the Esquimaux females, by name Igloolik,
who plays a conspicuous part in the narrative, was a
general favorite, being possessed of a large fund of
useful information, having a good voice and ear for




120       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
music, being an excellent seamstress, and having such
a good idea of the hydrography and bearings Of the
neighhoring sea-coasts, as to draw charts which guided
Parry much in his future operations, for he found her
sketches to be in the main correct. She connected the
land from their winter quarters to the northwest sea,
rounding and terminating the northern extremity of
this part of America, by a large island, and a strait of
sufficient magnitude to afford a safe passage for the
ships.  This little northwest passage, observes Lyon,
set us all castle-building, and we already fancied tile
worst part of our voyage over; or, at all events, that
before half the ensuing summer was past, we should
arrive at Akkoolee, the Esquimaux settlement on the
western shore. Half-way between that coast and Re
pulse Bay, Igloolik drew on her chart a lake of considerable size, having small streams running from it to
the sea, on each side; and the correctness of this information was fully proved by Rae in his recent expedition in 1846.
On the 13th of April their Esquimaux friends took
their departure for other quarters; towards the end of
the month the crews completed the cutting of trenches
round the vessels, in order that they might rise to their
proper bearings previous to working in the holds, and
the ships floated like corks on their native element,
after their long imprisonment of 191 days. As the
season appeared to be improving, another land expedition was determined on, and Captain Lyon and Lientenant Palmer, attended by a party of eight men, set
off on the 8th of May, taking with them twenty days'
provisions. Each man drew on a sledge 126 lbs., and
the officers 95 lbs. a-piece.
"Loaded as we were," says the leader, "it was with
the greatest difficulty we made our way among and
over the hummocks, ourselves and sledges taking some
very unpleasant tumbles. It required two and a half
hours to cross the ice, although the distance was not
two miles, and we then landed on a small island, where
we passed the night."'




PARRY' S SECON  VOYAGE.        121
Sevec'al islands and shoals in the strait were named
Bird's Isles. At noon on the 11th, they camped at the
head of a fine bay, to which the name of Blake was
given. In spite of all the care which had been taken
by using crape shades, and other coverings for the eyes,
five of the party became severely afflicted with snow
blindness. Before evening two of the sufferers were
quite blinded by the inflanmmation. Their faces, eyes,
and even heads, being much swollen, and very red.
Bathing would have afforded relief, but the sun did not
produce a drop of water, and their stock of fuiel being
limited, they could only spare enough wood to thaw
snow for their midday draLught.
As the morning of the 12th brought no change in the
invalids, another day was lost.  Tow-ard evening, by
breaking pieces of ice, and placing them in the full
glare of the sun, sufficient water was obtained, both for
drinking and for the sick to bathe their faces, which
afforded them amazing relief, and on the morrow they
were enabled to resume their journey. At noon the
sun was sufficiently powerful to afford the travelers a
draught of water, without having to thaw it, as had
hitherto been the case.
For nearly three days after this, they were imprisoned
in their low tent by a snow-storm, but on the morning
of the 18th, thev were enabled to sally out to stretch
their legs, and catch a glimpse of the sun. After examining many bays and ind entations of the coast, the party
returned to the ships on the evening of the 21st. A
canal was now cut through the ice, to get the ships to
the open water, in length 2400 feet, and varying in
breadth from 60 to 197 feet. The average thickness of
the ice was four feet, but in some places it was as muchl
as twelve feet. This truly arduous task had occupied the
crews for fifteen days, from six in the morning to eight
in the evening; but they labored at it with the greatest
spirit and good humor, and it was concluded on the 18th
of June, when the officers and men began to take leave
of their several haunts and promenades, particularly
the " garden " of each ship, which had become favorite




122        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
lounges during their nine months' detention. A few
ill-fated bunllting camie near enough to be shot, and were
instantly roasted tfr a farewell supper, and bright visions of active exertions on the water on the imorrow
were universally entertained. But the night dispelled
all these airy castles, for with the morning's dawn they
found that the whole body of ice asterni of the ships
had broke adrift, filled up thle hard-wrought canal, and
imprisoned them as firmn as ever.
Death now for the first time visited the crews. James
Pringle, a seaman of the Hecla, fell from the mast-head
to the deck, and was killed on the 18th of Mlay. Win.
Souter, quarter-master, and John IReid, Carpenter's
mate, belonging to the Fury, died on the 26th and 27th,
of natural causes.  Toward the end of June, the sea
began to clear rapidly to the eastward, and the bay ice
soon gave way as far as where the ships were lying, and
on the 2d of July they put to sea with a fiesh breeze,
after having been fiozen in for 267 days.
In making their way to the northward, they were frequently in much danger.  On the 3d, the ice came
down on the HIecla with such force as to carry her on
board the Fury, by which the lIecla broke her best bower
anchor, and cut her waist-boat in two. On the 4th, the
pressure of the ice was so great as to break the Hlecla
adrift from three hawsers. Four or five men were each
on separate pieces of ice, parted from the ships in the
endeavor to run out a hawser. A heavy pressure closing
the loose ice lnexpectedly gave thein a road on board
again, or they must have been carried away by the
stream to certain destruction. On the Sth, the tiecla
had got her streamr-cable out, in addition to the other
hawsers, and made fast to the land ice, when a very
heavy and extensive floe took the ship on her broad
side, and being backed by another large body of ice,
gradually lifted her stein as if by the action of a wedge.
"The weight every moment increasing, obliged us,"
says Captain Lyon, " to veer on the hawsers, whose fi'iction was so great as nearly to cut through the bitt-heads,
and ultimately to set them on fire, so that it became




PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE.          123
requisite for people to attend with buckets of water.
The pressure was at length too powerful for resistance,
and the stream-cable, with two six and one five-inch
hawsers, all gave way at the same moment, three others
soon following them. The sea was too full of ice to
allow the ship to drive, and the only way in which she
could yield to the enormous weight which oppressed her,
was by leaning over on the land ice, while her stem at
the same time was entirely lifted to above the height of
five feet out of the water. The lower deck beams now
complained very much, and the whole frame of the
ship underwent a trial which would have proved fatal
to any less strengthened vessel. At the same moment,
the rudder was unhung with a sudden jerk, which broke
up the rudder-case, and struck the driver-boom with
great force."
From this perilous position she was released almost
by a miracle, and the rudder re-hung.
The ships a. last reached the island which had been so
accurately described to them by the Esquimaux lady -
Iglolik, where they came upon an encampment of
120 Esquimaux, in tents. Captains Parry and Lyon
and other officers made frequent exploring excursions
along the shores of the Fury and Hecla strait, and inland. On the 26th of August the ships entered this
strait, which was found blocked up with flat ice. The
season had also now assumed so wintry an aspect that
there seemed but little probability of getting much farther west: knowing of no harbor to protect the ships,
unless a favorable change took place, they had the
gloomy prospect before them of wintering in or near
this frozen strait. Boating and land parties were dispatched in several directions, to report upon the different localities.
On the 4th of September, Captain Lyon landed on
an island of slate formation, about six miles to the westward of the ships, which he named Amherst Island. The
result of these expeditions proved that it was impracticable, either by boats or water conveyance, to examine
any part of the land southwest of Iglolik, in consectiienle of the ice.




124        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Mr. Reid and a boat-party traveled about sixty miles
to the westward of Amherst Island, and ascertained the
termination of the strait. On a consultation with the
officers, Captain Parry determined to seek a berth near
to Iglolik, in which to secure the ships for the winter.
They had now been sixty-five days struggling to get
forward, but had only in that time reached forty miles
to the westward of Iglolik. The vessels made the best
of their way to the natural channel between this island
and the land, but. were for some time drifted with the
ice, losing several anchors, and it was only by hard
work in cutting channels that they were brought into
safer quarters, near the land. Some fine teams of dogs
were here purchased firom the Esquimaux, which were
found very serviceable in making excursions on sledges.
Their second Christmas day in this region had now
arrived, and Lyon informs us
"Captain Parry dined with me, and was treated with
a superb display of mustard and cress, with about fifty
onions, rivaling a fine needle in size, which I had reared
in boxes round my cabin stove. All our messes in
either ship were supplied with an extra pound of real
English fresh beef, which had been hanging at our
quarter for eighteen months. We could not afford to
leave it for a farther trial of keeping, but I have no doubt
that double the period would not have quite spoiled its
flavor."
This winter proved much more severe than the former. Additional clothing was found necessary. The
stove funnels collected a quantity of ice within them,
notwithstanding fires were kept up night and day, so
that it was frequently requisite to take them down in
order to break and melt the ice out of them.
Nothing was seen of the sun for forty-two days.
On the 15th of April, Mr. A. Elder, Greenland mate
of the Heela, died of dropsy: he had been leading man
with Parry on Ross's voyage, and for his good conduct.vas made mate of the Griper, on the last expedition.
On the 6th of September, 1823, Mr. George Fife, the
pilot, also died of scurvy.




PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE.          125
After taking a review of their provisions, and the
probability of having to pass a third winter here, Capt.
Parry determined to send the Hecla home, taking froio
her all the provision that could be spared. Little or
no hopes could be entertained of any passage beingr
found to the westward, otherwise than by the strait now
so firmly closed with ice; but Parry trusted that sonle
interesting additions might be made to the geography
of these dreary regions, by attempting a passage to the
northward or eastward, in hopes of finding an outlet to
Lancaster Sound, or Prince IRegent's Inlet.
On the 21st of April, 1823, they began transshipping
the provisions; the teams of dogs being found most
usefull for this purpose. Even two anchors of 22 cwt.
each, were drawn by these noble animals at a quick
trot.
Upon admitting daylight at the stern windows of the
HIecla, on the 22d, the gloomy, sooty cabin showed to
no great advantage; no less than ten buckets of ice were
taken from the sashes and out of the stern lockers, from
which latter some spare flannels and instruments were
only liberated by chopping.
On the 7th of June, Captain Lyon, with a party of
men, set off across the 3Melville Peninsula, to endeavor
to get a sight of the western sea, of which they had received descriptive accounts firom the natives, but owing to the difficulties of traveling, and the ranges of
mountains they met with, they returned unsuccessful,
after being out twenty days. Another inland trip of a
fortnight followed..
On the 1st of August, the Hecla was reported ready
for sea. Some symptoms of scurvy having again made
their appearance in the ships, and the surgeons reporting that it would not be prudent to continue longer,
Captain Parry reluctantly determined to proceed home
with both ships. After being 319 days in their winter
quarters, the ships got away on the 9th of August.
A conspicuous landmark, with dispatches, was set
up on the main-land, for the information of Franklin,
ahonldl he reac-l thlis qurarter.
0.




126       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
On reaching Winter Island, and visiting their las
year's garden, radishes, mustard and cress, and onionls
were brought off, which had survived the winter and
were still alive, seventeen months from the time thle
were planted, a very remarkable proof of their rhavilng
been preserved by the warm coverin~g of snow.
The ships, during the whole of' this passage, were
driven by the current more than three degrees, entirely
at the mercy of the ice, being carried into every bight,
and swept over each point, without the power of helping themselves.
On the 1st of September, they were driven up Lyon
Inlet, where they were confined high up till the;th,
when a breeze sprung up, which took them down to
within three miles of Winter Island; still it was not
until the 12th, that they got thoroughly clear of the indraught.  The danger and suspense of these twelve
days were horrible, and Lyon justly observes, th:at he
would prefer being frozen up during another eleven
months' winter, to again passing so anxious a period
of time.
"Ten of the twelve nights were passed on deck, in
expectation, each tide, of sonle decided change in our
affairs, either by being left on the rocks, or grounding
in such shoal water, that the whole body of the ice must
have slid over us. But, as that good old seaman Bafin
expresses himself,'God, who is greater than either ice
or tide, always delivered us!'"
For thirty-five days the ships had been beset, and in
that period had ldriven with the ice above 3(00) niles,
without any exertion on their part, and also witllout a
possibility of extricating themselves.  On the 23d of
September, they once more got into the swell of the
Atlantic, and on the 10th of October, arrived at Lerwick) in Shetland.
CLAVERING'S VOYAGE TO SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND, 1823.
IN 1829, Cnlpt. Sabine, R. A., who had been for some
time eng:li(t   ill magnetic observations, and also in




CLAVLEIRIG' S VOYAGE.           127
experiments to determine the configuration of the earth,
byv means of pendulum vibrations in different latitudes,
having perfected his observations at different points,
from the Equator to the Arctic Circle, suggested to the
Royal Society, through Sir Humphry Davy, the importance of extending similar experiments into higher latitudes toward the Pole.  Accordingly, the government
placed at his disposal I-. AI. S. Griper, 120 tons, Commander Clavering, which was to convey him to Spitzbergen, and thence to the east coast of Greenland.
The Griper sailed from the Nore, on the 11th of May,
and proceeded to HIammerfest, or Whale Island, near
the North Cape, in Norway, which she reached on the
4th of June, and Capt. Sabine having finished his shore
observations by the 23d, the vessel set sail for Spitzbergen. She fell in with ice off Cherry Island, in lat. 75~
5', on the 27th, and on the 30th disembarked the tents
and instruments on one of the small islands round
Ilakluyt's Headland, near the eightieth parallel. Capt.
Clavering, meanwhile, sailed in the Griper due north,
and reached the latitude of 800 20', where being stopped by close packed ice, he was obliged to return.
On the 24th of July, they again put to sea, directing
their course for the highest known point of the eastern
coast of Greenland. They met with many fields of ice,
and made the land, which had a most miserable, desolate appearance, at a point which was named Cape Borlase Warren. Two islands were discovered, and as
Capt. Sabine here landed and carried on his observations, they were called Pendulum  Islands. From an
island situate in lat. 750 12', to which he gave the name
of Shannon Island, Clavering saw high land, stretching due north as far as lat. 76~.
On the 16th of August, Clavering landed with a
party of three officers, and sixteen men on the mainland, to examine the shores. The temperature did not
sink below 230, and they slept for nearly a fortnight
they were on shore with only a boat-cloak and ilalmket
for a covering, without feeling any inconvenience from
the cold. A trilbe of twelve Esquirnaux wa-s ilet with




128        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVEIRY.
here. They reached in their journey a magnificenl
inlet, about fifty miles in circumference, which was supposed to be the same which Gale Hilalikes discovered
ill 1654, and which bears his name. The mnountailns
round its sides were 4000 to 5000 bfet hirgh. On the
29th of August, they returned on board, and having
enibarked the tents and instruments, the ship again set
sail on the 31st, keeping the coast in view to Capo
Parry, lat. 7 2~.  The cliffs were observed to be several thousand feet high. On the 13th of September,
as the ice in shore began to get very troublesome, the
ship stood out to sea, and after encounterinlg a very
heavy gale, which drove them with great fury to the
southward, and it not being thought prudent to manke
for Ireland, a station in about the same latitude on the
Norway coast was chosen instead by Capt. Sabine.
They made the land about the latitude of Christiansound. On the 1st of October, the Griper struck hard
on a sunken rock, 1but got off undamaged.
On the 6th, they anchored in Drontheim  Fiord,
where they were received with much lkindness and hospitality, and after the necessary observations had been
completed the ship proceeded hlomeward, and reached
Deptfoird on the 19th of December, 1823.
LYON'S VOYAGE IN THE GrIPER.
IN 1824, three expeditions were ordered out, to carry
on simultaneous operations in Arctic discovery. To
Capt. Lyon was committed the task of examining and
completing the survey of the 1Melville Peninsula, the
adcjoiingin   straits, and the shores of Arctic America, if
possible as far as Franklin's turning point. Capt. Lyon
was therefore gazetted to the Griper gun-brig, which
had taken out Capt. Sabine to Spitzbergen, in the previous year. The following officers and crew were also
appointed to her:GrOper.
Captain - G. F. Lyon.
Lieutellants- P. Aanico and F. Harding.




LY'S VO()YAGE.                 129
A,.sistant-Surveyor - E. N. Kendal.
Pursel- J. Evans.
Assistant-Surgeon - W. Leyson.
Mlidshipman - J. Tom.
34 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c.
Total complement, 41.
It was not till the 20th of June, that the Griper got
sway frIom England, being a full month later than the
usual period of departure, and the vessel was at the
best but an old tub in her sailing propensities. A small
tender, called the Snap, was ordered to accompany her
with stores, as far as the ice, and having been relieved
of her supplies, she was sent home on reaching IHudson's Straits.
The Griper made but slow progress in her deeply laden state, her crowded decks being continually swept
by heavy seas, and it was not until the end of August,
that she rounded the southern head of Southampton
Island, and stood up toward Sir Thomas Roe's Wel
come.  On reaching the entrance of this channel they
encountered a terrific gale, which for a long time
threa tened the destruction of both ship and crew.
Drifthing' with this, they brolnlht up the ship with fonr
anllc}lors, in a bay with five fattloms and a half water,
in thlle mnomentary expectation that with the ebb tide
thte ship would take the ground, as the sea broke fearffilly on a low sandy beach just astern, and had the ancllors parted, nothing could have saved the vessel.
lNeither commander nor crew had been in bed for three
nighlts, and although little hope was entertainedl of survi vinglc the gale, and no boat could live in such a sea,
the officers and crew performed their several duties
with their accustomed coolness. Each man was ordered to put on his warmest clothing, and to take charge
of some useful instrument. T1lhe scene is best described
in the words of the gallant commander:"Each, therefore, broughlt his bag on deck, and
dressed himself; and in tlhe fine athletic forms which
stood exposed before me, I did not see one -muscle qui



130     PrROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
ver, nor the slightest sign of alarm. Prayers were read,
and they then all sat down in groups, sheltered from the
wash of the sea by whatever they could find, and some
endeavored to obtain a little sleep. Never, perhaps
was witnessed a finer scene than on the deck of mIn
little ship, when all hope of life had left us. Noble as
the character of the British sailor is always allowed to
be in cases of danger, yet I did not believe it to be possible that among forty-one persons not one repining
word should have been uttered. Each was at peace
with his neighbor and all the world; and I am firmly
persuaded that the resignation which was then shown
to the will of the Almighty, was the means of obtaining His mercy. God was merciful to us, and the tide,
almost miraculously, fell no lower."  The appropriate
name of the Bay of God's Mercy has been given to
this spot on the charts by Captain Lyon.
Proceeding onward up the Welcome, they encountered, about a fortnight later, another fearful storm.
On the 12th of September, when off the entrance of
Wager Inlet, it blew so hard for two days, that on the
13th the ship was driven from her anchors, and carried
away by the fury of the gale, with every prospect of
being momentarily dashed to pieces against any hidden rock; but the same good Providence which had
so recently befriended them, again stood their protector. On consulting with his officers, it was unanimously resolved, that in the crippled state of the ship,
without any anchor, and with her compasses worse
than useless, it would be madness to continue the voyage, and the ship's course was therefore shaped for
England.
I may observe, that the old Griper is now laid up as
a hulk in Chichester Harbor, furnishing a residence
and depot for the coast guard station.
PARRY'S THIRD VOYAGE.
IN the spring of 1824 the Admiralty determined to
give Capt. Parry another opportunity of carrying ort




PARRY'S TIIIRD VOYAGE.         131
the great problem which had so long been sought after, of a northwest passage to the Pacific, and so generallv esteemed was this gallant commander that he
had but to hoist his pennant, when fearless of all danger. and in a noble spirit of emulation, his former associates rallied around him.
The same two ships were employed as before, but
Parry now selected the Hecla for his pennant. The
staff of officers and men was as follows: -
H'ecla.
Captain- -W. E. Parry.
Lieutenants — J. L. Wynn, Joseph Sherer, and
Henry Foster.
Surgeon - Samuel Neill, M. D.
Purser -W. H. Hooper.
Assistant Surgeon- W. Rowland.
Midshipnlen —J. Brunton, F. R. M. Crozier, C.
Richards, and 11 N. Head.
Greenland Pilots —J. Allison, master; and G.
Champion, mate.
49 Petty Officers, Seamen, and Marines.
Total complement, 62.
Fury.
Commander- H. P. Hoppner.
Lieutenants- H. T. Austin and J. C. Ross.
Surgeon -A. M'Laren.
Purser- J. HIalse.
Assistant Surgeon- T. Bell.
MIidshipmen -B. Westropp, C. C. Waller, and E.
Bird.
Clerk - W. Mogg.
Greenland Pilots — G. Crawford, master; T. Donaldson, mate.
48 Petty Officers, Seamen, and Marines.
Total complement, 60.
The William HIarris, transport, was commissioned
to accompany the ships to the ice with provisions.




132        PROGI(EI'SS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Among the promotions made, it will be seen, were
Lieut. Hfoppner to the rank of Commander, and seccond
in command   of the expedition.  MA[essrs. J. SheJecl',
and J. C. Ross to be Lieutenanlts, and J. Halse to be
Purser. The attempt on this occasion was to be made
by Lancaster Sound through Barrow's Strait to Prince
Regent Inlet. The ships sailed on the 19th of AIay,
1824, and a nmonth afterward fell in with the body of
the ice in lat. 603~. After transhipping the stores to
the two vessels, and sending home the transport, about
the middle of July they were close beset with the ice
in Baffin's Bay, and "firoml this time (says Parry) the
obstructions frorn the quantity, magnitude, and closeness of the ice, which were such as to keep our people
almost constantly employed in heaving, warping, or
sawing through it; and yet with so little success that,
at the close of July, we had only penetrated seventy
miles to the westward."  After encountering a severe
gale on the 1st of August, by which masses of overlalying ice were driven one upon the other, the Hecla was
laid on her broadside by a strain, which Parry says
must inevitably have crushed a vessel of ordinary
strength; they got clear of the chief obstructions by
the first week in September.  During the whole of
August they had not one day sufficiently free from
rain, snow, or sleet, to be able to air the bedding of
the ship's company.
They entered Lancaster Sound on the 10th of September, and with the exception of a solitary berg or
two found it clear of ice. A few days after, howesver,
they fell in with the young ice, which increasing daily
in thickness, the ships became beset, and by the current which set to the east at the rate of three miles an
hour, they were soon drifted back to the eastward of
Admiralty Inlet, and on the 23d they found themselves again off Wollaston Island, at the entrance of
Navy Board Inlet. By perseverance, how-ever, and the
aid of a strong easterly breeze, they once more ianaged to recover their lost ground, and on the 27th
reached the entrance of Port Bowen on the eastern




PARRY'S THIRD VOYAGE.              133
shore of Prince Regent Inlet, and here Parry resolved
upon wintering; this making the fourth winter this
enterprising commander had passed in these inhospitable seas.
The usual laborious process of cutting canals had to
be resorted to, in order to get the ships near to the
shore in secure and sheltered situations. Parry thus
describes the dreary monotonous character of an arctic
winter:
"It is hard to conceive any one thing more like
another than two winters passed in the higher latitudes
of the polar regions, except when variety happens to
be afforded by intercourse with some other branch of
the whole family of man. Winter affter winter, nature
here assumes an aspect so much alike, that cursory observation can scarcely detect a single feature of variety.
The winter of more temperate climates, and even in
some of no slight severity, is occasionally diversified
l)y a thaw,'which at once gives variety and comparative cheerfulness to the prospect. But here, when once
the earth is covered, all is dreary nlonotonoa us whiteness, not merely for days or weeks, but for more than
half a year together. Whichever way the eye is turned, it meets a picture calculated to impress upon the
mind an idea of inanimate stillness, of that motionless
torpor with which our feelings have nothing congenial;
of any thing, in short, but life. In the very silence
there is a deadness with which a human spectator appears out of keepineg. The presence of man seems an
intrusion on the dreary solitude of this wintry desert,
which even its native animals have for awhile forsaken."
During this year Parry tells us the thermometer remained below zero 131 days, and did not rise above
that point till the 11th of April. The sun, which had
been absent from their view 121 days, again blessed
the crews with his rays on the 22d of February. During this long imprisonment, schools, scientific observations, walking parties, &c., were resorted to, but " our
former amusements," says Parry, "being almost worn
threadbare, it required some ingenuity to devise any
6*



134        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
plan that should possess the charm of novelty to recommend it." A happy idea was, however, hit upon by
Commander tloppner, at whose suggestion a monthly
bal mnasque was held, to the great diversion of both
officers and men, to the number of 120. The popular
commander entered gayly into their recreations, and
thus speaks of these polar masquerades:" It is impossible that any idea could have proved
more happy, or more exactly suited to our situation.
Admirably dressed characters of various descriptions
readily took their parts, and many of these were supported with a degree of spirit and genuine good humor
which would not have disgraced a more refined assemnbly; while the latter might not have been disgraced
by copying the good order, decorum, and inoffensive
cheeriflness which our humble masquerades presented.
It does especial credit to the dispositions ard good
sense of our men, that though all the officers entered
fully into the spirit of these amusements, which took
place once a month alternately on board of each ship,
no instance occurred of any thing that could interfere
with the regular discipline, or at all weaken the respect
of the men toward their superiors. Ours were mas
querades without licentiousness - carnivals without
excess."
Exploring parties were sent out in several directions.
Commander Hlopner and his party went inland, and
after a fortnight's fatiguing journey over a mountainous, barren, and desolate country, where precipitous ravines 500 feet deep obstructed their passage, traveled
a degree and three-quarters - to the latitude of 730 19',
but saw no appearance of sea from thence.
Lieutenant Sherer, with four men, proceeded to the
southward, and made a careful survey of the coast as
far as 721~, but had not provisions sufficient to go
round Cape IKater, the southernmost point observed in
their former voyage.
Lieutenant J. C. Ross, with a similar party, traveled
to the northward, along the coast of the Inlet, and from
the hills about Cape York, observed that the sea was




PARRY'S TIIIRD VOYAGE.          135
perfectly open and free from ice at the distance of
twenty-two miles from the ships.
After an imprisonment of about ten months, by great
exertions the ships were got clear from the ice, and on
the 20th of July, 1825, upon the separation of the floe
across the harbor, towed out to sea. Parry then made
for the western shore of the Inlet, being desirous of examining the coast of North Somerset for any channel
that might occur, a probability which later discoveries
in that quarter have proved to be without foundation.
On the 28th, when well in with the western shore, the
IHecla, in spite of every exertion, was beset by floating
ice, and after breaking two large ice anchors in endeavoring to heave in shore, was obliged to give up the
effort and drift with the ice until the 30th. On the
following day, a heavy gale came on, in which the
Hecla carried away three hawsers, while the Fury was
driven on shore, but was hove off at high water. Both
ships were now drifted by the body of the ice down the
Inlet, and took the ground, the Fury being so nipped
and strained that she leaked a great deal, and fbur
pumps kept constantly at work did not keep her clear
of water. They were floated off at high water, but,
late on the 2nd of August, the huge masses of ice once
more forced the Fury on shore, and the IHecla narrowly
escaped.  On examining her and getting her off, it;
was found that she must be hove down and repaired;
a basin was therefore formed for her reception and
completed by the 16th, a mile further to the southward,
within three icebergs grounded, where there were three
or four fathoms of water.  Into this basin she was
taken on the 18th, and her stores and provisions being
removed, she was hove down, but a gale of wind corning on and destroying the masses of ice which sheltered her, it became necessary to re-embark the stores,
&c., and once more put to sea; but the unfortunate
vessel had hardly got out of her harbor before, on the
21st, she was again driven on shore. After a careful
survey and examination, it was found necessary to
abandon her: Parry's opinion being thus expressed



136        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
"Every endeavor of ours to get her off, or if got off, to
float her to any known place of safety, would be at
once utterly hopeless in itself, and productive of extreme risk to our' remaining ship."
The loss of this ship, and the crowded state of the
remaining vessel, made it impossible to think of continning the voyage for the purposes of discovery.
"The incessant labor, the constant state of anxiety,
and the fiequent and imminent danger into which the
surviving srip was thrown, in the attempts to save her
comrade, which were continued for twenty-five days,
destroyed every reasonable expectation hitherto cherished of' the ultimate accomplishment of this object."
Taking advantage of a northerly wind, on the 27th
the Ilecla stretched across the Inlet for the eastern
coast, meeting with little obstruction from the ice, and
anchored in INeill's Harbor, a short distance to the
southward of their winter quarters, Port Bowen, where
the ship was got ready for crossing the Atlantic.
The lIecla put to sea on the 31st of August, and enterinlg Barrow's Strait on the 1st of September, found
it perfectly clear of ice. In Lancaster Sound, a very
large number of berts were seen; but they found an
open sea in Baffin's gIay, till, on the 7th of September,
when in latitude 750 30', they came to the margin of
the ice, and soon entered a clear channel on its eastern
side. From thirty to forty large icebergs, not less than
200 feet in height, were sightel.
On the 12th of October, Captain Parry landed at
Peterhead, and the Heccla arrived at Sheerness on the
20th. But one man died during this voyage   John
Page, a seaman of the Fury - who died of scurvy, in
N eill's Harbor, on the 29th of August.
This Avoyage cannot but be considered the most unsuccessfhl of the three made by Parry, whether as regards
the information gleaned on the subject of a northwest
passatge, or the extension of our store of geographical
or scientific knowledgte. The shores of this inlet were
more naked, barren, and desolate than even Mtelville
Island. With the exception of some hundreds of white




FRANKLINC   S SECOND EXPEDITION.    137
whales, seen sporting about the southernmost part of
the Inlet that was visited, few other species of animals
were seen.
" We have scarcely," says Parry, " ever visited a coast
on which so little of animal life occurs. For days together only one or two seals, a single sea-horse, and
now and then a flock of ducks were seen."
IHe still clings to the accomplishment of the great
object of a northwest passage. At page 184 of his official narrative, he says:" I feel confident that the undertaking, if it be deemed
advisable at any future time to pursue it, will one day
or other be accomplishedcl; for -setting aside the accidents to which, fiom their very nature, such attempts
must be liable, as well as other unfavorable circumstances which human foresight can never guard against,
or human power control-I cannot but believe it to
be an enterprise well within the reasonable limits of
practicability. It may be tried often and fail, for several favorable and fortunate circumstances must be combined for its accomplishment; but I believe, nevertheless, that it will ultimately be accomplished."
"I am much mistaken, indeed," he adds,'if the
northwest passage ever becomes the business of a single
summer; nay, I believe that nothing but a concurrence
of very favorable circumstances is likely ever, to make
a single winter iin the ice sufficient for its accomplishment. But there is no argument against the possibility
of final success; for we know that a winter in the ice
may be passed not only in safety, but in health and
comfort."
Not one winter alone, but two and three have been
passed with health and safety in these seas, under a
wise and careful commander.
FRANKiLIN'S SECOND EXPEDITION, 1825-26.
UJNDAUNTED by the hardships and sufferings he had
encountered in his previous travels with a noble spirit
of ardor and enthusiasm, Captain Franklin determined




138       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
to prosecute the chain of his former discoveries from
the Coppermine river to the most western point of the
Arctic regions. A sea expedition, under the command
of Captain Beechey was at the same time sent round
Cape Horn to Behring's Straits, to co-operate with Parry
and Franklin, so as to furnish provisions to the former,
and a conveyance home to the latter.
Captain Franklin's offer was therefore accepted by
the government, and leaving Liverpool in February,
1825, he arrived at New York about the middle of
_March. The officers under his orders were his old and
tried companions and fellow sufferers in the former journey -Dr. Richardson and Lieutenant Back, with MIr.
E. N. Kendal, a mate in the navy, who had been out in
the Griper with Capt. Lyon, and MIr. T. Drummond, a
naturalist. Four boats, specially prepared for the purposes of the expedition, were sent out by the Hudson's
Bay Company's ship.
In July, 1825, the party arrived at Fort Chipewyan.
It is unnecessary to go over the giound and follow them
in their northern journey; suffice it to say, they reached
Great Bear Lake in safety, and erected a winter dwelling on its western shore, to which the name of Fort
Franklin was given. To Back and Mr. Dease, an officer in the IHudson's Bay Company's service, were intrusted the arrangements for their winter quarters.
From here a small party set out with Franklin down
the MIackenzie to examine the state of the Polar Sea.
On the 5th of September they got back to their companions, and prepared to pass the long winter of seven
or eight months.
On the 28th of June, 1826, the season being sufficientlv advanced, and all their preparations completed,
the whole party got away in four boats to descend the
MIackenzie to the Polar Sea. Where the river branches
off into several channels, the party separated on the 3d
of July, Captain Franklin and Lieutenant Back, with
two boats and fourteen men, having with them the
faithful Esquimaux interpreter, Augustus, who had
been with them on the former expedition, proceeded to




FRANKLIN'S SECOND EXPEDITION.       139
the westward, while Dr. Richardson and Mr. Kendal
in the other two boats, having ten men under their
command, set out in an easterly direction, to search
the Coppermine River.
Franklin arrived at the month of the Mackenzie on
the 7th of July, where he encountered a large tribe of
fierce Esquimaux, who pillaged his boats, and it was
only by great caution, prudence and forbearance, that
the whole party were not massacred. After getting the
boats afloat, and clear of these unpleasant visitors,
Franklin pursued his survey, a most tedious and difficult one, for more than a month; he was only able to:reach a point in latitude 70~ 24' N., longitude 1490 37'
W., to which Back's name was given; and here prudence obliged hima to return, although, strangely enough,
a boat fromn the Blossom was waiting not 160 miles west
of his position to meet with him. The extent of coast
surveyed was 374 miles. The return journey to Fort
Franklin was safely accomplished, and they arrived at
tleir house on the 31st of September, when they bound
Richardson and Kendal had returned on the first of'
the month, having accomplished a voyage of about 5(00
miles, or 902 by the coast line, between the 4thl of July
and the Sth of August. They had pushed forward beyond the strait named after their boats, the Dolphin and
tJnion.
In aseending the Coppermine, they had to abandon
their boats ancd carry thleir provisions and baggage.
Ilavincr passed another lwinter at Fort Franlklin, as
soon as t7ie season broke up the Canadians were dismissed, and the party returned to England.
The cold experienced in the last winter was intense,
the thermometer standing at one time at 58 below zero,
but having now plenty of fiod, a weather-tiglht dwellillng, and good health,- they p)assed it cheerfilly. Dr.
Richardson gave a course of lectures on practical geology, and IMr. Drumlnond ihrnishecl information on natural hlistory. During the winter, in a solitary hut on tle
Rocky mountains, he managed to collect 200 specimuells
-f birds, anilmals, &c., and more than 1500 of' plants.




140         PROGIRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Whlien Capltain Franklin left England to proceed on
tlhis expedition lie had to uldergo a severe struggle
between his feelings of affection and a sense of duty.
Hlis wife (he hlas been married twice) was then lying at
tlei point of death, and indeed died the day after he
left England.  But with heroic fortitude she urged his
dep)artulre at the very day appointed, entreating him,
as lie valued her peace and his own glory, not to delay
a mlolnent on her account.  His feelings, therefore, may
be infirred, but not described, when lie had to elevate
on Garry Island a silk flacg, which she had made and
given lhim as a parting gift, with the instruction that
he was only to hoist it on reaching the Polar Sea.
BEECIIEY'S VOYAGE.- 1826-28.
H. M. SLOOP Blossom, 26, Captain F. W. ]3eechey,
sailed from  Spithead on the 19th of May, 1825, and
lier instructions directed her, after surveying some of
tlhe islands in the Pacific, to be in Behring's Straits by
tihe summer or autumn of 1826, and contingently in that
of 1827.
It is foreign to my purpose here to allude to those
parts of her voyage anterior to her arrival in the Straits.
Onm tile 2Sth of June thie Blossom came to an anchor
off tfle town of Petropolowski, where she fell in with
tile Russian ship of war 1A1odeste, under the coimmand
of Baron Wr anel, so well known for his enterprise in
tlle hlazardous expedition by sledges over the ice to the
norttlward of Cape Sllelatskoi, or Errinos.
Captain B3eccley here found dispatches informing
hlill of' the return of Parry's expedition.  Being beset
b1y currents and other difficulties, it was not till the 5th
of July thtat the Blossom got clear of thle Ilarlbor, and
made thle best of her way to I(otzebue Sound, reaclling
tlie applointedl rendezvous at Chllamiso Island on tlue 25th.
After landing ancl buryin g a barrel of flour upon Pullin
Ro( ck, time unost unfrequented spot about thle island, the
Bl, sol occupliedl tIle timle in surveying and examining




IERCIllEYS VOYAGE.             141
tfle nei,-hborinf coasts to the northeast.  On the 30th
she took her departure fiom the island, erecting posts
Or i, nl-nlarks, and burying  dispatches at Cape iKrusen-:tern,il near a cape which he named after Franklin, near
Icy Cape.
The ship returned to the rendezvous on the evening
of th-le 2Sth of August. The barrel of flour had been
dug illu) and appropriated by the natives.
On tile first visit of one of these parties, they constructed a chart of the coast upon the sand, of which,
lowever, Captain Beechey at first took very little notice.'lThey, however, renewed their labor, and performed
their work upon the sandy beach in a very ingenious and
intelligible manner. The coast line was first marked
out with a stick, and the distances regulated by the
day's journey. The hills and ranges of mountains were
nIxt shown by elevations of sand or stone, and the
islanls represented by heaps of pebbles, their proportions being duly attended to. As the work proceeded,
somne of the bystanders occasionally suggested alterations, and Captain iBeechey moved one of the Diomede
Islalnds, which was misplaced. This was at first objected to by the hydrographer, but one of the party
rlecolleetin, that the islands were seen in one from Cape
Prlince of Wales, confirmed its new position and made
the nlistake quite evident to the others, who were much
surprised that Captain Beechey should have any knowledge of the subject.  When the mountains and islands
were erected, the villages and fishing-stations were
marked by a number of sticks placed upright, in imitation of those which are put up on the coast wherever
tlhese people fix their abode. In time, a complete hydrogrTaphical plan was drawn from Cape Derby to Cape
Krilsenstern.
This ingenuity and accuracy of description on the
part of the Esquimaux is worthy of particular remark,
and has been verified by almost all the Arctic explorers.
The barge which had been dispatched to the eastward, under charge of fMr. Elson, reached to latitude
t1~ 23' 31" N., and longitude 156~ 21' 31" W., where




142        PRO-'GIESS OF ARCTIC DI)SCOVE]RY.
she was stopped by the ice which was attached to the
shore. The farthest tongue of land they reached was
named Point IBarrow, and is about 126 miles northeast
of Icy Cape, being only about 150 or 160 miles firom
Franklin's discoveries west of the lMackenzie river.
The wind suddenly clhanging to southwest, the compact body of ice began to drift with the current to the
northeast at the rate of three anrd a half mniles an hour,
and M{r. Elson, finding it difficult to avoid large floating
masses of ice, was obliged to conme to an anchor to prevent being driven back. "It was not long before he was
so closely beset in the ice, that no clear water could
be seen in any direction fiom the hills, and the ice
continuing to press against the shore, his vessel was
driven upon the beach, and there left upon her broadside in a most helpless condition; and to add to his
cheerless prospect, the disposition of the natives, whom
he found to increase in numlbers as he advanced to the
northward, was of a very doubtful chlaracter. At Point
Barrow, where they were very numerous, their overbearing behavior, and the thefts they openly practiced, left no doubt of what would be the fatte of his
little crew, in the event of their falling into their
power. They were in this dilemma several days, during which every endeavor was made to extricate thle
vessel but without effect, and MIr. Elson contemplated
sinking, her secretly in a lake that was near, to pirevent
her falling into the hands of the Esquimaux, and t-len
making his way along the coast in a baidar, which lie
had no doubt he should be able to purchase friomn thle
natives. At length, however, a change of wind loosened the ice, and after considerable labor and trial, in
which the personal strength of the officers was united
to that of the seamen, IMr. Elson, with his shipmates,
fortunately succeeded in effecting their escape.
Captain Beechey was very anxious to remain in
Kotzebue Sound until the end of October, the period
named in his instructions, but the rapid approach of
winter, the danger of being locked up, having only
five weeks' provisions left, and the nearest point at




BEECIJIEYS VOYAGE.            143
which he could replenish being some 2000 miles distant, induced his officers to concur with him in the
necessity of leaving at once. A barrel of flour and
other articles were buried on the sandy point of Chamiso, for Franklin, which it was hoped would escape
the prying eyes of the natives.
After a cruise to California, the Sandwich Islands,
Loochoo, the Bonin Islands, &c., the Blossom returned
to Chamiso Island on the 5th of July, 1827. They
found the flour and dispatches they had left the previous year unmolested. Lieut. Belcher was dispatched
in the barge to explore the coast to the northward, and
the ship followed her as soon as the wind permlitted.
On the 9th of September, when standing( in fiur the
northern shore of Kotzebue Sound, the ship drifting
with the current took the ground on a sand-ballk near
Iotham Inlet, but the wind moderating, as the tide
rose she went off the shoal apparently without injury.
After this narrow escape from shipwreck they be:t
up to Chiamiso Island, which they reached on the 1(0tl
of September. Not findingr the barge returned as expected, the coast was scanned, and a signal of distress
found flying on the southwest point of Choris Peninsula, and two men waving a white cloth to attract
notice. On landing, it was found that this party were
the crew of the barge, which had been wrecked in Kotzebue Sound, and three of the men were also lost.
On the 29th a collision took place with the natives,
which resulted in three of the seamen and four of the
marines being wounded by arrows, and one of the natives killed by the return fire.
After leaving advices for Franklin, as before, the
Blossom finally left Chamiso on the 6th of October.
In a haze and strong wind she ran between the land
and a shoal, and a passage had to be forced through
breakers at the imminent danger of the ship's striking.
The Blossom  then made the best of her way home,
reaching England in the first week of October, 1828.




144       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
PARRY'S FOURTH, OR POLAR VOYAGE, 1827.
IN 1826, Capt. Parry, who had only returned from
his last voyage in the close of the preceding year, -was
much struck by the suggestions of nMr. Scoresby, in a
paper read before the Wernerian Society, in which he
sketched out a plan for reaching the highest latitudes
of the Polar Sea, north of Spitzbergen, by means of
sledge boats drawn over the smooth fields of ice which
were known to prevail in those regions.  Col. Beaufoy, F. R. S., had also suggested this idea some years
previously. Comparing these with a similar plan originally proposed by Captain Franklin, and which was
placed in his hands by Mr. Barrow, the Secretary of
the Admiralty, Capt. Parry laid his modified views of
the feasibility of the project, and his willingness to undertake it, before Lord Melville, the First Lord of tile
Admiralty, who, after consulting with the President
and Council of the Royal Society, was pleased to sanction the attempt; accordingly, his old ship, the Hecla,
was fitted out for the voyage to Spitzbergen, the following officers, (all of whom had been with Parry before,) and crew being appointed to her:Hecla.
Captain-W. E. Parry.
Lieutenants - J. C. Ross, Henry Foster, E. J. Bird,
F. R. 1M. Crozier.
Purser - James HI-alse.
Surgeon - C. J. Beverley.
On the 4th of April, 1827, the outfit and preparations being completed, the Hecla left the Nore for the
coast of Norway, touching at iHammerfest, to emblark
eight reindeer, and some moss (Cenomyce ranlyfcriJia)
sufficient for their support, the consiumptio-n beig,
about 4 Ibs. per day, but they can go withlout food fo,1
several days. A tremendouls grale of wVinll, ex)erliec-!  ed
off Halulylt's Tleadlauld, and tlhe qralltity of' ice \witli
whichll the stlih? Als in conlsequence beset, detained the
voyagers for nearly a month, but on the 18th of June,




PARRY'S FOURTHI VOYAGE.        145
a southerly wind dispersing the ice, they dropped
anchor in a cove, on the northern coast of Spitzbergen,
which appeared to offer a secure haven, and to which
the name of the ship was given. On the 20th, the
boats, which had been especially prepared in England
for this kind of journey, were got out and made ready,
and they left the ship on the 22d of June. A description of these boats may not here be out of place.
They were twenty feet loncg and seven broad, flat
floored, like ferry boats, strengthened and made elastic by sheets of felt between the planking, covered
with water-proof canvass. A runner attached to each
side of the keel, adapted them for easy draught on the
ice after the manner of a sledge. They were also fitted with wheels, to be used if deemed expedient and
useful. Two officers and twelve men were attached
to each boat, and they were named the Enterprise and
Endeavor. The weight of each boat, including provisions and every requisite, was about 3780 lbs. Lieuts.
Crozier and Foster were left on board, and Capt. Parry
took with him in his boat lMr. Beverley, Surgeon, while
Lieut. (now Capt. Sir James) Ross, and Lieut. (now
Commander) Bird, had charge of the other.
The reindeer and the wheels were given up as useless, owing to the rough nature of the ice. Provisions
for seventy-one days were taken - the daily allowance
per man on the journey being 10 ozs. biscuit, 9 ozs.
pemmican, 1 oz. sweetened cocoa powder (being
enough to make a pint,) and one gill of ruin; but
scanty provision in such a climate, for men employed
on severe labor; three ounces of tobacco were also
served out to each per week.
As fuel was too bulky to transport, spirits of wine
were consumed, which answered all the purposes required, a pint twice a day being found sufficient to
warm each vessel, when applied to an iron boiler by a
shallow lamp with seven wicks. After floating the
boats for about eighty miles, they came to an unpleasant mixed surface of ice and water, where their toilsome
jou(inev colImmenced, the boats having to I)e ladlen and




146        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
unladen several times according as they came to floes
of ice or lanes of water, and they were drifted to the
southward by the ice at the rate of four or five Iniles a
day. Parry found it more advantageous to travel by
night, the snow being then harder, and the inconvenience of snow blindness being avoided, while the palrty
enjoyed greater warmth during the period of rest, and
had better opportunities of drying their clothes by the
sun.
I cannot do better than quote Parry's graphic description of this novel course of proceeding: "' Traveling by night, and sleeping by day, so completely inverted the natural order of things that it was difficult
to persuade ourselves of the reality. Even the officers
and myself, who were all furnished with pocket chronometers, could not always bear in mind at what part
of the twenty-hours we had arrived; and there were
several of the men who declared, and I believe truly,
that they never knew night from day during the whole
excursion.
" When we rose in the evening, we commenced our
day by prayers, after which we took off our fiul sleeping-dresses and put on clothes for traveling; the fbrmer
being made of carmlet lined with xaccoon skin, and the
latter of strong blue cloth. We made a point of always putting on the same stockings and boots fbr
traveling in, whether they had been dried during the
day or not, and I belie- e it was only in five or six instances at the most that they were not either still wet
or hard frozen. This indeed was of no consequence,
beyond the discomfort of first putting them on in this
state, as they were sure to be thoroughly wet in a
quarter of an hour after commencing our journey;
while, on the other hand, it was of vital importance
to keep dry things for sleeping in. tBeing'rigged'
for traveling, we breakfasted upon warm  cocoa and
biscuit, and after stowing the things in the boats, and
on the sledges, so as to secure them  as much. as possible from wet, we set off on our day's journev, and
usuially traveled four, five, or even si.x hours, accordin l  to'circum, stances."




PARRYIS FOURTH VOYAGE.          147
In five days, notwithstanding their perseverance
and continued journeys, they found, by observation at
noon, on the 30th, that they had only made eight miles
of direct northing.
At Walden Island, one of the Seven Islands, and
Little Table Island, reserve supplies of provisions were
deposited to fall back upon in case of necessity.
In halting early in the morning for the purposes of
rest, the boats were hauled up on the largest piece of
ice that offered the least chance of breaking through,
or of coming in contact with other masses, the snow or
wet was cleaned out and the sails rigged as awnings.
"Every man then immediately put on dry stockings
and fur boots, after which we set about the necessary
repairs of boats, sledges, or clothes, and after serving
the provisions for the succeeding day, we went to supper. Most of the officers and men then smoked their
pipes, which served to dry the boats and awnings very
much, and usually raised the temperature of our lodgings 100 or 15~. This part of the twenty-four hours
was often a time, and the only one, of real enjoyment
to us; the men told their stories, and fought all their
battles o'er again, and the labors of the day, unsuccessful as they too often were, were forgotten. A regular
watch was set during our resting time, to look out for
bears, or for the ice breaking up round us, as well as
to attend to the drying of the clothes, each man alternately taking this duty for one hour. We then concluded our day with prayers, and having put on our
fin dresses, lay down to sleep with a degree of comfort
which perhaps few persons would imagine possible under such circumstances, our chief inconvenience being,
that we were somewhat pinched for room, and therefore obliged to stow rather closer than was quite agreeable."
This close stowage may be imagined when it is remembered that thirteen persons had to sleep in a boat
seven feet broad. After sleeping about seven hours,
they were roused from their slumbers by the sound of
a bugle from the cook and watchman, whlich announced




148        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
that their cocoa was smoking hot, and invited them to
breakfast.
Their progress was of the most tedious and toilsome
character, heavy showers of rain rendering the ice on
many occasions a mass of " slush;" on others there was
fiom six to eighteen inches of snow lying on the surface.  Frequently the crew had to proceed on their
hands and knees to secure a footing, and on one occasion they made such a snail-like progress that in two
hours they only accomplished 150 yards. On the 12th
of July, they had reached the latitude of 82~ 14' 28".
After five hours' unceasing labor on the 14th, the progress was but a mile and a half due north, though
from three to four miles had been traversed, and ten at
least walked, having made three journeys a great part
of the way; launched and hauled up the boats four
times, and dragged them over twenty-five separate
pieces of ice. On the 18th, after eleven hours of actual labor, requiring for the most part the exertion of
the whole strength of the party, they had traveled over
a space not exceeding four miles, of which only two
were made good.
But on halting on the morning of the 20th, having
by his reckoning accomplished six and a half miles in
a INS. N. WV. direction, the distance traversed being ten
miles and a half, Parry found to his mortification from
observation at noon, that they were not five miles to
the northward of their place at noon on the 17th,
although they had certainly traveled twelve miles in
that direction since then.
On the 21st, a floe of ice on which they had lodged
the boats and sledges, broke with their weight, and all
went through with several of the crew, who, with the
sledges were providentially saved.
On the 23d, the farthest northerly point was reached,
vhich was about 82~ 45'.
At noon on the 26th, the weather being clear, the
meridian altitude of the sun was obtained, "by  which,"
says Parry,"  we found ourselves in latitiude 82. 40' 23",
so that since our last observation (-.t li dllight on the




PAiRRY S FOURTH VOYAGE.            149
N ed,) we had lost by drift no less than thirteen and a
half miles, for we were now more than three miles to the
southward of that observation, though we had certainly
traveled between ten and eleven, due north in this
interval! Again, we were but one mile to the north
of our place at noon on the 21st, though we had estimated our distance made good at twenty-three miles."
After encountering every species of fatigue and disbhartening obstacles, in peril of their lives almost every
bour, Parry now became convinced that it was hopeltis to pursue the journey any further, and he could
ne)t even reach the eighty-third parallel; for after thirt —five days of continuous and most fatiguing drudgery,
with half their resources expended, and the middle of
the season arrived, he found that the distance gained
in their laborious traveling was lost by the drift and
sed of the ice with the southerly current, during the
pnriod of rest. After planting their ensigns and pennrnts on the 26th, and making it a day of rest, on the
2'i th, the return to the southward was commenced.
Nk'thing particular occurred. Lieutenant Ross managed to bring down with his gun a fat she bear, which
cai ne to have a look at the boats, and after gormandizin}~ on its flesh, an excess which may be excused consideri Ig it was the first fresh meat they had tasted for
ma iy a day, some symptoms of indigestion manifested
the nselves among the party.
('n the outward journey very little of animal life
wat seen. A passing gull, a solitary rotge, two seals,
and a couple of flies, were all that their eager eyes
coui i detect. But on their return, these became more
nun erous. On the 8th of August, seven or eight narwha s were seen, and not less than 200 rotges, a flock
of tl ese little birds occurring in every hole of water.
On  hbe 11th, in latitude 81~ 30', the sea was found
crow led with shrimps and other sea insects, on which
numerous birds were feeding. On this day they took
their last meal on the ice, beingl fifty miles distant from
Table Island, having accomplished in fifteen days what
had taken them thirty-three to effect on their outward




150       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
journey. On the 12th, they arrived at this island. The
bears had walked off with the relay of bread which
had been deposited there. To an inlet lying off Table
Island, and the most northern known land upon the
globe, Parry gave the name of Ross, for " no individual," he observes, "could have exerted himself more
strenuously to rob it of this distinction."
Putting to sea again, a storm obliged the boats to
bear up for Walden Island. "Every thing belonging to
us (says Captain Parry) was now completely drenched
by the spray and snow; we had been fifty-six hours
without rest, and forty-eight at work in the boats, so
that by'the time they were unloaded we had barely
strength left to haul them up on the rocks. However,
by dint of great exertion, we managed to get the boats
above the surf; after which a hot supper, a blazing
fire of drift wood, and a few hours quiet rest, restored
us."
They finally reached the ship on the 21st of August,
after sixty-one days' absence.
"The distance traversed during this excursion was
569 geographical miles; but allowing for the times we
had to return for our baggage, during the greater part
of the journey over the ice, we estimated our actual
traveling at 978 geographical, or 1127 statute miles.
Considering our constant exposure to wet, cold, and
fatigue, our stockings having generally been drenched
in snow-water for twelve hours out of every twentyfour, I had great reason to be thankful for the excellent
health in which, upon the whole, we reached the ship.
There is little doubt that we had all become in a certain
degree gradually weaker for some time past; but only
three men of our party now required medical care -
two of them with badly swelled legs and general de
bility, and the other from a bruise, but even these three
returned to their duty in a short time."
In a letter from Sir W. E. Parry to Sir John Barrow,
Sated November 25, 1845, he thus suggests some improvemnents on hIis old plan of proceedings:"It is evident (he says) that the causes of fafilure in




PARRY'S FOURTH VOYAGE.           151
our former attempt, in the year 1827, were principally
two: first, and chiefly, the broken, rugged, and soft
state of the ice over which we traveled; and secondly,
the drifting of the whole body of ice in a southerly
direction.
" My amended plan is, to go out with a single ship
to Spitzbergen, just as we did in the IHecla, but not so
early in the season; the object for that year being
merely to find secure winter quarters as far north as
possible. For this purpose it would only be necessary
to reach Hakluyt's Headland by the end of June,
which would afford ample leisure for examining the
more northern lands, especially about the Seven Islands,
where, in all probability, a secure nook might be found
for the ship, and a starting point for the proposed expedition, some forty or fifty miles in advance of the
point where the Hecla was before laid up. The winter
might be usefully employed in various preparations for
the journey, as well as in magnetic, astronomical, and
meteorological observations, of high interest in that
latitude. I propose that the expedition should leave
the ship in the course of the month of April, when the
ice would present one hard and unbroken surface, over
which, as I confidently believe, it would not be difficult
to make good thirty miles per day, without any exposure to wet, and probably without snow blindness. At
this season, too, the ice would probably be stationary,
and thus the two great difficulties which we formerly
had to encounter would be entirely obviated. It might
form a part of the plan to push out supplies previously,
to the distance of 100 miles, to be taken up on the
way, so as to commence the journey comparatively
light; and as the intention would be to complete the
enterprise in the course of the month of 2M~ay, before
any disruption of the ice, or any material softening of
the surface had taken place, similar supplies might be
sent out to the same distance, to meet the party on
their return."
The late Sir John Barrow, in his last work, commenting on this, says, "With all deference to so dis



152        PROGIRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
tinguished a sea officer, in possession of so much experience as Sir Edward Parry, there are others who
express dislike of such a plan; and it is not improbable that many will be disposed to come to the conclusion, that so long as the Greenland Seas are hampered
with ice, so long as floes, and hummocks, and heavy
masses, continue to be formed, so long as a determined
southerly current prevails, so long will any attempt to
carry out the plan in question, in like manner fail. No
laborious drudgery will ever be able to conquer the
opposing progress of the current and the ice. Besides,
it can hardly be doubted, this gallant officer will admit,
on further consideration, that this unusual kind of disgusting and unseamanlike labor, is not precisely such
as would be relished by the men; and, it may be said,
is not exactly fitted for a British man-of-war's-man;
moreover, that it required his own all-powerful example
to make it even tolerable."  Sir John therefore surggested a somewhat different plan. HIe recommended
that two small ships should be sent in the early spring
along the western coast of Spitzbergen, where usually
no impediment exists, as far up as 80~. They should
take every opportunity of proceeding directly to the
north, where, in about 820, Parry has told us the large
floes had disappeared, and the sea was found to be
loaded only with loose, disconnected, small masses of
ice, through which ships would find no difficulty in
sailing, though totally unfit for boats dragging; and as
this loose ice was drifting to the southward, he further
says, that before the middle of August a ship might
have sailed up to the latitude of 82~, almost without
touching, a piece of ice. It is not then unreasonable to
expect that beyond that parallel, even as far as the
pole itself; the sea would be fiee of ice, durinF the six
summer months of perpetual suI, through each of the
twenty-four hours; which, with the aid of the current,
would, in all probability, destroy and dissipate the
polar ice.
The distance from IHakluyt's HTeadland to the pole
is 600 geograplhical miles. Granting the ships to make




PARRl1Y'S FOURTH VOYAGE.          153
Onl]  twenty miles in twenty-four lours, (on the supposition of -much sailing ice to go throucgh,) even in that
case it would require but a month to enable the explorer to put his foot on the pivot or point of the axis
on which the globe of the earth turns, remain there a
molnth, if necessary, to obtain the soughlt-flr information, and then, with a southerly current, a fortnirght,
probably less, would bring him back to Spitzbergen. 
In a notice in the Quarterly Review of this, one of
the most singular and perilous journeys of its kind
ever undertaken, except perhaps that of Baron Wirangell upon a similar enterprise to the northward of Behbring's Straits, it is observed, - "Let any one conceive
for a moment the sitnation of two opeIn b)oats, laden
with seventy days' provisions and clothing f'r twentyeight men, in the midst of a sea covered nearly with
detached masses and floes of ice, over which these
boats were to be dragged, sometimes up one side of a
rugged mass, and down the other, sometimes across thle
lanes of water that separate them, fiequently over a
surface covered with deep snow, or through pools of
waLter. Let him bear in mind, tlhat the lmen had little
or no chlance of any other supply of provisions titan
that which they carried with tlem, calculated as just
sufficient to sustain life, and consider whiat their situation would have been in the event, by no means an
improbable one, of losing any part of their scanty
stock.  Let any one try to imagine to himself a situation of this kind, and lie will still have but a faint idea
of the exertions which the men under Captain Parry
had to make, and the suffebrings and privations they
had to undergo."
Captain Parry having thus completed his fifth voyage into the arctic regions, in four of which he commanded, a-nd was second in the other, it mayS here be
desirable to give a recapitulation of his services.
In 1S18 lie was appointed Lieutenant, commanding
the Alexander, hired ship, as second officer with his
uncle, Conmmander John Ross. In 1819, still as LieuBarrow's VoTages of Discovery, p. 316.




1540      PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
tenant, he was appointed to command the Hecla, and
to take charge of the second arctic expedition, on which
service he was employed two years. On the 14th of
November, 1820, he was promoted to the rank of
Commander.
On the 19th of December, 1820, the IBedfordean
Gold Medal of the Bath and West of England Society
for the Encouragement of Arts, Mallnulhctures, and
Commerce, was unanimously voted to him. On the
30th of December of that year, he was appointed to
the Fury, with orders to take command of the expedition to the Arctic Sea. With the sum of 500 guineas,
subscribed for the purpose, " the Explorer of the Polar
Sea " was afterward presented with a silver vase,
highly embellished with devices emblematic of the
arctic voyages. And on the 24th of March, 1821, the
city of Bath presented its freedom to Captain Parry, in
a box of oak, highly and appropriately ornamented.
On the 8th of November, 1821, he obtained his postcaptain's rank. On the 22d of November, 1823, he
was presented with the freedom of the city of Winchester; and, on the 1st of December, was appointed
acting hydrographer to the Admiralty in the place of
Captain Hind, deceased. In 1824 he was appointed to
the Hecla, to proceed on another exploring voyage.
On the 22d of November, 1825, Captain Parry was
formally appointed hydrographer to the Admiralty,
which office he continued to hold until the 10th of
N2ovember, 1826.
In December, 1825, he was voted the freedom of the
borough of Lynn, in testimony of the high sense enter.
tained by the corporation of his meritorious and enter
prising conduct.
In April, 1827, he once more took the command of
his old ship, the Hecla, for another voyage of discovery
toward the North Pole. On his return in the close of
the year, having paid off the HIeela at Deptford, he
resumed, on the 2d of November, his duties as hydrographer to the Admiralty, which office he held until
the 13th of Slay, 1829. Having received the Ionor of




C PTAIN ROSSSS SECOND VOYAGE.     155
knighthood, he then resigned in favor of the present
Admiral Beaufort, and, obtaining permission from the
Admiralty, proceeded to New South Wales as resident
Commissioner to the Australian Agricultural Company, taking charge of their recently acquired large
territory in the neighborhood of Port Stephen.  He
returned from Australia in 1834. From  the 7th of
March, 1835, to the 3d of February, 1836, he acted as
Poor Law Commissioner in Norfolk. Early in 1837,
he was appointed to organize the Mail Packet Service,
then transferred to the Admiralty, and afterward, in
April, was appointed Controller of steam machinery to
the Navy, which office he continued to hold up to December, 1846. From that period to the present time
he has filled the post of Captain Superintendent of the
Royal Navy Hospital at Ilaslar.
CAPTAIN JOHN ROSS'S SECOND VOYAGE, 1829-33.
IN the year 1829, Capt. Ross, the pioneer of arctic
exploration in the 19th century, being anxious once
more to display his zeal and enterprise as well as to
retrieve his nautical reputation from those unfortunate
blunders and mistakes which had attached to his first
voyage, and thus remove the cloud which had for
nearly ten years hung over his professional character,
endeavored without effect to induce the government
to send him out to the Polar Seas in charge of another
expedition. The Board of Admiralty of that day, in
the spirit of retrenchment which pervaded their councils, were, however, not disposed to recommend any
further grant for research, even the Board of Longitude was abolished, and the boon of 20,0001. offered
by act of parliament for the promotion of arctic discovery, also withdrawn by a repeal of the act.
Captain Ross, however, undaunted by the chilling
indifference thus manifested toward his proposals by
the Admiralty, still persevered, having devoted 30001.
out of his own funds toward the prosecution of the object he had in view. He was fortunate enough to




156        PROCGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
meet with a public-spirited and affluent coadjutol And
supporter in the late Sir Felix Booth, the eminen distiller, and that gentleman nobly contributed 17.J0001.
toward the expenses. Captain Ross thereupon set to
work, and purchased a small Liverpool steamer named
the Victory, whose tonnage he increased to 150 tons.
She was provisioned for three years. Captain Ross
chose for his second in command his nephew, Commiander James Ross, who had been with him on his
first arctic expedition, and had subsequently accompanied Parry in all his voyages. The other officers of the
vessel were - Mr. William Thom, purser; Mr. George
M'Diarmidl, surgeon; Thomas Blanky, Thos. Abernethy,
and George Taylor, as 1st, 2d, and 3d, mates; Alexander Brunton and Allen Macinnes as Ist and 2d engineers; and nineteen petty officers and seamen; making
a complement in all of 28 men.
The Admiralty furnished toward the purposes of the
expedition a decked boat of sixteen tons, called the
Krusenstern, and two boats which had been used by
Franklin, with a stock of books and instruments.
The vessel being reported ready for sea was visited
and examined by the late IKing of the French, the
Lords of the Admiralty, and other parties taking an
interest in the expedition, and set sail from Woolwich
on the 23d of lavy, 1829. For all practical purposes
the steam machinery, on which the commander had
greatly relied, was found on trial utterly useless.
HIaving received much damage to her spars, in a
severe gale, the ship put in to the Danish settlement of
HIolsteinberg, on the Greenland coast, to refit, and
sailed again to the northward on the 26th of June.
They found a clear sea, and even in the middle of Lancaster Sound and Barrow's Strait perceived no traces
of ice or snow, except what appeared on the lofty summits of some of the mountains. The thermometer stood
at 40~, and the weather was so mild that the officers
dined in the cabin without a fire, with the skylight
partially open. On the 10th of August they passed
Cape York, and thence crossed over into Regent Inlk'




CAPTAIN ROSS S SECOND VOYAGE.        157
making the western coast between Sepping's and Elwin
Bay on the 16th.
They here fell in with those formidable streams,
packs, and floating bergs of ice which had offered such
obstructions to Parry's ships. From their proximity to
the magnetic pole, their compasses became useless as
they proceeded southward. On the 13th they reached
the spot where the Fury was abandoned, but no remnants of the vessel were to be seen. All her sails,
stores, and provisions, on land, were, however, found;
the hermetically-sealed tin canisters having kept the
provisions from the attacks of bears; and the flour,
bread, wine, spirits, sugar, &c., proved as good, after
being here four years, as on the first day they were
packed. This store formed a very seasonable addition,
which was freely made available, and after increasing
their stock to two years and ten months' supply, they
still left a large quantity for the wants of any future
explorers. On the 15th, crossing Cresswell Bay, they
reached Cape Garry, the farthest point which had been
seen by Parry. They were here much inconvenienced
and delayed by fogs and floating ice. While mountains of ice were tossing around them on every side,
they were often forced to seek safety by mooring themselves to these formidable masses, and driftinog with
them, sometimes forward, sometimes backward.'n this
manner on one occasion no less than nineteen miles
were lost in a few hours; at other times they underwent frequent and severe shocks, yet escaped any serious damage.
Captain Ross draws a lively picture of what a vessel endures in sailing among these moving hills. IHe
reminds the reader that ice is stone, as solid as if it
were granite; and he bids him " imagine these mountains hurled through a narrow strait by a rapid tide,
meeting with the noise of thunder, breaking from-each
other's precipices huge fragments, or rending each
other asunder, till, losing their former equilibrium,
they fell over headlong, lifting the sea around in breakers and whirling it in eddies. There is not a moment




158       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
in which it can be conjectured what will happen il O'e
next; there is not one which may net. be the last. Thb
attention is troubled to fix on any thing amid such con
fusion; still must it be alive, that it may seize (,n the
single moment of help or escape which may occur
Yet with all this, and it is the hardest task of all, there
is nothing to be acted,- no effort to be made, — he
must be patient, as if he were unconcerned or careless,
waiting, as he best can, for the fate, be it what it may,
which he cannot influence or avoid."
Proceeding southward, Ross found Brentford Bay,
about thirty miles beyond Cape Garry, to be of considerable extent, with some fine harbors. Landing here,
the British colors were unfurled, and the coast, named
after the promoter of the expedition, was taken possession of in the name of the King. Extensive and commodious harbors, named Ports Logan, Elizabeth, and
Eclipse, were discovered, and a large bay, which wa3
called Mlary Jones Bay. By the end of September
the ship had examined 300 miles of undiscovered coast
The winter now set in with severity, huge masses of
ice began to close around them, the thermometer sanl
many degrees below freezing point, and snow fell Very
thick. By sawing through the ice, the vessel was got
into a secure position to pass the winter, in a station
which is now named on the maps Felix Harbor. The
machinery of the- steam engine was done away with,
the vessel housed, and every measure that could add to
tle comfort of the crew adopted. They had abundance
of fuel, and provisions that might easily be extended
to three years.
On the 9th of January, 1831, they were visited by a
large tribe of Esquimaux, who were better dressed and
cleaner than those more to the northward. They displayed an intimate acquaintance with the situation and
bearings of the country over which they had traveled,
and two of them drew a very fair sketch of the neighboring coasts, with which they were familiar; this
was revised aud corrected by a learned lady named
Teri ksin, — the females seeming, from this and former




CAPTAIN ROSS S SECOND VOYAGE.      159
instances, to have a clear knowledge of the hydrography
and geography of the continent, bays, straits, and rivers which they had once traversed.
On the 5th of April, Commander Ross, with Mr.
Blanky, the chief mate, and two Esquimaux guides, set
out to explore a strait which was reported as lying to
the westward, and which it was hoped might lead to
the western sea. After a tedious and arduous journey,
they arrived, on the third day, at a bay facing to the
westward and discovered, further inland, an extensive
lake, called by the natives Nie-tyle-le, whence a broad
river flowed into the bay. Their guides informed them,
however, there was no prospect of a water comunication south of their present position. Capt. Ross then
traced the coast fifty or sixty miles further south.
Several journeys were also made by Commander
Ross, both inland and along the bays and inlets. On
the 1st of May, from the top of a high hill, he observed
a large inlet, which seemed to lead to the western sea.
In order to satisfy himself on this point, he set out
again on the 17th of May, with provisions for three
weeks, eight dogs, and three companions.  Having
crossed the great middle lake of the isthmus, lie reached
his former station, and thence traced an inlet which
was found to be the mouth of a river named by them
Garry. From the high hill, they observed a, chain of
lakes leading almost to Thomn's Bay, the Victory's station in Felix Harbor. Proceeding northwest along the
coast, they crossed the frozen surface of the strait which
has since been named after Sir James Ross, and came
to a large island which was called Matty; keeping
along its northern shore, and passing over a narrow
strait, which they named after Wellington, they found
themselves on what was considered to be the mainland, but which the more recent discoveries of Simpson
have shown to be an island, and which now bears the
name of King William's Land. Still journeying onward, with difficulties continually increasing, from
heavy toil and severe privation, the dozs became exhlausted with fatigue, and a burden rather than an aid
to the travelers.




160       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
One of their greatest embarrassments was, how to
distinguish between land and sea. "When all is ice,
and all one dazzling mass of white - when the surface
of the sea itself is tossed up and fixed into rocks, while
the land is, on the contrary, very often fiat, it is not
always so easy a problem as it might seem on a superficial view, to determine a fact which appears in words
to be extremely simple."  Althongh their provisions
began to fall short, and the party were nearly worn
out, Commander Ross was most desirous of making as
much western discovery as possible; therefore, depositing every thing that could be dispensed with, he
pushed on, on the 28th, with only four days' provisions,
and reached Cape Felix, the most northern point of
this island, on the following day. The coast here took
a southwest direction, and there was an unbounded expanse of ocean in view. The next morning, after having traveled twenty miles farther, they reached a point,
which Ross called Point Victory, situated in lat. 64~
46' 19", long. 980 32' 49", while to the most distant one
in view, estimated to be in long. 990 17' 58", he gave
the name of Cape Franklin.  However loath to turn
back, yet prudence compelled them to do so, for as
they had only ten days' short allowance of food, and
more than 200 miles to traverse, there could not be a
moment's hesitation in adopting this step. A  high
cairn of stones was erected before leaving, in which
was deposited a narrative of their proceedings.
The party endured much fatigue and suffering  on
their return journey; of the eight dogs only two survived, and the travelers in a most exhansted state arrived in the neighborhood of the large lakes on the 8tb
of June, where they fortunately fell in with a tribe of
natives, who received them hospitably, and supplied
them plentifully with fish, so that after a day's rest
they resunled their journey, and reached the ship on
the 13th. Captain Ross in the meanwhile had made a
partial survey of the Isthmus, and discovered another
large lake, which he named after iLady Midelville.
After elevenlnmonths' imprisomnluent their little ship




THE ADVANCE, RESCUE, AND PRINCE ALBERT NEAR THE DEVIL'S THUMB. PA-E 368.
X -a ~_-x-X= =1 —or 7= -_- -X - 0 X-~-_T -~
~~~~~~-_ ~_                   _ _ _X _= ~_   ___=  _Sa __- --- - ~;_ _ f
~~~~~~~~~~~M_  - -~ — 0 X 0: 
_. ~~~-~-: r      -    ___ __ _::__-e —  — _.|,@>|k_~
THE EVINCE, RESCUE, MD PENCE GBEBT NE TRE PE~-rILr~~- S TU.U PGE 68








CAPTAIN Io)SS'S EECOND VOYAGE.      161
once more floatetd blovyant on the waves, having been
released from hor icy barrier on the 17th of September,
but for the next few days made but little progress,
being beaten about among the icebergs, and driven
hither and thither by the currents.
A change' in the weather, however, took place, and
on the 23d they were once more frozen in, the sea in a
week after exhibiting one clear and unbroken surface.
All October was passed in cutting through the ice into
a more secure locality, and another dreary winter having set in, it became necessary to reduce the allowance
of provisions. This winter was one of unparalleled
severity, tI e thermometer falling 92~ below freezing
point. During the ensuing spring a variety of exploratory journeys were carried on, and in one of these
Commander Ross succeeded in planting the British
flag on the North Magnetic Pole. The position which
had been usually assigned to this interesting spot by
the learned of Europe, was lat. 70~ N., and long. 98~
30' W.; but Ross, by careful observations, determined
it to lie in lat. 70~ 5' 17" N., and long. 96~ 46' 45'r W.,
to the southward of Cape Nikolai, on the western shore
of Boothia.  But it has since been found that the center of magnetic intensity is a movable point revolving
within the frigid zone.
" The place of the observatory," Ross remarks, " was
as near to the magnetic pole as the limited means which
I possessed enabled me to determine. The amount of
the dip, as indicated by my dipping-needle, was 89~
59', being thus within one minute of the vertical;
while the proximity at least of this pole, if not its actual existence where we stood, was further confirmed
by the action, or rather by the total inaction, of the
several horizontal needles then in my possession."
Parry's observations placed it eleven minutes distant
only from the site determined by Ross.
"As soon," continues Ross, "as I had satisfied my
own mind on the subject, I made known to the party
this gratifying result of all our joint labors; and it was
then that, amidst mutual congratulations, we fixed the




16 2       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
British flag on the spot, and took possession of the
North Magnetic Pole and its adjoining territory in the
name of Great Britain and  hing William IV.  We
had abundance of materials for building in the fi'agments of limestone that covered the beach, and we
therefore erected a cairn of some magnitude,  under
which we buried a canister containing a record of the
interesting fact, only regretting that we had not the
means of constructing a pyramid of nmore importance,
and of strength sufficient to withstand the assaults of
time and of the Esquim-naux. Ilad it been a pyramid
as large as that of Cheops, I am not quite sure that it
would have done more than satisfy our ambition under
the feelings of that exciting day."
On the 28th of August, 1S31, they contrived to warp
the Victory out into the open sea, and made sail on
the following morning, but were soon beset with ice,
as on the former occasion, being once more completely
frozen in by the 27th of September.
On the previous occasion their navigation had been
three miles; this year it extended to four. This protracted detention in the ice made their present position one of great danger and peril. As there seemed
no prospect of extracting their vessel, the resolution
was come to of abandoning her, and making the best
of their way up the inlet to Fury Beach, there to avail
themselves of the boats, provisions, and stores, which
would assist them in reaching Davis'Straits, where
they might expect to fall in with one of the whale
ships.
On the 23d of April, 1832, having collected all that
was useful and necessary, the expedition set out, dragging their provisions and boats over a vast expanse of
rugged ice. "The loads being too heavy to be carried at once, made it necessary to go backward and
forward twice, and even oftener, the same day. They
had to encounter dreadful tempests of snow and drift,
and to make several circuits in order to avoid impassable barriers. The general result was, thiat by the
12th of May they had traveled 329 miles to gain thirty




CAPTAIN ROSS'S SECOND VOYAGE.      163
in a direct line, having in this labor expended a
month." After this preliminary movement, they bade
a farewell to their little vessel, nailing her colors to
the mast. Capt. Ross describes himself as deeply ait
fected; this being the first vessel he had been obliged
to abandon of thirty-six in which he had served during the course of forty-two years. On the 9th of June,
Commander Ross and two others, with a fortnight's
provisions, left the main body, who were more heavily loaded, to ascertain the state of the boats and supplies at Fury Beach. Returning they met their comrades on the 25th of June, reporting that they had
found three of the boats washed away, but enough still
left for their purpose, and all the provisions were in
good condition. The remainder of the journey was
accomplished by the whole party in a week, and on
the 1st of July they reared a canvas mansion, to
which they gave the name of Somerset House, and
enjoyed a hearty meal.
By the 1st of August the boats were rendered serviceable, and a considerable extent of open sea being
visible, they set out, and after much buffeting among
the ice in their frail shallops, reached the mouth of
the inlet by the end of August. After several fruitless attempts to run along Barrow's Strait, the obstructions of the ice obliged them to haul the boats on shore,
and pitch their tents. Barrow's Strait was found, from
repeated surveys, to be one impenetrable mass of ice.
After lingering here till the third week in September,
it was unanimously agreed that their only-,Tesource
was to fall back on the stores at Fury Beach, and there
spend their fourth winter. They were only able to get
half the distance in the boats, which were hauled on
shore in Batty Bay on the 24th of Septembler, and
the rest of their journey continued on foot, the provisions being dragged on sledges. On the 7th of October they once more reached their home at the scene
of the wreck.  They now managed to shelter their
canvas tent by a wall of snow, and setting up an extra stove, made themselves tolerably comfortable until




164      PRiOGREDSS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
the increasing severity of the winter, and rigor of
the cold, added to the tempestuous weather, made
them perfect prisoners, and sorely tried their patience.
Scurvy now began to attack several of the party, and
on the 16th of February, 1833, Thomas, the carpenter,
fell a victim to it, and two others died. "Their situation was becoming truly awfuil, since, if they were
not liberated in the ensuing summer, little prospect
appeared of their surviving another year.  It was
necessary to make a reduction in the allowance of
preserved meats; bread was somewhat deficient, and
the stock of wine and spirits was entirely exhausted.
However, as they caught a few foxes, which were considered a delicacy, and there was plenty of flour,
sugar, soups, and vegetables, a diet could be easily
arranged sufficient to support the party."
While the ice remained firm, advantage was taken
of the spring to carry forward a stock of provisions to
Batty Bay, and this, though only thirty-two miles, occupied them a whole month, owing to their reduced
numbers from sickness and heavy loads, with the journeyings to and fro, having to go over the ground eight
times.
On the 8th of July they finally abandoned this depot, and encamped on the 12th at their boat station in
Batty Bay, where the aspect of the sea was watched
with intense anxiety for more than a month. On the
15th of August, taking advantage of a lane of water
which led to the northward, the party embarked, and
on the following morning had got as far as the turning point of their last year's expedition. Making their
way slowly among the masses of ice with which the
inlet was encumbered, on the 17th they found the wide
expanse of Barrow's Strait open before them, and navigable, and reached to within twelve miles of Cape
York. Pushing on with renewed spirits, alternately
rowing and sailing, on the night of the 25th they
rested in a good harbor on the eastern shore of Navy
Board Inlet. At four on the following morning they
were roused from their slumbers by the joyful intelli



CAPTAIN ROSS S SECOND VOYAGE.      165
gence of a ship being in sight, and never did men
more hurriedly and energetically set out; but the elements conspiring against them, after being baffled by
calms and currents, they had the misery to see the
ship leave them with a fair breeze, and found it impossible to overtake her, or make themselves seen. A
few hours later, however, their despair was relieved by
the sight of another vessel which was lying to in a calm.
By dint of hard rowing they were this time more for
tunate, and soon came up with her; she proved to be
the Isabella, of Hull, the very ship in which Ross had
made his first voyage to these seas. Capt. Ross was
told circumstantially of his own death, &c., two years
previously, and he had some difficulty in convincing
them that it was really he and his party who now stood
before them. So great was the joy with which they
were received, that the Isabella manned her yards,
and her former commander and his gallant band of
adventurers were saluted with three hearty cheers.
The scene on board can scarcely be described; each
of the crew vied with the other in assisting and comforting the party, and it cannot better be told than in
Ross's own words:" The ludicrous soon took place of all other feelings;
in such a crowd, and such confusion, all serious thought
was impossible, while the new buoyancy of our spirits
made us abundantly willing to be amused by the scene
which now opened. Every man was hungry, and was
to be fed; all were ragged, and were to be clothed;
there was not one to whom washing was not indispensable, nor one whom his beard did not deprive of all
human semblance. All, every thing too, was to be done
at once: it was washing, shaving, dressing, eating, all
intermingled; it was all the materials of each jumbled
together, while in the midst of all there were interminable questions to be asked and answered on both sides;
the adventures of the Victory, our own escapes, the
politics of England, and the news which was now four
years old.
"But all subsided into peace at last. The sick were




166       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
accommodated, the seamen disposed of, and all was
done for us which care and kindness could perform.
" i ight at length brought quiet and serious thoughts,
and I trust there was not a man among us who did not
then express, where it was due, his gratitude for that
interposition which had raised us all from a despair
which none could now forget, and had brought us from
the very borders of a most distant grave, to life and
friends and civilization. Long accustomed, however,
to a cold bed on the hard snow or the bare rock, few
could sleep amid the comfort of our new accommodations. I was myself compelled to leave the bed which
had been kindly assigned me, and take my abode in a
chair for the night, nor did it fare much better with the
rest. It was for time to reconcile us to this sudden and
violent change, to break through what had become
habit, and inure us once more to the usages of our
former days."
The Isabella remained some time longer to prosecute
the fishery, and left Davis' Strait on her homeward
passage on the 30th September. On the 12th of October they made the Orkney Islands, and arrived at
Hull on the 18th. The bold explorers, who had long
been given up as lost, were looked upon as men risen
from the grave, and met and escorted by crowds of
sympathizers. A public entertainment was given to
them by the townspeople, at which the freedom of the
town was presented to Captain Ross, and next day he
left for London, to report to the Admiralty, and was
honored by a presentation to the king at Windsor.
The Admiralty liberally rewarded all the parties,
except indeed Captain Ross. Commander J. C. Ross
was appointed to the guardship at Portsmouth to complete his period of service, and then received his post
rank. Mr. Thom, the purser, Mr. MI'Diarmid, the surgeon, and the petty officers, were appointed to good
situations in the navy. The seamen received the usual
double pay given to arctic explorers, up to the time
of leaving their ship, and full pay from that date until
their arrival in England.




CAPTAIN ROSS'S SECOND VOYAGE.       167
A committee of the HIouse of Commons took up the
case of Captain Ross early in the session of 1834, and
on their recommendation 5,0001.was granted him as a
remuneration for his pecuniary outlay and privations.
A baronetcy, on the recommendation of the same
committee, was also conferred by his Majesty William
IV. on Mr. Felix Booth.
In looking back on the results of this voyage, no impartial inquirer can deny to Captain Ross the merit of
having effected much good by tracing and surveying
the whole of the long western coast of Regent Inlet,
proving Boothia to be a peninsula, and setting at rest
the probability of any navigable outlet being discovered
from this inlet to the Polar Sea. The lakes, rivers and
islands which were examined, proved with sufficient
accuracy the correctness of the information furnished to
Parry by the Esquimaux.
To Commander James Ross is due the credit of
resolving many important scientific questions, such as
the combination of light with magnetism, fixing the
exact position of the magnetic pole. IHe was also the
only person in the expedition competent to make observations in geology, natural history and botany. Out
of about 700 miles of new land explored, Commander
Ross, in the expeditions which he planned and conducted, discovered nearly 500. He had, up to this
time, passed fourteen summers and eight winters in
these seas.
The late Sir John Barrow, in his " Narrative of Voyages of Discovery and Research," p. 518, in opposition
to Ross's opinion, asserted that Boothia was not joined
to the continent, but that they were "completely divided by a navigable strait, ten miles wide and upward,
leading past Back's Estuary, and into the Gulf (of
Boothia,) of which the proper name is Akkolee, not
Boothia; and moreover, that the two seas flow as freely
into each other as Lancaster Sound does into the Polar
Sea."  This assumption has since been shown to be
incorrect. Capt. Ross asserts there is a difference in
the level of these two seas.




168       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
I may here fitly take a review of Captain Ro,.s's services. He entered the navy in 1790, served fifteen years
as a midshipman, seven as a lieutenant, and seven as a
commander, and was posted on the 7th of December,
1818, and appointed to the command of the first arctic
expedition of this century. On his return he received
many marks of favor from continental sovereigns, was
knighted and made a Companion of the Bath on the
-24th of December, 1834; made a Commander of the
Sword of Sweden, a Knight of the Second Class of St
Anne of Prussia (in diamonds,) Second Class of the
Legion of Honor, and of the Red Eagle of Prussia, and
of Leopold of Belgium. Received the royal premium
from the Geographical Society of London, in 1833, fo
his discoveries in the arctic regions; also gold medal
from the Geographical Society of Paris, and the Royml
Societies of Sweden, Austria, and Denmark. The fi're,dom of the cities of London, Liverpool, and Bristol;
six gold snuff-boxes from Russia, Holland, Denmark.
Austria, London and Baden; a sword valued at 10t'
guineas from the Patriotic Fund, for his sufferings, hav
ing been wounded thirteen times in three different
actions during the war; and one of the value of 2001.
from the King of Sweden, for service in the Baltic and
the White Sea. On the 8th of MIarch, 1839, he was
appointed to the lucrative post of British consul at
Stockholm, which he held for six years.
CAPTAIN BACK'S LAND JOuRNEY, 1833-35.
FouR years having elapsed without any tidings being
received of Capt. Ross and his crew, it began to be
generally feared in England that they had been added
to the number of former sufferers, in the prosecution of
their arduous undertaking.
Dr. Richardson, who had himself undergone such
frightful perils in the arctic regions with Franklin, was
the first to call public attention to the subject, in a letter
to the Geographical Society, in which he suggested a
project for relieving them, if still alive and to be found;




CAPTAIN BACK'S LAND JOURNEY.       169
and at the same time volunteered his services to the
Colonial Secretary of the day, to conduct an exploring
party.
Although the expedition of Capt. Ross was not undertalken under the auspices of government, it became a
national concern to ascertain the ultimate fate of it, and
to make some effort for the relief of the party, whose
home at that time might be the boisterous sea, or whose
shelter the snow hut or the floating iceberg. Dr. Richardson proposed to proceed from Hudson's Bay, in a
northwest direction to Coronation Gulf; where he was
to commence his search in an easterly direction. Passing to the north, along the eastern side of this gulf, he
would arrive at Point Turnagain, the eastern point of
his own former discovery. Having accomplished this,
he would continue his search toward the eastward until
he reached Melville Island, thus perfecting geographical
discovery in that quarter, and a continued coast line
might be laid down from the Fury and Hecla Strait to
Beechey Point, leaving only the small space between
Franklin's discovery and that of the Blossom unexplored.
The proposal was favorably received; but owing to the
political state of the country at the time, the offer was
not accepted.
A meeting was held in November, 1832, at the rooms
of the Horticultural Society, in Regent street, to obtain
funds, and arrange for fitting out a private relief expedition, as the Admiralty and Government were unable
to do this officially, in consequence of Captain Ross's
expedition not being a public one. Sir George Cockburn took the chair, and justly observed that those officers who devoted their time to the service of science,
and braved in its pursuit the dangers of unknown and
ungenial climates, denlanded the sympathy and assistance of all. Great Britain had taken the lead in geographical discovery, and there was not one in this country who did not feel pride and honor in the fame she
had attained by the expeditions of Parry and Franklin;
but if we wished to create future Parrys and Franklins,
if we wished to encourage Britishl enterprise and cour



10O        PROGREISS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
age, we must prove that the officer who is out of sight
of his countrymnen is not forgotten; that there is consideration bfor his sufferings, and appreciation of his
spirit. This reflection will cheer him in the hour of
trial, and will peinmit him, when surrounded by danaers
and privations, to indulge in hope, the greatest blessing
of man. Captain George ]3ack, R. N., who was in
Italy when the subject was first mooted, hastenled to
England, and offered to lead the party, and his services
were accepted. A subscription was entered into, to
defiray the necessary expenses, and upward of 60001.
was raised; of this sum, at the recomimendation of Lord
Goderich, the then Secretary of State, the Treasury contributed 20001.
After an interview with the king at 1Brighton, to which
he was specially summoned, Captain B3ack made preparations for his journey, and laid down his plan of operations. In order to fticilitate his views, and give him
greater authority over his men, special instructions and
authority were issued by the Colonial Oflice, and the
Hiudson's Bay Company granted hlim a colmmission in
their service, and placed every assistance at his disposal
throughout their territory in North America.
Every thing being definitely arrangedl, Capt. Back,
accompanied by Dr. Richard King as surgeon and naturalist, wTith three muen who had been on the expedition
with Franklin, left Liverpool on the 17th of February.
183,3 in one of the New York packet ships, and arrived
in America af'ter a stormy passage of thirty-five days.
IHe proceeded on to IKontrea1, where he had great difficulty in preventing two of the men from leaving him,
as their hearts began to fail them at the prospect of
the severe journey with its attendant difficulties, which
they had to encounter.
PFour volunteers fiom the Royal Artillery corps here
joined him, and some voyageurs having been engaged,
thle party left, in two canoes, on the 25tth of April. Two
of his party deserted from him in the Ottawa river.
On the 28th of June, having obtained his comuplemnent of men, he may be said to have commenced his




CAPTAIN BACKISS LAND JOURNEY.        171
journey.  They suffered dreadfully from myriads of
sand-flies and mnusquitoes, being so disfigured by their
attacks that their features could scarcely be recognized.
Horse-flies, appropriately styled "bull-dogs," were another dreadful pest, which pertinaciously gorged themselves, like the leech, until they seemed ready to burst.
" It is in vain to attempt to defend yourself against
these puny bloodsuckers; though you crush thousands
of them, tens of thousands arise to avenge the death of
their companions, and you very soon discover that the
conflict which you are waging is one in which you are
sure to be defeated. So great at last are the pains and
fatigue, that in
despair you throw yourself, half sufbocated, in a blainket,
with your face upon the ground, and snatch a few minutes of sleepless rest."  Capt. Back adds that the vigorous and unintermitting assaults of these tormenting
pests conveyed the moral lesson of man's helplessness,
since, with all our boasted strength, we are unable to
repel these feeble atoms of creation.  "How," he says,
" can I possibly give an idea of the torment we endured
firom the sand-fies?  As we divided into the confined(
and suffocating chasms, or waded  through the close
swamps, they rose in clouds, actually darkeninor the air;
to see or to speak was equally difficult, for they rushed
at every undefended part, and fixed their poisonous
fangs in an instant. Our faces streamed with blood, as
if leeches had been applied, and there was a burning
and irritating pain, followeed by imlmediate inflanmmiation, and prodlcing giddiness, which almost drove us
mad, and caused us to imoan with pain and agony.
At tile Pine po(tagfe, Caltain Back engaged the
services of A. RP. McLeod, in the etnlploy of thie Hudson's Bay Company, and who had been fixed upon by
Governor Simpson, to aid the expedition.  lie was
accompanied by his wife, three children, and a servant; and had just returned from the {Mackenzie River,
with a large cargo of furs. The whole family were attached to the party, and after some detentions of a
general and unimportant character they arrived at




172        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Fort Chipewyan on the 20th of July. Fort Resolta
tion, on Great Slave Lake, was reached on the 8th of
August.
The odd assemblage of goods and voyageurs in their
encampment are thus graphically described by the
traveler, as he glanced around him.
" At my feet was a rolled bundle in oil-cloth, containing some three blankets, called a bed; near it a
piece of dried buffalo, fancifully ornamented with long
black hairs, which no art, alas, can prevent from insinuating themselves between tile teeth, as you laboriously
masticate the tough, hard flesh; then a tolerably clean
napkin, spread by way of table-cloth, on a red piece of
canvas, and supporting a tea-pot, some biscuits, and a
salt-cellar; near this a tin plate, close by a square kind
of box or safe of the same material, rich with a pale,
greasy hair, the produce of the colony at Red River;
and the last, the far-renowned pemmican, unquestionably the best food of the country for expeditions such
as ours. Behind me were two boxes containing astronomrnical instruments, and a sextant lying on the ground,
while the different corners of the tent were occupied
by a washing apparatus, a gun, an Indian shot-pouch,
bags, basins, and an unhappy-looking japanned pot,
whose melancholy bumps and hollows seemed to reproach me for many a bruise endured uponr the rocks
and portages between Montreal and Lake Winnipeck.
Nor were my crew less motley than the firniture of
the tent. It consisted of an Englishman, a man fiom
Stornaway, two Canadians, two Metifs or half-breeds,
and three Iroquois Indians. Babel could not have produced a worse confusion of unharlnonious sounds than
was the conversation they kept up."
Having obtained at Fort Resolution all possible information, fi'om the Indians and others, relative to the
course of the northern rivers of which he was in search,
he divided his crew into two parties, five of whom were
left as an escort for Mr. MecLeod, and four were to accompany himself in search of the Great Fish River,
since appropl:iately nalled after Baick }iriself.




CAPTAIN BACK'IS LAND JOURNEY.       1T3
On the 19th of August they began the ascent of the
Hoar Frost River, whose course was a series of the
most fearful cascades and rapids. The woods here
were so thick as to render them  almost impervious,
conlsisting  chiefly of stunted firs, which occasioned infinite trouble to the party to force their way through;
added to which, they had to clamber over fallen trees,
through rivulets, and over bogs and swamps, until thle
difficulties appeared so appalling, as almost to dishearlten the party fiom prosecuting their journey. The
heart of Captain Back was, however, of too stern a cast
to be dispirited by difficulties, at which less persever-.ng explorers would have turned away discomnfited,
and cheering on his men, like a bold and gallant leader,
the first in the advance of danger, they arrived at length
in an open space, where they rested for awhile to recruit
their exhausted strength. The place was, indeed, one
of barrenness and desolation; crag was piled upon crag
to the height of 2000 feet fi'om the base, and the course
of the river here, in a state of contraction, was marked
by an uninterrupted line of foam.
However great the beauty of the scenery may be,
and however resolute may be the will, severe toil will
at length relax the spirits, and bring a kind of despondency upon a heart naturially bold and undaunted. This
was found particularly the case now with the interpreter, who became a dead weight upon the party.  Rapid
now succeeded rapid; scarcely had they surmounted
one fall than another presented itself; rising like an am-.hithleater before them to the height of fifty feet. They,
hlowever, gained at length the ascent of this turbulent
and unfiiendly river, the romantic beauty and wild
scenery of which were strikingly grand, and after passing successively a series of portages, rapids, falls, lakes,
and rivers, on the 27th Back observed froml the summit
of a high hill a very large lake full of deep bays and
islands, and which has been named Aylhner Lake, after
the Governor-General of Canada at that time. The
boat awas sent out with three men to search for the lake,
or outlet of the river, which they discovered on the sec



174       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
ond day, and Captain Back himself, during their absence, also accidentally discovered its source in the
Sand HIill Lake, not fair fiom his encampment. Not
prouder was Bruce when he stood on the green sod
which covers the source of the Nile, than was Captain
]Back when he found that he was standing at the source
of a river, the existence of which was known, but the
course of which was a problem, no traveler had yet ventured to solve. Yielding to that pleasurable emotion
which discoverers, in the first bound of their transport,
may be pardoned for indulging, Back tells us he threw
himself down on the bank and drank a hearty draught
of the limpid water.
"For this occasion," he adds, "I had reserved a little grog, and need hardly say with what cheerfulness
it was shared among the crew, whose welcome tidings
had verified the notion of Dr. Richardson and myself,
and thus placed beyond doubt the existence of the
Thlew-ee-choh, or Great Fish River.
On the 30th of August, they began to move toward
the river, but on reaching Miusk-ox Lake, it was found
impossible to stand the force of the rapids in their firail
canoe, and as winter was approaching, their return to
the rendezvous on Slave Lake was determined on.
At Clinton Colden Lake, some Indians visited them
from the Chief Akaitcho, who, it will be remembered.
was the guide of Sir John Franklin. Two of these Indians remenmbered Captain Back, one having accompanied him to the Coppermine River, on Franklin's
first expedition.
At the Cat or Artillery Lake, they had to abandon
their canoe, and perform the rest of the journey on foot
over precipitous rocks, through frightful gorges and ravines, heaped with masses of granite, and along narrow
ledges, where a false step would have been fatal.
At Fort Reliance, the party found Mfr. MIcLeod had,
during their absence, erected the frame-work of a comfortable residence for them, and all hands set to work
to complete it. After many obstacles and difficulties,
it was finished.




CAPTAIN BACK'S LAND SOUIRNEY.      175
Dr. King joined them on the 16th of September, with
two laden bateaux.
On the 5th of November, they exchanged their cold
tents for the new house, which was fifty feet long by
thirty broad, and contained four rooms, besides a spacious hall in the center, for the reception and accommodation of the Indians, to which a sort of rude kitchen
was attached.
As the winter advanced, bands of starving Indians
continued to arrive, in the hope of obtaining some relief, as little or nothing was to be procured by hunting.
They would stand around while the men were taking
their meals, watching every mouthful with the most
longing, imploring look, but yet never uttered a complaint.
At other times they would, seated round the fire, occupy themselves in roasting and devouring small bits
of their reindeer garmrents, which, even when entire,
afforded them a very insufficient protection against a
temperature of 102~ below freezing point.
The sufferings of the poor Indians at this period are
described as frightful. "Famine with her gaunt and
bony arm," says Back, " pursued them at every turn,
withered their energies, and strewed them lifeless on
the cold bosom of the snow."  It was impossible to
affordn relief out of their scanty store to all, but even
slnall portions of the mnouldy pemmican intended for
the dogs, unpalatable as it was, was gladly received,
and saved many from perishing. " Often," adds Back,
" did I share my own plate with the children whose
helpless state and piteous cries were peculiarly distressing; compassion for the full-grown may, or may not,
be felt, but that heart must be eased in steel which is
insensible to the cry of a child for food."
At this critical juncture, Akaitcho made his appearance with an opportune supply of a little meat, which
in some measure enabled Captain Back to relieve the
sufferers around him, many of whom, to his great delight, went away with Akaiteho. The stock of meat
was soon exhausted, and they had to open their pem



176        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
nican.  The oficers contented themselves with the
short supply of half a pound a day, but the laboring
men could not do with less than a pound and threequarters. The cold now set in with an intensity which
Captain Back had never before experienced,- the theronometer, on the 17th of January, being 7TO below zero.
"6 Such indeed, (he says,) was the abstraction of heat,
that with eight lar'ge logs of dry wood on the fire, I
could not get the thermometer higher than 12~ below
zero.  Ink and paint froze.  The sextant cases and
boxes of seasoned wood, principally fir, all split. The
skin of the hands became dry, cracked and opened
into unsightly and smarting gashes, which we were
obliged to anoint with grease.  On one occasion, after
washing my face within three feet of the fire, my hair
was actually clotted with ice before I had time to dry it."
The hunters suffered severely from the intensity of
he cold, and comnpalred the sensation of handling' their
guns to that of toulching red-hot iron, and so excessive
was the pain, that they were obliged to wrap thongs of
leather round the triggers to keep their fingers from
coming into contact with the steel.
The sufferings which the party now endured were
great, and had it not been for the exemplary conduct
of Akaitcho in procuring them gane, it is to be doubted
whether any would have survived to tell the imisery
they had endured. The sentiments of this worthy sayv
age were nobly expressed —' The great chief trusts in
us, and it is better that ten Indians perish, than that
one white man should perish through our negligence
and breach of faith.9
On the 14th of Februnary, M3,/r. AleLeod and his family
removed to a place half way between the fort and the
Indians, in order to facilitate their own support, and
assist in procuring food by hunting'.  His situation,
however, became soon one of the greatest embarrassment, he anmd his family being surrounded by difficulties, privations, and deaths. Six of the natives near
himu sank uClnder the horrors of starvation, and Alkaitche
and his hunters were twelve days' march distant.




CAPTAIN BnCK S LAND JOURNEY.        177
Toward the end of April, Capt. Back began to make
arranglements for constructing boats for prosecuting the
expedition once more, and while so employed, on the
25th a messenger arrived with the gratifying inte!lligence, that Capt. Ross had arrived safely in England,
confirmation of which, was afforded in extracts fromn
the Times and HIerald, and letters from the long lost
adventurers themselves. Their feelings at these glad
tidings are thus described:-" In the fullness of our
hearts we assembled together, and humbly offered up
our thanks to that merciful Providence, who in the
beautiful language of scripture hath said,' Mine own
will I bring again, as I did sometime from the deeps
of the sea.' The thought of so wonderful a preservation overpowered for a time the common occurrences
of life. We had just sat down to breakfast; but our
appetite was gone, and the day was passed in a feverish state of excitement. Seldom, indeed, did my friend
Mr. King or I indulge in a libation, but on this joyful
occasion economy was fobrgotton; a treat was given to
the men, and for ourselves the social sympathies were
quickened by a generous bowl of punch."  Capt. Back's
former interpreter, Augustus, hearing that he was in
the country, set out on foot from IIudson's Bay to join
him, but getting separated from his two companions,
the gallant little fellow was either exhausted by suffering and privations, or, caught in the midst of an open
traverse, in one of those terrible snow storms which
may be said to blow almost through the frame, he had
sunk to rise no more, his bleached remains being discovered not far fiom the Riviere a Jean.  "Such,"
says Capt. Back, " was the miserable end of poor Augustus, a faithfill, disinterested, kind-hearted creature,
who had won the regard, not of myself only, but I
may add, of Sir J. Franklin and Dr. Richardson also,
by qualities which, wherever found, in the lowest as in
the highest forms of social life, are the ornament and
charm of humanity."
On the 7th of June, all the preparations being comI leted, }McLeod having been previously sent on to hunt,




1.78       PR(:)GRl-SS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
allld del')osit casks of meat at various stages, Back set
out witIl Mr. Killg, accompanied by four voyagers and
an Inllian guide. The stores not recluired were buried,
and the doors and windows of the house blocked up.
At Artillery Lake, Back picked up the remainder
of his party, with the carpenters who had been employed preparing boats. The lightest and best was
chiosen and placedt on runners plated with iron, and in
thlis manner she was drawn over the ice by two men and
six fine dogs. The eastern shore of the lake was followed, as it was found less rocky and precipitous than
the opp)osite one. The march was prosecuted by niglht,
the air being more fresh and pleasant, and the party
took rest in the day. The glare of the ice, the difficulty encountered in getting the boat along, the ice beincg so bad that the spikes of the runners cut through
instead of sliding over it, and the thick snow Awhich
fell in June, greatly increased the labor of getting alonl.
The cold, raw wind pierced through them in spite of
cloaks and blankets.  After being caulked, the boat
was launched on the 14th of June, the lake being sufficiently unobstructed to admit of her being towed
along shore. Thle weather now became exceedingly
unpleasant - hail, snow, and rain, pelted them one after
the other for some time without respite, and then only 
yielded to squalls that overturned the boat.  With
alternate spells and haltings to rest, they howeverl,
granuallyr adlvanced on the traverse, and were really
making considerable progress when pelting showers of'
sleet and drift so dimmllled and confused the sight, darkening the atmosphere, and limliting  their view to only
a few paces before them, as to render it an extremely
perplexing task to keep their course.
On the 23d of June, they fortunately fell in wit; a
cacel made for them  by their avantt-eonrimer, 5IMr. M3cLeod, in iwhich was a seasonable sulpply of deer and
musk-ox flesh, the latter, however, so impregf nated witli
tlhe odor frorm wlfichl it takes its name, tlhat the m1en declarel tll(e would rattler starve thlree cldas thlia n swallow a uieotitlmt'll of it. To remnove tlls umllavorab)le iln



CAPTAIN BACK'S LAND JOURNEY.       179
pression, Capt. Back ordered the daily rations to be
served fiom it for his own mess as well as theis, talkingo occasion at the same time, to impress on their m-inds
the injurious consequences of voluntary abstinence,
and the necessity of accommodating their tastes to
such food as the country might supply. Soon after another cacthe was met with, thus making eleven animals
in all, that had been thus obtained and secured for
them by the kind care of M~[r. MIcLeod.
On the 27th, they reached Sandy Hill Bay, where
they found Mr. MIcLeod encamped. On the 28th, the
boat being too frail to be dragged over the portage,
about a quarter of a mile in length, was carried bodily
by the crew, and launched safely in the Thlew-ee-clhoh
or Fish River. After crossing the portage beyond
MIusk-ox Rapid, about four miles in length, and having
all his party together, Captain Back took a survey of
his provisions for the three months of operations, which
he found to consist of two boxes of maccaroni, a case
of cocoa, twenty-seven bags of pemmican of about 80
lbs. each, and a keg with two gallons of rum. This he
considered an adequate supply if all turned out sound
and good. The difficulty, however, of transporting a
weight of 5000 lbs, over ice and rocks, by a circuitous
route of full 200 miles, may be easily conceived, not to
mention the pain endured in walking on some parts
where the ice formed innumerable spikes that pierced
like needles, and in other places where it was so black
and decayed, that it threatened at every step to engulf
the adventurous traveler. These and similar difficulties could only be overcome by the most steady perseverance, and the most determined resolution.
Among the group of dark figures huddled together
in the Indian encampment around them, Capt. Back
found his old acquaintance, the Indian beauty of whom
mention is made in Sir John Franklin's narrative under the name of Green Stockings. Although surrounded with a family,-vith one urchin in her cloak
clinging to her back, and several other maternal ac"ompaniments, Capt. Back immediately recognized
8*




180       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
her, and called her by her name, at which she laughed,
and said she was an old woman now, and bcgged that
she might be relieved by the " medicine man " fbr she
was very much out of health. However, notwithstanding all this, she was still the beauty of her tribe, and
with that consciousness which belongs to all belles, savage or polite, she seemed by no means displeased when
Back sketched her portrait.
3Mr. McLeod was now sent back, taking with him ten
persons and fourteen clogs. IHis instructions were to
proceed to Fort Resolution for the stores expected to be
sent there by the Hudson's Baty Company, to build a
house in some good locality, for a permanent fishing
station, and to be again on the banks of the Fish River
by the middle of Septembler, to afford Back and his
party any assistance or relief they might require.
The old Indian chief Akaitcho, hearing from the interpreter that Capt. Back was in his immediate neighborhood, said, "I have known the chief a long time,
and I am afraid I shall never see him again; I will go
to him." On his arrival lie cautioned' Back against the
dangers of a river which he distinctly told him the
present race of Indians knew nothing of. tie also
warned him against the treachery of the Esquimaux,.which he said was always masked under the guise of
friendship, observing they would attack him when he
least expected it. " I am afraid," continued the good
old chief,; " that I shall never see you again; but should
you escape firom the great water, take care you are not
caught by the winter, and thrown into a situation like
that in which you were on your return from the Cop.
permine, for you are alone, and the Indians cannot
assist you."
The carpenters, with an Iroquois, not being further
required, were dismissed to join Mr. MIcLeod, and on
tile 8th of July they proceeded down the river. The
boat was now launched and laden with her cargo, which,
together with ten persons, she stowed well enough for
a smooth river, but not for a lake or sea way. The,weihllt was calculated at 3360 lbs., exclusive of the
awninh  p,-le-. sails, &c.. and the crew.




CAPTAIN BACK'S LAND JOURNEY.       181
Thelr progress to the sea was now one continued succession of dangerous and formidable falls, rapids, and
cataracts, which frequently made Back hold his breath,
expecting to see the boat dashed to shivers against some
protruding rocks amidst the foam and fury at the foot
of a rapid. The only wonder is how in their frPail leaky
boat they ever shot one of the rapids. Rapid after
rapid, and fall after fall, were passed, each accompanied with more or less danger; and in one instance the
b)oat was only saved by all hands jumping into the
breakers, and keeping her stern up the stream, until
she was cleared fi'om a rock that had brought her up.
They had hardly time to get into their places again,
when they were carried with considerable velocity
past a river which joined fiom the westward. After
passing no less than five rapids within the distance of
three miles, they came to one long and appalling one,
full of rocks and large boulders; the sides hemmed in
by a wall of ice, and the current flying with the velocity and force of a torrent. The boat was lightened of
her cargo, and Capt. Back placed himself on a high
rock, with an anxious desire to see her run the rapid.
Hle had every hope which confidence in the judgment
and dexterity of his principal men could inspire, but it
was impossible not to feel that one crash would be fatal
to the expedition. Away they went with the speed of
an arrow, and in a moment the foam and rocks hid
them from view. Back at last heard what sounded in
his ear like a wild shriek, and he saw Dr. King, who
was a hundred yards before him, make a sign with his
gun, and then run forward. Back followed with an
agitation which may be easily conceived, when to his
inexpressible joy he found that the shriek was the tri
umphant whoop of the crew, who had landed safely in
a small bay below. For nearly one hundred miles of
the distance they were impeded by these frightful whirl
pools, and strong and heavy rapids.
On opening one of their bags of pemmican, the in
genuity of the Indians at pilfering was discovered, sue
cessive layers of mixed sand, stones, and green inea




182       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
having been artfully and cleverly substituted for the
dry meat. Fearful that they might be carrying heaps
of stone instead of provision, Back had to examin6
carefully the remainder, which were all found sound
and well-tasted. lie began to fear, from the inclination
of the river at one time toward the south, that it would
be found to discharge itself in Chesterfield Inlet, irn
HIuclson's Bay, but subsequently, to his great joy, it
took a direct course toward the north, and his hopes of
reaching the Polar Sea were revived. The river now
led into several large lakes, some studded with islands,
which were named successively after Sir II. Pelly, and
~Mr. Garry, of the Hudson's Bay Company; two others
were named Lake )Macdougall and Lake Franklin.
On the 28th of July, they fell in with a tribe of about
thirty-five very friendly Esquimaux, who aided them
in transporting their boat over the last long and steep
portage, to which his men were utterly unequal, and
Back justly remarks, to their kind assistance he is
mainly indebted for getting to the sea at all.
It was late when they got away, and while threading
their course between some sand-banks with a strong
current, they first caught sight of a majestic headland
in the extreme distance to the north, which had a'coast-like appearance. This important promontory,
Back subsequently named after our gracious Queen,
then Princess Victoria.
"This, then," observes Back, " may be considered as
the mouth of the Thlew-ee-choh, which after a violent'and tortuous course of 530 geographical miles, running
through an iron-ribbed country, without a single tree
on the whole line of its banks, expanding into five
large lakes, with clear horizon, most embarrassing to
the navigator, and broken into falls, cascades, and rapids, to the number of eighty-three in the whole, pours
its water into the Polar Sea, in lat. 67~ 11' N., and long.
940 30' XV., that is to say, about thirty-seven miles
more south than the Coppermine River, and nineteen
miles more south than that of Back's River, (of Franklin,) at the lower extremity of Bathurst's Inlet."




CAPTAIN BACK S LAND JOURNEY.       183
t,r several days Back was able to make but slow
t ogress along the eastern shore, in consequence of the
solid body of drift-ice. A barren, rocky elevation of
800 feet high, was named Cape Beaufort, after the
present hydrographer to the Admiralty. A bluff point
on the eastern side of the estuary, which he considered
to be the northern extreme, he named Cape Hay.
Dean and Simpson, however, in 1839, traced the shore
much beyond this. The difficulties met with here, began to dispirit the men.  For a week or ten days they
had a continuation of wet, chilly, foggy weather, and
the only vegetation, fern and moss. was so wet that it
would not burn; being thus without fuel, during this
time they had but one hot meal.  Almost without
water, without any means of warmth, or any kind of
warm or comforting food, sinking knee-deep, as they
proceeded on land, in the soft slush and snow, no wonder that some of the best men, benumbed in their limbs
and dispirited by the dreary and unpromising prospect
before them, broke out for a moment, in low murmurillgs, that theirs was a hard and, painful duty.
Captain Back found it utterly impossible to proceed,
as he had intended, to the Point Turnagain of Franklin,
and after vainly essaying a land expedition by three of
the best walkers, and these having returned, after making but fifteen miles' way, in consequence of the heavy
rains and the swampy nature of the ground, he came
to the resolution of returning. Reflecting, he says, on
the long and dangerous stream they had to ascend
combining all the bad features of the worst rivers in
the country, the hazard of the falls and the rapids, and
the slender hope which remained of their attaining
even a single mile further, he felt he had no choice.
Assembling, therefore, the men around him, and unfurling the British flag, which was saluted with three
cheers, he announced to them this determination. The
latitude of this place was 68~ 13' 57" N., and loigitude
940 58' 1" W. The extreme point seen to the northward on the western side of the estuary, in latitude 68~
46' N., longitude 960 20' W., Back named Cape Rich



18]4-     PROGIP(ESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
aldsoii. Tile spirits of many of the men, whose health
had uoe-rcd grtl    aty tor want of' warm and nonris.hing
food, 10ow brighltelled, and they set to work with alacrity to prepare for their return journey. The boat being dragged across, was brought to the place of their
former station, after which the crew went back tiur
miles for their baggage. The whole was safely conveyed over before the evening, when the water-casks
were broken up to make a fire to warm  a kettle of
cocoa, the second hot meal they had had for nine days.
On the 15th of August, they managed to make their
way about twenty miles, on their return to the southward, through a breach in the ice, till they came to
open water. The difficulties of the river were doubled
in thle ascent, from having to proceed against the stream.
All the obstacles of rocks, rapids, sand-banks, and long
portages had to be faced. In some days as many as
sixteen or twenty rapids were ascended.  They found,
as they proceeded, that many of the deposits of provisions, on which they relied, had been discovered and
destroyed by wolves. On the 16th of September, they
met 1Mr. MIcLeod and his party, who had been several
days at Sand HIill Bay, waiting for them. On the 24th,
they reached the Ah-hel-dessy, where they met with
some Indians. ThPey were ultimately stopped by one
most formidable perpendicular fall, and as it was fbund
impossible to convey the boat further over so ruggwed
antd lnmontainous a country, most of the declivities of
which were coated with thin ice, and the whole hidden
by snow,. it was here abandoned, and the party proceeded the rest of the journey on foot, each laden with
a pack of about 75 lbs. weight.
Late on the 27th of September, they arrived at their
o1d habitation, Fort Reliance, after being absent nearly
four months, wearied indeed, gut'" truly grateful for
the manifold mercies they had experienced in the
course of their long and perilous journey."  Arrangements were now made to pass the winter as comfortably as their means would permit, and as there was no
probability that there would:Le sufficient food in the




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TlE AVANE LAI)~C4q'lE PINC ALERT!~EA  LEOOLD SLAN. PAE 36








CAPTAIN BACKES LANI) JOURNEY.      185
house for the consumption of the whole party, all except six were sent with Mr. McLeod to the fisheries.
The Indians brought them provisions from time to time,
and their friend Akaitcho, with his followers, though
not very successful in hunting, was not wanting in
his contributions.  This old chieftain was, however,
no longer the same active and important personage he
had been in the days when he rendered such good
service to Sir John Franklin. Old age and infirmities
were creeping on him and rendering him peevish and
fickle.
On the 21st of 5March following, having left directions with Dr. King to proceed, at the proper season,
to the Company's factory at Hudson's Bay, to embark
for England in their spring ships, Captain Back set
out on his return through Canada, calling at the Fisheries to bid farewell to his esteemed friend, ~[Mr. McLeod,
and arriving at the Norway House on the 24th, where
he settled and arranged the accounts due for stores,
&c., to the Hudson's Bay Company. HIe proceeded
thence to New York, embarked for England, and arrived at Liverpool on the 8th of September, after an
absence of two years and a half. Back was honored
with an audience of his Majesty, who expressed his approbation of his efforts - first in the cause of humanity, and next in that of geographical and scientific research. Ile has since been knighted; and in 1835, the
Royal Geographical Society awarded him their gold
medal, (the Royal premium,) for his discovery of the
Great Fish River, and navigating it to the sea on the
arctic coast.
Dr. King, with the remainder of the party, (eight
men,) reached England, in the Htudson's Bay Company's ship, in the following month, October.
Of Captain Back's travels it has been justly observed
that it is impossible to rise from the perusal of them
without being struck with astonishment at the extent of
sufferings which the human frame can endure, and at the
same time the wondrous display of fortitude which was
exhibited under circumstances of so appalling a nature,




186        PIZiOGIESS OF AIC'TIC D)SCOVERY.
as to invest the narrative with the character of a romantic fiction, rather than an unexaoggoerated tale of actual
reality. lIe, however, suffered not despair nor despondency to overcome him, but gallantly and undauntedly
pursued his course, until he returned to his native land
to add to the number of those noble spirits whose names
will be carried to posterity as the brightest ornaments
to the country which gave them birth.
CAPTAIN IBACK'S VOYAGE OF THE TERROR.
IN the year 1836, Captain [Back, who had only returned the previous autumln, at the recommendation of
the Geographical Society, undertook a voyage in the
Terror up Hudson's Strait.
lIe was to reach Wager IRiver, or iepulse Bay, and
to make an overland journey, to examinle the bottom
of Prince RIegent's Inlet, sending  other parties to the
north and west to examine the Strait of the Fury and
IHecla, and to reach, if possible, Franklin's Point Turnagain.
Leaving England on the 14th of June, he arrived on
the 14th of August at Salisbury Island, and proceeded
up the Frozen Strait; off Cape Comfort the ship got
fiozen in, and on the breaking utip of the ice by one of
those frequent convulsions, thle vessel was drifted right
up the Frozen Channel, grinding large heaps that opposed her progress to powder.
i Feonm December to Marcih she was driven about by
the flurv of the storms and ice, all attempts to release
her beilfr utterly powerless. She tllhus floated till tlhe
10th of July, and for three days was on her beaml-ends;
but on the 14thl she suddenly righted. The crazy vessel
with her gaping wvoulldls was scarcely able to transport
the crew across thle stormy waters of the Atlantic, but
the return voyage lwhich wNas rendered absolutely necessary, w s fortunately accomplished safely.
I sh1all now g(ive a concise summnnary of Captain Sir
Georlge Back's arctic services, so as to present it more
readily to the reader:




DEASE AND SIMPI'SONS DISCOVERIES.    187
In 1818 he was Admiralty MIate on board the Trent,
ilider Franklin. In 1819 he again accompanied  ilm
on his first overland journey, and was with him in all
those perilous sufierings which are elsewhere narrated.
lie was also as a Lieutenant with Franklin on his second journey in 1825. Having been in the interval promoted to the rank of Commander, he proceeded, in 1833,
accompanied by Dr. King and a party, through Northern America to the Polar Sea, in search of Captain
John Rtoss. Ile was posted on the 30th of September,
1835, and appointed in the following year to the command of the Terror, for a voyage of discovery in Hudson's Bay.
AMESSRS. DEASE AND SIMPSON'S DISCOVERIES.
IN 1836 the Hudson's Bay Company resolved upon
undertaking the completion of the survey of the northern coast of their territories, forming the shores of
Arctic America, and small portions of which were left
undetermined between the discoveries of Captains Back
and- Franklin.
They commissioned to this task two of their officers,
Mir. Thomas Simpson and BIr. Peter Warren Dease, who
were sent out with a party of twelve men from the colmpany's chief fort, with proper aid and appliances. Descending the Mtackenzie to the sea, they reached and
surveyed in July, 1837, the remainder of the western
part of the coast left unexamined by Franklin in 1825,
from his Return Reef to Cape Barrow, where the Blossom's boats turned back.
Proceeding on from  Return Reef two new rivers
were discovered,- the Garry and the Colville; the
latter more than a thousand miles in length. Although
it was the height of summer, the ground was founnd
frozen several inches below the surface, the spray firoze
on thle oars and riggin)g of their boats, and the ice lay
smoothl and solid in the bays, as in the depth of winter.
On the 4th of August, having left the boats and pro~eeded on by land, h[Mr. Simpson arrived at Elson Bay,




188        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
which point Lieutenant Elson had reached in the Blossom's barge in 1826.
The party now returned to winter at Fort Confidence,
on Great Bear Lake, whence they were instructed to
prosecute their search to the eastward next season, and
to communicate if possible with Sir George Back's
expedition.
They left their winter quarters on the 6th of June,
1838, and descended Dease's River. They found the
Coppermine River much swollen by floods, and encumbered with masses of floating ice. The rapids they had
to pass were very perilous, as may be inferred from the
following graphic description:"We had to pull for our lives to keep out of the suction of the precipices, along whose base the breakers
raged and foamed with overwhelming fury. Shortly
before noon, we came in sight of Escape Rapid ot
Franklin; and a glance at the overhanging cliff told us
that there was no alternative but to run down with a
full cargo. In an instant," continues Mr. Simpson, "we
were in the vortex; and before we were aware, my boat
was borne toward an isolated rock, which the boiling
surge almost concealed. To clear it on the outside was
no longer possible; our only chance of safety was to
run between it and the lofty eastern cliff: The word
was passed, and every breath was hushed. A stream
which dashed down upon us over the brow of the preci
pice more than a hundred feet in height, mingled with
the spray that whirled upward from the rapid, forming
a terrific shower-bath. The pass was about eight feet
wide, and the error of a single foot on either side would
have been instant destruction. As, guided by Sinclair's
consummate'skill, the boat shot safely through those
jaws of death, an involuntary cheer arose. Our next
impulse was to turn round to view the fate of our comrades behind. They had profited by the peril we incurred, and kept without the treacherous rock in time."
On the 1st of July they reached the sea, and encamped at the mouth of the river, where they waited
for the opening of the ice till the 17th. They doubled




DEASE AND SIMPSON'S DISCOVERIES.    189
Cape Barrow, one of the northern points of Bathurst's
Inlet, on the 29th, but were prevented crossing the inlet
by the continuity of the ice, and obliged to make a
circuit of nearly 150 miles by Arctic Sound.
Some very pure specimens of copper ore were found
on one of the Barry Islands.  After doubling Cape
Flinders on the 9th of August, the boats were arrested
by the ice in a little bay to which the name of Boat
Haven was given, situate about three miles froln Franklin's farthest. Here the boats lingered for the best
part of a month, in utter hopelessness. Mr. Simpson
pushed on therefore on the 20th, with an exploring party
of seven men, provisioned for ten days. On the first
day they passed Point Turnagain, the limit of Franklin's survey in 1821. On the 23d they had reached an
elevated cape, with land apparently closing all round
to the northward, so that it was feared they had only
been traversing the coast of a huge bay. But the
perseverance of the adventurous explorer was fully rewarded.
"With bitter disappointment," writes MIr. Simpson,
" I ascended the height, from whence a vast and splendid prospect burst suddenly upon me. The sea, as if
transformed by enchantment, rolled its fierce waves at
my feet, and beyond the reach of vision to the eastward,
Islands of various shape and size overspread its surface;
and the northern land terminated to the eye in a lbold
and lofty cape, bearing east northeast, thirty or fortymiles distant, while the continental coast trended away
southeast. I stood, in fact, on a remarkable headland,
at the eastern outlet of an ice-obstructed strait. On the
extensive land to the northward I bestowed the name
of our most gracious sovereign Queen Victoria. Its
eastern visible extremity I called Cape Pelly, in complimnent to the governor of Hudson's Bay Company."
Having reached the limits which prudence, dictated
in the face of the long journey back to the boats, many
of his men too being lame, MIr. Simpson retraced his
steps, and the party reached Boat-haven on the 20th of
August, having traced nearly 140 miles of new coast.




190        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
The boats were cut out of their icy prison, and corn
nlenced their re-ascent of the Copperinine on the 3d ol
September. At its junction with the Klendal River they
left their boats, and shouldering their packs, traversed
tlhe barren grounds, and arrived at their residence on
the lake by the 14th of September.
The following season these persevering explorers commenced their third voyage. They reached thle Bloody
Fall on the 22d of June, 1839, and occupied themselves
for a week in carefully examining Richardson's River,
which was discovered in the previous year, and discharges itself in the head of Black's Inlet.  On the 3d
of July they reached Cape Barrow, and fiom its rocky
heights were surprised to observe Coronation Gulf
almost clear of ice, while on their former visit it could
have been crossed oen foot.
They were at Cape Franklin a month earlier tllan
[Mr. Simpson reached it on foot the previous year, and
doubled Cape Alexander, the northernmost cape in this
quarter, on the 28th of July, after encountering a violent gale. They coasted the linge bay extending for
about nine degrees eastward from this point, beingl tkivorecd with clear weather, and protected by the various
islands they met firom the crushing state of the ice
drifted friom seaward.
On the 10th of August they opened a strait about
ten miles wide at each extremity, but narro~wing to ftou1
or five miles in the center. This strait, whlicll divides
the main-land from  Boothia, has been called Simpson's
Strait.
On the 13th of August they had passed Richardson's
Point and doubled Point Ogle, the furthest point of
Back's journey in 1834.
1By the 16th they had reached Montreal Island in
Back's Estuary, where they found a deposit of provisions which Captain Back had left there that day five
years. The pemmican was unfit for use, but out of
several pounnCs of chocolate half decayed the men contrived to pick sufficient to make a kettleful acceptable
drink in honor of thle occasion. There were also a tin




DEASE AND SIMPSON S DISCOVERIES.     191
case and a few fish-hooks, of which, observes Mr.
Simpson, "MI1r. Dease and I took possession, as memorials of our having  breakithstecl on the very spot where
tile tent of our gallant, though less successftil precursor
stood that very day five years before.
By the 20th of August they had reached as far as
Aberdeen Island to the eastward, from which they had
a view of an apparently large gulf, corresponding with
that which had been so correctly described to Parry by
the intelligent Esquimanux female as Akkolee.
From a mcuntainous ridge about three Iniles inland
a view of laAld in the northeast was obtained snupposed
to be one of the southern promontories of ]Boothia.
High and distant islands stretching froml E. to E. N. E.
(probably some in Committee Bay) were seen, and two
considerable ones were noted far out in the offing.
Remembering the length and difficulty of their return
route, the explorers now retraced their steps. On their
return voyage they traced sixty miles of the south coast
of Boothia, where at one time they were not more than
ninety miles from the site of the magnetic pole, as determlined by Captain Sir James C. Ross. On the 25th
of August they erected a high cairn at their farthest
point, near Cape tHerschel.
About 150 miles of the high, bold shores of Victoria
Land, as far as Cape Parry, were also examined;
Wellington, Cambridge, and Byron Bays being strveyed and accurately laid down. They then stretched
across Coronation Gulf, and re-entered the Coppermine River on the 16th of September.
Abandoning here one of their boats, with the remains of their useless stores and other articles not
required, they ascended the river and reached Fort
Confidence on the 24th of September, after one of the
longest and most successful boat voyages ever performed on the Polar Sea, having traversed more than
1600 miles of sea.
In 1838, before the intelligence of this last trip
had been received, Mr. Simpson was presented by
the Royal Geographical Society of London with the




192       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Founder's Gold nedal, for discovering and tracing in
1837 and 1838 about 300 miles of the arctic shores;
buttthe voyage which I have just recorded has added
greatly to the laurels which he and his bold companions have achieved.
DR. JOHN RAE'S LAND EXPEDITION, 1846-47.
ALTHOUGH a little out of its chronological order, I
give Dr. Rae's exploring trip before I proceed to notice Franklin's last voyage, and the different relief
expeditions that have been sent out during the past
two years.
In 1846 the Hudson's Company dispatched an expedition of thirteen persons, under the command of
Dr. John Rae, for the purpose of surveying the unexplored portion of the arctic coast at the northeastern
angle of the American continent between Dease and
Sirpson's farthest, and the Strait of the Fury and
Hecla.
The expedition left Fort Churchill, in Hudson's
Bay, on the 5th of July, 1846, and returned in safety
to York Factory on the 6th September in the following year, after having, by traveling over ice and snow
in the spring, traced the coast all the way from the
Lord Mayor's Bay of Sir John Ross to within eight
or ten miles of the Fury and Hecla Strait, thus proving that eminent navigator to have been correct in
stating Boothia to be a peninsula.
On the 15th of July the boats first fell in with the
ice, about ten miles north of Cape Fullerton, and it
was so heavy and closely packed that they were
obliged to take shelter in a deep and narrow inlet
that opportunely presented itself, where they were
closed up two days.
On the 22d the party reached the most southerly
opening of Wager River or Bay, but were detained
the whole dav by the immense quantities of heavy ice
driving in and out with the flood and ebb of the tide,
which ran at the rate of eight miles an hour, forcing up




DR. JOHN RAE'S LAND EXPEDITION.    193
the ice and grinding it against the rocks with a noise
like thunder.  On the night of the 24th the boats
anchored at the head of the Repulse Bay. The following day they anchored in Gibson's Cove, on the banks
of which they met with a small party of Esquimaux;
several of the women wore beads round their wrists,
which they had obtained from Captain Parry's ship
when at Igloolik and Winter Island. But they had
neither heard nor seen anything of Sir John Franklin.
Learning from a chart drawn by one of the natives,
that the isthmus of Melville peninsula was only about
forty miles across, and that of this, owing to a number
of large lakes, but five miles of land would have to be
passed over, Dr. Rae determined to make his way
over this neck in preference to proceeding by Fox's
Channel through the Fury and Hecla Strait.
One boat was therefore laid up with her cargo in
security, and with the other the party set out, assisted
by three Esquimaux. After traversing several large
lakes, and crossing over six "' portages," on the 2d of
August they got into the salt water, in Committee
Bay, but being able to make but little progress to the
northwest, in consequence of heavy gales and closely
packed ice, he returned to his starting point, and made
preparations for wintering, it being found impossible
to proceed with the survey at that time. The other
boat was brought across the isthmus, and all hands
were set to work in making preparations for a long
and cold winter.
As no wood was to be had, stones were collected to
build a house, which was finished by the 2d of September. Its dimensions were twenty feet by fourteen,
and about eight feet high. The roof was formed of
oil-cloths and morse-skin coverings, the masts and
oars of the boats serving as rafters, while the door
was made of parchment skins stretched over a wooden
frame.
The deer had already commenced migrating southward, but whenever he had leisure, Dr. Rae shouldered his rifle, and had frequently good success, shoot9




194        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
ing on one day seven deer within two miles of their
encampment.
On the 16th of October, the thermometer fell to
zero, and the greater part of the reindeer had passed;
but the party had by this time shot 130, and during
the remainder of October, and in November, thirtytwo more were kilied, so that with 200 partridges and
a few salmon, their snow-built larder was pretty well
stocked.
Sufficient fiel had been collected to last, with economy, for cooking, until the spring; and a couple of
seals which had been shot produced oil enough for
their lamps. By nets set in the lakes under the ice, a
few salmon were also caught.
After passing a very stormy winter, with the temperature occasionally 47~ below freezing point, and
often an allowance of but one meal a day, toward the
end of February preparations for resuming their surveys in the spring were made. Sleds, similar to those
used by the natives, were constructed. In the beginning of March the reindeer began to migrate northward, but were very shy. One was shot on the 11th.
Dr. Rae set out on the 5tlh of April, in company
with three men and two Esquimaux as interpreters,
their provisions and bedding being drawn on sleds by
four dogs. Nothing worthy of notice occurs in this
exploratory trip, till on the 18th Rae came in sight of
Lord Mayor's Bay, and the group of islands with which
it is studded. The isthmus which connects the land
to the northwardwith Boothia, he found to be only about
a mile broad. On their return the party fortunately fell
in with four Esquimaux, from whom they obtained a
quantity of seal's blubber for fuel and dog's food, and
some of the flesh and blood for their own use, enough
to maintain them for six days on half allowance.
All the party were more or less affected with snow
blindness, but arrived at their winter quarters in Repulse Bay on the 5th of May, all safe and well, but as
black as negroes, firom  the combined effects of frostbites and oil smoke.




DR. JOH-IN RAELS LAND EX~PEDITION.  195
On the evening of the 13th ]May~, Dr. Rae again
started with a chosen party of four men, to trace the
west shore of Melville peninsula. Each of the men
carried about 70 lbs. weight.
Being unable to obtain a drop of water of nature's
thawing, and fuel being rather a scarce article, they
were obliged to take small kettles of snow under the
blankets with them, to thaw by the heat of the body.
Having reached to about 69~ 42' DN. lat., and 850 8'
long., and their provisions being nearly exhausted,
they were obliged, much to their disappointment, to
turn back, when only within a few miles of the HIecla
and Fury Strait. Early on the morning of the 30th
of ]MIay, the party arrived at their snow hut on Cape
Thomas Sinmpson. The men they had left there were
well, but very thin, as they had neither caught nor
shot any thing eatable, except two marmots, and they
were preparing to cook a piece of parchment skin for
their supper.
" Our journey," says Dr. Rae, "' hitherto had been
the most fatiguing I had ever experienced; the severe
exercise, with a limited allowance of food, had reduced
the whole party very much. However, we marched
merrily on, tightening our belts -mine came in six
inches - the men vowing that when they got on full
allowance, they would make up for lost time."
On the morning of the 9th of June, they arrived at
their encampment in Repulse Bay, after being absent
twenty-seven days. The whole party then set actively
to work procuring food, collecting fuel, and preparing
the boats for sea; and the ice in the bay having broken
up on the 11th of August, on the 12th they left their
winter quarters, and after encountering head winds
and stormy weather, reached Churchill River on the
31st of August.
A gratuity of 4007. was awarded to M[r. Rae, by the
Hudson's Bay Company, for the important services he
bad thus rendered to the cause of science.




196       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
CAPTAIN SIR JOHN FRANKLIN'S LAST EXPEDmO,
1845-51.
THAT Sir John Franklin, now nearly six years absent, is alive, we dare not affirm; but that his ships
should be so utterly annihilated that no trace of them
call be discovered, or if they have been so entirely
lost, that not a single life should have been saved to
relate the disaster, and that no traces of the crew or
vessels should have been met with by the Esquimaux,
or the exploring parties who have visited and investigated those coasts, and bays, and inlets to so considerable an extent, is a most extraordinary circumstance.
It is the general belief of those officers who have
served in the former arctic expeditions, that whatever
accident may have befallen the Erebus and Terror,
they cannot wholly have disappeared from those seas,
and that some traces of their fate, if not some living
remnant of their crews, must eventually reward the
search of the diligent investigator. It is possible that
they may be found in quarters the least expected.
There is still reason, then, for hope, and for the great
and honorable exertions which that divine spark in
the soul has prompted and still keeps alive.
"There is something," says the Athenseum, "intensely interesting in the picture of those dreary seas
amid whose strange and unspeakable solitudes our lost
countrymen are, or have been, somewhere imprisoned
for so many years, swarming with the human life that
is risked to set them free. No haunt was ever so exciting-so full of a wild grandeur and at profound
pathos — as that which had just aroused the arctic
echoes; that wherein their brothers and companions
have been beating for the track by which they may
rescue the lost mariners from the icy grasp of the Ge.
nius of the North. Fancy these men in their adaman
tine prison, wherever it may be, - chained up by the
polar spirit whom they had dared, - lingering through
years of cold and darkness on the stinted ration that
scarcely feeds the blood, and the feeble hope that




FRANKLIN'IS LAST EXPEDITION.       197
scarcely sustains the heart, - and then imagine the rush
of emotions to greet the first cry from that wild hunting
ground which should reach their ears! Through many
summers has that cry been listened for, no doubt.
Something like an expectation of the rescue which it
should announce has revived with each returning season of comparative light, to die of its own baffled intensity as the long dark months once more settled down
upon their dreary prison-house.- There is scarcely a
doubt that the track being now struck, these longpining hearts may be traced to their lair. But what to
the anxious questioning which has year by year gone
forth in search of their fate, will be the answer now
revealed? The trail is found, - but what of the weary
feet that made it?  We are not willing needlessly to
alarm the public sympathies, which have been so generously stirred on behalf of the missing men,- but we
are bound to warn our readers against too sanguine an
entertainment of the hope which the first tidings of the
recent discovery is calculated to suggest. It is scarcely
possible that the provisions which are sufficient for three
years, and adaptable for four, can by any economy
which implies less than starvation have been spread
over five, -and scarcely probable that they can have
been made to do so by the help of any accidents which
the place of confinement supplied. We cannot hear of
this sudden discovery of traces of the vanished crews as
livring men, without a wish which comes like a pang
that it had been two years ago - or even last year. It
makes the heart sore to think how close relief may have
been to their hiding-place in former years — when it
turned away. There is scarcely reason to doubt that
had the present circumstances of the search occurred
two years ago - last year perhaps -the wanderers
would have been restored. Another year makes a
frightful difference in the odds: —and we do not think
the public will ever feel satisfied with what has been
done in this matter if the oracle so lonog questioned, and
silent so long, shall speak at last - and the answer shall
be,' It is too late.' "




198            PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
In the prosecution  of the noble enterprise on which
all eyes are now  turned, it is not merely scientific research and  geographical discovery that are at present
occupying  the attention of the commanders of vessels
sent out; the lives of human beings are at stake, and
above all, the lives of men who have nobly periled
every thing in the cause of national -  nay, of universal
progress and knowledge; - of men who have evinced
on this and other expeditions the most dauntless bravery that any men can evince.  Who can think of the
probable fate of these gallant adventurers without a
shudder?
Alas! how truthfully has Montgomery depicted the
fatal imprisonment of vessels in these regions:There lies a vessel in that realm of frost,
Not wrecked, mot stranded, yet forever lost;
Its keel embedded in the solid mass;
Its glistening sails appear expanded glass;
The transverse ropes with pearls enormous staung,
The yards with icicles grotesquely hung.
Wrapt in the topmast shrouds there rests a boy,
His old sea-faring father's only joy;
Sprung fiom a race of rovers, ocean born,
Nursed at the helm, he trod dry land with scorn,
Through fourscore years from port to port he veer'd;
Quicksand, nor rock, nor foe, nor tempest fear'd;
Now cast ashore, though like a hulk he lie,
His son at sea is ever in his eye.
He ne'er shall know in his Northumbrian cot,
How brief that son's career, how strange his lot;
Writhed round the mast, aud sepulchred in air,
Him shall no worm devour, no vulture tear;
Congeal'd to adamant his fiame shall last,
Though empires change, till tide and time be past.
Morn shall return, and noon, and eve, and night
Meet here with interchanging shade and light;
But from that barque no timber shall decay,
Of these cold forms no feature pass away;
Perennial ice around th' encrusted bow,
The peopled-deck, and full-rigg'd mast shall grow
Till from the sun himself the whole be hid,
Or spied beneath a crystal pyramid:
As in pure amber with divergent lines,
A rugged shell  enbossed with sea-weed, shines,
From age to age increased l  with annual snow,
This neoA- Mont Blanc aimong the cloulds may glow,
Whose conic peak tlhat earliest greets the dawn,
And latest frorm the SLtI'S Shut eye wNitlldrawn,




FRlANKLIN'S LAST EXPEDITION.            199
Shall firom the Zenith, through incumbent gloom,
Burn like a lamp upon this naval tomb.
But when th' archangel's trumpet sounds on high,
The pile shall burst to atolms through the sky,
And leave it's dead, upstarting at the call,
Iaked and pale, before the Judge of all.
All who read these pages will, I am sure, feel the
deepest sympathy and admiration of the zeal, perseverance, and conjugal affection displayed in the noble and
untiring efforts of Lady Franklin to relieve or to discover the fate of her distinguished husband and the gallant party under his command, despite the difficulties,
disappointments, and heart-sickening "hope deferred"
with which these efforts have been attended.  All men
must feel a lively interest in the fate cf these bold men,
and be most desirous to contribute toward their restoration to their country and their homes. The name of
the present Lady Franklin is as "familiar as a household word" in every bosom  in England; she is alike
the object of our admiration, our sympathy, our hopes,
and our prayers.  Nay, her name and that of her husband is breathed in prayer in many lands- and, oh!
how earnest, how zealous, how  courageous, have been
her efforts to find and relieve her husband, for, like
Desdemona,
"She loved him for the dangers lie had passed,
And he loved her that she did pity them."
HIow has she traversed from port to port, bidding "God
speed their mission" to each public and private ship
going forth on the noble errand of mercy - how freely
and promptly has she contributed  to their comforts.
HIow has she watched each arrival from the north,
scanned each stray paragraph of news, hurried to the
Admiralty on each rumor, and kept up with unremitting labor a voluminous correspondence with all the
quarters of the globe, fondly wishing that she had the
wings of the dove, that she might flee away, and be
with him from whom  Heaven has seen fit to separate
her so long.
An American poet well depicts her sentiments in the
following lines: -




200           PROGIRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
LADY FRANKLIN'S APPEAL TO THE NORTH,
Oh, where, my long lost-one! art thou,'Mid Arctic seas and wintry skies?
Deep, Polar night is on me now,
And Hope, long wrecked, but mocks my cries
I am like thee! fiom frozenl plains
In the drear zone and sunless air,
My dying, lonely heart complains,
And chills in sorrow and despair.
Tell me, ye Northern winds! that sweep
Down fiom the rayless, dusky day 
Where ye have borne, and where ye keep,
My well-beloved within your sway;
Tell me, when next ye wildly bear
The icy message in your breath,
Of my beloved! Oh tell me where
Ye keep him on the shores of death.
Tell me, ye Polar seas! that roll
From ice-bound shore to sunny isleTell me, when next ye leave the Pole,
Where ye have chained my lord the while!
On the bleak Nlorthern cliff I wait
With tear-pained eyes to see ye come 
Will ye not tell me, ere too late?
Or will ye mock while I am dumb?
Tell me, oh tell me, mountain waves I
Whence have ye leaped and sprung to-day I
Have ye passed o'er their sleeping graves
That ye rush wildly on your way?
Will ye sweep on and beal me too
Down to the caves within the deep?
Oh, bring some token to my view
That ye my loved one safe will keep f
Canst thou not tell me, Polar Star!
Where in the frozen waste he kneels?
And on the icy plains afar
His love to God and me reveals?
Wilt thou not send one brighter ray
To my lone heart and aching eye?
Wilt thou not turn my night to day,
And wake my spirit ere I die?
Tell me, oh dreary North! for now
My soul is like thine Arctic zone;
Beneath the darkened skies I bow,
Or ride the stormy sea alone!
Tell me of my beloved! for I
Know not a rawy lmy lord without I
Oh, tell me, tlat I Imay not die
A sorrowver on the sea of doubt I




FRANKLINS LAST EXPEDITION.         2(1
In the early part of 1849, Sir E. Parry stated, that
in offering his opinions, he did so under a deep sense
of the anxious and even painful responsibility, both as
regarded the risk of life, as well as the inferior consideration of expense involved in further attempts to rescue our gallant countrymen, or at least the surviving
portion of them, from their perilous position.
But it was his deliberate conviction, that the time
had not yet arrived when the attempt ought to be given
up as hopeless: the further efforts making might also
be the means of determining their fate, and whether it
pleased God to give success to those efforts or not, the
Lords of the Admiralty, and the country at large, would
hereafter be better satisfied to have followed up the
noble attempts already made, so long as the most distant hope remains of ultimate success.
In the absence of authentic information of the fate
of the gallant band of adventurers, it has been well
observed, the terrcr incognitac of the northern coast of
Arctic America, will not only be traced, but minutely
surveyed, and the solution of the problem of centuries
will engage the marked attention d the House of Commons, and the legislative assemblies of other parts of
the world. The problem is very safe in their hands, so
safe indeed that two years will not elapse before it is
solved.
The intense anxiety and apprehension now so generally entertained for the safety of Sir John Franklin,
and the crews of the Erebus and Terror, under his command, who, if still in existence, are now passing through
the severe ordeal of a fifth winter, in those inclement
regions, imperatively call for every available efibrt to
be made for their rescue from a position so perilous;
and as long as one possible avenue to that position remains unsearched, the country will not feel satisfied
that every thing has been done, which perseverance
and experience can accomplish, to dispel the mystery
which at present surrounds their fate.
Capt. Sir James Ross having returned successful from
uis antarctic expedition in the close of the preceding
9*




202       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
year, in the spring of 1845, the Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty, upon the recommendation of Sir
John Barrow, determined on sending out another expedition to the North Pole.
Accordingly the command was given to Sir John
Franklin, who re-commissioned the Erebus and Terror,
the two vessels which had just returned from the South
Polar Seas. The expedition sailed from Sheerness on
the 20th of May, 1845. The following are the officers
belonging to these vessels, and for whose safety so deep
an interest is now felt:Erebus.
Captain - Sir John Franklin, K. C. H.
Commander - James Fitzjames, (Capt.)
Lieutenants - Graham Gore, (Commander,) Henry
T. D. Le Vesconte, James William Fairholme.
Mates;- Chas. F. des Vaux, (Lieut.,) Robert O'Sargut- (Lieut.)
Sef Master - Henry F. Collins.
Surgge0on- Stephen S. Stanley.
Assistat-Surgeon - Iarry D. S. Goodsir, (acting.)
Paymaster and Purser - Chas. HI. Osrmeo.
Ice-master - James Reid, acting.
58 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c.
Full Complement, 70.
Terror.
Captain - Fras. R. Al. Crozier.
Lieutenants- Edward Little, (Commander,) Geo. H.
Hodgson, John Irving.
Mates - Frederick J. Hornby, (Lieutenant,) Robert
Thomas, (Lieut.)
Ice-master - T. Blanky, (acting.)
Second Master -G. A. )Maclean.
Surgeon - John S. Peddie.
Assistant-Surgeon - Alexander 3McDonald.
Clerk in Charge - Edwin J. H. Helpman.
57 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c.
Full Complement, 68.




FIANKLIN'IS -LAST EXPEDITION.       203
Those officers whose rank is within parenthesis have
been promoted during their absence.
The followingr is an outline of Capt. Franklin's services as recorded in O'Byrne's Naval Biography:Sir John Franklin, Kt., K. R. G., K. C. tI., 1). C. L.,
F. R. S., was born in 1786, at Spilsby, in Lincolnshire,
and is brother of the late Sir W. Franklin, Kt., Chief
Justice of Madras. Ile entered the navy in Octoler,
1800, as a boy on board the Polyphernus, 64, Captain
John Lawford, under whom he served as midshiplllan
in the action off Copenhagen, 2d of April, 1801. IIe
then sailed with Captain F'linders, in HI. MI. sloop Investigator, on a voyage of discovery to New Holland,
joining there' the artled store-ship Porpoise; he was
wrecked on a coral reef near Cato Bank on the 17th of
August, 1803. I shall not follow him through all his
subsequent period of active naval service, in which lie
displayed conspicuous zeal and activity.  But we find
him taking part at the battle of Trafalgar, on the 21st
of October, 1805, on board the BIellerophon, where he
was signal midshipman.  I-Ie was confirmed as Lieutenant, on board the Bedford, 74, 11th of Februarv,
1808, and lie then escorted the ioyal family of Portugal,
from Lisbon to South Alnerica. IHe was engaged in
very arduous services during the expedition against
New Orleans, in the close of' 1814, and was slighitly
wounded in boat service, and for his brilliant services on
this occasion, was warmly and officially recommended
for promotion.  On the 14th of January, 1818, he assumed command of the hired brig Trent, in which lie
accompanied Captain D. Bu3chan, of the Dorothea, on
the perilous voyage of discovery to the neighborhood
of Spitzbergen, which I have fiully recorded elsewhere.
In April, 1819, having paid off the Trent in the preceding November, he was invested with the conduct
of an expedition destined to proceed overland from the
shores of Hudson's Bay, for the purpose more particularly of ascertaining the actual position of the mouth
of the Coppermine River, and the exact trending of the
shores of the Polar Sea, to the eastward of that river.




204        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
The details of this fearful undertaking, which endured until the summer of 1822, and in the course of
which, he reached as far as Point Turnagain, in latitude
68~ 19' N., and longitude 109~ 25' W., and effected a
journey altogether of 5550 miles, Captain Franklin
has ably set forth in his " Narrative of a Journey to
the Shores of the Polar Sea, in the year 1819-22," and
which I have abridged in preceding pages. He was
promoted to the rank of Commander, on thel 1st of
January, 1821, and reached his post rank on the 20th
of November, 1822. On the 16th of February, 1825,
this energetic officer again left England on another expedition to the Frozen Regions, having for its object a
co-operation with Captains F. W. Beechey, and WV. E.
Parry, in ascertaining front opposite quarters the existence of a northwest passage.  The results of this
mission will be found in detail in Captain Franklin's
"Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the
Polar Sea, in 1825-7."
On his return to England, where he arrived on the
26th of Sept., 1827, Franklin was presented by the
Geographical Society of Paris, with a gold medal valued at 1200 francs, for having made the most important
acquisitions to geographical knowledge during the preceding year, and on the 29th of April, 1829, he received
the honor of knighthood, besides being awarded in July
following the Oxford degree of a D. C. L.
From 1830 to 1834, he was in active service in command of II. AI. S. Rainbow, on the MIediterranean station, and for his exertions during that period as connected with the troubles in Greece, was presented with
the order of the Redeemer of Greece. Sir John was
created a K. (C. H. on the 25th of January, 1836, and
was for some time Governor of Van Diemen's Land.
lie married, on the 16th of August, 1823, Eleanor
Anne, youngest daughter of AV. Porden, Esq., architect,
of Berners Street, London, and secondly, on the 5th of
November, 1828, Jane, second daughter of John Griffin, Esq., of Bedford Place.
Captain Crozier was in all Parry's expeditions, hav



FRANKLIN S LAST EXPEDITION.         205
ing been midshipman in the Fury in 1821, in the
Hecla in 1824, went out as Lieutenant in the Ilecla,
with Parry, on his boat expedition to the Pole ill 1827,
volunteered in 1836 to go out in search of the missing
whalers and their crews to Davis' Straits, was made a
Captain in 1841, and was second in command of the
antarctic expedition under Sir James IRoss, and on his
return, appointed to the Terror, as second in command
under Franklin.
Lieutenant Gore served as a mate in the last fearful
voyage of the Terror, under Back, and was also with
Ross in the antarctic expedition.  lie has attained his
commander's rank during his absence.
Lieutenant Fairholmle was in the Niger expedition.
Lieutenant Little has also been promoted during his
absence, and so have all the mates.
Commander Fitzjames is a brave and gallant officer,
who has seen much service in the East, and has attained
to his post rank since his departure.
The Terror, it may be remembered, is the vessel in
which Captain Sir G. Back made his perilous attempt
to reach Repulse Bay, in 1836.
The Erebus and Terror were not expected home unless success had early rewarded their efforts, or some
casualty hastened their return, before the close of 1847,
nor were any tidings anticipated from them in the interval; but when the autumn of 1847 arrived, without.any intelligence of the ships, the attention of H. II.
Government was directed to the necessity of searching
for, and conveying relief to them, in case of their being
imprisoned in the ice, or wrecked, and in want of provisions and means of transport.
For this purpose a searching expedition in three
divisions was fitted out by the government, in the early
part of 1848. The investigation was directed to three
different quarters simultaneously, viz: 1st, to that by
which, in case of success, the ships would come out of
the Polar Sea, to the westward, or Behring's Straits.
This consisted of a single ship, the Plover, commanded
by Captain Moore, which left England in the latter end




206        PROGItESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
of January, for the purpose of entering Behring's Strait.
It was intended that she should arrive there in the
month of July, and having looked out for a winter harbor, she might send out her boats northward and eastward, in which directions the discovery ships, if successful, would be met with. The Plover, however, in
her first season, never even approached the place of her
destination, owing to her setting off too late, and to her
bad sailing properties.
Her subsequent proceedings, and those of her boats
along the coast, will be found narrated in after pages.
The second division of the expedition was one of
boats, to explore the coast of the Arctic Sea between
the Mackenzie and Coppermine Rivers, or from  the
135th to the 115th degree of W. longitude, together
with the south coast of Wollaston Land, it being supposed, that if Sir John Franklin's party had been compelled to leave the ships and take to the boats, they
would make for this coast, whence they could reach the
HIudson's Bay Company's posts. This party was placed
under the command of the fiithfifl fiiend of Franklin,
and the companion of his former travels, Dr. Sir Jolhn
Richardson, who landled at N'ew York in April, 1848S,
and hastened to join his men and boats, whichl were
already in advance toward the arctic shore. He was,
however, unsuccessful in his search.
The remaining and most important portion of this
searchingz expedition consisted of two ships ulder the
commnand of Sir James Ross, which sailed in Mlay, 1848S,
for the localitv in which Franklin's ships entered on
this course of discovery, viz., the eastern side of 1)avis'
Straits. These did not, however, succeed, owing to the
state of the ice in getting into Lancaster Sound until
the season for operations had nearly closed. These ships
wintered in the neighborhood of Leopold Island, Regent
Inlet, and missilng the store-ship sent out with provisions and fuel, to enable them  to stop out another
year, were driven out through the Strait by the pack
of ice, and returned home unsuccessfull.  The subsequent expeditions consequent upon the failure of the




FRANKLIN' S LAST EXPEDITION.      207
foregoing will be found fully detailed and narrated in
their proper order.
Among the number of volunteers for the service of
exploration, in the different searching expeditions, were
the following: —  Mr. Chas. Reid, lately commanding
the whaling ship Pacific, and brother to the ice-mlaster
on board the Erebus, a man of great experience and
respectability.
The Rev. Joseph Wolff, who went to B3okhara in
search of Capt. Conolly and Col. Stoddart.
TMr. John McLean, who had passed twenty-five years
as an officer and partner of the Hudson's Bay Company,
and who has recently published an interesting narrative of his experience in the northwest regions.
Dr. Richard King, who accompanied Capt. Back in
his land journey to the mouth of the Great Fish River.
Lieut. Sherard Osborn, R. N., who had recently gone
out in the Pioneer, tender to the Resolute.
Comninander Forsyth, R. N., who volunteered for all
the expeditions, and was at last sent out by Lady Franklin in the Prince Albert.
Dr. IMcCormick, R. N., who served under Captain Sir
E. Parry, in the attempt to reach the ANorth Pole, in 1827,
who twice previously volunteered his services in 1847.
Capt. Sir John Ross, who has gone out in the Felix,
fitted out by the Hudson's Bay Company, and by private subscriptions; and many others.
Up to the present time no intelligence of any kind
has been received respecting the expedition, and its
fate is now exciting the most intense anxiety, not only
on the part of the British government and public, but
of the whole civilized world. The maratime powers of
Europe and the United States are vying with each other
as to who shall be the first to discover some trace of the
nissing navigators, and if they be still alive, to render,hemn assistance. The Hudson's Bay Company have,
with a noble liberality, placed all their available resources of men, provisions, and the services of their
chief and most experienced traders, at the disposal of
government. The Russian authorities have also given




208       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
every facility for diffusing information and affording
assistance in their territories.
In a letter fiom Sir John Franklin to Colonel Sabine,
dated fiom the Whale Fish Islands, 9th of July, 1845,
after noticing that, including what they had received
fiom the transport which had accompanied them so far,
the Erebus and Terror had on board provisions, fuel,
clothing and stores for three years complete from that
date, i. e. to July, 1848, he continues as follows: —" 1
hope my dear wife and daughter will not be over-anxious
if we should not return by the time they have fixed upon;
and I must beg'of you to give them the benefit of your
advice and experience when that arrives, for you know
well, that even after the second winter, without success
in our object, we should wish to try some other channel,
if the state of our provisions, and the health of the
crews justify it.
Capt. Dannett, of the whlaler, Prince of Wales, while
in Melville Bay, last saw the vessels of the expedition,
moored to an iceberg, on the 26th of July, in lat. 740
48' N., long. 66~ 13' W., waitinog for a favorable opening through the middle ice from3affin's Bay to Lancaster Sound. Capt. Dannett states that during three weeks
after parting company with the ships, he experienced
very fine weather, and thinks they would have made
good progress.
Lieut. Griffith, in command of the transport which
accompanied them out with provisions to Baffin's Bay,
reports that he left all hands well and in high spirits.
Tlhey were then furnished, he adds, with every species
of provisions for three entire years, independently of
five bullocks, and stores of every description for the
same period, with abundance of fuel.
The following is Sir John Franklin's official letter
sent home by the transport: —
"hi Ter  fcajesty's S/ip' Erebtus,'
TWhale-Fish Islands, 12th of Jtly, 1845.
" I have the honor to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that




FRANKLIN'S LAST EXPEDITION.       209
her Majesty's ships Erebus and Terror, with the transport, arrived at this anchorage on the 4th instant, having had a passage of one month fiom Stromness: the
transport was immediately taken alongside this ship,
that she might be the more readily cleared; and we
have been constantly employed at that operation till
last evening, the delay having been caused not so
inuch in getting the stores transferred to either of the
ships, as in making the best stowage of them below,
as well as on the upper deck; the ships are now complete with supplies of every kind for three years; they
are therefore very deep; but, happily, we have no
reason to expect much sea as we proceed farther.
"The magnetic instruments were landed the same
morning; so also were the other instruments requisite
for ascertaining the position of the observatory; and
it is satisfactory to find that the result of the observations for latitude and longitude accord very nearly
with those assigned to the same place by Sir Edward
Parry; those for the dip and variation are equally satisfactory, which were made by Captain Crozier with
the instruments belonging to the Terror, and by Commander Fitzjames with those of the Erebus.
"The ships are now being swung, for the purpose
of ascertaining the dip and deviation of the needle on
board, as was done at Greenhithe, which, I trust, will
be completed this afternoon, and I hope to be able to
sail in the night.
"The governor and principal persons are at this
time absent from Disco, so that I have not been able
to receive any communication from head quarters as
to the state of the ice to the north; I have, however,
learnt fiom a Danish carpenter in charge of the Esquilnaux at these islands, that though the winter was
severe, the spring was not later than usual, nor was
the ice later in breaking away hereabout; he supposes
also that it is now loose as far as 74~ latitude, and that
our prospect is favorable of getting across the barrier,
and as far as Lancaster Sound, without much obstruction.




210       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
"The transport will sail for England this day. 1
shall instruct the agent, Lieutenant Griffiths, to proceed to Deptford, and report his arrival to the Secretary of the Admiralty. I have much satisfaction in
bearing my testilnony to the careful and zealous manner in which Lieut. Griffiths has performed the service
intrusted to him, and would beg to recommend him,
as an officer who appears to have seen much service,
to the favorable consideration of their lordships.
"It is unnecessary for me to assure their lordships
of the energy and zeal of Captain Crozier, Commiander
Fitzjames, and of the oflicers and men with whoni I
have the happiness of being employed on this service.
"' I have, &c.,
(Signed)          JOHN FRANKLIN, Captain.
"The Right Hon. II. L. Corry, M3. P."
It has often been a matter of surprise that but one
of the copper cylinders which Sir John Franklin was
instructed to throw overboard at stated intervals, to
record his Iprogress, has ever come to hand, but a recent sight of the solitary one which has been received
proves to me that they are utterly useless for the
purpose. A small tube, about the size of an ordinary rocket-case, is hardly ever likely to be observed
among huge masses of ice, and the waves of the Atlantic and Pacific, unless drifted by accident on shore,
or near some boat. The Admiralty have wisely ordciee1 them tto be rendered more conspicuous by being
headed up in some cask or barrel, instructions being
issued to Captain Collinson, anid other officers of the
different expeditions to that effect.
According to Sir John Richardson, who was on intimate terms with Sir John Franklin, his plans were to
shape his course in the first instance for the neighborhood of Cape Walker, alnd to push to the westward in
that parallel, or, if that could not be accomplished, to
make his way southward, to the channel discovered on
the north coast of the continent, and so on to Behring's
Straits; failing success in that quarter, he meant to retrace his course to Wellington Sound, and attempt a




FRANKLIN'S LAST EXPEDITION.       211
passage northward of Parry's Islands, and if foiled there
also, to descend Regent Inlet, and seek the passage
along the coast discovered by Mlessrs. Dease and Silnpson.
Captain Fitzjames, the second in command under
Sir John Franklin, was much inclined to try the passage northward of Parry's Islands, and he would no
doubt endeavor to persuade Sir John to pursue this
course if they failed to the southward.
In a private le tter of Captain Fitzjames to Sir John
Barrow, dated January, 1.845, he writes as follows  -
" It does not appear clear to me what led Parry down
Prince Regent Inlet, after having got as far as MiNelville
Island before. The northwest passage is certainly to
be gone through by Barrow's Strait, but whether south
or north of Parry's Group, remains to be proved. I am
for going north, edging northwest till in longitude 140~,
if possible."
I shall now proceed to trace, in chronological order
and succession, the opinions and proceedings of the
chief arctic explorers and public authorities, with the
private suggestions offered and notice in detail the relief expeditions resulting therefroem.
In February, 1847, the Lords of the Admiralty state,
that having unlimited confidence in the skill and resources of Sir John Franklin, they " have as yet felt no
apprehensions about his safety; but on the other hand,
it is obvious, that if no accounts of him should arrive
by the end of this year, or, as Sir John Ross expects, at
an earlier period, active steps must then be taken."
Captain Sir Edward Parry fully concurred in these
views, observing, " Former experience has clearly shown
that with the resources taken from this country, two
winters may be passed in the polar regions, not only in
safety, but with comfort; and if any inference can be
drawn from the absence of all intelligence of the expedition up to this time, I am disposed to consider it rather in favor than otherwise of the success which has
attended their efforts."
Captain Sir G. Back, in a letter to the Secretary of




212       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
the Admiralty, under date 27th of January, 1848, says,
"I cannot bring myself to entertain more than ordinary anxiety for the safety and return of Sir John
Franklin' an(d his gallant companions."
Captain Sir John Ross records, in February, 1847,
his opinion that the expedition was frozen up beyond
Melville Island, from the known intentions of Sir John
Franklin to put his ships into the drift ice at the western end of Melville Island, a risk which was deemed
in the highest degree imprudent by Lieutenant Parry
and the officers of the expedition of 1819-20, with
ships of a less draught of water, and in every respect
better calculated to sustain the pressure of the ice, and
other dangers to which they must be exposed; and as
it is now well known that the expedition has not succeeded in passing Behring's Strait, and if not totally
lost, must have been carried by the ice that is known
to drift to the southward on land seen at a great distance in that direction, and from which the accumnulation of ice behind them will, as in Ross's own case,
forever prevent the return of the ships; consequently
they must be abandoned. When we remember with
what extreme difficulty Ross's party traveled 300 miles
over much smoother ice after they abandoned their
vessel, it appears very doubtful whether Franklin and
his men, 138 in number, could possibly travel 600G
miles.
In the contingency of the ships having penetrated
some considerable distance to the southwest of Cape
Walker, and having been hampered and crushed in the
narrow channels of the Archipelago, which there are
reasons for believing occupies the space between Victoria, Wollaston, and Banks' Lands, it is well remarked by Sir John Richardson, that such accidents
among ice are seldom so sudden but that the boats of
one or of both ships, with provisions, can be saved;
and in such an event the survivors would either returv
to Lancaster Strait, or make for the continent, accord
ing to their nearness.
Colonel Sabine remarks, in a letter dated Woolwicl&,




FRANKLIN'S LAST EXPEDITION.        213
5th of May, 1847,-" It was Sir John Franklin's intention, if foiled at one point, to try in succession all the
probable openings into a more navigable part of the
Polar Sea: the range of coast is considerable in which
memorials of the ships' progress would have to be
sought for, extending from Melville Island, in the west,
to the great Sound at the head of Baffin's Bay, in the
east."
Sir John Richardson, when appealed to by the Admiralty in the spring of 1847, as regarded the very strong
apprehensions expressed at that time for the safety of
the expedition, considered they were premature, as the
ships were specially equipped to pass two winters in
the Arctic Sea, and until the close of that year, he saw
no well-grounded cause for more anxiety than was naturally felt when the expedition sailed fiom this country
on an enterprise of peril, though not greater than that
which had repeatedly been encountered by others, and
on one occasion by Sir John Ross for two winters also.
but who returned in safety.
Captain Sir James C. Ross, in March, 1847, writes'
"I do not think there is the smallest reason for apprehension or anxiety for the safety and success of the
expedition; no one acquainted with the nature of the
navigation of the Polar Sea would have expected they
would have been able to get through to Behring's Strait
without spending at least two winters in those regions,
except under unusually favorable circumstances, which
all the accounts from the whalers concur in proving
they have not experienced, and I am quite sure neither
Sir John Franklin nor Captain Crozier expected to do so.
"Their last letters to me from Whale Fish Islands,
the day previous to their departure from them inform
mue that they had taken on board provisions for three
years on full allowance, which they could extend to four
years without any serious inconvenience; so that we
may feel assured they cannot want from that cause until
after the middle of July, 1849; it therefore does not
appear to me at all desirable to send after them until the
spring of the next year." (1848.)




214       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
In the plan submitted by Captain F. W. Beechey,
R. Y., in April, 1847, after premising " that there does
not at present appear to be any reasonable apprehension for the safety of the expedition," he suggested that
it would perhaps be prudent that a relief expedition
should be sent out that season to Cape Walker, where
information of an important nature would most likely
be found. From this vicinity one vessel could proceed
to examine the various points and headlands in Regent
Inlet, and also those to the northward, while the other
watched the passage, so that Franklin and his party
might not pass unseen, should he be on his return. At
the end of the season the ships could winter at Port
Bowen, or any other port in the vicinity of Leopold
Island.
" In the spring of 1848," he adds, "a party should be
directed to explore the coast, down to HIecla and Fury
Strait, and to endeavor to communicate with the party
dispatched by the HIudson's Bay Company in that direction; and in connection with this part of the arranucement, it would render the plan complete if a boat could
be sent down Back's River to range the coast to the
eastward of its mouth, to meet the above mentioned
party; and thus, while it would complete the geographly
of that part of the American coast, it would at the same
time complete the line of information as to the extensive
measures of relief which their lordships have set on
foot, and the precise spot where assistance and depots
of provisions are to be found. This part of the plan
has suggested itself to me from a conversation I had
with Sir John Franklin as to his first effort being made
to the westward and southwestward of Cape Walker.
It is possible that, after passing' the Cape, he may have
oeen successful in getting down upon Victoria Land,
and have passed his first winter (1845) thereabout, and
that he may have spent his second winter at a still more
advanced station, and even endured a third, without
either a prospect of success, or of an extrication of his
vessels within a given period of time.
"It, in this condition, which I trust may not be the




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.       215
case, Sir John Franklin should resolve upon taking to
his boats, he would prefer attempting a boat navigation
through Sir Jamnes Ross's Strait, and up Regent Inlet,
to a long land journey across the continent, to the lucldson's Bay Settlements, to which the greater part of his
crew would be wholly unequal."
Sir John Richardson remarks upon the above suggestions, on the 5th of May, 1847, —" With respect to a
party to be sent down Back's River to the bottom of
Regent Inlet, its size and outfit would require to be
equal with that of the one now preparing to descend
the Mackenzie River, and it could scarcely with the
utmost exertions be organized so as to start this summer. The present scarcity of provisions in the HIudson's
Bay country precludes the hope of assistance from the
Company's southern posts, and it is now too late to
provide the means of transport through the interior of
supplies from this country, which require to be embarked
on board the Itudson's Bay ships by the 2d of June at
the latest.
"Moreover there is no Company's post on the line of
Back's River nearer than the junction of Slave River
with Great Slave Lake, and I do not think that under
any circumstances Sir John Franklin would attempt
that route.
" In the summer of 1849, if the resources of the party
I am to conduct remain unimpaired, as I have every
reason to believe they will, much of what Capt. Beechey
suggests in regard to exploring Victoria Land may be
done by it, and indeed forms part of the original scheme.
The extent of the examination of any part of the coast
in 1848 depends, as I formerly stated, very much on
the seasons of this autumn and next spring, which influence the advance of the boats through a long course of
river navigation.  As Governor Simpson will most
likely succeed in procuring an Esquimaux to accompany my party, I hope by his means to obtain such
information from parties of that nation as may greatly
facilitate our finding the ships, should they be detained
in that quarter.




216        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
"Were Sir John Franklin thrown upon the north
coast of the continent with his boats, and all his crew,
I do not think he would attempt the ascent of any river,
except the Mackenzie. It is navigable for boats of large
draught, without a portage, for 1300 miles from the
sea, or within forty miles of Fort Chipewyan, one of
the Company's principal depots, and there are five
other posts in that distance. Though these posts could
not furnish provisions to such a party, they could, by
providing them with nets, and distributing the men to
various fishing stations, do much toward procuring food
for them.
"I concur generally in what Captain Beechey has
said with regard to Behring's Straits, a locality with
which he is so intimately acquainted, but beg leave to
add one remark, viz: that in high northern latitudes
the ordinary allowance of animal food is insufficient in
the winter season to maintain a laboring man in health;
and as Sir John Franklin would deem it prudent when
detained a second winter to shorten the allowance,
symptoms of scurvy may show themselves among the
men, as was the case when Sir Edward Parry wintered
two years in Fox's Channel.
" A vessel, therefore, meeting the Erebus and Terror
this season in Behring's Straits, might render great
service." @
The late Sir John Barrow, Bart., in a memorandum
dated July, 1847, says:"The anxiety that prevails regarding Sir John Franklin, and the brave fellows who compose the crews of
the two ships, is very natural, but somewhat premature;
it arises chiefly from nothing having been received from
them since fixed in the ice of Baffin's Bay, where the
last whaling ship of the season of 1845 left them, opposite to the opening into Lancaster Sound. Hitherto no
difficulty has been found to the entrance into that
Sound. If disappointed, rather than return to the southward, with the view of wintering at or about Disco, I' Parl. Paper, No. 264, Session 1848.




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.        217
should be inclined to think that they would endeavor to
enter Smith's Sound, so highly spoken of by Baifin, and
which just now that gallant and adventurous Russian,
Admiral Count Wrangel, has pointed out in a paper
addressed to the Geographical Society as the starting
place for an attempt to reach the North Pole; it would
appear to be an inlet that runs up high to the northward,
as an officer in one of Parry's ships states that he saw
in the line of direction along that inlet, the sun at midnight skimming the horizon.
"From Lancaster Sound Franklin's instructions directed him to proceed through Barrow's Strait, as fiar as
the islands on its southern side extended, which is short
of Melville Island, which was to be avoided, not only
on account of its dangerous coast, but also as being out
of the direction of the course to the intended object.
Having, therefore, reached the last known land on the
southern side of Barrow's Strait, they were to shape
a direct course to Behring's Strait, without any deviation, except what obstruction might be met with from
ice, or from islands, in the midst of the Polar Sea, of
which no knowledge had at that time been procured;
but if any such existed, it would of course be left to
their judgment, on the spot, how to get rid of such obstructions, by taking a northerly or a southerly course.
e    *    *    *    *    *    *    *
" The only chance of bringing them upon this (the
American) coast is the possibility of some obstruction
having tempted them to explore an immense inlet on
the northern shore of Barrow's Strait, (short of MIctA
ville 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.
" Under all these circumstances, it would be an act
of folly to pronounce any opinion of the state, condition, or position of those two ships; they are well - l i.-:;l
1 I)




218        PROGRESS OF ARECTIC DISCOVERY.
for their purpose, and the only doubt I have is that of
their being hampered by the screws among the ice."
Sir James C. Ross, in his outline of a plan for affording relief, submitted to the Admiralty in December,
1847, suggested that two ships should be sent out to
examine Wellinygton Channel, alluded to in the foregoingr memorandunr  of Sir John Barrow, and the coast
between Capes Clarence and Walker. A convenient
winter harbor mlight be found for one of the ships near
Garnier Bay or Cape Rennell. From this position the
coast line could be explored as far as it extended to the
westward, by detached parties, early in the spring, as
well as the western coast of Bloothia, a considerable
distance to the southward; and at a more advanced.
period of'the season the whole distance to Cape 2Nicolai
mirht be completed.
The other ship should then proceed alone to the
westward, endeavoring   to reach Winter tHarbor, in
ATelville Island, or some convenient port in Banks'
Land, in which to pass the winter.
From these points parties might be sent out early in
the spring.
The first party should be directed to trace the western coast of Banks' Land, and proceed direct to Cape
Bathurst or Cape Parry, on each of which Sir Jolhn
R7iichardson proposes to leave depots of provisions for
its use, and then to reach the Hudson's Bay Company's
settlement at Fort Good ITope, on the Mackenzie,
whence they might travel by the usual route of the
traders to the principal settlement, and thence to England.
The second party should explore the eastern shore of
Banks' Land, and make for Cape Krusenstern, where,
or at Cape Hearne, they will find a cache of provision
left by Sir John Richardson, with whom  this party
may communicate, and whom it may assist in completing the examination of Wollaston and Victoria Lands,
or rturn to England by the route he shall deem most
ad visal,ile.
Sir James Ross was intrusted with the carrying out




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.         219
of this search, in the Enterprise and Investigator, and
an account of the voyage and proceedings of these vessels will be found recorded in its chronological order.
The following letter from Dr. Richard King to the
Lords of the Admiralty contains some useful suggestions, although it is mixed up with a good deal of egotistical remark:
" 17, Saville Row, February, 1848.
"'The old route of Parry, through Lancaster Sound
and Barrow's Strait, as far as to the last land on its
southern shore, and thence in a direct line to Behring's
Straits, is the route ordered to be pursued by Franklin.' 4
"The gallant officer has thus been dispatched to push
his adventurous way between Melville Island and
Banks' Land, which Sir E. Parry attempted for two
years unsuccessfully. After much toil and hardship,
and the best consideration that great man could give
to the subject, he recorded, at the moment of retreat,
in indelible characters, these impressive thoughts:'We have been lying near our present station, with
an easterly wind blowing fresh, for thirty-six hours
together, and although this was considerably off the
land, the ice had not during the whole of that time
moved a single yard from the shore, affording a proof
that there was no space in which the ice was at liberty
to move to the westward. The navigation of this part
of the Polar Sea is only to be performed by watching
the occasional opening between the ice and the shore,
tnd therefore, a continuity of land is essential for this
purpose; such a continuity of land, which was here
about to fail, as must necessarily be furnished by the
northern coast of America, in whatsoever latitude it
may be found.' Assuming, therefore, Sir John Franklin hlas been arrested between Melville Island and
Banks' Land, where Sir E. Parry was arrested by difficulties which he considered insurmountable, and he
has followed the advice of that gallant officer, and
f Barrow's Arctic Voyages, p. 11.




220       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
made for the continuity of America, he will have
turned the prows of his vessel south and west, according as Banks' Land tends for Victoria or Wollaston
Lands. It is here, therefore, that we may expect to
find the expedition wrecked, whence they will make
in their boats for the western land of North Somerset,
if that land should not be too far distant.
"In order to save the party from the ordeal of a
fourth winter, when starvation must be their lot, I
propose to undertake the boldest journey that has ever
been attempted in the northern regions of Amnerica,
one which was justifiable only from the circumstances.
I propose to attempt to reach the western land of North
Somerset or the eastern portion of Victoria Land, as
may be deemed advisable, by the close of the approaching summer; to accomplish, in fact, in one summer that which has not been done under two.
"I rest my hope of success in the performance of
this Herculean task upon the fact, that I possess an intimate knowledge of the country and the people through
which 1 shall have to pass, the health to stand the
rigor of the climate, and the strenoth to undergo the
fatigue of mind and body to which T must be subjected.
A glance at the map of:North America, directed to
B3ehring's Strait in the Pacific, Barrow's Strait in the
Atlantic, and the land of North Somerset between
them, will make it apparent that, to render assistance
to a party situated on that coast, there are two ways by
sea and one by land. Of the two sea-ways, the route
-by the Pacific is altogether out of the question; it is an
idea of by-gone days; while that by the Atlantic is so
doubtful of success, that it is merely necessary, to put
this assistance aside as far from certain, to mention that
Sir John Ross found Barrow's Strait closed in the summer of 1832. To a land journey, then, alone we can
look for success; for the failure of a land journey
would be the exception to the rule, while the sea expedition would be the rule itself. To the western land of
North Somerset, where Sir John Franklin is likely to
be found, the Great Fish River is the direct and only




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.          221
route; and although the approach to it is through a
country too poor and too difficult of access to admnit of
the transport of provisions, it may be made the medium1 of communication between the lost expedition and
the civilized world, and guides be thus placed at their
disposal to convey them to the hunting grounds of the
Indians. Without such guides it is impossible that
they can reach these hunting grounds. It was by the
Great Fish River that I reached the Polar Sea while
acting as second officer, in search of Sir John Ross.
I feel it my duty, therefore, as one of two officers so
peculiarly circumstanced, at the present moment to
place my views on record, as an earnest of miy sincerity. Even if it should be determined to try and force
provision vessels through Barrow's Strait, and scour
the vicinity in boats for the lost expedition, and should
it succeed, it will be satisfactory to know that such a
mission as I have proposed should be adopted; while,
if these attempts should fail, and the service under con
sideration be put aside, it will be a source of regret
that not only the nation at large will feel, but the whole
civilized world.  When this regret is felt, and every
soul has perished, such a mission as I have proposed
will bie urged again and again for adoption; for it is
imposible that the country will rest satisfied until a
search be made for the remains of the lost expedition.
" The fact that all lands which have a western aspect
are generally ice-free, which I dwelt largely upon when
Sir John Franklin sailed, must have had weight with
the gallant officer; lie will therefore, on finding himself in a serious difficulty, while pushing along the eastern side of Victoria Land, at once fall upon the western
land of North Somerset, as a refuge ground, if he have
the opportunity. The effort by Behring's Strait and
Banks' Land is praiseworthy in attempt, but forlorn in
hope. In the former effort, it is assumed that Sir John
Franklin has made the passage, and that his arrest is
between the Mackenzie River and Icy Cape; in the
latter, that Sir James Ross will reach Brnks' Land, and
trace its continuity to Victoria and Wollaston Land,




222        PRWOGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
and thus make the' passage.' First, We have no reason to believe that Sir John Franklin and Sir James
Ross will be more fortunate than their predecessors,
and we cannot trust to their success. Secondly, We
are unable to assume that Sir James Ross will reach
L3ank's Land; Sir E. Parry was unable to reach it, and
only viewed it from a distance; much less are we able
to assume that the gallant officer will find a high road
to Victoria Land, which is altogether a terra incognita.
" Mr. T. Simpson, who surveyed the arctic coast
comprised between the Coppermine and Castor and
Pollux Rivers, has set that question at rest, and is the
only authority upon the subject.'A further exploration,' remarks Mr. Simpson, from the most eastern limit
of his journey,'would necessarily demand the whole
time and energies of another expedition, having some
point of retreat much nearer to the scene of operations
than Great Bear Lake, and Great Bear Lake is to be
the retreat of Sir John Richardson.'
" What retreat could Mr. Simpson have meant but
Great Slave Lake, the retreat of the land party in search
of Sir John Ross? and what other road to the unexplored grotnd, the western land of North Somerset,
could that traveler have meant than Great Fish River,
that stream which I have pointed out as the ice free
and high road to the land where the lost expedition is
likely to be found, — to be the boundary of that passage which for three and a half centuries we have been
in vain endeavoring to reach in ships? "
Captain Sir WV. E. Parry, to whom Dr. King's proposal was submitted by the Admiralty, thus comments
on it:
"My former opinion, quoted by Dr. King, as to the
difficulty of ships penetrating to the westward beyond
Cape Dundas, (the southwestern extremity of Melville
Island,) remains unaltered; and I should expect that
Sir John Franklin, being aware of this difficulty, would
use his utmost efforts to get to the southward and westward before he approached that point, that is, between
the 100th and 110th degree of longitude. The more I




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.          223
have considered this subject, (which has naturally occupied much of my attention lately,) the more difficult I
find it to conjecture where the expedition may have
stopped, either with or without any serious accident to
the ships; but as no information has reached us up to
this time, I conceive that there is some considerable
probability of their being situated somewhere between
the longitude I have just named; how far they may
have penetrated to the southward, between those meridians, must be a matter of speculation, depending on
the state of the ice, and the existence of land in a space
hitherto blank on our maps.
" Be this as it may, I consider it not improbable, as
suggested by Dr. King, that an attempt will be made
by them to fall back on the western coast of North
Somerset, wherever that may be found, as being the
nearest point affording a hope of communication, either
with whalers or with ships sent expressly in search of
the expedition.
"Agreeing thus far with Dr. King, I am compelled
to differ withl him entirely as to the readiest mode of
reaching that coast, because I feel satisfied that, with
the resources of the expedition now equipping under
Sir James Ross, the energy, skill, and intelli(ence of
that officer will render it a matter of no very difficult
enterprise to examine the coast in question, either with
his ships, boats, or traveling parties; whereas an attempt to reach that coast by an expedition from the
continent of America must, as it appears to me, be extremely hazardous and uncertain.  And as I understanc it to be their lordships' intention to direct Sir
James Ross to station one of his ships somewhere about
Cape Walker, while the other proceeds on the search,
and likewise to equip his boats specially for the purpose of examining the various coasts and inlets, I am
decidedly of opinion, that, as regards the western coast
of North Somerset, this plan will be much more likely
to answer the proposed olbject, than any overland
expedition. This olject will, of course, be the more
easily accomplished in case of Sir James Ross finding




294  A'1oC1IZESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
tlhe western coast of North Somerset navigable for his
ships.
" In regard to Dr. King's suggestion respecting Vic
toria Land and Wollaston Land, supposing Sir Johl
Franklin's ships to have been arrested between the
meridians to which I have already alluded, it does
seem, by an inspection of the map, not improbable that
parties may attempt to penetrate to the continent in
that direction; but not being well acquainted with the
facilities for reaching the coast of America opposite
those lands in the manner proposed by Dr. King, I am
not competent to judge of its practicability."
Nearly the whole of the west coast of 1North Somerset and Boothia was, (it will be foand hereafter,) explored by parties in boats detached from Sir James
Ross's ships in 1849.
I append, also, the most important portions of Sir
James Ross's remarks on Dr. King's plan.
"Dr. Kincg be'gins by assuming that Sir John Franklin has attemplted to )ush the ships through to the westward, betwTeen MIelville Island and Banks' Land, (although directly contrary to his instructions;) that having been arrested by insurmlnontable difficulties, he
would have'turned the prows of Ithis vessels to the
south and west, according as Banks' Land tends for
Victoria or Wollaston Land;' andl having been wrecked,
or fi'orn any other cause obliged to abandon their ships,
their crews would take to thie boats, and make for the
west coast of' North Somerset.
"If the expedition had failed to penetrate to the
westward between Banks' Land and 3Melville Island, itl
is very probable it would  have next attemlpted to gain
the continent by a more southerly course; and sulpposing that, after maling only small progress, (say 100
miles,) to the southwest, it shlould have been then finally
stopped or wrecked, the calamity will have occurred
in about latitude 72 1~ N., and longitude 1150 W. This
point is only 280 miles fioln the Coppermline River
and 420 miles fiom the Mackenzie, eitlher of wnlicE
would, therefore, be easily attainable, and at each of




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.       225
which, abundance of provision might be procured by
them, and their return to England a measure of no
great difficulty.
"At the point above mentioned, the distance firom
the west coast of North Somerset is probably about 360
miles, and the mouth of the Great Fish River full 500;
at neither of these places could they hope to obtain a
single day's provisions for so large a party; and Sir
John Franklin's intimate knowledge of the ilnpossibility of ascending that river, or obtaining any food for
his party in passing through the Barren grounds, would
concur in deterring him from attempting to gain either
of these points.
"I think it most probalble that, from the situation
pointed out, he would, when compelled to abandon his
ships, endeavor in the boats to retrace his steps, and
passing through the channel by wllich he had advanced,
and which we have always found of easy navigation,
seek the whale ships which annually visit the west coast
of Baffin's Bay.
" It is far more probable, however, that Sir John
Franklin, in obedience to his instructions, would endeavor to push the ships to the south and west as soon
as they passed Cape Walker, and the consequence of
such a measure, owing to the known prevalence of
westerly wind, and the drift of tile main body of the
ice, would be (in my opinion) their inevitable embarrassment, and if he persevered in that direction which he
probably would do, I have no hesitation in stating my
conviction he would never be able to extricate his
ships, and would ultimately be obliged to abandon them.
It is therefore in latitude 73~ N. and longitude 105~ W.
that we may expect to find them involved in the ice,
or shut up in some harbor. This is almost the only
point in which it is likely they would be detained, or
fiom which it would not be possible to convey information of their situation to the Hudson's Bay Settlements.
" It; then, we suppose the crews of the ships should
be compelled, either this autumn or next spring, to
abandon their vessels at or near this point, they would.
10 -




226       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
most assuredly endeavor, in their boats, to reach Lancaster Sound; but I cannot conceive any position in
which they could be placed from which they would
make for the Great Fish River, or at which any party
descending that river would be likely to overtake them;
and even if it did, of what advantage could it be to
them?
"If Dr. King and his party, in their single canoe,
did fall in with Sir John Franklin and his party on the
west coast of North Somerset, how does he propose to
assist them? he would barely have sufficient provision
for his own party, and would more probably be in a
condition to require rather than afford relief. He could
only tell them what Sir John Franklin already knows,
from former experience, far better than Dr. King, that it
would be impossible for so large a party, or indeed any
party not previously provided, to travel across the barren grounds to any of the Hudson's Bay Settlements."
" All that has been done by the way of search since
February, 1848, tends," persists Dr. King, " to draw
attention closer and closer to the western land of North
Somerset, as the position of Sir John Franklin, and to
the Great Fish (or Back) River, as the high road to
reach it."
Dr. King has twice proposed to the Admiralty to
proceed on the search by this route. " It would," he
states, " be the happiest moment of my life (and my
delight at being selected from a long list of volunteers,
for the relief of Sir John Ross, was very great) if their
lordships would allow me to go by my old route, the
Great Fish River, to attempt to save human life a second time on the shores of the Polar Sea. What I did
in search of Sir John Ross is the best earnest of what
I could do in search of Sir John Franklin."
A meeting of those officers and gentlemen most conversant with arctic voyages was convened by the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty on the 17th of
January, 1849, at which the following were present: -
Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beanfort, K. C. B., Captain
Sir W. E. Parry, R. N., Captain Sir George Back, R.




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.        227
N., Cap)tain Sir E. Belcher, R. N., Colonel Sabine, R.
A., and the Rev. Dr. Scoresby.
A very pretty painting, containing portraits of all the
principal arctic voyagers in consultation on these momnentous matters, has been made by Mr. Pearse, artist,
of 53, Berners Street, Oxford Street, which is well
worthy of a visit. The beautiful Arctic Panorama of
Mr. Burford, in Leicester Square, will also give a
graphic idea of the scenery and appearance of the icy
regions; the whole being designed from  authentic
sketches by Lieut. Browne, now of the Resolute, and
who was out in the Enterprise in her trip in 1848, and
also with Sir James Ross in his antarctic voyage.
The expedition under Sir James Ross having returned unsuccessful, other measures of relief were now
determined on, and the opinions of the leading officers
again taken.
Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, in his report to the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, on November
24th, 1849, observes:-:" There are fiour ways only in which it is likely that
the Erebus and Terror would have been lost - by fire,
by sunken rocks, by storm, or by being crushed between two fields of ice. Both vessels would scarcely
have taken fire together; if one of them had struck on a
rock the other would have avoided the danger. Storms
in those narrow seas, encumbered with ice, raise no
swell, and could produce no such disaster; and therefore, by the fourth cause alone could the two vessels
have been at once destroyed; and even in that case
the crews would have escaped upon the ice (as happens
every year to the whalers;) they would have saved
their loose boats, and reached some part of thle American
shores. As no traces of any sucll event have been found
on any part of those shores, it may therefore be safely
affirmed that one ship at least, and both the crews,
are still in existence; and therefore the point where
they now are is the great matter for consideration.
"Their orders would have carried themr toward M[elville Island, and then ott to the westward, where it is




228        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVER!
therefore probable that they are entanglc;  among
islands and ice. For should they have been arrested
at some intermediate place,- for instance, Cape Walker,
or at one of the northern chain of islands, they would,
undoubtedly, in the course of the three following years.
have contrived some method of sending notices of theil
position to the shores of North Somerset or to Barrow's
Strait.
"If they had reached much to the southward of
B3ank's Land, they would surely have coummunicated
with the tribes on Mackenzie River; and if, failing to
get to the westward or southward, they had returned
with the intention of penetrating through Wellington
Channel, they would have detached parties on the ice
toward Barrow's Strait, in order to have deposited
statements of their intentions.
" The general conclusion, therefore, remains, that they
are still locked up in the Archipelago to the westward
of Melville Island. 2Now, it is well known that the
state of the weather alternates between the opposite
sides of Northern America, being mild on the one when
rigorous on the other; and accordingly, during the two
last years, which have been unusually severe in Baffin's
Bay, the United States whalers were successfully traversing the Polar Sea to the northward of B3ehring's
Straits. The same severe weather may possibly prevail
on the eastern side during the summer of 1850, and if
so, it is obvious that an attempt should be now made
by the western opening, and not merely to receive the
two ships, if they should be met coming out (as formerly,) but to advance in the direction of Melville
Island, resolutely entering the ice, and employing every
possible expedient by sledging parties, by reconnoiterin
balloons, and by blasting the ice, to communicate with
them.
"These vessels should be intrepidly commanded,
effectively manned, and supplied with the best means
for traveling across the ice to the English or to the
Rlussilan settleements, as it will be of the greatest inmportance to (be inforlled of what progress the expedition




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.        229
has made; and for this purpose likewise the Plover
will be of material service, lying at some advanced
point near Icy Cape, and ready to receive intelligence,
and to convey it to Petropaulski or to Panama.
"These vessels should enter Behring's Straits before
the first of Augunt, and therefore every effort should
be now made to dispatch them from England before
Christmas. They might water at the Falkland Islands,
and again at the Sandwich Islands, where they would
be ready to receive additional instructions via Panama,
by one of the Pacific steamers, and by which vessel
they might be pushed on some little distance to the
northward.
" It seems to me likely that the ships have been pushing on, summer after summer, in the direction of Behring's Straits, and are detained somewhere in the space
southwestward of Banks' Land. On the other hand,
should they, after the first or second summer, have been
unsuccessful in that direction, they may have attempted
to proceed to the northward, either through Wellington
Channel, or through some other of the openings among
the same group of islands. I do not myself attach any
superior importance to Wellington Channel as regards
the northwest passage, but I understand that Sir John
Franklin did, and that he strongly expressed to Lord
Iladdington his intention of attempting that route, if
he should fail in effecting the more direct passage to
the westward.
"The ships having been fully victualed for three
years, the resources may, by due precautions, have
been extended to four years for the whole crews; but
it has occurred to me, since I had the honor of conferring with their lordships, that, if their numbers have
been gradually diminished to any considerable extent
by death, (a contingency which is but too probable, considering their unparalleled detention in the ice,) the
resources would be proportionably extended for the
survivors, whom it might, therefore, be found expedient
to transfer to one of the ships, with all the remaining
stores, and with that one ship to continue the endeavor




230        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
to push westward, or to return to the eastward, as circumstances might render expedient; in that case, the
necessity for quitting both the ships in the past summer might not improbably have been obviated.
"Under these circumstances, which, it must be admitted, amount to no more than mere conjecture, it seems
to me expedient still to prosecute the search in both
directions, namely, by way of Behring's Strait (to which
I look with the strongest hope,) and also by that of
Barrow's Strait. In the latter direction, it ought, I
think, to be borne in mind, that the more than usual
difficulties with which Sir James Ross had to contend,
have, in reality, left us with very little more information than before he left England, and I cannot contemplate without serious apprehension, leaving that opening
without still further search in the ensuing spring, in
case the missing crews have fallen back to the eastern
coast of North Somerset, where they would naturally
look for supplies to be deposited for them, in addition
to the chance of finding some of those left by the Fury.
For the purpose of further pursuing the search by way
of Barrow's Strait, perhaps two small vessels of 150 or
200 tons might suffice, but they must be square rigged
for the navigation among the ice. Of course the object
of such vessels would be nearly that which Sir James
Ross's endeavors have failed to accomplish; and the
provisions, &c., left by that officer at Whaler Point,
as well as any which may be deposited in that neighborhood by the North Star, would greatly add to the resources, facilitate the operations, and lessen the risk of
any attempt made in that direction.
"If, however, there be time to get ships to Behring's
Straits by the first week in August, 1850, which would
perhaps require the aid of steam vessels to accomplish
with any degree of certainty, I recommend that the
Enterprise and Investigator be forthwith equipped and
dispatched there, with instructions to push th roubgh the
ice to the E. N. E. as far as possible in the ensuing season, with the hope of meeting with at least one of the
ships, or any of the parties which may have been




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.         231
detached from them. This attempt has never yet been
made by any ships, and I cling very strongly to the
belief that such an effort might be attended with success in rescuing at least a portion of our people.
"Mly reason for urging this upon their Lordships is,
that the admirable instructions under which the Plover,
assisted by the Herald, is acting, embraces only the
search of the coast line eastward from Icy Cape; since
the boats and baidars cannot effect any thing except by
creeping along as opportunities offer, between the ice
and the land, so that this plan of operations meets only
the contingency of parties reaching, or nearly reaching,
the land; whereas the chance of rescue would, as it
appears to me, be immensely increased by ships pushing on, clear of the coast, toward Banks' Land and
Melville Island, as far at least as might be practicable
in the best five or six weeks of the season of 1850."
Captain Parry says -"Although this is the first attempt ever made to enter the ice in this direction, with
ships properly equipped for the purpose, there is no
reason to anticipate any greater difiiculties in this navigation than those encountered in other parts of the
Y orth Polar Sea; and, even in the event of not succeeding in reaching Banks' Land in the sulmmer of the
present year, it may be possible to make such progress
as to afford a reasonable hope of effecting' that object
in the following season (1851.) Indeed it is possible
that, from the well known fact of the climate being
more temperate in a given parallel of latitude, in going
westward from the Mackenzie River, some comparative
advantage may be derived in the navigation of this
part of the Polar Sea.
"It is of importance to the security of the ships and
of their crews that they should winter in some harbor
or bay not at a distance from land, where the ice might
be in motion during the winter; and it will be desirable, should no land be discovered fit for this purpose,
in the space at present unexplored between Point Barrow and Banks' Land, that endeavors should be made to
reach the continent about the mouth of the Mackenzie




232         PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
itiver, or further eastward, toward Liverpool Bay,
where there is reason to suppose that sufficient shelter
may be found, and in which neighborhood, it appears,
there is generally no ice to be seen from the shore foi
about six weeks in the months of August and September. Sir John Franklin's narrative of his second jour
ney, that of M/[essrs. Dease and Simpson, and the
Admiralty Charts, will furnish the requisite hydrographical information relative to this line of coast, se
far as it has been attained.
" The utmost economy should be exercised in the use
of provisions and fuel during the time the ships are in
winter quarters; and if they should winter on or near
the continent, there would probably be an opportunity
of increasing their stock of provisions by means of
game or fish, and likewise of fuel, by drift or other
wood, to some considerable amount.
"If the progress of the ships in 1850 has been considerable -for instance, as far as the meridian of 120~
W. —the probability is, that the most practicable way
of returning to England will be, still to push on in the
samte direction during the whole season of 1851, with
a view to reach Barrow's Strait, and take advantage,
if necessary, of the resources left by Captain Sir James
Ross at Whaler Point, near Leopold Harbor; if not the
same season, at least after a second winter. If, on the
other hand, small progress should have been made to
the eastward at the close of the present stummer, it
might be prudent that when half the navigable season
of 1851 shall have expired, no further attempts should
be made in proceeding to the eastward, and that the
remaining half of that season should be occupied in
returning to the westward, with a view to escape from
the ice by way of Behring's Straits after the winter of
1851-52, so as not to incur the risk of passing a third
winter in the ice.
" During the summer season, the most vigilant lookout should be kept from the mast-heads of both ships
nilght and day, not only for the missing ships, but for
any detached parties belonging to them; and during




OPIN'I(ONS AND SUGGESTIONS.       233
the few hours of' darkness which prevail toward the close
of each season's navigation, and also when in winter
quarters, signals, by fires, blue lights, rockets or guns,
should be made as the means of pointing out the position of the ships to any detached parties belonging to
the mnissing expedition. And in the spring before the
ships can be released firom the ice, searching parties
might be sent out in various directions, either in boats
or by land, to examine the neighboring coasts and inlets
for any trace of the missing crews."
Captain Sir George Back also comments (1st of December, 1849,) on these intentions, in a letter to the Secretary of the Admiralty:"You will be pleased, Sir, to impress upon my Lords
Commissioners, that I wholly reject all and every idea
of any attempts on the part of Sir John Franklin to
send boats or detachments over the ice to any part of
the main-land eastward of the Mackenzie River, because
I can say fiom experience, that no toil-worn and exhausted party could have the least chance of existence
by going there.' On the other hand, from my knowledge of Sir John
Franklin, (having been three times on discovery together,) I much doubt if he would quit his ship at all,
except in a boat; for any attempt to cross the ice a long
distance on foot would be tempting death; and it is too
laborious a task to sledge far over such an uneven surf:ace as those regions generally present.  That great
mortality must have occurred, and that one sllip, as Sir
E. lBeaufort hints at, may be lost, are greatly to be fearecd;
alnd, as on all former expeditions, if the survivors are
paralyzed by the depressing attacks of scurvy, it would
then be impossible for them, however desirous they
mi~ght be, to leave the ship, which must thus become
their last most anxious abode.
" If; however, open water should have allowed Sir
John Franklin to have resorted to his boats, then I am
)ersuaded he would make for eithler the Mackenzie
river, or, which is far more likely, froml the allnost
certainty he must havre felt of finding provision, Cape
Cl-arence and Fn 1y Point.




) A.         1'RG-iGRll'SS OF ARltC'T'IC I)ISCOVtERY.
"I ami  awcare thlat tlhe whIole ciiances of litl  inl thlis
)pailfill case dellend  oi ftod; blt w\lhel I reflect (oi
Sir Johllln  rallkli's folllrmer extraordialy l)preservation
lllder lliseries lid trialiS of thelC lost severe desCril)tioll,
livinl1' otten oil scatl)s of (old leatler alld othler r1et'se, I
cann(ot deslpair of hlis filldi]i:  tlle melllallS to prolong existellce till aid b)e Ial)pily selt hill.'"
Dr. Sir Jolhn Richlardsonl oll the santle day also sends
in his ol)illion, as reqluestecd, oll tiCe l)ropIose  disp)atchI
of the Ellterprisc and Investigator to Beilleiig's Strait:
" It seenms to inlc to be very desirable that the western
slhores of tile Arcllipelago of I'arry's Islalds sllould be
searlched  in a hlihl latitude in the manler 1)rol)osedl by
tile lIydrograpller.
Ift' tlhe proposed expedition succeeds in estal)lisiiicg
its -winter (lualrters am1og  thlese islandlls,  )arties detaclled  over tile ice mIay  travel to thte eastward  and
soutlheastwcarl, so as to cross tile line of' searchc  wlilch it
is hoped M1\r. IRae 1has b)eei able to pursue ill tlie )ircselit
suimner, and tlhns to determillne whletlher any traces of
tIle missing, slilps exist in localities thie most remote
firon  Bellrinog's Strait and Lancaster Sound, and firom
whllence shipwrecked crews would find tlle greatest difticulty in traveling to any place whlere they could hlope
to find relief.
" Tlhe climate of Arctic America improves ill a sensiblec manner with an increase of' estern longitulde.  On
tle M[ackenzie, on tle 135th mneloridian,  tIme sumlmer is
warmr tllan in any district of thle continent ill the same
parallel. and  it is still filer, anlld tlhe vegetation more
luxuriant on thle blalnkls'of the Yucon, on tile 150th meridian.  Tihis slperiority of climate leads me to infbr,
that shil)s well fbrtiied(' a"aillst drift-ice, will filnd  tlle
navigation of tlle Arctic   Seas more plractical)le in its
vwestern portion thlan it Ihaes l)een found to thle eastwvard.
Thiis inllirence is supllplorted by m1y own I)ersonall exp)erience, as fiar as it go(es.  I met wit]l no ice ill tile 1monlthl
of A rugust, on mly late i-voyage, till I attlillned thle 123d
meri(liali, an(l Alichl I   cwas led, fi'ol  thlalt circumstance,
to suplpose coincided withl thIe western limnits of' Parlry's
A  e'c.lhil)el ao.




OI'INIONS AND SUGGE.STIONS.           235'Tlhe greater facility of' nlavigatinl fiom thle west hlas
cl l)Ow\\el'rfitlly advocated by othlers on to)ne'll   occasions; and te chliiet;  erl'llal)s tile only reasonIl whly tlhe
attempt to penetrate the Polar Sea;fromn that (llarter
lhas not been reslumed since tlhe time  of Cock is, tllat
the lengtlh of the previous voyage to Belhriing's Strait
would considerably dimlillislh tle store of )provisions;
but t!le facilities of obtaining supplies in the Pacific are
now so aunginented, that this objection has no long'er the
salllC forcl'Ce.
Captain F. W. BIeeeley, writing frolm  Clleltenham,
on tile 1st of December, 1849, says:"I quite agree withl Sir Francis Bleaufort in wlhat lie
hlas stated withl regard to any casualties whicll Sir J.
Franlllin's slips may ltave sustained, and entirely agree
w vitll hlli  and Sir Edward Parry, that tile expedition is
probably ltamperedl among the ice somewhere to tile
soutliwestward of lMelville Island; but there is yet a
possibility whlih does not appear to hlave been contemnplatedl, which is, that of' the scurvy hlaving spread almongt,
thle crew, and incapacitatedl   large proportion of' tllem
from making, any exertion toward their release, or tllat
the whole, in a debl)ilitated state, may yet be clin ginlg
by tlheir vessels, existing  sparingly upon thle provision
wllichl  a large mortality may harve spun out, in;the hope
of relicf.
"In thie first case, that of the ships being hampered
and the crews in good Ilealtll, I thlink it certain that, as
the resources of thle shlips would be exl)ended in  Ilay
last, Sir John Franklin and his crew hlave abandoned
the ships, and pushed fobrward for the nearest point
whllere they mig'llt reasonably expect assistance, and
whichl they could reasonably reach.
"Tlere are consequently tlllce points to wllicl it
would be proper to direct attention, and as tlhe ease is
urglent, every possible methlod of relief sh:ould 1)e energetically puslied iforwarl at as early a period as possille, and directed to tlhose points, wlicll, I need scarlcelv
saty, arie Bar'row's   St'rait,  cllhring's Stlait, and tle
northlern coast of America.




236        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
" Of the measures which can be resorted to on tht
northern coast of America, the officers who have hao
experience there, and the Hudson's Bay Company, will
be able to judge; but I am of opinion that nothing
should be neglected in that quarter; for it seems to
me almost certain that Sir John Franklin and his crew,
if able to travel, have abandoned their ships and made
for the continent; and if they have not succeeded in
gaining the Hudson's Bay outposts, they have been
overtaken by winter before they could accomplish their
purpose.
" Lastly as to the opinion which naturally forces itself
upon us, as to the utility of the sending relief to persons whose means of subsistence will have failed thein
more than a year by the time the relief could reach
them, I would observe, that a prudent reduction of the
allowance may have been timely made to meet an
emergency, or great mortality may have enabled the
survivors to subsist up to the time required, or it may
be that the crews have just missed reaching the points
visited by our parties last year before they quitted them,
and in the one ease may now be subsisting on the supplies at Leopold Island, or be housed in eastward of Point
Barrow, sustaillned by depots which have been fallen in
with, or by the native supplies; so that under all the
circumstances, I do not consider their condition so
utterly hopeless that we should give up the expectation
of yet being able to render them a timely assistance.
" The endeavors to push forward might be continued
until the 30th of August, at latest, at which time, if the
ships be not near some land where they can conven
iently pass a winter, they must direct their course for
the main-land, and seek a secure harbor in which they
could remain. And on no account should they risk a
winter in the pack, in consequence of the tides and
shallow water lying off the coast.
"Should the expedition reach Herschel Island, or
any other place of refuige on the coast near the mouth
of the Mackenzie or Colville Rtivers, endeavors should
be made to communicate information of the ships' posi



OPINIONS A-SND SUGGESTIONS.        237
tloi anhd sumnmer's proceedings through the HIudson's
Bay uComipany or IRussian settlements, and by means
of in.terpreters; and no opportunity should be omitted
of gaining from the natives information of the missing
vessel.s, as well as of any boat expeditions that may have
gone forward, as well as of the party under Dr. Rae.'If nothing should be heard of Sir John l Franklin in
1850, parties of observation should be sent forward in
the spring to intercept the route the ship would have
pursued, and in other useful directions between winter
quarters and IVeltville Island; taking especial care that
they return to the ship before the time of liberation
of the ships arrives, which greatly depends upon their
locality.
"6Then, on the breaking up of the ice, should any
favorable appearance of the ice present itself, the expedition might be left free to take advantage of such a
prospect, or to return round Point Barrow; making it
imperative, however, either to insure their return, so
far as human foresight may be exercised, or the certainty of their reaching  lielville Island at the close of
that season, and so securing their return to England
in 1852.
"' If, after all, any unforeseen event should detain the
ships beyond the period contemplated above, every
exertion should be used, by means of boats and interpreters, to communicate with the MlJackenzie; and
should any casualty render it necessary to abandon the
vessels, it should be borne in mind that the reserve-ship
will remain at her quarters until the autumn of 1853,
unless she hears of the safety of the ships and boats
in other directions; while in the other quarter, Fort
Vacpherson, at the entrance of the ]i\Iackenzie, may be
relied upon as an asylum.
"The Plover, or reserve-ship, should be provided
with three years' provisions for her own crew, and for
contingencies besides. She should be placed as near
as possible to Point Barrow, and provided with interpreters, and the means of offering rewards for information; and she should remain at her quarters so long




238        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
as there can be any occasion for her presence in i, e
Arctic Seas; or, if she does not hear any thing ol t.ie
expedition under Captain Collinson, as long as her
provisions will last."
Sir John iPichardsoll offers the following advice for
this expedition:  " It;" he says, "it should winter
near the month of the Yucan or Colville, that river
may be ascended in a boat in the month of June, before the sea ice begins to give way. The river varies
in width from a mile and a half to two miles, and
flows through a rich, well-wooded valley, abounding in
moose deer, and having a comparatively mild climate.
A Russian trading post has been built on it, at the dis
tance of three or four days' voyage from the sea, with
the current; but as the current is strong, from nine to
twelve days must be allowed for its ascent, with the
tracking line. It would be unsafe to rely upon receiving a supply of provisions at the Russian post, as it is
not likely that any stock beyond what is necessary for
their own use is laid up by the traders; and the moose
deer being a very shy animal, is not easily shot by an
unpracticed hunter; but the reindeer abound on the
neighboring hills, and are much more approachable.
T}le white-fronted goose also breeds in vast flocks in
that district of the country, and may be killed in numbers, without difficulty, in the month of June.
"If the expedition should winter within a reasonable distance of the Mackenzie, Captain Collinson
may have it in his power to send dispatches to England
by that route.
"The river opens in June, and as soon as the ice
ceases to drive, may be ascended in a boat, with a fair
wind, under sail, or with a tracking line.
"The lowest post at present occupied by the Hudson's Bay Company on this river is Fort Good HIope.
The site of this post has been changed several times,
but it is at this time on the right bank of the river, in
latitude 66~ 16' N., and is ten or eleven days' voyage
fiom the sea. At Point Separation, opposite to the
middle channel of the delta of the river, and on the




Coll atrlfi1
C ~ -~~         ~~.........
AI L
THE DVATNCE TRANED T CAE, RLEY.PAGE370








OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.       239
auenmontory which separates the Peel and the Mackenzie, there is a case of pemmican (80 lbs.) buried, ten
feet distant from a tree, which has its middle branclies
lopped off, and is marked on the trunk with a broad
arrow in black paint. A fire was made over the pit
in which the case is concealed, and the remains of the
charcoal will point out the exact spot. This hoard
was visited last year by a party from Fort Macpherson, Peel's River, when all was safe.
"Eight bags of pemmican, weighing 90 lbs. each,
were deposited at Fort Good Hope in 1848, and would
remain there last summer for the use of any boat
parties that might ascend the river in 1849; but it is
probable that part, or the whole, may have been used
by the Company by next year.
"A boat party should be furnished with a small
seine and a short herring net, by the use of which a
good supply of fish may often be procured in the
eddies or sandy bays of the Mackenzie. They should
also be provided with a good supply of buck-shot, swanshot, duck-shot, and gunpowder. The Loucheux and
Hare Indians will readily give such provisions as they
may happen to have, in exchange for ammunition.
They will expect to receive tobacco gratuitously, as
they are accustomed to do from the traders.
"The Mackenzie is the only water-way by which
any of the Hudson's Bay Company's posts can be
reached from the Arctic Sea. There is a post on the
Peel River which enters the delta of the Mackenzie,
but no supplies can be procured there. To the eastward of the Mackenzie no ship-party would have a
chance of reaching a trading post, the nearest to the
sea being Fort Resolution, on Great Slave Lake, situated on the 61st parallel of latitude, and the intervening hilly country, intersected by numerous lakes and
rapid rivers, could not be crossed by such a party it
less than an entire summer, even could they depent
on their guns for a supply of food. Neither would
be advisable for a party from the ships to attempt to
reach the bposts onl the Mackenzie by way (o, the Copll




240        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
permine River and Fort Confidence; as, in the absence of means of transport across Great Bear Lake,
the journey round that irregular sheet of water, would
be long and hazardous. Bear Lake River is more
than fifty miles long, and Fort Norman, the nearest
post on the Mackenzie, is thirty miles above its mouth.
]Mr. Rae was instructed to engage an Indian family or
two to hunt on the tract of country between the Coppermine and Great Bear Lake in the summer of 1850;
but no great reliance can be placed on these Indians
remaining long there, as they desert their hunting
quarters on very slight alarms, being in continual
dread of enemies, real or imaginary.
"A case of pemmican was buried on the summit of
the bank, about four or five miles from the summit of
Cape Bathurst, the spot being marked by a pole planted
in the earth, and the exact locality of the deposit by a fire
of drift-wood, much of which would remain unconsumed.
" Another case was dcposited in the cleft of a rock,
on a small battlemented cliff, which forms the extreme
part of Cape Parry. The case was covered with loose
stones; and a pile of stones painted red and white,
was erected immediately in front of it. This cliff resembles a cocked-hat in some points of view, and projects like a tongue from the base of a rounded hill,
which is 500 or 600 feet high.
"Several cases of pemmican were left exposed on a
ledge of rocks in latitude 68~ 35' N., opposite Lambert
Island, in Dolphin and Union Strait, and in a bay to
the westward of Cape Krusenstern, a small boat and
ten pieces of pemmican were deposited under a high
cliff, above high water mark, without concealment.
The Esquimaux on this part of the coast are not numerous, and from the position of this hoard, it may
escape discovery by them; but I have every reason to
believe that the locality has been visited by Mr. Rae in
the past summer. A deposit of larger size, near Cape
Kendall, has been more certainly visited bv MIr. Rae."
Captain Sir J. C. Ross writes from Haslar, 11th of
Vebrnary, 1850.




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.         241
"With respect to the probable position of the Erebus
and Terror, I consider that it is hardly possible they
can be anywhere to the eastward of Melville Island,
or within 300 miles of Leopold Island, for if that were
the case, they would assuredly, during the last spring,
have made their way to that point, with the hope of
receiving assistance from the whale-ships which, for
several years previous to the departure of that expedition firom England, had been in the habit of visiting,
Prince Regent Inlet in pursuit of whales; and in that
case they must have been met with, or marks of their
encampments have been found by some of the numerons parties detached from the Enterprise and Investigator along the shores of that vicinity during the only
period of the season in which traveling is practicable
in those regions.
"It is probable, therefore, that during their first
summer, which was remarkably favorable fobr the navigation of those seas, they have been enabled (in obedience to their orders) to push the ships to the westward
of Banks' land, and have there become involved in the
heavy pack of ice which was observed from 3Melville
Island always to be setting past its westernmost point
in a southeast direction, and from which pack they may
not have been able to extricate their ships.
" From such a position, retreat to the eastward would
be next to impossible, while the journey to the Mackenzie River, of comparatively easy accomplishment,
together with Sir John Franklin's knowledge of the
resources in the way and of its practicability, would
strengthen the belief that this measure will have been
adoptedby them during the last spring.
"If this be assumed as the present position of the
Erebus and Terror, it would mlanifestly be far more
easy and safe to afford them relief by means of an expedition entering Behring's Straits, than from any other
direction, as it would not be necessary for the ships to
depart so far from the coast of North America as to
preclude their keeping up a regular communication
with the Russian settlements on the River Colville, or




242        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
those of the Hudson's Bay Company near the mouth
of the Mackenzie, while the whole space between any
position in which the ships might winter, and Banks'
Land could be thoroughly examined by traveling parties early in the spring, or by boats or steam launches
at a more advanced period of the following season."
fMr. W. Snow, in a letter from New York, dated 7th
of January, 1850, suggests a plan for a well organized
expedition of as many men as could be fitted out from
private funds. " For instance, let a party of 100 picked
men, well disciplined and officered, as on board a ship,
and accompanied with all the necessary food, scientific
instruments, and every thing useful on such expeditions.
proceed immediately, by the shortest and most availalle routes, to the lands in the neighborhood of the unexplored regions.  If possible, I would suggest that
they should proceed first to Moose Fort, on the south
ern part of Hudson's Bay, and thence by small craft
to Chesterfield Inlet, or otherwise by land reach that
quarter, so as to arrive there at the opening of summer.
From this neighborhood let the party, minus ten men,
be divided into three separate detachments, each with
specific instructions to extend their researches in a
northerly and northwesterly direction. Thle westernmost party to proceed as near as possible in a direct
course to the easternmost limits of discovery yet made
firom Behring's Straits, and on no account to deviate
frnom that course on the western side of it, but, if necessary, to the eastward. Let the central party shape a
course as near as possible to the position of the Magnetic Pole; and the easternmost division direct tc
Prince Regent Inlet, or the westernmost point of discovery from the east, and not to deviate fromt that course
easterly. Let each of these detachments he formed
again into three divisions, each division thus consisting
of ten men. Let the first division of each detachment
pioneer the way, followed on the same track by the
second and the third, at stated intervals of time. Orn
the route, let the pioneers, at every spot necessary, leave
distinguising mlarks to denote the way, and also to




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.         243
give information to either of the other two principal
detachments as may by chance fall into their track
To second the effborts of the three detachments, let con
stant succors and other assistance be forwarded by
way of Moose Fort, and through the ten men left at
Chesterfield Inlet; and should the object for which
such an expedition was framed be happily accomplished by the return of the lost voyagers, let messengers be forwarded with the news, as was done with
Captain Back, in the case of Captain Ross. Let each
of the extreme detachments, upon arriving at their respective destinations, and upon being joined by the
whole of their body, proceed to form plans for uniting
with the central party, and ascertaining the results
already obtained by each by sending parties in that
direction. Also, let a chosen number be sent out from
each detachment as exploring parties, wherever deemed
requisite; and let no effort be wanted to n ake a search
in every direction where there is a possibility of its
proving successful.
"If a public and more extensive expedition be set on
foot, I would most respectfully draw attention to the
following, suggestions: —Let a land expedition be formed
upon a similar plan, and with the same number of mnen,
say 300 or more, as those fitted out for sea. Let this
expedition be formed into three great divisions; the one
proceeding by the Athabasca to the Great Slave Lake,
and following out Captain Back's discoveries; the
second, through the Churchill district; or, with the
third, according to the plan laid out for a private expedition alone; only keeping the whole of their forces as
much as possible bearing upon the points where success
may be most likely attainable.
" Each of these three great divisions to be subdivided
and arranged also as in the former case. The expense
of an expedition of this kind, with all the necessary
outlay for provisions, &c., I do not think would be more
than half what the same would cost if sent by sea; but
of this I am not a competent judge, having no definite
means to make a comparison. But there is yet another,




244        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DlCOVERY.
and, I cannot help conceiving, a more easy way of obviating all difficulty on this point, and of reducing the
expense considerably.
"It must be evident that the present position of the
arctic voyagers is not very accessible, either by land
or sea, else the distinguished leader at the head of the
expedition would long ere this have tracked a route
whereby the whole party, or at least some of theml
could return.
"In such a case, therefore, the only way to reach
them is by, if I may use the expression,forcing an expedition on toward them; I mean, by keeping it constantly upheld and pushing onward. There may be,
and indeed there are, very great difficulties, and difficulties of such a nature that, I believe, they would
themselves cause another great difficulty in the procuring of men. But, if I might make another bold suggestion, I would respectfully ask our government at
home, why not employ picked men from  convicted
criminals, as is done in exploring expeditions in Australia? Inducements might be held out to them; and
by proper care they would be made most serviceable
auxiliaries.  Generally speaking, men convicted of
offenses are men possessed of almost inexhaustible
mental resources; and such men are the men who,
with physical powers of endurance, are precisely those
requirecd. But this I speak of, merely, if sufficient fiee
men could not be found, and if economy is studied."
Mr. John McLean, who has been twenty-five years a
partner and officer of the Hudson's Bay Company, and
has published an interesting narrative of his adverntures and experience, writing to Lady Franklin friom
Canada West, in January, 1850, suggests the followi-ntg
very excellent plan as likely to produce some intelligence, if not to lead to a discovery of the party.
"Let a small schooner of some thirty or forty tons
burden, built with a view to draw as little vwater as
possible, and as strong as wood and iron could make
her, be dispatched from England in company with tlle
H-udson's Bay ships. Tlhis vessel would, immediately




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.       245
on arriving at York Factory, proceed to the Strait
termed Sir Thomas Roe's Welcome, which divides
Southampton Island from the main-land; then direct
her course to Wager River, and proceed onward until
interrupted by insurmountable obstacles. The party
being safely landed, I would recommend their remaining stationary until winter traveling became practicable,
when they should set out for the sheres of the Arctic
Sea, which, by a reference to Arrowsmith's map, appears to be only some sixty or seventy miles distant;
then dividing in two parties or divisions, the one would
proceed east, the other west; and I think means could
be devised of exploring 250 or 300 miles in either
direction; and here a very important question presents itself,- how and by what means is this enterprise
to be accomplished?
"In the first place, the services of Esquimaux would
be indispensable, for the twofold reason, that no reliable
information can be obtained from the natives without
their aid, and that they alone properly understand the
art of preparing snow-houses, or+' igloes,' for winter encampinent, the only lodging which the desolate wastes
of the arctic regions afford. Esquimaux understanding
the English language sufficiently well to answer our
purpose, frequent the Hudson's Bay Company's post
in Labrador, some of whom might be induced, (I should
fain hope,) to engage for the expedition, or probably
the'half-breed' natives might do so more readily than
the aborigines.  They should, if possible, be strong,
active men, and good marksmen, and not less than four
in number. Failing in the attempt to procure the natives of Labrador, then I should think Esquimaux
might be obtained at Churchill, in Hudson's Bay; the
two who accompanied Sir John in his first land expedition were from this quarter."
An expedition of this kind is to be sent out by Lady
Franklin this spring under the charge of Mr. Kennedy.
There are various ways of accomplishing this object,
the choice of which must mainly depend on the views
and wishes of the officer who may undertake the com



246        I'ROGRESS OF AMRCTIC DISCOVERY.
mand. Besides the northern route, or that by Regent
Inlet, it is possible to reach Sir James Ross and Simlpson's Straits from the south, entering Hudson's Bav,
and passing up the Welcome to Rae isthmus, or again
by entering Chesterfield or Wager Inlet, and gaining
the coast by Back's or the Great Fish River.
By either of these routes a great part of the exploration must be made in boats or on foot. In every case
the main points to be searched are James Ross's Strait
and Simpson's Strait, if indeed there be a passage in
that direction, as laid down in Sir John Franklin's charts,
though contradicted by Mir. Rae, and considered still
doubtful by some arctic navigators.
The following extract firom the Geographical Journal shows the opinion of Franklin upon the search of
this quarter. Dr. Richardson says,*-" No better plan
can be proposed than the one suggested by Sir Jolln
Franklin, of sending a vessel to Wager River, and carrying on the survey from thence in boats."
Sir John Franklin observes,t —" The Doctor alludes
in his letter to some propositions which he knew I had
made in the year 1828, at the command of his present
Majesty, William IV.,) on the same subject, and particalariy to t}ne suggestion as to proceeding from Repulse
or Wager Buy;. *   * A recent careful reading of all
the narratives connected with the surveys of the Wager
and Repulse Bays, and of Sir Edward Parry's Voyage,
together with the information obtained from the Esquimaux by Sir Edward Parry, Sir John Ross, and Captain Back, confirm me in opinion that a successful delineation of the coast east of Point Turnagain to the
Strait of the Fury and Hecla, would be best attained
by an expedition proceeding from Wager Bay, the
northern parts of which cannot, I think, be farther distant than forty miles from the sea, if the information
received by the above-mentioned officers can be depended on."
D?. McCormick particularly draws attention to Jones'
and Smitll's Sounnds, retomlnend in, a careful examin
* Jeorllm!   of C"ogrnal:, bi (ral   S{oniety, vol. vi. p. 40.  t Ibid. p. 43.




OPrIONS AiND SUGGESTIONS.         247
ation of these to their probable termination in the
Polar Sea:"Jones' Sound, with the Wellington Channel on the
west, mav be found to form an island of the land called'North Devon.' All prominent positions on both sides
of these Sounds should be searched for flag staves and
piles of stones, under wllcih copper cylinders or bottles may have been deposited, containing accounts of
the proceedings of the missing expedition; and if successihl in getting upon its track, a clue would be obtained to the fate of our gallant countrymen."
The Wellington Channel he considers affords one of
the best chances of crossing the track of the missing
expedition.
To carry out this plan efficiently, he recommended
that a boat should be dropped, by the ship conveying
the searching party out, at the entrance to the Wellington Channel in Barrow's Strait; from this point one or
both sides of that channel and the northern shore of
the Parry Islands might be explored as far west as ilkeseason would permit of. But should the ship be enabled to look into Jones' Sound, on her way to Lancaster Sound, and find that opening free from ice, an
attempt might be made by the Boat Expedition to push
through it into the Wellington Channel. In the event,
however, of its proving to be merely an inlet, which a
short delay would be sufficient to decide, the ship might
perhaps be in readiness to pick up the boat on its return, for conveyance to its ultimate destination through
Lancaster Sound; or as a precaution against any unforeseen separation from the ship, a depot of provisions
should be left at the entrance to Jones' Sound for the
boat to complete its supplies from, after accomplishing
the exploration of this inlet, and to afford the means,
if compelled from an advanced period of the season
or other adverse circumstances, of reaching some place
of refuge, either on board a whaler or some one of the
depots of provisions on the southern shores of Barrow's
Strait.
11*




248        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Mr. Penny, in charge of the Lady Franklin, before,ailinl, observed:"If an early passage be obtained, I would examine
Tones' Sound, as I have generally found in all my early
voyages clear water at the mouth of that sound, and
there is a probability that an earlier passage by this
route might be found into Wellington Strait, which outlet ought by all means to be thoroughly examined at
the earliest opportunity, since, if Sir J. Franklin had
taken that route, with the hope of finding a passage
westward, to the north of the Parry and Melville
Islands, he may be beyond the power of helping himself. No trace of the expedition, or practical communication with Wellington Strait, being obtained in this
quarter, I would proceed in time to take advantage of
the first opening of the ice in Lancaster Sound, with
the view of proceeding to the west and entering Wellington Strait, or, if this should not be practicable, of
proceeding farther westward to Cape Walker, and beyond, on one or other of which places Sir John Franklin will probably have left some notices of his course."
The government has seen the urgent necessity of
causing the Wellington Channel to be carefully examined; imperative orders were sent to Sir James Ross
to search it, but he was drifted out of Barrow's Strait
against his will, before he received those orders by the
North Star.
I have already stated that Sir John Franklin's instructions directed him to try the first favorable opening to the southwest after passing Cape Walker; and
failing in that, to try the Wellington Channel. Every
officer in the British Service, as a matter of course,
follows his instructions, as far as they are compatible
with the exigencies of the case, be it what it may, nor
ever deviates from them without good and justifiable
cause. If, then, Sir John Franklin failed in finding an
opening to the southwest of Cape Walker it is reasonalble to suppose he obeyed his instructions, and tried
the Wellington Channel. The second probability in
favor of this locality is, that Sir John Franklin ex



,Vi'INIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.       249
pressed o many of his friends a favorable opinion of
the Wellington Channel, and, which is of far more
consequence, intimated his opinion officially, and before the expedition was determined upon, that this
strait seemned to offer the best chance of success.
Moreover, Capt. Fitzjames, his immediate second in
command in the Erebus, was strongly in favor of the
Wellington Channel, and always so expressed himself.
See his letter, befibre quoted, to Sir John Barrow, p. 203.
Who can doubt that the opinion of Capt. Fitzjames,
a man of superior mind, beloved by all who knew him,
and in the service " the observed of all observers," would
have great weight with Sir John Franklin, even if Sir
John had not been himself predisposed to listen to him.
What adds confirmntion to thcee views is, that in 1840,
a few years prior to the starting of the expedition, Col.
Sabine published tlhe deeply intereseng "Narrative of
Baron Wrangel's Expedition to the Polar Sea, undertaken between the years 1820 and 1823," and in his preface the translator points to the Wellington Charlnel as
the most likely course fur the successful accomplishmelnt
of the northwest passage. "Setting aside," he says,' the possibility oi the existence of unknown land, the
probability of an open sea existing to the north of the
Parry islands, anlr communicating with Bellring Strait,
appears to rest )n strict analogical reasoning."  And
again he adds," all the attempts to effect the northwest
passage, since Barrow's Strait,was first passed in 1819,
have consisted in an endeavor to force a vessel by one
route or another through this land-locked and ice-encumbered portion of the Polar Ocean."
No examination has made kuown what may be the
state of the sea to the north of the Parry Islands;
whether similar impediments may there present themselves to navigation, or whether a sea may not there
exist of~ering no difficulties whatever of tile kind, as M.
Von Wrangel has shown to be the case to the north of
the Siberian Islands, andl as bly strict analogy we should
be jntified in explectinlg.
Colonel Sabine is an officer of great scientific expe



250        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
rience, and from his having made several polar voyages,
he has devoted great attention to all that relates to that
quarter. He was in constant communication with Sir
John Franklin when the expedition was fitting out, and
it is but reasonable to suppose that he would be somewhat guided by his opinion.
We have, then, the opinions of Franklin himself,
Colonel Sabine, and Captain Fitzjames, all bearing on
this point, and we must remember that Parry, who discovered and named this channel, saw nothing when
passing and re-passing it, but a clear open sea to the
northward.
Lieut. S. Osborn, in a paper dated the 4th of January,
1850, makes the following suggestions:"General opinion places the lost expedition to the
west of Cape Walker, and south of the latitude of Melville Island. The distance from Cape Bathurst to Banks'
Land is only 301 miles, and on reference to a chart it
will be seen that nowhere else does the American continent approach so near to the supposed position of Franklin's expedition.
" Banks' Land bears from Cape Bathurst N. 410 49',
E. 302 miles, and there is reason to believe that in the
summer season a portion of this distance may be traversed in boats.
" Dr. Richardson confirms previous reports of the ice
being light on the coast east of the Mackenzie River to
Cape Bathurst, and informs us that the Esquimaux had
seen'no ice to seaward for two moons.'
" Every mile traversed northward by a party from
Cape Bathurst would be over that unknown space in
which traces of Franklin may be eipected. It is advisable that such a second party be dispatched from Cape
Bathurst, in order that the prosecution of Dr. Rale's
examination of the supposed channel between Wollaston and Victoria Lands may in no way be interfered
with, by his attention being called to the westward."
In March, 1848, the Admiralty announced their intention of rewarding the crews of any whaling ships that
brought accurate, information of the missing expedition,




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.         251
with the sum of 100 guineas or more, according to circumstances. Lady Franklin also about the sanie time
offered rewards of 20001. and 30001., to-be distributed
among the owner, officers, and crew discovering and
affording relief to her husband, or making extraordinary exertions for the above object, and, if required,
bringing Sir John Franklin and his party to England.
In March, 1850, the following further rewards were
offered by the British government to persons of any
country:
1st. To any party or person who in the judgment of
the Board of Admiralty, shall discover and effectually
relieve the crews of HI. M. ships Erebus and Terror, the
sum of 20,0001., or,
2d. To any party or parties, &c., who shall discover
and effectually relieve any portion of the crews, or shall
convey such intelligence as shall lead to the relief of
any of the crew, the sum of 10,0001.
3d. To any party or parties who shall by virtue of
his or their efforts, first succeed in ascertaining their
fate, 10,0001.
In a dispatch from Sir George Simpson to Mr. Rae,
dated Lachine, the 21st of January, 1850, he says:"If they be still alive, I feel satisfied that every effort
it may be in the power of man to make to succor theln
will be exerted by yourself and the Company's officers
in Mackenzie River; but should your late search have
unfortunately ended in disappointment, it is the desire
of the Company that you renew your explorations next
summer, if possible.
" By the annexed correspondence you will observe that
the opinion in England appears to be that our explorations ought to be more particularly directed to that portion of the Northern Sea lying between Cape Walker
on the east, Melville Island and Banks' Land to the
north, and the continental shore or the Victoria Islands
to the south.
" As these limits are believed to embrace the course
that would have been pursued by Sir John Franklin,
Cape Walker being one of the points he was particu.




252       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
larly instructed to make for, you will therefore be
pleased, immediately on the receipt of this letter, to fit
out another exploring party, to proceed in the direction
above indicated, but varying the route that may have
been followed last summer, which party, besides their
own examination of the coast and islands, should be
instructed to offer liberal rewards to the Esquimaux to
search for some vestiges of the missing expedition, and
similar rewards should be offered to the Indians inhab
iting near the coast and Peel's River, and the half-bred
hunters of Mackenzie River, the latter being, perhaps,
more energetic than the former; assuring them that
whoever may procure authentic intelligence will be
largely rewarded.
" Simultaneously with the expedition to proceed to.
ward Cape Walker, one or two small parties should be
dispatched to the westward of the Miackenzie, in the
direction of Point Barrow, one of which might pass over
to the Youcon River, and descending that stream to the
sea, carry on their explorations in that quarter, while
the other, going down the Mackenzie, might trace the
coast thence toward the Youcon. And these parties
must also be instructed to offer rewards to the natives
to prosecute the search in all directions.
"By these means there is reason to believe that in
the course of one year so minute a search may be made
of the coast and the islands, that in the event of the
expedition having passed in that direction, some trace
of their progress would certainly be discovered.
" From your experience in arctic discovery, and peculiar qualifications for such an undertaking, I am in
hopes you may be enabled yourself to assume the
command of the party to proceed to the northward;
and, as leaders of the two parties to explore the coast
to the westward of the Mackenzie, you will have to
select such officers of the Conlpany's service within
the district as may appear best qualified for the duty:
Mr. lMurray, I think, would be a very fit man for one
of the leaders, and if one party be sent by way of the
Yooucon, he might take charge of it. In the event of




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.       253
your going on this expedition, you will be pleased to
make over the charge of the district to Chief Trader
Bell during your absence.
"In case you may be short-handed, I have by this
conveyance instructed Chief Factor Ballenden to engage in Red River ten choice men, accustomed to boating, and well fitted for such a duty as will be required
of them; and if there be a chance of their reaching
Mackenzie River, or even Athabasca, before the breaking up of the ice, to forward them immediately.
" Should the season, however, be too far advanced
to enable them to accomplish the journey by winter
traveling, Mr. Ballenden is directed to increase the
party to fourteen men, with a guide to be dispatched
from Red River immediately after the opening of the
navigation, in two boats, laden with provisions and
flour, and a few bales of clothing, in order to meet, in
some degree, the heavy drain that will be occasioned
on our resources in provisions and necessary supplies
in Mackenzie River. The leader of this party from
Red River may, perhaps, be qualified to act as the
conductor of one of the parties to examine the coast
to the westward."
On the 5th of February, 1850, another consultation
took place at the Admiralty among those officers most
experienced in these matters, and their opinions in
writing were solicited. It is important, therefore, to
submit these as fully as possible to the consideration
of the reader.
The first is the report of the hydrographer of the
Admiralty, dated the 29th of January, 1850:"'Kemorandum by Rear-Admiral Sir Fr'ancis Beatufort, K. C. B.
"The Behring's Strait expedition being at length:sirly off, it appears to me to be a duty to submit to
their Lordships that no time should now be lost in
equipping another set of vessels to renew the search
on the opposite side, through Baffin's Bay; and this
being the fifth year that the Erebus and Terror have




254       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
been absent, and probably reduced to only casual supplies of food and fuel, it may be assumed that this
search should be so complete and effectual as to leave
nrexamnined no place in which, by any of the suppositiorns that have been put forward, it is at all likely they
inay be found.
" 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, and
not to the westward. If foiled in that attempt, he
naturally hauled to the southward, and using Banks'
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 the Parry Islands, including the Wellington
Channel. Or, lastly, he may have returned to Baffin's
Bay and taken the inviting opening of Jones' Sound.
" All those four tracks must therefore be diligently
examined before the search can be called complete,
and the only method of rendering that examination
prompt and efficient will be through the medium of
steam; while only useless expense and reiterated dis.
appointment will attend the best efforts of sailing ves
sels, leaving the lingering survivors of the lost ships,
as well as their relatives in England, in equal despair.
HIad Sir James Ross been in a steam vessel, he would
not have been surrounded with ice and swept out of
the Strait, but by shooting under the protection of Leopold Island, he would have waited there till that fatal
field had passed to the eastward, and he then would
have found a perfectly open sea up to Melville Island.
"The best application of steam to ice-going vesselh
would be Ericson's screw; but the screw or paddles of
any of our moderate-sized vessels might be made t(
elevate with facility. Vessels so fitted would not re,
quire to be fortified in an extraordinary degree, not
more than common whalers. From the log-like quiescence with which a sailing vessel must await the crush
of two approaching floes, they must be as strong as




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.         255
wood and iron can make them; but the steamer slips
out of the reach of the collision, waits till the shock is
past, and then profiting by their mutual recoil, darts
at once through the transient opening.
"Two such vessels, and each of them attended by
two tenders laden with coals and provisions, would be
sufficient for the main lines of search. Every prominent point of land where notices might have been left,
would be visited, details of their own proceedings would
be deposited, and each of the tenders would be left in
proper positions, as points of rendezvous on which to
fall back.
"Besides these two branches of the expedition, it
would be well to allow the whaling captain (Penny,) to
carry out his proposed undertaking. His local knowledge, his thorough acquaintance with all the mysteries
of the ice navigation, and his well known skill and
resources, seem to point him out as a most valuable
auxiliary;
" But whatever vessels may be chosen for this service,
I would beseech their lordships to expedite them; all
our attempts have been deferred too long; and there is
now reason to believe that very early in the season, in
Mlay or even in April, Baffin's Bay may be crossed before the accumulated ice of winter spreads over its
surface. If they arrive rather too soon, they may very
advantageously await the proper moment in some of
the Greenland harbors, preparing themselves for the
coming efforts and struggles, and procuring Esquimaux
interpreters.
" In order to press every resource into the service of
this noble enterprise, the vessels should be extensively
furnished with means for blasting and splitting the ice,
perhaps circular saws might be adapted to the steamers,
a launch to each party, with a small rotary engine,
sledges for the shore, and light boats with sledge bearings for broken ice-fields, balloons for the distribution
of advertisements, and kites for the explosion of lofty
fire-balls. And, lastly, they should have vigorous and
numerous crews, so that when detachments are away,




256        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
other operations should not be intermitted for want of
physical strength.
" As the council of the Royal Society, some time ago,
thought proper to remind their lordships of the propriety
of instituting this search, it would be fair now to call on
that learned body for all the advice and suggestions,
that science and philosophy can contribute toward the
accomplishment of the great object on which the eyes
of all England and indeed of all the world, are now
entirely fixed."
Captain Beechey, writing to the Secretary of the Admiralty, 7th of February, 1850, says: —
" The urgent nature of the case alone can justify the
use of ordinary steamers in an icy sea, and great prudence and judgment will be required on the part of
their commanders, to avoid being disabled by collision
and pressure.
" I would also add, as an exception, that I think Leopold Island and Cape Walker, if possible, should both
be examined, prior to any attempt being made to penetrate in other directions fiom Barrow's Strait, and that
the bottom of Regent Inlet, about the Pelly Islands,
should not be left unexamined. In the memorandum
submitted to their lordships on the 17th of January,
1849, this quarter was considered of importance; and
I am still of opinion, that, had Sir John Franklin abandoned his vessels near the coast of America, and much
slholrt of the Mackenzie River, he would have preferred
the probablility of retaining the use of his boats until
he found relief in Barrow's Strait, to risking an overland journey vica the before-mentioned river; it must
be remembered, that at the time he sailed, Sir George
Back's discovery ha:l rendered it very probable that
13oothia was an island.
" An objection to the necessity of this search seems
to be, that had Sir John Franklin taken that route, he
would have reached Fury Beach already. However, I
cannot but think there will yet be found some good
grounds for the Esquimaux sketch, and that their meaning has been misunderstood; and as MIr. AI'Cormnick is




OPINIONS OF ARCTIC  OYAGERS.       257
an enterprising person, whose name has already been
before their lordships, I would submit, whether a boat
expedition from Leopold Depot, under his direction,
would not satisfactorily set at rest all inquiry upon this,
now the only quarter unprovided for."
Captain Sir W. E. Parry states:"I am decidedly of opinion that the main search
should be renewed in the direction of Melville Island
and Banks' Land, including as a part of the plan the
thorough examination of Wellington Strait and of the
other similar openings between the islands of the group
bearing my name. I entertain a growing conviction of
the probability of the missing ships, or at least a considerable portion of the crews, being shut up at MAelville Island, Banks' Land, or in that neighborhood,
agreeing, as I do with Rear Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, in his report read yesterday to the Board that' Sir
John Franklin is not a man to treat his orders with
levity,' which he would be justly chargeable with doing
if he attached greater weight to any notions he might
personally entertain than to the Admiralty instructions,
which he well knew to be founded on the experience of
former attempts, and on the best information which
could then be obtained on the subject. For these reasons I can scarcely doubt that he would employ at least
two seasons, those of 1845 and 1846, in an unremitting
attempt to penetrate directly westward or southwestward
to Behring's Strait.
" Supposing this conjecture to be correct, nothing can
be more likely than that Sir John Franklin's ships, having penetrated in seasons of ordinary temperature a
considerable distance in that direction, have been locked
up by successive seasons of extraordinary rigor, thus
baffling the efforts of their weakened crews to escape
from the ice in either of the two directions by Behring's
or Barrow's Straits.
"And here I cannot but add, that my own conviction
of this probability-for it is only with )probalilities
that we have to deal-has been greatly strent!lclened
by a letter I have lately received fionm Col. Sabile, of




258       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
the Royal Artillery, of which I had the honor to submit a copy to Sir Francis Baring. Colonel Sabin6
having accompanied two successive expeditions to Baffin's Bay, including that under my command which
reached Melville Island, I consider his views to be well
worthy of their lordships' attention on this part of the
subject.
"It must be admitted, however, that considerable
weight is due to the conjecture which has been offered
by persons capable of forming a sound judgment, that
having failed, as I did, in the attempt to penetrate westward, Sir John Franklin might deem it prudent to retrace his steps, and was enabled to do so, in order to try
a more northern route, either through Wellington Strait
or some other of those openings between the Parry
Islands to which I have already referred. 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.
"I cannot, therefore, consider the intended search to
be complete without making the examination of Wellington Strait and its adjacent openings a distinct part
of the plan, to be performed by one portion of the
vessels which I shall presently. propose for the main
expedition.
"Much stress has likewise been laid, and I think not
altogether without reason, on the propriety of searching Jones' and Smith's Sounds in the northwest parts of
Baffin's Bay. Considerable interest has lately been attached to Jones' Sound, from the fact of its having been
recently navigated by at least one enterprising whaler,
and found to be of great width, free from ice, with a
swell from the westward, and having no land visible front
the mast-head in that direction. It seems more than
probable, therefore, that it may be found to communicate with Wellington Strait; so that if Sir John Franklin's ships have been detained anywhere to tile northward of the Parry Islands, it would be by Jones' Sound
that he would probably endeavor to effect his escape,




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.         259
rather than by the less direct route of Barrow's 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's
Sound also."
I beg to cite next an extract from the letter of Dr. Sir
John Richardson to the Secretary of the Admiralty:"Haslar ]Hospital, Gosport, 7th of February, 1850.
"With respect to the direction in which a successful
search may be predicated with the most confidence,
very various opinions have been put forth; some have
supposed either that the ships were lost before reaching
Lancaster Sound, or that Sir John Franklin, finding an
impassable barrier of ice in the entrance of Lancaster
Sound, may have sought for a passage through Jones'
Sound. I do not feel inclined to give much weight to
either conjecture. When we consider the strength of
the Erebus and Terror, calculated to resist the strongest
pressure to which ships navigating Baffin's Bay have
been known to be subject, in conjunction with the fact
that, of the many whalers which have been crushed or
abandoned since the commencement of the fishery, the
crews, or at least the greater part of them, have, in
almost every case, succeeded in reaching other ships, or
the Danish settlements, we cannot believe that the two
discovery ships, which were seen on the edge of the
middle ice so early as the 26th of July, can have been
so suddenly and totally overwhelmed as to preclude
some one of the intelligent officers, whose minds were
prepared for every emergency, with their select crews
of men, experienced in the ice, from placing a boat on
the ice or water, and thus carrying intelligence of the




260       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
disaster to one of the many whalers which remained for
two months after that date in those seas, and this in the
absence of any unusual catastrophe among the fishing
vessels that season.
" With respect to Jones' Sound, it is admitted by all
who are intimately acquainted with Sir John Franklin,
that his first endeavor would be to act up to the letter
of his instructions, and 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 afterward encountered a compact field of ice, barring Barrow's
Strait and Wellington Sound, he would then, after being convinced that he would lose the season in attempt
ing 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.' The absence of such a signal-post in Lancaster
Sound is an argument, against the expedition having
turned back from thence, and is, on the other hand, a
strong support to the suspicion that Barrow's Strait was
as open in 1845 as when Sir W. E. Parry first passed
it in 1819; that, such being the case, Sir John Franklin, without delay and without landing, pushed on to
Cape Walker, and that, subsequently, in endeavoring
to penetrate to the southwest, he became involved in
the drift ice, which, there is reason to believe, urged
by the prevailing winds and the set of the flood tides,
is carried toward Coronation Gulf, through channels
more or less intricate. Should he have found no opening at Cape Walker, he would, of course, have sought
one further to the west; or, finding the southerly and
westerly opening blocked by ice, he might have tried a
northern passage.
"In either case, the plan of search propounded by




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.         261
Sir Francis Beaufort seems to provide against every
contingency, especially when taken in conjunction with
Captain Collinson's expedition, via Behring's Strait,
and the boat parties from the Mackenzie.
" I do not venture to offer an opinion on the strength
or equipment of the vessels to be employed, or other
merely nautical questions, further than by remarking,
that the use of the small vessels, which forms part of
Sir Francis Beaufort's scheme, is supported by the success of the early navigators with their very small craft,
and the late gallant exploit of Mr. Shedden, in rounding Icy Cape and Point Barrow, in the Nancy Dawson
yacht.
" And further, with respect to the comparative merits
of the paddles and screw in the arctic seas, I beg leave
merely to observe, that as long as the screw is immersed
in water it will continue to act, irrespective of the tem
perature of the air; but when, as occurs late in the
autumn, the atmosphere is suddenly cooled below the
freezing point of sea water, by a northerly gale, while
the sea itself remains warmer, the paddles will be
speedily clogged by ice accumulating on the floats as
they rise through the air in every revolution. An incident recorded by Sir James C. Ross, furnishes a striking illustration of the powerful action of a cold wind;
I allude to a fish having been thrown up by the spray
against the bows of the Terror, and firmly frozen there,
during a gale in a high southerly latitude. Moreover,
even with the aid of a ready contrivance for topping
the paddles, the flatness or hollowness of the sides of a
paddle steamer renders her less fit for sustaining pressure; the machinery is more in the way of oblique
beams for strengthening, and she is less efficient as a
sailing vessel when the steam is let off."
MiXemoranduim inclosed in Dr. J'" Cormick's letter
of the 1st of January, 1850.
"In the month of April last, I laid before my Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty a plan of search for
the missing expedition under the command of Captain




262        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Sir John Franklin, by means of a boat expedition up
Jones' and Smith's Sounds, volunteering myself to
conduct it.
" In that plan I stated the reasons which had induced
me to direct my attention more especially to the openings at the head of Baffin's Bay, which, at the time,
were not included within the general scheme of search.
"Wellington Channel, however, of all the probable
openings into the Polar Sea, possesses the highest degree of interest, and the explbration of it is of such
paramount importance, that I should most unquestionably have comprised it within my plan of search, had
not Her zMajesty's ships Enterprise and Investigator
been employed at the time in Barrow's Strait for the
express purpose of examining this inlet and Cape
Walker, two of the most essential points of search in
the whole track of the Erebus and Terror to the westward; being those points at the very threshold of his
enterprise, from which Sir John Franklin would take
his departure from the known to the unknown, whether
he shaped a southwesterly course from the latter, or
attempted the passage in a higher latitude from the
former point.
"~ The return of the sea expedition from Port Leopold, and the overland one from the Mackenzie River,
both alike unsuccessful in their search, leaves the fate
of the gallant Franklin and his companions as problematical as ever; in fact, the case stands precisely as it
did two years ago; the work is yet to be begun; every
thing remains to be accomplished.
"In renewal of the search in the ensuing spring,
more would be accomplished in boats than in any other
way, not only by Behring's Strait, but from the eastward. For the difficulties attendant on icy navigation
which form so insuperable a barrier to the progress of
ships, would be readily surmounted by boats; by means
of which the coast line may be closely examined for
cairns of stones, under which Sir John Franklin would
most indubitably deposit memorials of his progress:n all prominent positions, as opportunities might offer.




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.        263
" The discovery of one of these mementos would, in
a ( probability, afford a clue that might lead to the rescue of our enterprising countrymen, ere another and
sixth winter close in upon them, should they be still
in existence; and the time has not yet arrived for abandoning hope.
"In renewing once more the offer of my services,
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 so 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 the Parry Islands, and
that their probable course thither has been through the
Wellington Channel, or one of the sounds at the northern extremity of Baffin's Bay.
~" This appears to me to be the only view of the case
that can in any way account for the entire absence of
all tidings of them throughout so protracted a period
of time (unless all have perished by some sudden and
overwhelming catastrophe.)
"Isolated as their position would be under such cir-,umstances, any attempt to reach the continent of
America at such a distance would be hopeless in the
extreme: and the mere chance of any party from the
ships reaching the top of Baffin's Bay at the very moment of a whaler's brief and uncertain visit would be
attended with by -far too great a risk to justify the attempt, for failure would insure inevitable destruction
to the whole party; therefore their only alternative
would be to keep together in their ships, should no disaster have happened to them, and by husbanding their
remaining resources, eke them out with whatever wild
animals may come within their reach.
" Had Sir John Franklin been able to shape a southwesterly course from Cape Walker, as directed by his
instructions, the probability is, some intelligence of
him would have reached this country ei'e this, (nearly
five years havinr already elapsed since his departlure
12




2G6         PIrOGRESS OF AIRCTC DISCOVERY.
from it.)  Parties would have been sent out from  his
ships, either in the direction of the coast of America
or Barrow's Strait, whichever happened to be thle lmost
accessible.  Esquinmaux would  have been fallen in
with, and tidings of the lonYg-absent expedition have
been obtained.
"Failing in penetrating beyond Cape Walker, Sir
John Franklin would have left some notice of his future intentions on that spot, or the nearest accezsille
one to it; and should he then retrace this course for tlhe
Wellington Channel, tle mlost probable conjecture, lie
would not pass up that inlet withiont depositing a further account of his proceedings, either on the western
or eastern point of the entrance to it.
"Therefore, should my proposal meet with their
Lordships' approbation, I would most respectfully submit, that the party I have volunteered to conduct
should be landed at the entrance to the Wellin(gton
Channel, or the nearest point attainable by any ship
that their Lordships may deem fit to employ in a future search, consistently with any other services that
ship may have to perform; and should a landing be
effected on the eastern side, I would propose comlnencing the search from Cape Riley or Beechey Island in
a northerly directioll, carefully examiningi every remarkable headland and indentation of the western
coast of North Devon for memorials of the Inissinr  expedition; I would thenl cross over the Welliull(ton
Channel and continue thle searchl'   alongr the northei'rn
shore of Cornwallis Island, exteinding  the exploration
to the westward as far as tthe remaining portil I oft thle
season would permlrit, so as to secure thle retreat of thle
party before the wintlor set in, returilngr either by tlhe
eastern or western side of Cornwallis Island, as circumstances mighilt indicate to be the most desilrab:le at
the time, after ascelrtainino' the general extent and
trending of the shores of that island.
"As, however, it would be highlly desirable that
Jones' Sound should not ble omiitted in the searchl. more
especially as a whNa!ler, last se:isoln, realched its entirance




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.        5265
and reported it open, I would further propose, that the
ship conveying the exploring party out should look into
this opening on her way to Lancaster Sound, if circumstances permitted of her doing so early in the season;
and, if found to be free from ice, the attempt might be
made by the boat expedition to push through it to the
westward in this latitude; and should it prove to be
an opening into the Polar Sea, of which I think there
can be little doubt, a great saving of time and distance
would be accomplished. Failing in this, the ship should
be secured in some central position in the vicinity of
the Wellington Channel, as apoint d'appGu to  ll11 back
upon in the search from that quarter.
(Signed,)    IR. M'CornICx, I. N.
" Twickenhamc&, 1st of January, 1850."
Outline of a Plan of an Over7and Journei, to the
Polacr Sea, by the Wajy qf the Coyplernine River,
in Seareh of Sir John 2'7rankli?,'s ]xopeditixn, sutggested in 1847.
" If Sir John Franklin, guided by his instructions,
has passed through Barrow's Strait, and shaped a southwesterly course, fon-iom the meridianl of Cape Walker,
with the intention of gaining the northern coast of the
continent of America, and so passing through the Dolplhin and Union Strait, along the shore of that continent, to Behring's Strait;
"H is greatest risk of detention by the ice throughout this course would be found between the parallels of
740 and 69~ north latitude, and the meridians of' 100~
and 1100 west longitude, or, in other words, that pol'tion of the northwest passage which yet remains unexplored, occupying the space between thle western coast
of Boothia on the one side, and tlhe island or islands
forming Banks' and Victoria Lands on the other.
"'Should the Erebus and Terror have been beset in
the heavy drift-ice, or wrecked among it and the broken land, which in all probability exists there lwhile
contending with the prevalent w.esterly winds in this
quarter;




266        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
"The Coppermine River would decidedly offer the
nmost direct route and nearest approach to that portion
of the Polar Sea, and, after crossing Coronation Gulf,
the average breadth of the Strait between the Cositi
nent and Victoria Land is only about twenty-two miles.
" From this point a careful search should be commenced in the direction of Banks' Land; the intervening space between it and Victoria Land, occupying
about five degrees, or little more than 300 miles, could,
I think, be accomplished in one season, and a retreat to
winter quarters effected before the winter set in. As
the ice in the Coppermine River breaks up in June,
the searching party ought to reach the sea by the beginning of August, which would leave two of the best
months of the year for exploring the Polar Sea, viz:
August and September.
" As it would be highly desirable that every available
day, to the latest period of the season, should be devoted to the search, I should propose winteringr on the
coast in the vicinity of the mouth of the Copperminie
River, which would also afford a favorable position
fiom which to recommence the search in the following(
spring, should the first season prove unsuccessful.
"Of course the object of such an expedition as I have
proposed is not with the view of taking supplies to such
a numerous party as Sir John Franklin has under his
conlmand; but to find out his position, and acquaint
hiin where a depot of provisions would be stored up
for himself and crews at my proposed winter quarters,
where a party should be left to build a house, establish
a fishery, and hunt for game, during the absence of the
searching party.
" To carry out this plan efficiently, the Hudson's Bay
Company should be requested to lend their powerful
cooperation in furnishing guides, supplies of pemmican,
&c., for the party on their route and at winter quarters.
Without entering into. details here, I may observe, that
I should consider one boat, combining the necessary
requisites in her construction to fit her for either the
river navigation, or that of the shores of the Polar Sea,




OPINIONS AN'D SUGGESTIONS.       267
would be quite sufficient, with a crew one half sailors,
and the other half Canadian boatmen; the latter to be
engaged at Montreal, for which place I would propose
leaving England in the month of February.
"Should such an expedition even fail in its main object - the discovery of the position of the missing ships
and their crews, the long-sought-for polar passage may
be accomplished.
(Signed,)     R. M'CoRMICK, R. N.
" IWoolwich, 1847."
Copy of a letter from;Lieutenant Slierard Osbo'nw to
tAhe Lords CUomnmissioners of tlhe Acdmi~ralty.
" Ea ling, l'iddlesex, 4t/ Januacty, 1850.
" MY LoRns,- A second attempt to reach Sir John
Franklin's expedition being about to be tried during
the present year, I take the liberty of calling your attention to the inclosed proposition for an overland party
to be dispatched to the shores of the Polar Sea, with a
view to their traversing the short distance between Cape
Bathurst and  Bankls' Land. [My reasons for thus trespassing on your attention are as follows;
" 1st. General opinion places the lost expedition to
the west of Cape Walker, and south of the latitude of
Mlelville Island.
"The distance fiom Cape Bathurst to Banks' Land
is only 301 miles, and on reference to a chart it will be
seen that nowhere else does the American continent
approach so near to the supposed position of Franklin's
expedition.
" 2d. As a starting point, Cape Bathurst offers great
advantages; the. arrival of a party sent there firon
England may be calculated upon to a day; whereas
the arrival of Captain Collinson in the longitudcle of
Cape Barrow, or that of an eastern expedition in Lancaster Sound, will depend upon many uncontrollable
contingencies. The distance to be performed is com)aratively little, and the certainty of being' able to till
back upon supplies offers great advantages. Captain




268        PROORFSS OF AR(CTIO I)TSCO]ViR'Y.
Collinson will have 680 miles of longitude to traverse
between Cape Barrow and Banks' Land. An Eastern
Expedition, if opposed by the ice, (as Sir James Ross
has been,) and unable to proceed in their vessels farther
than Leopold  -Iarbor, will have to journey on foot 330
miles to reach the longitude of Banks' Land, atid if
any accident occur to their vessels, they will be in as
critical a position as those they go to seek.
"3d. Banks' Land bears fiom Cape Bathurst N. 41~
49' E. 302 miles, and there is reasonl to believe that in
the summer season a portion of this distance may be
traversed in boats.
"4th and 5th. Dr. Richardson confirms previous reports of the ice being light on the coast east of the
Mackenzie River to Cape Bathurst, and infornlls us
that the Esquimaux had seen no ice to seaward i0br two
100nS.
" 6th. Every mile traversed northward by a party
from Cape Bathurst would be over that unknown space
in which traces of Franklin may be expected.
" 7th. It is advisable that such a second party be
dispatched from Cape Bathurst, in order that the prosecution of Dr. Rae's examination of the supposed channel between Wollaston and Victoria Lands may in no
way be interfered with by his attention being called to
the westward.
"8th. The caelees of provisions made at different
points of the Mackenzie and at Cape Bathurst, would
enable a party to push down to their starting point with
great celerity directly the River MIackenzie opens,
which may be as early as 1May.
"I would also remind your Lordships that the proposed expedition would carry into execution a very imortant clause in the instructions giv'en to Sir James
Ross; viz: that of sending exploring parties fiom
Banks' Land in a southwesterly direction toward Cape
Bathurst or Cape Parry.
In conclusion, I beg to offer my willing services toward the execution of the proposed plan; and seekingr
it from no selfish motives, but thoroughly impressed




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTION-S.         269
with its feasibility, you may rest assured, my lords,
shlluld I have tile honor of being sent upon this service,
that I shall not disappoint your expectations.
"I have, &e.,
(Sirgned,)      "SIIEm:ARD OsnoRN, Lieut., R. N."
Coly qof a letterfrono Colzonel &tb,;ne,  R. A., to Ccptaizn Sir WF. l}EIwardcl lac.rry.
" CGastle-dow~n Terrace, IfaetingYs,
" 105th of January, 1850.
"There can be little doubt, I imagine, in the m,ld of
any one who has read attentively Franklin's instructions, and, (in reference to them,) your description of
the state of the ice land of the navigable water in 1S19
and 1820, in the route which he was ordered to pursue;
still less, I think, can there be a doubt in the mind of
any one who had tlhe advantarge of being with you in
thcse years, that Franklin, (Calways supposing l0o previous disaster,) must have nade his way to the southwest part of Melville Island either in 1845 or 1846. It
has been said that 184[5 was an unfavorable season, and
as the navig(Yation of Davis' Strait and Baffin's Bay was
new to Franklin, we may re(gard it as mnore probable
that it may have taken him two seasons to accomplish
what we accomplished in one. So far, I think, guided
bv his instructions and by the experience gained in
1819 and 1S20, we may reckon pretty confidently on
the first stage of his proceedings, and doubtless, in his
progress he would have left memlorials in the u sual
manner at places where le may have landed, somna of
which would be likely to fall in the way of a vess~ i following in his track.  Fromn the west end of Melville
Island our inferences as to his further proceedings must
become more conjectural, being contingent on th), state
of the ice and the existence of navigable water in the
particular season. If he found the. ocean, as we did,
covered to the west and south, as Iar as the eye could
reach fiom the summit of the highest hills, with ice of
a thickness unparalleled in any other part of the Polar




270       PROGcIESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Sea, he would, after probably waiting through one whoneW
season in the hope of some favorable change, have retraced his steps, in obedience to the second part of his
instructions, in order to seek an opening to the north
which might conduct to a more open sea. In this case
some memorial of the season passed by him at the
southwest end of Melville Island, and also of his purpose of retracing his steps, would doubtless have been
left by him; and should he subsequently have found
an opening to the north, presenting a favorable appearance, there also, should circumstances have permitted,
would a memorial have been left.
"He may, however, have found a more favorable
state of things at the southwest end of Melville Island
than we did, and may have been led thereby to attempt to force a passage for his ships in the direct line
of Behring's Strait, or perhaps, in the first instance, to
the south of that direction, namely, to Banks' Land.
In such case two contingencies present themselves:
first, that in the season of navigation of 1847 he may
have made so much progress, that in 1848 he may have
preferred the endeavor to push through to Behring's
Strait, or to some western part of the continent, to ane
attempt to return by the way of Barrow's Strait; the
mission of the Plover, the Enterprise, and the Investigator together with Dr. Rae's expedition, supply, I
presume, (for I am but partially acquainted with their
instructions,) the most judicious means of affording relief in this direction. There is, however, a second contingency; and it is the one which the impression left
on my mind by the nature and general aspect of the
ice in the twelve months which we ourselves passed at
the southwest end of Melville Island, compels me, in
spite of my wishes, to regard as the more probable,
viz., that his advance from Melville Island in the season of 1847 may have been limited to a distance of
fifty, or perhaps one hundred miles at farthest, and
that in 1848 he may leave endeavored to retrace his
steps, but only with paltial success. It is, I apprehend,
quite at cuneeivable case, that under these circumstances,




OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.        271
incapable of extricating the ships from the ice, the
crews may have been, at length, obliged to quit them,
and attempt a retreat, not toward the continent, because
too distant, but to Melville Island, where certainly
food, and probably fuel (seals,) might be obtained, and
where they would naturally suppose that vessels dispatched friom England for their relief would, in the
first instance, seek them. It is quite conceivable also,
I apprehend, that the circumstances might be such
that their retreat may have been made without their
boats, and probably in the April or May of 1849.
"Where the Esquinaux have lived, there Englishmen
may live, and no valid argument against the attempt
to relieve can, I think, be founded on the improbability
of finding Englishmen alive in 1850, who may have
made a retreat to Melville Island in the spring of 1849;
nor would the view of the case be altered in any material degree, if we suppose their retreat to have been
made in 1848 or 1849 to Banks' Land, which may
affoird facilities of food and fuel equal or superior to
Melville Island, and a further retreat in the following
year to the latter island as the point at which they
would more probably look out for succor.
"Without disparagement, therefore, to the attempts
made in other directions, I retain my original opinion,
which seems also to have been the opinion of the
Board of Admiralty, by which Ross's instructions were
drawn up, that the most promising direction for research would be taken by a vessel which should follow
them to the southwest point of Melville Island, be prepared to winter there, and, if necessary, to send a
party across the ice in April or MSlay to examine Banks'
Land, a distance (there and back) less than recently
accomplished by Ross in his land journey.
"I learn from Ross's dispatches, that almost immediately after he got out of Port Leopold (1849,) he was
entangled in apparently interminable fields and floes
of ice, with which, in the course of the summer, he
was drifted down through Barrow's Strait and Baffin's
Bay nearly to Davis' Strait. It is reasonable to pre12*




272       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
sume, therefore, that the localities from whence this
ice drifted are likely to be less encumbered than usual
by accumulated ice in 1850. It is, of course, of the
highest importance to reach Barrow's Strait at the earliest possible period of the season; and, connected with
this point I learn from Captain Bird, whom I had the
pleasure of seeing here a few days ago, a very remarkable fact, that the ice which prevented their crossing
Baflin's Bay in'72~ or 73~ of latitude (as we did in
1819, arriving in Barrow's Strait a month earlier than
we had done.the preceding year, when we went round
by Melville Bay, and nearly a month earlier than Ross
did last year) was young ice, which had formed in the
remarkably calm summer of last year, and which the
absence of wind prevented their forcing a passage
through, on the one hand, while on the other, the ice
was not heavy enough for ice anchors. It was, he said,
not more than two or two and a half feet thick, and obviously of very recent formation. There must, therefore, have been an earlier period of the season when
this part of the sea must have been free from ice; and
this comes in confirmation of a circumstance of which
I was informed by Mr. Petersen (a Danish gentleman
sent to England some months ago by the Northern Society of Antiquaries of Copenhaoen, to make extracts
from books and manuscripts in the British Museum,)
that the Northmen, who had settlements some centu-:ies ago on the west coast of Greenland, were in the
habit of crossing Baffin's Bay in the latitude of Upernavic in the spring of the year, for the purpose of fishing in Barrow's Strait, from whence they returned in
August; and that in the early months they generally
found the passage across free from ice.
" In the preceding remarks, I have left one contingency unconsidered; it is that which would have followed in pursuance of his instructions, if Franklin should
have found the aspect of the ice too unflavorable to the
west and south of Melville Island to attempt to force a
passage through it, and should have retraced his steps
in hopes of finding a more open sea to the northward,




OPIN'IONS AND SUGGESTIONS.         273,aither in \Wellingrton Strait or elsewhere. It is quite
conceivable that here also the expedition lnay have encountered, at no very great distance, insuperable difficulties to their advance, and may have failed in accomuplishing a return with their ships. In this case, the
retreat of the crews, supposing it to have been made
across land or ice, would most probably be directed to
some part of the coast on the route to Melville Island,
on which route they would, without doubt, expect that
succor would be attemlpted."
AIr. Robert A. Goodsir, a brother of Mr. I-. D. Goodsir, the assistant-slur(eo1n of Sir John Franklin's ship,
the Erebus, left Stromlness, as surgeon of the Advice,
whaler, Capt. Penny, on the 17th of ~March, 1849, in
the hopes of gaining some tidings of his brother; but
returned unsuccessful after an eight months' voyage.
IHe has, however, published a very interesting little
narrative of the icy regions and of his arctic voyage.
In a letter to Lady Franklin, dated Edinburgh, 18th
of January, 1850, he says:-" I trust you are not allowing yourself to become over-anxious.  I know  that,
although there is much cause to be so, there is still not
the slightest reason that we should despair. It may be
presumptuous in me to say so, but I have never for a
moment doubted as to their ultimate safe return, having
always had a sort of presentiment that I would meet nmy
brother and his companions somewhere in the regions
in which their adventures are taking place. This hope
I have not yet given up, and I trust that by next summer it may be fillfilled, when an end will be put to the
suspense which has lasted so long, and which must have
tried you so much."
The arctic reogions, far from being so destitute of aniTmal life as might be supposed from the bleak and inhospitablle character of the climate, are proverbial for the
boundless profusion of various species of the animal
kingdom, which are to be met with in different localities during a great part of the year.
The air is often darkened by innumerable flocks of
arctic and blue gulls, (Lestrns 2'cc:,cittic'as, and IartIs




274        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
glaucous,) the ivory gull or snow-bird, (Larus eburneus,)
the kittiwake, the fulmar or petrel, snow geese, terns,
coons, dovekies, &c. The cetaceous animals comprise
the great Greenland whale, (Balo3na mysticetus,) the
sea unicorn or narwhal, (J7onodon monoceros,) the
white whale or beluga, (Deljphidnus leucos,) the morse
or walrus, (Tric/ecus rosmarucs,) and the seal. There
are also plenty of porpoises occasionally to be met with,
and although these animals may not be the best of food,
yet they can be eaten. Of the land animals I may instance the polar bear, the musk-ox, the reindeer, the
arctic fox and wolves.
Parry obtained nearly 40001bs. weight of animal food
during his winter residence at Melville Island; Ross
nearly the same quantity from birds alone when wintering at Port Leopold.
In 1719, the crews of two HIudson's Bay vessels, the
Albany and Discovery, a ship and sloop, under the
command of Mr. Barlow and MIr. Knight, were cast on
shore on Marble Island, and it was subsequently ascertained that some of the party supported life for nearly
three years. MIr. Hearne learned the particulars from
some of the Esquimaux in 1729. The ship it appeared
went on shore in the fall of 1719; the party being then
in number about fifty, began to build their house for
the winter. As soon as the ice permitted in the following summer the Esquimaux paid them another visit, and
found the number of sailors much reduced, and very
unhealthy.
Sickness and famine occasioned such havoc among
them that by the setting in of the second winter, their
number was reduced to twenty. Some of the Esquimaux took up their abode at this period on the opposite
side of the harbor, and supplied them with what provisions they could spare in the shape of blubber, seal's
flesh, and train oil.
The Esquimaux left for their wanderings in the
spring, and on revisiting the island in the summer of
1721, only five of the crews were found alive, and these
were so ravenous for food. that they devoured the blub



ABUINDANCE OF ANIIMAL FOOD MET WITHI.   275
ber and seal's flesh raw, as they purchased it of the
natives, which proved so injurious in their weak state,
that three of them died in a few days. The two survivors, though very weak, managed to bury their comrades, and protracted their existence for some days
longer.
"They frequently," in the words of the narrative,
"'went to the top of an adjacent rock, and earnestly
looked to the south and east, as if in expectation of some
vessels coming to their relief. After continuing there
a considerable time, and nothing appearing in sight,
they sat down close together, and wept bitterly. At
length one of the two died, and the other's strength was
so far exhausted, that he fell down and died also in
attempting to dig a grave for his companion. The skulls
and other large bones of these two men are now lying
above ground close to the house."
Sir John Richardson, speaking of the amount of food
to be obtained in the polar region, says, "Deer migrate
over the ice in the spring from the main shore to Victoria and Wollaston Lands in large herds, and return in
the autumn. These lands are also the breeding places
of vast flocks of snow geese; so that with ordinary
skill in hunting, a large supply of food might be procured on their shores, in the months of June, July, and
August. Seals are also numerous in those seas, and
are easily shot, their curiosity rendering them a ready
prey to a boat party."  In these ways and by fishing,
the stock of provisions might be greatly augmentedand we have the recent example of Mr. Rae, who
passed a severe winter on the very barren shores of
Repulse Bay, with no other fuel than the withered tufts
of a herbaceous andromada, and maintained a numerous party on the spoils of the chase alone for a whole
year. Such instances, forbid us to lose hope. Should
Sir John Franklin's provisions become so far inadequate to a winter's consumption, it is not likely that he
would remain longer by his ships, but rather that in
one body, or in several, the officers and crews, with
boats cut down so as to be light enough to drag over




276         PIROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
the ice, or built expressly for that purpose, would endeavor to make their way eastward to Lancaster Sound,
or southward to the main-land, according to the longitude in which the ships were arrested.
We ought not to judge of the supplies of food that
can be procured in the arctic regions by diligent hunting, from the quantities that have been actually obtained on the several expeditions that have returned,
and consequently of the means of preserving life there.
When there was abundance in the ships, the address
and energy of the hunting parties was not likely to be
called forth, as they would inevitably be when the existence of the crews depended solely on their personal
efforts, and formed their chief or only oblject in their
march toward quarters where relief mlighlt be looked
for. This remark has reference to the supposition that
on the failure of the stock of provisions in the ships,
the crews would, in separate parties under their officers,
seek for succor in several directions.
With an empty stomach, the power of resisting external cold is greatly impaired; but when the process of
digesting is going on vigorously, even with comparatively scanty clothing, the heat of the body is preserved.
There is in the winter tine, in high latitudes, a craving
for fat or oleaginous food, and for such occasions the
flesh of seals, walruses, or bears, forms a usefil article
of diet. Captain Cook says that the walrus is a sweet
and wholesome article of food. Whales and seals would
also furnish light and fuel. The necessity for increased
food in very cold weather, is not so great when the
people do not work.
Mr. Gilpin, in his narrative in the Nautical Miagazine for March, 1850, writes thus -:
"About the 20th of June a small water bird, called
the doveky, had become so numerous, and so many
were daily shot by those who troubled themselves to go
after them, that shooting parties from each ship, consisting of an officer and marine, were established at'Whaler Point, where they remained the whole week,
returning on board on Saturday night. In a week or




~~~~~~~~~~~~S~                     _~~~ —;= 972                                                    ___
2    ~           ti,
/E_~~~==-=~L; _~=        -
2/  /      2/  9           9> ~ —----------'~~   DANEAOG   UM~S    AE3g








ABUNDTIANCE OF ANiIMAL FOOD IMET WTITH.   2 77
so after this the coon, a much heavier bird, became
more plentiful than the little doveky, and from this
time to the middle of Aunust, so successful and untiring were our sportsmen, t]at the crew received each a
bird per man a day.
" The account kept on board the Investigator showed
the number of birds killed to have amounted to about
4000, and yielding near 25001bs. of meat. But more
than this was obtained, as many were shot by individuals for amusement, and not always noted."
Mlr. Goodsir, surgeon, when in the Advice whaler, on
her voyage up Lancaster Sound, in the summer of 1849,
speaking of landing on one of the Wollaston Islands, on
the west side of wavy Board Inlet, says he disturbed
about half a dozen pairs of the eider-duck (Somateria
molissi8rna.) Their eggs he found to be within a few
hours of maturity. There were, besides, numerous nests,
the occupants of which had probably winged their way
southward. Two brent geese, (An8er bernicla,) and a
single pair of arctic terns, (Sterna arctica,) were most
vociferous and courageous in defense of their downy
offspring wherever he approached.  These were the
only birds he saw, with the exception of a solitary raven, (Corvus corax,) not very high overhead, whose
sharp and yet musically bell-like croak came startling
ulon the ear.
-Mr. Snow, in his account of the voyage of the Prince
Albert, p. 162, says, (speaking of Melville Bay, at the
northern head of Baffin's Bay,) "' Innumerable quantities of birds, especially the little auk, (Alea alle,) and
the doveky, (Colymnbus grylle,) were now seen, (August 6th,) in every direction. They were to be observed in thousands, on the wing and in the water,
and often on pieces of ice, where they were clustered
together so thick that scores might have been shot at a
time by two or three fowling pieces."
In passing up Lancaster Sound a fortnight later several shoal of eider-ducks and large quantities of other
birds were also seen.




278              Pl;.OGRIESS  OF ARCTIC  I)ISCOVERr.
A BALLAD OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.
"T le ice was here, tile ice was there,
Tile ice was all around." - COLERIDGE.
W1ITTTIFER sail VOl, S'il J; lhn Franklin?
Cried a whlaler in Ba Eif-'s Bay;
To know if betweel the land and the Pole,
I may findi a broad sea-way.
I charge you back, Sir John Franklin,
As vou would live and thrive,
For) b)etween the llld and the frozen Pole
No mlan lnav sail alive.
But lightly lauolted thle stout Sir John,
Ali(l sI,,)ke uilto his men:Half Eltlandid is wronr,, if he is right;
Bear offl to westward then.
O, whither sail you, brave Englishman?
Cried the little Esquimlaux.
BetweenT your land alnd the polar star.My goodly vessels go.
Come down, if you would journey there,
The little Inilian sa.id;
And chanlge your cloth for fur clothing,
Your vessel for a sled.
But lightly laughed the stout Sir John,
And the crew lauglhed with him too;
A sailor to change from ship to sled,
I ween, were soirething new!
All through the long, long polar day,
The vessels westward sped;
And wherever the sail of Sir John was blown,
The ice gave way and fled.
Gave way with many a hollow groan,
And with many a surly roar;
But it Inurltited and threatened on every side,
And closed where he sailed before.
To(! see ve not, my merry men,
Thie broad and open sea?
Bethill. ye w!'~t the whaler said,
Bethink ye {of thie little Indian's sled I
The crew laughed out in glee.
Sir John, Sir John,'tis bitter cold,
The scud drives on the breeze.
The ice comes loomino from the north,
The very sunbeams freeze.
B]right summer goes, dark winter comes -
NWe cannot rule the yearr;
But long ere summer's sun goes down,
On vonder sea we'11 steen




A  BALLAD OF SIR JOHI-N  FRA/NKLIN.               279
The dripping icebergs dipped and rose,
And floundered down the gale;
The ships were staid, the yards were manned,
And furled the useless sail.
The summer's gone, the wilter's come,
We sail not on yonder sea;
Why sail we not, Sir John Franklin?
-A silent man was he.
The winter goes, the summer comes,
We cannot rule the year;
I ween, we cannot rule the ways,
Sir John, wherein we'd steer.
The cruel ice came floating on,
And closed beneath the lee,
Till the thicketlinog waters dashed no more,'T was ice around, behid, before -
MIy God! there is no sea!
What think you of the whaler now!
What of the Esquimaux?
A sled were better than a ship,
To cruise through ice and snow.
Down sank the baleful crimson sun;
The northern-li-rht came out,
And glared upon the ice-bound ships,
And shook its spears about.
The snow came down, storm breeding storm,
And on the decls was laid;
Till the weary sailor, sick at heart,
Sank down beside his spade.
Sir John, the night is black and long,
The hissing wind is bleak;
The hard, green ice is strong as death:I prithee, captain, speak.
The night is neither bright nor short,
The singino breeze is cold,
The ice is not so strong as hope,
The heart of man is bold!
What hope can scale this icy wall,
High o'er the main flar-staff?
Above the ridges the woMlf and bear
Look down with a patient, settled stareLook down on us and laugh.
The summer went, the winter cameWe could not rule the year;
But summer will melt the ice again,
And open a path to the sunny main,
Whereon our ships shall steer.




280          PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
The winter went, the summer went,
The winter came around;
But the hard, green ice was strong as death,
And the voice of hope sank to a breath,
Yet caught at every sound.
Hark! heard you not the sound of guns?
And there, and there again?'T is some uneasy iceberg's roar,
As he turns in the fiozen main.
Hurra! hurra! the Esquimaux
Across the ice-fields steal:
God give them grace for their charity I
Ye pray for the silly seal.
Sir John, where are the English fields,
And where the English trees,
And where are the little English flowers,
That open in the breeze?
Be still, be still, my brave sailors I
You shall see the fields again,
And smell the scent of the opening flowers.
The grass, and the waving grain.
Oh! when shall I see my orphan child?
My Mary waits for me;
Oh 1 when shall I see my old mother,
And pray at her trembling knee?
Be still, be still, my brave sailors!
Think not such thoughts again!
But a tear froze slowly on his cheek -
He thought of Lady Jane.
Ah! bitter, bitter grows the cold,
The ice grows more and more;
More settled stare the wolf and bear,
More patient than before.
Oh! think you, good Sir John Franklin,
We'11 ever see the land?'T was cruel to send us here to starve,
Without a helping hand.'T was cruel, Sir John, to send us here,
So far from help or home;
To starve and freeze on this lonely sea;
I ween, the Lords of the Admiralty
Had rather send than come.
Oh! whether we starve to death alone,
Or sail to our own country,
We have done what man has never done -
The open ocean danced ill the sun -
We passed the Northern Sea!




TIHE SEARCIIIHNG EXPEDITIONS.     281
THE GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SEARCHING EXPEDITIONS
AFTER, SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.
TIlE following is a complete list of the several relief
and exploring vessels which have been sent out during
the last two years by the British government, by private
individuals, and by the American nation:Ships.            Men.   Commanders.
1. II. M. S. Enterprise  - - 68  Capt. Collinson.
2. II. M. S. Investigator- -  65  Com. MI'Clure.
3. H. AI. S. Plover  - - - 52  Corn. Moore.
4. II. M. S. Resolute - - - 68  Capt. H. Austin.
5. IH. M. 5. S. Assistance - - 60  Capt. E. Ommaney.
6. HI. M. S. Intrepid, (screw
steamer,)   - - - - - 30  Lieut. S. Osborn... H 1. S. Intrepid, (screw
steamer,)           -  38  Lieut. Cator.
8. The Lady Franklin  - - 25  Mr. Penny.
9. The Sophia, (a tender to
the above,) -           22  Mr. Stewart.
10. United States brig Advance                - 20  Lieut. De Haven.
11. United States vessel Rescue                  - 18  BMr. S. P. Griffin.
12. Felix yacht - - - - -       Capt. Sir John Ross.
13. Miary, (tender to the Felix.)
14. The INorth Star, Master and Commander Saunders.
15. The Prince Albert - - 18 Com. Forsyth.
Of these vessels the Enterprise, Investigator, and
Plover, are at present engaged on the western branch
of search through Behring's Straits. The rest have all
proceeded through Baffin's Bay to Lancaster Sound, and
the channels branching out from thence, except the last
two, which have returned home.
VOYAGE OF THE " ENTERPRISE" AND " INVESTIGATOR"
UNDER CAPTAIN SIR JABIES C. ROSS, 1848-49.
In the spring of 1848, Captain Sir James C. Ross
was placed in command of a well found and fitted expedition, with means and advantages of unusual extent,




282       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
and with an object that could not fail to stimulate in
the highest degree the energies and perseverance of all
embarked in it. With the ever present feeling, too, that
the lives of their countrymen and brother sailors depended, (under God's good providence,) upon their
unflinching exertions, Captain Ross and his followers
went forth in the confident hope that their efforts might
be crowned with success.
The season was considerably advanced before the
whole of the arrangements were completed, for it was
not until the 12th of June, 1848, that Captain Ross left
England, having under his charge the Enterprise and
Investigator, with the following officers and crews:Enterprise, 540 tons.
Captain - Sir James C. Ross.
Lieutenants -R. J. L. MI'Clure, F. L. McClintock,
and W. IX. J. ]Browne.
Master- W. S. Couldcery, (acting.)
Surgeon - W. Robertson, (/) ML. D.
Assistant-Sulgeon - H. zfatthias.
Clerk- Edward Whitehead.
Total complement, 68.
Investigator, 480 tons.
Captain -E. J. Bird.
Lieutenants ~M. G. II. W. Ross, Frederick Robinson
and J. J. Barnard.
Master - W. Tatham.
Surgeon - Robert Anderson.
Mlates - IL. J. Moore and S. G. Cresswell.
Second [Master -,- John I. Allard.
Assistant-Surgeon - E. Adams.
Clerk in Charge -James D. Gilpin.
Total complement, 67.
The ships reached the Danish settlement of Uppernavick, situated on one of the group of Woman's Islands
on the western shore of Baflin's Bay, on the 6th of
July. Running through this intricate archipelago, they




VOYAGE OF ENTERPRISE A.ND INVESTIGATOR.  283
were made fast, on the 20th, to an iceberg aground off
Cape Shackleton.  The ships were towed, duling the
next few days, through loose streams of ice, and on the
nmorning  of the 2(th were off the three islands of B3affin
in latitude 740 N. Calmls and light winds so greatly
impeded any movement in the pack, that day after
day passed away until the season had so far advanced
as to preclude every hope of accomplishing much, if
any thing, before the setting in of winter.
No exertions, however, were spared to take advantage
of every opportunity of pushing forward, until, on the
20th of August, during a heavy breeze fiom the northeast, the ships under all sail bored through a pack of ice
of but moderate thickness, but having among it heavy
masses, throuch which it was necessary to drive them at
all hazards.  l'he shocks the ships sustained during this
severe trial were great, but fortunately without serious
damage to them. Getting into clear water in lat. 75 1 N.,
and long. 680 W., on the 23ld the ships stood in to
Pond's Bay, but no traces of Esquimnaux or other human
beings were discovered, although signals were made and
guns fired at repeated intervals. The ships were kept
close to the land, and a rigid examinatioft made of the
coast to the northward, so that neither people nor boats
could have passed without being seen. On the 26th
the ships arrived off Possession Bay, and a party was
sent on shore to search for any traces of the expedition
having touched at this general point of rendezvous.
Nothing  was found but the paper left there recording
the visit of Sir Edward Parry, on the very day (August
30th) in 1819. From this point the examination of the
coast was continued with equal care. On the 1st of
September they arrived off Cape York, and a boat's
crew was sent on shore, to fix a conspicuous mark, and
le^ave information for the guidance of any future party
that might touch here.
I shall now take up the narrative in Sir James Ross's
own words —" We stood over toward northeast cape
until we came in with the edge of a pack, too dense for
us to penetrate, lying between us and Leopold Island,




284        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
about fourteen miles broad; we therefore coasted the
north shore of Barrow's Strait, to seek a harbor further
to the westward, and to examine the numerous inlets of
that shore. Maxwell Bay, and several smaller indentations, were thoroughly explored, and, although we got
near the entrance of Wellington Channel, the firm barrier of ice which stretched across it, and which had not
broken away this season, convinced us all was impracticable in that direction. We now stood to the southwest to seek for a harbor near Cape Rennell, but found
a heavy body of ice extending fiom the west of Cornwallis Island in a compact mass to Leopold Island.
Coasting along the pack during stormy and foggy
weather, we had difficulty in keeping the ships free
during the nights, for I believe so great a quantity of ice
was never before seen in Barrow's Strait at this period
of the season."
Fortunately after some days of anxious and arduous
work, the ships were got through the pack, and secured
in the harbor of Port Leopold on the 11th of September.
No situation could be better adapted for the purpose
than this locality; being at the junction of the four
great channels of Barrow's Strait, Lancaster Sound,
Prince Regent Inlet, and Wellington Channel, it was
hardly possible for any party, after abandoning their
ships, to pss along the shores of any of those inlets,
without finding indications of the proximity of these
ships.
The night following the very day of the ships' getting
in, the main pack closed with the land, and completely
sealed the mouth of the harbor. The long winter was
passed in exploring and surveying journeys along the
coasts in all directions. During the winter as mlany as
fifty white foxes were taken alive, in traps madle of
empty casks set for the purpose. As it was well known
how large a tract of country these animals traverse in
search of food, copper collars, (upon which a notice of
the position of the ships and depots of provisions was
engraved,) were clinched round their necks, and they
were then set free, in the hope that some of these four



VOYAGE OF ENTERPRISE AND INVESTIGATOR.   285
rooted messengers might be the means of conveying the
intelligence to the Erebus and Terror, as the crews of
those vessels would naturally be eager for their capture.
The months of April and Miay were occupied by Capt.
Ross, Lieut. MIcClintock, and a party of twelve men, in
examining and thoroughly exploring all the inlets and
smaller indentations of the northern and western coasts
of Boothia peninsula, in which any ships might have
found shelter.
From the high land in the neighborhood of Cape
Bunny, Capt. loss obtained a very extensive view, and
observed that the whole space between it and Cape
WValker to the west, and Wellington Strait to the north,
was occupied by very heavy hummocky ice.
"The examination of the coast," Sir James Ross tells
us, "was pursued until the 5th of June, when, having
consumed more than half our provisions, and the strength
of the party being much reduced, I was reluctantly
compelled to abandon further operations, as it was,
moreover, necessary to give the men a day of rest.
But that the time might not wholly be lost, I proceeded
with two hands to the extreme south point in sight from
our encampment, distant about eight or nine miles."
This extreme point is situate in lat. 72~ 38' N., and
long. 950 40' W., and is the west face of a small high
peninsula. The state of the atmosphere being at the
time peculiarly favorable for distinctness of vision, land
of any great elevation might have been seen at the distance of 100 miles. The highest cape of the coast was
not more than fifty miles distant, bearing nearly due
south. A very narrow isthmus was found to separate
Prince Regent Inlet from the western sea at Cresswell
and Brentford Bays. The ice in this quarter proved to
be eight feet thick. A large cairn of stones was erected,
and on the 6th of June, the return journey was commenced. After encountering a variety of difficulties
they reaclied the ships on the 23d, so completely worn
out lby fatigue, that every man was, from some cause or
ot!her, in the doctor's hands for two or tlhre we,ekl.
Dr)tiinlr tlleir ablsence, Mr. Mattli'ts, thle.fsizt.,lt-tS  l lgel)




286         PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
of the Enterprise, had d ied of consumnption.  Several of
thle crews of' )0oth slips were in a declinino state, and
the general report of health was by no means cheering.
Whllile Captain Ross was awmay,  Commnader le      il'(l
had dispatched other surveying parties in different directions.  One, undcler tlhe colalln.rld of Lieutenalt iBarnard, to the nortllern sthore oft Batrro's Strait, crossing
thle ice to Cape Hind; a sec.imd, col-manded by Lienttenant Browne, to tlle eastern shore of PtRegent Illlet;
andl a tlird party of six inen, conducted by Lienteant
Rol)inson, along tle western sh}ore of the Illet.  The
latter officer extended his examination of tlhe coast as
far as Cresswell 13Ba, several nliles to the southlwNard
of Furl  Beach.  IIe found the holuse still stand'ilig in
which Sir John Ross passed the winters of 1832-33,
together with a quantity of the stores and prmovisions
of tile Fury, lost there in 1827.  On opening some of
the paclkages containing flour, s-ugar and peas, they
were all found to be in excellent preservation, and thle
preserved soup as good as when manufactured.  The
labors of these searcliinig parties were, however, of
comparatively sihort duration, as they all suffered firom
snow-blindness, sprained ankles, and debility.
As it was now but too evident, from no traces of the
absent expedition hlaving been nmet with by any of
these parties, that the ships could not have beein detained  anywhere in tlhis part of the arctic regions,
Cai)tain TRoss conlsidered it most desirable to pusIl fo)rward to tile westwatd as soon as his ships should be liberated.  I-is chief hlcopes now centered in thle efforts of
Sir John Richlardso,n's party; but lie felt plersmladied
that S:: John Franllin's shllils i11must ilave penietratedc
so far bevond Melville Island as to induce hiimn to prefer
mnakinl for the contillent of Amnerica rather tllall seeking assistance fromn  thle whale slips in 3Baffin's 13av.
The crews, weakened by incessant exertion, were now
in a very unfit state to undertake the heavy labor
which tllhey had yet to accomplish, I)ut all lam(ils tllat
welre ab lel vwere set t) wo(,rk wiitl saws to  cult a cllallei
toe r,! th!e v,.ilnt of t e.!b:rbt,,l', ra distanice,i: rathIdler




VOYAGE OF ENTERPPRISEi AND INVESTIGATOR.  287
mnore than two miles, and on the 2Sth of August the
slhips got clear.  Before quitting the port, a house was
built of the spare spars of both ships, and covered with
such of the housing  cloths as could be dispensed witlh.
Tw'elve months' provisions, fuel, and other necessaries
were also left behind, together with the steam  launch
belonging to the Investigator, whic, having been purposely lengthened seven feet, now formed a fine vessel,
capable of conveying the whole of Sir John Franklin's
party to the whale ships, if necessary.
The Investigator and Enterprise now  proceeded
toward the northern shore of Barrow's Strait, for the
purpose of exanmining i Wellington Channel, anld, if possible, penetrating as far as Melville Island, but when
about twelve miles from  the shore, the ships came to
the fixed land-ice, and found it impossible to proceed.
On tile 1st of Septelnber a strong wind suddenly
arisinr, brougllt the loose pack, through   wlfich they
had been struggling, down lupon the ships, which were
closely beset.  At timnes, during two or three days,
they sustained severe pressure, and ridgces of ihummocks wxvee thrown up all around; but after tlhat time
the temnperature fallilng  to near zero, it forned  the
wlhole body of ice into one solhi mass.
The remainder of the narrative, as related byv the
Con-mmander of the expedition in his official dispatch,
will not bear abridgment.
"We were so circumstanced that for some days we
could not unship the rudder, and when, by the laborious operation of sawing and removing the hummniocks
from under thie stern, we were able to do so, we fo;und
it twisted and damlaged; and the ship was so miiclh
strailed, as to increase the leakage fiom  tlhree imlleles
in a fortniglht to fourteen inches daily. The ice was
stationary for a few days; the p)ressure had so folded
the li(ghter pieces over each other and they were so
interlaced, as to forin one entire sheet, extendi)m ii'om
shore to shore of Barrow's Strait, andl as tfir to tlhe east
and west  as tlIe eve cotuld discerni froil tile nlast-ltead,
lwhile tile extrelme sev:erity of thle temlleratulre h1ad




2S8        PR-tOGIESS or AGCTIC DISCOVETRY.
cemented the whole so firmly together that it appeared
highly improbable that it coulld break up again this
season. Ill the space which had been cleared away
f;,r unshipping the rudder, the newly-formned ice was
fitleen inches thick, and in some places along the ship's
side the thirteen-fbet screws were too short to work.
We had now fully nmade up our minds that the ships
were fixed for the winter, and dismal as the prospect
apipeared, it was far preferable to being carried along'
tile west coast of Baftll's Iay, where the grounded
bergs are in such numlbers upon the shallow banks oft'
tihat slhore, as to render it next to impossible f(r ships
involved in a pack to escape destruction.  It was,
tlherefore, with a mixture of hope and anxiety that, on
the wind shlifting to the westward, we perceived the
whole body of ice begin to drive to the eastward, at the
rate of eigtht to ten mniles daily. Every effort on our
part was totally unavailing, for no human power could
hlave moved either of the ships a single inch; they were
thus completely taklen out of our own hands, and in the
center of a field of ice more than fifty miles in circumnference, were carried along the southern shore of
Lancaster Sound.
"After passing its entrance, the ice drifted in a, more
southerly direction, along the western shore of Baftin's
Bay, until we were abreast of Pond's Bay, to the southward of whlich we observed a great number of icebergs
sttretching   across our path, and presenting  the fearulii
prospect of our worst anticipations.  But when least
expected by us, our release was almost miraculously
brouo'ht about. The great field of ice was rent into
illnullmerable firagments, as if by some unseen po\wer."
By energetic exertion, warpilng, alnd sailing, the ships
got clear of the pack, and reached an open space of
water on the 25th of September.
"It is imlpossible," says Captain Ross, in his con
eluding observations, "to convey anv idea of the sen
sation we experienced when we found ourselves once
mllre at lilberty, wrlile many a grateful heart poured
fobrt;h its r-,,ikes and thanksgrivin gs to Almigihty God(
tf;l thlis l''l,,lI:t l or defliverance."




VOYAGE OF' 1:NTERIPRISE AND INVESTIGATOR.  2S9'" The advance of winter had now closed all the harbors againlst us; and as it was impossible to lenletrate
to the westward throngh thle pack from whlichl we had
just been liberated, I rnade the signal to thle Inlvestigator of 1my intention to return to England."
After a fivoirable passage, the sllips arrived home
early in Novemllber, Captain Sir J. C. RTss reporting
himlself at thle Admlliralty on the 5th of November.
As this is thle last arctic voyage of Sir James C. Ross,
it is a fitting place for some record of his arduous
services.
Captain Sir James Clarke Ross entered the navy in
1812, and served as volunteer of the first class, n:idshipman and mate until 181, with his uncle Colnmander Ross. In 1818 lie was appointed Admliralty
midshipman in the Isabella, on Commander Iloss's first
voyc)ae of discovery to the arctic seas. lIe was then
midshipman in the two following years with Captain
Parry, in the Ilecla; followed him again in the Fury
in his second voyage, and was promoted on the 26th
of December, 1822.  In 1824 and 1825, he was lieutenant in the Fur~y, under Captain Iloppcer, on  I'arry's
tliirdl voyva'e. hi 1S27,  ie was apl)ointed first lieuten.ant of tlhe ileehl:, lld er Parr1y, land accomlpanied himl
in command,  ft thle seCOlCond boat in his atteltll)t to reach
tlhe:Nortlh Pole.  On his return lie received }his promlotionI to th1e ralnk of co-inmmiander, the 8th of Novelmber,
1827. From 1S29 to 1833, lie was employed with his
uncle as second in command in the Victory on the private expedition sent out by M}r. Felix Booth.  Dliiinig
tlhis period he planted, on the 1st of June, 1S31, the
British flag on the North  nagnetic Pole.  For this, on
his return, lie was presented by the HIerald's College
with an addition to his family arms of an especial crest,
representing a flag-staff elect on a rock, with the union
jack hoisted thereon, inscril)ed with the date, " 1 June,
1831."  On the 23'1 of October, 1834, he was promoted
to the rank of Claptain, and in the following year emphloyed in nmalkingi m'agnetic observations, preparatory
to the general iag'netic survey of Entgland.  In the
zn     I~~V   V     n




290        PROGRESS OF ARtCTIC DISCOVERY.
close of 1836, it having been represented to the Admiralty, from null, that eleven whale ships, having on
board 600 men, were left in the ice in LDavis' Strait,
and in immninent danger of perishing, unless relief were
forwarded to them, the Lords Commissioners resolved
upon sending out a ship to search for them. Captain
Ross, withl that promptitude and humnanity which has
always characterized him, volunteered to go out in the
depth of winter, and the Lieutenants, F. R. iM. Crozier,
Inman, and O:lmmaney, with the three mates, Jesse,
Buchan, and John Smiith, and MIr. HMallett, clerk in
charge, joined him. They sailed firom England on the
21st of December, and on arriving in Davis' Strait, aft<tr
a stormy passage, found that nine of the missing ships
were by that time in England, that the tenthl  was released on her passage, and that the other was in,all
probability lost, as some of her water-casks had  )een
picked up at sea.  From 1837 to 1838, Captain Rtss
was employed in determining the variation of the colllpass on all parts of the coast of Great Britainl; and
fiom 1839 to 1843, as Captain of the Erebus, in coinmand of the antarctic expedition.  In 1841, he was
presented with the founder's medal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, for his discoveries toward
the South Pole; and he has also received the g'old
medal of the Geog'aphlical Society of Paris.  On the
13th of lIMarch, 1844, he received the ihonor of knilghthloodl fiom the Queen, and in June of the same year
the University of Oxford bestowed on him tlleirl honorary degree of D. C. L. In 181S, hle went out, as Vwe
have just seen, in the Enterprise, in Command of onle
of the searching expeditions sent to seek for Franklin.
VOYAGE OF IH. 13i. S. "NORTH STAR."
The North Star, of 500 tons, was fitted out in the
spring of 1849, under tthe command of Mr. J. Saunllers,
who had been acting master with Captain Back, in tlhe
Terror, in her perilous voyage to the Frozen Strait, in
1836.




VOYAGE OF THIE -INOI Tll STAR.      291
The following, are the officers of the ships:Mlaster Commanding  - J. Saunders.
Second Masters —John Way, Al. iNorman, H. B.
GaNwler.
Acting Ice-masters - J. Leach, and G. Sabestor.
Assistant Surgeon - James Rlae, M. ID.
Clerk in Charge - Jasper Rutter.
The North Star sailed friom the river Thames, on tlle
26th of \Ilay, 1849, freighted with provisions for the
missing expedition, and with- orders and supplies for
the Enterprise and Investigator.
The following is one of the early dispatches from the
colmander:
"To the Secretary of the Admhiralty.
". S. No[.. lth Star", July 19, 1849,
iactt740 3' X., 0long. 59~ 40' TV.'Sir,- I addressed a letter to their Lordships on the
18th ult., wllen in lat. 73~ 30' N., and long. 5 6~53'  W.,
detailing the particulars of my proceedings up to that
date,  hllich letter was sent by a boat firom the Lady
Jane, whaler, which vessel was wrecked, and those boats
were proceeding to the Danish settlements. Since then,
I regret to state, our progress has been almost entirely
stopped, owing to thle ice being so placed across  Ielville Bay as to render it perfeectly impassable.
" On the 6th inst., finding it impossible to make any
progress, I deemed it advisable to run as far S. as 72~0,
examining the pack as we went along. At 72~ 22' the
pack appeared slacker, and we entered it, and, after
proceeding about twelve miles, found ourselves completely stopped by large floes of ice. We accordingly
put back, and steered again for the northward.
"IHaving this day reached the latitude of 740 3' N.,
and long. 590 40' W., the ice appeared more open, and
we stood in toward the land, when we observed two
boats approaching, and whlich afterward, on coming
alongside, were found to belong to the Prince of Wales,
whaler, which vessel was nipped by the ice on the 12th
inst., in  Melville Bay.




292        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
" By the captain of the Prince of Wales I forward
this letter to their Lordships, he intending to proceed
in his boats to the Danish settlements.
"I have the honor to be, &c.
" J. SAUNDERS, MIaster and Commander.
" P. S.- Crew all well on board."
On the 29th of July, having reached the vicinity of
the Devil's Thumb and Melville Bay, in the northerly
part of Baffin's Bay, she was beset in an ice-field, with
which she drifted helplessly about as the tide or wind
impelled her, until the 16th of August, when, a slight
opening in the ice appearing, an effort was made to
heave through into clear water. This proved labor in
vain, and no further move was made until the 21st of
September, except as she drifted in the ice floe in which
she was fixed. On the day last named she was driving
before a hard gale from the S. S. W., directly down upon
an enormous iceberg in Melville Sound, upon which if
she had struck in the then prevailing weather, her total
destruction would have been inevitable. Providentially a corner of the ice-field in which she was being
carried furiously along came into violent collision with
the berg, a large section was carried away, and she
escaped. On the 29th of September, 1849, having been
sixty-two days in the ice, she took up her winter quarters in North Star Bay, so called after herself; a small
bay in Wolstenholme Sound, lying in 76~ 33' north latitude, and 680 56' west longitude; the farthest point to
the north at which a British ship ever wintered. The
ship was fixed about half a mile from the shore, and
made snug for the winter, sails were unbent, the masts
struck, and the ship housed over and made as warm
and comfortable as circumstances would permit. The
ice soon after took across the Sound, so that the crew
could have walked on shore. The cold was intense;
but two or three stoves warmed the ship, and the crews
were cheered up and encouraged with all sorts of games
and amusements, occasionally visiting the shore for the
purpose of skylarking. There was, unfortunately, but
little game to shoot. Former accounts gave this place




VOYAGE1 OF TlE NORT'l  STAR2. 293
a high character for deer and other animals; but the
crew of the North Star never saw a single head of deer,
and other animals were scarce; about fifty hares were
killed. Foxes were numerous, and a number shot, but
none taken alive. A few Esquimnaux families occasionally visited the ship, and one poor man was brought on
board with his feet so fiozen that they dropped. Iie
was placed under the care of the assistant-surgeon, Dr.
IRae, who paid him much attention, and his legs were
nearly cured; but he died from a pulmonary disorder
after having been on board some six weeks. The North
Star was not able to leave this retreat until the 1st of
August, 1850, and got into clear water on the third of
that month.  On the 21st of August, she spoke the
Lady Franklin, Captain Penny, and her consort the
Sophia, and the following day the Felix, Sir John Ross,
in Lancaster Sound. Captain Penny reported that he
had left Captain Austin all well on the 17th of August.
On the 23d of August, the North Star began landing
the provisions she had carried out in Navy Board Inlet; 730 44/ N. latitude, 800 56' W. longitude.  She
remained five days there, and was occupied four and a
half in landing the stores, which were deposited in a
ravine a short distance from the beach of Supply Bay,
the bight in Navy Board Inlet, which the commander
of the North Star so named. The position of the stores
was indicated by a flag-staff, with a black ball, and a
letter placed beneath a cairn of stones. They had previously tried to deposit the stores at Port Bowen, and
Port Neale, but were prevented approaching them by
the ice. On the 30th of August, the North Star saw
and spoke the schooner Prince Albert, Commander
Forsyth, in Possession Bay. On the 31st, a boat was
sent to the Prince Albert, when Commander Forsyth
came -on board and reported that he had also been to
Port Neale, but had not been able to enter for the ice,
and had found one of the American ships sent out to
search for Sir John Franklin ashore in Barrow's Strait,
that he had tendered assistance, which had been declined by the American commander, as, his ship being
13*k




294:       PROGRESS OlF A~RCTIC DISCOVERY.
uninjured, lhe believed his own crew competent to get
her offi  Commlander Forsyth reported that Captain
Austin had proceeded to Pond's Bay in the Intrepid,
tender to the Assistance, to land letters. The North
Star went on to Pond's Bay, but could not find any indication of Captain Austin's having been there. It is
conjectured that lie had passed the appointed spot in a
fog. The North Star's people suffered much fiom the
intense cold, but only lost five hands during her perilous trip and arctic winter quarters.  She left there on
September 9th, and reached Spithead on the 2Sth of
September, 1850. Since his return iMr. Saunders has
been appointed AMaster Attendant of the Dock-yard at
Malta. Thle Admiralty have received dispatches from
Captain Sir J. Ross, Captain Penny, and Captain Ommaney.  Captain Ommaney, in the Assistance, dating
fiolm off Lancaster Sound, latitude 750 46' N., longitude 750 49' W., states that some Esquimaux had described to him a ship being hauled in during the last
winter, and, on going to the spot, lie found, fiom some
papers left, that it was the North Star. lIe was proceeding to search in Lancaster Sound. Captain Penny,
of the Lady Franklin, writing from Lancaster Sound,
August 21, states, that having heard on the 18th fiom
Captain Austin of a report fiom the Esquimaux, that
Sir John Franklin's ships had been lost forty miles
north, and tile crews murdered, lie went with an interpreter, but could find no evidence for thle rumor, and
came to the conclusion that the whole story had been
founded on the North Star's wintering there. HIe considered'that his interpreter, MZ. Petersen, had done much
good by exposing the fallacy of the story of Sir J
Ross's Esquimaux.
tIER _MAJESTY'S SnIPs " ENTERPRISE" AND " INVESTIGA
TOR" UNDER CAPTAIN COLLINSON.
THE Enterprise and Investigator were fitted out agair
imlnediately on their return home, and placed undcle
the charge of Captain B. Collinson, C. B., with the fol




t~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ B Xam
THE ADVANCE IN DAVIS! STRAITS, JUNE 5, 1851. PAGE 378.








SECO'ND TRIP OF ENTERPRISE AND INVESTIGATOR. 295
I. wing officers attached, to proceed to Behring's Strait,
to resume the search in that direction:Enterprise, 340 tons.
Captain - R. Collinson.
Lieutenants — G. A. Phayre,* J. J. Barnard,* and
C. T. Jago.
Master —R. T. G. Legg.
Second Master -Francis Skead.
Mate - M. T. Parks.
Surgeon - Robert Anderson.*
Assistant-Surgeon — Edward Adams.*
Clerk in Charge - Edward Whitehead.*
Total complement, 66.
Investigator.
Commander- R. J. M'Clure.*
Lieutenants- W. H. Haswell and S. G. Cresswell.*
Mates - H. H. Saintsbury and R. J. Wyniatt.
Second Master - Stephen Court.*
Surgeon - Alexander Armstrong, M. D,
Assistant-Surgeon- IHy. Piers.
Clerk in Charge - Joseph C. Paine.
Total complement, 66.
Those officers marked with a star had been with the
ships in their last voyage.
These vessels sailed from Plymouth on the 20th of
January, 1850. A Mr. Miertsching, a Moravian missionary, was appointed to the Enterprise, as interpreter.
This gentleman is in the prime of life, of robust health,
inured, by a service of five years in Labrador, to the
hardships and privations of the arctic regions, and sufficiently acquainted with the language and manners of
the Esquimaux to be able to hold friendly and unreserved intercourse with them.
The Investigator and the Enterprise were at the
Sandwich Islands on June 29th. Captain Collinson
purposed sailing in a few days, and expected to reach
the ice about the 8th of July.  Prior to his arrival,




296        PRcOGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
numelous whalers had started for the Strait, one in particular, under the command of a Captain loys, with
the expressed intention of endeavoring to earn the
Franklin reward.
These vessels are intended to penetrate, if possible, to
the western extremity of Atelville Island, there to winter,
and make further search, in the spring of 1851, for the
crews of the lost ships.
In a letter from Captain Collinson to Commander McClure, dated Oahu, June 29th, 1850, with a sight of
which I have been f:avored at the Admiralty, lie thus
describes his intentionls-"I intend mlaking the pack
close to the American shore, and availing myself of the
first favorable opening west of the coast stream; pressing
forward toward ~Melville Island. In the event of meeting land, it is most probable that I would pursue the
southern shore."
The latest letter received from Commander ~IMcClure
is dated Kotzebue Sound, July 27th, 1850, and the
following is an extract:"You will be glad to learn that to this we have been
highly favored, carrying a fair wind from Whoa, wTlich
place we left on the 4th. We passed the Aleutian
Islands on the 20th, in 1720 30' W., and got fairly
through the Straits to-day, and we consider we a-ie upon
our ground; the only detriment has been very dense
fogs, which have rendered the navigation of the islands
exceedingly nervous work; but as the object to be
achieved is of so important a nature, all hazards must
be run to carry out the intentions of those at home,
which have very fortunately terminated without accident. We are now makingr the most of our wind, and
we hope to meet an American whaler, of which I believe there are a great number fishing this season, and
to whom we must intrust our last dispatches. Sincerely
do I trust that, ere we return, sometidings of poor Sir
John and his noble companions may reward our' search;
which will render the long-sought for passage, should
it be our fortune to make it, one of the most memorable
in the annals of our times, and relieve malny an anxious
-breast "




SECOND TIRIP OF ENTERPRISE AND INVESTIGATOIR. 297
Dispatches have been received at the Admiralty friont
Captain Kellet; C. B3., of her ]Majesty's ship Ilerald,
dated at sea, the 14th of October, 1850, on his return
from Behring's Strait. Tile Herald had communicated
with her'Majesty's ship Plover, on the 10th of July, at
Chamisso Island, where the Plover had passed the preceding winter. The two ships proceeded to the northward until they sighted the pack-ice, when the Herald
returned to Cape Lisburne, in quest of Captain Collinson's expedition, and on the 31st fell in with her IMajesty's ship Investigator, which had made a surprisingly
short passage of twenty-six days from  the Sandwich
islands. The Herald remained cruising off Cape Lisburne, and again fell in with the Plover on the 13th of
August, on her return from Point Barrow, Commander
lMoore having coasted in his boats, and minutely examined the several inlets as far as that point from Icy Cape
without gaining any intelligence of the missing expedition. Commander MlIoore and his boat's crew had suffered severely from exposure to cold. Captain Kellet,
having fully victualed the Plover, ordered her to winter
in Grantley Harbor (her former anchorage at Chamisso
Island not being considered safe,) and ten ilreturned to
the southward on his way to England
Dispatches have also been received from Captain Collinson, C. B., of her Majesty's ship Enterprise, and
Commander M'Clure, of her nMajesty's ship Investigator
of which the following are copies:"iHer icajesty's Ship' Enterprise.'
"Port Clarence, Sept. 13, 1850.
"Sir, —I have the honor to transmit an account of
the proceedings of her Majesty's ship under my command since leaving Oahu on the 30th of June.
"Being delayed by light winds, we only reached the
western end of the Aleutian Chain by the 29th of July,
and made the Island of St. Lawrence on the 11th of
August, from whence I shaped a course for Cape Lisburne, in anticipation of falling in with the Herald or




29 8      PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
the Plover. Not, however, seeing either of these vessels, and finding nothing deposited on shore, I went on
to Wainwright Inlet, the last rendezvous appointed.
Here we communicated, on the 15th, and being alike
unsuccessful in obtaining any information, I stood to
the north, made the ice following morning, and reached
the latitude 72~ 40' N. in the meridian of 159~ 30' W.,
without serious obstruction. Here, however, the pack
became so close that it was impossible to make way in
any direction except to the southward. Having extricated ourselves by noon on the 19th, we continued to
coast along the edge of the main body, which took a
southeasterly trend, running through the loose streams,
so as not to lose sight of tight pack. At 4 A. m. on the
20th we were in the meridian of Point Barrow, and
twenty-eight miles to the north of it, when we found
open water to the N. E., in which we sailed, without
losing sight of the ice to the north until the morning
of the 21st, when we were obstructed by a heavy barrier trending to the southwest. A thick fog coming on,
we made a board to the north, in order to feel the pack
edge in the upper part of the bight, and not to leave
any part unex-plored. Having satisfied myself that no
opening existecd al this direction, we bore away to the
south, running through heavy floes closely packed, and
pushing to the eastward when an opportunity offered.
In this, however, we were unsuccessful, being compelled to pursue a westerly course, the floes being very
heavy and hummocky. By 8 P. Ai. we were within
thirty miles of the land, and having clear weather,
could see the ice closely packed to the south that left
no doubt in my mind that a stop was put to our proceeding in this direction, by the ice butting so close on
the shoal coast as to leave no chance that our progress
along it would justify the attempt to reach Cape Bathurst, a distance of 570 miles, during the remaining
portion of this season; and finding this opinion was
coincided in by those officers on board qualified to
form an opinion on the subject, I determined to lose
no time in communicating with Point Barrow, but to




SECOND TRIP OF ENTERPRISE AND INVESTIGATOR. 299
attempt the passage further north, in hopes that the
lane of water seen last year by the Herald and Plover
would afford me an opening to the eastward. I therefore reluctantly proceeded again to the west, and turning the pack edge fifteen miles further to the south
than it was on the day after we left Wainwright Inlet,
we followed the edge of a loose pack greatly broken
up, until we reached 163~ W. long., when it took a
sudden turn to the north, in which direction we followed it until the morning of the 27th, when we were
in latitude 73~ 20', and found the pack to the westward
trending southerly. I therefore plied to the eastward,
endeavoring to make way, but such was its close condition that we could not work, although we might have
warped through, had the condition of the ice in that
direction afforded us any hope; but this, I am sorry to
say, was not the case, and, on the contrary, the further
we entered, the larger the floes became, leaving us, in
thick weather, often in great difficulty where to find a
lane. On the 29th the thermometer having fallen to
28~, and there being no prospect of our being able to
accomplish any thing toward the fulfillment of their
Lordships' instructions this season, I bore away fr
Point Hope, where I arrived on the 31st, and found a
bottle deposited by the Herald, which informed me
that it was intended to place the Plover in Grantley
Harbor this season. I accordingly proceeded thither,
with the view of taking her place for the winter, and
enabling Commander 3Moore to recruit his ship's coinpany by going to the southward. On my arrival I
found her inside, preparing her winter quarters, and
having examined and buoyed the bar, I attempted to
take this vessel inside, but failed in doing so, owing
to the change of wind from south to north having reduced the depth of water four feet, and had to relieve
the ship of 100 tons, which was quickly done by the
opportune arrival of the Herald, before she was released from a very critical position. The tides being
irregular, the rise and fall depending principally on
the wind, and that wind which occasions the highest




300        PRlOGRlESS OF ARICTIC DICOVIIEY.
water producing a swell on the bar, it became a question whether a considerable portion of the ensuing
season might not be lost in getting the ship out of
Grantley llarbor; and on consulting Captains Kellet
and Moore, finding it to be their opinion, founded on
the experience of two years, that the whalers conming
fiom the south pass through thle Strait early in June,
whereas the harbors are blocked until the middle of
July, I hlave come to the conclusionl that I shall better
pelrforin the imrpolrtant duty confided in me by returningl to the south, and replenish}ing my provisions, instead of wintering on the Asiatic Shore, where there
is not a prospect of our being of the slightest use to
the inissing expedition. It is therefore my intention
to proceed to Hong Kong, it being nearer than Valparaiso, and the cold season havingo set in, my stores and
provisions will not be exposed to the heat of a double
passagre through the tropics; and as I shall not leave
until the 1st of April, I may receive any further instructions their Lordships may please to communicate.
"The Plover has been stored and provisioned, and
such of her crew as are not in a fit state to contend
witit the rigor of a further stay in these latitudes have
been removed, and replaced by Captain Kellet, and the
parfagraphs referring to her in my instructions fulfilled.
"I have directed Commnander Moore to conimmunicate annually with an Island in St. Lawrence Bay, in
laritlde 65~ 3S' N., and lon(itude 1700 43' W., which
is mIuch resorted to by thle whalers, and. where any
comlnunication their Lordships may be plleased to send
may be deposited bly themn, as they are not in the
habit of cruisiner on this side of the Strait; and I have
requested Captain kIcilet to forward to the Admiralty
all the information on this head he may obtain at the
Sandwich Islands.
"It is my intention to proceed again to the north,
and remnain in the most eli(ible position fbr affording
assistance to tlme Investigator, which vessel, having
been favored with a surprising passage from the Sandwich Islands, was fallen in with by the Herald on the




SE'COND TRIP OF ENTERPRISE AND INVESTIGATOR. 301
31st of July, off Point IIope, and again on the 5th of
Allgust, by the Plover, in latitude 70~ 44' N., and longitude 159~ 52'W., when she was standing to the north
under a press of sail, and in all probability reached
the vicinity of Point Barrow, fifteen days previous to
the Enterprise, when Captain AI'Clure, having the
whole season before him, and animated with the deterinination so vividly expressed in his letter to Captain Kellett, has most likely taken the inshore route,
and I hope befdore this period reached Cape Bathurst;
but as he will be exposed to the imminent risk of being
forced on a shoal shore and compelled to take to hIis
boats, I shall not forsake the coast to the northward
of Point Hope until the season is so fat advanced as
to insure their having taken up their winter quarters
for this season.
"I have received from my officers and ship's company that assistance and alacrity in the performance
of their duty, which the noble cause in which we are
engaged must excite, and I have the satisfaction to report that (under the blessing of God) owing to the
means their Lordships have supplied in extra clothing
and provisions, we are at present without a man on
the sick list, notwithstanding the lengthened period of
our volyage.
our voyage.  "I have, &c.,
RICHARD COLLINSON, Captain.
"The Secretary of the Admiralty."'SHer 3[fajesty's Discovery-ship'Investigator,' at sea,
latitude 510 26' N., longitude 172~ 85' WV., July 20.
SIR, —As I have received instructions firom Captain
Collinson, C. B., clear and unembarrassing, (a copy of
which I inclose,) to proceed to Cape Lisburne in the
hope of meeting him in that vicinity, as he anticipates
being detained a day or two by the Plover in Kotzebue
Sound, it is unnecessary to add that every exertion shall
be made to reach that rendezvous, but can scarce venture to hope that even under very favorable circum



302        PROGRE88 OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
stances I shall be so fortunate as to accomplish it ere
the Enterprise will have rounded that cape, from her
superior sailing, she hitherto having beaten us by eight
d.ays to Cape Virgins, and from Magellan Strait to Oahu
six. It is, therefore, under the probable case that this
vessel may form a detached part of the expedition that
I feel it my duty to state, for the information of the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, the course
which, under such a contingency, I shall endeavor to
pursue, and have to request that you will lay the same
before their Lordships.
"1. After passing Cape Lisburne, it is my intention
to keep in the open water, which, from the different
reports that I have read, appears about this season of
the year to make between the American coast and the
main pack as far to the northward as the 130th meridian,
unless a favorable opening should earlier appear in tlhe
ice, which would lead me to infer that I might push
more directly for Banks' Land, which I think is of the
utmost importance to thoroughly examine. In the event
of thus fatr succeeding, and the season continuing favorable for further operations, it would be my anxious
desire to get to the northward of IMelville Island, and
resume our search along its shores and the islands adjacent as long as the navigation can be carried on, and
then secure for the winter in the most eligible position
whl-ich offers.
" 2. In the ensuing spring, as soon as it is practicable
for traveling parties to start, I should.lispatch as many
as the state of the crew will admit of in different directions, each being provided with forty days' provisions,
with directions to examine minutely all bays, inlets and
islands toward the northeast, ascending occasionally
some of the highest points of land, so as to be enabled
to obtain extended views, being particularly cautious in
their advance to observe any indication of a break up int
the ice, so that their return to the ship may be effected
without hazard, even before the expenditure of their
provisions would otherwise render it necessary.
"3. Supposing the parties to have returned without




SECOND TRIP OF ENTERPRISE AND INVESTIGATOR. 303
obtaining any clue of the absent ships, and the vessel
liberated about the 1st of August, my object would then
be to push on toward Wellington Inlet, assuming that
that channel communicates with the Polar Sea, and
search both its shores, unless in doing so some indication
should be met with to show that parties from ally of
Captain Austin's vessels had previously done so, when
I should return, and endeavor to penetrate in the direction of Jones' Sound, caretilly examining every place
that was practicable. Should our efforts to reach this
point be successful, and in the route no traces are discernible of the long missing expedition, I should not
then be enabled longer to divest myself of the feelings,
painful as it must be to arrive at such a conclusion, that
all human aid would then be perfectly unavailing; and
therefore, under such a conviction, I would think it my
duty, if possible, to return to England, or at all events
endeavor to reach some port that would insure that object upon the following year.
"4. In the event of this being our last communication, I would request you to assure their lordships that
no apprehensions whatever need be entertained of our
safety until the autumn of 1854, as we have on board
three years of all species of provisions, commencing
from the 1st of September proximo, which, without
much delwivation, may be made to extend over a period
of four years; moreover, whatever is killed by the hunting parties? I intend to issue in lieu of the usual rations,
which will still further protract our resources.
"It gives me great pleasure to say that the good
effects of the fruit and vegetables, (a large quantity of
which we took on board at Oahu,) are very perceptible
in the increased vigor of the men, who at this moment
are in as excellent condition as it is possible to desire,
and evince a spirit of confidence and a cheerfulness of
disposition which are beyond all appreciation.
"5. Should difficulties apparently insurmountable encompass our progress, so as to render it a matter of
doubt whether the vessel could be extricated, I should
deem it expedient in that case not to hazard the lives




304        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
of those intrusted to my charge after the winter of 1852,
but in the ensuing spring quit the vessel with sledges
and boats, and make tihe best of our way either to
Pond's Bay, Leopold Harbor, the Mackenzie, or for
whalers, according to circumstances.
"Finally. In this letter I have endeavored to give an
outline of what I wish to accomplish, (and what, under
moderately favorable seasons, appears to me attainable,)
the carrying out of which, however, not resting upon
human exertions, it is impossible even to surmise if any,
or what, portion may be successful.  But my object in
addressing you is to place their Lordships in possession
of my intentions up to the latest period, so far as possible, to relieve their minds from any unnecessary anxiety
as to our fate; and having done this, a duty which is
incumbent from the deep sympathy expressed by their
Lordships, and participated in by all classes of our
countrymen, in the interesting object of this expedition,
I have only to add, that with the ample resources which
a beneficent government and a generous country have
placed at our disposal, (not any thing that can add to
our comfort being wanting,) we enter upon this distinguishedl service with a firm determination to carry out,
as far as in our feeble strength we are plermnitted, their
benevolent intentions.
"I have, &c.,
"IROI>ERT 3I'CLUI>E, Commander."
"Her' 2lL>je.~ty's l)j9' fnetrprise,''"Oakc0 u, Jane 29, 1850.
" MEMORANI)TT.-As soon as Her Mlajesty's ship under
your command is fiullv complete with provisions, fiuel,
and water, you will make the best of your way to Cape
Lisburne, keeping a good look-out fbr the THerald. or
casks, and firing guns in forggy weather, after passing
Lawrence Bay. The whalers also may afford you information of our progress.
"Shtould you oltain no intelligence, you will understand that I intend to make the pacek close to the Amenri



DISPATCHIES FROM ENTERPRISE AND INVESTIGATOR. 305
can shore, and pursue the first favorable opening west
of the Coast stream, pressing forward toward Melville
Island. In the event of meeting land, it is most probable that I would pursue the southern shore, but conspicuous marks %vill be erected, if practicable, and information buried at a ten-foot radius.
"' As it is necessary to be prepared for the contingency of your not being able to follow by the ice closing in, or the severity of the weather, you will in that
case keep the Investigator as close to the edge. of the
pack as is consistent with her safety, and remain there
until the season compels you to depart, when you will
look into IKotzebue Sound for the Plover, or information regarding her position; and having deposited under her charge a twelve month's provisions, you will
proceed to Valparaiso, replenish, and return to the
Strait, bearing in mind that the months of June and
July are the most favorable.
" A letter firom the hydrographer relative to the variation of the compass is annexed; and you will bear in
mind that the value of these observations will he greatly
enhanced by obtaining the variation with the ship's
head at every second or fourth point round the cornpass occasionally, and she should be swung for deviation in harbor as often as opportunity may offer.
" Should you not find the Plover, or that any casualty
has happened to render her inefficient as a depot, you
will take her place; and if, (as Captain Kellett supposes,) Kotzebue Sound has proved too exposed for a
villiter harbor, you will proceed to Grantlev Iharbor,
leaving a notice to that effect on Chamisso Islanid.
The attention of your officers is to be called, and you.
will read to your ship's company, the remarks of Sir
J. Richardson concerning the communication with the
Esquimaux, contained in the arctic report received at
Plymouth.
"Your operations in the season 1851, cannot be
guided by me, nor is there any occasion to urge you to
proceed to the northeast; vet it will be highly desiralble.',)previous to entering the pack, that you comlpleted




306       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
provisions from whalers, and obtained as much reindeer
meat as possible. Captain Kellett's narrative will point
out where the latter is to be had in most abundance,
and where coal can be picked up on the beach; but
husband the latter article during the winter, by using
all the drift-wood in your power.
"In the event of leaving the Strait this season, you
will take any weak or sickly men out of the Plover,
and replace them from  your crews, affording Commander Moore all the assistance in your power, and
leaving with him Mr. Miertsching, the interpreter; instructions with regard to whose accommodations you
have received, and will convey to the captain of the
Plover.                    " RICHARD COLLINSON.
" To Commander 2' Olure, qf her
Jfacjesty's s/alp' Investigator.'
" Should it be the opinion of Commander Moore that
the services of the Investigator's ship's company in exploring parties during the spring would be attended
with material benefit to the object of the expedition,
he will, notwithstanding these orders, detain you for
that purpose; but care must be taken that your efficiency as a sailing vessel is not crippled by the parties
not returning in time for the opening of the sea.
"R. C."
"Her 7foayesty's discovery ship'Investigator,' July
28, 1850. IKotzezbue Sound, latitude 66~ 54' X.,
ionqtitcade 16C8~ 7E
"Sir,- I have the honor to acquaint you, for the inbormation of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that to this date we have had a most excellent
run. Upon getting clear of Oahu, on the morning of
the 5th, we shaped a course direct for the Aleutian
group, passing them in 172~ 40' W., upon the evening
of the 20th; continued our course with a fine southeasterly breeze, but extremely thick and fob(rggy  weather,
(which retarded the best of our way being lnade.) Got
fairly out of Behring's Strait uponi the evening of the




VOYAGE OF THE PLOVER, ETC.        307
27th, and are now in a fair way of realizing their Lordships' expectations of reaching the ice by the beginning of August, our progress being advanced by the
favorable circumstances of a fine southerly wind and
tolerably clear weather. The latter we have known
nothing of since the 19th, which, I can assure you, rendered the navigation among the islands a subject of
much and deep anxiety, seldom having a horizon above
480 yards, that just enabled the dark outline of the land
to be observed and avoided.
" It is with much satisfaction that I report the good
qualities of this vessel, having well tried her in the
heavy gales experienced during five weeks off Cape
Horn, and in moderate weather among the intricate
navigation of these islands, where so much depended
upon her quick obedience to the helm, although ladet
with every species of stores and provisions for upward
of three years. From these circumstances I am, therefore, fully satisfied she is as thoroughly adapted for this
service as could be reasonably wished.
"I have not seen any thing of the Enterprise, nor is
it my intention to lose a moment by waiting off Cape
Lisburne, but shall use my best endeavors to carry out
the intentions contained in my letter of the 20th, of
which I earnestly trust their Lordships will approve.
" I am happy to be able to state that the whole crew
are in excellent health and spirits, and every thing as
satisfactory as it is possible to desire.
"I have, &c.,
"ROBERT M'CLURE, Commander.
"' The Secretary of the Admiralty."
VOYAGE OF I. M. S. " PLOvER," AND BOAT EXPEDITIONS
UNDER COMMANDER PULLEN, 1848-51.
In the copy of the instructions issued from the Admiralty to Lieutenant, (now Commander,) Moore, of
the Plover, dated 3d of January, 1848, he was directed
to nmake the best of his way to Petropaiulowski, touching at Panama, where she was to be joined by H. M.
14




30S        PROGRIESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
S. IIeral(, and afterward both vessels were to proceed
to Behlring's Strait, \where they wvere expected to arrive
about the 1st of July, and then push along the Amnerican coast, as tar as possible, consistent with the certainty of preventing the ships being beset by the ice.
Thle Plover was then to be secured for the winter in
somle safe and convenient port friom whence boat parties nliglht be dispatched, and the I-erald was to return
and transmit, vict Panama, any intelligence necessary
to England.  Great caution was ordered to be observed
in communicating with the natives in the neiglhborlood
of Kotzebue Sound, should that quarter be visited, as
the people in that part of the country differ in character fromn the ordinary Esquimaux, in being comnparatively a fierce, agile, and suspicious race, well armed
with knives, &e., for offense, and prone to attack.
They were also ordered to tale interpreters or guides
fiom a small factory of the Russian-American Company
in Norton Sound.
The Plover was safely ensconced for the winter of
1849-50 in Kotzebue Sound, after the termination of a
hard season's work.  She had, co(njointly with the I-eraid, discovered to the north of Bielring's Strait, two
islands, and several apparently disconnected patches
of very elevated fground.  Lieut. Pullen had previously
qulitted her off WXTainwright Inlet, with four boats, fbr
the purpose of prosecuting his ad yenturonus voyage
along the coast to the mouth of the Mackenzie River,
nxlere lie arrived satblv on the 2(th of Aug-ust' after a
perilous navigation of thirty-two (lays; but had obtfined
no clue, or intellirenee re'arling the prime oep ject of his
expedition.  At a later date he encountered at Fort
Simpson, hligller up the river, Dr. RLae, and gathlered
from that genltleman that the party led by him down
thIe Coppermine, with the view of crossing over to Vic
toria or Wollaston Land, had, owing to the unusual
difficulties created by the more than customary rigor of
the season, met with entire fitilure; the farthest point
attained being Cape Krtisenstern.
Lieut. Pullen is occupied during the present year in




VOYAGE OF TIJE PLOVERI ETC.       309
a journey fi1om the mouth of the M[ackenzie eastward,
along tile arctic coast, as fair as Cape Bathurst, and this
being successftully accomplished, he purposes attempting to cross the intervening space to Banks' Land. lie
is fiurnished with two boats, both open.
Lieat. NW. II. Hlooper, one of the party, in a recent
letter to his father in London, writing from Great Slave
Lake, under date June 27, 1850, gives some further details of their proceedings. HIaving had considerable
trouble and a slight skirmish with some parties of Esquimaux, they were obliged to be continually on the
watch. At the end of August, the party entered the
IIMackenzie River, and in a few days reached one of the
hudson's Bay Company's posts on the Peel River, a
branch of the MIackenzie, where Commander Pullen
left Lieut. Iooper and half the party to winter, while
he proceeded farther up the river to a more important
post at Fort Simpson. After remaining at Peel's River
station about a fortnight, MIr. Hooper found that his
party could not be maintained throughout the winter
there, and in consequence determined on following
Capt. Pullen, but was only able to reach Fort Norman,
one of his party being fiost-bitten on the journey.
They thence made their w:ly across to Great Bear Lake,
where they passed the winter, subsisting on fish and
water. Dr. Rae arrived there as soon as the ice broke
up, and the party proceeded with him to Fort Simpson.
On the 20th of' June, Commander Puilen and all his
party left with the company's servants, and the stock of
furs, on their way to the sea, to embark for England,
when they were met, on the 25th, by a canoe with Admiralty dispatches, which caused them to retrace their
steps; and they are now on their route by the Great
Slave Lake to Fort Simpson, and down the Mlackenzie
once more, to the Polar Sea, in search of Sir John
Franklin.
"However grieving," Lient. Iiooper adds, "it is to
be disappointed of returning home, yet I am nevertheless delighted to go again, and think that we do not
hopelessly undertake another search, since our intended




310        PROGRIESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
direction is considered the most probable channel for
finding the missing ships or crews. WVe go down the
MIackenzie, along the coast eastward to Point Bathurst,
and thence strike across to Wollaston or Banks' Land.
The season will, of course, much influence our proceedings; but we shall probably return up the hitherto
unexplored river which runs into the Arctic Ocean
firoi  Liverpool Bay, between the Coppermine and
Mackenzie."
The latest official dispatch from Commander Pullen
is dated Great Slave Lake, June 28th. HIe had been
stopped by the ice, and intended returning to Fort
Simpson on the 29th. One of his boats was so battered
about as to be perfectly useless; he intended patching
up the other, and was also to receive a new boat belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, from Fort
Simpson. Ite had dismissed two of his party, as they
were both suffering from bad health, but proposed engaging, at Fort Good I-lope, two Hare Indians as hunters and guides, one of whom had accompanied Mlessrs.
Dease and Simpson on their trips of discovery in 1838
and 1839. This would augment the party to seventeen
persons in all.
"lIMy present intentions," he says, "are to proceed
down the Mackenzie, along the coast, to Cape Bathurst,
and then strike across for Banks' Land; my operations
nmust then, of course be guided by circumstances, but I
shall strenuously endeavor to search along all coasts in
that direction as far and as late as I can with safety
venture; returning, if possible, by the Mackenzie, or
by the Beghoola, whllich the Indians speak of as being
navigable, as its head waters are, (according to Sir John
Richardson,) only a nine-days' passage from Fort Good
Hope; to meet which, or a similar contingency, I take
snow shoes and sledges, &c.
" In conclusion, I beg to assure their Lordships of
my earnest determination to carry out their views to
the utmost of my ability, being confident, from the
eagerness of the party, that no pains will be spared, no
necessary labor avoided, and, by God's blessing, we




VOYAGE OF TIIE PLOVERlt ETC.       311
hope to be successful in discovering some tidings of our
gallant countrymen, or even in restoring them to their
native land and anxious relatives."
MIr. Chief Factor Rtae was about to follow Commander Pullen and his party from Portage La Loche.
Dr. Richardson observes that " Commander Pullen
will require to be fully victualed for at least 120 days
from the 20th of July, when he may be expected to
commence his sea voyage; which, for sixteen men, will
require forty-five bags of pemmican of 90 lbs. each.
This is exclusive of a further supply which he ought to
take for the relief of any of Franklin's people he may
have the good fortune to find.  After he leaves the
main-land at Cape Bathurst, he would have no chance
of killing deer till he makes Banks' Land, or some intervening island; and he must provide for the chance
of being caught on the floe ice, and having to make his
way across by the very tedious portages, as fully described by Sir W. E. Parry in the narative of his most
adventurous boat voyage north of Spitzbergen.
" Mr. Rae can give Commander Pullen the filllest
information respecting the depots of pemmican made
on the coast.
"With respect to Commander Pullen's return from
sea, his safest plan will be to make for the Mackenzie;
b)ut should circumstances place that out of his power,
the only other course that seems to me to be practicable
is for him to ascend a large river which falls into the
bottomn of Liverpool Bay, to the westward of Cape Bathurst. This river, which is named the Begloola Dessy
by the Indians, runs parallel to the Mackenzie, and in
the latitude of Fort Good Hope, (66~ 30' N.,) is not
above five or six days' journey fiom that post. IHare
Indians, belonging to Fort Good I-Hope, might be engaged to hunt on the banks of the river till the arrival
of the party. The navigation of the river is unknown;
but even should Commander Pullen be compelled to
quit his boats, his Indian hunters, (of which he should
at least engage two for his sea voyage,) will support
and guide his party. Wood and animals are most certainly fi)und oi the b1anks of rive-rs.




312        PROGRE ISS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
"It is not likely that under any circumstances Commander Pullen should desire to reach the Macklenzie
by way of the Coppermiine River, and this could be
effected only by a boat being placed at Dease River,
for the transport of the party over Great Bear Lake.
This would require to be arranged previously with
IMr. IRae; and Conmmander Pullen should not be
later in arriving at Fort Confidence than the end of
September."
VOYAGE OF THE "LADY FRANKLIN" AND " SOPHIA,"
GOVERNMENT VESSELS, UNDER THE COMMAND) OF AIR.
PEN'NY, 1850-51.
A vessel of 230 tons, named the Lady Franklin, fitted out at Aberdeen, with a new brig as a tender, built
at Dundee, and named the Sophia, in honor of AMiss
S. Cracroft, the beloved and attacled niece of Lady
Franklin, and one of the most anxious watchers for
tidings of the long missing adventurers, were purchased
by the government last year.
The charge of this expedition was intrusted to Captain Penny, formerly commanding the Advice whaler,
and who has had much experience in the icy seas, having been engaged twenty-eight years, since the age of
twelve, in the whaling trade, and in command of vessels for fourteen years; M1r. Stewart was placed in
charge of the Sophia.
The crew of the Lady Franklin number twenty-five,
and that of the Sophia, twenty, all picked men.
These ships sailed on the 12th of April, 1850, provisioned and stored for three years. They were provided with a printing press, and every appliance to
relieve the tedium of a long sojourn in the icy regions.
In the instructions issued by the Admiralty, it is
stated that in accepting Captain Parry's offer of service,
regard has been had to his long experience in arctic
navigation, and to the great attention he has paid to
the subject of the missing ships.
He was left in a great measure to the exercise of his




YOYAGE OF TIHE tRESOLUTE AND ASSISTANCE, ETC. 313
w.-wn judg-ment and discretion, in combining the most
active and energetic searchll after the Erebus and Terror,
with a strict and careftil reg-ard to the safety of the
shilps and thleir crews under his charge.  lie was directed to examine Jones' Sound at tlhe head of B1afuin's
Bay, and if' possible, penetrate throurcgh to the Parry
Islands; faeiling in this, lie was to try WVellington Strait,
and endeavor to reach MIelville Island. I-:e was to use
his utInost endeavors, (consistent with the safety of thle
lives of those intrusted to his cormand,) to succor, in
the summer of 1850, the party under Sir John Franklin, taking care to secure his winter-quarters in good
time; and 2dly, the same active measures were to be
used in the summer of 1851, to secure the return of the
ships under hlis charge to thlis country.
Thle Lady Franklin was off Cape York, in 13affin's
Bay, on tle 13th of August.  From  thence she proceeledl, in company with -I. _M. S. Assistance, to Wolstenllolnme Sound.  She afterward, in accordance with
lher instructions, crossed over to the "west with the intention of examining Jones' Sound, but owing to the
accumulation of ice, was unable to approach it within
twenty-five miles.  This was at midnight on the 18th.
She, therefore, continued  hler voyage to Lancaster
Sound, and onward to Wellington Channel, where she
was seen by Commander Forsyth, of the Prince Albert,
on the 25th of August, with her tender, and IT. [I. S.
Assistance in company, standing toward Cape Hotham.
VOYAxGE OF tI. MI. SaIPS " RESOLUTE' AND " ASSISTANCE,
WVITH' THE STEAM IFS " PIONEIRl   AND "ITNTPREPIII)D"
AS TENDERS, UNDER COMMI31AND OF CAPTAIN AUSTIN,
1850-51.
Two fine teak-built ships of about 500 tons each, the
Baboo and Ptarmigan, whose names were altered to
the Assistance and Resolute, were purchased by the
government in 1850, and sent to thle naval yards to be
properly fitted for the voyage to the polar regions.
Two screw-propeller steamers, intended to accompany




314       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
these vessels as steam tenders, were also purchased and
similarly fitted; their names were changed from the
Eider and Free Trade to the Pioneer and Intrepid.
The command of this expedition was intrusted to
Captain Horatio T. Austin, C. B., who was first Lieutenant of the Fury, under Commander Hoppner, in
Captain Sir E. Parry's third voyage, in 1824-25. The
vessels were provisioned for three years, and their attention was also directed to the depots of stores lodged
by Sir James Ross at Leopold Island, and at Navy
Board Inlet by the North Star. The ships sailed in
May, 1850. The officers employed in them were as
follows:Resolute.
Captain - Horatio T. Austin, C. B.
Lieutenants - R. D. Aldrich, and W. H. J. Browne.
Mates - R. 13. Pearse, and W. M. MIay.
Purser - J. E. 13roomnan.
Surgeon - A. R. Bradford.
Assistant, ditto - Richard King.
Midshipmen - C. Bullock, J. P. Cheyne.
Second Master - G. F. MI'Dougall.
Total complement, 60 men.
Pioneer, screw steamer.
Lieut.-Commanding - Sherard Osborn.
Second Master - J. H. Allard.
Assistant-Surgeon - F. R. Picthorn.
Assistance.
Captain - E. Ommaney.
Lieutenants- J. E. Elliot, F. L. M'Clintock, and
G. F. Mecham.
Surgeon -- J. J. L. Donnett.
Assistant, ditto -J. Ward, (a.)
Mlfates - R. V. Hamilton, and J. R. Keane.
Clerk in Charge -E. N. Harrison.
Second Master -WV. B. Shellabear.
Midshipman - C. R. ~Markham.
Total complement, 60 men.




VOYAGE OF THE RESOLUTE AND ASSISTANCE, ETC. 315
Intrepid, screw steamer.
Lieut.-Commander -B. Cator.
Each cf the tenders had a crew of 30 men.
Two of the officers appointed to this expedition, Lieutenants Browne and li'Clintock, were in the Enterprise
under Captain Sir James C. Ross in 1848.
The Emma Eugenia transport was dispatched in advance with provisions to the Whale-Fish Islands, to await
the arrival of the expedition.
It having been suggested by some parties that Sir
John Franklin might have effected his passage to 7Melville Island, and been detained there with his ships,
or that the ships might have been damaged by the ice
in the neighboring sea, and that with his crews he had
abandoned them and made his escape to that island,
Captain Austin was specially instructed to use every
exertion to reach this island, detaching a portion of his
ships to search the shores of Wellington Channel and
the coast about Cape Walker, to which point Sir John
Franklin was ordered to proceed.
Advices were first received from the Assistance, after
her departure, elated 5th of July; she was then making
her way to the northward. The season was less favorable for exploring operations than on many previous
years. But little ice had been met with in Davis'
Strait, where it is generally found in large quantities,
so that obstacles of a serious nature may be expected
to the northward. Penny's ships had been in company
with them.
Ice is an insurmountable barrier to rapid progress;
fortifications may be breached, but huge masses of ice,
200 to 600 feet high, are not to be overcome.
On the 2d of July the Assistance was towed beneath
a perpendicular cliff to the northward of Cape Shackleton, rising to the height of 1500 feet, which was observed to be crowded with the foolish guillemots, ( Uria
troile.)  When the ship hooked on to an iceberg for the
night, a party sent on shore for the purpose brought off
260 birds and about twenty dozen of their eggs. These
bilri's only lay one egeg each.




316        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
The following official dispatch has been since received
from Captain Ommaney:"IHer facjesty's ship'Assistance,' off Lancaster Sound,
latitude 750 46' N., longitude 750 49' W., August
17, 1850.
" SIR,- I have the honor to acquaint you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that her nMajesty's ship Assistance, and her tender,
her Majesty's steam-vessel Intrepid, have this day succeeded in effecting a passage across to the west water,
and are now proceeding to Lancaster Sound. Officers
and crews all well, with fine clear weather, and open
water as far as can be seen.
"' Agreeably with instructions received from Captain
II. Austin, we parted company on the 15th instant, at
one A. Al., off Cape Dudley Diggs, as the ice was then
sufficiently open to anticipate no farther obstruction in
effecting the north passage. He was anxious to proceed
to Pond's Bav, and thence take up the examination along
the south shores of Lancaster Sound, leaving me to
ascertain the truth of a report obtained from the Esquimaux at Cape York respecting some ship or ships having been seen near Wolstenholme Island, after which to
proceed to the north shores of Lancaster Sound and
Wellington Channel.
"c On passing Cape York, (the 14th inst.,) natives were
seen. By the directions of Captain Austin I landed,
and communicated with them, when we were informed
that they had seen a ship in that neighborhood in the
spring, and that she was housed in. Upon this intelligence I shipped one of the natives, who volunteered to
join lus as interpreter and guide.
" On parting with Captain Austin we proceeded
toward 5Wolstenholme Island, where I left the ship and
proceeded in her Majesty's steam-vessel Intrepid into
Wolstenholme Sound, and by the guidance of the Esquimaux, succeeded in finding a bay about thirteen miles
further in, and sheltered by a prominent headland. In
the cairns erected here we found a document stating




VOYAGE OF TIIE RESOLUTE AND ASSISTANNCE, ETC. 317
that the North Star had wintered in the bay, a copy
of which I have the honor to transmit to their Lordships.
" Previous to searching the spot where the North Star
wintered, I examined the deserted Esquimaux settlement. At this spot we found evident traces of some
ship having been in the neighborhood, from empty preserved meat canisters and some clothes left near a pool
of water, marked with the name of a corporal belonging
to the North Star.
"H Iaving ascertained this satisfactory information, I
returned to Wolstenholme Island, where a document was
deposited recording our proceedings. At 6 a. Ar., of the
16th inst., I rejoined the ship, and proceeded at two to
the westward, and am happy to inllorm you that the
passage across has been made without obstruction, towing through loose and straggling ice.
"The expedition was beset in Melville Bay, surrounded by heavy and extensive floes of ice, from the
11th of July to the 9th of August, 1850, when, after
great exertion, a release was effected, and we succeeded
in reaching Cape York by continuing along the edge of
the land-ice, after which we have been favored with
plenty of water.
" Captain Penny's expedition was in company during
the most part of the time while in Mielville Bay, and nup
to the 14th inst., when we left him off Cape Dudley
Diggs - all well.
"In crossing Melville Bay we fell in with Sir John
Ross and Captain Forsyth's expeditions. These Capt.
Austin has assisted by towing them toward their destinations. The latter proceeded with him, and the former
has remained with us.
"Having placed Sir John Ross in a fair way of
reaching Lancaster Sound, with a fair wind and open
water, his vessel has been cast off in this position. I
shall, therefore, proceed with all dispatch to the examination of the north shores of Lancaster Sound and
Wellington Channel, according to Captain Austin's
directions.




318         PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
"I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient
humble servant.
" ERASMUS OIMMAEY, Captain."
The Resolute got clear of the Orkneys on the 15th of
May, and arrived with her consort and the two tenders
at the Whale-Fish Islands on the 14th of June.
The Resolute was in Possession Bay on the 17th of
August. From thence her proposed course was along
the coast, northward and westward, to Whaler Point,
situated at the southern extremity of Port Leopold, and
afterward to Melville Island.
In order to amuse themselves and their comrades, the
officers of the Assistance had started a MIS. newspaper,
under the name of the'" Aurora Borealis." - Many of
my readers will have heard of the " Cockpit Herald,"
and such other productions of former days, in his Majesty's fleet. Parry, too, had his journal to beguile the
long hours of the tedious arctic winter.
I have seen copies of this novel specimen of the
"fourth estate," dated Baffin's Bay, June, 1850, in which
there is a happy mixture of grave and gay, prose and
verse; numerous very fair acrostics are published. I
append, by way of curiosity, a couple of extracts:"What insect that Noah had with him, were these
regions named after? -The arc-tic."
" To the; editor of the Aurora Borealis.
"SIR, — Having heard from an arctic voyager that he
has seen'crows'-nests' in those icy regions, I beg to
inquire through your columns, if they are built by the
crows, (Corvus tintinnabuiu,,) which Goodsir states to
utter a metallic bell-like croak? My fast friend begs
me to inquire when rook shooting commences in those
diggings?
" A NATURAIIST.
[" We would recommend to' A Naturalist' a visit to
these'crows'-nests,' which do exist in the arctic regions.
We would also advise his fast friend to investigate
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VOYAGE OF SIR JOHN ROSS IN THE FELIX, ETC. 319
these said nests more thoroughly; he would find thenl
tenanted by very old birds (ice quarter-imasters,) who
would not only inform him as to the species of crows
and the sporting season, but would give them a fair
chance of showing him how a pigeon may be plucked.
- EDITOR."]
VOYAGA OF CAPTAIN SIR JOHN ROSS IN THE " FELIX"
PRIVATE SCHOONER, 1850-51.
IN April, 1850, Captain Sir John Ross having volunteered his services to proceed in the search, was enabled, by the liberality of the Hudson's Bay Company,
who contributed 5001., and public subscription, to leave
England in the Felix schooner, of 120 tons, with a
picked crew, and accompanied by Commander C. Gervans Phillips, R. N. She also had the Mary, Sir John's
own yacht of twelve tons, as a tender. Mr. Abernethy
p)roceeded as ice-master, having accompanied Sir John
in his former voyage to Boothia; and Mr. Sivewright
was mate of the Felix. The vessels sailed from Scotkand on the 23d of May, and reached IIolsteinborg in
June, where Captain Ross succeeded in obtaining a
Danish interpreter who understood the Esquimaux
language; he then proceeded on, calling at the WhaleFish Islands, and passing northway through the Wavgatt Strait, overtook, on the 10th of August, H. MI.
ships Assistance and Resolute, with their tenders the
Intrepid and Pioneer, under the command of Captain
Austin.
On the 13th of August, Captain Ommaney in the
Assistance, and Sir John Ross in the Felix, being
somewhere off Cape York, observed three male Esquimaux on the ice close by, and with these people
it was prudently resolved to communicate. Accordingly, Lieutenant Cator in the Intrepid steamer, tender
to the Assistance, and Commander Phillips in the
whale-boat of the Felix, put off on this service. The
Intrepid's people arrived first, but apparently without
any means of expressing their desires, so that when the




3210       PROGRESS OF AR0CTIC DISCOVERY.
boat of the Felix, containing an Esquimaux interpreter,
joined the party, the natives imm-ediately gave signs
of recognition and satisfaction, came into the boat without the least hesitation, and engaged themselves presently in a lonlg and animated conversation with theii
countryman the interpreter.  Half an hour was devoted to this interchange of inteligence, but with no
immediate result, for the interpreter could only translate his native language into Danish, and as no person
in the boat understood Danish, tihe information remained as inaccessible as before. In this predicament
the boats returned with the intention of confronting the
interpreter-whose christianized name is Adam Leek
- with Sir John Ross himself. As Sir John, however,
was pushing ahead in the Felix toward Cape Dudley
Digogs, and as Adam appeared anxious to disburde'in
himself of his newly acquired information, the boats
dropped on board the Prince Albert, another of the
exploring vessels in the neighborhood, and there put
Adam in communication with the captain's- steward,
J ohn Smith, who; understood a little of the language,"
as Sir John Ross says, or "a good deal,"' as Coimmander Phillips says, and who presently gave such an
account of the intelligence as startled every body on)
board. Its purport was as follows; —That in the winter of 1846, when the snow was falling, two ships were.
crushed by the ice a good way off in the direction of
Cape Dudley Diggs, and afterward burned by a fierce
and numerous tribe of natives; that the ships in question were not whalers, and that epaulettes were worn
by some of the white men; that a part of the crews
were drowned that the remainder were some tinme in
huts or tents apart from the natives, tlhat they had guns,
but no balls, and that being in a weak and exhausted
condition, they were subsequently killed by the natives
with darts or arrows. This was the forn given to the
Esquimaux story by John Smith, captain's steward of
the Prince Albert. Impressed with the importance of
these tidings, Captain Ommaney and Commander
Phillips immediately made their report to Captain




VOYAGE OF SIR JOHN ROSS IN THE FELIX, ETC. 321
Austin in the Resolute, which was then in company
with the Felix near Cape Dudley Diggs. Captain Austin at once decided upon investigating the credibility
of the story, and with this view dispatched a message
to the Lady Franklin, another of the exploring ships,
which lay a few miles off, and which had on board a
regular Danish interpreter. This interpreter duly arrived, but proceeded forthwith to translate the story by
a statement " totally at variance " with the interpretation of " the other," whom, as we are told, he called a
liar and intimidated into silence; though no sooner was
the latter left to himself than he again repeated his
version of the tale, and stoutly maintained its accuracy.
Meantime an additional piece of information became
known, namely, that a certain ship had passed the winter safely housed in Wolstenholhne Sound — a statement soon ascertained by actual investigation to be
perfectly true. The following is an extract of a letter
from
Captain Sir John Ross, Bi. N., to Captain IV. A. B.
Hamilton, R. N., Secretary of the Admiralty.
"' Felix' discovery yacht, off Admiralty Inlet,
" Lancaster Sound, August 22.
"SIR,- I have to acquaint you, for the information
of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that the
Felix discovery yacht, with her tender, the Mary, after
obtaining an Esquimaux interpreter at Holsteinborg,
and calling at Whale-Fish Islands, proceeded northway
through the Waygatt Straits, and overtook her Majesty's discovery ships, under the command of Captain
Austin on the 11th of August; and on the 12th the
senior officer and the second in command having cordially communicated with me on the best mode of
performing the service on which we are mutually embarked, arrangements were made and concluded for a
simultaneous examination of every part of the eastern
side of a northwest passage in which it was probable
that the missing ships could be bound:' documents to




322        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
that effect were exchanged, and subsequently assented
to by Captains Forsyth and Penny.
"Onl the 13th of August natives were discovered on
the ice near to Cape York, with whom it was deemed
advisable to communicate. On this service, Lieutenant
Cator, in the Intreplid, was detached on the part of
Captain Austin, and on. my part Commnander Phillips,
with our Esquimaux interpreter, in the whale-boat of
tile Felix. It was otund by Lieutenant Cator that Captain Penny had left with the natives a note for Captain
Austin, but only relative to the state of the navigation;
however, when Commander Phillips arrived, the Esquimaux, seeing one apparently of their own nation in the
whale-boat, came immediately to himrn, when a long
conversation took place, the purport of which could
not be made known, as the interpreter could not explain himself to any one, either in the Intrepid or the
whale-boat, (as he unlderstands only the Danish besides
his own lanrguage,) until he was brougllt on board the
Prince Albert, where John Sinith, the captain's steward of that vessel, who had been some Sears at the
HIudson's Bay settlement of Churchill, and understands
a little of the language, was able to give some explanation of Adam Beek's information, which was deemed
of such importance that Captains Ommaney, Phillips,
and Forsyth, proceeded in the Intrepid to the Resolute,
when it was decided by Captain Austin to send for the
D:inish Interpreter of the Lady Franklin, which, having bioen unsuccessful in an attempt at getting through
the ice to the westward, was only a few miles distant.
In the mean time it was known that, in addition to tile
first information, a ship. which could only be the North
Star, had wintered in Wolstenholme Sound, called by
the natives Ourinak, and had only left it a month ago.
Thiis proved to be true, but the interpretation of the
Dane was totally at variance with the information given
by the other, who, although for obvious reasons lie did
not dare to contradict the Dane, subsequently maintained the truth of his statement, which induced Captain Austin to dispatch the Intrepid with Captains




VOYAGE OF SIR JOIIN ROSS IN TIIE FELIX, ETC. 323
Ommaney and Phillips, taking with them both our interpreters, Adamn Beek and a young native who had
been persuaded to come as one of the crew of the Assistance, to examine XWolstenholnme Sound. In thI
mean time it had been unanimously decided that no
alteration should be made in our previous arrangement,
it being obvious That while there remained a chance of
saving the lives of those of the missing ships who may
be yet alive, a further search for those who had perished should be postponed, and accordingly the Resolute, Pioneer, and Prince Albert parted company on
the 15th. It is here unnecessary to give the official reports made to me by Commander Phillips, which are
of course transmitted by me to the Secretary of the
Hudson's Bay Comnpany, which, with the information
written in the Esq(juilmaux language by Adam Beek,
will no doubt be sent to you for their Lordships' information; and it will be manifest by these reports that
Commander Phillips has performed his duty with sagacity, circumspection, and address, which do him infinite credit, although it is only such as I must have
expected from so intelligent an officer; and I have
much satisfaction in adding that it has been mainly
owing to his zeal and activity that I was able, under
disadvantaett.Is circumstances, to overtake her 3MIajesty's ships, x, Imle by his scientific acquirements and accuracy in surveying, he has been able to make many
important corrections and valuable additions to the
charts of the much-fiequented eastern side of Baffin's
Bay, which has been more closely observed and navigated by us than by any former expedition, and, much
to my satisfaction, confirming the latitude aud longitude of every headland I had an opportunity of laying
down in the year 1818.
"I have only to add that I have much satisfaction
in co-operating with her Majesty's expedition. With
such support and with such vessels so particularly
adapted for the service, no exertion shall be wanting
on my part. But I cannot conclude this letter without
acknowledging my obligations to Commodore Austin




324       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
and Captain Ommaney for the assistance they have afforded me, and for the cordiality and courtesy with
which I have been treated by these distinguished officers and others of the ships under their orders. Animated as we are with an ardent and sincere desire to
rescue our imperiled countrymen, I confidently trust,hat our united exertions and humble endeavors may,
inder a merciful Providence, be completely successful.
"I am, with truth and regard, Sir, your faithful and.bedient servant,
"JOHN ROSS, Captain, R. N."
By the accounts brought home by Commander Forsyth from Lancaster Sound, to the 25th of August, it
is stated that Sir John Ross, in the Felix, intended to
return to England.
The ice was at that period very heavy, extending all
around from Leopold Island, at the entrance of Regent
Inlet, to Cape Farewell, to the westward, so as to prevent the possibility of any of the vessels pushing on to
Cape Walker. When the Prince Albert was between
Cape Spencer and Cape Innes, in Wellington Channel,
Mr. Snow went at noon to the mast-head, and saw 11I.
M. Ship Assistance as near as possible within Cape
Hotham, under a press of sail. IHer tender, the Intrepid, was not seen, but was believed to be with her.
Captain Penny, with his two ships, the Lady Franklin
and Sophia, was endeavoring to make his way up the
same Channel, but it was feared the ice would ultimately be too strong for him, and that he would have
to return home, leaving Captain Austin's squadron only
to winter in the ice.
The American man-of-war brig Rescue was close beset with the ice near Cape Bowen.
The Pioneer was with the Resolute on the 17th
August.




LADY FRANKLIN'S APPEAL TO AMERICAN NATION. 325
A'[ERICAN SEARCHING EXPEDITION.- UNITED STATES'
sIIPS, "ADVANCE " AND " RESCUE," UNDER THE COGMMAND OF LIEUTENANT DE HAVEN, 1850-51.
IN the spring of 1849, Lady Franklin made a touching and pathetic appeal to the feelings of the American
nation, in the following letter to the President of the
Republic: —
The lady of Sir John Franklinz to the President.
"Bedford-place, 2london, 4th April, 1849.
SIR, — I address myself to you as the head of a
great nation, whose power to help me I cannot doubt,
and in whose disposition to do so I have a confidence
which I trust you will not deem presumptuous.
"The name of my husband, Sir John Franklin, is
probably not unknown to you. It is intimately connected with the northern part of that continent of
which the American republic forms so vast and conspicuous a portion. When I visited the United States
three years ago, among the many proofs I received of
respect and courtesy, there was none lwhich touched
and even surprised me more than the appreciation
everywhere expressed to me of his former services in
geographical discovery, and the interest felt in the enterprise in which he was then known to be engaged."
[Her ladyship here gives the details of the departure
of the expedition, and the measures already taken for
its relief.]
*       X       X       *       *
" I hve entered into these details with the view of
proving that, though the British government has not
forgotten the duty it owes to the brave men whom it
has sent on a perilous service, and has spent a very
large sum in providing the means for their rescue, yet
that, owing to various causes, the means actually in
operation for this purpose are quite inadequate to mneet
the extreme exigence of the case; for, it must he




326        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
remembered, that the missing ships were victualed for
three years only, and that nearly four years have now
elapsed, so that tile survivors of so many winters in thie
ice must be at the last extremity.  And also, it must
be borne in mind, that the channels by which the ships
may have attempted to force a passage to the westward,
or which they rmay have been compelled, by adverse
circumstances, to take, are very numerous and complicated, and that one or two ships cannot possibly, in the
course of the next short summer, explore them all.
" The Board of Admiralty, under a conviction of this
fact, has been induced to offer a reward of 20,0001.
sterling to any ship or ships, of any country, or to any
exploring party whatever, which shall render efficient
assistance to the missing ships, or their crews, or to any
portion of them. This announcement, which, even if
the sum had been doubled or trebled, would have met
with public approbation, comes, however, too late for
our whalers, which had unfortunately sailed before it
was issued, and which, even if the news should overtake them at their fishing-grounds, are totally unfitted
for any prolonged adventure, lhaving only a few months'
provision on board, and no additional clothing. To the
American whalers, both in the Atlantic and Pacific, I
look with more hope, as competitors for the prize, being well aware of their numbers and strength, their
thorough equipment, and the bold spirit of enterprise
which animates their crews. IBut I venture to look
even beyond these. I am not without hope that you
will deem it not unworthy of a great and kindred nation to take up tile cause of humanity which I plead, in
a national spirit, and thus generously make it your own.
"I must here, in gratitude, adduce the example of
the imperial Russian government, which, as I am led
to hope by his Excellency, the Russian embassador in
London, who forwarded a memorial on the subject, will
send out exploring parties this summer, from the Asiatic
side of Behring's Strait, northward, in search of the
lost vessels. It would be a noble spectacle to the
world, if three great nations, possessed of the widest




LADY FRANKLIN'S APPEAL TO AMIERICAN NATION. 327
empires on the face of the globe, were thus to unite
their effiorts in the truly christian work of saving their
perishing fellow-men from destruction.
~ "It is not for me to suggest the mode in which such
benevolent efforts might best be made. I will only say,
however, that if the conceptions of my own mind, to
which I do not venture to give utterance, were realized,
and that in the noble competition which followed, American seamen had the good fortune to wrest from us the
glory, as might be the case, of solving the problem of
the unfound passage,.or the still greater glory of saving
our adventurous navigators fiom a lingering fate which
the mind sickens to dwell on, though I should in either
case regret that it was not my own brave countrymen
in those seas whose devotion was thus rewarded, yet
should I rejoice that it was to America we owed our
restored happiness, and should be forever bound to her
by ties of affectionate gratitude.
"I am not without some misgivings while I thus address you. The intense anxieties of a wife and of a
daughter may have led me to press too earnestly on
your notice the trials under which we are suffering,
(yet not we only, but hundreds of others,) and to presume too much on the sympathy which we are assured
is felt beyond the limits of our own land. Y et, if
you deem this to be the case, you will still find, 1 am
sure, even in that personal intensity of feeling, an
excuse for the fearlessness wi~h which I have throws,
myself on your generosity, and will pardon the how
age I thus pay to your own high character, and to the
of the people over whom you have the distinction t;
preside.           " I have, &c.,
(Signed)           "JANE FRANKLIN."
To which the following reply was received:-.iM. Clayton to lcady Jane Franklin.
"Department of State, Washington,
" 25th April, 1849.
" MADAM, —Your letter to the President of the United
States, dated April 4th, 1849, has been received by




328        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
hlim, and he has instructed me to make to you the following reply:
" The appeal made in the letter with which you have
honored him, is such as would strongly enlist the sympathy of the rulers and the people of any portion of
the civilized world.
" To the citizens of the United States, who share so
largely in the emotions which agitate the public mind
in your own country, the name of Sir John Franklin
has been endeared by his heroic virtues, and the sufferings and sacrifices which he has encountered for the
benefit of mankind. The appeal of his wife and daughter, in their distress, has been borne across the waters,
asking the assistance of a kindred people to save the
brave men who embarked in this unfortunate expedition; and the people of the United States, who have
watched with the deepest interest that hazardous enterprise, will now respond to that appeal, by the expression
of their united wishes that every proper effort may be
made by this government for the rescue of your husband and his companions.
"To accomplish the objects you have in view, the
attention of American navigators, and especially of
our whalers, will be immediately invoked. All the information in the possession of this government, to
enable them to aid in discovering the missing ships,
relieving their crews and restoring them to their fami-lies, shall be spread far and wide among our people;
and all that the executive government of the United
States, in the exercise of its constitutional powers, can
effect, to meet this requisition on American enterprise,
skill and bravery, will be promptly undertaken.
" The hearts of the American people will be deeply
touched by your eloquent address to their Chief Magistrate, and they will join with you in an earnest prayer
to Him whose spirit is on the waters, that your husband
and his companions may yet be restored to their country and their friends.
"I have, &c.,
(Signed)       "JoHN M. CLAYTON."




LADY FRANKLIN'S APPEAL TO AMERICAN NATION. 329
A second letter was also addressed by Lady Franklin
to the President in the close of that year, after the forced
return of Captain Sir James Ross, from whose active
exertions so much had been expected
The Lady of Sir John Franklin to the Presidcnt.
" S2pring Gardens, london, 11th Dec., 1849.
"SIR,- I had the honor of addressing myself to
you, in the month of April last, in behalf of my husband, Sir John Franklin, his officers and crews, who
were sent by Her Majesty's government, in the spring
of 1845, on a maritime expedition for a discovery of
the northwest passage, and who have never since been
heard of.
"Their mysterious fate has excited, I believe, the
deepest interest throughout the civilized world, but nowhere more so, not even in England itself, than in the
United States of America. It was under a deep conviction of this fact, and with: the humble hope that an
appeal to those general sentiments would never be
made altogether in vain, that I ventured to lay before
you the necessities of that critical period, and to ask
you to take up the cause of humanity which I pleaded,
and generously make it your own.
"lHow nobly you, sir, and the American. people,
responded to that appeal, - how kindly and courteously
that response was conveyed to me, - is known wherever
our common language is spoken or understood; and
though difficulties, which were mainly owing to the
advanced state of the season, presented themselves after
your official announcement had been made known to our
government, and prevented the immediate execution of
your intentions, yet the generous pledge you had given
was not altogether withdrawn, and hope still remained
to me that, should the necessity for renewed measures
continue to exist, I might look again across. the waters
for the needed succor.
" A period has now, alas, arrived, when our dearest
hopes as to the safe return of thle diseovery shlips this
autumn are finally crushed by the ulexplected, tlongh




330        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
forced return of Sir James Ross, without any tidings of
them, and.also by the close of the arctic season. And
not only have no tidings been brought of their safety or
of their fate, but even the very traces of their course
have yet to be discovered; for such was the concurrence of unfortunate and unusual circumnstances attending the efforts of the brave and able officer alluded to,
that he was not able to reach those points where indications of the course of discovery ships would most
probably be found. And thus, at the close of a second
reason since the departure of the recent expedition of
search, we remain in nearly the same state of ignorance
respecting the missing expedition as at the moment of
its starting from our shores. And in the mean time our
brave countrymen, whether clinging still to their ships,
or dispersed in various directions, have entered upon a
fifth winter in those dark and dreary solitudes, with
exhausted means of sustenance, while yet their expected
succor comes not!
" It is in the time, then, of their greatest peril, in the
day of their extremest need, that I venture, encouraged
by your former kindness, to look to you again for some
active efforts which may come in aid of those of my
own country, and add to the means of search. Her
IlMajesty's Ministers have already resolved on sending
an expedition to Behring's Strait, and doubtless have
other necessary measures in contemplation, supported
as they are, in every means that can be devised for this
hulmane purpose, by the sympathies of the nation, and
by the generous solicitude which our Queen is known
to feel in the fate of her brave people imperiled in their
country's service. Put, whatever be the measures contempl-,,ed by the Admiralty, they cannot be such as
will leave no room or necessity for more, since it is
only by the multiplication of means, and those vigorous
and instant ones, that we can hope, at this last stage,
and in this last hour, perhaps, of the lost navigators'
existence, to snatch them friom a dreary grave. And
surely, till thle shores and seas of those frozen regions
have been swept in all directions, or until some memo



LIEUTiiENANT OSBOiX'S SUGGESTIONS.    3 1
rial be found to attest their fate, neither Enogland, who
sent thelm out% nor even America, oni whose shores they
have been launched in a cause which has interested the
world for centuries, will deem the question at rest.'" 1'ay it please God so to move tihe lheairts and wills
of a great and kindred people, and of their chosen
Chief Magistrate, that they mlay join heart and hand
ill the gene rous enterprise! The respect and adlmiriation
of the worl'ld, m lich watches with growi ng interest every
movement of your great republic, will follow the chivalric and lhumane endeavor, and the blessing of them
who were ready to perish shall come to you!
" I have, &c.,
(Signed)             JANE FRANILIN.
"lis Excellency the Pres3cledt of the iftecld Stctes."
In a very admirable letter addressed to Lady Franklin in February, 1850, by Lie-Lit. Sherard Osborn, R. N.,
occur the following remarks and suggestions, which
appear to me so explicit and valuable that I publish
them  entire: -
"Gmrecat Eacinq, 17fiddlesex, 6tA Fe3ruBcarry, 1850.
" IY DEAR LADY FRANKLIN.   It is of course of vital
importance that the generous co-operation of the Amnericans in the rescue of Sir John Franklin and his crews
be clirected to points which call for searcll, and at the
same tinne give them a clear field for the exercise of
their energy and emulation. It would be a pity, for
instance, if they should be merely working on the same
grlound with ourselves, while extensive portions of the
Arctic Sea, in which it is equally probable the lost expedition iilay be foulnc, should be left unexamined; and
none, in my opinion, offers a better prosp ect of successful search than the coasts of Repulse Bay, HIlecla and
Fury Strait, Colnmittee Bay, Felix Harbor, the estuary
of the Great Fish River, and Silnpson's Strait, with the
sea to the northwest of it. XMy reasons for saying so
are as follows; —




332        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
"Suppose Sir John Franklin to have so far carried
out the tenor of his orders as to have penetrated southwest from Cape Walker, and to have been either'cast
away,' or hopelessly impeded by ice, and that either in
the past or present year he found it necessary to quit
his ships, they being anywhere between 1000 and.lOS~
west longitude, and 70~ and 730 north latitude. Now,
to retrace his steps to Cape Walker, and thence to IRegent Inlet, would be no doubt the first suggestion that
would arise. Yet there are objections to it: firstly, he
would have to contend against the prevailing set of the
ice, and currents, and northerly wind; secondly, if no
whalers were found in Lancaster Sound, how was he
to support his large party in regions where the musk
ox or reindeer is never seen? thirdly, leaving his
ships in the summer, he knew he could only reach the
whaling ground in the fall of the year; and, in such
case, would it not be advisable to make rather for
the southern than the northern limit of the seas visited by the whalers? fourthly, by edging to the south
rather than the north, Sir John Franklin would be
falling back to, rather than going from, relief, and increase the probabilities of providing food for his large
party.
"I do not believe he would have decided on going
due south, because the lofty land of Victoria Island
was in his road, and when he did reach the American
shore, he would only attain a desert, of whose horrors
he no doubt retained a vivid recollection; and a
lengthy land journey of more than 1000 miles to the
Hudson's Bay settlements was more than his men were
capable of.
" There remains, therefore, but one route for Sir John
under such circumstances to follow; and it decidedly
has the following merits, that of being in a direct line
for the southern limit of the whale fishery; that of
leading through a series of narrow seas adapted for the
navigation of small open boats; that of being the most
expeditious route by which to reach Fort Churchill, in
Iludson's Bay; that of leading through a region visited




LIEUTENANT OSBORN S SUGGESTIONS.     333
by Esquimaux and migratory animals; and this route
is through the' Strait of Sir James Ross,' across the
narrow isthmus of Boothia Felix, (which, as you reminded me to-day, was not supposed to exist when Sir
John Franklin left England, and has been since discovered,i into the Gulf of Boothia, where he could either
pass by -Iecla and Fury Strait into the fishing-ground
of Hludson's Strait, or else go southward down Committee Bay, across the Rae Isthmlus into Repulse Bay, and
endeavor from there to reach some vessels in I-udson's
Bay, or otherwise Fort Churchill.
"It is not unlikely either, that when Franklin had
got to the eastern extremity of James Ross's Strait,
and found the land to be across his path where he had
expected to find a strait, that his party might have divided, and the more active portion of them attempted
to ascend the Great Fish River, where we have Sir
George Back's authority for supposing they would find,
close to the arctic shores, abundance of food in fish,
and herds of reindeer, &c., while the others traveled
on the road I have already mentioned.
" To search for them, therefore, on this line of retreat,
I should think highly essential, and if neglected this
year, it must be done next; and if not done by the
Americans, it ought to be done by us.
"I therefore suoggest the following plan:-Suppose
a well-equipped expedition to leave America in May,
and to enter IHudson's Strait, and then divide into two
divisions.  The first division might go northward,
through Fox's Channel to HIecla and Fury Strait, examine the shores of the latter carefully, deposit provisions
at the western extreme, erect conspicuous beacons, and
proceed to Melville or Felix Harbor, in Boothia, secure
their vessel or vessels, and dispatch, as soon as circumnstances would allow, boat parties across the neck of
the isthmus into the western waters. Here let them
divide, and one party proceed through James Ross's
Strait, carefully examining the coast, and push over sea,
ice, or land, to the northwest as far as possible. The
other boat party to examine the estuary of the Great




334       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Fish River, and thence proceed westward along the
coast of Simpson's Strait, and, if possible, examine the
broad bay formed between it and Dease's Strait.
"The second division, on parting company, might
pass south of Southampton Island, and coast along friom
Chesterfield Inlet northward to Repulse Bay, sa boat
party with two boats might cross Rae Isthmus into the
bottom of Committee Bay, with instructions to visit
both shores of the said bay, and to rendezvous at the
western entrance of Hecla and Fury Strait. The second division (be it one or more vessels) should then
pass into Fox's Channel, and turning through Hecla
and Fury Strait, pick up the boats at the rendezvous;
and thence, if the first division have passed on all right,
and do not require reinforcement, the second division
should steer northward along the unknown coast, extending as far as Cape Kater; from Cape Kater proceed to Leopold Island, and having secured their ships
there, dispatch boat or traveling parties in a direction
southwest from Cape Rennell, in North Somerset, being in a parallel line to the line of search we shall
adopt from Cape Walker, and at the same time it will
traverse the unknown sea beyond the Islands lately
observed by Captain Sir James Ross.
"Some such plan as this would, I think, insure youi
gallant husband being met or assisted, should he be to
the south or the west of Cape Walker, and attempt to
return by a southeast course, a direction which, I think,
others as well as myself would agree in thinking a very
rational and probable one.
"I will next speak of an argument which has been
brought forward in consequence of no traces of the
missing expedition having been discovered in Lancaster Sound; that it is quite possible, if Franklin failed
in getting through the middle ice from Melville Bay to
Lancaster Sound, that, sooner than disappoint piblic
anxiety and expectation of a profitable result arising
from his expedition,-he may have turned northward,
and gone up Smith's Sound; every mile beyond its entrance was new ground, and therefore a reward to the




DEBATE IN CONGRESS.             335
discoverer. It likewise brought them nearer the pole,
and mnay be they found that open sea of which Baron
Wrangel speaks so constantly in his journeys over the
ice northward from Siberia.
"It is therefore desirable that some vessels should
carefully examine the entrance of this sound, and visit
all the conspicuous headlands for some considerable
distance within it; for it ought to be borne in mind,
that localities perfectly accessible for the purpose of
erecting beacons, &c., one season, may be quite irnmpracticable the next, and Franklin, late in the season
and pressed for time, would not have wasted time, scaling bergs to reach the shore and pile up cairns, of
which, in all the sanguine hope of success, he could not
have foreseen the necessity.
"Should any clue be found to the lost expedition in
this direction, to follow it up would, of course, be the
duty of the relieving party, anld every thing would depend necessarily upon the judgment of the commanders.
"In connection with this line of search, I think a
small division of vessels, starting from Spitzbergen, and
pushing from it in a northwest direction, might be of
great service; for on reference to the chart, it will be
seen that Spitzbergen is as near the probable position
of Franklin (if he went north about,) on the east, as
Behringf's Strait is upon the west; and the probability
of reaching the meridian of 80~ west from Spitzbergen
is equally as good as, if not better than, Behring's Strait,
and, moreover, a country capable of supporting life
always in the rear to fall back upon.
" SHERARD OSRORN,
"Lieutenant Royal Navy.
"To Lady Franklin."
DEBATE IN THE AMERICAN CONGRESS.
THE following remarks of honorable members and
senators, in defense of the bill for carrying out Mr.
Grinnell's expedition, will explain the grounds on which
the government countenance was invoked for the noble
U.ndertaking o -




336        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
"Mr. ~MILLER: I prefer that the government should
have the entire control of this enterprise; but, Sir, I
do not think that can be accomplished; at all events, it
cannot within the time required to produce the good
results which are to be hoped from this expedition. It
is well known to all that the uncertain fate of Sir John
Franklin and his companions has attracted the attention
and called forth the sympathies of the civilized world.
This government, Sir, has been indifferent to the call.
An application, an appeal was made to this government
of no ordinary character; one which was cheerfillly
entertained by the President, and which he was anxioum
should be complied with. B3ut it is known to the coiin
try and to the Senate that, although the President had
every disposition to send out an expedition in search
of Sir Job  Franklin, it was found upon inquiry that
we had no ships fitted for the occasion, and that the
Executive had no authority to procure them for an expedition of this kind, and suitable for this sort of navigation. The Executive was therefore obliged, for want
of authority to build the ships, to forego further action
on this noble enterprise, until Congress should meet,
and authorize the expedition.
"In the mean time, Mr. Grinnell, one of the most
respectable and worthy merchants of the city of New
York, understanding the difficulty that the government
had in fitting out the expedition, has gone to work, and
with his own means has built two small vessels especially prepared for the expedition; and he now most
generously tenders them to the government, not to be
under his own control, but the control of the government, and to be made part of the navy of the United
States. The honorable senator from Alabama (Mir.
King) is mistaken with regard to the terms and effect
of this resolution. This resolution places these two
ships under the control of the government, as much
so as if they were built expressly for the navy of the
United States. Their direction, their fitting out, theim
officers atld men, are all to be under the control of
the Executive. Thieir officers are to be officers of our




DEBATE IN CONGRESS.            337
navy - their seamen the seamen of our navy - so that
the expedition will be as thoroughly under the control of
this government as if the ships belonged to us. Now,
Sir, I should have no objections myself to amend this
resolution so as to authorize the purchase of these two
smuall vessels at once, and make them a part of our naval establishment; but, when I recollect the magnanimous feeling which urged this noble-hearted merchant
to prepare these ships, I know that that same feeling
would forbid himl to make merchandise of that which
he hlas devoted to humanity. IHe offers them for this
great cause; they are his property, prepared for this
enterprise, and he offers themi to us to be used by the
governmlent in this great undertaking. We must either
accept them foir the purpose to which he ha rdedicated
theml, or reject themr altogether. If we remiuse these
ships, we will defeat tile whole enterprise, and lose all
opportunity of participation in a work of humanity
which now commands the attention of the world.
"If we refer this resolution back to the committee,
and they report a bill authorizing government to build
ships to carry on the expedition on its own account, it
would be attended with very great delay, and, in my
opinion defeat the object we have in~ view. In a case
of this kind time is every thing. It must be done speedily, if done at all. Every hour's delay may be worth
the life of a man. Sir John Franklin and his companions may ere this have perished, but our hope is that
they are still living in some narrow sea, imprisoned by
walls of ice, where our succor may yet reach them.
But, Sir, whether our hopes are fallacious or not, the
public feeling -- the feeling of humanity - is, that the
fate of Sir John Franklin should, if possible, be ascertained, and as soon as possible. The public mind will
never be satisfied till an expedition from this country,
or from some other country, shall have ascertained their
fate. I therefore trust that this resolution, as it is, will
be acted upon at once, and that it will receive the
unanimous vote of the Senate.t'' * 
"I aml so impressed AMr. President, with the impor15*




338       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
tance of time as regards the disposal of this question,
that I hesitate even to occupy the attention of the
Senate for a few moments; and I only do so for the
purpose of correcting some views which have been expressed by the senator fiom Mississippi.  * * * The
question is, whether we shall adopt this resolution, and
imnnmecliately send forth this expedition for the purpose
of accomplishing this great object, or whether we shall
throw  back this resolution to drag its slow course
through Congress, in the form of another bill, to make
an appropriation for the purpose of building vessels.
For what object? To secure, as the senator says, to the
United States, the sole honor and glory of this expedition. Sir, if this expedition is-got up merely for honor
and glory either to the United States or to an individual,
I will have nothing whatever to do with it. Sir, there
is a deeper and a higher sentiment that has induced the
action of Congress on this siluject. It is to engage in
a great work of humanity, to do that which is not only
being done by the government of England, but by private individuals, who are fitting out expeditions at their
own expense, and sending them to the northern seas,
for the purpose of discovering the fate of this great
man, who had periled his life in the cause of science
and of commerce.
"M \ r President, I have been informed that a private
expedition is now being fitted out in England under the
direction of that great commander, or I may call him
the king, of the Polar Seas, Sir John Ross, who is going
again to devote himself and his life to this perilous expedition. Sir, altogether I have not had heretofore
much confidence in the success of this expedition, yet
when I consider the reputation of Sir John Ross, and
the fact that he is better acquainted with those seas
than any other man living, and understanding that he
entertains the belief that Sir John Franklin and his
companions are yet alive, and may be rescued, - I say,
finding such a man as Sir John Ross engaged in an expedition of this kind, I am not without hope that our
efforts may, under Providence, be crowned with success.




DEBATE IN CONGRl1iSS.           339
But the honorable senator says that nothing is likely to
be derived friom this expedition but honor and glory,
and that that is to be divided between the government
of the United States and a private individual.  Sir, is
there nothing to be derived friom the performance of an
act of llumanity but honor and glory? Sir, it is said
that in this instance both the government and the individual alluded to are engaTr ed in the same work. Well,
Sir, what objection can there be to that connection?
Does the honoral)le senator friom 1 Mississippi envy the
individual his share of the honor and glory? Does he
desire to monoplolize it all to the United States? I hope
lie has no suc-l  ieelinr  as that.
"But, 1Mr. President, the hlonorable senator made use
of an expression whlich I think hle will withdraw.  lle
intimated, if I understood him righltly, some suspicion
that tlhis was a matter of speculation on the part of tIr.
Grinnell.
"Mr. FOOTE: I said I lhad heard such a thing suggested; but I do not mcake any such charge myself.
" MIr. MSILLER: I have heard thlis urged as an oljection heretofore, but I amL satisfied that if the senator
from Mississippi knew the character and the history of
this gentleman, he would not even repeat that he had
heard such an insinuation. Sir, although this is a
liberal donation fiom an individual, tile sumn need not
alarm gentlemen about after claims. These ships are
but sn1all ships; and it is necessary that they should be
small in order that they may be effective. One of them
is, I understand, 150 tons, and the other 90 tons. They
have cost, I believe, 30,000 dollars. Now, when we
find this merchant devoting his property, not for the
purpose of building ships to convey merchandise to the
markets of the world; when we find him retiring from
the ordinary course of commercial pursuit in which all
the world is engaged, and devoting a portion of his
fortune to the building of ships that can be used for no
other purpose but in this voyage of humanity, can it be
imagined that any thouglht of speculation on his part
could have influenced his conduct? ]No, Sir. On the




340        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
contrary, it is a high and worthy motive; and I think
it ought to receive the approbation of this and all other
intelligent Christian nations, to see a merchant, who,
while the commercial world are encompassing the
globe by sea and land in quest of profit and of gold, is
dedicating  irnself to his great otbject, and devoting a
part of his fortune to the cause of humanity, and ofifring to governmlent, not as a bounty, but because the
government, with all its means, has not the power and
the time to prepare vessels to do this work. That, Sir,
is the object.
" Now, if we do not accept these ships, there will be
an end of this expedition. Sir, shall it be said, that
this government has lost such an opportunity as this of
exhibiting the deep interest which our people feel both
in the cause of science and humanity, and that, too, at
the very time when we are en terilg into treaties and coinpacts with all the commlercial nations of the world, for
the purpose of extending commerce and civilization,
and opening communications of trade from sea to sea?
When the government is not only doing all by its own
power, but also acting in concert with our private citizens in constructing rail-roads and canals, and by various other modes extending. commercial civilization
throughout the world, shall it be said that we, at this
moment, refused, through the fear of losing a little
honor and glory and national dignity, to accept two
ships - the only two ships in America that can do the
work - in the accomplishment of this great enterprise?
I hope not. Let us not, then, cavil and waste time
about these little matters. If the work is to be done
at all it must be done now, alld done, as I conceive, by
the adoption of this resolution.
GOVERNOR SEWARD spoke as tollows in the Senate
on the same subject: -" I am happy to perceive, Mr.
President, indications all around the charnlmber that there
is no disagreement in regard to the importance, or in
relation to the propriety, of a search on the part of this
nation, by thie government itself, or by individual citizens, folr the lost and( heroic navigator.  Since so much




DEBATE IN CONGRESS.            341
is conceded, and since I come from the State whence
this proposition emanates, I desire to notice, in a very
few words, the objections raised against the mode of
carrying the proposed design into effect. It is always
the case, I think, when great objects and great enterprises which are feasible are hindered or defeated, that
they are hindered or defeated, not so much by want of
agreement concerning the measures themselves, as by
diversity of opinion concerningl tile mode of carrying
them into execution. Since this is so generally the
case, the rule whicth I always adopt, and which seems
to be a safe one, is, that whiere I cannot have my own
way of obtaining a great public object, I will accept
the best other way which opens betbre me. Now, I
cordially agree with those honorable Senattors who
would have preferred that at some alppropriate time,
and in some proper and unobjectionable manner, the
government should have moved for the attainment of
this object, as a government, and have made it exclusively the act of the nation. And I would have preferred this, not so much on account of the glory that it
is supposed would have followed it, as because of the
beneficence of the enterprise.  Enterprises which
spring from. a desire of glory are very apt to end in
disappointment. True national glory is always safely
attained by prosecuting beneficent designs, whatever
may be their success. I say, Sir, then, that I would
have preferred the alternative suggested; but the fact
is, without stopping to inquire where the fault lies, or
whether there be fault at all, the government has not
moved, and the reason which has been assigned is, I
have no doubt, the true one. I do not know that it
has ever been contradicted or called in question; that
reason is, that the Navy of the United States contains
no vessels adapted to the enterprise, but consists of
ships constructed and fitted for very different objects
and purposes than an exploring expedition amid the
ice-bound seas of the arctic pole. Our naval marine
consists of vessels adapted to the purposes of convoys,
military armamnent, and the suppression of the slave



342        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
trade on the coast of Africa. The executive portions
of the government failed for want of vessels suitable
to be elnployed in this particular service. It therefilore
devolved upon the Legislature of the United States.
But, although we have been here now nearly five
months, no Conmittee of either House, no mnelnber of
either House of Congress has proposed to equip a national fleet for this purpose.  While this fact exists on
one side, it is to be remarked on the other, that the
time has arrived in which the movement must be made
if it is to be made at all, and also that a careful investigation, made by scientific and practical men, has revived the hope in Europe and America that the humlane
object can be attained. Thele can, then, be no delay
allowed for considering whether the manner for carrying the design into effect could not be changed. Let
us, then, practically survey the case as it comies before
us. The government of the United States has really
no vessels adapted to the purpose. To say nothing of
the expense, the government has not tiune to provide,
prepare, or equip vessels for the expedition. Under
such circumstances, a citizen of the United Stlates
tenders to the government vessels of his own, precisely
adequate in number, and exactly fitted in construction
and equipment, for the performance of the duty to be
assumed. Since he offers themn to the government,
what reason can we assign for refiusing them?  No
reason can be assigned, except that he is too generous,
and offers to give us the use of the vessels instead of
demanding compensation for it. Well, Sir, if we do
accept themn it can be immediately carried into execution, with a cheering prospect of attaining the great
object which the United States and the civilized world
have such deep interest in securing. Then the question resolves itself into this - the question raised by
the honorable Senator fiom Alabama (Mr1. Kinc-)
whether, in seeking so beneficent an object, it is consistent with the dignity of the nation to combine individual action with a national enterprise. I do not
think, Mr. President, that that honorable Senator will




DEBATE IN CONGRESS.            313
find himself obliged to insist upon this objection after
he shall hiave carefully examined the bill before us.
Ite will find that it converts tile unldertaking into a
national enterprise. Tile vessels are to be accepted
not as individual property, but as national vessels.
They will absolutely cease to be under the direction,
managrement, or control of the owners, and will become
at once national ships, and for the time, at least, and'for all the purposes of the expedition, a part of the
national marine.
"Now, Sir, have we not postal arrangements with
various foreign countries carried into effect in the same
way, and is the dignity of the nation compromised by
them?, During the war with  Mexico, the government
continually hired ships and steamboats from citizens for
military operations. Is the glory of that war tarnished
uy the use of those means. The government in this
case, as in those cases, is in no sense a partner.  It
assumes the whole control of the vessels, and the enterprise becomes a national one. The only circumstance
remaining to be considered is, whether the government
can accept the loan of the service of the vessels without
makilng compensation. Now, Sir, I should not have had
the least objection, and, indeed, it would have been
more agreeable to me if the government could have
made an arrangement to have paid a compensation.
But I hold it to be quite unnecessary in the present
case because the character of the person who tenders
these vessels, and the circumstances and manner of the
whole transaction, show that it is not a speculation.
No compensation is wanted. It would only be a ceremony on the part of the government to offer it, and a
ceremony on the part of the merchant to decline it. I
am, therefore, willing to march directly to the object,
and to assume that these ceremonies have been duly
performed, that the government has offered to pay, and
the noble-spirited merchant declined to receive.
"Now, then, is there any thing derogatory from the
dignity and independence of this nation in employing
the vessels? Certainly not, since that employment is




344        PR(OGRIiSS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
i; (1is pelnslable.  If it were not indispensalle I do not
thillk that the dignity of the Republic wvoul  be illlpaired; I think, on the contrary, that it would be ellhanced and elevated.  It is a tranllsaction lortlly of tfle
nation, a spectacle deserving  the conltemnplation atnd
respect of mankilld, to see that not only does tlhe ination
proseeite, but that it has citizens able and iwilling to
contribute, voluntarily and withlout- compulsion, to an
enterprise so interesting  to the cause of science and of
l1humanity.  It is indeed a new and distinct cause for
national pride, that an individual citizen, not a Imercllant
prince, as lie would be called in solne other countries,
but a republican merchant, comes forwarld in thlis way
and moves the government and co-operates withl it.  It
illustrates the magnanimlity of the nation and of tle
citizen.  Sir, there is nothing objectionable in this feature of the transaction.  It results fiom  thle clharacter
of the government, which is essentially popular, that
there are perpetual debates on the question how far
measures and enterprises, for the purposes of humanity
and science, are consistent with the constitutional organization of the government, although they are admitted to be eminently compatible with the dignity,
character, and intelligence of the nation.  All our enterprises, mnore or less, are carried into execution, if
they are carried into execution at all, not by the direct
action of the government, but by t}he lending of its
favor, countenance, and aidl to individuals, to corporations, and to States.  Tllus it is tlat we construct railroads and canals, and foundc colleges and universities.
"Nor is tllis mode of prosecuting enterprises of great
pith and lmolent peculiar to tlis government.  There
was a navigyator whLo went forth fi')o   a port in Spain,
solme three or fir llllndlred years ago, on an enterprise
quite as doubltful and quite as perilous as tlis.  After
trying unsuccessfully several States, lIe was forcedt to be
content with the sanction, and little more tllan tlhe sanction and patronag(e otf tile Court of Madrid.  Thle scanlty
treasures devoted to tlhat undertakilo were tile private
contrib itions of a Queen alnd hler sul)jects, and thle  es



DEBAT E IN CO(NGRtESS.           345
sels were fitted out and manned at the expense of'nerclianits anld citizcels, which gcave a new world to thle
kingdolll of Castile and Leonl.
" Entertainin  tlhese views now, wlhatever imy opinii
mlliglht hlave been unider otler circmstanllces, I sliall \vote
-agaillst a recommittal, and in tavor of thle bill, as tlie
surest way of'prevenltinlg its deehat, and of attaining tle
sublilne and beneficent o1bject whllic  it contempl-ates."
The committee of both  llouses of Congress, to wvllonl
lIr. Grinnell's petition for men and supplies was referred, made   a unaninmous report in favor; and tlhe
vessels left on their daring  and generous errand.
Tlhe folloiwin'g are tile joint resolutions whlich passed
bothl Ilonses of Congress and were approved  by General Taylor, authorizing' the President of the United
States to accept and attachl to the U. S.:Navy the two
vessels, offbred by Mr. Grinnell, to be sent to the arctic
seas in searcli of Sir Jolihn Franklin and his companions:
"Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of tlhe United States of America in Congress
assemnbled, Tlhat tl!e President be, and he is hereby
authorized and directed, to receive from Henry Grinnell,
of the city (t New York, the two vessels prepaled by
him n for an expedition in searc}l of Sir Joln Franklin
and hLis companions, and to detail from thle Navy suich
comlnissioned and warrant officers, and so many seamen as -may be necessary for said expedition, and wllo
may be willing to engage therein.  Tihe said officers
and men slhall be finrnished with suitable rations, at tlhe
discretion of the President, for a p)eriod not exceeding
tliree years, and shall have the use of such necessary
instruments as are now on land and can be slared fromt
the Navy, to be accounted for or returned by tile officers who shall receive thle same.
" SEC. 2. Be it fiurtller resolved, That thle said vessels,
officers, and men slhall be in all respects under the laws
and regnllations of the N'avy of tle TUnited States until
teicir return, whTen thle said vessels shall be delivered
to the said T-Tenry Grinnell: Provided, That the United
States shall not be liable to any claim for compensation




346        PlPOGIlESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
in case of the loss, damage or deterioration of tle said
vessels, or either of theml, from  any cause or in ally
manner whatever, nor be liable to any demand for the
use or risk of the said vessels or either of them."
Directly the fact became known that the American
government hlad nobly come forward to aid in the search
wbich was being so strenuously made, the clifferent
learned societies of the metropolis vied with each other
in testifillng the estilnation in which this noble conduct
was 1hold.
At thle annual mneetigl of tile Royal Society, on the
tli of' Jnlle, ul)oll ttie molltion of Sir Charles Lennox,
secon(led b )y tlhe late Marlqulis of Northampton, a vote
of thanliks was carried withl the utmost enthusiasm, expressive of tle gratitude of tle Society to the American
govelrnment, and of thleir deep sense of the kind and
brothlerly feeling- wlichl had prolnpted so liberal an act
of' hulnanity.  A sinlilar vote was carried, on the 11th
of Jnne, at a g-eneral mneeting of tile Royal Geographical Society, (of whllich Sir John Franklin was long one
of the vice-presidents.)
Thle American expedition consists of two brigantines
— nllow enrolled in tile United States 5N'avy - the Advance, of 144 tons, and tile Pescue, 91 tons.  These
vessels have been provided and fitted out by the genero(ls munificence of' Mr. Henry Grinnell, a merchant of
New York, at an expense to him of between 50001. and
0f010.  The American  overnment also did much to(atllrd fitting and equipping them. Tile Advance was
two years old, and thle Rescue quite new. -l3oth vessels
were strelthened in every part, and put in tlle most
complete oirler for tile service in which they were to be
en(lacred.  They are:ldelcr tile command of Lieutenant
EllN-ward S. De ilacivrei, who was employed in Comlm:tllader Wilkes' expedlitiol in 1843; lMr. S. P. Griffin,
actin  i master, ilas charge of the RPescue.  Tile othler
officers of tile expedition are IMessrs. W. IT. ]\Mlmrdangl(h,
acting-ll aster; T. WV. Broadllead, and 1R. P. Carter,
passed midsilipimen; Dr. E. K. IKane, passed assistantsurgeon; Mr. Benjamin Finland, assistant-surgeon; W




THE AMXERICAN EXPEDITION.         347
S Lovell, midshipman; II. Brooks, boatswain; and a
cenmplement of thirty-six seamen in the two vessels
the crew of the Advance consisting of fifteen men, and
the Rescue thirteen men. The vessels left New York
on the 25th of May, 1850. Their proposed destination
is through Barrow's Strait, westward to Cape Walker,
and round Melville Island. They were provisioned for
three years.
Whatever may be the result of this expedition, as
connected with the fate of the gallant Sir John Franklin, it is one which reflects the highest honor upon the
philanthropic individual who projected it, and upon the
officers and mlen engaged therein.
A dispatch has beell received from Lieutenant De
-Iaven, dated off Leopold Island, August 22d, which
reports the progress of the expedition thus far. The
Advance, in company with her consort, the Rescue,
sailed from the Whale Fish Islands on the 29th of June;
after many delays and obstructions from calms, stream
ice, and the main pack, they forced a passage through
it for a considerable distance, but at last got wedged up
in the pack immovably until the 29th of July, when
by a sudden movement of the floes, an opening presented itself, and under a press of sail the vessels forced
their way into clear water. They encountered a heavy
gale, which, with a thick fog, made their situation very
dangerous, the huge masses of ice being driven along
by the strength of the wind and current with great
fury. By the aid of warping in calm weather, they
reached Cape Yorke on the 15th of August, and a little
to the eastward met with two Esquimaux,.but could not
understand much from them.  Between Cape Yorke
and Cape Dudley Diggs, while delayed by calms, being
in open water, they hauled the ships into the shore at
the Crimson Cliffs of Beverley, (so named from the red
snow on them,) and filled their water casks from a
mountain stream.
On the 18th, with a fair wind, they shaped their course
for the western side of Baffin's Bay, and met the pack in
streams and very loose, which they cleared entirely by




348       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
the following day - getting into the north waters, where
they fell in with Captain Penny's two vessels, which
having been unsuccessful in their efforts to enter Jones'
Sound, were now taking the same course up Lancaster
Sound. On the 19th, in a violent gale, the Advance
parted company with the Rescue. On the morning of
the 21st of August, the fog cleared, and Lieutenant De
Haven found he was off Cape Crawford, on the south
ern shore of the Sound. Here he All in with the Felix
schooner, under Captain Sir John Ross, from whom he
learned that Commod ore Austin was at Pond's Bay with
two of his vessels, seeking for information, while the
other two had been dispatched to examine the north
shore of the Sound. Lieutenant De Haven proposed
proceeding on from Port Leopold to Wellington Channel, the appointed place of rendezvous with his consort.
CAPTAIN FoRSYTIInS RIFEMARKAIBLE VOYAGE IN THE
" PRINCE ALBERT.")
In April, 1850, a branch expedition to aid those vessels sent out by the government was determined on by
Lady Franklin, who contributed largely toward its out-;fit; a considerable sum being also raised by public
subscription.  The expenses of this expedition were
nearly 40001., of which 25001. were contributed by Lady
Franklin herself. The object of this expedition was
the providing for the search of a portion of the Arctic
Sea, which it was distinctly understood could not be
executed by the vessels under Captain Austin; but the
importance of which had been set forth, by arctic and
other authorities, in documents printed in the Parliamentary Papers.
The unprovided portion alluded to, includes Regent
Inlet, and the passages connecting it with the western
sea, James Ross's Strait, and other localities, S. W. of
Cape Walker, to which quarter Sir John Franklin was
required by his instructions to proceed in the first instance. This search is assumed to be necessary on the
following gronnds:



VOYAGE OF TIIE PRINCE ALBERT.      349
1. The probability of Sir John Franklin having
abandoned his vessels to the S. W. of Cape Walker.
2. The fact that, in his charts, an open passage is
laid down from the west into the south part of Regent
Inlet.
3. Sir John Franklin would be more likely to take
this course through a country known to possess the resources of animal life, with the wreck of the Victory
in Felix Harbor for fuel, and tile stores of Fury Beach
farther north in view, than to fall upon an utterly barren
region of the north coast of America.
4. IHe would be more likely to expect succor to be
sent to him by way of Lancaster Sound and Barrow's
Strait, into which Regent Inlet opens, than in anly
other direction.
In corroboration of the necessity of this part of the
search, I would refer generally to the Parliamentary
papers of 1848-9 and 50. As an individual opinion, I
may quote the words of Captain Beechey, p. 31 of the
first series. "If, in this condition," (that of being
hopelessly blocked up to the S. W. of Cape Walker,)
" which I trust may not be the case, Sir John Franklin
should resolve upon taking to his boats, he would prefer
attempting a boat navigation through Sir James Ross's
Strait, and up Regent Inlet, to a long land journey
across the continent to the Hudson Bay Settlements,
to which the greater part of his crew would be wholly
unequal." And again, in his letter to the Secretary
of the Admiralty, 7th of February, 1850, Captain
Beechey writes, " * * * * the bottom of Regent Inlet,
about the Pelly Islands, should not be left unexamined.
[n the memorandum submitted to their Lordships, 17th
of January, 1849, this quarter was considered of imnortance, and I am still of opinion that had Sir John
Franklin abandoned his vessels near the coast of
America, and much short of the Mackenzie River, he
would have preferred the probability of retaining the
use of his boats until lie ftund relief in Barrow's Strait,
to risking an overlhand jonrnelv?'(a thie before-ilentioned river; alnd it luust 1,e reelnetlbered that at tihe




350        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
time he sailed, Sir George Back's discovery had rendered it very probable that Boothia was all island.
The memorandum alluded to by Captain Beechey
as having been submitted to the Lords of the Admiralty on the 17th of January, 1849, was, the expression
of the unanimous opinion of the arctic officers assemnbled by command of the Admiralty to deliberate upon
the best imeans to be taken for the relief of the missing
expedition; and in this report, clause 14 is expressly
devoted to the recommendation of the search of Regelnt
Inlet.
The necessity for the proposed search may be thus
further developed. Sir John Franklin may have abandoned his ships, when hlis provisions were nearly exhausted somewhere about the latitude of 730 N., long.
1050~ W.; in short, at any point S. W. of Cape Walker,
not further W. than long. 1100. And in such case,
rather than return north, (which might be indeed iinpracticable) or moving south upon the American Continent, of which (upon the coast,) the utter barrenness
was already well known to him, lie might prefer a
southeastern course, with a view of passing in his boats,
either through James Ross's, or through Simpson's
Straits, into the Gulf of Boothia, and so up into Regent
Inlet to the house and stores left at Fury Beach, the
only depot of provisions known to him. The advantages
of such a course might appear to him very great.
1. Two open passages being laid down in his charts
into Regent Inlet, by James Ross's Strait, and by Simpson's Strait, a means of boat transport for his party
would be afforded, of which alone perhaps their exhausted strength and resources might admit; such a
course would obviously recommend itself to a commander who had experienced the frightful difficulties
of a land journey in those regions.
2. The proposed course would lead through a part,_
the Isthmus of Boothia, in which animal life is known
at some seasons to abound.
3. The Esquimaux who have been found on the
Isthmus of Bloothia are extremely well disposed and
friendly.




VOYAGE OF TEIl PRINCE ALBERT.       351
4. It is the direct route toward the habitual yearly
resort of the whalers on the west coast of Baifin's Bay
and Davis' Strait; indeed those ships occasionally descend Regent Inlet to a considerable distance south.
5. There are two persons attached to the expedition
who are well acquainted with this region and its resources- viz., Mr. Blanky, ice master, and Mr. MacDonald, assistant surgeon, of the Terror. The former
was with Sir John Ross in the Victory. The latter
has made several voyages in whaling vessels and is
acquainted with the parts lying between Regent Inlet
and Davis' Strait. Where so few among the crews of
the missing ships have had any local experience, the
concurrent knowledge of two persons would have
considerable weight.
6. Opinions are very greatly divided as to the part
in which Sir John Franklin's party may have been arrested, and as to the course they may have taken in
consequence. It would be therefore manifestly unfair,
and most dangerous, to reason out and magnify any one
hypothesis at the expense of the others. The plan here
alluded to sought to provide for the probability of the
Expedition having been stopped shortly after passing to
the southwest of Cape Walker. The very open season
of 1845 was followed by years of unusual severity until
1849. It is therefore very possible that retreat as well
as onward progress has been impossible —that safety
alone has become their last object. The hope of rescuing them in their last extremity depends, then, (as far
as human means can insure it,) on the multiplying of
simultaneous efforts in every direction.  Captain Austin's vessels will, if moving in pairs, tale two most imnportant sections only, of the general search, and will
find they have enough to do to reach their several points
of operation this season.
The necessity for this search was greatly enhanced
~y the intelligence received about this time in England
of the arrival of Mr. Rae and Commander Pullen at.
the Mackenzie River, thus establishing the fact, that
Sir John Franklin's party had not reached any part of




3.52        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
the coast between Behring's Strait and the Coppermine
River, while the check which Mr. Rae received in
his course to the north of the Coppermine, tended to
give increased importance to the quarter eastward of
that position.
Commander Charles Codrington Forsyth, R. N., an
enterprising young officer, who had not long previously
been promoted in consequence of his arduous services
in surveying on the Australian, Aifican, and American
shores, and who had rendered good service to the government by landing supplies on the east coast of Africa,
under circumstances of great difficulty during the Kafir
war, had volunteered unsuccessfully for all the government expeditions, but was permitted by the Admciralty
to command this private branch expedition, in which
he embarked without fee or reward - on the noble and
honorable mission of endeavoring to relieve his longimprisoned brother officers.
The Prince Albert, a small clipper vessel of about
ninety tons, originally built by Messrs. White, of Cowes,
in October, 1848, for the fruit trade, was accordingly
hastily fitted out and dispatched from Aberdeen, and
Captain Forsyth was instructed to winter, if possible,
in Brentford Bay, in Regent Inlet, and thence send
parties to explore the opposite side of the isthmus and
the various shores and bays of the Inlet  She had a
crew of twenty, W. Kay and W. Wilson acting as first
and second mates, and Mr. W. P. Snow as clerk. She
sailed on the 5th of June, and was consequently the
last vessel that left, and yet is the first that has reached
home, having also brought some account of the track
of Franklin's expedition.
The Prince Albert arrived off Cape Farewell, July
2d, entered the ice on the 19th, and on the 21st, canme
up with Sir John Ross in a labyrinth of ice. She proceeded up Lancaster Sound and Barrow's Strait, fell in
with most of the English ships in those seas, and also
with the American brig Advance, sailing some time in
company, and attempted to enter Regent Inlet and Wellington Channel. She left the Advance aground near




VOYAGE OF THE PRINCE ALBERT.       353
Cape Riley, at the entrance of Wellington Channel,
though not in a situation supposed to be dangerous.
Commander Forsyth, in his official letter to the Lords
of the Admiralty, says that " traces of the missing expedition under Sir John Franklin had been found at
Cape Riley and Beechey Island, at the entrance to the
Wellington Channel. We observed five places where
tents had been pitched, or stones placed as if they had
been used for keeping the lower part of the tents down,
also great quantities of beef, pork, and birds' bones, a
piece of rope, with the Woolwich naval mark on it,
(yellow,) part of which I have inclosed." Having entered Wellington Channel, and examined the coast as
far as Point Innis, and finding no further traces of the
missing vessels, and it being impracticable to penetrate
further to the west, Commander Forsyth returned to Re
gent Inlet, but meeting no opening there, the season
being near at hand when the ice begins to form, and
his vessel not of a strength which would enable it to
resist a heavy pressure of ice, he determined on returning without further delay to England, after examining
a number of points along the coast.
On the 25th of August, a signal staff being observed
on shore at Cape Riley, Mr. Snow was sent by Captain
Forsyth to examine it. He found that the Assistance,
Captain Ommaney, had been there two days before, and
had left the following notice:"This is to certify that Captain Ommaney, with the
officers of her Majesty's ships Assistance and Intrepid,
landed upon Cape Riley on the 23d August, 1850, where
he found traces of encampments, and collected the remains of materials, which evidently proved that sorne
party belonging to her Majesty's ships had been detained on that spot. Beechey Island was also examined,
where traces were found of the same party. This is
also to give notice that a supply of provisions and fuel
is at Cape Riley. Since 15th August, they have examined the north shore of Lancaster Sound and Barrow's Strait, without meeting with any other traces.
Captain Ommaney proceeds to Cape IHotham and Cape
16




354        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Walker in search of further traces of Sir John Franklin's expedition. Dated on board her Majesty's ship
Assistance, off Cape Riley, the 23d August, 1850."
The seamen who were dispatched from the Assistance
to examine these remains, found a rope with the naval
mark, evidently belonging to a vessel which had been
fitted out at Woolwich, and which, in all probability,
was either the Erebus or the Terror. Other indications
were also noticed, which showed that some vessel had
visited the place besides the Assistance. Captain Forsyth left a notice that the Prince Albert had called off
Cape Riley on the 25th of August, and then bore up
to the eastward. Captain Forsyth landed at Possession Bay on the 29th August, but nothing was found
there to repay the search instituted.
The Prince Albert arrived at Aberdeen, on the 22d
of October, after a quick passage, having been absent
something less than four months.
Captain Forsyth proceeded to London by the mail
train, taking with him, for the information of the Admiralty, the several bones, (beef, pork, &c.,) which were
found on Cape Riley, together with a piece of rope of
about a foot and a half in length, and a small piece of
canvas with the Queen's mark upon it, both in an excellent state of preservation; placing it almost beyond
a doubt that they were left on that spot by the expedi-,lon under Sir John Franklin.
Captain Forsyth, during his short trip, explored regions which Sir James Ross was unable to reach the
previous year.  He was at Wellington Channel, and
penetrated to Fury Beach, where Sir E. Parry abandoned his vessel, (the Fury,) in 1825, after she had
taken the ground. It is situated in about 72~ 40' N.
latitude, and 91~ 50' W. longitude. This is a point
vhich has not been ieached by any vessel for twenty
years past. It was found, however, utterly impossible
to land there on account of the packed ice. The whole
of the coasts of Baffin's Bav have also now been visited
without result.
The intelligence which Capt. Forsyth brought home




VOYAGE OF THE PRINCE ALBERT.       355
has, as a matter of course, excited the most intense interest in naval circles, and among the friends and relatives of the parties absent in the Erebus and Terror,
the more so inasmuch as it has been ascertained at
Chatham Dockyard that the rope which Captain Forsyth found on the spot when he visited it, and copied
Capt. Ommaney's notice, is proved by its yellow mark
to have been manufactured there, and certainly since
1824; and moreover, from  inquiries instituted, very
strong evidence has been elicited in favor of the belief
that the rope was made between the years 1841 and
1849. That the trail of the Franklin expedition, or
some detachment of it, has been struck, there cannot
be the slightest doubt in the mind of any one who has
read the dispatches and reports. That Captain Ommaney felt satisfied on this score is evident from the
terms of the paper he left behind him. The squadron,
it appears, were in full cry upon the scent on the 25th
of August, and we must wait patiently, but anxiously,
for the next accounts of the results of their indefatigable researches, which can hardly reach us from Barrow's Strait before the autumn of 1851.
There can be no doubt now in the mind of any one,
that the Arctic Searching Expeditions have at length
come upon traces, if not the track of Sir John Franklin. The accounts brought by Captain Forsyth must
have at least satisfied the most desponding. that there
is still hope left -that the ships have not foundered in
Baffin's Bay, at the outset of the voyage, nor been
crushed in the ice, and burned by a savage tribe of
Esquimnaux, who had murdered the crew. That the
former migqht have happened, all must admit; but to
the latter, few, we imagine, will give their assent, notwithstanding the numerous cruel rumors promulgated
friom time to time. It would be idle to dwell upon so
impossible an event. Where could this savage tribe
spring from?  Mir. Saunders describes the natives of
Wolstenholme Sound as the most miserable and helpless of mortals. They had no articles obtained from
Europeans; and he was of opinion that ther, were no




3~56      PtOGRIESS OF ARCTIC DISCOTERY.
settlements further north; and if there were, doubtless
they would be even more impotent than these wretched
beings. That the ship might have foundered cdl must
admit. The President did so with many a gallant soul
on board. The Avenger ran on the Sorelli, and 300
brave fellows, in an instant, met with a watery grave;
and till the sea shall give up her dead. who call count
the thousands that lie beneath the billows of the mighty
ocean? We have now certain evidence that Franklin's
ships did not founder — not, at least, in Baffin's Bay;
and our own belief, (says a well-informed and competent writer in the iorning Herald,) is that the pennant
still floats in the northern breeze, amid eternal regions
of snow and ice.
The voyage performed by the Prince Albert has thus
been the means of keeping alive our hopes, and of informing us, up to a certain point, of the progress of
the expeditions, and the situation of the different ships,
of which we might have been left in a state of utter
ignorance till the close of this year. Every thing connected with the navigation of the arctic seas is a
chance, coupled, of course, with skill; and in looking
at this voyage performed by Lady Franklin's little
vessel, it must be obvious to every one that Captain
Forsyth has had the chance of an open season, and the
skill to make use of it.
" Live a thousand years," and we may never see such
another voyage performed. We have only to look at
aill that have preceded. Parry, it is true, in one year
ran to Melville Island, and passing a winter, got back
to England the following season - and this is at present
the wte plus ultra of arctic navigation. Sir John Ross,
we know, went out in the Victory to Regent Inlet, and
was frozen in for four years, and all the world gave
him up for lost -but "' there's life in the old dog yet,"
as the song has it.
Sir James Ross was frozen in at Leopold Harbor,
and only got out, afteo nassing a winter, to be carried
away in a floe of ice into Baffin.'s Bay, which no human
skill could prevent.




VOYAGE OF THE PRINCE ALBERT.      357
Sir George Back was to make a summer's cruise to
Wager Inlet, and return to England. The result every
Dne knows or may make themselves acquainted with,
by reading the fearful voyage of the Terror, an abstract of which I have already given. It would be
superfluous to enumerate many other of our series of
polar voyages, but it is pretty evident that Captain
Forsyth's voyage, performed in the summer months
of 1850, will be handed down to posterity as one of the
most remarkable, if not the most remarkable, that has
ever been accomplished in the arctic seas - the expedition consisting of one solitary small vessel.
The main object of the voyage, it is true, has not
been accomplished, but as all the harbors in Regent
Inlet were frozen up, and it was utterly impossible to
cut through a vast tract of ice, extending for perhaps
four or five miles, to get the ship to a secure anchorage, under these circumstances, Captain Forsyth had
no alternative but to return, and in doing so, he has,
in the opinion of all the best-informed officers, displayed great good serise and judgment rather than remain frozen in at the Wellington Channel, where he
only went to reconnoiter, and where he had no business
whatever, his instructions being confined to Regent
Inlet.
Lady Franklin purposes, if she can raise sufficient
funds, to send out another boat expedition this spring to
Regent Inlet, to prosecute the search in the regions to
which we have before alluded, and on which she places
so much reliance. The party, under the charge of Mr.
Kennedy, will probably winter in Brentford Bay or
some other convenient place, and carry on the searching operations on the opposite shores of Boothia, as
the season permits. But her ladyship's income has
been so largely drawn upon by the various enormous
expenses she has been put to, that it is doubtful
whether she will be able to carry out her views without
assistance from the public.
I sincerely trust that the generosity and chivalry of
the people of England, which has displayed its sympa




358       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
thies with the distressed soldier and the weather-bound
seamen on so many occasions, and in so many splendid
and richly-endowed institutions, will not allow this
noble-minded lady to exhaust her private resources
in the equipment of expeditions which are deemed so
important and necessary, but that they will come forward and relieve her, recollecting that the expedition
is required in search of two of her Majesty's ships,
sent out on their arduous service by the government
of the country, and under command of her honored,
amiable, and distinguished husband, the good and
brave Sir John Franklin.
I have thus gone through, as fully as my space would
permit, the voyages and journeys of our navigators and
travelers within the Arctic circle, and the record of
their arduous services cannot fail to prove interesting.
There is one land expedition, that of Dr. Sir John
Richardson, on the Polar shore between the Coppermine and Mackenzie Rivers, in 1848, which I have nct
touched on because it has already been published in
detail in several quarters, and the gallant Doctor is preparing a very full account of it for immediate publication. Captain Kellett, also, has it in contemplation to
publish an account of the voyage of the Herald.
The following recapitulation will give the position
of the different vessels engaged in the search, when last
heard of.
The Investigator having passed Behring's Strait,
reached Kotzebue Sound on the 27th of July, and
when last heard of, was pushing her way along between
the ice toward Melville Island. The Enterprise had
put back to IIong Kong to winter having been unable
to enter the ice.
The Advance, was aground off Cape Riley, August
25th.
The Assistance, in Wellington Channel, August
25th, standing toward Cape Hotham.
The Felix, off Cape Crawford, in Lancaster Sound,
August 22d.
The Intrepid and Lady Franklin, on August 24th




LATEST POSITION OF ALL THE VESSELS.    859
and 25th, in Wellington Channel, standing toward
Cape Ilotham.
The Resolute and Pioneer, in Possession Bay, Aug.
17th.
The Rescue and Sophia, in Wellington Channel, August 25th, apparently beset with ice.
The Plover, wintering in Grantley Harbor, Port
Clarence, 1850.
The North Star and Prince Albert -have, as we have
seen, arrived in England, and the Herald is also on
her passage home. I have been favored with the sight
of a private letter of very recent date from an officer
of the Herald, dated Hong Kong, 23d of December,
1850, from which I make the following extracts:
" On our third and last cruise north in search of the
ill-fated expedition under Sir John Franklin, we sailed
from Oahu on the 24th of AMay, 1850, arriving in Kotzebue Sound on the 14th of July. The Sound was a
perfect wall of ice, with no prospect of our being able
to communicate with the Plover for a week or ten days.
One of our cutters was sent in with letters, getting between the floes, and hauling over some, at last reached
her, and found them all well, but no news during the
winter of Sir John Franklin. On the 21st of July,
after watering and refitting, we sailed for Cape Lisburne to intercept the Enterprise and Investigator,
this being the appointed rendezvous. The Plover also
sailed for Point Barrow to look after Pullen's party.
On the 26th, in a dense fog, we made the ice-pack,
much to our surprise, 180 miles south of where we
found it last season, in latitude 70~ 13' N. The ice was
fourteen feet high, a solid wall without an opening
through which we might with safety sail. Toward
midnight it blew a gale of wind, and we were compelled to haul off. On the 29th, we again made the pack
much higher than before, rising like a hill from the sea
face, in latitude 71~ 12' N.  On the night of the 30th,
we saw detached icebergs off Wainwright Inlet, from
thirty to forty feet high. The wind again increasing to
a gale, with thick rainy weather, reduced us to close
reefs, and compelled us to bear up for Cave Lisburne.




360       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
"Arriving off that place on the last day of July, we
were fortunate enough to fall in with the Investigator in
a dense fog. Clearing for an instant, we were alongside each other! and we had the news of the last
twelve months. She had come from Oahu in the short
space of time, twenty-six days. The Enterprise sailed
five days before her. They had not seen each other
since rounding the Horn. The Investigator remained
but a few minutes in our company, and then departed
with three hearty cheers from us for the ice pack, determined to get to Melville Island. She had our good
wishes, but at the same time our doubts as to her success; we had the experience of three voyages. She
was as yet green, and all her troubles to go through.
" From this day, 31st of July, to 26th of August, we
were blockading Cape Lisburne, to intercept the Enterprise and Plover, a most tedious and troublesome
twenty-six days as ever we experienced; we did not
see the former, but the Plover we spoke. She had been
to Point [Barrow, had heard from the natives that a
party of white men had been murdered and buried near
the Colville River, near the Mackenzie River, and that
whales' jaws and bones-now marked the spot. If it
had not been so late in the season we should have sent
a boat expedition there, but we hardly knew what conclusion to come to. It may be Pullen's party,- it may
be only'native report' to get tobacco and beads. My
opinion was, and is, that the story was a most improbable one, as the natives refused to accept a cask of tobacco and two muskets to go there as pilots. But should
any thing have unfortunately happened to Pullen's
party, and no movement made by us to rescue them if
still alive, it would be a damper on the Herald, and the
affair never forgiven or forgotten by the public.
" Finding it useless to wait any longer for the Enterprise, we sailed for Port Clarence, and put the Plover
into winter quarters as a depot for the two ships north."




THE SEARCHING EXPEDITIONS.                  861
TO THE EXPEDITIONS IN SEARCH OF SIR
JOHN FRANKLIN.
[From Fisher's Drawing-Room Scrap-Book.]
ACROSS the Arctic foam,
To bring the wanderer home,
Speed on, ye fleets, whom Mercy's hand equips!
And may the favoring gales
Make music in your sails,
And waft you safely, oh, ye gallant ships!
May sunshine light your path,
And tempests still their wrath,
And fortune guide you on your darkest track;
Speed on with high endeavor,
And hopeful courage ever,
And bring to British hearts their long lost hero back.
Farewell - a short farewell!
The hopes of nations swell,
And prayers of myriads rise to Heaven for you,
That perils of the cold,
And hardships manifold,
May bear their gentlest on each hardy crew I
A thankful world looks on,
And gives its benison;
America and Europe join their hands;
And o'er the Northern Sea,
Gaze forward hopefully,
And sound our Franklin's name through all the anxious lands.
Return I oh, soon return!
And let our beal-fires burn
On every mountain-top and dizzy scaur;
And let the people's voice,
And clapping hands rejoice
For his and your returning from afar,
No conqueror antique,
Of Roman fame or Greek,
Such proud ovation gathered, laurel-crowned,
As we on him would pour,
From every sea or shore,
And hive of busy men, on all our English ground.
But if this may not be,
And o'er the frozen sea
They sleep in death, the victims of their zeal;
Be yours the task to show
The greatness of our woe,
And end the doubting hopes that millions feel.
Then shall the tears be shed
For them, the glorious dead;
16*




362          PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
And then shall History, on a spotless page,
Inscribe each honest name
With tributary fame -
The men of noble soul — true heroes of our age.
Speed on across the wave IFor you the good and brave,
The good and brave of every land implore
All blessings and success,
Sunshine and happiness,
And safety on the far and frozen shore.
From storm and hidden rock,
And fiom the ice-berg's shock,
May Heaven protect you, wheresoe'er ye stray I
On Mercy's errand sped
On you be mercy shed,
God guide you, mariners, and shield you on your way




_ ____ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 77=
---— sl-    -
ADVANC  A-ND  ESCUEDRIFTIG IN  ELLINGON SOND. PAE 375








THE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
TmH safe return of the expedition sent out by Mr
Henry Grinnell, an opulent merchant of New York city
in search of Sir John Franklin and his companions, is
an event of much interest; and the voyage, though not
resulting in the discovery of the long-absent mariners,
presents many considerations satisfactory to the parties
immediately concerned, and the American public in
general.
Mr. Grinnell's expedition consisted of only two small
brigs, the Advance of 140 tons; the Rescue of only 90
tons. The former had been engaged in the Havana
trade; the latter was a new vessel built for the merchant service. Both were strengthened for the arctic
voyage at a heavy cost. They were then placed under
the directions of our Navy Board, and subject to naval
regulations, as if in permanent service. The command
was given to Lieut. E. De Haven, a young naval officer
who accompanied the United States exploring expedition. The result has proved that a better choice could
not have been made.  His officers consisted of Mr.
Murdoch, sailing-master; Dr. E. K. Kane, surgeon and
naturalist; and MIr. Lovell, midshipman. The Advance
had a crew of twelve men when she sailed; two of them
complaining of sickness, and expressing a desire to
return home, were left at the Danish settlement at Disco
Island, on the coast of Greenland.
The Expedition left New York on the 23d of May,
1850, and was absent a little more than sixteen months.
They passed the eastern extremity of Newfoundland




366       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
ten days after leaving Sandy HIook, and then sailed
east-northeast, directly for Cape Comfort, on the coast
of Greenland. The weather was generally fine, and
only a single accident occurred on the voyage to that
country of frost and snow. Off the coast of Labrador
they met an iceberg making its way toward the tropics.
The night was very dark, and as the huge voyager had
no "light out," the Advance could not be censured for
running foul. She was punished, however, by the loss
of her jib-boom, as she ran against the iceberg at the
rate of seven or eight knots an hour.
The voyagers did not land at Cape Comfort, but
turning northward, sailed along the southwest coast of
Greenland, sometimes in the midst of broad acres of
broken ice, (particularly in Davis' Straits,) as far as
Whale Island. On the way the anniversary of our
national independence occurred; it was observed by
the seamen by "splicing the main-brace " —in other
words, they were allowed an extra glass of grog on that
day.
From Whale Island, a boat, with two officers and
four seamen, was sent to Disco Island, a distance of
about 26 miles, to a Danish settlement there, to procure
skin clothing and other articles necessary for use during
the rigors of a polar winter. The officers were entertained at the government house; the seamen were comfortably lodged with the Esquimaux, sleeping in fur
bags at night. They returned to the ship the following
day, and the expedition proceeded on its voyage. When
passing the little Danish settlement of Upernavick, they
were boarded by natives for the first time. They were
out in government whale-boats, hunting for ducks and
seals. These hardy children of the Arctic Circle were
not shy, for through the Danes, the English whalers,and
government expeditions, they had become acquainted
with men of other latitudes.
When the expedition reached AMelville Bay, which,
on account of its fearful character, is also called the
Devil's Nip, the voyagers began to witness more of
the grandeur and perils of arctic scenes. Icebergs of




THE A3MERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.   367
all dimensions came bearing down from the Polar seas,
like vast squadrons, and the roar of their rending came
over the waters like the booming of heavy broadsides
of contending navies. They also encountered immense
floes, with only narrow channels between, and at times
their situation was exceedingly perilous. On one occasion, after heaving through fields of ice for five consecutive weeks, two immense floes, between which they
were making their way, gradually approached each
other, and for several hours they expected their tiny
vessels- tiny when compared with the mighty objects
around them -would be crushed. An immense calf
of ice, six or eight feet thick, slid under the Rescue,
lifting her almost " high and dry," and careening her
partially upon her beam ends. By means of ice-anchors, (large iron hooks,) they kept her from capsizing.
In this position they remained about sixty hours, when,
with saws and axes, they succeeded in relieving her.
The ice now opened a little, and they finally warped
through into clear water.  While they were thus confined, polar bears came around them in abundance,
greedy for prey, and the seamen indulged a little in the
perilous sports of the chase.
The open sea continued but a short time, when they
again became entangled among bergs, floes, and hummocks, and encountered the most fearful perils. Sometimes they anchored their vessels to icebergs, and sometimes to floes or masses of hummock. On one of these
occasions, while the cook, an active Frenchman, was
upon a berg, making a place for an anchor, the mass of
ice split beneath him, and he was dropped through the
yawning fissure into the water, a distance of almost
thirty feet.  Fortunately the masses, as is often the
case, did not close up again, but floated apart, and the
poor cook was hauled on board more dead than alive,
from excessive fright. It was in this fearful region that
they first encountered pack-ice, and there they were
locked in from the 7th to the 23d of July. During that
time they were joined by the yacht Prince Albert, conmmanded by Captain Forsyth, of the Royal Navy, anrd




368        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
together the three vessels were anchored, for a while,
to an immense field of ice, in sight of the Devil's
Thumb. That high, rocky peak, situated in latitude
740 22', was about thirty miles distant, and with the
dark hills adjacent, presented a strange aspect where
all was white and glittering. The pack and the hills
are masses of rock, with occasionally a lichen or a moss
growing upon their otherwise naked surfaces. In the
midst of the vast ice-field loomed up many lofty bergs,
all of them in motion - slow and majestic motion.
From the Devil's Thumb the American vessels passed
onward through the pack toward Sabine's Islands, while
the Prince Albert essayed to make a more westerly
course. They reached Cape York at the beginning of
August. Far across the ice, landward, they discovered,
through their glasses, several men. apparently making
signals; and for a while they rejoiced in the belief that
they saw a portion of Sir John Franklin's companions.
Four men, (among whom was our sailor-artist,) were
dispatched with a whale-boat to reconnoiter. They soon
discovered the men to be Esquimaux, who, by signs,
professed great friendship, and endeavored to get the
voyagers to accompany them to their homes beyond
the hills. They declined; and as soon as they returned
to the vessel, the expedition again pushed forward, and
made its way to Cape Dudley Digges, which they
reached on the 7th of August.
At Cape Dudley Digges they were charmed by the
sight of the Crimson Cliffs, spoken of by Captain Parry
and other arctic navigators. These are lofty cliffs of
dark brown stone, covered with snow of a rich crimson
color. It was a magnificent sight in that cold region,
to see such an apparently warm object standing out in
bold relief against the dark blue back-ground of a polar
sky. This was the most northern point to which the
expedition penetrated.  The whole coast which they
had passed from Disco to this cape is high, rugged, and
barren, only some of the low points, stretching into the
sea, bearing a species of dwarf fir. Northeast from
the cape rise the Arctic Highlands, to an unknown alti



THE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.   369
tude; and stretching away northward is the unexplored
Smith's Sound, filled with impenetrable ice.
From Cape Dudley Digges, the Advance and Rescue, beating against wind and tide in the midst of the
ice-fields, made Wolstenholme Sound, and then changing their course to the southwest, emerged from the
fields into the open waters of Lancaster Sound. Here,
on the 18th of August, they encountered a tremendous
gale, which lasted about twenty-four hours. The two
vessels parted company during the storm, and remained
separate several days.  Across Lancaster Sound, the
Advance made her way to Barrow's Straits, and on the
22d discovered the Prince Albert on the southern shore
of the straits, near Leopold Island, a mass of lofty,
precipitous rocks, dark and barren, and hooded and
draped with snow. The weather was fine, and soon
the officers and crews of the two vessels met in friendly
greeting. Those of the Prince Albert were much astonished, for they (being towed by a steamer,) left the
Americans in Melville Bay on the 6th, pressing northward through the pack, and could not conceive how
they so soon and safely penetrated it. Captain Forsyth had attempted to reach a particular point, where
he intended to remain through the winter, but finding
the passage thereto completely blocked up with ice, he
had resolved, on the very day when the Americans appeared, to "'bout ship," and return home. This fact,
and the disappointment felt by M)[r. Snow, are mentioned
in our former article.
The two vessels remained together a day or two,
when they parted company, the Prince Albert to return home, and the Advance to make further explorations. It was off Leopold Island, on the 22d of August, that the " mad Yankee" took the lead through the
vast masses of floating ice, so vividly described by Mr.
Snow, and so graphically portrayed by the sailor-artist.
" The way was before them," says Mr. Snow, who stood
upon the deck of the Advance; " the stream of ice had
to be either gone through boldly, or a long detour made;
and, despite the heaviness of the stream, theyp 2qshed




370       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
the vessel throug/h in her proper course. Two or three
shocks, as she came in contact with some large pieces,
were unheeded; and the moment the last block was
past the bow, the officer sung out,' So: steady as she
goes on her course;' and came aft as if nothing more
than ordinary sailing had been going on. I observed
our own little bark nobly following in the American's
wake; and as I afterward learned, she got through it
pretty well, though not without much doubt of the propriety of keeping on in such procedure after the'mad
Yankee,' as he was called by our mate."
From Leopold Island the Advance proceeded to the
northwest, and on the 25th reached Cape Riley, an
other amorphous mass, not so regular and precipitate
as Leopold Island, but more lofty. Here a strong tide.
setting in to the shore, drifted the Advance toward the
beach, where she stranded.  Around her were small
bergs and large masses of floating ice, all under the
influence of the strong current.  It was about two
o'clock in the afternoon when she struck..By diligent
labor in removing every thing from her deck to a small
floe, she was so lightened, that at four o'clock the next
morning she floated, and soon every thing was properly
replaced.
Near Cape Riley the Americans fell in with a portion of an English Expedition, and there also the
Rescue, left behind in the gale in Lancaster Sound,
overtook the Advance. There was Captain Penny
with the Sophia and Lady Franklin; the veteran Sir
John Ross, with the Felix, and Commodore Austin,
with the Resolute steamer. Together the navigators
of both nations explored the coast at and near Cape
Riley, and onl the 27th they saw in a cove on the shore
of Beechey Island, or Beechey Cape, on the east side of
the entrance to Wellington Channel, unmistakable evi
dence that Sir John Franklin and his companions were
there in April, 1846. There they found many articles
known to belong to the British Navy, and some that
were the property of the Erebus and Terror, the ships
under the command of Sir John. There lay, bleaelhd




TIlE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.     371
to the whiteness of the surrounding snow, a piece of
canvas, with the name of the Terror, marked upon it
with indestructible charcoal. It was very faint, yet
perfectly legible. Near it was a 
guide board, lying flat upon its
face, having been prostrated by'
the wind. It had evidently been
used to direct exploring parties to
the vessels, or rather, to the encampment on shore. The board
was pine, thirteen inches in length
and six and a half in breadth, and
nailed to a boarding pike eight
feet in length. It is supposed
that the sudden opening of the
ice, caused Sir John to depart
hastily, and in so doing, this pike
and its board were left behind.
They also found a large number.
of tin  canisters,
such as are used
for packing meats
fora sea bvoyae; an
anvil block:  rennants of clothing,
which evinced, by
numerous patches
and their threadbare character,that
they had been worn  t
as long as the owners could keep them  ANVIL BLOCK.    GUIDE BOARD.
on; the remains of an India Rubber glove, lined with
wool; some old sacks; a cask, or tub, partly filled with
charcoal, and an unfinished rope-mat, which, like other
fibrous fabrics, was bleached white.
But the most interesting, and at the same time most
melancholy traces of the navigators, were three graves,
in a little sheltered cove, each with a board at the head,
bearing the name of the sleeper below. These inscrip



872      PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
tions testify positively when Sir John and his companions were there. The board at the head of the grave
on the left has the following inscription:
"Sacred to the memory of JoHN TORRINGTON, who
departed this life, January 1st, A D., 1846, on board
her Majesty's ship Terror, aged 20 years."
On the center one- "Sacred to the memory of
JOHN HARTNELL, A. B., of her Majesty's ship Erebus;
died, January 4th, 1846, aged 25 years.'Thus saith
the Lord of Hosts, Consider your ways;' Haggai, chap.
i. 5, 7."
On the right-" Sacred to the memory of W. BRAINE,
R. M., of her Majesty's ship Erebus, who died April 3d,
1846, aged 32 years.'Choose you this day whom you
will serve:' Joshua, chap. xxiv., part of the 15th verse."
THREE GRAVES AT BEECHEY.
How much later than April 3d (the date upon the
last-named head-board,) Sir John remained at Beechey,
can not be-determined. They saw evidences of his
having gone northward, for sledge tracks in that direction were visible. It is the opinion of Dr. Kane
that, on the breaking up of the ice, in the spring, Sir
John passed northward with his ships through Wellington Channel, into the great Polar basin, and that he
did not return. This, too, is the opinion of Captain
Penny, and he zealously urges the British government
to send a powerful screw steamer to pass through thaD




THE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.    373
channel, and explore the theoretically more hospitable
coasts beyond. This will doubtless be undertaken
another season, it being the opinions of Captains Parry,
Beechey, Sir John Ross, and others, expressed at a conference with the board of Admiralty, in September, that
the season was too far advanced to attempt it the present year. Dr. Kane, in a letter to Mr. Grinnell, since
the return of the expedition, thus expresses his opinion concerning the safety of Sir John and his companions. After saying, "I should think that he is
now to be sought for n6rth and west of Cornwallis
Island," he adds, "as to the chance of the destruction
of his party by the casualties of ice, the return of our
own party after something more than the usual share
of them, is the only fact that I can add to what we
knew when we set out. The hazards from cold and
privation of food may be almost looked upon as subordinate. The snow-hut, the fire and light from the
moss-lamp fed with blubber, the seal, the narwhal, the
white whale, and occasionally abundant stores of migratory birds, would sustain vigorous life. The scurvy,
the worst visitation of explorers deprived of permanent quarters, is more rare in the depths of a polar
winter, than in the milder weather of the moist summer; and our two little vessels encountered both
seasons without losing a man."
Leaving Beechey Cape, our expedition forced its way
through the ice to Barrow's Inlet, where they narrowly
escaped being frozen in for the winter. They endeavored to enter the Inlet, for the purpose of making it
their winter quarters, but were prevented by the mass
of pack-ice at its entrance. It was on the 4th of September, 1850, when they arrived there, and after remaining seven or eight days, they abandoned the
attempt to enter. On the right and left of the above
picture, are seen the dark rocks at the entrance of the
Inlet, and in the center of the frozen waters and the
range of hills beyond. There was much smooth ice
within the Inlet, and while the vessels lay anchored
to the " field," officers and crew exercised and amused




374       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
themselves by skating. On the left of the Inlet, (in
dicated by the dark conical object,) they discovered a
Cairn, (a heap of stones with a cavity,) eight or ten
feet in height, which was erected by Captain Ommaney
of the English Expedition then in the polar waters.
Within it he had placed two letters, for "Whom it
might concern."  Commander De HIaven also deposited a letter there. It is believed to be the only postoffice in the world, free for the use of all nations. The
rocks, here, presented vast fissures made by the frost;
and at the foot of the cliff on the right that powerful
agent had cast down vast heaps of debris.
From Barlow's Inlet, our expedition moved slowly
westward, battling with the ice every rood of the way,
until they reached Griffin's Island, at about 96~ west
longitude from Greenwich. This was attained on the
11th, and was the extreme westing made by the expedition. All beyond seemed impenetrable ice; and,
despairing of making any further discoveries before the
winter should set in, they resolved to return home.
Turning eastward, they hoped to reach Davis' Strait,
by the southern route, before the cold and darkness
came on; but they were doomed to disappointment.
Near the entrance to Wellington Channel they became
completely locked in by hummock-ice, and soon found
themselves drifting with an irresistible tide up that
channel toward the pole.
Now began the most perilous adventures of the navigators. The summer day was drawing to a close; the
diurnal visits of the pale sun were rapidly shortening,
and soon the long polar night, with all its darkness and
horrors, would fall upon them. Slowly they drifted in
those vast fields of ice, whither, or to what result, they
knew not. Locked in the moving yet compact mass;
liable at every moment to be crushed; far away from
land; the mercury sinking daily lower and lower from
the zero figure, toward the point where that metal
freezes, they felt small hope of ever reaching home again.
Yet they prepared for winter comforts and winter sports,
as cheerfully as if lying safe in Barlow's Inlet. As the




2 —-a-       - 2;. —-  --
THlE ADYANOE. MD RESCUE AT BARL0W'S INLET. PAG]~ 373.








TIlE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITICN.    375
winter advanced, the crews of both the vessels went on
board the larger one. They unshipped the rudders of
each, to prevent their being injured by the ice, covered
the deck of the Advance with felt, prepared their storles,
and made arrangements for enduring the long winter,
now upon them. Physical and mental activity being
necessary for the preservation of health, they (laily exercised in the open air for several hours. They built
ice huts, hunted the huge white bears and the little polar
fo:es, and when the darkness of the winter night had
spread over them they arranged in-door amusements
and employments.
Before the end of October, the sun made its appearance for the last time, and the awful polar night
closed in. Early in November they wholly aband oned
the Rescue, and both crews made the Advance their
permanent winter home. The cold -soon became intense; the mercury congealed, and the spirit thermometer indicated 460 below zero! Its average range was
30~ to 350. They had drifted helplessly up Wellington
Channel, almost to the latitude from whence Captain
Penny saw an open sea, and which all believe to be
the great polar basin, where there is a mnore genial
clime than that which intervenes between the Arctic
Circle and the 75th degree. Here, when almost in
sight of the open ocean, that mighty polar tide, with
its vast masses of ice, suddenly ebbed, and our little
vessels were carried back as resistlessly as before,
through Barrow's Straits into Lancaster Sound! All
this while the immense fields of hummock-ice were
moving, and the vessels were in hourly danger of being
crushed and destroyed.  At length, while drifting
through Barrow's Straits, the congealed mass, as if
crushed together by the opposite shores, became more
compact, and the Advance was elevated almost seven
feet by the stern, and keeled two feet eight inches, starboard. In this position she remained, with very little
alteration for five consecutive months; for, soon after
entering Baffin's Bay in the midst of the winterl, tlhe
ice became fiozen in one immense tract, covering Inil



376       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
lions of acres. Thus fiozen ill, sometimes more tllall a
hundred miles from land, they drifted slowly along the
southwest coast of Baffinl's Bay, a distance of more ttaln
a thousand miles from Wellillgton Chlannel. For eleven
weeks that dreary night contillced, and during that
time the disc of the sun was never seen above the hiorizon. Yet nature was not whlolly forbidding in aspect.
Sometimes the Aurora Borealis would flash up still
further northward; and sometimes Aurora Parheliamock suns and mock moons - would appear in varied
beauty in the starry sky. Brilliant, too, were the northern constellations; and when the real moon was at its
fuill, it made its stately circuit in the heavens, without
descending below the horizon, and lighted up the vast
piles of ice with a pale luster, almost as great as the
morning twilights of more genial skies.
Around the vessels tile crews built a wall of ice; and
in ice huts they stowed away their cordage and stores
to make room for exercise on the decks. They organized a theatrical company, and amused themselves and
the officers with comedy well performed. Behind the
pieces of hummlnock each actor learned his part, and
byv means of calico they transformed themselves into
female characters, as occasion required. These dramas
were acted on the deck of the Advance, sometimes
while the thermometer indicated 30~ below zero, and
actors and audiences highly enjoyed the fun. They
also went in parties during that long night, fully armned,
to hunt the polar bear, the grim monarch of the frozen
North, on which occasions they often encountered perilous adventures. They played at foot-ball, and exercised
themselves in drawing sledges, heavily laden with provisions. Five hours of each twenty-four, they thus exercised in the open air, and once a week each man washed
his whole body in cold snow water. Serious sickness
was consequently avoided, and the scurvy which attacked them soon yielded to remedies.
Often during that fearful night, they expected the
disaster of having their vessels crushed. All throngb,
Noveml)elr lld December, before the ice becamle fast




TI1E1' AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.    377
they slept ill tlleir clothles, witl knaplsackl s on their
backs, and sledges upon the ice, laden withl stores, not
knowing at what molnent the vessels mlight be denlolished, and themselves forced to leave tllelm, and  nla]ke
their way toward land. On the 8th of December, and
the 23d of January, they actually lowered tleir boats
and stood upon the ice, for the crushing masses were
making the timbers of the gallant vessel creak and its
decks to rise in the center.  They were then ninety
miles from land, and hope hardly whispered an encouraging idea of life being sustained. On the latter occasion, when officers and crew stood upon the ice, with
the ropes of their provision sledges in their hands, a
terrible snow-drift came from the northeast, and intense
darkness shrouded them. Had the vessel then been
crushed, all must have perished. But God, who ruled
the storm, also put forth His protecting arm and saved
them.
Early in February the northern horizon began to be
streaked with gorgeous twilight, the herald of the approaching king of day; and on the 18th the disc of
the sun first appeared above the horizon. As its golden
rim rose above the glittering snow-drifts and piles of
ice, three hearty cheers went up froml those hardy mariners, and they welcomed their deliverer from the
chains of frost as cordially as those of old who chanted,
"See! the conqueling lero comes,
Sound the trumpet, beat the drumns."
Day after day it rose higher and higher, and while the
pallid faces of the voyagers, bleached during that long
night, darkened by its beams, the vast masses of ice
began to yield to its fervid influences. The scurvy disappeared, and from that time, until their arrival home,
not a man suffered from sickness. As they slowly
drifted through Davis' Straits, and the ice gave indications of breaking up, the voyagers made preparations
for sailing. The Rescue was re-occupied, (Mlay 13th,
1851,) and her stone-post, which had been broken by
the ice in Barrow's Straits, was repaired. To accomplish this, they were obliged to dig away the ice which




378         PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
was from 12 to 14 feet thick around her, as represented
in the engraving.  They reshipped their rudders; re.
moved the felt covering; placed their stores on deck,
and then patiently awaited the disruption of the ice
This event was very sudden and appalling. It began
to give way on the 5th of June, and in the space of
twenty minutes the whole mass, as far as the eve could
reach, became one vast field of moving floes. On the
10th of June, they emerged into open water, a little
south of the Arctic Circle, in latitude 65~ 30'. They
immediately repaired  to Godhaven, on the coast of
Greenland, where they refitted, and, unappalled by the
perils through which they had just passed, they once
more turned their prows northward to encounter anew
the ice squadrons of Baffin's Bay. Again they traversed the coast of Greenland to about the 73d degree, when they bore to the westward, and on the 7th
and 8th of July, passed the English whaling fleet near
the Dutch Islands.  Onward they pressed through
the accumulating ice to Baffin's Island, where, on
the 11th, they were joined by the Prince Albert, then
out upon another cruise. They continued in company until the 3d of August, when the Albert departed
for the westward, determined to try the more south
ern passage.  Here again our expedition encountered
vast fields of hummock-ice, and were subjected to the
most imminent perils. The floating ice, as if moved by
adverse currents, tumbled in huge masses, and reared
upon the sides of the sturdy little vessels like monsters
of the deep intent upon destruction.  These masses
broke in the bulwarks, and sometimes fell over upon
the decks with terrible force, like rocks rolled over a
plain by mountain torrents. The noise was fearful; so
deafening that the mariners could scarcely hear each
other's voices. The sounds of these rolling masses, together with the rending of the icebergs floating near,
and the vast floes, produced a din like the discharge of
a thousand pieces of ordnance upon a field of battle.
Finding the north and west closed against further
progress, by imnpenetrlable ice, the b)rave De Ilaven was




TIIE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.     379
Lalked, and turning his vessels homeward, they came
out into an open sea, somewhat crippled, but not a
plank seriously started. During a storin off the banlks
of Newfoundland, a thousand miles from New York,
the vessels parted company.  The Advance arrived
safely at the Navy Yard at Brooklyn on the 30th of
September, and the Rescue joined her there a few days
afterward. Toward the close of October, the government resigned the vessels into the hands of iMr. Grinnell, to be used in'other service, but with the stipulation
that they are to be subject to the order of the Secretary
of the Navy in the spring, if required for another
expedition in search of Sir John Franklin.
We have thus given a very brief account of the principal events of interest connected with the American
Arctic Expedition; the officers of which will doubtless
publish a more detailed narrative. Aside from the success which attended our little vessels in encountering the
perils of the polar seas, there are associations which must
forever hallow the effort as one of the noblest exhibitions
of the true glory of nations. The navies of America and
England have before met upon the ocean, but they met
for deadlv strife. Now, too, they met for strife, equally
determined, but not with eachl other. Thev met in the
holy cause of benevolence and human sympathy, to
battle with the elements beneath the Arctic Circle; and
the chivalric heroism which the few stout hearts of the
two nations displayed in that terrible conflict, redounds
a thousand-fold more to the glory of the actors, their
governments, and the race, than if four-score ships,
with ten thousand armed men had fought for the muastery of each other upon the broad ocean, and battered
hulks and marred corpses had gone down to the coral
caves of the sea, a dreadffl offering to the demon of
Discord. In the latter event, troops of widows and orphan children would have sent up a cry of wail; now,
the heroes iadvanced manfully to rescue husbands and
fathers to restore them to their wives and childclren.
How glorious tfle thought!  and how suggestive of tle
beauty of that fast approaching day, when the nations




380        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
shall sit down in peace as united children of one
household.
WINTER IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN.
The following narrative, showing the way the wintel
of 1851-52 was passed by those engaged in the recent
arctic expedition, is fioml the official report Imade by
Lieut. De Haven, the Commander of the expedition:
"' On the morning of the 13th Sept., 1850, the wind
having moderated sufficiently, we got under way, and
working our way through some streams of ice, arrived
iln a few hours at' Grifith's' Island, under the lee of
which we found our consort made fast to the shore,
where she had talken shelter in the gale, her crew having suffered a good deal from the inclemency of the
weather. In bringing to under the lee of the island,
she had the mnisfortune to spring her rudder, so that on
joining us, it was with much difficulty she could steer.
To insure her safety and more rapid progress, she was
taken in tow by the Advance, when slle bore up with
a fine breeze from the westward.  Otff Cape.Martyr,
we left the English squadron under Capt. Austin.
About ten miles further to the east, the tw(o vessels under Capt. Penny, and that under Sir John RIoss, were
seen secured near the land. At 8 ir. ir.. we had advanced as far as Cape Ilothaml. Thence as far as the
increasinT   darkness of the night enabled us to see, there
was nothing to obstruct our progress, except the bay
ice.  This, with a good breeze, would not hare impeded us much; but unfortunately the wind, wlhen it was
most required, failed us. The snow, with whlilch thle
surface of the water was covered, rapidlly cemlented,
and formed a tenacious coat, througilh whicl it was ilnpossible with all our appliances to force thle xvessels. At
8 P. x., they came to a dead stand, soime ten iliiles to
the east of Barlow's Inlet.
"The fbllowigncl day the wind h}auiled to t}le solutlward,
from whlichl quarter it lasted till tfle 19tl,. Diuring this
period the young ice vwas broken, its edges sqluezed ulu
r"'"" ""' J`~"'Zn




WINTER IN T'HE ARCTIC OCEAN.         381
like hammocks, and one floe overrun by another until
it all asstumed tle applearance of lecavy ice. Tlhe vessels received some lheavy nlils frtoil it,'bllt tley witlistood them without inljury.  Will\everl a )OUol of' vater
imade its appearance, every efl'ort was iladc to lreacll it,
in hopes that it would lead us into lBeeclcy Island, or
some other place where the vessel mliglt be placed iln
security; for the winter set in unusually early, and tile
severity with which it commenced, forbade all llopes
of our being able to return this season. I now became
anxious to attain a point in the neighborhlood, fioll
whence by means of land parties, in the spring, a goodly
extent of Wellington Channel might be examined.
" In the mean time. under the influence of the soutlh
wind, we were being set up the channel.  On thle 18tl
we were above Cape Bowden, the most northern poinlt
seen on this shore by Parry.  The land on botll shores
was seen much fiurther, and trended considerably to tlce
west of north. To acconut for this drift, t1he fixed ice
of Wellington Channel, which we hlad observed ill passing to the westward, must have been brokell iu1 and
driven to the southward by tlme hleavy gale ot tile 12tll.
On the 19th the wind veered to tile nortlh, wlhich gave
us a southerly set, forcing us at tie saime tilne withl thle
western shore. This did lnot last long; tbr tile nIext day
the wind hauled again to tle soulthl, and blow fresll,
bringing the ice in upon us witlh lnucll pressure. At
midnight it broke up all aroulllld us, so thlat we had ~work
to maintain tlhe Advance in a satb })ositioni, and keep
her from being separated froll ler consort, which was
immovably fixed in thle center of a large floe.
"We continued to drift slowly to the N. N. W., until
the 22d, wilen our progress appeared to be arrested by
a small low island, which was discovered in that direction, about seven miles distant.  A channel of thlree or
four miles in width separated it fiom Cornwallis Island.
This latter island, trending N. XV. fiom our position,
terminated abruptly in an elevated cape, to whlliel I
have given the naine of  nlllingll, after a war Im l)ersonal fiiemd and ardtlet sil)porter of tilc expledition.




382        PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
Between Cornwallis Island and some distant high land
visible in the north, appeared a wide channel leading
to the westward. A dark, misty-looking cloud which
hung over it, (technically termed frost-smoke,) was indicative of much open water in that direction. This
was the direction in which my instructions, referring to
the investigations of the National Observatory, concerning the winds and currents of the ocean, directed me to
look for open water. Nor was the open water the only
indication that presented itself in confirmation of this
theoretical conjecture as to a milder climate in that
direction.  As we entered Wellington Channel, the
signs of animal life became more abundant, and Captain Penny, commander of one of the English expeditions, who afterward penetrated on sledges much
toward the. region of the   frost-smoke,' much further
than it was possible for us to do in our vessels reported
that he actually arrived on the borders of this open sea.
"Thus, these admirably drawn instructions, deriving
arguments from the enlarged and comprehensive system of physical research, not only pointed with emphasis to an unknown sea into which Franklin had
probably found his way, but directed me to search for
traces of his expedition in the very channel at the
entrance of which it is now ascertained he had passed
his first winter. The direction in which search with
most chances of success is now to be made for the
missing expedition, or for traces of it, is no doubt in
the direction which is so clearly pointed out in my instructions. To the channel which appeared to lead
into the open sea over which the cloud of' frost-smoke'
hung as a sign, I have given the name of Mlaurv, after
the distinguished gentleman at the head of our National
Observatory, whose theory with regard to an open sea
to the north is likely to be realized through this channel. To the large mass of land visible between N. W.
to N. N. E., I gave the name of Grinnell, in honor of
the head and heart of the man in whose philantblropic
rind originsatel the ider a of this expedition, and r,*
wlhoe nlai-ficenee.n   it owre, its exi.ttence.




WINTER IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN.      383
"To a remarkable peak bearing N. N. E. from us,
distant about forty miles, was given the name of
Mount Franklin. An inlet or harbor immediately to
the north of Cape Bowden was discovered by Mr.
Griffin in his land excursion from Point Innes, on the
27th of August, and has received the name of Griffin
Inlet. The small island mentioned before was called
Mlurdaugh's Island, after the acting master of the Advance. The eastern shore of Wellington Channel appeared to run parallel with the western, but it became
quite low, and being covered with snow, could not be
distinguished with certainty, so that its continuity with
the high land to the north was not ascertained. Some
small pools of open water appearing near us, an attempt
was made about fifty yards, but all our combined
efforts were of no avail in extricating the Rescue from
her icy cradle. A change of wind not only closed the
ice up again, but threatened to give a severe nip. We
unshipped her rudder and placed it out of harm's way.
"September 22d, was an uncomfortable day. The
wind was from N. E. with snow. From an early hour
in the morning, the floes began to be pressed together
with so much force that their edge was thrown up in
immense ridges of rugged hummocks. The Advance
was heavily nipped between two floes, and the ice was
piled up so high above the rail on the starboard side
as to threaten to come on board and sink us with its
weight. All hands were occupied in keeping it out.
The pressure and commotion did not cease till near
midnight, when we were very glad to have a respite
from our labors and fears. The next day we were
threatened with a similar scene, but it fortunately
ceased in a short time. For the remainder of September, and until the 4th of October, the vessels drifted
but little. The winds were very light. the thermometer
fell to minus 12, and ice formed over the pools in sight,
sufficiently strong to travel upon. We were now
strongly impressed with the belief that the ice had become fixedl for thl]e winter, and that we should be able
to send out traveling lpaxrties firom the advanced position
17*




384       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
for the examination of the lands to the northward
Stimulated by this fair prospect, another attempt wan
made to reach the shore in order to establish a depot
of provisions at or near Cape Mlanning, which would
materially facilitate the progress of our parties in the
spring; but the ice was still found to be detached from
the shore, and a narrow lane of water cut us from it.
" During the interval of comparative quiet, prelimi
nary measures were taken for heating the Advance
and increasing her quarters, so as to accomodate tho
officers and crew of both vessels.  No stoves had as
yet been used in either vessel; indeed they could not
well be put up without placing a large quantity of stores
and fuel upon the ice. The attempt was made to do
this, but a sudden crack in the floe where it appeared
strongest, causing the loss of several tons of coal, convinced us that it was not yet safe to do so. It was not
until the 20th of October, we got fires below.  Ten
days later the housing cloth was put over, and the officers and crew of the Rescue ordered on board the Advance for the winter. Room was found on the deck of
the Rescue for many of the provisions removed from
the hold of this vessel. Still a large quantity had to
be placed on the ice. The absence of fire below had
caused much discomfort to all hands ever since the beginning of September, not so much from the low temperature, as from the accumulation of moisture by
condensation, which congealed as the temperature decreased, and covered the wood work of our apartments
with ice. This state of things soon began to work its
effect upon the health of the crews. Several cases of
scurvy appeared among them, and notwithstanding the
indefatigable attention and active treatment resorted to
by the medical officers, it could not be eradicated - its
progress, however, was checked.
"All through October and November, we were drifted
to and fro by the changing wind, but never passing out
of Wellington Channel. On the 1st of November, the
new ice had attained the thickness of 37 inches. Still,
frequent breaks would occur in it, often in fearful prox



WINTER IN TIlE ARCTIC OCEAN.        385
Inity to the vessels. Hummocks consisting of massive
granite-like blocks, would be thrown up to the height
of twenty, and even thirty feet. This action in the ice
was accompanied with a variety of sounds impossible
to be described, but when heard never tailed to carry a
feeling of awe into the stoutest hearts. In the stillness
of an arctic night, they could be heard several miles,
and often was the rest of all hands disturbed by them.
To guard against the worst that could happen to us --
the destruction of the vessels - the boats were prepared
and sledges built. Thirty days' provisions were placed
in for all hands, together with tents and blanket bags
for sleeping in. IBesides this, each man and officer had
his knapsack containing an extra suit of clothes. These
were all kept in readiness for use at a moment's notice.
"_For the sake of wholesome exercise, as well as to inure the people to ice traveling, frequent excursions were
made with our laden sledges. The officers usually took
the lead at the drag ropes, and they, as well as the men
underwent the labor of surmounting the rugged hummocks, with great cheerfulness and zeal.  Notwithstanding the low temperature, all hands usually returned
in a profiuse perspiration. We had also other sources
of exercise and amusements, such as foot-ball, skating,
sliding, racing, with theatrical representations on holidays and national anniversaries. These amusements
were continued throughout the winter, and contributed
very materially to the cheerfulness and general good
health of all hands. The drift had set us gradually to
the S. E., until we were about five miles to the S. W.
of Beechey Island. In this position we remained comparatively stationary about a week.  We once more
began to entertain a hope that we had become fixed for
the winter, but it proved a vain one, for on the last day
of November a strong wind fioom the westward set in,
with thick snowy weather. The wind created an immediate movement in the ice. Several fractures took
place near us, and many heavy hummocks were thrown
up. The floe in which our vessels were imbedded, was
being rapidly encroached upon, so that we were in mo



386       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
mentary fear of the ice breaking from around them,
and that they would be once more broken out and left
to the tender mercies of the crashing floes.
"On the following day (the 1st of December) the
weather cleared oft; and the few hours of twilight
which we had about noon, enabled us to get a glimpse
of the land. As well as we could make it out, we appeared to be off Gascoigne Inlet. We were now clear
of Wellington Channel, and in the fair way of Lancaster Sound, to be set either up or down, at the mercy
of the prevailing winds and currents. We were not
long left in doubt as to the direction we had to pursue.
The winds prevailed from the westward, and our drift
was steady and rapid toward the mouth of the Sound.
The prospect before us was now any thing but cheering.
We were deprived of our last fond hope, that of becoming fixed in some position whence operations could
be carried on by means of traveling parties in the
spring. The vessels were fast being set out of the
region of search. Nor was this our only source of uneasiness. The line of our drift was from two to five
miles from the north shore, and whenever the moving
ice met with any of the capes or projecting points of
land, the obstruction would cause fractures in it, extending off to and far beyond us. Cape Hurd was the
first and most prominent point-we were but two
miles from it on the 3d of December. Nearly all day
the ice was both seen and heard to be in constant motion at no great distance from us. In the evening a
crack on our floe took place not more than twenty-five
yards ahead of tile Advance. It opened in the course
of the evening to the width of 190 yards.
"No fuirther disturbance took place until noon of the
5th, wllen we were somlewhat startled by the familiar
and unnmistakable sound of the ice grinding against
the side of the ship. Going on deck, I perceived that
another crack lhad taken place, passingo along the length
of the vessel. It did not open lnore than a foot; tills,
however, Nwas siifficient to liberate tile vessel, and she
rose several ill(lces bodily, l\aving' becoille more buoy



WINTER IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN.      387
ant since she froze in. The following day, in the
evening the crack opened several yards, leaving the
sides o~ the Advance entirely free, and she was once
more supported by and rode in her own element. We
were not, though, by any means, in a pleasant situation.
The floes were considerably broken in all directions
around us, and one crack had taken place between the
two vessels. The Rescue was not disturbed in her bed
of ice.
"December 7th, at 8 A. M., the crack in which we
were, had opened and formed a lane of water fifty-six
feet wide, communicating ahead at the distance of sixty
feet with ice of about one foot in thickness, which had
formed since the 3d. The vessel was secured to the
largest floe near us (that on which our spare stores were
deposited.) At noon, the ice was again in motion,
and began to close, affording us the pleasant prospect
of an inevitable nip between two floes of the heaviest
kind. In a short time the prominent points took our
side, on the starboard, just about the main-rigging, and
on the port under the counter, and at the fore-rigging;
thus bringing three points of pressure in such a position
that it must4 have proved fatal to a larger or less
strengthened vessel. The Advance, however, stood it
bravely. After trembling and groaning in every joint,
the ice passed under and raised her about two and
a half feet. She was let down again for a moment,
and then her stern was raised about five feet. Her
bows being unsupported, were depressed almost as
much. In this uncomfortable position we remained.
The wind blew a gale from the eastward, and the ice
all around was in dreadful commotion, excepting, fortunately, that in immediate contact with us. The commotion in the ice continued all through the night; and
we were in momentary expectation of the destruction
of both vessels. The easterly gale had set us some
two or three miles to the west. As soon as it was light
enough to see on tilhe 9t1, it was discovered that the
heavy ice on wlhiclh the Rescue had been imbedded
for so longi a tinme, was entirely broken up, and piled




Z188      PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
up around her in massive hummocks. On her pumps
being sounded, I was gratified to learn that she remained
tight, notwithstanding the immense straining and
pressure she must have endured.
" During this period of trial, as well as in all former
and subsequent ones, I could not avoid being struck
with the calmness and decision of the officers, as well
as the subordination and good conduct of the nien,
without an exception. Each one knew the imminence
of the peril that surrounded us, and was prepared to
abide it with a stout heart. There was no noise, no
confusion. I did not detect, even in the moment when
the destruction of the vessel seemed inevitable, a single desponding look among the whole crew; on the
contrary, each one seemed resolved to do his whole
duty, and every thing went on cheerily and bravely.
For my own part, I had become quite an invalid, so
much so as to prevent my taking an active part in the
duties of the vessel as I had always done, or even from
incurring the exposure necessary to proper exercise.
However, I felt no apprehensions that the vessel would
not be properly taken care of, for I had perfect confidence in one and all by whom I was surrounded. I
knew them to be equal to any emergency, but I felt
under special obligations to the gallant commander
of the Rescue, for the efficient aid he rendered mne.
With the kindest consideration, and the most cheerful
alacrity, he volunteered to perform the executive duties
during the winter, and relieve me fiom every thing
that might tend in the least to retard my recovery.
"During the remainder of December, the ice remained quiet immediately around us, and breaks were
all strongly cemented by new ice. In our neighborhood, however, cracks were daily visible. Our drift
to the eastward averaged nearly six miles per day; so
that on the last of the month we were at the entrance
of the Sound, Cape Osborn bearing north from us.
"January, 1851.- On passing out of the Sound, and
opening Baffln's Bay, to the north was seen a dark holizon, indicating much open water in that direction. On




WINTER IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN.       389
the 11th, a crack took place between us and the Rescue,
passing close under our stern, and fbrming a lane of
water eighty feet wide. In the afternoon the floes began to move, the lane was closed up, and the edges of
the ice coming in contact with so mluch pressure, threatened the demolition of the narrow space which separated us from the line of fracture. Fortunately, the
floes again separated, and assumed a motion by which
the Rescue passed from our stern to the port bow, and
increased her distance fiom us 709 yards, where she
came to a stand. Our stores that were on the ice were
on the same side of the cracks as the Rescue, and of
course were Carried with her. The following day the
ice remained quiet, but soon after midnight, on the
13th, a gale having sprung up from the westward, it
once more got into violent motion. The young ice in
the crack near our stern was soon broken up, the edges
of the thick ice came in contact, and fearful pressures
took place, forcing up a line of hummocks which approached within ten feet of our stern.  The vessel
trembled and complained a great deal.
" At last the floe broke up around us into many
pieces, and became detached from the sides of the
vessel. The scene of fiightful commotion lasted until
4 A. M. Every moment I expected the vessel would
be crushed or overwhelmed by the massive ice forced
up far above our bulwarks. The Rescue being further
removed on the other side of the crack from the line
of crushing, and being firmly inibedded in heavy ice,
I was in hopes would remain undisturbed. This was
not the case; for, on sending to her as soon as it was
light enough to see, the floe was found to be broken
away entirely up to her bows, and there formed into
such high hummocks that her bowsprit was broken off,
together with her head, and all the light wood work
about it. Had the action of the ice continued much
longer, she must have been destroyed. We had the
misfortune to find sad havoc had been made among
the stores and provisions left on the ice; and few barrels were recovered; but a large portion were crushed
and had disappeared.




390       PROGRESS OF ARCTIO DISCOVERY.
" On the morning of the 14th there was again some
motion in the floes. That on the port side moved off
from the vessel two or three feet and there became
stationary.  This left the vessel entirely detached
firom the ice round the water line, and it was expected
she would once more resume an upright position. In
this, however, we were disappointed, for she remained
with her stern elevated, and a considerable lift to starboard, being held in this uncomfortable position by the
heavy masses which had been forced under her bottom
She retained this position until she finally broke out
in the spring. We were now fully launched into Baffin's Bay, and our line of drift began to be more southerly, assuming a direction nearly parallel with the
western shore of the Bay at a distance of from 40 to
70 miles from it.
"'After an absence of 87 days, the sun, on the 29th
of January, rose his whole diameter above the southern horizon, and remained visible more than an hour.
All hands gave vent to delight on seeing an old friend
again, in three hearty cheers. The length of the days
now went on increasing rapidly, but no warmth was
yet experienced from the sun's rays; on the contrary
the cold became more intense. Mercury became congealed in February, also in March, which did not occur
at any other period during the winter. A very low
temperature was invariably accompanied with clear
and calm weather, so that our coldest days were perhaps the most pleasant. In the absence of wind, we
could take exercise in the open air without any inconvenience from the cold. But with a strong wind blow
ing, it was dangerous to be exposed to its chilling blasts
for any length of time, even when the thermometer
indicated a comparatively moderate degree of tem.
perattire.
" The ice around the vessels soon became cemented
again and fixed, and no other rupture was experienced
until it finally broke up in the spring, and allowed us
to escape. Still we kept driving to the southward
along with the ui hole mass. Open lanes of water were




WINTER IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN.        391
visil:)le at all times from aloft; sometimes they would
be formed within a mile or two of us.  Narwhals,
seals, and dovekys were seen in them.  Our sportsmen were not expert enough to procure any, except a
few of the latter; although they were indefatigable in
their exertions to do so. Bears would frequently be
seen prowling about; only two were killed during the
winter; others were wounded, but made their escape.
A few of us thought their flesh very palatable and
wholesome; but the majority utterly rejected it. The
flesh of the seal, when it could be obtained, was received with more favor.
"As the season advanced, the cases of scurvy became
more numerous, yet they were all kept under control
by the unwearied attention and skillful treatment of
the medical officers. My thanks are due to them, especially to Passed Assistant Surgeon Kane, the senior
medical officer of the expedition. I often had occasion to consult him concerning the hygiene of the
crew, and it is in a great measure owing to the advice
which he gave and the expedients which he recommended, that the expedition was enabled to return
without the loss of one man. By the latter end of
February the ice had become sufficiently thick to enable us to build a trench around the stern of the Rescue, sufficiently deep to ascertain the extent of the
injury she had received in the gale at Griffith's Island. It was not found to be material; the upper gudgeon alone had been wrenched from the stern post. It
was adjusted, and the rudder repaired in readiness for
shipping, when it should be required. A new bowsprit was also made for her out of the few spare spars
we had left, and every thing made seaworthy in both
vessels before the breaking up of the ice.
"In Mlay, the noon-day began to take effect upon the
snow which covered the ice; the surface of the floes
became watery, and difficult to walk over. Still -the
dissolution was so slow in comparison with the mass
to be dissolved, that it must have taken it a long period to become liberated firom this cause alone. More




392       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
was expected from our southerly drift, which still continned, and must soon carry us into a milder climate
and open sea. On the 19th of May, the land about
Cape Searle was made out, the first that we had seen
since passing Cape Walter Bathurst, about the 20th of
January. A few days later we were off Cape Walsingham, and on the 27th, passed out of the Arctic Zone.
" On the 1st of April, a hole was cut in some ice that
had been forming since our first besetment in September; it was found to have attained the thickness of 7
feet 2 inches. In this month, (April,) the amelioration
of the temperature became quite sensible. All hands
were kept at work, cutting and sawing the ice around
the vessels, in order to allow them to float once more.
With the Rescue, they succeeded, after much labor, in
attaining this object; but around the stern of the Advance, the ice was so thick that our 13 feet saw was too
short to pass through it; her bows and sides, as far aft
as the gangway, were liberated. After making some
alteration in the Rescue for the better accommodation
of her crew, and fires being lighted on board of her
several days previous, to remove the ice and dampness,
which had accumulated during the winter, both officers
and crew were transierred to her on the 24th of April.
The stores of this vessel, which had been taken out,
were restored, the housing cloth taken off, and the vessel made in every respect ready for sea. There was
little prospect, however, of our being able to reach the
desired element very soon. The nearest. water was a
narrow lane more than two miles distant. To cut
through the ice which intervened, would have been next
to impossible. Beyond this lane, from: the mast-head,
nothing but intermedliate floes could be seen. It was
thought best to wait with patience, and allow nature to
work for us.
" June 6th, a moderate breeze from S. E. with pleasant
weather - thermomueter up to 40 at noon, and altogether
quite warm and nmelting clay. During the morning a
peculiar cracking sound was heard on the floe. I was
inclined to impute it to tihe settling of the snow drifts as




WINTER IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN.       393
they were acted upon by the sun, but in the afternoon,
about 5 o'clock, the puzzle was solved very lucidly, and
to the exceeding satisfaction of all hands. A crack in
the floe took place between us and the Rescue, and in
a few minutes thereafter, the whole immense field in
which we had been imbedded for so many months,
was rent in all directions, leaving not a piece of 100
yards in diameter. The rupture was not accompanied
with any noise.  The Rescue was entirely liberated,
the Advance only partially. The ice in which her after
part was imbedded, still adhered to her from the main
chains aft, keeping her stern elevated in its unsightly
position. The pack, (as it may now be called,) became
quite loose, and but for our pertinacious friend acting
as an immense drag upon us, we might have made
some headway in any desired direction. All our efforts
were now turned to getting rid of it. With saws, axes,
and crowbars, the people went to work with a right
good will, and after hard labor for 48 hours succeeded.
The vessel was again afloat, and she righted. The joy
of all hands vented itself spontaneously in three hearty
cheers. The after part of the false keel was gone, being carried away by the ice. The loss of it, however,
I was glad to perceive, did not materially affect the
sailing or working qualities of the vessel. The rudders
were shipped, and we were once more ready to move,
as efficient as on the day we left New York.
"Steering to the S. E. and working slowly through the
loose but heavy pack, on the 9th we parted from the
Rescue in a dense fog, she taking a different lead from
the one the Advance was pursuing."




394       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
LATEST ACCOUNTS- GROUND FOR IHOPE.
Mr. Wm. Penny, of Aberdeen, states in a letter to
the Times, that Capt. Martin, who, when commanding
the whaler Enterprise, in 1845, was the last person to
communicate with Sir. J. Franklin, has just infbrmed
him that the Enterprise was alongside the Erebus, i.n
Melville Bay, and Sir John Franklin invited him,
(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 lie had five years' provisions, which he could
make last seven, and his people were busily engaged
in salting down birds, of which they had several casks
full already, and twelve men were out shooting more.
"'To see such determination and foresight," observes
Mr. Penny, "at that early period, is really wonderful,
and must give us the greatest hopes." Mr. Pennyv
says that Capt. Martin is a man of fortune, and of the
strictest integrity.
The following is the deposition of Capt. Martin, just
received in the London Times, of Jan. 1, 1852, containing the facts above alluded to:
Robert Martin, now master and commander of the
whaleship Intrepid, of Peterhead, solemnly and sincerely declares that on the 22d day of July, 1845, when
in command of the whale ship Enterprise, of Peterhead, in lat. T75  10', long. 66~ W., calm weather, and
towing, the Erebus and Terror were in company. These
ships were alongside the Enterprise for about fifteen
minutes.  The declarant conversed with Sir John
Franklin, and Mr. Reid, his ice-master. The conversation lasted all the time the ships were close. That
Sir John, in answer to a question by the declarant if
he had a good supply of provisions, and how lone lie
expected them to last, stated that lie had provisions
for five years, and if it were necessary he could "rmake
them spin out seven years;" and he said further, that
he would lose no(, opportunity of killing  b)irds. and
whatever else wa usef'ul that c'ame in the way, to keep




LATEST ACCOUNTS.             395
up their stock, and that he had plenty of powder and
shot for the purpose. That Sir John also stated that
he had already several casks of birds salted, and had
then two shooting parties out -one from each ship.
The birds were very numerous; many would fall at a
single shot, and the declarant has himself killed forty
at a shot with white pease. That the birds are very
agreeable food, are in taste and size somewhat like
young pigeons, and are called by the sailors " rotges."
That on the 26th or 28th of said month of July, two
parties of Sir John's officers, who had been out shooting, dined with the declarant on board the Enterprise.
There was a boat with six from each ship. Their conversation was to the same effect as Sir John's. They
spoke of expecting to be absent four or five, or perhaps six years. These officers also said that the ships
would winter where they could find a convenient place,
and ih spring push on as far as possible, and so on
year after year, as the determination was to push on
as far as practicable.
That on the following day, an invitation was brought
to the declarant, verbally, to dine with Sir John, but
the wind shifted, and the Enterprise having cut through
the ice about a mile and a half, the declarant was
obliged to decline the invitation.  That he saw the
Erebus and Terror for two days longer; they were
still lyirng at an iceberg, and the Enterprise was moving slowly down the country. That so numerous were
the birds mentioned, and so favorable was the weather
for shooting them, that a very large number must have
been secured' during the time the declarant was in
sight of the two ships. The Prince of Wales whaler
was also within sight during the most of the time.
rhat from the state of the wind and weather for a peeiod of 10 days, during part of which the declarant
was not in sight of the two ships, the best opportunity
Tas afforded f(,r securing the birds. That the birds
described are not to be found at all places on the fishino ground dluring  the whaling season, bhut are met
with in vast numbers eve',v season ofna certain feeding




396       PROGRESS OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.
banks and places for brooding, and it appeared at the
time by the declarant to be a most fortunate circumstance that the Erebus and Terror had fallen in with
so many birds, and that the state of the weather was
so favorable for securing large numbers of them. The
declarant has himself had a supply of the same description of birds, which kept fresh and good during
three months, at Davis' Strait, and the last were as
good as the first of them.
Which declaration, above written, is now made
conscientiously, believing the same to be true.
ROBERT MARTIN.
Declared, December, 29th, 1851, before
R. GRATH, Provost of Peterhead.
From this it would appear that it is not impossible,
perhaps not improbable, that Sir John Franklin may
yet make his appearance, coming down from th1se iceound regions bringing with him his noble ships and
their daring crews, and giving joy to thousands upon
thousands who are watching with intense interest the
unraveling of the mystery of his absence, and especially bringing joy inexpressible to the heart of that
noble lady, with which thousands of hearts throughout
the civilized world beat in sympathy.