1852.] ADMIRALTY INSTRUCTIONS. <J 



No. III. 



Instructions to Captain Sir Eilicard Belcker, C.B., or the Senior 

 Officer of Hi-r Majesty's S/iijm at Beecltey hlnml. 



Admiralty, April 28, 1854. 

 SIR, 



My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have directed Her 

 Majesty's ships Phoenix and Talbot, under the orders of Captain Ingle- 

 field, to proceed with provisions and stores to Beeehey Island, for the 

 purpose of replenishing the ships and depots under your orders ; and 

 I am commanded by their Lordships to acquaint you that on the return 

 of the ' Phoenix ' from Beeehey Island last year, they had the satisfac- 

 tion of hearing of the safe arrival of Her Majesty's ship Investigator, 

 under the command of Captain M'Clure, at Banks Land, having com- 

 pleted the discovery of the North- West Passage, though unhappily, 

 without discovering traces of Sir John Franklin, and that part of the 

 crew had been enabled to reach Captain Kellett's station at Melville 

 Island. By despatches which they received from Behring Straits they 

 have information that in August, 1851, Captain Collinsou, in Her 

 Majesty's ship Enterprise passed the entrance of the Colville River; 

 and their Lordships trust by the reports he may have obtained from the 

 natives of Prince Albert's Land, as well as from the records deposited 

 by Captain M'Clure on his passage along that shore, that he may also 

 have been enabled to reach some harbour on Banks Land, from whence 

 he has made known his position either to Captain M'Clure or Captain 

 Kellett. 



Their Lordships have desired me to direct your special attention to 

 the measures they now require to be adopted for at once withdrawing, 

 if possible, the whole of the force now employed in the search of Sir 

 J. Franklin from the Polar Seas; for effecting this object they refrain 

 from issuing any positive instructions how you are to act, or what 

 steps you are to take, as they ai'e aware you must be entirely guided 

 by the position of the ships, and those varying circumstances which in 

 that region must influence your operations ; but their Lordships' view 

 may be stated generally as follows : 



] . If the crews of the ' Enterprise' and ' Investigator' are at Banks 

 Land, they must abandon their ships, and every endeavour should be 

 made to get them to Beeehey Island, that they may return to Euo-land. 

 If this has already been effected, and Captain Kellett with his ships 

 has returned from Melville Island, yon are immediately to proceed to 

 with the whole, of the ships and their crews, abandoning all 



