202 ROUTE or COLLINSON SUGGESTED. [June, 



With the proceeding of Captain Collinson's expedition 

 I have but an indirect connection, viz. that of his relief. 

 But if Commander M'Clure had raised an independent 

 cairn, instead of depositing his notice in that of M'Clin- 

 tock's, and Captain Collinson's officer had left sufficient 

 notice at Cape Hearne or Cape Providence, then my in- 

 structions, or those of Captain Kellett, would have met 

 the case. I understand that Lieutenant Pirn's orders 

 permitted of his searching southerly; and I cannot ima- 

 gine why neither he nor Commander M'Clure did not 

 take steps for informing Captain- Collinson, as we have 

 now done in 1854, of the facility of his return to Eng- 

 land by the new North-east Passage. Had I obtained 

 intelligence of Captain Collinson last year, I certainly 

 woidd have directed the main force of this Squadron to 

 search and travel round the entire distance of Peel's 

 Strait, meeting them, by relief from my own division, by 

 Cape Batty, Cape Walker, and down Peel's Strait. 



With such information as I possess, all my measures 

 have, to my conception, been satisfactorily taken. I fully 

 agree with Captain Kellett on the one great point, and 

 that must depend entirely on the safety of Captain Col- 

 linson's ship and on his view of the retrogressive move- 

 ment. Unless therefore Captain Collinson's parties reach 

 Beechey Island before the %Znd of August, I shall con- 

 sider that he is retracing his steps, and cannot be ex- 

 pected by this route. Indeed, on very mature reflection, 

 I think after his visit in 1852, and failing to repeat it in 

 1853, that he would not injudiciously waste time in such 

 a pursuit late in this season. 



On the ISth of June, Mr. Jenkins (Mate) of the 



