﻿16 franklin's expedition. 



" how far they may have penetrated to the south- 

 ward 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 in 

 our maps." "Be this as it may, I (Sir W. E. 

 Parry) 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." 



Sir James C. Ross says : "It is far more pro- 

 bable, however, that Sir John Franklin, in obe- 

 dience to his instructions, would endeavour 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 preva- 

 lence of westerly winds, and the drift of the main 

 body of the ice, would be, their inevitable embar- 

 rassment ; and if he persevered in that direction, 

 which he probably would do, I have no hesitation 

 in stating my conviction, that 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 135° W. that we 

 may expect to find them involved in the ice, or shut 

 up in some harbour." 



