2 DISCOVERIES Br THE LATE EXPEDITION [Nov. 14, 1859. 



Sir R. Murchison, on taking the Chair, and introducing Captain M'Clin- 

 tock to the audience, expressed his regret that the Earl of Ripon, the President 

 of the Society, was prevented from being present in consequence of the death 

 of his relative Earl de Grey, adding that, of all occasions, this was one on 

 which the noble Earl would have most desired to be present. 



The Paper read was — 



Discoveries by the late Expedition in Search of Sir John FranMin and his 

 PaHy. By Captain F. L. M'Clintock, r.n. 



The object of the expedition, commanded by Captain M'Clintock, 

 was to complete the search for Franklin, in the area of nearly 300 

 miles square, still left unexplored, and lying between the following 

 boundaries : — On the north the tracks of Eoss, Austin, and Belcher ; 

 on the west Collinson and M'Clure ; on the south Eae and Anderson ; 

 and on the east the west shores of Boothia. 



Captain M'Clintock left Aberdeen, in the Fox, on July 17, 1857. 

 His ship was beset by ice between Melville Bay and Lancaster 

 Sound, on August 18th, and, together with the ice, he drifted back 

 again down the middle of Davis Strait, during 242 days' imprison- 

 ment, as far as lat. 63° 30', a distance of no less than 1194 geo- 

 graphical miles. Being, at length, released by the breaking up of 

 the ice, under circumstances of great peril. Captain M'Clintock 

 recommenced his voyage towards the north. He touched at the 

 Greenland settlements, crossed Melville Bay, and reached Pond 

 Inlet on July 27th. Here he found Esquimaux, who had heard of 

 Rae's expedition, but had no knowledge whatever of the country 

 west of Repulse Bay; no rumours of Franklin's expedition had 

 reached them. Sailing onwards, Becchey Island, the scene of 

 Franklin's first winter, was reached on August 11th, and Bellot 

 Strait on August 20th. This strait separates the extreme northern 

 point of the American continent from North Somerset. It is faced 

 by high granite rocks, and strong tides sweep through it. It was 

 traversed on September 6th, but the expedition was compelled to 

 take up winter quarters at its eastern entrance. 



Early spring sledging journeys were commenced on February 

 17th of this present year, the outline of the American continent 

 was completed, and the first rumours of Franklin's expedition were 

 obtained from the Esquimaux. Early in April the long projected 

 spring journeys were fairly commenced. Three parties were made 

 up, headed respectively by Captain M'Clintock, Lieutenant Hobson, 

 and Captain Young. Each of these gentlemen had a party of four 

 or five men drawing a sledge, and was also accompanied by an 

 auxiliary sledge drawn by dogs. 



Captain Young explored the coast-line between the extreme 



