Chap. I. INTRODUCTION. 11 



Mine, the Back, and several other minor streams. 

 To talk, therefore, of its being exhausted by the 

 southerly currents appears to be absolute nonsense. 



The main object, intended to be attained by the 

 first of the recent expeditions, was to discover an 

 entry from the eastern side of America into the Polar 

 Sea. But it was not done by the first, as it ought to 

 have been done ; and, as the second most readily 

 accomplished it, and moreover navigated one half 

 of that sea to the westward, why, then, it may be 

 asked, have future attempts failed to navigate the 

 other half ? The answer is easy enough — they failed 

 by deserting the direct path, that gave them half the 

 passage towards Behring's Strait, and tried various 

 new ways in search of openings into the Polar Sea, 

 and found but one other, on the whole eastern coast of 

 America, and that one not navigable. 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 Strait, is 

 the route ordered to be pursued by Franklin. 



But it may also be asked, as it has been asked 

 by some of that class known by the name of Utili- 

 tarians, cut bono are these northern voyages under- 

 taken ? If they were merely to be prosecuted for 

 the sake of making a passage from England to 

 China, and for no other purpose, their utility might 

 fairly be questioned. But when the acquisition of 

 knowledge is the groundwork of all the instruc- 

 tions, under which they are sent forth, when the 



