6 INTRODUCTION. Chap. I. 



the whole, it is true. I am fully prepared to 

 admit that part which relates to the " sanguine 

 individual" who succeeded by " exertions' and 

 " perseverance " in bringing the project to bear — a 

 project which, like most others that are new and 

 not well understood, could not, and therefore did 

 not, fail to bring with it censorious remarks, and 

 ill-natured, but ignorant, criticisms from one party, 

 with a modicum of praise and approbation from 

 another — as usual, laudatur ab his, culpatur ab Wis. 

 Previously, however, to originating any proposal for 

 the voyages herein treated of, no pains were spared 

 in collecting whatever information could be ga- 

 thered from the expeditions of our old travellers, 

 the traders in the service of the Hudson Bay and 

 the North-West Companies, from scattered remarks 

 of whale fishers and casual travellers, such as Hearne 

 and Mackenzie : and the information thus gained 

 was submitted to the public at the time the first of 

 the recent expeditions was in progress.* 



I did not, however, stand alone, having had the good 

 fortune to meet with every encouragement from an 

 able coadjutor, one ever ready to hold out a helping 

 hand, when the promotion of science and general 

 knowledge was the object. This patron was Sir 

 Joseph Banks. Before, therefore, I submitted any 

 proposal to Lord Melville, which I knew would 



* Chronological History of Voyages into the Arctic Re- 

 gions, &c. 



