vi PREFACE. 



charts and prints by which they are illustrated — 

 they are made highly valuable to the man of sci- 

 ence and taste, and well adapted for public libra- 

 ries, or those generally found in the mansions of 

 the wealthy ; but they are not exactly suited for 

 general circulation. 



It was pretty much on the same grounds that, 

 some years ago, when the renewal of the search for 

 a North-west Passage was set on foot, I was in- 

 duced to bring out a small volume descriptive of 

 the discoveries and exploits of our old " marine 

 worthies " in the Arctic regions, commencing in the 

 days of the Cabotas ; the originals of which being 

 confined, in like manner, to the huge folios of the 

 old chroniclers, were very little known to the public 

 at large. The object, which I then had in view, 

 was to show briefly what had been accomplished by 

 the former race of British naval officers, and their 

 hardy seamen, and at the same time to make their 

 deeds more familiarly known to the existing race, 

 about to be employed on similar pursuits, and in 

 the same regions of the globe. 



A like view of setting forth to public notice 

 the arduous services of our recent Arctic voyagers, 



