NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 47 



gator pursued lier course easterly, along the north coast of North 

 America, and passed Point Barrow, under press of sail, on the 5th of 

 August ; since which time, nothing had heen heard of her until the 

 arrival of Lieutenant Gurney Cresswell, on the 4th of October, 1853, 

 with despatches from Captain M'Clure. 



The despatch deposited by Captain M'Clure at Winter Harbour, 

 Melville Island (as narrated page 37), was discovered by Lieutenant 

 Mecham and his party, of the "ship Resolute, Captain Kellett. The 

 Resolute, together with' the steamer Intrepid, by which she was accom- 

 panied, forms part of the squadron under Sir Edward Belcher, com- 

 missioned with the arduous duty of searching for Sir John Franklin. 



In August, 1852, this squadron was at Beechey Island;* and 

 arrangements being completed, on the 14th of August Sir Edward, in 

 the Assistance, accompanied by the Pioneer steamer, proceeded up 

 WelHngton Channel. On the following day. Captain Kellett took 

 his departure westerly, leaving the North Star, Captain Pullen, with 

 stores at Beechy Island, and, after some narrow escapes, reached 

 Melville Island, in a bay of which (Bridport Inlet) he was frozen up 

 on the 11th of September following. It was not long after his being 

 thus fixed in winter quarters, that the discovery of Captain M'Clure' s 

 despatches occurred ; but until ^March, 1853, no attempt could, with 

 prudence, be made to visit him at Mercy Bay. 



The following extracts from a letter, written by Captain Kellett, will 

 be read with much interest. After describing his 'passage from Beechey 

 to Melville Island, also the place selected in the latter for wintering in,^ 

 and the despatching of parties in various directions to form depots of 

 provisions, he says : 



"Lieutenant Mecham, on his return through Winter Harbour, visited 

 the sandstone, and found on it a record lett by Captain M'Clure in 

 May last, with a chart of his discoveries. I think you will read 

 with interest his despatches, and will exclaim, as I did, when you come 

 to this paragraph, ' Any attempt to send succour would only be to 

 increase the &Vi\,'—ivhat a nolle felloio ! As you may suppose, I was 

 annoyed at not finding this record myself when at Winter Harbour. 

 Not that I could have done anything. ' The Strait was too much broken 

 up to attempt to communicate with sledges ; no boat navigation prac- 

 ticable at that season on account of young ice, and not open enough for 

 ships. It is beautiful to see how' exactly M'Clure has completed all 

 that was left by Austin and Rae, and how exactly their work joins. 



''M'Clure has actually discovered the North-JFest Passage. Some- 

 thing in the annals of our country ; achieved by the industrious perse- 

 verance of one of her own officers, who, I hope, will be considered 

 worthy, and receive marks of high distinction. You should write this 

 circumstance in red letter in your record. To this expedition is still 

 left a fine field. I hope we may be able to make our efforts, too, worthy 

 of a red letter record." 



x\fter describing the way in which the winter months had been passed 

 by the ship's company, and giving particulars of the various exploring 

 parties about to be despatched, he proceeds : 



"On the morning of the 10th of March, calm and fine, temperature 



* Beechey Island is a very small island ^o the north-west of Cape Riley ; too 

 small for the scale of our map. 



