1875.] The Arctic Expedition. 515 
had left England in 1847) reached the Great Fish River, 
where they all died. It was in the conduct of one of the 
searching expeditions for the missing crews that Captain 
McClure, in 1851, proved the possibility of the North-West 
Passage by discovering the strait which bears his name, 
and which, dividing Melville Island from Bank’s Island, 
connects Beaufort Sea with Melville Sound. The passage 
is not, however, practicable for ships, owing to the constant 
accumulation of ice, and the quantity of fast ice which 
exists even in the height of summer. Dr. John Rae, who 
was sent out by the Hudson’s Bay Company, was the first 
to bring home (in 1854) the intelligence of the fate of the 
Erebus and Terror. He obtained evidence from the Esqui- 
maux that the white men had died from hunger, and he dis- 
covered many graves and skeletons, together with numerous 
relics. The Admiralty now concluded that the evidence of 
the fate of the two vessels was complete, and the promised 
sum of £10,000 was paid to Dr. Rae. Still Lady Franklin 
determined that if possible more precise information should 
be procured, and in 1857 she sent out the yacht Fox, under 
the command of Captain McClintock. During the first 
summer he made for Baffin’s Bay, and was there beset with 
ice and enclosed. During the winter the ice drifted south- 
wards, at the rate of more than five miles a day, for no less 
than 1385 miles, but in the following April (1858) the pack 
was broken up by a heavy gale, and the [ox escaped, and 
again made for the north. In August North Somerset was 
rounded, and the vessel entered Bellot’s Straits, passing 
thence into Franklin Channel. The Fox wintered in Port 
Kennedy, and long sledge journies were made to the Mag- 
netic Pole and elsewhere. Details of the ultimate fate of 
the Erebus and Terror were now learnt. One of the ships 
had been seen to sink, and the other was forced on shore by 
the ice. A number of relics were obtained from the Esqui- 
maux on the west coast of Boothia. 
Since the return of McClintock’s expedition, various foreign 
nations have prosecuted Arctic research, while the English 
for the last 15 years have rested on their oars. The Ameri- 
cans seeking to approach the North Pole by way of Smith’s 
Sound have reached a latitude of 82° 16’. This was effec- 
tedin 1871 by Captain Hall in the Polaris. An expanse of open 
sea was seen to the far north, and was named Lincoln’s Sea, 
while on the extreme west a coast line was discovered which 
was named President’s Land. The Germans in 1868 sent 
out a privately-equipped vessel for the purpose of exploring 
