Mr. R. King on the unexplored Coast of North America. 491 



Coppermine and Great Fish river were delineated, in both 

 instances, in less than six weeks of boat navigation. More- 

 over, the form and aspect of the unsurveyed lands are pecu- 

 liarly favourable for ensuring complete success. In the contem- 

 plated survey, there are two western coasts and one bay which 

 from past experience will almost for a certainty be found free 

 of ice, — the only obstruction really to be dreaded in the pro- 

 secution of northern geographical research. There were no 

 obstructions of importance in tracing the west coast of Green- 

 land, the western coast of Cockburn Island, or the various 

 extensive bays which indent the polar coast. Sir Edward Parry 

 has pointed out this important feature in the geography of 

 North America in the Narratives of both his second and third 

 voyage. At page 46 of the former, he states, while anchored 

 in the Duke of York's Bay of Southampton Island, " Scarcely 

 a piece of ice was seen in any part; and the appearance of the 

 beach, on which were no heavy-grounded masses, showed 

 tliat here, as in all other well-sheltered harbours or inlets in 

 the Polar Seas, little or none had ever found access, except 

 that which is found in it, and which the annual process of dis- 

 solution has usually destroyed before the middle of August." 

 At page 150 of the latter, he observes, "A circumstance which 

 has particularly forced itself upon my notice in the course of 

 our various attempts to penetrate through the ice in these re- 

 gions is, that the east coast of any portion of land, or which is 

 the same thing, the western sides of seas or inlets, havino- a 

 trending at all approaching to the north and south, are at a 

 given season of the year generally more encumbered with ice 

 than the shores which have an opposite aspect." 



Having said thus much in support of my progress along 

 the coast, it only remains for me to allude to my overland jour- 

 ney to the sea. This 1 conceive would hardly have been ne- 

 cessary, as we have no instances on record of any difficulties 

 of a serious nature obstructing the progress of an explorintr 

 party, had it not happened that in 1836, when I submitted the 

 same overland plan to the consideration of the Geographical 

 Society, Sir John Franklin raised several objections, which I 

 shall first give in his own words, and then proceed to meet 

 his objections. 



REPORT OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 



" Mr. King's plan for the completion of the survey of the 

 northeiii coast of America, which has been referred to me by 

 the Council, appears to me so meagre in its details, that it 

 will not furnish any satisfactory inibrniation for the guidance 

 of the Council. 



