﻿]0!S 



NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



NORTH-AVEST PASSAGE. 



1028 



north across the strait, but he asccrtaineil that beyond this barrier 

 there was an open sea, a circumstance which agreed with the 

 information that he had obtained from the natives. This opening 

 therefore was not a bay, but a strait, which he called, after the two 

 vessels imder bis command. Fury and Hecla Strait. At the time of 

 this discovery the season was far advanced, but he hoped to be able 

 to reach the open sea west of the strait the following summer, and 

 accordingly he passed the second winter on the island of Igloolik. at 

 the eastern extremity of the strait. But though he waited to the 

 middle of August in the following year, the strait continued to be 

 covered with ice, and he was obliged to give up all hope of effecting 

 Iiis purpose. 



The result of this attempt showed that Fury and Hecla Strait did 

 not allow a navigable North-West Passage. Parry, whose success hail 

 deaenredly secured the confidence of government, again obtained the 

 ■ame vessels for the purpose of trying whether Regent's Inlet might 

 not allow a passage southward. On arriving at the entrance of 

 Regent's Inlet, he found it much encumbered with ice, and was 

 obliged to pass the winter from 1824 to 1825 in Port Bowen, on the 

 western coast of Cockbum Island. In trying to sail southward the 

 following July, one of the vessels (the Fury) was lost in the ice, and 

 Parry returned home in the Hecla. Qovcmment did not think fit to 

 continue these voyages, which led to no useful result; but as the last 

 attempt iif Parry h.id been merely interrupted by an accident, it 

 seemed still probable that a navigable North- West Passage might exist 

 through Regent's Inlet. A wealthy individual, Sir Felix Booth, 

 furnished all the expenses for a new adventure, the direction of which 

 was given to Captain John Ross, who, after passing through Lancaster 

 Sound, entered Regent's Inlet in 1829, and sailed along the western 

 shores of the Inlet as far south as Felix Harbonr, 70° N. lat, where 

 he passed the winter. The following seasons were unfavourable, the 

 cea being constantly encumbered with heavy ice, and he was obliged 

 to remain nearly on the same spot two more vrintem. This circum- 

 stance gave him an opportunity of examining the districts west of 

 the po'ition of his ships. To this tract of land he gave the name of 

 Boothia Felix, and found it to be united on the south by alow isthmus 

 to another tract which seems to be the northern part of Melville 

 Peninsula. The shores of the continent itself, west of the isthmus, 

 ■wen examined to a distance of 70 miles, and the most western cape 

 which was reached was called Victory Point, 69' 46' N. hit, 98° 38' 

 W. Ion;. In another excursion he rniched what he considered to be 

 the Magnetic Pole, 70° 0' 5' N. lat., 96° 46' 45' W. long. Not being 

 able to extricate his vessels from the ice, Captain Ross and his crew 

 returned in 1832 in boats to Hudson's Bay, where they were received 

 on board of a whaler. 



The whole line of the American coast from Behring's Strait to 

 Melville Peninsula has now been traced. Between the discoveries of 

 Captain Beechey, who advanced to Point Barrow, 71° 28' N. lat, 

 166° lO" W. long., and those of Sir John Franklin, who went as far as 

 Point Beechy, 70° 30' N. lat, 150* W. long., only a coast-line of about 

 130 miles remained undiscovered, and this tract was explored in 1837 

 by Messrs. Dease and Simpson, agents of the Hudson's Bay Company. 

 East of the Mackenzie River the cosst-line as far as Point Tumagain, 

 near 68° SW N. lat, 109° W. long., was discovered by Sir John Franklin 

 and Dr. Richardson. Dease and Simpson advanced to 106° W. long, 

 in 1838. Captain Back, in his expedition in search of Captain Ross, 

 found a sea between 67° and 68° SO' N. lat, 95° and 96° W. long., 

 which Dease and Simpson in 1839 found to he joined to the seas of 

 the American coast by a strait since called Dease and Simpson Strait 

 These enterprising travellers in the same year followed the const to 

 94° 35' W. long., and Dr. Rae has since traced its connection with 

 Melville Peninsula. 



In the year 1845 the British government sent out another expedition 

 to the Arctic Seas for the purposes of discovery and survey, consisting 

 of the Erebus and Terror, under the command of Sir John Franklin. 

 They sailed from the Thames on the 23rd of Hay, and on the 26th of 

 Joly were spoken by the Prince of Wales whaler at the entrance of 

 Lancaster Sound. In consequence of the ships not having been 

 afterwards seen or heard of, a series of searching expeditions were 

 sneo-ssively fitted out and sent to the Arctic Seas, all of which failed 

 in the main object of finding the missing ships or their unfortunate 

 crews, but one of which discovered the long-sought secret of a North- 

 Vi'ad Passage. 



In 1848 the Ent«rprise and Investigator, under the command of Sir 

 James Ross, were sent out, and reached l^ancaster Sound on the 28th 

 of August They were not able to get farther west than Leopold 

 Harbonr, near the entrance of Prince Regent's Inlet, 73° 60* N. lat, 

 90° 12' W. long., where they wintered. After the ships were liberated 

 from the ice, they were swept eastward by a mass of drift ice into 

 I>anca«ter Sound, and Sir James Rosa brought his ships back to 

 England early in November 1849. In 1848 Sir John Richardson and 

 Mr. Rae made a voyage in boats from the mouth of the Mackenzie 

 River eastward, but without success. 



Another searching ex(MHlitinu was fitted out by the British govern- 

 ment at tlio end of 1849. Captain Cullinson was appointed to the 

 command r,f the Enterprise, and Captain M'Clure to that of the Investi- 

 gator. The two ships left the Thames January 10, 1850, and sailed 

 in cr/mpnny round Cape Horn, Captain M'Clure reached Point Barrow, 



OEoo. DiT. TOt. rn. 



at the north-eastern extremity of Behring's Strait, August 5, 1850, 

 and then bore to the east, just keeping clear of the American coast. 

 Captain Collinson having failed to force his way through the pack-ice 

 of Behring's Strait, sailed for Hong-Kong, where he wintered. Captain 

 M'Clure reached Cape Parry on tlie 0th of September. From this 

 point high land was observed to the east-uorth-eaat, and named Baring 

 Island, and two days afterwards, still farther to the east-north-east, 

 more land was observed, and named Prince Albert Land. This land 

 is continuous with WoUaston Land and Victoria Land, aud extends 

 northward to 73° 21' N. lat The Investigator was then navigated 

 northward through a channel which separates Baring Island from 

 Prince Albert Land, aud which Captain M'Clure named Priuco of 

 Wales' Strait In sailing up this strait the Investigator several times 

 narrowly escaped destruction, but on the Sth of October was firmly 

 frozen in near the northern extremity of the strait, and remained 

 there during the winter. Parties were sent out to explore, by whom 

 it was ascertained that Prince of Wales' Strait opens into Barrow Strait, 

 and thus was made the first discovery of a North-West Passage. 



On the nth of July 1851 the Investigator was freed from the ice, 

 when great exertions were made to pass out of Prince of Wales' Strait 

 into Barrow Strait, but on the 10th of August, being then in 73" 14' 

 N. lat, 115° 32' W. long., strong winds from the N.E. drove the masses 

 of ice against tlic ship, and Captain M'Clure, thus baffled, resolved to 

 sail southward back again down Prince of Wales' Strait. Having 

 accomplished this, he sailed along the southern coast of Baring Island, 

 and then northward along the western coast At length, after incur- 

 ring many risks and encountering diOicultiea which could only havo 

 been overcome by a rare combination of indomitable courage, admirable 

 seamansliip, aud scientific resource, the Investigator, having rounded 

 the whole island except the north shore, was got to the stiition which 

 Captain M'Clure named Mercy Bay, Sept. 24, 1851. This station is at 

 the northwest comer of r«-u-ing Islaud, in 74° 6' N. lat, 117° 54' W. 

 long., on the south side of Barrow Strait Here then was the discovery 

 of a second North- West Passage ; and had there been open water to 

 the east tho whole voyage into Bafilu's Bay might have been easily 

 accomplished, but unfortunately the Investigator was frozen up in 

 Mercy Bay on the very day when it was entered. The north side of 

 Baring Island was ascertained to be the Banks' Land which Captaiu 

 Parry saw from Melville Island in 1810. 



Melville Island is distant about 60 miles N.E. from Mercy Bay, and 

 in April 1852 Captain M'Clure sent a travelling party across the ice 

 to it, who deposited a document there, giving an account of the pro- 

 ceedings of the expedition, and of the position of the Investigator. 

 In Apnl 1853, only a few days before Captain M'Clure had made 

 arrangements for deserting his frozen-up ship, the document was dis- 

 coveisd by Captain Kellett's officers, and Lieut Pim, with a party of 

 sailors, carrying provisions, was sent from Melville Island to Mercy 

 Bay. As nothing had been heard of the Investigator from the time 

 of her rounding Barrow Point in August 1850, where Captain Kellett 

 was then stationed with the Herald, and who made Captain M'Clure a 

 signal of rccal, till April 1853, when Captain Kellett sent this party to 

 the relief of Captain M'Clure and his crew, the excitement of the 

 meeting may be easily imagined. Captain M'Clure remained with his 

 ship till the spring of 1854, when he and bis crew were brought to 

 England by the ships belonging to Sir Edward Belcher's expedition. 

 The Investigator, as far as is known, still remains frozeu-up in 

 Mercy Bay. 



Captain Collinson, after vrintering at Hong Kong, passed through 

 Behring's Strait in 1851, and followed very nearly the track of Captain 

 M'Clure up Prince of \Vales' Strait, whence ho also was obliged to 

 return. Ue wintered in 1851-2 in 71° 35' N. lat, 117° 35' W. long. 

 The winter of 1 852-3 was passed in Cambridge Bay, WoUaston Land, 

 69° N. lat, 105° 30' W. long. Still struggling on, the winter of 1853-4 

 found the Enterprise in 70° 8' N. lat, 145° 30' W. long. On the 

 15th of July 1854 the Enterprise was released from the ice, when 

 Captain Collinson commenced his return voyage. He reached Point 

 Barrow on the 9th of August, and Point Clarence on the Slst. 



The other searching expeditions may be more briefly noticed. In 

 1850 Captain Kellett with the Herald and Plover reached 72° 61' 

 N. lat, 163° 48' W. long. In the same year the Advance aud Rescue, 

 two small brigs, were fitted out at the expense of Mr. Qrinnell, an 

 American merchant, aud placed under the command of Lieutenant 

 De Haven. In August, 1850, Captain Ommanney and Captain Penny 

 conducted travelling parties by order of Captain Austin, who com- 

 manded an expedition sent out by the British government Captain 

 Penny discovered that Sir John Franklin's expedition had passed the 

 winter of 1845-6 at the mouth of the Wellington Channel, in a bay 

 between Cape Riley and Beechey Island. Captain Penny also explored 

 the Wellington Channel to a distance of 80 miles from the mouth, 

 and discovered a strait bearing to the north-west, which he named 

 Victoria Channel. Dr. Rae and Commander I'ullon also conducted 

 expeditions in 1850. 



In May, 1851, the Priuce Albert, a small vessel, was equipped at 

 the expense of Lndy Franklin, and placed under the comuioiid of 

 Mr. William Kennedy. The Prince Albert jiassod through Lancaster 

 Sound, and wintered in Batty Bay in Regent's Inlet, on the oast side 

 of North Somenet In March, 1852, Mr.- Kennedy, with M. Bellot, 

 an enterprising young French naval officer, and six seamen, travelled 



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