Preliminary Chapter. xx\ii 



(2.) EXPLORATIONS BY LAND. 



1819-1822.— Capt. John Franklin, with Dr. J. Eiclianlson, Liciitciiants I'.acU and 

 Hood; land journey from York Factory, west side of Iliidsdn's r,av, t<» the 

 Coppermine River, and from its mouth east to l*oint Turnagain, hit. G80 19' 

 N., long. 109° 25', a distance of 550 miles. AVliole joiuiiey 5.500 miles (see 

 for this route Circumpolar Pocket Map). 



1825-1827. — Sir J. Franklin explored the coast from the moutli of Mackenzie's 

 Elver westward to Return Reef, long. 148° 52', lat. 70° 20' N. ; Dr. Rich- 

 ardson, of the same expedition, coasting from the mouth of tlie Mackenzie 

 east to the mouth of the Coppermine. (Pocket Map.) 



1833. — Capt. George Back, in search of Sir John Ross, discovered the Great Fish 

 River, descended it, and explored the coast eastwardly as far as long. 94° 

 58' W., lat. 680 13' N. 



1837-1839. — Messrs. Dease and Simpson, in the service of the Hudson Bay Com- 

 pany, explored the coast from Mackenzie River westward to Point Barrow, 

 and eastward from the Coi>permine to Castor and Pollux River, long. 93° 7' 

 W. This exploration supijlemented Beechey's, Franklin's, and Richardson's 

 coastings, and thus completed the examination of the coast line fiom 

 Bering's Strait to long. 93© 7' W. 



What remained, therefore, in the problem of the Northwest Pas- 

 sage was to connect Parry's furthest Westing of 113° 48' 22", made 

 in 1819, either with Bering's Strait or southward with Simpson's 

 Strait. To seek tlie passage westward to Bering's Strait from ls\e\- 

 ville Island seemed to the Admiralty at that day a loss of time in con- 

 sequence of the unusual magnitude and apparently fixed state of the 

 ice which had been observed by Parry off Cape Dundas. 



But of the western entrance to Simpson's Strait, Sir John Franklin 

 was accustomed to say, ''If I could only get down tliere my work is 

 done ; it is all plain sailing to the westward." In this buoyant liope 

 he left England May 19, 1815, commanding the last expedition which 



