PEEFACE. xvii 



opened a new and capacious, though ice-choked 

 channel, suspected before, but not proved, to 

 exist, extending from Victoria Strait in a north- 

 west direction to Melville or Parry Sound. The 

 latter discovery rewarded the individual exer- 

 tions of Captain Allen Young, but will very 

 properly, at Lady Franklin's request, bear the 

 name of the leader of the ' Fox ' expedition, 

 who had himself assigned to it the name of the 

 widow of Franklin.'* 



Neither has the expedition been unproductive 

 of scientific results. For, whilst many persons 

 will be interested in the popular descriptions of 

 the native Esquimaux, as well as of the lower 

 animals, the man of science will hereafter be 

 further gratified by having presented to him, 

 in the form of an additional Appendix,f most 

 valuable details relating to the zoology, botany, 

 meteorology, and especially to the terrestrial 

 magnetism, of the region examined. 



Lastly, M'Clintock has convinced himself, that 

 the best way of securing the passage of a ship 



* In his volume before cited, p. xii., Mr. John Brown gave strong 

 reasons (which he had held for some time) for believing in the ex- 

 istence of the very channel which now bears the name ofM'Clintock. 

 It is, however, the opinion both of that officer and his associates, as 

 also of Captain Sherard Osborn, that Franklin could not have reached 

 the spot where his ships were beset by proceeding down that ice- 

 choked channel, but that he must have sailed down Peel Sound. 



t Much of this Appendix will be prepared by Dr. David Walker. 



