INTRODUCTION. 



put into my hands, with directions to publish, under the authority of 

 the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, an official narrative of our 

 late proceedings. To prevent the delay before occasioned by waiting 

 for the publication of the details relating to geography and natural 

 history, I determined on reserving the whole of these for an Appendix, 

 to form a separate volume. The following account is principally taken 

 from my own journal; but I am indebted to the other officers, and 

 especially to Captain Lyon, for numerous interesting extracts which 

 are distinguished by inverted commas. 



The charts accompanying this Narrative were carefully constructed 

 under my inspection on board the Fury by Mr. Bushnan, assistant- 

 surveyor. The original charts, which are on a much larger scale, and 

 on which the angles used in their construction are laid down, have been 

 deposited in the Hydrographical Office at the Admiralty, together with 

 the surveying-books and other documents of that kind containing more 

 in detail the materials used in the survey. 



The survey of the coast was entirely carried on as before by astro- 

 nomical bearings, the geographical position of the various stations being 

 fixed by the mean of the observations of several individuals. From the 

 number and excellence of the chronometers embarked on board the 

 Fury, and the variety of observations used in the occasional correction of 

 their rates, it is hoped that the geography of that portion of the North- 

 Eastern Coast of America, which has been discovered and surveyed 

 by this Expedition, will be found to be fixed with considerable accu- 

 racy. For a more detailed statement of the methods employed, in the 

 performance of this essential part of my duty, as well as for some notices 

 respecting the geography of this hitherto unknown corner of the 

 globe, I must refer to the account of the going of the chronometers, 



