Arctic and Antarctic Exploration [parti 
next day they reached Cape Ogle at the mouth of the 
Great Fish River. 
On the 16th Simpson landed on Montreal Island, where 
a depot left by Back was found. He then crossed the 
strait to King William Island and explored its southern 
coast for nearly 60 miles, until it turned north at Cape 
Herschel, where a lofty cairn was erected, on August 26th, 
1839. They also went eastward along the American 
coast beyond the Great Fish River, calling their furthest 
point after their boats " Castor and Pollux." In returning, 
Simpson explored the south coast of Victoria Island. 
Geographers were not satisfied until the region had 
been explored between Simpson's furthest and the Gulf 
of Akuli on the west side of Melville Peninsula, reported 
by Parry's Eskimo draughtswoman. The Geographical 
Society urged the importance of this discovery on the 
Admiralty, and the old bomb vessel Terror was com- 
missioned by Captain Back, with much the same instruc- 
tions as were given to Captain Lyon in 1824. Many of 
Back's officers had won or were to win distinction. His 
first Lieutenant, Smyth, an artist of no mean powers, was 
the second Englishman to descend the Amazon. Owen 
Stanley had served under Franklin in the Rainbow and 
became a very distinguished surveyor in Australian seas, 
McMurdo was afterwards with Ross in his Antarctic 
voyages, Graham Gore perished with Franklin, and 
M'Clure was the discoverer of a North West Passage. 
These splendid officers received their polar training under 
Back, in the icy storms of Fox Channel. 
On the 14th of June, 1836, the Terror left Chatham. 
Passing down Hudson's Strait, Back chose Parry's route 
by Fox Channel for reaching Repulse Bay. The Terror 
was soon beset, and on the 13th of September they were 
a few miles from land, off Cape Comfort. The ship was 
closely wedged between blocks of ice, with no water in 
sight and was drifted backwards and forwards between 
Cape Comfort and Baffin Island. In this situation they 
entered upon an Arctic winter of exceptional severity. 
In the depth of winter the ice broke up, and huge masses 
continually dashed against the ship. She remained locked 
in the ice for four months, and dragged helplessly about, 
until at length she was liberated towards the end of 
