ch. xxiv] Discovery of N. coast of America 231 
July, 1837. Nothing could be finer than the conduct 
of Captain Back and his officers throughout this trying 
time. The Terror, battered and leaky, crossed the 
Atlantic almost in a sinking state. Early one morning 
they came in sight of the Irish coast. The first Lieutenant 
came down to the Captain, who was in his cot, "Captain 
Back, Sir ! " (t Yes, what is it ? " " The ship's sinking, 
Sir*" " Very good, Smyth, call me again at eight bells." 
That day they reached safety in Lough Swilly. 
In 1845 Sir George Simpson determined to complete 
the discovery of the Gulf of Akuli, starting from a base at 
Repulse Bay, which was to be reached by boats from 
Fort Churchill. The command of the expedition was 
given to Dr John Rae, one of the Company's factors. 
The boats were constructed at York factory, clinker-built, 
22 feet by 7 feet 6 inches, with two lug sails and a jib. 
The crew consisted of six Orkney men and two Canadian 
half-breeds. On July 24th, 1846, they arrived at Repulse 
Bay, where they wintered, having obtained 63 deer, 
172 ptarmigan, 5 hares, and 116 salmon. They built 
a stone house, with a roof of moose skin, and made 
toboggan sledges, 6 to 7 feet long and 17 inches wide, 
of battens from the boats. 
On the arrival of spring Rae resumed his journey, 
starting on April 5th. He had two sledges, each drawn 
by four dogs and six men. A snow house was built each 
night. The food was pemmican, reindeer tongues, flour, 
tea, chocolate, and sugar. Rae carried the books and 
instruments himself, a weight of 35 lb. The rations were 
i| lb. of pemmican daily for each man and J lb. of flour, 
but they obtained a seal from the Eskimo, and had seal 
meat for eight days. They explored the west side of the 
Gulf of Akuli as far as Lord Mayor's Bay of Ross and 
returned May 5th, having proved that there is no outlet 
to the westward as was expected. 
Rae's next journey was for 28 days, from May 13th 
to June 9th, to explore the west side of Melville Peninsula 
as far as the entrance to Fury and Hecla Strait. The 
party, travelling over soft snow, only got within ten 
miles of the Strait. Rae says that he traced 655 miles 
of new coast. He certainly settled the question of any 
sea from Fury and Hecla Strait to Cape Turnagain, and 
