ARCTIC VOYAGES. 
39 
to a motion made in favour of Lady Franklin’s Expedition by Mr. Napier, 
Member for Dublin University. 
The efforts of Lady Franklin’s friends were now directed to induce 
tbe Government to send the Eesolute through Behring’s Straits to aid 
her own Expedition through Lancaster Sound. 
In April, 1857, the Boyal Dublin Society and the Eoyal Irish Aca¬ 
demy made unsuccessful efforts in this direction. Similar exertions 
were also, as we believe/ made in New York and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 
The memorial of the Eoyal Irish Academy was based upon the fol¬ 
lowing grounds, which are fully set forth in the document, which has, 
however, never yet been published:— 
“ 1st. It is highly probable, in the opinion of those competent to judge, that the 
Erebus and Terror are still in existence; and, if so, it is nearly certain that near them 
would be found buried copies of Sir John Franklin and Captain Crozier’s Journals, and of 
the scientific observations made before the crews perished, which would prove of the 
highest scientific value. 
“ 2nd. The locality in which the Erebus and Terror lie is easily reached, is circum¬ 
scribed within narrow limits, and is in the neighbourhood of the North Magnetic Pole, 
which is looked upon with such interest by scientific observers. The extent of coast¬ 
line already traversed by the Government searching expeditions is 6500 miles. There 
remain to be discovered only 870 miles. The total number of miles traversed by sledges 
in the former expeditions was 44,000 miles. An expedition consisting of 100 persons 
might be expected to traverse from 7000 to 10,000 miles, with sledges, in a single year. 
“ 3rd. The rate of mortality for all the Arctic expeditions since 1818 (exclusive of 
the missing expedition) is under 1| per cent, per annum, for which, and other reasons, 
Arctic service is extremely popular both with officers and men. 
“ 4th. It is not necessary for the complete exploration of the limited area of search, 
to penetrate so far as to risk the detention of the vessels by the ice. In the event of 
involuntary detention, or accident to the ships, the crews can easily escape over the ice, 
with sledges and boats, either to the whalers, or to one of the three great depots of pro¬ 
visions stored up at Port Leopold, Beechey Island, and Melville Island. 
“ 5th. Such danger to the ships of being crushed as exists, is annually encountered 
by the whalers ; and out of thirty vessels employed in the late searches, only one (the 
Breadalbane) was lost by ice-crushing. She was only a merchant ship employed to 
carry provisions; had not been strengthened like the searching vessels ; and had been 
kept in a most exposed and perilous position for fourteen days previous to the accident. 
This occurred near Beechey Island, where, had she been docked in the ice, in conformity 
with the usual practice, she would have been saved. 
“ 6th. The scientific results of the previous searching expeditions have not been made 
public. Magnetical and meteorological observations of the highest interest and value 
were made during those expeditions; and it is manifestly unfair to decry the scientific 
results of those expeditions, when no opportunity of judging of them has been afforded 
to the scientific public, who alone are competent to judge of their value. 
“ 7th. The commercial value of previous Arctic explorations may be judged of by 
the following facts :•—• 
“ 1. Sir H. Gilbert’s discovery of the Cod Fishery of Newfoundland. 
“2. Davis—Great Whale Fishery of West Greenland. 
“ 3. Hudson—Hudson’s Bay and the Great Fur Company. 
“ 4. Sir John Ross—Whale Fishery of the north and north-west of Baffin’s Bay. 
“ 5. Parry—Whale Fishery of Lancaster Sound, Barrow Strait, and Prince Re¬ 
gent’s Inlet. 
“ 6. Beechey—Whale Fishery of Behring’s Straits. In this Fishery, in the space of 
two years the American whales obtained cargoes amounting to eight mil¬ 
lion dollars in value. 
