Year: 1875

You will doubtless ere this have gathered
some idea Of our Arctic cruise in the yacht
Pandora, toward the expenses Of which, as
an act of friendship toward Lady Franklin
ms well as to myself, and with that interest
in the work Of exploration which you
have always shown, you so generously
contributed. Your talented representative,
Mr.. MacGahan, who accompanied me,
and who was of the greatest assistance to US,
apart from the special duties he had to per-
form in his capacity as officer Of the Pan
dora, will have informed you already of
what we accomplished. | fear that the re-
suits attained will not have come up
to your anticipations, but you are too well
aware that the chances of navigating the
Polar Seas are SO uncertain that 1T was
scarcely possible to reckon seriously on car
rying out all our cherished plans. One can
only try to do ones best 1t is unnecessary
for me now to go into the. details of our
voyage, but take great pleasure in sending
you with this letter copies of passages from
my private journal which will give you some
idea of both the hardships and pleasures of
Gn Arctic cruise.


THE OBJECTS SOUGHT.


You will remember that the objects OF our
voyage as arranged between us before start
ing were, first, to ascertain the practicability
of the Northwest Passage, and, by
taking advantage of the experience
gained by previous explorers, to sail
through in one summer season and,
secondly, as in the accomplishment
of an undertaking of such universal
interest we should be led past that sadly
romantic region about King Williams Island
in which may yet be locked up the mystery
still hanging about the journals of the Ere
bus and Terror, we might be enabled to
search for further relics and papers of the
1ost expedition.


THE CHANCES FOR SUCCESS


AS to the first object of our expedition
our hopes were founded upon the following
grounds


1t is well known that during August and
September there is generally open water
along the whole northern coast of America,
from Behring Strait to King Williams
Island. Captain Collinson, now Admiral,
made nearly this whole distance in a sailing
vessel in 1928 when in search of Franklin,
and wintered within 100 miles Of that place.
Simpson likewise sailed through Dease and
Simpson straits in boats, finding open water
all the way along the south coast of King
Williams Island, and many ships have sailed
from Behring Strait as far as Point Bar
row, on the west, while on this side the
passage is known to be open as far as Bellot
Strait in Regent Inlet


FORMIDABLE ICE BARRIER


There is therefore only the short distance,
about 120 miles, from Bellot Strait to
King Williams Island, of doubtful naviga-
tion. Through this no ship has ever been
able to pass, owing to barrier of ice that
has hitherto baffled every effort to
penetrate it. Were it not for this
one barrier the Northwest Passage would
be practicable and could be sailed through
IN single season. The first ships that at
tempted the passage by this route, although
whether by Peel Strait or McClintock Chan
mel is not known, were the Erebus and Ter
Tor, OF Sir John Franklin, and they were ar
rested and beset on the northwest shore Of
King Williams Island. and as is well
known, abandoned after eighteen months
imprisonment in the ice, having drifted
in that time only nineteen miles
1t is now thought that had Sir John Franklin
passed to the east Of King Williams Island.
instead Of attempting to sail around the west
side, he would have avoided the Polar pack
which descends McClintock Channel and i'm
pinges on the west coast Of that island, COM
pletely closing the passage, he might possibly
or probably have passed through James Ross
Strait with little difficulty and through
Dease and Simpson straits into the open
waters along the northern coast Of America.
Unfortunately it was not known at that time
that King Williams Island was in reality an
island. The existence Of this open channel
was unsupported by Franklin. and the charts
then showed the island to be a peninsula.
The only way open to him, as he supposed,
was that through Victoria Channel, and it
was this route which he probably attempted


In the year 1858 the Fox tried to follow
the lost ships by passing through Peel Strait,
but only succeeded in penetrating twenty
i've miles, when she was stopped by the ice
and obliged to return out of it. She then
attempted a passage by way Of Regent Inlet
and Bellot Strait, the existence Of Bellot
Strait being even uncertain.


HOPES or PASSING THE PACK.


In this most successful voyage McClintock
actually passed through Bellot Strait and
arrived in Peel Strait, but was there again
arrested by barrier Of fixed ice, which pre-