Arctic Blue Books - British Parliamentary Papers Abstract, 1850a

1850a. GREAT BRITAIN. (45223)

Arctic expedition. Return to an order of the Honourable the House of Commons dated 5 February 1850, for: Copies of any reports or statements from the officers employed in the arctic expeditions . . . in respect to the resumption of the search for Sir John Franklin's expedition; Of any plan or plans of search . . .; Copy or extracts from any correspondence or proceedings of the Board of Admiralty, in relation to the arctic expeditions . . .; Copies of the orders issued by the Board of Admiralty to the Captains Collinson, Kellett and Moore, and to Lieut. Pullen, and also copies of instructions given to Dr. Rae, through the Hudson's Bay Company; Of any reports made by any officer or officers employed in the late expeditions . . .; And, of the latest chart of the Polar Sea . . . In continuation of Parliamentary papers, nos. 264 and 386, of session 1848, and of nos. 188 and 387, of session 1849. Admiralty, 4 March 1850, J. H. Hay, Chief Clerk. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, 5 March 1850. vi, 157 p., illus., 2 fold. maps. (Great Britain, Parliament. House of Commons. Sessional papers, Accounts and papers, 1850, v. 35, no. 107)

Contains reports of Franklin search expeditions in the Eastern Arctic under Capt. J. C. Ross (Enterprise and Investigator), and by Capt. James Saunders (North Star), as well as reports of whaling voyages (Truelove and Advice) to Baffin Bay, Lancaster Sound and Prince Regent Inlet; also, reports of search expeditions in the Western Arctic under Kellett (Herald), Moore (Plover) and Collinson (Enterprise) by way of Bering Strait, including Pullen's boat voyage along the north coast of Alaska to the Mackenzie River; also, proposed expeditions to Bering and Barrow Straits, including proposals by M'Cormick, Osborn, Penny and King, together with Lady Franklin's correspondence with volunteer searchers; also, rewards for successful Franklin searchers, and proposals to use Eskimos and dogs in the search.

1. Eastern Arctic expeditions

The Enterprise and Investigator (Capt. E. J. Bird), commanded by Capt. J. C. Ross, sailed from Upernavik across Baffin Bay to Pond Inlet, through Lancaster Sound to winter quarters at Port Leopold on Somerset Island, July-Oct. 1848; spring sledge trip with M'Clintock west along the north coast of Somerset Island, and south into Peel Sound, sledge parties into Prince Regent Inlet and north across Barrow Strait, and return voyage of Ross and the Enterprise to England, Nov. 1849 (p. 58-64).

Instructions and progress reports of the North Star (Capt. James Saunders) ordered to the Lancaster Sound area to resupply Ross's two vessels for 1850 (p. 64-70). Voyage of the whaler Truelove in Baffin Bay-Lancaster Sound 1849, cf. fold. map at end, and natives' report of ships in Prince Regent Inlet; voyage of the whaler Advice (Capt. Penny) in 1849, an abortive attempt to enter Lancaster Sound, but landing a depot on Wollaston Island, which is described (p. 70-74).

Proposed expedition to Barrow Strait, with reports and comments 1849-1850, by Rear-Adm. Sir Francis Beaufort, Capt. W. A. B. Hamilton, J. M. Hamilton, Capt. W. E. Parry, Capt. George Back, Capt. F. W. Beechey, Dr. John Richardson, and Col. Edward Sabine (p. 98-111); Capt. John Ross's plan for an expedition with three small vessels to the Barrow Strait area, supplies listed (p. 111-20); this plan did not materialize.

2. Western Arctic expeditions

Progress report by Dr. John Richardson of journey in 1848 down Mackenzie River, east along north continental coast past Dolphin and Union Straits to Coppermine River, returning to Fort Confidence on Great Bear Lake by way of the Kendall River, including game, scientific observations and instructions to Rae (p. 1-8).

Kellett's report (p. 9-43) of voyage of the Herald May-Oct. 1849, by way of Kamchatka through Bering Strait to Kotzebue Sound, noting whales, seals and walrus, discovery of Herald Island (p. 18), coastal voyage from Chamisso Island to Wainwright Inlet (p. 41-43); including Moore's report of wintering of the Plover on the Asiatic coast (p. 35-36), and voyage along the northwest coast of Alaska, with exploration of Eschscholtz Bay and Buckland River (p. 38-39); also Lt. W. J. L. Pullen's boat expedition from Wainwright Inlet via Pt. Barrow to the Mackenzie in 1849, covering proposal, instructions, Pullen's progress reports (p. 22-30), and Martin's report (p. 31-33) of the return party with account of mutiny.

Hudson's Bay Co. correspondence on Pullen (p. 47-55) and on Rae (p. 56-57). Proposed expedition to Bering Strait (p. 74-82), with comments and recommendations by Rear Adm. Sir Francis Beaufort, Captains W. E. Parry, J. C. Ross, F. W. Beechey, George Back, and Dr. John Richardson, with (p. 75-77) sketch and description of Parry's proposed sledge design.

This expedition was sent out, Capt. R. Collinson in command with the Enterprise, and M'Clure, the Investigator. Instructions are given, and selection of Miertsching as interpreter is discussed (p. 82-89); and counsel offered (p. 89-96) by Parry on ice navigation, winter quarters, the Northwest Passage; by Beechey on ice navigation in Beaufort Sea, natives, etc.; and by Richardson on attacks by natives, together with his comments on Eskimos, Chukchis, Indians, the Colville River mouth, Hudson's Bay Co. posts on the Mackenzie River, articles of trade, cold weather diets, cleaning bedding, etc.

3. Search proposals

Dr. Robert M'Cormick's (p. 121-27) for boat expedition to search Jones and Smith Sounds, and Wellington Channel, Lt. S. Osborn's (p. 128-32) for overland journey to mouth of Colville River; Capt. Wm. Penny's (p. 133-35) to pursue search of Wellington Channel; and Dr. Richard King's (p. 155-56) to search the estuary of the Great Fish (now Back) River; Thomas Ward's recommendations to utilize Eskimos with dog teams on search (p. 156-57).

Correspondence from Lady Franklin, Wm. Snow, John M'Lean and others, on the search for Franklin (p. 137-54), including (p. 143-45, 148-49) rewards offered to successful searchers.

Maps (two, at end) comprise: Chart of Baffin Bay with Davis and Barrow Straits by John Ross and W. E. Parry in 1818-20, showing discoveries of Parry in 1822-23, Capt. Lyon in 1824, Dr. Rae in 1847; track of the whaler Truelove in 1849; inset is an Eskimo sketch map, intended to show the positions of the ships of Franklin and Ross in Prince Regent Inlet in March 1849 Chart of the North Polar Sea, corrected to 1849.

• Browse the 1850a Parliamentary Papers Page by Page
• British Parliamentary Papers Abstracts