Arctic Blue Books - British Parliamentary Papers Abstract, 1852c

1852c. GREAT BRITAIN. (45229)

Arctic expedition: further correspondence and proceedings connected with the arctic expedition. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty. London, Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1852. 216 p. 9 illus., 4 maps incl. 1 fold. (Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Sessional papers, Accounts and papers, 1852, v. 50, no. 1449)

Major document. Contains reports covering 1850-1852, of expeditions in Bering Strait under Collinson's command (Wellesley, Pullen, Moore, and Hooper); reports of expeditions in the Eastern Canadian Arctic by De Haven, John Ross, Austin, and Penny; and reports by Rae of his expedition to southwestern Victoria Island. Numerous Ietters are included, speculations on the activities of the Franklin Expedition, various proposals for further search, etc.

1. Bering Strait expeditions

Reports of Capt. Richard Collinson (the Enterprise) for 1850-51 are given: p. 11-14, 23-93, 147-87, 201-215; correspondence with the Hudson's Bay Company about his expedition is included (p. 11-14).

Report of Cmdr. W. J. S. Pullen (the Plover) on a boat expedition from Wainwright Inlet eastward along the north coast of Alaska to the mouth of the Mackenzie River in 1849 (p. 23-33) is followed by his report on a further boat expedition, July-Oct. 1850, eastward along the north continental coast from the Mackenzie River to Cape Bathurst (p. 33-56), wintering at Fort Simpson, and overland trip to York Factory to sail for England (p. 56-65).

Provisions aboard the Plover and Enterprise are listed (p. 68, 72). Detailed report is given of the murder of Lt. John Barnard by natives at Darabin, Alaska (p. 74-78).

Instructions to Capt. G. G. Wellesley of the Daedalus to refit the Plover, and Wellesley's report, Oct. 1851, of his voyage and resupply operations at Port Clarence are given, with list of stores on the Plover, and a medical survey of the crew of the Daedalus, also report on a mutiny aboard the schooner Eliza at Port Clarence, and a list of whaling ships lost in Bering Strait, summer 1851 (p. 79, 89,147).

Cmdr. Moore reports on activities of the Plover, July-Sept. 1851 (p. 89-91). Journal follows (p. 91-93) of a sledge trip in May 1850 by John Simpson, surgeon on the Plover, examining the inner Hotham Inlet region, Kotzebue Sound, with description of Lake Selawik, and map facing p. 92. Journal of Wm. H. Hooper, mate of the Plover, in charge of part of Cmdr.

Pullen's party, describes (p. 148-86) his journey from Fort McPherson to Great Bear Lake, and south to Fort Simpson, Sept. 1849-June 1850. He notes weather and travel conditions, auroras, terrain, natives encountered, etc., also lists (p. 179-86) about 150 Eskimo (Barrow to Cape Bathurst) words stressing similarity to the coastal, and difference from the inland Chukchi dialect.

Capt. T. E. L. Moore reports on the Plover, Oct. 1850-Apr. 1851: wintering at Port Clarence, poor food supplies, scurvy, its disappearance when game was obtained, etc. (p. 201-204). Report of Lt. John Barnard Dec. 1850, of his visit to St. Michael is included, together with correspondence of 1851 concerning his death (p. 204-215). Cmdr. Moore's orders of July 1851 to proceed north, are given (p. 215).

Dr. John Rae reports (p. 15-23) on his sledge trip, Apr.-June 1851, from Fort Confidence down the Coppermine River and along the southwest coast (map at p. 15) of Victoria Island.

2. Eastern Canadian Arctic Expeditions

Reports, Aug. 1850-Sept. 1851, of the U. S. expedition under Lt. E. J. De Haven, with the Advance and Rescue to Barrow Strait and Wellington Channel, are given (p. 3-4, 188-200).

Capt. Sir John Ross reports concerning the expeditions of Austin, Penny and Ross (p. 4-6) in Barrow Strait and Wellington Channel, and his own voyage, Aug-Sept. 1851 (on the Felix, Cmdr. Phillips) to Baffin Bay and England (p. 7-10).

Reports of Capt. Wm. Penny and six of his officers (the Sophia, and Lady Franklin) to the Arctic Committee, Oct. 1851 on the wintering of the Franklin Expedition at Beechey Island are given (p. 111-24).

They include detailed observations on Franklin's winter quarters (p. 112-14), description of the coast of Wellington Channel (p. 114-15), fragmentary wood found (p. 115, 121-25), cairns discovered (p. 115-16), ice conditions in Wellington and Queens Channels (p. 116), tides and currents (p. 117), animals (p. 117-18), climate (p. 118-19, 121), position fixes (p. 119), and list of articles found at Beechey Island (p. 120).

Improvements to the provisions, clothing and equipment supplied to arctic traveling parties are recommended by Capt. H. T. Austin, Dec. 1851 (p. 106-110) and by Cmdr. W. J. S. Pullen (p. 110-11); itemized lists for an eight-man party are included.

Geological and natural history specimens collected by the Resolute in 1850-1851 are listed (p. 126-28), and geological description is given (by Richard King) of Whalefish, Duck and Carey Islands, Bylot Island (Possession Bay), south coast of Devon Island (including Beechey Island and Cape Warren), Cornwallis Island (Barrow Inlet), and Griffth Island, together with natural history notes.

Report of the entry of whaler Prince of Wales into Jones Sound in 1848 is added (p. 128).

3. Speculations are made, 1849-1851, on the activities of the Franklin Expedition, by Capt. J. C. Ross, J. Romme, and John Shillinglaw (p. 130-32).

Proposals for further search expedition were submitted in 1851-1852 by Lt. B. C. T. Pim, Lt. Wm. H. Hooper, Capt. Wm. Penny, Lt. S. Osborn, Cmdr. R. Maguire (p. 94-106), Major J. Bentham (p. 129), Jolm Christopher, Lt. Col. C. H. Smith, Lt. John Gilmore (p. 132-35); by Dr. Robt. M'Cormick, Cmdr. Pullen, Capt. John Ross (p. 137-42), and Donald Beatson (p. 215-16);

Augustus Petermann's plan of search is given (p. 142-46, and fold. map); he advocates the so-called open sea route between Novaya Zemlya and Spitsbergen to the Chukchi Sea. Correspondence with Russian government regarding the Franklin Expedition is given (p. 125-26); and translations of statements made by the interpreter Adam Beck regarding the reported murder of Franklin expedition personnel by natives in northwest Greenland (p. 135-37).

Maps (four) comprise: a rough tracing of the coast examined by Dr. John Rae during May 1851:

1. southwestern Victoria Island, from Richardson Island, west and north to Prince Albert Sound (at p. 15);
2. a small thumbnail sketch map of the area west of Mackenzie River (p. 47);
3. chart of John Simpson's journey in May 1850, to the eastern end of Hotham Inlet, Kotzebue Sound (at p. 92);
4. polar chart (at p. 142) illustrating Petermann's paper, with Franklin's position indicated as in the Chukchi Sea, and a relief route between Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya across the Arctic Basin shown.

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