Strait, with the work of Ross on the coast of Boothia, proving
that Boothia was part of the American continent.
While British explorers were thus working hard to solve some of the geographical problems relating to Arctic America, the Russians were similarly engaged in Siberia. In 1821 Lieut. P. F. Anjou made a complete survey of the New Siberia Islands, and came to the conclusion that it was not possible to advance far from them in a northerly direction, owing to the thinness of the ice and to open water existing within 20 or 30 m. Baron Wrangell prosecuted similar investigations from the mouth of the Kolynia between 1820 and 1823. He made four journeys with dog sledges, exploring the coast between Cape Chelagskoi and the Kolyma, and making attempts to extend his journeys to some distance from the land, but he was always stopped by thin ice. In 1843 Middendorf was sent to explore the region which terminates in Cape Chelyuskin. He reached Taimyr Bay in the height of the short summer, whence he saw open water and no ice blink in any direction. The whole arctic shore of Siberia had now been explored and delineated, but no vessel had yet rounded the extreme northern point.
The success of Sir James Ross’s Antarctic expedition and the completion of the northern coast-line of America by the Hudson’s Bay Company’s servants gave rise in 1845 to a fresh attempt to make the passage from Lancaster Sound to Bering Strait The story of the unhappy expedition of Sir John Franklin, in the “Erebus” and “Terror,” is told under Franklin, but some geographical details may be given here The heavy polar ice flows south-east between Melville and Baring Islands, down M‘Clintock Channel, and impinges on the north-west coast of King William Land It was this branch from the “palaeocrystic” sea which finally stopped the progress of Franklin’s expedition On leaving the winter quarters at Beechey Island in 1846 Franklin found a channel leading south, along the western shore of the land of North Somerset discovered by Parry in 1819 If he could reach the channel on the American coast, he knew that he would be able to make his way along it to Bering Strait This channel, now called Peel Sound, pointed directly to the south. He sailed down it towards King William Island, with land on both sides. But directly the southern point of the western land was passed and no longer shielded the channel, the great ice stream from Melville Island, pressing on King William Island, was encountered and found impassable Progress might have been made by rounding the eastern side of King William Island, but its insularity was then unknown.
It was not until 1848 that anxiety began to be felt about the Franklin expedition. In the spring of that year Sir James Ross was sent with two ships, the “Enterprise” and “Investigator,” by way of Lancaster Sound. He wintered at Leopold Harbour, near the north-east point of North Devon. In the spring he made a long sledge journey with Lieut. Leopold M‘Clintock along the northern and western coasts of North Somerset, but found nothing.
On the return of the Ross expedition without any tidings, the country became thoroughly alarmed. An extensive plan of search was organized—the “Enterprise” and “Investigator” under Collinson and M‘Clure proceeding by Bering Strait, while the “Assistance” and “Resolute,” with two steam tenders, the “Pioneer” and “Intrepid,” sailed on the 3rd of May 1850 to renew the search by Barrow Strait, under Captain Horatio Austin. Two brigs, the “Lady Franklin” and “Sophia,” under William Penny, an energetic and able whaling captain, were sent by the same route. He had with him Dr Sutherland, a naturalist, who did much valuable scientific work. Austin and Penny entered Barrow Strait, and Franklin’s winter quarters of 1845–1846 were discovered at Beechey Island; but there was no record of any kind indicating the direction taken by the ships. Stopped by the ice, Austin’s expedition wintered (1850–1851) in the pack off Griffith Island, and Penny found refuge in a harbour on the south coast of Cornwallis Island. Austin, who had been with Parry during his third voyage, was an admirable organizer. His arrangements for passing the winter were carefully thought out and answered perfectly. In concert with Penny he planned a thorough and extensive system of search by means of sledge-travelling in the spring, and Lieut. M‘Clintock superintended every detail of this part of the work with unfailing forethought and skill Penny undertook the search by Wellington Channel. M‘Clintock advanced to Melville Island, marching over 770 m. in eighty-one days; Captain Ommanney and Sherard Osborn pressed southward and discovered Prince of Wales Island Lieut. Brown examined the western shore of Peel Sound. The search was exhaustive; but, except the winter quarters at Beechey Island, no record was discovered. The absence of any record made Captain Austin doubt whether Franklin had ever gone beyond Beechey Island, so he also examined the entrance of Jones Sound, the next inlet from Baffin Bay north of Lancaster Sound, on his way home, and returned to England in the autumn of 1851. This was a thoroughly well conducted expedition, especially as regards the sledge-travelling, which M‘Clintock brought to great perfection. So far as the search for Franklin was concerned, nothing remained to be done west or north of Barrow Strait.
In 1851 the “Prince Albert” schooner was sent out by Lady Franklin, under Captain Wm. Kennedy, with Lieut. Bellot of the French navy as second. They wintered on the east coast of North Somerset, and in the spring of 1852 the gallant Frenchman, in the course of a long sledging journey, discovered Bellot Strait, separating North Somerset from Boothia—thus proving that the Boothia coast facing the strait was the northern extremity of the continent of America.
The “Enterprise” and “Investigator” sailed from England in January 1850, but accidentally parted company before they reached Bering Strait. On the 6th of May 1851 the “Enterprise” passed the strait, and rounded Point Barrow on the 25th. Collinson then made his way up the narrow Prince of Wales Strait, between Banks and Prince Albert Islands, and reached Princess Royal Islands, where M‘Clure had been the previous year. Returning southwards, the “Enterprise” wintered in a sound in Prince Albert Island in 71° 35′ N. and 117° 35′ W. Three travelling parties were dispatched in the spring of 1852—one to trace Prince Albert Land in a southerly direction, while the others explored Prince of Wales Strait, one of them reaching Melville Island. In September 1852 the ship was free, and Collinson pressed eastward along the coast of North America, reaching Cambridge Bay (Sept. 26), where the second winter was passed. In the spring he examined the shores of Victoria Land as far as 70° 26′ N and 100° 45′ W.. here he was within a few miles of Point Victory, where the fate of Franklin would have been ascertained. The “Enterprise” again put to sea on the 5th of August 1853, and returned westward along the American coast, until she was stopped by ice and obliged to pass a third winter at Camden Bay, in 70° 8′ N and 145° 29′, W. In 1854 this remarkable voyage was completed, and Captain Collinson brought the “Enterprise” back to England.
Meanwhile M‘Clure in the “Investigator” had passed the winter of 1850–1851 at the Princess Royal Islands, only 30 m from Barrow Strait. In October MM‘Clure ascended a hill whence he could see the frozen surface of Barrow Strait, which was navigated by Parry in 1819–1820 Thus, like the survivors of Franklin’s crews when they reached Cape Herschel, M‘Clure discovered a north-west passage It was impossible to reach it, for the stream of heavily packed ice which stopped Franklin off King William Land lay athwart their northward course; so, as soon as he was free in 1851, M‘Clure turned southwards, round the southern extreme of Banks Land, and commenced to force a passage to the northward between the western shore of that land and the enormous fields of ice which pressed upon it. The cliffs rose like walls on one side, while on the other the stupendous ice of the “palaeocrystic sea” rose from the water to a level with the “Investigator’s” lower yards. After many hairbreadth escapes M‘Clure took refuge in a bay on the northern shore of Banks Land which he named the Bay of
