Elliott, correspondence

• MS 116/21;D Letter to William Penny, 26 February 1851 [In HMS Assistance regarding Austin's expedition] holograph

The British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851 (leader Horatio Austin) was to search for the missing British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1845-1848 (leader Sir John Franklin) via Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound. Four ships HMS Resolute (Austin), HMS Assistance (Erasmus Ommanney), HMS Intrepid (John Cator) and HMS Pioneer (Sherard Osborn) sailed from London.

The expedition joined with the British Franklin Search Expedition, 1850 (leader Charles Forsyth), the British Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851 (leader William Penny), the British Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851 (leader Sir John Ross) and the United States Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851 (leader Edwin De Haven). The expeditions proved that Franklin had wintered at Beechey Island. Costal surveys, sledging expeditions and scientific observations were conducted during the expedition.

Chronological

The Institute holds several archival collections containing material relating to this expedition see SPRI collections GB 15 Sir Horatio Austin, GB 15 John Cator, GB 15 Sir Francis Leopold McClintock, GB 15 Sir Erasmus Ommanney, GB 15 Sherard Osborn, GB 15 Sir Clements Markham, GB 15 George Mecham and GB 15 Robert Allen