Sutherland, British Franklin Search Expedition, 1852

• MS 509;BJ Meteorological Journal, July to November 1852 [In Isabel] 1 volume, holograph

In 1845 Sir John Franklin sailed north in command of the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition. Sent by the Admiralty the two ships HMS Erebus (Franklin) and HMS Terror (Francis Crozier) were to search for a passage via Lancaster Sound. With provisions designed to last three years the expedition sailed north in May 1845. Whalers in Baffin Bay were the last Europeans to see the two ships in July of 1845.

Many searches were conducted for the missing expedition during the course of which the main facts regarding the route taken and the final fate of the expedition were established.

The British Franklin Search Expedition, 1852 (leader Edward Inglefield) sponsored by Jane, Lady Franklin, and public subscription to search for the missing expedition in Jones Sound and along the west coast of Baffin Bay and Davis Strait. Sailing from Peterhead in the steam-yacht Isabel, Inglefield stopped at west Greenland to obtain dogs before proceeding north and entering Smith Sound, which he penetrated to 78° 28 minutes North. During his surveys around the entrance to Smith Sound, Inglefield charted about 1,000 kilometres of new coast and he later made a brief examination of Jones Sound, reaching 84° 10 minutes West before turning back.

Chronological

The Institute holds several archival collections containing material relating to this expedition see SPRI collections GB 15 Sir Edward Inglefield, GB 15 Sir George Back, GB 15 Sir William Edward Parry and GB 15 Edward Inglefield)