McDonald, correspondence

This material is held atScott Polar Research Institute Archives, University of Cambridge

  • Reference
    • GB 15 Alexander McDonald/Correspondence
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1841-1845
  • Name of Creator
  • Physical Description
    • 8 letters

Scope and Content

  • MS 312/1-2;D Letters (2) to his father, 11 October to 14 December 1841 [In HMS Belvidere, Spithead] 3 leaves, holograph
  • MS 312/3;D Letter to [James], 11 July 1845 [Whalefish Islands, HMS Terror] holograph
  • MS 116/45/1-5;D Letters (5) to William Penny, 30 December 1836 to 24 March 1845 [Final letter announces his appointment as assistant surgeon in HMS Terror] 5 leaves, holograph

Administrative / Biographical History

McDonald served as surgeon in HMS Terror during the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1845-1848 (leader Sir John Franklin) the majority of the letters deal with this expedition sent to search for a Northwest Passage in the unexplored region southwest of Barrow Strait.

Arrangement

Alphabetical

Related Material

The Institute holds several archival collections containing material relating to the northwest passage expedition, see SPRI collections GB 15 Sir John Franklin, GB 15 Geoffrey Callender, GB 15 John Colston, GB 15 Edward Couch, GB 15 Sophia Cracroft, GB 15 Francis Crozier, GB 15 Richard Cyriax, GB 15 Earl of Auckland, GB 15 John Fitzjames, GB 015 Jane Franklin, GB 15 Graham Gore, GB 15 John Gregory, GB 15 Edward Griffiths, GB 15 Charles Osmer and GB 15 Steven Stanley