Journal of a Voyage in Baffin's Bay and Barrow Straits in the Years 1850–1851

Abstract

In the mid-nineteenth century, British Arctic exploration was focused on the search for the missing expedition of Sir John Franklin. Physician and geologist Peter Cormack Sutherland (1822–1900) served as surgeon on William Penny's 1850–1 search expedition, which was instructed to concentrate on Jones Sound, Wellington Channel and Barrow Strait in the Canadian Arctic. Sutherland's illustrated eyewitness account, first published in two volumes in 1852, tells of appalling weather conditions, notes the hazards of navigating icy seas, describes the wildlife and geology of the region, and offers observations on the Inuit. Sutherland also recounts the poignant discovery of Franklin's winter quarters at Beechey Island and the graves of several of his crew. Franklin's fate, however, was yet to be discovered. Volume 1 covers the journey from Aberdeen as far as Barrow Strait. Sutherland's records here the many perils of the Arctic winter.