Her Majesty’s Ship Assistance
off Griffiths Island 10^th August 1851

Sir,

I beg to acquaint you of my return to this ship on the 4^th July, having carefully examined the Southern Coast of Byam Martin Island and of Melville Island from Point  Griffiths to Cape Dundas.— from thence, its continuation to Liddons Gulf was discovered and examined. Winter Harbour, and cairns erected by Sir Edward Parry, in three different places have also been visited, but I regret to inform you without finding any traces of  Sir John Franklin’s expedition — Those shores do not appear to have been visited, even by Esquimaux, since the voyage of 1819-20.

I was happily enabled to detach my companion M^r A. R. Bradford Surgeon  of HMS Resolute, for the examination of the East Coast of Melville Island, which he accom -plished to an extent of 70 Miles as well as the circuit of Byam Martin Island, and was equally unsuccessful in obtaining traces of the missing expedition.—

After my departure on the evening of the 15^th April I proceed with the five sledges  under my command, for the depôt of provisions previously placed on the West Coast of Cornwallis  Island and completed provisions there on the 18^th. From thence we proceeded for Bathurst Island, but did not succeed reaching Cape Capel  untill the 22^nd, in consequence of a heavy gale of wind and continued thick weather which occasioned us considerable delay in rounding a newly discovered Island.—

The temperature had also undergone  a very material change— from 20° above  zero to 28° below, on our arrival of Cape Capel the Surgeon examined several severe frost bites, which had occurred during the preceding  march, and reported three of the men disabled I therefore dispatched the Sledge Parry M^r Cheyne, mate, back to the ships with the sufferers,  after having completed the other parties with  his provisions and secured a sufficient quantity in a pit as a depot for their return. The weather increased in severity, on the  23^rd we were obliged to encamp as it was absolutely unsafe to expose the men to such inclement weather, Here we were  confined to our tents until Midnight of the 24^th— On the 25^th we met the  Sledges “Lady Franklin” and “Hotspur” Lieut Aldrich, and M^r Pearse, communicated with them daily until the 29^th, when we finally  separated. On the night of the 27^th the Ther -mometer registered 36° below zero, being the greatest  cold we experienced, fortunately the weather was fine, amid winds light, so that our progress was not materially delayed, it was however necessary to shorten our journies considerably  and the officers and men suffered continually  from frost bites.

Reached Cape Cockburn on the evening of the 28^th Here it was found necessary to send back five men who had become disabled by frost bitten feet.

I made the necessary arrangements with Lieut Aldrich for Mess^rs Pearse & Shillibear  to return in company to the ships with all  possible speed receiving these men in lieu of others selected from their parties; the remaining parties were filled up with pro- visions and a depôt secured for their return by the “Dasher” — on the 30^th April  the parties separated, the Lady Franklin proceeded westward along the shore of Bathhurst island, the Hotspur and Dasher,  to the eastward, on their return and the  three remaining sledges, “Perseverance” “Resolute”  and “Excellent” which now comprised my  party across Graham Moore Bay for Byam Martin Island.

I beg to remark this place that the  most disagreeable duty I have had to per- form was to enforce the return of those  men who had received injuries (much greater than they themselves were aware of) and who evinced the strongest desire to proceed even endeavouring to conceal from each other their frost bites, and the pain  which labour occasioned them — The weather became rather severe the temperature varying from 10° to 28° below  zero and by exerting all our efforts Byam Martin Island was reached on the 6^th  of May although we had had been  confined to our tents for forty hours  by a South East gale of wind a more disagreeable detention than one of this  kind cannot easily be imagined seven persons in a space 8 feet 8 inches long by 6 feet 8 inch broad scarcely able to  keep themselves warm and as it is ne- cessary to cook in the tent — the vapour speedily condenses and descends in a  shower of fine snow penetrating and  melting the fur robes and clothing.

Here I determined to send back the “Excellent” M^r May, mate, one or two more exchanges of men were necessary and after supplying us with provisions and depositing in security  a supply for our return M^r May left us  on the same evening — The weather was  now decidedly milder and our journies  were lengthened accordingly. Travelled round the South end of Byam Martin Island, and then across for Melville Island.—

On 11^th May we encamped off Point Griffiths, its south east extreme. The  condition and resources of my party being such as to confirm me in the opinion that Winter Harbour was well within my reach. I felt it to be my duty to detach the “Resolute”  M^r Bradford, up the eastern Coast and  thus double the extent of our research arrangements were made for separating  and orders drawn up for M^r Bradford’s  guidance (a copy of these orders are inserted in my journal)

In the evening we parted company upon our separate missions I now commenced the examination of the Southern Shore of Melville Island with the utmost care by far the greater portion of it has been actually walked over and at intervals the hills ascended and the ice examined with a telescope.

On arriving in Skene Bay five days provisions the gutta percha Sledge boat and every article which could be dispensed  with until our return here was left “en cache”, after a few day’s rest we continued our journey and favoured by fine and mild weather made good progress. On the 19^th Reindeer and  Musk Oxen were seen and two of the latter shot, a second depot of provisions was left, and the examination continued to the Westward This abundant supply  of fresh beef combined with the improvement of the weather and temperature was very  beneficial to the men; a couple of Bears had  previously been shot and their blubber afforded a most welcome addition to our fuel— On 21^st May we crossed the mouth  of Winter Harbour, and encamped upon point Hearne in a strong north west gale of wind which detained us twelve hours— during our further progress westward another Musk Ox was shot— Reached Cape Dundas on the 27^th May, soon after passing it  discovered land to the North West, followed  the Coast Line which now trended rapidly round to the North West, North, & North East  and finally joined the southern entrance of Liddons Gulf. The land seen on the 27^th was found to be connected with the north side of Liddons Gulf, and extended westward from thence, its visible extreme was in Latitude 75° 17′ N. Longitude 117° 40′ W. 

Bank^s^land was also seen to extend westward to Latitude 75°17′ N. and Longitude  117° 40′ W. — Altho’ the discovery of land west- ward of Cape Dundas rendered it improbable that any traces would be found in Liddons Gulf, yet I determined to examine it, and  had some hope that Bushman Cove described by Sir Edw^d Parry as being so favourable a position for game might have attracted  shooting parties from the ships if detained upon the Northern Coast of this Island the distance across being only 23 miles.—

It was with extreme reluctance that I turned my back upon the newly discovered land, stretching away far to the westward but I had already expended more than half our provisions and was upwards of 300 miles in direct distance from the ships, more over the rapid advance of summer rendered travel- -ling over the ice exceedingly precarious; under these circumstances the safety of my party demanded our immediate return. Sir E. Parry’s record at Bushman Cove was found but in such a dilapidated condition, as to be scare- ly legible, it was replaced by one of this expe- dition. Had it been in a better state of pre- servation I would most gladly have left it undisturbed—

We found here everything mentioned by Sir Ed^d Parry as having been left here by his party when his broken cart was abandoned

The remains of the Cart served us for fuel some small portions of it as well as  a few other relics of our predecessors were brought away— The very slow progress of decay in this climate was strikingly evident on in- specting the site of Sir Edw^d Parry’s encamp- ment of June 1820. The wood appeared almost unchanged the bones of Ptarmigan (off which his party supped) were merely bleached and the pieces of Cloth, Canvass, rope and twine strewed about, still retain- ed much of their original strength and colouring—

We proceeded from here on the  1^st June crossed Liddons Gulf and com- menced the land journey to Winter Harbour — Examined the monument on Table Hill, when passing it, and arrived at Winter Harbour on the 5^th A reindeer and Musk ox were should whilst crossing the land.—

Winter Harbour, and its low shores were still deeply covered with snow so much so that we had some difficulty in finding the site of the Observatory.  the snow was dug off it, and the spot carefully examined—

The only object conspicuous above the snow was a remarkable sandstone rock near the entrance of the harbour, and close to which we encamped, beneath it a hare had taken up her residence and during our stay of 36  hours was constantly feeding about within a few yards of our tent— the fearlessness of this animal was almost in itself a convincing proof that our  countrymen had not been here. Cut the date “1851” upon this rock near the inscription which  records Sir Ed^wd Parry’s visit, and placed a record  upon the top of it— Left Winter Harbour on the  6^th June examined a record left by Sir Edw^d Parry near Fife’s Harbour Returned to Skeyne Bay on 11^th June picked up the provisions and other articles left— shore and finally  left Melville Island on 13^th June.

On the 16^th reached our depôt upon Byam Martin Island The Summer had now  overtaken us, our travelling was usually through pools of water on the ice or deep soft snow, it had become  exceedingly laborious and altho’ the sledge was but lightly loaded our progress was often very slow. From this position to the  nearest point of Bathurst Island a distance of 29 miles was only accomplished in four days. from thence we travelled round Graham Moire Bay to Cape Cockburn which we reach- ed on the 24^th M^r Bradford had left it the day before Arrived at Capel on the 28^th  and soon after we were joined by M^r Bradford and his party I was very sorry to learn that he had latterly been obliged to travel  on the sledge in consequence of a severe fall. After a halt of a day and a half to rest the men we proceeded together to the depôt on Cornwallis Island and from thence to the ships arriving alongside HMS Assistance shortly after noon on the fourth of July—

The reasonable supply of fresh Beef &c. at Melville Island not only kept the men in vigorous health but enabled me to extend the search beyond what my  provisions would otherwise have permitted.

The state of the sea is constantly described in my Journal and whilst the absence of traces are negative proofs that the missing expedition has not been detained or met with accident along these shores— the Condition of the ice of Cape Dundas affords almost positive proof that they have not passed to the Westward—

It is now my pleasing duty to make known to you how ably I have been supported by the officers placed under my command, and I attribute  in a great measure to their example the admirable conduct of the men—

M^r Bradford’s performance whilst prosecuting a separate search fully justified the confidence I had placed in him and owing to his careful attention to the Men during the very severe weather in April we are indebted for the com- paratively few injuries sustained. When not required for other duty, the officers were con- stantly labouring with their men in dragging the sledges. It was a service in which all felt and acted alike—

Of my own party I would gladly speak at greater length, their physical capabilities  have been very severely tested during this journey of 770 Geographical Miles but I deem it sufficient to recommend them to your notice with this observation that all I could say in praise of their spirited perseverance and patient endurance of fatigue and privation  is not more than their due—And I also  beg you will favorably consider the exertions and sufferings of those men who received injuries by frost bites in the early part of our journey  and therefore returned to their ships in a  disabled condition—

Success in the grand object which stimulated us forward in the search  was not vouchsafed to us but that we have been preserved from accident and sustained in health and strength through- out this trying period of 80 days has  caused us to return with hearts filled with gratitude towards Him from whom all blessings flow.

I have the honor to be
Sir
Your Obedient Servant
F.L.M:Clintock, Lieut in Command of the Division

No. of Enclosures Subject
1 Journal of Proceedings
2 Chart of Track

To Horatio Austin Esq. CB 
Captain of HMS. Resolute &c. &c. &c.