Descriptions compiled by N. Boneham, Assistant Archivist with assistance from R. Stancombe and reference to
J E Nourse was a professor working at the Naval Observatory in Washington US A during the 1870s. He was one of many men who were contacted during the search for the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1845-1848 (leader Sir John Franklin). This expedition vanished in the Canadian Arctic and sparked a number of search expeditions by the British Navy and private individuals.
The collection comprises of correspondence by Nourse regarding the search for the missing British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1845-1848 (leader Sir John Franklin) with particular note to the United States Franklin Search Expedition, 1864-1869 (leader Charles Hall)
The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by recipient
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Clive Holland
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In 1845 Sir John Franklin sailed north in command of the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition. Sent by the Admiralty the two ships HMS
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 United States Franklin Search Expedition, 1864-1869 (leader Charles Hall) sponsored by public subscription in a further attempt to search for relics of the expedition on King William Island. Relics and skeletal remains of the Franklin party were discovered, thus dispelling any belief that survivors might still be in the region. The expedition demonstrated that explorers could live successfully among the Eskimos and adopt their methods of travel and survival.
Alphabetical
The Institute holds several archival collections containing material relating to Hall's expedition see SPRI collections GB 15 Richard Collinson, GB 15 John Philip Gell, GB 15 Henry Grinnell, GB 15 Jane Franklin and GB 15 Charles Hall