McCormick, correspondence

• MS 438/21;D Letter to Edward Parry, 19 March 1884 [Regarding a pocket compass given to William Edward Parry in 1827 and the sale of his new book] 2 leaves, holograph

The correspondence relates to the Arctic explorer William Edward Parry (1790-1855) In 1818, Parry was given the command of HMS Alexander on the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition (leader John Ross), sent in company with HMS Isabella to search for a Northwest Passage by way of Baffin Bay. The following year, Parry led the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1819-1820, sailing in HMS Hecla, accompanied by HMS Griper (Matthew Liddon) to seek a passage through Lancaster Sound in the Canadian Arctic. Parry was subsequently commissioned to command a second British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1821-1823, setting out in HMS Fury and HMS Hecla to search for a passage along the west coast of the unexplored Foxe Basin. In 1824, Parry undertook a third expedition, the British Naval Northwest Passage, 1824-1825, returning north in HMS Hecla and HMS Fury to seek a passage by following Prince Regent Inlet to the American mainland coast, then following the coast west. Parry made his final voyage to the Arctic in 1827 when he led the British Naval North Polar Expedition, sent by the Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole from Svalbard using boats fitted with sledge runners for travel over both water and ice.

Chronological

The Institute also holds correspondence by McCormack amongst the Back collection (MS 395/50;BL McCORMACK Letter to George Back, 26 January 1852 [This is the plan for the boat journey up Wellington Channel which McCormick made later in 1852 HMS North Star (William Pullen) of Sir Edward Belcher's squadron] 3 leaves, holograph) The Institute holds several archival collections containing material relating to the British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1852-1854 (leader William Pullen)