The Arctic Committee of 1851: a background study Part 2

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Author: Holland, Clive
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1980
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Arctic; Austin; Polar Record
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400003119; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247400003119

In part 1 of this article ( Polar Record , Vol 20, No 124, January 1980, p 3–17) we examined the troubled course of relations between captains Horatio T. Austin and William Penny during the early stages of their expeditions in search of Sir John Franklin in 1850–51. In this second part, we shall examine the climax of their uneasy cooperation, namely a prolonged dispute which took place throughout the course of 11 August 1851; then we shall look at the consequences of this dispute after their return home to Britain, including the setting up of the Arctic Committee to resolve the differences between them, and the controversial aftermath of the committee's inquiry.