Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-West Passage

Published in 1835, this account of Ross's second expedition to Northern Canada describes the geography and people of the region.

John Ross (1777–1856) made his second attempt to find a North-West Passage between 1829 and 1833. The expedition surveyed parts of the Canadian Arctic, and discovered the magnetic north pole. Ross published this two-volume work in 1835. Volume 1 summarises previous polar exploration before describing the voyage.Polar explorer John Ross (1777–1856) sailed with William Edward Parry in 1818 to seek a North-West Passage from Baffin Bay. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Ross was widely blamed for its failure. In 1829 he set out on a privately funded expedition on the steamship Victory, accompanied by his nephew James Clark Ross, to try again, returning to England in late 1833. Using survival techniques learnt from the Inuit he befriended, Ross kept his crew healthy through four icebound winters. While the voyage once again failed to find a North-West Passage, it surveyed the Boothia Peninsula and a large part of King William Land. It was also valuable for its scientific findings, with J. C. Ross discovering the magnetic north pole. Ross published this two-volume work in 1835. Volume 1 summarises previous Polar exploration before describing the voyage in great detail, from preparations to the return in 1833.