A Whaling Cruise to Baffin's Bay and the Gulf of Boothia, and an Account of the Rescue of the Crew of the Polaris

Published in 1874, this illustrated account of experiences aboard a Dundee steam whaler brings seafaring in the Arctic to life.

Albert Hastings Markham (Author), Sherard Osborn (Introduction by)

9781108072007, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 17 April 2014

364 pages, 47 b/w illus. 1 map
21.6 x 14 x 2.1 cm, 0.46 kg

First published in 1874, this illustrated work by Albert Hastings Markham (1841–1918) recounts his experiences aboard the Dundee steam whaler Arctic. Markham also gives an account of the rescue of the crew of the American vessel Polaris, crushed by ice in 1872 during its attempt to reach the North Pole. The work is enhanced by details of meetings with Inuit, encounters with polar wildlife, oceanographic observations, and meteorological events. Appropriately, fellow naval officer and explorer Sherard Osborn (1822–75) wrote the introduction: he had a long interest in Arctic exploration, advocated the benefits of using steam ships in icy waters, and encouraged Markham to embark on the whaling cruise. The appendices include a 'list of birds shot', as well as data on botanical and geological specimens. Also reissued in this series are Markham's The Great Frozen Sea (1878), Northward Ho! (1879) and A Polar Reconnaissance (1881).

Dedication
Introduction
1. The Dundee whalers
2. 'Spanning on'
3. The south-west fishing
4. 'Flinching' and 'making-off'
5. Navigation of Davis' Straits
6. Disco
7. Upernivik and Melville Bay
8. The north water
9. Middle ice fishing
10. More whales at middle ice
11. Lancaster Sound and Barrow's Strait
12. Port Leopold
13. The Polaris expedition
14. Again in Baffin's Bay
15. Admiralty Inlet
16. Prince Regent's Inlet
17. Fury Beach
18. Cape Garry
19. Homeward bound
20. Conclusion
Appendices A-E.

Subject Areas: Historical geography [HBTP]