Collinson, Richard

FIRST EDITION, 8vo, xii, 532pp., 6 folding maps, tinted lithographed plate, photogravure portrait, original pictorial dark blue pebble-grained cloth, patterned endpapers, slipcase

A fine copy
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

“In 1849 Collinson was appointed to command an expedition for the relief of Sir John Franklin, by way of the Bering Strait; he himself had command of the Enterprise, and with him was Commander Robert Le Mesurier McClure in the Investigator. The two ships sailed together from Plymouth on 20 January 1850 but unfortunately separated in the neighbourhood of Cape Horn and did not meet again. The Enterprise passed Point Barrow, Alaska, on 21 August, but the ice forced Collinson to return south and winter in Hong Kong. In 1851 he was again hampered by ice and in 1852 was frozen in at Cambridge Bay for the winter. In 1853 the Enterprise was caught in the ice at Camden Bay, and there passed a third winter. She reached Point Barrow on 8 August 1854, after being shut up in the Arctic, entirely on her own resources, for upwards of three years. Of the many who had searched for Franklin, Collinson came closest to the place where the expedition had ended. Collinson's addition to geographical knowledge on this Arctic trip was very considerable, and would have been tantamount to the discovery of the north-west passage, had this not been already actually achieved by the men of the Investigator” (ODNB).