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OXFORD UNIVERSITY ELLESMERE LAND EXPEDITION , 1934.

HAMPTON COURT PALACE. MIDDLESEX.

17th January 1936.

Dear Lord Tweedsmuir,

You very kindly said just before you left for Canada, that when the plans for a new Expedition to the Canadian Arctic were ready, you would put them before the Government. I am enclosing details of the plans which Robert Bentham , the Geologist of the Oxford University Ellesmere Land Expedition, is anxious to put forward. He is very keen to continue his work in the North, and has thought out a plan which should enable him to do much scientific work, and to cover a good deal of country, for small expense . It depends however , largely on whether the Royal Canadian Mounted Police feel that they can co-operate in this matter. In the main, he is anxious to obtain permission to winter at the Police Detachment at Craig Harbour, and to use it as a Base for the sledge journeys which he would undertake. He would, of course, endeavour to raise the sum necessary to cover his transport North on the annual relief ship, and his living expenses with the Police. If however, the North West Territory Council took a favourable attitude towards it, they might be prepared to regard him as an unpaid member of the Geological Survey, and arrange his passage North and back to Canada again, instead of paying a lump sum contribution, as they did to our Expedition. They might even be prepared to outfit him in the same way as they outfit their Geological Survey parties.

I have already written to Sir James MacBrien, as he was a very good friend of our last Expedition, to explain what Bentham 's hopes in the matter are.

With regard to his personal qualities, I should like to add a strong recommendation, as I know him very well, having accompanied him not only during the Expedition, but

OXFORD UNIVERSITY ELLESMERE LAND EXPEDITION, 1934.

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also having sledged with him up the East Coast of Ellesmere Land, on the Scoresby Bay journey. It was undoubtedly the unanimous opinion of all members of the Expedition, that with the exception of Stallworthy, Bentham was the best all round northern man in our party. He now possesses the necessary qualifications and knowledge of the North to be considered a safe and responsible person either to take part in an expedition, or to carry out an expedition on his own. The plans were fully discussed with Sergeant Stallworthy, who considered them entirely feasible. In addition, Bentham is quite a competent dog-driver, and can build a snow igloo. With regard to his scientific qualifications, I think his results on our Expedition will be good enough to satisfy the Department of the Interior.

Although Bentham's Expedition will probably be a private one, the Exploration Club is very keen to help him, as one of its members, in the same way that Thesiger received support for his private expedition. I understand that Charles Elton is writing to you, in order to represent the view of the Club. We should be most grateful if you would advise and help us in this matter, and if you approve of it, put the matter before the Canadian Government.

The affairs of the Ellesmere Land Expedition seem to be going fairly well, and we have arranged a good deal of lecturing. I hope that we shall have paid off our deficit within two years. The book will be finished by the middle of April, and will probably be published in the early Autumn. As you very kindly promised to write a preface, I will send along a copy of the manuscript in its final form. I have also fixed up to visit Canada and the States in January 1937, on a Lecture Tour.

With apologies for troubling you,

Yours sincerely,

Eddie Shackleton

A GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION TO SOUTHERN ELLESMERE LAND 1936-8

PLANS

The expedition consisting of one geologist proposes to spend two years at the Police Detachment, Craig Harbour of southern Ellesmere Land and extending our knowledge of the Islands. The following points should be noted:

1. No geologist has worked on the coast between Craig Harbour and Bache Peninsular.

2. The coast line is only very imperfectly mapped.

3. Reliable native information indicates the probability of interesting geological discoveries, coal and fossils having been seen in country at present supposed to be Archaean.

4. Little is known of the geology of the Sverdrup Islands.

1936

Craig Harbour would be reached in September 1936 and the rest of the year would be spent in doing geological work in the vicinity of the Detachment and in laying a cache of dog-feed as far north as possible on the east coast. A preliminary survey of Mackinson Inlet will aslo be attempted.

1937

In the spring sledging season of 1937 a trip will be made from Craig Harbour to Bache Peninsula, following the coast as closely as possible and in doing geological work and surveying.

The summer will be spent in work along the south coast to the west and in laying a cache of dog-feed as far west possible, in preparation for the sledge journey in the next spring.

1938

In the spring of 1938 a sledge journey will be made to Axel Heiberg, Ringnes and North Cornwall Islands. The exact route that will be followed cannot be decided upon as it will depend upon game and ice conditions, but it will be probably via Bjorne Peninsula (known to be good game country), Cape Southwest to Ringnes Islands and back by North Cornwall Islands. The success of this journey depends upon the use of game, such as bear and seal, for dogfeed but under no circumstances will the outward journey be continued beyond the limits of safety i.e. the country will not be relied upon to supply food for the return journey.

The summer of 1938 will be spent in doing local work near the Detachment and in surveying Mackinson Inlet in more detail.

Robert Bentham, University College Nottingham.

Summary of Lecture.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY ELLESMERE LAND EXPEDITION. HAMPTON COURT PALACE, MIDDLESEX.

Extract from Letter:

"In the course of the Expedition, cinematograph films, and a large number of photographs suitable for slides were taken. When the necessary apparatus is available, the lecture usually begins with about seven or eight minutes' of film, s howing the journey North, the ship breaking through ice, walrus hunting, the Greenland coast, ice-bergs, glaciers, etc.; and then, later in the lecture, a further three or four minutes of film is shown, which is devoted to sledging scenes, and dog-teams in action during the cold season of the year. This film can be shown either in the 35 mm. standard size, non-flam, or the 16 mm. non-flam. It is therefore legal to show these films without a fireproof operating room, since there is no possible risk of their catching fire. It is usually quite easy to hire a 16 mm film projector, but when this is not possible, extra slides are put in, in place of the film.

In the main, the lecture illustrates the sledge journeys, and the conditions under which the members of the Expedition lived, including pictures of the unexplored territories which were discovered. There are also quite a number of slides showing hunting scenes, sledge dogs, Eskimos and their way of living, and a number of bird and plant photographs. The lecture is concluded with the picture of the ship coming to the relief of some members of the Expedition, after they had been stranded at an Eskimo settlement for two or three weeks, and had finished all their food.

Mr. Christy, of "The Lecture Agency ", Outer Temple Strand, W.C.2., is acting for the Expedition with regard to the business arrangements, and all profits from lecturing go entirely towards paying off the expenses of the Expedition."

EDWARD SHACKLETON.