Narrative of the Arctic land expedition to the mouth of the Great Fish River, and along the shores of the Arctic Ocean, in the years 1833, 1834, and 1835 / by Captain Back, R.N. commander of the expeditions.

Back was one of that glorious band of arctic adventurers which, during the first twenty years of peace after 1815, added such a soul-stirring page to the annals of British adventure and discovery. In the first rank of the first generation of Arctic officers of this century stands of right the name of George Back, side by side with those of Ross, Parry, Franklin, and Beechey. It had been supposed, from his long absence, that explorer Sir John Ross and his crew had lost their way, probably their lives , among the eternal snows that accumulate in the polar latitudes. Captain Back made this hazardous overland expedition to relieve them if living, to ascertain if perished. A secondary object in the enterprise, he was directed to prepare maps of such parts of the coast as were yet unknown. Back proposed to take fur trade routes from New York to the Great Slave Lake and follow the Great Fish River northeast to Ross's probable location. No white man had ever seen this river but it was known from Indian reports (it was later named the Back River). He left England in February 1833, and on the morning of 25th April our author, with the party of voyageurs whom he had hired for the expedition, embarked from Montreal in two canoes, amidst the shouts of the people and the firing of musketry. A short time, and their little vessels were in the waters of the St. Lawrence, one loud huzza bidding them farewell. From this time until the 17th of June, our captain and his party were pursuing their voyage to Norway House, a depot of the Company, on the Jack river. From Norway House the preparations for the expedition to the Great Fish River were completed; provisions were laid in—boats procured—men and interpreters engaged. When the party was completely organized, it consisted in all of twenty-five men; and on the 28th June they left Norway House, and commenced the expedition which would see this intrepid party of explorers discover the Great Fish River and trace it for 500 miles to its mouth, encountering severe hardships from the nature of the country, native inhabitants, climate, and hunger. In Back's own nervous and picturesque narrative, the details of even the first part of his travels are most interesting and entertaining to the reader.