2-356-277 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The cover of The Illustrated London News, 29th May 1875. Preparing to start on a sledge journey. The British Arctic Expedition of 1875-1876, led by Sir George Strong Nares, was sent by the British Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound. The expedition, aboard HMS 'Discovery' and HMS 'Alert' succeeded in making the first passage through the strait between Greenland and Ellesmere Island (subsequently named the Nares Strait), but scurvy and inadequate winter clothing forced a retreat.