The North-West Passage had thwarted the attempts of many expeditions by the mid nineteenth century, but none were so famous as the disappearance of Sir John Franklin and his crew. After two years with no word, a £20,000 reward was offered to anyone who could find the expedition, leading to many rescue missions. One such attempt was made by Irish explorer in the British Royal Navy Sir Francis Leopold McClintock (1819–1907), who in 1859 succeeded in discovering the only written record left by Fran...