This book is George Back's account of his 1836-7 expedition to the Canadian Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage.
The goal was to sail to Repulse Bay or Wager Inlet and then travel overland to Point Turnagain, the two easternmost points then known in Hudson's Bay. Sailing with HMS Terror, Back travelled to Canada rather late in the season and was soon stuck in sea ice near the modern territory of Nunavut. Terror drifted throughout the winter becoming more and more damaged until a collision with an iceberg the following spring ensured that no further progress could be made. Despite being close to sinking, Back managed to sail the ship to Ireland where its condition made those who received it wonder how it had managed to cross the Atlantic.
Back presented his account of the expedition to Queen Victoria on 25 June 1838.