In 1852 Kennedy discovered Bellot Strait, which was a key link in the navigable Northwest Passage. Peel Sound was often blocked and Bellot Strait provided an alternate way to Franklin Strait.

Bellot Strait is east, though not directly east, of King William Island. With Franklin Strait (charted by McClintock in 1859), James Ross Strait, and Rae Strait, it's part of what I called "the crucial track east of King William Island." I used this shorthand because it was impossible to explain all the geographical details within my assigned word limit.

McGoogan doesn’t contest the point that Franklin might not have discovered Franklin Strait in 1846. If he didn't, then it was McClintock who found the "last link" when he travelled along the east side of Franklin Strait in 1859 -- five years after Rae found Rae Strait.

As McGoogan notes, I am not the only historian to disagree with him. I don't see how that fact casts any doubt on the validity of my comments.

Janice Cavell