of John Franklin's figure in British culture, since the establishment of his date of death as having occurred before the ships' abandonment and the crew's failed trek south, firmly acquitted the veteran sailor from any suspicion of cannibalism. This had been a concern since 1854, when Rae had arrived back to London with shocking reports from Inuit sources that had greatly scandalized Victorian society, particularly Lady Franklin. McClintock's writings, on the other hand, were obsequious towards Franklin, even going so far as to celebrate his "virtual completion" of the Northwest Passage, even though and never sailed through Rae Strait, the only truly navigable passageway – for a 19th-century ship – that would have allowed sailing along North America's northern Arctic coastline all the way into the Pacific. Bulldog sounding expedition In 1860, McClintock took command of the paddle steamer Bulldog as part of an expedition to determine the feasibility of carrying a telegraph line from Europe to America via the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland. The Fox, commanded by Allen Young who had already accompanied McClintock on the search Franklin as sailing master, also took part. The northern telegraph route was a proposition by Colonel Taliaferro Shaffner. Although McClintock reported in favour of executing the plan, it never came to fruition. Later life In 1865 McClintock was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. From 1865 to 1868, he was appointed Commodore Jamaica Division, and he superintended Jamaica Dockyard. From 1872 to 1877, McClintock was admiral-superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard. In 1879, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the North America and West Indies Station aboard the flagship . McClintock retired from the Royal Navy in 1884 as a rear admiral. In 1882 he was elected an Elder Brother of Trinity House, and served actively in that capacity. He died on 17 November 1907 and was buried at Kensington Cemetery. Family McClintock unsuccessfully contested a seat in parliament for the borough of Drogheda, but while there he made the acquaintance of Annette Dunlop, and married her in 1870. There were several children, including: John William Leopold McClintock (1874–1929), a Royal Navy officer Robert S. McClintock, who married Mary Elphinstone, the youngest daughter of Major General Sir Howard Craufurd Elphinstone. Anna Elizabeth McClintock, who married in 1902 Sir Bernard Eyre Greenwell, 2nd Baronet. References Bibliography External links 1819 births 1907 deaths Burials in England Military personnel from County Louth Explorers of the Arctic