Barrow, who was 82 and nearing the end of his career, deliberated about who should command the expedition to complete the Northwest Passage and perhaps also find what Barrow believed to be an ice-free Open Polar Sea around the North Pole.
Barrow, som var 82 år og i afslutningen af sin karriere, overvejede nøje hvem, som skulle lede ekspeditionen for at afslutte afdækningen af Nordvestpassagen og måske skulle finde, hvad Barrow troede var et isfrit hav ved nordpolen.