Sir Francis Leopold Mcclintock, a British naval officer and arctic explorer, born in Dun-dalk, Ireland, in 1819. He entered the navy at the age of 12, and passed his examination in 1838; and after having been stationed for some time at Portsmouth as mate on the Excellent gunnery ship, he sailed to South America in 11. M. steamer Gorgon. For his distinguished conduct in recovering this vessel when stranded near Montevideo he was promoted to a lieutenancy in 1845. During the next two years he was with the Pacific squadron, in the Frolic, Capt. Hamilton. Returning to England about the time when anxiety began to be expressed for the safety of Sir John Franklin, he entered heartily into the schemes for his relief, and accompanied Sir James Ross in one of the three arctic expeditions sent out by the admiralty in the spring of 1848. He reached home again in November, 1849, after an absence of 19 months, and early in the following year joined another expedition under Capt. Austin as first lieutenant of the Assistance, Capt. Ommaney. It was his fortune, in August, 1850, to see at Cape Riley the first traces of the missing mariners.

In April, 1851, while the ships were fast in the ice in Crozier channel, he commenced a sledge journey of 80 days along the N. shore of Parry sound, travelling 760 m., and reaching the most westerly point which has yet been attained from the east in the arctic regions. The comparative perfection to which sledge travelling has been carried is due in great part to the improvements which he effected. The squadron returned to England in the autumn of the same year, and Lieut. McClintock was at once promoted to the rank of commander. The following spring saw him in command of the Intrepid, one of the five vessels sent out to the polar regions under Sir Edward Belcher. In accordance with instructions from the admiralty, he sailed, in company with Capt. Kellett, toward Melville island in search of McClure, whom he rescued from a three years'imprisonment in the ice; but he was subsequently compelled to abandon his own ship with three others of Belcher's fleet, the whole expedition reaching home in September, 1854, some in their single remaining vessel and the rest with Capt. Inglefield. McClintock's services were recognized by his promotion to the rank of captain, but he did not obtain active employment until Lady Franklin offered him in 1857 the command of the highly successful expedition which is fully described in the article Arctic Discovery (vol. i., p. 677), and which resulted in solving the mystery of Sir John Franklin's fate.

On his return in 1859 from this important voyage, Capt. McClintock was received with great distinction. The university of Dublin conferred upon him the degree of LL. D., the corporation of London voted him the freedom of the city, the queen granted him the full pay of captain in the navy for the two years he was absent, and Lady Franklin presented to him the vessel in which he had made his memorable voyage. He was knighted Feb. 23, 1860, and in the spring of the same year was appointed by the government to survey a deep-sea route for a proposed North Atlantic telegraph. He was made a rear admiral in the fleet in October, 1871.