author
Viscount William Fitzwilliam Milton
1839–1877
A British aristocrat who turned restless curiosity into adventure, he is best remembered for a difficult overland journey across British North America in the 1860s. His writing brings together exploration, travel, and a close-up view of the Canadian West before Confederation fully reshaped it.
1 Audiobook
The North-West Passage by land Being the narrative of an expedition from the Atlantic to the Pacific, undertaken with the view of exploring a route across the continent to British Columbia through British territory, by one of the northern passes in the Rocky Mountains
by Viscount William Fitzwilliam Milton, Walter B. (Walter Butler) Cheadle
About the author
Born in London on July 27, 1839, he was the eldest son of the 6th Earl Fitzwilliam and was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. Although he moved in the world of British politics and society, he became especially notable as an explorer and travel writer.
In 1862–63, he traveled across British North America with Dr. Walter Butler Cheadle, aiming to find an overland route to British Columbia through territory under British control. Their journey was demanding and often improvised, and it later became the basis for The North-West Passage by Land, the book most closely associated with his name.
He also served as a Liberal Member of Parliament and later published writing connected to his travels in Canada. He died in Rouen, France, in January 1877, aged just 37, leaving behind a reputation shaped by both public life and hard-earned experience on the trail.