| Entry Type | Person |
| Surname | Burrows |
| Forenames | Slias Enoch |
| Epithet | American shipping merchant |
| Dates | 1794-1870 |
| Gender Identity | Male |
| Biography | He established a successful international shipping business based in New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Montevideo. He became known for his chartable acts, particulalrly for shopwrecked mariners. He took a particularly interest in the search for the missing Arctic expedition of Sir John Franklin, which left Britain in 1845. With no word from the expedition in over 3 years, Sir John's wife, Lady Franklin, made an appeal in April 1849 to the President of the United States, Zachary Taylor, seeking the assistance of the US government and American whaling fleets. Strongly interested in Arctic exploration and the fate of shipwrecked sailors, Burrows offered the use of one of his ships and his own services to help the search for the Franklin expedition. Although Taylor did not accept his offer, he did write a letter of introduction to foreign dignitaries in Europe. He had an audience with Lady Franklin in May 1849 and was warmly received. Following the return of Sir James Clark Ross's unsuccessful expedition in November 1849 Burrows was asked by Lady Franklin to give his opinion on potential private American contributions to any search expeditions. Burrows took on the task of finding potential individual supporters, the most important of whom was Henry Grinnell. In spite of his personal misgivings about Burrows, Grinnell immediately offered $5000 (later raised to $30000). to an American relief expedition, which set off into the Canadian Arctic in 1850 and returned in Septemebr 1851. A second Grinnell expedition was dispatched in 1853 and returned two years later without finding Franklin. Burrows's involvement effectively ceased after the departure of the 1st Grinnell expedition. |
| Key Events | Born 27 October 1794, Stonington |
| Source | "Silas Enoch Burrows and the Search for Sir John Franklin" by Diuglas Walmley, article in Coriolis, Volume 8 Number 2, pages 25-41 |
| Authorised Form of Name | Burrows; Slias Enoch (1794-1870); American shipping merchant |
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