on the probability of a northwest passage in that detion; failing in which, Smith's and Jones' Sounds were to be explored, with the same purpose in view. The respective officers appointed to the ships, were Hecla, 375 tons : Lieut. and Commander - W. E. Parry. Captain E. Sabine, R. A., Astronomer. Surgeon John Edwards. Assistant Surgeon Alexander Fisher. Midshipmen James Clarke Ross, J. Nias, W. J. Dealy, Charles Palmer, John Bushnan. Greenland Pilots-J. Allison, master; G. Crawfurd, mate. 44 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c. Total complement, 58. Griper, 180 tons: Lieutenant and Commander- Matthew Liddon. Lieutenant-H. P. Hoppner. Assistant Surgeon-C. J. Beverley. Midshipmen A. Reid, A. M. Skene, W. N. Griffiths. Greenland Pilots - George Fyfe, master; A. Elder, mate. 28 Petty Officers, Seamen, &c. Total complement, 36. The ships were raised upon, strengthened, and well found in stores and provisions for two years. On the 11th of May, 1819, they got away from the Thames, and after a fair passage fell in with a considerable quantity of ice in the middle of Davis' Straits about the 20th of June; it consisted chiefly of fragments of icebergs, on the outskirts of the glaciers that form along the shore. After a tedious passage through the floes of ice, effected chiefly by heaving and warping, they arrived at Possession Bay on the morning of the 31st of July, being just a month earlier than they were here on the previous year. As many as fifty whales were seen here in the course of a few hours. On landing, they were not a little astonished to find their own footprints of the previous year, still distinctly visible in the snow. During an excursion of three or four miles into the interior, a fox, a raven, several ring-plovers and snow-buntings, were seen, as also a bee, from which it may be inferred that honey can be procured even in these wild regions. Vegetation flourishes remarkably well here, considering the high latitude, for wherever there was moisture, tufts and various ground plants grew in considerable abundance. Proceeding on from hence into the Sound, they verified the opinion which had previously been entertained by many of the officers, that the Croker Mountains had no existence, for on the 4th of August, the ships were in long. 86° 56′ W., three degrees to the westward of where land had been laid down by Ross in the previous year. The strait was named after Sir John Barrow, and was found to be pretty clear; but on reaching Leopold Island, the ice extended in a compact body to the north, through which it was impossible to penetrate. Rather than remain inactive, waiting for the dissolution of the ice, Parry determined to try what could be done by shaping his course to the southward, through the magnificent inlet now named Regent Inlet. About the 6th of August, in consequence of the local attraction, the ordinary compasses became useless from their great variation, and the binnacles were removed from the deck to the carpenter's store-room as useless lumber, the azimuth compasses alone remaining; and these became so sluggish in their motions, that they required to be very nicely leveled, and frequently tapped before the card traversed. The local attraction was very great, and a mass of iron-stone found on shore attracted the magnet powerfully. The ships proceeded 120 miles from the entrance. On the 8th of August, in lat. 72° 13′ N., and long. 90° 29′ W., (his extreme point of view Parry named Cape Kater,) the Hecla came to a compact barrier of ice extending across the inlet, which rendered one of two alternatives necessary, either to remain here until an opening took place, or to return again to the northward. The latter course was determined on. Making, therefore, for the northern shore of Barrow's Strait, on the 20th a narrow channel was discovered between the ice and the land. On the 22d, proceeding due west, after passing several bays and headlands, they noticed two large openings or passages, the first of which, more than eight leagues in width, he named Wellington Channel. To various capes, inlets, and groups of islands passed, Parry assigned the names of Hotham, Barlow, Cornwallis, Bowen, Byam Martin, Griffith, Lowther, Bathurst, &c. On the 28th a boat was sent on shore at Byam Martin Island with Capt. Sabine, Mr. J. C. Ross, and the surgeons, to make observations, and collect specimens of natural history. The vegetation was rather luxuriant for these regions; moss in particular grew in abundance in the moist valleys and along the banks of the streams that flowed from the hills. The ruins of six Esquimaux huts were observed. Tracks of reindeer, bears, and musk oxen were noticed, and the skeletons, skulls, and horns of some of these animals were found. On the 1st of September, they discovered the large and fine island, to which Parry has given the name of Melville Island after the First Lord of the Admiralty of that day. On the following day, two boats with a party of officers were dispatched to examine its shores. Some reindeer and musk oxen were seen on landing, but being startled by the sight of a dog, it was found impossible to get near them. There seemed here to be a great quantity of the animal tribe, for the tracks of bears, oxen, and deer were numerous, and the horns, skin, and skulls were also found. The burrows of foxes and field-mice were observed; several ptarmigan were shot, and flocks of snow-bunting, geese, and ducks, were noticed, probably commencing their migration to a milder climate. Along the beach there was an im mense number of small shrimps, and various kinds of shells. On the 4th of September, Parry had the satisfaction of crossing the meridian of 110° W., in the latitude of 74° 44′ 20′′, by which the expedition became entitled to the reward of £5000, granted by an order in Council upon the Act 58 Geo. III., cap. 20, entitled, "An Act for more effectually discovering the longitude at sea, and encouraging attempts to find a northern passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and to approach the North Pole." This fact was not announced to the crews until the following day; to celebrate the event they gave to a bold cape of the island then lying in sight the name of Bounty Cape; and so anxious were they now to press forward, that they began to calculate the time when they should reach the longitude of 130° W., the second place specified by the order in Council for reward. On the afternoon of the 5th, the compactness of the ice stopped them, and therefore, for the first time since leaving England, the anchor was let go, and that in 110° W. longitude. A boat was sent on shore on the 6th to procure turf or peat for fuel, and, strangely enough, some small pieces of tolerably good coal were found in various places scattered over the surface. A party of officers that went on shore on the 8th killed several grouse on the island, and a white hare; a fox, some field-mice, several snow-bunting, a snowy owl, and four musk oxen were seen. Ducks, in small flocks, were seen along the shore, as well as several glaucous gulls and tern, and a solitary seal was observed. As the ships were coasting along on the 7th, two herds of musk oxen were seen grazing, at the distance of about three-quarters of a mile from the beach : one nerd consisted of nine, and the other of five of these cattle. They had also a distant view of two reindeer. The average weight of the hares here is about eight pounds. Mr. Fisher, the surgeon, from whose interesting journal I quote, states that it is very evident that this island must be frequented, if not constantly inhab ited, by musk oxen in great numbers, for their bones and horns are found scattered about in all directions, and the greatest part of the carcass of one was discovered on one occasion. The skulls of two carnivorous animals, a wolf and a lynx, were also picked up here. A party sent to gather coals brought on board about half a bushel-all they could obtain. On the morning of the 10th, Mr. George Fyfe, the master pilot, with a party of six men belonging to the Griper, landed with a view of making an exploring trip of some fifteen or twenty miles into the interior. They only took provisions for a day with them. Great uneasiness was felt that they did not return; and when two days elapsed, fears began to be entertained for their safety, and it was thought they must have lost their way. Messrs. Reid, (midshipman) Beverly, (assistant surgeon) and Wakeman (clerk) volunteered to go in search of their missing messmates, but themselves lost their way; guided by the rockets, fires, and lights exhibited, they returned by ten at night, almost exhausted with cold and fatigue, but without intelligence of their friends. Four relief parties were therefore organized, and sent out on the morning of the 13th to prosecute the search, and one of them fell in with and brought back four of the wanderers, and another the remaining three before nightfall. The feet of most of them were much frost-bitten, and they were all wearied and worn out with their wanderings. It appears they had all lost their way the evening of the day they went out. With regard to food, they were by no means badly off, for they managed to kill as many grouse as they could eat. They found fertile valleys and level plains in the interior, abounding with grass and moss; also a lake of fresh water, about two miles long by one broad, in which were several species of trout. They saw several herds of reindeer on the plains, and two elk; also many hares, but no musk oxen. Some of those, however, who had been in search of the stray party, noticed herds of these cattle. |