PARRY'S ATTEMPT TO REACH THE POLE-1827. 227

CHAPTER XX.

Expedition by Captain Parry, with the hope of reaching the North Pole in Sledges-Arrival of the Hecla at SpitzbergenLeaving the Ships, and Commencement of Operations-Slow and Laborious Progress-Disappointment, and Return to Table Island-Reserve of Bread devoured by Bears-Regain the Hecla-Attempt at North-Western Discovery renewed under Sir John Ross, accompanied by his Nephew Commander Ross-Expense borne by Sir Felix Booth and Ross-Disasters at Sea-Refit at Holsteinburg-Further Progress-Arrested by Barrier of Ice-Winter Quarters-Eskimaux-Survey by Commander Ross-Severe Winter-Discovery of Northern Magnetic Pole-Second Winter-Abandonment of VesselDanger and Fatigue in Reaching Fury Beach-Construction of Hut-Repair of Boats-Further Progress-Anxiety and Disappointment-Return to Fury Beach on Foot-Another Winter-Retrace the Way to Prince Regent's Inlet-A SailDisappointment-Another-Taken on Board the IsabellaArrival at Home.

WITH Captain Beechey's voyage to Behring's Straits may be said to have concluded all the details of Captain Parry's third voyage in search of a northwest passage, to which it bore an indirect relation. The next Arctic project was "An attempt to reach the North Pole in boats fitted for the purpose, and attached to H.M.S. Hecla, in the year 1827, under the command of Captain W. E. Parry," &c., and is, perhaps, one of the most astonishing expeditions on record.

Captain Parry, just returned from an unsuccessful voyage to the north-west, eagerly adopted some sug

gestions made by Mr. Scoresby and Captain Franklin, that the pole might be reached over the ice (which the experience of the former had shown to be in some places one continuous level sheet) in a vehicle, halfboat, half-sledge.

He submitted a plan to the Lords of the Admiralty, who referred it to the Royal Society, and that body reporting favourably on it, two boats were built of thin planks of ash, fir, and oak, with sheets of waterproof canvass and thick felt inlaid between, and so constructed as either to pull or sail through the water, or to drag over the ice.

The Hecla conveyed the expedition first to Hammerfest, where eight reindeer were taken on board, and next, after a tedious delay from violent storms, and in getting a safe harbour for her, to a cove on the north coast of Spitzbergen, which was named after the ship.

The best part of the season had thus unavoidably passed away, ere they could set out on their journey, and as it was quite evident that they would be unable to carry out to its fullest extent the main object of the enterprise, the reindeer were left behind, and the snow-shoes converted into four excellent sledges for dragging baggage, which proved invaluable, and on 22nd June they quitted the ship amid hearty cheers. The boats had each a crew of ten men and two officers, the second being under the charge of Lieutenants J. C. Ross and E. Bird; with provisions for seventy-one days, and all her furniture, tools, instruments, &c., each boat weighed three thousand seven hundred and fifty-three pounds.

After a voyage of eighty miles, over a sea as smooth as glass, they reached the edge, not, as was hoped, of a firm, compact body of ice, but of a loose, rugged mass intersected by channels, and fatiguing to the greatest degree to drag the boats over; and what

with loading and unloading, and going four times over the same ground to bring up the stores, a current all the time setting the whole mass bodily to the south at the rate of four miles a day, &c., they frequently advanced but two, sometimes three, and seldom more than four or five miles, directly north during a day, or, more properly speaking, a night; for Captain Parry found it more convenient to travel by night to avoid the glare of the sun on the ice. Another advantage of this plan, which was, however, occasionally deranged, was the greater warmth enjoyed during the hours of rest, and the better chance of drying their clothes, while the snow was also much harder during the night, and firmer to the tread; the only disadvantage was that the fogs were somewhat thicker and more frequent by night than day.

Their progress under these circumstances was, as may be conceived, both slow and to the utmost extent laborious. They had begun their toilsome journey on the 25th June, in the latitude of 81° 13'; on the 29th their latitude was 81° 23', only eight miles of direct northing! This startling fact Captain Parry and his officers kept to themselves; and, knowing that they would never be able to reach the Pole, he only stipulated that they should persevere to reach the parallel of 83°. Onward they struggled without a single murmur, in the face of torrents of rain, which Captain Parry says he had never seen equalled, heavy falls of snow, and dense fogs, to accomplish that which appeared an utter impossibility, only remarking, with a laugh, "that they were a long time getting to this 830."

As they advanced, it appeared as if this point would really be attained, for the floes of ice became longer, though still not coming under the title of "fields; " but this hope was soon after crushed. On the 22nd July their latitude by observation was

82° 43′ 5′′; on the 26th, 82° 40′ 23′′; so that, since the 22nd, they had actually lost by drift no less than thirteen miles and a half; for they were more than three miles to the southward of the observation obtained at midnight on that day, and they had certainly travelled during that interval between ten and eleven miles.

This discouraging fact, together with a steady breeze from the northward which, though an advantage, inasmuch as it opened some lanes of water, was outweighed by the greater drift of the masses of ice to the southward, determined Captain Parry to abandon what was now a hopeless journey, and accordingly he ordered a day of rest previous to setting out on their return. The gallant boats' crews were deeply disappointed that their exertions for thirty-five days, during which they had traversed, at a moderate calculation, some five hundred and eighty geographical miles, had been productive of such poor results; and, to their honour be it said, that in toiling on to reach the latitude of 83°, they had only in view the desire to gratify their commander's wish, and had no suspicion that, by an order in Council, they would on reaching that point become entitled to a reward of one thousand pounds.

On the 27th they turned their backs on these dreary and cheerless scenes, and the drift of the ice to the southward being now all in their favour, they made considerable progress. On the 11th August they again launched on the open sea, and on the 12th reached Table Island, where it was found that all the stock of bread deposited there had been discovered and devoured by the bears, and they were therefore obliged to steer for Walden Island, where a similar supply was found undisturbed. On the 21st they arrived at Hecla Cove, where they met with that warm and cordial welcome which can only

be felt, not described; and thus ended this evermemorable expedition.

Captain Parry's Polar attempt was the last of the series made to the same quarter; but, in the year 1829, a most important expedition left England for the purpose of completing that officer's north-western discoveries, under the command of Captain Sir John Ross. The project was solely a private enterprize. Captain Ross, over whom a cloud had been hanging ever since his voyage to Baffin's Bay in 1818, after many earnest solicitations prevailed on the late Sir Felix Booth, Bart., the wealthy distiller, to advance the sum of 17,000l., to which he himself added 30007., towards fitting out a small vessel for an Arctic voyage, in which he might vindicate his character as an able and enterprising navigator.

The idea was nobly conceived, and nobly carried out. This munificent sacrifice of private fortune so disinterestedly made by Sir Felix Booth, as well as by Sir J. Ross, for the sole advancement of the honour of their country, the interests of science, and, as regards the former, the gratification of the feelings of a friend, was gratefully acknowledged by a baronetcy; while Captain Ross, after "an extraordinary escape from the protracted endurance of hardships unparalleled in Arctic Story," returned to England, having completely falsified many invidious charges brought against him owing to the ill success of his first voyage.

The reward of 20,000l. to the discoverers of the passage having been withdrawn in 1828, the only objection Booth had to assist his friend was removed, and that gentleman immediately, as before stated, advanced the requisite funds for the purchase of a

1 Evidence given by Mr. Felix Booth before a Select Committee of the House of Commons on the subject of the Parliamentary Grant to Captain Ross. Ordered to be printed April 28th, 1834.