CAPTAIN PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE.*

WE would gladly have deferred our notice of this highly interesting publication until our July number, when it would have furnished a most cooling and pleasant article; but as the impatience of our readers is not to be reasoned with, we have ventured, even at this season, upon the icy task of reviewing it, and they may now enjoy the satisfaction of shivering over its freezing details. With the result of the former expedition every one is acquainted. The zeal and ability displayed by Captain Parry upon that occasion were such as to induce the fullest confidence in his talents, in case of another attempt; and accordingly, when it was determined to repeat the experiment, he was immediately placed in command of the new expedition. The Fury, a vessel of 372 tons, was equipped for the purpose; and the Hecla was recommissioned by Captain Lyon. In preparing their vessels, the experience of their former voyage enabled the adventurers to adopt many precautions against the dangers of the navigation and the severities of the climate. An excellent stove was erected to supply the ships with warm air, the sides of the vessels were covered with a close lining of cork to prevent the rapid escape of the warmth, and large supplies of warm clothing were laid in. In victualling the ships many improvements were made, and a stock of preserved meat was put on board sufficient to last for three years. The catalogue of delicacies, mentioned by Captain Parry in the Introduction, absolutely makes us hungry while we write; "a few casks of beef, corned expressly for our use," 66 vegetable and concentrated-meat soups,"-" carrots preserved in tin cases, by Messrs. Gamble and Co."-"cranberries, lemon-marmalade, tamarinds, pickled walnuts and cabbage ;" and to all these must be added "spirits at thirtyfive per cent. above proof," and vinegar "concentrated to one-seventh of the ordinary bulk." The officers who accompanied the former expeditions volunteered their services on the present occasion, and such of them were reappointed as the establishment admitted. The Rev. Mr. Fisher was named chaplain and astronomer; and thus provided and appointed, the expedition on the 8th of May, 1821, left the Nore.

After encountering some perils, the expedition in the beginning of August arrived off Southampton Island, when it became necessary for Captain Parry to determine the course of his operations. After mature deliberation he resolved to sail through the Frozen Strait, and search for a passage to the westward through Repulse Bay; but it was soon ascertained that no such passage exists, and the expedition returned to the eastward through the Frozen Strait. Every opportunity was taken of examining the coasts by boats and walking-parties, and on these occasions many traces of the Esquimaux were found. The rein-deer were numerous; and a large one was shot by one of the men, who, after the animal had fallen, struck it a blow on the head with the butt-end of his piece, and leaving it for dead, ran for a knife to bleed and skin it. The deer, however, did not wait for this operation, but very composedly got upon his legs, swam across a lake, and escaped. The exa

* Journal of a Second Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific; performed in the Years 1821-2-3, in his Majesty's ships Fury and Hecla, under the orders of Captain William Edward Parry, R. N. F. R. S. and Commander of the Expedition. Illustrated with numerous plates. 4to.

mination of the coast was continued till nearly the middle of October, and more than two hundred leagues in extent were discovered and minutely explored. In prosecuting these discoveries, Captain Parry exercised his undoubted privilege of immortalizing all his friends, relatives, and patrons, by bestowing their names upon capes, creeks, straits, bays, points, inlets, and islands. Any gentleman desirous of lasting fame might have secured it by making interest with the Captain; and should he again adventure into the Arctic Seas, and should the request be thought not too presumptuous, we would petition that our own publication may be immortalized in POINT NEW MONTHLY.

The navigable season now making a rapid retreat, the ships were removed into winter-quarters, and arrangements were made for passing this dreary season in as much security and comfort as circumstances might afford. Due provision being made for the economical expenditure of the stores, and for the maintenance of cleanliness amongst the crew, it became necessary to devise some mode both of entertainment and employment for the men; and accordingly, as on a former occasion, a series of theatrical exhibitions was set on foot, much to the amusement of all the parties concerned. Captain Lyon was the manager; and as some preparation had been made previously to leaving England, a very respectable theatre was soon constructed on board the Fury. On the other evenings a school was established in each of the ships, at which a great number of the men continued to attend with laudable assiduity the whole of the winter. An observatory also was erected on shore, for the purpose of prosecuting astronomical observations. The officers, by way of beguiling the long winter-hours, occasionally held a concert, such as the musical talents of the expedition afforded. "More skilful amateurs in music," says Captain Parry, "might well have smiled at these our humble concerts; but it will not incline them to think less of the science they admire, to be assured that, in these remote and desolate regions of the globe, it has often furnished us with the most pleasurable 'sensations which our situation was capable of affording." In this manner the winter wore away.

Early in February 1822, a number of the Esquimaux came down to the vessels, and were accompanied to their habitations by some of the officers. Their houses, which were built entirely of snow, were constructed with the greatest ingenuity, with blocks of snow so cut as to form a substantial arched apartment, into which the light was admitted through a circular window of ice. These Esquimaux appear to have been a much more decent race of people than those who have held more frequent intercourse with the Europeans. They neither cried "pilletay" (give), nor saved the strangers the trouble of giving-a custom much in vogue amongst some of the Esquimaux. With this party of the natives a frequent intercourse was kept up, and full opportunities were afforded of becoming acquainted with their habits and dispositions. The officers gave a concert to the ladies, who, in their turn, favoured them with some vocal music. During this harmonious scene, Captain Lyon, like a cunning limner, took the opportunity of sketching some of these hyperborean St. Cecilias; "especially Togolat, the prettiest of the party. She was about six-and-twenty years of age, with a face more oval than that of Esquimaux in general, very pretty eyes and mouth, teeth remarkably white and regular; and possessed in

her carriage and manners a degree of natural gracefulness which could not be hid even under the disguise of an Esquimaux woman's dress, and, as was usual with Togolat, the dirtiest face of her whole tribe." Upon several occasions the voyagers had an opportunity of observing the Esquimaux mode of seal-hunting, as well as of seal-eating; the last by no means a delicate operation. The intestines being taken out, and "the blood baled up" and "the ribs divided," "all the loose scraps were put into the pot for immediate use, except such as the two butchers now and then crammed into their own mouths, or distributed to the numerous and eager by-standers, for still more immediate consumption. Of these morsels the children came in for no small share : every little urchin that could find its way to the slaughter-house, running eagerly in, and between the legs of the men and women, presenting its mouth for a large lump of raw flesh, just as an English child of the same age might do for a piece of sugarcandy." On the 26th of February the theatre closed.

In the early part of March it was determined to despatch a party across Winter Island; and the command of it was entrusted to Captain Lyon, who narrowly escaped perishing, with all his companions, in consequence of a high gale and strong snow-drift which overtook them on their journey. The short narrative which he gives, reminds us of the dreadful sufferings of Captain Franklin and his party. Having pitched their tents for the night, a hole was with difficulty dug in the snow, into which they all huddled; and lighting a fire, contrived, by suffering none of the smoke to escape, to raise the temperature to 20°, while on the outside it was 25° below zero. The next morning they resolved to attempt returning to the ships (about six miles). After wandering for some time, they became completely bewildered, and several of the party "began to exhibit symptoms of that horrid kind of insensibility which is the prelude to sleep. They all professed extreme willingness to do what they were told in order to keep in exercise, but none obeyed: on the contrary, they reeled about like drunken men." Poor Sergeant Spackman was repeatedly told that his nose was frozen, but paid no attention to the admonition. The picture of the Sergeant's situation is really terrific. "The frost-bite had extended over one side of his face, which was frozen as hard as a mask, the eye-lids were stiff, and one corner of the upper lip so drawn up as to expose the teeth and gums." At length, most happily, the wanderers met with a new-beaten track, which led them in ten minutes to the vessels.

The firm but kind and conciliating conduct observed by Captain Parry towards the natives, cannot be too highly praised. Upon one occasion, information being given that Okotook, one of the Esquimaux, was dangerously ill of a pulmonary complaint, he was brought on board, accompanied by his wife, Igligliuk, the most intelligent of the Esquimaux. The account of his taking his first dose of physic is amusing enough. "He knew its taste was not pleasant; but this was certainly not all that he dreaded; for before he put the cup to his lips with one hand, he held his wife by the other, and she by him with both hers, as though they expected an explosion, or some such catastrophe, as the immediate effect of the potion; nor did he venture to relinquish his hold till the taste began to leave his mouth." The patient recovered, and, with the customary ingratitude of his countrymen, which appears

to be their most odious characteristic, took leave of his benefactors without a single word of acknowledgment.

In May, the weather becoming milder, another travelling party was despatched to the Northward, for the purpose of making further observations in that direction. This excursion employed about twelve days, but was not productive of any very interesting information. Towards the middle of the month, a number of the Esquimaux established their snow-tents near the vessels, where they remained some days, and on their departure were presented with "a couple of boarding-pikes, some knives, and several tin-canisters filled with bread-dust, for their journey." These marvellous acquisitions "threw them into immoderate fits of laughter, almost amounting to hysterics, which were succeeded by tears." There appears to have been considerable danger of their intellects suffering, as those of wiser people have done, by these sudden influxes of prosperity. On another occasion "the women screamed in a convulsive manner at every thing they received, and cried for five minutes together with the excess of their joy." So backward was the season this year, that it was not until July that, after much exertion and sawing the ice, the vessels were enabled to leave their winter station; in accomplishing which, they were exposed to extreme peril, from the breaking up of the ice. The good citizens of London, at the conclusion of a severe frost, may be seen gazing with great admiration at the plates of ice which float down the Thames and force their way through the bridges; but what would they think of a heavy floe some miles in length, driving fast towards them?" The crew of the Fury must have suffered no small degree of anxiety, when exposed to a possible collision with this floating continent of ice; they beheld it "come in contact, at the rate of a mile and a half an hour, with a point of the land-ice left the preceding night by its own separation, breaking it up with a tremendous crash, and forcing numberless immense masses, perhaps many tons in weight, to the height of fifty or sixty feet, whence they quickly rolled down on the inner or land-side, and were as quickly succeeded by a fresh supply. Having escaped these dangers, the expedition proceeded in a northwardly course, until arriving off the strait, afterwards called the Strait of the Fury and Hecla, they found their further progress opposed by a fixed barrier of ice. Landing on the island of Igloolik, they had an opportunity of observing something of the summer habits of the Esquimaux, from whom they received some valuable geographical information. On a former occasion Captain Parry resorted to the same source of intelligence, and the maps which were then drawn by Igligliuk, "the wise woman," as the sailors called her, are inserted in the present volume. Towards the conclusion of July, Captain Lyon and one of his men accompanied a party of the natives on an excursion of some days, and were hospitably entertained at the mansions of their conductors. The place of honour, the deer-skin seat, was cleared for the Captain's reception, and a portion of the tent was screened off for him, where at night he went comfortably to sleep. He was, however, awakened, no doubt much to his surprise, "by a feeling of great warmth," and "found himself covered by a large deer-skin, under which lay his friend, his two wives, and their favourite puppy, all fast asleep and stark-naked." On the following day he was invited to a soirée dansante, where he found eighteen

ladies sitting round the tent, with the two gentlemen performers, the dancer and his assistant, standing in the middle. "The assistant, when the principal had pretty well exhausted himself, walked gravely up to him, and taking his head between his hands, performed a ceremony called Koo-nik, which is rubbing noses, to the great amazement and amidst the plaudits of the company. After this, as if much refreshed, he resumed his performance, occasionally, however, taking a koo-nik to enliven himself and the spectators." The Captain, in his turn, was required to display his saltatory abilities; and afterwards performed the koo-nik with the prettiest of the Esquimaux ladies. The nose is a favourite organ of salutation in many parts of the world in New Zeȧland, according to Captain Cruise, friends and relatives who have been long absent, will, on meeting, sit nose-to-nose for a full half hour.

The navigable season was now rapidly closing, and the progress of the vessels in the direction in which, from the testimony of the Esquimaux, there was every reason to believe the most important discoveries might be made, was still rendered impossible by the ice. Foiled in the attempt to force the vessels forward, Captain Parry and a small party proceeded overland; and after four days' journey, had the satisfaction of arriving at the extreme northern point of the Peninsula, where they discovered the sea stretching to the Westward, and hailed it with three cheers. On the 20th of August the party again reached the ships. The observations made upon this and other excursions, all tended to confirm the idea, that the desired passage might be attained through the Strait of the Fury and Hecla, though the attempt for the present season was impracticable. Captain Parry therefore, having advised with his senior officers, resolved to return to the Eastward in search of winter-quarters in which the ships were placed at the end of October, after a long and fatiguing process of sawing a canal through the ice. Here the Expedition was visited by many of the Esquimaux, and amongst them by some of their old Winter Island friends, whose company enlivened the dreary months of the winter, more especially as the distance of the two ships precluded the renewal of the dramatic entertainments. The schools, however, were resumed, and, as before, well attended by the men. Nothing could exceed the kindness displayed by Captain Parry and Captain Lyon towards the poor Esquimaux. Several of them who were afflicted with sickness, were comfortably lodged in the sick-bay of the ships; and on the number of patients increasing, a proposal was made to build an hospital for the use of the natives," and a plan for the building, medical attendance, and victualling, was immediately settled, with a degree of cordiality and zeal," adds Captain Parry," which I can never forget." To victual the hospital was rather a serious matter, for one of the patients who had received a severe wound in the leg, consumed four pounds of solid meat, in addition to about as much more which he received from his friends. The gastric capacities of the Esquimaux are certainly extraordinary. A boy, scarcely full grown, was allowed to help himself freely from the stores, and in twenty hours despatched the following quantities of solids and fluids: