lounges during their nine months' detention. A few ill-fated bunting came near enough to be shot, and were instantly roasted for a farewell supper, and bright visions of active exertions on the water on the morrow were universally entertained. But the night dispelled all these airy castles, for with the morning's dawn they found that the whole body of ice astern of the ships had broke adrift, filled up the hard-wrought canal, and imprisoned them as firm as ever.

Death now for the first time visited the crews. James Pringle, a seaman of the Hecla, fell from the mast-head to the deck, and was killed on the 18th of May. Wm. Souter, quarter-master, and John Reid, Carpenter's mate, belonging to the Fury, died on the 26th and 27th, of natural causes. Toward the end of June, the sea began to clear rapidly to the eastward, and the bay ice soon gave way as far as where the ships were lying, and on the 2d of July they put to sea with a fresh breeze, after having been frozen in for 267 days.

In making their way to the northward, they were frequently in much danger. On the 3d, the ice came down on the Hecla with such force as to carry her on board the Fury, by which the Hecla broke her best bower anchor, and cut her waist-boat in two. On the 4th, the pressure of the ice was so great as to break the Hecla adrift from three hawsers. Four or five men were each on separate pieces of ice, parted from the ships in the endeavor to run out a hawser. A heavy pressure closing the loose ice unexpectedly gave them a road on board again, or they must have been carried away by the stream to certain destruction. On the 8th, the Hecla had got her stream-cable out, in addition to the other hawsers, and made fast to the land ice, when a very heavy and extensive floe took the ship on her broad side, and being backed by another large body of ice, gradually lifted her stem as if by the action of a wedge.

"The weight every moment increasing, obliged us," says Captain Lyon, "to veer on the hawsers, whose friction was so great as nearly to cut through the bitt-heads, and ultimately to set them on fire, so that it became

requisite for people to attend with buckets of water. The pressure was at length too powerful for resistance, and the stream-cable, with two six and one five-inch hawsers, all gave way at the same moment, three others soon following them. The sea was too full of ice to allow the ship to drive, and the only way in which she could yield to the enormous weight which oppressed her, was by leaning over on the land ice, while her stem at the same time was entirely lifted to above the height of five feet out of the water. The lower deck beams now complained very much, and the whole frame of the ship underwent a trial which would have proved fatal any less strengthened vessel. At the same moment, the rudder was unhung with a sudden jerk, which broke up the rudder-case, and struck the driver-boom with great force."

to

From this perilous position she was released almost by a miracle, and the rudder re-hung.

The ships a. last reached the island which had been so accurately described to them by the Esquimaux lady —–—– Iglolik, where they came upon an encampment of 120 Esquimaux, in tents. Captains Parry and Lyon and other officers made frequent exploring excursions along the shores of the Fury and Hecla strait, and inland. On the 26th of August the ships entered this strait, which was found blocked up with flat ice. The season had also now assumed so wintry an aspect that there seemed but little probability of getting much farther west knowing of no harbor to protect the ships, unless a favorable change took place, they had the gloomy prospect before them of wintering in or near this frozen strait. Boating and land parties were dispatched in several directions, to report upon the different localities.

On the 4th of September, Captain Lyon landed on an island of slate formation, about six miles to the westward of the ships, which he named Amherst Island. The result of these expeditions proved that it was impracticable, either by boats or water conveyance, to examine any part of the land southwest of Iglolik, in consequence of the ice. 8

Mr. Reid and a boat-party traveled about sixty miles to the westward of Amherst Island, and ascertained the termination of the strait. On a consultation with the officers, Captain Parry determined to seek a berth near to Iglolik, in which to secure the ships for the winter. They had now been sixty-five days struggling to get forward, but had only in that time reached forty miles to the westward of Iglolik. The vessels made the best of their way to the natural channel between this island and the land, but were for some time drifted with the ice, losing several anchors, and it was only by hard work in cutting channels that they were brought into safer quarters, near the land. Some fine teams of dogs were here purchased from the Esquimaux, which were found very serviceable in making excursions on sledges. Their second Christmas day in this region had now arrived, and Lyon informs us

"Captain Parry dined with me, and was treated with a superb display of mustard and cress, with about fifty onions, rivaling a fine needle in size, which I had reared in boxes round my cabin stove. All our messes in either ship were supplied with an extra pound of real English fresh beef, which had been hanging at our quarter for eighteen months. We could not afford to leave it for a farther trial of keeping, but I have no doubt that double the period would not have quite spoiled its flavor."

This winter proved much more severe than the forAdditional clothing was found necessary. The stove funnels collected a quantity of ice within them, notwithstanding fires were kept up night and day, so that it was frequently requisite to take them down in order to break and melt the ice out of them.

Nothing was seen of the sun for forty-two days. On the 15th of April, Mr. A. Elder, Greenland mate of the Hecla, died of dropsy: he had been leading man with Parry on Ross's voyage, and for his good conduct vas made mate of the Griper, on the last expedition. On the 6th of September, 1823, Mr. George Fife, the pilot, also died of scurvy.

After taking a review of their provisions, and the probability of having to pass a third winter here, Capt. Parry determined to send the Hecla home, taking from her all the provision that could be spared. Little or no hopes could be entertained of any passage being found to the westward, otherwise than by the strait now so firmly closed with ice; but Parry trusted that some interesting additions might be made to the geography of these dreary regions, by attempting a passage to the northward or eastward, in hopes of finding an outlet to Lancaster Sound, or Prince Regent's Inlet.

On the 21st of April, 1823, they began transshipping the provisions; the teams of dogs being found most useful for this purpose. Even two anchors of 22 cwt. each, were drawn by these noble animals at a quick

trot.

Upon admitting daylight at the stern windows of the Hecla, on the 22d, the gloomy, sooty cabin showed to no great advantage; no less than ten buckets of ice were taken from the sashes and out of the stern lockers, from which latter some spare flannels and instruments were only liberated by chopping.

On the 7th of June, Captain Lyon, with a party of men, set off across the Melville Peninsula, to endeavor to get a sight of the western sea, of which they had received descriptive accounts from the natives, but owing to the difficulties of traveling, and the ranges of mountains they met with, they returned unsuccessful, after being out twenty days. Another inland trip of a fortnight followed.

On the 1st of August, the Hecla was reported ready for sea. Some symptoms of scurvy having again made their appearance in the ships, and the surgeons reporting that it would not be prudent to continue longer, Captain Parry reluctantly determined to proceed home with both ships. After being 319 days in their winter quarters, the ships got away on the 9th of August.

A conspicuous landmark, with dispatches, was set up on the main-land, for the information of Franklin, should he reach this quarter.

On reaching Winter Island, and visiting their las year's garden, radishes, mustard and cress, and onions were brought off, which had survived the winter and were still alive, seventeen months from the time they were planted, a very remarkable proof of their having been preserved by the warm covering of snow.

The ships, during the whole of this passage, were driven by the current more than three degrees, entirely at the mercy of the ice, being carried into every bight, and swept over each point, without the power of help ing themselves.

On the 1st of September, they were driven up Lyon Inlet, where they were confined high up till the 6th, when a breeze sprung up, which took them down to within three miles of Winter Island; still it was not until the 12th, that they got thoroughly clear of the indraught. The danger and suspense of these twelve days were horrible, and Lyon justly observes, that he would prefer being frozen up during another eleven months winter, to again passing so anxious a period of time.

"Ten of the twelve nights were passed on deck, in expectation, each tide, of some decided change in our affairs, either by being left on the rocks, or grounding in such shoal water, that the whole body of the ice must have slid over us. But, as that good old seaman Baftin expresses himself, 'God, who is greater than either ice or tide, always delivered us!""

For thirty-five days the ships had been beset, and in that period had driven with the ice above 300 miles, without any exertion on their part, and also without a possibility of extricating themselves. On the 23d of September, they once more got into the swell of the Atlantic, and on the 10th of October, arrived at Ler wick, in Shetland.

CLAVERING'S VOYAGE TO SPITZBERGEN AND GREENLAND, 1823.

IN 1823, Capt. Sabine, R. A., who had been for some time engaged in magnetic observations, and also in