he would shoot the first man who ventured to approach within musket-range.

An amicable leave was, however, afterwards taken of these people, and on the 13th of July Franklin put to sea. On the 27th he came to the mouth of a wide river, to which, as it proceeded from the British range of mountains, and was near the line of demarkation between Great Britain and Russia, Franklin gave the name of Clarence. They were now in lat. 70° 5′, long. 143° 55'. The further they advanced westerly the more dense became the fogs; the temperature descended to 35°, and the gales of wind became more constant; at night the water froze; and, the middle of August having arrived, the winter might here be said to have set in; the more early, probably, from the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains, and the extensive swampy plains between them and the sea. The men had suffered much, and on the 18th Franklin set out on his return to the Mackenzie, from the extreme point gained, named by him the Return Reef, in lat. 70° 24′ N., long. 149° 37′ W.

About this time, as it afterward appeared, the Blossom's boat, sent by Beechey from Behring's Strait, arrived on the coast, on which Franklin observes: "Could I have known, or by possibility imagined, that a party from the Blossom had been at the distance of only one hundred and sixty miles from me, no difficulties, dangers, or discouraging circumstances, should have prevailed on me to return; but, taking into account the uncertainty of all voyages in a sea obstructed by ice, I had no right to expect that the Blossom had advanced beyond Kotzebue Inlet, or that any party from her had doubled the Icy Cape."

Franklin states the distance traced westerly from the mouth of the Mackenzie River to have been three hundred and seventy-four miles, along one of the most

dreary, miserable, and uninteresting portions of sea-coast that can perhaps be found in any part of the world; and in all that space not a harbor exists in which a ship could find shelter.

On the 21st of September the party reached Fort Franklin, after a voyage of two thousand and forty-eight miles. Here they had the happiness of meeting all their friends in safety; the eastern detachment had arrived on the 1st of September, after a most successful voyage.

Richardson's party had been generally favored with fine weather. On one occasion a storm compelled them to take shelter in Refuge Cove, in lat. 69° 29', which they left the following day. At their halting-place on the 13th July, the doctor says: "Myriads of mosquitos, which reposed among the grass, rose in clouds when disturbed, and gave us much annoyance. Many snowbirds were hatching on the point; and we saw swans, Canada geese, eider, king, Arctic, and surf ducks ; several glaucous, silvery, black-headed, and ivory gulls, together with terns and northern divers. Some laughing geese passed to the northward in the evening,

the 14th the party

EIDER DUCK.

took shelter from the fog and a heavy gale in a cove called Browell Cove, in latitude 70°, longitude 130° 19'. With some interruptions, their sail of five hundred

miles, or nine hundred and two by the coast-line, from one river to another, afforded a pleasant voyage, during which they added somewhat to the stores of natural history, botany, and geology.

A second winter passed at the fort. The cold was intense, the thermometer at one time standing at 58° below zero; but such a temperature even as this may be defied, with a weather-tight dwelling, plenty of provisions, and congenial companions. A series of magnetic observations was commenced; and, as the locality lay on the opposite side of the magnetic pole to that along which Parry had sailed in his voyages, some interesting results were arrived at. "It appears," says Franklin, "that for the same months, at the interval of only one year, Captain Parry and myself were making hourly observations on two needles, the north ends of which pointed almost directly towards each other, though our actual distance did not exceed eight hundred and fifty-five geographical miles; and while the needle of Port Bowen was increasing its westerly direction, ours was increasing its easterly, and the contrary - the variation being west at Port Bowen, and east at Fort Franklin-a beautiful and satisfactory proof of the solar influence on the daily variation."

In addition to magnetism, observations of the aurora borealis were also recorded, and the fact established that no disturbance of the needle (in that locality, at least) takes place during the play of the phenomenon. A course of lectures, too, on practical geology, was delivered by Richardson- an eminently useful subject in a new district. And, as an instance of what a love for science may accomplish, when animated by a persevering and self-reliant spirit, we must not omit to mention Mr. Drummond, one of the party, who passed the winter alone at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, in a

small hut erected by himself, where he collected fifteen hundred specimens of plants, and two hundred birds and quadrupeds, besides insects. These, though points of minor interest, when compared with the grand objects of the expeditions, serve, nevertheless to connect the individuals whose names they distinguish, by many links of sympathy and esteem, with unobtrusive thousands who can admire where they cannot imitate.

CHAPTER VIII.

SCORESBY'S DISCOVERIES.

THE REINDEER.

HECLA COVE. - BOAT AND SLEDGE EXPEDITION. NIGHT TRAVELLING. HUMMOCKS. -SOFTENING OF THE ICE. DRIFTING OF THE FLOES.- HIGHEST POINT REACHED. THE POLAR BEAR. RETURN TO THE SHIP. HOMEWARD BOUND.

WHILE Parry, under the auspices of the British government, was engaged in his second attempt to effect the north-west passage, a private adventurer, Mr. Scoresby, was making a voyage towards the north pole, which must not be passed without notice. As early as 1806, this gentleman, who was bred a practical whaleman, had, in the pursuit of his calling, penetrated to latitude 81° 30′, being a degree higher than Phipps had attained, and only five hundred geographical miles from the pole. In 1817 he also made an excursion on Jan Mayen's Island. He had, on both occasions, made observations and explorations with an intelligent and scientific eye, very unusual among those who pursue a calling so rough and dangerous as whaling.

At Mitre Cape he ascended to the summit of the singular cliff of which it consists, and which is estimated to be three thousand feet above the level of the ocean. The view is described as sublime: on the east were two finely-sheltered bays; the sea formed an immense unruffled expanse to the west, the icebergs rearing their fantastic forms, glittering in the sunshine; the valleys