though the hope grows fainter, we ardently pray that he may yet live to attain the goal of his ambition.

The revival of a desire for polar exploration, mainly with a view to discover a north-west passage, took place in the years 1817 and 1818. This is said to have grown up in consequence of accounts brought home by the whaling ships from the polar seas, that great changes had taken place in the fixed ice of those seas, by which they were suddenly rendered more

navigable than they had been for many years. "It was supposed that the great icy barrier, which had during so many ages obstructed these inaccessible regions, had, by some revolution of our globe, been broken up, and dispersed." The ocean was reported to be full of gigantic icebergs. which had broken loose from their moorings, and it was stated in a Scottish newspaper, that "a stupendous mountain of ice had been stranded on one of the Shet

land Islands.”

AMONG the distinguished polar navigators of the present century whose voyages and explorations in those regions have made us acquainted with new lands, and who have made valuable contributions to physical science, the name of Captain (now the Reverend Dr.) Scoresby, should be first mentioned. This gentleman was engaged in the Greenland whale fishery for upwards of twenty years, and as early as 1806, approached nearer the pole than any known navigator at that time. The point reached by him was in lat. 81° 30', or within 500 miles of the North Pole. In order to reach this high latitude, Captain Scoresby found it necessary to cross a broad barrier, or field of broken ice, which was accomplished with much labor, when he came to an open sea, extending northwards, as far as the eye could see. A fine opportunity was now presented for enlarging the knowledge of the seas near to the pole; but he had been fitted out for other objects, and he could not forego these for the sake of the most brilliant speculations in science.

In subsequent voyages Captain Scoresby approached the eastern shore of Greenland, and in the year 1822, when in search of a new fishing ground, discovered and traced nearly 400 miles of its coast. Dutch had previously seen some points,

The

but they were involved in much obscurity.

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The successful voyages of Captain Scoresby, and the valuable contributions. made by him, had greatly increased the desire for polar explorations. They possessed," says the United Service Journal, "more than ordinary claims to public attention and confidence, as emanating from a man peculiarly qualified to entertain correct notions upon the subject. An accurate and scientific observer of the phenomena of these Boreal regions, trained from infancy in the navigation of the Arctic seas, it was scarcely possible to find a man possessing the varied accomplishments of Mr. Scoresby, and having the actual experience he possessed."

These events led to the equipping of two expeditions. One was instructed to seek for a north-west passage, and, through it, to penetrate to Behring's Strait. The other, to attempt to reach the North Pole, and thence, to make the north west passage to the same point mentioned.

We now propose to give a brief account of the several expeditions sent to the Arctic seas for these two objects, as well as those of geographical discovery, and the advancement of science. Space compels us to confine ourselves simply to the objects and results of these several expeditions.

THE ship Isabella, of 385 tons, under the command of Commander Ross, and the

Alexander, of 252 tons, commanded by Licutenant Parry, sailed from England,

came mild and warm, the water much smoother, and the atmosphere clear and serene. The mountains on each side of the Strait had

examine the three openings, known as Smith's, Jones's, and Lancaster Sounds, at the north-west side of that bay, and through them, make their way westward to Behring's Strait. On the 17th June the ships reached Waygat Island, in Baffin's Bay, where a barrier of ice prevented their farther progress. Mooring the ships to an iceberg, in company with forty-five whale ships, they awaited the breaking up of the ice. They then pressed forward, and in lat. 750 came to a part of the coast which had never before been visited by navigators, where they found a tribe of Esquimaux living in the deepest seclusion. On the 18th of August they passed Wolstoneholme, and Whale Sounds, which appeared filled with ice. Next day they came to Smith's Sound, on the extreme north of the bay. This opening had been described by Baffin as the most spacious in the whole circle of the coast, and it was believed that an opening might be found here. Captain Ross regarded it with attention, and becoming convinced that he saw it encompassed by land at the distance of eighteen leagues, he passed on. Following the western coast he next came to Jones's Sound, at the bottom of which he thought he discovered a ridge of very high mountains, stretching nearly across, united to a less lofty ridge from the opposite side.

The 29th of August had now arrived, and the sun had set after an uninterrupted day of 1872 hours, or two months and a half. The season was passing away, and the nights became gloomy. They now approached the last and principal opening,

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or that known as Lancaster Sound. This great inlet, which proved to be forty-five miles in width, bordered by lofty mountains, was entered by the ships, which ascended it for thirty miles. During the run, the officers and men crowded the topmast, filled with enthusiastic hope, and, judging that it afforded a much fairer prospect of success than any of those they had so hastily passed."

"As the evening closed," says Captain Ross, "the wind died away-the weather be

time we discovered that the land extended from the South two-thirds across this apparent Strait; but the fog, which continually occupied that quarter, obscured its real figure. During this day, much interest was excited by the appearance of this Strait; the general opinion, however, was, that it was only an inlet. Captain Sabine, who produced Baffin's account, was of opinion that we were off Lancaster Sound, and that there were no hopes of a passage, until we should arrive at Cumberland Strait;-to use his own words "there was no indication of a passage, no appearance of a current, no drift wood, and no swell from the north-west.

Thus was this important inlet again overlooked. The expedition continued its course along the coast southward, passing two other openings in the land or inlets closed with ice, after which it returned to England.

"On the return of Sir John Ross," says the United Service Journal," his conclusion re

garding Lancaster Sound, became the subject of by those experienced in naval perspective, that much skeptical discussion; and it was urged Sir John Ross had not sufficiently guarded against a common optical illusion, and that he had not penetrated deep enough into the Sound to form any accurate judgment upon the subject; for it was urged, that a strait even of considerable breadth, if winding or varied by capes, always presents to the spectator the precise appearance of an enclosed bay. Discussion soon gathered an element of angry sentiment, which made it assume a form that looked very much like persecution; angry pamphlets were written on the subject, accusations and recriminations appeared; and the zeal which was exhibited upon the occasion led to the adoption of a line of conduct in some of the opponents of Sir John's views, which were not very creditable to them, and we think scarcely excusable or justifiable by any amount of zeal in the cause of science or po pular enthusiasm."

differed in opinion from Captain Ross as Lieutenant Parry, second in command, to the continuity of land across Lancaster Sound; and the result was, a new expedition was determined on which was to be placed under the command of Lieutenant (now Sir Edward) Parry.

The ships forming the expedition to reach the North Pole, were the Dorothy, Captain Buchan, and the Trent, Lieutenant Franklin. The former contained 12 officers and 42 seamen; the latter 10 officers and 28 seamen and marines. On board the Trent was George Back, then Admiralty's mate, who afterwards accompanied Captain Franklin in his land expeditions, and otherwise distinguished himself in the Arctic expeditions.

The expedition left England on the 18th of April and on the 24th of May, had reached Cherie Island, in latitude 740 33'. Their instructions were to proceed to the Spitzbergen seas; pass northward between that island and Greenland, and make every effort to reach the North Pole. A few days after the ships separated, Lieutenant Franklin proceeded to Magdalena Bay in Spitzbergen, the place of rendezvous, where both soon after met. On the 7th of June they again sailed, and in a few days got beset in a floe of ice where they remained for thirteen days. Escaping from this imprisonment, they again sought a shelter in Fair Haven, and continued there until the 6th of July. Putting to sea once more with a favorable wind, they pressed forward but were soon brought up by the pack ice in latitude 80g 34' N. Soon after a violent gale came on, and to avoid inevitable shipwreck, both ships pressed forward into the broken ice. Here they were exposed to the heaving and subsiding of great masses of ice, grinding huge pieces to atoms, and threatening every moment to crush and swallow up the ships. "No language," says Captain Buchan, can convey an adequate idea of the terrific grandeur now

produced by the collision of the ice and the tempestuous ocean." Such was the noise occasioned by the crashing of the ice, and the roar of the wind, that it was with great difficulty the orders could be heard. Yet the crew preserved the greatest calmness.

"If ever the fortitude of seamen was fairly tried," says Captain Buchan, "it was assuredly not less so, than on this occasion; and I will not conceal the pride I felt in witnessing the bold and decisive tone in which the orders were

issued by the commander of our little vessel (Franklin) and the promptitude and steadiness with which they were executed by the crew. Each person instinctively secured his own hold, and, with his eyes fixed upon the masts, awaited in breathless anxiety, the moment of concussion. It soon arrived; the brig cutting her way through the light ice, came in violent contact with the main body. In an instant we all lost our footing, the masts bent with the impetus, and the cracking timbers from below bespoke a pressure which was calculated to awaken our serious apprehensions."

Both vessels were so much injured by this concussion, that when the gale abated and the pack broke up, they made the best of their way to Fair Haven; the Dorothea in a foundering condition. Lieutenant Franklin was desirous to proceed with the Trent; but this was contrary to their instructions. Besides it would have been unsafe to risk the whole party again to the danger of these seas without any means of escape, in case an accident should befal them, in a a vessel, too, so much shattered. further efforts to prosecute the voyage were useless, and after the necessary repairs, both ships set sail for home on the 30th of August, and on the 22d of October reached England.

All

MUCH disappointment, as well as dissatisfaction, was manifested on the return of Captain Ross, without having accomplished the object for which he was sent; and as some of his officers, including Captain Parry, did not coincide with him in his opinion of the continuity of land around

Lancaster Sound, it was determined to send another expedition immediately to make a more thorough examination of that opening, as well those known as Jones's Sound, and Smith's Sound, farther north. This expedition was fitted out during the winter following Captain Ross's return,

On the 11th of May, 1819, they took their departure, and on the 3d of July crossed the Arctic Circle in Davis's Strait, passing on that day fifty icebergs of large dimensions. One of these huge masses was 140 feet high, and aground in 120 fathoms, making altogether a height exceeding 600 feet. On reaching the 73d degree of latitude, opposite Lancaster Sound, Captain Parry determined to make the attempt to cross the great barrier of ice which fills the middle of Baffin's Bay, instead of pursuing the usual route of the whalers, which was to follow the eastern coast to the very head of that bay, and then cross above the barrier referred to, where the sea is usually open. Seven days were spent in sailing and warping, before the ships again reached the open water, the barrier being not less than eighty miles in width.

The ship now stood for Lancaster Sound, and on the 30th of July reached its entrance, just one month earlier than Captain Ross reached it the previous year, when he took the usual course around the shores of Baffin's Bay. This was a most important gain for the expedition, as nearly the whole navigable season was before them. In approaching the magnificent channel, which lay before them, bounded by lofty cliffs, they felt an extraordinary emotion, aware that the great question, on which rested the failure or success of the expedition, would soon be settled. On the 2d of August soundings were taken, and one thousand and fifty fathoms by the line, were found. But owing to the drift, Captain Parry did not think the depth of water more than 800 or 900 fathoms.

"It is more easy," says Captain Parry, "to imagine, than to describe the almost breathless anxiety which was now visible in every countenance, while, as the breeze increased to a fresh gale, we ran quickly up the Sound. The mast heads were crowded by the officers and men during the whole afternoon; and an unconcerned observer, if any could have been unconcerned on such an occasion, would have been amused by the eagerness with which the ceived, all, however, hitherto favorable to our various reports from the crow's nest were remost sanguine hopes."

A strong easterly wind having sprung up on the 3d, they were rapidly carried to the west. They passed several headlands and openings on both sides of the channel, up which they sailed, and to which the name of Barrow's Strait was afterwards given. The first day they sailed 150 miles; the strait was still from forty to fifty miles in breadth, and no land was visible westward. They now came to an opening ten leagues across the mouth, with no land visible to the south. As their progress westward was obstructed by the ice, Parry determined to seek a passage through this new opening, afterwards called Prince Regent's Inlet, thinking that it might lead, and be nearer to the coast of America, than to follow Barrow's Strait west. They sailed down this inlet 120 miles, when they were stopped by the ice; after which they returned to Barrow's Strait, which they reached on the 19th of August. On the 21st, the ice had moved off, and left an unobstructed passage westward. The ships now pressed on, passing islands, headlands, and a very broad opening, eight leagues across, up which neither land nor ice were to be seen. To this was given the name of Wellington Channel.

Proceeding westward, large and small islands were passed on the north, while at the south land was occasionally seen. Their compass on account of their proximity to the magnetic pole became useless, and it was with difficulty, except in clear weather, that they knew what course they steered. The needle would now have pointed to the south. The officers landed on some of the islands as they passed, and found traces of the Esquimaux reindeer,

and musk oxen. The ravines were covered with luxuriant moss, and other vegetation.

On the 4th of September the ships reached the 110th degree of W. longitude, which entitled them to the reward of £5,000, offered by Parliament to the first ship's crew that attained this longitude within the Arctic circle. They now reached the largest island they had seen, to which the name of Melville was given, and worked their way along its shores. The navigable channel had been daily growing narrower on account of the ice, which was firm and compact to the south, as far as could be seen. Their progress was now slow, and on the 20th of September they found themselves completely beset by floes of ice. From the mast-head one unbroken field of ice presented itself, which had been there during the summer. It was now evident that no further advance could be made that season. The ships accordingly returned a short distance, and entered an excellent harbor, which they had passed. Here they sawed a channel through the ice for upwards of two miles, and took up their winter quar

ters.

The ships were now dismantled, and housed over. The most improved heating apparatus was put up; every attention was paid to the food, clothing, exercise, and mental occupation of the crew. A school was opened. A newspaper called the North Georgia Gazette was published. Theatrical performances were got up by the officers, and every means adopted that would conduce to the health and comfort of the crew. In this manner the winter passed away. The sun disappeared entirely on the 4th of November, and was not again visible above the horizon until the 3d February. The animals took their departure early in the winter, and did not. return until May.

To this desolate spot the expedition was frozen up for ten months. Early in May, however, parties were sent out on foot to explore in various directions, as well as to seek for game. Musk oxen, deer, hares, and ptarmigan, (a bird resembling a partridge,) ducks, and geese, became plenty. The hunters were tolerably successful, and the addition of fresh provisions was very acceptable.

The greatest cold experienced was on

the 16th of February, when the thermometer indicated 55° below zero. In March the snow began to melt in the sun, yet, as late as the last of May, the sea still presented one unbroken field of ice, from six to seven feet in thickness. Toward the end of June the ice began to move in the offing. On the 5th of July the thermometer stood at 552, and, on the 17th, at 60°. On the 1st of August the ships left their winter harbor, and stood westward, but after three or four days spent in working the ships through the floating ice, their farther progress was arrested by the compact ice, more firm than any they had seen. It did not appear to have been broken up for years, and on ascending the lofty hills which bordered the coast, from which a distant view was presented, no boundary was seen to the icy barrier. A brisk gale from the eastward produced no effect upon it, which induced Captain Parry to believe that a large body of land existed westward, which held it in this fixed state. To the south a bold coast was seen which was named Banks' Sound.

The ships remained here till the 15th August, when seeing no prospect of advancing farther, it was determined to escape while the weather was favorable. They accordingly put them about on the 26th. Barrow's Strait being clear of ice, they reached Lancaster Sound, and entered Baffin's Bay in five days. After some brief delays the ships proceeded to England, landing their officers at Peterhead on the 30th of October. In this long voyage of 18 months, but one man died out of 94 persons; the remainder were brought home in excellent health.

Captain Parry was warmly received on his arrival, for the results of the expedition had surpassed the expectations of the most sanguine. "To have sailed upwards of thirty degrees of longitude beyond the point reached by any former navigator,-to have discovered so many new lands, islands, and bays,-to have established the much-contested existence of a Polar Sea, north of America,-and to bring back his crew in a sound and vigorous state, were enough to raise his name above that of any other arctic navigator." Another expedition was immediately decided on, and the command tendered to this efficient officer.