148 PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE. 



helia was very bright and prismatic, being thrown upon 

 a thick cloud ; the other scarcely perceptible, having a 

 blue sky as its back-ground. To each of these mock 

 suns bright yellow bands of light were attached, as 

 shown in the diagram. 



The sailors found at Igloolik a colony of Esquimaux, 

 who received them at first with surprise and some de- 

 gree of alarm ; but, on learning they were from Winter 

 Island, and intimate with its tenants of last season, they 

 welcomed them as familiar acquaintances. The crews 

 spent the winter with them on a friendly footing, and 

 rendered important services to many individuals during 

 a period of severe sickness. 



The spring proved unfavorable. Captain Lyon at- 

 tempted to penetrate across Melville Peninsula, but 

 found the road so barred by steep chains of mountains, 

 that he was obliged to return in nineteen days, without 

 any discovery, except of two rapid rivers falling into 

 the sea near Igloolik. Lieut. Hoppner accompanied a 

 party of Esquimaux to Cockburn Island, but could not 

 make his way to any distance inland. It was the 7th 

 of August before they were able, by severe sawing, to 

 reach the open sea ; by which time Parry had renounced 

 the hope of eifecting anything important during the 

 short remnant of this season. He formed, however, a 

 very bold plan, which was to bring all the stores of the 

 other vessel on board the Fury, and with it alone to 

 brave a third winter in the polar regions, hoping that 

 the succeeding summer might be more propitious. But, 

 as he was preparing to carry this too daring project into 

 effect, a report was made that symptoms of scurvy had 

 broken out on several of the crew, whose physical 

 strength appeared to be generally impaired by the two 

 hard winters through which they had passed. This left 

 no choice ; and, in compliance with the general opinion 



