530 



Monthly Review of Literature, 



[MAY, 



gan to think of starting for the Pole from 

 this point. The boats were accordingly got 

 out, and an experiment made ; but such 

 were the obstructions, that it was soon 

 found a mile a day could not have been 

 accomplished. They must now wait for 

 more favourable circumstances ; and, in the 

 meanwhile, arrangements were made for 

 changing the plan. The reindeer were 

 given up, and one boat instead of two, for 

 the provisions, was to be taken, and that to 

 be drawn by the men ; and a second attempt 

 was on the point of being made, when the 

 ice, which had been opening with the tide 

 for several days, began to set them more 

 rapidly to the eastward, and the water sud- 

 denly shoaled to a very few fathoms. With 

 immense labour it was that the vessel was 

 worked into deep water again, when she 

 was once more closed in at the entrance of 

 Weyde Bay. At length after sometimes 

 drifting with the ice, sometimes forcing 

 through, at times getting for a mile or two 

 into clear water, at others working through 

 lanes and fissures in the midst of toil and 

 hopelessness, on the 18th of June, was seen 

 from the crow's nest a low point of land, in 

 what in an old Dutch chart is called Treu- 

 enberg Bay ; and shelter for the ship was 

 with some confidence anticipated. This 

 was quickly found to be the case, and the 

 next day she .was placed out of all danger. 



Not a moment was now lost, the boat was 

 got out, and the travelling party started. 

 After running nearly 100 miles they reached 

 the packed ice ; and on the 24th com- 

 menced their first journey, continuing, 

 without remission, their laborious course, 

 which it is impossible for us to pursue in 

 detail, and of the nature or severity of 

 which no general phrases can give any con- 

 ception, til! the 26th of July, when dis- 

 covering, that, though toiling to the utmost 

 of their strength, and that strength begin- 

 ning to fail, they were actually losing more 

 by the southward drifting than gaining by 

 their northward efforts ; the design was of 

 necessity abandoned, after reaching 82f 

 latitude. At the extreme point of their 

 journey, the distance from the Hecla was 

 only 172 miles " To accomplish this," 

 says Captain Parry, " we had traversed, by 

 our reckoning, 292 miles, of which 100 

 were performed by water, previously to our 

 entering upon the ice. As we travelled by 

 far the greater part of our distance on the 

 ice three, and not unfrequently five times 

 over, we may safely multiply the length of 

 the road by two and a half (this is probably 

 a misprint for three and a half) ; so that 

 our whole distance, on a very moderate cal- 

 culation, amounted to 580 geographical, or 

 (J68 statute miles, being nearly sufficient to 

 have reached the Pole in a direct line." 



The difficulties in returning were of 

 course still of the same nature, except that 

 their labours were none of them in vain 

 the drifts working for instead of against 



them. On the 17th of August they reached 

 the Hecla, and forthwith set sail for Eng- 

 land Captain Parry reaching the Admi- 

 ralty on the 29th of September. 



Whether this defeat will put a final stop 

 to the farther pursuit of this geographical 

 hobby, we know not it is not improbable 

 that at other points, on the Greenland side 

 or Baffin's Bay the ice might afford a 

 more favourable course and Captain Parry 

 may have interest enough to get another 

 ship ; but really so much is now known of 

 the Arctic seas, that any further inquiry is 

 fit only to gratify the curiosity of a child. 



The Mahommedan System of Theology, 

 $c., by the Rev. W. H. Neale ; 1828! 

 For the appearance of this volume many a 

 one may well be puzzled, till he is informed 

 that the 12GO years of the Apocalypse, 

 which, by the most orthodox impugners of 

 the Catholic Faith, has long been assigned 

 as the limit for papal corruptions, is also 

 the very period assigned for the reign of 

 Mahommedanism. " The holy city shall 

 they tread under foot forty and two months" 

 is considered as applicable solely to M a- 

 hommedanism, and fixing the duration of 

 it. A time, two times and a half three 

 times and a half three years and a half 

 1260 days 1260 years prophetically 

 that is, in the interpretation of prophecy 

 all mean the same thing ; and if we fix 

 upon the year 606 for the commencement 

 of this eastern apostacy, its consummation 

 its annihilation must take place in 1866, 

 which may therefore fall within the lives of 

 many of the present generation, and is, 

 therefore, the author suggests, a fit subject 

 for " prayer," and calculated to quicken and 

 invigorate the efforts that have already been 

 happily begun for the conversion of the 

 east. " The times in which we live," says 

 he, " are favourable to the undertaking. 

 Various obstacles are withdrawn, and the 

 nations of the eastern and western world are 

 drawn into closer contact with each other. 

 Advantage also has been taken, to a certain 

 extent, of the opportunities thus cast in our 

 way, as will appear on reference to the 

 writings of different individuals (Henry 

 Martyn and Dr. Buchanan) from which the 

 most satisfactory conclusions may be de- 

 duced." But more may be done, and the 

 strong probability from the language of 

 prophecy that they will not be working in 

 vain, must add confidence to the exertions 

 of the feeblest. 



The object of the author, then, is to put 

 into the reader's hand a succinct and popu- 

 lar manual of Mahommedanism, as nothing 

 of the kind has been done since Prideaux's, 

 and his is inadequate to the present pur- 

 pose. This, it must be allowed, Mr. Neale 

 has done justly and clearly with temper 

 and decorum ; and, moreover what was 

 surely not at all necessary not even to his 

 specific object he has contrasted Christi- 



