to reach the North Pole in 1827. 



j)eculiar to these superglacial lakes, which is certainly one of the most pleasing 

 tints in nature. Notwithstanding the immense quantity of water still upon 

 the ice, and which always afForded us a pure and abundant supply of this in- 

 dispensable article, we now observed a mark around the banks of the jwnd, 

 shewing that the water was less deep in them by several inches than it had 

 been somewhat earlier in the summer ; and, indeed, from about this time, 

 some small diminution of its quantity began to be perceptible to ourselves.*'* 



On the 14th and 15th July, the rain was excessive, at times 

 pouring down in torrents, and this, too, in the arctic ocean, l>e- 

 yond north Lat. 82° 14'. On Monday 16th July, in north 

 Lat. 8T m 44", east Long. 20° 32^ 13'^ the thermometer in 

 the shade was 37f°, in the sun 47°; a blackened bulb raised it to 

 51^°; and the same thermometer when held against the black 

 painted sides of the boat rose to 58J°. They saw a mallemuck 

 and a Ross gull, and a couple of jiies were found upon the ice. 

 At seven o^clock on the evening of the same day, it was so warm 

 in the sun, though the temperature in the shade was only 35% that 

 tlie tar was running out of the seams of the boats ; and a blacken- 

 ed bulb, when held against the paint-work, raised the thermo- 

 meter to 72°. The temperature of the sea was 34°. July 

 17., in north Lat. 82° 32' 10'^, Captain Parry remarks, " prov- 

 ed one of the warmest and most pleasant days to the feelings, 

 that we had during the whole time we were upon the ice ; the 

 thermometer in the shade being from 36° to 40° for several 

 hours, and in the sun from 42° to 51 °.'' On the 19th July, 

 towards midnight, they had smart showers of rain, with dry 

 clear intervals between them, just as on an April day in Eng- 

 land. This kind of weather, which continued for several hours, 

 liarassed the men very much. On the morning of the 20th 

 July, it is remarked, " we halted at 7 a. m., having by our 

 reckoning accomplished 6J miles in a N. N. W. direction, the 

 distance traversed being JO^ miles. It may, therefore, be ima- 

 gined how great was our mortification in finding that our lati- 

 tude, by observation at noon, was only 82° 36' 52", being less 

 than five miles to the northward of our place at noon on the 

 17th, since which time we had certainly travelled twelve in 

 that direction."'' 



On the 23d July, their latitude was not more than 82° 43^ 32" 

 north, notwithstanding the distance which they had travelled over 

 the ice On the afternoon of this day, a beautiful natural phe- 



• Narrative, p. 9X. 



