168 EARLIEST POLAR EXPLORATIONS 



the north islands ; that the aborigines he came in contact with knew nothing of 

 the ice belt surrounding the pole, or, if they did, could not tell. 



Parry's explorations were between latitude 75 and 78, and by crossing 

 longitude no west he won the $25,000 prize offered by parliament for the 

 feat. Three times after 1819 by different approaches Parry sought to enter 

 the polar ice, but failed. Some of his traveling companions went mad. Others 

 prematurely aged or suddenly died. In 1827 he reached 82 degrees 45 

 minutes. 



Parry describes the affliction of snow-blindness, something from which 

 most Arctic explorers have suffered : 



"Some of our men," says Parry, "having, in the course of their shooting 

 excursions, been exposed for several hours to the glare of the sun and snow, 

 returned at night much affected with that painful inflammation in the eyes 

 occasioned by the reflection of intense light from the snow, aided by the 

 warmth of the sun, and called in America 'snow blindness.' This complaint, of 

 which the sensation exactly resembles that produced by large particles of sand 

 or dust in the eyes, is cured by some tribes of American Indians by holding 

 them over the steam of warm water; but we found a cooling wash, made by 

 a small quantity of acetate of lead mixed with cold water, more efficacious in 

 relieving the irritation, which was always done in three or four days, even 

 in the most severe cases, provided the eyes were carefully guarded from the 

 light. As a preventive of this complaint, a piece of black crape was given to 

 each man, to be worn as a kind of short veil attached to the hat, which we 

 found to be very serviceable. A still more convenient mode, adopted by some 

 of the officers, was found equally efficacious ; this consisted in taking the glasses 

 out of a pair of spectacles, and substituting black or green crape, the glass 

 having been found to heat the eyes and increase the irritation." 



Parry also describes some of the characteristics of summer in the Arctic, the 

 observations being taken in June. 



"Having observed," says Parry, "that the sorrel was now so far advanced 

 in foliage as to be easily gathered in sufficient quantity for eating, I gave 

 orders that two afternoons in each week should be occupied by all hands in 

 collecting the leaves of this plant ; each man being required to bring in, for the 

 present, one ounce, to be served in lieu of lemon-juice, pickles, and dried herbs, 

 which had been hitherto issued. The growth of the sorrel was, from this time 

 so quick, and the quantity of it so great on every part of the ground about 

 the harbor, that we shortly after sent the men out every afternoon for an hour 



