126 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. V. 



first voyage of Parry to the Arctic Sea, recom- 

 menced that series of observations on the length of 

 the seconds' pendulum, which were made in the 



Hecla. 



Captain Sabine, impelled by the zeal and love 

 of science, for which he is distinguished, hastened 

 to proceed, in the first instance, to Sierra Leone, 

 in the Iphigenia, on the 22nd February, 1822, and 

 completed his pendulum experiments there in April. 

 Sir Robert Mends there assigned the Pheasant to 

 convey him to the several Atlantic stations, where 

 he was desirous to swing his pendulum, mostly in 

 the West Indies and to the southward of the line, 

 as far as Ascension. 



Commander Clavering, of the Pheasant, was an 

 officer well versed in the scientific duties of a navi- 

 gator; and a friendship was speedily formed between 

 the two officers, that ceased only with the death of 

 the sailor, which happened when, in the year 1827, 

 he commanded the Redwing, which ship sailed 

 from the Coast of Africa and, being never after 

 heard of, is supposed to have foundered, and all 

 on board to have perished. It is stated by Mr. 

 James Smith, the editor of the voyage, that such 

 was the able and zealous manner in which Com- 

 mander Clavering co-operated with Captain Sabine, 

 that the latter was not only enabled to make the 

 observations at every station in the most satis- 

 factory manner, but without the slightest accident 



