Chap. IX. PARRY'S POLAR VOYAGE. 295 



in length, and over this we had to travel at least 

 five, and sometimes seven times." In short, from 

 the 25th, the day they started, to the 30th, it was 

 found by an observation at midnight they had 

 reached no higher than 81° 23'; " so that we had 

 made only eight miles of northing since our last 

 observation at noon on the 25th. " 



Captain Parry observes that the temperature by 

 night and day being liable to little variation, was 

 attended with some inconvenience with regard to 

 noticing the time. To obviate any mistake which 

 at or near the Pole might lead them, by taking the 

 wrong twelve hours, to a meridian 180° from the 

 intended one, they had some chronometers of which 

 the hour-hand made only one revolution in the 

 day, the twenty-four hours being marked round 

 the dial-plate. — (See page 291 and Note on this 

 subject.) 



The 1st July brought them to no better ice ; a 

 few small floes occurred with pools of water between 

 them, the ice less broken up, and sometimes toler- 

 ably level ; but six to eighteen inches of soft snow 

 lying on the surface made the travelling very 

 fatiguing, and obliged the party to undergo at least 

 two, and sometimes three, journeys with their loads. 

 On the boats landing on a floe-piece, Parry and 

 Ross generally walked on a-head to select the 

 easiest road for the boats to follow; the sledges 



