200 PARRY'S POLAR ATTEMPT. 



fire of drift wood, and a few hours quiet rest 

 quite restored us." They reached their ship in 

 Treurenburg Bay, after an absence of sixty-one 

 days, and met with the most cordial reception 

 and hearty congratulations from their shipmates, 

 who had been most anxiously watching for them. 



" I cannot conclude the account of our pro- 

 ceedings," says Captain Parry, " without endea- 

 vouring to do justice to the cheerful alacrity 

 and unwearied zeal displayed by my companions, 

 both officers and men, in the course of this ex- 

 cursion." And we may add, what, of course, 

 Sir Edward could not, that no small portion of 

 this zeal arose from the example and high quali- 

 fication of him who cheered and directed all their 

 movements, and brought them back in health 

 and safety to their ship. 



From this brilliant little exploit we learn, as 

 hefore remarked, that the great barrier of ice, 

 as far as the eighty-third degree nearly, main- 

 tains the same rugged broken appearance as it 

 presents near its margin, and does not show any 

 indication of an approach to a solid continent 

 of ice, which has by some persons been imagined 

 to extend from the Pole southward. On the 

 contrary, we may infer from its motion day after 

 day in a south-westerly direction, that there must 

 be a considerable space of open water in its 



