Capt. Parry's Voyage of Discovery. 3S9 



mind, that a stone of more than usual size appearing above the 

 snow, in the direction in which we were going, immediately be- 

 came a mark on which our eyes were unconsciously fixed, and 

 towards which we mechanically advanced.' 



On the probable existence and accomplislunent of a north- 

 west passage into the Pacific Ocean, Captain Parry expresses 

 himself thus : 



' Of the existence of such a passage, and that the outlet will 

 be found in Behring's Strait, it is scarcely possible, on an inspec- 

 tion of the map, with the addition of our late discoveries, and in 

 conjunction with those of Cook and Mackenzie, any longer to 

 entertain a reasonable doubt. In discovering one outlet from 

 Baffin's Bay into the Polar Sea, and finding that sea studded with 

 immerous islands, another link has at least been added to the 

 chain of evidence upon which geographers have long ventured to 

 delineate the northern coast of America, by a dotted line from Icy 

 Cape westward, to the rivers of Mackenzie and Hearne, and 

 thence to the known part of the coast to the north of Hudson's 

 Bav, in the neighbourhood of Wager River ; while, at the same 

 time, considerable progress has been made towards the actual 

 accomplishment of the desired passage, which has for nearly three 

 centuries engaged the attention of the maritime nations of Eu- 

 rope. 



' The success which attended our efforts during the season of 

 1819, after passing through Sir James Lancaster's Sound, was 

 such as to inspire even the least saiiguine among us with reason- 

 able hope of the complete accomplishment of our enterprise, 

 before the close of the next season , In entertaining such a hope, 

 however, we had not rightly calculated on the severity of the cli- 

 mate with which we had to contend, and on the consequent 

 shortness of the season (not exceeding seven weeks) in which it 

 is possible to perform the navigation of tliat part of the Polar 

 Sea, Although it must be admitted, that there is something pe- 

 culiar about the south-west end of Melville Island, extremely un- 

 favourable to navigation; yet it is also certain, that the oljstruc- 

 tions we met with from ice, both as to its thickness and extent, 

 were found generally to increase as we proceeded we>tu'ard af- 

 ter passing through Barrow's Strait. That we should find this 

 to be the case, migbt perhaps have l)een reasonably anticipated, 

 because the proximity to a permanently 0))en sea appears to be 

 the circumstance which, of all others, tends the most to temper 

 the severity of the Polar regions, in any given parallel of latitude. 

 On this account, I should always cxj)ect to meet with the most 

 serious impediments about mid-way, between the Atlantic and 

 Pacific Oceans ; and having once })asscd thai barrier, I should 



as 



