609 



It was seen, that, under able management and proper discipline, 

 a winter in the Arctic regions could be passed, not only without 

 those dreadful ravages which characterized the early voyages to 

 those seas, but with as little if not less than the average mortality 

 of mankind in civilized countries. 



Captain Parry was now confirmed in his office as Hydrographer, 

 and he was honoured by the freedom of the Borough of Lynn. In 

 the autumn of this year Parry determined, since no passage could 

 be found in a north-western direction, to propose to the Admiralty 

 to renew the attempt to reach a high northern latitude by travelling 

 over the vast expanse of ice which occupied the Spitzbergen seas. 

 As early as 1818 a plan for effecting this object by means of light 

 boats drawn by dogs had been submitted to the Admiralty by the 

 late Sir John Franklin and his associate in the ' Trent," Lieutenant, 

 now Admiral, Beechey, and Parry now undertook to carry it into 

 effect by means of rein-deer. He accordingly sailed in 1827 for 

 Hammerfest, and taking on board a sufficient number of these ani- 

 mals proceeded to Spitzbergen, where he quitted his ship and com- 

 menced his perilous journey. 



Those persons only who have seen the Spitzbergen ice and are 

 acquainted with its rugged surface and the deep pools of water in 

 its hollows, can judge of the enormous labour and difficulty in tra- 

 velling over it. Yet Parry overcame these difficulties, and had it 

 not been that the ice at length was found to have a motion to the 

 southward nearly as fast as his party could advance to the north- 

 ward, he would certainly have accomplished his object. All his 

 efforts, however, were frustrated by this unforeseen circumstance, 

 and after travelling 660 miles, a distance more than sufficient to 

 reach the Pole in a direct line from where he set out, he found him- 

 self compelled to return. With what reluctance he submitted to 

 this may be gathered from his journal, in which he observes, " dreary 

 and cheerless as were the scenes we were about to leave, we never 

 turned homewards with so little satisfaction as on this occasion." 

 His furthest point reached on this journey was 82 45' N., a parallel 

 which far exceeded any well -authenticated advance which had ever 

 been made before. Had he been able to accomplish fifteen miles 

 more he would have been entitled to the reward of one thousand 

 pounds offered by the Government so long back as the days of Phipps. 



3 &2 



