an Arctic Expedition. 299 



the first polar expedition of modern times, under Captain 

 Phipps, subsequently Lord Mulgrave, and in which expedition 

 Lord Nelson served as a midshipman. But this, like all other 



tion of the best means of prosecuting Arctic discovery, and a letter 

 was addressed by Sir Joseph Banks to Lord Melville, dated Novem- 

 ber 20, 1817. A favourable reply was received on the 10th of 

 December, in which it was announced that his Majesty's Govern- 

 ment had deemed it their duty, in conformity with the suggestion of 

 the Royal Society, to give orders for the fitting out of four suitable 

 vessels, with a view to the important objects of Arctic discovery ; 

 two to proceed up Davis' Strait, and the uther two along the east 

 coast of Greenland to the northward. In a scientific point of view 

 these expeditions were fruitful of results, including Sabine's mag- 

 netic observations. 



On the return of Ross, another expedition was despatched in May, 

 1819, commanded by Parry ; when Sabine again made valuable 

 magnetic and pendulum observations. 



In 1826 the council of the Royal Society again turned its atten- 

 tion to Arctic discovery, and Captain Parry proposed a plan to 

 attempt to reach the North Pole by means of travelling with sledge- 

 boats over the ice. Sir Humphry Davy, the President, wrote to 

 Lord Melville, expressing the conviction of the council that Parry's 

 expedition could not fail to afford several valuable scientific results, 

 and to settle many important matters of scientific inquiry. Lord 

 Melville replied " that, the council having no doubt balanced all the 

 probable advantages, and having declared in favour of the expedi- 

 tion, I do not feel myself at liberty to withhold my assent to Captain 

 Parry's earnest request." In a letter to the council, Captain Parry 

 says that " the liberal and enlightened views of the council mainly 

 led to the adoption of the enterprise by the Admiralty." 



In 1839 the despatch of the Antarctic expedition commanded by 

 Sir James Ross, though originally suggested by a committee ap- 

 pointed by the British Association, was urgently advocated by the 

 president and council of the Royal Society, who threw themselves 

 unreservedly and with their whole weight into the scale, with im- 

 mediate and decisive effect. The council of the Royal Society then 

 drew up a report containing a detailed account of every object of 

 inquiry which should receive attention from the explorers. 



In 1845 the council of the Royal Society again urged the im- 



