: 
of reaching the North Pole. 315 
first attempts were made at the time of the origin of the famous 
Muscovy company, when the commercial nations of Western 
Europe held rivalry for the quickest passage to the Indies. Their 
efforts have been continued at intervals until our own time, and 
have uniformly resulted in failure as to the principal object. 
udson is said to have penetrated in 1607 to latitude 82°, but 
the conflict between his nautical observations and his descriptions 
of land, make it doubtful whether he passed beyond 81°. The 
brave but unfortunate Barentz, and his companion, Corneliz Ryp, 
eleven years earlier had been driven back from the eightieth 
lel; and Fotherby, a few years later, after repeated efforts, 
ad no better success. Poole, in 1610, reached only to 79° 50’. 
The greatest latitute of Captain Phipps, in 1773, was 80° 48’; of 
Tschitskagoff, in 1776, 80° 30’; of Scoresby, in 1806, 81° 30’; 
of Buchan and Franklin, in 1818, 80° 32’; of Clavering, in 1823, 
80° 20’. They were all arrested by the solid ice barrier near the 
meridian of Spitzbergen. 
The closest approach to the Pole of which we have any well 
authenticated record, was made by the late Sir Edward Parry, 
whose daring attempt I have already referred. This fearless 
navigator, abandoning his vessel, boldly pushed out upon the 
boundlesss ice-covered ocean, but was forced to retreat after 
— to 82° 45. 
asserted, that a vessel had gone, even to the very Pole. But the 
testimony upon which these SS ake is founded is 
true, these seas have since undergone remarkable chan 
i I am convinced, that the route to 
North Pole, eastward of Greenland, is at this san neither 
