206 Arctic and Antarctic Exploration [part i 
40 and 50 privateers and letters-of-marque vessels were 
burnt. On this station Parry formed a life-long friendship 
with Charles Martyn, the Admiral's secretary, who was 
about the same age, but died young in 1825. 
After the peace Parry was anxious to be employed 
in an exploring expedition. He had been much interested 
in African discovery, and had read the narrative of 
Clapperton with deep interest. He therefore volunteered 
for Tuckey's Congo expedition, but could not get back 
in time to join it. His letter and his little book on 
nautical astronomy were shown to Sir John Barrow, 
who was so pleased with them that he recommended 
Parry, whose age was then 28, for the command of the 
Alexander in Ross's expedition. He then had had 15 years 
of service, and had necessarily acquired a considerable 
knowledge of ice navigation during Ross's re-discovery 
of Baffin's Bay. 
The Lords of the Admiralty, as we have seen, were not 
satisfied with Captain Ross's report. It was thought 
that there should have been a closer examination of the 
sounds at the head of Baffin's Bay, and accordingly it 
was resolved that another expedition should be despatched 
to discover whether Lancaster Sound opened on to a 
channel leading to Bering Strait. Lieut. Parry received 
the command of the expedition, and nearly all the 
officers and men who had served in the Buchan and Ross 
expeditions volunteered to go with him. They were to 
receive double pay. 
The memorable success of this expedition was perhaps 
due to the youthfulness of the officers. The oldest was 
Captain Sabine, R.E., the astronomer, who was 30. 
Beechey, Parry's first Lieutenant, the accomplished artist 
and writer of the Trent, was 23. The other Lieutenant, 
Hoppner from the Alexander, was about the same age. 
The remaining executive officers w T ere eight young mid- 
shipmen aged from 17 to 19, three rather more. 
Two vessels were selected. The Hecla was a very 
strong bomb vessel of 375 tons, built at Hull in 1815. 
Her consort was a slow-sailing old gun brig, the Griper 
of 130 tons, with a deck of 6 feet raised upon her, to 
increase stowage. Lieut. Liddon commanded her. Both 
were barque rigged, the object being to restrict the 
