188 
Voyage of Discovery to the Arctic Regions . 
the Atlantic,” and which Captain Parry would have explored, 
had the ice obstructed his progress to the westward. The rapi- 
dity, however, of the run from Beechey Island to Cape Hotham, 
held out better prospects, though they were of short duration. A 
body of ice was seen to the westward, but, a narrow neck of 
it appearing to consist of loose pieces, the Hecla was pushed in, 
and, after a quarter of an hour's 66 boring,” forced her way through 
it, followed by the Griper. On the 23d they passed to the 
south of Griffiths Island ; on the 24th, to the south of Lowther 
Island , and between Young and Davy Islands , (called Snow 
Isles in our chart) ; on the 25th they passed Garret Island ; and 
on the 26th, 27th, and 28th, Allison's Inlet , Cape Cockburn , 
and across Graham Moore's Bay . On the 28th they landed 
on Byam Martin Island , in Lat. 75° 9' and Long. 103° 50', 
for the purpose of making magnetical observations, and the re- 
sults which they obtained were of a very unexpected nature. 
They found that the variation of the needle was now 168° east- 
erly , or 192° westerly, having passed 180°, so that they had 
actually crossed the line of no variation , or rather the line of 
180° of variation to the north of the magnetic pole. The last ob- 
servations which they made were on the 22d, in Long. 91° 55', 
and Lat. 74° 20', so that the magnetic pole must be placed 
somewhere between 91° 55', and 103° 50' of west longitude, and 
certainly not far from the 102d degree *. 
This island was estimated to be about 10 miles long. It 
consisted of white sandstone, and exhibited a more luxuriant 
vegetation than any of those which they had lately seen. The 
following account of the traces of human habitation v/ill be read 
with some interest. 
“ We saw no animals of any kind on this island; but we found 
evident proofs of its having been frequented, not only by different 
species of the brute creation, but that it had also, at some period or 
other, been inhabited by man ; for at the distance of about a quarter 
of a mile from ike shore , me found the ruins of six huts close together on 
the side of a hill . From the dilapidated state of these ruins, it was 
impossible to draw any certain conclusions as to what time they had 
been inhabited, but it must certainly have been a long time ago, for 
nothing remained of them but the stones that marked their size and 
site ; and from the small number of stones that the ruins were com- 
* See the following article for a full account of the magnetical results obtained 
during the expedition. Captain Parry supposes the pole to be nearly in Long. 100° 
