191 
Voyage of Discovery to the Arctic Regions. 
was not till then that a looker-on could easily persuade himself that 
they had not been drinking too freely. To those who have been 
much accustomed to cold countries, this will be no new remark, but 
I cannot help thinking, that many a man may have been punished 
for intoxication, who was only suffering from the benumbing effects 
of frost ; for I have more than once seen our people in a state so 
exactly resembling that of the most stupid intoxication, that I should 
certainly have charged them with that offence, had I not been 
quite sure that no possible means were afforded them on Melville 
Island to procure any thing stronger than snow-water.”— Captain 
Parry s Journal, p. 108, 109* 
The only other affliction which arose from the weather, was 
what is called in America snow-blindness. It began by a sen- 
sation like that which is felt when sand or dust gets into the 
eyes. A solution of sugar of lead removed the complaint in two 
or three days, and the recurrence of the disease was prevented 
by the use of a piece of crape. 
The scurvy appeared in the months of March and April, but 
the invalids all recovered, in consequence of Captain Parry’s ha- 
ving been at much pains to raise some mustard and cress for 
them in his own cabin. 
The reappearance of the sun on the 3d February, was, after 
an absence of ninety-two days, joyfully welcomed by the in- 
habitants of Winter Harbour. The weather gradually improved. 
The shooting excursions were resumed, and in order to break 
the monotony of the spring, an expedition was projected across 
Melville Island, in order to ascertain its breadth, and examine 
the state of the sea to the north. 
This expedition, consisting of Captain Parry, Captain Sa- 
bine, Mr Fisher and others, amounting in all to thirteen, set off 
on the 1st of June. 
The following extract will convey a correct account of the 
nature of the country as seen during their second day’s journey. 
Shortly after we started this morning, we came to a small lake, 
about half a mile in length, and 200 yards in breadth ; a considerable 
part of it was clear of ice, which led us to suppose that two eider 
ducks, that flew past us a little while before we came to it, had come 
from it. Soon after we passed this lake, we saw several ptarmigans, 
and in the course of the night shot seven of them as we w r ent along. 
Between 2 and 3 o’clock in the morning, we got to the NW. end 
of a range of hills, which terminate the view to the N. from Win- 
ter Harbour. From the top of these hills we could see the ships’ 
masts very plainly with the naked eye, the distance being, as near- 
ly as we could judge, ten or eleven miles. From these hills also 
we had a very extensive view of an immense plain, extending to 
