108 N O R T H 
lea, free from land, in which cafe it was hoped it would 
alfo be free from ice, to proceed direct for Behring’s Strait, 
by which route the diftance would be Ihorter than the 
other by nearly one-third. 
The (hips fitted out for exploring the north-weft paf- 
fage were the Kabella, of 382 tons, commanded by Capt. 
John Rofs; and the Alexander, of 252 tons, under the 
orders of Lieut. William Edward Parry, youngeft fon of 
Dr. Parry of Bath. Thofe deftined for the polar paflage 
were the Dorothea, of 370 tons, commanded by Capt. 
David Buchan ; and the Trent, of 230 tons, under the 
command of Lieut. John Franklin. To each lhip there 
was alfo appointed an additional lieutenant, and two 
mailer’s mates or midftiipmen. Two of thefe lieutenants 
are the fons of two eminent artifts, one of the late 
Mr. Hoppner and the other of fir William Beechey, and 
both of thgm excellent draughtfmen. 
The four (hips were all fitted out as ftrong as wood and 
iron could make them; having, in the firft place, the 
whole of their outfide, from the keel to fome diftance 
above the water-line, covered with an extra lining of oak 
plank, three inches thick : within they had a number of 
additional tranl'verfe beams and other timbers put into the 
hold, in order to be able to withftand the lateral prefture 
of the ice, in .the event of their being caught between 
two fields of it. Their bows were alfo covered with 
ftrong plates of iron, to prevent them from receiving any 
damage by ftriking again!! the floating ice. They were 
likewife fitted up infide in Inch a manner, as to make the 
accommodations of both officers and men as comfortable 
as the iize of the veflels would admit. To guard as much 
as poffible again!! the rigour of the climate, they were 
provided with Handing bed-places, which, befides being 
much warmer than cots or hammocks, poflefled another 
advantage; for, in the event of its being neceflary to 
take up quarters on-ffiore, they might be eafily removed, 
each bed-place confiding of a feparate b'ox. The (hips 
were likewife fupplied with as much coal as could be 
flowed; they were, indeed, ballafted with coals, fo that 
the quantity, taken all together, w’as reckoned to be fuffi- 
cient to laft two years; and, in order to warm them more 
effectually than could be done by the (loves alone, they 
had flues to convey hot air from the galley-fire all round 
between decks. In the event of wintering in the arCtic 
regions, they were provided with deals, Ruffian mats, and 
tarpaulings for houfing the (hips; and in cafe of taking 
up quarters on-fhore, the fame materials would anfwer 
the purpofe of roofing them. A fuit of warm clothes 
was, together with a fort of blanket made of wolv’es’ lkins, 
likewife furnifhed by government to each of the men 
gratis; fo that they were, in every refpeCt, provided with 
the means of withftandiug the (everity of the weather. 
The means of preferving the health of the crews were 
equally well attended to; for, befides the fait provifions 
fupplied being of the belt quality, and recently cured, 
the (hips were provided with a conliderable quantity of 
iuch articles as were deemed the moil efficacious to pre¬ 
vent feurvy, a difeafe which often committed the moll 
dreadful ravages among the crews of cur early navigators, 
particularly in their voyages to cold climates. The an- 
tifcorbutics with which they were furnifhed, confided of a 
plentiful fupply of Donkin’s preferved meats and foups, 
iour-crout, eifence of malt and hops, and feveral tons of 
potatoes and other vegetables. And, in cafe they fhould 
find themfelves in need of any articles of provifion or 
clothing, &c. which the Efquimaux might be willing to 
difpofe of, government fupplied a confiderable quantity 
of toys, and other articles of various deferiptions, to 
barter. Thefe articles confided of trowfers and jackets of 
coarle cloth, fhirts, umbrellas, needles, thread, looking- 
glafles, cowrie-fitells, glafs beads of various colours, and 
a variety of other articles calculated to attraCl the atten¬ 
tion of people in an uncivilized (late. Befides thefe, they 
were- furniihed with a number of coarfe rifles to make 
prefents of to the Efquimaux chiefs, or to exchange, if 
P O L E. 
neceflary, for whatever might be wanted for the public 
fervice. And, in order to facilitate any intercourfe with 
the Efquimaux, and obtain whatever information they 
might be able to give, a native of one of ther Daniffi co¬ 
lonies on the weft-coaft of Greenland, was procured to 
go out in the capacity of an interpreter. His name was 
John Sackhoufe, or Sacheufe as Capt. Rofs fpells it, or 
Ziccheus according to Capt. Sabine. He was brought 
to this country about two years ago in a (hip belonging 
to Leith. Different reafons have been affigned for his 
leaving his own country. It has been faid by Tome that 
lie was picked up at fea in his canoe, having been blown 
off the coal! of Greenland in a dorm ; but the reafon he 
liimfelf affigned was ‘a difappointment he met with in a 
love-affair. Having by fome means quarrelled with the 
mother of his intended fpoufe, he failed in obtaining her 
confent to a matrimonial union with her daughter. The 
difappointment affeCted him fo much, that he refolved to 
banifh liimfelf for ever from his native land ; and in the 
height of his rage fet off to fea in his canoe, and was there 
picked up by tiie (hip which conveyed him to this coun¬ 
try. He was very fuperior in point of intellect to the ge¬ 
nerality of thofe who have been brought up in a rude 
ftate. He fpolce Englifli tolerably well, and could even 
read and write a little ; but what he feerned mod anxious 
to learn was drawing, of wdiich he had acquired a pretty 
good notion. His excurfions on the Thames, in his canoe, 
had excited a good deal of notice, and very defervedly, 
for his dexterity in the management of it was really ad¬ 
mirable. 
Although th<*principal objeCt of the expedition was to 
explore the polar feas, and to decide, if poflible, the 
long-agitated queflion, whether a paflage exifts between 
the Northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, feveral others, 
which were deemed important, w»ere intended to be ac- 
compliflied by it; Inch as that of finding where the mag¬ 
netic pole is (ituated, and obferving the difference in the 
vibrations of the pendulum in high latitudes. The lati¬ 
tudes and longitudes of places, hitherto but imperfectly 
known, were to be afeertained ; coalts and harbours to 
be furveyed ;-and various other experiments and obfer- 
vations to be made, with a view of enlarging our geo¬ 
graphical knowledge of the polar regions. Any other 
faCts which might be in any way ufeful to fcience were 
to be collected; and, in order that thefe obje&s might 
be properly fulfilled, each of the (hips was provided with 
fome of the bed inftruments that could be conftruCled, 
for the purpofe of making the neceflary obfervations. 
As it was expefted that natural hiftory might alfo benefit 
by the expedition, a box, containing fpirits and bottles, 
was fupplied to each (hip, from the Royal College of Sur¬ 
geons, for the purpole of preferving any remarkable ob¬ 
jects which might be met with in the courfe of the voyage ; 
and of fu.ch as tiould not be preferved, accurate drawings 
were to be made by lieutenants Hoppner and Beechey. 
On the whole, neither care norexpenfe appears to have 
been fpared in lending out the two expeditions as com¬ 
plete and as well equipped as poffible ; and nothing that 
the commanders of them deemed to be ufeful was re- 
fufed. Every fuggeftion that appeared to merit conft- 
deration was attended to, both in the equipment of the 
(hips and in the inftruCtions to the officers, every one of 
wdiom, from the highelt to the lowelt, left this country 
in perfeCt fatisfaCtion, and in full confidence of attaining 
the great objeCt of the expeditions, or at lead with the 
determination of eftablifliing the fact of its utter imprac¬ 
ticability. 
The pay of the two captains was fixed at 46I. each per 
month ; the two commanding lieutenants, 23I. each ; the 
affillant-lieutenants, 18I. 8s. the warrant-officers had alio 
an increafe of falary; and the men had, each, 60s. per 
month. 
It was now thought proper alfo to make fome altera¬ 
tions in the parliamentary regulations applying to this 
fubjeCt, It has already been mentioned, that, by an act 
galled 
