SOL 
NORTH POLE. 
The dip and variation of the needle-were alfo afcertained 
very correftly by Lieut. Parry and Capt. Sabine, who 
pafi'ed three days on-lhore, in order to make thefe obfer- 
vations, fleeping in the tent in which the aftronomical 
clock was fet up. It was afcertained that the tide rofe 
and fell ten feet on the third day after the full, or the 
time of the high eft tide. 
Within a few yards of the fpot where the tent was 
pitched, were to be feen the ruins of an Efquimaux hut, 
which Sackhoufe informed us was once inhabited by a 
very ftrong man, who was, on that account, much dreaded' 
by his countrymen. Under a heap of Hones, at a fhort 
diftancefrom.thefe ruins, feveral human bones were found: 
with the exception of one or two fkulls, they were in a 
very decayed Urate. On a fmall plain, by the fea-fide, 
about two miles to the fouthward of this fpot, they came 
to the ruins of another hut. At what period thefe huts 
were inhabited is uncertain ; for Sackhoufe’s account 
of the ftrong man who dwelt near the place where the 
tent for the obfervatory was pitched, is traditional, he 
having been told 'the ftory by his father. It does not 
appear that any part of the ifland is inhabited at the pre- 
fent time ; nor is this much to be wondered at, for it is 
as barren a fpot as nature ever formed. Such parts of it 
as are not covered with fnovv, prefent fcarcely any thing 
but a rugged furface of rocks and loofe ftones. On the 
top of tne-hills there are indeed lome plains, which may 
be more properly faid to be covered with gravel than 
ftones. Or. thefe plains a few fmall fhrubs were obferved, 
here and there, beginning to fhoot up; but feldom any 
which exceeded two inches in length. They were gene¬ 
rally covered with a line downy coat, which in all proba¬ 
bility protects them againft the viciflitudes of temperature 
that daily occur; and this to fuch a degree as would be 
apt to ftagger the belief of thole who have not had an 
opportunity of being an eye-witnefs of them; “for at 
night, when the fun is low, it conftantly freezes even the 
fea-water; while, in the day time, or when the J'un is high, 
the thermometer in the J'un rijes as high as 84°. This was 
obferved to be the cale to-day at noon, on-board even ; 
but in the valleys on-fhore, where the reflection from the 
mountains is ftrong, it muft be much hotter.” A fpe- 
cies of filiceous foflil w'ood was found by a fergeant of 
artillery, who accompanied Capt. Sabine, near the top of 
a hill, in Hare Ifland. It had been a part of the trunk of 
a pine-tree, about four inches in diameter. The hill is 
in the interior of the ifland, about four miles from the 
fhore; and is confiderably more than 900 feet above the 
level of the fea, being higher than an intermediate hill, 
the elevation of which was afcertained barometrically. 
The journal adds, “ It is particularly deferving of being 
remarked, that hitherto we have always found the fea 
clearer of ice near the fhore than further out at fea, 
which is rather at variance with the opinion of thofe w'ho 
fuppofe the vicinity of land neceflary to the formation of 
ice.” Journal, p. 25-28. 
After a perilous progrefs through the ice, in which 
they acknowledge to have received much afliftance from 
the mafters of fome Greenland veflels, the Ifabella and 
Alexanderarrived in lat. 70. 54. N. Ion. 54.10. YV. clofe to 
land-ice, on the fouth fide of Jacob’s Bight, near Un¬ 
known Ifland, fo called by the Danes ; when John Sack¬ 
houfe was ordered to go on-fhore and communicate with 
the natives. This was on the 29th of June. 
“ Our Efquimaux (fays Capt. Rofs) returned with 
feven natives, in theircanoes, or kajacks, bringing a fmall 
fupply of birds. Their village, lying on the fouth fide of 
the bay, appeared to confift of a few huts made of feal- 
fkins, fufficient for the refidence of about fifty perfons. 
Being defirous of procuring a fledge and dogs, I offered 
them a rifle-mulket for one completely fitted, which they 
promifed to fetch ; with much honefty of principle, how¬ 
ever, refufing to accept the rifle till they had brought the 
fledge: they foon returned, bringing the fledge and dogs 
in a boat managed by five women, drefled in deer-lkins. 
Vol. XVII. No. 1171. 
The boat was called an umiacli, and is rowed by the 
women, Handing. I found that two of thefe women, 
taller than the reft, were daughters of a Danifh refident 
by an Efquimaux. woman. 
“ We foon became intimate with our vifitors, and invi¬ 
ted them into the cabin, wdiere they Were treated with 
coffee and bifeuit, and their portraits taken. After leav¬ 
ing the cabin, they danced Scotch reels on the deck with 
our bailors, to the animating drains of our mufician. 
Sackhoufe’s mirth and joy exceeded all bounds; and with 
a good-humoured officioufnefs, juftified by the important 
diftinftion w'hich his fuperior knowledge now gave him, 
he performed the office of mailer of the ceremonies. An 
Efquimaux mailer of ceremonies to a ball, on the deck of 
one of his majefty’s (hips in the icy feas of Greenland, 
was an office fomewhat new ; but Beau Nafh himfelf 
could not have performed his functions in a manner more 
appropriate. It did not belong even to Nafh to combine 
in his own perfon, like Jack, the difeordant qualifications 
of feaman, interpreter, draughtfman, and mailer of the 
ceremonies to a ball, with thofe of an a£tive filherof feals, 
and hunter of white lions. A daughter of the Danifli 
refident, about eighteen years of age, and by far the 
beft-looking of the groupe, was the objeCt of Jack’s par¬ 
ticular attentions ; which being obferved by one of our 
officers, he gave him a lady’s fhawl, ornamented with 
lpangles, as an offering for heracceptance. He prefented 
it, in a molt refpedlful and not ungraceful manner, to the 
damfel, who baflifully took a pewter ring from her finger, 
and prefented it to him in return, rewarding him at the 
fame time with an eloquent fmile, which could leave no 
poffible doubt in our Efquimaux’s mind that he had made 
an impreflion on her heart. After the ball, coffee was 
again ferved ; and at eight o’clock the party left us, well 
pleafed with their entertainment, and promifing to come 
back with a Jkin-hoat, an article which I conceived anight 
be 'ufeful on the ice. I permitted Sackhoufe to efcort 
them, chiefly that he might haften their movements, and 
learch for fpecimens of natural hiftory.” We flop not to 
enquire how thefe Efquimaux learned to dance Scotch 
reels; but goon to relate, that, Sackhoufe having re¬ 
mained longer on-fhore than w'as expe&ed, a boat was 
fent to bring him off, when the poor fellow was found 
with his collar-bone broken, having, with the idea as ex- 
preffed by himfelf of “plenty powder plenty kill,” over¬ 
loaded his gun, and occafioned this accident, which pre¬ 
vented his managing his canoe. 
Icebergs were found here in vaft numbers, aground in 
depths varying from fixty-three to a hundred fathoms. 
A whale was alfo feen for the firft time fince they had en¬ 
tered the arCtic circle. The ice now frequently clofed in 
upon them; and the crews of the fliips were compelled to 
law a paffage through, which was done with much diffi¬ 
culty. The fhore between lat. 7 5. 12. and 76. o. formed a 
fpacious bay, in the midft of which rofe a remarkable 
fpiral rock, which Capt. Rofs named Melville's Monument, 
in compliment to the memory of the late vifeount, who 
gave him his commiffion in the navy: the bay was alfo 
called Melville's Bay. Very high mountains of land and 
ice were feen to the north fide of this bay, forming an 
impaffable barrier, the precipices next the fea being from 
one to two thoufand feet high. A whale was here har¬ 
pooned, which mealured forty-fix feet in length, his bone 
eight feet fix inches, which fupplied the (hips with blub¬ 
ber for light and fuel, fliould they have been obliged to 
winter on the ice. 
By the iff: of Auguft they had reached lat. 75.48. N. 
Ion. 61. 30. W. and the phenomenon of the variation of 
the compafs had gone on increaiing; it was 88.13.011 the 
ice ; we lay on the ice, for on-board (hip, owing to fome 
peculiar influence not yet afcertained, it was much more; 
nay, it was at one time 95 degrees; that is, the needle 
pointed, inftead of north, to the fouthward of weft. This 
difference between the real variation and an apparent 
variation on-board fliip was firft obferved by captain 
3 F Flinders; 
