as Editor. We are a little jealous that it was not a Magazine; but it must be confessed, that the establishment of a newspaper was a tempting speculation, where there was neither a stamp office, nor an Attorney-General.

The effects of the cold were most distressing: the least exposure of the hand in the open air, caused such severe frost-bites, that amputation becanie sometimes unavoidable, and the skin generally adhered to any metallic substance with which it came in contact! In one or two instances, persons labouring under the consequences of severe cold seemed to have had their minds, as well as their persons torpified; they looked wild, spoke thick, and inarticulately; and, when recovering, exhibited all the symptoms of complete intoxication; so much so, indeed, that Captain Parry could not have credited that they were sober, if he had not perfect demonstration that they had taken nothing stronger than snow water. On the 4th of November, the sun bade them farewell, and did not appear again above their horizon, till the 8th of February, an interval of ninety-six days! The North Georgia Gazette, which is now in the London press, the theatre ouce a fortnight, the Aurora Borealis at times, and the howling of wolves, trapping of white foxes, and tracing of wild deer, were their principal occupations. We find that there were not only political, but dramatic authors on board; for a play was actually written on board the Hecla, and played, with the thermometer below Z ro, on the stage. The piece had decided success; though we apprehend there was not much clapping of hanus during its performance. The wearing of leather on the feet even caused such frost-bites, that the Captain was obliged to substitute a kind of canvass boot, lined with woollen. During their refuge in winter quarters, they formed a number of hunting parties, and obtained by that means, not only some amusement, but a considerable supply of fresh provisions.-The following is a list of the game killed on the shores of Melville Island for the use of the expedition, during a period of twelve months: Three musk oxen, twenty-four deer, sixty-eight hares, fifty-three geese, fifty-nine ducks, 144 ptarmigans, making a sum total of 3,766 lb. of fresh meat. Captain Parry, also, by artificial means, contrived to grow some small sallads on board the vessel; but his seeds all perished in the soil to which veget tion seems to have sworn eternal hostility. By the bye, it is very plain that our gallant author has hunted after game much more by sea than land,

from the circumstance of his always calling a pack of grouse, a

covey.

It is very remarkable, that some of their dogs formed a very close, and even tender acquaintance, with the wolves on Melville Island, so much so, as to stay away for days and nights from the ship, and only one was lost; but whether he was a voluntary exile, or whether he was devoured by the male wolves, remains a problem: the latter, we fear, was the case, from the circumstance of one of the captain's own favourites returning, after a long visit, severely lacerated. Some of the animals in these regions appear, indeed, to have been remarkably tame; and there is a very entertaining account given by Captain Parry, of his forming an acquaintance with a rein-deer, in his excursion across Melville island. Captain Sabine and he, having been considerably a-head of the rest of the party, sat down to wait for them, when a fine deer came up, and began to gambol round them, at a distance of thirty yards. They had no gun; and at all events considered that hostility would have been but a bad return for the confidence reposed in them. When the rest of the party appeared, the deer ran to pay them a visit; but they being less scrupulous, fired two shots at him without effect, when he returned again to Captain Parry even nearer than before, accompanying him, and trotting round him like a dog, until the rest of the party came up; upon which, with much good sense, he disappeared.

We are sorry we have not room to detail Captain Parry's account of his tour through Melville Island, which possesses considerable interest. They collected some specimens of mineralogy; and, amongst others, a piece of fossil wood;-saw abundance of sorrel and saxifrage; and in many places, a great deal of grass and poppies. The whole island bore evident marks of being frequented much by game; and, from the marks in several places, seemed to abound in musk oxen, deer, hares, foxes, grouse, plover, geese, and ptarmigan. The wolves appear to prey upon the foxes; and a beautiful little white one, which was caught in a trap near the Hecla, showed evident symptoms of alarm when it heard their howl. The month of July turning out very favourable, the ice began gradually to disappear; and on the 1st of August, the ships took their departure from Winter Harbour, where they had lain for very near twelve months. Even after leaving this, they were terribly impeded by the ice; and the Captain called a council of

the officers, to have their advice upon his future operations. They all agreed that it would be most wise to run a little along the edge of the ice to the eastward, in the hope of finding an opening to lead to the American continent; and, if this should fail, that then they should, after a reasonable time spent in the search, return to' England. This return was rendered doubly necessary, as the exhaustion of their principal antiscorbutic, and the diminution of their fuel, made the delay of another winter a dangerous experi ment. They determined, however, in the first instance, to pene. trate still farther southward from their present position; so as, if possible, to bring the accomplishment of the passage through Behring's Strait, within the scope of their remaining resources.

遵

Pursuing this 'direction, they made land, which they had no doubt had been, at no great distance of time, visited by the Esquimaux ; and, in a few days after, they were agreeably surprised by encountering a whaler. Some idea may be formed of the icebergs in these seas, from the account which Captain Parry gives of two which he passed by on Sunday, the 3d of September, and which he estimates at the height of from 150 to 200 feet above the surface of the water! On the morning of the 5th, they also met another whaler, which proved to be the Lee, of Hull, Mr. Williamson, master, who reported that he had seen some Esquimauz a few days before, in the inlet which had been, in 1818, named the river Clyde, and which was then only a little to the southward of them. As Captain Parry thought it probable that these people had never before been visited by Europeans, and as it might be of consequence to examine the inlet, he determined to stand in to the land. While they were making the best of their way to the islands, it is curious enough that they met the identi-" cal iceberg which had been measured in 1818, and which was then ascertained to be two miles in length! It was aground in precisely the same spot as before. At six in the evening, being near the cutermost of a groupe of islands, with which they afterwards found this inlet to be studded, they observed four canoes paddling towards the ship. The Esquimaux advanced boldly up, and had their canoes taken on board by their own desire. They approached amid the loud vociferations of their inmates, who were found to be an old man much above sixty years of age, and three younger ones from nineteen to thirty. On receiving a few presents, they began making a number of ejaculations, which they continued VOL. XII.

21

till they were hoarse, accompanying their noise by a jumping gesture, which was more or less violent, according to the powers of the jumper. They went down into the cabin; and the old gentleman was persuaded to sit for his picture to Lieutenant Beechey, which he did very quietly for more than an hour; but after that, it seems to have required all the pantomine rhetoric which Captain Parry was possessed of, to keep him in his position. However, the old gentleman turned out to be a wag, and mimicked the gestures of the gallant navigator, with such humour, as to create considerable diversion amongst the bye-standers. His patience, however, was put to a very severe test, as a barter for commodities was going on between the crew and his companions, very near him, all the time he was sitting. They seemed to have a very good notion of making a bargain; and their manner of concluding it was by licking the article purchased twice all over ; after which ceremony, it was considered to be final. There are some things, we imagine, with reference to which this mode of consummation would not be very agreeable. The canoes were found to move much faster in the water, when there was no sea, than the ship's boat, but only one person could sit in each. Those people seem to have very strict notions of honesty, and they showed every disposition to do the crews any service in their power. They acquired very quickly several words of English, which they were fond of repeating; and, in their gestures and vociferations, evinced a strong inclination to humour. Captain Parry tells us, quite in the spirit of our delectable old friend, Jamie Boswell, that when these people looked through a telescope, or a kaleidoscope, some of them shut the right eye, and some of them the left. We hope this was carefully noted among the discoveries in the log book.

The Captain afterwards landed on the main land, and visited two of the Esquimaux tents, where they were received by men, women, and children, with a general, but welcoming vociferation. They exchanged several articles with the crew, and were very strict in their dealings. In order to prove their honesty, Captain Parry relates that he had sold an axe to an old womau, for a dog, and had given her the axe in advance; the dogs were exceedingly shy, and she might easily have evaded the performance of her contract; but she immediately set off with a kind of thong noose, which they are obliged to use for the purpose, and soon presented

the purchaser with one of the finest in the country. There is a minute description of these people, which serves to fill up a few pages; but they appear, both in person and habitation, not to differ from the general class of Esquimaux. They seem, indeed, not to be very delicate in their appetites; for both old and young, when a bird was given them, swallowed it feathers and ali, in the most ravenous manner. This delicate propensity seems to be fully participated by the four-legged companions; for it seems the dog which Captain Parry purchased from the old lady, after hav ing been regularly fed, immediately, and without scruple, swallowed a large piece of canvass, a cotton handkerchief which had been just washed, and part of a check shirt. We are of opinion, that the old lady was very right to part with him. It certainly showed a due regard for her seal-skin wardrobe. The puppies would at any time, if permitted, kill themselves by over eating; and it is curious enough, that in the different bargains, the children, invariably, and without any question, exercised a right over the young dogs. The behaviour, however, of these simple people, impressed the navigators with a high respect for them; and they never evinced, in all their intercourse, the least disposition to purloin any thing. The crews made them some trifling presents, for which they were very grateful, and they watched the departure of the vessels in sorrowful silence.

On the 26th of September, the ice appeared to be so packed towards the westward, as to preclude all posibility of any farther progress, or indeed of even minutely examining the coast, there being then twelve hours of darkness. Under these circumstances, any farther attempt was considered useless; and the ships steered their course for England, in their passage to which they experienced very stormy weather. During this expedition, perhaps, the most interesting phenomenon, which the navigators remarked, was the effect which the approach to the North Pole obviously had upon the needle.

From the time of their entering Lancaster's sound, the sluggishness of the compasses, and their great irregularity, became apparent; and, at last, the directive power of the needle became so weak, as to be completely overcome by the attraction of the ship. In a few days, the binnacles were removed, as useless lumber, from the deck to the carpenter's store room; and the true courses, and direction of the wind, were in future noted in