The National Register.
London, England, 1820-12-04 00:00:00

POTAGE OP DHCOVRRY TO TILE AVOIITII.
WEST PASSAGE.

It affords a gratifying iiistatiee of the right ferlin% and
characteristic! persrverstire 1.1 British sailors, to tell that
the men (who could not he Isilii)C.l 11,i by the sewn ills-a•
of future fame which solaced their officers suds-rim:
hardships) here every deprivation, not merely with pa-
tience and equanimity, but with good I 11111 l our. Fie-
gmeutly, whim they had returned froth a day of fatiguing
and unproductive search fur game, they wrapped them-
selves in their blankets, to try to sleep to forget their
exhaustion, and that appetite which they durst nut satisfy,
lest they should. by encroaching on their next day's scanty
allowance, or tin their general stuck, be in the end LOU
lined to these dreary regions starving and without sub.
sitarist"... Not withstanding this, a-ver a murmur eseaped
one of them; but for 'Atmore, tin titude, and firmness,
they dis?layed a picture unsurpassed each by the 'widest
examplts of English seamen.
The following anecdote us worth p ing:—Arting
plays was one of the amti,t utents devised to while away
the long night of the Polar Cirr le. A drama was wit:ten
by :11r. Parry, solely to please the men, situ called .4 /as
North West Postage. "file scenery was painted Icy
Beechy, and the officers were the petforitit-is. Tue de-
light of the crews was so great that 'bey but only clap.
ped, but loudly cheered the actors ou every hvonranie
impression. One of the latter was so amused with this.
that ou making an exit he was induced to gu into tin house,
to see how the thing looked. He happened to place him-
self immediately behold the boatsevaiii and another mati,
who exclaimed with rapture, " Uh, i•'s braid tl I al'.
beautiful!" " I say by (I—it's philosophy!"
A curious rire lance in natural bisimy has been I
mentioned to Ili. It is staled that one of the alie.wolves
of the country where tile vessels were laid lip, firmed au
intimacy with a ship dug, and almost daisy visited him fur
some time, as Vile had belonged to the same species. At
last the doe, a setter belonging to one of the office's of the
Griper, followed his wild companion, anti was never seen
more. Another dug 60111 the Hecht also went sod, but
returned, though with his throat all mangled.
The wolves were Wipe. aiiil were heat il MAW ly howling
in a most disagreeable mantles. The tidier quadrupeds
found, when the summer return: d, were the titu.k•ox, of
which several were killed, the deer, the lux, Nod the
mouse; the latter remained through the winter, were
numerous, and changed Irons brow', to white. The fowls
were chiefly the arctic gull, the glances, the ptarmigan
(which has been called the pill 'ridge). :mil a singularly
beautiful duck denominated the king-duck.
The k;epttlition arrived at the entra.tee of Laticaster
Sound, on the lot of August-, 1019. On the /Os the ships
were iu the Regent's inlet, and there, in about 00 degrees
of longitude, the variation of the needle erns about 120
degrees West. Stopped by the ice, they heft the inlet,
which is supposed either to extend to iki), or
trend along the northern shore or America, and resumed
their prJeress tip Barrow's Straits, tearing behind them
Cruiser Bay (the Cruker tams lit. Cittil,4lll Hoes.)
They speedily discovered the gimp of islands, whet e
Lowther Isle is marked, Moe her. and named
New Georgia Isles. Proceeding onward, they souse' veil,
when rather inure than half way to the ultimate point at
which they arrived, that the varsaiiva of the needle was
above 129 deg. Last : thus it appears that the magnetic
meridian must lie between that degree and the degree of
00, which we observe front the chart, runs thruis4ll the
Inlet, where the variation wan 111 Mia de the West. At sea
Wu compass had been quite u4letis since the lilt August,
and it was only ow laud that the needle traversed. *f lie
greatest clip was above 88 deg.; and oar scientific read-
ers, putting these data together, will perhaps agree will.
na IN supposing that the magnetic pole is situated 110111 C.
where as the American Imminent, between the longitude,
we have mentioned, and below the latitude of ill deg.
On the Ith of September, alter encountering many
dangers, the vessels were anent,' ed in Wittier Harbour.
Melville Island. In the bestowing of November then
night began, and it lasted till the beg gof February,
1810, when the sun was seen jar a few minutes above the
horissin. This luminary gradually prolonged the time
during which it rose, till in June it became constantly
visible. circling round and making chaugelesa day. Oa
the Ist of August the vessels were released from the ice,
nearly as suddenly as they had limo usettaLeti by the
winter; anti our hat dy cminste-ymeu with the bleselliii tit
Ps owl. tire, were enabled to pit' hoille sou: Mal
perilous course. Their furthest vuint was hetuittl 114
deg. West. The ire all mound them its the Polar sea was

40 feet thick ; stud no vessel could by possibility nab torte
farther in that direction, North, %V cut. or South. It Is
probable, therefore, that itreerit's luiel will hr more
ml-
uutely explored by the neat eavellition sew tutu these
parts, nod that hardly any other attempt nth be made to
tile vs estwes ur Ltiltlott's titilph (su maned trout the ruiti•
wander of the Griper, nut SetiOub, as bar been rrt introits')
printed). The ships were tooled urea during the winter,
and the clews did nut, as reported. erect hots 00 shole•
Melville's bland, however, expluted by limiting liar tles,
iota Caption Pair, eiosst•il it, sod vs:is atisetit ;tor Mier
Wevi.toultr ober. 11 is ref:Lobed about ohirs ho Ig, and
mill lions:ft) to 40 bawd. It Is sullies II 111.. t 1111:. 1%
Jed math .I 1 411 4.:LiaakioLllt is 1) i unea lulu
Islands.
To this hasty ennui) ratio's or iitlvitsting partictildis we
shall not host tbstell. e herd uldy 101104., 11141
Ila-
lu.ml 1141011 11/01 hot hero ouch roan-lied tile uujrtts
•btainetl. Only ore 111-41. %% *CI 11 .1111ing the siay al
al llrlslllr 1•1,18.41; flit itk. *tic nu Iii• 11, :had i t :44:11e. 01.
lily kills' 1111 Ilie .4.0110.t.1 c. 11(41 those too kis and ant •
mass we have itieuttutteti Inside their ,oppearattre. ()lass,
411%111 414111114, dud I,tippte.., toothed the 11).1 haw', 101401Hk.,
and 11111 A, wi,leb Itu,s.e.l erre.. and 16.1) 44 u. nut
Wilt *cry 0 inly seal.. It'll oser one o:y son I.:ec of 111 r
earth. 1.. 4eolit„:4. liiiirstuue, sand • 1011 r, 4111.1 AM'. WI le
Wale 111.161 1,1 0111104 01 ; 1.041.1 10'411111r was 10111441 111 1 Ulilld
dl.lllehe.l plrt.l ill till 1.01114,, mid otnet 1111.11.141
.thin l-
-1114'115 were 1.114401 up. MUIO4. 01 the 414.4 11111,11.11.1)
pi re i 'sing 11001 Ibl et. to ,01.1 1.1 el .41.ulie fur wale).
lulls Me. 1111.41114' Ol 1..4:.e.1104 I's d awn 141 WWII'.
the ISHII glndu.iiiy del 11111 (I, till 111/111 5016 el Al sod voiniets
roelss, it U. umiiv 8.•111 1, 1111.141141e14
l'lie ilisi•hre lit Iwt.la )t h iltl Ilartu,nr snit Cupper•
Mine Hives may be about ur ,01) ono Tut.
65111111 111 e s i. .11.1011 664111 11,411 1 .41144•4•1e1
801114 d. Wllll 4..00 41. a 111141,.. 't::rac woe 4 1 41ceb obi
Esquiruessa huts tell melsalle
We had 10401 14 alO went lll4l the owl, in 101 l beauty
of frotOrr, lierfiled 11.1 1011.1111 t tilts 111114131,114111 t 111411:e
throughout the )ear.