The Sun.
London, England, 1824-05-08 00:00:00

LITERARY NOTICE.

The PRIVATE JOURNAL of CAPTAIN G. F. LYON,
of H. M. S. HECLA, during the recent VOYAGE of
DISCOVERY under CAPTAIN PARRY. With ' a
Map and Plates. Octavo, pp. 468.
( Concluded from TILE SUN of yesterday.)
On the 14th March preparations were made for Captain
LYON and a party to explore the coast. On the 15th, they
proceed to the northward. We have not room to extract the
whole of this statement, but some idea of the severity of the
cold may be found, when it is stated, that on pitching their
tent " the temperature at their feet only stood at one degree
" above zero, and in the outer air five below it." In the
snow they dug a cavern, and making a fire, managed by its
" smoke, which had no vent, to raise the temperature us 20
" above zero; while outside it had fallen to 25 below it."—
In this state they slept, or rather attempted it, and on the fol-
lowing morning dug their way out. The gale continued with
unabated fury, so much so that they " could not see a yard of
their road." After detailing their further, proceedings, Capt.
Lyon observes, " several of our party now began to exhibit
" symptoms of that horrid kind of insensibility which is the
" prelude to sleep. They all professed extreme willingness to
cc prelude
what they were told, in order to keep in exercise, but none
"obeyed; on the contrary, they reeled about like drunken
" men. The faces of several were severely frost-bitten, and
." some had for a considerable time lost sensation in their
" fingers and toes ;_ yet they made not the slightest exertion
" to rub the parts affected, and even discontinued their gene-
" ral custom of warming each other in observing a discoloura-
" tion of the skin." " Aly attention was exclusively directed
" to Serjeant Speckman, who having been repeatedly warned
" that his nose was frozen, had paid no attention to it, owing
"to the state of stupefaction into which he had fallen. The
" frost bite had now extended over one side of his face,
" which was frozen as hard as a mask ; the eye-lids were
" stiff, and one corner of the upper lip so drawn up
"as to expose the teeth and gums. My hands being
" still warm, 1 had the happiness of restoring the circulation,
" after which I used all my endeavours to keep the poor fel-
" low in motion, but he complained sadly of giddiness and
" dimness of sight, and was so weak as to be unable to walk
" without assistance. His 'case was so alarming, that I ex-
" petted he would lie down never to rise again. Our pro-
" spect now became every moment more gloomy, and it was
" but too probable that four of our party would be unable to
" survive another hour. Mr. Palmer, however, endeavoured,
" as well as myself, to cheer the people up; but it was a faint
" attempt, as we had not a single hope to give them. Every
" piece of ice, or even small rock or stone, was now supposed
" to be ships, and we had great diffi6ulty in preventing the
" men from running to the different objects which attracted
" them, and consequently being lost in the drift. In this
" state, while Mr. Palmer was running round us to warm
" himself; be suddenly pitched on a new beaten track, and as
" exercise was indispensible, we determined on following it
" wherever it might lead us.
Having taken the serjeant under my coat, he recovered a
" little, and we moved onwards, when, to our infinite joy, we
" found that the path led to the ships, at which we arrived in
" about ten minutes after." "One man had two of his fingers
" so badly frost-bitten as to lose a good deal of the flesh of the
" upper ends, and we were for many days in fear that he
" would be obliged to have them amputated. Carr, the guar-
" ter-master, who had been the most hardy in the air, fainted
" twice on coming below, and every one had severe frost bites
" in different parts of the body, which recovered after the
" usual loss of skin in these cases. Thus :ended," continues
Captain Lyon, " an excursion, in which for thirty hours we
" were exposed to the most constantly severe weather which
" had been experienced during the winter, the thermometer on
" the ice near the ships having stood at 32 below zero the
" whole night." On this journey comments are unnecessary,
and it only seems they were preserved through the interposition
of Divine Providence. Already are our limits extended be-
yond what was our intention, and we must therefore be very brief
in our further remarks. Captain Lyon having returned among
the Esquimaux, lie gives an account of a dance and concert.
About this time a very serious robbery took place ; no other,
Captain Lyon says, " than the last piece of English corned beef
" belonging to the Midshipmen. Had it been an 18-pound
" carronade, or even one of the anchors, the thieves would have
" been welcome to it ; but to purloin English beef, in such a
" country, was quite unpardonable."—lt was never seen
again. _ _ .

-Soon after this, some of the Esquimaux began to take their
departure with sledges over the ice to the westward. This
doubtless took place in consequence of a scarcity of food. Capt.
Lyon says, " in spite of the desolation and want that prevailed,
" the women:were in the highest spirits at the tents, as well as
rTitritifiltiN2ll.AV.l4,-Merii*rta-kAXR-Ilal“11)9t4 sexest_
" riment and good humour with an Esquimaux, although any
" of my countrymen can vouch for its having a contrary effect
" on an .e.Mgosnman. Some biscuit which I carried with me
" was actually bolted by the .children, when given to each in
" its turn ; yet not one of them, although literally half-starved,
" attempted to push himself forward for his portion, but pa-
" tiently waited until it was put into his hand."
In 11lay another land expedition under Captain Lyon took
place, but from which we cannot give any extract. The subse-
quent details we shall also omit until such time as the ships,
after encountering very many difficulties and dangers, pro-
ceeded to the northward. Captain. Lyon says, " we soon
found ourselves at the entrance of a river," (subsequently
named Barrow River) " but were not-able to proceed above a
" mile or two up it, before our progress was arrested by a small
fall,sh
eo
Thamesr rapid.
at At
tlisplace the stream was about as broad
a
Vauxhall. We here hauled the boats on
" the beach, and proceeded up a rising ground, in order to
" command a better view. Before we had advanced a mile,
i
" we heard the roaring of a cataract, and arrived at the top of
" a very magnificent cascade, surrounded by the most pictu-
" resque and romantic scenery." After minutely examining
this place the Expedition continued its course, and on some
stream (ice) we observed several herds of walrnsses basking in
the sun. One was killed, but before the boat could be got to him
he sunk. These appear to be desperate animals of the deep,
and we shall give the author's description of an engagement
sustained with them :—" On our way we met a male and fe-
" male attended by their cub, and soon wounded the two old
" ones. They fought us, however, with desperation, and would
" not retreat. The female, on being killed, was secured along-
" side, but the male, even when shot in three places, and hay-
" ing two lances sticking M him, attacked us furiously, although
" each time he approached he received a bayonet to the socket.
" Having at last driven him near the Fury's boat, our joint
" efforts dispatched him, after about ten minutes struggle. This
" brave animalhaving repeatedly attempted to hook his tusks over
" the gunwale of the boat, stove her slightly in three places, and
" left eight deep marks on her bow. The cub, which was black
" and without tusks, continued by its parents during the whole
" combat, and frequently endeavoured to mount on the back of
" which ever first rose to the surface." A similar occurrence
happened in Phipps' Voyage t' the North Pole, in which the
gallant Nelson, with several other youngsters, were nearly up-
set, and in all probability the life of this great naval hero would
have been lost to his country. He then belonged to the Car-
cass, commanded by Captain Skeffington Luteridge.
In sailing up the coast the value of the charts made by the
Esquimaux became apparent. Before reaching Igloolik they
fell in with some natives, who, it afterwards appeared, were
known to those•the expedition had passed the winter with.—
Captain Lyon circumstantially describes them, as also their
tents. The boat of the Heels had much difficulty in landing.
" The Esquimaux no sooner saw their distress than, disregard-
" ing the weather, they came in a body, and assisted to get the
" boat up a steep hank of shingle, forming the beach, anti to
" turn her bottom upwards." In this instance the Esquimaux
displayed more honesty than, we regret to say, would have
been experienced on a civilized coast. Nothing whatever 'was
lost, and Captain Lyon says, " I do not believe a single per-
" son went within '2O yards of the bokt during the night, al-
" though she lay directly in the path between the two groupes
" of tents, and contained an immense treasure of wood and
" iron." The author " and three other officers were cold and
" wet, and were conducted to a large double tent, where a
" woman was brought to each, to pull off and wring their wet
" garments, and to assist in clothing them with fur dresses,
" which the men had stripped themselves of."
On landing at Igioolik, they were again met by their friends,
and conducted to the tents. They were made of bone, but
our decreasing limits will not allow of describing them. Bar-
tering very soon commenced, and Captain Lyon says,
46 Amongst some other trifling purchases which I made, was a
" small round basket, composed of grass, in precisely the same
" manner as those constructed by the Tibboo, in the southern
" part of Fizzan, and agreeing with them also in its shape.
" This is a most striking coincidence, that savages who dwell
" in the extremes of heat and cold should, with nature only for
" their guide, both use the same method, although not the
" same material in the formation of their baskets."
Speaking of the sledges and dogs, Captain Lyon says, " Our
" eleven dogs were large and majestic looking animals, and an
" old one of peculiar sagacity was placed at their head, by hay-
. " ing a longer trace, so as to lead them through the safest and
" driest places ; these animals having such a dread of water
" as to receive severe beatings before they will swim a foot. The
" leader was instant in obeying the voice of the driver, who
" never heat but frequently called to them by name. IVhen
" the dogs slackened their pace, the sight of a seal or a bird
" was sufficient to put them instantly to their full speed, and
,a even though none of them might be seen on the ice, the cry
" of a seal ! a bear ! a bird !' &c. was enough to give play
" to the legs and voices of the whole pack. It was a beautiful
" sight to observe the two sledges racing at full speed to the

" same object, the dogs and men in full cry, and the vehicles
" splashing through the, holes of water with the velocity and
" spirit of rival stage coaches. There' is something of the
" spirit of professed whips in these wild races, for young men
" delight in passing each other's sledge, and jockeyin the
" hinder one by crossing his path. In passing on different routes
" the right hand is always yielded, and should an inexpe-
" rienced driver endeavour to take the left, lie would have some
" difficulty in persuading his team to do so."—" Our dogs had
" eaten nothing for 48 hours, and could not have gone over
" less than seventy miles of ground ; yet they returned to all
" appearance as fresh and active as when they first set out."—
The Esquimaux, it seems, never feed their dogs until they
have performed their journey, and should any circumstance
cause them to stop, they invariably make the dogs lay down,
although upon many other occasions they treat them with the
greatest severity ; and when the dogs' feet become sore with
travelling they put stockings or boots upon them.
Captain Lyon passed the night at one of the tents, and after
stating the great surprise that was experienced by getting into
his bag to sleep, says, " my host and his wives having retired
" to another tent, and my visitors at length taking compassion
" on me, I went comfortably to sleep, but at midnight was
" awakened by a feeling of great warmth, and to my surprise
" found myself covered by a large deer skin, under which lay
" my friend, his two wives, and their favourite puppy, all fast
" asleep, and stark naked. Supposing this was all according
" to rule, I left them to repose in peace, and again resigned my-
" self to rest."

Our author was present at one of their balls, of which he
gives a very ludicrous account, in which, when the nose of any
individual was rubbed by one who had been dancing, they were
compelled to supply his place ; a ceremony that was perform-
ed upon Captain Lyon, and who therefore was forced to dance
in his turn with what he terms a " very pretty girl."
" The women," Captain Lyon observes, " were , particu-
" laxly inquisitive about their own sex ; and when I went
"so far as to say, rather too boldly, that they never wore the
breeches,' a general cry was raised, ' how cold they must
" be;' and it excited equal astonishment when I explained
" that they were so void of taste as not to be tattooed." From
this observation of the gallant Captain's we presume he knows
none of the comforts of the married state, or probably he would
be of a different opinion. Captain Lyon and his companions
having returned to the ships, we pass over the proceedings until
they anchor at Igloolik to pass the second winter in these dreary
and desolate regions. The latter end of October the ships took
up their winter quarters, and the, intercourse with natives again
commenced. Huts made of bone, and also of ice formed
the dwellings of these people which are described with great
precision, as also their manner of fishing. These poor crea-
tures, it seems, have, like more civilized nations, a set of impos-
tors among them, who impose upon their credulity, and pre-
tend to hold conversation with familiar spirits. A shrewd
fellow, named Ooyara, described in Captain Lyon's cabin the
exhibition of an Annatko. He went through the various tricks
and cheats, such as flourishing a knife, falling on the floor,
and pretending to converse with spirits, &c. The real con-
jurors are among these deluded creatures great personages,
and practice every kind of deceit upon them ; one of these fel-
lows another time exhibited his. tricks.

Both ships had now taken their quarters for the winter, and
as such an intercourse was likely to exist with the natives dur-
ing the whole time, the re-establishment of the theatricals did
not take place.
The conjuror before mentioned, whose name was Toolemak,
one day G6visited Captain Lyon, who says,
into He soon after en-
" tered a long preparatory discourse, about a vision he had
" lately seen in his quality of Annatkoo : the sum of which was,
" that an object had appeared to him, advancing rapidly, and
" making extraordinary motions ' • this had at first alarmed
" him, but on a nearer approach he discovered the figure of
" Lyeo, bearing in his hand an axe, which he immediately
" presented to him. This extraordinary account I answered
" by the relation of a dream I also had lately been surprised
" by, which was, that Toolemak had been turned out of my
" cabin for begging. My dream was instantly realized ; and
" the old man bore the joke with great good humour, though it
" was the means of his exchanging a warm seat by my fire for
" a very comfortless walk on deck."
On the '2d December, 1822, they saw sun for the last time
for forty-two days, and which event is represented by an excel-
lent engraving placed as frontispiece.
Nothing of any particular interest occurred until the 25th
December, and as we have given an extract of the former one,
we shall do so in this instance :—" Christmas-day was cele-
" brated by our attending church in the forenoon, after which
" the people returned to the important discussion of various
" pies, puddings, &c. Captain Parry dined with me, and was
" treated with a superb display of mustard and cress, with
" about fifty onion rivalling a fine needle in size, which I had
" reared in boxes round my cabin. All our messes in either
" ship were supplied with an extra pound of real. English fresh
1-qnontrit ie.lvviad been hanging onourqu.arto
ror"a further trial , _

" of keeping, but I have no doubt that double the period
" would not have quite spoiled its flavour."
About this period the wants of the natives began to shew
themselves, and women came daily to the ships for food—a dis-
tance of 12 miles, with their children, when the thermometer
exposed to the air was from 35 to 42 below zero ! ! The effects
of the climate began to shew itself among the officers and men :
Captain Lyon, in describing its effects upon himself, says,—
"At our first quarters, my clothing, with the exception f a
" thicker jacket, was the same as I had wore during the sum-
" mer. I never exceeded one pair of thin worsted stockings,
" neither did I find it requisite, unless the weather was windy,
" to wear either a great-coat or comforter when walking out.—
" There were two or three others equally insensible to cold as
" myself; but the change of climate had an effect on me
" which, I believe, was not felt by the rest, and which was,
" that the hair from my body regularly moulted, if I may be
" excused the expression, and was renewed two or three times,
" —even in the summer following, and this second winter, the
" process still continued, although in a slighter degree. My
" health all-this time was better than I had ever enjoyed for so
" long a period."
The 9th chapter is placed under various heads, of which we
can only give a very brief account. It consists—" Of the per-
" sons and features of the Esquimaux—their dress and orna-
" ments—occupation of the women—canoes—sledges—wea-
pons—hunting on the ice—dogs—land animals—wolf-traps--
fishing—geographical knowledge—general disposition—mar-
" riages—estimation of the women—treatment of children—
" conduct to the aged, the sick, and the dead—superstitions"—
all of which arc highly amusing.
The new year of 121.23 was, Captain Lyon says, " as might
" have been expected, welcomed by us all, even with the cer-
" tainty that many tedious months must yet pass away before
" the slightest change could be perceptible on the snow-covered
" land." Various occurrences took place, and disease began
to spew itself among the natives. Hosptals for their accom-
modation were erected, and every means devised to alleviate
their misery—all of which is detailed in a most feeling manner,
and which we regret our inability to transcribe.
Of the appetites of the Esquimaux some tolerable idea may
be formed from the following statement of provisions consumed
by one of them, from one o'clock P.ll. to eight o'clock the
next morning :
Solids.
Bread-dust and train oil
Walrus flesh, boiled
Seal and bread
Two candles
Bread and butter

It) oz.
- - 1 10

-- 7 1
-- 1 0
- - 0 3
- - 0 1

Total - - 9 15

Fluids. -
Rich Walrus soup - - - 2 quarts
Water above - - - - 4

Total - 6
During which time (19 hours) he slept eight, without once
waking or turning.
On St. George's day both ships were dressed in flags, and
fired a Royal salute in honour of his Majesty's Birth-day ; the
guns being ranged in a little battery alongside, of which the
natives took scarcely any notice, although it was the first time
they had ever seen such articles. _ _ _

The 11th Chapter Captain Lyon concludes in the following
words :—" We had now passed three hundred and nineteen
" days in our winter quarters, of which 310 were in the floe
" from which we had just cleared ourselves. I shall not at-
" tempt a description of our sensations on this day, We had
" now been part of every month in confinement, having entered
" on the 24th September, and being freed on the 9th August."
The expedition now proceeded on its return towards Eng-
land, and the dangers and difficulties having already been nar-
rated, we shall only state the reception experienced by those
dauntless navigators on their arrival at Lerwick.
Captain Lyon says, " Here ceases the regular journal of our
" voyage ; and while I feel the extreme difficulty of describing
" our reception in our own country, I rejoice in being able to
" pay a just tribute of gratitude to the inhabitants of Lerwick,
" in particular, for their unparalleled hospitality towards us.
" The entire population, dressed in their best clothes, received
" us on our arrival with repeated cheers ! at night, the whole
" town, even to the most miserable
cottage, was thickly illu-
" urinated, tar barrels were burnt in every street, while cheer-
" ing and rejoicing continued throughout the night; every
" door was open to us, and all whom we met proffered us com--
" pliments and sincere offers of service. To describe the effect
" this produced upon our feelings would be impossible: the
" sudden burst of news for two years and a half, the glorious
" accounts of the happy state of our country, the sight of civi-
" lined man, with our own emotions at having been spared to
" return home again, were most painfully delightful."
" On Sunday fbrenoon the officers of Loth ships, and as many

" men as could be spared, attended the church-service, when
" the venerable Mr. Menzies gave us a most excellent discourse.
" This worthy divine offered up for us two such prayers and
" thanksgivings as can never be forgotten • and while doing so,
c, his own feelings were such as frequently to stop his utter-
" ance,—the whole congregation were in tears, as if rendering
" thanks for the return of their nearest relatives, instead of per-
" feet strangers as we were. Insensible, indeed, must have
" been the heart of any one of us, which was not overflowing
" with gratitude to the Almighty and protecting God, who hau
" carried us through so many dangers."
The work is ornamented with plates representing the Esqui-
maux ; and also a chart shewing the tracks of the ships from
and to England.
We have now gone through this very entertaining and
_in-
structive work, and strongly do we recommend it to the perusal'
of those readers who dislike plodding through the tedium of a
voyage ; for although much of the details are necessarily intro-
duced, yet they are not on the whole so predominate as the ac-
count of the Esquimaux. Of these people, the information
as may be supposed, very amusing and their miserable and
often times destitute state is truly distressing. The relief ex-
tended to them by Captain's Parry and Lyon, will for ever re-
fleet the greatest humanity on those officers, and will hand their
names down to posterity.
Captain Lyon, is, we understand, about to undertake 3
voyage to Repulse Bay, and from thence to the shores of the
Polar Sea, to connect the survey made by Captain Franklin.
His task, as may be seen, is one of no easy description, but fie
i
seems every way competent for this hazardous undertaking, and
we heartily wish him success.

ERRATA.—In the LITERARY NOTICE on Captain LYoN'S
IVork yesterday, line 7 from the top, for " instances," real,
" instance"—Line 20, for " navigation," read " navigator
—Line 41, for " the account of the voyage has already been
noticed in THE SUN of the 27th March, we shall therefore
confine ourselves chiefly to the Esquimaux, and some minor
details, on the passage up Hudson's Straits. A bear," SLc' i
read " the account of the voyage has already been noticed n
THE SUN of the 27th March, we shall therefore confine our•
selves chiefly to the Esquimaux, and some minor details-
On the passage up Hudson's Straits, a bear," &c.—Line 51
from bottom, for " their sounding," read " thin sounding."