Captain Robert Cathcart, and employed in protecting the Spitsbergen whale fishery.
While serving under the latter officer, in 1811 and 1812, Lieutenant Parry devoted much of his time to astronomical observations, and made a survey of Balta Sound and the Voe, a harbour very little known, and the only one capable of receiving large vessels, in the north-eastern part of the Shetland islands. This chart was transmitted to the Lords of the Admiralty, who were pleased to signify that it was highly acceptable. Several others, of places on the coasts of Denmark and Sweden, had been formerly received from him at the Hydrographical Office.
In the course of 1812, Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Laforey, who had before endeavoured to assist Mr. Parry’s professional advancement, gave his friends the strongest assurances that he would promote him if they could procure his appointment to any ship on the Leeward Islands station, where he then held the chief command; but no opportunity occurred previous to that officer’s supercession.
In Jan. 1813, Lieutenant Parry was appointed to la Hogue 74, Captain the Hon. Thomas Bladen Capel, on the North American station, and ordered to proceed thither in the Sceptre 74, Captain Robert Honyman, then about to sail for Barbadoes and Halifax. On his arrival in Carlisle bay, he was received very kindly by Sir Francis Laforey, who expressed great regret that he had not joined him before, adding, “had you come here twelve months earlier, you would have been twelve months a commander.”
On the 8th April, 1814, Lieutenant Parry assisted at the destruction of three large American privateers, twenty-four merchant vessels, a great number of boats, and a large quantity of naval stores, at Pettipague Point, in the Connecticut river, by a detachment of seamen and marines under the direction of Captain Richard Coote[1]. In the course of the same year, he furnished many of the junior officers on the Halifax station with copies of his “Practical Rules for observing at night
