The highest latitude Captain Parry reached, was a little beyond 82° 45', on the 23d July ; but the attempt to get farther north was not abandoned by him until after struggling for three days more against a southerly drift exceeding four miles per diem. The expedition had then traversed, by his reckoning, 292 miles, of which about 100 were performed by water, previously to entering the ice. To a small islet, situated near Little Table Island, and which is interesting as being the northernmost known land upon the globe, Captain Parry “applied the name of Lieutenant Ross; for,” says he, “no individual can have exerted himself more strenuously to rob it of this distinction.” In another part of his narrative, he says:–
“As we travelled by far the greater part of our distance on the ice, and not unfrequently five times over, we may safely multiply the length of the road by two and a half; so that our whole distance on a very moderate calculation, amounted to 580 geographical, or 668 statute miles, being nearly sufficient to have reached the pole in a direct line. Up to this period we had been particularly fortunate in the preservation of our health; neither sickness nor casualties having occurred among us, with the exception of the accidents already mentioned, a few bowel complaints, which were soon removed by care, and some rather troublesome cases of chilblains, arising from our constant exposure to wet and cold. * :* :* :* Our ensigns and pendants were displayed during the day; and sincerely as we regretted not having been able to hoist the British flag in the highest latitude to which we had aspired, we shall, perhaps, be excused in having felt some little pride in being the bearers of it to a parallel considerably beyond that mentioned in any other well-authenticated record.”
On the 11th August, Captain Parry and his companions finally quitted the ice, after having taken up their abode upon it for 48 days. During their absence the Hecla had been forced on shore, by the breaking up of the ice at the head of Treurenburg bay, which came down upon her in one solid mass; but by the unwearied and zealous exertions of the officers and men, she was hove off without incurring the slightest damage, and placed in perfect security. Finding the ship thus liable to be disturbed by ice. Lieutenant Foster had prudently relinquished the idea of leaving her for any
mentioned in Murray’s Quarterly Navy Lists, published by authority, which circumstance caused the omission of it at p. 364.
