The Griper was originally a gun-brig, of only 190 tons burthen. She had been considerably strengthened and raised upon, to enable her to accompany Lieutenant Parry, in the year 1819; and her complement now consisted of 41 persons, including Captain Lyon; Lieutenants Peter Smith Manico and Francis Harding; Mr. Edward Nicholas Kendall, assistant-surveyor; Mr. John Tom, midshipman; Mr. Thomas Evans, purser; Mr, William Leyson, assistant-surgeon, and three warrant officers. She sailed from the Nore on the 16th of June, 1824, for the purpose of making an attempt to connect the western shore of Melville Peninsula with the important discoveries of Captain Franklin; and was accompanied as far as the coast of Labrador by the Snap surveying-vessel, which had been ordered to carry out a spare bower-anchor and part of her stores. When these were all on board, her decks, chains, and launch were completely filled with casks, spars, plank, cordage, &c.; and her draft of water was upwards of 16 feet aft and 15 feet 10 inches forward. “Had I succeeded in reaching Repulse Bay,” says her captain, “with less stores than I now carried, certain starvation would have attended us all, if we were detained, as might have happened, a second winter. To give some idea of the weather,” in which they were removed from the Snap, “it will be sufficient to say, that during the whole of the time we were at work, the vessels were so entirely hidden from each other, by a dense fog, that the boats were directed to and fro, amongst loose ice, by the sound of bells, which we kept ringing.”
“On the morning of the 6th of August, the weather broke, although the wind continued to blow strong from the S.W. We obtained sights, and before noon made Cape Resolution. Early on the 6th, we again saw the land: this day was decidedly the first fine one we had enjoyed since leaving England. The whole of the 7th was equally delightful. The ship having but little way, our boats made several trips to the floe-ice for water, and we were enabled, for the first time since leaving Orkney, to allow the people sufficient to wash their clothes, as we were unable to stow more than six tons for our passage across the Atlantic.
“We had an excellent run all night, although the weather was rainy and very thick; and by 4 a.m., on the 8th, were abreast of Saddle-Back