Journal of a Second Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific
Performed in the Years 1821–22–23 ... under the Orders of Captain William Edward Parry

Published in 1824, this account by a pioneering Arctic explorer describes his second expedition in search of the North-West Passage.

William Edward Parry (Author)

9781108041348, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 1 December 2011

702 pages, 27 b/w illus. 13 maps
29.7 x 21 x 3.6 cm, 1.65 kg

After joining the Navy at thirteen, William Edward Parry (1790–1855) spent three years protecting the whale fisheries of Spitzbergen. He was later appointed to several Arctic expeditions. Although his first voyage in search of the North-West Passage ended without success in 1819, it provided valuable scientific data and experience. The expedition of 1821–3 was longer, with two winters spent on the ice, but also ended without success. Parry's account of that second voyage, first published in 1824, provides insights into the early days of Arctic exploration and the character of one of its pioneers, noted for his care for his men, his precision in navigation and scientific observations, and his ability to quickly find solutions to difficult problems. The book also includes descriptions of the 'Esquimaux' encountered by the explorers, and their communities as well as a vocabulary of their language.

Introduction
Explanation of technical terms
Official instructions
1. Passage across the Atlantic
2. Review of the geographical information obtained by the researches of former navigators on the coast of the American continent, in the neighbourhood of Wager River
3. Return to the eastward through the Frozen Strait
4. Hoppner's Inlet entered and surveyed by the boats
5. Further examination in the boats for the purpose of connecting the shores of Lyon Inlet with that of Gore Bay
6. Precautions for the security of the ships and their stores
7. Many foxes caught
8. Charts drawn by the Esquimaux
9. Increased extent of open water in the offing
10. Departure from Winter Island
11. Remarkable instance of local attraction on the magnetic needles
12. A journey performed along the south shore of Cockburn Island
13. Preparations for the winter
14. Various journeys to the Esquimaux stations
15. Extraordinary disruption of ice in Quilliam Creek
Some further accounts of the Esquimaux of Melville Peninsula and the adjoining islands, and more particularly Winter Island and Igloolik
Vocabulary of Esquimaux words, etc.

Subject Areas: Historical geography [HBTP]