Volume 1

Journal of a voyage of discovery to the Arctic regions, performed between the 4th of April and the 18th of November, 1818, in His Majesty's ship Alexander, Wm. Edw. Parry, Esq. Lieut. and commander / by an officer of the Alexander.

Fisher, Alexander

Date:: [1820?]

Credit: Journal of a voyage of discovery to the Arctic regions, performed between the 4th of April and the 18th of November, 1818, in His Majesty's ship Alexander, Wm. Edw. Parry, Esq. Lieut. and commander / by an officer of the Alexander. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$sumcd very fnst. With this resolution we stooil in, and came to anchor, od many islands in the latitude of 73® Here we staid six days, and on the eighteenth day at night, we set sail, having very little wind } and being at sea, made the best way v\‘e could to the northward : al¬ though the wind had been contrary for the most of this month, but it was strange to see the ice consumed in so little space, for now we might come to the three islands before named, and stand off to the westward almost twenty leagues, without let of ice, untill we were more north, [as to 74® 30'.] Then we put among much scattered ice, and plyed to and fro all this month, still in sight of the shore, and many times fast in the ice, yet every day we got something on our way, nothing worthy of note happening, but that at divers times we saw some of the fishes with long horns, w hich we call the sea unicorn.” '* And here to write of the weather, it would be superfluous, or need¬ less, because it was so variable, few days without snow, and often freez¬ ing, insomuch that on midsummer day, our shrouds, ropes, and sails were so frozen that we could scarce handle them : yet the cold is not so extreme, but it may lie well endured. I'he fust of July w^e were come into an open sea, in the latitude 7^® dt/, which anew revived our hopes of a passage ,* and because the wind was contrary, we stood off twenty leagues from the shore before we met with ice : then standing in again, when we were near the land, we let fall our anchor to see what tide went, but in that we found small comfort. Shortly after the wind come to the S. E., and blew very hard, with foul weather, thick and i and ran along the land : this was on the 2nd day at night.” The next morning w'e passed a fair cape, or headland, w'hich we called Sir Dudley Digges’ Cape. Jt is in the latitude 76° 35', and hath a small island close adjoining toil. The wind still increasing, we passed by a fair sound, twelve leagues distant from the former cape, having an island ‘ in the midst, which maketh two entrances. Under this island we came to anchor, and had not rid past two hours, but our ship drove, although we had tw'o anchors at the ground. Then we were forced to set sail, and stand forth. This sound we called Wolstenholm’s sound : it hath many inlets or snvallcr sounds in it, and it is a fit place lor the killing of whales.” Ihc 4ih, at one o’clock in the morning, the storm began again at west and by south, so vehement that it blew away the fore course, and being not able to bear away, we lay adrift till about eight o’clock ; then it cleared up a little, and w'e saw ourselves embayed in a great sound. Then we set sail, and stood over to the south-east side, where in a little cove or bay, we let fall an anchor, which we lost, cable and all ; the wind blowing so extremely from the tops of the hills, that w'c could get no place to anchor in, but were forced to stand to and fro in the sound, the bottom being all frozen over. Towards two o’clock it began to be Jess w'ind : then w’e stood forth. In this sound we saw a great number of whales, therefore we called it Whale Sound, and doubtless if w'e had been provided for killing them, we might have struck very many. It iyeth in the latitude of 77 3(Y. “ All the 5th day it was very fair weather, and we kept along by the land till eight o’clock in the evening, by which lime we came to a great$