But Though The Insurmountable Obstacle Of A Land Termination
Of The Sound Was Thus Removed, Another Appeared In Its Place; As They
Perceived That A Floe Of Ice Was Stretched From The Island To The Northern
Shore.
On the southern shore, however, a large inlet was discovered, ten
leagues broad at its entrance, and as no
Land could be seen in the line of
its direction, hopes were excited that it might lead to a passage into the
Polar Sea, freer from ice than the one above described. At this period of
the voyage a singular circumstance was remarked: during their passage down
Sir James Lancaster's Sound, the compass would scarcely traverse, and the
ship's iron evidently had great influence over it: both these phaenomena
became more apparent and powerful, in proportion as their westerly course
encreased. When they were arrived in the latitude of 73 deg., the directive
power of the needle became so weak, that it was completely overcome by the
attraction of the iron in the ship, so that the needle might now be said
to point to the north pole of the ship. And by an experiment it was found,
that a needle suspended by a thread, the movements of which were of course
scarcely affected by any friction, always pointed to the head of the ship,
in whatever direction it might be.
To this inlet, which Captain Parry was now sailing down, he gave the name
of the Prince Regent. The prospect was still very flattering:
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