Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE SECOND VOYAGE CAPTAIN PARRY. THE information which was obtained by the first voyage, under the direction of Captain Parry, to discover a NW passage through the Arctic Sea into the Pacific, afforded such reasons to scientific and informed men that there certainly was a way open in some direction, favourable to its ultimate success, as induced the government, in the succeeding year, to fit out a new expedition for the very same purpose. The Hecla having been found so well fitted for the purpose, was again put into commission; and the Fury, a vessel of the same description and size of the Hecla, was also appointed to this service. Captain Parry was appointed to the command of the Expedition, and received his commission for his Majesty's ship Fury, of three hundred and seventy-seven tons burthen, on the thirtieth of December 1820. The Hecla was re-commissioned by Captain George Francis Lyon, on the fourth of January following. The officers who had accompanied Captain Parry m his former expedition, who were desirous of entering on this service, had the preference given to them, and such of the crews as went on the former voyage, were preferred, so far aa they were considered fit for the service. The Reverend George Fisher was appointed astronomer, at the recommendation of the President and Council of the Royal Society, and who also was to act as chaplain to the expedition. The ships were strengthened by every means which could be devised, to enable them to sustain the rough seas they were expected to encounter. The ships being of equal size, the foremasts and main masts, as well as other timbers of each ship, were exactly the same in size, so as to readily fit either vessel in case repairs should be required or any accident take place. It had on former occasions been...