The lands of silence

by Sir Clements R. Markham

When the two ships again put to sea they were driven into the pack-ice north of the north-east point of Spitsbergen. There was a heavy swell, and the huge masses of ice were crashing and grinding together, breaking in pieces, and covering the sea with brash ice for miles. All night they were striving to keep the ships’ heads to the sea, while the leak in the Trent increased, and all hands were at the pumps. Pressing along a lead to the north of Cloven Cliff, they were stopped by the ice, and laid out ice anchors. Here they were beset for 13 days.

The leak on board the Trent had long been a serious drawback to her efficiency, indeed ever since she left the Thames. At last its position was discovered. Old Sir George Back used to tell the story. The Assistant Surgeon, when lying half asleep in his berth, thought he heard water flowing into the ship below the deck. He listened and feeling sure, he reported. The spirit room was cleared, and it was found that a bolt-hole had been left open. A remedy was at once applied and, to the great joy of all on board, the work at the pumps was no longer necessary.

While the ships were beset a party was sent to reach the shore. A dense fog came down, and the men could not find their way back, being on the verge of perishing before they could be rescued, after 18 hours’ exposure. Meanwhile the ships were pushed southward, and at length reached open water. Great efforts had been made to attain a high latitude, and they advanced to 80° 34′ N., but the ships were exposed to great pressure, the Trent being raised four feet out of the water and some of the Dorothea’s beams were sprung. After the ships were released, Captain Buchan gave up all idea of trying the state of the ice by the Seven Islands to the eastward, and determined to examine the prospect in the direction of Greenland.

When the two ships were sailing along in sight of the main pack on the 30th of July a furious gale sprang up and the Dorothea bore up to seek shelter within the ice. The Trent could find no opening. Huge masses were broken up and tossed up and down on the waves, the ship being in such violent motion that the bell tolled incessantly until it was muffled. It was as if they were surrounded by battering rams. When the wind went down it was found that the Dorothea was very seriously injured, beams being sprung and timbers broken. The two ships took refuge in Fairhaven. By the end of August the repairs were finished so far as was possible, but it was considered necessary that the Dorothea should return, and that the Trent should keep with her. The two vessels arrived in the Thames on the 22nd October, 1818; all on board eager to volunteer again for Arctic service.

Buchan’s expedition was doomed to failure, for it was an impossible route, as Phipps and Scoresby had already shown. It is hopeless to struggle against the great Arctic drift with no land floe to hold on by. Still there was gain. The experience of ice navigation at its worst, acquired by several zealous naval officers, was a gain. Beechey’s excellent narrative, illustrated by his own graphic pencil, is one of the very best Arctic books[113].

We must now turn to the story of the companion expedition. The Isabella and Alexander were well strengthened, and destined for more important Arctic work. Owing to the suppression of Baffin’s log book and map by Purchas, the existence of Baffin’s Bay had come to be considered doubtful. On the map in Daines Barrington’s book, as already stated, there is printed over the site of Baffin’s Bay “according to the relation of W. Baffin in 1616, but not now believed.” It was accordingly resolved by the Admiralty that the expedition should proceed up Davis Strait, verify the discovery of Baffin, and seek a passage.

Lord Melville was the First Lord of the Admiralty, and his colleagues, Sir J. S. Yorke, Sir George Hope, and Sir Graham Moore, were enlightened and accomplished naval officers. For the command of the expedition Sir George Hope recommended his old shipmate, John Ross, as zealous and energetic and a thorough seaman. This officer, born in 1777, was the fourth son of the Rev. Andrew Ross of Ballaroch in Wigtonshire, by Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Corsane, Provost of Dumfries. Entering the navy at a very early age, he served for four years, and was then in the merchant service for some years. Returning to the navy he served under Sir James Saumarez in the Baltic and the White Sea, where he fixed the longitude of Archangel by occultation of Jupiter’s satellite. In 1812 he became a commander. He was in three actions, and was wounded in every one. After his promotion he had command of the Briseis.

The selection of Ross was very carefully made, and his second in command was Lieutenant Edward Parry, on board the Alexander. The two first Lieutenants were Robertson in the Isabella and Hoppner, a son of the artist, in the Alexander. The younger aspirants for Arctic fame, all to be heard of again, were A. M. Skene, J. Bushnan, Joseph Nias, and the Commander’s nephew James C. Ross. Drs Edwards, Beverley, and Fisher were the surgeons. Captain Sabine, R.E., joined the Isabella for magnetic observations. An Eskimo interpreter was also secured in the person of John Sacheuse, who had found his way from Greenland to Leith. He was recommended as a useful member of the expedition by Captain Basil Hall, R.N.

The expedition sailed in April, 1818, proceeded up Davis Strait, and. reached Hare Island off the north-west cape of Disco I. on June 17th. Here 45 whalers were found waiting to go north, and Ross received the excellent advice from the captain of the whaler Larkin to “stick to the land floe.” The reason why all the attempts by the Spitsbergen route failed is that there is no land floe to stick to. On July 2nd the Isabella and Alexander were off Sanderson’s Hope, the further point of Davis, and entering upon Baffin’s work. Up to this time the whalers had never been north of 75° 10′.

The formidable ice-encumbered sea to the north received from Ross the name of Melville Bay. Here they were beset, pressure raised the ships out of the water, and they had to track through narrow lanes in the ice. The point at the north end of Melville Bay, so well known in after years, received the name of Cape York. Between Cape York and Cape Dudley Digges the crimson snow was seen from the ships, and Mr. Beverley landed on August 17th, and Ross’s nephew on the 18th, to collect specimens of it[114].