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- Introduction
“was last seen on the edge of Baffin Bay in July”
By the whalers, of course. This automatic "last seen" seems to be a remnant from the traditional Franklin story that sidelined the Inuit. Simply put, it was the last time the Europeans saw them. They met a number of local people.
Chapter 1
“Dilengta fortunae matrix"
Diligentia.
“The precise date of birth is not clear"
The biography doesn't explain why contemporary evidence is dismissed, or why non-contemporary beliefs are given more weight. ETA: Or, most importantly, why not all avenues of research had been exhausted. The precise date is now very clear. See discussion.
Chapter 2
“sloppy navigation,” “a margin of three degrees”
Unwarranted dig. It was the charting that was sloppy – the then known position of the island was wrong by 3 degrees.
On 28 Aug. Staines struck the U.S. colours at Nukahiva and took possession of the island, and sailing thence for Valparaiso, on 17 Sept. accidentally came on Pitcairn's Island, then marked on the chart nearly three degrees to the west of its true position. (source)
“barely 2 square miles [...] across"
Typo. Either square, or across.
Chapter 3
“Almost all working parts of the two vessels were interchangeable – a sensible innovation allowing men and equipment to be transferred from one to the other if either Hecla or Fury became fatally ensnared in the ice.”
Interchangeability means that most of the ship parts could be installed on either ship (and it proved vital with the anchors). One could always transfer men from vessel to vessel.
“The only newcomers among the officers”
There were five new midshipmen: C., Henderson, Sherer, Richards and Bird were all new to Parry expeditions. (It's unclear which qualifications are being considered.)
“modest formal education”
C. was not exactly a farmer's boy. Furthermore, the young men who entered the Navy on the officer path were usually given some general education in addition to their training and sometimes even had access to the captain's library etc. Also, all officers were at a similar level. Parry, in his first Narrative, p. xv, offers a few words of apology “for the many faults which, I am but too well convinced, will be found in the style of the Narrative [...] but I build my chief hopes of disarming the severity of criticism, on a consideration of that early period of life at which the nature of our profession calls us from our studies.”
Chapter 4
Repulse Bay, “the most likely avenue”
They knew in advance it was unlikely to find a corridor there, but checked it just in case due to the uncertainties in the historical documents. (Influenced by Berton? "Parry's initial goal," The Arctic Grail, p. 47.)
Sillock is not a “shellfish”, but a type of young fish. It's a Scottish word for young pollock or coalfish; in this case, as explained by James Ross, the fish were Arctic cod (Appendix: Natural History / Zoology / Fishes; Parry III, p. 110).
“Visibility was poor”
Visibility was fine when they arrived at Southampton island, sent C. ashore for sand and fish and then mistook Duke of York Bay for Frozen Strait. When they left the bay the weather became ghastly, and the lucky dash into Repulse Bay occurred. (NB, Berton omits the exploration of Southampton and fast forwards to Frozen Strait, p. 48.)
“The refuge [...] was a wide bay at the southern tip of Melville Peninsula and was given the appropriate name of Winter Island”
It was an island near the mouth of Lyon Inlet (the bay, that's Winter Harbour, at the southern 'arm' of Melville Island).
Antiscorbutics
While it was still a significant problem, the Navy were no longer entirely clueless. Cavalier attitude was out, and Parry tried everything in order to find a solution. During the first voyage, aside from lemon juice (“a small quantity of rum added to each keg to assist in keeping it fluid at a low temperature”), he used vinegar, sour-kraut, pickles and herbs, plus sorrel. During the second, “crystallized lemon acid, cranberries, lemon marmelade, tamarinds, pickled walnuts and cabbage, essence of malt and hops, essence of spruce with molasses, dried herbs for tea, and a quantity of the seed of mustard and cress to be grown as circumstances required” were added. Those affected by scurvy were given copious quantities of lemon juice. (Pemmican was only introduced after Franklin's overland trips, see Parry's North Pole narrative, p. xiii.)
“with officers shaving off their whiskers and dressing up as women,” “[C.] shaved off his whiskers to play the key role of Sir Lucius O'Trigger”
O'Trigger is not a lady (you don't need to shave to play a bloke). A borrowing accident? Berton, p. 49: “The officers shaved off their whiskers to play female roles in the theatre. (Parry played Sir Anthony Absolute in Sheridan’s The Rivals.)”
Looks like Iligliuk told Parry there was open water to the west of the peninsula, not the north (“No land seen in this direction” on the map; hence his question about Wager River).
“It was exhausting work and two seamen died”
The work was murderous, but Souter died of an internal illness, and Reid had been ill for a long time and didn't take part in the cutting-out. (Berton again? P. 51: "two men died, perhaps [sic] from the effects of the work.")
“friendly band of natives”
The expedition met them on their way north, at Igloolik they made new acquaintances, and their friends from Winter Island arrived later.
“taking Crozier in one group on an overland march,” Parry and Crozier “struggled northward,” “were bitterly disappointed,” “left the ship […] to climb […] Cape North East"
Parry ordered C. to climb a hill when they arrived at Winter Island (and C. sighted ice from there). When scouting the northern strait, C. was assigned to a fatigue party and sent back after a day (over that dangerous ice; they had used planks on the way out which Parry kept!). Parry continued with, among others, Mr. Richards and scaled the promontory they called Cape North East.
“He had taken two marines ashore”
It's important that C. was ordered to go by Parry, although there was no suitable equipment left and the resources were depleted due to other scouting trips taking place at the same time.
Parry “grew alarmed” and went to C. rescue
First of all Parry sent Ross to C.'s aid (a mission to be combined with a survey of the islands). Ross arrived at a critical moment and saved C. and his men by towing their boat in. Parry, still worried, dropped by when on his own trek and found C. safe and Ross already departed. Ross later returned and towed C.'s boat back to the ship.
Chapter 5
Lyon's quote: “I could not look at these modest little savages, without being obliged to draw comparisons rather disadvantageous to many sweet little spoiled children in England.”
This is not condescension! He's praising the well-behaved Inuit children, and the quote continues, “and I only determined, should I ever be blessed with a family of my own, to tell them many stories of these Indians, whose orderly behaviour might be an example to them.”
“Sailors laboured in conventional leather boots”
Like dubious antiscorbutics, inadequate apparel remained a problem, but once again it's the wrong angle to highlight the worst practices when the main example is Parry. His ideas regarding the crews' clothing were light-years ahead of John Ross' first foray into the Arctic. And the subsequent crash course of the record attempt provided Parry with plenty of practical evidence. During the second trip: “A pair of snow boots were now issued gratis to each individual in the Expedition [...] These boots were made of strong drab cloth with thick soles of cork, the slowly conducting property of which substance, together with their large size, allowing a free circulation to the blood, afforded the utmost comfort that could be desired. Boots or shoes of leather never retain the warmth long, under circumstances of very severe exposure.” (Parry, p. 128) He also employed the services of the locals to provide the crews with traditional footwear and mittens.
“no one seems to have spotted the masterful efficiency of using dog teams to pull sledges”
As above. One can discuss lessons learnt and lessons forgotten, but this statement is patently untrue when talking about Parry. They bought dogs at Igloolik and used them a lot. Parry writes, “Captain Lyon and myself also bought some dogs and set up our own sledges, which proved of infinite convenience in various ways during the winter,” “[...] our invaluable dogs having performed [the moving of stores] for us with astonishing ease and expedition. It was a curious sight to watch these useful animals walking off with a bower anchor, a boat, or a topmast without any difficulty;” the dogs were also used to transport sand, game, etc.
Chapter 6
Fife, “by September he was dead”
The wording implies criminal delay. By that time the expedition had already turned round and was close to Winter Island.
“Two men from Fury and another from Hecla died”
All in 1822; one loss so far in 1823 – Elder, in spring.
Crozier River, “Crozier went ashore with Parry"
The ships were stationary. Parry and Lyon took boats and scouted the area, Parry then went with C. to fish and then again sent C. to fish and hunt.
Masquerades at Port Bowen, “officers dressed up”
The masquerades were introduced so that everyone, not just the officers, could be involved (the stated reason why the Arctic theatre was closed).
Fury disaster, Hecla's men “smash up the threatening ice,” “[...] the snapping of the ship's rudder. As water poured in [...]"
Aug 1: Both ships get caught in the ice; Fury is nipped between floe and grounded ice (“a crash like the report of a musket”), her rudder is in an awkward position but intact, her men work the pumps; Hecla is safer, her men try to saw her out of the ice (the supposed jumping out and "smashing"?), heave off at high tide, warp to a floe.
Aug 2: Fury now also free, leak worsens; both again caught in the ice; Hecla sends one watch over to assist with the pumps.Aug 3: Fury is again briefly driven ashore.Aug 6: Fury's rudder is twisted, but saved by Hoppner & his officers with an ice-saw.Aug 13: The rudder is safely unshipped.TL;DR A snapped rudder doesn't cause leaking. And the rudder didn't snap.
(Berton's typically concertinaed "Her rudder was half torn away; she began to leak badly," p. 86, should not be taken for cause and effect.)“after a comfortable and uneventful”
Double the crew is hardly comfy.
Chapter 7
“Crozier was to take effective command of Hecla”
C. was 3rd Lieutenant and only in charge when 2nd Lt. Foster ("upon whom the charge of the Hecla was now to devolve," Parry, p. 51) was away on geographical assignments.
Chapter 8
“promoted to the rank of first lieutenant”
Only when in active service; Naval Biographical Dictionary says C. sailed for the first time as 1st Lt. on Ross' Cove.Not after the North Pole voyage per se, but after 3 years with the Stag.The Cove “burned distinctive blue lights,” also “blue lamp” from Chapter 11
“Blue light” is a white pyrotechnic flare.
Chapter 9
Antarctic: C. apparently had a good reason to worry about being left behind, he was no. 4 on the initial Terror command wish-list.
“they were familiar with this type of vessel, which belonged to the same class as Hecla and Fury”
Erebus was the same, Hecla class, Terror was a Vesuvius class bomb.
“helped by favourable winds, sailed down the Thames"
And then, “towed by her Majesty's steam vessel Hecate, we proceeded to Margate Roads” (Ross).
“As extra insurance against disaster”
The small boats were used for science and landings. "On a vessel getting stranded or otherwise disabled in a heavy sea, or on an open coast where there is a high surf on the beach, the crew should remain by their vessel as long as they can safely do so, in preference to taking to their boats. As a general rule, much more risk is incurred in a boat than in a ship, so long as the latter will hold together." (Nares, G.S., Seamanship, 3rd ed., p. 209)
- “customary stocks of fresh lemon juice"Ross lists following “Medical Comforts”: cranberries, pickles, mustard and pepper. The expedition did not intend to overwinter in the ice (it was briefly considered later on, but dismissed as impracticable), and regularly visited places where they could pick up fresh vegetables, fruit and living animals or meat. They also overwintered in the colonies, where they were able to eat nourishing food.
Chapter 10
“the two ships stood alongside each other close to Iles de Kerguelen"
They intended to sail in company, but parted leaving Cape of Good Hope (which caused a lot of concern), and then Erebus made a detour to the Crozet islands to deliver supplies. Terror found Erebus already in Christmas Harbour at Kerguelen.
“'very trying' for Crozier”
Both captains stayed onshore for the term days' observations.
“the officers were 'very much fatigued'” and “'anxious not to go again'"
These Cunningham quotes apply to members of one land expedition (captains were not involved). C. later spent more time at the observatory. Ross notes, “both of us [...] only going off to the ships on Sunday to read the church service and inspect the vessels.”
“a fatal hurricane struck the vessels. Boatswain Roberts of Erebus was lost overboard at the height of the storm"
He was lost in the ensuing calm. “The day being very favourable, we seized the opportunity of drying our sails and clothes [...] and of repairing the damages we had sustained. [...] we felt the fine weather to be a great advantage to us: but this after noon [...] Mr. Roberts, the boatswain, whilst engaged about the rigging, fell overboard and was drowned.” (Ross)
Chapter 11
“High winds […] made the work of erecting the observatory very difficult”
The problem was that the chosen site was a peat bog.
Franklin Island, “the landing was promptly abandoned"
Only the officers remaining in the boat were not permitted to land after the soaking; the possession took place with the usual 'pomp'; see Robertson for a vivid description pp. 49-52 and Ross p. 214.
“Shackleton duly marched crossed the Barrier's flat plain”
Marched across? (typo); a plain = flat land (tautology).
“drew up his last will and testament”
Possibly because of his severe illness?
“Crozier was running full sails on Terror, unaware of the imminent danger”
Ross deemed the conditions dangerous and ordered the top-sails close-reefed for the night before seeing the bergs. Terror, on the other hand, saw the bergs first and tried to take action. They collided as they were both turning, on opposite tacks.
“It was the ship's third loss”
Fourth? Roberts and Bradley in 1840, Barker, RM in 41. (Terror did have one casualty as well.)
Chapter 13
Davis on promotions “Crozier was the only officer awarded promotion”
Lt. Bird was promoted to Commander, Mr Smith to Lt., Mr Mowbray, clerk in charge of the Terror, to Purser.
Chapters 14-15
The Admiralty were perhaps also affronted when Crozier didn't immediately return from Europe to argue his cause? (Crozier insisted on whaling captains for ice-masters because of the problems during the Antarctic expedition.)
Last but not least, cover art: Crozier biography, called 'Icebound in the Arctic' – on the cover, Ross' Erebus, escaping the ice in the Antarctic.
Jokes aside, a technical note: An image doesn't become generic simply because it's not equipped with a label: a) it's one of the most famous paintings in the history of the Antarctic exploration, and b) the artist depicted a specific ship, not an abstract or imagined one. And if cropping is important, then the image is definitely not generic, because it implies the existence of a defined entity, now with a specific element subtracted. And it's particularly unfortunate because said element is the one that's relevant, and its presence would have made the cover directly illustrative.
A review of the first edition by Ian R. Stone, SPRI, in: Polar Record, Volume 43, Issue 4, October 2007, pp. 378-379
Of the items specified by Stone, Phipps remains a Lieutenant and 'particularly unsuccessful;' Bellingshausen is now Russian; Parry's sledges are still incorrectly named (actually Enterprise and Endeavour; Enterprise and Investigator were ships).