THE EARTH’S NORTH POLE. 81

 

_ were two ships sent out by the British
government, the object of which was to
discover, if possible, the northwest pas-
sage from the Atlantic to the Pacific
ocean. The command of these ships
was given to Captain Parry. When
these vessels reached Lancaster Sound,
which lies far northward, as you will
see by looking on your map, Captain
Parry found that the magnetic needle
hardly moved at all. The attraction
toward the magnetic pole had almost
ceased. When Captain Parry’s compa-
ny got as far as the latitude of seventy:
two degrees, they saw for the first time,