PARRY, Sir WILLIAM EDWARD, commonly known as sir EDWARD PARRY, a cele brated English navigator, was born at Bath, Dec. 19. 1790. His father, who was a phy sielan of some eminence, destined him for the medical profession; but acting on the advice of a friend, entered _him as a first-class volunteer on board the Ville-de-Paris, the 1:kg-ship of the channel fleet in 1803. After several years' service, he received his com mission as lieut., Jan. 6, 1810. Though thus early engaged in active service, his educa tion had not been neglected; he had attained at school to considerable eminence in eclassical knowledge; and for the first five years after entering the navy he hail particu larly studied French and mbthematies under the chaplain's superintendence, after which he constantly employed his leisure time in nautical and astronomical studies. In Feb., 1810, he was sent to the Arctic regions in command of a ship, for the purpose of pro tecting the British whale fisheries and improving the admiralty charts of those regions; but in 1S13 he was recalled and dispatched to join the fleet then blockading the coa4 of the United States. He remained on the North American station till the spring of 1817, and during this time he wrote and distributed MS. copies of a work entitled Nautical Astronoiny by Night, in which rules were given for determining accurately the altitude of the pole by observations of the fixed stars. This work he subsequently published in London. Having returned to England too late to take part in the African exploring expedition, he was, at his urgent request, backed by the recommendations of Mr. Barrow, secretary to the admiralty, appointed to the command of the Alexander, under the orders of capt. John Ross in the Isabella, and dispatched in search of the "north-west passage" (q.v.) in April, 1818. The expedition returned to England, having made no important discoveries. The admiralty were dissatisfied with the report of capt. Ross; and Parry's opinion, though only communicated to his private friends, having become known to them, he was again sent out (May, 1819), and this time commenced that career of dis covery (see Nount-WEsT PASSAGE) which has immortalized him as the greatest of all Arctic explorers. Perry on his return to Britain was hailed with the utmost enthusiasm
and was made commander (Nov. 4, 1820), and a member of the royal society. He sub sequently made a second and a third voyage to the same regions, but effected nothing further of importance. Parry now devoted himself to the discharge of his duties as hydrographer, but such labors were too monotonous for one of his temperament, and lie accordingly prepared a plan of an expedition for reaching the north pole, which being submitted to the admiralty and approved of by them, his old ship the _Ueda was fitted out for a Polar expedition, and Parry set sail in her, accompanied by lieut. J. C. Ross, April 4, 1827. Sec POLAR VOYAGES. The Journals of these voyages were published by order of the admiralty.
Parry's career as an explorer was now closed, and he again returned to his duties as hydrographer, but his health now gave way under this sedentary mode of life, and he exchatged his office for that of commissioner to the agricultural company of Australia, for winch country he sailed J..uly 20, 1829. He returned to England in Nov., 18:34, and filled in succession various government appointments up till Dec., 1846, when he retired front active service, receiving a sinecure office. On June 4, 1852, he was raised to the rank of rear-admiral of the white, and in the following year was appointed lieutenant governor of Greenwich hospital—an office which he held till his death, July 7, 185,1 at Ems in Germany, whither lie had gone for the benefit of his health. A complete edition of his voyages wits published in 1833 (Loyd. 5 vols.).. His life has been written by his son, the rev. Edward Parry, 3t.a., of Balliol college, Oxford (1857).