

VOYAGE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 37 



twenty thousand pounds had been held out. But it 

 had been held out only to the ships belonging to any 

 of his Majesty 9 s subjects, exclusive of his Majesty's 

 own ships. The act had a still more capital defect. 

 It held out this reward only to such ships as should 

 discover a passage through Hudso?i 9 s Bay \ and, as 

 we shall soon take occasion to explain, it was by this 

 time pretty certain, that no such passage existed 

 within those limits. Effectual care was taken to 

 remedy both these defects, by passing a new law ; 

 which, after reciting the provisions of the former, 

 proceeds as follows : " And, whereas, many advant- 

 ages, both to commerce and science, may be also 

 expected from the discovery of any Northern pas- 

 ** sage for vessels by sea, between the Atlantic and 

 " Pacific Oceans be it enacted, That if any ship 

 " belonging to any of his Majesty's subjects, or to 

 " his Majesty, shall find out, and sail through, any 

 " passage by sea, between the Atlantic and Pacific 

 " Oceans, in any direction, or parallel of the northern 

 " hemisphere, to the northward of the 52 of north- 

 " ern latitude, the owners of such ships, if belonging 

 " to any of his Majesty's subjects, or the commander, 

 <( officers, and seamen, of such ship belonging to his 

 " Majesty, shall receive as a reward for such dis- 

 <k covery, the sum of twenty thousand pounds. 



" And whereas ships employed, both in the Spitz- 

 " bergen Seas, and in Davis's Straits, have frequent 

 " opportunities of approaching the North Pole, though 

 " they have not time, during the course of one sum- 

 " mer, to penetrate into the Pacific Ocean ; and 

 " whereas, such approaches may greatly tend to the 

 " discovery of a communication between the Atlantic 

 " and Pacific Oceans, as well as be attended with 

 " many advantages to commerce and science, &c. 

 " be it enacted, That if any ship shall approach to 

 " within 1 of the North Pole, the owner, &c. or 

 " commander, &c. so approaching, shall receive, as 



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