330 Baffin's observations. [chap. v. 



all these officers having passed north, south, or east 

 of the islands, and none to the west, their remarks, 

 however excellent in themselves, were compara- 

 tively without value to us. It is therefore, I repeat, 

 much to be regretted that the entire account of 

 Baffin's voyage in 1615 has not been handed 

 down to modern times ; for we find it stated 

 that, after getting beyond Cape Comfort, they 

 " tacked and turned the shippes head homewards, 

 without any further search;" and again that, 

 after this, they " passed Nottingham's Isle, near 

 which they remained till the 27th of July, 

 observing the set of the tides, the time of 

 high water, &c., and taking in ballast. From 

 thence they proceeded between Salisbury and 

 Nottingham Islands." For our embarrassment, 

 however, as to the width of the channel between 

 the islands, its depth and dangers, we were 

 compensated by not experiencing any of those 

 turbulent commotions of the ice which had so 

 painfully harassed us before. We now drifted 

 to and fro with the mass, on which the ship was 

 still poised, with little inconvenience beyond the 

 awkwardness of our position and the irksome 

 monotony of the scene. 



On May the 3d we were much nearer the 

 land, the north-west point of which bore S. 20° E. 

 The sky was blue, the weather nearly calm ; 

 and at noon the temperature was 24° + , and 55° + 



