318 DISCOVERIES OF 177^ to 



Atlantic. On the 3d July they came in sight of 

 Tschukotskoi Noss, and on the 5th saw East 

 Cape, covered with snow, and the heach sur- 

 rounded with ice. On the same evening, at ten 

 o clock, they saw, at the same moment, the re- 

 markable peaked hill, near Cape Prince of JVales, 

 on the coast of America, and the East Cape of 

 Asia, with the two connecting islands of Saint 

 Diomede between them. On the following day 

 they fell in with an extensive body of ice, from 

 which they seem to have anticipated an unsuc- 

 cessful issue of the expedition. It presented a 

 solid compact surface, and appeared to adhere to 

 the coast of America. 



On the 8th July the latitude was 69'' 21', longi- 

 tude 192° 4^' W. They were then close to the 

 ice, the weather exceedingly cold, with much 

 snow and sleet; Fahrenheit's thermometer in the 

 night 28°, and at noon 30°. Having stood near 

 forty leagues to the westward along the edge of 

 the ice, without seeing any opening, or a clear sea 

 to the northward beyond it, Captain Clerke re- 

 solved to return to the southward and to pass the 

 time in examining the Bay of St. Lawrence, till 

 the season should be further advanced. They 

 found so much ice, however, to the southward, 

 and the sea now appeared so free from it to the 

 northward, that they immediately returned to- 

 wards that quarter; but on the 13th found 

 themselves close in with a solid field of ice, to 

 which no limits could be seen from the mast head; 



