24 EXPEDITION 



engaged the attention of almost all the northern 

 powers of Europe ; in which much money had 

 been ventured ; many lives and vessels lost, and 

 on which the public curiosity had been so much 

 awakened, that this important and interesting 

 question ought now, for once and for ever, to 

 be set at rest. 



Upon a review of all that had been hitherto 

 accomplished, or attempted, it was evident to 

 almost all the world that the great obstacle to 

 a navigable passage was the quantity of ice with 

 which the northern seas were encumbered ; for 

 no land had been hitherto discovered between 

 Nova Zembla and Spitzbergen, or between the 

 last-mentioned place and Greenland. Both Hud- 

 son's and Baffin's Bays had several openings 

 which, if free from ice, might lead to the west- 

 ward ; and Behring's Strait had been found im- 

 passable only on account of the quantity of ice 

 lying to the northward of it. 



Any alteration either in the position or the 

 compactness of this ice, was, of course, a proper 

 ground for expectation to rest upon ; and, with- 

 out in any way undervaluing the efforts of those 

 worthy men whose voyages will be found re- 

 corded toward the end of this volume, it was 

 not unreasonable to suppose that many obstacles, 

 insurmountable to them in vessels so ill-con- 



