BARENTZ' THIRD VOYAGE. 245 



which, from that day to the present time, has 

 arrested the progress of every navigator who has 

 attempted to reach a high northern latitude. 

 Finding he could not proceed, he returned to 

 his anchorage, and determined the latitude to be 

 79° 42' N., and the variation on shore 16° W. 

 He then put to sea, and steered along the western 

 coast of Spitzbergen to the latitude 79°, when he 

 entered the channel which separates Prince 

 Charles' Island from the mainland of Spitzbergen, 

 but finding the passage impeded by a reef of 

 rocks, he sailed back, and renewing his course to 

 the eastward, arrived off Bear Island on the 1st 

 July. The pilots here again differed in opinion 

 as to the course they should steer : Barentz being 

 determined to continue his route to the eastward 

 towards Nova Zembla, and Cornelison to endea- 

 vour to find a passage on the eastern side of the 

 land (of Spitzbergen) which they had just quitted. 

 It was, therefore, agreed that the ships should 

 part company, and each pursue his own plan. 



Barentz, after numerous encounters with the 

 ice, which extended from Cherie Island along the 

 73° of latitude nearly, arrived off Lomb's Bay, 

 Nova Zembla, on the 1 7th July. He found 

 all this coast much encumbered with heavy ice, 

 some of which was aground in twenty fathoms 

 water; and he had several hair-breadth escapes 



A.D. 



1596. 



