222 COOK'S SECOND VOYAGE FEB. 



surface. Whenever this last ceaseth in winter, when 

 the frost is set in, and there comes a fall of snow, it 

 will freeze on the surface as it falls, and in a few 

 days, or perhaps in one night, form such a sheet of 

 ice as will not be easily broken up. Thus a found- 

 ation will be laid for it to accumulate to any thickness 

 by falls of snow, without its being at all necessary 

 for the sea water to freeze. It may be by this means 

 these vast floats of low ice we find in the spring of 

 the year are formed, and which, after they break up, 

 are carried by the currents to the north. For, from 

 all the observations I have been able to make, the 

 currents every where, in the high latitudes, set to the 

 N., or to the N.E. or N. W. ; but we have very sel- 

 dom found them considerable. 



If this imperfect account of the formation of these 

 extraordinary floating islands of ice, which is written 

 wholly from my own observations, does not convey 

 some useful hints to an abler pen, it will, however, 

 convey some idea of the lands where they are formed. 

 Lands doomed by nature to perpetual frigidness ; 

 never to feel the warmth of the sun's rays ; whose 

 horrible and savage aspect I have not words to 

 describe. Such are the lands we have discovered ; 

 what then may we expect those to be which lie still 

 farther to the south ? For we may reasonably suppose 

 that we have seen the best, as lying most to the north. 

 If any one should have resolution and perseverance 

 to clear up this point by proceeding farther than I 

 have done, I shall not envy him the honour of the dis- 

 covery ; but I will be bold to say, that the world will 

 not be benefited by it. 



I had, at this time, some thoughts of revisiting the 

 place where the French discovery is said to lie. But 

 then I considered that, if they had really made this 

 discovery, the end would be as fully answered as if I 

 had done it myself. We know it can only be an 

 island ; and if we may judge from the degree of cold 

 we found in that latitude, it cannot be a fertile one. 



