1779. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 223 



and observed that it still adhered in several places to 

 the shore on the continent of Asia, we were not 

 much surprised to fall in, at three in the afternoon, 

 with an extensive body of it, stretching away to the 

 westward. This sight gave great discouragement to 

 our hopes of advancing much farther northward this 

 year than we had done the preceding. 



Having little wind in the afternoon, we hoisted 

 out the boats in pursuit of the sea-horses, which were 

 in great numbers on the detached pieces of ice ; 

 but they soon returned without success; these animals 

 being exceedingly shy, arid before they could come 

 within gun-shot, always making their retreat into the 

 water. 



At seven in the evening, we hoisted in the boats, 

 and the wind freshening from the southward, we 

 stood on to the N. E., with a view of exploring the 

 continent of America, between the latitudes of 68° 

 and 69°, which, owing to the i'oggy weather last year, 

 we had not been able to examine. In this attempt 

 we were again in part disappointed. For on the 7th, 

 at six in the morning, we were stopped by a large 

 field of ice stretching from N. W. to S. E., but soon 

 after the horizon becoming clear, we had sight of the 

 coast of America at about ten leagues distance, 

 extending from north-east by east to east, and lying, 

 by observation, between the 68° and 68° 20' of lati- 

 tude. As the weather was clear, and the ice not high, 

 we were enabled to see over a great extent of it. 

 The whole presented a solid and compact surface not 

 in the smallest degree thawed, and appeared to us 

 likewise to adhere to the land. 



The weather soon after changing to hazy, we saw 

 no more of the land ; and there not remaining a possi- 

 bility of approaching nearer to it, we stood to the 

 north north-west, keeping the ice close on board, and 

 got round its western extremity by noon, when we 

 found it trending nearly north. Our latitude at this 

 time was, by account, 68° 22', and longitude 192* 34'. 



