1779. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. Ogj 



and drifting, by the force of the wind, to the north- 

 ward. At noon, our latitude, by observation, was 

 68° N., longitude 188° 10' E. ; and we had soundings 

 with twenty-eight fathoms. For the remaining part of 

 the day and till noon of the 27th, we kept standing 

 backward and forward, in order to clear ourselves of 

 different bodies of ice. At noon, we were in latitude, 

 by observation, 67 47', longitude 188°. At two in the 

 afternoon, we saw the continent to the south by east ; 

 and at four, having run, since noon, with a south 

 south-east wind to the south-west, we were sur- 

 rounded by loose masses of ice, with the firm body 

 of it in sight, stretching in a north by west, and a 

 south by east direction, as far as the eye could reach; 

 beyond which we saw the coast of Asia, bearing 

 south, and south by east. 



As it was now necessary to come to some deter- 

 mination with respect to the course we were next to 

 steer, Captain Gierke sent a boat, with the carpen- 

 ters, on board the Discovery, to inquire into the 

 particulars of the damage she had sustained. They 

 returned, in the evening, with the report of Captain 

 Gore, and of the carpenters of both ships, that the 

 damages they had received were of a kind that would 

 require three weeks to repair ; and that it would 

 be necessary, for that purpose, to go into some 

 port. 



Thus, finding a farther advance to the northward, 

 as well as a nearer approach to either continent, 

 obstructed by a sea blocked up with ice, we judged 

 it both injurious to the service, by endangering the 

 safety of the ships, as well as fruitless, with respect 

 to the design of our voyage, to make any farther 

 attempts toward a passage. This, therefore, added 

 to the representations of Captain Gore, determined 

 Captain Clerke not to lose more time in what he 

 concluded to be an unattainable object, but to sail 

 for Awatska Bay, to repair our damages there; and, 



