1779- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 251 



Spitzbergen, and to the north of Beering's Straits. 

 It is incumbent on them to explain how it comes to 

 pass that in the former quarter, and in the vicinity 

 of much known land, the navigator annually pen- 

 etrates to near 80° north latitude ; whereas, on the 

 other side, his utmost efforts have not been able to 

 carry him beyond71°; where, moreover, the continents 

 diverge nearly east and west, and where there is no 

 land yet known to exist near the pole. For the farther 

 satisfaction of the reader on this point, I shall beg 

 leave to refer him to Observations made during a 

 Voyage round the World, by Dr. Forster, where he will 

 find the question of the formation of ice fully and 

 satisfactorily discussed, and the probability of open ' 

 polar seas disproved by a variety of powerful argu- 

 ments. 



I shall conclude these remarks with a short com- 

 parative view of the progress we made to the north- 

 ward, at the two different seasons we were engaged 

 in that pursuit, together with a few general observ- 

 ations relative to the sea, and the coast of the two 

 continents which lie to the north of Beering's Straits. 



It may be observed, that in the year 1778 we did 

 not meet with the ice till we advanced to the latitude 

 of 70°, on August 17th ; and that then we found it 

 in compact bodies, extending as far as the eye could 

 reach, and of which a part or the whole was moveable, 

 since, by its drifting down upon us, we narrowly 

 escaped being hemmed in between it and the land. 

 After experiencing both how fruitless and dangerous 

 it would be to attempt to penetrate farther north, 

 between the ice and the land, we stood over toward 

 the Asiatic side, between the latitude of 69° and 70°, 

 frequently encountering in this tract large and exten- 

 sive fields of ice ; and though, by reason of the fogs 

 and thickness of the weather, we were not able ab- 

 solutely and entirely to trace a connected line of it 

 across, yet we were sure to meet with it before we 

 reached the latitude of 70°, whenever we attempted 



