256 A VOYAGE TO 



»779- pofite continent, we continued, during the afternoon of the 21 ft 



• zi — . of July, to fleer to the Weft North Weft, through much loofe 



ice. At ten at night, difcovering the main body of it through 

 the fog, right ahead, and almoft clofe to us, and being unwil- 

 ling to take a Southerly courfe, (o long as we could poffibly 

 avoid it, we hauled our wind, which was Eafterly, and flood 

 to the Northward ; but, in an hour after, the weather clear- 

 ing up, and finding ourfelves furrounded by a compact field 

 of ice, on every fide, except to the South South Weft, we 

 tacked, and flood on in that direction^ in order to get clear 

 of it. 



Thurfday2z. At noon of the 22t], our latitude, by obfervation, was 

 6^30', and longitude iS7°3o'. In the afternoon, we again 

 came up with the ice, which extended to the North Weft and 

 South Weft, and obliged us to continue our courfe to the 

 Souihwaid, in order to weather it. 



It may be remarked, that fince the Sth of this month, we 

 had twice traverfed this fca, in lines nearly parallel with the 

 run we had juft now made; that in the firft of thole tra- 

 verfes, wc were not able to penetrate fo far North, by eight 

 or ten leagues, as in the fecond ; and that in the laft we had 

 again found an united body of ice, generally about five 

 leagues to the Southward of its pofition in the preceding 

 run. As this proves that the large, compact fields of ice, 

 which we law were moveable, or diminifhing ; at the 

 fame time, it does not leave any well-founded expecta- 

 tion of advancing much farther in the mod favourable 

 ieafons. 



At feven in the evening, the weather being hazy, and no 

 ice in fight, we bore away to the Weftward; but, at half 

 pafl eight, the fog difperfing, we found ourfelves in the 



midft 



