258 THE ONLY ROUTE BY WHICH 



began to swell and rise, which are the surest indications of 

 an extensive sea, and these motions shortly cleared away the 

 pack, when no obstruction appeared to prevent him sailing 

 as far to the north-west as inclination might urge ; but the 

 season being then so far advanced, that to remain any 

 longer would be dangerous beyond calculation, and his 

 oath being in the way of research, as well as the whales 

 having disappeared, — all these considerations were sufficient 

 to compel his immediate return. On this fact I shall make 

 no comment further than putting a short query. 



Had the commander of a ship been so circumstanced as 

 to have a door of such an inviting description thrown open 

 before him to the north-west, and that in the seventy-sixth 

 degree of north latitude, in the middle of July, when the 

 fogs were about to set in, would he think it adviseable to 

 proceed to the north-west, and take chance of the casualties 

 of ice driven thither before him, and probably covering 

 the coast, which by embarrassing his progress might 

 compel him to remain longer than he otherwise would 

 wish ? 



I may take the liberty of stating, moreover, that in 

 consequence of the ice descending from the northward in 

 the beginning of the season, and driving chieliy to the 

 south-west, any attempt at penetrating to the north-west by 

 that course is considered quite impracticable and extremeh^ 

 dangerous ; so that the east coast of James's Island is nevei- 



