42 ACCOUNT OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 



from observations taken with a sextant by myself 

 and my fatlicr, was 80" 50' 28'^ 81" 1' 53% and SI" 

 12' 42* ; after which, we sailed so far to the north- 

 ward, as made it about 81'' 30' ; which is one of the 

 closest approximations to the Pole which I conceive 

 has been well authenticated. The Honourable 

 Daincs Barrington, it is true, informs us, in his dis- 

 cussion on " the probability of reaching the North 

 Pole," of several vessels having sailed much farther 

 towards the nortli. In his first two papers, of " in- 

 stances of navigators who have reached high northern 

 latitudes," he produces four examples of vessels ha- 

 ving sailed to latitude 81^" ; seven to 82° or upward ; 

 three to 83" or more ; six vessels in company to 86'' ; 

 three examples to 88" ; two ships in company to 89", 

 and one to 89^° *, besides several others brought for- 

 ward in his later papers. But with regard to these ex- 

 amples, I may observe, that all the instances of navi- 

 gations having been performed beyond the 84th de- 

 gree, arc given from very loose authority, such as 

 the vague reports of the Dutch wdiale-fishers ; and 

 in no case, I believe, from the direct communi- 

 cations of the voyagers themselves. As such, I 

 conceive, there is no reliance whatever to be placed 

 upon these extraordinary instances. It may not, 

 however, be so easy to get rid of the accounts of 

 ships having sailed as far as 82° or 83°, the instan- 

 ces being so very numerous, and some of them so 



" * Mibcellaiiict'/' p. l^-iO. 



