PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY IN THE NORTH. 85 



This voyage of Baffin's being one of the most re- 

 markable and important navigations ever accom- 

 plislied in the same quarter of the globe, is worthy 

 a more particular description. I shall, therefore, 

 give an abstract of Baffin's narrative, as published 

 by Purchas *. 



They sailed from Gravesend on the 26tli of 

 March I6l6 ; but owing to bad weather and con- 

 trary winds, did not clear the Channel until the 20tli 

 of April. After a good passage across the Atlan- 

 tic, 'they proceeded without interruption, excepting 

 from contrary winds, up Davis' Strait to latitude 

 70^ 20', where they anchored in a " fair sound" near 

 Davis's London Coast. Here the tides rising only 

 eight or nine feet, and keeping no certain course, 

 Baffin was discouraged in the hope of a passage. 



After remaining two days at this place, from 

 whence all the inhabitants had fled, they weighed 

 and plyed to the northward. On the 26th of May 

 they fell in with a dead wliale, and made the ship 

 fast, to secure it : after having obtained 160 fins or 

 blades of v/halebone from it, a storm ensued, and it 

 broke away from them. 



May 30th, they reached Hope Sanderson, the 

 northernmost land visited by Davis, lying bet ween the 

 parallels of 72° and 73° ; and on the same evening fell 

 in with ice, which they immediately entered, andpass- 



* Pilgrimesj vol. iii. p. 844. 



