HYDKOGRAPHICAL SURVEY. — 'CURRENTS. 215 



their escape, in latitude 73^^ and longitude 9" 

 west. In this involuntary passage along with tlie 

 ice, the ship was conveyed in a S S W. J W. di- 

 rection, (true) a distance of about 420 miles ; or 

 with the average rate of 8j miles per day. 



These facts, then, I conceive, are conclusive as to 

 the prevalence of a south-westerly current in the 

 Greenland sea in high latitudes ; and the following, 

 will perhaps, be considered as establishing the con- 

 tinuance of the same current down to Cape Fare- 

 well. 



From a narrative of the loss of several of the 

 Dutch Greenland fleet in the year 1777, w^e learn, 

 that the ship Wilhelmina was moored to a field of 

 ice on the 22d of June, in the usual fishing-station, 

 along with a large fleet of other whalers. On the 

 25th, the ice having rapidly closed around, the Wil- 

 helmina was closely heset. The pressure of the ice 

 was so great, that the crew were under the necessi= 

 ty of working almost incessantly for eight days, in 

 sawing a dock in the field, wherein the ship was at 

 that time preserved. On the 25th of July, the ice 

 slacked, and the ship was towed by the boats to the 

 eastward. After four days laborious rowing, they 

 reached the extremity of the opening, where they 

 joined four ships, all of which were again beset by 

 the ice. Shortly afterwards, they were drifted with- 

 in sight of the coast of Old Greenland, about the 

 parallel of 75^° north. On the 15th of August, 



