POLAK-ICE. Si;rUATION OF. 265 



reaching the land ; and sometimes the bay of the 

 ice usually occurring in the spring, in latitude 66° 

 or 67% does not exist ; but the sea is open up the 

 strait to a considerable distance beyond it. 



After doubling the southern promontory, or Cape 

 Farewell, it advances in a north-eastern direction 

 along the east coast, sometimes enveloping Iceland 

 as it proceeds, until it reaches the island of Jan 

 Mayen. Passing this island on the north-west, but 

 frequently enclosing it, the edge of the ice then 

 trends a little more to the eastward, and usually in- 

 tersects the meridian of London, between the 71st 

 and 73d degree of latitude. Having reached the 

 longitude of 5' or 6° east, in some instances as far 

 as 8° or 10° ; in the 73d or 74th degree of north 

 latitude, it forms a remarkable promontory, and 

 suddenly stretches to the north, sometimes proceed- 

 ing on a meridian to the latitude of 80° ; at others, 

 forming a deep sinuosity, extending two or three 

 degrees to the northward, and then south-easterly 

 to Cherie Island ; which having passed, it assumes a 

 more direct course a little to the southward of east, 

 ' until it forms a junction with the Siberian or Nova' 

 Zemblan coast. 



During the winter and spring months, the Polar 

 ice seems closely to embrace the whole of the north- 

 ern shores of Russia, to the eastward of Nova Zem- 

 bla ; and filling, in a great measure, Behring's Strait 

 .and the sea, to the northward of it, continues in 

 contact with the polar face of the American conti- 



