POLAR ICE. — ANNUAL SITUATION. 277 



passage for the ships opened. The fishery was to- 

 lerably good. The egress was easy. 



In 1805, the fishing-stations were open, by the 

 end of April, up to the 78th degree of latitude. 

 The fishery was moderately good ; the egress easy. 

 The singular position of the ice, in the year 1806, 

 was the occasion of a most interesting voyage ; ha- 

 ving afforded us the opportunity of performing an 

 extraordinary navigation, and of advancing nearer 

 to the Pole than on any other occasion vsince I have 

 been in the habit of visiting the Spitzbergen seas. 

 It was a close season ; and the barrier of ice was so 

 uncommonly extensive, and continued so long, that 

 not more than three ships accomplished a passage 

 through it. This barrier extended from latitude 

 75° 20' to 79° 30' ; being 250 miles across. Beyond 

 it was an open sea, from 30 to 50 miles north and 

 south ; from a western situation in which, we sail- 

 ed in an E N E direction (true) nearly 300 miles, 

 without observing any signs of its termination. As 

 an abstract of the journal of the proceedings in this 

 extraordinary navigation, is given in a following sec- 

 tion, it is unnecessary to enter into more particulars 

 here. 



A close season again occurred in 1807- The mar- 

 gin of the ice was, however, pervious to a consider- 

 able extent, wherein many large whales being seen, 

 some ships made a successful fishing in latitude 

 75° or 76° ; other ships, which persevered to the 

 northward, and passed the barrier, likewise sue- 



