FISHING SEASON EXTENDED. 185 



ships to depart. This fact having become generally 

 known, several other ships followed the example 

 in the last season (1818), and persevered through the 

 barrier of ice lying in 74°-75° towards the north- 

 After they had succeeded in passing this barrier, 

 they found, as in the preceding year, a navigable 

 sea, where several ships met with considerable suc- 

 cess in the fishery, at a very advanced period of 

 the season. 



This discovery, therefore, of the practicability of 

 pursuing the whales to their most northeni'retreats, 

 and thus prolonging the fishery to a much later pe- 

 riod than was before usual, is likely to prove an era 

 of great importance in the fishery of Davis' Straits. 

 Ships which fail of success in the old stations, will 

 still, in the new fishery, have a reserve of the most 

 promising character. And instead of the fishery 

 being terminated by the disappearance of the whales 

 from the old stations, it is probable it will in future 

 be only terminated by the setting in of the frost. 

 There is rarely any thick ice formed in June, though 

 the sea be constantly at or near the freezing tempera- 

 ture ; much less will there be a liability to strong 

 ice being formed in September, which is but 3}^ de- 

 grees colder than June, when the sea has had the ef- 

 fect of the warmth of two mouths, during which the 

 mean temperature of the air is usually from 6" to 9' 

 above the fi-eezing point of sea-water. Hence, in- 

 stead of this fishery being necessarily closed in July. 



