18 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 
The estimated distance from the nearest part of 
the Labrador-coast was ‘then eighty-eicht miles ; 
here we tried for soundings, without gaining the 
bottom. The ship passed through some strong 
riplings, which evidently indicated a current, but 
its direction was not ascertained. We found, 
however, by the recent observations, that the 
ship had. been set daily to the southward, since 
we had opened Davis’ Straits. The variation of 
the compass was observed to be 52° 41' W. 
At nine P.M., brilliant coruscations of the 
Aurora Borealis appeared, of a pale ochre colour, 
with .a slight tinge of red, in an arched form, 
crossing the zenith from N.W. to S.E., but after- 
wards they assumed various shapes, and had a 
rapid motion. - 
On the Sth of August, a party of. the officers 
endeavoured to get on one of the larger icebergs, 
but ineffectually, owing to the steepness and 
smoothness of its sides, and the swell produced 
by its undulating motion. This was one of the 
largest we saw, and Mr. Hood ascertained its 
height to be one hundred and forty-nine feet ; but 
these masses of ice are frequently magnified to 
‘an immense size, through the illusive medium of 
‘a hazy atmosphere, and on this account their 
dimensions have often been ie mais by 
Vvoyagers. 
