516 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



masses of the field ice ; at ano- 

 ther, in the open seas adjacent. 

 Sometimes the majority of the 

 whales inhabiting those seas, seem 

 collected within a small and single 

 circuit; at others, they are scat- 

 tered in various hordes, and nu- 

 merous single individuals, oter an 

 amazing extent of surface. To 

 discover and reach the haunts of 

 the whale, is an object of tiie first 

 consideration in the fishery, and 

 occasionally the most difficult and 

 laborious to accomplish. In close 

 seasons, thougii the ice joins the 

 south of Spitzbergen^ and thereby 

 forms a barrier against the fishing- 

 stations, yet this barrier is often 

 of a limited e.vtent, and termi- 

 nates on the coast of Spitzbergen 

 in an open space, either forming, 

 or leading to, the retreat of the 

 Avhales. Such space is sometimes 

 fi'ozen over until the middle or 

 end of the month of ]May, but not 

 unfrequently free of ice. The 

 barrier here opposed to the fisher, 

 usually consists of a mass of ice 

 from '20 to SO or 40 leagues across 

 in the shortest diameter. It is 

 generally composed of packed ice, 

 and often cemented into a conti- 

 nuous field by the interference of 

 bay ice, which incredibly aug- 

 ments the difficulty of navigating 

 among it. 



As the time that can be devoted 

 to the whale-fishery is, by the 

 nature of the climiite, limited to 

 three or four months in the year, 

 it is of importance to pass this 

 barrier of ice as early as possible 

 in the season. The fisher here 

 avails himself of every power 

 within his command. The sails 

 are expanded in favourable winds, 

 and withdrawn in contrary breezes. 

 The ship is urged forward amongst 



the drift ice through the force of 

 the wind, assisted by ropes and 

 saws. Whenever a vein of water, 

 «s it is called, appears in the re- 

 quired direction, it is if possible 

 attained. It always affords a tem- 

 porary relief, and sometimes a 

 l)ermanent release, by extending 

 itself through intricate mazes, 

 amidst ice of various descriptions, 

 until at length it opens into the 

 desired place, void of obstruction, 

 and the retreat of the whales. 



The formidable barrier before 

 described, is regularly encounter- 

 ed on the first arrival of Greenland 

 ships in the month of April, but 

 is generally removed by natural 

 means as the season advances. 

 However extensive, huge, and 

 compact it m»y be, it is usually 

 found separated from the land, 

 and divided asunder by the close 

 of the month of June ; and hence 

 it is, that however difficult and la- 

 borious may have been the ingress 

 into the fishing country, the egiess 

 is commonly effected without par- 

 ticular inconvenience. 



That the ice should envelope 

 the whole coasts of Spitzbergen in 

 the winter season, and expose the 

 western shore about the month of 

 June ; that the ocean should be 

 almost annually navigable on the 

 meridians of 5° to 10° E., to the 

 80th degree of north latitude, 

 whilst the ice in every other part 

 of the world can rarely be pe- 

 netrated beyond the 74th de- 

 gree, are facts highly curious, 

 and certainly worthy of conside- 

 ration. 



On the recession of the ice from 

 the west side of the land, a lane 

 of water must be left from one 

 extremity to the other ; while to 

 the south of Point Look-Out, a 



parallel 



