TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 35 
advantage of it to decoy them off from the land, by 
burning crang, or some other oleaginous refuse, which 
brings them so near to their ships that they very 
often kill them without much trouble. 
Tuesday, 29th. — Although the first day or two 
that we have been detained here, might be in some 
measure considered as usefully spent in making ob- 
servations ; yet such a continuation of delay as we 
have now had in this place, tends at length to try 
our patience, more especially as the prospect of 
getting released from our situation, appears to- 
day less flattering than we have had it yet. The 
motion amongst the ice, caused by the swell, yester- 
day, and last night, has jammed it together much 
closer than it was before, and a fall of snow which we 
had this morning has given it the appearance of 
being consolidated into one immense field. About 
seven o’clock in the evening, the weather being very 
clear, we saw land bearing by compass, from W.N.W. 
to W., distant, as near as we could judge, from twelve 
to fourteen leagues. From our situation *, and thie 
direction in which this land was séen, it is pro- 
bable that it was the islands at the entrance of 
Frobisher’s Straits, or that which Davis called Lum- 
ley’s Inlet; it appeared indeed to us like three 
islands, one of which seemed to be considerably 
larger than the other two. We sounded to-day both 
in the fore and afternoon in one hundred and thirty- 
five fathoms, fine sand and small black stones. 
* Our latitude to-day at noon (by account) was 63° 32’ N. and 
longitude 62° 17’ W. and the entrance of Frobisher’s Straits, or 
Lumley’s Inlet, is said to be in latitude 63° 08’ N. from which it is 
very evident that the land seen this evening must be about the 
entrance of these straits. 
D2 
