52 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
enable us to say any thing with certainty on thi 
head. ise 
We found an immense number of icebergs off this 
coast ; no less than eighty-eight were seen this morning 
at one time from deck, and most of them so large that I 
have no doubt of their being aground, for we sounded 
atthe time in one hundred and six fathoms—sand and 
pieces of broken shells. Between us and the land 
there was also a considerable quantity of loose ice, 
sufficiently open, however, to navigate amongst it, 
to the northward ; but as I have said some time ago, 
our object is not to get to the northward along this 
coast, but if possible to penetrate to the westward. 
What time it will take to accomplish this desirable 
object in this high latitude, isa question that must 
certainly remain in doubt until the thing is done, for 
last year’s experience does not afford us any ground 
on. which to draw a conclusion on this subject ; we 
found then (as we do now) a barrier of ice to the west- 
ward, from the time that we first made it until we 
got nearly to the top of Baffin’s Bay; and although 
we never succeeded in getting through it, it was 
certainly not from want of attempting to do so. 
Whether these attempts might not have been success- 
ful if persevered in, is a thing on which it does not 
become me to give an opinion. 
We are possessed however. of some knowledge this 
year, beyond our information previous to last summer, 
with regard to the extent of this ledge or barrier of 
ice ; forthen it was doubtful how far it might extend to 
the westward, but now we know perfectly well how 
far it extends in that direction. But, to be brief 
on the subject, I believe the intention is, to make 
