444 Thirty Years 



hale the air frequently. Those of the white kind 

 make their appearance when there are but small spaces 

 of open water ; and we afterwards saw two black 

 whales in a similar situation. One might also infer 

 from these circumstances that they do not remove very 

 far. Is it probable that they go, at the close of the 

 autumn, to a warmer climate ? or can the sea be less 

 closely covered with ice in the high northern latitudes ? 

 The situation of our encampment was observed to be, 

 latitude 69° 19' N. ; longitude 138° 10|' W. ; varia- 

 tion 46° 16' E. ; and a rise and fall of nine inches in 

 the water. The wind blew from the west during the 

 night, and drove much ice near the boats ; but as the 

 masses took ground a little way from the shore, we 

 were spared the trouble of removing the boats higher 

 up the beach. 



S, i n 6th y ' We w ere favored in the forenoon of the 16th, 

 by a strong breeze from the land, which, in the course 

 of a few hours, drove away many of these pieces to- 

 wards Point Kay, and opened a passage for boats. 

 We immediately embarked to sail over to the western 

 side of Phillips Bay, concluding, from the motion of 

 the ice, that it must now be detached from that shore. 

 On reaching it, we had the pleasure of finding an open 

 channel close to the beach, although the entrance was 

 barred by ;t stream of ice lying aground on a reef. 

 The boats being forced by poles over this obstruction, 



