450 OBSERVATIONS ON THE CURRENTS. 



(459.) It need scarcely be said, that great circumspection is necessary in 

 passing near the regions where these dangers may reasonably be expected. 

 The following instances, selected from many others, may operate as suffi- 

 cient cautions: — 



On June 21st, 1794, in lat. 45° 18', on the Eastern steep edge of the Grand 

 Bank, in a thick fog, H.M. frigates Dcedalus and Ceres were suddenly mvolved 

 amidst some very high and dangerous islands of Ice. The weather was so thick 

 that objects were not visible at 50 yards distant. The Dcedalus, commanded by 

 Sir C. H. Knowles, hauled up and passed close to the stern of a ship that lay 

 stranded upon one of the Ice islands, and sailed to windward of it through a great 

 quantity of Drift Ice, and to leeward of another Ice island. The Ceres, Captain 

 Thos. HamUton, passed in the same track, and saw the wreck a quarter of an hour 

 after the Dcedalus. The course was East, the wind S.W., the sea very high, as 

 the wind blew hard, the night preceding, from the Southward. 



Again, on June 15th, 1810, the Dcedalus, commanded by Captain Inglefield, with 

 a fleet from Jamaica, in lat. 41° 33', long. 51° 17', to the Southward of the Grand 

 Bank, passed two Icebergs, and the next day another ; providentially the fog, 

 which had been very dense, cleared up for an hour, and allowed the fleet to clear 

 the dangers. 



On August 2nd, 1813, H.M.S. Bedford, 74 gvms, then bearing the flag of Vice- 

 Admiral Stirling, accompanied by the Cyane, Captain Forrest, and Fawn, Captain 

 Fellows, with a fleet of 105 sail from Jamaica, at 8 a.m., just as the fog cleared 

 away, fell in with an extensive ridge of Ice, having an Iceberg at each extremity, 

 and about 1 mile in extent, even with the water, over which the seas broke with 

 considerable violence. Had the fog not cleared up as it did, about thirty ships 

 must have struck upon it, as that number were steering directly for this formid- 

 able reef, and were within the extent of its sweep. The thermometer was at this 

 tune ranging from 63° to 65°, in lat. 45°, long. 44° 30'. 



On August 3l8t, 1816, Captain Gooday, in the ship Jones, m lat. 46° 50', long. 

 47° 54', saw an island of Ice, from 1 to 1^^ mile long, and from 50 to 70 feet high. 

 When first seen, it appeared like a white cloud. 



In January, 1818, the brig Anne, of Poole, W. Dayment, master, left the harbour 

 of Greenspond, Newfoundland, in the morning, and iu the evening of the same day 

 got among Ice ; proceeded thus about 40 mUes, and at daylight next mornuig was 

 completely beset, and no opening to be seen in any direction from the masthead. 

 In this state the vessel continued for fifteen days, drifting with the Ice about 60 

 mUes S.E. by E., or about 4 miles in every twenty-four hours. The Ice was now 

 become very heavy, high above the surface, and about twenty large Bergs were in 

 sight. "With this Ice the vessel drove until she was in 44° 37' N., and about 300 

 miles to the South-Eastward of Cape Race, when, on February 17th, she got clear 

 through the only opening that appeared in the horizon from East to S.E., all the 

 rest of the circle forming one compact body of Ice, as far as the eye could reach. 

 The vessel had been shut in for twenty-nine days, in the last fourteen of which 

 she drifted from lat. 46° 57' to lat. 44° 37', about 280 mUes, or 20 miles a day, 

 S.E. by E., tremendous gales of wind blowing the whole time from the "West to 

 the N."W. In the course of this passage the master declared that he saw more 

 than 100 large islands of the solid blue ice, known to traders by the name of 

 Greenland Ice. 



On January 17th, 1818, the brig Funchal, of Greenock, sailed from St. John's, 

 Newfoundland. At about 15 miles to the "Westward of this port she fell in with a 

 field of Ice coming down from the Northward, about 8 mUes in breadth, and ex- 

 tending to the Northward beyond the reach of sight. Having cleared this, and 

 proceeded "Westerly about 250 miles, on the 20th, in lat. 47^°, she encovmtered a 

 stUl more extensive field, floating to the Westward, in the midst of which was an 



