OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



3 



prevented our clearing the land ; we accordingly bore up and reached the 1821. 

 harbour of Long-Hope about midnight. We were here once more detained v^-vC/ 

 by strong and unfavourable winds, which continued with little intermission 

 till the morning of the 30th, when a light air springing up from the east- 

 ward, we weighed, at 8.20 A.M., and ran between the islands to the north- 

 ward. At one, P.M., the pilots left us off Hoy Head, when all sail was 

 made to the westward. 



The latitude of the Martello Tower upon Hackness Point, at the entrance 

 of Long-Hope harbour, is, by our observations, 58° 48' 51" ; its longitude, 

 by chronometers, 3° 00' 09" W. ; and the variation of the magnetic needle, 

 26° 58' 30", westerly. The holding-ground is here excellent : this indeed 

 is one of the best harbours in the Orkneys, and perhaps in the world, being 

 capable of containing a very large fleet of ships in perfect security. In 

 Wide wall harbour, which is small and affords less shelter, we found the 

 ground more loose ; it is probably in some parts rocky, as our anchors 

 came up so covered with weeds, that we could with difficulty fish them. 

 The latitude of the south point of the entrance, by a single observation, is 

 58° 48' 25"; the longitude by chronometers, 2° 55' 27"; and the variation, 

 27° 32' 08", westerly. 



At ten P.M., we passed two miles to the southward of the remarkable 



islets called the Stack and Skerry, having steered N.W. by W., by compass, 



(or N. 88° W. true,) from Hoy Head, from which headland they are certainly 



distant fourteen or fifteen leagues, instead of ten, as laid down in most of 



the charts. Passing in sight of the islands of Bara and Rona, we continued 



our course, with a fresh and favourable breeze, to the westward. 



On the 7th of June, being in lat. 57° 30', long. 34° 29', we tried the June. 



Tliurs* *7* 



current, by a boat moored in the usual manner with an iron pot, but none 

 was perceptible. On this and the preceding day we saw, for the first 

 time, large flocks of Shearwaters, (procellaria puffijius,) called by the Green- 

 land sailors Cape hens, as being usually met with only in the neighbour- 

 hood of Cape Farewell. The birds we met with about the Cape were, 

 besides shearwaters which disappeared immediately after passing it, the 

 fulmar petrels, (procdlaria glacialis,) kittiwakes, (larus rissa,) looms, (uria 

 brunichii,) dovekies, ( colymbus grille, J rotges, ( aha alle,) a few terns, 

 ( sterna hirundo,) and a flock or two of ducks, of which the species was 

 uncertain. 



On the 8th at noon, being in lat. 57° 33', long. 37° 48', the tempera- Fr id. 8. 



B 2 



