[ 39 ] 



This fame Captain Robinfon, on the 28th of June laft, patted' 

 byHakluyt's Headland, lying off and on for feveral days, during 

 which he was fometimes a degree to the Northward of it, and 

 till the 20th of July following, there was no obft.ruc~t.ion to his 

 proceeding Northward ; to which, however, he had no induce- 

 ment, as he caught two large whales in this latitude k . 



Captain John Reed, of the Rockingham, alfo in July laft,. 

 purfued fome whales 15 leagues to the Northward of the Head- 

 land, and confirms Captain Robinfon's laft account, by faying, 

 he could then fee no ice from his maft head. . 



Captain Reed was brought up in the Greenland fifhery, and " 

 remembers well, that whilft on board his father's fhip, the 

 Thiftle, . the mate told him, that they had reached 8i° 42', 

 when there was indeed a good deal of ice, but full room to fail 

 in any direction. 



Mr. Reed likewife hath informed me, that about 15 years ago, 

 a; Dutch Captain (whofe name was Hans Derrick) told him, 

 whilft they were together in the Greenland feas, that he had been 

 in N.. lat. .86, when there were only fome fmall pieces of floating . 

 ice to be feen. Hans Derrick moreover added, that there were 

 then five other mips in company, wmich took one with another 

 eighteen fmall whales. 



I have great reafon to expect feveral other inftances of the 

 lame kind, in a. mart time, from the different ports of this king- 

 dom where .there is any confiderable Greenland trade : 1 mall not, 

 however, trouble the Society with them, till I know whether 

 they would wifh any further information on this head. , 



I fhall now recapitulate the different latitudes which have been 

 reached by the feveral navigators whofe names I have mentioned ; 



k The fecond part of Martens's voyage (who received certain queries 

 from the Royal Society) begins almoft by faying, " We failed to the 

 " 8 1 ft degree, and no fhip ventured further that year/' viz. 167 1. 



ill s 



