I 24 ] 



Davis, in his two firft voyages to difcover the N. W. paflage, 

 could not penetrate beyond 66 ; but in his third voyage, in 1587, 

 he reached 72 0 12' h . 



In the year 1 576, Sir Martin Frobifher paffed the Straits (fince 

 called from their firft difcoverer) without any obftruclions from 

 ice : in his two following voyages, however, he found them in 

 the fame month, to ufe his own expreflion, " in a manner fhut 

 " up with a long mure of ice '." 



In the year 161 4, Baffin proceeded to 81, and thought he faw 

 land as far as 82 k to the N. E. of Spitsbergen, which is ac- 

 cordingly marked in one of Purchas's maps. During this voyage 

 he met, near Cherry ifland, lituated only in 74 N. lat. two banks 

 of ice; the one, 40 leagues in length, the other 120 ; which 

 laft would extend to 25 degrees of longitude in N. lat. 76, where 

 Wood fixes his barrier. 



It need therefore fcarcely be obferved, that fuch a floating wall 

 of ice, 120 leagues long, by being jammed in between land, or 

 other banks of ice, might afford an appearance indeed of forming 

 a perpetual barrier, when perhaps, within the next 24 hours, the 

 wall of ice might entirely vanifh. 



Ofthefudden aflemblage of fuch an accumulation of ice, I mall 

 now mention two, rather recent, inftances. 



I have been very accurately informed, that the late Colonel 

 Murray happened to go, in the month of May, from one of our 

 Southern colonies to Louifburgh, when the harbour was entirely 

 open; but' on rifing in the morning, it was completely filled 



h See Hakluyt and Purchas, vol. I. p. 84. 

 ' l Purchas, ibid. 



k See alfo the Supplement to Wood and Marten's Voyages, in the 

 8vo publication of 1694, in which point Purchas is ftated to be in N. 

 hat. 82. 



with 



