[ 3 1 



a N. E. or N. W. paffage, which were foon defeated by railing in 

 with land, or other accident. 



Having thus endeavoured to fhew that the inflances of (hips 

 reaching high Northern latitudes muft necefiarily be rare, I mall 

 now proceed to lay before the Society fuch as I have been able to 

 hear of fince the voyage towards the N. Pole was undertaken-dur- 

 ing lafl fummer. 



When this was determined upon, and mentioned in the News 

 Papers, it became matter of converfation amongf}: the crews of 

 the guardfhips ; and Andrew Leekie, an intelligent feaman on 

 board the Albion (then ftationed at Plymouth), informed fome of 

 the officers that he had been as far North as 84 ! . 



When he was alked further on this head, he faid that he was 

 onboard the Reading, Captain Thomas Robinfon, in 1766, and 

 that, wliilft he was fhaving the captain, Mr. Robinfon told him 

 that he had probably never been fo far to the Northward before, 

 as they had now reached the above-mentioned degree of lati- 

 tude. 



Having happened to hear this account of Leekie's, on my re- 

 turn to London this winter, I found out Captain Robinfon, who 

 remembered his having had this converfation with Leekie, but 

 faid that he was miftaken in fuppofing that they had reached 

 84-7 N. lat. as they were only in 82I. 



Captain RLobinfcn then explained himfelf, that he had at this 

 time computed his latitude by the run back to Hakluyt's Head- 

 land in 24 hours ; from which, and other circumftances men- 

 tioned in my prefence before two fea officers, they told me 

 afterwards that they had little or no doubt of the accuracy of his 

 reckoning. Mr. Robinfon likewife remembers that the fea was 

 then open, fo that he hath no doubt of being able to reach 83, 

 but how much further he will not pretend to fay. 



B 2 . This 



