[ s 7 3 



the Northward. Mr. Bafke, who is a curious man, promtfed 

 me, amongft other things, his thermometrical obfervations, which, 

 by the converfation 1 had about them., I have reafon to think will 

 be accurate. 



After having paffed fix mornings with a great number of our 

 commanders quartered in different houfes, I find that fcarcely a 

 year had paft, but fome of them have been to 81 deg. North, 

 but rarely found the feas free from ice. 



This is all the information I have been able to procure during 

 my fhort flay at Amfterdam, which I would have prolonged, if 

 a, call to the Hague had not prevented me. I can only add, that 

 waiting upon Mr. Boreel, that gentleman promifed that he would 

 order a fearch to be made for the journals of thofe mips which 

 were formerly employed in protecting our Greenland fifheries. 



I muft, however, not forget to mention a particular that Mr. 

 Van Keulen acquainted me wfth. He had at his houfe, laft fum- 

 mer, a converfation with a Ruffian, who had paft the winter 

 laft year in Spitzbergen, and gave him the following account. 

 That being in the utmoft diftrefs, for want of eatables, on the 

 North Coaft, he made a trial to get with his boat towards the 

 middle of the ifland, by means of the Bay of Wyde-bay in 

 Gillis's map, into which he proceeded, till, to his great furprife, 

 he fell into Wybe Janfz's Bay, and fo came out to the South of 

 Spitzbergen; but he had taken no notice of the depths of water. 

 Being queftioned as to that particular, he faid he was very fure 

 that he did not pafs through the Waygats. 



In all my converfations with our Greenland commanders, I 

 never failed to afk which courfe they would take to reach high 

 Northern latitudes; the remit was, that they would never leek 

 it to the Weftward of Spitzbergen, but run out to the North, 

 from the Weft coaft of Nova Zembla; Mr. Balke's reafons and 

 thofe of other commanders were, 



i ft, That 



