L 118 ] 



Now if we examine a globe, we fliall find, that from fixty to 

 feventy degrees of Northern latitude more than half its cir- 

 cumference is land, which is open to a Northern fea, from 

 which large tract of coaft much greater quantities of floating 

 ice may be derived than have ever been met with by naviga- 

 tors, without being obliged to fuppofe that any part of it is 

 formed from fea- water. 



But it may be faid, that our late enterprizing navigators to the 

 Southward have alio met with as great a quantity of ice in the 

 oppoiite hemifphere, without fcarcely difcovering any land. 



To this I anfwer, that their circumnavigation was, at a 

 medium, about fifty-feveu degrees of Southern latitude, though 

 they made pufhes greatly to the Southward in three points, 

 and in one of thefe to feventy-one degrees ten minutes. In the 

 other inftances, as far as 67 dcg. and 67 deg. 30 mill. 



There is confequently a very large fpace in which there may 

 be many a frozen region, which they have not had any opportu- 

 nity of difcovering. If, for example, a navigator from the Sou- 

 thern was fent upon difcoveries to the Northern hemifphere, and 

 Europe, as well as Afia and North America, having been funk 

 by earthquakes, was to report that he had circumnavigated at 

 fifty-five degrees North latitude at a medium; made pufhes even 

 to feventy-one degrees in different directions, without feeing any 

 continent ; and that therefore there was no land to the north of 

 fifty-five degrees ; his countrymen would be much deceived by 

 fuch report, becaufe Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Mufcovy, 

 Tartarian Afia, and part of North America, continued in their 

 prefent fituation. 



Befdes, however, the ice which may come from Tierra del 

 Fucgo, Captain Cook hath difcovered two frozen iflands between 

 Cape Home and that of Good Hope, which were .covered with 

 6 ice 



