OF THE POLAR SEA. 



41 



crease and the pumps were kept in constant 

 use. 



A favouring wind at length enabled us, 

 on the 25th, to shape our course across 

 Hudson's Bay. Nothing worthy of remark 

 occurred during this passage, except the 

 rapid decrease in the variation of the mag- 

 netic needle. The few remarks respecting 

 the appearance of the land, which we were 

 able to make in our quick passage through 

 these Straits, were transmitted to the Ad- 

 miralty ; but as they will not be interesting 

 to the general reader, and may not be suf- 

 ficiently accurate for the guidance of the 

 navigator, they are omitted in this narra- 

 tive. 



On the 28th we discovered the land to 

 the southward of Cape Tatnam, which is so 

 extremely low, that the tops of the trees 

 were first discerned ; the soundings at the 

 time were seventeen fathoms, which gradu- 

 ally decreased to five as the shore was ap- 

 proached. Cape Tatnam is not otherwise 

 remarkable than as being the point from 



