OF THE POLAR SEA. 



17 



bute the very unusual and cross sea we had 

 in this neighbourhood to the existence of a 

 bank, than to the effect of a gale of wind 

 which we had just before experienced ; and 

 I cannot but regret that the commander of 

 the ship did not try for soundings at fre- 

 quent intervals. 



By the 25th July we had opened the en- 

 trance of Davis' Straits, and in the after- 

 noon spoke the Andrew Marvell, bound to 

 England with a cargo of fourteen fish. The 

 master informed us that the ice had been 

 heavier this season in Davis' Straits than 

 he had ever i-ecollected, and that it lay par- 

 ticularly close to the westward, being con- 

 nected with the shore to the northward of 

 Resolution Island, and extending from 

 thence within a short distance of the Green- 

 land coast ; that whales had been abundant, 

 but the ice so extremely cross, that few 

 could be killed. His ship, as well as seve- 

 ral others, had suffered material injury, and 

 two vessels had been entirely crushed be- 

 tween vast masses of ice in latitude 74° 40' 

 N., but the crews were saved. We in- 



vol. i. c 



