346 



HfSTORY OF TFIE SEA. 



of attaining the object of all his efforts, — a passage by the 

 northwest to China. The extent of its surface amply justified 

 him in these expectations, for it is* the largest inland sea in the 

 world, with the exception of the Mediterranean. 



On the 1st of November, after seeking winter quarters, his 

 men found a suitable spot for beaching their vessel. Ten days 

 afterwards, they were frozen in, with provisions hardly sufficient 

 to last, upon the most meagre allowance, till they could expect a 



