325 GREENLAND OR POLAR ICE. 



land trade, and proved by his never-failing suc- 

 cess), was forced, by astonishing efforts, through 

 a vast body of ice, which commenced in the 

 place of the usual barrier, but exceeded its gene- 

 ral extent by at least a hundred miles. We^ 

 then reached a navigable sea, and advanced with- 

 out hinderance, to the latitude of 81^' north, a 

 distance of only 1 70 leagues from the Pole ; which 

 is, I imagine, one of the most extraordinary ap- 

 proximations yet realised. 



In Hudson's Bay, between the longitudes of 

 50** and 80** west, ships can seldom advance be- 

 yond the 74th degree of north latitude ; and on- 

 ly one instance is upon record, wherein the ex- 

 tremity of the bay in 78° N. has been explored. 



In Behring's Straits, the adventurous Cook, on 

 the meridian of W. (very near the Ameri- 



can coast), advanced to the latitude of 70° 44' N., 

 on the 18th of August 1778 ; and on the 26th, 

 in longitude 176° W., they were stopped by the 

 ice in 69* 45' N. After his lamentable death, 

 Captain Clerke directed the proceedings in the 

 following year, and reached the latitude of 70° 33' 

 on the 1 8th of July, being about four leagues short 

 of their former advance. 



The southern hemisphere, towards the Pole, 

 was likewise explored by Captain Cook on a 



^ T accompanied my Father on this voyage, in the capacity 



(*,' cLiei mate. 



