Chap. III. of the ENGLISH in AMERICA 
Streight into the Ocean, and none feen that can 
« hinder their Faffage, 
“ It is probable that during the whole Winter, from 
Oaoler to March, there is no Ice in the Streight 
« to obftruft their Paffage into or out of the Bay ; for 
“ a Ship which chanced to be clofed up with Ice in an 
Inlet, by breaking of the Ice got out, and came through 
the Ice at Chrifimas, without finding any Ice in the 
Streight to prevent her Paffage : For the Ice which is 
formed in Bays and Rivers, in Winter, does not 
« break up and get into the Channel or Streight until 
it begins to thaw upon the Shore in March or Aptih, 
at which Time it is carried by the Winds and Tide 
into the Streight, and obftrubts the Paffage in May or 
“ June, until it is diffolved ; yet, even then, good 
Pilots know how to avoid it and get into the Eddy- 
‘‘ Tide, out of the Current ^ where the Ice is more open, 
and not drove together by the Winds and Current, as 
« it is in the Channel. But thefe Difficulties would 
« leffen every Day, if the Trade were opened and the 
« Voyages more frequent, by the great Number of Ships, 
whiclf would make many more experienced Pilots. 
« And as there is now a more accurate Chart publiffied 
« of the Streight and Bay, by Capt, Middleton, with 
“ the Ifiands, Soundings, Tides, and Variation *, the 
“ Navigation will become lefs dangerous daily, and 
Coves, and Places of Shelter for Ships, will be found 
out, by the Number of Ships which would then pafs, 
'‘t and be trading in thofe Seas which are now unknown. 
« I therefore apprehend that the Danger of the Ice is 
« more in Imagination than Reality, when Care and 
“ Judgment are employed •, for Ships are moftly in- 
clofed in Ice in calm Weather and Fogs, when the 
Ice prevents the Motion of the Sea ftormy Weather 
difperfes and breaks the Ice, unlefs they get under the 
‘‘ Lee of a large Ifiand of Ice ; and then they fallen to 
it, and drive along with it whilft the fmaller Ice to 
' Leeward is drove from them by the Wind, and the 
“ large Ifiands, being many Fathoms deep in the Water, 
“ come on Ground before the Ships are in Danger of 
“ being forced on Shore in ffiallow Water. 
“ The greateff Danger and Delay from the Ice is in 
“ the Entrance into the Streight j for the firft forty 
“ Leagues from thence the Quantity is lefs, and they 
pafs on with lefs Difficulty j and after getting into the 
“ Bay, the North-weft Side is the freeft from Ice ; the 
Bottom of the Bay is full of low flat Ice, which is all 
“ diffolved in the latter end of Summer. Upon the 
‘‘ Whole, except two Ships, which were loft in King 
William’s, Reign, and a French Ship, after an Engage- 
ment with our Ships when they attacked Fort Nelfon, 
I have heard of none, except the Ships already 
mentioned, which have been loft in the Voyage. The 
Two Ships which went out vtith Barlow, in 1719, 
“ to find the North-weft Pafiage, contrary to the Incli- 
nations of the Company, if they did not make the 
Paffage, were probably, in the Winter, furprifed 
by the Natives, and were not loft in the Ice ; for they 
fay that the Natives, in about l iatitude 63 Degrees, 
where they fuppofe they were loft, are fhyer fince 
that Time in trading with the Company’s Sloops ; 
** which they apprehend to be from a Confcioufnefs of 
Guilt, fearing that if it were known they ftiould 
ftill be piinifhed for it. Since therefore the greateft 
Danger from the Ice, is in paffing the Streight, and 
fo few Accidents have happened in fo many Years, 
the Navigation, I think, cannot be called dangerous, 
“ though it has been fo apprehended ; and not equal to 
the Whale-fifliers, who go annually to Spitjherg and 
Davis’s, Streights to Latitudes 78 and 80 Degrees, 
without any Objedion to that Navigation, either 
** by the Dutch, Hamburghers, Danes, Bifcayners, or 
Englijh.” 
He concludes from thence, that the opening the Trade 
and fettling in the Bay, would prove a great Benefit 
to, and great Improvement of, our Trade, which mio-fit 
be vaftly increafed, as well in refped to Furs as%o 
Mines, and the Whale-Fifhery *, all which might be 
carried on with the Afliftance of the Indians, and would 
turn to a very high Profit, even fuppofing that no 
VoL. IL Numb, 89. 
^93 
Paffage to the North-weft fhould ever be found % -hut 
ftiould future Experience demonftrate that this Gentle- 
man’s Notions are, in this Refped, well founded, -and 
this long fought-for Paffage ftiould adually be difcovered, 
it would then certainly follow that this Country, fo little 
known and fo much defpifed till very lately, would be- 
come of more confequence to us than almoft any Colony 
in America. Here let me take the Liberty of obferving 
what hitherto, as far as I know, has never yet been 
confidered : That if fuch a Paffage to the North- v/eft 
ftiould be difcovered before thefe Countries are tollerably 
planted, the French would have a fair Opportunity of 
fupplanting us in the Advantages expefiled from that 
important Attempt *, and perhaps we ftiould then be 
forced to fight for the Poffeffion of Countries that are 
now thought not worth the having. 
It may iikewife deferve fome Thought, v/hether it be 
not better to attempt fuch Settlements without Lofs of 
Time, as muft at all Events be highly ufeful and fervice- 
able to this Nation, by dividing the French Settlements 
in Canada, and on the Miftffippi, from each other, than to 
wait till the Importance of fuch Settlements ftiall appear in 
fo glaring a Light, as they muft immediately do if fuch a 
Paffage fhould be difcovered ; for we ought to remember, 
from the famous Inftance of our being difappointed in 
our Defign of fettling the Ifiands of St. Lucia and St. 
Vincent, that it is a very difficult Matter, in a Time of 
full Peace, for us to acquire any Advantage in Point of 
Commerce, at the Expence of the French, who, in fuch 
a Cafe, would not fail to take the fame vigorous Meafures 
that they did in the Cafe before-mentioned. I have 
taken the more Pains to place this Matter in a fair and true 
Light, becaufe I am perfuaded this is the Time in which 
only it can be confidered to Advantage ; for if the Cafe 
now in View (I mean the Difcovery of a North- weft 
Paffage) ftiould ever come, as I am convinced, fooner 
or later it will come to be the Cafe in Fa6l, the Face of 
Affairs will be quite changed, and this new Rout to the 
South' Seas 2 sA Eaji-Indies, will produce fuch an Alteration, 
in the whole Commercial Syftem of Europe, that Things 
will be feen to be then of the utmoft Confequence, which 
at prefent moft People look upon as Dreams andVifions, 
notwithftanding the late Sandlion given them by the Wif-_ 
dom of the Parliament. 
But it becomes a prudent and fenfible People, and 
above all it imports a maritime Power, to conftder 
Things in time, and while what is propofed for their 
Benefit is eafy, or at leaft prafticable and not to defer 
and delay Things till from being troublefome and diffi- 
cult they come to be abfolutely impoffible. We know 
what fharp and cutting Remarks have been made on the 
Meannefs of King James’s Spirit, in fuffering the Dutch 
to defpoil us of the Spice Trade : We cannot but remem- 
ber the fevere Refledtions on Queen Anne’s Miniftry, for 
not fecuring to us Cape Breton, and therefore we fhould 
be cautious of falling a third time into the fame Miftake, 
and of running the Flazard of making a great 
Difcovery, fuch as all the World allows that of the 
North-weft Paffage would be, rather for other Peoples 
Benefit than our own, fince it muft pafs for a Blunder, 
greater than ever was made by our Anceftors, and would 
render us effedlually ridiculous in the Eyes of lateft 
Pofterity. 
12. The Method we have taken in defcribing the Ac- 
quifitions of our Nation in America, leads us next to 
fpeak of the noble Country of Penfylvania ; the beft 
projedled, and one of the moft flourifhing of our Co- 
lonies on the Continent of ISorth America. We have 
before mentioned Admiral Venn, who in Conjundlion with 
Col. Venables, conquered the Ifiand of Jamaica for this 
Nation ; he became afterwards Sir William Penn, and 
ftood in as high a Degree of Credit with King Charles IL 
and his Brother the Duke of York, as any Seaman of that 
Time, as indeed he very well deferved ; for, with Abi- 
lities fuperior to moft, he had as great Modefty as any 
Man, and was ready, upon all Occafions, to ferve his 
Country in any Station that was found practicable. 
It was this excellent Difpofition of Mind that fecured 
him from Danger under one Government, and recom- 
mended him to Preferment under another j for when the 
4 ? ' Duke 
