408 Captain James’s Voyage 
tli^rly Love, and to be bold to profefs the Chriftian. 
Religion, wherever we fhould come in this our Peregrina- 
tion. After they had received fuch Entertainment as I 
could afford they departed for Brijlol. This Afternoon 
1 made a Review of all Cloaths, Neceffaries, and 
Viduals. The 3d of May^ after Prayer, about three in , 
the Afternoon, we failed down the Severn to the weftward 
of Lundy^ where the Wind oppofed us fo ftrongly, that 
we were obliged to anchor in Lundy Road •, where we 're- 
mained till the 8th in the Morning, when we' failed; 
but were forced to put into Milford^ where we an- 
chored about Midnight : Here we remained till the 
lyth, when, in the Morning, with the firfl: fair 
Whnd we proceeded, and doubled Ccrpe Clear ^ off Ireland. 
The 22d we were in Latitude 51 Degrees 26 Minutes, 
and the Blaftzes bore from us North-eaft about twelve 
Leagues off , which Blajkes is in Latitude 52 Degrees 4 
Minutes ; here I ordered the Courfe that fhould be kept, 
which was generally Weft-north- weft, as the Wind would 
permit, which in this Courfe and Diftance is very variable. 
-The 4th of June we made the Land of Greenland., ftand- 
ing in with it, to have Knowledge of the trending of 
it : It proved very foul Weather, and next Day, by two 
in the Morning, we found ourfelves encompaffed with Ice ; 
and endeavouring to clear ourfelves of it we were the 
more engaged, and ftruck many fearful Blows againft it. 
At length we made faft to a great Piege, and, with 
Poles, wrought Day and Night to- keep off the Ice; in 
which Labour we broke all our Poles. 
The 6th, about tv/o in the Morning, we were befet 
with extraordinary Pieces of Ice, that came upon us with 
great Violence, and doubtlefs would have crulhed us to 
Pieces if we had not let fall fome Sail, which the Ship 
prefently felt. In efcaping the Danger we ran againft 
another great Piece, that we doubted whether our Ship 
had not been ftaved to Pieces ; but by pumping wc 
found file made no Water. The former Pieces of Ice 
had crufhed our Shallop all to Pieces, wherefore I caufed 
our Long-boat to be had up from betwixt the Decks and 
put over-board, by the Help whereof we recovered our 
broken Shallop, and fet her upon the Deck, intending 
' fo new-build her. All this Day we beat, and were beaten 
amongft, the Ice, it blowing a perfeft Storm. In the 
Evening we were encloled among great Pieces as high as 
our Poop, and fome of the fharp blue Corners of them 
reached quite under us. In this Extremity I made the 
Men let fall, and make what fail they could, and the 
Ship forced herfelf through it, though fo toffed and 
beaten as I think never Ship was. When we were clear 
we tried the Pumps, and found them ftaunch ; upon 
which we went inftantly to Prayer, to praife God for his 
merciful Delivery of us. 
The feventh and eighth Days we endeavoured to double 
about Cape Farewell., being ftill peftered with much Ice. 
The 9th we were in the Latitude of 59 Degrees, and we 
made Account the Cape Farewell bore off us due Eaft, 
and fome ten Leagues off. Blajkes in Ireland is in Lati- 
tude 5 2 Degrees 4 Minutes, and Cape Farewell in Latitude 
59. The Courfe is Weft-north- weft, and the Diftance 
about four hundred and ten Leagues : I know very well 
thefe Latitudes, Courfes, and Diftance, do not agree with 
mathematical ConclufiOns ; but thus v/e found it by 
Praflice. The Variation of the Compafs in Latitude 52 
Degrees 30 Minutes, and thirty Leagues to the weftward 
of Ireland^ is about 3 Degrees to the eaftward ; in Lati- 
tude 57, about three hundred and ten Leagues Weft- 
north-weft from the Blajkes., the Compafs doth vary 
nine Degrees to the weftward ; in Latitude 59 Degrees 
,i 5 Minutes, fome forty Leagues to the eaftward of Cape 
Farezvell., the Variation is 14 Degrees 45 Minutes. In 
this Courfe I have been obfervant whether there were 
any Current that did fet to the North-eaft, as fome have 
have written there did, and that as w^ell in calm Weather 
as otherwife, but I could not perceive any. The Winds 
here are variable, and the Seas of an unfearchable Depth ; 
we have not feen from Ireland hitherto any Whales, or 
Qther Fifli ; the Weather for the moft part was foggy. 
3. On the loth all the Morning, was very foul, and 
high although ha 4 jee about us, and fome Pieces 
into Hudfon’s Bay, Book If. 
as high as our Topmaft Head. Our Long-boat, which- 
we were forced to tow a-ftern, broke away, and put us 
to fome Trouble to recover her. This we did, and 
brought her into the Ship, though much briiifed, and had 
two Men much hurt. By eight in the Morning v/e were 
fhot up as high as Cape t>efolation ; for finding the Land 
to trend away North and by Eaft, we certainly knew it 
to be the Cape : It ftands in Latitude 60 Degrees, and 
the Land from Cape Farewell to it trends North- weft 
the Diftance about forty Leagues, the Courfe Weft half 
a Point North. The Latitude of the South-end of the 
Hand being 6 1 Degrees 20 Minutes, fome twelve Leagues 
to the weftward of Cape Lefolation., the Variation 16 
Degrees. In this Courfe we were much beaten with the 1 
Ice, many Pieces being higher than our Topm.aft Plead. 
In our Way we law many Gram.puffes amongft the Ice, 
and the Sea is full of them ; the Weather, a ftinking 
Fog, and the Sea very black ; which I conceive to be 
occafioned by the Fog. 
The 1 7th, at Night, we heard the Traft of the Shore, 
as we thought ; but it proved to be the Rutt of a Bank 
of Ice. It made a hollow and hideous Noife, like an 
Overfall of Water, which made us to reafon among our- 
felves concerning it, for v/e were not able to fee far, it 
being dark-night and foggy; we flood off from it till 
break of Day, then in again ; and about four in the 
Morning we faw the Land above the Fog, which we 
knew to be the Hand of Rejolutmi. This Night was, fo 
cold that all our Rigging and Sails were frozen. We 
endeavoured to compafs the fouthern Point of the Hand, 
v/here runs a auick Tide into the Streight ; but the Ebb 
is as ftrong as the Flood. The Fog was of fuchapierce- 
ing Nature that it fpoiled all our Compafies, and made 
them flag, and fo heavy that they would not traverfe ; 
wherefore I would advife any that fhall fail this Way, 
to provide CompalTes of Mofeow Glafs, or fome other Mat- 
ter that endures the Moifture of the Weather. As the Fog 
cleared up we could fee the Entrance of the Streight to be 
full of Ice clofe wedged together ; endeavouring to go for- 
ward we were faft enclofed amongft it ; and fo drove to , 
^and again with it, finding no Ground at two hundred 
and thirty Fathoms, four Leagues from the Shore. 
The 20th in the Morning we had got about the fouthern 
Point of the Hand; and the Wind at Weft drove both 
us and the Ice upon the Shore ; when we were driven 
within two Leagues of the Coaft, we came among the 
ftron2:eft Whirlings of the Sea that can be conceived. 
I'here were great Pieces of Ice aground in forty Fathoms 
Water, and the Ebb coming out of the broken Grounds 
of the Hand among thofelfles of Ice, made fuch a De- 
ftruflion that we were carried round fometimes clofe by 
the Rocks, and fometimes fo clofe by thefe high Pieces, 
that v/e were afraid they would fall upon us. We made 
fift two great Pieces of the Ice to our Side, v/ith our 
Sledges and Grapnels, that drew nine or ten Fathoms ; 
that fo they might be on Ground before us, if we were 
driven on the Shore; but thatDefign failed us. And now 
from the Top feeing in among the Rocks, I fent the Boat 
to fee if file could find fome Place of Security ; but fhe 
was no fooner parted but fhe was inclofed, and driven 
to trail upon the Ice, or elfe ftie had been daflied to ■ 
Pieces ; they ran her over the Ice from Place to Place, | 
and in the mean while, with the whirling of the Ice, ,f 
the two Pieces broke av/ay from our Sides, and tarried ,| 
away our Kedger and Grapnels : Then we made Signs ;| 
to the Boat to make all the hafte fhe could to us, which, .j 
fhe perceiving, did ; the Men being with much Difficulty j 
forced to Aide her over many Pieces of Ice. In the mean u 
time we made fome fail, and got to that Piece of Ice r 
which had our Grapnel on it, which we recovered. - 
By this time our Boat' was come, and we put a frelh f 
Crew into her, and fent. her to fetch our Kedger, which 
file endeavoured with much Danger of Boat and Men. 
By this time the Ship was driven fo near the Shore that in 
we could fee the Rocks under us, and about us, and we ‘.1 
were carried by the Whirlings of the Water clofe by the c; 
Points of Rocks, and ^ then round about back again ; r 
and all this notwithftanding the Sail we had aboard, and ;r 
we expeded continually when fiie would be beaten to ct 
’ T Pieces. 
