363 
East Coast of West Greenland. 
jthe distance of about seventy leagues from the site of the northern 
colonies,, as given by Crantz, the main interests of my voyage ob- 
liged me to put about, and return to the northward. This disap- 
pointment was the greater, since I could observe no other hinder- 
ance to my penetration along the coast. I had reason, indeed, to 
believe, that, could I have been justified in devoting three or four 
weeks of my time entirely to research, I might have coasted the 
land down to Cape Farewell, and seen every station of the colonies 
by the way. In such an investigation I apprehended little difficul- 
ty. The chief difficulty, that of obtaining an entrance through 
a body of ice, 100 to 150 miles in width, which skirted and defend- 
ed the coast, was already overcome ; and as, in the 70th, 71st, and 
72d parallels of latitude, we found the best navigation close in-shore, 
?e had some reason to expect that we should not, at any rate, have 
met with any thing insurmountable to obstruct our way to the 
southward, even down to the extreme promontory of Greenland.”’ 
F. 327 - 389 . 
We deeply regret that the nature of Captain Scoresby’s en- 
gagements forced him to abandon the investigation of the coun- 
try along the line of coast where the Icelandic colonies were 
planted. Now, however, since the way has been opened by his 
investigations, we trust another season will not elapse before this 
interesting country is examined, down to Cape Farewell, by our 
author himself, and also by ships sent out by the Governments 
of Britain and Denmark. 
On the 30th August they got clear of the ice, on which occa- 
sion the following excellent remarks are given. 
“ It is not easy for a person, unacquainted with the navigation of 
the polar seas, to judge of the perpetual anxietyjthat the commander 
of a ship suffers, while involved among the crowded, extensive, and 
dangerous ices with which these regions abound. Among drift-ice, 
whenever the wind is high, ships are liable to receive blows that 
might be destructive ; and, among fields and floes, when the wea- 
ther is thick, so that the dangers of the navigation cannot always 
be discerned before it is too late, they are exposed to the closing of 
these irresistible masses of ice upon them, which are capable of 
crushing them in pieces in a moment. Ships under-way are almost 
perpetually exposed to one or other of these dangers ; nor are ships 
moored to the ice by any means in safety, as our experience tins 
voyage too powerfully demonstrated. Where floes abound, they are 
almost continually revolving and driving about in various direc- 
tions, and frequently coming into mutual contact, with tremendous 
concussions. Different causes operate in bringing separate masses 
into contact, the combined influence of which is often altogether in- 
calculable. Thus, superficial currents, which are not uncommon, 
operate more powerfully upon light ice than heavy ice, so as to car- 
ry the former with greater velocity than the latter. The wind also. 
