VOYAGE TO GREENLAND. 
39 
to the eastward of us, about thirty or forty miles. 
We were not near enough distinctly to discover the 
nature of the coast, more than its lofty mountains in 
the vicinity of Horn Sound, whose summits, crowned 
with eternal snow, towered some into the clouds, 
and others above them. It was however sufficiently 
near to present a picture of extreme dreariness and 
desolation, full of craggy mountains and deep glens. 
The first discovery of these islands extending from 
the seventy-sixth to the eighty-first parallel of north 
latitude, was made by Barentz in 1 594. 
From the gale in the night, the ice had collected 
around us, so that we were in a basin ; to get out 
of which, much display of seamanship was exhibi- 
ted. The difficulties of yesterday were nothing in 
comparison to those with which we had now to con- 
tend; the pieces of ice were, if possible, more nu- 
merous, more closely packed, and of the rockiest 
hardness. To discover a passage from the entangle- 
ment was attempted at every point of the compass ; 
but finding twenty-eight of the thirty- two points to 
be impenetrable, every address which the ablest 
judgment could suggest, was not only necessary 
but employed for the purpose, our situation being 
so very critical. I spent much time at the head of 
the ship, to observe the operations, and beheld with 
admiration the caution and resolution displayed. 
The ice being of a nature requiring the most pru- 
dential choice of attack, it not only appeared con- 
scious of its own power, but, as though determined 
to succeed^ had collected a host of auxiliaries to 
