VOYAGE TO GREENLAND. 
43 
ship almost surrounded with compact ice, and no 
great prospect of advancing much further to the 
northward. As such, the usual time for the com- 
mencement of the southern fishing being near, we 
tacked, and stood to the south-west, expecting in 
that direction to gain the open sea, near the place 
where we entered ; but instead of this, we got more 
and more involved, and found the ice quite im- 
pervious in the N. NE. E. SE. S. SW, W. and all 
round as far as the NW. the points intermediate 
between NW. and N. being the only practicable 
tract. We were therefore obliged to stand back to 
the N., until we rounded a point of ice ; then, after 
steering E. SE. and S. a distance of twenty or 
twenty-five miles, we were enabled to haul out to 
the SW., a course which, if my orders had been 
obeyed, should have led us out from our position in 
the morning.” 
Proceeding on our south-west course, we passed 
through occasional streams of ice, of considerable 
extent, and a few fragments of ice-bergs, one of 
which wras particularly remarkable, being upwards 
of one hundred and fifty feet in length, and fifty 
feet from the surface of the water, having apertures, 
like windows. Another at a distance resembled a, 
tower, seated upon an immense base, of very con- 
siderable height, at least seventy feet, of a most 
beautiful berylline blue, and nearly perpendicular. 
We sailed into a bight of about tern 
May 18 .. ^ ’ 
miles across, surrounded on twenty-four 
