OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 
301 
ceeded in penetrating thus far through more than ordinary obstructions from 1820. 
ice. Encouraged by this success, and by the knowledge of our having subse- 
quently crossed to the western coast of Baffin’s Bay without much dif- 
ficulty, the whalers began to extend their views beyond what had formerly 
been considered the utmost limits of the fishery, and accordingly in 1819, 
succeeded in penetrating the barrier of ice which occupies the centre of 
Baffin’s Bay, and for the first time sailed over into Sir James Lancaster’s 
Sound, and some of the other bays and inlets upon the same coast. In the 
course of that year’s navigation, no less than fourteen ships were wrecked among 
the ice, but fortunately only one or two lives were lost. Not discouraged, 
however, by this disaster, the enterprising spirit of our fishermen led them, 
again, in 1820, to make the attempt to range over the whole of the northern 
and western parts of the bay in quest of whales. Such was the well-earned 
success which attended their efforts, that, in the course of that season, 
scarcely a nook or corner of this extensive bay remained unvisited by them. 
Mr. Bell in the Friendship, of Hull, whom I have before had occasion to 
mention, and one or two other of the ships sailed up to its very northern- 
most limits, entered Whale Sound, and were close off the entrance of Sir 
Thomas Smith’s Sound; an exploit which has never before been performed since 
Baffin first discovered these inlets, above two hundred years ago. It has 
been seen, in the course of the foregoing narrative, in what situation we met 
with several of the ships on our return down the western coast in the autumn 
of 1820. The success which they met with on this occasion was such as has 
seldom occurred in the Davis’ Strait fishery in any former season ; and thus 
has a new and extensive field been opened for one of the most lucra- 
tive branches of our commerce, and, what is of scarcely less importance, 
one of the most valuable nurseries for seamen which Great Britain pos- 
sesses. Nothing, indeed, can exceed the bold and enterprising spirit dis- 
played by our fishermen in the capture of the whale. At whatever 
time of night or day, a whale is announced by the look-out man in 
the crow’s-nest, the men instantly jump into the boats, frequently with 
their clothes in their hand, and with an alacrity scarcely equalled even 
in the most highly-disciplined fleet, push on in pursuit of the whale, regard- 
less of cold and wet, and hunger, for hours, and sometimes days together. 
Nor is it solely on occasions where their immediate interest is concerned, 
that this activity is displayed by them. It happened, on the voyage of 
1818, that in endeavouring to pass between the land and a body of ice 
