78 
FIRST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
Rome! Port, and Savage Islands, and although they were only 
in fifteen fathoms water, it was reckoned that their distance from 
the land was twenty-five miles. The ice, as seen from the mast 
head extended from the land, and taking a westerly course, they 
steered between the grounded icebergs, amongst rocks and 
streams of ice. One of the icebergs was three hundred and 
twenty-five feet high, and twelve hundred feet in length. A 
torrent of water was running down its side. 
On the 9th, the weather continuing moderate, they ran by 
the edge of the fixed ice, sailing along until they approached 
the land, where the ice was found closely to join it. No water 
being to be seen from the mast head, they made fast to an 
iceberg, which was aground near two small islands, which 
were suppposed to lie off North Bay. 
Some native Esquimaux here came off to the ships, and from 
them the information was gained, that the berg to which they 
had made fast, had remained aground in the same place since 
the last year; they were also informed that the ice was close all 
the way from thence to Disco, and that no ship had yet got up 
thither. The Esquimaux received several presents, expecting in 
return that they would bring off some supplies of game, and 
water-fowl for the ships crews; on the following day the first 
seal was shot, weighing eight hundred and fifty pounds, and yield¬ 
ed thirty gallons of oil; on the same day they fell in with several 
ships employed in the whale fishery, from the masters of one 
of them, the information was obtained, that he had been in the 
Bay to the westward of Disco, where, according to the chart, 
there is good anchorage, but that the whole Bay between Dog 
and Whale Islands, was covered with ice. By the governor 
of the Whale Islands, he had been informed that the ice had 
broken up and froze again, no less than three times during the 
present season. It was his opinion that the sea, north of Disco, 
might before the time of our conference have been clear, and 
ihat a passage to the north along the eastern shore was feasible. 
On parting with this vessel, the discovery ships stood to the 
west and south, but finding the ice firm they tacked, and returned 
to their old position. The weather coming on very thick, the 
