NORTH POLE. 
194 
foundings on a bank at 320 to 330 fathoms, on the 29th 
of June, in latitude 57. N. longitude 24. 24.. W. which he 
fuppofed might be the remains of Bufs Ifland, feen by 
one of fir Martin Frobilher’s fleet; and, on the 7th of 
July, faw Cape Farewell, near which, on the following 
day, he was fetfaftin a field of ice, “the land at the fame 
time forming one of the moft romantic fcenes that can be . 
defcribed, being very high and rugged, prefenting to the 
eye mountainous rocks and fpires of almoft every ftiape, 
intermixed with patches of fnow, which contrafted finely 
with the deep blue of the mountains, affording the moft 
pleafing fenfations, and at the fame time exhibiting either 
grandeur or horror as the fun fhone forth or as it was 
cloudy.” (Lieutenant'PickerfgilPs MS. Journal.) Among 
the field-ice were feveral lofty iflands, on one of which 
was much earthy matter many feet deep, and pieces of 
rock feveral hundred pounds weight each, with gravelly 
Itreams of frefh water pouring down its fides. The 
whole mafs was drifting to the fouthward: The fea being 
perfectly fmooth among the ice, afforded them a good 
opportunity of making obfervations for the variation and 
inclination of the magnetic needle, the former of which 
was found to be 41. 31. W. and the latter 76. 30. the lati¬ 
tude at the fame time being 60. 1. N. and the longitude, 
by obfervation of the fun and moon, 46. 36. W. and from 
thefe obfervations and his diftance from Cape Farewell, 
he makes that promontory to lie in latitude 59. 32. N. lon¬ 
gitude 44. 10. W. of Greenwich. 
Mr. Pickerfgill, in proceeding to the northward, appears 
to have kept as clofe to the fhore as the ice and the rocks 
would permit; and on the 13th was “regaled,” as he 
expreffes himfelf, “with the aftonifhing fight of the fa¬ 
mous Greenland ice - glance ; it is a prodigious high field 
of folid ice, frozen acrofs the fuppofed Frobifher’s Strait, 
and is as high as the mountains, having the moft roman¬ 
tic appearance that can be imagined, though it does not 
fhiiie fo bright as I fhould have fuppofed from the de- 
fcription which has been given of it, nor could I fee thofe 
amazing arches, faid to be forty feet in height, through 
which the water rufiies, bringing back with the ebb-tide 
vaft quantities of ice from the inland countries with a 
cradling noife refembling thunder; at the fame time it 
is very poflible, for the neareft diftance we were from it 
was at leaft four leagues.” MS. Journal. 
Still running northwards along the fliore, among rocks, 
iflands,-fand-banks, and ice, the lieutenant anchored the 
Lion in a place which he called Mujquito Cove, from the 
fwarms of this infedt, bred, as he fuppofes, in the pools 
of fnow-water among the rocks. The latitude of this 
place was found to be 64. 56. 20. N. longitude 51. 53. 30. 
W. dip of the needle 81. 22. 30. and variation 50. 30. W. 
Here he had fome communication with the natives, who 
are defcribed as well-behaved, diffident, and honelt. 
On leaving this place, lieutenant Pickerfgill continued 
Handing as clofe along the fliore as lie could get for rocks 
and ice; and one day caught thirty-fix fine liollybuts, 
from one hundred to three hundred pounds each. The 
fea was now clear of ice until he came oppofite to Davis’s 
Cape of God's Mercy, when an immenfe field of ice ap¬ 
peared in fight, along which he continued to fail for up¬ 
wards of fifty miles. On the 3d of Auguft, being then 
in latitude 65. 37. he firft began to perceive his error in 
the navigation of Davis’s Strait: “This day,” he fays, 
“ has wafted us fafter than we have ever gone fince we 
have entered thefe calm and foggy ftraits ; for, upon an 
average, we have gone no more northerly than twelve 
miles a-day fince we have entered them. I now fee the 
reafon of our flow progrefs, which has been the keeping 
too near the land ; therefore, as I defign to difcover Jea, 
and not land, I fhall direft my way mid-channel, as near 
as my poor Ample judgment will diredt me, hoping for 
God’s bleffing, with my own endeavours.” Accordingly 
lie made a diftance of feventy-feven miles that day, and 
reached the latitude of 66. 53. but, notwithftanding this 
favourable commencement of the new plan which he was 
determined to adopt, the very next day all his refolution 
feems to have forfaken him, and we find him thus exprefi- 
fing himfelf: “ At twelve, having paffed a number of 
the higheft ice-iflands I ever faw, and meeting with many 
more, bigger and bigger, and every hour vifibly increafing 
their number, with a very heavy fea from the fouthward 
and a hard gale, the nights growing dark very fall, and 
the feafon far fpent, a number of our men fick, a putrid 
fever raging in the veflel, and numbers complaining for 
want of clothing and with pains in their limbs, which 
feems to be in this country a general complaint; the 
veflel very wet and ftngle-bottomed, without being pro¬ 
vided for wintering if we had been caught with the ice ;— 
in this fituation, I thought it neceflary to return, &c.” 
He ftood on, however, as far as 68. 10. then bore up for 
the fouthward ; but, with an unaccountable perverfity, 
ft ill continued to creep along the fhore, amongthe rocks, 
and iflands, and fields of ice, and did not reach Cape 
Farewell till the 24th of Auguft. On the 4th of Septem¬ 
ber he ran into Porcupine Harbour, on the coaftof La¬ 
brador. Here he remained till the 27th, and on the 29th 
his journal breaks off thus : “Being now taken ill, which 
illnefs continued for almoft all the paflage, and as nothing 
material occurred during it, I hope their lordfliips will 
excufe the fliort remainder until I give my general 
thoughts upon the voyage and the hopes of a paflagei” 
It does not appear, however, that their lordfliips gave 
him any further trouble on either fubjedt, but fuperfeded 
him in the command of the Lion, not deeming him a pro¬ 
per perfon to be fent out on a fimilar voyage the follow¬ 
ing year. 
The Lion armed brig, being again fitted out, under a 
new commander, lieutenant Walter Young, failed from 
the Nore on the 23d of March, 1777, and made Cape 
Farewell on the 3d of June; and for feveral days had 
ftormy weather, with much fnow and hail, the fhip work¬ 
ing all the while among fields of packed ice, till, on the 
18th of May, fhe ftood into the harbour of Lichtenfels. 
On the 24th fhe again weighed, and made fail to the 
northward, among much ice, and the weather fo bad, 
that on the 2d of June the fhip’s fails, ropes, and rigging, 
were one mafs of ice. On the 5th, the fea rofevery high, 
and made a fair breach over the main deck of the Lion, 
which froze inftantly, and the decks became covered with 
a folid body of ice, and the rigging hung with icicles ; at 
this time the ifland of Difco was in fight. Here the ice 
feemed to divide into two immenfe fields, leaving an open 
channel in the middle, of eight or ten miles in width, 
down which channel were feen floating a number of ice- 
iflands or bergs. 
On the 28th of June, in latitude 72. 42. the Women’s 
Iflands were in fight; and, to the northward, the eaftern 
ice appeared to approach the weftern, till the channel be¬ 
came fo narrow, that lieutenant Young thought it pru¬ 
dent to tack and Hand away to the fouthward. No found¬ 
ings with 100 fathoms of line. The floating iflands of ice 
were very large and numerous, and much fnow fell, with 
the thermometer at 30. to 32. On the 10th it fell calm, 
the thermometer rofe to 38. and 39. and feveral fifliing- 
fhips were in fight about latitude 71. 16. The weather 
was now very fine, and the thermometer at 40. to 43. and 
twenty fail of fiftiing-veffels plying about; but a chain of 
large iflands ftretched acrofs from the fliore to the weftern 
ice, not more than a quarter of a mile afunder. The 
fine moderate weather, with the thermometer frequently 
up to 44. and 45. and once to 49. continued till the end 
of June, at which time we find the Lion as far to the 
fouthward as 63. 30. and on the 4th of July fairly out of 
the ftrait, and to the weftward of Cape Farewell, without 
any reafon whatever being affigned for not proceeding to 
the northward, excepting the multitude of ice-iflands 
which are repeatedly mentioned in the remarks of each 
day. Indeed the whole journal is as meagre as if it had 
been the record of the moft ordinary voyage. On the 
26th of Auguft he.arrived at the Nore. By his inftruc- 
tions. 
