247 
THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
i88° 5 7 . The variation, in the afternoon, was found to be 1//y . 
29 0 30' Eaft. t _ p 
As we had now failed near forty leagues to the Well ward, 
along the edge of the ice, without feeing any opening, or a 
clear fea to the Northward beyond it, and had therefore no 
profpe6t of advancing farther North for the prefent, Cap¬ 
tain Clerke refolved to bear away to the South by Eaft (the 
only quarter that was clear), and to wait till the feafon was 
more advanced, before he made any farther efforts to pene¬ 
trate through the ice. The intermediate time he propofed 
to fpend in examining the bay of Saint Laurence, and the 
coaft to the Southward of it; as a harbour fo near, in cafe 
of future damage from the ice, would be very defirable. 
We alfo wifhed to pay another vifit to our Tfchutfki friends; 
and, particularly, ftnce the accounts we had heard of them 
from the Commander of Kamtfchatka. 
We therefore ftood on to the Southward, till the noon of 
the loth, at which time we paffed great quantities of drift- Saturday io, 
ice, and the wind fell to a perfeff calm. The latitude, by 
obfervation, was 68° T ; longitude i88° 30". We paffed fe- 
veral whales in the forenoon ; and, in the afternoon, hoift- 
ed out the boats, and fent them in purfuit of the fea-horfes, 
which were in great numbers on the pieces of ice that fur- 
rounded us. Our people were more fuccefsful than they 
had been before, returning with three large ones, and a 
young one; beftdes killing and w 7 ounding feveral others. 
The gentlemen who went on this party were witneffes of 
feveral remarkable inftances of parental affecftion in thofe 
animals. On the approach of our boats toward the ice, 
they all took their cubs under their fins, and endeavoured 
to efcape with them into the fea. Several, whofe youn^g 
were killed or wounded, and left floating on the furface, 
xo rofe 
