THE PACIFIC OCEAN, 
249 
had been considerably raifed, by having now advanced near 
ten leagues through a fpace, which, on the 9th, we had 
found occupied by impenetrable ice. Our latitude, at this 
time, was 69° 37'; our polition nearly in the mid channel 
between the two continents; and the field of ice extending 
from Eafl North Eaft, to Weft South Weft. 
As there did not remain the fmalleft profpedt of getting 
farther North in the part of the fea where we now were, 
Captain Clerke refolved to make one more, and final at¬ 
tempt on the American coaft, for Baffin’s Bay, fince we had 
been able to advance the fartheft on this fide laft year. Ac¬ 
cordingly, we kept working, the remaining part of the day, 
to the windward, with a frefh Eafterly breeze. We faw fe~ 
veral fulmars and arclic gulls, and palled two trees, both 
appearing to have lain in the water a long time. The larger 
was about ten feet in length, and three in circumference, 
without either bark or branches, but with the roots remain¬ 
ing attached. 
On the 14th, we flood on to the Eaftward, with thick and 
foggy weather, our courfe being nearly parallel to that we 
fleered the 8th and 9th, but fix leagues more to the North¬ 
ward. On the 15th, the wind frefhened from the Weft- 
ward, and having, in a great meafure, difperfed the fog, 
we immediately flood to the Northward, that we might 
take a nearer view of the ice; and in an hour were clofe 
in with it, extending from North North Weft, to North 
Eaft. We found it to be compact and folid; the outer 
parts were ragged, and of different heights; the interior 
iurface was even; and, we judged, from eight to ten feet 
above the level of the fea. The weather becoming mode¬ 
rate for the remaining part of the day, we directed our 
Yol. III. Kk courfe 
1779. 
July. 
Wednef. 14, 
Thursday 15. 
