THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
251 
1779. 
Ny. 
faw abundance of fea-parrots, and the fmall ice-birds, and 
like wife a number of whales. At noon, the latitude, by 
obfervation, was 70° i 6 \ and longitude 194 0 54"; the depth 
of water twenty-three fathoms; the ice ftretched from 
North to Eaft North Eaft, and was diftant about three miles. 
At one in the afternoon, finding that we were clofe in with 
a firm united field of it, extending from Weft North Weft 
to Eaft, we tacked, and, the wind coming round to the 
Weft ward, ftood on to the Eaft ward, along its edge, till 
eleven at night. At that time a very thick fog coming- 
on, and the water fhoaling to nineteen fathoms, we hauled 
our wind to the South. The variation obferved this day 
was 31 0 2o 7 Eaft. It is remarkable, that though we faw no 
fea-horfes on the body of the ice, yet they were in herds, 
and in greater numbers on the detached fragments, than, 
we had ever obferved before. About nine in the even¬ 
ing, a white bear was feen fwimming clofe by the Dif- 
covery; it afterward made to the ice, on which were alfo 
two others. 
On the 19th, at one in the morning, the weather clearing Monday 19. 
up, we again fteered to the North Eaft, till two, when we 
were a fecond time fo completely embayed, that there was 
no opening left, but to the South ; to which quarter we ac¬ 
cordingly directed our courfe, returning through a remark¬ 
ably fmooth water, and with very favourable weather, by 
the fame way we had come in. We were never able to pe¬ 
netrate farther North than at this time, when our latitude 
was 70° 33"; and this was five leagues fiiort of the point to 
which we advanced laft feafon. We held on to the South 
.South Weft, with light winds from the North Weft, by the 
edge of the main ice, which lay on our left hand, and 
ftretched between us and the continent of America. Our 
K k 2 latitude, 
