276 
A VOYAGE TO 
1 779’ f° n thus far advanced, the weather fetting in with fnow and 
fleet? and other figns of approaching winter, we abandoned 
our enterprize for that time. 
In this fecond attempt, we could do little more than con¬ 
firm the obfervations we had made in the firft; for we were 
never able to approach the continent of Afia higher than the 
latitude of 67°, nor that of America in any parts, excepting 
a few leagues between the latitude of 68° and 68° 20', that 
were not feen the laffc year. We were now obftru&ed by 
ice 3 0 lower, and our endeavours to pufh farther to the 
Northward, were principally confined to the mid-fpace be¬ 
tween the two coafts. We penetrated near 3 0 farther on the 
American fide than on the Afiatic, meeting with the ice 
both years fooner, and in greater quantities, on the latter 
coaft. As we advanced North, we ftill found the ice more 
compact and folid; yet as, in our different traverfes from 
fide to fide, we paffed over fpaces which had before been 
covered with it, we conjectured, that molt of what we faw 
was moveable. Its height, on a medium, we took to be 
from eight to ten feet, and that of the higheft to have been 
fixteen or eighteen. We again tried the currents twice, and 
found them unequal, but never to exceed one mile an hour. 
By comparing the reckoning with the obfervations, we alfo 
found the current to fet different ways, yet more from the 
South Weft than any other quarter; but whatever their di¬ 
rection might be, their effeCt was fo trifling, that no conclu- 
fions, refpeCting the exiftence of any paffage to the North¬ 
ward, could be drawn from them. We found the month of 
July to be infinitely colder than that of Auguft. The ther¬ 
mometer in July was once at 28°, and very commonly at 30°; 
whereas the laft year, in Auguft, it was very rare to have it 
fo low as the freezing point. In both feafons, we had fome 
high 
