THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 463 
had been partly wafhed away, while the bafe or under part 1778. 
remained firm for feveral fathoms round that which ap- . Auguft ‘ , 
peared above water, exactly like a fhoal round an elevated 
rock. We meafured the depth of water upon one, and 
found it to be fifteen feet; fo that the fhips might have 
failed over it. If I had not meafured this depth, I would 
not have believed, that there was a fufhcient weight of ice 
above the furface, to have funk the other fo much below 
it. Thus it may happen, that more ice is deftroyed in one 
ftormy feafon, than is formed in feveral winters, and an end- 
lefs accumulation is prevented. But that there is always a 
remaining ftore, every one who has been upon the fpot will 
conclude, and none but clofet-ftudying philofophers will 
difpute. 
A thick fog, which came on while I was thus employed 
with the boats, haftened me aboard, rather fooner than I 
could have wifhed, with one fea-horfe to each fhip. We had 
killed more, but could not wait to bring them with us. The 
number of thefe animals, on all the ice that we had feen, 
is almoft incredible. We fpent the night handing off and 
on, amongft the drift ice; and at nine o’clock the next 
morning, the fog having partly difperfed, boats from each Friday 28. 
fhip were fent for fea-horfes. For, by this time, our people 
began to relifh them, and thofe we had procured before 
were all confumed. At noon, our latitude was 69° 17', our 
longitude 183°; the variation, by the morning azimuths, 
25 0 56' Eafh; and the depth of water twenty-five fathoms. 
At two o’clock, having got on board as much marine beef 
as was thought neceffary, and the wind frefhening at South 
South Eaft, we took on board the boats, and ftretched to the 
South Weft. But not being able to weather the ice upon 
this tack, or to go through it, we made a board to the Eaft, 
till 
