wanting to complete the great plan o f difcovery. The
Southern hemifphere had, indeed, been repeatedly vifited,
and its utmoll acceffible extremities been furveyed. But'
much uncertainty, and, of courfe, great variety of opinion,
fubfifted, as to the navigable extremities of our own hemifphere
; particularly, as to the exiftence, or, at leaft, as to
the practicability o f a Northern paffage between the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans, either by failing Eaft ward, round Afia,
or Weft ward, round North America.
It was obvious, that if fuch a paffage could be effedted,
voyages to Japan and China, and, indeed, to the Eaft Indies
in general, would be much ihortened; and confequently
become more profitable, than by making the tedious circuit
of the Cape of Good Hope. Accordingly, it became a favourite
objedt of the Engliih to effeCtuate this, above two
centuries ago j and (to fay nothing o f Cabot’s original attempt,
in 1497, which ended in the difcovery of Newfoundland,
and the Labradore coafl) from Erobiiher’s firft voyage
to find a Wefiern paffage, in 1576, to. thofe o f James and o f
fox, in 1631, repeated trials had been made by our enter-
prizing adventurers. But though farther knowledge of the
Northern extent of America was obtained in the courfe of
thefe voyages, hy the difcovery of Hudfon’s and. Baffin’s
Bays, the wifhed-for paffage, on that fide, into the Pacific
Ocean, was ftill unattained. Our countrymen, and the
Dutch, were equally unfuccefsful, in various attempts,
to find this paffage in an Eaftern direction.. Wood’s
failure, in 1676,5 feems to have clofed the long lift of unfortunate
Northern expeditions in that century ; and the difco-
very, if not abfclutely defpaired of, by having-been fo often
sniffed, ceafed, for many years, to be fought for».
Mr.
Mr. Dobbs, a warm advocate for the probability of a
North Weft paflage through Hudfon’s Bay, in our own time,-
once more recalled the attention of this country to that undertaking
; and, by his aCtive zeal, and perfevering felicitation,
renewed the fpirit of difcovery. But it was renewed
in vain. For Captain Middleton, fent out by Government in
1741, and Captains Smith and Moore, by a private feciety,,
in 1746, though encouraged by an aCt of Parliament paffed.
in the preceding year, that annexed a reward of twenty
thoufand pounds to the difcovery of a paffage, returned
from Hudfon’s Bay with reports o f their proceedings, that
left the accomplilhment of this favourite objeft at as great
a diftance as ever.
When refearches of this kind, no longer left to the felicitation
o f an individual, or to the fubfcriptions of private
adventurers, became cherifhed by the Royal attention, in
the prefent reign, and warmly promoted by the Minifter at
the head of the naval department, it was impoffible, while
fo much was done toward exploring the remoteft corners of
the Southern hemifphere, that the Northern paffage fhould
not be attempted. Accordingly, while Captain Cook was
profecuting his voyage toward the South Pole, in 1.773,.
Lord Mulgrave failed with two-ffiips, to determine, how far navigation
was practicable toward the North Pole. And though;
his Lordfhip met with the fame infuperable bar to his pro-
grefi, which former navigators had experienced *, the.
hopes of opening a communication between the Pacific and
Atlantic Oceans, by a Northerly courfe, were not abandoned;
* See the hiftory of former attempts to fail toward the North Pole, in the- Intro—
du&ion to Eord Mulgrave’s Journal. Mr. Barrington has collected feveral in-
fiances of lhips advancing to verjhigh.latitudes. See his-Mifcsllanies, p. 1-124»-
S a n d