177s.
Auguft. o f 69 33, and in the longitude o f 195° 48'; and as the main *77*-
It is-worth obferving, that for fome days before this date,
we had frequently feen flocks o f ducks fly in g to the Southward.
T h e y were o f two forts, the one much la rge r than
the other. T h e largeft were o f a b rown colours and, o f the
fmall fort, either the duck or drake was black and white,
and the other brown. Some faid they faw geefe alfo. Does
not this indicate that there muft be land to the North;
where thefe birds find ihelter, in the proper feafon, to breed,
and from whence they were now returning to a warmer
climate ?
By the time that we had got our fea-horfes on board, w e
were, in a manner, furrounded w ith the i c e ; and had no
w a y le ft to clear it, but b y Handing to the Sou thw a rd ;
Tkurfday 20. w hich was done till three o’clock next morning, with a
gentle breeze wefterly ; and, fo r the moil part, thick, fo g g y
weather. T h e foundings were from twelve to fifteen fa thoms.
We then tacked, and flood to the North till ten
o’c lo c k ; when the wind v e e rin g to the Northward, we d irected
our courfe to the Weft South Weft and Weft. A t two
in the afternoon, we fe ll in w ith the main i c e ; a long the
edge o f w hich we k e p t ; b e in g partly directed by the roaring
o f the fea-horfes; for w e had a very thick fo g. Thus w e
continued failin g till near midnight, when we go t in amon gft
the loofe ice, and heard the furge o f the fea upon the main
ice.
T he fo g b e in g ve ry thick, and the wind Eafterly, I now
Friday at hauled to the Southward; and, at ten o’clock the next morn-.
in g, the fo g clearing away, we faw the continent o f America,
extending from South by Eaft, to Eaft by S o u th ; and at
noon, from South Weft h a lf South, to Eaft; the neareft part
five leagues diftant. At this time we were in the latitude
1 o f
ice was at no great diftance from us, it is evident, that it ■ A°8°ft-_r
now covered a part o f the fea, vyhich, but a few days before,
had been c le a r ; and that it extended farther to the South,
than where w e firft fe ll in with it. It rnuft not be under-
ftood, that I fuppofed any part o f this ice which we had
feen, to be fixed ; on the contrary, I am well allured, that
the whole was a moveable mafs.
H a vin g but little wind, in the afternoon, I fent the Mailer
in a boat, to try i f there was ar.y cu r re n t ; but he found
none. I continued to fleer in for the American land, until
eight o’clock, in order to get a nearer v iew o f it, and to look
fo r a h a rb o u r ; but feeing nothing lik e one, I flood again to
the North, with a ligh t breeze Wefterly. At this time, the
coaft extended from South Weft to Eaft; the neareft part
fo u r or five leagues diftant. T h e Southern extreme feemed
to form a point, w hich was named Cape Lijbume. It lies in
the latitude o f 6g* / , and in the longitude o f 194* 42', and
appeared to be pretty h ig h land, even down to the fea. But
there may be low land under it, w hich we migh t not fee,
b e in g not lefs than ten leagues from it. Every where elfe,
as w e advanced Northward, we had found a low coaft,
from which the land rifes to a middle height. T h e coaft
n ow before us was without fnow, except in one or two
places ; and had a greenilh hue. But we could not perceive
any wood upon it.
On the sad, the wind was Southerly, and the weather Saturday 12,
moftly fo g g y , with fome intervals o f funihine. At e igh t in ■
the evening it fe ll calm, which continued till midnighr,
•when-we heard the furge o f the fea againft the ice, and had
feveral