1779- had been broken o ff from the main body, and againft w hich
■«—JI notwithftanding all our caution, the (hips were driven w ith
great violence. At e ight o’clock in the evening, we palled
fome drift wood; and at midnight the wind ihifted to the
North We ft; the thermometer fe ll from 38° to 31°, and we
had continued Ihowers o f fnow and fleet.
Hiurfdaj'8. On the 8th, at five in the morning, the wind coming ftill
more to the-Northward, we could no longer keep on the
fame tack, on account o f the ice, but were obliged to ftand
to the Weftward. At this time our foundings had decreafed
to nineteen fathoms, from which, on comparing it with
ou r obfervations on the depth o f ’water laft year, we concluded,
that w e were not at a greater diftance from the
American fhore than fix or feven leagues ; but our view was
confined within a much fhorter compafs, by a violent fa ll
o f fnow. At noon, the latitude, t y account, was 69° 2 i't
longitude 192° 42'. At two in the afternoon, the weather
cleared up, and we found ourfelves clofe to an expanfe o f
what appeared from the deck folid ic e ; but, from the maft-
head, it was difchvered to be compofed o f h u g e compact
bodies, clofe and united toward the outer edge, but in the
interior parts, feveral pieces were feen floating in vacant
fpaces o f the water- It extended from North Eaft by the
North to Weft South Weft. We bore away by the edge o f it,
to the Southward, that we might ge t into clearer water;
-for the flrong Northerly winds had drifted down fuch
quantities o f loofe pieces, that we had been, for fome
time, furrounded by them, and could not avoid lin k in g
againft feveral, notwithftanding we reefed the topfails, and
flood under an eafy fail.
Eridsy 9. On the 9th, we had a frefh gale from the North North
Weft, with heavy ihowers o f fnow and fleet. The thermo-
3 meter
meter was, in the night-time, 28% and at noon 30’ . We
continued to fleer Weft South Weft, as before, keeping as ' « *
near the large body o f ice as we could, and had the mif-
fortune to ru b o ff fome o f the fheathing from the bows
againft the drift pieces, and to damage the cutwater. Indeed,
the Ihocks we could not avoid receiving, were fre quently
fo fevere, as to be attended with confiderable danger.
A t noon, the latitude, by account, was 69° 12', and longitude
1880 5'. T h e variation, in the afternoon, was found to*
be 2 90 30' Eaft. .
As we had now failed'near forty leagues to the Weftward,
along the edge o f the ice, without feeing any opening, or a
clear lea to the Northward beyond it, and had therefore no
profpedt o f advancing farther North for the prèfent, Captain
Clerke reftfived to bear away to the South by Eaft (the only
quarter that was clear), and to w aiqtill the feafon was more
advanced, before h e made any farther efforts to penetrate
through the ice. The intermediate time he propofed to
fpend iq examining the bay o f St. Laurence, and the coaft to
the Southward o f it as a harbour fo near, in cafe o f future
damage from the ice, would be very delirable. We alfo
wilhed to pay another vilit to our T fch u tlk i friends ; and,,
particularly, fince the accounts we had heard o f them from,
the Commander o f Kamtfchatka.
We therefore flood on to the Southward, till the noon o f
the 10th, at w hich time we paffed great quantities o f drift- Saturday trice,
and the wind fell to a perfedfc calm. T he latitude, b y
obfervation, was 68° 1' ; longitude 188° 30'. We palled feveral
whales in the forenoon ; and, in the afternoon, hoifted
out the boats, and fent them in purfuit o f the fea-horfes,
which were in great numbers on the pieces o f ice that furrounded;