1779-
July.
Saturday 24.
account, was 69*8', the longitude 187*, and the depth of
water twenty-eight fathoms. T o add to the gloomy appre-
henfions w hich began to force themfelves on us, at h a lf paft
fo u r in the afternoon, the weather becoming thick and
h a zy , we loft fight o f the Difcovery ; but, that w e migh t be
in a fituation to afford her every affiftance in our power, we
kept Handing on clofe b y the edge o f the ice. At fix, the
wind happily coming round to the North, ga ve us fome
hopes, that the ice migh t drift awa y and releafe h e r ; and in
that cafe, as it was uncertain in what condition fhe m igh t
come out, we kept firing a gu n eve ry h a lf hour, in order to
prevent a reparation. Our apprehenfions for her fafety did
not ceafe till nine, when w e heard her guns in anfwer to
ours ; and foon after, being hailed by her, were informed,
that upon the change o f wind, the ice began to feparate;
and that, fetting a ll their fails,.they forced a paffage throu gh
it. We learned farther, that whilft they were encompaffed
by it, they found the Ihip drift, w ith the. main body,, to the
North Eaft, at the rate o f h a lf a mile an hour. We were
forry to find, that the Difcovery had rubbed o ff a great d e a l
o f the iheathing from the bows, and was become very le a k y ,
from the ftrokes fhe had received when ih e fe ll upon the edge
o f the ice;
On the 24th, w e had frefh breezes from South Weft, with
ha zy weather, and kept running to the South Eaft till eleven
in the forenoon, w hen a, large body o f loofe ice, extending
from North North Eaft, round by the Eaft, to South South
Eaft, and to which (though, the weather was tolerably clear)
w e could fee no end, again obftruited our courfe. We therefore
kept working to windward, and at noon, our latitude,
by obfervation, was 68° 53', longitude 188“ ;. the variation o f
the compafs 22° 3C,/ Eaft. At four in the afternoon, it be-
a came
came calm, and we hoifted out the boats in purfuit o f the *779
fea-horfes, w h ich were in prodigious herds on every fide o f <•— - »
us. We killed ten o f them, whitJh were as many as w e
could make ufe o f fo r eating, or fo r converting into lamp
oil. We kept on w ith the wind, from the South Weft,
a long the edge o f the ice, w h ich extended in a direction al-
moft due Eaft and Weft, till four in the morning o f the 85th, Sunday aS-
when obferving a clear fea beyond it, to the South Eaft, w e
made fail that way, w ith a view o f fo r c in g through it. By
fix, w e had cleared it, and continued the remainder o f the
day running to the South Eaft, withou t any ice in fight. At
noon, our latitude, b y obfervation, was 68* 38', longitude
189° 9', and the depth o f water thirty fathoms. At midn
ig h t ,” w e tacked, and flood to the Weftward, with a fre ih
ga le from the South ; and at.ten in the forenoon o f the 26th, Monday *6.
the ice again Ihewed itfelf, extending from North Weft to
South. It appeared loofe, and drifting, b y the force o f the
wind, to the Northward. A t noon, our latitude, b y obfer.
vation, was 68° North, longitude 188° 10' Eaft ; and w e had
foundings w ith twenty-eight fathoms. For the remaining
part o f the day, and till noon o f the 27th, w e ke.pt ftanding Tuefday 27.
backward and forward, in order to clear ourfelves o f different
bodies o f ice. At noon, we were in latitude, by obfervation,
67° 47', longitude i88\ At tw o in the afternoon, we
faw ’ the continent to the South by Eaft ; and at four, h a v in g
run, fince noon, with a South South Eaft wind to the South
Weft, w e w e r e furrounded by loofe maffes o f ice, with the
firm body o f it in fight, ftretching in' a North by Weft, and
a South by Eaft direction, as fa r as the eye could reach ; beyond
w hich w e faw the coaft o f Afia, bearing South, and
South b y Eaft.
L 1 2 -As