guft, in latitude 69^°, and longitude 184°, we were obftruited
b y it in fuch quantities, as made it impoflible for us to pafs
either to the North or Weft, and obliged us to run along the
edge o f it to the South South Weft, till w e faw land, which,
w e afterward found to be th e co a fto f Afia. With the feafon
thus far advanced, the weather fetting in with fnow and fleet,
and other figns o f approaching winter, we abandoned our
enterprize for that time.
In this fecond attempt, w e could do little more than confirm
the obfervations we had made in the f i r f t f o r w e were
never able to approach the continent o f Afia higher than the
latitude o f 67% nor that o f America in any parts, excepting
a few leagues between the latitude o f 68° and 68° 20', that
were not feen the laft year. We were now. obftrudied by
ice 3° lower, and our endeavours to pu ih farther tot the
Northward, were principally confined to the mid-fpace between
the two coafts. We penetrated near. 3° farther on the
American fide than on, the Afiatic, meeting, with the ice
both years foomer, and in greater quantities, on the latter
coaft. As w e advanced North, we {till, found the ice more
compadt and fo lid ;, yet as,, in our different traveries from
fide to fide, w e palled over fpaces which, had. before been:
covered with it, we conjedtured, that moft o f what we faw
was moveable. Its height, on a medium, w e took, to be
from eight to ten feet, and that o f the higheft to. have been
fixteen or eighteen. Wh again tried the currents twice, and.
found them unequal, but never to exceed one mile an hour.
B y comparing the reckoning with the obfervations, w e alfo
foun dtb e current to fet different w ays,yet more-from-the South
Weft than any other quarter; but whatever their diredtion
migh t be, their effedt was fo trifling, that no conclufions, refpedting.
fpedting the exiftence o f any paffage to the Northward, could
be drawn from them. We found the month o f July to be infinitely
colder than that o f Auguft. The thermometer in
July was once at 28°, and very commonly at 30°; whereas
the laft year, in Auguft, it was ve ry rare to have i t fo low
as the fre e z in g point. In both feafons, w e had fome h ig h
winds, all o f w hich came from: the South. Weft. We were
fubjedt to fogs, whenever the wind was moderate, from
whatever quarter, but they attended Southerly winds, more
conftantly. than contrary ones.
T h e ftraits, between the two continents, at their neareft
approach, in latitude 66°, were afcertained to be thirteen
leagues,, beyond which they diverge to North Eaft by Eaft
and Weft North W e ft; and in latitude 69°, they become 14°
o f long itu d e, or about one hundred leagues, afunder. A
great fimilarity is obfervable in the appearance o f the two
countries, to the Northward o f the ftraits. Both are defti-
tute o f wood. T h e ihores are low, w ith mountains rifing
to a great height farther up the country. T h e depth, o f
water, in the mid-way between them,, w a s twenty-nine
and thirty fathoms, d e c r e a f i n g grad u ally as w e approached
e i th e r c o n t in e n t , w i t h th e d if fe r e n c e o f b e in g fom e w h a t
fh o a le r o n th e A m e r ic a n th a n on th e A f ia t ic c o a ft, a t th e :
f em e diffiance f r om la n d , T h e b o t tom , in th e m id d le , w a s
a f o f t f l im y m u d ; a n d o n d r a w in g n e a r to e i th e r ih o r e , a
b r o w n fa n d , in te rm ix e d w i th fm a l l f r a gm e n t s o f b o n e s , a n d
a f e w ih e l ls . W e o b fe r v e d b u t li t t le tid e o r c u r r e n t ; w h a t.,
th e r e w a s , c am e f r om th e W e f tw a rd .
But it is now time to refume the narrative o f our voyage,:
Which was broken o ff on the 31ft o f July, on which day at
noon we had advanced eighteen leagues to the Southward.
o f the Eaft Cape. @ 9 We.*