On the 12th, we had light winds, with thick hazy weather; and, on trying the current, we found it set to the north-west, at the rate of half a knot an hour. We continued to steer northward, with a moderate southerly breeze, and fair weather, till the 13th, at ten in the forenoon, when we again found ourselves close in with a solid field of ice, to which we could see no limits from the mast head. This at once dashed all our hopes of penetrating farther; which had been considerably raised, by having now advanced near ten leagues through a space, which, on the 9th, we had found occupied by impenetrable ice. Our latitude, at this time, was 69° 37ʹ; our position nearly in the mid channel between the two continents; and the field of ice extending from east north-east, to west south-west.
As there did not remain the smallest prospect of getting farther north in the part of the sea where we now were, Captain Clerke resolved to make one more and final attempt on the American coast, for Baffin’s Bay, since we had been able to advance the farthest on this side last year. Accordingly, we kept working the remaining part of the day, to the windward, with a fresh easterly breeze. We saw several fulmars and arctic gulls, and passed two trees, both appearing to have lain in the water a long time. The larger was about ten feet in length, and three in circumference, without either bark or branches, but with the roots remaining attached.
On the 14th, we stood on to the eastward, with thick and foggy weather, our course being nearly parallel to that we steered the 8th and 9th, but six leagues more to the northward. On the 15th, the wind freshened from the westward, and having in a great measure, dispersed the fog, we immediately stood to the northward, that we might take a nearer view of the ice; and in an hour were close in with it extending from north north-west, to north-east. We found it to be compact and solid; the outer parts were ragged, and of different heights; the interior surface was even; and, we judged, from eight to ten feet above the level of the sea. The weather becoming moderate for the remaining part of the day, we directed our course according to the trending of the ice, which in many parts formed deep bays.
In the morning of the 16th, the wind freshened, and was attended with thick and frequent showers of snow. At eight in the forenoon, it blew a strong gale from the west south-west, and brought us under double-reefed top-sails; when, the weather clearing a little, we found ourselves embayed; the ice having taken a sudden turn to the south-east, and in one compact body surrounding us on all sides, except on the south quarter. We therefore hauled our wind to the southward, being at this time in latitude 70° 8ʹ N. and in twenty-six fathoms’ water; and, as we supposed, about twenty-five leagues from the coast of America. The gale increasing, at four in the afternoon we close reefed the fore and main-top-sails, furled the mizen-top-sail, and got the top-gallant-yards down upon deck. At eight, finding the depth of water had decreased to twenty-two fathoms, which we considered as a proof of our near approach to the American coast, we tacked and stood to the north. We had blowing weather, accompanied with snow, through the night; but next morning, it became clear and moderate; and, at eight in the forenoon, we got the top-gallant-yards across, and made sail with the wind still at west south-west. At noon, we were in latitude, by observation, 69° 55ʹ, longitude 194° 80ʹ. Toward evening, the wind slackened, and at midnight it was a calm.
On the 18th, at five in the morning, a light breeze sprung up from the east north-east, with which we continued our course to the north, in order to regain the ice as soon as possible. We passed some small logs of drift-wood, and saw abundance of sea-parrots, and the small ice-birds, and likewise a number of whales. At noon, the latitude, by observation, was 70° 26ʹ, and longitude 194° 54ʹ; the depth of water twenty-three fathoms; the ice stretched from north to east north-east, and was distant about three miles. At one in the afternoon, finding that we were close in with a firm united field of it, extending from west north-west to east, we tacked, and the wind coming round to the westward, stood on to the eastward, along its edge, till eleven at night. At that time a very thick fog coming on, and the water shoaling to nineteen fathoms, we hauled our wind to the south. The variation observed this day was 31° 20ʹ E. It is remarkable, that though we saw no sea-horses on the body of the ice, yet they were in herds, and in greater numbers on the detached fragments, than we had ever observed before. About nine in the evening, a white bear was seen swimming close by the Discovery; it afterward made to the ice, on which were also two others.
On the 19th, at one in the morning, the weather clearing up, we again steered to the north-east, till two, when we were a second time so completely embayed, that there was no opening left, but to the south; to which quarter we accordingly directed our course, returning through a remarkably smooth water, and with very favourable weather, by the same way we had come in. We were never able to penetrate farther north than at this time, when our latitude was 70° 33ʹ; and this was five leagues short of the point to which we advanced last season. We held on to the south south-west, with light winds from the north-west, by the edge of the main ice, which lay on our left hand, and stretched between us and the continent of America. Our latitude, by observation at noon, was 70° 11ʹ, our longitude 196° 15ʹ and the depth of water sixteen fathoms. From this circumstance, we judged that the Icy Cape was now only at seven or eight leagues’ distance; but, though the weather was in general clear, it was at the same time hazy in the horizon; so that we could not expect to see it.
In the afternoon, we saw two white bears in the water, to which we immediately gave chase in the jolly boat, and had the good fortune to kill them both. The larger, which probably was the dam of the younger, being shot first, the other would not quit it, though it might easily have escaped on the ice, whilst the men were reloading, but remained swimming about, till, after being fired upon several times, it was shot dead.
The dimensions of the larger were as follow:
| Feet. | Inches. | |
|---|---|---|
| From the snout to the end of the tail | 7 | 2 |
| From the snout to the shoulder-bone | 2 | 3 |
| Height of the shoulder | 4 | 3 |
| Circumference near the fore-legs | 4 | 10 |
| Breadth of the fore-paw | 0 | 10 |
| lb. | |
|---|---|
| Weight of the four quarters | 436 |
| Weight of the four quarters of the smallest | 256 |