centuries later (1821). In the following year Baffin again
sailed as pilot of the "Discovery," and passing up Davis Strait discovered
the fine bay to the north which now bears his name, together with the
magnificent series of straits which radiate from its head and were named by
him Lancaster, Smith and Jones Sounds, in honour of the generous patrons of
his voyages. On this voyage he had sailed over 300 m. farther north than
his predecessor Davis, and for 236 years his farthest north (about lat.
77deg 45') remained unsurpassed in that sea. All hopes, however, seemed now
ended of discovering a passage to India by this route, and in course of
time even Baffin's discoveries came to be doubted until they were
re-discovered by Captain Ross in 1818. Baffin next took service with the
East India Company, and in 1617-1619 performed a voyage to Surat in British
India, and on his return received the special recognition of the Company
for certain valuable surveys of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf which he had
made in the course of the voyage. Early in 1620 he again sailed to the
East, and in the Anglo-Persian attack on Kishm in the Persian Gulf,
preparatory to the reduction of Ormuz, he received his death-wound and died
on the 23rd of January 1622. Besides the importance of his geographical
discoveries, Baffin is to be remembered for the importance and accuracy of
his numerous scientific and magnetic observations, for one of which (the
determination of longitude at sea by lunar observation) the honour is
claimed of being the first of its kind on record.

BAFFIN BAY and BAFFIN LAND, an arctic sea and an insular tract named after
the explorer William Baffin. Baffin or Baffin's Bay is part of the long
strait which separates Baffin Land from Greenland. It extends from about
69deg to 78deg N. and from 54deg to 76deg W. From the northern end it is
connected (1) with the polar sea northward by Smith Sound, prolonged by
Kane Basin and Kennedy and Robeson Channels; (2) with the straits which
ramify through the archipelago to the north-west by narrow channels at the
head of Jones Sound, from which O. Sverdrup and his party conducted
explorations in 1900-1902; (3) with the more southerly part of the same
archipelago by Lancaster Sound. Baffin Bay was explored very fully in 1616
by Baffin. The coasts are generally high, precipitous and deeply indented.
The most important island on the east side is Disco, to the north of Disco
Bay, Greenland. Duri