culty and labour, as the breadth of the barrier of ice was
found to be eighty miles; through this they penetrated by the aid of
sailing, tracking, heaving by the capstan, and sawing, being able to
advance, even with the assistance of all the methods, only at the rate of
half a mile an hour, or twelve miles a day.

For some days after this, their patience was tried, and nearly exhausted,
by contrary winds, but on the 3d of August a favourable and fresh breeze
arose from the eastward. Advantage was immediately taken of it. "We all
felt," says Captain Parry, "it was that point of the voyage which was to
determine the success or failure of the expedition, according as one or
other of the opposite opinions respecting the termination of the sound
should be corroborated. It is more easy to imagine than to describe (he
continues) the almost breathless anxiety which was now visible in every
countenance, while, as the breeze increased to a fresh gale, we ran quickly
up the sound. The masts' heads were crowded by the officers and men during
the whole afternoon; and an unconcerned observer (if any could have been
unconcerned on such an occasion) would have been amused by the eagerness
with which the various reports from the crow's-nest were received, all,
however, hitherto favourable to our most sanguine hopes."

The weather, most fortunately at this interesting and important period,
continued remarkably clear; and the ships having reached the longitude of
83 deg. 12', the two shores of the sound were ascertained to be still at least
fifty miles asunder, and what was still more encouraging, no land was
discerned to the westward. In fact, there seemed no obstacle; none of those
mountains with which, according to Captain Ross, the passage of the sound
was eternally blocked up, nor even any ice, an object of a less serious and
permanent nature. Other circumstances were also encouraging; the whole
surface of the sea was completely free from ice, no land was seen in the
direction of their course, and no bottom could be reached with one hundred
and seventy fathoms of line, so that "we began," observes Captain Parry,
"to flatter ourselves that we had fairly entered the Polar Sea, and some of
the most sanguine among us had even calculated the bearing and distance of
Icy Cape, as a matter of no very difficult or improbable accomplishment.
This pleasing prospect was rendered the more flattering, by the sea having,
as we thought, regained the