they moved the ships a little
through some very small openings; and, in the afternoon, on it's
clearing up, were agreeably surprised to find the ships had driven much
more to the westward than they could have expected. Thus encouraged,
they laboured hard all day; but got very little to the westward, through
the ice, in comparison to what the ice itself had drifted. Having passed
the launches, a number of men were sent to get them on board. Though the
people were much fatigued, the progress which the ships had made through
the ice was a most favourable event; and, notwithstanding the drift of
the ice was an advantage which might be as suddenly lost as it had been
unexpectedly gained, by a change in the current, they began again to
indulge hopes that a brisk gale of easterly wind might soon effectually
clear them.

On the 10th, the wind springing up, in the morning, to north north-east,
they set all the sail they could, and forced through a great deal of
very heavy ice. The ships, it is true, often struck excessively hard;
and the Racehorse, with one stroke, broke the shank of the best bower
anchor; but, about noon, they had the unspeakable happiness to get
through all the ice, and were safely out at sea.

Accordingly, on the 11th, they came to an anchor in the harbour of
Smeerenberg, where they were comfortably refreshed after their dreadful
fatigues. The island where they lay is called Amsterdam Island, the
westernmost point of which is Hacluyt's Headland. Here the Dutch once
attempted to make an establishment, by leaving some people to winter,
who all perished. The Dutch, however, still resort thither for the
latter season of the whale-fishery; and it afforded a very excellent
retreat to our adventurers, who remained there till the 20th.

After this, they made a few feeble attempts, but they were without hope
of being able to penetrate farther. The summer had proved uncommonly
favourable for the purpose; and, having enjoyed the fullest opportunity
of repeatedly ascertaining the situation of that wall of ice which
extends for more than twenty degrees, between the latitudes of eighty
and eighty-one, without the smallest appearance of any opening, they
were sufficiently satisfied of the impracticability of effecting any
passage to the Pacific Ocean, and agreed on immediately returning to
England.

In steering to the southward, they soon found the weather grow more
mild; or, rather, as Captain Phipps expresses it, to t