When It Is Considered That In These High And
Foggy Latitudes Much Deception Of Sight Takes Place, It Ought To
Be the
absolute and undeviating rule of the navigator to explore so far, and to
examine so carefully and closely,
That he may be certain, at least, that
his sight does not deceive him. The same negligence attended the
examination of Whale Sound: all the notice of it is, that they could not
approach it in a direct line, on account of ice; it was, in fact, never
approached nearer than twenty leagues. Captain Ross does not seem to have
been fully sensible of the nature of the object on which he was sent out.
If there existed a passage at all, it must be in a strait, sound, or some
other opening of the sea: it could exist no where else. Every such opening,
which exhibited the least appearance, or the smallest symptoms of
stretching far, especially if it stretched in the proper direction, ought
to have been practically and closely examined, not merely viewed at a
distance in a foggy atmosphere. As for the impediments, they were what were
to be expected, what the ships were sent out to meet and overcome; and till
persevering and even highly hazardous efforts had proved that they could
not be overcome, they ought not to have been suffered to weigh the least
with the captain or his men, and especially not with the former.
But to proceed: about midnight on the 19th of August, the sound described
by Baffin to be the largest of all the sounds he discovered, and called by
him Sir Thomas Smith's Sound, was distinctly seen; and the two capes which
formed its entrance were called by Captain Ross after the two ships
Isabella and Alexander.
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Words from 189225 to 189523
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