In the space of two hours we again got into the open sea, but had left our two consorts far behind; they followed our track by the guns we discharged.

The temperature of the surface water was 35 degrees when amongst the ice, 38 degrees when just clear of it, and 41.5 degrees at two miles distant.
On the 4th of August, when in latitude 59 degrees 58 minutes North, longitude 59 degrees 53 minutes West, we first fell in with large icebergs; and in the evening were encompassed by several of considerable magnitude, which obliged us to tack the ship in order to prevent our getting entangled amongst them.

The estimated distance from the nearest part of the Labrador coast was then eighty-eight miles; here we tried for soundings without gaining the bottom.

The ship passed through some strong ripplings, which evidently indicated a current, but its direction was not ascertained.

We found however by the recent observations that the ship had been set daily to the southward since we had opened Davis Straits.
The variation of the compass was observed to be 52 degrees 41 minutes West.
At nine P.M.brilliant coruscations of the Aurora Borealis appeared, of a pale ochre colour with a slight tinge of red, in an arched form, crossing the zenith from North-West to South-East, but afterwards they assumed various shapes and had a rapid motion.
On the 5th of August a party of the officers endeavoured to get on one of the larger icebergs, but ineffectually, owing to the steepness and smoothness of its sides and the swell produced by its undulating motion.
This was one of the largest we saw, and Mr.Hood ascertained its height to be one hundred and forty-nine feet; but these masses of ice are frequently magnified to an immense size through the illusive medium of a hazy atmosphere, and on this account their dimensions have often been exaggerated by voyagers.
PERILOUS SITUATION ON THE SHORE OF RESOLUTION ISLAND.
In the morning of the 7th the island of Resolution was indistinctly seen through the haze but was soon afterwards entirely hidden by a very dense fog.