During the whole day the wind was exceedingly unsettled, being seldom
steady to two or three points, and blowing in fresh gusts, which were
succeeded by dead calms. These were not unpromising appearances; but after
standing off and on the whole of this day, without seeing anything of the
land, we again steered to the northward, not thinking it worth our while to
lose time in search of an object, the opinion of whose existence had been
already pretty generally exploded. Our people were employed the whole of
the 16th, in getting their wet things dry, and in airing the ships below.

We now began to feel very sharply the increasing inclemency of the northern
climate. In the morning of the 18th, our latitude being 45° 40', and our
longitude 160° 25', we had snow and sleet, accompanied with strong gales
from the S.W. This circumstance will appear very remarkable, if we consider
the season of the year, and the quarter from which the wind blew. On the
19th, the thermometer in the day-time remained at the freezing point, and
at four in the morning fell to 29°. If the reader will take the trouble to
compare the degree of heat, during the hot sultry weather we had at the
beginning of this month, with the extreme cold which we now endured, he
will conceive how severely so rapid a change must have been felt by us.

In the gale of the 18th, we had split almost all the sails we had bent,
which being our second best suit, we were now reduced to make use of our
last and best set. To add to Captain Clerke's difficulties, the sea was in
general so rough, and the ships so leaky, that the sail-makers had no place
to repair the sails in, except his apartments, which in his declining state
of health was a serious inconvenience to him.

On the 20th at noon, being in latitude 49° 45' N., and longitude 161° 15'
E., and eagerly expecting to fall in with the coast of Asia, the wind