warm.

On the 24th of August, they perceived Jupiter; and the sight of a star
was now become almost as extraordinary a phenomenon to them, as the sun
at midnight had appeared on their first getting within the Arctic
circle. For some part of their voyage back, the weather was very fine;
but, from the 7th of September, when they were off Shetland, till the
24th, when they made Orfordness, they had hard gales of wind, with
little intermission. In one of these violent gales, accompanied by a
heavy sea, they lost three of their boats, and were obliged to throw two
guns overboard.

Thus ended this famous voyage; happily, without the loss of a single
person: and which was so far successful, at least, in accomplishing it's
object, that it seems to have satisfactorily negatived the long-agitated
question concerning the practicability of a north-east passage into the
Pacific Ocean. Perhaps, however, the increasing civilization of nations
who are nearer neighbours, may awaken the spirit of enterprise in some
hardy bosom, and conduct a new adventurer farther over the vast plains
of ice descried from the mountains on this occasion, by means of
sledges, &c. as well as boats, both properly prepared and furnished,
than it has ever yet been penetrated, or is ever likely to be
penetrated, by ships and their customary boats alone. Not that any
nearer approach to the pole, or even the discovery that it might be
passed on solid ice, could ever facilitate, or render possible, the
attainment of a way for navigating vessels through such insurmountable
barriers of ice as nature has provided, at each pole, to sustain what
may, perhaps, be denominated the two extremities of our globe. Still it
would be desirable, not only as an object of curiosity, but of science.
Those are much mistaken, who think there is nothing left for our