53' W., 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 riplings, 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 deg.

41' W.
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 N.W.to S.E., 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.