clear them.

On the 10th, the wind springing up, in the morning, to north north-east,
they set all the sail they could, and forced through a great deal of
very heavy ice. The ships, it is true, often struck excessively hard;
and the Racehorse, with one stroke, broke the shank of the best bower
anchor; but, about noon, they had the unspeakable happiness to get
through all the ice, and were safely out at sea.

Accordingly, on the 11th, they came to an anchor in the harbour of
Smeerenberg, where they were comfortably refreshed after their dreadful
fatigues. The island where they lay is called Amsterdam Island, the
westernmost point of which is Hacluyt's Headland. Here the Dutch once
attempted to make an establishment, by leaving some people to winter,
who all perished. The Dutch, however, still resort thither for the
latter season of the whale-fishery; and it afforded a very excellent
retreat to our adventurers, who remained there till the 20th.

After this, they made a few feeble attempts, but they were without hope
of being able to penetrate farther. The summer had proved uncommonly
favourable for the purpose; and, having enjoyed the fullest opportunity
of repeatedly ascertaining the situation of that wall of ice which
extends for more than twenty degrees, between the latitudes of eighty
and eighty-one, without the smallest appearance of any opening, they
were sufficiently satisfied of the impracticability of effecting any
passage to the Pacific Ocean, and agreed on immediately returning to
England.

In steering to the southward, they soon found the weather grow more
mild; or, rather, as Captain Phipps expresses it, to their feelings,