322 NOTES ON THE BOTANY 
gales of wind are sure to blow, and then, when the ships 
are in open water, the heavy seas are such as to forbid any- 
thing being done with comfort, as the vessel rolls, her bul- 
warks under water, and all hatches battened down. 
Thus time wore on, in fruitless labours, till the 3rd of 
March, when that rare event, a calm, took place, enabling 
Capt. Ross to sound, or rather to try for bottom, with 4000 
fathoms (24,000 feet) of line. It consisted of 250 fathom of 
1-inch rope, and 3,750 fathom of 2 inch, with : a weight of pig 
iron of 1 cwt. 
On the 5th the weather became very thick with snow- 
squalls, and many Petrels and much berg ice were 
seen. In the afternoon of that day, the ships again met 
the Pack-ice, and bore up in lat. 71? 30', among the 
ice, which was very heavy, stretching in every direction 
far as the eye could reach. The rapidly falling barometer 
also indicated a gale, which was the more to be anti- 
eipated as the wind had been tolerably moderate for three 
or four days; and since the proximity of such tremendous 
masses of ice was very dangerous in the event of a storm, 
the ships hoisted a press of sail and endeavoured to clear the 
Pack and icebergs, which the falling snow rendered it difficult 
for them to descry and avoid. On the 7th, the gale and the 
snow-squalls continued, and the most intense anxiety pre- 
vailed, because of the masses of ice which floated all around. 
The “ Erebus,” too, was clogged in her movements by her 
consort, the * Terror,” a much worse sailer, which was very 
heavily pressed at all to keep up, as the former went diving 
and tearing through the water. Yet to have parted com- 
pany might have caused the destruction of one or both 
vessels and their noble crews. No alternative remained but 
to quit these fearful regions, and, accordingly, on the 9th, the 
ships were finally put about, At this time, night commenced 
at 8 P.M., and dawn at 4 a.m., and when there was a moon, 
the state of the atmosphere prevented its showing any light. 
On the 11th of March, the Antarctic Circle was re- 
crossed ; and the navigators began a rapid northerly passage; 
