72 COOK'S SECOND VOYAGE FEB- 



mile in circuit, and two hundred feet high at least ; 

 though very little loose ice about it. But while we 

 were considering whether or no we should hoist out 

 our boats to take some up., a great quantity broke 

 from the island. Upon this we hoisted out our boats, 

 and went to work to get some on board. The pieces 

 of ice, both great and small, which broke from the 

 island, I observed, drifted fast to the westward ; that 

 is, they left the island in that direction, and were, 

 in a few hours, spread over a large space of sea. This, 

 I have no doubt, was caused by a current setting in 

 that direction; for the wind could have but little 

 effect upon the ice ; especially as there was a large 

 hollow swell from the west. This circumstance 

 greatly retarded our taking up ice. We, however, 

 made a shift to get on board about nine or ten tons 

 before eight o'clock, when we hoisted in the boats, 

 and made sail to east, inclining to the south, with a 

 fresh gale at south ; which soon after veered to 

 S. S. W. and S. W., with fair but cloudy weather. 

 This course brought us among many ice isles ; so 

 that it was necessary to proceed with great caution. 

 In the night the mercury in the thermometer fell two 

 degrees below the freezing point ; and the water in 

 the scuttle casks on deck was frozen, As I have not 

 taken notice of the thermometer of late, I shall 

 now observe that, as we advanced to the north, the 

 mercury gradually rose to 45, and fell again, as we 

 advanced to the south, to what is above mentioned ; 

 nor did it rise, in the middle of the day, to above 

 34 or 35. 



In the morning of the 18th, being in the latitude 

 of 57 54" south, longitude 83 14" east, the varia- 

 tion was 39 33" west. In the evening, in latitude 

 58 2? south, longitude 84 35' east, it was only 

 37 8' west ; which induced me to believe it was 

 decreasing. But in the evening of the 20th, in the 

 latitude of 58 47 south, longitude 90 56' east, I 





