177^. ROUND THE WORLD. 43 



out, and top-gallant-mast up. The weather coming 

 hazy, I called the Adventure by signal under my 

 stern ; which was no sooner done, than the haze in- 

 creased so much, with snow and sleet, that we did 

 not see an island of ice, which we were steering di- 

 rectly for, till we were less than a mile from it. I 

 judged it to be about 50 feet high, and half a mile in 

 circuit. It was flat at top, and its sides rose in a per- 

 pendicular direction, against which the sea broke ex- 

 ceedingly high. Captain Furneaux at first took this 

 ice for land, and hauled off from it, until called back 

 by signal. As the weather was foggy, it was neces- 

 sary to proceed with caution. We therefore reefed 

 our topsails, and at the same time sounded, but found 

 no ground with 150 fathoms. We kept on to the 

 southward with the wind at north till night, which 

 we spent in making short trips, first one way and 

 then another, under an easy sail \ thermometer this 

 24 hours from 36- to 31. 



At day-light in the morning of the 11th, we made 

 sail to the southward with the wind at west, having a 

 fresh gale, attended with sleet and snow. At noon 

 we were in the latitude of 51 50' S., and lon- 

 gitude 21 3' E., where we saw some white birds 

 about the size of pigeons, with blackish bills and 

 feet. I never saw any such before ; and Mr. Forster 

 had no knowledge of them. I believe them to be of 

 the peterel tribe, and natives of these icy seas. At 

 this time we passed between two ice islands, which 

 lay at a little distance from each other. 



In the night, the wind veered to N. W., which 

 enabled us to steer S. W. On the 12th, we had still 

 thick hazy weather, with sleet and snow ; so that 

 we were obliged to proceed with great caution on ac- 

 count of the ice islands : six of these we passed this 

 day ; some of them near two miles in circuit, and 

 60 feet high. And yet, such was the force and 

 height of the waves, that the sea broke quite over 

 them. This exhibited a view, which for a few mo- 



