1772. ROUND THE WORLD. 51 



found ourselves, by observation, in the latitude of 

 58 31' south longitude, 26 57' east. 



In the course of the last twenty-four hours, we 

 passed through several fields of broken loose ice. 

 They were in general narrow, but of a considerable 

 length, in the direction of N. W. and S. E. The 

 ice was so close in one, that it would hardly admit 

 the ship through it. The pieces were flat, from 

 four to six or eight inches thick, and appeared of 

 that sort of ice which is generally formed in bays or 

 rivers. Others again were different ; the pieces 

 forming various honey-combed branches, exactly 

 like coral rocks, and exhibiting such a variety of 

 figures as can hardly be conceived. 



We supposed this ice to have broke from the main 

 field we had lately left ; and which I was determined 

 to get to the south of, or behind, if possible, in 

 order to satisfy myself, whether or no it joined to any 

 land, as had been conjectured. With this view, I 

 kept on to the westward, with a gentle gale at south 

 and S. S. W., and soon after six o'clock in the even- 

 ing, we saw some penguins, which occasioned us to 

 sound ; but we found no ground with 150 fathoms. 



In the morning of the 27th, we saw more loose ice, 

 but not many islands ; and those we did see were 

 but small. The day being calm and pleasant, and 

 the sea smooth, we hoisted out a boat ; from which 

 Mr. Forster shot a penguin and some peterels. These 

 penguins differ not from those seen in other parts of 

 the world, except in some minute particulars dis- 

 tinguishable only by naturalists. Some of the pe- 

 terels were of the blue sort ; but differed from those 

 before mentioned, in not having a broad bill ; and 

 the ends of their tail feathers were tipped with white 

 instead of dark blue. But whether these were only 

 the distinctions between the male and female, was a 

 matter disputed by our naturalists. We were now in 

 the latitude of 58 19' south, longitude 24 39' east, 

 and took the opportunity of the calm to sound ; but 



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