256 cook's second voyage dec. 



days we had very stormy weather, sleet and snow, 

 winds between the north and south-west. 



The 11th the storm abated, and the weather clear- 

 ing up, we found the latitude to be 61 15' S. longi- 

 tude 173 4' W. This fine weather was of short 

 duration : in the evening the wind increased to a 

 strong gale at south-west, blew in squalls, attended 

 with thick snow showers, hail, and sleet. The mer- 

 cury in the thermometer fell to thirty -two; conse- 

 quently the weather was very cold, and seemed tc 

 indicate that ice was not far off. 



At four o'clock the next morning, being in the 

 latitude of 62 10' S. longitude 172 W. we saw the 

 first ice island, lli farther S. than the first ice, we 

 saw the preceding year after leaving the Cape of 

 Good Hope. At the time we saw this ice we also 

 saw an antarctic peterel, some grey albatrosses, and 

 our old companions, pintadoes and blue peterels. The 

 wind kept veering from south-west by the north- 

 west to north-north-east, for the most part a fresh 

 gale, attended with a thick haze and snow ; on 

 which account we steered to the south-east and east, 

 keeping the wind always on the beam, that it might 

 be in our power to return back nearly on the same 

 track, should our course have been interrupted by 

 any danger whatever. For some days we had a 

 great sea from the north-west and south-west, so 

 that it is not probable there can be any land near 

 between these two points. 



We fell in with several large islands on the 14th, 

 and, about noon, with a quantity of loose ice, through 

 which we sailed. Latitude 64 55' S., longitude 163 

 20' W. Grey albatrosses, blue peterels, pintadoes, 

 and fulmers were seen. As we advanced to the 

 south-east by east, with a fresh gale at west, we found 

 the number of ice islands increase fast upon us. Be- 

 tween noon and eight in the evening we saw but 

 two, but before four o'clock in the morning of the 

 15th, we had passed seventeen, besides a quantity oi 



