24 United States Exploring Eocpedition, 



wrecked, after a loss of four anchors, at an anchorage she 

 made under Noir Island, to escape the rocks of a lee coast. 

 The Vincennes remained at Nassau Bay to carry on surveys 

 and magnetic observations. In May of 1839, the vessels were 

 again together at Valparaiso, with the exception of one 

 schooner, the Sea Gull, which was lost in a gale shortly after 

 leaving Nassau Bay. The vessels sailed on the 6th of June 

 for Callao, Peru, and from here, the Relief, having proved 

 ill-adapted for such a voyage, was dispatched home. On the 

 12th July, the squadron left the South American coast and 

 sailed west, visiting and surveying fourteen or fifteen of the 

 Paumotu Islands, two of the Society Islands, and all the Navi- 

 gator group ; and on the 28th November reached Sydney, 

 New South Wales. - 



The vessels next proceeded on their second Antarctic cruise. 

 Land was first discovered in longitude 160° E., and latitude 

 66° 30' S. The Vincennes and Porpoise pursued the barrier 

 of ice to the westward as far as 97° E. longitude, seeing the 

 land at intervals for 1500 miles. When the barrier of ice 

 permitted, the Vincennes sailed along " within from three- 

 fourths of a mile to ten miles of the land." In a place they 

 called Piner's Bay, soundings were obtained in 30 fathoms, 

 and they had hopes of soon landing on the rocks ; but a storm 

 came up suddenly, which lasted for thirty-six hours, and drove 

 the vessel far to the leeward ; they consequently pushed on 

 with their explorations to the westward, hoping for some 

 more accessible place, but were disappointed.* 



Large masses of rock were collected from the icy barrier in 

 close proximity to the land, which are now deposited in the 

 National Gallery at the Patent Office. Two of the masses, 

 one of basalt, and the other of compact red sandstone, weigh 

 each about eighty pounds. Besides these, there are many 

 smaller specimens of gray and flesh-coloured granite, gneiss, 

 white and red sandstone, basalt, and reddish clay or earth. 

 The Peacock was enclosed in the ice soon after reaching it, 

 when penetrating towards an appearance of land ahead, and 

 for twenty hours they were barely hoping for life. They had 

 obtained soundings in 320 fathoms.t On the 24th of February, 



* See the Synopsis of the Cruise by Captain Wilkes. 



t There has been much incredulity in the country with regard to the discovery 



