1775. ROUND THE WOULD. 205 



found near Cape Circumcision. Besides, I was tired 

 of these high southern latitudes, where nothing was 

 to be found but ice and thick fogs. We had now a 

 long hollow swell from the W., a strong indication 

 that there was no land in that direction ; so that I 

 think I may venture to assert that the extensive coast, 

 laid down in Mr. Dalrymple's chart of the ocean be- 

 tween Africa and America, and the Gulph of Saint 

 Sebastian, do not exist. 



At seven o'clock in the evening, the fog receding 

 from us a little, gave us a sight of an ice-island, 

 several penguins and some snow peterels ; we 

 sounded, but found no ground at one hundred and 

 forty fathoms. The fog soon returning, we spent the 

 night in making boards over that space which w T e 

 had, in some degree, made ourselves acquainted with 

 in the day. 



At eight in the morning of the 28th, we stood to 

 the E., with a gentle gale at N. ; the weather began 

 to clear up, and we found the sea strewed with large 

 and small ice ; several penguins, snow peterels, and 

 other birds were seen, and some whales. Soon after 

 we had sun-shine, but the air was cold ; the mercury 

 in the thermometer stood generally at thirty-five, but 

 at noon it was at 37° ; the latitude by observation was 

 60° 4/ S., longitude 29° 23' W. 



We continued to stand to the E. till half-past two 

 o'clock P. M., when we fell in, all at once, with a vast 

 number of large ice-islands, and a sea strewed with 

 loose ice. The weather too was become thick and 

 hazy, attended with drizzling rain and sleet, which 

 made it the more dangerous to stand in among the 

 ice. For this reason we tacked and stood back to 

 the W., with the wind at N. The ice-islands, which 

 at this time surrounded us, were nearly all of equal 

 height, and showed a flat even surface ; but they were 

 of various extent, some being two or three miles in 

 circuit. The loose ice was what had broken from 

 these isles. 



