THE VOYAGE OF THE HURON AND THE HUNTRESS 



is that given by Admiral Bellingshausen, the Russian explorer, along this same 

 shore some two months later. 



Bellingshausen's journals show him to be the first to come up to the South 

 Shetlands from the west southwest after a voyage below the 65° parallel of 

 latitude. He came up past Smith's Island, saw Snow Island, and sailed along 

 the southern coast of Livingston, sighting eight American and British sealing 

 vessels at anchor near the southeastern shore of Morton Straits. To starboard 

 he soon saw "a high island, with steep clifEs and its heights covered with clouds 

 Deception Island . . . separated from the high rocky headlands opposite Liv- 

 ingston Island by a strait 11 miles wide." This would seem to be the strait 

 discovered by Captain Palmer, and rightfully named Palmer Strait. Bellings- 

 hausen continued with his account of meeting Captain Palmer. This meeting 

 took place on January 20, 1821, two months after Captain Palmer first came 

 into this strait. 



Bellingshausen's journal states: 



' "... at noon we were in lat. 62°49' south, longitude 60" 18' west, 



course parallel to shore northeast by cast . . . [This is the same course 

 Palmer followed in gaining Yankee Strait or McFarlane Strait as the 

 British named it] ... at 1 :30 passed across the mouth of a strait not more 

 than 2 miles wide. The shore which we had held from 4 o'clock in 

 the morning up to this time proved to be an island, Livingston Island, 

 41 miles long, lying E by N J^ E. The western end was low and covered 

 with snow only in parts. The eastern half of the island consisted of high 

 mountains covered with snow and ice and hidden by clouds. [Barnard 

 Peak] The shore was rocky and sheer. [Palmer states: '. . . and the 

 shore everywhere perpendicular.'] The most southerly end of the island 

 projects into the sea as two ridges and forms a bay."*^ 



After discovering an excellent harbor, later called Yankee Harbor, across 

 the strait from Half Moon Island, Captain Palmer went up Yankee Sound, 

 took his whaleboat and went through the dangerous passage between Greenwich 

 and Livingston islands to find "a fine plain, 2 miles in Length and 1 in breadth 

 — and fine harbors."^* This was the rookery at Blythe Bay. Returning to the 

 Hero, he got under way and returned to President's Harbor, the same way 

 he had come. His mission of discovery had been accomplished. Captain Pendle- 

 ton then decided that the entire fleet should go to the newly-discovered Yankee 

 Harbor in Greenwich Island. The Hero's log shows that this was done and 

 that on November 23, 1820, this Fanning fleet of Stonington craft got under 

 way, went into Palmer's Straits (between Deception and Livingston islands) 

 at 1 1 A.M. on November 24, and at 4 p.m. on that same day came to anchor 

 in Yankee Harbor. Incidentally, they first called it Port Williams. Captain 

 Weddell, the British sealer, called it Fanning Harbor on his map of the South 

 Shetlands. Powell called it Hospital Cove. 



[32] 



