Constellations of the Southern Ilemisphere. 115 



anxiety to avoid the current, keep too far to the east, lose 

 much time, being compelled to pass weeks in the zone of calms, 

 which increases in breadth towards the east, whereas the others 

 come very little in contact with it, and avail themselves of the 

 changes of wind near the shore, to double the Cape of St. 

 Roque on the American coast, so much dreaded by the 

 former. We cannot here forbear expressing our high admira- 

 tion of the great merits of Mr. Maury, whose classical work on 

 the physical geography of the sea, as well as his inestimable 

 wind and current charts, deserve the especial attention of all 

 who navigate these seas. 



The nearer we approached the Line, the more striking be- 

 came the aspect of the southern constellations. The light of 

 the northern polar star grew fainter and fainter, its altitude 

 diminished, and it at length entirely disappeared. But, on the 

 other hand, the Southern Cross, the Magellan clouds, the ship 

 Argo on the '' coal-bags," or starless, dark spots of the southern 

 hemisphere, became more elevated in proportion as the northern 

 sky moved away, and for a moment we felt some difficulty in 

 recognizing our old acquaintances of the northern hemisphere 

 in their relation to the new stars. 



On the 15th, at 3 a.m., we crossed the Line in 30° 50' W.L. 

 This event, which with all sailors forms a marked epoch in 

 their seafaring life, had in this case the additional feature of 

 being actually the first occasion of an Austrian man-ot-war 

 entering the southern hemisphere, and our crew, who had 

 long before enjoyed, in anticipation, the merriment to which 



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