138 



DISCOVERY REPORTS 



westernmost and highest of the rocky islets received the name of Freezeland Peak, after 

 the man who first sighted it, and the land beyond, now known as Bristol Island, was 

 called Cape Bristol. At the same time other land was seen to the south, and this Cook 

 approached, naming it Southern Thule, "because it is the most southern land that has 

 ever yet been discovered ". He thought 

 it probable that the two lands were 

 connected and that the space between 

 them was a bay — which he called 

 Forsters' Bay. 



Finding that he could not weather 

 Southern Thule Cook stood to the 

 north and again passed Freezeland 

 Peak. To the north of Cape Bristol no 

 land could be seen to the east, a dis- 

 covery which "relieved us from the 

 fear of being carried by the swell on 

 the most horrible coast in the world ". 



Next morning more land was sighted . 

 It proved to be a high promontory, 

 which was named Cape Montagu, and 

 since he thought he saw land between 

 it and Cape Bristol, Cook concluded 

 that the two were connected. He 

 adds: "I was sorry I could not de- 

 termine this with greater certainty; 

 but prudence would not permit me to 

 venture near a coast, subject to thick 

 fogs, on which there was no anchorage ; 

 where every port was blocked or filled 

 up with ice; and the whole country, 

 from the summits of the mountains, 

 down to the very brink of the cliffs 

 which terminate the coast covered 

 many fathoms thick with everlasting 

 snow. The cliff"s alone was all which 

 was to be seen like land". 



Later in the day more land was seen 

 to the north and next morning (February 2) yet more, appearing as "two hummocks 

 just peeping over the horizon". Cook approached the land seen the previous evening, 

 finding it to be of considerable height, with its summit lost in the clouds, and covered 

 with ice and snow " except on a projecting point on the north side and two hills seen over 

 this point which probably might be two islands. These only were clear of snow and 



Fig. 2. The South Sandwich Islands. 



