LIFE OF JAMES DWIGHT DANA 



voyage, he gathered the particulars respecting the dis- 

 covery of an antarctic continent, and communicated them 

 to his friends at home. 



Discovery of an Antarctic Continent 



TO HIS BROTHER JOHN 

 " BAY OF ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, March 3, 1840. 



" A word or two to let you know how and where I am, 

 and where we are going, is all I have at present time to 

 write. Our vessels have arrived from the cruise south, 

 excepting the Peacock, which, we hear, put in at Port 

 Jackson and will join the squadron at the Tonga Islands. 

 They have all fared well in the cold regions, being free 

 from sickness and accidents, excepting the Peacock, which 

 was for a while blocked up in the ice and not extricated 

 till she had met with severe injury. You will probably 

 see a more particular account in the papers from those 

 who experienced the dangers, and I do not therefore 

 stop to give the details. We have made some splendid 

 discoveries, have traced the shores of an antarctic con- 

 tinent, at intervals, for 1500 miles, obtained specimens of 

 the mineral productions, and sketches of its mountains. 

 The French, who are now on a voyage of discovery, in 

 the ships Astrolabe and Ze'le'e, were about ten hours too 

 late to be first discoverers. The Vincennes saw the land 

 on the morning of the igth of January, and the French 

 on the evening of the same day. So you see we were 

 before them. But it is useless for me to particularize 

 here, as a complete account will probably be immediately 

 published. 



' We leave in two or three days for Tonga, and from 

 there shall go to the Feejees. After surveying the 

 Feejees, we next start for the Sandwich Islands, where I 

 am anxiously looking for letters and news. Our north- 

 west coast will be our next destination." 



TO BENJAMIN SILLIMAN 



" BAY OF ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, March 4, 1840. 



" In the first place we have just welcomed our friends 

 from the Polar regions, with whom we parted some three 



116 



