THE FIBST VOYAGE TO THE SOUTH 109 



however, too good to last, and when the time came to leave, 

 there were many bitter regrets, especially ..when we thought 

 that the Yankees and French had made fine discoveries to 

 the Southward a few months before, and that we were looked 

 up to as about to eclipse all other nations, and that 

 it remained to be proved whether we deserved their kind 

 treatment or not ; this was, however, a spur to us all, 

 and we sailed down the Derwent bent upon doing our 

 utmost. 



The first voyage lasted, as has been said, from November 12, 

 1840, to April 6, 1841. The three weeks from November 20 

 to December 12 were spent on the Lord Auckland Islands, 

 where the long term-day magnetic observations were made 

 and Hooker reaped a rich botanical harvest, as also at Campbell 

 Islands, December 13-17, while New Year's Day brought the 

 first sight of the ice. This time they got through the pack ice, 

 a stretch of 200 miles, in four days, more fortunate than in the 

 next season further to the east, when the pack stretched 800 

 miles and held them forty-seven days. As a rule, the great 

 expanse of ice quieted the waves, and Hooker welcomed 

 these periods of comparative calm for his microscopic work 

 or drawing ; but a hurricane in the pack, hurling the masses 

 of ice about like huge missiles, such as lasted for three days 

 on the second voyage, smashed bowsprits and rudders and 

 would have sent any other ships to the bottom. The weather 

 was nearly always bad ; the reader of Boss's voyage counts 

 eleven storms punctuating the incessant chronicle of thick 

 weather, fog, snow squalls, high winds and seas, after two 

 months of which February 18 brings the grateful record of 

 the first night on which stars were visible. 



Of this journey he writes to his father after returning to 

 Tasmania, on April 8, and August 24, 1841. 



Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land : April 8, 1841. 



MY DEAR FATHER, Yesterday at 4 P.M. we anchored 

 at our old station opposite the Paddock, and accordingly 

 I hasten to have this letter ready to send you by the first 

 opportunity, which will be in a few days. We have indeed 

 had a most glorious and successful cruise to the southward, 



