Opinion of the ward-room officers. Deter- A -. T m A T>/irrTr< 

 mination to proceed with the cruise. AJN I AKOll^ 



Gale. Thick weather. 



143 



Gilchrist, who was under suspension. The opinion 

 of the ward-room officers was asked in a written 

 circular, of which the following is a copy. 



U. S. ship Vincennes, 

 At sea, January 31st, 1840. 



GENTLEMEN, The receipt of the enclosed report 

 of Drs. Fox and Whittle, relative to the health 

 and condition of the crew of this ship, at this time, 

 renders it necessary for me to decide whether it is 

 expedient to push further south in exploration 

 under the present circumstances. 



As you are acquainted with all the circumstances, 



J it is unnecessary to repeat them, except to remark, 



that your opinion is requested before I decide upon 



the course to be pursued, in consequence of the strong 



bias self-interest might give me in the prosecution 



of our arduous duties. I wish the report returned 



i to me, and for you to communicate your opinion in 



writing. 



I am, respectfully, &c , 



CHARLES WILKES, 

 Commanding exploring expedition. 

 To the ward-room officers, 

 U. S. ship Vincennes. 



Of the answers to this letter it is sufficient here 

 to say, that a majority concurred in opinion with 

 the report of the medical officers. Notwithstand- 

 ing these opinions, I was not satisfied that there 



| was sufficient cause to change my original de- 

 termination of passing along to the appointed 

 rendezvous ; and after full consideration of the 

 matter, I came to the conclusion, at whatever 

 hazard to ship and crew, that it was my duty to 

 proceed, and not give up the cruise until the ship 

 should be totally disabled, or it should be evident 

 to all that it was impossible to persist any longer. 

 In bringing myself to this decision, I believe that 

 I viewed the case on all sides with fairness, and 

 allowed my duty to my country, my care for those 

 whom it had committed to my charge, and my re- 

 sponsibility to the world, each to have its due 



j weight. 



The weather now moderated, and I ordered sail 

 to be made. The 2nd of February found us about 

 sixty miles to the westward of Piner's Bay, steer- 

 ing to the southward, and as usual among ice- 

 islands, with the land in sight. The land had the 

 same lofty appearance as before. We stood in 

 until 3 P.M., when we were within two and a half 

 miles of the icy cliffs by which the land was 

 bounded on all sides. These were from one hun- 

 dred and fifty to two hundred feet in height, quite 

 perpendicular, and there was no appearance what- 

 ever of rocks ; all was covered with ice and snow. 

 A short distance from us to the westward was 

 a long range of icebergs aground, which, contrary 

 to the usual appearance, looked much weather- 

 beaten. We tried for soundings, but did not get 

 any with one hundred and fifty fathoms, although 

 the water was much discoloured. The badness of 

 the deep-sea line was a great annoyance to us, for 

 deeper soundings would probably have obtained 

 bottom. No break in the icy barrier, where a foot 

 could be set on the rocks, was observable from 

 aloft. The land still trended to the westward as 

 far as the eye could reach, and continued to exhibit 

 the same character as before. Our longitude now 

 was 137 2' E., latitude 66 12' S. : we found the 

 magnetic declination westerly. 



This proved a fine day, so that we had an oppor- 

 tunity of airing the men's bedding, of ventilating 

 the ship, and of getting rid of the ice, with which 

 we were much encumbered. The thermometer 

 varied from 33 to 36. Our sick-list had increased 

 the last few days to twenty ; many of the men 

 were affected with boils, which rendered them 

 comparatively useless ; and ulcers, which were 

 caused by the least scratch, were exceedingly 

 prevalent ; but their food was good, they had 

 plenty of it, and their spirits were excellent. The 

 high land was seen this afternoon, but the barrier 

 along which we were passing prevented any nearer 

 approach. This evening it was perceptible that 

 the days were becoming shorter, which was a new 

 source of anxiety, for we were often surrounded by 

 numerous ice-islands, which the darkness rendered 

 more dangerous. 



Towards evening the weather became unsettled, 

 and the 3rd of February was ushered in by another 

 gale, accompanied with snow. The barometer fell 

 lower than heretofore, namely, to 28'460 in.; the 

 thermometer stood at 33. Before the thick snow 

 came on, we had taken the bearings of the ice- 

 islands, and finding we had a few miles compara- 

 tively free from them, I determined to await the 

 result of the storm, and made every thing snug to 

 encounter it. The gale continued throughout the 

 day, and although it moderated after 5 P.M.,- we 

 had some strong squalls, but nothing so violent as 

 those we had already experienced. The , ship, in 

 consequence of the snow, became more 'damp and 

 uncomfortable, and our sick-list was increased to 

 thirty, who were rather overcome by want of rest 

 and fatigue than affected by any disease. To 

 remedy the dampness, a stove was placed on the 

 gun-deck, and fires kept burning in the galleys on 

 the berth-deck, more for the purpose of drying the 

 men's clothes than for warmth. We had no ob- 

 servations this day, but the dead-reckoning gave 

 the longitude 134 E., latitude 63 49' S. 



The 4th and 5th the weather continued the same. 

 As the winds became lighter thick snow fell, and 

 we were able to see only a short distance from 

 the ship. We contrived by manoeuvring to retain 

 our position. On this last day we got a tolerable 

 observation, which gave our longitude as 133 42' 

 E., and latitude 64 6' S. 



The first part of the 6th the same thick weather 

 continued, but towards 4 P.M. it began to clear, 

 when we again made sail, until we saw and took 

 the bearings of the barrier. We found ourselves 

 situated opposite the part of it we had seen three 

 days before. It still had the appearance of being 

 attached to the land, and in one uninterrupted line. 

 Wishing to examine it closely, I hove-to for broad 

 daylight. Many whales, penguins, flocks of birds, 

 and some seals, were reported. 



On the 7th we had much better weather, and 

 continued all day running along the perpendicular 

 icy barrier, about one hundred and fifty feet in 

 height. Beyond it the outline of the high land 

 could be well distinguished. At 6 P.M. we sud- 

 denly found the barrier trending to the southward, 

 and the sea studded with icebergs. I now hauled 

 off' until daylight, in order to ascertain the trending 

 of the land more exactly. I place this point, which 

 I have named Cape Carr, after the first lieutenant 

 of the Vincennes, in longitude 131 40' E., and 

 latitude 64 49' S. 





