146 



Snow-squalls. Whales. 

 Aurora australis. Ice-barrier. 



ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 



Formation of icebergs. 



64 21' S. We to-day made observations through- 

 out the twenty-four hours with Leslie's photometer. 



On the 17th, about 10 A. M., we discovered the 

 barrier extending in a line ahead, and running 

 north and south as far as the eye could reach. 

 Appearances of land were also seen to the south- 

 west, and its trending seemed to be to the north- 

 ward. We were thus cut off from any further 

 progress to the westward, and obliged to retrace 

 our steps. This position of the ice disappointed 

 me, although it concurred with what was reason- 

 ably to be expected. We were now in longitude 

 97 37' E., and latitude 64 1' S. ; our variation 

 was 56 21' westerly, being again on the decrease. 

 To-day we had several snow-squalls, which, instead 

 of being in flakes, was in small grains, as round as 

 shot, and of various sizes, from that of mustard- 

 seed to buckshot. It was remarkably dry, pure 

 white, and not at all like hail. We found the bay 

 we had entered was fifty or sixty miles in depth, 

 and having run in on its southern side, T deter- 

 mined to return along its northern shore, which we 

 set about with much anxiety, as the weather began 

 to change for the worse. Our situation was by no 

 means such as I should have chosen to encounter 

 bad weather in, the bay being sprinkled with a 

 great many large icebergs. Here we met with a 

 large number of whales, whose curiosity seemed 

 awakened by our presence. Their proximity, how- 

 ever, was any thing but pleasant to us, and their 

 blowings resembled that of a number of locomo- 

 tives. Their close approach was a convincing pi-oof 

 that they had never been exposed to the pursuit of 

 their skilful hunters. They were of the fin-back 

 species, and of extraordinary size. 



Between ten and eleven o'clock at night it was 

 entirely clear over head, and we were gratified 

 with a splendid exhibition of the aurora australis. 

 It exceeded any thing of the kind I had heretofore 

 witnessed ; its activity was inconceivable, darting 

 from the zenith to the horizon in all directions in 

 the most brilliant coruscations ; rays proceeding as 

 if from a point in the zenith, flashed in brilliant 

 pencillings of light, like sparks of electric fluid in 

 vacuo, and reappeared again to vanish ; forming 

 themselves into one body, like an umbrella, or fan, 

 shut up ; again emerging to flit across the sky with 

 the rapidity of light, they showed all the prismatic 

 colours at once or in quick succession. So remark- 

 able were the phenomena that even our sailors 

 were constantly exclaiming in admiration of its 

 brilliancy. The best position in which to view it 

 was by lying flat upon the deck, and looking up. 

 The electrometer was tried, but no effect perceived. 

 The star Canopus was in the zenith at the time, and 

 though visible through the aui'ora, was much dimi- 

 nished in brightness. On this night also the moon 

 was partially eclipsed. 



Large icebergs had now become very numerous, 

 and strengthened the belief that the land existing 

 in this vicinity had taken a very decided trend to 

 the northward. I accordingly followed up the 

 northern barrier closely, and passed through the 

 thickest of these bergs, well knowing from our 

 experience that we should have little or no oppor- 

 tunity of seeing the land, unless on the inner side 

 of them. It appeared as though they had collected 

 here from other places, and it is impossible to form 

 an idea of the small space to which we were at 

 times confined. Upwards of one hundred ice- 



islands could be counted at a time without the 

 aid of a glass, some of which were several miles 

 long. We enjoyed this beautiful sight with the 

 more pleasure, for we had become used to them, 

 and knew from experience that it was possible to 

 navigate through them without accident, 



On the 18th, we continued beating to the east- 

 ward, and found no end to the apparently inter- 

 minable barrier. We had a smooth sea, and better 

 weather than I anticipated. At noon, we had 

 retraced our way about forty miles. To-day we 

 again had snow, which fell in the form of regular 

 six-pointed stars. The needles of which these stars 

 were formed were quite distinct, and of regular 

 crystals. The temperature at the time was 28. 

 The barometer stood at 28'76 in., about three- 

 tenths lower than we had had it for the last twelve 

 days. The wind was easterly. 



19th. During this day the barrier trended more 

 to the north-east, and we not unfrequently entered 

 bays so deep as to find ourselves, on reaching the 

 extremity, cut off by the barrier, and compelled to 

 return to within a few miles of the place where we 

 had entered. I thought at first that this might 

 have been caused by the tide or current, but 

 repeated trials showed none. Neither did I detect 

 any motion in the floating ice except what was 

 caused by the wind. Our longitude to-day was 

 101 E., latitude 63 2' S. Some anxiety seemed 

 to exist among the officers and crew lest we should 

 find ourselves embayed or cut off from the clear 

 sea, by a line of barrier. There appeared strong 

 reason for this apprehension, as the smooth sea we 

 had had for several days still continued ; we had 

 been sailing as if upon a river, and the water had 

 not assumed its blue colour. 



It was, therefore, with great pleasure that, on 

 the 20th, a slight swell was perceived, and the bar- 

 rier began to trend more to the northward, and 

 afterwards again to the westward. In the morning 

 we found ourselves still surrounded by great num- 

 bers of ice-islands. After obtaining a tolerably 

 clear space, the day being rather favourable, we 

 sounded with the deep-sea line eight hundred and 

 fifty fathoms. Six's thermometer gave at the 

 surface 31, and at the depth of eight hundred and 

 fifty fathoms 35, an increase of four degrees. The 

 current was again tried, but none was found. A 

 white object was visible at eleven fathoms. The 

 water had now assumed a bluish cast. 



We endeavoured to-day to land on an iceberg, 

 but there was too much sea. Shrimps were in 

 great quantities about it, but swam too deep to be 

 taken. The wind again hauled to the westward, 

 which disappointed me, as I was in hopes of getting 

 to the position where Cook saw the ice in 1773, 

 being now nearly in the same latitude. It was less 

 than one hundred miles to the westward of us; and 

 little doubt can exist that its situation has not 

 materially changed in sixty-seven years. 



The observations of the squadron during this 

 season's antarctic cruise, together with those of the 

 preceding year, would seem to confirm the opinion 

 that very little change takes place in the line of 

 ice. It may be inferred that the line of perpetual 

 congelation exists in a lower latitude in some parts 

 of the southern hemisphere than in others. The 

 icy barrier retreats several degrees to the south of 

 the Antarctic Circle to the west of Cape Horn, while 

 to the eastward it in places advances to the north- 



