Severe gale. Field- ice. French 

 squadron seen. 



ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 



Commander refuses to speak the 

 Porpoise. Barriers of ice. 



151 



eastward, the brig under close-reefed topsails ; at 

 2 P.M., found it difficult and hazardous to proceed, 

 passing within a short distance of ice-islands, and 

 just seeing them dimly through the obscurity ; at 

 three, the brig was hove-to, and Lieutenant-Com- 

 mandant Ringgold says, ill reference to their 

 situation 



" I felt great anxiety to proceed, but the course 

 was so perilous, the extent and trend of the barrier 

 so uncertain, I could not reconcile it with prudence 

 to advance. The frequent falling in with fields of 

 drift-ice, the numerous and often closely-grouped 

 chains of icebergs, were sufficient to point out dis- 

 cretion. The long-extended barrier was encountered 

 in latitude 65 8' S. ; at twelve to-day our position 

 was 65 16' S.; it is easy to perceive the possibility 

 of a trend northerly again, which would have 

 placed us in a large and dangerous gulf, with a 

 heavy gale blowing directly on, without a hope of 

 escape. 



" At 8 P.M., blowing very heavy; the snow falling 

 rendered vision beyond a few yards impossible; I 

 have seldom experienced a heavier blow, and 

 towards the conclusion the squalls were severe and 

 frequent." 



The barometer at 3 A.M., stood at 28 - 200 in., 

 the lowest point it reached during the gale. The 

 temperature of the air was 26. 



The severe gale continued during the 29th, with 

 a heavy sea, and snow falling thickly; at 8 A.M. the 

 gale abated, and the clouds broke away; thiough 

 the day the sun occasionally out ; the weather ap- 

 peared unsettled ; the sun set red and fiery; the 

 latitude was observed 64 46' S., longitude 137 

 16' E. 



On the 30th they stood again to the south-west; 

 at 2 A.M. they made the barrier of field-ice, extend- 

 ing from south-east to west, when it became neces- 

 sary to haul more to the north-west ; the weather 

 becoming thick with a heavy fall of snow, at four 

 o'clock, the wind increasing, compelled them to 

 shorten sail ; at 7 h 30 m the ice in fields was dis- 

 covered close aboard, heading west ; at this time 

 hauled immediately on a wind to the north-east, 

 aud soon passed out of sight of the ice and out of 

 danger; during the day blowing a gale of wind, and 

 very heavy sea running, passing occasional ice- 

 islands; at meridian, being clear of the barrier, the 

 brig was hove-to under storm-sails, to await the 

 clearing of the weather. In the afternoon the 

 weather showed signs of clearing; the sun coming 

 out, again made sail to approach the barrier; no 

 ice in sight; great numbers of black petrels about. 



At 4 p. M. discovered a ship ahead, and shortly 

 after another was made, both standing to the north- 

 ward; the brig hauled up to the north-west, intending 

 to cut them off and speak them, supposing them 

 to be the Vincennes and the Peacock ; shortly after- 

 wards they were seen to be strangers, being smaller 

 ships than our own; at 4 h 30 m the Porpoise hoisted 

 her colours. Knowing that an English squadron 

 under Captain Ross was expected in these seas, 

 Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold took them for 

 his ships, and was, as he says, " preparing to cheer 

 the discoverer of the North Magnetic Pole." 



"At 4 h 50 m , being within a mile and a half, the 

 strangers showed French colours : the leeward and 

 sternmost displayed a broad pennant ; concluded 

 now that they must be the French discovery ships 

 under Captain D'Urville, on a similar service with 



ourselves: desirous of speaking and exchanging the 

 usual and customary compliments incidental to 

 naval life, I closed with the strangers, desiring to 

 pass within hail under the flag-ship's stern. While 

 gaining fast, and being within musket-shot, my 

 intentions too evident to excite a doubt, so far 

 from any reciprocity being evinced, I saw with 

 surprise sail making by boarding the main tack on 

 board the flag-ship. Without a moment's delay, I 

 hauled down my colours and bore up on my course 

 before the wind." 



It is with regret that I mention the above trans- 

 action, and it cannot but excite the surprise of all 

 that such a cold repulse should have come from a 

 French commander, when the officers of that 

 nation are usually so distinguished for their polite- 

 ness and attention. It was with no small excite- 

 ment I heard the report of it, that the vessels of 

 two friendly powers, alike engaged upon an arduous 

 and hazardous service, in so remote a region, sur- 

 rounded with every danger navigators could be 

 liable to, should meet and pass without even the 

 exchange of common civilities, and exhibit none of 

 the kind feelings that the situation would naturally 

 awaken : how could the French commander know 

 that the brig was not in distress or in want of 

 assistance ? By refusing to allow any communica- 

 tion with him, he not only committed a wanton 

 violation of all proper feeling, but a breach of the 

 courtesy due from one nation to another. It is 

 difficult to imagine what could have prompted him 

 to such a course. 



At 6 P.M. the weather again was thick, with the 

 wind south-easterly ; field-ice again in sight ; it 

 commenced snowing, and the French ships were 

 lost sight of. At 8 P.M. they passed in sight of 

 large fields of ice and ice-islands; at 10 h 30 m , the 

 snow falling so dense and the weather so thick, 

 that it was impossible to see the brig's length in 

 any direction ; she was hove-to, to await a change 

 of weather. 



The beginning of the 31st the gale continued; at 

 7 A.M. nroderating, they again made sail to the 

 westward; in half an hour discovered a high barrier 

 of ice to the northward, with ice-islands to the 

 southward ; at 10 A.M. they found themselves in a 

 great inlet formed by vast fields of ice, which they 

 had entered twelve hours previously ; the only 

 opening appearing to the eastward, they were 

 compelled to retrace their steps, which they 

 effected at 8 P.M., passing some ice-islands which 

 they recognized as having been seen the evening 

 before. They now found themselves out of this 

 dangerous position, and passing the point, kept 

 away to the westward. Lieutenant-Commandant 

 Ringgold judged it prudent to heave-to during the 

 night, on account of the darkness. 



February 1st. The immense perpendicular bar- 

 rier encountered yesterday was now in sight, trend- 

 ing as far as the eye could reach to the westward ; 

 it was of tabular form, from one hundred and fifty 

 to one hundred and eighty feet in height, of solid 

 compact ice, resembling a long line of coast ; wind 

 moderate from the south-east, a brilliant blink ex- 

 tending along and elevated above the barrier. At 

 4 P.M. they arrived at the end of this barrier, and 

 found it trending off to the southward, seeming as 

 if numbers of icebergs had been broken from the 

 barrier by some mighty force, exceeding in numbers 

 any thing that had yet been seen, and extending as 



