r 



Return to the eastward. 



ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 



Porpoise stands to thS 

 northward. 



153 



the boats returned with ice. The current was 

 found to be setting north-north-east, five fathoms 

 an hour ; the weather continued clear and health- 

 ful ; made the field-ice ahead and on the lee bow ; 

 shortly after, cleared it. The twilight in the 

 southern horizon presented a beautiful appearance, 

 a bright salmon colour radiating from the sun, 

 throwing its tints over the whole sky, tinging the 

 few ciiTo-stratus clouds that were in the northern 

 quarter, and giving a soft colour to the immense 

 ice-islands that were slumbering along the barrier, 

 and aiding to lend to the scene its peculiar charac- 

 ter of silence, solitude, and desolation. 



The weather was clear and pleasant on the llth, 

 with a light wind from the south-east; many pen- 

 guins and whales were seen. The icebergs were 

 ruiierous, and some of great beauty, with almost 

 regularly-turned arches, and of the most beautiful 

 aqua-marine tints. Longitude was 106 10' E., 

 latitude 65 28' S. 



During the morning of the 1 2th, running along 

 high broken fields of ice, with a light breeze from 

 the southward ; weather overcast ; discovered a 

 large piece of ice of a dark brown colour floating 

 by, resembling a piece of dead coral ; lay -to, and 

 sent a boat to bring it alongside; obtained from it 

 several pieces of granite and red clay, which were 

 frozen in ; the ice was extremely hard and compact, 

 composed of alternate layers of ice and snow; the 

 strata of snow was filled with sand. The icebergs 

 near at the time presented signs of having been 

 detached from land, being discoloured by sand and 

 mud. A number of white procellaria were ob- 

 tained. The ice-islands again appeared in great 

 numbers. At 3 P.M. hauled up, steering westerly 

 into a very deep inlet or gulf, formed by extensive 

 fields of ice. Believing from the indications of the 

 morning that land could not be far off, in approach- 

 ing the head of this inlet, several icebergs had the 

 appearance of being in contact with the land, 

 having assumed a dark colour from the clay and sand 

 blown upon them ; the whole group around seemed 

 as if in the vicinage of land; sounded with two 

 hundred fathoms; no bottom: also tried the cur- 

 rent, but found none. Towards night, it becoming 

 thick with snow, they continued under snug sail, 

 intending to examine more closely the barrier and 

 inlets in the morning. 



13th. At 3 A.M. they again made sail to the 

 westward, with wind from the east; at six o'clock 

 they had snow-squalls, rendering it unsafe to pro- 

 ceed, and impossible to make any discovery. A 

 few hours afterwards the weather cleared a little; 

 made sail again to the north-west. At meridian 

 overcast, with a stiff south-east breeze; at l h 30 m , 

 approached to within pistol-shot of the barrier, 

 observing much of the dark dirty ice interspersed 

 with the field-ice ; kept along it very closely, 

 tracing the barrier northerly ; observed a large 

 black object on the ice ; shortened sail, and de- 

 spatched a boat : it proved to be a large mass of 

 black, red, and mixed-coloured earth, resting upon 

 a base of snow and ice, situated some fifty yards 

 back from the margin of the field-ice, and was 

 found to be red earth, mixed with granite and 

 sandstone. Penguins were also procured alive. 

 At 3 P.M. they again followed the trend of the 

 ice in a north-westerly direction; a vast field, of 

 uninterrupted extent, seemed moving along to the 

 westward, the large icebergs containing dark and 



discoloured masses, with frequent strata of the 

 same description. They were still at a loss to 

 account for these frequent signs of land ; dis- 

 coloured pieces of ice seemed mingled with the 

 general mass ; they were often seen along its 

 margin, and appeared as though the icebergs had 

 been turned over, presenting collections as if 

 from the bottom. Great numbers of sperm whales 

 were seen this day. At 8 P.M. they passed out 

 northwardly with a light breeze and smooth sea, 

 through an extensive chain of icebergs, which 

 seemed grouped off the western point of the 

 barrier : upwards of one hundred of them were 

 counted, several of which were very much dis- 

 coloured. The sunset was brilliant, bright crim- 

 son tints illuminating the icebergs, and producing 

 a beautiful effect. 



On the 14th, Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold, 

 having passed a few degrees beyond his instruc- 

 tions, that is, having reached longitude 100 E., 

 and latitude 64 15' S., now commenced his return, 

 in order to examine those places in the barrier 

 which he had been prevented from doing on his 

 way west. 



15th. Continued their course to the eastward. 

 Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold frequently re- 

 fers to the happy and cheerful condition of his 

 crew, and their freedom from all disease. 



On the 16th and 17th, they were employed in 

 getting to the eastward, passing many worn and 

 shattered bergs. On the evening of the latter day, 

 they had another exhibition of the aurora australis, 

 extending from north-north-west to east; it was of 

 a light straw colour, but very indistinct ; the lumi- 

 nous bank was at an elevation of 30. The light 

 in the north-west was most distinct, radiating from 

 a nucleus above the horizon towards the zenith, 

 where it formed a beautiful halo. It was not of 

 long duration. Many ice-islands and bergs in 

 sight ; upwards of two hundred, nearly all of a 

 tabular form, the sides of many of them 

 beautifully excavated by the waves, presenting 

 innumerable Gothic arches, extending often to 

 a considerable distance into the body of the 

 ice. 



Their position on the 18th was in longitude 114 

 17' E., latitude 62 37' S. Flocks of black birds 

 were very numerous, but not near enough to be 

 taken. 



On the 19th and 20th, proceeding to the east- 

 ward. On the 20th, they had but few ice-islands 

 in sight, although they were seventy miles further 

 south than on the 1 8th, when the largest number 

 ever seen by them at one time was visible ; having 

 reached the longitude of 120 E., they again 

 steered south, to make the barrier. The current 

 was tried, but none found. 



The 21st proved stormy, with strong breezes 

 from the south-east, and much snow and rain, 

 which covered the brig with ice. Field-ice was 

 seen ahead, when they again stood to the east- 

 ward, longitude being 121 30' E., latitude 65 

 15' S. On this night they experienced a heavy 

 gale, during which the barometer fell to 27*50 in., 

 where it remained during part of the 22nd. The 

 squalls were very severe, accompanied with snow, 

 sleet, hail, and heavy seas; they had now reached 

 longitude 122 E., and latitude 64 !)' S. 



February 22nd, being Washington's birthday, 

 the colours were hoisted, and the crew received an 



