398 Miscellanies. : 
e 
closely embayed,.and unable to proceed in a westerly direction; the ice 
barrier trending around to the northward and eastward, compelled us to 
retrace our steps. We had entered a deep gulf on its southern side, and 
it required four days beating along its northern shore to get out of it. Du- 
ring this time our position was critical, the weather changeable, and little 
room in case of bad weather. It fortunately held up until we found our- 
selves again with a clear sea to the northward. : 
The ice barrier had now trended to about sixty-two degrees of latitude ; 
the wind having set in from the westward with dark weather, and little 
prospect of seeing the land or making much progress to the westward 
prior to the Ist of March, thereby losing time which might be spent to ad- 
vantage for our whaling interests at New Zealand, I determined to pro- 
‘ceed to the north on the evening of the 2Ist. ihe 
There was a brilliant appearance of the aurora australis on the 17th # 
February, in lon. 97° 39’ E., lat. 64° S.; also on the 22d Feb. in 103° 
'E., lat. 58° 10’ S.; on the 25th Feb. in 117° 31’ E., lat. 53° 8. ; and 
on the Ist March, in lon. 147° E., Jat. 49° 30 S. 
The result stated in this report leads me to the following conclusions :— 
Ist. From our discoveries of the land through forty degrees of longitude, 
and the observations made during this interesting cruise, with the simi- 
larity of formation and position of the ice during our close examination of 
it, I consider there can scarcely be doubt of the existence of the Antarctic 
continent, extending the whole distance of seventy degrees from east to 
* 
west. 
2d. That different points of the land are at times free from the ice 
barrier. s 
3d. That they are frequented by seal, many of which were seen, and 
offer to our enterprising countrymen engaged in those pursuits, a field of 
large extent for their future operations. 
4th. That the large number of whales, of different species, seen, and 
the quantity of food for them, would designate this coast as @ place of 
great resort for them. The fin-backed whale seemed to predominate. 
We proceeded on our cruise to the northward and eastward with strong 
gales, until we reached the latitude of certain islands laid down on the 
charts as the Royal Company’s Islands, about six degrees to the west: 
ward of their supposed locality ; I then stood on their parallel and passed 
over their supposed site, but we saw nothing of them, or any indicator . 
land inthe vicinity. I feel confident, as far as respects their existence In oF 
near the longitude or parallel assigned them, to assert that they do not exist 
The last ice island was seen in latitude 51° south. A few specimens 
of natural history were obtained and preserved during the cruise. 
As I conceive it would be unbecoming in me to speak of our arduous 
services, the report and accompanying chart of our cruise must speak gs 
us; but I cannot close this report without bringing to your ssa 
