AMERICAN DISCOVERERS, ANTARCTIC CONTINENT 
505 
January 19, 1840. "In the morning" we 
(Vincennes) found ourselves in a deep 
bay. Land was now certainly visible, 
both to the south-southeast and south- 
west, in the former direction most dis- 
tinctly. Both appeared high." 
At three the same morning Hudson, in 
the Peacock, tacked to reach "An im- 
mense mass which had every appearance 
of land, seen far beyond and towering 
•over an ice island. It bore southwest 
and had the appearance of being 3,000 
feet in height, looking gray and dark, 
and divided into two distinct ridges 
throughout its entire extent ; the whole 
being covered with snow."* 
January 22, 1840. "The Peacock stood 
into the (Peacock) bay and saw the 
same appearance of high land in the 
distance. Sounded ; bottom was reached 
at 320 fathoms ; the matter brought up 
was slate-covered mud." (The bay, 20 
miles deep, was surrounded by an ice- 
"barrier.) 
January 23, 1840. The Vincennes en- 
tered an indentation in ■ the ice-barrier, 
which stretched unbroken along their 
course. 
"The appearance of land was ob- 
served both to the eastward and west- 
w^ard. . . . Reached the solid bar- 
rier. This was a deep indentation in the 
coast, about 25 miles wide ; explored it 
to the depth of 15 miles. This I have 
called Disappointment Bay ; it is in lati- 
tude 67° 4' 3" S., longitude 147° 30' E" 
(see map, page 308). 
January 28, 1840. The Vincennes at 
9.30 a. m. "had another sight of land 
ahead. (ti a. m.) We had the land 
now in plain view." A violent gale 
-obliged the ship to put to sea. 
January 30, 1840. From the Vincennes 
■"land was in sight. At 8 o'clock reached 
the icy barrier and hove to. It was tan- 
talizing, with the land in sight, to be 
again and again blocked out. . . . 
♦Admiral John E. Pillsbury, U. S. Navy, 
• conclusively proves (Nationai. Geographic 
Magazine, February, 1910, pp. 171-173) from 
D'Urville's reports that his discovery of Adelie 
Land was one day after Wilkes discovered 
Cape Hudson. D'Urville used the date of 
America, and Wilkes that of Europe, so that 
D'Urville's January 21 was in reality Janu- 
.ary 22. 
This bay was formed partly by rocks and 
partly by ice islands. . . . We ap- 
proached within half a mile of the dark 
volcanic rocks, which appeared on both 
sides of us, and saw the land gradually 
rising beyond the ice to the height of 
3,000 feet, and entirely covered with 
snow. ... I make this bay (called 
Finer) in longitude 140° 2' 30" E., lat- 
itude 66° 45' S. ; and now that all are 
convinced of its existence, / gave the 
land the name of the Antarctic Conti- 
nent. . . . Sounded and found a 
hard bottom at 30 fathoms." 
Driven from Finer Bay by a gale, 
Wilkes continued his cruise along the 
unbroken ice-barrier to the westward. 
This, in despite of the official report of 
his*' medical officers, endorsed by a ma- 
jority of his line officers, that "a few 
days more of such exposure 
would reduce the number of the crew 
by sickness to such an extent as to haz- 
ard the safety of the ship and the lives 
of all on board." 
February 2, 1840. The Vincennes in 
137° 2' E., 66° 12' S., at 3 p. m., had 
"land in sight, with the same lofty ap- 
pearance as before. No break in the 
icy barrier, where a foot could be set on 
the rocks." 
February 6, 18 |o. From the Vin- 
cennes the barrier "still had the appear- 
ance of being attached to the land, and 
in one uninterrupted line." 
February 7, 1840. The Vincennes 
"continued all day running along the 
perpendicular icy barrier, about 150 feet 
in height. Beyond it the outline of the 
high land could be well distinguished. 
At 6 p. m. we found the barrier suddenly 
trending to the southward. . . . This 
point I have named Cape Carr, in longi- 
tude 131° 40' E., latitude 64° 49' S." ■ 
February 8, 1840. The Vincennes at 
noon was in 127° 7' E., 65° 3' S. "At 
7 p. m. we had strong indications of 
land ; the barrier was of the former per- 
pendicular form, and later the "outline 
of the continent appeared distinct 
though distant." 
February 12, 1840. From the Vin- 
cennes at I p. m. : "Land was now dis- 
tinctly seen from 18 to 20 miles distant. 
