HISTORY OF DISCOVERY. .;?) 



attempt towards the south-east, but only tc find himself 

 again in the region of drifting icebergs on the 16th of 

 February, in latitude 57 8' S. and longitude 8o° 59' E. 

 As early as the 24th he had reached latitude 6i° 52' S. 

 and longitude 95° E., sailing among innumerable ice- 

 bergs, when the masses of ice made it unadvisable to 

 continue his course. He therefore turned to the east and 

 sailed continuously about latitude 6o° S. as far as longitude 

 148° E., whence he made for New Zealand on the 17th of 

 March, which he reached on the 25th, hoping to complete 

 his previous explorations. After meeting the Adventure 

 there — she had arrived on the 1st of March without 

 sighting either land or, with a single exception, icebergs 

 — Cook took both vessels to the Society and Friendly 

 Isles to give the crews a rest, returning to New Zealand 

 towards the end of October. 



New Zealand was left on the 26th of November, and 

 the vessels started afresh on a voyage south. Since the 

 non-existence of a continent to the south of the Indian 

 Ocean had been proved, the regions of the southern 

 Pacific were to be explored in the southern summer of 

 I 773"4- Unfortunately, Cook did not resume his search 

 at the point where he had ceased the year before : he did 

 not press forward south from the southern extremity of 

 Tasmania. Had he done so in favourable circumstances, 

 he would doubtless have lighted on the coast of Wilkes 

 Land. However, he crossed latitude 6o° S. on the nth 

 of December on the meridian 174 W., therefore 38 

 of longitude distant from the meridian on which he 

 quitted his position in latitude 59° S. the previous March. 



It is remarkable that he did not encounter an ice- 

 berg till he reached latitude 62 4' S. and longitude 

 172 W., n|° farther south than after his first start from 

 the Cape of Good Hope. But the number of icebergs 

 rapidly increased, and gradually the drift-ice again ap- 

 peared, though not as yet so dense as greatly to impede 



