50 THE ANTARCTIC. 



Czar, Alexander I., with orders to push as far south as 

 possible. In December, 1819, Bellingshausen sailed 

 round South Georgia on the southern side, laying down 

 the land as accurately as possible, and then steered to- 

 wards South Sandwich Land. On his way he discovered 

 a lofty island on the 3rd of January, 1820, in latitude 

 56 41' S. and longitude 28° 9' W., and on the following 

 day, two more discoveries were made. On one of them, 

 Sawadowskji, there was an active volcano, and Bel- 

 lingshausen gave the group the name of the Traversey 

 Islands, in honour of the Russian Minister of Marine. 

 On the 8th of January he had reached the northernmost 

 portions of the South Sandwich group seen by Cook 

 and named the Candlemas Islands. Bellingshausen laid 

 them down accurately, as well as the remaining islands, 

 and determined that they were not a portion of an ex- 

 tensive coast, as Cook had erroneously supposed, but 

 all ol them islands of small extent. To the south of the 

 islands he first penetrated as far as 6o° 30' S. in longitude 

 28° W., but in consequence of the dense pack-ice he twice 

 found himself compelled to recross latitude 6o° S. The 

 third time he crossed in longitude 7° W. and now sailed 

 due south. 



On the 28th of January the vessels had reached a 

 latitude of 69° 21' S. on the meridian 2° 15' W. when 

 they were stopped by an ice barrier, so that Bellings- 

 hausen was compelled to cruise towards the east ; once 

 again, when on meridian i° ii' W., he succeeded in 

 penetrating to latitude 66° 25' S. on the 2nd of February, 

 to be again thwarted by the impenetrable ice. He in 

 consequence steered north and north-east as far as latitude 

 65° S. and longitude 18° E. where wind and ice seemed 

 favourable for another attempt to reach a higher latitude ; 

 successful in reaching 69 6' S. on the 17th and 18th of 

 February, progress was again stopped by an interminable 

 rampart of ice extending east and west as far as eye could 



