52 THE ANTARCTIC. 



upwards of a hundred were counted within sight of the 

 ships. At length, on the 14th, the end of the pack-ice 

 was reached, and open sea was seen to the south and 

 east. After an interval of rather more than a week, during 

 which the Antarctic circle was crossed, the pack-ice re- 

 appeared, enclosing gigantic icebergs, of which one is 

 said to have had a length and breadth of eleven miles. 

 On the 26th of December the pack-ice again completely 

 blocked their course, so that a second return to latitude 

 6o° S. in longitude 144° W. was necessary. The intrepid 

 and indefatigable commander again steered to the south- 

 east with the result that a latitude of 67 50' S. was 

 again attained in longitude 120° W., and again the 

 barrier of pack-ice stopped further progress on the 13th 

 of January, 182 1. The former expedient was again 

 adopted. Bellingshausen returned to nearly 63 S. lati- 

 tude and 103 W. longitude, crossing" the Antarctic circle 

 for the sixth time. Sailing along the edge of the pack- 

 ice towards a remarkably bright ice-blink in the south, he 

 reached the highest point attained during his voyage in 

 latitude 69° 53' S. and longitude 92 19' W., on the 22nd 

 of January. He was, however, again obliged to return, 

 owing to the increased density of the drift-ice and the 

 danger of being surrounded and blocked in. 



Steering to the north a small dark point was per- 

 ceived towards the east on the afternoon of the same 

 day. As the weather cleared this was seen to be snow- 

 covered land, and the next day it turned out on nearer 

 approach to be a steep, lofty island, estimated as having 

 an altitude of upwards of 4,000 feet. It received the* 

 name of Peter I.'s Island, and the situation was deter- 

 mined to be latitude 68° 57' S. and longitude 90 46' W. 

 As Bellingshausen felt convinced that more land was to 

 be discovered in this region, he steered to the east in 

 about latitude 68° 30' S., and actually had the satisfaction 

 of sighting a coast, with a prominent cape in the distance, 



