54 THE ANTARCTIC. 



ence of an extensive south polar continent by his circum- 

 navigation, such narrowing of the probability within a 

 comparatively small area followed a year later by means 

 of the bold, energetic advance of James Weddell, the 

 seal-hunter, who had already distinguished himself in his 

 investigation of the South Shetland and South Orkney 

 Isles. Weddell left the Thames on the 1 7th of September, 

 1822, and steered south ; he had two small vessels at his 

 disposal — the brig Jane under his own command, and the 

 cutter Beaufoy under M. Brisbane. After a short, un- 

 avoidable detention at Puerto Valdes on the Patagonian 

 coast he made for the South Orkney Isles, which he had 

 seen the previous year, but without being able to examine 

 them. On the 12th of January, when the ships were sur- 

 rounded by numerous icebergs, the island group came in 

 sight. Weddell utilised an eleven days' stay not only for 

 seal-hunting, but for an accurate survey of the islands, not 

 apparently being aware that this had already been very 

 thoroughly done by Powell and Palmer during the 

 southern summer of 182 1-2. As several of Weddell's 

 men thought they saw land far away to the south-east, 

 from a mountain on the south coast of the principal 

 eastern island, he set sail on the 23rd of January, 1823, in 

 the direction indicated, but without result, for the expected 

 land turned out to be nothing but an enormous number 

 of gigantic icebergs. In spite of this disappointment, 

 Weddell penetrated south as far as latitude 64° 58' S., 

 under longitude 39 41' W., returning, however, to the 

 north in order to ascertain whether any land lay between 

 the South Orkney and the South Sandwich groups, as he 

 was inclined to believe. During this quest he was care- 

 ful to avoid the course of the Adventure which, under 

 Fourneaux' command, had closely approached the South 

 Shetland and South Orkney groups, as well as South 

 Georgia, in the southern summer of 1773-4 without, 

 however, seeing them. 



