HISTORY OF DISCOVERY. 63 



matter of course, no land whatever ; for land is an ob- 

 stacle to the drifting north of field-ice and icebergs. 

 Morrell now constantly steered to the west, of course 

 along the high parallel of latitude 69° S., and in 69/ 42' 

 S. passed the meridian of Greenwich on the 23rd of 

 February. In continuation, the vague account seems 

 to indicate that the South Sandwich Islands were reached 

 a few days later, for already on the 28th of February, 

 the Candlemas Islands — the most northerly of the group 

 if Traversey Islands are excepted — were in sight ; this 

 would mean that within five days a distance of 1,200 

 miles had been traversed by a sailing ship in seas 

 beset with ice. The islands appeared as "burning 

 volcanoes," and the westernmost had "already been 

 burnt down to the water's edge"! Nine active vol- 

 canoes altogether were observed — fire enough, Morrell 

 thought, but none of the fuel of which he was in need. 

 That is to say, he had sought out these islands in the 

 hope of picking up drift-wood there, without any explana- 

 tion whatever of the source from which he expected it 

 to come. 



On the 6th of March the exploration was concluded, 

 and with the audacity that characterises him, Morrell, 

 though the season was far too advanced, steered south- 

 west in spite of it. On the 11th of March, after a 

 dangerous passage through pack-ice, he is in a perfectly 

 free and open sea in latitude 64 21' S. and longitude 

 38 51' W. On the 14th of March latitude jo° 14' S. is 

 attained — longitude not given — only a few icebergs are 

 in sight, the water has a temperature of 44*06 F. and 

 the air 46*9 F., and that at a time close to the equinoxes ! 

 The bold explorer is stayed in his progress under these 

 favourable conditions by " circumstances " which are not 

 more specifically described, though he is all the time 

 confident of being able to reach, without difficulty, a 

 parallel of 85° S. A course towards the north-west is 



