826 THE ANTARCTIC MANUAL. 
April 2.—Moderate breezes from the northward, but very squally, 
with much snow. During this night the Aurora Australis was ex- 
ceedingly bright, having the appearance at times of the opening and 
shutting of a fan and various other shapes, moving almost with the 
quickness of lightning, and at times only a few yards above our heads, 
and had more the appearance of illuminated mist blown about by 
furious whirlwinds than anything else I can compare it to; indeed, 
more or less, it makes its appearance nearly every night. 
April 3.—We had the wind northerly with showers of snow. Lati- 
tude at noon 62° 12' &., longitude L.O. 66° 24’ E. On the 4th our 
latitude at noon by observation was 62° 23’, longitude 68° 05’ E., 
temperature 28°, winds light, N.N.E., but towards the afternoon the 
wind came round to the southward with much snow and thick weather, 
and at midnight blew a heavy gale from 8.E., which during the dth 
hauled round to the 8.W., and continued to blow with great violence 
until the 6th, a.m., when it moderated, and again came round to N.N.E. 
I had hoped to find land from the general appearance of that I had 
left in about 61° 8. and 65° E., but finding nothing on the 4th, 
62° 23' S., longitude 68° 00’ E., and experiencing nothing but heavy 
gales from 8.W. to §.E., anywhere beyond the latitude 62° S. The 
vessel, now a complete mass of ice, only three of the crew who can 
stand, and likewise being well convinced that any land to the south- 
ward of that latitude would be inaccessible, I find myself from these 
most imperious considerations obliged, although very reluctantly, to 
give up any further pursuit this season, and as I have observed nothing 
which in my opinion can authorise me to wait here for another season 
by wintering at the Island of Desolation, I consider it most prudent to 
proceed to New Zealand in prosecution of my voyage, and to get into 
a climate more settled as soon as possible to reinstate the health of my 
crew, the whole of whom I have now put on fresh provisions, which, 
should it be the scurvy they have, will, I hope, at least prevent its 
spreading any further. From this time until the 14th we had very 
unsettled weather. The wind from N.N.E. to N.W.,, blowing in squalls 
and heavy gales nearly the whole time, and the nights so exceedingly 
dark, except when illuminated by the Aurora Australis, that I found it 
necessary to lay-to every night. On the 15th the weather became more 
moderate, but left a very long north-westerly swell, which prevented 
us seeing in the night more than two or three cables’ length. 
April 16.—Still continued squally with hail, though generally fine, 
and a heavy westerly swell. Our latitude at noon being 54° 49'S., by 
observation, longitude 90° 3' 45° L.O., and this being about midway of 
Captain Cook’s tracks, should the weather prove fine, 1 intend to run 
along on this parallel. (Two of the crew complain very much.) 
April 17.—Wind northerly with heavy squalls. Much snow and sleet 
with thick weather, which obliged me to heave to every night, the wind 
always bringing a high sea with it, which kept our decks continually 
