370 THE ANTARCTIC MANUAL. 
ships. On board the Vincennes we sounded with 230 fathoms and found 
no bottom; the water had the appearance of an olive-green colour, as 
if but 40 and 50 fathoms deep. At the surface its temperature wag 
32°, at the depth sounded, 31°. I should have tried for a deeper cast, 
but the line was seen to be stranded, when we were obliged to stop; we 
fortunately saved our apparatus, with Six’s thermometers. 
On this day (16th January) appearances believed at the time to be 
land were visible from all the three vessels, and the comparison of the 
three observations, when taken in connection with the more positive 
proofs of its existence afterwards obtained, has left no doubt that the 
appearance was not deceptive. From this day, therefore, we date the 
discovery which is claimed for the squadron. 
On board the Peacock, it appears that Passed Midshipmen Eld and 
Reynolds both saw the land from the masthead and reported it to Captain 
Hudson : he was well satisfied, on examination, that the appearance was 
totally distinct from that of ice-islands, and a majority of the officers 
and men were also satisfied that if land could exist, that was it. I 
mention particularly the names of these two gentlemen, because they 
have stated the same fact under oath, before the court-martial, after our 
return. 
On board the Porpoise, Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold states that 
“he went aloft in the afternoon, the weather being clear and fine, the 
horizon good, and clouds lofty; that he saw over the field-ice an object, 
large, dark, and rounding, resembling a mountain in the distance; the 
icebergs were all light and brilliant, and in great contrast.” He goes 
on to say, in his report, ‘I watched for an hour to see if the sun in his 
decline would change the colour of the object: it remained the same, 
with a white cloud above, similar to that hovering over high land. At 
sunset the appearance remained the same. I took the bearings accu- 
rately, intending to examine it closely as soon as we got a breeze. Iam 
thoroughly of opinion it is an island surrounded by immense fields of 
ice. The Peacock in sight to the southward and eastward over the ice; 
the sun set at a few minutes before ten; soon after, a light air from 
the southward, with a fog-bank arising, which quickly shut out the 
field-ice.” 
In Passed Midshipman Eld’s journal, he asserts that he had been 
several times to the masthead during the day, to view the barrier; that 
it was not only a barrier of ice but one of terra firma, Passed Midship- 
man Reynolds and himself exclaimed, with one accord, that it was land. 
Not trusting to the naked eye, they descended for spy-glasses, which 
confirmed, beyond a doubt, their first impressions. The mountains could 
be distinctly seen, over the field-ice and bergs, stretching to the south- 
west as far as anything oould be discerned. Two peaks, in particular, 
were very distinct (which I have named after those two officers), rising 
in a conical form; and others, the lower parts of which were quite as 
