ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 335 



hour ; one reef was taken in the topsails, and we stood directly in for 

 the most southerly part of the bay. 



This bay was formed partly by rocks and partly by ice-islands. 

 The latter were aground, and on the western side of the bay ex- 

 tended about five miles to the northward of our position. 



While we stood on in this direction the gale increased, and our 

 room became so circumscribed that we had not time on any one tack 

 to reduce our canvass, before it became necessary to go about. In 

 this way we approached within half a mile of the dark, volcanic 

 rocks, which appeared on both sides of us, and saw the land gra- 

 dually rising beyond the ice to the height of three thousand feet, and 

 entirely covered with snow. It could be distinctly seen extending to 

 the east and west of our position fully sixty miles. I make this bay 

 in longitude 140° 02' 30" E., latitude 66° 45' S. ; and, now that all 

 were convinced of its existence, I gave the land the name of the 

 Antarctic Continent. Some of the officers pointed out the appear- 

 ance of smoke, as if from a volcano, but I was of opinion that this was 

 nothing but the snow-drift, caused by the heavy squalls. There was 

 too much wind at this time to tack ; I therefore had recourse to luffing 

 the vessel up in the wind, and wore her short round on her heel. At 

 the same time we sounded, and found a hard bottom at the depth of 

 no more than thirty fathoms. I made a rough sketch of this bay, 

 which I have called Piner's Bay, after the signal quarter-master of 

 that name. It was impossible to lower a boat, or to remain longer ; 

 indeed, I felt it imperative on me to clear its confined space before 

 the floating ice might close it up. 



At 10 h 30 m we had gone round, and in an hour more we cleared the 

 bay. At noon the wind had increased to a gale, and by one o'clock, 

 p. M., we were reduced to storm-sails, with our top-gallant yards on deck. 

 The barometer had again declined rapidly, proving a true indicator, 

 but giving little or no warning. To run the gauntlet again among 

 the icebergs was out of the question, for a large quantity of field-ice 

 would have to be passed through, which must have done us consi- 

 derable damage, if it did not entirely disable us. The clear space we 

 occupied was retained until five or six o'clock, when I found the floe- 

 ice was coming down upon us ; I then determined to lay the ship for 

 a fair drift through the channel I had observed in the morning, and 

 which I had every reason to believe, from the wind (southeast) blow- 

 ing directly through it, would not be obstructed until the floe-ice 

 came down. It was a consolation to know that if we were compelled 



