ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 369 



of ice, with a light breeze from the southward; weather overcast; 

 discovered a large piece of ice of a dark brown colour floating by, 

 resembling a piece of dead coral ; lay-to, and sent a boat to bring it 

 alongside; obtained from it several pieces of granite and red clay, 

 which were frozen in ; the ice was extremely hard and compact, 

 composed of alternate layers of ice and snow; the strata of snow were 

 filled with sand. The icebergs near at the time presented signs of 

 having been detached from land, being discoloured by sand and mud. 

 A number of white procellaria were obtained. The ice-islands again 

 appeared in great numbers. At 3 p. m., hauled up, steering westerly 

 into a very deep inlet or gulf, formed by extensive fields of ice, 

 believing from the indications of the morning that land could not be 

 far off. In approaching the head of this inlet, several icebergs had the 

 appearance of being in contact with the land, having assumed a dark 

 colour from the clay and sand blown upon them ; the whole group 

 around seemed as if in the vicinage of land. Sounded with two 

 hundred fathoms: no bottom; also tried the current, but found none. 

 Towards night, it becoming thick with snow, they continued under 

 snug sail, intending to examine more closely the barrier and inlets in 

 the morning. 



13th. At 3 a. m. they again made sail to the westward, with wind 

 from the east; at six o'clock they had snow-squalls, rendering it 

 unsafe to proceed, and impossible to make any discovery. A few 

 hours afterwards the weather cleared a little ; made sail again to the 

 northwest. At meridian overcast, with a stiff southeast breeze ; at 

 l h 30 m , approached to within pistol-shot of the barrier, observing 

 much of the dark dirty ice interspersed with the field-ice ; kept along 

 it very closely, tracing the barrier northerly ; observed a large black 

 object on the ice; shortened sail, and despatched a boat: it proved to 

 be a large mass of black, red, and mixed-coloured earth, resting upon 

 a base of snow and ice, situated some fifty yards back from the 

 margin of the field-ice, and was found to be red earth, mixed with 

 granite and sandstone. Penguins were also procured alive. At 3 

 p. M., they again followed the trend of the ice in a northwesterly 

 direction : a vast field, of uninterrupted extent, seemed moving 

 along to the westward, the large icebergs containing dark and dis- 

 coloured masses, with frequent strata of the same description. They 

 were still at a loss to account for these frequent signs of land : dis- 

 coloured pieces of ice seemed mingled with the general mass ; they 

 were often seen along its margin, and appeared as though the 



vol. ii. 93 



