494 APPENDIX. 



the same colour, while the lower part of the lead showed a fresh and 

 deep indentation, as though it had struck on a rock. Dip observa- 

 tions were made on the ice with Robinson's and Lloyd's needles; the 

 former gave 86-10°, the latter 86-23°. 



While ascertaining the dip, a large king-penguin was captured on 

 the ice, and brought to the ship ; to add to our collections, in his 

 stomach were found thirty-two pebbles of various sizes, which ap- 

 peared to have been very recently obtained, and afforded additional 

 evidence of our immediate proximity to land. 



While further pursuing the object of our search in this vicinity, on 

 the morning of the 24th, and endeavouring to clear some ice ahead of 

 us, the ship made a stern-board, and came in contact with a large 

 piece of ice, which carried away one of the wheel-ropes, wrenched 

 the neck of the rudder, and rendered it useless. 



We immediately commenced working ship with the sails and ice- 

 anchors into a more open sea. In this we were successful for a time, 

 until an increase of wind, and a change in its direction, brought in 

 upon us masses of ice for miles in extent, which completely beset the 

 ship, finished the work of destruction on our rudder, and forced us 

 into the immediate vicinity of an ice-island some seven or eight miles 

 in extent, with an elevation equalling our topgallant-masthead, and 

 its upper portion inclining towards the ship. In this situation we 

 furled all but the fore-and-aft sails, and hung by our ice-anchors. 

 Fortunately, between us and a portion of this island, lay a large piece 

 of ice, one end of which held us by the counter, until forced beyond 

 it by the pressing masses of ice outside, which started our anchors, 

 and set us stern on to the island, carrying away our spanker-boom 

 and stern-davits, and forcing the starboard quarter-deck bulwarks in 

 end some three or four inches, jamming a signal-gun hard and fast in 

 the gangway, and breaking off all the bulwark stanchions on that 

 side of the quarter-deck. We took this occasion to cant her, with the 

 jib, into a narrow channel alongside the island, and with the help of 

 other sails, passed by a portion of it without further injury to our 

 spars, until an opportunity presented of forcing her into a small 

 opening in the ice, with the head towards the sea. 



Our rudder, which we unshipped and got in upon deck while 

 wedged in the ice, came in over the side in two pieces, the head 

 and neck entirely broken off, with the two midship pintles, and we 

 shortly afterwards found the upper and lower braces gone from the 

 stern-post. 



