ANTARCTIC CRUISE. Ill 



or two seals have been seen. The fog has prevented our ob- 

 taining any astronomical observations for ascertaining our 

 position. The wind is still blowing fresh from the northeast. 

 January 7th. We have been trying all this day to reach 

 Macquarie Island, supposed to be about thirty miles to wind- 

 ward of us. But the wind, weather and current being against 

 us, we have been obliged tc give it up, and are now steering 

 for Emerald Island, our second rendezvous. During the 

 greater part of the forenoon the mist was so dense that we 

 were unable to see the " Porpoise," although she was not 

 more than six hundred yards from us. The temperature now 

 is below 40°. Our observations make the latitude to be 

 54° 17' 38" south, and longitude 160° 58' 00" east. Since 

 sunset the wind has moderated, and the sky appears much 

 more promising than it has done for some days past. 



January 9 th. This morning we passed the locality given 

 on the chart to Emerald Island, but saw nothing of it. We 

 therefore concluded that the chart is incorrect. A great 

 number of gray petrils have been seen, and we have also 

 passed several patches of kelp. The barometer stands at 

 30.00 inches, but the thermometer has fallen to 32°, and the 

 atmosphere is very raw. 



January 10th. We encountered to-day, for the first time, 

 several icebergs and some drift-ice ; the former were several 

 miles in circumference, but there was nothing very striking in 

 their shape. The sea beat against their sides, and produced 

 a noise similar to that made by breakers. A dense fog has 

 succeeded to the clear weather we had yesterday. Our lati- 

 tude is 61° 07' 00" south, longitude 162° 32' 00" east. 



January 11th. There has been a great number of ice- 

 bergs in sight this day. We estimate several to be five miles 

 long and three hundred feet in height. They all had flat 



