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SOUTHERN CRUISE. 



more than to attend to the sailing of the vessels. These reasons 

 determined me to give up the endeavour to proceed farther south, 

 feeling convinced that *the season for such explorations had gone by. 

 I therefore ordered the Sea-Gull to return to Orange Harbour, well 

 knowing that her situation was much worse than our own ; directing 

 her to touch at Deception Island on the way, while we proceeded to 

 the northward to examine some of the other islands, 



r RIOI S E k S C H OTSI TL 



' 



When we bore away, I had the intention of passing towards the 

 assigned situation of the Aurora Isles, but I found the crew so much 

 enfeebled by their constant exposure, whilst some of them were 

 affected with incipient scurvy, that I concluded it was better to 

 return to Orange Harbour as soon as possible. We encountered great 

 numbers of ice-islands, of large size ; but I shall defer speaking of 

 their formation, &c, until I relate my second trip to the Antarctic 

 Circle, the following year, and shall only remark here, that they were 

 similar in formation and appearance to those then seen. 



We continued under easy sail, enveloped in fogs, and falling in 

 repeatedly with icebergs close aboard, from which at times we escaped 

 with difficulty. 



