154 SOUTHERN CRUISE. 



March 22d, from midnight to four o'clock, a fresh gale, with rain. 

 The weather lighting up at intervals, made them aware that they were 

 in the midst of innumerable ice-islands, so closely packed as scarcely to 

 afford a passage between them. At four, the wind still continuing fresh 

 and the weather misty, they stood to the northward and eastward. 

 The weather grew thicker and became colder. Shortly after the fog 

 lifted, and they found themselves surrounded by narrow fields of ice, 

 with contracted passages between them, extending in a direction 

 perpendicular to that of the wind. As far as the eye could reach were 

 icebergs, packed and floating, in all directions. After a short exami- 

 nation, some places appeared where the ice was not so compact. At 

 one of these, they succeeded in passing through. Fresh gales and 

 thick weather followed, and they still passed numbers of icebergs, of 

 from eighty to one hundred feet in height, with the sea breaking on 

 them. 



On the morning of the 23d, their latitude was 70° S., longitude 

 100° 16' W. The weather proved clear. In the afternoon they again 

 stood to the southward and eastward for three hours, when they 

 observed the appearance of land, and discovered large masses of ice 

 and numerous icebergs. At midnight the southern horizon was beauti- 

 fully illuminated with the aurora australis. 



On the 24th of March, they had a heavy fall of snow ; passed many 

 icebergs, and large quantities of floating ice ; got suddenly into large 

 fields of packed and broken ice, extending as far as the eye could 

 reach, in all directions, which, with the accumulation of snow, 

 appeared to be rapidly becoming solid. They lost no time in forcing 

 their way out. All on board were of opinion, that within a short time 

 after they cleared it, it became a firm field of ice. The latitude observed 

 was 69° 06' S., longitude 96° 50' W. 



Having on two occasions narrowly escaped being closed in by the 

 ice, Lieutenant Walker had determined to return, and was making his 

 way to the north when he fell in with the Peacock. 



The nights having become long, with the interruptions occasioned 

 by fogs and snow-storms, afforded but little time for running the 

 vessels among the icebergs, whose numbers rendered the navigation 

 extremely hazardous. The condition of the Peacock for a winter's 

 campaign, was miserable, and on board the Flying-Fish there was no 

 protection in the event of being frozen in. The positive nature of his 

 instructions, combined with the report of Lieutenant Walker, convinced 

 Captain Hudson of the necessity of turning the vessels' heads towards 

 a more temperate climate. On holding a council with his officers, he 

 found them all of the opinion that the season for active operations in 



