156 SOJTHERN CRUISE. 



On the 1st of April, in latitude 60° 12' S., longitude 84° 20' W., 

 Captain Hudson despatched the tender to Orange Harbour, with his 

 reports to me, and continued his route to Valparaiso. The last ice- 

 bergs seen were in latitude 62° 30' S., longitude 87° 41' W. ; the 

 temperature of air 33° ; of water 35°. 



Captain Hudson speaks in the highest terms of his officers and crew, 

 of their promptness and efficiency in the performance of their respective 

 duties, and of their cordial co-operation in carrying out his views. 



They experienced a gale of wind on the 6th and 7th of April, in 

 which the barometer fell to 28-71 inches. Some of the squalls were 

 remarkably heavy, and the sea high and topping. The gale began at 

 northwest, varying to the eastward, and suddenly changed to west- 

 southwest; latitude 52° 47' S., longitude 84° W. 



On the 9th, Royal Hope, ordinary seaman, fell from aloft, but did 

 not experience any injury. In latitude 51° S., longitude 82° W., the 

 sea again showed signs of phosphorescence : the temperature of the 

 water was 46°. 



On the 11th, they had reached the latitude of 47° 30' S., longitude 

 80° W., and the weather began to moderate, having passed the stormy 

 latitudes of from 50° to 60° S., where the heaviest winds and seas are 

 met with. 



The wind, on the 13th of April, in the latitude of 40° S., began to 

 draw to the eastward, and gradually passed into the trade-wind. The 

 15th of April was the first fair day they had had since the 25th of 

 February. 



On the 16th of April, they had much phosphorescence, appearing 

 as it were in sheets of liquid fire : the temperature of the water 58° ; 

 latitude 36°. S., longitude 75° W. 



On the 17th, they spoke the whale-ship Francis, and afforded her 

 medical assistance. Until the 20th, they had very light airs, inclining 

 to calms. On the evening of the 19th, they made the land of Chili ; 

 and on the 21st the Peacock arrived in Valparaiso, where to their 

 surprise they found our store-ship the Relief, which had arrived at 

 Valparaiso some days previous. 



The Relief left Orange Harbour on the 26th of February, (a copy 

 of her instructions will be found in Appendix XXX.,) for the purpose 

 of visiting various places in the Straits of Magellan, to afford an op- 

 portunity of making investigations, and opening a larger field for our 

 naturalists during the fifty or sixty days they were to be detained on 

 the coast. Most of the scientific gentlemen were accordingly trans- 

 ferred to her ; and she was ordered to enter the Brecknock Passage, 

 and thence into Cockburn Sound, of which we had King's valuable 



