ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 287 



southward, and had imbibed the impression (from the extraordinary 

 weather we had had at Sydney, and the reports of icebergs having 

 been seen farther to the northward than usual, by all the vessels 

 arriving) that the season would be an open one. What surprised me 

 most was a change in the colour of the water to an olive-green, and 

 some faint appearances resembling distant land ; but as it was twilight, 

 and I did not believe the thing credible, I put no faith in these indica- 

 tions, although some of the officers were confident they were not 

 occasioned by icebergs. The barometer stood at 29-200 in. ; the tem- 

 perature of the air 33°, water 32°. We lay- to until four o'clock. As 

 it grew light, on the 12th, a fog set in so thick that we lost sight of the 

 Porpoise, and could not hear any answer to our signals. I therefore 

 determined to work along the barrier to the westward. 



We were all day beating in a thick fog, with the barrier of ice close 

 to us, and occasionally in tacking brought it under our bow ; at other 

 times we were almost in contact with icebergs. During the whole 

 day we could not see at any time further than a quarter of a mile, and 

 seldom more than the ship's length. The fog, or rather thick mist, 

 was forming in ice on our rigging. From the novelty of our situation, 

 and the excitement produced by it, we did not think of the danger. 



I shall now leave the Vincennes and Porpoise pursuing their course 

 to the westward with a head wind, and bring the Peacock up to the 

 barrier. 



Previously to parting company on the 3rd of January, the crew of 

 that ship had also been engaged in building hurricane-houses, calking, 

 and chintzing, to secure them from the wet and cold. After parting 

 company, Captain Hudson immediately steered for the first rendezvous, 

 Macquarie Island, and was more fortunate than we were in reaching 

 it, although the Peacock had experienced the same kind of weather 

 that we had, and currents setting to the eastward. 



MACQUARIE ISLAND. 



On approaching the island, they discovered large patches of kelp, 

 and saw numerous procellaria and albatrosses about the ship. On the 

 10th of January they made the island, and observed a reef of rocks 

 extending three quarters of a mile off its south end. Passing within 

 a short distance of it, they did not observe any of the signals of the 



