ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 293 



Midshipman Reynolds and himself exclaimed, with one accord, that it 

 was land. Not trusting to the naked eye, they descended for spy- 

 glasses, which confirmed, beyond a doubt, their first impressions. The 

 mountains could be distinctly seen, over the field-ice and bergs, stretch- 

 ing to the southwest as far as any thing could be discerned. Two 

 peaks, in particular, were very distinct, (which I have named after 

 those two officers,) rising in a conical form ; and others, the lower 

 parts of which were quite as distinct, but whose summits were lost in 

 light fleec3^ clouds. Few clouds were to be seen in any other direc- 

 tion, for the weather was remarkably clear. The sun shone brightly 

 on ridge after ridge, whose sides were partially bare ; these connected 

 the eminences I have just spoken of, which must be from one to two 

 thousand feet high. Mr. Eld further states, that on reporting the dis- 

 covery to Captain Hudson, the latter replied that there was no doubt 

 of it, and that he believed that most of the icebergs then in sight were 

 aground. At this time they were close in with the barrier, and could 

 approach no nearer. On this day, the Peacock got a cast of the deep- 

 sea lead, with Six's thermometer attached, to the depth of eight 

 hundred and fifty fathoms, only a short distance from the barrier : the 

 temperature of the surface was 31°, and at the depth sounded, 31J° ; 

 current one-fourth of a mile, north-by-east. 



The log-book of the Porpoise has also this notice in it : " From six 

 to eight, calm and pleasant, — took in studding-sails ; at seven set main- 

 topgallant-studding-sail ; discovered what we took to be an island, 

 bearing south-by-east, — a great deal of field-ice in sight; noticed 

 penguins around the brig. (Signed) J. H. North." Dr. Holmes, on 

 the same evening, noted in his journal, a marked appearance of land. 



On board the Vincennes there was on the same day much excite- 

 ment among the crew. All eagerly watched the flight of birds, 

 together with the whales and penguins, and spoke of the proximity 

 of land, which, from the appearance of never-failing signs, could 

 scarcely be doubted. The following is a sketch which I made of 

 what I myself saw, and have called Ringgold's Knoll on the chart, 

 and which at the same time will show the field-ice* as it appeared. 



* The field-ice is composed of a vast number of pieces, varying in size, and separated 

 from one another, the long swell keeping the outer ones always in motion. The smallest 

 pieces were about six feet in diameter, while the largest sometimes exceeded five or six 

 hundred feet. Their depth below the surface varies still more, and some appear to be soft, 

 whilst others were hard and compact. The depth of these does not probably in any case 

 exceed twenty feet. Most of them, and particularly the larger ones, had a covering of about 

 eighteen inches of snow. The whole at a distance appeared like a vast level field, broken 

 up as it were by the plough, and presenting shapeless angular masses of every possible figure, 

 while here and there a table-topped iceberg was enclosed. 

 Z2 



