348 ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 



the barrier, through drift-ice, with countless icebergs in sight ; good 

 observations were obtained, placing them in longitude 112° 41' E., and 

 latitude 64° 55' S. At 10 p. m., some few appearances of the aurora 

 australis in the northern sky, light coruscations streaming upwards, 

 but quite faint, and only for a very short period ; many stars and 

 several constellations were traced without difficulty. The sea was 

 smooth ; lowered a boat to try the current, but found none. The dip 

 was 83° 30'. 



On the morning of the 10th the weather cleared off, and gave' them 

 an opportunity of ventilating the vessel ; closed in with the field-ice for 

 the purpose of obtaining a supply of water, and the boats were 

 despatched to take in ice; the longitude was found to be 110° 34' E., 

 latitude 65° 12' S. ; the field-ice here was found to be interspersed with 

 many large ice-islands and bergs. At five o'clock the boats returned 

 with ice. The current was found to be setting north-northeast, five 

 fathoms an hour ; the weather continued clear and healthful ; made the 

 field-ice ahead and on the lee bow ; shortly after, cleared it. The twilight 

 in the southern horizon presented a beautiful appearance, a bright 

 salmon colour radiating from the sun, throwing its tints over the whole 

 sky, tinging the few cirro-stratus clouds that were in the northern 

 quarter, and giving a soft colour to the immense ice-islands that were 

 slumbering along the barrier, and aiding to lend to the scene its pecu- 

 liar character of silence, solitude, and desolation. 



The weather was clear and pleasant on the 11th, with a light wind 

 from the southeast ; many penguins and whales were seen. The ice- 

 bergs were numerous, and some of great beauty, with almost regularly 

 turned arches, and of the most beautiful aqua-marine tints. Longitude 

 was 106° 10' E., latitude 65° 28' S. 



During the morning of the 12th, running along high broken fields of 

 ice, with a light breeze from the southward ; weather overcast ; dis- 

 covered a large piece of ice of a dark brown colour floating by, resem- 

 bling a piece of dead coral ; lay-to, and sent a boat to bring it along- 

 side ; obtained from it several pieces of granite and red clay, which 

 were frozen in ; the ice was extremely hard and compact, composed 

 of alternate layers of ice and snow; the strata of snow was filled with 

 sand. The icebergs near at the time presented signs of having been 

 detached from land, being discoloured by sand and mud. A number 

 of white procellaria were obtained. The ice-islands again appeared in 

 great numbers. At 3 p. m. hauled up, steering westerly into a very 

 deep inlet or gulf, formed by extensive fields of ice. Believing from the 

 indications of the morning that land could not be far off, in approaching 

 the head of this inlet, several icebergs had the appearance of being in 



