ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 351 



E., latitude 60° 08' S. The white albatross had now again become 

 common. 



On the 29th, they had a beautiful display of the aurora australis ; 

 the whole southern hemisphere was covered with arches of a beautiful 

 straw-colour, from which streamers radiated, both upwards and down- 

 wards, of almost a lustrous white ; numbers of concentric arches would 

 occasionally show themselves, of a width of a few feet, uniting to form 

 a complete canopy for a moment, and then vanish. The arches 

 extended from east-southeast to west-northwest ; the display continued 

 for over two hours ; the stars were seen above them. Previous to, and 

 during its continuance, the thermometer indicated a change of four 

 degrees, and the wind shifted to the southward. 



On the 1st of March, in latitude 55° S., and longitude 140° E., they 

 passed the last ice-island. 



On the 2d, great numbers of pyrosoma of large size were passed. 



On the 4th, some faint appearances of the aurora australis were 

 seen. 



On the 5th, the Lord Auckland Isles were descried. Mr. Totten, 

 who was officer of the deck, was accidentally knocked overboard by 

 the trysail-boom, but was fortunately rescued without injury. Immense 

 numbers of albatrosses were about. The aurora was again seen in 

 the southern hemisphere. 



:w.^'"S.- 



AUCKLAND ISLES. 



On the 7th they anchored in the harbour of Sarah's Bosom, in twelve 

 fathoms water. During their brief stay here, all were actively em- 

 ployed wooding and watering, for which this harbour affords a fine 

 opportunity. Assistant-Surgeon Holmes made several excursions on 

 the largest island, of which he gives the following account : 



" I found it very thickly covered with trees, in its less elevated parts : 

 as few of them were of any size, I found no small difficulty in pene- 

 trating and making my way through them ; in many places it was 

 absolutely impossible. It was only after a long and fatiguing walk, 

 that I succeeded in reaching the summit of that part of the island, near 

 which the brig was anchored, where I found the trees less numerous 



