ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 355 



could not be taken in the boat. The soil was soft and spongy, yielding 

 to the pressure of the feet. The staff and signal being planted, they 

 returned on board, and now passed the surf without difficulty. 



On the 12th, they put away for the next rendezvous, Emerald Isle. 

 They reached its position on the 14th, but nothing was seen of it ; the 

 weather was thick. 



On the 16th, they kept off to the southward, with the wind from 

 the southwest, accompanied with sleet and snow. In latitude 61° S., 

 longitude 164° E., they saw the first ice. The next day, the 19th of 

 January, the water was very much discoloured ; got a cast of the lead 

 in ninety fathoms : no bottom ; passed a number of icebergs that were 

 all flat on the top, with perpendicular sides. 



On the 21st they made the icy barrier, in longitude 159° 36' E., and 

 latitude 65° 20' S. From the number of icebergs and the frequency 

 of snow-squalls, they found great danger in running through them, 

 although the water was quite smooth. 



On the 22d the weather proved pleasant, and they followed the 

 trend of the ice. The ice-islands still showed flat tops and perpendi- 

 cular sides, and there were a number of birds, seals, and whales 

 around them; they were at noon in longitude 158° 27' E. On this 

 day they were close by an iceberg, from the main body of which a 

 large mass fell with a noise like thunder ; the snow flying into the air 

 resembled smoke, and the swell produced by the immersion of the 

 fragment caused the schooner to roll water in on her deck. A number 

 of large penguins were in sight, differing from any they had heretofore 

 seen. 



On the 23d the weather was pleasant, and they had light winds from 

 the southward and westward. Longitude 157° 49' E., latitude 65° 58' 

 S. They continued coasting along the ice in search of an opening. 

 At 8 p. m. they discovered several dark spots, which had the appear- 

 ance of rocks, and on approaching the margin of the ice, they could 

 make them out to be such with their glasses, but they were situated 

 too far within the field-ice for a boat to get near them. This day 

 being fine, an opportunity was afforded of drying the deck and clothes, 

 and searing the seams with a hot iron. The vessel had been very 

 wet, and her decks leaked badly, notwithstanding the thorough calking 

 and repairs she had received at Sydney : the crew were almost con- 

 stantly wet, below as well as above deck. 



On the 24th they were obliged to steer again to the northward, in 

 consequence of making the barrier ahead. Sea-lions were seen on the 

 ice. They continued to follow the barrier, which trended north-north- 

 east ; the compasses were very sluggish. On the 26th and 27th the 



