356 ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 



weather became bad, with the wind to the northward and westward, 

 accompanied by a heavy fall of snow : in the evening of the latter day, 

 the wind hauled to the southward and westward, and brought clear 

 weather. The 28th passed with clear weather, and several seals were 

 about them. 



The 29th was thick and snowy, with a northeast wind; passed 

 through quantities of drift-ice, and by 2 h 30 m , it had become so thick 

 as to render a continuance of their course perilous ; at 7 p. m. they 

 again made the solid barrier, when it was blowing a stiff gale ; at i) h 

 30 ra discovered the ice ahead, and on both beams ; wore round to the 

 northward and eastward, to retrace their steps ; it was not long before 

 they discovered a chain of ice-islands ahead, apparently connected by 

 solid ice ; about midnight a passage was discovered between two ice- 

 bergs, through which they passed. It was now blowing a heavy gale, 

 and having gained the open sea, they attempted to reef the foresail, but 

 were unequal to the task (four of the men being on the sick-list), and 

 were compelled to lay-to under the whole sail, which caused the vessel 

 to labour very much, as well as to leak a great deal, and endangered 

 her safety by making her fly into the wind, and get a sternboard in a 

 high sea. 



On the 30th, in the morning, the gale abated, and the weather 

 became more pleasant than they had experienced for a number of 

 days. They had reached the longitude of 150° 16' E., latitude 65° 15' 

 S. On this day they again passed into blue water. 



31st January was thick with snow ; a north wind and heavy sea. 



1st of February, they were running among ice, until they sighted the 

 barrier, when they again hauled to the northward ; a moderate gale 

 blowing, with thick weather and a heavy sea, they were obliged to 

 heave-to. 



On the 2d and 3d, they were coasting the ice. In the afternoon of 

 the 3d they again had bad weather, which made it necessary to bring 

 to ; surrounded by bergs and drift-ice ; the latter, in case of striking, 

 would have seriously injured the tender. The icebergs seen on these 

 days, had the appearance of recent formation ; the tops flat, the sides 

 perpendicular, and not worn by the action of the sea. 



On the 4th, the gale continued, and the sea had risen to an extra- 

 ordinary height ; the weather was so thick that an iceberg could not 

 be seen further than twice the length of the vessel. The tender was 

 under too much sail, which caused her to labour dreadfully, in conse- 

 quence of which she leaked in such a manner as to make it necessary 

 to keep the pumps going almost continually. When they were stopped 

 for a short time to rest the men, the water increased so as to reach the 



