INTRODUCTION 



19 land was reported on the Antarctic Circle both to the 

 south-east and to the south-west, Wilkes being then in 

 154° 30' East, and its height was estimated at 3000 ft. 

 The ships were involved all the time in most difficult 

 navigation through drifting floes and bergs, storms were 

 frequent and fogs made life a perpetual misery, as it 

 was impossible to see the icebergs until the ships were 

 almost on them. The Peacock, the least seaworthy of the 

 squadron, lay helpless in the ice for three days while the 

 rudder which had been smashed was being repaired on 

 deck, and on January 25 she was patched up enough to 

 return to Sydney. Wilkes' ship, the Vincennes, got south 

 of the Circle on January 23, and he hoped to reach the 

 land, but the way was barred by ice. On the 28th land 

 appeared very distinctly in 141° East, but the Vincennes 

 was driven off by a gale, the sea being extraordinarily 

 encumbered with icebergs and ice-islands. Two days later 

 land was unquestionably found in 66° 45' South, 140° 2' 

 East, with a depth of thirty fathoms; there were bare 

 rocks half a mile from the ship, and the hills beyond rose 

 to 3000 ft.; but the weather was too rough to get boats 

 out. This was the Adelie Land which d'Urville had 

 lighted on nine days before. This also is the only point 

 of land reported by the American expedition, with the 

 very doubtful exception of Sabrina Land, which has been 

 confirmed by another expedition. Against the written 

 remonstrance of the surgeons, who said that longer ex- 

 posure to the heavy work of ice navigation in the severe 

 conditions of the weather would increase the sick-list to 

 such an extent as to endanger the ships, and in spite of 

 the urgent appeal of a majority of the officers, Wilkes 

 held on to the westward, reporting land in the neighbour- 

 hood of the Antarctic Circle every day, observing many 

 earth-stained icebergs and collecting specimens of stones 

 from the floating ice. On February 16 the ice-barrier 



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