Feb.] THE ANTARCTIC SEAS. 



have measured at least one hundred and fifty miles east and west. In 

 the vicinity of this crystal plain were an immense number of ice- 

 islands, some of which were of an extraordinary magnitude. 



January 22d. — In order to avoid a contact with the enormous masses 

 of ice on our starboard bow, we were obliged to alter our course, and 

 steer more to the north. And we continued to sail in this direction 

 until we were in lat. 58° 42' S., between which and the parallel of 

 60° we continued to sail eastward until our longitude was one hun- 

 dred and seventeen degrees east of the meridian of Greenwich. We 

 then again changed our course, and steered to the south until the 1st 

 day of February. 



February 1st. — From the 11th day of January, when we left the 

 Island of Desolation, to the 31st, we had but one day of fair weather; 

 but we now took the wind fresh from the north-east, with an atmosphere 

 clear and pleasant. By an observation at noon we were in lat. 64° 

 52' S., long. 118° 27' E. The wind soon freshened to an eleven- 

 knot breeze, and we embraced this opportunity of making to the west ; 

 being, however, convinced that the farther we went south beyond lat. 

 64° the less ice was to be apprehended, we steered a little to the south- 

 ward until we crossed the antarctic circle, and were in lat. 69° 11' S., 

 long. 48° 15' E. In this latitude there was no field-ice, and very few 

 ice-islands in sight. We likewise discovered that the winds in this lati- 

 tude blow three-fourths of the time from the south-east, or the north- 

 east, very light, and attended with more or less snow, every day ; and 

 that the westerly winds were accompanied with severe hail-squalls. 



February 23aL — We continued steering to the westward with every 

 necessary caution until 4 P. M., when being in lat. 69° 42' S., we 

 crossed the meridian of Greenwich, in a fine clear day, and with the 

 wind from S.E. to S.S.W., from which quarter it had blown for the 

 last four days. We now steered for the north and west for Sandwich 

 Land, and on the following day saw many birds of different kinds, such 

 as the albatross, the Nelly, sea-hens, and penguins ; besides a variety 

 of others that are common among the ice-islands. 



February 24th. — Monday, the 24th of February being calm, we 

 lowered one of our boats, and supplied the vessel with fresh water, 

 from the floating ice around her. We likewise tried the current, and 

 found it setting due north, at the rate of about the eighth of a mile in 

 an hour, which is equal to three miles in twenty-four hours. We had 

 tried the current several times between the meridian of Greenwich and 

 one hundred and eighteen degrees east ; but always found it setting in 

 the same direction, and with the same velocity. Our sounding gear 

 for trying the current consisted of a very large iron pot, of fifteen gal- 

 lons' capacity, and a line of one hundred and fifty fathoms in length. 

 Lat. 68° 12' S., long. 4° 17' W. 



February 25th. — We continued our course for Sandwich Land, hoping 

 to find among those barren islands some drift-wood, as well as seals. 

 Fuel we were much in want of, not wishing again to cross the antarc- 

 tic circle without a fresh supply. In this passage we saw in the water 

 many seals, wigs, clap-matches, and yearlings — about 300 in all. We 

 also saw many sea-birds, among which were some white pigeons, not 



