CHAPTER LI 
SECOND ANTARCTIC VOYAGE OF SIR JAMES ROSS 
The Erebus and Terror were refitting at Hobart Town 
from April to July, 1841, when they proceeded to Port 
Jackson. The chief object of Captain Ross was to 
obtain a series of magnetic observations for comparison 
with those made at Hobart Town. From Port Jackson 
the expedition went to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. 
During these visits Dr Hooker had opportunities of 
making collections and observations which are embodied 
in his great work, the Flora Antarctica. 
On November 23rd, 1841, the expedition sailed from 
New Zealand, and Sir James Ross shaped a course for 
Chatham Island, chiefly for magnetic purposes. After 
a short visit he steered south for the main pack and 
pushed boldly into the ice on the 18th December. 
Christmas Day was passed closely beset in the pack, 
near a chain of eleven icebergs, and in a thick fog. 
On New Year's eve they were in the same place. 
This would be called an impenetrable pack. But there is 
no such thing as an impenetrable pack for men like Sir 
James Ross, and he had resolved to force the ships 
through it. On the 9th January they were still at the 
same place as on Christmas Day, with no apparent pro- 
spect of moving. But Sir James still persevered. On the 
20th it blew a gale of wind, and they were in the midst of 
large masses of ice with a very heavy swell. No ordinary 
ship would have stood the hammering from the masses of 
ice for half-an-hour. The rudder of the Terror was broken 
and rendered useless. When the weather moderated it 
took a whole day to ship the spare rudder owing to the 
gudgeons being bent. Both ships had been in imminent 
danger, and for the first time Sir James Ross looked 
anxious and careworn. They had been 40 days going 
a hundred miles. On the 20th February they encountered 
a frightful gale, the spray dashing over the ships and 
