THE EREBUS AND TERROR 317 
the ships’ companies; by no means to be compared with 
the “ refreshment ” between south polar cruises afforded 
to Captain Cook’s companions in the paradise of the 
tropical Pacific islands. 
On November 7, 1842, the expedition left St. Martin’s 
Cove, and reached Port Louis again on the 13th. This 
time letters from home were waiting, including the con- 
gratulations of the Admiralty on the earlier work of the 
expedition, and official permission to spend a third year 
in exploration if Ross thought it desirable. A merchant 
ship, the Governor Halket, had put in from Sydney on 
her way to England, and Ross sent his men on board 
to help to unload her and stop a leak which had nearly 
caused her loss. Living up to his rule never to permit 
idleness, the remainder of the crews were set to work 
planting about eight hundred young trees taken from the 
less bleak Fuegian islands, so that the Antarctic expe- 
dition lef-t substantial improvements behind it. Mag- 
netic and tidal observations were kept up to the last 
while the ships were being got ready for sea, and on De- 
cember 17th, 1842, the expedition left Port Louis for the 
third consecutive summer in the south polar ice, no one 
on board feeling any regret at leaving this poor substi- 
tute for a civilised seaport. 
The intention was to go south on the meridian of 55 0 
W. in the expectation of meeting with a continuation of 
Louis Philippe Land, by following which it was hoped 
to combine a survey of the coast with the attainment of 
a high latitude. Should the way to the south not be 
open it was intended to endeavour to follow in Wed- 
dell’s track of 1823 on which it seemed probable that an 
open sea would be met with extending to a very high 
latitude. The first iceberg was met in latitude 61 0 S. on 
