THE CBOZET ISLANDS. 
123 
a good view of this perfect mountain mass of volcanic 
land, with its bold and precipitous shores and pro- 
jecting rocks, which seem to have been formed by 
the unceasing action of the waves cutting away the 
softer parts. We stood up between the channel sepa- 
rating East and Possession Islands, the largest of the 
group, but saw no indication of tree or shrub. It 
was intended to make a short stay in America Bay, 
but the strong north-west wind prevented our reach- 
ing it before dark, and encountering a heavy cross 
sea, it was not considered safe to venture nearer. A 
dense fog now setting in, and a heavy gale of wind 
springing up, it was evident we were to be disap- 
pointed ; so we stood off to sea, and the opportunity 
of again closing the land was not afforded. 
Favoured by a strong north-westerly breeze, we 
advanced rapidly under sail towards Kerguelen Land ; 
on our way passing several patches of floating sea- 
weed. We were daily accompanied by many of the 
great albatrosses and the large dark petrels, and still 
more numerously by several varieties of speckled 
Cape pigeons. These birds added a degree of cheer- 
fulness to our solitary wanderings, contrasting 
strongly with the dreary and unvarying stillness we 
experienced while passing through the equatorial 
regions, where not a single sea-bird is to be seen, 
except in the immediate vicinity of the few scattered 
islets and rocks. The strong breeze continued, and, 
with a heavy north-westerly swell assisting, on the 
