EARLY EXPLORERS. 
137 
ceeding on to latitude 66° 40' south, the course was 
altered, and the horizon scanned in all directions for 
land; the weather was unusually clear, so that we 
should certainly have seen it had any existed within 
a considerable distance : none however was visible. 
The Circle was recrossed, and we proceeded east 
along the margin of the great pack. The icebergs 
had now become so numerous that it was not unusual 
to be able to count over one hundred and fifty from 
the deck, and many of them appeared to be miles 
in length. 
The next day was very squally, haze extending 
all round the horizon, and frequent snow-storms 
occurred, we steering east for Wilkes’ Termination 
Land, which was supposed to be 440 miles distant. 
This land, which was believed to exist, and which 
appeared on all early charts of the world as the 
a Terra Australis Incognita,” was considered neces- 
sary to counterbalance the land known to exist 
around the North Pole ; but such men as Cook, 
Weddell, Bellinghausen, Kerguelen, and others, 
searched these inhospitable latitudes in vain for it. 
Many years passed without anything farther being 
done towards its discovery. However, it seems that 
the subject was revived in 1831 by Captain Biscoe 
reporting having seen land ; and a few years later 
another whaling captain (Kemp) gave forth a 
similar statement ; both these discoveries being 
between 65° and 67° south, and longitude 59° and 
