A V O Y 1 14 A G E R O U N D T H E WORLD.
fbbeuary. any land, we gave over the attempt to ftand in fearch-
of it, and directed our courfe once more to the fouh-eaft-
ward, to the main object of our voyage. The fmoothnefs
of the fea, whilfi we had ftrong eafterly gales, however
perfuaded us, that there was probably fome land near
us to the eaftward', and' the fituation given to the French
difcoveries, in M. Vaugondy’s late chart, has confirmed1
our fhppofition ;• for, according to it, we mud have been
at leaft 2 degrees of longitude to the weft of it, on the
fecond of February, when we were fartheft to the eaft in
the given latitude. Though we did' not fall in with the
land itfelf, yet we have done fo much fervice to geography
by our track, as to put it beyond a dbubt, that the French
difcovery is a fmall ifland, and not; what it was fuppofed
at firft to be, the north cape of a great fouthern-continent.
On the 8 th in the morning, we had an exceeding thick. Monday Sv ^
fog, during which we loft fight of the Adventure, our con-
fort. We fired guns all that day and the next, at firft everyr
half hour, and afterwards every hour; without receiving
anyanfwer; and at night we burnt falfe fires-, which like-
wife proved' ineffedlual.
wcdne« »« Gn the 1 oth in the morning; notwithftanding all- our
endeavours to recover our confort, we were obliged to
proceed alone on a difmal courfe to the fouthward, and’
to expofe ourfelves once more to the dangers of that frozen
climate, without the hope of being faved by our fellowvoyagers^
A V O Y A G E R O U N D THE WORLD.
voyagers, in cafe of lofing our own velTel. Our parting
with the Adventure, was almoft univerfally regretted among
our crew, and none of them ever looked around the ocean
without exprefling fome concern on feeing our fhip alone
on this vaft and unexplored expanfe, where the appearance
of a companion feemed to alleviate our toils, and infpired
cheerfulnefs and comfort. We were likewife not entirely
without apprehenfions, that the y Adventure might have
fallen in with land, as the fight of pinguins, of little
diving petrels, and efpecially of a kind.of grebe, feemed
to vindicate its vicinity. Indeed, according to the chart
of M. Vaugondy we muft have been but very little to the
fouth of it at that time.
On the 1 7 th we were near 5 8 degrees fouth, and took
up a great quantity of fmall ice, with which we filled our
water-calks. A variety of petrels and albatrofiês, had
attended us continually; and from time to time the fkua,
or great northern gull (larus catarraSles), which our people
called a Port Egmont hen, many pinguins, fome feals, and
fome whales had made thefr appearance near us. A beautiful
phenomenon was obferved during the preceding
night, which appeared again this and feveral following
nights. It confided of long columns of a clear white
light, (hooting up from the horizon to the eaftward, almoft
to the zenith, and gradually fpreading on the whole
Southern part of the Iky. Thefe columns fometim.es were
T773.
February.
Wednefd. 174
bent