ja! u« y. that a fufficient quantity of celery and fcurvy-grafs might
be found to fupply the whole crew, efpecially as we faw
both the fpecics on our excurfions. Our feamen lived fe--
veral days on young fhags and pinguins, of which they
found the former extremely palatable, comparing them to
young pullets. They likewife roafted feveral little cubs of-
feals, but there was a degree of foftnefs in the meat which
made it difguftful. The flefh of young but full-grown
fea-bears was greatly preferable, and tailed like coarfe and
bad beef; but that of the old fea lions and bears was fo
rank and offenfive, that we could not touch it.
After ranging the eaftern and fouthern coaft of Staten-
Land, till the afternoon, we took our departure, and fleered-
to the E S. E. in order to pafs our third fummer feafon- ter
the fouthward. We had flrong gales, which carried away
a main-top-gallant-maft, and fbme fludding fail-booms; but
as the wind was in our favour, thefe Ioffes were efteemed'
o f little confequence. A halo of very great circumference-
Tiiurfday- 5. was obferved round the fun on the yth. It inclofed a dark
area, but the circle itfelf was white, with feveral faint
prifmatic hues on the edges. This was reckoned a prog-
noflic of ftorms, but. we experienced mild weather for feveral
days afterwards, from whence we may conclude how-
far fuch figns are to be relied upon. The lateft charts pub-
lilhed in England and Erance, have laid down a great fea-
coaft between 4 a0 and 530 weft, in the latitude of 5.4 0’
and
and 58° fouth, which they found marked in a chart pro- jAN
jedfed by Ortelius, in 1586 *, and in that of Mercator, pub-
1 ilhed fo early as the year 1 569. h appears to have been
difcovered by Spanidi navigators, as the name of Golfo de
San Sebaftiano feems to indicate. We paffed over that part
of the ocean, where the weftern coaft of this gulph is faid
to be fituated, but did not meet with any land. Captain
Furneaux likewife the year before, paffed acrofs both the
eaftern and weftern fhores of this gulph, in 60 °, and afterwards
38° S. from 6o0 to 400 W. without feeing land.
It appears therefore that either this gulph does not exift, or
that it is not rightly laid down in former charts | and the
latter is much more probable, fince it can hardly be conceived
by what means fuch a difcovery could obtain a place
in the old charts, without fome authority to fupport it.
On the 6th, at eight in the evening, we changed our
courfe, and flood to the northward, having .reached upwards
of 58° S, without feeing any ice.; though Dr. Halley,
in the year 1700, at the fame feafon, found abundance
of ice in the latitude of 520 S. A heavy dew fell
on the 8th in the evening, which is reckoned an indubitable
fign of land ; and petrels, albatroffes, and feals had
been feen from time to time, ever fince we left Staten Land.
* See Mr. Dalrymplc’s Memoir of a Chart of the Southern Ocean, and the
•Chart itfelf, which bear an indifputable.teftimony of the laudable enthufiafm with
.which that gentleman has profecutcd his inquiries on this fubjedt,
X X X 2 HHaavviinngg