A VOYAGE TOWARDS THE SOUTH POLE,
make a great difference between the navigating this icy fes
and that of Greenland.
I will not fay it was impoffible any where to get farther
to the South; but the attempting it would have been a dangerous
and rafh enterprife, and what, I believe, no man in
my fituation would have thought of. It was, indeed, my opinion,
as well as the opinion of moft on board, that this ice
extended quite to the pole, or perhaps joined to fome land,
to which it had been fixed from the earlieft time; and that it
is here, that is to the South of this parallel, where all the ice
we find fcattered up and down to the North, is firft formed,
and afterwards broken off by gales of wind, or other caufes,
and brought to the North by the currents, which we always
found to fet in that direction in the high latitudes. As
we drew near this ice fome penguins were heard, but none
feen; and but few other birds, or any other thing that could
induce us to think any land was near. And yet I think
there muft be fome to the South behind this ice; bnt if there
is, it can afford no better retreat for birds, or any other animals,
than the ice itfelf, with which it muft be wholly
covered. I, who had ambition not only to go farther than'
any one had been before, but as far as it was poffible for
man to go, was not forry at meeting with this interruption;
as it, in fome meafure, relieved us ; at leaft, fhortened the
dangers and hardfhips infeparable from the navigation of
the fouthern polar regions. Since therefore we could not?
proceed one inch farther to the South, no other reafon need
be affigned for my tacking, and Handing back to the North;,
being at this time in the latitude of 71° 19' South, longitude
io£>° 54' Weft.
AND ROUND TH E WORLD. 269
It was happy for us, that the weather was clear when we ,£%£•
fell in with this ice, and that we difcovered it fo foon as we ----' . , . . Sunday 30«-.
did; for we had no fooner tacked than we were involved in
a thick fog. The wind was at Eaft, and blew a frefh breeze ;
fo that we were able to return back over that fpace we had
already made ourfelves acquainted with. At noon, the mercury
in the thermometer flood at 32 f, and we found the air
exceedingly cold. The thick fog continuing with fhowers of
fnow, gave a coat of ice to our rigging of near an inch
thick. In the afternoon of the next day the fog cleared Monday
away at intervals; but the weather was cloudy and gloomy,
and the air exceftively cold; however, the fea within our
horizon was clear o-f ice.
We continued to Hand to the North with the wind eafterly
till the afternoon on the ift of February, when falling in
with fome loofe ice which had broken from an ifland to
■ windward, wehoiftedout two boats, and having taken fome
on board, refumed our courfe to the North and N. E., with
gentle breezes from the S. 1 , attended fometimes with fair
weather, and at other times with fnow and fleet. On the 4th Friday 4.
we were in the latitude of 65° 42' South, longitude 990 44'.
The next day the wind was very unfettled both in ftrength
and pofition, and attended with fnow and fleet. At length
on the 6th, after a few hours calm, we got a breeze at South, Sunday 6,
which foon after frefhened, fixed at W. S. W., and was attended
with fnow and fleet.
I now came to a refolution to proceed to the North, and to
fpend the enfuing winter within the Tropic, if I met with no-
employment before I came there. I was now well fatisfied no
continent was to be found in this ocean, but what muft lie fo
far to the South as to be wholly inacceflible on account of
ice; and that, if one fhould be found in the Southern Atlantic
Ocean,