December.
Sunday 13.
Monday 14..
1739 ; but we were ten degrees of longitude Eaft of it ; that
is, near 118 leagues in this latitude. We Rood on to the
S. S. E. till eight o’clock in the evening, the weather ftill
continuing thick and hazy, with fleet and fnow. From noon
till this time, twenty ice iflands, of various extent both for
height and circuit, prefented themfelves to our view. At
eight o’clock we founded, but found no ground with 150
fathom of line. .
We now tacked and made a trip to the Northward till midnight,
when we flood again to the Southward ; and at half
an houi paft fix o clock irt the morning of the iqth, we were
flopped by an immenfe field of low ice ; to which we could
fee no end, either to the eaft, weft, or fouth. In different
parts of this field were iflands or hills of ice, like thofe we
found floating in the fea; and feme on board thought they
faw land alfo over the ice, bearing S, W. by S. I even
thought fo myfelf; but changed my opinion upon more
narrowly examining thefe ice hills, and the various appearances
they made when feen through the haze. For at this
time it was both hazy and cloudy in the horizon ; fo that a
diftant objetft could not be feen diftind. Being now in the
latitude of 540 50' South, and longitude ai° 34' Eaft, and
having the wind at N. W., we bore away along the'edge of
the ice, fleering S. S. E. and S. E. according to the diredion
of the North fide of it, where we faw many whales, penguins,
fome white birds, pintadoes, &c.
At eight o’clock we brought to under a point of the ice,
where we had fmooth water: and I fent on board for Cap-
• tain Furneaux. After we had fixed on rendezvoufes in cafe
of feparation, and fome other matters for the better keeping
company, he returned on board, and we made fail again
along
along the ice. Some pieces we took up along-fide, which De[^ er
yielded frelh water. At noon we had a good obfervation, <— v— 1
and found ourfelves in latitude 540 55' South.
We continued a S. E, courfe along the edge of the ice, till
one o’clock, when we came to a point round which we
hauled S. S. W., the fea appearing to be clear of ice in that
diredion. But after running four leagues upon this courfe,
with the ice on our {larboard fide, we found ourfelves quite
imbayed; the ice extending from N. N. E. round by the Weft
and South, to Eaft, in one com pad! body. The weather was
indifferently clear ; and yet we could fee no end to it. At
five o’clock we hauled up Eaft, wind at North, a gentle gale, in
■ order to clear the ice. The extreme Eaft point of it, at eight
o’clock, bore E. by S. over which appeared a clear fea. We
however fpent the night in making Ihort boards, under an
eafy fail'. Thermometer, thefe 34 hours, from 32 to 30.
Next day, the 15th, we had the wind at N. W. a fmall Tuerda>' >5-
gale, thick foggy weather, with much fnow; thermometer
from 33 to 37; fo that our fails and rigging were all hung
with icicles. The fog was fo thick, at times, that we,could
not fee the length of the Ihip; and we had much difficulty’
to avoid the many iflands of ice that furrounded us. About
noon having but little wind, we hoifted out a boat to try the .
current, which we found fet S. E. near 4 of a mile an hour.
At the fame time, a thermometer, which in the open air
was at -320, in the furface of the fea was at 30°; and, after
being immerged 100 fathoms deep for about j 5 or 30 minutes,
came up at 340, which is only 2° above freezing. Our
latitude at this time was 55° 8'.
V ol. I. E The