38
'773- in the coppers, and filled up the calks with the water: and January. , ‘ -
i— v— 1 fome we kept on deck for prefent ufe. The melting and
Saturday 9. n . _ 0 flowing away the ice is a little tedious, and takes up fome
time ; otherwife this is the molt expeditious way of watering
I ever met with.
Having got on board this fupply of water, and the Adventure
about two-thirds as much (of which we flood in great
need), as we had once broke the ice, I did not doubt of
getting more whenever we were in want. I therefore,
without hefitation, directed our courfe more to the South,
with a gentle gale at N. W., attended, as ufual, with fnow
Monday u. fhowers. In the morning of the nth, being then in the latitude
of 62° 44' South, longitude 370 Eaft, the variation of
Tucfday iz, the compafs was 240 10' Weft, and the following morning
in the latitude of 64° 12' South, longitude 38° 14' Eaft, by
the mean of three compafles, it was no more than 230 52'
Weft. In this fituation we faw fome penguins; and being
near an ifland of ice from which feveral pieces had broken,
we hoifted out two boats, and took on board as much as
filled all our empty calks ; and the Adventure did the fame.
While this was doing, Mr. Forfter Ihot an albatrofs, whofe
plumage was. of a colour between brown and dark grey,
the head and upper fide of the wings rather inclining to
black, and it had white eye-brows. We began to fee thefe
birds about the time of our firft falling in with the ice
illands; and fome had accompanied us ever fince. Thefe,
and the dark-brown fort with a yellow bill, were the only
albatrofles that had not now forfaken us.
At four o’clock P. M. we hoifted in the boats, and made
fail to the S. E., with a gentle breeze at S. by W., attended
with fhowers of fnow.
On
On the 13th, at two o’clock A. M. it fell calm. Of this *773-
u . . January. we took the opportunity to hoilt out a boat, to try the cur- «--------- /
rent, which we found to fet N. W. near one third of a mile ne ‘ '3‘
an hour. At the time of trying the current, a Fahrenheit’s
thermometer was immerged in the fea too fathoms below
its furface, where it remained twenty minutes. When it
came up, thé mercury flood at 32; which is the freezing
point. Some little time after, being expofed to the furface
of the fea, if rofe to 334-; and in the open air to 36. The
calm continued till five o’clock in the evening, when it was
fucceeded by a light breeze from the South and S. E., with
which we flood to the N. E. with all our fails fet.
Though the weather continued fair, the fky, as ufual, was
clouded. However, at nine o’clock the next morning, it Thurfday 14;
was clear ; and we were enabled to obferve feveral diftances
between the fun and moon. The mean refult'fcf which
gave 3g0 30' 30" Eaft longitude. Mr. Kendal’s watch, at the
fame time, gave 38° 27' 43", which is i° 3' 45" Weft of the
obfervations : whereas, on the 3d inftant, it was half a degree
Eaft of them.
In the evening I found the variation, by the mean 1 -a
• of Azimuths taken with Gregory’s compafs, to be )
By the mean of fix Azimuths by one of Dr. Knight’s 28
And by another of Dr. Knight’s - - 28
14'
§P
34
o
o
o
Our latitude at this time was 63° 57', longitude 390 384"
Eaft.
The fucceeding morning, the 15th, being then in latitude Friday ij.
63° 33' South, the longitude was obferved by the following
perfons, viz.
Myfelf,