*773-
February.
While we were beating about here, we frequently faw
penguins and divers, which made us conjedture that land
Vclnef. io. was not far off; but in what diredtion, it was not poflible
for us to tell. As we advanced to the South, we loft the
penguins, and moil of the divers ; and as ufual, met with
abundance of albatrofles, blue peterels, flieer-waters, &c.
Tharfday n. The nth at noon, and in the latitude of yi° 15' South,
Friday 12.
longitude 67° 20' Eaft, we again met with penguins ; and
faw an egg bird, which we alfo look upon to be a fign of
the vicinity of land. I continued to fleer to the S. E., with
a frefh gale in the N. W. quarter, attended with a long
hollow fwell, and frequent fhowers of rain, hail, and fnow.
The 12th in the morning, being in the latitude of 520 32' S.
longitude 69° 47' Eaft, the variation was 310 38' Weft. In the
evening, in the latitude of 33 0 7' South, longitude 70° 50'
Saturday 13. Eaft, it was 32° 33': and, the next morning, in the latitude
of 530 37' South, longitude 72° 10', it was 330 8' Weft. Thus
far we had continually a great number of penguins about
the fhip, which feeifled to be different from thofe we had
feen near the ice ; being fmaller, with redifh bills and
brownifh heads. The meeting with fo many of thefe birds,
gave us fome hopes of finding land, and occafioned various
eonjedtures about Its fituation. The great wefterly fwell,
which ftill continued, made it improbable that land of any
eonfiderable extent lay to the Weft. Nor was it very probable
that any lay to the North ■ , as we were only about 160
Sttndiy 14.
leagues to-the South of Tafman’s Track in 1642; and I con-
jedtured that Captain Furneaux would explore this place t
which accordingly happened. In the evening we faw a
Port Egmont hen, which flew away in the diredtion of N. E.
by E .; and, the next morning, a feal was feen; but no penguins.
guins. In the evening, being in the latitude of 550 49' S.,
longitude 74° 52' Eaft, the variation was 34° 48' Weft; and, |----«----?
in the evening of the 15th, in latitude 570 2' South, longitude M° ay '5‘
790 56' Eaft, it was 38° Weft. Five feals were feen this day,
and a few penguins ; which occafioned us to found, without
finding any bottom, with a line of 150 fathoms.
At day-light in the morning of the 16th, we faw an ifland Tuefday 16,
of ice to the northward ; for which we fleered, in order to
take fome on board; but the wind fhifting to that direction,
hindered us from putting this in execution. At this time we
•were in the latitude of 570 8' South, longitude 80° yg' Eaft,
and had two iflands of ice in fight. This morning we faw one
penguin, which appeared to be of the fame fort which we
had formerly feen near the ice-. But we had now been fo
often deceived by thefe birds, that we could no longer look
upon them, nor indeed upon any other oceanic birds, which
frequent high latitudes, as fure figns of the vicinity of land.
The wind continued not long at North, but veered to E.
by N. E„ and blew a gentle gale, with which we flood to
the fouthward ; having frequent fhowers of fleet and fnow.
But, in the night, we had fair weather, and a clear ferene
fky ; and, between midnight and three o’clock in the morn- wednetiiy,
ing, lights were feen in the heavens, fimilar to thofe in the
northern hemifphere, known by the name of Aurora Borealis,
or Northern Lights ; but I never heard of the Aurora
Auftralis being feen before. The officer of the watch ob-
ferved, that it fometimes broke out in fpiral rays, and in a.
circular form; then its light was very ftrong, and its appearance
beautiful. He could not perceive it had any particular
diredtion; for it appeared, at various times, in different