>773.
February,
Wednef, 17.
ferent parts of the heavens, and diffufed its light through-
out the whole atmofphere.
At nine in the morning, we bore down to an ifland of
ice which we reached by noon. It was full half a mile in
circuit, and two hundred feet high at lead; though very
little loofe ice about it. But while we were confidering
whether or no we fhould hoift out our boats to take fome
up, a great quantity broke from the ifland. Upon this we
hoifted out our boats and went to work to get fome on board.
The pieces of ice, both great and fmall, which broke from
the ifland, I obferved, drifted fail to the weftward ; that is,
they left the ifland in that direction, and were, in a few
hours, fpread over a large fpace of fea. This, I have no
doubt, was caufed by a current fetting in that direction.
For the wind could have but little effedl upon the ice ; efpe-
■ cially as there was a large hollow fwell from the Weft. This
circumftance greatly retarded our taking up ice. We, however,
made a fhift to get on board about nine or ten tons before
eight o’clock, when we hoifted in the boats and made
fail to the Eaft, inclining to the South, with a frefh gale at
South 5 which, foon after, veered to S. S. W. and S. W.,
with fair but cloudy weather. This courfe brought us
among many ice ifles ; fo that it was necelfary to proceed
with great caution. In the night the mercury in the thermometer
fell two degrees below the freezing point; and
the water in the fcuttle cafks on deck was frozen. As I have
not taken notice of the thermometer of late, I fhall now ob-
ferve that, as“Ve advanced to the North, the mercury gradually
rofe to 45, and fell again, as we advanced to the
South, to what is above mentioned ; nor did it rife, in the
middle of the day, to above 34 or 35.
In
In the morning of the 18th, being in the latitude of C70 '773-
44' South, longitude 83° 14' Eaft, the variation was y f 33*
Weft. In the evening, in latitude 58? 2' South, longitude Th“rrda}r l8‘
84° 35' Eaft, it was only 370 8' Weft; which induced me to
believe it was decreafing. But in the evening of the 30th, Saturday 20.
in the latitude of 58° 47' South, longitude 90° 56' Eaft, I
took nine azimuths, with Dr. Knight’s compafs which gave
the variation 40° 7'; and nihe others, with Gregory’s, which
gave 40° 15' Weft.
This day, at noon, being nearly in the latitude and longitude
juft mentioned, we thought we faw land to the S. W.
The appearance was fo ftrong that we doubted not it was
there in reality, and tacked to work up to it accordingly;
having a light breeze at South, and clear weather. We
were, however, foon undeceived, by finding that it was
only clouds; which, in the evening, entirely difappeared,
and left us a clear horizon, fo that we could fee a confider-
able way round us ; in which fpace nothing was to be feen
but ice iflands.
In the night, the Aurora Auftralis made a very brilliant
and luminous appearance. It was feen firft in the Eaft, a
little above the horizon; and, in a fliort time, fpread over
the whole heavens.
The zift, in the morning, having little wind and a fmooth Sunday 211
fea,, two favourable circumftances for taking up ice, I
fleered for the largeft ice ifland before us, which we reached-
by noon. At this time, we were in the latitude of 590 S.
longitude 920 30' Eaft; having, about two hours- before,
feen three or four penguins. Finding here a good quantity
©f loofe ice, I ordered two boats out, and fent them to take-
fame on board. While this was doing, the ifland, which*
4. was;