3 '773- was not lefs than half a mile in circuit, and three or four February. "
<----.— i hundred feet high above the furface of the fea, turned
“n ay 2I' nearly bottom up. Its height, by this circumftance, was
neither increafed nor diminifhed apparently. As foon as we
had got on board as much ice as we could difpofe of, we
hoifted in the boats, and made fail to the S. E., with a gentle
breeze at N. by*E., attended with Ihowers of fnow, and dark
gloomy weather. As this time, we had but few ice iflands
Monday 23. in fight; but, the next day, feldom lefs than twenty or
thirty were feen at once.
The wind gradually veered to the Eaft; and, at lalt, fixing
at E. by S., blew a frelh gale. With this we flood to the
Taefday 23. South, till eight o’clock in the evening of the 23d; at
which time we were in the latitude of 6i° 52' South, longitude
950 2' Eaft. We now tacked, and fpent the night,
which was exceedingly ftormy, thick, and hazy, with fleet and
fnow, in making Ihort boards. Surrounded on every fide
with danger, it was natural for us to wilh for day-light.
This, when it came, ferved only to increafe our appre-
henfions, by exhibiting to our view, thofe huge mountains
of ice, which, in the night, we had pafled without feeing.
Thefe unfavourable circumftances, together with dark
nights, at this advanced feafon of the year, quite dif-
couraged me from putting in execution a refolution I had
taken of crofting the Antardric Circle once more. Accordingly,
Wednef. 24. at four o’clock in the morning, we flood to the North, with
a very hard gale at E. S. E,. accompanied with fnow and
fleet, and a very high fea from the fame point, which made
great deftrudtion among the ice iflands. This circumftance,
far from being of any advantage to us, greatly increafed
the number of pieces we had to avoid. The large pieces
which
which break from the ice iflands, are much more danger- „'773-
■ 0 February. ous than the iflands themfelves. The latter are fo high out -v——*
of water, that we can generally fee them, unlefs the wea- e
ther be very thick and dark, before we are very near them.
Whereas the others cannot be feen, in the night, till they
are under the fhip’s bows. Thefe dangers were, however,
now become fo familiar to us, that the apprehenfions they
caufed were never of long duration; and were, in fome
meafure, compenfated both by the feafonable fupplies of
frelh water thefe ice iflands afforded us (without which
we mult have been greatly diftrefled), and alfo, by their
very romantic appearance, greatly heightened by the foaming
and dalhing of the waves into the curious holes and
caverns which are formed in many of them ; the whole exhibiting
a view, which at once filled the mind with admiration
and horror, and can only be defcribed by the hand
of an able painter. Towards the evening, the gale abated;
and in the night we had two or three hours calm. This
was fucceeded by a light breeze at Weft; with which we
fleered Eaft, under all the fail we could fet, meeting with
many ice iflands.
This night we faw a Port Egmont hen; and next morn- ThurfcUy 25.
ing, being the 25th, another. We had lately feen but few
birds; and thofe were albatrofles, fheerwaters, and blue
peterels. It is remarkable, that we did not fee one of either
the white, or Antarctic peterels, fisce we came laft amongft
the ice. Notwithftanding the wind kept at Weft and N. W.
all day, we had a very high fea from the Eaft; by which we
concluded that no land could be near, in that direction. In
the evening, being in the latitude 60° 51', longitude 950 41'
Eaft, the variation was 430 6' Weft; and the next morning, be- Friday -s.
Vol. I. I ing