March Pea^ed. A few penguins were feen this day, but nor fo
— ---- ' many illands of ice as ufual. The weather was alfo milder;
Wednef. 3.
though very changeable j thermometer from 36 to 38. We
continued to have a N. W. fwell, although the wind was
unfettled, veering to N. E. by the Weft and North, attended^,
with hazy fleet, and drizzling rain..
We profecuted our courfe to the Eaft, inclining to the South,.
Thurfday4. till three o’clock.in the afternoon of the 4th, when (being
in the latitude of 6o° 37', longitude 1130 24') the wind fhift-
ing at once to S'. W. andS. W. by S'., Tgave orders to fleer E.
by N. 4 N. BUt in the night we fleered E. 4 S,, in order to
have the wind, which was at S. S. W., more upon the beam
the better to enable us to ftand back, in cafe we fell in with
any danger in the dark. For we had not fo much time to i
fpare, to allow us to lie to.
Friday ;. In the morning of the 5th, we. fleered E. by N>, .under a ll:
the fail we could fet, palling one ice ifland and many fmall
pieces, and at nine o’clock the wind, which of late had not\
remained long upon any one point, fhifted all-at once to ■
Eaft, and blew a gentle gale. With this we flood to the
North ; at which time we were in the latitude of 60° 44'
South, and longitude 1160 yo' Eaft. The latitude was determined
by the meridian altitude of the fun, which appeared,
now and then, for a few minutes tilf three in the
afternoon. Indeed the Iky was, in general, fo cloudy, and
the weather fo thick and hazy, that we had very little benefit
of fun or moon; very feldom feeing the face of either
the one or the other. And yet, even under thefe circum-
ftances, the weather, for fome days paft, could not be called
very cold. It, however, had not the leaft pretenfion <to be
called fummer weather according to my ideas of fummer
in
in the northern hemifphere, as far as 6o° of latitude ; which
is nearly as far North as I have been.. '
In the eveningwe had three illands of ice in fight, all' of
them large ; efpecially one, which was larger than any we
had yet feen. The fide oppofed to us feemed to.be a mile in :
extent-; if fo, it could not be lefs than three in circuit. As-
we palled'it in the night, a continual cracking was heard,
occafioned, no doubt, by pièces breaking from it. For, in
the morning of the.6th, the fea, for fome diftânce round it, Saturdays;',
was covered with large and .fmall pieces; and the ifland
itfelf did not appear fo large as it had done-the evening before.
It could not be lefs than 100 feet high; yet fuch was the
impetuous force and height of the waves which were broken
againft it, by meeting with fuch a hidden refiftance, that
they rofe confiderably higher. In the evening we were in
the latitude of 39°'58' South, longitude 1180 39' Eaft. The
7th, the wind was variable ih the N. E. and S. E. quarters, at- Sunday 7.
tended with fnow and fleet till the evening. Then the
weather became fair, the Iky cleared up, and the night was
remarkably pleafant, as well as the morning :of- the next Monday 8,
day ; which for the brightnefs of the- Iky, and ferenity and
mild nefs of the weather, gave place to none we had feen
fince we left the. Cape of Good Hope. . It was fuch as is
little known in this fea; and, to make it ftill more agreeable;
we had not one ifland of ice in fight. The mercury in the
thermometer rofe to 40. Mr. Wales and the Matter made
fome obfervations of the moon and ftars, which fatisfied us
that, when our latitude was 59° 44', our longitude was iai°
9', At. three o’clock in the afternoon, the calm was. fuc-
ceeded by- a -breeze at S; E. The-Iky, at the fame time, was
fuddenly obfcured, and feemed to prefage an approaching
florin,,