C H„ A P. VI.
Proceedings after leaving the Ife of Georgia, and ah Account
of the Difcovery o f Sandwich Land-, witMj^m
Reafon's fo r there being Land about the South Pole.
ms- f~ \ N the » h we fleered E. S, E., with a frelh gale at
. Jan“-y' > y A N. N. E., attended with foggy weather, till towards the
Wcdnef. 25. evening, when the fky becoming clear, we found the variation
to be 90 26'Eaft, being at this time in the latitude o f 56°
16' S., longitude 320 9' W.
Having continued to fleer K. S. E , with a fine gale at
Thurfday 26. N. N. W., till day-light next morning, on feeing no land to
the Eaft, I gave orders to fleer South, being at this time in
the latitude of 56° 33' S., longitude 310 16' W, The weather
continued clear, and gave us an opportunity to obferve feve-
ral diftances of the fun and moon for the correcting our longitude,
which at noon was 31° 4/ Wi, the latitude obferyed
Friday 27. . S7° 38' s - We continued to fleer to the South till the 27th,
at nooil, at which time we were in the latitude of 590 46' S.,
and had fo thick a fog that we could not fee a fhip’s length.
It being no longer fafe to fail before the wind, as we were
to expedl föon to fall in with ice, I therefore hauled to the
Eaft, having a gentle breeze at N. N. E. Soon after the fog
clearing away, we refumed our courfe to the South till four
o’clock, when it returned again as thick as ever, and made
it necefiary for us to haul upon a wind.
I now
I now reckoned we were in latitude 6o° S., and farther I '775-
did not intend to go, unlefs I obferved fome certain figns or
foon meeting with land. For it would not have been pru- " % 27-
dent in me to have fpent my time in penetrating to the
South, when it was at leaft as probable that a large trad; of
land might be found near Cape Circumcifion. Befides I was
tired of thefe high fouthern latitudes, where nothing was to
be found but ice and thick fogs. We had now a long hollow
fwell from the Weft, a ftrong indication that there was
no land in that direction; fo that I think I may venture to
aflert that the extenfive coaft, laid down in Mr. Dairym pie's
chart of the ocean between Africa and America, and the
Gulph of Saint Sebaftian, do not exift.
At feven o'clock in the evening, the fog receding from us
a little, gave us a fight of an ice ifland, feveral penguins and
fome fnow peterels; we founded, but found no ground at
one hundred and forty fathoms. The fog foon returning,
we fpent the night in making boards, over that fpace which
we had, in fome degree, made ourfelves acquainted with in
the day.
At eight in the morning of the 28th, we flood to the Eaft, Saturday 28.
with a gentle gale at North; the weather began to clear up;
and we found the fea ftrewed with large and fmall ice ; feveral
penguins, fnow peterels, and other birds were feen,
and fome whales. Soon after we had fun-fhine, but the air
was cold; the mercury in the thermometer flood generally
at thirty-five, but at noon it was at 37°; the latitude by observation
was 6o° 4' S'., longitude 290 23' Weft.
We continued to ftand to the'Eaft till half paft two o’clock
P. M., when we fell in, all at once, with a vaft number of large •
6 ice