Noember Having given Captain Clerke a copy of my inflruclion«,.
>— v~_> and an order directing him how to proceed in cafe of fepa-
Saturday 30. ration; in the morning of the 30th, we repaired on board.
At five in the afternoon a breeze fprung up at South Eaft,
with which we weighed, and flood out of the bay. At nine
it fell calm, and we anchored between1 Penguin Ifland and
the Eaft fhore, where we lay till three o’clock next morn- December.- .
Sunday i. ing. We then weighed and put to fea, with a light breeze
at South; but did not get clear of the land till the morning
Tuefday 3. of the 3d, when, with a frefh gale at Weft North Weft, we
flood to the South Eaft, to get more into the way of thefe;
winds.
Thurfday5. On the 5th, a fudden fquall o f wind carried away the-
Refolution’s mizen top-maft. Having another to replace it,
the lofs was not fe lt ; efpecially as it was a bad flick, and'
Friday 6. had often complained. On the 6th, in the evening, being;
then in the latitude of 3<f 14' South, and in the longitude of.
23.° 56' Eaft, we pafled through feveral fmall fpots o f water:
of a reddifh colour. Some of this was taken u p ; and it was.
found to abound with a fmall animal, which the micro—
fcope difcovered to be like a cray-fifh, of a reddifh. hue.
We continued our courfe to the South Eaft, with a very,
ftrong gale from the Weftward, followed by a mountainous'
fea; which made the ftiip roll and tumble exceedingly, and
gave us a great deal of trouble to preferve the cattle we had.
on board. Notwithftanding alLour care, feveral goats, efpecially
the males, died ; and fome fheep. This m is for tun e.
was, in a great meafure, owing to the cold, which we now.
began moil fenfibly to feel.
Thurfdayiz. On the 12th, at noon, we faw land extending from South
Eaft by South, to South Eaft by Eaft. Upon a nearer ap-
4 proach.
m
proach, we found it to be two iflands. That which lies >776-
moil to the South, and is alfo the largeft, I judged to be , e!!^_er;
about fifteen leagues in circuit; and to be in the latitude of
46° 53' South, and in the longitude of 370 46' Eaft. The
mod Northerly one is about nine' leagues in circuit; and
lies in the latitude of 46° 40' South, and in 38° 8' Eaft longitude.
The diftance from the one to the other is about five. ‘i 1,11™
leagues.
We palled through this channel; at equal diftance from
both iflands; and could not difcover, with the affiilance o f
our beft glafles, either tree or fhrub on either of- them-
They feemed to have a rocky and bold fhore ; and, excepting
the South Eaft parts, where the land is. rather low and
flat, a furface compofed o f barren mountains, which rife to
a confiderable height, and whofe fummits and fides- were
covered with fnow, which in many places feemed to be of a
confiderable depth. The South Eaft parts 'had a much
greater quantity on them than the reft; owing, probably,
to the Sun afting for a lefs fpace o f time on thefe than on
the North and North Weft parts. The ground, where it
was not hid by the fnow, from the various fhades it exhibited,
may be fuppofed to be covered with mofs, or, perhaps,
fuch a coarfe grafs as is found in fome parts of Falkland’s
Iflands. On the North fide of each of the iflands is a
detached rock: that near the South ifland is fhaped like a
tower, and feemed to be at fome diftance from the fhore..
As we pafled along, a quantity of fea-weed was feen, and.
the colour of the water indicated foundings. But there was ;
no appearance of an inlet, unlefs near the rock juft mentioned
; and that, from its fmallnefs, did not promife a good: