p. 51* Oo the 8th, ip latitude 490 53’ fbijth, and lofigi-tpde 63** 39’ tfie vyind,
hayiiig veered round by the N. E. th,.e e&fe fifew a^fife gale,: attended with
ha?y iye&theri whiqh ibpn after turned to ^ thick fog, the wind feifting at
the fame time to N. E. Captain Gook ptdered a gun to he fired every hour
till noon, when he made the fignal to tack, and tacked accordingly, Eut as
neither this fignal,, por any of the former \yere angered by the Adventure, he
had too much reafon to think a feparation had taken place, but was at a lofs to
^ccp.unt for the caufe of it.
P' 5Xi He had directed Captain Furneaux, in cafe fie was feparated, to cru,i?e three
days in th? pfece.he lafe few theRefolutjiop; they therefore continued making
feort bpards, and firing half-hour guns, till the 9th in the afternoon, whep
the weather clearing, fo that they could fee feveral feague$ around, they could
not perceive the Adventure within the limits: of the horizon. Next day,
notwithftanding the weather continued pretty clear, fee was not to be feen;
they however kep.t firing guns, apd burning falfe fires aU night. But this
having no effedt, Captain Cook gave over looking for her, and made fail towards
the S. E.
p. S3. During the night o f the 16th they had fair weather, with a clear ferene iky;
and between midnight and three o’clocfe in the morning lights were feen in the
heavens fimilar to thofe in the northern hemifphere, known by the name of
the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. A light which the more furprized
Captain Cook, as he had never heard of the Aurora Auftralis being feen before.
The officer o f the watch obferved. that it fometimes broke out in fpiral rays, and
in a circular form; thendts light was very ftrong, and its appearance beautiful.
He ^could not perceive that it had any particular direction, for it appeared at
various times in different parts o f the-firmament, and diffufed its light through
the whole atmofphere.
p. 54. The next night, being again got among the ice iilands, the mercury in the
thermometer fell two degrees below the freezing point. It is to be obferved,
that as they advanced to the north, the mercury ufually had a gradual rife to 45%
and fell again, as they made towards the fouth, to the degree juft mentioned;
nor did it rife in the middle of the day to above 34° or 350. -
About noon, on the 20th, being nearly in latitude 58* 47' fouth, longitude P* 55'
9a0 56’ eaft, they thought they, faw land from the S. W. the appearance was fo
ftrong, that they doubted not but it was there in reality, and accordingly tacked
to work up to it. They were, however, icon undeceived, by finding it was
only clouds, which in the evening intirely difappeared, and left a clear horizon,
in which fpace nothing was to be feen but ice iilands.
The fame night the aurora auftralis made a very brilliant and luminous appearance:
it was firft feen in the eaft, a little above the horizon,, and in a Ihort
time fpreadall over the heavens.
They continued Handing to the fouth till February 23, when, being in P-J6-
latitude 61° 52' fouth, longitude 95“ 2’ eaft, they 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
them to wilh for day light. This, when it came, fetved only to inereafe their
apprehenfions, by exhibiting to their view thofe large mountains of ice, which
in the night they had pafied without feeing. Thefe unfavourable circumftances,
together with dark nights, at this advanced feaion of the year, quite difcouraged
Captain Cook from carrying into execution a defrgn he had formed of crofling
the Antaritic Circle onee more. Therefore, on the 24th, at, four o'clock in the
morning, they 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 deftruiftion among the ice iilands. This circumftance, far from
being of any advantage, greatly increafed the number of pieces they had to
avoid. The large pieces, which break from the ¡Hands, are much mote danger^ p. ~
ous than the iilands themfelves. The latter are- fo high out of the water that
they are generally to be feen before the ihip is near them; whereas the others
cannot be feen in the night till they ate under the bows.
Thefe dangers were, however, now become fo familiar to them, that the
apprehenfions they caufed Were never of long duration; and were in fome
meafure compenfated, both by the feafonabie fupplies of freih'water thefe ice
iilands afforded them (of which, had they not frequently availed themfelves~
® 6 they
I