On the 8th, being in latitude 55° 39ʹ, longitude 178° 53ʹ W. we ceased to see penguins and seals, and concluded that those we had seen retired to the southern parts of New Zealand, whenever it was necessary for them to be at land. We had now a strong gale at north-west and a great swell from south-west. This swell we got as soon as the south point of New Zealand came in that direction; and as we had had no wind from that quarter the six preceding days, but, on the contrary, it had been at east, north, and north-west, I conclude there can be no land to the southward, under the meridian of New Zealand, but what must lie very far to the south. The two following days we had very stormy weather, sleet and snow, winds between the north and south-west.
The 11th the storm abated, and the weather clearing up, we found the latitude to be 61° 15ʹ S. longitude 173° 4ʹ W. This fine weather was of short duration: in the evening the wind increased to a strong gale at south-west, blew in squalls, attended with thick snow showers, hail, and sleet. The mercury in the thermometer fell to thirty-two; consequently the weather was very cold, and seemed to indicate that ice was not far off.
At four o’clock the next morning, being in the latitude of 62° 10ʹ S. longitude 172° W. we saw the first ice island, 111⁄2° farther S. than the first ice we saw the preceding year after leaving the Cape of Good Hope. At the time we saw this ice we also saw an antarctic peterel, some grey albatrosses, and our old companions, pintadoes and blue peterels. The wind kept veering from south-west by the north-west to north-north-east, for the most part a fresh gale, attended with a thick haze and snow; on which account we steered to the south-east and east, keeping the wind always on the beam, that it might be in our power to return back nearly on the same track, should our course have been interrupted by any danger whatever. For some days we had a great sea from the north-west and south-west, so that it is not probable there can be any land near between these two points.
We fell in with several large islands on the 14th, and, about noon, with a quantity of loose ice, through which we sailed. Latitude 64° 55ʹ S., longitude 163° 20ʹ W. Grey albatrosses, blue peterels, pintadoes, and fulmers were seen. As we advanced to the south-east by east, with a fresh gale at west, we found the number of ice islands increase fast upon us. Between noon and eight in the evening we saw but two, but before four o’clock in the morning of the 15th, we had passed seventeen, besides a quantity of loose ice which we ran through. At six o’clock we were obliged to haul to the north-east, in order to clear an immense field which lay to the south and south-east. The ice in most part of it lay close packed together; in other places there appeared partitions in the field, and a clear sea beyond it. However, I did not think it safe to venture through, as the wind would not permit us to return the same way that we must go in. Besides, as it blew strong, and the weather at times was exceedingly foggy, it was the more necessary for us to get clear of this loose ice, which is rather more dangerous than the great islands. It was not such ice as is usually found in bays or rivers, and near shore, but such as breaks off from the islands, and may not improperly be called parings of the large pieces, or the rubbish or fragments which fall off when the great islands break loose from the place where they are formed.
We had not stood long to the north-east before we found ourselves embayed by the ice, and were obliged to tack and stretch to the south-west, having the field or loose ice to the south, and many huge islands to the north. After standing two hours on this tack, the wind very luckily veering to the westward, we tacked, stretched to the north, and soon got clear of all the loose ice, but not before we had received several hard knocks from the larger pieces, which, with all our care, we could not avoid. After clearing one danger we still had another to encounter; the weather remained foggy, and many large islands lay in our way; so that we had to luff for one, and bear up for another. One we were very near falling aboard of; and if it had happened, this circumstance would never have been related. These difficulties, together with the improbability of finding land farther south, and the impossibility of exploring it on account of the ice, if we should find any, determined me to get more to the north. At the time we last tacked, we were in the longitude of 159° 20ʹ W. and in the latitude of 66° 0ʹ S. Several penguins were seen on some of the ice islands, and a few antarctic peterels on the wing.
We continued to stand to the north, with a fresh gale at west, attended with thick snow showers till eight o’clock in the evening, when the wind abated, the sky began to clear up, and, at six o’clock in the morning of the 16th, it fell calm. Four hours after, it was succeeded by a breeze at north-east, with which we stretched to the south-east, having thick hazy weather, with snow showers, and all our rigging coated with ice. In the evening, we attempted to take some out of the sea, but were obliged to desist, the sea running too high, and the pieces being so large, that it was dangerous for the boat to come near them.
The next morning, being the 17th, we succeeded better; for falling in with a quantity of loose ice, we hoisted out two boats, and by noon got on board as much as we could manage. We then made sail for the east, with a gentle breeze northerly, attended with snow and sleet, which froze to the rigging as it fell. At this time we were in the latitude of 64° 41ʹ S. longitude 155° 44ʹ W. The ice we took up proved to be none of the best, being chiefly composed of frozen snow, on which account it was porous, and had imbibed a good deal of salt water; but this drained off after lying a while on deck, and the water then yielded was fresh. We continued to stretch to the east, with a piercing cold northerly wind, attended with a thick fog, snow, and sleet, that decorated all our rigging with icicles. We were hourly meeting with some of the large ice islands, which in these high latitudes render navigation so very dangerous: at seven in the evening, falling in with a cluster of them, we narrowly escaped running aboard of one, and with difficulty wore clear of the others. We stood back to the west till ten o’clock, at which time the fog cleared away, and we resumed our course to the east. At noon the next day, we were in the latitude of 64° 49ʹ S., longitude 149° 19ʹ W. Some time after our longitude, by observed distance of the sun and moon, was 149° 19ʹ W.; by Mr. Kendal’s watch, 148° 36ʹ; and by my reckoning, 148° 43ʹ, latitude 64° 48ʹ S.
The clear weather and the wind veering to north-west tempted me to steer south, which course we continued till seven in the morning of the 20th, when the wind changing to north-east, and the sky becoming clouded, we hauled up south-east. In the afternoon the wind increased to a strong gale, attended with a thick fog, snow, sleet, and rain, which constitutes the very worst of weather. Our rigging at this time was so loaded with ice that we had enough to do to get our top-sails down to double the reef. At seven o’clock in the evening, in the longitude of 147° 46ʹ, we came the second time within the antarctic or polar circle, continuing our course to the south-east till six o’clock the next morning. At that time, being in the latitude of 67° 5ʹ S., all at once we got in among a cluster of very large ice islands, and a vast quantity of loose pieces; and, as the fog was exceedingly thick, it was with the utmost difficulty we wore clear of them. This done, we stood to the north-west till noon, when the fog being somewhat dissipated, we resumed our course again to the south-east. The ice islands we met with in the morning were very high and rugged, forming at their tops many peaks, whereas the most of those we had seen before were flat at top, and not so high, though many of them were between two and three hundred feet in height, and between two and three miles in circuit, with perpendicular cliffs or sides, astonishing to behold. Most of our winged companions had now left us, the grey albatrosses only remained, and instead of the other birds we were visited by a few antarctic peterels.
The 22d we steered east-south-east with a fresh gale at north, blowing in squalls, one of which took hold of the mizzen top-sail, tore it all to rags, and rendered it for ever after useless. At six o’clock in the morning, the wind veering toward the west, our course was east-northerly. At this time we were in the latitude of 67° 31ʹ, the highest we had yet been in, longitude 142° 54ʹ west.
We continued our course to the east by north till noon the 23d, when, being in the latitude of 67° 12ʹ, longitude 138° 0ʹ, we steered south-east, having then twenty-three ice islands in sight from off the deck, and twice that number from the mast-head, and yet we could not see above two or three miles round us. At four o’clock in the afternoon, in the latitude of 67° 20ʹ, longitude 137° 12ʹ, we fell in with such a quantity of field or loose ice, as covered the sea in the whole extent from south to east, and was so thick and close as wholly to obstruct our passage. At this time, the wind being pretty moderate, and the sea smooth, we brought to at the outer edge of the ice, hoisted out two boats, and sent them to take some up. In the mean time, we laid hold of several large pieces alongside, and got them on board with our tackle. The taking up ice proved such cold work, that it was eight o’clock by the time the boats had made two trips; when we hoisted them in, and made sail to the west, under double-reefed top-sails and courses, with a strong gale at north, attended with snow and sleet, which froze to the rigging as it fell, making the ropes like wires, and the sails like boards or plates of metal. The sheaves also were frozen so fast in the blocks, that it required our utmost efforts to get a top-sail down and up; the cold so intense as hardly to be endured; the whole sea, in a manner, covered with ice; a hard gale, and a thick fog.