A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

173° 4' W. This fine weather was of short duration; in the evening, the wind increased to a strong gale at S.W., blew in squalls, attended with thick snow showers, hail, and sleet. The mercury in the thermometer fellto thirty-two; consequently the weather was very cold, and seemed to indicate that ice was not far off.[2][2] "At noon, on the 10th December, we had reached the latitude of 59° S., without having met withany ice, though we fell in with it the preceding year on the 10th December, between the 50th and51st degree of south latitude. It is difficult to account for this difference; perhaps a severe winterpreceding our first course from the Cape of Good Hope, might accumulate more ice that year thanthe next, which is the more probable, as we learnt at the Cape that the winter had been sharper therethan usual; perhaps a violent storm might break the polar ice, and drive it so far to the northward aswe found it; and, perhaps, both these causes might concur with others, to produce this effect."--G.F."It is remarkable, that in different years, seasons, and places of the sea, we found the ice differentlysituated. In the year 1772, December 10th, we saw the ice between 50° and 51° of southern latitude.In 1773, on December 12th, we found the first ice in 62° S. In 1775, on January 27th, we saw the icein about 60° S. On February 24th, we came to the same place, where, about twenty-six monthsbefore, we had met with such an impenetrable body of ice, as had obliged us to run to the east, butwhere, at this last time, no vestige of it appeared, no more than at the place where Bouvet had placedhis Cape Circumcision, we having sailed over the whole tract which he suspected to be land; norcould we be mistaken in its situation, as we had been on the same parallel for a considerable time; sothat it is impossible to have missed the land, if any had existed, as we had frequent opportunities toascertain our latitude."--F.It is well known, that considerable masses of ice have been met with as low down as 46° of southlatitude; but hitherto no very satisfactory solution has been given of the phenomenon.--E.At four o'clock the next morning, being in the latitude of 62° 10' south, longitude 172° west, we saw thefirst ice island, 11° 1/2 farther south than the first ice we saw the preceding year after leaving the Cape ofGood Hope. At the time we saw this ice, we also saw an antarctic peterel, some grey albatrosses, and ourold companions pintadoes and blue peterels. The wind kept veering from S.W. by the N.W. to N.N.E. forthe most part a fresh gale, attended with a thick haze and snow; on which account we steered to the S.E.and E., keeping the wind always on the beam, that it might be in our power to return back nearly on thesame track, should our course have been interrupted by any danger whatever. For some days we had agreat sea from the N.W. and S.W., so that it is not probable there can be any land near, between these twopoints.We fell in with several large islands on the 14th, and about noon, with a quantity of loose ice, throughwhich we sailed. Latitude 64° 55' south, longitude 163° 20' west. Grey albatrosses, blue peterels, pintadoes,and fulmers, were seen. As we advanced to the S.E. by E. with a fresh gale at west, we found the numberof ice islands increase fast upon us. Between noon and eight in the evening we saw but two; but before fouro'clock in the morning of the 15th, we had passed seventeen, besides a quantity of loose ice which we ranthrough. At six o'clock, we were obliged to haul to the N.E., in order to clear an immense field that lay tothe south and S. E. The ice, in most part of it, lay close packed together; in other places, there appearedpartitions in the field, and a clear sea beyond it. However, I did not think it safe to venture through, as thewind would not permit us to return the same way that we must go in. Besides, as it blew strong, and theweather 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 orrivers and near shore; but such as breaks off from the islands, and may not improperly be called parings ofthe large pieces, or the rubbish or fragments which fall off when the great islands break loose from the