pany. On passing the other vessels of the squadron, we received three hearty cheers, which were duly returned.

At the mouth of the harbour, Captain Hudson and the few officers who had accompanied us, took their leave. I must own at that moment I felt greatly depressed, for I was well aware that we had many, very many dangers to encounter before meeting again. But there is a feeling produced by the kind of service on which we were engaged, that gives a stout heart, braces it for meeting almost every emergency that may happen, and causes one to look forward with hope to overcome the difficulties that may lie in the path. After a short time we saw the Peacock and Flying-Fish under sail, following us.

The wind continued light, with fine weather, until the afternoon. The whole scenery around us was viewed to great advantage, under a mild state of the atmosphere, taking away from it the usual gloomy aspect which a sky, overcast and boisterous, gives. A dense bank of cumuli in the south-west foretold that we were not long to enjoy such moderate weather. About 4 P.M. a heavy squall struck us, which soon took us clear of the islands, on our course to the southward.

On the 26th we discovered a sail, which proved to be the whale-ship America, from New Zealand, bound to New York, and afforded us an opportunity of writing home, which we gladly availed ourselves of. The master of the America informed me that he had experienced constant heavy winds, and had been thirty-five days from New Zealand; that the ship was very leaky, but having a full cargo of three thousand eight hundred barrels of oil, he was in great spirits. I have seldom seen at sea a more uncombed and dirty set of mariners than his crew. How they preserve any tolerable state of health I know not; and it is not at all surprising that the ravages of scurvy should be felt on board of some vessels belonging to the whaling fleet, if this is the usual state in which they are kept.

After delivering our letters, we bore away to the south-east, the wind inclining to the north-west and blowing heavy, with a high and remarkably regular sea following. This afforded me an opportunity I had long desired, for making observations to determine the height of the waves, together with their width and velocity. It is obviously very difficult to do this with correctness. I shall therefore state the means which I adopted, in order that it may be perceived what reliance is to be placed on the results.

The Porpoise was directly ahead of the SeaGull, and but two waves apart; the rate of sailing was about eight knots an hour, both vessels being apparently very steady. In heaving the log, I found that the chip, in drawing in the line, was, when on the top of the next wave astern, distant by line three hundred and eighty feet, equal to onesixteenth of a mile, and the schooner being on the next wave, was twice the distance, or one-eighth of a mile. The time occupied for a wave to pass from the schooner to the brig was thirteen seconds, taking the mean of many trials, from which none varied more than a second and a half. This gave about twenty-six and a half miles in an hour for their apparent progressive motion. In order to get their height, I took the opportunity when the schooner was in the trough of the sea, and my eye

First ice-islands seen.

King's George's Island.-Palmer's Land.

on board the Porpoise in the horizon, to observe where it cut the mast.

This gave me thirty-two feet. The waves ran higher and more regular on this occasion than I have seen them at any other time during the cruise.

We had many albatrosses hovering about, and at times resting as it were immovable in the storm, some gray petrels, and Cape pigeons in numbers. The weather becoming thick, and the temperature of the water having fallen to 32°, I deemed it prudent to heave-to during the darkness.

At daylight on the 1st of March we had snow in flurries, and the first ice-islands were made. They excited much curiosity, and appeared to have been a good deal worn, as though the sea had been washing over them for some time. They were of small size in comparison with those we afterwards saw, but being unused to the sight, we thought them magnificent. At noon we made land, which proved to be Ridley's Island. It was high, broken, and rugged, with the top covered with snow. The rocks had a basaltic appearance, and many were detached from the main body of the island, with numerous high pinnacles, very much worn by the sea. The surf was too great to attempt a landing for the purpose of procuring specimens. As we closed in with the land, we lowered a boat and tried the current, which was found setting to the north-northwest, two fathoms per hour.

At 6 P.M. we had several ice-islands in sight, Cape Melville bearing south-by-east (true). We now had light winds from the south-south-west.

The north foreland of King George's Island was in sight, and found to be well placed on the charts. The appearance of all this land is volcanic; it is from eight hundred to one thousand feet high. The upper part is covered and the valleys filled with snow of great depth. Before night we had several other islands in sight, with many bergs and much drift-ice.

On the 2nd, at daylight, we made O'Briens and Aspland's Islands to the eastward, with many iceislands, some of a tabular form, and from half a mile to a mile in length. Through the fog and mist we got a sight of Bridgeman's Island, and stood for it, with the intention of landing on it. The fog cleared off as we approached it, and we could perceive distinctly the smoke issuing from its sides. We made it in latitude 62° 06′ S., and longitude 57° 10′ W.

This island is about six hundred feet high, and of the shape of a flattened dome.

On the 3rd we filled away at daylight, and stood for Palmer's Land. The birds now had very much increased, Cape pigeons, with the gray and black petrel, and occasionally penguins, swimming about us in all directions, uttering their discordant screams they seemed astonished at encountering so unusual an object as a vessel in these frozen seas. At 6h 30m we made land, which I took to be Mount Hope, the eastern point of Palmer's Land. By 8 A.M. we had penetrated among the numerous icebergs, until we found it impossible to go further. I have rarely seen a finer sight. The sea was literally studded with these beautiful masses, some of pure white, others showing all the shades of the opal, others emerald green, and occasionally here and there some of a deep black, forming a strong contrast to the pure white. Near to us, we disco

vered three small islets, and gave them the name of the Adventure Islets; while beyond, and above all, rose two high mountains, one of which was Mount Hope. I place the eastern extremity of Palmer's Land, or Mount Hope, in longitude 57° 55' W., latitude 63° 25′ S.

The whole area was studded with icebergs, which it now became necessary to get clear of, if possible, before night set in.

It was a day of great excitement to all, for we had ice of all kinds and descriptions to encounter, from the iceberg of huge quadrangular shape, with its stratified appearance, to the sunken and deceptive mass, that it was difficult to perceive before it was under the bow. Our situation was critical, but the weather favoured us for a few hours. On clearing these dangers, we kept off to the southward and westward, under all sail, and at 8 P.M. we counted eighty large ice-islands in sight. Afterwards it became so thick with mist and fog, as to render it necessary to lay-to till daylight, before which time we had a heavy snow-storm. The temperature of the water had fallen to 29°; air 28°. At one hundred fathoms depth we found the former 29°. A strong gale now set in from the southward and westward. The brig's deck was covered with ice and snow, and the weather became excessively damp and cold. The men were suffering, not only from want of sufficient room to accommodate the numbers in the vessel, but from the inadequacy of the clothing with which they had been supplied. Although purchased by the government at great expense, it was found to be entirely unworthy the service, and inferior in every way to the samples exhibited. This was the case with all the articles of this description that were provided for the expedition. Not having been able to satisfy myself to whom the blame is to be attributed, contractors or inspectors, I hesitate to give their names publicity. The deception is in my opinion to be attributed to both.

On the 5th of March the gale had increased. The tender Sea-Gull being in close company, both vessels were in imminent danger. At 3 A.M. we narrowly escaped several icebergs. At 4 A.M. it blew a very heavy gale from the south-west; the temperature of the air fell to 27°, and that of the water was 29°; the ice formed rapidly on the deck, and covered the rigging, so much as to render it difficult to work either the brig or schooner; dangers beset us in every direction, and it required all the watchfulness we were possessed of to avoid them.

From the state of the weather, the lateness of the season, and the difficulty of seeing around us, not only during the several hours of the night, but even in the day-time, the constant fogs and mist in which we had been for several hours every day enveloped, rendered our exertions abortive, and precluded the possibility of doing any thing more than to attend to the sailing of the vessels. These reasons determined me to give up the endeavour to proceed further south, feeling convinced that the season for such explorations had gone by. I therefore ordered the Sea-Gull to return to Orange Harbour, well knowing that her situation was much worse than our own; directing her to touch at Deception Island on the way, while we proceeded to the northward to examine some of the other islands. When we bore away, I had the intention of

passing towards the assigned situation of the Aurora Isles, but I found the crew so much enfeebled by their constant exposure, whilst some of them were affected with incipient scurvy, that I concluded it was better to return to Orange Harbour as soon as possible.

We continued under easy sail, enveloped in fogs, and falling in repeatedly with icebergs close aboard, from which at times we escaped with difficulty.

On the 6th of March the wind shifted to the northward, with snow.

On the 7th, while making all way to the northward, the fog lifted, and high land was reported within a short distance of us. A few moments more, and we should have been wrecked. This proved to be Elephant Island. We found from its position that we had been set upwards of fifty miles to the eastward, in the last four days, by the current. We passed to leeward of it. The sea was too high to attempt a landing. In the afternoon it cleared, and from our observations we found Cape Belsham, its eastern point, well placed. We passed between it and Cornwallis Island. The Seal Rocks were also seen and observed upon.

We now stood to the northward, and on the 16th we were off the Straits of Le Maire, where I again tried the deep-sea temperature, with a wire sounding-line, which parted at three hundred and forty fathoms, and we lost the apparatus. I then made a second experiment, with a line of rope four hundred fathoms in length. The temperature of the surface was 44°, of the water below 37°. This was about sixty miles to the eastward of the place where I had sounded before, on the 15th of February, when passing around Cape Horn in the Vincennes.

March 17th, we had light winds from the eastward, and a smooth sea, with delightful weather. There was, however, a heavy bank of cumuli to the south-westward, and after a few hours' calm, the wind came from that quarter, and began to blow fresh, accompanied with heavy squalls. We did not succeed that night in reaching New Island, where it was my intention to have anchored and rode out the gale. We in consequence found ourselves the next morning thirty miles to the eastward of our position on the previous evening, having drifted at the rate of three miles an hour. From appearances I inferred that the gale had set in for several days; I therefore determined to make for Good Success Bay, and await the breaking up of the storm, being satisfied we could make little progress to the westward during its continu

ance.

We anchored in the bay early in the afternoon, when we took our boats and went on shore for a few hours. There was but little surf when we landed, but it rapidly increased, and one of the boats in attempting to pass through it filled, and after several ineffectual attempts, did not succeed in getting off. A boat was sent to assist, but returned with a report that no relief could be rendered them, and that they had determined to remain until morning.

In the morning the surf had very much increased. The sea setting in the bay rendered our situation uncomfortable, and somewhat dangerous, as we were exposed to the force of it and the wind, which had hauled to the south-east.

At 1 P.M., being desirous of sending provisions to the party on shore, Lieutenant Hartstein was ordered to take charge of two boats, to communicate with them, and give them supplies.

My intention was to effect this by having a line floated on shore by which to haul the seal boat or yawl, having provisions lashed in her, through the surf by the party on shore. Instructions to this effect were given to Lieutenant Hartstein, who was enjoined not to risk the lives of the men. We watched them attentively with our glasses. Shortly after they had anchored their boats outside the surf, we perceived Lieutenant Hartstein and three men strapping on their life-preservers, and preparing themselves for a landing in the boat. I felt under great apprehensions of accident. Placing, however, great confidence in that officer's judgment, I was assured he would not risk the lives of the men, and his own, on such an occasion. It was with great anxiety we watched their proceedings; in a few moments afterwards they were separated from the other boat, still apparently making preparations. In an instant they were borne on the crest of the rollers, and immediately disappeared. Some few minutes after, the boat was seen bottom up among the rollers. Presently the other boat's crew were seen pulling in haste towards a person; one was picked up, then another. We looked intently for the rest, but no signs of them were seen. We then endeavoured to count the party on shore, and we thought it had increased, but the constant motion of the vessel rendered it impossible to keep our glasses fixed on them for a sufficient length of time to ascertain their number. We now saw the boat returning; it soon reached the vessel, and Lieutenant Hartstein and Samuel Stretch proved to be the two that had been saved. Both were much exhausted. The persons in the boat, while yet at a distance from the brig, to relieve our anxiety, gave us the joyful intelligence that Williams and Moore had reached the shore in safety. Lieutenant Hartstein, on recovering from his exhaustion, informed me, that on arriving at the surf and anchoring the boat, he found it impossible to carry into effect the intention of getting a line on shore. He then concluded that in the surfboat, with oars, and a line from the boat outside, they might land in safety. Samuel Stretch, John Williams, and Samuel Moore, volunteered to accompany him. They strapped on their life-preservers, with which they were provided, and were preparing themselves for the trial, when a wave curling without them, carried them forward with rapidity; in an instant the boat was thrown end over, and they found themselves struggling for life in a furious surf. Had it not been for the lifepreservers, they must all have been drowned. The under-tow assisted in bringing Stretch and himself out, (neither of whom could swim,) together with the boat. Williams and Moore swam to the beach.

The night proved dark and stormy, and the squalls were furious.

The morning of the 21st dawned with no better prospect. All our endeavours to get a supply of provisions to the party on shore by kites, &c., failed, and it was now deemed advisable for the safety of the brig, to slip our cables and go to sea on the making of the flood, which sets out of the bay. Previous to this time, we were employed in

Wollaston's Island.-Natives. Return to Orange Island.

supplying the yawl with provisions, intending to leave her as a buoy to our cable and anchor; and to prevent her from sinking, our India-rubber lifespars were lashed in her.

We did not again reach Good Success Bay until the night of the 25th, after five days' absence, when we found the party had got the provisions, and were all well. At daylight on the 26th they came on board. On the 27th we recovered our anchor, and on the 28th set sail for Orange Harbour.

On the evening of the 29th, having entered Nassau Bay (it being quite dark), as we were standing as we supposed over for Orange Harbour, we heard the surf, and suddenly discovered that we were close in and among the kelp; we immediately anchored in six fathoms.

At daylight we found ourselves in a snug cove of Wollaston's Island, and discovered that it was the false pack-saddle to the southward of the island which had served to mislead us.

We were here visited by a canoe with six natives, two old women, two young men, and two children. The two women were paddling, and the fire was burning in the usual place. They approached the vessel, singing their rude song, "Hey meh leh," and continued it until they came alongside. The expression of the younger ones was extremely prepossessing, evincing much intelligence and good humour. They ate ham and bread voraciously, distending their large mouths, and showing a strong and beautiful set of teeth. A few strips of red flannel distributed among them produced great pleasure; they tied it around their heads as a sort of turban. Knowing they were fond of music, I had the fife played, the only instrument we could muster. They seemed much struck with the sound. The tune of "Yankee Doodle" they did not understand; but when "Bonnets of Blue" was played, they were all in motion keeping time to it. The vessel at this time was under way, and no presents could persuade them to continue any longer with us. There was some disposition in the younger ones, but the adults refused to be taken where the fickleness of their climate might subject them to be blown off. We found them also extremely imitative, repeating over our words and mimicking our motions. They were all quite naked.

I have seldom seen so happy a group. They were extremely lively and cheerful, and any thing but miserable, if we could have avoided contrasting their condition with our own.

The colour of the young men was a pale, and of the old a dark copper colour. Their heads were covered with ashes, but their exterior left a pleasing impression. Contentment was pictured in their countenances and actions, and produced a moral effect that will long be remembered.

On the 30th we reached Orange Harbour. While yet off the port, we made signal for the boats, and were soon joined by them, and learned with much pleasure that they were all well. The Sea-Gull had returned safely. Lieutenant Craven having entertained some fears of the safety of the launch, which had been absent on a surveying excursion, had despatched that vessel in pursuit of her.

The Sea-Gull returned to Orange Harbour from the southern cruise on the 22nd of March, having, after parting company, visited, as directed, Deception Island.

The plan of Pendulum Cove by Lieutenant Kendall, of the Chanticleer, with which I furnished Lieutenant Johnson, was found accurate. On their landing, the bare ground that was seen was a loose black earth. The beds of the ravines and the beaches were of a black and reddish gravel, much resembling pumice-stone in appearance. Penguins were seen in countless numbers, or, as he expresses it, "covering some hundreds of acres on the hill-side." It was then the moulting season, and they were seen busily occupied in picking off each other's feathers. It was an amusing sight to see them associated in pairs, thus employed, and the eagerness with which the sailors attacked them with the oars and boat-hooks. They were not inclined to submit quietly to this intrusion, and in some instances readily gave battle. Their manner in doing it was to seize the aggressor with their bill, and beat him with their flippers. Their bearing was quite courageous, and their retreat dignified, as far as their ridiculous waddle would permit. They were showy-looking birds, with yellow topknots, and are known as the aptenodytes chryscome.

As an accompaniment to these penguins, a small white pigeon (chironis or sheath-bill) was found here, quite tame. These were easily taken in numbers. They are not web-footed, have red legs and bills, with perfectly white though not fine plumage. They seem to live entirely on the dung of the penguin, and their flesh is black, coarse, and unpalatable. Sailing up the bay, they descried a sea-leopard (the phoca leopardina jam), which Lieutenant Johnson succeeded in taking; but by an unaccountable mistake, the skull, &c. were thrown overboard. Its dimensions were also omitted to be taken.

Knowing that Captain Foster, in the Chanticleer, had left here a self-registering thermometer in 1829, I directed Lieutenant Johnson to look for it, and note its standing. Immediately on securing the tender he proceeded to search for it, but notwithstanding the particular directions, he did not find it. Since my return home, I have received a letter from William H. Smiley, master of a sealing vessel that touched there in February, 1842, stating that he had found the thermometer, and carefully noted its minimum temperature, which was 5° below zero.

Lieutenant Johnson, in company with AssistantSurgeon Whittle, visited an old crater, at the head of the bay, where a gentle ascent of about four hundred feet brought them to the edge of an abrupt bank, some twenty feet high, surrounding the crater on the bay side. The crater was about fifteen hundred feet in diameter, from east to west, bounded on the west or further side by lofty hills, with many ravines, which had apparently been much washed by heavy rains. This led to the belief that the water found within the crater would be fresh, but its taste, and the incrustation of salt found on its borders, showed that it was not so. Near the east end of the crater, the water boils in many places, sometimes bubbling out of the side of a bank, at others near the water's edge, with a hissing noise. The surface water was found to be on a level with the waters of the bay, and to be milk-warm. A few inches below, it was perceptibly colder. No thermometric observations were ob

tained. The ground near the Boiling Springs was quite hot. In the vicinity were lying quantities of cellular and scoriaceous lava. The only sign of vegetation was a lichen, growing in small tufts, around the mouth of several small craters, of three or four feet in diameter. From these a heated vapour is constantly issuing, accompanied by much noise. Before they returned to the tender, they were overtaken by a violent snow-storm from the north-east, and with difficulty reached the cove without the boat, having been compelled to leave it at the opposite side of the bay, for the force of the wind was such as to render all their efforts to pull against it useless. This weather continued with much snow for three days, when it ceased snowing, but still blew heavy. It was the intention of Lieutenant Johnson to carry over the yawl, for the purpose of sounding in the crater, to ascertain its depth, and get its temperature, which it is to be regretted was not done. On the 17th of March they sailed from Deception Island, having left a bottle enclosing reports, tied to a flag-staff. This was afterwards found by Captain Smiley, who mentions in his letter to me, that in February, 1842, the whole south side of Deception Island appeared as if on fire. He counted thirteen volcanoes in action. He is of opinion that the island is undergoing many changes. He likewise reports that Palmer's Land consists of a number of islands, between which he has entered, and that the passages are deep, narrow, and dangerous.

The Sea-Gull, after a stormy passage, reached Orange Harbour on the 22nd, with all hands much exhausted. She was despatched by Lieutenant Craven the next day, as before stated, in search of the launch, (which had been absent eleven days,) on the route she had been ordered to pursue.

In passing over from Hermit Island to that of Evout's, during a brisk gale and heavy sea, the launch, in towing, filled, broke adrift, and was lost. The men had all been previously ordered out of her, and most of the articles removed. The Sea-Gull again reached Orange Harbour on the 5th.

On her arrival, finding the launch had not completed the duties pointed out, I again despatched the Sea-Gull tender to finish them, particularly to examine and survey a harbour on the east side of Wollaston's Island. She accordingly sailed the next day, and succeeded in performing the required duty, having surveyed a very safe and convenient harbour on the east side, and ascertained that the so-called Wollaston Island formed two islands. Leaving to the easternmost the name of Wollaston, I have given to the western the name of Baily, after Francis Baily, Esq., the well-known vice-president of the Royal Society, as a small memento of the obligation the expedition and myself are under to him, for the great interest he took in the equipments, and the kindness shown me while in London when procuring the instruments. The harbour that lies between these two islands was named after the Sea-Gull. A chart of it will be found in the Hydrographical Atlas. Lieutenant Johnson was again transferred to the Vincennes. On the 12th, the Flying-Fish arrived, bringing news of the Peacock and their operations, which will be detailed in the following chapter.

TAKE

AT 10 A.M., on the 25th of February, the Peacock, | with the tender Flying-Fish, got under way, and also received parting cheers from the Vincennes and Relief as they passed out of the harbour. The wind, as with the Porpoise, was light and variable until the afternoon, when they likewise encountered the heavy squall from the south-west, which with the thick weather induced Captain Hudson to regain the outer anchorage of Orange Harbour, and remain there during the continuance of the gale. The next morning, the weather proving more favourable, they again got under way, and stood down the bay, with all sail set, and a fine breeze from the northward.

The heavy bank of cumuli that had been perceived in the west, by noon began to develop itself, and by three o'clock they were under their storm-sails. The barometer, which was at 29-21 in., began to rise as it came on. This gale lasted twenty-four hours, and during its continuance the tender Flying-Fish was lost sight of. Captain Hudson in his instructions to Lieutenant Walker, notified him that the Peacock would wait twelve hours in or near the situation where last seen; which he now did; but no tidings being received of the tender, he bore away for their first rendezvous, having taken the precaution to fix four places of meeting.

During the last gale, from her bad and defective outfits, no vessel could be more uncomfortable than the Peacock, and although every precaution was taken to make the ports tight, yet from their working, it was found impossible to keep them so.

On the 7th they again had squalls of snow and rain, with strong gales. On the 9th, although the weather had moderated, yet the sea was very heavy, and the ship tossed and tumbled about in every direction. William Stewart, captain of the main-top, was this day knocked off the yard, and in his fall struck the main rigging, but he canted and fell overboard, when he was seen to lie quite insensible, feet up, supported by his exploring boots, which were supposed to have occasioned his fall. A bowline was thrown over them, and he was dexterously drawn on board again. The ship had but

little headway, and it would have been impossible to lower a boat on account of the roughness of the sea; his rescue was therefore almost miraculous. Every care was taken of him, but it was soon found that the violence of the concussion had been so great that his lungs had become gorged with blood, and little hopes were entertained of his recovery. After lingering to the 11th, he died. He was greatly regretted by both officers and men, for he had proved himself an excellent man, and was well calculated for the service. On the same day his body was committed to the deep, with the usual ceremònies.

This day they made the first iceberg. The only indication in the air or water on approaching it, was a fall of two degrees in the temperature of the former, and one degree in the latter. Their position was in latitude 64° S., and longitude 80° W.

On the 14th, Captain Hudson remarked a great and striking change in the weather since they passed the 62° of south latitude, it having become much more settled, and free from the sudden squalls and constant gales they had experienced since leaving Cape Horn. Several birds were shot this day, including an albatross and many penguins. Petrels and Cape pigeons were seen. They now began to fall in with icebergs in numbers. The temperature of the water and air had fallen to 33° and 32°.

They encountered, during the 17th, and part of the 18th, the heaviest gale and sea they had experienced since leaving the United States. The ship was completely coated with ice, even to the gundeck. Every spray thrown over her froze, and her bows and deck were fairly packed with it. The crew suffered much from the gun-deck being constantly wet; and it being now covered with ice, the ship was damp throughout.

On the 18th, the gale continued, with a heavy sea, the winds prevailing more from the south and southsouth-east. There were many birds about the ship; among them a sheath-bill, which Mr. Peale made every exertion to take, but without success. A blue petrel was, however, caught. Several icebergs