A very deep bight was observed to extend far to the south-west from Cape Bird, in which a line of low land might be seen; but its determination was too uncertain to be left unexplored; and as the wind, blowing feebly from the west, prevented our making any way in that direction through the young ice that now covered the surface of the ocean in every part, as far as we could see from the mast-head, I determined to steer towards the bight, to give it a closer examination, and to learn with more certainty its continuity or otherwise. At noon we were in lat. 76° 32′ S., long. 166° 12′ E., dip 88° 24′, and variation 107° 18′ E.
During the afternoon we were nearly becalmed, and witnessed some magnificent eruptions of Mount Erebus, the flame and smoke being projected to a great height; but we could not, as on a former occasion, discover any lava issuing from the crater; although the exhibitions of to-day were upon a much grander scale.
A great number of whales of two different kinds were seen, the larger kind having an extremely long, erect back-fin, whilst that of the smaller species was scarcely discernible. The Skua gull, white petrel, penguins, and seals were also about us in considerable numbers.
Feb. 17.At 10 p.m. we sounded in three hundred and sixty fathoms, green mud. Soon after midnight a breeze sprang up from the eastward, and we made all sail to the southward until 4 a.m., although we had an hour before distinctly traced the land entirely round the bay connecting Mount Erebus
