Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 2.djvu/233

1842

on the meridian of 35º west longitude, where our countryman James Weddell had with but little difficulty pushed beyond the seventy-fourth degree. Towards noon the breeze freshened to a gale, and we scudded before it, under treble reefed top-sails and fore-sail, at a rapid rate, passing many fragments of broken up bergs, half concealed by bay ice, and the constantly falling snow which prevented our seeing to any considerable distance; we were, however, compelled to run whilst the gale lasted, lest if the wind should fall light, we should be unable to force our way through the streams of young ice. The strong easterly wind continued throughout the night andFeb. 25. the whole of the following day, and the weather being clear and the water smooth, we made good way along the pack edge to the north-west, passing through some streams of heavy ice, and thick sludge and pancake ice, much discoloured by the infusorial creatures which were frozen in them. At noon we were in latitude 74º 50′ S., and longitude 166º 15′ W., and being several miles a-head of the Terror, we rounded to, at 1 p.m., to try for, but did not obtain, soundings with four hundred and fifty fathoms of line. The temperature at that and several intermediate depths was also determined.

The pack seemed here to take a more northerly trending, but by keeping close along its margin we found we had run into a deep bight, at 4^h 30^m