Chapter 26
CHAPTER VI. Root of the Ship from New Zealand in Search of a Continent. With an account of the various obstructions met with from the ice, and the methods pursued to explore the southern Pacific Ocean. 1773 November.
At eight o'clock in the evening of the 26th, we took our departure from Cape Palliser, and steered to the south, inclining to the east, having a favourable gale from the northwest and southwest. We daily saw some rockweeds, seals, port-eggmont hens, albatrosses, pinter-dows, and other petrels.
1773 December. And on the 2nd of December, being in the latitude of 48°23' south, longitude 179°16' west, we saw a number of red-billed penguins, which remained about us for several days. On the 5th, being in the latitude 50°17' south, longitude 179°40' east, the variation was 18°25' east.
At half an hour past eight o'clock the next evening, we reckoned ourselves antipodes to our friends in London, consequently as far removed from them as possible. On the 8th, being in the latitude 55°39' longitude 178°53' west, 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 northwest and a great swell from southwest. 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 northwest. 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 southwest. The 11th the storm abated, and the weather clearing up, we found the latitude to be 61°15' south, longitude 173°4' west.
This fine weather was of short duration. In the evening the wind increased to a strong gale at southwest, blue and squalls attended with thick snow showers, hail and sleet. The mercury in the thermometer fell to 32°C. Consequently the weather was very cold, and seemed to indicate that ice was not far off.
At 4 o'clock the next morning, being in the latitude of 62°10' south, longitude 172° west, we saw the first ice island 11.5° further south 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 petrel, some grey albatrosses, and our old companions pintados and blue petrels.
The wind kept veering from southwest by the northwest to north-northeast, for the most part a fresh gale, attended with thick haze and snow, on which account we steered to the southeast and east, keeping the wind always on the beam, that it might be 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 northwest and southwest, 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°55' south, longitude 163°20' west, grey albatrosses, blue petrels, pintados and fulmers were seen.
As we advanced to the southeast 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 about 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 northeast, in order to clear an immense field that lay to the south and southeast. 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 pairings 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 northeast before we found ourselves embayed by the ice, and were obliged to tack and stretch to the southwest, 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 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. Once 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 degrees 20 minutes west, and in the latitude of 66 degrees 0 minutes south.
Several penguins were seen on some of these islands, and a few Antarctic petrels on the wing. We continued to stand to the north, with a fresh gale at west, and tended 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 later it was succeeded by a breeze at northeast, with which we stretched to the southeast, having thick hazy weather, with snow showers, and all our rigging coated with ice. In the evening we attempted to take some up out of the sea, but were obliged to desist. The sea ran too high, and the pieces being so large, that it was danger 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, and tended with sleet and snow, which froze to the rigging as it fell.
At this time we were in the latitude of 64 degrees 41 minutes south, longitude 155 degrees 44 minutes west. 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, and tended 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 degrees 49 minutes south, longitude 149 degrees 19 minutes west.
Some time after our longitude, by observed distance of the sun and moon, was 149 degrees 19 minutes west, by Mr. Kendall's watch 148 degrees 36 minutes, and by my reckoning 148 degrees 43 minutes, latitude 64 degrees 48 minutes south. The clear weather and the wind veering to northwest tempted me to steer south, which course we continued till seven in the morning of the twentieth.
When the wind changing to northeast and the sky becoming clouded, we hauled up southeast 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 degrees 46 minutes, we came the second time within the Antarctic or polar circle, continuing our course to the southeast till six o'clock the next morning. At that time, being in the latitude of 67 degrees 5 minutes south, 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 northwest till noon, when, the fog being somewhat dissipated, we resumed our course again to the southeast.
The ice islands we met with in the morning were very high and rugged, forming at their tops many peaks, whereas the most of them 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 cliff-sore 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 petrels. The twenty-second we steered east-southeast with a fresh gale at north, blowing in squalls, one of which took hold of the mizantopsal, tore it all to rags, and rendered it forever after useless.
At six o'clock in the morning, the wind veering towards the west, our course was east-northly. At this time we were in the latitude of 67 degrees 31 minutes, the highest we had yet been in, longitude 142 degrees 54 minutes west. We continued our course to the east by north till noon, the twenty-third, when being in the latitude of 67 degrees 12 minutes, longitude 138 degrees 0 minutes, we steered south-east,
having then twenty-three ice islands in sight from off the deck, and twice that number from the masthead, 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 degrees 20 minutes, longitude 37 degrees 12 minutes, 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 were so thick and close as wholly
to obstruct our passage. At this time, the wind being pretty moderate and the sea smooth, we brought two at the outer edge of the ice, hoisted out two boats, and sent them to take some up. In the meantime, 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 reef topsaws and courses, with a strong gale at north, attended with sleet and snow, which 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 block 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. Under all these unfavourable circumstances, it was natural for me to think of returning more to the north, seeing no probability of finding any land here, nor a possibility
of getting further south. And to have proceeded to the east in this latitude must have been wrong, not only on account of the ice, but because we must have left a vast space of sea to the north unexplored, a space of twenty-four degrees of latitude, in which a large tract of land might have lain.
Whether such a supposition was well grounded could only be determined by visiting those parts. While we were taking up ice, we got two of the Antarctic Petrels so often mentioned, by which our conjectures were confirmed, of their being of the Petrel tribe. They are about the size of a large pigeon.
The feathers of the head, back, and part of the upper side of the wings are of a light brown. The belly and underside of the wings white. The tail feathers are also white, but tipped with brown. At the same time we got another new Petrel, smaller than the former, and all of a dark
grey plumage. We remarked that these birds were fuller of feathers than any we had ever seen. Such care has nature taken to clothe them suitably to the climate in which they live. At the same time we saw a few chocolate-coloured albatrosses. These as well as the Petrels above mentioned.
We nowhere saw but among the ice. Hence one may with reason conjecture that there is land to the south. If not, I must ask where these birds breathe. A question which perhaps will never be determined. From hitherto we have found these lands, if any quite inaccessible.
Besides these birds we saw a very large seal, which kept playing about us some time. One of our people who had been at Greenland called it a seahorse, but everyone else took it for what I have said. Since our first falling in with the ice, the mercury in the thermometer had been from 33 to 31 at noonday.
On the 24th the wind abated, veering to the north-west and the sky cleared up in the latitude of 67 degrees 0 minutes, longitude 138 degrees 15 minutes. As we advanced to the north-east with a gentle gale at north-west, the ice islands increased so fast upon us that this day at noon we could see near 100 round us, besides an immense number of small pieces.
Perceiving that it was likely to be calm, I got the ship into as clear a berth as I could, where she drifted along with the ice, and by taking the advantage of every light air of wind, was kept from falling aboard any of these floating isles. Here it was we spent Christmas day, much in the same manner as we did the preceding one. We were fortunate in having continual daylight in clear weather, for had it been as foggy
as on some of the preceding days, nothing less than a miracle could have saved us from being dashed to pieces. In the morning of the 26th the whole sea was in a manner covered with ice, two hundred large islands and upwards, being seen within the compass of four or five miles, which was the limits of our horizon, besides smaller pieces innumerable.
Our latitude at noon was 66 degrees 15 minutes, longitude 134 degrees 22 minutes. By observation we found that the ship had drifted or gone about 20 miles to the north-east or east north-east, whereas by the ice islands it appeared that she had gone little or nothing, on which we concluded that the ice drifted nearly in the same direction and at the same rate.
At four o'clock a breeze sprang up at west-south-west and enabled us to steer north, the most probable course to extricate ourselves from these dangers. We continued our course to the north with a gentle breeze at west, attended with clear weather till four o'clock the next morning, when meeting with the quantity of loose ice we brought too, and took on board as much as filled all our empty casks, and for several
days present expense. This done we made sail and steered north-west with a gentle breeze at north-east, clear frosty weather. Our latitude at this time was 65 degrees 53 minutes south, longitude 133 degrees 42 minutes west, islands of ice not half so numerous as before.
At four in the morning of the 28th the wind having veered more to the east and south-east increased to a fresh scale and was attended with snow showers. Our course was north till noon the next day, being then in the latitude of 62 degrees 24 minutes, longitude 134 degrees 37 minutes. We steered north-west by north, some hours after the sky cleared up and the wind abating
veered more to the south. On the 30th had little wind westerly, dark gloomy weather, with rain and sleet at times. Several whales seen playing about the ship, but very few birds, islands of icing plenty and a swell from west-north-west. On the 31st little wind from the westward, fair and clear weather, which afforded an
opportunity to air the spare sails and to clean and smoke the ship between decks. At noon our latitude was 59 degrees 40 minutes south, longitude 135 degrees 11 minutes west. Our observation today gave us reason to conjecture that we had a southerly current. Indeed, this was no more than what might reasonably be supposed to account for such huge masses of ice being brought from the south.
In the afternoon we had a few hours calm, succeeded by a breeze from the east, which enabled us to resume our north-west by north course. 1774 January. January 1st. The wind remained not long at east, but veered round by the south to the west, blue fresh
attended with snow showers. In the evening, being in the latitude of 58 degrees 39 minutes south, we passed two islands of ice, after which we saw no more till we stood again to the south. At five o'clock in the morning on the second it fell calm, being at this time in the latitude of 58 degrees 2 minutes, longitude 137 degrees 12 minutes.
The calm being succeeded by a breeze at east, we steered north-west by west. My reason for steering this course was to explore part of the great space of sea between us and our track to the south. On the third at noon, being in the latitude 56 degrees 46 minutes, longitude 139 degrees 45 minutes, the weather became fair and the wind veered to south-west.
At about this time we saw a few small divers, as we call them, of the Petrel tribe, which we judged to be such as are usually seen near land, especially in the bays and on the coast of New Zealand. I cannot tell what to think of these birds. Had there been more of them, I should have been ready enough to believe that they were
at this time not very far from land, as I never saw one so far from known land before. Probably these few had been drawn thus far by some shoal of fish, for such were certainly about us by the vast number of blue petrels, albatrosses, and such other birds as are usually seen in the great ocean, all or most of which left us before night. Two or three pieces of seaweed were also seen, but these appeared old and decayed.
At eight o'clock in the evening, being in the latitude of 56 degrees south, longitude 140 degrees 31 minutes west, the wind fixing in the westerly board obliged us to steer north-easterly and laid me under the necessity of leaving unexplored a space of sea to the west, containing nearly 40 degrees of longitude and half that of latitude. Had the wind continued favourable, I intended to have run 15 or 20 degrees of longitude,
more to the west in the latitude we were then in, and back again to the east in the latitude of 50 degrees. This route would have so intersected the space above mentioned as hardly to have left room for the bare supposition of any kind of land lying there. Indeed, as it was, we have little reason to believe that there is, but rather the contrary,
from the great hollow swell we had had for several days from the west and north-west, though the wind had blown from a contrary direction a great part of the time, which is a great sign that we had not been covered by any land between these two points. While we were in the high latitudes, many of our people were attacked with a slight fever, occasioned by colds.
It happily yielded to the simplest remedies, was generally removed in a few days, and at this time we had not above one or two on the sick list. We proceeded northeast by north till the sixth at noon, being then in the latitude of 52 degrees zero minutes south, longitude 135 degrees 32 minutes west, and about 200 leagues from our trap to Otaheete, in which space it was not probable, or circumstances
considered, there is any extensive land, and it being still less probable any lay to the west, from the great mountainous billows we had had, and still continued to have from that quarter, I therefore steered northeast with a fresh gale at west-southwest. At eight o'clock in the morning on the seventh, being in the latitude of 50 degrees 49 minutes south, we observed several distances of the sun and moon, which gave the longitude as
zero seconds. Meian 133 degrees 21 minutes 43 seconds. By the watch 133 degrees 44 minutes zero seconds west. My reckoning 133 degrees 39 minutes zero seconds. Variation of the compass 6 degrees 2 minutes zero seconds east.
Thermometer 50 degrees. The next morning we observed again, and the results were agreeable to the preceding observations allowing for the ship's run. I must here take notice that our longitude can never be erroneous, while we have so good a guide as Mr. Kendall's watch.
This day at noon we steered east-northeast a half east, being then in the latitude of 49 degrees 7 minutes south, longitude 131 degrees 2 minutes west. On the ninth, in latitude 48 degrees 17 minutes south, longitude 127 degrees 10 minutes west, we steered east with a fine fresh gale at west, attended with clear present weather, and a great swell from the same direction as the wind.
In the morning of the tenth, having but little wind, we put a boat in the water, in which some of the officers went and shot several birds. These afforded us a fresh meal, they were of the petrol tribe, and such as are usually seen at any distance from land. Indeed, neither birds nor any other thing was to be seen that could give us the least
hopes of finding any, and therefore at noon the next day, being then in the latitude of 47 degrees 51 minutes south, longitude 122 degrees 12 minutes west, and a little more than 200 leagues from my track to Otehite in 1769, I altered the course and steered south-east with a fresh gale at south-west by west. In the evening, when our latitude was 48 degrees 22 minutes south, longitude 121 degrees 29
minutes west, we found the variation to be 2 degrees 34 minutes east, which is the least variation we had found without the tropic. In the evening of the next day we found it to be 4 degrees 30 minutes east. Our latitude at that time was 50 degrees 5 minutes south, longitude 119 degrees half west.
Our course was now more southerly, till the evening of the thirteenth, when we were in the latitude of 53 degrees 0 minutes south, longitude 18 degrees 3 minutes west. The wind being then at north-west, a strong gale with a thick fog and rain, which made it unsafe to steer large, I hauled up south-west and continued this course till noon the next day, when our latitude was 56 degrees 4 minutes south, longitude 122 degrees 1 minute west.
The wind having veered to the north and the fog continuing, I hauled to the east under courses and closed reef topsules. But this sail we could not carry long, for before eight o'clock in the evening the wind increased to a perfect storm and obliged us to lie to, under the misson stay sail, till the morning of the sixteenth, when the wind having a good deal abated and veered to west,
we set the courses, reef topsules and stood to the south. Soon after the weather cleared up and in the evening we found the latitude to be 56 degrees 48 minutes south, longitude 119 degrees 8 minutes west. We continued to steer to the south, inclining to the east till the eighteenth, when we stood to the south-west with the wind at south-east, being at this time in the latitude of 61 degrees
9 minutes south, longitude 116 degrees 7 minutes west. At ten o'clock in the evening it fell calm, which continued till two the next morning, when a breeze sprung up at north, which soon after increased to a fresh gale and fixed at north-east. With this we steered south till noon on the twentieth, when being now in the latitude
of 62 degrees 34 minutes south, longitude 116 degrees 24 minutes west, we were again becalmed. End of Book 2, Chapter 6, Part 1.
