Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/185

] a perfect hurricane, the lee main-topsail sheet gave way, and in an instant the sail was rent into numberless ribands, and soon entirely disappeared. The only sail then left on the ship, a new main-staysail, was soon afterwards blown away,—no canvass could stand against such a storm. At 10 the barometer stood at 28.16; and although it then began to rise, we could not perceive the slightest abatement of the hurricane until after midnight, when it gradually moderated, and, at the same time, shifted from north to west. It continued to blow a storm of ordinary violence, with only occasional furious squalls, throughout the 13th, 14th, and 15th; when, having been driven a great distance to the southward, we again stood in shore, and struck soundings at 11 in ninety fathoms. By the assistance of a bright full moon, we saw the land of Tasmania directly ahead of us at 3 ; and after beating up into Storm Bay, we anchored at eleven o'clock the same night, off the light at the entrance of the Derwent, in thirteen fathoms, to wait for daylight, and get a pilot for the river.

As soon as the tide suited we weighed the next morning, and with a strong breeze beat up into the river, where a pilot came on board, and gave us the gratifying news of the arrival of the Terror the day before us, and bringing with him a number of newspapers, which, although of not very recent date, contained much that was new to us.

It was a very fine day, and we all greatly