Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/351

] although wintering in so low a latitude could be of no advantage to our next season's work, yet the meteorological, magnetical, and other observations in such a situation could not fail to afford much valuable and interesting information. But here, as on the eastern coast of Victoria Land, as far as we had traced it, we found the indentations of the coast completely filled with solid ice of many hundred feet in thickness. Smith Inlet and Yule Bay appeared two more promising places until we got close to them, when we found them equally impracticable as all the other places we had examined. The line of coast here presented perpendicular icy cliffs varying from two to five hundred feet high, and a chain of grounded bergs extended some miles from the cliffs: they were all of the tabular form, and of every size, from one mile to nine or ten in circumference.

Soon after 6, when within half a mile of this chain of bergs, the weather came so thick, with heavy snow, and the wind failing us, Lieutenant Bird, whom I had left in charge of the conduct of the ship, being myself unable to remain on deck any longer from excessive fatigue, very judiciously recommended that we should stand off again until more favourable weather for our purpose should arrive; fortunately we did so, and had gained an offing of six or seven miles, when it fell perfectly calm, and the ships were left entirely at the mercy of a heavy swell from the S.E.