Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/364

266 many whales whenever we came near the pack edge, chiefly of a very large size; and I have no doubt that before long this place will be the frequent resort of our whaling ships, being at so convenient a distance from Van Diemen's Land, which affords every means and facilities for their equipment; and thus we may also hope to become by degrees, through their exertions and enterprise, better acquainted with this part of the antarctic regions, which the setting in of the winter so much earlier than we expected had prevented our accomplishing so satisfactorily as I wished.

At night the aurora was again seen. It was different from those exhibitions I have seen of it in the arctic regions, in the greater length of the vertical beams, and the frequency and suddenness of its appearances and disappearances, more like flashes of light; it was again also perfectly colourless, had considerable lateral flitting motion, and formed an irregular arch about thirty degrees high, whose centre bore west (magnetic). From this it would seem that, as in the northern regions, the principal seat of the aurora is not in the higher latitudes, and probably in the latitude of 68 S. it will be found principally to obtain.

In passing through the streams of ice that lay off the pack edge during the night, our ships sustained some very heavy blows; and soon after midnight the shackle of the Terror's bobstay was thus broken: as soon as they made the signal we hove to, that they might replace it. This operation, however, was one of great difficulty, owing to the darkness