Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 2.djvu/231

] degrees which it occupied. I have therefore marked it on the chart only as an "appearance of land."

As we advanced to the north-eastward we found the young ice so much strengthened by the thermometer falling to 18º at midnight, that we had difficulty in forcing the ships through it; and at seven the next morning the main pack pressing closely against the barrier, prevented our proceeding in that direction. We were therefore compelled to relinquish its further exploration, not only by the obstacle which had now presented itself, but on account of the surface of the sea, owing to the severity of the temperature, having become one unbroken sheet of ice as far as the eye could discern from the mast-head, threatening to freeze the ships up for the winter in a position of a most dangerous character, and from which it was not possible they could be extricated, except by the assistance of a strong breeze, which was now fortunately blowing from the S.E., and afforded us the means of boring the ships through the young ice to the N.W., under all sail; after running about thirty miles right before the breeze, we got clear of the bay ice in which we had been involved, and were once more in clear water.

The setting in of the winter now required us to bring our operations in the higher southern latitudes to a close, and seek a more temperate climate in which to pass the winter. And although our hopes of extended discoveries during the