Page:A voyage round the world, in His Britannic Majesty's sloop, Resolution, commanded by Capt. James Cook, during the years 1772, 3, 4, and 5 (IA b30413849 0001).pdf/143

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lent chart of the southern hemisphere, by M. de Vaugondy, under the direction of the duke de Croy, and published in March 1773.

On the 31st in the evening, our latitude being nearly that of 50° south, we passed by a large island of ice, which at that instant crumbled to pieces with a tremendous explosion. The next morning a bundle of sea weeds was seen floating past the sloop; and in the afternoon, captain Furneaux in the Adventure having hailed us, acquainted captain Cook that he had seen a number of divers, resembling those in the English seas, and had past a great bed of floating rock-weeds. In consequence of these observations we stood off and on during night, and continued an easterly course the next morning. We saw many petrels and black shear-waters, some rock-weed, and a single tern (sterna) or as the seamen call it an egg-bird, which had a forked tail. At noon we observed in 48° 36′ south latitude, which was nearly the same in which the French discoveries are said to be situated. After noon we stood south-westward, but the next day the gale encreased to such a degree, as obliged us to hand our topsails, and stand on under the courses all night: however, at eight o'clock on the 4th, we found a smooth sea again, and set more sail, changing our course to the north-westward at noon. On the 6th our latitude at noon was nearly 48 degrees south, about 60 degrees east from Greenwich, when not seeing