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VOYAGE 


or 


DISCOVERY    AND    RESEARCH 

IN    THE 

SOUTHERN  AND  ANTARCTIC  REGIONS, 

DURING    THE    YEARS    1839 — 43. 
BY 

CAPTAIN   SIR  JAMES  CLARK  ROSS,  R.JST. 

KNT.,    D.C.L.  OXON-,    F.R.S.,    ETC. 


WITH    PLATES,    MAPS,    AND    WOODCUTS, 


IN   TWO   VOLUMES. 

VOL.  II. 


LONDON: 
JOHN  MURRAY,  ALBEMARLE   STREET. 

1847. 


JSO 


LIBRARY 

716833 

UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO 


LONDON  : 

SPOTTISWOODE  and  SHAW, 
New-street-Square. 


CONTENTS 


OF 

THE     SECOND    VOLUME. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Refitting  the  Ships. — Fossil  Trees  of  Derwent  Valley. — 
Geological  Remarks.  —  Tassman's  Peninsula.  —  Eagle  Hawk 
Neck.  —  Tesselated  Pavement.  —  Entrecasteaux  Channel.  — 
Timber  on  the ,  Banks  of  the  Huon.  —  Advantages  of  Port 
Arthur.  —  Mean  Level  of  the  Ocean.  —  Launceston.  —  Pre- 
pare for  Sea.  —  Deviation  of  the  Compass  Page  1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Departure  from  Hobarton.  —  Anchor  in  Port  Jackson.  —  Term- 
day  Observations.  —  Heavy  Fall  of  Rain.  —  Appearance  and 
State  of  Sydney.  — Paramatta  Observatory.  —  Magnetic  Ob- 
servations at  Garden  Island.  —  Sail  from  Port  Jackson*  — 
Change  of  Temperature.  —  Coast  Current.  —  Falling  Stars. 
—  Temperature  of  the  Ocean.— Coral  Bank.  —  Cape  Maria 
Van  Diemen.  —  Bay  of  Islands.  —  Anchor  in  the  Kawa 
Kawa.  —  The  American  Corvette,  Yorktown.  —  Position  of 
Observatory  -  -  -  33 

CHAPTER  III. 

Suggestions  relative  to  Vaccination.  —  Communicate  with 
Captain  Aulic.  —  Hourly  Observations,  —  Visits  of  Awara 
and  Pomare.  —  Dissatisfaction  of  the  New  Zealanders.  — 
Influence  of  the  Missionaries.  —  Climate.  —  Meteorological 
Abstracts  *  -  -  -  -  -  65 


yiii  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Aspect  of  the  Country.  —  Visit  to  the  Missionary  Station  of 
Waimati.  —  Falls  of  the  Keri  Keri.  —  Kaudi  Gum.  —  Heki's 
Pah.  —  Heki's  Feast.  —  Waimati.  —  Fishing  Party  to  Lake 
Mapere.  —  Ascent  of  Puki  Nui —  Lakes  at  Taiami.  —  Hot 
Springs  of  Tuakino.  —  Return  to  the  Erebus.  —  Visit  from 
Captain  L'Eveque  of  the  French  Corvette,  Heroine.  —  Cap- 
ture of  the  French  Whaler,  Jean  Bart,  by  the  Inhabitants  of 
Chatham  Island.  —  Necessity  for  increased  Naval  Force  in 
these  Seas.  —  Tidal  Observations  -  Page  91 

CHAPTER  V. 

Outrage  at  the  Bay  of  Islands.  —  Sail  from  New  Zealand.  — 
Proposed  Whaling  Station  at  Auckland  Islands.  —  Danger- 
ous Reefs.  —  North-  west  Reef  and  Dangers  off  Chatham 
Island.  —  Nimrod  Islands.  —  Penguins.  —  Appearance  of 
Land. — Circle  of  Mean  Temperature  of  the  Southern  Ocean. 

—  First  Iceberg  seen. — Focus  of  Greater  Intensity. — Enter 
the  Pack.  —  Animalcule.  —  Magnetic    Observations  on  the 
Ice.  —  Beset    in   the   Pack.  —  Meteorological  Abstract   for 
December       -  -  -     125 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Cross  the  Antarctic  Circle.  —  Driven  back  to  the  Northward. 

—  The  Great  Penguin Seals.  —  Fish.  —  Animal  Life 

Beset  in  the  Pack.  —  Gale  in  the  Pack.  —  Perilous  Situation 
of  the    Ships.  —  Damages   sustained   during   the    Gale.  — 
Repair   Damages.  —  Closely  beset  in  the  Pack Meteoro- 
logical Abstract  for  January   -                          -  -     155 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Breadth   of   the    Pack.  —  Refraction.  —  Heavy   Swell  in   the 

Pack The  clear  Sea   in  sight Gain  the   open  Water. 

Proceed   to  the  Southward Becalmed Large  Iceberg 

seen  last   Year.  —  Severe  Temperature.  —  Stopped   by  the 
great    Icy  Barrier.  —  Furthest    South  Latitude,  78°  10'. 


CONTENTS.  IX 

Exploration  of  the  Barrier.  —  Bear  up  for  the  Falkland 
Islands. —  Strength  of  the  Bay  Ice. — Running  to  the  North- 
ward. —  Aurora  Australis.  —  Meteorological  Abstract  for 
February  -  Page  181 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Magnificent  Range  of  Bergs.  —  Colour  of  the  Sea.  —  North- 
easterly Gale,  —  Recross  the  Antarctic  Circle.  —  Collision 
with  the  Terror.  —  Loss  of  Bowsprit  —  The  Stern-board.  — 
The  Escape.  —  Unusual  Phenomenon.  — Repair  Damages. — 
Focus  of  Greater  Intensity.  —  Circle  of  Mean  Temperature 
of  the  Ocean.  —  Meteorological  Abstract  for  March.  —  Cur- 
rent off  Cape  Horn.  —  Beauchene  Island.  —  Anchor  in  Port 
Louis,  East  Falkland  Island  -  -  213 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Land  the  Observatories.  —  Shooting  Parties.  —  Account  of  a 
Wild  Cattle  Hunt.  —  The  Ships  hauled  up  to  repair.  — 
Arrival  of  Her  Majesty's  Ship  Carysfort,  with  Provisions 
and  Stores.  —  Refitment  of  the  Ships.  —  Port  William.  — 
Removal  of  the  Settlement  from  Port  Louis  to  Port  William. 

—  Botanical  Notice. — Grasses. — Balsam  Bog. — Flowers. — 
Lichens.  —  Seaweeds.  —  Mosses.  —  Ferns.  —  Esculent  Plants. 

—  Tussock  Grass  of  the  Falkland  Islands  -     241 

CHAPTER  X. 

Sail  from  Port  Louis.  —  Bank  discovered.  —  Depression  of 
Temperature.  —  Cape  Horn.  —  Anchor  in  St.  Martin's  Cove. 

—  Natives  of  Hermite  Island.  —  Its  Botanical  Productions. 

—  Trees.  —  Alpine   Plants.  —  Flowering   Plants.  —  Plants 
common  to  Britain.  —  Mosses  and  Esculent  Plants       -     279 

CHAPTER  XL 

Natives  of  Furgia.  —  Weapons.  — Birds.  —  Climate. —  Meteoro- 
logical Abstract  for  October.  —  Prevailing  Winds.  —  "  Wil- 
liwaws."  —  Tides.  —  Permanent  Mark  at  the  Mean  Level  of 
the  Sea Sail  from  St.  Martin's  Cove.%—  Burwood  Bank. 


X  CONTENTS. 

—  Beaucliene  Island.  —  Anchor  in   Port  Louis.  —  English 
Barque,  Governor  Halkett.  —  Her  Majesty's  Ship  Philomel. 

—  Trees  from  Hermite  Island  planted.  —  Result  of  Observa- 
tions. —  Tides.  —  Permanent  Marks  to   indicate  the  Mean 
Level  of  the  Ocean  -    Page  303 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Route  determined.  —  Sail  from  Falkland  Islands.  —  Circle  of 
Mean  Temperature  of  the  Ocean.  —  Make  the  Pack.  —  Land 
discovered. — Danger  Islets. — Whale  Fishery. — Mount  Percy. 
— Meteorological  Abstract  for  December.  —  D'Urville  Monu- 
ment. —  Mount  Haddington.  —  Cockburn  Island  —  Its  Bo- 
tany. —  Admiralty  Inlet.  —  Fixed  Land  Ice.  —  Clear  the 
Main  Pack Meteorological  Abstract  for  January  -  321 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Clear  the  Pack.  —  Cross  the  Line  of  No  Variation.  —  Position 
of  Magnetic  Pole. — Enter  Antarctic  Circle. — Meteorological 
Abstract  for  February.  —  Deep  Soundings.  —  Between  Bel- 
linghausen  and  Weddell's  Tracks  reach  Latitude  71°  30'  S. — 
Gale  at  Pack  Edge.  —  Perilous  Situation  for  several  Days.  — 
The  great  Comet.  —  Recross  Antarctic  Circle.  —  Search  for 
Bouvet  Island.  —  Various  Accounts  of  its  Position.  —  Last 
Icebeg  seen.  —  Circle  of  Mean  Temperature  of  the  Southern 
Ocean.  —  Meteorological  Abstract  for  March.  —  Anchor  in 
Simon's  Bay.  —  Touch  at  St.  Helena  and  Ascension  Islands. 

—  No  Soundings  with  four  thousand  six  hundred  Fathoms, 

the  greatest  Depth  yet  reached.  —  Arrive  at  Rio Sail  for 

England.  —  Cross  the  Line  of  No  Dip.  —  Atmospheric  Pres- 
sure in  the  Southern  Hemisphere.  —  Arrive  in  England  355 


LIST  OF  PLATES  AND  MAPS 


IN 


THE  SECOND  VOLUME. 


The  Collision  (Frontispiece.) 

Cape  Horn.  CHAP.  I. 

Seal  Hunting.  CHAP.  II. 

Catching  Great  Penguins.  CHAP.  IV. 

Pushing  through  the  Pack.  CHAP.  VI. 

A  Gale  in  the  Pack    -  p.  169 
The  Erebus  passing  through  the  Bergs            -         -         p.  220 

Tussac  Grass  of  Falkland  Islands.  CHAP.  VIII. 

Hunting  Wild  Cattle  in  the  Falkland  Islands.  CHAP.  IX. 

Mount  Kater,  Hermite  Island.  CHAP.  X. 

Balsam-bog  Plant.  CHAP.  XI. 

Cockburn  Island  and  Admiralty  Inlet.  CHAP.  XII. 

Deep  Soundings.  CHAP.  XIII. 

Louis  Philippe  Land  (Map)  p.  329 

Mount  Haddington  and  Cape  Gage        -  p.  387 

South  Polar  Chart  (at  the  end.) 


Cape  Horn. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Refitting  the  Ships.  —  Fossil  Trees  of  Derwent  Valley.  — 
Geological  Remarks.  —  Tassman's  Peninsula. — Eagle  Hawk 
Neck.  — Tesselated  Pavement.  —  Entrecasteaux  Channel. — 
Timber  on  the  Banks  of  the  Huon.  —  Advantages  of  Port 
Arthur.  —  Mean  Level  of  the  Ocean.  —  Launceston.  —  Pre- 
pare for  Sea.  —  Deviation  of  the  Compass. 


n. 


VOYAGE 


OP 


H,  M,  S,     EKEBTJS    AND    TERROR 


TO    THE 


ANTARCTIC    OCEAN, 

1839—43. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  success  which  had  attended  our  first  season's  1841> 
operations  in  the  antarctic  seas  could  not  fail  to 
raise  our  hopes  and  expectations  of  more  extended 
discoveries  on  a  second  visit  to  those  regions  ;  but, 
as  several  months  must  elapse  before  the  proper 
period  for  renewing  our  labours  should  arrive,  we 
had  abundance  of  time  to  repair  any  damages  our 
ships  had  sustained,  and  to  make  all  due  preparation 
for  the  service  we  had  yet  to  perform. 

Upon  examining  the  vessels,  we  were  much 
gratified  to  find  the  injuries  they  had  received 
amongst  the  southern  ice  were  very  inconsiderable, 
and  placed  so  little  below  the  line  of  flotation  of 
the  ships,  as  to  be  got  at  without  rendering  the 
operation  of  heaving  them  down  necessary,  and 
the  repairs  were  well  within  the  reach  of  our  own 

VOL.  II.  B 


BEFITTING   THE   SHIPS.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.  resources.  We  therefore  commenced  immediately 
lightening  the  ships  by  entirely  clearing  them  out, 
landing  all  the  stores  and  provisions,  and  securing 
them  in  warehouses,  which  his  Excellency  Sir 
John  Franklin  kindly  appropriated  to  that  pur- 
pose, and  devoted  exclusively  to  our  use. 

Thus  also  the  survey  of  all  the  remaining 
stores,  provisions,  and  materials  of  every  kind 
was  at  the  same  time  the  more  readily  accom- 
plished :  and  we  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  that 
no  one  article  of  any  consequence  had  suffered 
from  the  great  differences  of  climate  they  had 
been  exposed  to  since  our  leaving  England.  Ke- 
pairing  and  caulking  the  ships,  stripping  and  re- 
fitting their  rigging,  cleaning  and  painting  them 
inside  and  out,  as  well  as  all  other  requisite  opera- 
tions, were  now  proceeded  with  under  the  im- 
mediate direction  of  the  senior  lieutenants,  Bird 
and  M'Murdo. 

The  ship's  portable  observatories  were  again  put 
up  near  the  Rossbank  Observatory,  and  gave  em- 
ployment to  every  officer  of  both  ships  that 
could  be  spared  from  other  duties,  in  making  a 
careful  comparison  of  all  the  magnetic  and  other 
instruments  that  had  been  employed  during  our 
southern  cruize,  with  those  of  the  fixed  observa- 
tory, under  the  superintendence  of  Commander 
Crozier. 

The  two  sets  of  ship's  magnetometers  were  got 
into  adjustment,  and  were  observed  simultaneously 
with  those  of  the  observatory  on  the  term  days 
of  the  21st  April,  28th  May,  and  23rd  June,  on 


CHAP.  I] 


VOLUNTEER   OBSERVERS, 


the  expanded  system  we  had  all  along  pursued, 
with  the  assistance  of  His  Excellency  and  those 
gentlemen  volunteers  resident  in  the  colony,  who 
had,  on  every  term  day  during  our  absence  most 
zealously  devoted  themselves  to  the  tedious  and 
laborious  work ;  and  I  have  much  satisfaction  in 
availing  myself  of  this  opportunity  of  publicly 
expressing  my  thankfulness  to  those  gentlemen 
who  continued  to  afford  their  valuable  services 
until  the  entire  series  of  simultaneous  observations 
with  the  European  and  American  observatories 
was  completed,  and  to  whom  all  investigators  of 
magnetic  science  must  feel  greatly  indebted.  The 
following  is  a  statement  of  the  several  occasions 
on  which  term-day  observations  were  obtained  at 
the  Rossbank  Observatory,  and  the  names  of  the 
gentlemen  who  assisted  Lieutenant  Kay,  Mr.  Scott, 
and  Mr.  Dayman  in  making  them. 


1841. 


1840. 

{His    ExcelO 

tfov.  27. 

lency 
Sir  J.Frank-  f 

Mr.  Gell 

Mr.  Gunn 

Lt.  Bagot,  5  1st 

Capt.  Moriarty, 

lin 

R.  N. 

-> 

Capt.    Stanley 

Dec.  23. 

"    i 

H.  M.  S. 

_ 

Mr.  Nairne 

_ 

j_ 

Britomart 

1841. 

Fan.  20. 

_ 

_ 

Dr.  Bernard 

m 

_ 

Feb.  26. 

_ 

Mr.  Gell 

Mr.  Henslowe 

_ 

_ 

Mar.  24. 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

April  21. 

. 

_ 

_ 

_   ' 

m              _ 

May  28. 

_ 

. 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Fune  23. 

_ 

_ 

Lt.  Bagot,  A.D.C. 

Dr.  Bernard 

_ 

July  21. 

. 

_ 

Mr.  Nairne 

_ 

_ 

Aug.  27. 

- 

_ 

Mr.  Henslowe 

Lieut.  Bagot 

Mr.  Nairne. 

Sept.  22. 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Capt.  Moriarty. 

Oct.  20. 

_ 

_ 

„ 

_ 

_ 

Nov.  26. 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Dec.  22. 

. 

Mr.  Nairne. 

_ 

_ 

_ 

1842. 

Ian.  19. 
Feb.  25. 

- 

- 

Mr.  Cell. 
Mr.  Leicester 

. 
Mr.  Wright 

Mr.  Jeffery. 

B   2 


DEKWENT  VALLEY.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.  This  plan  of  observation  was  discontinued  after 

the  term-day  of  February,  and  the  simultaneous 
mode  changed  by  new  instructions  from  Professor 
Lloyd. 

The  medical  officers  of  the  expedition,  whose 
judicious  measures  had  been  so  successful  in  pre- 
venting even  the  least  appearance  of  disease  in 
any  of  our  crew,  having  fortunately  no  professional 
calls  upon  their  time,  visited  the  more  distant  parts 
of  the  colony,  collecting  information,  and  speci- 
mens of  the  geological  character  of  the  country, 
as  well  as  its  other  natural  productions.  Amongst 
the  more  interesting  of  these,  and  which  claims  the 
earliest  attention  of  geologists  visiting  YanDiemen's 
Land,  is  the  valley  of  fossil  trees,  many  of  which 
are  beautifully  and  perfectly  opalized,  and  are 
found  imbedded  in  porous  and  scoriaceous  basalt, 
and  of  which  Count  Strzelecki  remarks,  in  his 
admirable  physical  description  of  this  country, — 
"  Nowhere  to  my  knowledge  is  the  aspect  of  fossil 
wood  more  magnificent  than  in  the  Derwent 
Valley,  and  nowhere  is  the  original  structure  of 
the  tree  better  preserved;  while  the  outside  pre- 
sents a  homogeneous  and  a  hard  glossy  surface, 
variegated  with  coloured  stripes,  like  a  barked  pine; 
the  interior,  composed  of  distinct  concentric  layers, 
apparently  compact  and  homogeneous,  may  be 
nevertheless  separated  into  longitudinal  fibres, 
which  are  susceptible  of  subdivision  into  almost 
hair-like  filaments." 

I   had   an   opportunity  of  visiting   these  very 


CHAP.  I.]  CURIOUS   FOSSIL   TREES. 

curious  remains  of  a  former  forest  in  company  with  184L 
his  Excellency  Sir  John  Franklin,  and  conducted 
to  the  more  remarkable  spots  by  Mr.  Barker,  the 
proprietor  of  the  estate  of  Rose  Garland,  where 
they  were  discovered  by  him,  and  by  whose  care 
they  have  been  in  some  measure  preserved  from  the 
destructive  hammers  of  wandering  geologists.  The 
most  beautiful  of  them  has,  however,  been  much 
disfigured,  and  a  great  portion  of  it  carried  away. 
Mr.  Barker  was  so  kind  as  to  offer  all  that  remained 
of  it  to  me,  for  the  purpose  of  being  sent  to  the 
British  Museum ;  but  it  appeared  to  me  a  kind  of 
sacrilege  to  remove  such  a  relic  from  the  spot  to 
which  it  belonged,  where  it  could  be  seen  to  so 
much  more  advantage  by  geologists,  and,  as  I  had 
sent  still  more  complete  specimens  from  Kerguelen 
Island,  would  be  but  of  comparatively  little  value 
elsewhere.  I  declined  his  liberal  offer,  and  begged 
of  him  to  take  more  effectual  measures  for  its  pre- 
servation, which  he  promised  to  do. 

Dr.  Hooker's  account  of  his  examination  of  the 
fossil  wood  of  this  valley,  will  be  equally  interest- 
ing to  the  geologist  and  the  botanist.  He  says,  — 
"  one  of  the  most  remarkable  circumstances,  con- 
nected both  with  the  geology  and  botany  of  Tas- 
mania, is  the  occurrence  of  vast  quantities  of 
silicified  wood,  either  exposed  on  the  plains,  or 
imbedded  in  rocks,  both  of  igneous  and  aqueous 
formation.  Those  of  the  former,  in  particular,  are 
the  most  striking,  from  their  singular  beauty,  and 
the  very  perfect  manner  in  which  the  structure  of 

VOL.  II.  *B  3 


CURIOUS  FOSSIL   TREES.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.  the  woody  tissue  is  retained.  Soon  after  my  ar- 
rival in  the  colony,  magnificent  specimens  of  a 
fossil  tree  were  shown  me,  dug  out  of  a  vol- 
canic rock.  Some  of  the  masses  weighed  many 
pounds,  and  so  perfectly  resembled  splintered 
white  deal  in  colour  and  surface,  that  to  believe 
them  stone,  it  was  necessary  to  feel  how  hard  and 
heavy  they  were.  I  had  afterwards  an  opportunity 
of  visiting  the  tree  from  whence  these  specimens 
had  been  obtained,  and  collected  examples  from 
various  parts. 

"  The  general  aspect  of  the  fossil  is  that  of 
the  stump  of  a  pine-tree,  silicified  throughout, 
about  six  feet  in  height,  and  two  feet  and  a  half 
in  diameter  at  the  base.  It  stands  upright,  in  a 
cliff  of  hard  black  or  blue-grey  vesicular  basalt,  by 
which  it  was  originally  enclosed,  but  which  has 
been  quarried  away  from  the  exposed  portion. 
The  lower  part,  which,  however,  shows  no  ap- 
pearance of  dividing  into  roots,  is  cylindrical,  the 
upper  much  injured  and  broken  into  such  splin- 
ters as  I  had  seen  at  Hobarton.  The  circum- 
ference (which  has  been  called  the  bark)  is  com- 
posed of  a  beautiful  rich  brown  glassy  agate :  it 
exhibits  only  obscure  traces  of  concentric  rings, 
and  does  not  fracture  in  the  direction  of  these,  or 
of  the  medullary  rays.  The  rest  of  the  wood  is  of 
snowy  whiteness,  with  a  grain  similar  to  that  of 
deal.  Every  successive  concentric  ring  or  year's 
growth,  amounting  to  upwards  of  a  hundred,  was 
well  marked,  from  the  narrow  pith  to  the  agatized 


CHAP.  I.]  CURIOUS   FOSSIL   TREES. 

circumference ;  but  those  placed  half  way  between 
these  extremes,  on  being  removed,  fell  into  a 
snowy- white  powdery  mass,  called  "  native  pounce" 
by  the  colonists,  resembles  amianthus,  but  is  much 
more  brittle.  This  disintegration  of  a  particular 
portion  of  the  trunk  was  not  owing  to  the  action 
of  the  weather ;  but  to  a  want  of  cohesion  between 
the  fibres  of  which  the  wood  is  composed. 

"  Those  concentric  rings  which  immediately  sur- 
round the  disintegrated  ones,  may,  with  a  little  force, 
be  divided  into  lamina?,  composed  of  parallel  rows  of 
fibres,  beautifully  adapted  for  examination  under 
the  microscope :  every  such  ring  being  divisible,  in 
the  direction  of  the  radius,  into  plates,  each  con- 
sisting of  a  single  row  of  fibres,  held  together  by 
the  medullary  rays,  which  cross  them  at  right 
angles  like  cross-bars.  The  individual  fibres  form- 
ing one  lamina,  are  of  equal  length,  and  in  such 
close  juxta -position,  that  no  interstices  appear ; 
yet  they  are  separable  with  the  slightest  force ; 
proving  that  the  woody  substance  of  the  fibre  itself 
is  replaced  by  silica,  and  that  it  is  not  a  mere  cast 
of  its  hollow  axis  which  is  preserved. 

"  In  examining  silicified  woods  of  the  ordinary 
structure,  or  such  as  resemble  either  the  central 
portion  or  circumference  of  this  fossil,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  thin  slices  prepared  at  considerable 
expense  by  a  skilful  lapidary  ;  the  object  being  to 
obtain  such  a  slice  as  will  display  all  the  cha- 
racters of  the  individual  fibres.  But  here  such 

*B4 


8  CURIOUS   FOSSIL   TREES.  [CHAP.  I. 

184L  slices  are  naturally  prepared,  and  in  the  most 
perfect  manner  possible. 

"Each  fibre  tapers  at  both  ends  to  a  blunt 
point,  is  irregularly  four-angular,  and  solid 
throughout,  its  cavity  being  filled  with  transparent 
silica,  and  its  wood  wholly  replaced  by  that  sub- 
stance. The  surface  is  marked  with  those  large 
circular  discs  which  are  characteristic  of  all  the 
pine  tribe,  and  those  of  this  fossil  are  arranged  as 
in  the  living  genus,  Araucaria.  I  know  no  species 
of  that  genus,  however,  in  which  the  fibres  com- 
posing the  wood  are  nearly  so  large  as  here. 
There  is  also  a  great  peculiarity  in  the  cellular 
tissues  forming  the  medullary  rays:  the  cells  of 
which  are  so  much  transversely  elongated  as  to  be 
six  or  seven  times  as  long  as  broad;  and  their 
surfaces  present  impressions  of  the  discs  of  the 
woody  fibres  between  which  they  are  interposed. 

"It  is  not  easy  to  conceive  how  the  silicification 
of  this  part  of  the  tree  was  effected ;  for  the  infil- 
tration of  a  fluid  charged  with  silica  between  the 
fibres  would  have  consolidated  them  all  into  one 
mass.  Again,  if  the  fluid  were  confined  to  the 
cavities  of  the  fibres,  forming  only  casts  of  these, 
spaces  answering  to  the  thickness  of  the  walls 
would  be  left  between  every  one.  A  transverse 
section  of  the  agatized  portion  shows  the  walls 
of  the  fibres  to  be  of  considerable  thickness,  and  to 
be  composed  of  a  transparent  silica,  which  also 
occupies  the  interstices ;  whilst  their  cavities  are 
full  of  an  opaque  mass  of  the  same  substance." 

The  morning  we  had  appointed  for  our  visit  to  the 


CHAP.  I.]  ERRATIC    BOULDERS. 

valley  proved  most  unfavourable,  and  the  very  heavy 
rain  which  fell  without  ceasing  throughout  the  day, 
drenching  us  all  thoroughly  to  the  skin,  prevented 
that  full  investigation  which  we  had  desired,  and 
hurried  all  our  operations,  so  that  the  erratic  blocks 
or  boulders  of  basalt,  of  which  Strzelecki  has  given 
so  perfect  and  animated  a  description,  were  only 
superficially  examined  by  us,  but  as  his  account  of 
them  is  of  so  much  interest  both  to  the  geologist  and 
general  reader,  I  prefer  inserting  it  to  giving  my  own. 
Notwithstanding  the  unfavourable  weather,  we  all 
greatly  enjoyed  our  excursion,  thanks  to  the  po- 
lite attention  and  true  English  hospitality  of  Mr. 
Barker  and  his  family.  Strzelecki  proceeds  to 
remark*,  that  "  not  less  wonderful,  and  equally  in- 
teresting, are  the  erratic  blocks  or  boulders  found 
in  the  same  valley  of  the  Derwent.  The  masses 
are  composed  of  cylindrical,  somewhat  flattened, 
columns  of  basalt,  confusedly  heaped  together, 
with  a  detritus  of  pebbles  mixed  with  spheroidal 
boulders  of  greenstone  rocks,  all  lodged  against 
an  escarpment  situated  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley, 
and  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Derwent. 

"  This  escarpment  belongs  to  the  carboniferous 
strata,  and  was  once  connected  with  another  es- 
carpment running  across  the  bed  of  the  river,  so  as 
to  dam  up  the  present  outlet  of  the  waters,  and 
thus  to  form,  in  conjunction  with  the  other  lines  yet 
existing,  the  perfect  and  continuous  margin  of  a 
basin.  The  violence  with  which  this  embankment 

*  Strzelecki,  Physical  Description,^).  148. 


10  GEOLOGICAL   REMARKS.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.  was  burst  asunder  is  obvious,  as  is  also  the  action 
"  of  the  water  upon  it.  The  position  of  the  detritus, 
and  the  direction  of  the  axes  of  the  columns,  which 
lie  in  position  corresponding  to  the  present  fall  of 
the  country,  that  is,  at  the  lowest  level  of  the 
valley,  prove  that  the  disturbing  forces  acted  from 
within  the  basin. 

"  This  is  corroborated  further  by  the  evidences  of 
the  basaltic  and  trachytic  irruption  which  occurred 
after  the  deposition  of  the  variegated  sandstones  in 
Van  Diemen's  Land.  That  irruption  seems  to  have 
appeared  first  about  Rose  Garland,  which  is  the 
centre  of  the  valley.  The  trees  there,  which  had 
been  fossilized,  withstood  the  intensity  of  the  in- 
candescent matter:  other  trees,  placed  in  circum- 
stances less  favourable  to  their  previous  fossiliza- 
tion,  were  consumed ;  but  being  either  saturated 
with  water,  or  still  green,  they  resisted  in  some 
measure  the  process  of  combustion,  and  have  left 
behind  longitudinal  moulds  in  the  basaltic  scoriaB, 
with  parietal  cavities  or  impressions,  similar  to 
the  rugged  appearance  which  the  carbonization 
of  a  tree  assumes  externally.  Into  some  of  these 
moulds,  a  second  irruptive  force  appears  to  have 
injected  fresh  lava,  thus  forming  casts  of  the  con- 
sumed trees,  and  records  of  the  succession  of  vol- 
canic agencies. 

"  This  irruption  was  followed  by  that  of  green- 
stone in  the  upper  part  of  the  valley ;  which,  ac- 
companied as  it  was  by  a  sudden  upward  movement 
of  the  bottom,  must  have  precipitated  the  waters 


CHAP.  I.]  GEOLOGICAL   REMARKS. 

from  one  side  of  the  basin  to  the  other,  by  which,      1841. 
the  barrier,  being  ruptured  at  the  place  where  the 
present  escarpment  is  seen,  the  drainage  of  the 
valley  was  effected. 

"  In  this  movement  an  area  of  twelve  hundred 
square  miles  seems  to  have  been  raised  to  the  height 
of  four  thousand  feet,  and  the  valley  to  have 
been  overflowed  by  streams  of  greenstone  and  ba- 
salt, issuing  from  five  mouths  —  the  present  lakes 
of  the  so-called  upper  country  of  the  Derwent." 

A  large  collection  of  geological  specimens  was 
made  by  Mr.  M'Cormick  and  transmitted  to  Eng- 
land ;  and  in  the  Appendix  I  have  placed  his  very 
interesting  account  of  his  geological  excursions  to 
the  more  remarkable  parts  of  the  colony.  With 
reference  to  the  beautiful  fossil  tree  of  Rose  Gar- 
land, he  gives  some  additional  particulars  of  its 
locality,  and  of  the  curious  vertical  moulds  of 
trees,  of  which  Mr.  Barker  pointed  out  several  to 
us.  He  says,  u  the  tree  is  imbedded  in  vesicular 
lava  in  a  vertical  position,  at  the  extremity  of  a 
ridge  of  the  same  kind  of  rock,  seventy  feet  above 
the  river,  which  is  here  only  twelve  feet  broad, 
winding  through  a  wooded  ravine  about  one  hun- 
dred yards  across.  The  height  of  the  tree  above 
the  ground  is  six  feet ;  its  circumference  at  the  base 
seven  feet  three  inches,  and  its  diameter  at  the  top 
is  fifteen  inches." 

A  short  distance  further  down  the  ridge  is  an- 
other tree,  also  beautifully  silicified ;  only  the  upper 
portion  of  it  remains,  vertically  imbedded  in  a 


12  GEOLOGICAL   REMARKS.  [CHAP.  1. 

1841-  chimney -like  cavity,  in  the  steep  face  of  the  igneous 
rock  ;  the  lower  portion  having  been  removed  has 
left  its  cast  in  the  rock,  a  foot  in  diameter,  to  the 
extent  of  seven  feet.  In  the  soil  beneath  I  found 
a  fragment  of  it,  having  an  opaline  appearance. 

The  top  of  this  cliff  is  about  forty  feet  above  the 
river,  which  is  here  somewhat  narrower,  and  the 
ravine  not  more  than  sixty  yards  wide.  About 
two  miles  from  Eose  Garland  I  saw  excavations  in 
a  low  bank  of  scoriae,  near  a  curve  in  the  Derwent, 
where  there  is  a  long  low  island  in  the  centre  of 
the  river,  lying  parallel  with  its  banks,  from  which 
two  silicified  trees  had  been  removed  some  years 
ago :  they  had  all  been  vertically  imbedded. 

It  seems,  therefore,  quite  evident  that  they  were 
actually  growing  when  the  lava  in  which  they  are 
imbedded  overflowed  the  plain.  It  is  a  curious 
fact  connected  with  this  subject  that,  although 
large  external  roots  are  found  on  some  of  those 
fossilized  trees,  no  branches  have  ever  been  disco- 
vered ;  as  if  it  required  a  certain  thickness  of 
trunk  to  resist  the  effects  of  the  incandescent 
matter;  and  the  circumstance  of  finding  these 
trees  in  an  erect  position,  would  seem  to  prove 
that  the  fossilization  occurred  at  the  same  time 
with,  and  was  therefore  in  some  manner  produced 
by,  the  overwhelming  matter  ;  and  it  would  be  an 
interesting  fact  to  ascertain  whether  the  roots  of  any 
of  these  trees  are  still  adherent  to  them,  or  whether 
any  movement  of  the  whole  mass  down  the  valley, 
during  the  process  of  solidification,  has  removed 


CHAP.  I.]  FOSSIL  REMAINS. 

the  trees  from  the  places  where  they  originally  grew ;      1841. 
similar  to  the  progressive  movement  of  the  glaciers 
of  Switzerland  down  the  valleys  of  the  Alps. 

Before  concluding  my  remarks  on  the  highly 
interesting  fossil  remains  of  the  Derwent  valley,  I 
cannot  omit  to  notice  those  which  are  found  in  the 
indurated  clay  of  Point  Puer,  at  Port  Arthur,  and 
at  Eaglehawk  Neck,  which  is  a  narrow,  low,  sandy 
isthmus,  connecting  Forestier's  with  Tasman's  pe- 
ninsula ;  both  of  which  places  I  visited  in  company 
with  the  governor.  The  severe  penal  settlement 
of  Port  Arthur,  to  which  the  doubly- convicted 
felons  are  transported  from  New  South  Wales  and 
Van  Diemen's  Land,  —  the  juvenile  establishment 
of  Point  Puer  * ,  where  between  five  and  six  hun- 
dred convict  boys  are  taught  useful  trades,  —  the 
isthmus  of  Eaglehawk  Neck,  where  furious  dogs 
are  chained  to  guard  the  pass,  and  prevent  the 
escape  of  convicts  from  Port  Arthur,  the  coal- 
mines and  sandstone  quarry,  being  all  objects  of 
interest  to  the  stranger,  were  visited  by  nearly  all 
the  officers  of  the  expedition,  but  are  too  exten- 
sively known  to  require  any  description  here.  I  am 
glad,  however,  to  avail  myself  of  a  communication 
from  Dr.  Jeanneret,  the  physician  to  the  establish- 
ment at  Point  Puer,  containing  some  interesting 
particulars  respecting  the  peninsula  of  Tasmania, 
and  its  fossil  remains. 

"  Tasmaris  Peninsula  is  the  rugged  land  at  the 
south-eastern  extremity  of  Van  Diemen's  Land.    It 

*  For  a  statistical  account  of  this  establishment,  see  Ap- 
pendix, No.  III. 


14  TASMAN'S  PENINSULA.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.  is  deeply  indented  with  bays  and  promontories,  and 
contains  about  120  square  miles  of  surface,  chiefly 
mountains,  varying  in  elevation  from  700  to  3000 
feet.  It  is  for  the  most  part  thickly  wooded  with 
the  Eucalyptus  globulosa,  E.  robusta,  E.  piperita,  E. 
4  myrtifolia ;  Acacia  decurrens,  A.  affinis,  A.  melon- 

oxylon,  A.  saligna,  A.  verticillata ;  Zerea  and  Also- 
phila,  in  the  hills  and  gullies.  In  many  parts, 
particularly  on  the  coast,  are  Casuarinse,  Banksias, 
and  the  Exocarpus  cupressiformis ;  in  this  respect 
agreeing  with  the  other  parts  of  the  island.  There 
are  very  few  coniferae,  if  any,  of  any  magnitude. 

"  The  nature  of  the  soil  varies  with  the  neigh- 
bouring rocks.  The  basaltic  hills,  in  those  parts 
which  I  have  visited,  are  covered,  as  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Hobarton,  with  a  good-bodied  clay, 
chiefly  of  a  red  tint,  encumbered  with  masses  of 
basalt,  in  a  more  or  less  forward  state  of  degenera- 
tion. The  chief  ranges  are  of  this  description  at 
the  summit.  In  the  lower  levels  sandstone  often 
crops  out,  having  the  basalt  overlying  and  subja- 
cent. Indeed,  basalt  may  be  said  to  be  the  preva- 
lent rock.  The  peninsula  of  Point  Puer  is  formed 
of  an  indurated  clay,  containing  fossil  remains, 
consisting  chiefly  of  marine  shells,  gorgoniae,  corals, 
&c.  I  have  found  a  vertebra  imbedded.  I  think 
it  is  the  cervical  vertebra  belonging  to  an  animal 
about  the  size  of  a  sheep.  I  cannot  now  find  it 
amongst  the  specimens.  On  this  rock  rests  clay, 
varying  in  purity  from  the  finest  pipe-clay  to 
ochre.  In  this  alluvium  are  found  silicious  fossils 
of  two  species  of  shells,  similar  to  those  fossilized 


CHAP.  L]  EAGLE    HAWK   NECK. 

with  aluminous  earth  in  the  strata  of  the  same  kind  *84i 
at  Eagle  Hawk  Neck;  particularly  the  butterfly 
shell,  as  it  is  called,  upon  the  spot.  The  siliceous 
fossils  of  this  genus  are  almost  all  imperfect,  but 
do  not  bear  marks  of  attrition  :  the  contained  ani- 
mals are  as  completely  fossilized  as  the  shells. 
Their  structure,  which  is  curious,  may  perhaps  be 
as  fully  demonstrated  from  these  as  by  living  speci- 
mens. The  shell  of  the  butterfly  appears  to  be  a 
trivalve,  the  third  valve  of  which  is  rarely  found 
attached.  It  is  a  kind  of  stalk,  by  means  of  which 
the  animal  seems  to  have  been  fixed  to  the  rocks. 
The  butterfly  shell  is  not  so  plentifully  distributed 
in  the  indurated  clay  rock  at  Point  Puer  as  it  is  at 
Eagle  Hawk  Neck.  The  siliceous  petrifactions 
abound  in  specimens  of  agate,  chalcedony,  cor- 
nelian, semiopal,  and  milky  quartz ;  and  in  druses 
containing  crystals  of  quartz,  chiefly  pellucid  and 
amethystine.  Pieces  of  granite,  basalt,  hornstone, 
siliceous  and  fossilized  wood,  &c.,  are  found  in  the 
rock ;  but  these  are  not  so  plentiful,  nor,  generally 
speaking,  of  so  large  a  size  as  at  Eagle  Hawk  Neck; 
the  rock  is  also  softer,  being  less  impregnated  with 
siliceous  admixture.  It  is  a  breccia,  consisting  of 
an  impalpable  aluminous  deposit,  which,  during  its 
precipitation,  has  involved  substances  of  various 
kinds,  and  remains  terrestrial  and  marine.  It  con- 
tains numerous  holes,  such  as  would  be  formed  by 
the  entombment  and  subsequent  decomposition  of 
vegetable  and  animal  forms.  I  once  thought  I 
could  trace  out  the  bed  of  a  hawksbi^l  turtle ;  and 
roots  reduced  to  carbonaceous  and  fossilized  states 


16  EAGLE   HAWK  NECK.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.  are  not  uncommon.  The  rock  is,  as  usual,  traversed 
"  by  veins  of  oxide  of  iron,  and  in  some  parts  quan- 
tities of  soft  pyrites  are  found.  A  well,  sunk  to 
the  depth  of  seventy  feet  in  the  rock,  affords  a 
chalybeate  water  of  unusual  strength,  an  analysis 
of  which  I  hope  to  present  on  a  future  occasion. 

"  The  slate  clay  in  this  locality  may  be  compared 
to  a  riband  in  a  sea  of  basalt ;  but  it  is  also  found 
varying,  nevertheless,  as  it  respects  degree  of  indu- 
ration, and  the  quantity  and  nature  of  its  fossilized 
contents,  in  various  parts  of  the  peninsula.  At 
Eagle  Hawk  Neck,  as  I  before  mentioned,  it  is  re- 
plete with  fossils  of  indurated  clay  :  these  are  gene- 
rally coated  with  oxide  of  iron.  The  basis  of  the 
rock  at  this  locality  bears  the  semblance  of  wacke. 
The  extreme  regularity  of  the  disposition  of  the 
veins  of  oxide  of  iron  has  obtained  for  it  here  the 
designation  of  the  "  Tesselated  Pavement*  "  forming, 
at  the  verge  of  the  shore,  planes  of  rectangular  and 
rhomboidal  stones,  similar  to  the  well-paved  road- 
way of  a  town.  In  many  parts  of  the  peninsula 
the  rocks  of  each  description, — basaltic,  silicious, 
and  aluminous,  are  partially  covered  by  a  bed  of 
sand,  mostly  of  no  great  depth,  forming  the  Tea- 
tree  Scrubs  (Leptospermum).  The  only  specimen 
from  the  coal  mines  at  Slopen  Main,  is  a  piece  of 
anthracite,  containing  vegetable  impressions."  f 

*  For  a  detailed  account  of  this  curious  production  of  nature, 
see  Appendix. 

f  This  communication  was  accompanied  by  a  complete  and 
valuable  set  of  specimens,  now  deposited  in  the  British  Mu- 


seum. 


CHAP.  I.]  ENTRECASTEAUX   CHANNEL.  17 

As  soon  after  the  first  term-day  observations  1841. 
were  completed,  as  other  duties  admitted,  I  availed 
myself  of  the  liberal  offer  of  Mr.  Blackett  to 
place  his  yacht,  the  "  Albatross,"  at  my  service,  to 
enable  me  to  extend  the  magnetical  observations 
some  distance  along  the  coast,  to  visit,  and  deter- 
mine the  position  of,  the  south-west  cape — a  desi- 
deratum of  great  importance  —  and  to  make  a 
survey  of  the  great  bank  on  which  we  had  struck 
soundings  at  a  distance  of  nearly  one  hundred  miles 
from  the  coast,  and  which,  from  the  nature  of  the 
ground,  I  believe  likely  to  prove  a  valuable  fishery 
to  the  colony.  Both  the  latter  purposes  were  frus- 
trated by  a  continuance  of  unfavourable  weather, 
and  from  finding  the  rigging  of  the  vessel  to  be  so 
slight,  and  so  much  weakened  by  long  disuse,  as  to 
unfit  her  for  contending  against  the  rough  weather 
that  at  this  season  of  the  year  prevails  along  the 
southern  shore  of  the  island.  Commander  Crozier 
accompanied  me  on  this  excursion,  which  we  were 
unable  to  extend  beyond  Kecherche  Bay,  owing  to 
the  loss  of  our  top-mast  and  straining  the  head  of 
the  main-mast. 

The  examination  of  the  numerous  fine  harbours 
in  the  Channel  of  Entrecasteaux  occupied  us  se- 
verai  days,  but  their  full  description  is  unsuited  to 
a  place  in  this  narrative.  It  may  be  sufficient 
here  to  state  that  the  channel  affords  excellent 
anchorage  in  all  parts  of  it,  and  the  access  to  it  has 
been  rendered  perfectly  safe  and  easy  by  the  beau- 
tiful light-house  which  has  recently  been  erected  on 

VOL.  n.  c 


18  ENTRECASTEAUX   CHANNEL.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.  the  eastern  cape  of  the  inlet,  called  Bruni  Head,  which 
from  its  elevated  position  may  be  seen  at  a  great 
distance,  and  is  a  sure  mark  by  which  the  Actaeon 
Keef  may  be  avoided.  There  is  no  other  danger 
after  passing  Muscle  Bay:  in  the  channel  the 
soundings  are  regular,  and  the  shores  bold,  as 
far  as  the  entrance  of  the  Huon  river ;  from  this 
point  a  mud  bank  lies  off  the  west  shore  of  the 
channel,  but  its  limits  are  well  defined  by  buoys, 
placed  at  small  distances  apart;  these  are  to  be 
left  on  the  port  hand  in  running  up  to  the  Derwent. 
Recherche  Bay  is  not  a  commodious  harbour  for 
ships  drawing  more  than  seventeen  feet  water,  and 
is  too  exposed  for  purposes  of  general  refitment. 
Muscle  Bay  and  Esperance  Bay  are  better  adapted 
for  that  purpose,  when  it  may  not  be  necessary 
to  procure  materials  or  assistance  from  Hobarton. 
From  the  hill  where  Mount  Royal  signal  station 
once  stood,  the  pilot  informed  me  that  the  Pedro 
Blanco,  or  Eddystone  rock,  could  be  seen  over 
part  of  Bruni  Island,  distant  about  thirty  miles ; 
the  weather  was  too  unfavourable  when  we  were 
off  this  point,  or  we  would  have  ascended  the  hill, 
to  get  angles  for  the  survey.  The  shores  of  the 
inlet  are  extremely  beautiful  —  their  picturesque 
and  broken  outline,  and  the  luxuriance  of  the  ve- 
getation, whose  dingy  green  colour  we  had  now  be- 
come so  accustomed  to,  as  almost  to  have  forgotten 
the  rich  and  varied  verdure  of  our  own  forests, 
impressed  the  mind  with  feelings  of  regret  that 
so  charming  a  country  should  remain  a  useless 


CHAP.  I.]  IIUON   RIVER.  19 

desolate  wilderness,  although  capable  of  producing  1841- 
an  abundance  of  food  for  a  large  population,  whilst 
so  many  thousands  in  England  have  hardly  suffi- 
cient to  subsist  on  from  day  to  day,  and  whose 
labour  here  would  soon  raise  them  to  independence 
and  comfort,  in  a  land  whose  scenery  and  climate 
are  equal  to  the  more  healthy  and  admired  parts 
of  our  own  country .  But  the  scenery  of  the  Huon 
is  of  a  still  richer  character — its  banks  are  clothed 
with  the  loftiest  and  most  valuable  timber  of  the 
colony.  Some  of  the  trees  we  measured  were  a 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  high,  and  twenty-eight  in 
circumference,  and  cover  the  ground  with  so  dense 
a  forest,  that  it  requires  great  labour  to  clear  it 
for  agricultural  purposes ;  but  when  once  accom- 
plished, the  same  rich  soil,  which  produces  such 
line  timber,  fully  repays  the  settler  by  the  abun- 
dance it  afterwards  yields  under  moderately  good 
management.  One  of  the  trees  pointed  out  to  us 
rather  exceeded  two  hundred  feet  in  height,  and 
was  thirty- eight  feet  in  circumference  about  three 
feet  from  the  ground.  Along  each  shore  of  the 
inlet  and  river,  at  every  two  or  three  miles,  we 
observed  a  small  wooden  hut  or  two,  and  a  small 
sloop  building  near  them ;  quantities  of  firewood, 
the  refuse  of  the  trees  that  had  been  cut  down  for 
the  timbers  and  planking  of  the  vessel,  were  piled 
in  heaps  ready  to  be  shipped  oif  to  supply  firewood 
to  Hobarton.  The  gratification  we  should  other- 
wise  have  felt  in  contemplating  the  useful  purposes 
to  which  these  hitherto  unproductive  forests  were 

c    2 


20  ENTRECASTEAUX  CHANNEL.  [CiiAr.  I. 

1841.  being  applied,  was  quite  lost  in  the  reflection 
"  that  the  people  themselves  were  of  the  most  im- 
moral and  profligate  character,  and  generally  either 
runaway  convicts  or  fugitives  from  society,  on 
account  of  crimes  they  had  committed,  and  by 
this  kind  of  labour  earned  a  sufficiency  to  gra- 
tify their  habits  of  drunkenness  and  debauchery. 
Whilst  lying  at  anchor  off  the  mouth  of  the  Huon, 
in  the  middle  of  a  rather  dark  night,  we  narrowly 
escaped  being  run  down  by  a  vessel  coming  up  the 
channel  before  a  strong  southerly  wind ;  they  had 
no  one  on  deck  except  the  man  at  the  helm,  but, 
by  the  vigilance  of  a  dog,  which  was  evidently 
on  the  look-out,  and  which  barked  most  violently, 
directly  he  saw  us  the  man  altered  the  course 
of  the  vessel,  just  in  time  to  avoid  a  serious  colli- 
sion, which  we  had  no  means  of  averting. 

In  the  great  cove  on  the  right  hand,  about  five  or 
six  miles  from  the  entrance  of  Entrecasteaux  Chan- 
nel, there  is  very  good  anchorage  at  its  head.  You 
may  go  close  in  to  the  sandy  beach,  from  whence  a 
road  leads  up  to  the  light-house  on  Bruni  Head, 
an  object  of  no  small  interest  in  this  country,  and 
one,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  of  considerable  ad- 
vantage to  the  commerce  of  the  capital.  Vessels 
that  enter  the  channel  late  at  night  generally 
anchor  under  the  shelter  of  Partridge  Island,  which 
lies  off  the  south  point  of  the  great  cove,  with  the 
island  bearing  about  N.W.,  so  as  to  afford  protec- 
tion from  the  heavy  breezes  which  blow  from  that 
quarter.  You  may  anchor  in  perfect  safety  in  ten 
fathoms  water,  on  a  good  holding  ground.  Between 


CHAP.  I.  ]  PORT   ARTHUR.  21 

Partridge  Island  and  the  main,  the  water  is  so  1841. 
shallow,  as  barely  to  admit  the  passage  of  a  boat,  at  *" 
low  water,  so  that  no  swell  of  any  consequence 
can  come  into  the  cove  from  seaward.  The  little 
cove  four  miles  further  up  is  a  much  snugger 
anchorage;  and  Esperance  Bay,  on  the  opposite 
shore,  is  said  to  be  the  best  harbour  in  Van  Die- 
men's  Land  :  but  as  our  time  did  not  admit  of  our 
examining  it,  I  am  not  able  to  give  any  opinion  on 
its  capabilities  except  that  from  the  entrance  it 
appeared  to  be  an  excellent  harbour.  Port  Arthur, 
in  Tasman's  Peninsula,  however,  possesses  many 
advantages,  especially  for  men-of-war  wanting  ex- 
tensive repairs,  or  having  to  heave  down.  The 
large  amount  of  convict  labour,  which  is  always 
available,  and  the  exclusive  use  of  spacious  store- 
houses, in  which  the  ship's  crew  may  be  comfort- 
ably accommodated,  and  where  the  stores  and 
provisions  may  be  kept  in  perfect  safety  during  the 
process,  are  material  ^conveniences  on  such  occa- 
sions: and,  added  to  these,  the  vigilance  of  a  military 
guard,  so  essential,  and  there  carried  out  to  the 
utmost  perfection  and  severity,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  escape  of  convicts  from  the  doubly  penal  esta- 
blishment, is  equally  efficacious  in  preventing  the 
straggling  of  the  crew  into  the  town,  where,  being 
exposed  to  the  temptation  of  all  kinds  of  excesses, 
they  are  at  Hobarton,  as  well  as  at  most  seaport 
toAvns,  likely  to  be  robbed  by  those  who  are  ever 
waiting  to  prey  upon  the  incautious  and  unsuspi- 
cious sailor. 

c    3 


22  MEAN  LEVEL   OF   THE   OCEAN.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.         My  principal  object  in  visiting  Port  Arthur  was 
"  to  afford  a  comparison  of  our  standard  barometer 
with  that  which  had  been  employed  for  several 
years   by  Mr.  Lempriere,   the   Deputy  Assistant 
Commissary  General,  in  accordance  with  my  in- 
structions, and  also  to  establish  a  permanent  mark 
at  the  zero  point,  or   general   mean  level  of  the 
sea    as    determined    by    the    tidal    observations 
which    Mr.   Lempriere  had   conducted  with   per- 
severance   and    exactness    for     some    time :    by 
which  means  any  secular  variation  in  the  relative 
level  of  the  land  and  sea,  which  is  known  to  occur 
on  some  coasts,  might  at  any  future  period  be  de- 
tected, and  its   amount   determined.      The   point 
chosen  for  this  purpose  was  the  perpendicular  cliff 
of  the  small  islet  off  Point  Puer,  which,  being  near 
to  the  tide  register,  rendered  the  operation  more 
simple  and  exact ;  the  governor,  whom  I  had  accom- 
panied on  an  official  visit  to  the  settlement,  gave 
directions  to  afford  Mr.  Lempriere  every  assistance 
of  labourers  he  required,  to  have  the  mark  cut 
deeply  in  the  rock  in  the  exact  spot  which  his  tidal 
observations  indicated  as  the   mean   level   of  the 
ocean.     The  tides  in  the  Derwent  were  too  irre- 
gular, being  influenced  greatly  by  the  prevalence 
of  winds  outside  and  the  freshes  from  the  interior, 
so  that  we  could  not  ascertain  with  the  required 
degree  of  exactness  the  point  of  mean  level.     It 
would  have  been  desirable  to  have  fixed  a  similar 
mark  on  some  part  of  the   opposite   side    of  the 
island,  but  a  prolonged  series  of  preliminary  ob- 


CHAP.  L]  MEAN   LEVEL   OF   THE  OCEAN.  23 

servations  of  the  tides  are  necessary,  and  as  these  i84i. 
had  not  been  obtained,  and  our  limited  stay,  as 
well  as  the  full  employment  for  all  our  observers, 
which  the  necessary  experiments  with  the  mag- 
netometers provided,  did  not  admit  of  our  doing  it, 
I  can  only  hope  that  some  individual  with  like  zeal 
for  science  with  Mr.  Lempriere,  and  with  time  at 
his  disposal,  may  yet  accomplish  this  deside- 
ratum. I  may  here  observe,  that  it  is  not  essential 
that  the  mark  be  made  exactly  at  the  mean  level 
of  the  ocean,  indeed  it  is  more  desirable  that  it 
should  be  rather  above  the  reach  of  the  highest  tide : 
it  is,  however,  important  that  it  be  made  on  some 
part  of  a  solid  cliff,  not  liable  to  rapid  disintegra- 
tion, and  the  exact  distance  above  the  mean  level 
(which  may  also  be  marked  more  slightly)  recorded 
on  a  plate  of  copper,  well  protected  from  the 
weather,  by  placing  a  flat  stone  with  cement  be- 
tween, upon  the  plane  surface  or  platform  which 
should  constitute  the  mark  from  which  the  level  of 
mean  tide  should  be  measured.* 

The  most  desirable  position  for  such  another 
mark  would  be  near  the  north-west  extremity  of 
the  island,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Grim,  near 
which  the  Van  Diemen's  Land  Company  has  a 
small  establishment. 

The  fixing  of  solid  and  well  secured  marks  for  the 
purpose  of  showing  the  mean  level  of  the  ocean  at  a 
given  epoch,  was  suggested  by  Baron  von  Humboldt, 
in  a  letter  to  Lord  Minto,  subsequent  to  the  sailing 

*   See  Cosmos,  p.  288.  and  note,  $.  95. 
c  4 


24  LAUNCESTON.  [CHAP.  I, 

1841.  of  the  expedition,  and  of  which  I  did  not  receive 
any  account  until  our  return  from  the  antarctic 
seas,  which  is  the  reason  of  my  not  having  esta- 
blished a  similar  mark  on  the  rocks  of  Kerguelen 
Island,  or  some  part  of  the  shores  of  Victoria  Land. 
Upon  this  subject  that  great  philosopher  observes, 
that  "  if  similar  measures  had  been  taken  in  Cook 
and  Bougainville's  earliest  voyages,  we  should  now  be 
in  possession  of  the  necessary  data  for  determining 
whether  secular  variation  in  the  relative  level  of 
land  and  sea  is  a  general  or  merely  a  local  pheno- 
menon, and  whether  any  law  is  discoverable  in  the 
direction  of  the  points  which  rise  or  sink  simul- 
taneously." 

By  the  kindness  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  I  was 
also  enabled  to  extend  my  magnetic  observations 
for  determining  the  lines  of  equal  variation,  dip, 
and  intensity  across  the  island  to  Launceston,  and 
thence  down  an  arm  of  the  sea  called  the  Tamar 
to  George  Town,  where  I  received  a  kind  welcome, 
and  every  assistance,  from  Lieutenant  Friend  of 
the  royal  navy,  the  port  officer.  Launceston,  the 
northern  capital  of  the  island,  as  it  has  been  some- 
times called,  is  very  inferior  as  a  town  to  Hobarton, 
but  the  country  about  it  is  far  more  beautiful  and 
valuable.  Many  of  the  wealthiest  of  the  colonists 
have  settled  in  its  neighbourhood,  but  they  do 
not  seem  to  possess  any  large  amount  of  public 
spirit,  so  far  as  regards  the  improvement  of  their 
favourite  city,  arising  chiefly,  I  believe,  from  the 
expectation  that  the  colonial  government  would 


CHAP.  I.]  GEORGE   TOWN.  25 

and  ought  to  do  all  that  is  desirable  without  their  1841- 
assistance.  Vessels  of  large  size  come  up  the  river, 
as  it  is  called,  to  the  town  of  Launceston ;  but, 
unaided  by  steam,  the  navigation  is  rather  intri- 
cate. George  Town,  at  the  entrance  of  the  inlet, 
is  a  pretty  little  village,  promising,  at  some  future 
period,  to  become  a  watering  place  for  the  fashion- 
ables of  Launceston ;  the  access  to  the  port  is 
rendered  somewhat  dangerous  and  difficult  by  the 
bar  across  its  entrance. 

During  this  journey  across  the  country  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  witnessing  some  extensive  improve- 
ments of  which  William  Kermode,  Esq.,  of  Mona 
Yale,  has  set  the  example,  by  the  introduction  of  a 
system  of  draining  and  irrigation,  in  which  the 
fertilising  effect  of  water  is  brought  so  prominently 
into  observation.  Strzelecki  has  given  a  very  in- 
teresting account  of  these  operations,  and  has 
pronounced  a  well-merited  eulogium  on  the  per- 
severance and  public  spirit  of  the  enterprising 
proprietor. 

We  diverged  from  our  direct  route,  also,  as  we 
returned,  in  order  to  pass  through  some  of  the 
richest  land  in  the  colony,  and  from  which,  owing 
to  the  agricultural  skill  and  industry  of  Mr.  Archer, 
and  a  few  other  proprietors,  the  most  astonishing 
crops  are  produced.  In  traversing  this  part  of  the 
country  in  particular,  it  was  impossible  not  to  be 
struck  with  the  truth  of  the  general  remark  of  all 
writers,  that  the  diversity  of  hill  and  dale,  forest 
and  tillage,  forming  together  with  the  rich  arid 


26  PREPARE   FOR   SEA.  [CHAP.  I. 

!84i.  beautiful  plains  traversed  by  streams,  and  the 
comfortable  mansions,  surrounded  by  pleasure 
grounds,  of  the  wealthier  settlers,  the  perfec- 
tion of  agricultural  landscape,  recall  to  the  re- 
collection scenes  so  similar  in  our  own  country, 
that  imagination  could  easily  find  a  counter- 
part to  many  of  the  richest  scenes  of  rural  beauty 
which  our  most  admired  counties  possess.  In- 
deed, after  being  a  short  time  in  this  charming 
country,  it  is  difficult  to  feel  that  we  are  at  the 
farthest  distant  point  of  the  earth  from  our  own 
loved  land ;  and  wherever  we  went,  the  hearty 
welcome  and  liberal  hospitality  with  which  we 
were  received,  seemed  to  strengthen,  in  no  small 
degree,  the  impression  of  resemblance  to  our  own 
happy  island,  except  that  in  this  the  necessities 
of  travellers  being  so  much  greater,  offers  a  pro- 
portionally wider  field  for  the  exercise  of  these 
generous  sentiments  and  conduct. 

Towards  the  end  of  June  we  had  finished  all  the 
repairs  and  refitment  of  the  ships  ;  had  embarked 
provisions  and  stores  to  last  us  for  three  years,  and 
were  busily  employed  preparing  the  vessels  for  sea, 
intending,  before  the  season  for  making  another 
attempt  to  penetrate  to  the  southward,  to  visit 
Sydney,  in  New  South  Wales,  and  the  Bay  of 
Islands,  in  New  Zealand,  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
magnetometric  observations  comparative  with  those 
of  Rossbank  Observatory,  Van  Diemen's  Land,  as 
we  had  done  last  year  at  Auklancl  Island,  with  the 
view  to  ascertain  whether  the  cause  of  pertur- 


CHAP.  I.]  DEVIATION   OF   THE   COMPASS.  27 

bation  produced  exactly  similar  and  synchronous  1841. 
effects  on  instruments  placed  at  the  respective  dis- 
tances of  six  hundred,  and  fifteen  hundred  miles, 
and  which  we  had  only  two  opportunities  last  year 
of  observing,  at  a  distance  of  about  a  thousand 
miles  from  Yan  Diemen's  Land. 

The  iron  tanks,  chain  cables,  anchors,  and  all 
iron  materials  which  had  necessarily  been  removed 
during  the  repairs  of  the  vessels,  having  been 
replaced  in  the  exact  spot  from  which  they  had 
been  taken,  the  process  of  swinging  the  ship  round, 
to  redetermine  their  united  effect  upon  the  com- 
pass, was  accomplished  on  the  29th  of  June.  We 
were  surprised  to  find  that  both  in  amount  and 
direction  it  had  very  considerably  altered.  Thus 
the  points  of  no  effect  had  changed  since  October, 
1840,  from  nearly  N.  by  W.  to  nearly  N.  by  E.,  and 
from  nearly  S.  by  E.  to  nearly  S.  by  W. ;  and  the 
amount  and  direction  of  extreme  deviation  from 
4°  &  with  the  ship's  head  E.  by  N.  to  5°  30'  with 
her  head  E.  S.  E.,  and  from  4°  16'  with  her  head 
W.  S.  W.  to  5°  13'  with  her  head  West. 

These  results  point  out  in  a  striking  manner  the 
necessity  of  frequently  repeating  experiments  of 
this  nature,  where  an  ordinary  amount  of  accuracy 
is  desirable ;  as  they  moreover  serve  to  prove  that 
some  kinds  of  iron,  and  perhaps  various  positions 
in  which  it  may  be  placed  with  reference  to  the 
line  of  dip,  render  them  more  susceptible  of  change 
than  others,  or  no  alteration  could  have  occurred 
in  the  direction  of  the  points  of  minimum  and 


28  DEVIATION   OF   THE    COMPASS.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.  maximum  effect,  and  the  amount  of  deviation  only 
"  would  have  been  affected  had  the  power  of  the  iron 
in  the  ship  been  uniformly  increased.  Colonel 
Sabine  ascribes  this  change  in  the  amount  of 
deviation  to  a  different,  and  perhaps  a  more  pro- 
bable, cause  ;  and  as  it  is  a  point  of  some  import- 
ance to  determine,  I  will  give  his  explanation  in 
his  own  words,  first  remarking,  however,  that  as 
the  greatest  care  had  been  taken  that  the  distri- 
bution of  iron  in  the  ship  should  be  always  the 
same,  or  as  nearly  so  as  possible,  the  deviation  of 
the  plane  of  no  effect  amounting  to  more  than  a 
point  and  a  half,  cannot  have  arisen  from  any 
slight  modifications  of  this  nature,  but  must  be 
ascribed  to  some  other  cause.  He  observes*  :  - 

"  After  the  arrival  of  the  expedition  at  Hobarton, 
and  before  it  sailed  to  the  Antarctic  Circle,  a 
similar  series  of  observations  was  made  in  the 
Erebus,  on  the  29th  of  October,  1840,  and  again 
repeated  on  her  return  to  Hobarton  the  following 
autumn,  viz.  on  the  29th  of  June,  1841.  The 
south  end  of  the  needle  being  now  the  one  which 
dipped  below  the  horizon  (the  dip  being  70*40  S.), 
the  deviation  of  the  compass  was  found  to  take 
place  in  the  contrary  direction  to  that  which  had 
been  observed  at  Gillingham,  the  disturbance  being 
towards  the  west  as  the  ship's  head  went  round 
from  north  by  east  to  south,  and  towards  the  east 
as  her  head  passed  from  south  through  w<  "> 
north. 

*  Phil.  Trans.  R.  S.  Part  II.  1843,  p.  152. 


CHAP.  I.]         DEVIATION    OF   THE    COMPASS. 


29 


"  The  line  of  no  deviation  was  not  found  to 
correspond  accurately  with  the  north  and  south 
points  of  the  compass  on  either  of  the  occasions 
at  Hobarton ;  but  in  1840  coincided  more  nearly 
with  the  north  by  west  and  south  by  east,  and  in 
1841  with  the  north  by  east  and  south  by  west. 
We  may  perhaps  ascribe  with  probability  irregu- 
larities of  this  nature  to  slight  modifications  in  the 
distribution  of  the  iron  at  different  periods,  which 
we  cannot  but  view  as  of  not  unlikely  occurrence ; 
for  example,  such  as  might  be  occasioned  by  the 
ship  being  secured  at  different  times  by  the  star- 
board or  larboard  chain  cable.  In.  looking  through 
the  observations  of  the  Erebus,  it  is  evident  that 
there  was  no  systematic  or  constant  deviation  of 
the  plane  of  the  ship's  attraction  from  that  of  her 
principal  section ;  but  that  the  points  of  no  dis- 
turbance were  sometimes  a  little  on  the  one  side, 
and  sometimes  a  little  on  the  other,  of  the  north 
and  south  points.  It  appears,  therefore,  not  im- 
proper to  class  these  irregularities  with  those  others 
of  accidental  occurrence  which  occasion  similar 
discordances  in  partial  results,  and  are  usually 
ranged  under  the  general  technical  head  of  errors 
of  observation. 

"If,  further,  we  compare  generally  the  deviations 
in  1840  with  those  of  June  1841,  the  latter  appear 
systematically  rather  the  more  considerable  in 
a  jt.  Viewed  as  a  single  fact,  this  circum- 
stance might  be  regarded  simply  as  indicating  that 
some  change  had  taken  place  in  the  interim  in  the 


30  DEVIATION   OF   THE    COMPASS.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.  arrangement  and  distribution  of  the  ship's  iron, 
and  an  easy  and  natural  explanation  might  appear 
to  be  afforded.  It  is,  however,  one  of  several  facts 
which  have  presented  themselves  in  the  course  of 
a  careful  examination  of  the  observations  of  the 
first  two  years  of  the  expedition,  which  seem  to 
point  to  the  possibility  of  a  somewhat  different 
cause ;  viz.,  that  when  a  ship  changes  her  magnetic 
latitude,  the  corresponding  change  in  the  mag- 
netism of  the  ship,  or,  more  strictly,  in  that  por- 
tion of  it  which  is  derived  from  induction,  follows, 
but  does  not  always,  or  altogether,  take  place  in- 
stantaneously. It  would  accord  with  this  suppo- 
sition, that  the  disturbance  of  the  compass  should 
be  less  in  the  Erebus  on  her  first  arrival  at  Ho- 
barton  in  1840,  than  on  her  return  there  in  1841 ; 
because  in  1840  she  had  recently  passed  through 
the  lowest  magnetic  latitudes,  and  in  1841  she 
came  immediately  from  the  highest.  The  obser- 
vations in  1840  give  a  less  value  for  a  tan  $*, 
than  those  of  1841;  and  taking  the  dip  at  Ho- 
barton  as  the  value  of  $,  to  which  the  induced 
magnetism  of  the  ship  on  both  occasions  should 
strictly  correspond,  we  should  have  a  less  value  for 
a  in  1840  than  in  1841 ;  whereas,  if  with  the  same 
dip  we  take  a  mean  between  the  disturbances  of 
the  compass  on  the  first  arrival  and  on  the  return, 
by  which  we  may  be  conceived  to  neutralise  in  a 
great  measure  the  temporary  influences  which 

*  See  Phil.  Trans.  K.  S.  p.  149. 


CHAP.  L]  DEVIATION   OF   THE    COMPASS. 

have  been  supposed,  we  find  the  value  of  a  to  be      1841. 
almost  identical  with  the  result  of  the  former  ex- 
periments at  Gillingham.     From  this  accordance 
in  the  value  of  the  constant,  in  dips  which  differ 
so  greatly  as  from  69°  N.   to  70°  S.,   we  should 
infer  the  probability  —  first,  that  the  local  attrac- 
tion of  the  Erebus  was  due  to  induced  magnetism 
alone,  the  influence  of  any  portions  of  iron,  which, 
in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term,  were  permanently 
magnetic,  being  insensible ;  and  secondly,  that  no 
material   change    affecting  the   standard  compass 
had  taken  place  in  the  distribution  of  the  iron. 
These  inferences  are  by  no  means  inconsistent  with 
the  supposition  above  suggested,  that  some  por- 
tions of  her  iron  might  be  of  a  quality  intermediate 
between  that  of  perfectly  soft  iron,  which  under- 
goes instantaneous  change,  and  that  of  iron  which 
acquires  permanent  magnetism,  and  that  such  por- 
tions should  be  liable,  in  regard  to  their  magnetic 
condition,  to  be  more  or  less  in  arrear  of  the  ship's 
magnetic  position.     I  abstain  from  entering  fur- 
ther into  this  question  at  present,  because  a  fitter 
opportunity  of  doing  so  will  be  afforded  when  the 
whole  of  the  observations  of  the  expedition  shall 
be  collected,   including   those   which   have  to  be 
made  at  Eio  de  Janeiro  on  the  return  from  the 
high  latitudes  of  the  south,  and  in  England,  after 
passing  through  the  low  magnetic  latitudes  of  the 
equatorial  region.     Should  it  prove  that  the  in- 
duced magnetism  of  a  ship  due  to  any  particular 
dip  requires  time  for  its  full  development,  more  or 


32  DEVIATION   OF   THE    COMPASS.  [CHAP.  I. 

1841.  less,  according  to  the  various  qualities  of  her  iron, 
the  corrections  to  be  applied  may  possibly  in  some 
ships  be  considerably  complicated  thereby ;  fortu- 
nately in  the  Erebus  the  difference  in  the  amount 
of  the  disturbance  on  the  two  occasions,  which 
gave  rise  to  this  discussion,  is  not  of  any  serious 
consequence ;  and  we  may  employ,  without  any 
material  inconvenience,  for  our  present  purpose, 
the  mean  of  the  two  series  as  applicable  generally 
between  their  respective  dates,  for  which  interval 
we  especially  desire  the  corrections." 

All  other  arrangements  being  completed  by  the 
evening  of  the  6th  July,  we  on  that  day  took  leave 
of  our  numerous  friends  in  the  colony;  from  whom, 
during  the  several  months  we  had  lived  amongst 
them,  we  had  received  an  uninterrupted  continuance 
of  the  greatest  possible  kindness  and  hospitality, 
and  for  many  of  whom  we  must  ever  entertain 
the  liveliest  feelings  of  gratitude  and  regard. 


Sketched  by  Dr.  Hooker. 

Seal  Hunting  on  the  Pack  Ice.    Page  162. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Departure  from  Hobarton.  —  Anchor  in  Port  Jackson.—  Term- 
day  Observations.  —  Heavy  Fall  of  Rain.  —  Appearance  and 
State  of  Sidney.  —  Paramatta  Observatory.  —  Magnetic  Ob- 
servations at  Garden  Island.  —  Sail  from  Port  Jackson.  — 

Change  of  Temperature Coast  Current.  —  Falling  Stars. 

—  Temperature  of  the  Ocean.  —  Coral  Bank.  —  Cape  Maria 
Van  Diemen.  —  Bay  of  Islands  —  Anchor  in  the  Kawa 
Kawa.  —  The  American  Corvette,  Yorktown.  —  Position  of 
Observatory. 


ii. 


33 


CHAPTER  II. 

EARLY  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  July  we  1841. 
weighed,  and  stood  down  the  river  ;  his  Excellency  July  7 
Sir  John  Franklin,  and  many  of  our  friends^  came 
on  board  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  us  fairly  off,  and 
bidding  us  a  long  farewell.  With  a  fresh  northerly 
breeze  we  had  soon  passed  the  beautiful  and  placid 
scenery  which  each  bank  of  the  river  presents  to 
view ;  and  here,  as  in  many  parts  of  the  interior,  the 
peaceful  settlements  and  improving  farms  which  are 
scattered  profusely  over  the  face  of  the  country,  in 
the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  again  recalled  to 
our  minds  some  of  the  richest  and  most  beautiful 
scenery  of  our  own  country,  and  impressed  us  with 
a  feeling,  no  doubt  greatly  influenced  by  the  hospi- 
tality and  affectionate  friendship  we  had  experienced 
from  its  inhabitants,  that  we  were  taking  a  final 
leave  of  our  southern  home,  and  perhaps  should 
never  again  meet  with  many  of  those  from  whom 
we  had  experienced  so  much  kindness.  At  10  we 
hove  to  in  Storm  Bay,  when  Sir  John  Franklin  and 
our  friends  took  leave  of  us,  giving  and  receiving 
three  hearty  cheers  at  parting.  They  returned  to 
Hobarton  in  the  government  brig,  and  we  pursued 
our  course  towards  Cape  Raoul.  In  the  afternoon 
we  passed  the  entrance  of  Port  Arthur,  one  of  the 
best  harbours  in  Van  Diemen's  Land.  It  is  situated 

VOL.  II.  D 


4  SOUNDINGS   OFF   CAPE   HOWE.  [CHAP.  II. 

184L  between  Cape  Kaoul  and  Cape  Pillar ;  and,  although 
a  dense  mist  concealed  these  two  remarkable  capes 
from  our  view,  we  occasionally  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  lofty  basaltic  columns  of  Cape  Pillar,  which  we 
passed  at  a  few  miles'  distance,  just  before  dark. 
The  wind  being  fresh  from  the  northward,  we  felt 
the  effects  of  a  heavy  irregular  sea  as  we  stood  to 
the  eastward  during  the  night,  when  we  got  from 
under  the  lee  of  the  land. 

July  8.  We  tacked  to  the  westward  before  daylight,  but 
light  variable  winds  and  a  heavy  N.E.  swell  pre- 
vented our  making  any  progress ;  so  that,  at  noon 
Cape  Pillar  was  still  in  sight,  at  a  distance  of  eleven 
or  twelve  miles,  bearing  S.  58°  W.,  our  latitude  being 
43°  5',  long.  148°  21'  E.  Thick  weather,  with  rain, 
the  usual  accompaniments  of  a  northerly  wind, 
prevailed  during  the  day  ;  but  the  swell,  as  it  sub- 
sided, became  more  regular,  and  the  wind  veered 
to  the  westward  in  the  evening.  Cape  pigeons,  blue 
petrel,  and  the  dusky  and  black-backed  albatrosses 
were  our  companions.  Many  large  patches  of  sea- 
weed were  passed  through,  and  a  few  whales  were 
seen  during  the  day. 

July  9.  The  next  morning  the  wind  became  more  fa- 
vourable, and  before  noon  we  had  all  studding- 
sails  set.  Our  run  to  Port  Jackson  was  unattended 
with  any  circumstance  worthy  of  notice.  At  day- 
July  11.  light,  on  the  morning  of  the  llth,  Cape  Howe  was 
seen  bearing  N.N.W.  ;  and  at  1  p.  M.  soundings 
were  obtained  in  two  hundred  and  ninety-two 
fathoms,  on  a  bank  of  fine  sand  and  greenish  mud, 


CHAP.  II.]         ARRIVE   AT   PORT  JACKSON-  35 

Cape  Howe  at  the  time  bearing  N.  29°  W.  distant      184L 
about  seventeen   miles :   the   temperature  at  that 
depth  being  49*7°;  that  of  the  surface  and  of  the 
air  being  59°. 

On  the  following  day,  when  in  latitude  37°  20'  S.    July  12. 
long.  15-1°  36'  E.,  we  had  no  soundings  with  five 
hundred  and  fifty  fathoms,  the  temperature  of  the 
sea  at  that  depth  being  46*2,  whilst  that  of  the  sur- 
face was  60°. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  we  were  off  the  ex-  July  u. 
tensive  and  celebrated  opening  called  Botany  Bay  by 
Captain  Cook,  and  arrived  between  the  narrow  heads 
of  Port  Jackson  at  noon.  Here  a  pilot  came  off  to 
us  ;  and,  the  wind  dying  away  to  a  perfect  calm,  we 
lowered  our  boats,  and  towed  the  ships  up  one  of  the 
most  magnificent  harbours  in  the  world.  A  boat  from 
the  shore  brought  me  a  kind  note  of  welcome  from 
His  Excellency  Sir  George  Gipps,  with  the  offer  of 
every  assistance  in  his  power  to  promote  our  objects; 
and  immediately  that  our  ships  were  anchored  be- 
tween the  government  demesne  and  Garden  Island, 
Commander  Crozier  and  I  went  on  shore  to  pay  our 
respects  to  the  governor,  from  whom  we  experienced 
the  most  cordial  reception.  I  obtained  permission 
from  him  to  put  up  our  observatories  on  Garden 
Island,  a  convenient  and  retired  place,  where  we 
could  uninterruptedly  pursue  our  work.  I  should 
have  preferred  making  our  observations  at  Fort 
Macquarie,  on  the  exact  spot  where  Lieutenant 
Wilkes  had  obtained  his,  during  the  visit  of  the 

D    2 


36  TERM-DAY   OBSERVATIONS.  [CHAP.  II. 

1841.  United  States'  exploring  expedition  in  1839*;  but 
~~  July.  at  this  time  it  was  quite  unfit  for  magnetic  obser- 
vations, from  the  number  of  iron  guns  and  piles 
of  cannon  balls  that  were  distributed  about  it,  so 
that  instruments  could  not  be  placed  on  any  part 
of  the  fortifications  without  being  subject  to  their 
vitiating  influence. 

As  my  chief  object  in  coming  here  was  to  obtain 
a  series  of  magnetometric  observations  in  com- 
parison with  those  made  at  the  observatory  at 
Hobarton,  on  the  approaching  term  day  of  the  21st, 
with  the  view  to  ascertain  how  far  simultaneous 
observations,  at  periods  previously  agreed  upon,  as 
well  as  on  days  of  considerable  perturbations, 
might  be  depended  on  for  determining  the  differ- 
ence of  longitude  between  the  two  places  of  ob- 
servation, we  were  obliged  to  work  hard  day  and 
night  to  get  the  instruments  fixed  and  adjusted 
in  good  time.  By  the  untiring  diligence  of  Com- 
mander Crozier,  however,  and  of  the  officers  of 
the  Erebus  and  Terror,  every  thing  was  in  perfect 
order  and  in  readiness  to  begin  several  hours  be- 
fore the  appointed  time,  and  a  complete  and  satis- 
factory series  of  experiments  was  made.  During 
the  day  we  were  honoured  by  a  visit  from  the 
governor,  who  inspected  the  ships  and  observatories, 
and  expressed  a  warm  interest  in  the  objects  of  our 
undertaking.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  kind  atten- 

*  A  detailed  and  highly  interesting  account  of  the  state  of 
the  colony  at  that  time  is  given  by  Lieutenant  Wilkes  in  the 
second  volume  of  the  "Narrative  of  the  United  States'  Exploring 
Expedition,"  pp.  163—274. 


CHAP.  II.]  TERM-DAY    OBSERVATIONS.  37 

tion  and  hospitality  which  were  manifested  by  His 
Excellency  and  Lady  Gipps  to  myself  and  the  July. 
officers  of  the  expedition  during  our  stay  at  Sydney ; 
and  I  have  much  pleasure  also  in  acknowledging 
the  civilities  that  were  offered  to  us  by  the  principal 
inhabitants  of  the  colony,  but  which  the  necessity  of 
unremitting  labour  at  the  observatories  obliged  us 
to  decline.  I  had  also  the  high  gratification  of 
meeting  with  some  very  old  friends  in  Captain 
Philip  Parker  King,  R.  N.,  Mr.  M'Leay,  the  late 
colonial-secretary,  and  his  son  Mr.  W.  S.  M'Leay, 
who  had  been  several  years  resident  in  the  colony, 
and  from  whom  I  learnt  many  interesting  particu- 
lars of  the  cruize  of  the  American  expedition,  which 
had  touched  here  on  its  return  from  the  Antarctic 
Regions ;  but  as  the  greatest  secrecy  had  been  pre- 
scribed to  its  commander  by  the  government,  I 
could,  at  that  time,  place  but  little  dependence  on 
what  I  heard,  but  which  has  since  turned  out  to 
be  perfectly  true  in  the  principal  particulars. 

Mr.  M'Leay's  house  being  situate  very  near  to 
our  ships,  we  had  many  opportunities  of  enjoying 
the  kind  hospitalities  he  so  liberally  and  con- 
tinually extended  to  our  officers,  and  whose  sen- 
timents towards  myself  were  those  of  almost 
paternal  regard  and  solicitude,  which  the  remem- 
brance of  having,  in  my  younger  days,  assisted  me 
in  my  scientific  pursuits,  may  probably  have  in  some 
degree  tended  to  awaken. 

In  the  beautiful  grounds,  consisting  of  above 
twenty  acres,  about  Mr.  M'Leay's  house,  and  which 

D3 


38  HEAVY   FALL   OF   RAIN.  [CHAP.  II. 

1841.  are  laid  out  with  the  greatest  taste,  Dr.  Hooker 
july  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  many  rare  and 
curious  plants,  which  had  been  collected  together 
from  various  parts  of  the  world,  and  naturalised 
by  the  care  and  skill  of  the  proprietor  and  his  sons, 
forming  a  botanic  garden  of  great  value,  and,  even 
now,  of  great  interest ;  although  at  the  most  unfa- 
vourable period  of  the  year,  being  in  the  depth  of 
winter,  and  in  the  rainy  season. 

The  quantity  of  rain  which  sometimes  falls  at 
this  place  is  truly  astonishing:  during  our  stay  of 
twenty-one  days,  it  unfortunately  happened  for 
us,  but  happily  for  the  country,  that  there  were 
only  four  days  on  which  no  rain  fell ;  and  on  two 
or  three  occasions  it  came  down  in  perfect  sheets 
of  water,  so  that,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  16th, 
during  two  hours  and  a  half,  more  than  three 
inches  of  rain  fell  into  the  rain  gauge  at  Garden 
Island :  and  again  on  the  1 7th,  between  7  A.M. 
and  noon,  nearly  five  inches  were  recorded.  On 
mentioning  these  facts  to  Sir  George  Gipps,  he 
told  me  that  on  one  occasion  twenty-three  inches 
fell  in  the  course  of  twenty -four  hours,  as  measured 
by  a  rain  gauge  on  the  South  Head,  an  amount  far 
exceeding  any  thing  I  had  ever  before  heard  of,  and 
equal  to  the  quantity  that  falls  during  a  whole  year 
in  some  parts  of  Great  Britain.  It  produced  great 
destruction  of  property  in  its  course  to  the  ocean ; 
and  there  are  everywhere  to  be  seen  numerous 
evidences  of  these  periodical  deluges  in  the  deeply- 
worn  watercourses,  in  the  soft  sandstone  of  which 
the  country  is  chiefly  composed.  I  have  since  been 


CHAP.  II.]  HEAVY   FALL   OF   RAIN.  39 

referred  to  an  account  of  a  fall  of  rain  which  greatly  1841- 
exceeds  that  which  was  recorded  at  South  Head,  juiy. 
or  I  should  have  had  some  difficulty  in  believing 
that  some  mistake  had  not  been  made  in  the  re- 
gister. It  is  stated  by  M.  Arago*,  that  at  Joyeuse, 
in  the  department  of  Ardeche,  according  to  the 
register  of  M.  Tardy  de  la  Brossy,  the  maximum 
of  rain  in  a  single  day,  in  the  course  of  twenty- 
three  years,  was  found  to  have  occurred  on  the  9th 
August,  1807,  and  amounted  to  what  then  appeared 
the  enormous  quantity  of  9*87  in. :  but,  on  the 
9th  Oct.,  1827,  in  the  space  of  twenty- two  hours 
only,  there  descended  at  the  same  place  31*17 
inches  of  rain.f 

The  greatest  quantity  which  fell  into  our  rain 
gauge  in  twenty-four  hours  was  8*52  inches  be- 
tween noon  of  the  16th  and  noon  of  the  17th  of 
July  ;  during  the  whole  of  which  period  the  wind 
was  light  from  the  SS.W.,  and  the  mercury  in  the 
barometer  so  high  as  30*38  inches :  it  fell  to  30 
inches  when  the  rain  ceased  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  17th. 

But  far  more  serious  drawbacks  to  the  prosperity 
of  the  colony  are  the  occasional  withering  droughts, 
which  destroy  the  vegetation  in  a  most  awful 

*  Annales  de  Chimie,  tome  xxxvi. 

•f  Those  who  witnessed  the  heavy  fall  of  rain  and  its  destruc- 
tive effects,  which  occurred  between  3h  30m  and  6h  30m  P.M.,  on 
the  1st  August,  1846,  in  London  ;  during  which  above  four 
inches  of  rain  fell,  may  form  some  idea  of  the  quantity  here 
mentioned  ;  but  who  can  conceive  the  terrible  consequences  that 
would  have  resulted  had  it  continued  without  intermission 
twenty-four  hours  ? 


40  APPEARANCE   OF   THE    COLONY.         [CHAP.  II. 

1841.  manner.  Not  more  than  three  or  four  years  before 
July<  our  visit,  the  colonists  suffered  severely  from  one  of 
those  visitations,  and  afaniine  of  bread,  andstillmore 
a  scarcity  of  water,  were  dreaded.  The  four  pound 
loaf  was  sold  for  two  shillings  and  eightpence,  and 
the  Commanding  officer  of  Engineers  reported  that 
there  was  not  at  one  time  in  reality  a  larger  quan- 
tity of  water  in  the  reservoir  than  was  sufficient 
for  seven  days'  consumption.  The  extreme  sandi- 
ness  of  the  soil,  and  total  absence  of  springs  are 
great  disadvantages ;  but  the  measures  which  Sir 
George  Gipps  has  adopted,  of  damming  up  the 
small  watercourses  when  filled  by  the  winter  floods, 
will  provide  a  supply  for  the  whole  summer  season, 
and  prevent  the  recurrence  of  so  much  distress  ii> 
future.  He  told  me,  that,  during  the  drought  oi 
1838,  a  gentleman  from  the  interior  rode  his  horse 
forty  miles  without  being  able  to  give  him  a  drink, 
and  had  eventually  to  pay  half-a-crown,  at  an  inn 
on  the  road,  for  less  than  a  quart  of  water. 

I  regretted  extremely  that  it  was  not  in  my 
power  to  see  more  of  the  present  condition  and 
resources  of  the  colony :  the  constant  attendance 
at  the  observatory,  and  the  unfavourable  weather, 
prevented  my  making  any  excursions  into  the 
country,  or  indeed  seeing  either  the  town  or 
public  buildings  to  advantage. 

The  first  appearance  of  the  colony  impresses  the 
mind  with  wonder  and  admiration ;  and  it  seems 
hardly  possible  to  imagine  that  little  more  than 
fifty  years  have  elapsed  since  a  "  howling  wilder- 


CHAP.IL]  STATE    OF   THE    COLONY.  41 

ness"  occupied  the  place  on  which  this  great  me-  1841. 
tropolis  of  a  future  empire  now  stands.  Its  Julj 
magnificent  harbour,  or  rather  series  of  harbours, 
so  beautiful  to  the  eye  of  the  painter,  so  perfect  to 
that  of  a  sailor,  —  so  easy  of  access  and  egress, 
and  so  perfectly  capable  of  containing  and  protect- 
ing, by  the  erection  of  judiciously  placed  fortifica- 
tions, any  number  of  shipping,  are  advantages 
that  more  than  compensate  the  natural  defects  of  a 
barrenness  of  soil,  and  proportional  deficiency  of 
luxuriance  in  the  vegetation  of  its  immediate 
vicinity ;  whilst  the  princely  mansions  of  the 
country  gentlemen,  which  have  been  built  on  each 
side  of  the  harbour,  give  evidence  of  the  wealth 
and  industry  of  the  colonists.  Just  at  the  period 
of  our  visit,  the  colony  was  suffering  under  a 
severe  commercial  pressure,  brought  on  by  over- 
trading, and  the  want  of  labourers.  Until  very 
lately,  the  settlers  had  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  convict 
labour,  but,  since  they  had  obtained  their  prayer  to 
the  Home  Government  that  no  more  convicts  should 
be  sent  into  the  colony,  they  have  been  obliged 
to  pay  their  common  labourers  about  thirty  pounds 
a-year,  in  addition  to  very  expensive  rations.  Ac- 
counts recently  received,  however,  announce  the 
gratifying  intelligence  that  they  have  nearly  re- 
covered the  shock,  and  that  their  commercial 
transactions  are  now  proceeding  more  prosperously 
and  on  a  more  solid  foundation.  The  monetary 
distress  and  confusion  which  had  been  produced 
by  excessive  speculation,  and  which  had  borne 


42  LEGISLATIVE    COUNCIL.  [CHAP.  II. 

184L  heavily  even  on  some  of  the  more  wealthy  indi- 
Juij.  viduals,  have  been  overcome  by  economy,  industry, 
and  perseverance  in  developing  the  resources  of 
the  country ;  and  the  great  difficulties  and  embar- 
rassments of  that  time  have  been  succeeded  by 
years  of  general  prosperity  and  comparative  abund- 
ance. Since  then,  also,  to  the  Legislative  Council 
of  New  South  Wales  has  been  added  a  third  class 
of  persons,  in  the  representatives  of  the  people ; 
a  measure  of  very  doubtful  benefit  to  the  colony, 
and  considered  by  many  to  be  the  first  great  step 
towards  its  separation  from  the  mother  country. 
It  now  consists  of  three  classes, — first,  the  official 
servants  of  her  Majesty ;  2nd.,  Gentlemen  of  in- 
dependence, nominated  by  the  Crown ;  and,  3rd., 
Representatives  elected  by  the  people.  Three 
years  only  have  yet  elapsed  since  the  first  meeting 
of  the  Legislative  Council*  as  enlarged  by  act  of 
Parliament,  for  the  government  of  the  colony,  and 
the  admitted  general  success  of  the  experiment 
cannot  but  be  in  a  great  measure  ascribed  to 
the  commanding  influence  and  abilities  of  the 
present  Governor,  Sir  George  Gipps,  and  to  the 
firmness,  acknowledged  talents,  and  universal  love 
and  respect  entertained  by  all  classes  towards 
Mr.  M'Leay,  the  venerated  Speaker  of  the  Assem- 
bly ;  and  we  may  hope  that  under  such  guidance 
and  example,  now  that  this  mode  of  government 
may  be  considered  as  established,  the  people  will 
show  themselves  fit  for,  and  worthy  of,  the  trust 

*  It  was  opened  on  the  3rd  of  August,  1843. 


CnAP.II.]  EELIGIOUS    STRIFE.  43 

which  has  been  confided  to  them,  and  will  select      1841. 
as  their  representatives  those  only  who  will  devote      jui7> 
themselves  to  the  duties  required   of  them,  and 
direct  the  best  energies  of  their  minds  to  elevating 
the  commercial,  social,  and  moral  condition  of  the 
colony. 

It  is,  however,  the  religious  condition  of  the  co- 
lonists which  demands  the  most  anxious  attention  of 
the  government.  With  three  acknowledged  or  esta- 
blished religions  whose  ministers  are  paid  from  the 
public  purse,  it  requires  a  more  than  ordinary  de- 
gree of  prudence  and  wisdom  in  administering  to 
each  of  the  three  sects — Romanists,  Presbyterians, 
and  Episcopalians — the  monies  in  due  proportions  ; 
and  the  great  want  of  church  accommodation  for 
all  classes,  and  of  ordained  pastors  of  the  Church 
of  England  in  particular,  is  the  cause  of  thou- 
sands falling  away  into  a  most  shocking  state  of 
irreligion  and  infidelity ;  and,  unless  liberal  and 
efficient  measures  be  adopted  by  both  the  Home 
and  Colonial  governments  to  extend  the  means  of 
education  and  religious  instruction,  the  conse- 
quences cannot  fail  to  be  most  calamitous. 

Here,  as  at  Yan  Diemen's  Land,  the  Governor, 
being  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  is 
complained  of  by  those  of  that  communion  with 
being  often  obliged  to  give  a  more  favourable 
decision  to  either  of  the  other  sects,  in  order  to 
prevent  the  suspicion  of  an  undue  bias  towards 
his  own  church ;  and  the  religious  feuds  are  often 
carried  so  high  between  the  Presbyterians  and 


44  PARAMATTA   OBSERVATORY.  [CHAP.  II. 

1841.  Episcopalians,  that  each  party  seems  to  do  its 
jui7.  utmost  to  prevent  any  advantage  accruing  to  the 
other  :  thus  every  step  towards  improvement  and 
extension  of  the  one  sect  is  strongly  and  bitterly 
resisted  by  its  opponent,  and  these  feelings  of  reli- 
gious jealousy  or  rivalry  have  been  sufficiently 
powerful  to  induce  even  good  and  pious  men  of 
various  denominations  of  the  Christian  Church  to 
oppose  and  withstand,  and  eventually  frustrate, 
the  endeavours  of  the  benevolent  and  virtuous  to 
supply  sound  religious  instruction  to  many  thous- 
ands of  souls,  because  the  good  of  the  Church  of 
England  might  be  advanced  by  the  measure.  May 
we  not  hope  that  a  period  of  calm  reflection  will 
eradicate  these  petty  but  pernicious  feelings  of 
rivalry,  which  tend  only  to  retard  and  place  a 
stumbling  block  in  the  way  of  those  who  are 
struggling  forward  in  their  Christian  course  ? 

The  only  excursion  into  the  country  which  my 
engrossing  duties  admitted  was  a  day's  trip  up  the 
river  to  Paramatta,  a  distance  of  about  fifteen 
miles.  The  Governor's  official  duties  requiring  his 
presence  there,  and  being  desirous  to  show  me  a 
little  of  the  country,  he  kindly  offered  ine  a  seat  in 
his  barge,  which  I  gladly  accepted,  especially  as  I 
was  very  anxious  to  obtain  a  good  comparison  of 
our  chronometers  with  the  time  of  the  observatory 
at  Paramatta,  whose  longitude  had  been  so  well 
determined  by  Sir  Thomas  Brisbane,  when  he  first 
established  the  observatory  at  his  own  expense ;  and 
also  to  make  arrangements  for  measuring  the  dif- 


CHAP.  II.]  PAEAMATTA   OBSERVATORY. 


45 


ference  of  meridians  between  it  and  Garden  Island, 
by  means  of  rockets,  and  thereby  secure  an  accurate      July, 
determination  of  the  longitude  of  the  latter  place, 
for  the  convenience   of  merchant   vessels   sailing 
from  the  port.     Although  in  the  depth  of  winter,  I 
was   much    struck   with  the  richness  and  varied 
beauty  of  the  scenery  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 
Landing  at  a  wharf  a  short  distance  below  the 
town,  I  walked  directly  up  to  the  observatory,  and 
was  engaged   there  with  Mr.  Dunlop,  whilst  the 
Governor  transacted  the  business  which  had  called 
him  to  Paramatta,  during  which  time  we  were  for- 
tunate in  obtaining  several  good  transits  of  stars ; 
and   having   agreed  upon  a  plan  of  co-operation 
with  Mr.  Dunlop,  about  the  rocket  experiments,  and 
after  partaking  of  some  refreshment  prepared  for 
us  at  government-house,  I  returned  to  Sydney  with 
His  Excellency  in  his  carriage ;  the  drive  was  far 
less  agreeable  and  interesting  than  the  row  up  the 
river,  especially  on  account  of  the  heavy  rains  that 
had  lately  fallen,  having  rendered  the  roads  in  some 
places  almost  impassable  for  carriages,  except  by 
the  powerful  aid  of  four  good  horses.     The  roads 
generally  in  the  colony  are  much  inferior  to  those 
of  Van  Diemen's  Land,  owing  chiefly  to  the  want 
of  proper  materials,  which  they  have  to  bring  from 
a  considerable  distance,   and  at  a  very  great  ex- 
pense.    The  principal  roads  were,  however,  under- 
going very  extensive  repairs  at  this  time,  which 
contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  their  present  bad 
condition. 


46  MAGNETIC   OBSERVATIONS  [CHAP.  II. 

The  following  evening  being  favourable  for  our 
projected  experiments,  Mr.  Smith  was  despatched 
to  an  intermediate  station,  called  Bedlam,  to  set-off 
some  rockets,  as  we  considered  it  probable  that  we 
should  see  them  more  distinctly  than  if  sent  up  at 
either  of  the  extreme  stations.  The  instant  of  each 
rocket's  explosion  was  noted  at  both  places,  and, 
after  several  nights'  observations,  the  results  were 
brought  into  comparison,  and  found  to  differ  only 
in  tenths  of  a  second;  twenty-five  were  judged 
sufficient  for  the  accurate  determination.  The  mean 
difference  of  time  obtained  amounted  to  5 5s* 8 5, 
and,  taking  the  longitude  of  the  observatory  at 
Paramatta  at  10h  4m  63'25,  as  given  in  the  Third 
Part  of  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  1829, 
p.  16-29.,  would  give  for  the  longitude  of  the  place 
of  observation  at  Garden  Island  151°  15'  31"'5  E. ; 
and  again  applying  the  meridian  distance  between 
this  place  and  the  Ross  Bank  observatory,  as  given 
by  the  means  of  our  chronometers,  we  find  the 
longitude  of  the  latter  place  from  these  data  to  be 
147°  23'  40"-7  E. 

We  found  after  a  few  trials  that  the  rockets  sent 
up  at  Garden  Island  could  be  seen  perfectly  well 
from  the  Paramatta  observatory,  which  rendered 
the  night  excursions  to  Bedlam  unnecessary. 

Although  the  general  magnetometrical  observa- 
tions were  complete  by  the  28th  July,  the  weather 
was  so  unfavourable  that  the  absolute  determina- 
tions could  not  be  obtained  until  the  2d  of  August, 
which  day  was  also  devoted  to  making  such  com- 


CHAP.  II.]  AT   GARDEN   ISLAND.  47 

putations  as  were  necessary;  and  before  night  ab-  1841. 
stracts  of  all  the  observations  that  had  been  made  at 
Garden  Island  by  the  officers  of  the  expedition  were 
packed  up  and  sent  on  board  the  Ruby,  of  London, 
for  conveyance  to  England ;  by  which  vessel  I  also 
transmitted  to  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Ad- 
miralty a  statement  of  the  operations  of  the  ex- 
pedition up  to  the  present  time.  The  Ruby  sailed 
the  next  morning ;  but  we  remained  until  the  fol- 
lowing day  to  finish  our  arrangements,  take  down 
and  stow  away  the  observatories,  and  make  other 
necessary  preparations  for  our  departure. 

The  mean  variation  of  the  compass  observed  on 
Garden  Island,  between  the  21st  and  28th  of  July, 
was  9°  57'  19"  E.,  and  the  mean  dip  60°  50'  5"  S. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  Commander  Cro- 
zier  and  I  went  to  government-house,  to  take  leave 
of  Sir  George  and  Lady  Gipps,  from  whom  we  had 
experienced  during  our  stay  the  greatest  kind- 
ness and  warmest  hospitality,  especially  evinced 
by  their  leaving  us  perfectly  at  liberty  to  ac- 
cept or  decline  their  almost  daily  invitations, 
but  always  receiving  us  with  a  most  cordial 
welcome  whenever  our  duties  admitted  of  our 
appearing  at  their  hospitable  mansion.  And  our 
expedition  is  indebted  to  the  Governor,  not  only 
for  every  assistance  that  we  required,  but  for  the 
readiness  he  uniformly  manifested  in  facilitating 
our  pursuits. 

AVe  also  took  leave  of  our  warm-hearted  friends 


48  SAIL   FROM  PORT   JACKSON.  [CHAP.  II. 

1841.      of  the  M'Leay  family,  and  of  several  of  the  gentle- 
August,    men  of  the  Australian  Club,  who  had  done  us  the 
honour  to  invite  all  the  principal  officers  of  the 
expedition  to  a  grand  public  dinner. 

We  dined,  and  spent  our  last  evening  at  Sydney, 
with  the  Governor  and  a  number  of  friends  he  had 
invited  to  meet  us  ;  and,  on  our  return  on  board 
at  night,  we  found  the  ships  had  been  unmoored 
in  the  afternoon,  and  were  in  every  respect  ready 
to  sail  at  daylight  in  the  morning,  if  the  light 
westerly  wind  which  was  then  blowing  should 
continue  favourable. 

Late  at  night  Commander  T.  R.  Sulivan  arrived 
in  a  merchant  vessel  from  the  East  Indies,  he  having 
been  appointed  by  the  Commander-in- Chief  to  fill 
the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the  melancholy  death  of 
Commander  Croker,  of  H.  M.  S.  Favourite  ;  and 
as  we  had  every  reason  to  believe  that  vessel  to  be 
in  some  of  the  ports  of  New  Zealand,  his  oppor- 
tune arrival  gave  me  the  pleasure  of  Commander 
Sulivan's  company  to  the  Bay  of  Islands,  where 
I  expected  we  should  meet  the  Favourite. 
August  5.  A  perfect  calm  in  the  morning,  and  the  flowing 
tide,  prevented  our  sailing  so  early  as  I  wished ; 
but  a  westerly  wind  springing  up  on  the  turn  of 
tide  at  11  A.M.,  we  weighed^  and  made  sail  out  of 
the  harbour.  At  noon  we  were  at  sea,  running 
with  all  sail  before  a  favourable  and  freshening 
breeze.  At  4  P.M.,  the  light-house  on  the  South 
Head  bore  E.  by  S«,  distant  20  miles,  from  which 
we  took  our  departure,  and  shaped  our  course  for 


CHAP.  II.]  CHANGE    OF    TEMPERATURE.  49 

the  north  end  of  New  Zealand,  distant  rather  more      is-n. 
than  a  thousand  miles. 

We  were  much  surprised  to  find  the  temperature 
both  of  the  air  and  of  the  sea  rise  very  considerably 
on  leaving  the  harbour :  the  air  from  55°  to  60°; 
the  surface  of  the  sea  from  55°  to  63°  immediately 
outside  the  Heads,  which  latter  temperature  con- 
tinued without  variation  as  we  increased  our  dis- 
tance from  the  land,  that  of  the  air  again  falling 
as  the  night  advanced. 

We  observed  some  vivid  lightning  in  the  S.E., 
and  apprehended  a  change  of  wind,  but  in  this 
we  were  fortunately  mistaken,  the  strong  westerly 
breeze  prevailing,  and  carrying  us  rapidly  forward 
on  our  course,  so  that  by  noon  the  next  day  we 
had  run  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles, 
and  were,  by  observation,  in  lat.  33Q  52'  S.,  long.  August  c. 
154°  8'  E.,  dip  62°-41,  var.  9°  42'  E. ;  by  which  also 
we  found  that  we  had  been  carried  by  a  current 
twenty-nine  miles  to  the  south,  which  may  in  some 
measure  account  for  the  increased  temperature  of 
the  sea  above  mentioned.  At  night,  the  Terror 
falling  far  astern,  rendered  a  reduction  of  sail 
necessary,  to  our  great  mortification,  as  we  had 
been  struggling  hard  the  whole  day  to  keep  a-head 
of  a  merchant  ship  which  sailed  some  hours  after 
us  from  Sydney,  and  which  we  now  observed  going 
fast  past  us,  under  comparatively  easy  sail;  but 
our  vessels  were  very  deeply  laden,  considerably 
below  their  bearings,  having  completed  to  three 
years'  provisions,  stores,  and  fuel,  at  Sydney;  so 

VOL.  II.  E 


50  CURRENT   ALONG   THE   COAST.  [CHAP.  IT. 

1841.  that,  although  carrying  a  heavy  press  of  sail,  we 
could  not  get  them  to  go  more  than  eight  knots. 
We  saw  no  birds  during  the  day,  a  circumstance 
to  us  of  unusual  occurrence,  but  which  reminded 
us  of  the  low  latitude  in  which  we  were  sailing. 
Towards  evening,  the  wind  veered  to  the  north- 
ward, and  throughout  the  day  we  had  several 
heavy  showers  of  rain. 

During  the  night  we  were  obliged  to  reduce  our 
sail  to  topsails  and  foresail,  to  enable  the  Terror 
to  close,  which  she  had  hardly  accomplished  by 
day-light,  when  all  sail  was  again  made,  the  wind 
Aug.  7.  having  backed  from  the  N.W.  to  the  S.W.  At 
noon,  we  had  run  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles 
during  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  and  had  been 
carried  ten  miles  to  the  southward  by  the  current. 
The  change  of  wind  had  produced  an  awkward 
cross  sea,  which,  together  with  frequent  sharp 
squalls,  occasioned  us  the  loss  of  a  few  studding- 
sail  booms;  but  this  was  of  no  consequence,  as 
we  were  going  to  a  country  where  the  finest 
spars  in  the  world  for  the  purpose  could  be  ob- 
tained without  trouble  or  expense;  but  we  were 
much  surprised  to  experience  such  heavy  squalls 
at  so  great  a  distance  from  any  land. 

Aug.  s.  At  noon  we  were  in  lat.  33°  27'  S.,  and  long. 
160°  43'  E.,  having  run  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty-three  miles.  We  found  the  current  to- 
day had  carried  us  ten  miles  to  the  northward,  so 
that  it  would  appear  that  the  breadth  of  the  belt  of 
warm  water  which  runs  along  the  eastern  coast  of 


CHAP.  IT.]  FALLING    STARS.  51 

New  South  Wales  to  the  southward,  at  the  rate  of  1841. 
about  twenty  miles  a-day,  whose  influence  we  had 
felt  for  the  two  previous  days,  does  not  much 
exceed  three  hundred  miles.  The  temperature  of 
the  surface  had  sensibly  changed  since  noon  yester- 
day, from  64°  to  61°;  that  of  the  air  remaining 
steady  at  59°.  The  Cape  pigeon  and  sooty  alba- 
tross were  again  seen  this  afternoon,  as  also 
were  several  flocks  of  flying  fish — one  of  these 
creatures  flew  on  board.  In  the  evening,  and 
throughout  the  night,  observers  were  placed  in 
different  parts  of  the  ship,  to  watch  for  the  oc- 
currence of  falling  stars,  which  might  be  expected 
to  take  place  about  the  middle  of  this  month.  As 
the  thorough  accomplishment  of  this  object  re- 
quired the  aid  of  more  observers  than  we  could 
muster  amongst  the  officers,  even  with  the  assist- 
ance of  the  civilians,  who  were  ever  ready  to  help 
on  these  occasions,  it  was  necessary  to  train  some 
of  the  more  intelligent  and  careful  of  the  sea- 
men of  each  watch  to  this  duty ;  and  their  report 
of  the  number  seen  in  the  division  of  the  heavens 
to  which  their  attention  was  directed  was  made  to 
the  officer  of  the  watch  at  the  end  of  every  half-hour. 
One  of  the  more  zealous  of  these  observers,  who  had 
not  been  so  fortunate  as  to  see  any  "  falling  stars  " 
during  his  first  half-hour,  did  not  wish  to  leave 
his  post  when  relieved,  "as  he  was  sure  two  or 
three  would  fall  in  a  few  minutes;  he  had  been 
watching  them,  and  could  see  they  were  shaking ! " 

At  1  P.M.,  in  lat.   33°  40',  long. %  164°  18',  we    Aug.  9. 

E   2 


52  BRIGHT   METEOR,  [CHAP.  II 

1841.  tried  the  temperature  of  the  sea:  at  three  hundred 
fathoms  it  was  49°' 7 ;  at  one  hundred  and  fifty 
fathoms  55°'8,  and  at  the  surface  59°,  the  specific 
gravity  being  1-0274  at  60°. 

Au  g.  9.  Three  sperm  whales  were  seen,  also  a  few  flying- 
fish,  sooty  albatross,  and  cape  pigeons.  At  8 '20 
P.M.,  "a  bright  meteor  was  observed  to  burst  in 
the  S.W.,  at  an  altitude  of  20°,  exhibiting  a 
shower  of  beautifully  variegated  stars."  It  was 
also  noticed  on  board  the  Terror,  and  is  more  cir- 
cumstantially described  in  her  log-book: — "At 
8 '20,  observed  a  brilliant  meteor  emerge  from  a 
dark  cloud  near  the  southern  cross,  at  an  altitude 
of  10°  ;  it  rose  to  the  altitude  of  about  25°,  and  in 
descent  showed  five  bright  lights."  Fifteen  falling 
stars  were  seen  between  10  and  11  P.M.,  at  which 
time  about  one  half  of  the  hemisphere  was  ob- 
scured by  clouds. 

Aug.  10.  The  wind  had  gradually  declined  during  the 
morning  until  9  o'clock,  when,  being  very  nearly 
calm,  I  took  the  only  opportunity  we  yet  had  of  try- 
ing the  new  self-registering  thermometers  that  had 
been  made  at  my  request  to  stand  a  much  greater 
pressure  than  those  we  had  been  at  first  supplied 
with,  and  which  could  never  be  safely  sent  to  a 
greater  depth  than  five  hundred  fathoms.  We  hove 
to  at  9h.  20m.  in  lat.  33°  41'  S.,  long.  166°  23'  E., 
and  tried  for  soundings  with  820  fathoms,  but  with- 
out striking  the  ground.  The  temperature  of  the  sea 
at  750  fathoms  was  40°'4  ;  at  600  fathoms,  42°-7  ; 
at  450  fathoms,  45°*6  ;  at  300  fathoms,  49°'5 ;  at 


CHAP.  II.]    TEMPERATUKE  OF  THE  OCEAN. 


53 


150  fathoms,  53°-6;  at  100  fathoms,  56°'7 ;  at 
50  fathoms,  57°-6  ;  at  2  fathoms,  58°'7  ;  and  at  the 
surface,  59°*7  :  the  new  thermometers  agreeing  very 
satisfactorily  in  their  indications  with  those  we  had 
formerly  used,  when  sent  down  together  to  several 
depths  less  than  600  fathoms.  From  these  experi- 
ments it  would  appear  that  the  mean  temperature 
of  the  ocean  was  not  attained  ;  and  for  this  pur- 
pose it  would  be  necessary  to  descend  below  800 
fathoms  in  this  latitude.  The  temperatures  ob- 
tained at  the  several  different  depths  were  in  each 
case  about  a  degree  higher  than  those  taken  in  the 
same  parallel  in  the  Atlantic,  and  differing  to  very 
nearly  the  same  amount  from  some  obtained  by 
Sir  Edward  Belcher  in  32°  46'  N.  latitude,  and 
152°  W.  longitude,  and  of  which  he  kindly  fur- 
nished me  an  account,  when  I  met  him  at  the  Cape, 
in  April,  1843.  The  following  table  will  show  the 
comparison  at  these  three  widely  different  positions. 


1841. 


Aug.  10th,  1841. 
Lat.  33°  41/  S. 
Long.  166°  23'  E. 

Mar.  1st,  1840. 
Lat.  33°  23'  S. 
Long.  7°  41'  E. 

Sir  E.  Belcher's 
Experiment. 
Lat.  32°  46'  N. 
Lon.  165°  53'  W. 

Mean  of  all. 
Lat.  33°  27' 

Fath.          0     , 

o     / 

0        / 

o      / 

7£A           AC\    A 

A()    A 

600  —  42  7 

41  7 

43  3 

42  6 

450  —  45  6 

43  0 

43  2 

43  9 

300  —  49  5 

47  4 

48  1 

48  3 

150  —  53  6 

53  2 

52  7 

53  2 

100  —  56  7 

56  0 

55  7 

55  8 

We  were  at  the  time  of  these  experiments  about    Aug.  10. 
two  hundred  and  seventy  miles  from  the  islands 
called  the  Three  Kings,  off  the  north  end  of  New 


E     3 


54  COKAL   BANK.  [CHAP.  II. 

184L  Zealand,  which  was  the  nearest  land,  and  at  so 
great  a  distance  could  hardly  be  supposed  to  have 
exercised  any  influence  on  the  temperature  of  the 
sea. 

In  the  afternoon  we  had  light,  variable  winds 
from  the  S.  E.,  accompanied  by  sharp  squalls  and 
showers  of  rain  :  many  different  kinds  of  marine 
animals  were  taken  in  the  net,  which  the  light 
breeze  admitted  of  our  towing  astern,  and  it  was 
interesting  to  recognize  amongst  them  several  of 
the  same  species  with  those  we  had  taken  in  the 
tropical  regions  of  the  Atlantic.  A  large  shoal  of 
porpoises,  and  some  immature  albatross,  were  also 
seen. 

Aug.  11.  At  10  A.M.  we  struck  soundings  in  four  hundred 
fathoms,  on  a  bank  of  sand  and  small  black  stones ; 
the  dredge  was  put  overboard,  and  after  dragging 
along  the  ground  about  half  an  hour  it  was  found 
to  contain  some  beautiful  specimens  of  coral,  coral- 
lines, fiustrse,  and  a  few  crustaceous  animals.  The 
freshening  breeze  prevented  our  obtaining  a  larger 
number  of  specimens.  The  position  of  this  bank  is 
in  lat.  33°  32'  S.  long.  167°  40'  E.,  and  about  two 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  N.  80°  W.  from  the  Three 
Kings.  The  discovery  of  a  coral  bank  rising  from 
so  great  a  depth  towards  the  surface  of  the  ocean, 
and  probably  in  future  ages  to  form  an  island 
between  New  South  Wales  and  New  Zealand,  is  a 
remarkable  circumstance ;  and  a  careful  determina- 
tion of  its  exact  size  and  the  smallest  depth  of  water 
over  any  part  of  it,  by  which  means  its  annual 


CHAP.  II.]  CORAL   BANK.  55 

growth  might  be  hereafter  ascertained,  would  have  1841. 
been  desirable;  but  our  present  object  did  not  ^u(rustll 
admit  of  our  bestowing  so  much  time  on  the  in- 
vestigation as  it  would  have  required.  The 
temperature  of  the  sea  at  different  depths  over 
this  bank  were  as  follows:  at  four  hundred  fa- 
thoms, 45° * 3  ;  at  three  hundred  fathoms,  48°  *1 ; 
at  two  hundred  fathoms,  51°;  and  at  one  hundred 
and  fifty  fathoms,  53° ;  which,  when  compared 
with  those  at  corresponding  depths  obtained  in  the 
deeper  sea  yesterday,  would  seem  to  bear  out  the 
following  remark  extracted  from  the  instructions 
prepared  for  me  by  the  Meteorological  Committee 
of  the  Royal  Society.* 

"  As  no  sea  can  be  supposed  absolutely  motion- 
less, the  presence  of  a  shoal,  by  casting  up  to  the 
surface  water  which,  but  for  it,  would  have  con- 
tinued to  sweep  along  at  a  greatly  lower  level  with 
the  general  body  of  the  current,  must  bring  the 
temperature  of  the  surface  water  into  nearer  cor- 
respondence with  that  below.  In  low  latitudes 
the  surface  water  is  hotter  than  that  below;  and 
accordingly  it  is  a  general  remark,  that  the  temper- 
ature sinks  as  the  water  shoals,  or  even  in  passing 
over  banks  whose  depth  is  very  considerable.  If  this 
theory  of  the  phenomenon  be  correct,  the  contrary 
ought  to  be  observed  in  situations  where  the  sur- 
face water  is  colder  than  that  below,  as  it  is  known 
to  be,  under  particular  circumstances,  in  the  polar 
seas."  The  subject  is  one  of  considerable  interest 

*  Page  50. 

E    4 


56  ISLAND   OF   THREE   KINGS.  [CHAP.  II. 

184L  to  the  navigator,  as  the  approach  to  land  or  shoal 
August,  water  is  indicated  by  the  thermometer,  in  many 
places,  with  a  high  degree  of  sensibility.  A  remark- 
able instance  of  this  kind  occurs  off  the  west  coast 
of  Africa,  of  which  an  account  is  given  in  the  first 
volume  of  this  narrative.* 

Stormy  weather  during  the  three  following  days 
prevented  our  trying  for  soundings  to  a  greater 
depth   than  four   hundred  fathoms,  at  which  we 
.did  not  reach  the   bottom.      The   appearance  of 
solan  geese,  numerous  patches  of  seaweed,  and  a 
remarkable  degree  of  phosphorescence  of  the  water, 
indicated  our  approach  to  land.     It  was  seen  at 
9  A.M.  of  the  15th,  bearing  S.  E.     At  noon,  in  lat. 
34°  S.  and  long.  172°  E.,  we  had  no  soundings  with 
three  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms  ;  the  Three  Kings 
bearing  from  S.  50°  E.  to  S.  8°  E.,  distant  between 
seven  and  eight  leagues.     The  wind  being  fresh 
from  the  N.  E.,  with  a  heavy  sea  running,  we  stood 
towards  the  islands  on  the  port  tack,  but  should 
not  have  weathered  them,  had  we  not  been  assisted 
by  a  strong  tide  to  windward ;  between  the  prin- 
cipal of  the  three  islands  and  the  small  islet  at  the 
N.  E.  extreme,  we  observed  a  reef  of  rocks  just 
above  water,  over  which  the  waves  were  breaking 
furiously.     We  could  not  discern  any  bay  or  har- 
bour on  the  north  side  of  the  island,  which  Tasman 
named  the  island  of  the  Three  Kings,  in  allusion 
to  the  day  (Epiphany)  on  which  he  is  said  to  have 
^cast   anchor  off  it.     From   our  ships  it  had  the 

*  Page  34. 


CHAP.  II.]  CAPE   MARIA   VAN   DIEMEN.  57 

appearance  of  a  wild  unprotected  rocky  shore,  but      1841- 
the  soundings  were  such  as  to  leave  no  doubt  upon 
our  minds  that  he  might  have  anchored  under  the 
lee  of  the  island  in  perfect  safety. 

Having  weathered  the  small  north-eastern  islet, 
and  finding  the  soundings  regularly  diminish  from 
sixty-five  fathoms,  on  fine  gray  sand  and  broken 
shells,  at  6  P.M.,  to  thirty-five  fathoms  at  9  P.M.,  we 
stood  towards  the  main  land  until  that  time,  when 
we  tacked  off  to  the  eastward  during  the  darkness 
of  night ;  the  only  land  in  sight  being  the  high  bold 
Cape  Maria  Yan  Diemen,  of  romantic  association. 

It  was  so  designated  by  Tasman  nearly  two  hun- 
dred years  ago,  after  a  young  lady  of  that  name, 
to  whom  he  was  attached,  and  whom  he  afterwards 
married ;  she  was  the  daughter,  or  near  relation, 
of  Anthony  Van  Diemen,  the  governor  of  the 
Dutch  possessions  in  India,  a  great  friend  of  Tas- 
man, and  by  whom  the  expedition  he  commanded 
was  sent  forth,  having  been  fitted  out  under  his 
immediate  superintendence  at  Batavia. 

This  great  navigator  was,  therefore,  the  dis- 
coverer of  the  North  Island  of  New  Zealand  as 
well  as  of  Van  Diemen's  Land.  The  recent  altera- 
tion of  the  name  of  the  latter  place  to  that  of 
Tasmania,  whilst  it  has  paid  only  a  just  tribute  to 
his  memory,  will  serve  at  the  same  time  to  perpe- 
tuate a  name  which  occupies  so  honourable  and 
proud  a  position  in  the  history  of  nautical  discovery. 

The  wind  continuing  moderate,  and  shifting  to    Aug.  16. 
the    northward,    AVC    tacked    at    V40    A.M.,    and 


58  CAPE   NORTH.  [CHAP.  II. 

1841.      sounded  in   sixty-three   fathoms,  gray  sand   and 
broken  shells.     At  day-light  we  saw  Cape  Maria 
bearing  S.  by  W.  \  W.   (true),   and   Cape   North 
was  soon  afterwards  seen  as  we  stood  to  the  east- 
ward.    We  now  experienced  squally  weather  as 
we  closed  the  land,  and  the  wind  backing  to  the 
eastward  we  were  unable  to  fetch  along  the  coast, 
and  were  therefore  employed  during  the  rest  of 
the  day  contending  with  the  wind,  but  making 
very  little   progress    towards    our    desired   port, 
owing  to  the  north-easterly  swell  which  prevailed. 
At  noon  Cape  North  bore  S.  56°  E.  (true),  dis- 
tant  about   eight   miles  ;    the  range   of  hills   of 
which  it  forms  the  termination  rises  to  the  eleva- 
tion of  1130  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea;  and 
a    peaked    mountain,  bearing   S.    10°  W.  attains 
nearly  1000  feet.     The  rest  of  the  coast  is  of  very 
inconsiderable  height,    seldom   exceeding  four   to 
six  hundred  feet,  and  in  some  places  so  low  as,  at 
a  distance,  to  give  the  appearance  of  a  separation. 
At    5  P.M.,    we   sounded   in   thirty-two   fathoms, 
shingle  and   broken   shells,    Cape    North   bearing 
S.  71°  W.,  between  two  and  three  miles  distant. 
Beating  along  the  coast,  we  found  the  soundings 
sufficiently  regular  to  be  a  safe  guide,  even  during 
foggy  weather ;  but  under  such  circumstances  it  is 
to  be  avoided  if  possible,  the  tides  being  strong 
and  irregular,  and  the  survey  of  the  shores  very 
imperfect. 

Aug.  ir.        Xhe  wind  continued  adverse  during  the  night, 
and  the  whole  of  the  next  day,  so  that  it  was  not 


CHAP.  II.]         ANCHOR   IN   THE    KAWA    KAWA.  59 

until  late  in  the  evening  that  we  arrived  at,  and 
hove  to  off,  the  entrance  of  the  Bay  of  Islands,  August. 
the  night  being  too  dark  for  us  to  attempt  the 
harbour.  A  lighthouse  on  Cape  Brett,  Cape  Po- 
cock,  or  one  of  the  outer  islands  of  the  bay,  is  a 
desideratum  of  the  first  importance  to  the  trade  of 
this  place.  Had  the  wind  increased  to  a  heavy 
gale,  our  ships  would  have  been  in  a  very  dan- 
gerous position ;  as  it  was,  we  were  not  without 
much  anxiety  during  the  night ;  the  rapidly  de- 
scending barometer  and  general  aspect  of  the 
weather  gave  but  too  evident  symptoms  of  the 
approaching  gale,  and  when  day  broke,  the  haze 
was  so  dense  that  we  could  not  see  the  land ; 
fortunately  for  us,  a  partial  clearing  of  only  a  few 
minutes  duration  gave  us  a  glimpse  of  the  fine 
bold  promontory  called  Cape  Brett,  with  its  pierced 
rock  off  it,  by  which  it  can  be  distinguished  from  all 
other  headlands.  We  immediately  bore  away  be- 
fore the  breeze,  which  had  by  this  time  increased  to 
a  gale,  steering  for  Kororarika  Point,  which  we  got 
sight  of  through  the  fog  and  the  rain,  which  was 
pouring  down  in  torrents.  Furling  all  our  square 
sails,  we  ran  before  the  wind,  passing  the  anchor- 
age of  Kororarika,  and,  guided  by  the  admirable 
chart  of  Captain  Fitzroy,  entered  the  narrows  of 
the  river  Kawa  Kawa,  the  ships  stirring  the  mud 
up  as  they  passed  over  the  bar,  on  which  there 
was  rather  less  water  than  they  drew,  and  anchored 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  its  entrance,  at  10 
30  A.M.,  in  five  fathoms  —  moore^  with  the  best 


60  AMERICAN   CORVETTE,   YORKTOWN.         [CHAP.  II. 

4L  bower  to  the  N.  E.,  and  small  bower  to  the  S.  W., 
August,  with  thirty-six  fathoms  of  cable  upon  each ;  Point 
Omatta  flag-staff  bearing  S.  56°  E.,  Point  Gore 
N.  3°  W.  We  observed  the  American  corvette 
Yorktown  at  anchor  off  Kororarika,  when  the  fog 
and  rain  cleared  away  in  the  evening  ;  and  the  next 
morning  I  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  a  visit 
from  her  commander,  Captain  Aulick,  when  I  was 
sorry  to  learn  from  him  that,  having  fulfilled  the 
purposes  which  brought  him  here,  and  finished 
the  refitting  of  his  ship,  he  intended  to  sail  almost 
immediately  for  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

Commander  Crozier  and  I  went  to  pay  our 
respects  to  Mr.  Fitzgerald,  the  only  representative 
of  the  civil  authority  at  this  place.  He  had  re- 
cently arrived  from  England,  having  been  ap- 
pointed to  a  high  official  situation,  but  at  the 
request  of  the  Governor  was  fulfilling  the  duties 
of  chief  magistrate  at  this  place  until  a  favourable 
opportunity  should  occur  for  removing  with  his 
wife  and  family  to  the  new  seat  of  government  at 
Auckland.  At  this  time  he  was  residing  in  a 
wooden  house  that  Governor  Hobson  had  brought 
from  England  with  him,  and  which  had  been  put 
up  on  the  lands  purchased  by  him  with  the  inten- 
tion of  establishing  at  this  place  the  capital  of  the 
colony ;  but,  to  the  great  disappointment  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Kororarika,  and  the  settlers  in 
the  neighbouring  country,  he  very  judiciously 
removed  with  all  the  government  officers  to 
a  more  eligible  spot  at  the  Thames,  where  the 


CHAP.  II.]  POSITION    OF    OBSERVATORY. 

city  of  Auckland  was  at  this  time  in  process  of 
erection.  Captain  Hobson  was  unfortunately  ab-  August. 
sent  on  an  official  inspection  of  the  more  remote 
settlements  established  by  the  New  Zealand  Com- 
pany, so  that  I  had  no  opportunity  of  paying  my 
respects  to  him.  From  Mr.  Fitzgerald  I  received 
every  attention,  and  permission  to  place  our  ob- 
servatories on  any  part  of  the  government  grounds 
we  might  think  most  suitable;  but  the  spot  we 
had  selected  in  the  course  of  a  forenoon's  pull 
along  the  shores  of  the  river,  belonged  to  the 
Missionaries  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  he 
referred  me  to  the  Reverend  Mr.  Williams,  formerly 
a  lieutenant  of  the  Royal  Navy.  We  therefore 
called  upon  that  gentleman  at  the  Missionary 
establishment  of  Paihia,  who  immediately  granted 
us  the  required  permission :  in  the  afternoon  our 
observatories  were  landed,  and  in  a  few  hours 
were  ready  to  receive  the  instruments. 

The  spot  I  had  selected  for  our  observatories  was 
on  a  low  level  point  of  shingle,  not  more  than  three 
or  four  feet  above  high  water,  upon  the  left  bank 
of  the  river  Kawa  Kawa,  close  by  a  small  stream, 
whose  muddy  banks  at  low  water  gave  occasion  to 
our  sailors  to  call  it  the  "muddy-muddy,"  and 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  place  called  by 
the  natives,  "  Haumi,"  marked  by  a  small  cluster  of 
trees,  on  the  beach  where  the  bodies  of  the  French 
navigator,  Marion,  and  his  unfortunate  companions, 
were  devoured  by  the  exasperated  savages,  who 
conveyed  them  from  the  scene  of  the  massacre, 


2  ANCHORAGE.  [CHAP.  II. 

184L  first  across  the  narrow  neck  of  land  to  Kororarika, 
August,  and  thence  in  canoes  to  Haumi,  where  they  could 
indulge  their  horrid  feast  in  more  security  and 
without  fear  of  interruption. 

Capt.  Fitzroy  very  justly  observes,  that  this 
sad  catastrophe  is  now  known  to  have  been 
caused  by  mutual  ignorance  of  each  other's  lan- 
guage ;  the  Frenchmen,  not  understanding  that  the 
spot  was  "  tabooed"  persisted  in  fishing  there 
against  the  remonstrances  of  the  natives,  and  en- 
deavoured to  maintain  their  intrusion  by  force. 

With  reference  to  the  anchorage  I  had  chosen 
for  our  ships,  and  in  which  I  was  guided  chiefly 
by  his  remarks,  he  observes,  that  "  the  estuary, 
or  arm  of  the  sea,  forms  an  excellent  harbour  for 
ships  not  larger  than  third-class  frigates;  or,  to 
speak  in  a  more  definite  manner,  for  those  which 
do  not  draw  more  than  seventeen  feet  of  water. 
On  each  side  the  land  rises  to  five  or  six  hundred 
feet,  sheltering  the  anchorage  without  occasioning 
those  violent  squalls,  alternating  with  calms,  that 
are  found  under  the  lee  of  very  high  land,  over  which 
strong  wind  is  blowing.  As  far  as  I  know,  there 
are  very  few  shoals  or  banks  in  the  wide  space 
which  forms  the  inner  harbour.  A  slight  stream 
of  current  and  tide  runs  outwards  during  about 
seven  hours,  and  the  tide  sets  inwards  about  five, 
though  with  still  less  strength."  To  his  ample 
and  interesting  account  of  this  part  of  New  Zea- 
land and  its  inhabitants,  and  to  the  numerous 
more  recent  accounts  of  this  painfully  interesting 


CHAP.  IT.]  SMALL-POX.  63 

country,  which  have  been  published  by  those  who      1841. 
had  better  means  of  obtaining    accurate  informa-    August. 
tion  than  I  had,  I  must  refer  the  reader,  confining 
any  remarks  I  may  have  to  make  to  points  bearing 
more  immediately  upon  our  own  pursuits  and  the 
especial  objects  of  our  voyage. 


CHAPTER  HI. 

Suggestions  relative  to  Vaccination.  —  Communicate  with 
Captain  Aulick.  —  Hourly  Observations.  —  Visits  of  Awara 
and  Pomare.  —  Dissatisfaction  of  the  New  Zealanders.  — 
Influence  of  the  Missionaries.  —  Climate.  —  Meteorological 
Abstracts. 


u. 


CHAP.  III.]  SMALL-POX.  65 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  magnetometrical  and  other  instruments  were  184L 
landed  this  morning,  and  their  arrangement  and  ad-  Aug.  20. 
justment  kept  us  all  busily  employed.  Early  in  the 
morning  the  surgeon  of  the  Yorktown  came  along- 
side with  a  message  from  Captain  Aulick,  acquaint- 
ing me  that  the  small-pox  had  made  its  appearance 
amongst  his  crew,  and  requesting  to  be  furnished 
with  a  small  quantity  of  vaccine  matter,  as  that 
which  they  had  brought  from  America  with  them 
was  found  to  have  lost  its  virtue.  Unfortunately  we 
had  none  to  give  them,  nor  could  any  be  obtained 
from  the  medical  officer  at  Kororarika  ;  so  that  had 
this  dreadful  malady  been  taken  by  the  natives,  it 
is  awful  to  think  how  terrible  must  have  been  the 
consequences,  and  the  thousands  that  would  have 
fallen  victims  to  its  virulence.  If,  as  has  been  as- 
serted, and  I  believe,  proved,  the  vaccine  matter 
which  acts  so  powerfully  as  a  preventive  be  merely 
the  virus  of  the  small-pox  modified  by  the  consti- 
tution of  a  cow  which  had  been  attacked  by  that 
disease,  might  it  not  be  desirable,  on  its  breaking  out 
in  a  country  where  vaccine  matter  is  not  to  be  had, 
immediately  to  inoculate  a  cow  with  the  small- 
pox, and  thus  obtain  the  best  of  all  remedies  ? 
This  question  I  must  leave  to  be  answered  by  those 
conversant  with  these  matters ;  and  if  the  suggestion 

VOL   II.  E 


66  SMALL-POX.  [CHAF.  III. 

1841.      should  be  considered  effectual,  it  is  desirable  that 
August,    it  should  be  as  extensively  known  as  possible.* 

Commander  Crozier  and  I  returned  the  visit  of 
Captain  Aulicko  and  prevailed  on  him  and  two 
of  his  officers  to  spend  the  following  day  on  board 
the  Erebus,  and  in  examining  the  instruments  at 
the  observatories,  which  he  was  very  desirous 
to  see.  It  was  on  this  occasion,  when  hearing 
from  him,  that  he  had  only  recently  parted  from 
the  squadron  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant 
Wilkes,  and  was  likely  in  a  short  time  to  meet 
that  officer  again,  being  also  a  personal  friend  of 
his,  I  considered  it  to  be  the  most  delicate  mode 
of  acquainting  Lieutenant  Wilkes  with  the  cir- 
cumstance of  our  having  passed  over  a  large  space 
in  clear  water,  where  he  had  placed  mountainous 
land  on  the  chart  he  sent  me.  As  I  have  given  a 
full  account  of  this  transaction  in  the  first  volume 
of  my  narrative,  I  need  not  make  any  further  al- 
lusion to  it  here,  except  to  express  my  regret,  that, 


*  I  have  lately  been  referred  by  a  medical  friend  to  a  paper 
in  the  Transactions  of  the  Provincial,  Medical,  and  Surgical 
Association,  vol.  x.  p.  209.,  by  Eobert  Ceeley,  Esq.,  surgeon  to 
the  Buckinghamshire  Infirmary,  from  which  it  appears  he  has 
clearly  proved,  by  numerous  experiments,  that  vaccine  matter 
may  be  obtained  by  inoculating  the  cow  with  the  small-pox ; 
and  that  the  matter  so  obtained  effectually  protects  those  who 
have  been  vaccinated  with  it  from  the  small-pox,  —  a  discovery 
of  very  great  importance,  to  which  the  attention  of  medical 
men  in  general,  and  of  naval  surgeons  in  particular,  should  be 
directed,  as  affording  a  ready  and  effectual  preventive  from  the 
attacks  of  that  dreadful  malady. 


CHAP.  III.]  LIEUTENANT   WILKES.  67 

owing  to  Captain  Aulick  having  sailed  from  Oahu      1841. 
a  few  days  before  Lieutenant  Wilkes  arrived  there,    Auffust 
he  had  no  opportunity  of  making  my  communica- 
tion to  Lieutenant  Wilkes  before  that  officer  heard 
of  the   circumstance   through  newspapers,  which 
gave  a  very  distorted  view  of  the  question,  and  not 
only  occasioned  him  much  uneasiness,  but  left  a 
very  erroneous  impression  on  the  minds  of  all  who 
regarded  the  information  derived  from  that  source 
as  conclusive  against  any  land  at  all  having  been 
discovered  by  the  American  squadron.     And  this 
impression  was  greatly  strengthened  by  the  pub- 
licly-declared opinion  of  one  of  the  officers  of  the 
squadron  to  the  same  effect  whilst  at  Sydney  ;  but, 
whether  this  assertion  arose  from  malicious  motives 
or  not,  the  most  conclusive  refutation  of  it  is  given 
in  the  narrative  of  the  voyage,  and  in  the  evidence 
elicited  at  the    several    courts    of  inquiry,  which 
followed  the  return  of  the  expedition  to  America. 
The  Yorktown  sailed    the    next  morning  for  the 
Sandwich  Islands. 

The  unceasing  round  of  hourly  observations  was 
soon  brought  into  operation,  and  provided  full  oc- 
cupation for  all  the  executive  officers  of  both  ships, 
except  only  the  senior  lieutenants,  who  remained 
in  charge  of  the  vessels. 

The  medical  officers,  in  their  turn,  made  short 
excursions  into  the  interior,  for  the  purpose  of 
increasing  our  collections  of  natural  history ;  but 
the  natives  at  the  time  of  our  visit  were  beginning 
to  feel  deeply,  and  to  express  in  terms  of  severe 

F     2 


68  PARTIES   SENT   FOR   SPARS.  [CHAP.  III. 

1841.      bitterness,  their  great  disappointment  at  the  effects 
August,    of  the    treaty  of  Waitangi,    so   that   I   did   not 
consider  it  advisable  to  permit  those  officers   to 
extend   their   researches  to  any   considerable  dis- 
tance from  the  position  we  had  taken  up.     And 
although  it  was  necessary  to  despatch  boats  several 
miles  up  the  river,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
the  spars  we  required  to  replace  those  that  had 
been  carried  away  during  our  run  from  Sydney,  as 
well  as  to  increase    our  store,  yet  I    thought  it 
proper  that  they  should  be  well  armed  and  pre- 
pared  to   resist    any    attack    which   the    natives 
seemed  well  disposed  to  make,  whenever  it  could 
be  done  with  any  certainty  of  success,  and   also 
to  entrust  the   conduct   of  those  parties   to  one 
of  the  senior  lieutenants :  indeed,  so  strong  was 
the  impression  upon  my  mind  of  the  readiness  of 
the  natives  to  seize  any  favourable  opportunity  of 
regaining  possession  of  their  lands  and  driving  the 
Europeans  out  of  the  country,  that  I  always  felt 
much  anxiety  during  the  absence  of  our  people, 
although  I  could  fully  rely  on  the  prudence  and 
judgment  of  Lieutenant  Bird,  by  whom  they  were 
chiefly  conducted.     No  spars  of  the  size  and  kind 
we  wanted  were  to  be  had  near  to  our  anchorage  : 
the  demands  of  the  numbers  of  whalers  that  in 
former  years  used  to  resort  to  this  port  to  refit  had 
completely  exhausted  the  forests  of  the  immediate 
neighbourhood ;  and  Lieutenant  Bird  found  it  ne- 
cessary to  proceed  to  a  considerable  distance  up  the 
river  before  he  could  procure  any.     There  he  was 


CHAP.  III.]  AWARA.  69 

obliged  to  purchase  some  of  a  chief  named  Awara  1841. 
who  was  quite  prepared  to  resist  their  being  cut  August, 
down,  as  in  former  years,  for  only  a  trifling  payment. 
But  now,  muskets,  and  these  only,  were  required 
for  the  trees,  and  without  them  we  should  not  have 
been  able  to  have  obtained  a  single  spar,  except  by 
force,  which  in  the  then  temper  of  mind  of  the 
"  Maories  "  would  have  led  to  serious  results.  As 
soon  as  Awara  found  his  demand  for  two  muskets 
for  the  spars  was  agreed  to,  he  became  more  civil 
and  obliging,  — pointing  out  the  best  trees,  and  the 
most  easy  mode  of  getting  them  to  the  water ;  for 
although  of  course  our  carpenters  were  of  the 
party,  the  chief  proved  that  his  selection  of  the 
trees  as  they  were  growing,  was  invariably  better 
than  theirs,  after  being  cut  down.  He  returned  with 
Lieutenant  Bird  to  the  ships  to  receive  the  promised 
payment,  when  it  appeared  that  his  two  muskets 
meant  a  double-barrelled  gun,  which  they  all 
seemed  most  desirous  to  possess ;  but  as  those  we 
had  on  board  were  the  private  property  of  the 
officers,  who  of  course  were  most  unwilling  to  part 
with  them,  Awara  was  at  length  well  satisfied  with 
two  rifles  and  a  complete  suit  of  lieutenant's  uni- 
form, which  the  officers  furnished  him  with,  and 
which  he  immediately  put  on,  to  the  amusement 
of  our  sailors,  and  his  great  delight.  I  have 
not  seen  his  name  mentioned  amongst  those  who 
have  been  engaged  in  the  recent  hostile  transac- 
tions in  that  neighbourhood,  and  may  therefore 
hope  the  rifles  have  not  been  employed  against  our 


70  POMARE.  [CHAP.  III. 

1841.      own  countrymen ;  and  as  from  his  isolated  position 
August.    ^  would  be  his  policy  to  be  on  good  terms  with  the 
Europeans,  he  has  more  probably  acted  with  our 
forces  against  the  rebellious  Held. 

Pomare,  another  chief,  and  one  who  has  taken  a 
very  questionable,  if  not  a  traitorous  part  in  these 
transactions,  also  visited  our  ships,  to  obtain  his 
customary  present  of  gunpowder  and  fire-arms, 
and  especially  ruin,  to  which  he  had  lately  become 
so  addicted  as  seldom  to  be  seen  sober.  He  had, 
however,  been  on  all  former  occasions  very  friendly 
to  Europeans,  and  was  of  material  assistance  to 
Governor  Hobson,  on  his  first  arrival  in  the  co- 
lony, for  the  purpose  of  taking  formal  possession 
of  it,  in  the  name  of  Queen  Victoria,  and  was 
not  only  amongst  the  first  to  sign  the  treaty  of 
Waitangi,  but  was  mainly  instrumental  in  inducing 
many  other  chiefs,  of  far  greater  importance  than 
himself,  to  do  so.  He  was,  therefore,  entitled  to 
more  than  ordinary  consideration,  and  was  received 
on  board  our  ships,  when  he  paid  his  first  visit  of 
ceremony,  in  all  due  formality.  He  did  not  ap- 
pear in  his  usual  state,  the  war-canoe  and  war- 
dance  were  laid  aside  on  this  occasion,  and  he  had 
evidently  drunk  more  rum  than  was  quite  consis- 
tent with  his  assumed  gravity  and  dignity.  His 
favourite  wife  also  seemed  to  have  shared  his  liba- 
tions, and  was  therefore  equally  unfit  to  sustain 
the  queenly  part  she  endeavoured  to  perform.  In 
one  of  her  unguarded  moments,  whilst  giving 
way  to  her  extreme  delight  on  looking  over  some 


CHAP.  III.]  POMARE.  71 

glittering  toys  that  I  had  selected  as  a  present  for  1§4i. 
her,  she  recognised  a  portrait  of  our  most  gracious  August. 
Queen,  which  was  in  my  cabin,  and  immediately  re- 
suming a  most  ridiculous  air  of  dignity,  walked 
up  to  it,  and  holding  out  her  copper-coloured 
hand,  said,  "  Yes,  all  same  as  me  —  Victoria,  she 
queen,  —  me  queen  too."  Pomare  was  well  pleased 
with  some  carpenter's  tools  I  presented  to  him, 
instead  of  his  customary  present,  and  which  I 
selected  from  a  number  of  useful  and  ornamental 
articles  which  had  been  sent  to  me  by  my  ex- 
cellent friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beaufoy,  for  distribu- 
tion amongst  any  natives  we  might  meet  with  in 
the  course  of  our  voyage,  and  which  I  had  now 
an  opportunity  of  bestowing  with  great  advantage 
to  the  natives,  and  felt  much  gratification  in  thus 
fulfilling  the  intentions  of  those  benevolent  and 
kind  friends. 

Pomare  complained  in  strong  terms  of  the  treaty 
to  which  he  had  been  so  instrumental  in  getting 
his  countrymen  to  become  parties.  He  had  not 
supposed  that  it  was  intended  to  deprive  him  of 
the  power  of  selling  his  land  to  whoever  he  pleased ; 
and  although  they  all  clearly  understood  that  the 
treaty  of  Waitangi  bound  them  to  give  the  Queen's 
government  the  first  offer  of  any  portion  of  their 
lands  they  wished  to  sell,  yet  he  expressed  himself 
highly  indignant  at  the  thought  that,  if  his  offer 
were  declined  by  the  governor,  no  private  indi- 
vidual could  become  the  legal  owner  of  it ;  thus, 
in  fact,  depriving  him  of  the  independent  use 

F     4 


72  DISSATISFACTION   OF   THE   NATIVES.      [CHAP.  III. 

1841.  of  his  own  property.  Those  also  who  had  sold 
August,  much  of  their  land,  years  ago,  for  a  comparatively 
trifling  consideration,  bitterly  repented  their  hav- 
ing done  so  now,  when  they  perceived  how  greatly 
it  had  increased  in  value  ;  and  although  fully  ac- 
knowledging the  just  right  of  the  present  possessors, 
yet  they  would,  no  doubt,  be  glad  of  any  pretext 
to  join  any  party  they  thought  strong  enough  to 
drive  the  Europeans  out  of  the  land ;  and  thus 
regain  possession  of  it  by  right  of  conquest. 

The  introduction  of  custom-house  and  other 
dues,  which  had  been  the  means  of  preventing  the 
southern  whalers  from  refitting  in  the  Bay  of 
Islands,  and  trading  with  the  natives,  was  consi- 
dered by  those  living  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
bay  a  great  grievance,  as  it  deprived  them  of  their 
best  customers.  The  whale-ships  that  were  accus- 
tomed to  get  all  their  supplies  in  the  harbours 
of  New  Zealand,  so  much  more  convenient  to  them 
from  being  so  near  to  their  principal  fishing  places, 
are  now  obliged  to  seek  refreshments,  and  supply 
all  their  wants,  at  some  of  the  islands  of  the  Poly- 
nesian group. 

These  were  the  chief  causes  of  complaint  that  I 
heard  at  the  time  of  our  visit ;  and  it  was  evident 
that,  in  consequence  of  the  measures  which  had  so 
immediately  followed  the  signing  of  the  treaty  of 
Waitangi,  it  began  to  be  regarded  with  very  differ- 
ent feelings,  not  only  by  the  generality  of  the 
natives,  but  also  by  some  of  the  most  powerful  of 
their  chiefs,  who  gradually  became  more  and  more 


CHAP.  III.]         INFLUENCE    OF   THE   MISSIONAEIES.  73 

doubtful  of  the  advantage  of  their  altered  position  J841. 
as  they  found  their  power  and  influence  fast  passing  August, 
away  into  the  hands  of  the  settlers,  who  had 
flocked  from  England  to  this  misrepresented  colony 
in  thousands,  and  established  themselves  in  several 
parts  of  the  northern  island.  It  could  not  escape 
the  jealous  vigilance  of  the  chiefs  that  the  numbers 
of  Europeans  were  increasing  so  rapidly  that  they 
would  soon  outnumber  themselves,  and  gain  pos- 
session of  all  their  lands.  Some  of  the  chiefs  had 
already  called  together  large  meetings  of  the 
natives,  under  the  pretence  of  a  feast,  and  had 
harangued  them  on  the  subject,  especially  calling 
upon  them  not  to  sell  their  lands  to  the  Pakehas 
(or  strangers)  ;  and  at  a  sale  of  land  which  took 
place  at  Auckland,  whilst  we  were  at  the  Bay  of 
Islands,  I  understood  that  some  of  the  chiefs  at- 
tended the  auction,  and  actually  re-purchased  some 
of  the  land  they  had  previously  sold.  No  acts  of 
violence  had  yet  been  perpetrated,  and  the  rights 
of  the  present  possessors  of  the  land  had  hitherto 
been  perfectly  respected ;  but  it  cannot  be  denied, 
even  by  the  most  inveterate  maligners  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, that  this  forbearance  on  the  part  of  the 
natives  was  mainly  due  to  the  influence  and  per- 
suasion of  these  good  and  pious  men,  who,  having 
endured  so  much  privation  and  hardship  in  their 
zealous  endeavours  to  diffuse  amongst  the  heathens 
the  blessings  of  Christianity  and  the  knowledge 
of  the  Gospel,  were  much  looked  up  to  by  them 
for  their  advice  on  all  occasions,  and  for  whom, 


74  CLIMATE.  [CHAP.  III. 

184L      therefore,  they  very   naturally  feel   the   greatest 
Sept.  2.    affection  and  regard. 

H.  M.  S.  Favourite  arrived  early  this  morning, 
when  Commander  Sulivan  went  on  board,  and 
superseded  Lieutenant  Dunlop,  who  had  been 
acting  commander  of  her  since  the  death  of  her 
lamented  captain.  He  was  at  this  time  suffering 
so  much  from  the  severe  wounds  he  had  received 
in  that  unfortunate  affair  which  deprived  the 
service  of  one  of  her  most  gallant  officers,  that 
it  was  necessary  for  him  to  proceed  to  England 
for  the  restoration  of  his  health.  He  was  accord- 
ingly invalided  the  next  day,  and  returned  to 
Auckland,  where  a  ship  was  lying  in  readiness 
to  sail  for  Sydney,  and  thence  to  England,  which 
afforded  me  a  favourable  opportunity  of  sending 
despatches  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty. 

Our  magnetometric  and  pendulum  observations 
proceeded  to  our  entire  satisfaction ;  but  as  these 
are  now  in  course  of  publication,  at  the  expense  of 
government,  and  will  shortly  appear  in  a  complete 
form,  under  the  superintendence  of  Colonel  Sabine, 
I  need  not  here  make  any  further  allusion  to  them. 
But  as  any  information  respecting  the  nature  of 
the  climate  of  this  newly-colonised  country  cannot 
fail  to  be  useful,  and  as  the  importance  of  meteoro- 
logical inquiries  appears  hitherto  to  have  been 
wholly  overlooked  or  neglected,  I  may  hope,  by 
inserting  here  a  monthly  abstract  of  the  ob- 
servations made  on  board  our  ships  during  the 
three  months  they  were  at  anchor  in  the  Eiver 


CHAP.  III.]  CLIMATE.  75 

Kawa    Kawa,    to    contribute   in  a   small   degree      i84i. 
to  the  beginning  of  an  inquiry  which,  if  carried     August, 
out  for  a  few  years,  must  prove  of  great  advantage 
to  the  settlers  in  the  management  and  improve- 
ment of  their  farms  ;  for  every  one  must  be  aware 
how  intimately  connected  the  various  states  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  the  consequent  changes  of  weather, 
are  with  all  the  more  important  operations  of  the 
agriculturist. 

The  following  tables  are  founded  on  observations 
of  the  temperature  of  the  air  and  surface  of  the  sea, 
the  height  of  the  barometer,  the  direction  and  force 
of  the  wind,  and  the  state  of  the  weather  recorded 
every  hour  during  the  whole  period,  and  are  divided 
into  equal  intervals  of  about  thirty  days  each,  for 
the  convenience  of  reference  as  well  as  of  compa- 
rison with  similar  observations  made  in  England, 
by  which  our  emigrants  will  more  readily  perceive 
the  change  of  climate  they  will  have  to  make  allow- 
ance for  in  all  their  pastoral  and  agricultural 
proceedings  in  their  newly-adopted  country. 

The  first  table  comprises  the  result  of  each 
day's  observation  between  the  19th  of  August  and 
the  17th  of  September;  the  mean  of  which  cor- 
responds more  nearly  with  the  2nd  of  September, 
which  may  be  considered  equal  to  March  of  the 
northern  hemisphere,  and  therefore,  according  to 
the  most  natural  division  of  the  seasons,  is  the  first 
month  of  Spring.  The  mean  temperature  of  the 
atmosphere  is  53°'9,  and  the  range  of  temper- 
ature during  the  period  was  66°  to  39°.  In  Eng- 


76 


METEOROLOGICAL  ABSTRACT.  [CHAP.  III. 


1841. 


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CHAP.  III.]  METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


77 


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1841. 


78 


METEOROLOGICAL  ABSTRACT.      [CHAP.  III. 


1841. 


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CHAP.  III.]  METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


be  F*  ,Q 

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80  CLIMATE.  [CHAP.  III. 

land,  the  mean  temperature  due  to  the  middle  of 
the  month  of  March  is  43° •  9,  and  the  average 
range  is  from  66°  to  24°.  The  first  month  of  Spring 
in  New  Zealand  has  therefore  a  higher  tempera- 
ture by  ten  degrees  than  that  of  England ;  and, 
although,  the  maximum  temperature  in  both  is  the 
same,  yet  the  climate  of  New  Zealand  is  free  from 
those  severe  frosts  which  frequently  do  so  much 
mischief  to  advanced  vegetation  in  England. 

The  mean  temperature  of  the  dew  point,  as  de- 
rived from  observations  made  four  times  each  day, 
viz. ;  at  3h  and  9h  A.M.,  and  3h  and  9h  P.M.,  by  Mr. 
Lyall,  assistant-surgeon  of  the  Terror,  was  found  to 
be  49°* 6  ;  the  amount  of  dryness  is  therefore  4°*3  ; 
the  degree  of  moisture  of  the  air  is  *862 ;  and  the 
elasticity  of  vapour  is  equal  to  0*395  inches.  The 
quantity  of  rain  which  fell  11*76  inches,  and  the 
greatest  fall  occurred  between  2  A.M.  on  the  8th, 
and  2A.M.  on  the  9th  September,  amounting  to  5*5 
inches  ;  the  barometer  during  the  time  being  below 
its  mean  height,  and  the  wind  fresh  from  the  north- 
ward :  so  far,  therefore,  as  regards  the  moisture  of 
the  atmosphere,  there  is  very  little  difference  be- 
tween the  first  spring  month  of  England  and  of  New 
Zealand,  the  degree  of  dryness  in  England  being 
4°*9,  the  moisture  of  the  air  *831,  the  elasticity 
of  vapour  *272,  but  the  quantity  of  rain  amounts 
to  only  1*44  inch. 

The  mean  height  of  the  barometer  is  30*034, 
and  its  range  1*14  inch.  The  diurnal  variations 
of  pressure,  commonly  called  the  atmospheric  tides, 


CHAP.  III.]  CLIMATE.  81 

occur  at   9  A.M.  and   10  P.M.  when  it  is  greatest,      1841. 
and  4  A.M.   and  3  P.M.  when  it  is  least ;  and  the 
difference  amounts  to  '041  inch. 

The  mean  temperature  of  the  surface  of  the  sea 
is  56°. 

In  like  manner  for  the  next  month,  the  mean 
temperature  of  the  air  derived  from  the  second 
table,  which  comprises  an  abstract  of  all  the  observ- 
ations made  between  the  18th  September  and  18th 
October,  an  interval  of  thirty-one  days,  and  cor- 
respond to  the  3rd  October,  is  57° •  9,  —  an  increase 
of  four  degrees  in  the  mean  temperature  of  the 
month  as  the  season  advances,  whilst  that  of  Eng- 
land increases  about  six  degrees.  The  range  of 
temperature  at  New  Zealand  is  from  73°  to  39°  ; 
in  England,  in  April,  it  is  74°  to  29°. 

The  mean  temperature  of  the  dew  point  is  53°, 
making  the  amount  of  dryness  4°*9  ;  the  degree 
of  moisture  has  consequently  varied  very  little, 
being  *847,  the  elasticity  of  vapour,  -444,  the 
quantity  of  rain,  4*1  inches.  The  greatest  fall  of 
rain  during  the  period  occurred  between  5  P.M.  and 
midnight  of  the  17th  of  October,  amounting  to 
2*84  inches,  the  barometer  being  rather  below  its 
mean  height  for  the  season,  and  the  wind  strong 
from  the  northward. 

The  mean  height  of  the  barometer  is  30*118, 
and  its  range  *738  inch.  The  greatest  pressure 
occurs  at  9  A.M.  and  10  P.M.,  and  the  least  pressure 
at  4  A.M.  and  4  P.M.  :  the  difference  amounts  to 
•044  inch. 

VOL.  II.  G 


82 

1841. 


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8 


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METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


.  III. 


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CHAP.  III.]  METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


1841 


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84  CLIMATE.  [CHAP.  III. 

1841.  The  mean  temperature  of  the  surface  of  the  sea 
"  is  58°-l. 

The  third  table  is  also  derived  from  all  the  ob- 
servations made  between  the  19th  of  October 
and  17th  November,  an  interval  of  thirty  days  ; 
the  mean  temperature  corresponding  to  the  3rd 
November  has  advanced  two-and-a-half  degrees, 
to  60°'5,  and  its  range  is  from  74°  to  47°.  In 
England  the  mean  temperature  for  May  is  54°, 
and  its  range  from  70°  to  33°. 

The  mean  temperature  of  the  dew  point  is  only 
52°,  showing  that  the  atmosphere  has  attained  a 
greater  degree  of  dryness,  being  8°*5 ;  the  mois- 
ture of  the  air  is  therefore  reduced  to  0*735. 
In  England,  we  also  find,  that  in  May,  the 
temperature  of  the  air  still  outstrips  the  advance 
of  vapour,  and  the  atmosphere  attains  very  nearly 
its  state  of  greatest  dryness  ;  the  mean  temperature 
of  the  dew  point  being  46°*1  ;  the  degree  of  dry- 
ness  is  7°*9,  and  the  state  of  saturation,  *769. 
The  elasticity  of  vapour  in  New  Zealand  is  0*428 ; 
in  England,  0*354  inch. 

The  quantity  of  rain  in  New  Zealand,  9 '5  inches, 
and  the  greatest  fall  occurred  on  the  8th  No- 
vember, between  4A.M.  and  6  P.M.  2*1  inches,  the 
barometer  being  about  its  mean  height,  and  the 
wind  from  the  north.  In  England  the  quantity  of 
rain  in  May  is  only  1*85  inch. 

The  mean  height  of  the  barometer  is  29*904, 
and  its  range  1*80  inch.  In  the  diurnal  tides  the 
times  of  greatest  pressure  are  9A.M.  and  11  P.M., 


CHAP.  III.] 


CLIMATE. 


85 


and  of  least  pressure,  4  A.M.  and  4  p.  M.  ;  the  differ- 
ence is  0*032  inch. 

The  next  table  contains  a  summary  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  atmosphere  during  the  three  months 
of  the  spring  season ;  and  that  which  follows, 
derived  from  Mr.  DanielFs  Essay  upon  the  Climate 
of  London,  is  inserted  here  for  the  sake  of  com- 
parison. 


1841. 


NEW  ZEALAND. 


Temperature  of 
the  Air. 

Mean 
Dew 
point. 

Dry- 
ing. 

Satu- 
ra- 
tion. 

Rain. 
Inches. 

Elasti- 
city. 
Vapour. 

Mean 
Baro- 
meter. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean 

1  Month 

66 

39 

53-9 

49-6 

4-3 

•862 

11-76 

•395 

30-034 

2     ... 

73 

39 

57-9 

53 

4-9 

•847 

4-10 

•444 

30-118 

3     ... 

74 

47 

60-5 

52 

8-5 

•753 

9.50 

•428 

29-904 

74 

39 

57-4 

51-5 

5-9 

•817 

25-36 

•422 

30-019 

ENGLAND. 


Temperature  of 
the  Air. 

Mean 
Dew 
point. 

Dry- 
ing. 

Satu- 
ra- 
tion. 

Rain. 
Inches. 

Elasti- 
city. 
V      ap 

Mean 
Baro- 
meter. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean 

1  Month 

66 

24 

43-9 

39 

4-9 

•831 

1-44 

•272 

29-843 

2     ... 

74 

29 

49-9 

43-5 

6-4 

•783 

1-79 

•322 

•881 

3     ... 

70 

33 

54 

46-1 

7-9 

•769 

1-85 

•354 

•898 

74 

24 

49-3 

42-9 

6-4 

•804 

5-08 

•316 

29-874 

The  mean  temperature  for  the  year  in  England 
is  49°-2,  which  differs  very  slightly  from  the  mean 
temperature  of  the  three  months  of  spring.  It  is 
not  at  all  improbable  that  the  mean  temperature 


G    3 


86  CLIMATE.  [CHAP.  III. 

1841.  for  the  year  at  New  Zealand  may  likewise  not 
differ  greatly  from  that  of  the  spring,  and  would 
be  rather  more  than  the  mean  of  the  above  three 
months,  as  their  respective  means  refer  to  the 
2d  or  3d,  instead  of  the  middle  day  of  each  month. 
It  will,  therefore,  probably  prove  to  be  about  59°,  or 
ten  degrees  above  that  of  England. 

But  we  have  another  mode  of  arriving  at  the 
mean  temperature,  without  apprehension  of  any 
considerable  amount  of  error. 

In  accordance  with  my  instructions,  and  with 
the  view  to  collect  facts  relative  to  the  distribution 
of  temperature  on  land,  five  pairs  of  self-registering 
thermometers,  after  having  been  carefully  com- 
pared with  the  standard,  and  their  corrections  ac- 
curately determined,  were  packed  in  vessels,  and, 
after  being  well  covered  with  non-conducting  sub- 
stances, were  buried  in  the  earth  at  the  depths  of 
one,  three,  six,  nine,  and  twelve  feet,  on  the  18th 
of  October,  and  were  allowed  to  remain  there  until 
the  12th  of  November  following,  so  as  to  ensure 
their  acquiring  the  precise  temperature  of  the  soil ; 
and  the  mean  reading  of  the  two  thermometers, 
when  corrected  at  each  of  the  several  depths,  was 
as  follows :  — 

At  1  foot  below  the  surface  was  61°  -5 

3  feet     „  „  60    -9 

6   „        „  „  60-65 

9    „        „  „  59  -76 

12    „        „  „  59-42 

The  temperature  of  water  in  a  well  at  Waimati, 
thirty-five  feet  deep,  but  with  only  six  feet  four 


CHAP.  III.]  CLIMATE.  87 

inches  of  water  in  it,  was  58°'8.  From  these  facts 
we  may  be  led  to  conclude  the  mean  temperature 
for  the  year  will  be  found  to  be  very  nearly  59°. 

This  is,  however,  a  point  of  considerable  impor- 
tance to  have  determined  accurately,  and  the  ob- 
servations should  be  continued  throughout  several 
years  before  this  can  be  accomplished.  In  looking 
over  the  hourly  observations  that  were  made  by 
the  officers  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror,  during  the 
ninety-one  days  from  which  the  above  results  have 
been  obtained,  I  perceive  that  the  mean  tempera- 
ture for  the  whole  period  would  have  been  arrived 
at  with  very  great  accuracy  by  a  single  daily  ob- 
servation, either  at  8*30  A.M.  or  7  P.M.;  and  I 
doubt  not  the  mean  temperature  for  the  year  could 
be  ascertained  to  within  very  small  limits  of  error, 
by  a  regular  register  of  the  temperature  at  either 
or  both  of  those  hours,  as  might  best  suit  the  con- 
venience of  observers. 

Besides  the  great  difference  of  ten  degrees  of 
temperature,  the  quantity  of  rain  which  fell  during 
the  above  interval,  exactly  five  times  the  amount 
which  falls  in  the  spring,  and  three  inches  more 
than  falls  during  the  whole  year  in  England,  is 
very  remarkable,  and  well  deserving  the  attention 
of  the  agriculturist. 

It  is  true  this  quantity  differs  materially  from 
that  given  by  Dr.  Dieffenbach,  being  more  than 
double  the  amount  of  that  which  fell  during  the 
same  months  of  the  same  year  at  Port  Nichol- 
son ;  and  he  further  states,  that  the  whole  quantity 

G   4 


88  CLIMATE.  [CHAP.  III. 

1841.  which  fell  there  between  April,  1841,  and  February, 
1842,  was  only  34*49  inches ;  from  which  he  draws 
the  conclusion  that  New  Zealand  has  a  rainy 
climate,  and  may  be  ranked  in  this  respect  with 
several  places  in  England. 

It  certainly  proves,  as  might  have  been  antici- 
pated, that  a  much  greater  quantity  of  rain  falls 
at  the  northern  than  at  the  southern  parts  of 
the  island ;  for  the  heaviest  falls  of  rain  occur 
during  northerly  winds,  which  come  from  the 
equatorial  regions,  fully  charged  with  moisture,  of 
which  a  large  proportion  is  precipitated  as  it  passes 
over  the  first  land  it  meets. 

Dr.  Dieffenbach  states  the  mean  temperature  of 
the  whole  year  at  Wellington  to  be  58*2,  and  the  mean 
temperature  of  the  three  months  of  spring  57*7,  a 
remarkable  accordance  with  the  results  and  infer- 
ences obtained  from  our  observations  at  the  Bay  of 
Islands ;  and  I  can  therefore  with  the  more  confi- 
dence quote  from  him  the  following  table,  showing 
the  mean  temperature  of  each  month,  which, 
although  derived  from  only  one  year's  observations, 
will  probably  be  not  far  from  the  truth,  in  a  cli- 
mate which  seems  to  possess  an  unusual  degree  of 

uniformity. 

March  -  62°-5  September  -  53°-5 

April  -  63  -5  October      -  59  -2 

May  -51-1  November  -  60  -5 

Autumn  Quarter,  59  -3  Spring  Quarter,  57  '7 

June        -  51°-3  December  -  64°  7 

July         -48-7  January      -  66  -4 

August    -51-2  February    -  64  -8 

Winter  Quarter,  50  -4  Summer  Quarter,  65  -3 


CHAP.  III.]  CLIMATE.  89 

These  results,  for  the  convenience  of  comparison,  1841. 
I  have  arranged  according  to  the  order  of  the  season, 
and  it  will  be  perceived  that  the  mean  of  the  winter 
and  summer  quarter,  or  that  of  the  autumn  and 
spring  quarter,  does  not  differ  half  a  degree  from  the 
mean  temperature  of  the  year.  The  coldest  month 
is  July,  the  hottest  January,  —  the  difference  of 
their  mean  is  only  17° '7  ;  whilst  in  England,  that 
of  the  correspondent  months  amounts  to  twenty- 
five  degrees. 

At  Auckland,  which  is  not  more  than  a  hundred 
miles  to  the  south  of  the  Bay  of  Islands,  the  mean 
temperature  of  the  year  is  59°,  that  of  the  three 
summer  months,  6 7° *2,  and  of  the  three  winter 
months,  52°,  their  difference  being  only  15°'2?  and 
their  mean  six-tenths  of  a  degree  above  that  of  the 
mean  annual  temperature. 


Sketched  by  Dr.  Hook« 


Catching  the  Great  Penguins.    Page  159. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Aspect  of  the  Country.  —  Visit  to  the  Missionary  Station  of 

Waimati.  —  Falls  of  the  Keri  Keri Kaudi  Gum.  —  Heki's 

Pah.  —  Heki's  Feast.  —  Waimati.  —  Fishing  Party  to  Lake 
Mapere.  —  Ascent  of  Puki  Nui.  —  Lakes  at  Taiami.  —  Hot 
Springs  of  Tuakino.  —  Return  to  the  Erebus.  —  Visit  from 
Captain  L'Eveque  of  the  French  Corvette,  Heroine.  —  Cap- 
ture of  the  French  Whaler,  Jean  Bart,  by  the  Inhabitants  of 
Chatham  Island.  —  Necessity  for  increased  Naval  Force  in 
these  Seas.  —  Tidal  Observations. 


hi. 


91 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  total  absence  of  roads  through  the  country,  1341, 
and  the  uncertain  state  of  feeling  towards  Euro- 
peans which  the  natives  had  begun  to  manifest, 
prevented  our  officers  from  penetrating  to  any 
considerable  distance  into  the  interior ;  the  native 
paths  through  the  woods  and  swamps  being  quite 
impracticable  without  the  assistance  of  guides,  and 
under  existing  circumstances  it  was  hardly  safe  for 
any  Europeans  to  place  themselves  so  completely 
in  the  power  of  the  natives,  who  might,  at  any 
time,  leave  them  in  a  situation  from  which  it 
would  be  utterly  impossible  to  extricate  them- 
selves, or  find  a  way  through  the  perplexing  laby- 
rinth in  which  they  might  become  helplessly 
involved. 

Fortunately  our  occupations  demanding  our  at- 
tention so  constantly,  prevented  our  feeling  any 
regret  that  the  nature  of  the  country  opposed  so 
serious  a  barrier  to  any  researches  we  might  have 
desired  to  make,  for  nothing  could  be  more  uninvit- 
ing than  its  appearance  from  the  ships  and  the 
neighbouring  hills ;  the  gently  undulating  surface 
covered  almost  entirely  with  fern,  gave  it  an 
uniformity  and  sterility  of  aspect  which  the  few 
clumps  of  trees,  with  which  it  was  varied,  served 
only  to  render  the  more  remarkable,  whilst  the 
thickly  interwoven  underwood  made  travelling 


92  MISSIONARY   STATION.  [CHAP.  IV. 

1841.      through  the  high  fern  groves  extremely  tedious 
and  laborious. 

As  soon  as  the  pendulum  experiments,  which 
had  wholly  engaged  my  time  until  the  end  of 
October,  were  completed,  I  availed  myself  of  the 
kind  invitation  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Taylor  to  visit 
the  agricultural  establishment  and  school  at  Wai- 
mati,  belonging  to  the  Church  of  England  mission, 
at  that  time  under  his  care,  and  which  I  was  very 
desirous  to  see,  on  account  of  the  well-known  and 
highly-interesting  accounts  which  have  been  given 
by  earlier  visitors  to  New  Zealand  of  that  valuable 
establishment  for  the  improvement  of  the  agri- 
cultural, as  well  as  religious,  condition  of  the 
natives. 

Accompanied  by  Commanders  Crozier  and  Sulivan 
and  Lieutenant  Bird,  I  left  the  Erebus  in  charge 
of  Lieutenant  Sibbald,  at  noon,  on  the  1st  of  No- 
vember; the  morning  was  beautifully  fine,  and 
perfectly  calm,  until  6  A.M.,  when  an  unfavourable 
change  took  place  as  we  entered  the  river  "  Keri 
Keri,"  (pronounced  Kiddi  Kiddi,)  a  fresh  opposing 
wind  sprung  up  with  occasional  heavy  showers  of 
rain  and  violent  squalls,  as  if  to  remind  us  of  the 
appropriate  name  of  the  river,  "Keri,"  meaning 
boisterous.  After  pulling  for  three  hours  against 
the  breeze,  but  favoured  by  the  tide,  we  gained  the 
missionary  settlement,  near  the  lower  falls  of  the 
Keri  Keri,  where  it  divides  into  two  branches, 
without  our  boat  grounding  upon  any  of  the  sand- 
banks with  which  it  abounds. 


CHAP.  IV.]  FALLS    OF    THE    KERI    KERI.  93 

The  establishment  here  consists  of  a  spacious      1841. 
strong-built  stone  warehouse,  in  which  the  stores  ~ 
and  merchandise  belonging  to  the  missionaries  are 
kept  in  safety.  It  is  situated  in  one  of  the  prettiest 
spots  of  the  country,  though  entirely  bare  of  wood, 
except  only  a  few  peach,  pear,  apple,  and  other 
fruit  trees  in  the  garden  belonging  to  the  house, 
and  at  the  highest  point  of  the  river  to  which 
vessels  can  ascend. 

We  were  very  kindly  received  by  Mr.  Kemp,  the 
schoolmaster,  the  only  European  resident  at  the 
place,  and  who  had  been  a  great  many  years  in  the 
country.  He  had  heard  of  my  intended  visit,  and  had 
a  guide  ready  to  take  us  to  the  upper  falls,  which 
he  told  us  were  well  worthy  of  our  attention. 
Whilst  our  people  were  making  preparation  for  our 
march  to  Waimati,  we  crossed  to  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  river,  not  exceeding  twenty  or  thirty  yards 
wide :  the  shore  rises  abruptly  from  the  water 
about  seventy  feet,  and  after  gaining  the  level 
country,  covered  with  short  fern,  and  heath-like 
plants,  but  totally  destitute  of  trees,  we  walked 
above  a  mile  and  a  half  before  we  reached  the  falls. 
Their  first  appearance  is  very  striking,  the  rapid 
stream  which  the  eye  may  trace  winding  several 
miles  along  the  extensive  plain,  precipitates  a 
broad  sheet  of  Jwater  over  an  escarpment  of  black 
basaltic  columns  about  seventy  feet  high  into  a 
deep  circular  basin,  whose  shores  are  thickly 
wooded.  A  narrow  winding  path  enables  you, 
without  difficulty,  to  descend  to  its  margin,  and 


94  FALLS   OF   THE  KERI   KERI.  [CHAP.  IV. 

1841.  however  beautiful  the  effect  is  in  looking  from 
above  into  the  depth  below,  the  fall  is  seen  to 
much  greater  advantage  from  beneath.  The  height 
and  volume  of  water  which  is  projected  over  the 
cliff,  roaring  and  foaming,  contrasts  strongly  with 
the  black  columns  and  the  varied  foliage  of  the  dark 
green  Coprosma,  the  lighter  glaucous  Lauri,  and 
other  trees  which  derive  freshness  and  vigour  from 
the  constant  supply  of  moisture  from  the  thin  mist 
that  always  fills  the  valley.  4  The  basin  appears  to 
have  been  worn  to  a  considerable  depth,  as  is  also 
the  narrow  channel  which  conveys  the  pure  and 
bright  water  from  it  to  the  sea. 

Some  of  our  officers  who  visited  these  falls 
passed  under  them,  between  the  volume  of  water 
and  the  vertical  columns,  where  the  much-lamented 
Cunningham  is  said  to  have  collected  several  very 
curious  plants.  We  could  not  afford  time  to  do  so. 
I  am  therefore  the  more  glad  to  avail  myself  of 
some  notes  by  Mr.  M'Cormick  on  the  curious  cave 
he  examined,  and  some  other  geological  and 
general  remarks  made  during  his  several  short 
excursions  into  the  country  which  will  be  found  in 
the  Appendix.  When  Dr.  Hooker  visited  these  falls, 
the  day  was  bright,  and  he  was  much  struck  with 
the  great  difference  of  temperature,  as  measured  by 
the  feelings,  on  descending  from  the  plain,  where  he 
stood  exposed  to  the  full  force  of  the  sun's  rays, 
into  the  damp  woods  from  which  they  are  en- 
tirely excluded ;  he  also  described  a  phenomenon, 
which,  though  common  to  waterfalls,  here  produces 


CHAP.  IV.]  ROAD   TO   WAIMATI.  95 

a  remarkable  effect ;  when  the  sun  shines  brightly       1841. 
a  beautiful  rainbow  of  intensely  brilliant  colours, 
spans  the  dark  abyss,  mingling  its  bright  hues  with 
the  rich  foliage  of  the  encircling  banks. 

We  returned  to  our  people,  who  had,  during  our 
absence,  got  all  ready  for  our  journey ;  the  boat's 
crew  of  eight  men,  carried  our  tents,  blankets,  and 
a  small  flat  punt,  constructed  of  bullocks'  hides  by 
Lieutenant  M'Murdo,  for  duck  shooting  over  the 
mud  flats  up  the  Kawa  Kawa,  very  light  and 
capable  of  carrying  two  men  in  smooth  water.  As 
one  of  our  purposes  was  to  fish  an  extensive  lake 
near  Waimati,  I  thought  it  would  be  useful,  and  a 
larger  boat  would  have  been  too  heavy  for  our 
party  to  manage.  Mr.  Taylor  had  sent  a  horse  to 
carry  our  small-sized  seine,  but  the  animal  was  so 
restive  that  we  found  it  impossible  to  fix  this 
novel  kind  of  burthen  on  his  back,  and  were 
obliged  to  leave  it  to  be  sent  for  after  our  arrival 
at  Waimati. 

The  unusual  appearance  of  our  party,  the  offi- 
cers in  advance  with  their  double-barrelled  fowling 
pieces,  specimen  baskets,  and  various  instruments 
for  measuring  the  elevation  and  position  of  the 
several  places  we  proposed  visiting,  followed  by 
the  crew  carrying  the  boat  and  other  necessary 
materials,  on  bearing  poles,  attracted  the  attention, 
and  not  unfrequently  the  ridicule,  of  the  natives  we 
met  on  our  journey.  We  kept  along  the  main  road 
nearly  the  whole  distance.  It  is,  indeed,  the  only 
thing  that  deserves  the  name  of  a  road  in  New 

o  % 


96  KAUDI   GUM.  [CHAP.  IV. 

1841.  Zealand,  and  was  formed  by  the  missionaries  a  few 
years  ago,  for  more  ready  communication  between 
their  two  principal  establishments :  and  at  this 
time  the  greater  part  of  it  was  in  very  good  condi- 
tion, so  that  a  carriage  might  have  been  driven 
along  it. 

On  ascending  about  two  hundred  feet  rather 
abruptly  from  the  river,  we  came  upon  a  long  tract 
of  level  country,  covered  with  low  stunted  brush- 
wood, amongst  which  many  beautiful  flowers  were 
beginning  to  appear.  The  soil  is  extremely  poor 
and  unproductive  ;  a  large  portion  of  the  surface 
being  occupied  by  reedy  marshes,  not  more  than 
one  or  two  feet  deep,  lying  upon  dense  clay.  I 
was  told  that  the  whole  of  this  extensive  plain  was 
at  one  time  covered  with  an  immense  forest  of 
Kaudi  trees  (Dammara  australis),  and  the  gum 
which  exudes  from  them  may  be  found  in  any 
part  by  digging  for  it.  There  are,  however,  no 
other  remains  of  the  trees  to  be  found,  from  which 
circumstance  it  has  been  supposed  that  the  forest 
was  burnt  down ;  a  method  frequently  adopted  for 
clearing  the  land  when  wanted  for  cultivation, 
and  which  would,  in  some  measure,  account  for 
the  gum  being  found  in  such  very  large  pieces ; 
in  no  other  way  can  we  explain  how  the  gum 
should  be  there,  and  yet  the  absence  of  any  trunks 
or  roots  of  the  trees,  together  with  the  extreme 
poverty  of  the  soil,  are  facts  barely  reconcilable 
with  the  former  existence  of  a  large  forest.  It 
would  be  worth  while  to  dig  to  a  good  depth  at 


CHIP.  IV.]  KAUDI    GUM.  97 

some  of  the  spots  where  the  gum  is  found  in  the  1841. 
greatest  abundance,  for  we  may  conclude  from  the 
resinous  nature  of  the  wood  the  fire  might  eat  its 
way  down  considerably  beneath  the  surface,  and  a 
knowledge  of  that  fact  would  of  itself  be  an  in- 
teresting circumstance.  The  gum  is  an  article  of 
extensive  commercial  importance;  it  is  purchased 
chiefly  by  the  Americans  at  the  rate  of  a  penny 
the  pound,  but  the  purpose  to  which  it  is  applied 
by  them  is  still  a  secret. 

For  the  first  four  or  five  miles  the  country  was 
equally  monotonous  and  sterile ;  although  I  have 
no  doubt  it  might,  under  cultivation,  be  made 
good  pasture  land,  yet  it  would  require  great 
labour,  which  is  not  to  be  obtained  here,  and  with- 
out it  no  considerable  improvement  can  be  ex- 
pected. The  natives  we  met  on  the  road  gene- 
rally greeted  us  with  the  friendly  and  cheerful 
salutation  of  the  country,  "  Tene-ra-ka-koa,"  the 
equivalent  to  "  How  do  you  do  ?"  or  "good  morn- 
ing," and  seemed  greatly  amused  at  our  imperfect 
pronunciation  of  the  word;  in  most  cases  they 
had  a  kind  look  and  hearty  shake  of  the  hand 
ready  for  us ;  indeed  this  latter  practice  seems  to 
have  entirely  taken  the  place  of  their  former 
method  of  greeting  by  touching  noses,  as  is  still 
practised  by  the  Esquimaux  of  the  Arctic  regions. 

We  had  at  that  time  little  reason  to  apprehend 
that  these  apparently  peaceful  and  happy  people 
were  so  soon  to  feel  all  the  horrors  of  war.  Yet 

it  was  along  this  road  that  the  brave  little  band  of 
t>  % 

VOL.  II.  H 


98  HEKI'S   PAH.  [CHAP.  IV. 

_  soldiers  and  sailors,  under  the  gallant  Despard, 
marched  to  attack  the  rebellious  Heki,  in  his 
hitherto  esteemed  impregnable  Pah,  distant  be- 
tween four  and  five  miles  from  Waimati,  which  fell 
and  was  destroyed  by  the  persevering  bravery  of 
our  united-service  force  under  his  skilful  command. 
It  was  fortunate  for  our  brave  countrymen  they 
had  a  road  by  which  to  transport  their  artillery 
even  thus  far  towards  the  scene  of  action;  but  I 
fear  it  will  teach  the  "  Maories"  to  erect  their 
fortifications  on  situations  inaccessible  to  cannon, 
by  which  alone  they  can  be  destroyed,  as  every 
attempt  at  scaling  their  outworks  must  inevitably 
end  in  disappointment  and  defeat. 

We  got  the  first  sight  of  Waimati  when  at  a 
distance  of  four  miles  from  it,  just  before  reaching 
the  valley  through  which  the  river  of  that  name 
flows.  We  crossed  the  stream  by  a  neat  wooden 
bridge,  and  at  a  short  distance  beyond  we  observed 
a  most  strange -looking  lofty  building  or  scaffolding, 
evidently  erected  with  great  labour,  in  a  succession 
of  terraces  or  platforms  to  the  height  of  more  than 
a  hundred  feet.  It  was  situated  close  by  a  small 
native  village,  on  a  level  space,  surrounded  by  hills 
of  small  elevation,  whose  sides  were  thickly  clothed 
with  timber,, 

We  were  at  a  loss  to  conjecture  for  what  pur- 
pose such  a  structure  could  have  been  erected  ;  but 
we  subsequently  learned  from  Mr.  Taylor,  that  it 
was  built  on  the  occasion  of  a  great  feast  which 
was  given  by  the  now  notorious  Heki  to  a  number 
of  natives  whom  he  had  called  together  from  all 


CHAP.  IV.]  HEKI'S   FEAST.  99 

parts  of  the  island,  when  the  several  stages  or  1841. 
platforms  were  loaded  with  various  kinds  of  pro- 
visions, consisting  of  Indian  corn,  potatoes,  sweet 
potatoes,  pigs,  cockles,  and  all  kinds  of  eatables  for 
their  use,  being  placed  there  for  safety  ;  each 
platform  being  cleared  off  as  required. 

It  is  said  that  upwards  of  a  thousand  natives 
assembled  at  the  feast,  the  principal  object  of  which 
was  to  afford  Heki*  the  opportunity  of  dissuading 
his  countrymen  from  selling  their  lands  to  the 
English. 

He  had  been  converted  to  Christianity  several 
years  ago,  is  well  acquainted  with  the  precious  . 
truths  of  the  Gospel,  and  exemplary  in  the  dis- 
charge of  all  religious  duties.  He  has  ever  lived 
on  good  terms  with  the  missionaries,  although  he 
has  never  concealed  his  growing  hatred  to  the 
invaders  of  his  country.  He  is  a  turbulent,  cou- 
rageous man,  possessing  a  remarkable  mixture  of 
cunning  and  frankness,  all  of  which  characters  are 
occasionally  expressed  in  his  countenance,  not- 
withstanding the  tattooing  which  disfigures  his 
features.  Ever  since  this  patriotic  feast  he  has 
been  regarded  as  the  greatest  enemy  of  the  Eng- 
lish. The  whole  of  the  provisions  which  were 
consumed  during  the  week  or  ten  days  it  lasted 
were  purchased  by  Heki  ;  but  of  which  he,  as  is 
the  custom  of  the  country,  did  not  partake;  his 

*  These  feasts,  which  are  called  "  Hakari  "  or  feasts  of  peace, 
are  now  of  but  rare  occurrence,  and  not  always  devoted  to  their 
original  purpose. 

H     2 


100  WAIMATI.  [CHAP.  IV. 

^ part  of  the  business  being  to  mix  with  the  dif- 
ferent groups,  addressing  each  in  their  turn,  and 
seeing  that  they  all  enjoyed  themselves.  We  could 
not  help  thinking  that  the  provisions  might  have 
been  equally  well  secured  upon  a  less  elaborate 
and  expensive  structure. 

After  crossing  the  river  we  observed  a  marked 
change  in  the  geological  structure  of  the  country, 
from  a  sterile  pipe-clay  to  a  richer  decomposed 
volcanic  matter  at  the  surface,  densely  com- 
pressed beneath,  and  mixed  with  mica,  hornblende 
and  quartz,  which  had  perhaps  at  one  time  been 
a  hard  granite  rock,  and  if  exposed  to  great 
heat  and  pressure,  might  again  become  so.  As- 
cending the  steep  hill  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
valley  the  increased  fertility  of  the  soil  was  stri- 
kingly manifest,  and  on  reaching  its  summit  the 
neat-looking  village,  and  the  church  with  its  con- 
spicuous steeple,  came  in  view  ;  the  houses  of  the 
missionaries,  built  quite  in  the  English  style,  to- 
gether with  the  well-cultivated  farms  and  fields, 
divided  by  hedgerows  of  true  English  green,  formed 
a  most  gratifying  sight,  and  reminded  us  more  of 
our  own  country  than  anything  we  had  seen  in 
other  parts  of  the  colony. 

We  were  received  on  our  arrival,  early  in  the 
afternoon,  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  in  the  most 
cordial  manner,  and  after  doing  justice  to  an  ex- 
cellent dinner  they  had  prepared  for  us,  we  walked 
through  the  gardens,  in  which  we  found  abundance 
of  delicious  strawberries  and  other  fruits  of  our 
own  country  mingled  with  those  of  the  tropical 


CHAP.  IV.]  WAIMATI.  101 

regions.  The  gardens  were  laid  out  with  good  1841- 
taste,  and,  although  convenience  and  usefulness  had 
been  more  especially  consulted,  yet  neatness  and 
regularity  of  appearance  had  not  been  overlooked. 
To  us  it  was  most  delightful  to  see  in  this  far- 
distant  land  so  great  a  variety  of  plants  common  to 
our  own  country,  recalling  many  happy  associations 
of  by-gone  days,  and  the  exciting  thoughts  of 
future  hope  which  arose  in  our  minds  were  by  no 
means  the  least  pleasurable  emotions  we  experienced 
as  we  wandered  through  these  beautiful  gardens. 

It  was  a  fine  serene  evening,  and  our  obser- 
vations for  the  position  of  this  spot  and  its  eleva- 
tion above  the  level  of  the  sea  were  satisfactorily 
accomplished.  The  temperature  of  the  air  was 
70°*5,  that  of  the  water  in  a  well  fifty-six  feet  deep, 
but  with  only  nine  feet  of  water  in  it,  was  59°. 

As  our  absence  from  the  ships  was  limited  to  a 
few  days,  Mr.  Taylor  kindly  undertook  to  arrange 
our  operations,  so  as  to  enable  us  to  visit  the  se- 
veral places  we  wished  with  as  little  loss  of  time 
as  possible.  There  was  the  great  lake  to  be  fished  ; 
then  to  be  crossed  and  sounded,  and  the  deep 
fissures  in  the  mountain  on  the  opposite  shore  to 
be  examined  and  fathomed  ;  the  highest  mountain 
in  the  neighbourhood,  Puki  Nui,  to  be  ascended, 
and  its  height  determined  ;  the  large  crater  to  be 
explored,  and  the  hot  springs  to  be  visited.  All 
these  objects,  of  great  interest  to  us,  except  the  two 
former,  were  placed  in  different  directions,  and  at  a 
considerable  distance  from  Waimati,  and  as  all  had 

H     3 


102  LAKE    MAPERE.  [CiiAP.  IV. 

1841-  to  be  accomplished  on  foot,  because  our  instru- 
ments might  sustain  injury  from  the  jolting  of  a 
horse,  and  were  too  valuable  to  be  trusted  to  any 
other  hands,  it  required  all  the  consideration  of 
some  one  well  acquainted  with  the  country,  and 
with  our  powers  of  enduring  the  fatigue  of  travel- 
ling along  the  narrow  native  paths,  to  dispose  of 
our  time  to  the  best  advantage. 

We  agreed  first  to  visit  the  Lake  Mapere  at 
Mawe,  and  having  sent  our  people  off  early  the 
next  morning  with  the  small  boat  and  seine,  we 
started  at  9  A.M.,  and  after  half  an  hour's  smart 
walking  were  obliged  to  take  shelter  from  a  very 
heavy  fall  of  rain  in  a  small  neat  chapel  which 
the  Christian  natives  had  themselves  built  of  wood 
in  one  of  their  stone  pahs,  and  in  which,  Mr. 
Taylor  informed  us,  one  of  the  native  school- 
masters read  the  church  service  twice  every 
Sunday.  Some  of  the  cottages  were  remarkably 
clean  and  tidy,  and  their  gardens,  containing 
peach  trees  and  the  Cape  gooseberry,  in  much  better 
order  than  we  had  seen  in  other  places.  At  a  dis- 
tance of  five  or  six  miles  from  Waimati,  after  pass- 
ing through  a  difficult  marshy  jungle,  we  arrived 
at  the  edge  of  the  lake. 

It  is  a  fine  sheet  of  water,  between  two  and  three 
miles  in  diameter,  or  perhaps  more,  and  thickly 
wooded  to  the  water's  edge.  It  is  said  to  be  very 
shallow,  and  there  are  many  superstitious  traditions 
regarding  its  origin,  too  idle  and  absurd  to  be 
mentioned ;  yet  it  seems  certain  that  it  covers  the 


CHAP.  IV.]  LAKE    MAPERE.  103 

sites  of  several  native  villages,  whose  names  are  1841t 
spoken  of  as  of  no  very  distant  date,  and  we  have 
every  reason  to  believe  that  the  face  of  this  land, 
and  especially  in  this  neighbourhood,  has  been 
much  altered  by  volcanic  disturbances,  of  which 
the  extensive  and  numerous  smaller  craters,  the 
cleft  mountain,  and  the  thermal  springs  are  so 
many  striking  evidences.  Although  we  were  told 
that  the  lake  is  very  shallow,  yet  on  this  point  we 
may  have  been  mistaken,  as  I  perceive  Dr.  Dieffen- 
bach,  in  speaking  of  it,  says  it  is  about  one  square 
mile  and  a  half  in  extent,  and  apparently  of  great 
depth  :  in  some  places  its  borders  are  steep,  and 
consist  of  basaltic  lavas.  It  is,  perhaps,  an  old 
crater :  and  indeed  there  is  a  tradition  amongst 
the  natives,  that  a  large  village  with  its  inhabitants 
was  suddenly  engulphed  during  an  earthquake.* 

The  net  was  prepared  and  laid  out  by  the  assist- 
ance of  a  native  canoe,  which  fortunately  happened 
to  be  near  the  spot  to  which  our  guide  had  taken 
us.  The  first  haul,  in  which  we  were  assisted  by 
the  natives,  gave  us  nothing  but  roots  and  limbs 
of  trees,  to  their  great  amusement,  and  our  net 
was  very  much  torn  :  this  occupied  us  some  time 
to  repair,  when  we  moved  to  a  more  clear-looking 
space ;  but  here  we  were  almost  equally  unsuc- 
cessful, a  few  mussels  and  some  very  small  fish, 
(valuable  additions,  however,  to  our  collection  of  na- 
tural history,)  were  all  we  procured.  The  natives 
of  the  neighbourhood,  who  had  collected  in  consi- 
*  Vol.  i.  p.  244. 

H   4 


104  LAKE    MAPEBE.  [CHAP.  IV. 

184L  derable  numbers,  seemed  greatly  to  enjoy  our 
disappointment,  and  but  for  the  presence  of  Mr. 
Taylor  would  doubtless  have  proved  troublesome. 
They  were  very  jealous  of  our  going  there  to  fish, 
and,  probably  alluding  to  the  large  supplies  we 
had  obtained  for  our  crews  in  the  various  coves 
of  the  bay,  sneeringly  asked  us,  "If  we  were  not 
satisfied  with  the  fish  of  the  sea  ?  " 

They  had,  no  doubt,  purposely  taken  us  to  those 
parts  of  the  lake  most  difficult  to  fish  with  a  seine, 
and  at  first  laughed  heartily,  and,  as  we  thought, 
goodnaturedly,  at  our  ill- success  ;  but  when  they 
saw  we  were  not  at  all  disconcerted  at  their  merri- 
ment, but  replied  to  their  jokes,  they  began  to 
manifest  some  degree  of  ill-humour,  for  they  could 
perceive  that  we  in  our  fun  had  turned  them 
rather  into  ridicule,  which  of  all  things,  I  after- 
wards learned,  they  are  least  able  to  bear.  Eels 
are  said  to  be-  large  and  numerous  in  the  lake, 
but  are  only  taken  at  night,  by  means  of  ingeni- 
ously contrived  baskets,  something  like  those  em- 
ployed on  our  own  and  the  Norwegian  coasts  for 
catching  lobsters :  not  having  caught  any,  we 
bought  a  few  from  the  natives,  which  answered 
their  purpose  and  ours  equally  well. 

We  were  prevented  crossing  the  lake  to  the  cleft 
mountain  by  a  strong  breeze  arising,  and  render- 
ing the  passage  in  our  little  punt  too  dangerous 
and  tedious,  as  it  could  only  carry  two,  and  it 
would  have  occupied  the  whole  of  the  remainder  of 
the  day  to  get  our  party  across.  At  the  sug- 


CHAP.  IV.]  PUKI  NUI.  105 

gestion,  therefore,  of  Mr.  Taylor,  we  abandoned  1841. 
this  object,  which  we  could  not  have  satisfactorily 
accomplished,  arid  made  up  our  minds  to  ascend 
the  Puki  Nui  mountain,  which  was  well  within  our 
reach.  Our  barometrical  observations  gave  the 
elevation  of  Lake  Mapere  above  the  level  of  the 
sea  seven  hundred  and  eight  feet,  whilst  that  of 
Waimati  was  only  six  hundred  and  twenty-three 
feet. 

We  reached  the  summit  of  Puki  Nui  at  a 
quarter  past  three  in  the  afternoon,  and  were  richly 
rewarded  for  our  labour,  as  it  afforded  us  a  com- 
plete view  of  the  whole  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. The  mountain  itself  is  a  volcanic. vent  tower- 
ing high  above  all  the  others,  and  commanding  from 
its  top  a  view  of  the  sea  on  each  side  of  the  island. 
The  weather  was  beautifully  clear,  and  the  heads  or 
entrance  of  the  harbour  of  Hokianga  were  clearly 
visible.  Mr.  Taylor  informed  me  that  the  chief 
establishment  of  the  Wesleyan  missionaries  is  at 
this  place :  these  pious  men  followed  soon  after  the 
Church  of  England  missionaries  had  established 
themselves  amongst  the  natives,  and  like  them  their 
beneficent  labours  have  been  abundantly  blessed. 

From  this  point  also  we  could  much  better  per- 
ceive and  understand  the  great  improvement  in 
cultivation  of  the  soil  by  the  Christian  natives  than 
any  description  could  have  afforded  us  :  before  the 
introduction  of  the  gospel  of  peace,  they  were 
compelled  by  the  hostility  or  ambitious  avarice  of 
neighbouring  tribes  to  live  congregated  together 


106  CULTIVATED    VALLEY.  [CHAP.  IV. 

1841.  jn  fortified  places,  or  pahs,  as  they  are  called,  and 
of  which  vestiges  were  still  to  be  seen  on  the  top 
of  almost  every  hill  in  the  country  ;  the  cultivation 
of  the  Kumara,  or  sweet  potato,  upon  which  they 
principally  lived,  being  confined  to  the  sides  of  the 
hill,  or  seldom  extending  beyond  the  valley.  Since, 
however,  peace  has  been  preached  and  war  has 
ceased  to  be  their  chief  occupation,  we  find  them 
dispersing  in  small  groups  over  the  more  fertile 
parts  of  the  land,  building  detached  cottages  or 
small  villages,  and  living  in  a  degree  of  com- 
fort and  security  to  which  they  were  formerly 
strangers,  and  of  which  they  seem  fully  to  appre- 
ciate the  advantage.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  exten- 
sive valley  which  we  now  saw  under  cultivation, 
and  which  so  greatly  excited  our  interest,  was 
once  the  scene  of  some  of  the  horrible  and  bar- 
barous deeds,  and  at  a  later  date  the  refuge,  of  the 
detestable  Shoongi.  The  atrocities  of  this  savage 
chief  have  rendered  his  name  execrable  amongst 
his  countrymen,  and  serve  to  show  in  a  striking 
manner  how  impolitic  and  improper  it  was  to  place 
so  superior  a  power  in  the  hands  of  a  wretch  who 
seems  to  have  possessed  no  other  feeling  than  that 
of  vengeance  and  thirst  for  the  blood  of  his  former 
conquerors,  and  of  which  he  let  no  opportunity 
pass  of  gratifying. 

Our  observations  gave  the  height  of  Puki  Nui 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  The  highest  range  of  mountains 
in  sight  to  the  southward  is  called  by  the  natives 


CHAP.  IV.]  LAKES    AT   TAIAMI.  107 

Ikorangi,  or  "Fish  of  Heaven,"  but  we  had  no  1841. 
means  of  measuring  their  elevation.  The  highest 
land  to  the  north  is  called  by  them  Maunga 
Taniwa,  of  which  I  did  not  learn  the  meaning.  We 
descended  the  hill,  and  arrived  in  the  evening  at 
Waimati,  after  a  fatiguing  day's  work. 

We  again  set  out  at  an  early  hour  the  next 
morning  for  the  hot  springs,  at  Taiami,  called  Tua- 
kino :  our  road  lay  over  a  hilly  and  barren  country, 
of  which  the  most  remarkable  feature  is  the  three 
volcanic  conical  hills  which  stand  in  the  middle  of 
an  extensive  depression  of  the  table  land,  and  of 
which  Dr.  Dieffenbach  has  given  an  account  in  his 
travels  in  New  Zealand.*  After  three  hours'  la- 
borious walking  we  reached  the  first  lake,  shortly 
before  noon,  and  halted  to  obtain  observations  for 
latitude.  The  temperature  of  the  lake  was  62°, 
that  of  the  air  being  at  the  time  60°.  It  is  about 
half  a  mile  in  diameter ;  on  its  shores  we  observed 
numerous  charred  stems  of  trees,  and  near  its  centre 
a  large  flock  of  ducks,  probably  feeding  on  a  small 
kind  of  fish,  of  which  we  saw  a  great  many.  Some 
pieces  of  pure  sulphur  were  picked  up  along  the 
margin  of  the  lake. 

The  temperature  of  the  smaller  lake,  near  which 
are  the  hot  springs,  at  only  a  short  distance  from 
the  former,  was  found  to  be  65°*7,  and  that  of 
the  gaseous  jets  or  bubbles  that  are  continually 
rising  in  it  66°.  Numerous  holes  had  been  dug,  in 

*  Vol.  i.  p.  245. 


108  HOT    SPRINGS  OF    TUAKINO.  [CHAP.  IV. 

1841.  the  clay  soil  through  which  the  hot  sulphureous 
water  issues,  by  the  natives  who  had  visited  this 
spot  for  the  benefit  of  the  waters,  which  are  consi- 
dered an  efficacious  remedy  for  all  cutaneous  and 
scrofulous  diseases,  with  which  the  New  Zealanders 
are  so  much  afflicted,  that  few  of  them  are  without 
strong  marks  of  the  latter  on  the  glands  of  the 
throat. 

The  temperature  of  these  holes  varied  from  150° 
to  80°,  in  proportion  to  the  length  of  time  they 
had  been  dug,  the  heat  passing  away  gradually 
after  exposure  to  the  atmosphere.  We  had  provided 
ourselves  with  the  means  of  digging  fresh  holes, 
and  these  we  found  also  to  vary  considerably  in  tem- 
perature, although  quite  close  to  each  other.  The 
hottest,  of  eight  or  ten  that  we  dug,  was  179°,  and 
in  this  we  cooked  some  eggs  which  we  had  brought 
with  us  for  the  purpose,  and  served  to  form  part  of 
our  luncheon,  although  their  shells  were  deeply 
stained  with  the  sulphur.  As  Dr.  Dieffenbach  truly 
remarks,  the  surrounding  country,  especially  to  the 
southward,  has  to  a  singular  degree  the  barren 
and  desolate  aspect  so  often  observed. in  places 
celebrated  for  their  salubrious  mineral  waters. 
Scarcely  any  verdure  is  to  be  seen  on  the  hills  of 
the  neighbourhood :  it  is  only  in  the  ravines  that 
the  uniform  brown  tint  of  stunted  fern  is  inter- 
rupted by  the  green  of  some  sheltered  groves. 

Whenever  this  country  shall  have  become  thickly 
populated  with  Europeans,  these  springs  will  become 
of  equal  importance  to  the  colonists  with  the  most 


CHAP.  IV.]      RETURN  TO  THE  EREBUS.  109 

celebrated  baths  of  our  own  country  or  the  spas  of      1841- 
Germany. 

Their  elevation  above  the  level  of  the  sea  is  six 
hundred  and  forty-eight  feet  by  barometrical  mea- 
surement. We  remained  so  long  at  this  place,  that 
we  had  hardly  time  to  get  back  to  Waimati  before 
dark. 

As  the  weather  was  very  unfavourable  the  next 
day  for  making  further  excursions  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, we  prepared  to  return  to  the  ship,  being 
unwilling  to  prolong  our  absence  beyond  the  time 
I  had  at  first  proposed,  upon  the  uncertainty  of 
fine  weather  succeeding ;  and  we  had  yet  some  im- 
portant objects  to  accomplish  before  leaving  New 
Zealand.  We  therefore  took  leave  of  the  kind 
friends  whose  hospitality  and  attentions  had  af- 
forded us  three  days  of  most  agreeable  relaxation 
from  our  severe  duties,  and  returning  to  the  Keri 
Keri  by  the  road  we  came,  we  embarked  in  our 
boat,  and  arrived  on  board  the  Erebus  early  in  the 
afternoon. 

On  the  20th  of  October  the  French  corvette 
Heroine  anchored  off  Kororarika,  and  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  receiving  a  visit  from  her  commander, 
Captain  L'Eveque.  He  informed  me  that  they  had 
experienced  some  very  severe  weather  off  the  south 
coast  of  New  Holland,  and  that  his  crew  was  in  a 
sickly  state.  He  had  touched  here  for  fresh  provi- 
sions, and  was  on  his  way  to  Port  Akaroa,  in  Banks' 
Peninsula,  where  a  number  of  settlers  from  France 

had  gone  last  year  to  form  a  colony,  but  found  on 

» 


110  FRENCH    COLONISTS    AT    AKAROA.      [CHAP.  IV. 

1841  •  their  arrival  there  that  it  had  been  taken  possession 
of  a  few  days  previously  by  the  English.  They  were 
not  allowed  by  the  English  authorities  to  build 
any  fortifications,  or  land  their  guns  or  munitions 
of  war,  beyond  what  were  absolutely  necessary  for 
personal  protection  ;  and  were  at  this  time  get- 
ting on  prosperously  under  the  protection  of  the 
British  flag.  The  next  day  Commander  Crozier 
and  I  returned  Captain  L'Eveque's  visit ;  and  on 
acquainting  him  with  my  intention  to  visit  the 
Chatham  Islands,  he  very  kindly  furnished  me  with 
a  more  accurate  plan  of  them  than  any  with  which 
we  had  been  supplied. 

We  owe  this  valuable  survey  to  the  diligence 
and  research  of  his  predecessor  in  command  of  the 
Heroine,  Captain  Cecille,  whilst  employed  in  the 
protection  of  the  French  ships  engaged  in  the  whale 
fishery.  The  islands  were  almost  entirely  unknown 
to  us,  no  British  man-of-war  having  been  there 
since  their  discovery  by  Lieutenant  Broughton, 
in  the  Chatham,  tender  to  the  Investigator,  in  No- 
vember, 1791,  after  his  separation  from  his  commo- 
dore, the  justly  celebrated  navigator  Vancouver.* 

Captain  Cecille  had  been  induced  to  visit  the 
islands  by  hearing  from  the  master  of  an  American 
whaler,  who  had  recently  been  there,  that  a  French 
vessel,  the  Jean  Bart,  had  been  captured  and  de- 

*  For  an  interesting  account  of  his  discovery  of  the  islands 
and  unfortunate  affray  with  the  natives  at  Skirmish  Bay,  see 
Vancouver's  Voyage,  vol.  i.  p.  84. 


CHAP.  IV.]         FRENCH    CORVETTE    HEROINE.  Ill 

stroyed  by  the  natives,  and  the  crew  inhumanly      1841- 
murdered. 

His  chief  obj  ect,  therefore,  in  going  there  was,  in 
his  own  words,  "  pour  venger  sur  les  insulaires 
le  massacre  de  nos  compatriots ; "  and  also  to  afford 
relief  to  any  of  the  crew  that  might  by  possibility 
have  escaped  to  some  of  the  contiguous  islets.  On 
his  arrival  at  the  great  western  bay  of  the  island, 
he  found  the  accounts  he  had  received  were  but  too 
true  ;  the  remains  of  the  burnt  ship  were  still  to  be 
seen,  and  one  of  her  boats  was  recovered,  but  he 
could  not  hear  anything  of  the  crew,  nor  whether 
any  of  them  had  escaped  in  the  boats  of  the  ship.  Al- 
though his  arrangements  appear  to  have  been  made 
with  the  greatest  judgment,  yet  he  did  not  succeed 
in  securing  the  principal  actors  in  this  dreadful  tra- 
gedy. He,  however,  landed  a  large  force,  and  totally 
destroyed  their  pahs  or  strongholds,  and  burnt  as 
many  of  their  boats  as  he  could  find,  thus  de- 
priving them  of  the  power  of  attacking  any  other 
vessel.  He  succeeded  also  in  decoying  one  of 
their  principal  chiefs,  named  Eitouna,  and  two  of 
his  people  on  board,  whom  he  kept  as  prisoners,  and 
from  whom  he  derived  the  following  information 
respecting  the  circumstances  which  led  to  the  un- 
fortunate collision  with  the  New  Zealanders. 

The  Jean  Bart  arrived  at  Chatham  Island  early 
in  May,  and  before  she  gained  the  anchorage  se- 
veral canoes  belonging  to  the  two  tribes  of  New 
Zealanders  who  had  possessed  themselves  of  the 
island  went  alongside.  It  was  about  2  P.M.  when 


112  FKENCH    WHALER   JEAN    BART.          [CHAP.  IV. 

184L  the  ship  anchored  in  the  small  bay  of  Wai-Tangui, 
upon  the  shores  of  which  the  tribe  of  Eitouna  were 
established.  The  captain,  frightened  at  seeing  so 
many  savages  on  board,  desired  the  chiefs  to  send 
them  on  shore.  Eitouna  gave  orders  to  his  people 
to  leave :  many  obeyed,  others  remained  to  make 
some  exchanges  with  the  sailors :  all  the  people  of 
Eimare,  the  chief  of  the  other  tribe,  also  remained 
on  board,  so  that  there  were  still  seventy  to  seventy- 
five  of  them  left  in  the  ship.  The  captain,  not 
thinking  himself  safe,  prepared  immediately  to  quit 
the  bay,  and  refused  to  read  some  certificates  that 
Eitouna  presented  to  him  to  inspire  him  with 
confidence. 

Eitouna  and  many  others  were  in  the  cabin  of 
the  Jean  Bart,  when  suddenly  they  heard  a  great 
tumult  on  deck  :  they  immediately  endeavoured  to 
make  their  way  up  the  ladder,  when  a  wounded 
New  Zealander  fell  from  the  deck  amongst  them ; 
they  then  returned  into  the  cabin  to  conceal  them- 
selves when  the  skylight  was  immediately  removed; 
and  Eitouna  said  they  tried  to  kill  them  with  lances 
and  spades,  which  they  thrust  into  all  parts  of  the 
cabin ;  many  of  those  in  the  cabin  were  wounded, 
some  were  killed:  they  looked  about  for  some 
arms  to  defend  themselves,  and  found  a  double- 
barrelled  gun  and  some  pistols  in  the  captain's 
cabin,  but  these  being  percussion,  and  having 
no  caps,  they  were  useless  to  them.  At  length 
they  found  some  muskets  and  cartridges,  with 
which  they  killed  two  of  the  seamen.  The  sky- 


CHAP.  IV.]      FRENCH   WHALER,    JEAN   BART.  113 

light  was  instantly  put  on  again,  and  fastened  1841. 
down  by  the  people  on  deck,  and  soon  afterwards 
all  was  silent.  Eitouna  supposes  that  the  captain 
and  crew  became  alarmed  when  they  found  the 
New  Zealanders  in  possession  of  fire-arms,  and  had 
barricaded  all  the  hatchways,  to  gain  time  to  get 
out  their  boats  and  make  their  escape ;  for  when  he 
and  his  party  eventually  got  upon  deck,  there  was 
no  one  to  be  seen.  He  stated  that  twenty-eight  of 
their  men  and  one  woman  were  killed,  and  twenty 
others  wounded.  He  believes  that  the  attack  was 
provoked  by  the  people  of  Eimare!'s  pah,  who 
wished  to  get  possession  of  some  articles  which  the 
seamen  endeavoured  to  prevent ;  he  said,  also,  that 
had  it  not  been  for  the  fire-arms  they  found,  the 
French  would  have  put  them  all  to  death.  The 
fight  lasted  from  two  hours  after  sunset  until  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 

Captain  Cecille  had  learned  at  the  Bay  of  Islands 
that  the  pahs  of  Chatham  Island  were  placed  be- 
yond the  reach  of  the  guns  of  a  vessel  at  the  anchor- 
age ;  he  made  his  dispositions  accordingly,  and 
landed  a  large  force  the  day  after  his  arrival.  The 
party  met  with  no  resistance  :  all  the  pahs  were 
abandoned ;  they  saw  a  few  of  the  New  Zealanders, 
who  fled  into  the  woods,  where  it  was  neither  pru- 
dent nor  possible  to  follow  them.  The  fortifica- 
tions were  entirely  destroyed  by  fire,  as  well  as 
some  large  canoes :  they  also  found  several  ar- 
ticles that  had  belonged  to  the  French  whaler,  and 
one  of  her  boats,  which  was  launched  and  taken  on 

VOL.  II.  I 


114  EITOUNA.  [CHAP.  IV. 

1841.  board  the  Heroine.  By  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon there  remained  of  all  their  extensive  establish- 
ment, of  a  quarter  of  a  league  in  length,  and  which 
was  pallisaded  throughout,  nothing  but  a  heap  of 
ashes. 

In  the  mean  time  Eitouna  had  been  a  prisoner 
on  board  two  days  in  the  greatest  uneasiness :  he 
inquired  frequently  when  they  would  put  him  to 
death.  Not  willing  to  prolong  this  mental  torture, 
Captain  Cecille  acquainted  him  that  he  and  his  two 
companions  should  remain  prisoners  in  the  vessel, 
and  be  taken  to  France,  when  the  King  would 
decide  their  fate. 

They  soon  became  reconciled  to  their  situation; 
and  Captain  Cecille  having  satisfied  himself  that 
Eirnare  and  his  people  were  the  aggressors,  he 
contrived  to  open  a  communication  with  the  people 
of  Eitouna' s  tribe,  and  succeeded  so  far  in  assuring 
them  of  their  safety  from  any  further  punishment, 
that  several  of  them  came  on  board  to  take  leave 
of  their  chief. 

After  having  landed  on  another  part  of  the 
island,  and  destroyed  some  more  pahs  and  canoes 
belonging  to  Eimare's  tribe,  he  visited  Pitt  Island, 
under  the  impression  that  as  only  one  of  the  boats 
of  the  Jean  Bart  was  to  be  found,  it  was  very  pro- 
bable that  those  which  were  missing  had  been 
taken  by  the  survivors  of  the  crew,  in  which  they 
might  have  sought  a  place  of  safety  upon  this 
contiguous  islet.  Eitouna  appeared  also  to  have 
been  of  the  same  opinion.  But  as  all  their  searches 


CHAP.  IV.]    INHABITANTS   OF   CHATHAM   ISLAND.  115 

after  them  proved  fruitless,  it  is  most  likely  that      1841. 
those  who  escaped  the  assault  of  the  New  Zea- 
landers  perished  in  their  attempt  to  reach   New 
South  Wales,    or    were    murdered  by  the  savages 
that  inhabit  Pitt  Island. 

As  Captain  Cecille's  observations  and  description 
of  Chatham  Island  and  its  anchorages  may  prove 
useful  to  our  whalers  or  other  vessels  that  may 
have  occasion  to  touch  there,  I  have  given  them 
in  the  Appendix  to  this  volume,  being  the  best 
information  we  at  present  possess. 

The  people  with  whom  the  French  had  been 
engaged,  were  not  the  aborigines  of  the  island, 
but  part  of  a  large  number  of  New  Zealanders 
who  had  been  taken  to  the  island  in  an  English 
vessel,  the  Lord  Rodney,  amounting  to  between 
four  and  five  hundred,  whom  the  inhabitants  of  the 
island,  of  about  an  equal  number,  allowed  quietly 
to  settle  there.  A  scarcity  of  provisions  soon  fol- 
lowed their  arrival,  when  the  New  Zealanders  fell 
upon  the  aborigines,  and  killed  above  two  hun- 
dred for  food  :  the  rest  they  reduced  to  slavery. 

The  present  population  consists  chiefly  of  inha- 
bitants of  East  Cape  and  Port  Nicholson,  and  a 
few  turbulent  natives  of  Teranaki.  They  arrived 
at  Chatham  Island,  under  the  command  of  Hepatou. 
Since  his  death,  in  1836,  they  divided  into  two 
tribes  :  the  one  staid  at  Wangaroa,  under  Eiinare, 
the  other  established  itself  at  Wai  Tangui,  with 
Eitouna,  as  its  chief.  Chatham  Island  is  called 

i    2 


116  CHATHAM   ISLAND.  [CHAP.  IV. 

1841.  Wairi  Kaori  (large  mountain)  by  its  New  Zealand 
inhabitants.  It  is  very  fertile,  and  the  potatoes 
grown  there  are  of  a  very  superior  quality.  Corn 
has  not  succeeded,  in  consequence  of  the  great 
number  of  parroquets  which  destroy  it  before  it  is 
ripe.  An  Englishman  of  the  name  of  Coffee,  who 
had  lived  five  years  on  the  island,  had  never  seen 
any  ice  there,  but  remembers  the  occurrence  of  a 
single  fall  of  snow. 

The  Heroine  had  been  again  sent  to  these  seas 
for  the  protection  of  French  whaling  vessels,  and  to 
prevent  a  fraud  which  they  had  extensively  prac- 
tised. The  French  government  had  lately  offered 
a  bounty  for  the  encouragement  of  the  whale 
fishery,  and  the  reward  was  granted  in  proportion 
to  the  success  of  the  vessel.  But  the  object 
for  which  it  was  intended  was  entirely  defeated, 
for  instead  of  capturing  the  whales  themselves, 
they  purchased  oil  from  the  American  and  Eng- 
lish whalers,  and,  carrying  it  home,  received  the 
bounty,  as  if  it  had  been  the  produce  of  their 
own  skill  and  enterprize.  From  Captain  L'Eveque 
I  also  received  a  chart  of  the  discoveries  of  Admiral 
d'Urville  in  the  southern  seas,  which  I  had  not 
before  seen.  On  quitting  the  Heroine,  we  were 
honoured  by  a  salute  of  eleven  guns,  which  was 
returned  with  an  equal  number  by  the  Erebus. 
After  remaining  two  or  three  days  at  anchor  off 
Kororarika,  the  Heroine  sailed,  on  a  favourable 
breeze  arising,  for  Akaroa. 

During  the  whole  period  of  our  stay  in  the  river 


CHAP.  IV.]      FISH    OF   THE    BAY   OF   ISLANDS.  117 

Kawa  Kawa,  our  crews  were  abundantly  supplied  i84i. 
with  excellent  fish,  which  the  numerous  creeks  and 
small  beaches  around  the  shores  of  the  bay  and 
river  afforded.  The  more  delicious  of  these  were 
the  John  Doree  (Zeus  Australis)  and  the  red 
mullet ;  the  largest,  a  kind  of  mackarel,  called 
yellow  tail,  and  sometimes  cavallo,  though  coarse, 
was  found  to  be  very  good  eating.  Of  the  last  we 
caught  several  in  the  seine,  three  feet  nine  inches 
in  length,  and  weighing  nearly  fifty  pounds: 
the  soles,  though  small,  are  very  good,  and  the 
plaice  of  large  size  are  equal  in  flavour  to  the 
Dutch  fish :  the  Barracouta  is  caught  in  the  proper 
season,  which  had  not  arrived  before  we  quitted 
the  place.  Sharks  of  a  formidable  size  are  numer- 
ous, and  of  these  several  new  species  were  captured 
by  us  :  they  are  described,  together  with  the  rest  of 
our  extensive  collection  of  other  kinds  of  fish, 
by  Dr.  Richardson,  in  the  zoology  of  the  voyage, 
amongst  which  are  many  genera  and  species  hitherto 
wholly  unknown :  his  account  of  them  will,  I  have 
no  doubt,  prove  a  valuable  addition  to  our  know- 
ledge of  the  finny  tribes  of  the  southern  seas.  A  de- 
scription of  the  birds  we  collected  at  New  Zealand, 
will  be  published  in  the  same  work,  by  Mr.  George 
Robert  Gray,  of  the  British  Museum. 

Our  crews  maintained  very  good  health,  so  that 
it  was  seldom  we  had  any  one  of  them  in  the  sick 
report,  and  then,  generally,  only  for  some  trifling 
accidental  hurt :  but  we  had  the  misfortune  to 
lose  one  of  our  shipmates,  and  in  him  one  of 

i    3 


118  DEATH   OF    GEORGE   BARKER.          [CHAP.  IV. 

1841.      our  best  men,  George  Barker,   marine,  who  was 
drowned  by  the  upsetting  of  a  boat. 

The  proper  season  for  renewing  the  exploration 
of  the  Antarctic  Regions  being  now  near  at  hand, 
we  concluded  the  hourly  magnetometrical  observ- 
ations at  the  end  of  the  month  of  October ;  and 
the  absolute  determination  of  the  three  magnetic 
elements  was  obtained  in  the  course  of  three  or 
four  following  days.  The  observatories  and  instru- 
ments were  re- embarked,  and  our  ships  prepared 
for  sea  by  the  middle  of  November. 

The  Favourite  had  been  despatched  to  Sydney 
at  the  request  of  Sir  George  Gipps,  who  was 
desirous  of  visiting  Norfolk  Island,  to  inquire  into 
the  cause  of  the  insubordination  reported  to  pre- 
vail there;  but  events  having  since  occurred 
which  rendered  his  visit  unnecessary,  and  therefore 
not  requiring  her  services,  she  returned  to  New 
Zealand,  where  her  presence  was  more  likely  to  be 
useful,  bringing  us  letters  from  England,  and  some 
stores  which  we  had  omitted  to  get  before  our 
departure  from  Sydney.  During  this  short  cruize 
she  was  found  to  be  so  leaky  that  it  became 
necessary  to  make  a  thorough  survey  of  her  condi- 
tion :  Commander  Crozier,  and  the  other  officers 
who  had  been  appointed  to  assist  him  in  this  duty, 
reported  that  the  leak  was  occasioned  by  the  copper 
being  very  much  worn  away,  and  by  the  oakum 
having  worked  out  of  the  seams  in  several  places. 
As  it  was  not  possible  to  get  at  the  leaks  without 
heaving  the  ship  down,  I  directed  Commander 


CHAP.  IV.]          NAVAL   FORCE    NECESSARY.  119 

Sulivan  to  proceed  to  Auckland;  and  if  Governor  1841. 
Hobson,  who  had  by  this  time  returned  from  the 
southern  settlements,  did  not  require  her  for  any 
urgent  or  immediate  service,  I  recommended  him 
to  go  direct  to  Port  Arthur  in  Van  Diemen's  Land, 
and  there  make  all  necessary  repairs,  and  tho- 
roughly refit  her  in  readiness  for  any  service  that 
might  be  required,  as,  from  her  being  the  only 
man-of-war  on  the  station,  it  was  the  more  neces- 
sary that  she  should  be  immediately  brought  into 
an  efficient  state. 

The  want  of  a  sufficient  naval  force  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  numerous  colonies  that  Great  Britain  has 
recently  established  in  this  quarter  of  the  world,  has 
been  a  just  cause  of  complaint,  and  has  occasioned 
pressing  representations  on  the  subject  to  the  home 
government  by  the  successive  governors,  but  with  out 
any  effect.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult,  almost  impossible, 
to  keep  the  colonies  regularly  visited  by  ships  from 
the  East  India  station,  to  which  they  at  present 
belong,  and  which  is  too  remofe  to  admit  of  provi- 
sion being  made  for  the  many  contingencies  that 
arise.  It  is  therefore  desirable  that  a  distinct 
naval  command  should  be  formed,  and  consist  of 
several  ships.  Sydney  should  be  the  head- quarters 
of  the  commodore  of  the  squadron,  and  the  vessels 
belonging  to  it  might  be  sent  to  each  of  the 
other  colonies  in  turn,  and  by  maintaining  a  zea- 
lous and  cordial  co-operation  between  the  naval 
force  and  the  respective  governments,  inspire  a 
feeling  of  security  and  confidence  amongst  the 

i    4 


120  NAVAL   FORCE   NECESSARY.  [CHAP.  IV. 

1841.      settlers,    and    prevent    hostile   attacks   from    the 
natives.     One    of  the  vessels    should   occasionally 
visit  the   Friendly,    Society,    and  Feejee    Islands, 
for  the  encouragement  and  protection  of  British 
subjects  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits,  and  for 
the   purpose    of   strengthening   the   now  existing 
friendly  disposition   of  their   inhabitants  towards 
Great  Britain.     Frequent  disputes  occur  between 
the  masters  and  crews  of  whaling  and  other  mer- 
chant  ships   in   those   remote  regions,  where  an 
appeal  to  the  captain  of  a  man-of-war  would  be 
generally  more  effectual,  and  more  satisfactory  to 
both  parties,  than  the  interference  of  the  civil  au- 
thority, for  which  seamen,  in  general,  have  very 
little   respect   or    fear,    especially   in   the   newly- 
established  colonies,  where  there  is  seldom  suffi- 
cient power  to  enforce  the  laws,  and  where  there 
is  usually  a  great   dislike  to  meddle  in  nautical 
matters,  which  are  generally  but  little  understood. 
In  the  various  groups  of  islands  of  the  Pacific, 
mutinies,  piracies,  and  other  disgraceful  proceed- 
ings are  but  of  too  frequent  occurrence,  to  the 
degradation  of  our  national  character,  which  even 
the  expected  arrival  of  a  man-of-war  would  some- 
times  prevent,    and   her   presence   would   always 
check  or  rectify  such  reprehensible  irregularities. 
In  the  course  of  our  voyage,  I  had  several  times 
occasion   to  put   matters   to   rights   between   the 
master   and   the    crew  of  merchant   vessels,  and 
restore  harmony  and  good  feeling,  which  could  not 
have  been  accomplished  by  any  other  means,  al- 


CHAP.  IV.]    EESULT  OF  OBSERVATIONS.  121 

though,  be  it  remembered,  I  had  no  legal  authority  1841. 
to  interfere  beyond  giving  my  advice  to  the  parties 
concerned,  except  only  in  extreme  cases ;  but  by 
pointing  out  the  consequences  that  would  result 
to  them,  and  the  penalties  to  which  they  were 
rendering  themselves  liable  by  their  improper  pro- 
ceedings, I  always  accomplished  my  object. 

The  result  of  our  observations  gave  the  latitude 
of  the  place  of  the  observatories  35°  17'  46"*6  S., 
longitude  174°  8'  22"'7  E.  ;  the  mean  magnetic 
dip  between  the  23rd  of  August  and  25th  October, 
59°  33'  S.,  the 

Variation  between  26th  and  31st  of  August,  13°  33'  52"-5  E. 
1st  and  30th  of  Sept.       13°  34'  54"'6 
1st  and  23rd  of  Oct.         13°  38'  45"'9 
and  first  week  of  Nov.     13°  40'  50" 

showing  a  gradually  increasing  easterly  variation. 

The  following  are  the  results  of  our  tidal  observ- 
ations:—  a  tide  gauge  was  fixed  at  a  convenient 
distance  from  the  astronomical  observatory,  and 
the  height  of  the  tide  was  recorded  every  quarter 
of  an  hour,  when  near  the  time  of  high  and  low 
water,  or  every  hour,  at  other  times,  day  and 
night  between  the  14th  of  September  and  19th  of 
November,  through  a  space  therefore  of  two  com- 
plete lunations,  or  five  periods  of  full  or  change  of 
the  moon,  viz. :  — 

It  was  full  moon  on  the  15th  September,  at 
5h  38m  A.M.  ;  the  following  high  water  occurred  at 
7h  30m,  the  amount  of  rise  being  then  five  feet  nine 
inches ;  the  highest  and  largest  tide  was  the  third 


122  TIDES.  [CHAP.  IV. 

1841.      high  water  after  new  moon,  and  the  amount  of  tide 
"  six  feet  ten  inches. 

October  1st. — Full  moon  at  3h55m  A.M.,  high  water 
at  7h  22m  A.M.,  amount  of  tide  five  feet  two  inches  ; 
the  highest  and  largest  tide  being  the  seventh 
high  water  after  full  moon,  and  amounted  to  six 
feet  one  inch  ;  the  strength  of  the  stream  of  the 
flood  at  the  anchorage  0*6  mile  per  hour,  and  of 
the  ebb  1*2  mile  per  hour. 

October  15th — New  moon  4h  2m  A.M.,  high  water 
7h  15m  A.  M.,  amount  of  tide  five  feet  seven  and  a  half 
inches;  largest  tide  the  seventh  high  water  after 
new  moon,  being  six  feet  one  inch;  strength  of  the 
flood  1*0,  and  of  the  ebb  1*4  mile  per  hour. 

October  30th. — Full  moon  5h33mP.M.,  high  water 
at  7h  30m,  rise  of  tide  five  feet  six  inches,  largest 
tide  the  sixth  after  the  change  of  moon,  amounted 
to  six  feet  two  inches,  stream  of  flood  1*0  and  of 
the  ebb  1*2  mile  per  hour. 

For  practical  purposes  we  may  therefore  as- 
sume that  the  time  of  high  water  next  after 
the  full  and  change  of  the  moon  takes  place  at 
about  7h  22m  ;  that  the  amount  of  tide  on  that 
day  is  about  five  feet  six  inches;  and  that  the 
highest  tide  occurs  very  irregularly,  but  may  be 
looked  for  generally  about  the  fifth  or  sixth 
high  water  after  the  full  or  change  of  the 
moon,  at  which  time  it  varies  in  amount  from  five 
feet  ten  inches  to  six  feet  ten  inches  ;  and  that  at 
the  strength  of  the  flood-tide  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream,  its  rate  is  rather  less  than  one  mile,  and 


CHAK  IV.]  TIDES.  123 

that  of  the  ebb  nearly  one  mile  and  a  quarter  per  1841. 
hour ;  but  both  are  considerably  modified  by  the 
very  heavy  rains  which  occur  at  this  period  of  the 
year,  and  by  which  the  velocity  of  the  ebb  tide  is 
much  increased,  whilst  that  of  the  flood  propor- 
tionally retarded. 

On  any  other  day  than  that  of  full  and  change 
of  the  moon,  the  time  of  high  water  occurs,  on  an 
average,  at  7h  22m  after  the  moon  passes  the 
meridian. 

The  state  of  the  tide  was  registered  by  the 
petty  officers  on  duty  at  the  observatory,  and  the 
velocity  of  the  stream  measured  every  half  hour 
by  one  of  the  quarter-masters  of  the  Erebus,  under 
the  direction  of  the  officer  of  the  watch. 

I  have  been  the  more  particular  in  stating  these 
phenomena  of  the  tides,  in  consequence  of  our 
observations  differing  widely  from  those  of  others 
who  have  visited  this  place.  Captain  Fitzroy 
states  the  time  of  high  water,  at  full  and  change, 
to  be  9h  16m,  and  the  amount  of  tide  six  feet ;  and 
Captain  Cecille,  who  made  his  observations  at 
Kororarika,  states  that  the  establishment  of  the 
Port  is  5h  40m,  and  the  amount  of  tide  six  feet 
six  inches. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Outrage  at  the  Bay  of  Islands.  —  Sail  from  New  Zealand.  — 
Proposed  Whaling  Station  at  Auckland  Islands.  —  Danger- 
ous Reefs.  —  North-west  Reef  and  Dangers  off  Chatham 
Island.  —  Nimrod  Islands.  —  Penguins.  —  Appearance  of 
Land.  —  Circle  of  Mean  Temperature  of  the  Southern  Ocean. 
—  First  Iceberg  seen.  —  Focus  of  Greater  Intensity.  — Enter 
the  Pack.  —  Animalcule.  —  Magnetic  Observations  on  the 
Ice.  —  Beset  in  the  Pack.  —  Meteorological  Abstract  for 
December. 


125 


CHAPTER  V. 

ALL  our  arrangements  being  completed,  the  ships  i84i. 
were  unmoored  on  the  evening  of  the  22nd  of  Noy  20 
November,  in  readiness  to  sail  at  an  early  hour 
the  next  morning.  Late  at  night  Commander 
Sulivan  brought  on  board  a  letter  he  had  just 
received  from  a  surgeon  at  Kororarika,  who  held 
also  the  office  of  coroner,  stating  he  had  received 
information  that  a  most  atrocious  murder  had  been 
committed  by  a  party  of  "  Maoris,"  who,  after 
killing  Mrs.  Robertson,  an  European  woman,  three 
children,  and  her  man-servant,  had  set  fire  to  the 
house;  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  being 
in  dread  of  an  immediate  attack,  requested  that 
an  armed  force  might  be  landed  for  their  pro- 
tection. As  this  application  was  not  backed  by 
the  magistrate,  although  he  had  been  solicited  to 
do  so  by  the  constable  whom  the  coroner  had 
charged  with  the  delivery  of  it,  I  suspected  that 
he  considered  their  fears  groundless.  I,  however, 
directed  Commander  Sulivan  to  send  a  strong 
party  immediately  to  the  village  to  make  more 
particular  inquiries  into  the  circumstances,  and 
report  to  me,  without  loss  of  time.  Lieutenant 
Ellerman,  to  whom  this  duty  was  intrusted,  re- 
turned soon  after  midnight,  and  acquainted  me 
that  he  had  found  the  inhabitants  in  a  state  of 


126 


MURDER   AT   BAY   OF   ISLANDS,         [CHAP.  V. 


184L  great  excitement  and  alarm,  but  that  he  could  not 
hear  that  any  number  of  natives  had  assembled  in 
the  neighbourhood,  and  that  many  circumstances 
concurred  to  show  that  the  murder  had  been  an 
act  of  individual  vengeance.  It  did  not  appear  to 
me  necessary  to  interfere  any  further;  I  therefore 
directed  the  force  to  be  withdrawn  as  soon  as  their 
fear  of  an  attack  had  subsided,  as  the  civil  au- 
thority was  sufficiently  powerful  to  arrest  the  mur- 
derer, who,  of  course,  had  fled  into  the  bush.  The 
natives  had  long  threatened  to  repossess  themselves 
of  the  island  which  Mrs.  Robertson's  husband  had 
purchased  several  years  before  ;  for  they  thought 
when  they  sold  their  land  it  would  again  revert  to 
the  tribe  on  the  decease  of  the  purchaser.  Mr. 
Robertson  was  drowned  in  sight  of  his  own  house 
shortly  before  this  melancholy  event,  and  Mrs. 
Robertson  had  the  day  previous  to  it  attended  the 
Court  of  the  Commissioner  for  settling  the  claims  to 
land,  and  had  substantiated  her  right  to  the  island 
in  question  :  the  murder  following  so  immediately, 
led  to  the  supposition  that  the  deed  had  been  done 
by  the  tribe  who  claimed  the  island,  and  that  they 
intended  to  establish  their  claim  by  force.  But 
the  following  account  of  the  horrid  tragedy  which 
is  given  by  Mr.  Marjoribanks  in  his  recent  account 
of  New  Zealand,  places  the  event  in  its  true  light. 
He  says  that  Mrs.  Robertson,  the  widow  of  a 
Captain  Robertson,  was  a  Sydney  lady,  and  resided 
on  one  of  the  numerous  islands  from  which  the  Bay 
of  Islands  derives  its  name.  It  had  belonged  to 


CIIAP.  V.]        MURDER   AT   BAY    OF    ISLANDS.  127 

her  husband,  and  at  this  time  she  and  her  family  1841. 
were  the  only  occupants.  She  had  employed  this 
young  chief,  who  was  a  remarkably  powerful  lad, 
though  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  to  assist  her 
white  man  servant,  Thomas  Bull,  in  some  of  her 
farming  operations ;  and  Thomas  having  told  Mrs. 
Robertson  that  the  Maori  was  a  lazy  fellow,  he 
watched  the  opportunity,  when  Thomas  was  asleep, 
to  split  his  skull  open  with  an  axe.  Mrs.  Robertson 
having  accidentally  happened  to  come  upon  him, 
when  in  the  act  of  doing  so,  he  judged  it  advisable 
to  despatch  her  also  with  the  same  instrument,  and 
then  the  two  female  children.  Mrs.  Robertson's 
son,  seeing  what  was  going  on,  fled  to  a  mountain 
close  by,  but  the  monster  overtook  him,  and  threw 
him  headlong  over  the  rock,  two  hundred  feet 
high,  so  that  he  was  literally  dashed  to  pieces. 
One  of  the  children  was  the  grand- daughter 
of  Nene,  the  great  chief  of  the  Ngaphui  tribe, 
which  principally  inhabits  Kororarika  ;  and  her 
murder,  which  led  to  hostilities  between  Nene 
and  the  notorious  Heki,  was  the  means  of  pre- 
venting the  destruction  of  the  town  of  Auckland 
and  its  inhabitants,  which  the  latter  had  declared 
his  intention  to  accomplish,  and  which  even  the 
humane  and  wise  policy  of  Governor  Fitzroy  could 
not  have  averted. 

The  murderer,  having  effected  his  purpose,  set 
fire  to  the  house  in  order  to  conceal  the  foul  deed ; 
and  it  was  seeing  it  in  flames  that  excited  the  fears 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Kororarika,  and  led  them  to 


128  SAIL   FROM   NEW   ZEALAND.  [CHAP.  V. 

184L  believe  the  whole  tribe  of  "Maoris"  was  upon 
them.  He  was  afterwards  given  up  by  his  father, 
who  dreaded  the  vengeance  of  Nene.  He  was 
taken  to  Auckland,  tried,  condemned,  and  executed 
on  the  7th  of  March  following,  with  great  form- 
ality, being  the  first  execution  that  had  taken  place 
in  the  colony  since  the  establishment  of  the  British 
government. 

Nov.  23.  At  5  A.M.  the  following  morning,  we  weighed 
and  made  sail  out  of  the  harbour,  accompanied  by 
the  Favourite,  until  10  A.  M.,  when  she  parted 
company,  giving  us  three  cheers.  Commander 
Sulivan  proceeded  to  Auckland,  to  acquaint  Go- 
vernor Hobson  with  the  murder  which  had  been 
perpetrated  at  the  Bay  of  Islands,  and  to  act 
according  to  his  wishes ;  for  if  he  should  have 
thought  it  proper  to  have  taken  any  measures  for 
the  defence  of  Kororarika,  the  Favourite  could  have 
returned  to  that  place  the  next  day. 

As  soon  as  we  got  clear  of  the  land  we  shaped 
our  course  for  Chatham  Island,  which  I  was 
very  desirous  of  visiting,  not  only  for  magnetic 
purposes,  but  because  very  little  was  known  of  its 
capabilities  for  colonisation,  or  as  a  whaling  sta- 
tion, although  for  this  latter  purpose  I  had  no 
doubt  the  Auckland  Islands  would  be  found  far 
more  suitable.  I  have  much  pleasure  in  stating 
that  since  the  first  volume  of  this  narrative 
was  printed,  I  have  learned  from  good  autho- 
rity that  Her  Majesty's  Government  has  granted, 
or  engaged  to  grant,  to  those  truly  enterprising 


CHAP.  V.]    WHALING  STATION  AT  AUCKLAND  ISLANDS.  129 

merchants,  the  Messrs.  Enderby,  by  whose  vessels  1841. 
they  were  discovered,  the  exclusive  possession  of 
the  Auckland  Islands ;  and  that  it  is  the  intention 
of  those  gentlemen  to  form  a  company,  for  the 
purpose  of  carrying  on  from  thence  the  southern 
whale-fishery.  In  a  national  point  of  view,  whether 
as  regards  our  maritime  or  commercial  ascendency, 
an  undertaking  of  this  nature  cannot  fail  to  be  of 
very  great  importance.  Its  successful  accomplish- 
ment would  prove  the  means  of  effectually  restoring 
a  profitable  but  decayed  branch  of  our  maritime 
trade,  and  of  diverting  a  large  number  of  our  most 
efficient  seamen  from  the  vessels  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  in  which  they  are  now  em- 
ployed. In  the  whole  range  of  the  vast  Southern 
Ocean,  no  spot  could  be  found  combining  so 
completely  the  essential  requisites  for  a  fixed 
whaling  station. 

Possessing  in  themselves  the  great  natural  ad- 
vantages of  commodious  harbours,  a  plentiful 
supply  of  good  water  and  wood,  with  a  superficies 
of  about  one  hundred  thousand  acres,  and  lying 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Australian  and  New  Zea- 
land colonies,  these  islands  present  the  greatest 
facilities  for  carrying  on  the  southern  fishery  on 
the  extensive  scale,  which  the  Messrs.  Enderby 
contemplate.  They  are,  moreover,  situate,  as 
it  were,  in  the  heart  of  the  fishery,  and  in  the 
track  of  ships  returning  to  England  from  the 
Australian  and  Van  Diemen's  Land  settlements. 
They  are  also  conveniently  placed,  in  a  more 

VOL.  II.  K 


130  WHALING  STATION  AT  AUCKLAND  ISLANDS.    [CHAP.  V. 

1841  general  point  of  view,  since  every  vessel  in  the 
Pacific  must  proceed  to  the  southward  beyond  their 
latitude,  before  doubling  Cape  Horn,  on  their 
passage  to  England  or  America. 

The  Americans  are  fully  sensible  of  the  advan- 
tageous position  of  the  islands,  and  frequently  visit 
them  for  the  purposes  of  refitting  or  refreshment ; 
they  are  also  resorted  to  for  similar  purposes  by 
the  whaling  ships  of  France  and  other  nations, 
whilst  they  have  been  hitherto  only  too  much  neg- 
lected by  those  of  the  nation  to  which  they  belong. 

There  is,  besides,  a  further  benefit  to  be  anti- 
cipated from  the  islands  becoming,  as  proposed, 
the  future  seat  of  a  whaling  station,  on  a  syste- 
matic plan,  which  is,  that  their  colonization  will 
grow  out  of  their  being  so  appropriated  ;  and  what 
population  could  be  more  fitted  to  inhabit  them 
than  a  race  of  hardy,  enterprising  British  seamen  ? 

This  project  is  not  a  recent  one  on  the  part 
of  the  Messrs.  Enderby,  but  was  formed  by  them 
nearly  three  years  ago,  immediately  upon  the 
return  of  our  expedition,  contingently  upon  the 
islands  being  granted  to  them  by  the  government ; 
and  I  most  cordially  wish  them  the  success  their 
spirited  conduct  so  well  deserves. 

We  had  a  fine  run  during  the  night,  and  at 
Nov.  24.  noon  the  following  day  we  were  in  latitude  36°  27'  S. 
and  longitude  177°  34'  E.  In  the  evening  the 
land  of  the  East  Cape  was  distinguishable,  bearing 
S.  15°  W.  (true).  I  was  informed  by  the  master  of 
a  schooner  belonging  to  the  Church  of  England 


CHAP.  V.]  DANGEROUS    REEFS.  131 

Missionaries,  who  had  made  frequent  visits  to  1841- 
Poverty  Bay,  that  there  is  a  dangerous  reef 
eighteen  miles  off  shore,  bearing  due  east  by  com- 
pass from  the  north  head  of  the  bay ;  it  lies  in  a 
N.  W.  and  S.  E.  direction,  is  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  long,  and  over  it  there  is  only  five  feet  water; 
the  breakers  on  it  may  be  seen  distinctly  from  the 
shore.  It  is  a  danger  not  generally  known,  and, 
therefore,  it  is  the  more  necessary  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  seamen  to  it :  when  the  island  is  open  with 
the  point  you  are  just  abreast  of  the  reef,  but  if 
shut  in  on  either  side,  you  are  clear  of  it.  He 
also  mentioned  to  me  that  he  had  seen  another 
reef  due  north  from  the  north  end  of  Flat  Island, 
half  a  mile  long,  four  inches  above  water  at  low 
water  spring  tides,  and  distant  about  eight  miles 
from  the  land.  Neither  of  these  dangers  was  seen 
by  us,  and  it  is  probable  that  their  position  is  not 
very  accurately  determined. 

During  the  day  we  observed  many  sooty  albatross,  NOV.  25. 
the  dark-coloured  and  elegant  blue  petrel,  as  also 
the  Cape  pigeon.  At  noon  we  were  in  lat.  38°  17'  S. 
and  long.  179°  51' E.,  and  crossed  the  meridian  of 
180°  at  2  P.M.     Soon  after  noon  the  wind  veered  to 
the  southward,  with  considerable  swell,  so  that  the 
ship  could  not  He  her  course,  and  made  much  lee- 
way;   the   breeze  freshening  as  the  evening   ad- 
vanced, and  blowing  a  gale  by  midnight- 
Having,   by  sailing   to    the    eastward,    gained  NOV.  25. 
twelve  hours,  it  became  necessary,  on  crossing  the 
180th  degree,  and  entering  upon  west  longitude, 


132  CROSS   MERIDIAN   OF    180°.  [CHAP.  V. 

1841.      in  order  that  our  time  might  correspond  with  that 

Nov.  25.    °f  England,  to  have  two  days  following  of  the  same 

date,  and  by  this  means  lose  the  time  we  had  gained 

and  still  were  gaining,  as  we  sailed  to  the  eastward. 

We  had,  therefore,  two  Thursdays  and  two 
twenty-fifth  days  of  November  in  succession  ;  so 
that,  after  crossing  the  meridian,  and  having  made 
the  alteration  of  a  day,  instead  of  being  twelve 
hours  in  advance,  we  became  so  much  in  arrear  of 
the  time  in  England,  which  would  gradually  dimi- 
nish as  we  pursued  our  easterly  course,  until  on 
our  return  we  should  find  them  in  exact  accord- 
ance. Had  we  not  made  this  alteration,  our  Christ- 
mas-day and  New  Year's-day  would  have  been  one 
day  earlier  than  in  England.  It  is  fortunate  we 
did  not  cross  into  west  longitude  on  either  of  those 
days,  for  two  such  holidays  in  succession  would 
have  been  a  still  more  novel  circumstance. 

The  sea  exhibited  many  large  luminous  patches 
during  last  night,  and  to-day  many  stormy  petrel, 
and  immature  birds  of  the  large  albatross  kind  and 
small  dark  petrel  were  numerous. 

In  the  evening  the  gale  abated,  but  the  wind 
continuing  fresh  from  the  southward,  we  made 
but  small  progress ;  and  as  the  adverse  breeze 
prevailed  the  whole  of  the  two  following  days,  we 
Nov.  27.  found  ourselves  at  noon  still  a  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  from  Chatham  Island,  being  in  latitude 
39°  16'  S.,  longitude  177°  2'  W.  At  1  P.M.  we  tried 
for  soundings,  with  six  hundred  fathoms,  without 
striking  ground.  It  was  quite  calm  at  the  time,  so 
we  tried  the  temperature  of  the  sea,  as  follows :  at 


CHAP.  V.]   SUDDEN  FALL  OF  TEMPERATURE.  ]  33 

600  fathoms  it  was  44°-9  ;  at  450  fathoms,  46°-8  ;  at      J84i. 
300  fathoms,  49°'2 :  at  1 50  fathoms,  53°'5 ;  and  at  the  " 
surface,  58°;    the  specific  gravity  of  the  surface 
water,  1-0274  ;  at  150  fathoms,  1*0272,  and  at  450 
fathoms,  1'0268  ;  all  tried  at  the  temperature  of 
60°,  and  showing  that  the  water  beneath  was  spe- 
cifically lighter  than  that   of    the  surface,  when 
brought   to   the  same    temperature;    our   almost 
daily  experiments  confirmed  these  results. 

Soon  afterwards  a  breeze  sprang  up  from  the 
northward;  heavy  showers  of  rain,  and  a  falling 
barometer,  as  usual  accompanied  the  northerly 
wind  ;  but  what  surprised  us  was,  that  the  tem- 
perature of  the  air  fell  in  the  course  of  two  hours 
from  63°  to  54°;  that  of  the  surface  of  the  sea 
not  being  altered  by  the  change  of  wind.  It  is 
probable  that  this  effect  was  produced  by  the  rain 
having  fallen  from  a  great  elevation,  and  therefore 
of  a  very  low  temperature;  but  it  was  unfortu- 
nately omitted  to  be  noted. 

At  eight  in  the  evening  of  the  29th,  we  were  Nov.  29. 
only  fifty  miles  distant  from  the  Sister  Islets,  and  a 
reef  of  rocks  which  lies  about  six  leagues  to  the 
northward  of  Chatham  Island ;  but  as  the  night 
was  fine  and  the  wind  favourable,  we  continued 
our  course  for  its  N.  W.  point,  named  Point  Allison, 
heaving  to  occasionally  to  try  for  soundings,  as  we 
approached  these  dangerous  and  almost  unknown 
shores. 

Thick  weather  came  on  during  the  night,  which 
rendered   these   precautions   the   more  necessary. 

K     3 


134  NORTH-WEST   BEEF.  [CHAP.  V. 

1841.  We  saw  large  patches  of  sea-weed;  and  the 
number  and  variety  of  sea-birds  greatly  increased. 
The  minute  petrel  (the  equivalent  of  the  little  auk 
of  the  northern  regions,  and  very  like  it),  as  well 
as  the  black-backed  gull,  neither  of  which  are  met 
with  far  from  land,  and  the  long-snouted  porpoise, 
were  particularly  numerous ;  one  of  these  creatures 
was  struck  with  a  harpoon,  and  in  its  formidable 
jaws  we  found  the  teeth,  which  the  New  Zealanders 
value  highly  as  ornaments,  and  which  had  puzzled 
us  greatly  to  ascertain  to  what  -animal  they  be- 
longed. 

Nov.  so.  Shortly  before  eight  in  the  morning  breakers  were 
seen  directly  ahead  of  us,  and  about  one  mile  dis- 
tant, which  obliged  us  to  alter  our  course  slightly 
to  avoid  them.  These  rocks  are  called  the  North- 
west Reef,  and  lie  about  five  miles  in  that  direc- 
tion from  the  Sister  Islets ;  they  cover  a  space  not 
exceeding  fifty  yards  in  diameter,  and  no  part  of 
the  rocks  could  be  seen  above  water.  The  fog  at 
this  time  became  so  thick  that  we  could  not  see 
any  object  at  more  than  half  a  mile  distance ;  and 
although  we  must  have  passed  quite  close  to  the 
Sister  Islets,  which  are  about  one  hundred  feet  high, 
we  did  not  see  them.  Steering  direct  for  Point 
Allison,  with  hopes  of  the  fog  clearing  away  about 
noon,  we  found  ourselves  at  that  time  above  three 
miles  to  the  northward  of  it,'  and  in  half  an  hour 
afterwards  passed  within  a  mile  of  it,  without  being 
able  to  distinguish  it  through  the  dense  fog  that 
prevailed.  We  had  some  difficulty  in  keeping  the 


CHAP.  V.]        DANGERS    OFF    CHATHAM    ISLAND.  135 

Terror  in  company,  by  constantly  firing  guns ;  and  1841. 
finding  it  impossible  to  make  the  land,  I  was  un- 
willing to  lose  time  by  waiting  for  more  favourable 
weather ;  so,  after  heaving  to  for  a  short  time  in  the 
afternoon,  and  sounding  in  one  hundred  fathoms, 
on  a  bank  of  greenish  sand,  we  bore  away  to  the 
south-westward,  to  get  clear  of  the  west  reef  be- 
fore dark. 

The  temperature  of  the  sea  at  one  hundred 
fathoms  on  this  bank  was  50°*2,  being  as  low  as 
that  at  two  hundred  fathoms  in  the  deep  sea  of 
yesterday. 

We  passed  the  west  reef  so  near  as  to  hear  the 
roar  of  the  sea  breaking  over  it,  but  the  thick  fog 
prevented  our  seeing  it;  and  as  soon  as  we  got 
well  clear  of  all  the  known  dangers  that  surround  the 
Chatham  Islands,  we  steered  to  the  south-eastward, 
for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  a  magnetic  desi- 
deratum of  great  interest.  It  was  supposed  that  a 
second  point  of  greater  magnetic  intensity  would  be 
found  in  about  the  lat.  60°  S.  and  long.  125°  W., 
but  as  our  time  did  not  admit  of  our  going  to 
the  spot,  our  course  was  so  directed  as  to  enable  us 
to  cross  the  lines  of  the  Isodynamic  oval  in  such 
places  as  should  be  best  calculated  to  secure  its 
accurate  determination. 

The   wind  prevailed  from  the  N.  £.,    but   the    Dec.  i. 
foggy  weather  continued  the  greater  part  of  the 
next  day.     Our  observations  at  noon  placed  us  in 
lat.  45°  40' S.,  long.  176°  41'  W.,  by  which  also  we 
found  that  we  had  been  carried  S.  8°  W.  twenty  - 

K    4 


136  NIMROD    ISLANDS.  [CHAP.  V. 

1841.  eight  miles  by  a  current,  the  greater  part  of  which 
I  have  no  doubt  occurred  as  we  passed  along  the 
west  side  of  the  Chatham  Islands,  where  we  ob- 
served, in  many  places,  strong  ripples  and  whirls  of 
tide. 

Many  patches  of  seaweed  were  passed  during  the 
day,  and  the  albatross  and  several* small  kinds  of 
petrel  played  about  us  in  great  numbers. 
Dec.  2.  It  was  a  beautiful  day,  the  wind  fresh  from  the 

N.  E. ;  and  again  we  found  the  current  had  carried 
us  twenty  miles  in  a  S.  4°  W.  direction.  In  the 
afternoon  we  passed  a  wicker  basket  and  several 
small  pieces  of  wood,  from  which  we  concluded  that 
we  were  crossing  the  track  of  some  vessel  home- 
ward bound  from  Tasmania. 

Diverted  from  our  proper  course  by  the  N.  E. 
wind,  we  gradually  approached  the  supposed  loca- 
lity of  a  small  group  of  islands  called  the  Nim- 
rods,  but  as  they  have  been  searched  for  so  often 
without  success,  I  should  have  looked  for  them 
rather  to  the  east  or  west  of  their  presumed  posi- 
tion, had  the  wind  suited,  and  far  from  the  tracks 
of  other  navigators  ;  but  my  purpose  was  defeated 
by  adverse  circumstances  of  wind  and  weather,  so 
that  we  could  not  get  within  two  hundred  miles 
of  their  assigned  place. 

Dec.  3.  Several  sperm  whales  were  seen  this  morning, 
and  during  the  night  we  had  observed  a  great 
number  of  luminous  patches,  and  some  very  large 
pyrosoma  were  taken  in  the  towing  net:  a  boat 
was  lowered  in  the  afternoon  to  try  the  current, 


CHAP.  V.]     TEMPERATURE  OF  THE  OCEAN.  137 

whilst  making  the  usual  experiments  on  the  tempe-  1841- 
rature  of  the  sea  ;  it  was  found  to  be  setting  to  the 
southward  (true),  nine  miles  in  the  twenty -four 
hours.  Some  pieces  of  seaweed,  with  barnacles 
attached  to  them,  were  brought  on  board.  The 
barometer  attained  the  unusual  height  of  30*45 
inches,  with  a  moderate  N.E.  wind  and  overcast 
sky.  At  night  the  cry  of  penguins  was  heard,  and 
again  the  luminous  patches  in  the  sea  were  nume- 
rous and  brilliant. 

This  morning  we  had  a  very  light  breeze  from  the  Dec.  4. 
N.E.,  and  towards  noon  it  fell  perfectly  calm,  with 
the  surface  of  the  ocean  beautifully  smooth ;  thus 
affording  a  most  favourable  opportunity  of  trying 
its  temperature  at  a  great  depth.  A  new  line  had 
been  prepared  for  the  purpose,  and  thermometers 
were  attached  to  it  at  intervals  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  fathoms :  we  had  no  soundings  with  eleven 
hundred  fathoms,  and  beyond  this  I  did  not  ven- 
ture to  send  the  thermometers.  In  hauling  the  line 
in  it  broke,  and  two  of  the  new  thermometers  which 
had  been  sent  out  to  me  for  the  purpose  of  deep 
sounding,  were  lost ;  we  had  still  three  others  left, 
and  the  opportunity  was  too  good  to  be  lost,  not- 
withstanding this  accident.  Another  line  was  im- 
mediately prepared,  and  the  thermometers  which 
were  sent  down  to  a  thousand  and  fifty  fathoms 
came  up  again  quite  safe,  after  sustaining  such  enor- 
mous pressure,  and  recording  the  temperature  at 
that  deep  region  of  the  ocean  to  be  exactly  40°,  or 
thirteen  degrees  below  that  of  the  surface.  The  tern- 


138  PENGUINS.  [CHAP.  V. 

1841  •  perature  at  the  intermediate  depths  was  as  follows : 
"  at  900  fathoms,  40°'2  ;  at  750  fathoms,  41° ;  at  600 
fathoms,  42°*2;  at  450  fathoms,  44°'5 ;  and  at  150 
fathoms,  48°* 7  :  so  that  the  mean  temperature  of 
the  ocean  is  at  least  nine  hundred  fathoms  below 
the  surface  in  latitude,  49°  11'  S.,  and  longitude, 
172°  28' W. 

These  experiments,  which  had  occupied  us  about 
five  hours,  were  hardly  completed,  when  a  breeze 
sprang  up  from  the  northward,  before  which  we 
made  all  sail.  Sperm  whales,  patches  of  sea-weed, 
and  flocks  of  penguins,  were  seen  in  such  abundance, 
that  I  was  in  great  hopes  of  meeting  with  land.  Al- 
though we  did  not  see  any,  I  think  it  not  impro- 
bable that  some  small  islands  maybe  eventually 
found  in  this  neighbourhood,  however  much  the 
great  depth  of  the  sea  may  seem  to  militate  against 
the  supposition.  The  penguins  were  all  going  to  the 
eastward,  and  I  have  no  doubt  proceeding  to  their 
breeding  quarters,  perhaps  to  the  Nimrod  Islands. 
It  is  a  wonderful  instinct,  far  beyond  the  powers  of 
untutored  reason,  that  enables  these  creatures  to 
find  their  way,  chiefly  under  water,  several  hun- 
dred miles,  to  their  place  of  usual  resort,  as  each 
succeeding  spring  season  of  the  year  arrives. 
Dec.  5.  Another  most  beautiful  day.  A  large  shoal  of 

the  bottle-nose  whales  played  about  the  ship,  and 
kept  company  for  several  hours.  A  piece  of  drift 
timber  and  many  patches  of  sea- weed  were  seen; 
great  numbers  of  penguins  of  a  large  species  were 
observed  making  their  way  to  the  eastward ;  and, 


CHAP.  V.]  APPEARANCE    OF   LAND.  139 

probably  from  our  expectation  of  seeing  land,  1841- 
many  false  reports  of  it  were  made  from  the  mast- 
head :  dense  clouds  arose  in  the  evening  to  the 
eastward,  whose  strongly  marked  outline  assumed 
the  appearance  of  land,  and  were  the  cause  of 
these  frequent  mistakes.  t* 

Favoured  by  a  strong  breeze  from  the  S.W.,  we  Dec.  9. 
made  good  progress  during  the  next  two  days, 
and  by  noon  on  the  9th  we  had  reached  the  latitude 
of  52°  32'  S.  and  longitude  161°  20'  W.  The  mag- 
netic dip  had  increased  to  70°  S.,  and  the  variation 
was  15°  10'  E.  The  breeze  increased  to  a  strong 
gale  soon  after  noon,  with  rain  and  occasional  snow 
squalls,  which  reduced  the  temperature  of  the  air 
from  42°  to  34°  during  their  continuance,  —  the  ba- 
rometer falling  quickly  to  29*1  inches  at  midnight. 
It  was  a  severe  night,  and  felt  more  so  by  us  from 
the  suddenness  of  the  change  of  both  the  tempera- 
ture and  weather.  As  we  had  no  apprehension  of 
meeting  ice  in  so  low  a  latitude,  we  pursued  our 
course  before  the  gale,  although  the  snow  fell  so 
thickly  at  times,  that  we  could  not  see  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  before  us. 

The  gale  which  continued  throughout  the  next  Dec.  10. 
day,  shifted  to  the  south-eastward  in  the  afternoon, 
and  reduced  us  to  close-reefed  topsails ;  the  change 
of  wind  brought  clear  weather,  but  prevented  our 
getting  so  near  to  the  Nimrod  Islands  as  I  wished. 
At  noon  we  were  in  lat.  53°  S.  and  long.  157°49'  W. ; 
the  islands,  therefore,  bore  S.  6°  W.,  212  miles  from 
us,  which  was  the  nearest  approach  to  them  we 


CIRCLE    OF    UNIFORM   TEMPERATURE         [CHAP.  V. 

41>  were  able  to  make.  Our  observations  proved  that 
for  the  last  few  days  we  had  been  carried  to  the 
S.  60°  E.  by  a  current,  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  miles 
daily,  similar  to  that  we  detected  between  Ker- 
guelen  Island  and  Yan  Diemen's  Land,  and  which 
probably  circulafes  round  the  globe  in  a  belt  of 
about  five  degrees  on  each  side  of  the  50th  parallel 
of  south  latitude.*  We  still  continued  to  meet 
with  patches  of  seaweed,  and  the  birds  I  have 
before  enumerated.  To-day  a  great  number  of 
grampuses  were  seen  and  a  few  whales. 

As  we  were  now  getting  near  the  latitude  in 
which,  from  our  former  observations,  we  might  ex- 
pect to  cross  the  circle  of  uniform  temperature  of 
the  ocean,  our  experiments  for  the  determination 
of   this   interesting   point  in   physical  geography 
were  made  at  every  opportunity:   and,  according 
to  our  expectation,  we  reached  it  on   the  13th, 
in  latitude  55°  18'  S.,  longitude  149°  20'  W.     Un- 
fortunately   it    was    blowing    too    fresh    for    us 
to  obtain  the  temperatures  below  six  hundred  fa- 
thoms :  at  that  depth  it  was  39°*7;  at  450  fathoms, 
39°-7;  at    300  fathoms,    39°'9 ;  at    150   fathoms, 
39°-6 ;  and  at  the  surface,  39°.     I  have  no  doubt, 
that  had  we  been  able  to  measure  the  temperature 
to  several  thousand  fathoms,  we  should  have  found 
it  not  to  differ  to  the  amount  of  one  degree  through- 
out the  whole  depth. 

Dec-  14.        The  next  day  proving  more  favourable  for  the 
purpose,  thermometers   were    sent    down    to  one 
*  See  Appendix,  Vol.  I.  p.  333. 


CHAP.  V.]     OF  THE  SOUTHERN  OCEAN.  141 

thousand  two  hundred  fathoms,  and  recorded  a  1841. 
temperature  of  39°*7,  between  that  depth  and  three 
hundred  fathoms;  at  150  fathoms  it  was  38°;  that 
of  the  surface  having  fallen  to  35°*8  ;  the  effect  of 
radiation  of  heat  from  the  ocean,  therefore,  ex- 
tended to  the  depth  of  more  than  150  fathoms, 
proving  clearly  that  we  were  to  the  southward  of 
the  circle  of  uniform  temperature.  Our  position 
at  this  time  was,  lat.  56°  20'  S.,  long.  148°  &  W. 
In  the  forenoon  we  had  crossed  a  line  of  ripple, 
lying  in  a  north  and  south  direction,  but  our  trial 
of  the  current  failed  from  mismanagement,  and  the 
weather  becoming  densely  foggy,  it  was  not  re- 
peated. We  also  passed  a  small  piece  of  sea- weed, 
the  last  trace  of  vegetation  we  saw  in  our  way 
to  the  south,  and  therefore  worthy  of  notice,  more 
especially  as  we  were  now  in  the  latitude  where  we 
might  expect  to  meet  floating  ice. 

Although  the  fog  was  very  thick  all  night,  and 
the  wind  light  from  the  N.  E.,  yet  we  contrived 
to  keep  company  by  firing  muskets,  sounding  the 
gong,  or  ringing  the  bell ;  and  had  thus  an  oppor- 
tunity of  judging  the  relative  value  of  these  three 
methods  usually  employed  as  fog  signals. 

To  us  the  bell  was  most  distinct,  and  the  gong 
very  little  inferior,  when  the  musket  was  scarcely 
audible ;  but  I  was  much  surprised,  at  this  time, 
on  hailing  through  a  speaking-trumpet,  to  receive 
an  immediate  and  so  clear  an  answer  from  the 
officer  of  the  watch  of  the  Terror,  that  we  might 
have  carried  on  a  conversation. 


142  FIRST   ICEBERGS.  [CHAP.  V. 

1841.  A  dense  fog  prevailed  throughout  the  whole 

Dec  15  of  the  following  day;  we  were  now  nearly  a 
hundred  miles  to  the  southward  of  where  Cook 
and  Biscoe  met  with  icebergs,  still  we  proceeded 
on  our  course  with  confidence,  the  temperature 
of  the  sea  being  36°.  In  the  afternoon  a  boat 
was  lowered  down  to  try  the  current,  which  we 
found  setting  S.  E.,  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  and  a 
half  miles  daily.  The  barometer  rose  steadily,  not- 
withstanding which  the  fog  was  so  thick,  that  al- 
though we  could  hear  the  voices  of  those  on  board 
the  Terror,  and  every  order  that  was  given,  we  could 
not  see  the  vessel.  Towards  midnight  the  tempe- 
rature of  the  sea  fell  rather  suddenly,  to  below  34°, 
Dec.  16.  and  at  5h  30m  A.M.  two  icebergs  were  seen,  and  at 
6h  a  third  berg,  right  ahead  of  us.  The  fog  had 
cleared  away  for  a  short  time,  which  enabled  us  to 
see  the  bergs :  and,  in  passing  within  half  a  mile 
of  the  largest,  the  temperature  of  the  sea  was 
rather  below  33°. 

The  height  of  this  berg  was  one  hundred  and 
thirty  feet,  and  its  circumference  three  quarters  of  a 
mile.  It  was  one  of  the  table-topped,  or  barrier  kind, 
and  deep  caverns  had  been  worn  into  its  vertical 
sides  by  the  action  of  the  sea  :  a  long  line  of  loose 
pieces  extended  several  miles  to  leeward  of  it,  and 
many  large  masses  appeared  ready  to  fall  from  it, 
to  continue  the  line  of  fragments,  as  the  others 
drifted  away  before  the  wind. 

At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  58°  36'  S.,  longitude 
146°  43'  W.  The  magnetic  dip  had  increased  to 


CHAP.  V.]         FOCUS   OF    GREATER   INTENSITY.  143 

73°  23'  S.,  and  the  variation  14°  40'  E.  It  is  a  1841- 
curious  fact,  that  although  we  caught  numerous 
marine  mollusca  in  the  towing  net  yesterday,  it 
was  not  until  we  got  near  the  bergs  that  the  beau- 
tiful diminutive  argonaut  (Argonauta  arctica)  of 
the  Arctic  seas  was  taken.  Cape  pigeons  were  now 
become  more  numerous,  and  the  large  albatross 
more  rare.  The  sooty  albatross  was  still  seen  in 
considerable  numbers,  as  were  also  the  dark  and 
the  blue  petrel. 

In  the  afternoon  we  hove  to,  and  tried  the  tem- 
perature of  the  sea,  to  the  depth  of  six  hundred 
fathoms;  after  which  we  bore  away  under  more 
moderate  sail ;  the  fog  being  very  thick,  great  vigi- 
lance was  necessary  during  the  night,  whilst  run- 
ning seven  knots,  to  avoid  bergs  and  enable  the 
Terror  to  keep  company. 

As  we  had  now  attained  that  meridian  on 
which  I  intended  to  penetrate  to  the  antarctic  seas, 
our  course  was  changed  to  due  south,  which  was 
also  the  most  favourable  for  determining  the  situa- 
tion of  the  several  lines  of  equal  magnetic  inten- 
sity, leading  directly  across  them ;  our  observa- 
tions had  by  this  time  shown  that  the  supposed 
position  of  the  second  focus  of  greater  intensity  in 
this  hemisphere  was  very  distant  from  the  truth, 
and  that  that  point  had  yet  to  be  sought  far  to 
the  south. 

But  my  chief  object  in  selecting  this  meridian 
was  the  hope  that  it  would  lead  to  the  discovery  of 
land,  which  I  was  led  to  expect  by  reason  of  the  low 


144  APPROACH    THE    PACK.  [CHAP.  V. 

184L  latitude  in  which  the  ice  had  been  met  with  by 
former  navigators,  —  at  any  rate,  I  thought  it  better 
to  attain  the  eastern  point  of  the  great  southern 
barrier,  at  which  our  operations  last  year  had  been 
interrupted  by  the  setting  in  of  the  winter,  by  a 
route  as  widely  different  as  practicable  from  that 
by  which  we  had  before  approached  it ;  and  thus 
enlarge  the  boundary  of  our  examination  of  those 
regions. 

Dec.  17,  We  passed  only  a  few  icebergs  during  the  night, 
but  many  very  heavy  loose  pieces,  doubtless  frag- 
ments of  broken-up  bergs,  sufficiently  large  to  de- 
stroy any  ordinary  ship  that  might  strike  against 
them,  at  the  rate  we  were  sailing;  the  fog 
had,  however,  in  some  degree  cleared  away,  and 
having  no  difficulty  in  avoiding  them,  we  had  a 
fine  run.  The  snow  showers  which  followed  in  the 
morning  were  only  of  short  continuance,  and 
during  the  longer  intervals  of  clear  weather,  we 
could  see  to  a  great  distance  from  the  mast-head. 

At  noon  we  were  in  lat.  61°  3'  S.,  long.  146°  3'  W. 
We  had,  therefore,  passed  beyond  the  track  of  the 
Russian  navigator,  Bellinghausen,  upon  this  me- 
ridian, and  were  fast  approaching  that  of  Cook,  in 
1774. 

Some  whales,  numerous  gray  petrel,  and  Cape 
pigeons  were  seen.  At  5  P.M.  a  strong  iceblink 
appeared  in  the  sky  to  the  S.  E.  *,  the  temperature 
of  the  sea  also  falling  to  29°  at  midnight,  gave 
notice  of  our  approach  to  a  large  body  of  ice  : 
and  at  three  o'clock  the  following  morning  the 


CHAP.  V.]          ENTER  THE  PACK.  145 

main  pack  was  seen  stretching  across  our  course,      1841. 
from  east  to  west.     At  this  time  there  were  forty    Dec.  is. 
large  bergs  in  sight. 

All  the  circumstances  appearing  favourable,  we 
at  once  ran  into  the  pack,  and  at  first  made  good 
way  through  it,  the  ice  being  remarkably  light 
and  very  open ;  but  as  we  proceeded  south  it 
became  heavier,  and  more  strongly  pressed  toge- 
ther, until,  after  having  penetrated  about  thirty 
miles,  we  were  obliged  to  steer  more  to  the  west- 
ward, availing  ourselves  of  every  opportunity  of 
resuming  our  southerly  course  when  the  ice  per- 
mitted. We  were  at  noon  in  lat.  60°  50'  S.,  long. 
147°  25'  W. ;  and  the  magnetic  dip  had  increased 
to  76°  S.,  the  variation  to  nearly  19°  E. 

Immediately  upon  entering  the  ice  we  found 
the  temperature  of  the  sea  28°,  that  of  the  air  being 
32° ;  and  for  the  first  time  the  beautiful  snow- 
white  petrel  and  the  gigantic  petrel  were  seen, 
also  a  few  whales  of  the  finner  kind,  and  some 
small  seals  were  basking  on  the  ice. 

As  we  advanced  through  the  pack  during  the 
rest  of  the  day,  we  observed  the  ice  to  be  very 
much  stained  in  some  places,  and  upon  examina- 
tion we  found  it  to  be  caused  by  matter  of  a  yel- 
lowish''colour,  similar  to  that  we  had  met  with  off 
Mount  Erebus,  and  which  led  me  to  suppose  it  to 
be  aluminous  or  other  minute  crystals  ejected  from 
that  volcano.  It  has  been  since  ascertained  by  that 
eminent  naturalist  Ehrenberg,  whose  wonderful 
researches  with  the  microscope  have  detected  large 

VOL.  II.  L 


146  ANIMALCULE.  [CHAP.  V. 

1841.  mineral  masses  and  extensive  formations,  composed 
wholly  of  the  remains  of  microscopic  animalcule, 
that  this  colouring  matter  consisted  of  countless 
myriads  of  an  entirely  new  and  minute  form  of 
organic  life,  which  he  observes  arrived  at  Berlin, 
in  1844,  in  a  living  state,  and  of  which  "  almost 
all  the  separate  atoms  are  independent  siliceous- 
shelled  creatures."*  We  also  found  this  colouring 
matter  in  the  stomachs  of  the  small  Beroe  and 
other  molluscous  animals  we  took  in  the  net,  which 
therefore  feed  upon  these  infusoria. 

In  the  evening  many  whales  were  seen  amongst 
the  ice,  and  were  so  tame  that  the  ship  struck  upon 
one  in  passing  over  it,  without  having  done  it 
any  harm,  although  a  shock  was  felt,  but  whether 
from  the  force  with  which  the  vessel  struck  the 
whale,  or  from  a  blow  of  its  tail,  given  in  return, 
we  could  not  know. 

Dec.  19.  The  wind  was  moderate  from  the  south-eastward, 
and  the  weather  clear,  but  the  ice  to  the  southward 
so  close  that  we  were  obliged  to  run  more  to 
the  westward  than  we  wished,  forcing  our  way 
from  hole  to  hole  as  they  came  in  sight  from 
the  masthead,  and  keeping  as  much  to  the  south- 
ward as  possible  until  noon,,  when  our  progress 
was  interrupted  by  the  closeness  of  the  pack.  I 
took  this  early  opportunity  of  obtaining  magnetic 
observations  on  a  large  floe  of  ice,  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  whether  the  corrections  we  em- 

*  See  Appendix  to  Vol.  I.,  p.  342. 


CJIAP.V.]       MAGNETIC    OBSERVATIONS   ON   ICE.  147 

ployed  for  the  effect  of  the  ship's  iron  were  still  to     1841. 
be  depended  upon.     We  were  at  this  time  in  lati-  " 
tude  63°  23'  S.,    longitude  149°  58'  W.,  having 
penetrated  the  pack  nearly  one  hundred  miles  in  a 
south-west  direction.  The  magnetic  observations  on 
the  ice  agreed  very  satisfactorily  with  those  made 
on  board  the  ships ;  by  them  we  found  the  mag- 
netic dip  to  have  increased  to  77°  23'  S.,  and  the 
variation  to  20°  2'  E. ;  on  board  the  Erebus  the 
dip  was  77°  25'  S.,  the  variation  20°  14'  E'. 

The  ice  slackened  in  the  afternoon,  and  we 
pushed  the  ships  nearly  twenty  miles  further 
to  the  S.  S.  W.  by  midnight,  when  we  were  again 
stopped. 

We  made  considerable  progress  next  morning,  Dec  2o. 
by  taking  advantage  of  every  opening  that  oc- 
curred, although  the  thick  fog,  which  came  on 
early  in  the  forenoon,  prevailed  throughout  the 
day.  Numerous  whales,  seals.  Cape  pigeons,  and 
white  petrel  were  seen,  and  two  or  three  flocks 
of  an  elegant  little  tern  were  observed  flying  to 
the  south-westward.  At  noon  we  were  in  lat. 
63°  47'  S.,  long.  151°  34',  W. ;  in  the  course  of 
the  afternoon,  the  ice  again  closed,  and  prevented 
our  getting  any  further ;  we  tried  for  soundings, 
and  struck  ground  in  one  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred fathoms.  The  temperature  of  the  sea  at 
900  fathoms  was  39°  8 ;  at  750  fathoms,  39°'6  ;  at 
600  fathoms,  40°;  at  300  fathoms,  38°«4  ;  at  150 
fathoms,  35°'6  ;  and  at  the  surface,  30°.  The  ex- 
periment at  450  fathoms  failed  through  an  acci- 

L  2 


148  BESET   IN   THE   PACK.  [CHAP.  V. 

4L  dental  blow  the  thermometer  received ;  but  it  is 
quite  clear  from  that  at  300  fathoms,  that  the  mean 
temperature  of  the  ocean  in  this  latitude  is  about 
six  hundred  fathoms  beneath  the  surface.  We 
did  not  repeat  the  experiment  as  the  ice  opened, 
and  allowed  us  to  make  some  way  to  the  south- 
ward through  it ;  and  those  who  wish  to  penetrate 
an  extensive  pack,  must  never  miss  any  oppor- 
tunity, however  trifling,  that  may  present  itself, 
for  it  is  always  difficult  to  know  how  far  it  may 
lead  you,  or  if  neglected,  how  irretrievable  may 
be  the  loss.  Whilst  we  were  hove  to,  three  seals 
were  killed  on  the  ice  and  brought  on  board ;  they 
offered  no  resistance,  and  did  nofc  seem  to  appre- 
hend any  harm  from  our  people,  whom  they  suffered 
to  approach  near  enough  to  knock  them  on  the 
head  with  bludgeons ;  in  the  stomach  of  one  of 
them  were  about  nine  pounds  in  weight  of  granite 
stones,  which  we  imagined  it  must  have  got  from 
off  the  floating  ice,  as  we  knew  of  no  land  within 
a  thousand  miles  of  us ;  in  the  stomach  of  another 
were  the  mutilated  remains  of  some  fish  about 
the  size  of  a  herring,  and  in  all  of  them  great 
numbers  of  a  large  red  shrimp,  which  appears  to 
constitute  their  chief  food. 

Dec.  25.  During  the  next  few  days  we  were  much  embar- 
rassed by  fogs  and  light  winds,  chiefly  from  the 
eastward,  and  made  but  little  progress  in  the 
desired  direction,  so  that  we  found  ourselves  on 
the  twenty-fifth  in  latitude  66°  S.  and  longitude 
156°  14'  W.,  and  passed  our  Christmas-day,  closely 


CHAP.  V.]  BESET   IN   THE   PACK.  149 

beset  in  the  pack,  near  to  a  chain  of  eleven  bergs,  1341. 
of  the  barrier  kind,  and  in  a  thick  fog  the  greater 
part  of  the  day,  with  by  no  means  a  cheering  pro- 
spect before  us ;  we,  nevertheless,  managed  to  do 
justice  to  the  good  old  English  fare,  which  we  had 
taken  care  to  preserve  for  the  occasion. 

The  wind  shifted  early  in  the  day  to  the  north-  Dec.  26. 
ward,  and  towards  the  evening  increased  to  a 
strong  breeze,  accompanied  with  thick  weather  and 
snow;  we  were  at  this  time  in  a  large  hole  of 
clear  water,  but  were  not  able  to  find  any  way  out 
of  it  to  the  southward ;  and  as  this  unfavourable 
weather  continued  for  some  days,  we  could  do 
nothing  more  than  dodge  about  from  side  to  side, 
or  occasionally  run  along  the  edge  of  the  hole, 
under  easy  sail,  manoeuvring  the  vessels  so  as  to 
keep  them  from  getting  beset,  and  ready  to  take 
advantage  of  any  favourable  change  that  might 
occur  of  pushing  through  the  pack  to  the  south- 
ward. On  the  evening  of  the  thirtieth,  it  became  Dec.  so. 
quite  calm  and  the  ice  spread  out  so  as  to  shut 
up  the  hole  we  were  in,  but  without  opening  suf- 
ficiently to  admit  of  our  making  any  way  through  it, 
when  a  light  air  sprung  up  from  the  northward.  We, 
therefore,  made  our  ships  fast  to  the  largest  piece 
of  ice  we  could  get  hold  of,  mooring  it  between  the 
ships  to  prevent  their  coming  into  collision  with 
each  other,  and  employed  our  crews  in  filling  the 
water  tanks  with  ice  from  the  floe,  the  small  pools 
of  water  which  we  found  on  it  being  too  brackish 
to  drink. 

L     3 


150  BESET   IN   THE   PACK.  [CHAP.  V. 


__  The  northerly  wind  had  brought  with  it  a  re- 
markable elevation  of  the  temperature  of  the  air, 
the  thermometer  rising  to  40°  at  noon.  We  were 
at  this  time  in  latitude  66°  30'  S.,  and  had,  there- 
fore, not  yet  crossed  the  Antarctic  Circle  ;  and 
during  the  last  week  we  had  not  made  more 
than  thirty  miles  of  southing,  in  the  longitude  of 
156°  19'  W.  :  the  magnetic  dip  80°  26'  S.,  and  the 
variation  25°  36'  W. 

Dec.  31.  The  calm,  with  thick  fog  and  snow,  continued 
throughout  the  day,  and  our  ships  remained  fast  to 
the  piece  of  ice  between  them  ;  we  could  perceive 
by  the  bergs  we  were  drifting  very  slowly  to  the 
southward,  and  the  year  closed  upon  us  under  as 
unpromising  appearances  as  can  be  imagined. 
During  the  day  many  seals  and  white  petrel,  a  few 
of  the  gigantic  petrel,  one  entirely  white,  and  a 
pair  of  the  rapacious  Skua  gull,  were  seen. 

We  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  which 
this  unlooked-for  detention  afforded  us  of  obtaining 
a  careful  comparison  of  the  magnetic  instruments 
of  the  two  ships,  and  were  gratified  to  find  they 
maintained  their  usual  exactness  of  accordance. 

Experiments  in  the  temperature  and  specific 
gravity  of  the  ocean,  at  various  and  considerable 
depths,  were  also  made  ;  and  as  they  gave  occu- 
pation to  our  crew,  so  they  served,  in  some 
measure,  to  relieve  the  tedious  and  wearisome  hours 
of  our  imprisonment  and  inactivity.  The  pack  in 
which  we  were  involved  consisted,  for  the  most 
part,  of  heavy  floe  ice,  which  had  been  much  broken 


CHAP,  V.]  BESET   IN   THE   TACK.  151 

up,  and  pressed  and  heaped  together  so  as  to  form 
the  most  irregular-shaped  masses :  severe,  indeed, 
must  have  been  the  pressure  at  some  period, 
as  not  a  single  level  floe  could  be  seen  amongst 
it,  and  it  seldom  happened  that  we  met  with 
any  piece  exceeding  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  cir- 
cumference, thus  presenting  a  striking  difference 
of  character  in  the  pack  of  the  Antarctic  from  that 
of  the  Arctic  Sea,  where  floes  of  several  miles  in 
diameter  are  of  common  occurrence,  and  sometimes 
"fields"  as  they  are  termed,  whose  boundary  is 
beyond  the  reach  of  vision  from  a  ship's  mast  head. 
The  cause  of  this  is  explained  by  the  circumstance 
of  the  ice  of  the  southern  regions  being  so  much 
more  exposed  to  violent  agitations  of  the  ocean, 
whereas  the  northern  sea  is  one  of  comparative 
tranquillity. 


152 


METEOEOfcOGICAL  ABSTRACT.  [CHAP.  V. 


1841.      ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOUEXAL  KEPT  OX  BOARD 
HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS. — DECEMBER,  1841. 


Da?. 

PMteaftKMB.     I   TMpttatajerftfceAiri.   |     MMI     I  T««puat 

*•*•        1232:1  f^- 

LatS.      Long.  W.      Max.        Mia.    '     Mcaa. 

rf   hUM 

A..-    - 

AMI 

Dew 

.-.  n 

1 

:.               o               - 
45-40       176-41       58-5 

o 
5*5 

; 

', 

53-3 

e 

0 

53 

2 

47-21       175-23       57 

51 

53-4 

ss-i 

54 

4-: 

3 

48-47       173-36      57 

48 

51-0 

51-7 

51 

45 

4 

43-24       172-24 

55 

47 

49-7 

Sf4 

4> 

41 

5 

49-27      170-47 

H  : 

47 

51-5 

504 

50 

39 

6 
7 

5 

5001 

.:.  4- 

51-36 

IffeM 
L67-40 
165-28 

59 
51 
49 

48 
45 
43-5 

51-6 

47-2 
4  '-7 

49-6 
47-4 
47-8 

4- 

4-; 

44 
44 
40 

9 

fiMI 

161-20 

41-5 

36 

39-9 

46-2 

40 

34 

10 

11 

-•-"I 

157-49 
156-08 

45 

37 
38 

41-4 

45-6 
44-6 

40 
41 

34 

12 

53-12 

154-21 

51 

41 

44-7 

42-6 

44 

40 

13 

54-56 

150^0 

46-5 

40 

42-5 

H  I 

41 

41* 

14 

56-2O 

148-08 

48 

35 

41-0 

36*6 

40 

40* 

15 

57-06 

147-40 

42 

34 

37-5 

35-4 

-.- 

a* 

16 

58-36 

146-43 

40 

33 

35-6 

33-1 

35 

-34 

17 

61-03 

146-03 

35 

IM 

31-8 

31-0 

33 

27 

18 

62-50 

147-25 

36 

28 

30-6 

28-5 

31 

2> 

19 

63-23 

149-58 

39 

f) 

31-1 

28-8 

32 

29 

20 

63-47 

151-34 

29 

27 

27-7 

29-4 

2> 

27 

21 

64-50 

153-23 

33 

26-5 

•M 

30-4 

31 

31* 

22 

65-30 

154-19 

34 

23-5 

27-7 

29-3 

2^ 

2^* 

23 
24 
25 
26 

65-59 
65-Sfl 

MMI 

15*44 

155-54 
156-11 

33-8 
33 
37 
31 

22-0 
26 

2--: 

27-: 

29-9 
31-0 
28-7 

28-8 

^•2 
29-1 

n* 

29 

31 
34 

H 

26 

27 
27 

27 

66*16 

156-29 

34 

28-5 

30-5 

2v4 

31 

31* 

28 

!     66-20 

156-38 

37 

29-5 

32-3 

fM 

32 

32* 

29 

66-24 

156-09 

35 

29-8 

31-8 

2--> 

32 

32* 

30 

66-31 

156-19 

42-: 

30 

33-8 

28-8 

a 

32* 

31 

66-29       156-49       43-5      29 

35-2 

2-  : 

M 

85- 

59         22-5 

IM. 

37-63    j  38-5  35"2 

CHAP.  V.]          METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


153 


ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEPT  ON  BOARD 
HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS. — DECEMBER,  1841. 


1841. 


Barometer. 

Winds. 

Day. 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

1 

Inches. 
30-275 

Inches. 
29-761 

Inches. 
30-030 

N.E. 

4 

f  A.M.  0  g.m.* 
\P.M.  3  b.c.g. 

2 

•410 

30-254 

•351 

N.  E. 

4 

2  b.c.g.q. 

3 

•416 

•285 

•367 

N.E.  by  N. 

2 

/  A.M.  0. 

|_P.M.  1.  b.c.g. 

4 

•279 

•on 

•138 

N.N.E. 

1 

0  g. 

5 

•Oil 

29-830 

29-936 

W.by  N. 

TA.M.  1 

\P.M.  3 

0 
2  b.c. 

6 

29-825 

•636 

•722 

North 

2 

2  b.c.g. 

7 

•697 

•604 

•647 

N.E. 

2 

2  b.c.o.g. 

8 

•660 

•410 

•541 

Northerly 

3 

2  b.c.q.d. 

9 

•391 

•115 

•283 

S.S.W. 

|A.M.  41 
{P.M.  6/ 

2  b.c.p.q.s.h. 

10 

•575 

•134 

•341 

Southerly 

6 

4  b.c.q.r. 

11 

•861 

•606 

•789 

S.S.E.    ' 

2 

1  b.c.g. 

12 

•848 

•664 

•777 

W.N.W. 

J~A.M.  2 

XP.M.  4 

0 
Og.d. 

13 

•625 

•388 

•473 

N.W. 

4 

Od.f. 

14 

•380 

•294 

•322 

N.W.byN. 

2 

Od.f. 

15 

•417 

•335 

•380 

N.  Easterly 

1 

0  d.f. 

16 

•563 

•410 

•486 

N.N.E. 

3 

Of.' 

17 

•797 

•564 

•683 

E.N.E. 

JA.M.  4j 

(P.M.  3  j 

0  g.p.s. 

18 
19 

•956 
•988 

•798 
•941 

•883 
•965 

E.S.E. 
S.E.  byE. 

2 
2 

TA.M.  Og. 
IP.M.  3  b.c.g. 

J  A.M.  2  b.C.g. 

\  P.M.  4  b.c. 

20 

•963 

•838 

•901 

S.E.  by  E. 

2 

0  g.f. 

21 

•833 

•755 

•794 

E.  by  S. 

/  A.M.  3 
\  P.M.  1 

0  m.p.s. 
4  b.c.f. 

22 

•910 

•793 

•837 

E.S.E. 

2 

f  A.M.  3  b.C.f. 

\  P.M.  0  m.p.s. 

23 

•992 

•927 

•961 

E.S.E. 

1 

0  g.p.s. 

24 

30-009 

•971 

•990 

E.S.E. 

2 

og. 

25 

29-976 

•749 

•875 

N.E. 

2 

0  g.p.s. 

26 

•732 

•395 

•559 

N.E. 

4 

0  g.p.s. 

27 

•366 

•181 

•245 

N.E.  by  N. 

/A.»I.  4 
XP.M.  1 

0  p.q.S. 
0  f. 

28 

•222 

•135 

•185 

W.  by  N. 

1 

/A.M.  Of.r. 
IP.M.  Of. 

29 

•133 

28-939 

•004 

Northerly 

1 

0  m.d. 

30 

•096 

29-001 

•047 

Northerly 

1 

/A.M.  f.d. 
1  P.M.  f. 

31 

•146 

•071 

•091 

N.N.W. 

1 

f.p.s. 

30-416 

28-939 

29-6646 

2-42 

*  For  explanation  of  these  symbols,  see  Appeidix  to  Vol.  I. 


Mode  of  pushing  through  the  Pack  during  a  Fog.     Page  1 67. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Cross  the  Antarctic  Circle.  —  Driven  back  to  the  Northward. 
—  The  Great  Penguin.  —  Seals.  —  Fish.  —  Animal  Life.  — 
Beset  in  the  Pack.  —  Gale  in  the  Pack.  —  Perilous  Situation 
of  the  Ships.  —  Damages  sustained  during  the  Gale,  — 
Repair  Damages.  —  Closely  beset  in  the  Pack.  —  Meteorolo- 
gical Abstract  for  January. 


n. 


155 


CHAPTER  VI. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  inauspicious  circumstances  1842. 
in  which  we  were  placed,  the  arrival  of  the  new  jan.  i. 
year  was  hailed  by  us  all  with  the  same  feelings 
of  confident  hope  and  cheerfulness  which  had  ani- 
mated our  exertions  throughout  the  last  season's 
operations  in  these  regions  :  and  although  we  had 
found  the  pack  to  extend  much  farther  to  the 
northward  than  on  the  former  occasion,  and  were 
at  this  time  beset  in  so  dense  a  portion  of  it,  that 
not  the  least  hole  of  water  could  be  seen  amongst 
it,  presenting  to  our  view  an  apparently  impe- 
netrable mass,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  discern 
from  the  mastheads  of  our  ships,  yet  we  were  en- 
couraged to  hope  that  the  clear  water  was  at  no 
great  distance  to  the  southward  of  us;  for  we 
found  the  ice  in  which  \\re  were  enclosed  con- 
tinue to  move  to  the  northward  before  every 
southerly  breeze:  it  must  therefore  have  left 
clear  water  at  the  place  it  originally  occupied,  and 
from  which  it  was  drifting.  We  had  already  ad- 
vanced two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  through  the 
pack ;  arid  from  its  breadth  last  season,  not  much 
exceeding  two  hundred  miles,  we  could  not  but 
expect  to  be  soon  released,  and  enabled  to  renew 
our  exploration  at  the  point  of  the  barrier  where  we 
had  left  off  last  year.  Our  observations  to-day  at 


156  CROSS   THE   ANTARCTIC   CIRCLE.      [CHAP.  VI. 

1842.  noon  placed  us  in  latitude  66°  32'  S.,  longitude 
156°  28'  W.,  we  therefore  crossed  the  Antarctic 
circle  this  season  on  the  same  day  that  we  did  last 
year,  and  forty  degrees  of  longitude,  or  about  four- 
teen hundred  miles  to  the  eastward. 

A  complete  suit  of  warm  clothing  was  issued  to 
our  crews,  as  a  new  year's  gift,  and  the  customary 
double  allowance  of  provisions  and  spirits  was 
served  out  to  them.  As  the  state  of  the  ice  pre- 
vented our  making  any  attempt  to  proceed,  we 
remained  moored  to  the  large  floe  piece  we  had 
hold  of,  and  the  day  was  spent  by  our  people  in 
the  enjoyment  of  various  amusing  games  on  the 
ice,  which  their  ingenuity  invented,  and  which  was 
finally  wound  up  by  a  grand  fancy  ball,  of  a  novel 
and  original  character,  in  which  all  the  officers 
bore  a  part,  and  added  much  to  the  merriment  and 
fun  which  all  seemed  greatly  to  enjoy ;  indeed,  if 
our  friends  in  England  could  have  witnessed  the 
scene,  they  would  have  thought,  what  I  am  sure 
was  truly  the  case,  that  we  were  a  very  happy 
party. 

The  pack  continued  so  close,  that  we  could  make 
no  way  through  it ;  but  found  by  our  observations 
we  had  been  carried  a  few  miles  to  the  southward 
on  the  second,  and  again  back  to  the  northward, 
Jan.  3.  and  to-day  at  noon  our  latitude  was  66°  34'  S.,  and 
longitude  156°  22'  W.  The  temperature  of  the  sea 
was  found  to  be  39*6°  at  one  thousand  and  fifty 
fathoms,  whilst  at  the  surface  it  was  only  28°.  It 
was  also  tried  at  intermediate  depths,  at  intervals 


CHAP.  VI.]    DRIVEN   BACK   TO   THE   NORTHWARD.  157 

of  one  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms,  and  found  pro-      1842. 
gressively   to   increase   from   the    surface   to   the 
greatest  depth. 

On  the  next  day  the  wind  changed  to  the  south-  Jan.  4. 
ward,  and  freshened  to  a  strong  gale ;  we  found 
ourselves  drifting  with  the  pack  fast  back  to  the 
northward,  so  that  at  noon  on  the  5th  our  latitude  Jan.  5. 
was  66°  15'  S.  All  this  day  we  continued  to  drift 
along  with  the  ice ;  but  towards  midnight  we  ob- 
served some  holes  of  water  opening  out  amongst  it 
to  the  southward,  and  the  wind  changing  to  the 
eastward  soon  after  noon,  we  cast  off  from  the  floe,  Jan.  6. 
and  regained  eight  or  ten  miles  of  our  lost  ground 
before  we  were  again  stopped  by  the  close  pack, 
which  extended  to  the  southward.  We  kept  the 
ships  free  by  beating  about  in  the  largest  hole  of 
water  we  could  find,  but  not  without  much  diffi- 
culty, owing  to  thick  snow  coming  on,  and  pre- 
venting our  seeing  to  any  distance. 

Early  the  next  day  the  breeze  freshened  rapidly,  Jan.  7. 
and  a  gale  came  on  from  the  westward,  but  it  only 
lasted  about  twelve  hours,  and  was  followed  by  a 
strong  southerly  breeze.  During  the  gale  our  ships 
received  some  very  heavy  blows,  but  I  was  anxious 
to  prevent  them  getting  beset ;  and  although  the 
labour  of  tacking  or  wearing  every  quarter  of  an 
hour,  with  our  decks  and  rigging  encumbered  with 
ice  and  snow,  was  great,  and  required  the  unceas- 
ing exertions  of  the  officers  and  crew,  the  work  was 
continued  with  cheerfulness  and  alacrity  through- 
out this  and  the  two  following  days ;  whilst  a 


158  THE    GREAT   PENGUIN.  [CHAP.  VI. 

1842.  southerly  gale  which  succeeded,  blew  without  in- 
termission during  the  whole  of  the  8th  and  9th, 
sweeping  us  away  back  to  the  northward  with  the 
pack,  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts  to  maintain  our 
southing. 

Jan.  10.  The  10th  was  a  comparatively  fine  day,  and  the 
wind  being  moderate  from  the  southward,  we  were 
able  to  regain  some  of  the  ground  we  had  lost, 
but  at  noon  had  the  mortification  to  find  ourselves 
in  latitude  65°  59'.  The  ice  had  spread  more  out 
in  the  afternoon,  and  we  passed  a  great  quan- 
tity, or  rather  allowed  it  to  drift  past  us ;  for 
although,  according  to  our  reckoning,  we  had  made 
at  least  twenty  miles,  by  beating  to  windward 
amongst  the  ice,  we  found  by  our  observations  at 

Jan.  11.  noon  the  next  day,  that  instead  of  having  in- 
creased our  latitude,  we  were  actually  a  mile  to 
the  northward  of  our  position  of  yesterday.  We 
had,  however,  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  we 
should  have  twenty  miles  less  of  the  pack  to  pass 
through  before  reaching  the  clear  water,  which 
must  have  opened  out  to  the  southward. 

During  the  last  few  days  we  saw  many  of  the 
great  penguins,  and  several  of  them  were  caught 
and  brought  on  board  alive ;  indeed  it  was  a  very 
difficult  matter  to  kill  them,  and  a  most  cruel 
operation,  until  we  resorted  to  hydrocyanic  acid, 
of  which  a  table  spoonful  effectually  accomplished 
the  purpose  in  less  than  a  minute.  These  enor- 
mous birds  varied  in  weight  from  sixty  to  seventy- 
five  pounds.  The  largest  was  killed  by  the  Terror's 


CHAP.  VI.]  THE    GREAT   PENGUIN.  159 

people,  and  weighed  seventy-eight  pounds.     They      1842. 
are  remarkably  stupid  and  allow  you  to  approach 
them  so  near  as  to  strike  them  on  the  head  with  a 
bludgeon,  and  sometimes,   if  knocked  off  the  ice 
into  the  water,  they  will  almost  immediately  leap 
upon  it  again  as  if  to  attack  you,  but  without 
the  smallest  means  either  of  offence  or  defence. 
They  were  first  discovered  during  Captain  Cook's 
voyage  to  these  regions,  and  the  beautiful  unpub- 
lished drawing  of  Forster  the  naturalist,  has  sup- 
plied the  only  figures  and   accounts  which  have 
been  given  to    the  public,  both  by   British   and 
foreign  writers  on  natural  history.    Mr.  Gray  has, 
therefore,  named  it  in  the  zoology  of  our  voyage, 
Aptenodytes    Forsteri,    of    which   we   were    for- 
tunate in  bringing  the  first  perfect  specimens  to 
England.     Some  of  these  were  preserved  entire  in 
casks  of  strong  pickle,  that  the  physiologist  and 
comparative  anatomist  might  have  an  opportunity  of 
thoroughly  examining  the  structure  of  this  wonder- 
ful creature.     Its  principal  food  consists  of  various 
species  of  cancri  and  other  crustaceous  animals  ; 
and  in  its  stomach  we  frequently  found  from  two  to 
ten  pounds'  weight  of  pebbles,  consisting  of  granite, 
quartz,  and  trappeari  rocks.     Its  capture  afforded 
great  amusement  to  our  people,  for  when  alarmed 
and    endeavouring   to    escape,    it   makes  its  way 
over   deep   snow    faster    than  they  could    follow 
it :    by   lying    down    on    its    belly    and    impel- 
ling itself  by  its   powerful   feet,    it    slides    along 
upon  the   surface   of  the  snow   at  a   great   pace, 


160  SEALS.  [CHAP.  VI. 

1842.  steadying  itself  by  extending  its  fin-like  wings 
jan.  11.  which  alternately  touch  the  ground  on  the  side 
opposite  to  the  propelling  leg.  The  most  suc- 
cessful of  our  hunters  were  Mr.  Oakley  and  Mr. 
Abernethy,  as  they  were  also  in  the  capture  of  the 
seals  which  we  met  with  in  no  great  numbers. 
These  were  of  three  kinds :  the  largest  of  them  is 
of  great  size,  measuring  in  length  nearly  twelve 
feet,  and  six  feet  in  circumference,  but  varying 
very  much  in  weight  according  to  the  condition 
of  the  animal ;  the  heaviest  we  killed  weighed  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  yielded  upwards  of 
•sixteen  gallons  of  oil.  In  the  stomach  of  one  which 
we  caught  we  found  twenty-eight  pounds  weight  of 
fish.  With  the  single  exception  of  a  single  speci- 
men of  a  Sphyrcena,  they  all  belonged  to  a  species 
of  the  new  genus  discovered  at  Kerguelen  Island, 
and  named  Notothenia  by  Dr.  Eichardson.*  They 
were  in  various  stages  of  decomposition :  some 
•  few,  which  appeared  to  have  been  only  just  taken, 
furnished  subjects  for  preservation,  and  of  which 
careful  drawings  were  made  by  Dr.  Hooker.  The 
average  length  of  this  fish,  so  interesting  from 
the  high  latitude  it  inhabits,  was  six  and  a  half 
inches,  and  its  weight  two  and  a  half  ounces; 
there  must  therefore  have  been  nearly  two  hun- 
dred individuals  contained  in  the  stomach  of  this 
seal.  As  it  proved  to  be  a  species  distinct  from 

*  Zoology  of  the  Voyage  of  the  Erebus  and  Terror,  Part  II. 
p.  8. 


CHAP.  VI.]  ANIMAL  LIFE.  161 

those  we  found  at  Kerguelen  Island,  it  has  been      1842. 
named  JSTotothenia  Phocae,  from  the  circumstances  in 
which  it  was  first  found. 

They  occupy  the  place  of  the  Merlangus  Polaris 
and  Ophidium  Parryii  of  the  arctic  seas,  the  latter 
of  which  they  much  resemble  ;  like  them  they 
conceal  themselves  from  the  persecutions  of  their 
enemies  in  the  small  cracks  and  cavities  of  the 
pack  ice,  and  may  be  seen  when  driven  from 
shelter  by  the  ship  striking  and  passing  over  their 
protecting  pieces  of  ice.*  The  seals  and  petrels 
are  their  chief  enemies,  whilst  they,  in  their  turn, 
live  upon  the  smaller  cancri  and  limacinse.  Thus 
we  behold,  in  these  regions,  where  the  vegetable 
kingdom,  which  constitutes  the  support  of  animal 
life  in  milder  climates,  has  no  representative,  a 
chain  of  animal  existences,  maintained  by  each 
preying  upon  that  next  below  it  in  the  order  of 
created  beings,  and  all  eventually  nourished  and 
sustained  by  the  minute  infusorial  animalcula 
which  we  found  filling  the  ocean  with  an  in- 

*  The  Sphyrsena  was  in  too  mutilated  a  state  to  determine 
its  specific  characteristics ;  its  head,  although  broken  into 
numerous  fragments,  proved  to  be  identical  with  one  which  the 
master  of  a  whaler  found  on  the  beach  at  New  Zealand, 
but  we  could  not  ascertain  to  what  fish  it  belonged.  It 
is  considered  by  Dr.  Richardson  to  be  of  the  genus  Ale- 
pisaurus,  but  differing  from  the  A.  ferox  which  inhabits  the 
coasts  of  the  island  of  Madeira.  It  is,  nevertheless,  a  most 
ferocious  looking  fish ;  and,  although  we  are  unable  to  supply 
a  description  sufficient  for  its  specific  distinction,  there  is  no 
doubt  of  its  being  an  entirely  new  species.  Its  long  narrow 
body  measured  twenty- eight  inches  in  length. 

VOL.  II.  M 


162  THE   SEALS.  [CHAP.  VI. 

1842.  conceivable  multitude  of  the  minutest  forms  of 
organic  life. 

There  is  considerable  variety  in  the  colour  of 
each  of  the  three  species  of  seals,  from  a  dark  gray, 
beautifully  marbled  with  spots  and  stripes  of  a 
much  deeper  colour,  to  almost  uniform  white,  de- 
pending, doubtless,  in  a  great  degree  upon  the  age 
of  the  individual. 

The  largest-sized  seal  is  less  numerous  than 
the  smaller  species,  and  is  armed  with  enormous 
tusks,  fully  as  large  and  strong  as  those  of  the 
polar  bear,  to  which  also  the  shape  of  the  head 
bears  a  very  strong  resemblance.  It  should  be  at- 
tacked with  caution  ;  for,  although  awkward  and 
unwieldly  on  the  ice,  it  has  both  the  inclination 
and  the  means  of  inflicting  severe  wounds,  and  is, 
therefore,  a  formidable  creature  to  engage. 

The  middle-sized  seal,  called  the  sea  leopard,  and 
the  white  antarctic  seal,  may  be  easily  knocked 
on  the  head  without  the  smallest  personal  danger ; 
from  the  severely  wounded  state  in  which  we 
found  some  of  the  males,  having  long  and  deep 
gashes  along  their  sides  and  backs,  from  which  in 
a  few  instances  the  blood  was  still  flowing,  they 
must  have  fierce  battles  with  each  other  at  this 
period  of  the  year. 

They  are,  however,  not  in  sufficient  numbers  to 
induce  our  merchants  to  send  to  these  regions 
after  them ;  had  it  been  our  sole  object  we  might 
have  taken  twenty  or  thirty  every  day ;  but,  as  on 
an  average  the  largest  yield  only  sixteen,  the  middle- 


CHAP.  VJ.]  BESET   IN   THE    PACK.  163 

sized  only  ten,  and  the  smallest  not  more  than  five  1842. 
gallons  of  oil,  their  skins  also  being  of  but  little 
value,  it  would  not  prove  a  very  profitable  specula- 
tion unless  a  place  could  be  found  where  they 
congregate  together  in  far  greater  numbers.  The 
whales  which  we  saw  here,  though  of  large  size, 
were  by  no  means  so  numerous  as  we  found  them 
in  other  parts  of  the  antarctic  regions. 

In  the  forenoon,  the  wind  falling  light  and  the  Jan.  n. 
hole  of  water  in  which  we  had  been  working 
having  become  too  small  for  us  to  sail  about  in 
any  longer,  we  made  the  ships  fast  to  the  largest 
piece  of  ice  we  could  find,  mooring  it  between 
them.  As  the  wind  prevailed  from  the  south- 
ward, the  whole  body  of  the  pack  still  drifted  to 
the  northward  as  we  could  perceive  by  the  larger 
bergs,  which,  not  being  so  easily  affected  by  the 
wind,  moved  at  a  much  slower  pace.  Cape  pigeons 
and  white  petrels  were  the  only  birds  we  saw 
to-day,  except  a  flock  of  tern  flying  to  the  south- 
westward. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  observed  the  ice  open-  Jan- 12« 
ing,  so  we  cast  off,  and,  aided  by  a  light  south- 
easterly wind,  made  way  to  the  south-westward, 
in  which  direction  we  rejoiced  to  observe  the  sky 
much  darker  than  we  had  before  seen  it,  and  which 
we  believed  to  be  hanging  over  a  large  space  of 
water.  At  noon  we  were  in  lat.  65°  54'  S.,  long. 
156°  30'  W.  Our  boats  were  kept  ahead,  towing 
through  the  openings  in  the  ice,  and  preventing 
the  ships  striking  against  the  heavier  pieces  of 

M     2 


164  BESET   IN   THE   PACK.  [CHAP.  VI. 

1842.  ice,  there  not  being  sufficient  wind  to  navigate 
amongst  it  without  their  assistance.  In  the  evening 
the  wind  increased,  and  veering  to  the  N.  E., 
rendered  this  laborious  work  no  longer  necessary, 
and  we  steered  towards  the  dark  water  sky,  which 
we  hoped  was  to  lead  us  through  this  tedious 
pack,  in  which  we  had  now  been  involved  four 
weeks  of  the  precious  period  of  the  brief  summer 
of  these  regions.  The  strong  gales  of  last  year 
were  of  more  advantage  to  us  than  the  light 
easterly  breezes  and  comparatively  fine  weather 
we  had  enjoyed  this  season ;  it  was  therefore  not 
unfrequent  to  hear  the  unusual  wish  expressed 
for  a  gale  of  wind  to  arise,  by  which  alone  could 
we  expect  the  dense  pack  to  be  dispersed  and  our 
liberation  effected. 

Jan.  13.  Boring  our  way  through  the  pack  under  all 
sail  during  the  night,  we  found  at  noon  that  we 
had  gained  nearly  twenty  miles  of  southing :  but 
at  this  time  we  were  again  stopped  by  the  ice  be- 
coming too  close  for  us ;  we  accordingly  availed 
ourselves  of  a  small  clear  space,  in  which  to  keep  the 
ships  free,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  make  the  best  of 
the  first  opening  that  appeared.  To  break  through 
an  intervening  belt  of  ice  required  some  hours 
hard  labour  with  poles  and  warps,  and  was  no 
sooner  accomplished  than  the  wind  freshened  sud- 
denly from  the  eastward,  and  greatly  increased 
the  size  of  the  hole,  so  that  we  could  dodge  about 
in  it  under  easy  sail,  and  watch  the  effects  of  the 
breeze  upon  the  pack  which  surrounded  us. 


CHAP.  VI.]  BESET   IN   THE   PACK.  165 

We  remained  shut  up  in  this  hole  of  water  the  1842. 
whole  of  the  next  day,  without  being  able  to  jan<  14. 
perceive  the  smallest  change  in  the  ice,  which 
would  admit  of  our  advancing  to  the  southward  ; 
there  was  considerable  motion  amongst  it,  and 
we  observed  by  the  bergs  that  the  whole  body 
was  drifting  to  the  northward.  We  were  visited 
by  the  various  kinds  of  birds  I  have  so  often 
enumerated ;  and,  in  addition  to  those,  a  stormy 
and  three  dusky  petrels  were  seen,  as  was  also  an 
individual  of  the  gigantic  kind,  entirely  white, 
and  at  first  mistaken  for  a  new  bird. 

The  hole  in  which  we  were  confined  becoming  Jan.  15. 
too  small,  being  not  more  than  half  a  mile  in  dia- 
meter, for  our  ships  to  keep  under  sail  in,  without 
the  probability  of  their  coming  into  collision,  ren- 
dered it  necessary  to  make  fast  to  a  large  floe  piece 
we  found  convenient  for  our  purpose,  and  during 
the  day  we  employed  our  people  filling  the  empty 
water  tanks  with  ice,  and  other  useful  operations. 

The  pack  remained  perfectly  close  in  every  di-  Jan.  is. 
rection,  without  the  smallest  hole  of  water  to  be 
seen  amongst  it ;  but  still  the  dark  water  sky  to 
the  southward  remained  in  encouraging  strength, 
As  the  wind  was  blowing  from  the  southward, 
we  drifted  back  with  the  pack  to  the  northward, 
and  at  noon  we  were  in  latitude  65°  48'  S.,  and 
longitude  157°  36'  W.  All  the  circumstances 
being  favourable  for  the  purpose,  I  went  on  the 
ice  to  make  magnetic  observations  in  the  evening, 
chiefly  with  the  view  of  ascertaining  whether  the 

M    3 


166  BESET   IN   THE   PACK.  [CHAP.  VI. 

1842.  corrections  we  applied  to  those  taken  on  board 
our  ship  remained  unchanged,  and  if  not,  to  afford 
the  means  of  deducing  accurate  corrections. 

There  was  a  gentle  swell  from  the  westward, 
which  kept  the  instruments  in  motion,  not  suffi- 
cient, however,  to  vitiate  the  observations  in  the 
slightest  degree ;  and  the  wind  having  died  away, 
so  that  a  perfect  calm  prevailed,  an  extensive 
and  satisfactory  series  was  obtained,  which  gave 
equally  satisfactory  results :  the  magnetic  dip  was 
found  to  be  79°  39'-5  S.,  and  the  variation  25°  15' 
East. 

Jan.  17.  During  the  night  the  swell  from  the  westward 
greatly  increased,  and  the  pack  being  quite  close 
and  heavy,  our  ships  sustained  at  times  some 
severe  blows  from  the  ice,  while  the  rapidly  de- 
scending barometer  warned  us  of  an  approaching 
gale. 

Towards  the  evening  the  sea  had  gained  such 
a  height,  that  our  eight-inch  hawsers  were  not 
strong  enough  to  hold  us  to  the  heavy  floe- 
snapping  one  after  the  other  so  fast  that  we 
had  scarcely  time  to  replace  them  with  ropes 
of  larger  size ;  the  wind  had  increased  to  a  gale 
from  the  north-eastward,  and  blew  violently 
throughout  the  night  and  during  the  forenoon  of 
the  next  day,  but  it  had  the  effect  of  subduing 
the  westerly  swell,  and  of  driving  us  towards  the 
south-west  water. 

Jan.  is.  A  dense  fog  prevailed,  and  the  snow,  which  fell 
thickly,  was  converted  into  rain  by  the  temperature 


CHAP.  VI.]  GALE    IN   THE    PACK.  167 

of  the  air  rising  to  34°  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  1842. 
wind  had  greatly  moderated  by  5  30  P.M.,  when 
we  observed  a  very  large  berg  close  under  our  lee. 
All  sail  was  immediately  set  upon  both  ships,  and 
we  cleared  this  danger  by  only  a  few  feet,  the 
spanker  boom  of  the  Erebus  touching  it  as  we 
were  driven  past  its  western  end ;  the  sea  was 
breaking  against  its  perpendicular  face  with  so 
much  violence  that  some  of  the  spray  fell  on  board 
the  ships. 

To  prevent  the  ships .  separating  during  the 
fog,  it  was  necessary  to  keep  fast  to  the  heavy 
piece  of  ice  which  we  had  between  them  as  a 
fender,  and,  with  a  reduced  amount  of  sail  on 
them,  we  made  some  way  through  the  pack :  as 
we  advanced  in  this  novel  mode  to  the  south- 
west, we  found  the  ice  became  more  open,  and 
the  westerly  swell  increasing  as  the  wind  veered 
to  the  N.  W.  at  midnight,  we  found  it  impos- 
sible any  longer  to  hold  on  by  the  floe  piece. 
All  our  hawsers  breaking  in  succession,  we  made  Jan.  19. 
sail  on  the  ships,  and  kept  company  during  the 
thick  fog  by  firing  guns,  and,  by  means  of  the 
usual  signals :  under  the  shelter  of  a  berg  of  nearly  a 
mile  in  diameter,  we  dodged  about  during  the  whole 
day,  waiting  for  clear  weather,  that  we  might  select 
the  best  leads  through  the  dispersing  pack ;  but  at 
9  p.  M.  the  wind  suddenly  freshened  to  a  violent 
gale  from  the  northward,  compelling  us  to  reduce 
our  sails  to  a  close  reefed  main-top-sail  and  storm 
stay-sails:  the  sea  quickly  rising  to  a  fearful  height, 

M   4 


168  GALE   IN   THE   PACK.  [CHAP.  VI. 

1842.  breaking  over  the  loftiest  bergs,  we  were  unable 
"  any  longer  to  hold  our  ground,  but  were  driven 
into  the  heavy  pack  under  our  lee.  Soon  after 
midnight  our  ships  were  involved  in  an  ocean 
of  rolling  fragments  of  ice,  hard  as  floating 
rocks  of  granite,  which  were  dashed  against 
them  by  the  waves  with  so  much  violence  that 
their  masts  quivered  as  if  they  would  fall  at 
every  successive  blow;  and  the  destruction  of 
the  ships  seemed  inevitable  from  the  tremen- 
dous shocks  they  received.  By  backing  and  filling 
the  sails,  we  endeavoured  to  avoid  collision  with 
the  larger  masses ;  but  this  was  not  always  pos- 
sible :  in  the  early  part  of  the  storm,  the  rudder 
of  the  Erebus  was  so  much  damaged  as  to  be 
no  longer  of  any  use;  and  about  the  same  time 
I  was  informed  by  signal  that  the  Terror's  was 
completely  destroyed,  and  nearly  torn  away  from 
the  stern-post.  We  had  hoped  that,  as  we  drifted 
deeper  into  the  pack,  we  should  get  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  tempest ;  but  in  this  we  were  mis- 
taken. Hour  passed  away  after  hour  without  the 
least  mitigation  of  the  awful  circumstances  in 
which  we  were  placed.  Indeed,  there  seemed  to 
be  but  little  probability  of  our  ships  holding 
together  much  longer,  so  frequent  and  violent 
were  the  shocks  they  sustained.  The  loud  crash- 
ing noise  of  the  straining  and  working  of  the 
timbers  and  decks,  as  she  was  driven  against 
some  of  the  heavier  pieces,  which  all  the  activity 
and  exertions  of  our  people  could  not  prevent, 


CHAP.  VI.]        PERILOUS   SITUATION   OF   THE    SHIPS.  1 

was  sufficient  to  fill  the  stoutest  heart,  that  was  1842. 
not  supported  by  trust  in  Him  who  controls  all 
events,  with  dismay ;.  and  I  should  commit  an 
act  of  injustice  to  my  companions  if  I  did  not 
express  my  admiration  of  their  conduct  on  this 
trying  occasion ;  throughout  a  period  of  twenty- 
eight  hours,  during  any  one  of  which  there  ap- 
peared to  be  very  little  hope  that  we  should 
live  to  see  another,  the  coolness,  steady  obedience, 
and  untiring  exertions  of  each  individual  were 
every  way  worthy  of  British  seamen. 

The  storm  gained  its  height  at  2  P.M.,  when  the 
barometer  stood  at  2 8 '40  inches,  and  after  that 
time  began  to  rise.  Although  we  had  been  forced 
many  miles  deeper  into  the  pack,  we  could  not 
perceive  that  the  swell  had  at  all  subsided,  our 
ships  still  rolling  and  groaning  amidst  the  heavy 
fragments  of  crushing  bergs,  over  which  the 
ocean  rolled  its  mountainous  waves,  throwing 
huge  masses  one  upon  another,  and  then  again 
burying  them  deep  beneath  its  foaming  waters, 
dashing  and  grinding  them  together  with  fearful 
violence.  The  awful  grandeur  of  such  a  scene 
can  neither  be  imagined  nor  described,  far  less  can 
the  feelings  of  those  who  witnessed  it  be  understood. 
Each  of  us  secured  our  hold,  waiting  the  issue 
with  resignation  to  the  will  of  Him  who  alone 
could  preserve  us,  and  bring  us  safely  through 
this  extreme  danger ;  watching  with  breathless 
anxiety  the  effect  of  each  succeeding  collision,  and 
the  vibrations  of  the  tottering  masts,  expecting 


170  GALE    IN   THE   PACK.  [CHAP.  VI. 

1842t      every  moment  to  see  them  give  way  without  our 
having  the  power  to  make  an  effort  to  save  them. 

Although  the  force  of  the  wind  had  somewhat 
diminished  by  4  P.M.,  yet  the  squalls  came  on 
with  unabated  violence,  laying  the  ship  over  on 
her  broadside,  and  threatening  to  blow  the  storm 
sails  to  pieces  :  fortunately  they  were  quite  new, 
or  they  never  could  have  withstood  such  terrific 
gusts.  At  this  time  the  Terror  was  so  close  to 
us,  that  when  she  rose  to  the  top  of  one  wave, 
the  Erebus  was  on  the  top  of  that  next  to  leeward 
of  her ;  the  deep  chasm  between  them  filled  with 
heavy  rolling  masses ;  and  as  the  ships  descended 
into  the  hollow  between  the  waves,  the  main-top- 
sail yard  of  each  could  be  seen  just  level  with  the 
crest  of  the  intervening  wave,  from  the  deck  of  the 
other :  from  this  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
height  of  the  waves,  as  well  as  of  the  perilous 
situation  of  our  ships.  The  night  now  began  to 
draw  in,  and  cast  its  gloomy  mantle  over  the 
appalling  scene,  rendering  our  condition,  if  pos- 
sible, more  hopeless  and  helpless  than  before  ; 
but  at  midnight,  the  snow,  which  had  been  fall- 
ing thickly  for  several  hours,  cleared  away,  as  the 
wind  suddenly  shifted  to  the  westward,  and  the 
swell  began  to  subside ;  and  although  the  shocks 
our  ships  still  sustained  were  such  that  must 
have  destroyed  any  ordinary  vessel  in  less  than 
five  minutes,  yet  they  were  feeble  compared  with 
those  to  which  we  had  been  exposed,  and  our  minds 
became  more  at  ease  for  their  ultimate  safety. 


CHAP.  VI.]  DAMAGES   SUSTAINED.  171 

During  the  darkness  of  night  and  the  thick  wea-  1842. 
ther  we  had  been  carried  through  a  chain  of  bergs  Jan  21 
which  were  seen  in  the  morning  considerably  to 
windward,  and  which  served  to  keep  off  the  heavy 
pressure  of  the  pack,  so  that  we  found  the  ice 
much  more  open,  and  I  was  enabled  to  make  my 
way  in  one  of  our  boats  to  the  Terror,  about  whose 
condition  I  was  most  anxious,  for  I  was  aware 
that  her  damages  were  of  a  much  more  serious 
nature  than  those  of  the  Erebus,  notwithstanding 
the  skilful  and  seamanlike  manner  in  which  she 
had  been  managed,  and  by  which  she  maintained 
her  appointed  station  throughout  the  gale. 

I  found  that  her  rudder  was  completely  broken 
to  pieces,  and  the  fastenings  to  the  stern-post  so 
much  strained  and  twisted,  that  it  would  be  very 
difficult  to  get  the  spare  rudder,  with  which  we 
were  fortunately  provided,  fitted  so  as  to  be  useful, 
and  could  only  be  done,  if  at  all,  under  very  favour- 
able circumstances.  The  other  damages  she  had 
sustained  were  of  less  consequence ;  and  it  was  as 
great  a  satisfaction  as  it  has  ever  since  been  a 
source  of  astonishment  to  us  to  find  that,  after 
so  many  hours  of  constant  and  violent  thumping, 
both  the  vessels  were  nearly  as  tight  as  they 
were  before  the  gale.  We  can  only  ascribe  this 
to  the  admirable  manner  in  which  they  had  been 
fortified  for  the  service,  and  to  our  having 
their  holds  so  stowed  as  to  form  a  solid  mass 
throughout. 


172  BESET   IN   THE   PACK.  [CHAP.  VI. 

1842.  I  was  much  gratified  to  learn  from  Commander 
Crozier,  that  the  conduct  of  the  officers  and  crew 
was  most  admirable  ;  and  certainly  it  is  hardly 
possible  to  conceive  a  situation  in  which  calmness 
and  firmness  were  more  necessary,  or,  I  believe, 
more  generally  displayed. 

The  swell  was  now  fast  subsiding,  the  wind 
having  changed  to  the  S.W.,  and  moderated  to  a 
fresh  breeze  with  clear  weather.  On  my  return  to 
the  Erebus,  we  made  more  sail,  and  forced  our  way 
as  far  as  we  could  into  the  thickest  part  of  the 
pack,  where,  of  course,  we  should  find  less  motion  ; 
and,  early  in  the  afternoon,  we  got  hold  of  a  large 
floe  piece,  which  we  moored  securely  between 
our  crippled  ships  ;  for  without  the  aid  of  their 
rudders  we  found  them  too  unmanageable  to 
attempt  to  push  through  to  the  open  water,  whilst 
the  ice  to  which  we  had  attached  them  afforded 
facilities  for  their  examination  and  repair,  which 
could  only  have  been  accomplished  in  smooth 
water. 

All  hands  that  could  assist  the  carpenters  were 
now  set  to  work,  whilst  as  many  as  could  be  spared 
were  sent  below  to  get  some  rest,  which  all  greatly 
needed,  in  order  that  a  few  might  be  refreshed 
and  strengthened  for  any  occasion  that  might  re- 
quire their  further  exertions.  As  we  lay  closely 
beset  in  the  now  almost  motionless  pack,  our  decks 
presented  a  scene  of  unusual  character.  The 
shattered  rudder  being  hoisted  on  board,  the  car- 


CHAP.  VI.]  REPAIRING   DAMAGES.  173 

penters  and  their  assistants  were  employed,  setting     1842. 
it   straight,    cutting    away  the  splinters,  and  re-  " 
placing  the  parts  that  had  been  torn  away,  whilst 
the  armourers  at  the  forge  were  engaged  making 
bolts  and  hoops  to  bind  all  firmly  together,  and, 
by  the  unceasing  labour  of  the  officers  and  arti- 
ficers, the  Erebus's  rudder  was  ready  for  shipping 
again  before  midnight. 

The  Terror's,  as  I  have  before  said,  was  so  com- 
pletely destroyed  as  to  oblige  us  to  resort  to  her 
spare  rudder,  which  was  put  together  in  less  than 
an  hour  ;  but  the  ice  was  so  closely  pressed  around 
us,  that  we  could  not  see  the  nature  of  the  damage 
the  gudgeons  had  sustained,  and  which,  being  so 
far  under  water,  were  likely  to  present  the  greatest 
difficulty  to  getting  her  rudder  so  effectually 
secured  as  to  render  it  practicable  to  pursue  our 
way  to  the  southward;  and  during  the  whole 
of  the  next  day,  the  pressure  of  the  pack  still  Jan.  22. 
preventing  our  making  any  attempt  to  ship  the 
rudders  we  had  in  readiness,  all  the  artificers  of 
both  ships  were  employed  making  a  spare  rudder 
for  the  Terror,  so  as  to  provide  against  any 
future  contingency.  A  cross-beam  with  two  or 
three  oak  davits,  added  to  those  which  the 
Terror  could  spare,  afforded  ample  materials  for 
this  necessary  work,  and  gave  useful  occupation 
to  all  hands. 

The  wind  from  the  S.  S.W.  was  all  this  time 
driving  us  with  the  pack  back  to  the  northward, 


174  BESET  IN   THE   PACK.  [CHAP.  VI. 

1842-  and  at  noon  we  were  in  latitude  66°  39'  S.,  and 
longitude  156°  42'  W.,  so  that  after  having  ex- 
hausted five  weeks  of  the  best  part  of  the  season  of 
navigation  in  what  appeared  to  be,  at  this  time,  a 
fruitless  attempt  to  get  through  this  formidable 
pack,  we  found  ourselves  driven  back  to  nearly  the 
same  spot  we  were  at  three  weeks  before.  With 
only  a  brief  period  of  the  season  remaining,  our 
ships  much  strained,  and  some  doubt  on  our  minds 
as  to  the  sufficiency  of  the  rudders  we  had  not 
yet  tried,  our  prospects  were  by  no  means  cheer- 
ing ;  we  had  reason,  however,  to  be  thankful  that 
we  might  still  be  enabled  to  go  forward  in  the 
execution  of  the  important  duties  with  which 
we  were  charged. 

By  the  evening  the  main  pieces  of  the  Terror's 
spare  rudder  were  bolted  together,  and  nothing 
but  the  filling  pieces,  and  securing  the  braces  and 
pintles  was  wanting  to  make  it  complete.  But  the 
labour  of  our  people,  particularly  the  carpenters  and 
blacksmiths,  had  been  almost  incessant ;  I  therefore 
directed  that  all  work  should  be  suspended  after 
ten  P.M.,  that  they  might  get  some  rest,  and  re- 
sume their  labours  at  an  early  hour  the  next 
morning,  on  which,  although  it  was  the  Sabbath- 
day,  I  felt  the  necessity  of  departing  from  our 
practice  of  ceasing  from  work  on  that  day,  to 
complete  a  measure  so  essential  to  the  safety  of 
our  ships. 
Jan.  23.  The  wind  continued  moderate  from  the  N.  E., 


CHAP.  VI.]  REPAIRING   DAMAGES.  175 

the  weather,  though  gloomy,  was  favourable  to  1842. 
our  purpose,  and  we  were  again  drifting  in  the 
desired  direction.  In  the  course  of  reading  the 
usual  church  service  in  the  morning,  we  offered  up 
our  most  heartfelt  thanksgivings  to  God  for  his 
merciful  and  wonderful  preservation  of  us  when 
we  were  in  extreme  peril,  who  had  showed  us  the 
terrible  things  and  wonders  of  the  great  deep,  from 
which  we  might  learn  our  own  weakness,  and  his 
power  and  readiness  to  help  all  those  that  call  upon 
and  trust  in  Him,  whose  mercy  is  over  all  his  works, 
but  had  been  most  especially  manifested  to  us ; 
and  we  implored  a  continuance  of  His  blessing  on 
all  our  future  exertions. 

In  the  evening,  the  ice  slackened  around  our 
ship  so  much  as  to  admit  of  our  trying  the  anxious 
experiment  of  shipping  the  rudder,  which  we 
had  the  satisfaction  of  accomplishing  without 
much  difficulty;  and,  although  the  circumstances 
were  not  sufficiently  favourable  to  do  any  thing 
with  the  Terror's,  yet  it  was  a  relief  to  our  minds 
to  have  one  of  the  ships  again  in  a  condition, 
if  necessary,  to  aid  her  more  crippled  com- 
panion. 

The  port  or  lee  side  of  the  Erebus,  which  had  Jan.  24. 
suffered  most  severely  from  grinding  and  striking 
against  the  ice,  received  our  first  attention: 
cutting  away  the  splinters,  and  smoothening  the 
surface  as  low  down  as  we  could  by  heeling  the 
ship  over  to  starboard,  and  then  replacing,  so  far 


176  BESET   IN   THE   PACK.  [CHAP.  VI. 

1842.      as  we  were  able,  the  strong  protecting  metal  plates 
Jan.  24.    that  had  been  torn  away :   we  were,  nevertheless, 
greatly   surprised  at   the  unimportant  extent  of 
the  damage. 

After  many  fruitless  attempts,  and  frequent 
alterations  of  the  Terror's  rudder,  by  much  perse- 
verance, and  the  patient  ingenuity  of  her  com- 
mander and  senior  lieutenant,  it  was  firmly 
secured  to  the  stern  post  by  the  evening  of  this 
day.  The  wind  was  blowing  fresh  from  the  N.E., 
and  as  we  drifted  to  the  S.W.  again,  we  began  to 
feel  the  eifects  of  a  westerly  swell,  which  set 
in  undulating  motion  the  densely  close  pack  by 
which  we  were  surrounded.  Our  necessary  works 
of  repair  were  now  drawing  towards  completion, 
and  both  the  ships  being  again  in  a  state  of  effi- 
ciency, we  made  all  sail  on  them  in  the  evening,  so 
as  to  bore  our  way  to  the  southward  before  the 
fresh  northerly  breeze  that  was  blowing,  but  with- 
out casting  off  from  our  friendly  floe. 
Jan.  25.  The  wind  fell  light  early  this  morning,  and  a 
thick  fog,  with  small  rain,  prevented  our  seeing 
beyond  two  or  three  miles.  The  pack  was  so  close, 
that  although  we  kept  all  sail  upon  both  ships, 
they  did  not  draw  a-head  more  than  twice  their 
own  length  in  an  hour ;  but  of  course  the  whole 
body  was  drifting  to  the  southward,  and,  judging 
from  the  rate  at  which  we  passed  the  bergs,  we 
estimated  our  drift  at  about  twelve  to  fourteen 
miles  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  This  mode  of 


CHAP.  VI.]  BESET   IN   THE   PACK.  177 

dead  reckoning  placed  us  at  noon  in  lat.  66°  51'  S.,  1842. 
long.  157°  13',  for  we  had  had  no  observations  for 
several  days  past,  and  it  was  a  circumstance  of 
general  remark  how  seldom  we  had  seen  the  sun 
during  our  long  and  harassing  detention  in  this 
dense  and  extensive  pack. 


VOL.  II. 


178 


METEOROLOGICAL   TABLE. 


1842.      ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEPT  ON  BOARD 
HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS.  —  JANUARY,  1842. 


Day. 

Position  at  Noon. 

Temperature  of  the  Air  in 
Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 

Temp,  at 

9  A.M. 

Lat.  S. 

Long.W. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean  . 

lure  of  Sea 
at  Surface. 

Air. 

Dew 

point. 

o  / 

0    / 

o 

0 

o 

o 

1 

66  32 

156  28 

38 

27-5 

32-3 

28-2 

34-5° 

32° 

2 

66  36 

156  28 

40-5 

27 

32-0 

27-9 

30'5 

26 

3 

66  34 

156  22 

35-5 

27 

31-1 

28'0 

31 

26-5 

4 

66  34 

156  13 

34'5 

26 

30-1 

28'2 

34 

34  f 

5 

66  15 

156  22 

39 

26'5 

31'2 

28-6 

30 

24 

6 

66  08 

155  57 

35-5 

27-5 

30-4 

29-1 

33 

33  f 

7 

66  13 

155  41 

31-8 

27 

30-1 

28-6 

31 

31  t 

8 

66  12 

155  27 

35 

25 

29'3 

28*9 

33 

32 

9 

66  04 

155  42 

31-5 

24-5 

28'0 

28-3 

27 

22 

10 

65  59 

155  50 

38-5 

25 

30'4 

28-8 

28 

23 

11 

65  58 

156  16 

35-5 

25 

29-5 

28-5 

29 

21 

12 

65  64 

156  30 

34 

26 

29'8 

29-2 

30-5 

27-5 

13 

66  11 

156  57 

36 

27-5 

30-8 

28-5 

32-5 

26 

14 

66  06 

157  12 

32 

24-5 

27-6 

28-0 

29-5 

23 

15 

66  02 

157  30 

28 

24-5 

26-2 

27-8 

28 

28  f 

16 

65  48 

157  36 

40 

25-5 

32-3 

28-5 

33 

28-5 

17 

65  53 

157  59 

36-5 

27 

30-5 

28-3 

32-5 

24 

18 

66  11 

158  20 

34 

27'5 

31-3 

28-1 

31-5 

31-5  f 

19 

66  18 

158  38 

38 

31 

33-3 

28-4 

35 

35  f 

20 

66  36 

159  39 

35 

30 

32-4 

28*0 

34 

34  f 

21 

66  49 

157  19 

34 

27 

30-2 

28-0 

32 

31-5 

22 

66  39 

156  62 

30 

24-6 

27-7 

27-8 

29-5 

22 

23 

66  37 

156  41 

34 

24 

28-2 

27-9 

30 

23 

24 

66  43 

157  12 

36-5 

27-5 

31-1 

27'9 

32 

27-5 

25 

66  51 

157  13 

37 

29 

33-0 

28'0 

33 

33 

26 

67  13 

156  51 

36 

29-5 

32-2 

28-1 

33 

33  f 

27 

67  28 

156  28 

34 

30 

31-0 

28-0 

32'5 

32'5 

28 

67  39 

155  59 

37-5 

28 

31-8 

28'5 

32-5 

32 

29 

67  31 

156  02 

29-5 

26'5 

28'4 

28-0 

30 

30  f 

30 

67  21 

156  17 

34 

28-5 

30-5 

28-1 

31 

31  f 

31 

67  21 

157  51 

39 

28-2 

31-7 

28-1 

32-5 

32'5f 

40-5 

24 

30-46 

28-3 

f  Deposit  of  rain,  or  sno^,  or  fog. 


METEOROLOGICAL  TABLE. 

ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEPT  ON  BOARD 

HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS. — JANUARY,  1842. 


Barometer. 

Winds. 

Day. 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

1 

29-461 

29-158 

29-315 

E.  by  N. 

1 

2  b.  Cgp.S.* 

2 

•741 

•466 

•608 

Easterly 

1 

Oc. 

3 

•768 

•550 

•797 

w.  s.  w. 

2 

0  m.c.p.s. 

4 

•533 

•358 

•435 

("A.M.  Westerly 
\  P.  M.  Southerly 

3 

("A.M.  0  g.s. 
^P.M.  5  b.c. 

5 

•461 

•357 

•432 

S.  Westerly 

4 

3  b.c.p.s. 

6 

•321 

•039 

•155 

/A.M.   W.  S.W 

LP.M.  E.  S.  E. 

2 

/A.M.  0  g.m.s. 

(.P.M.  Og. 

7 

28-972 

28-496 

28-650 

Westerly 

(A.M.4J 
L  P.M.  6  / 

0  q.m.s. 

8 

•762 

•476 

•587 

TA.M.  Westerly 
"[P.M.  S.S.E. 

2 
4 

og.t.    1 

0  g.m.  / 

9 

29-198 

•764 

•968 

S.  by  E. 

5 

/A.M.  5  b.c.q. 
\P.M.  4  b.c.p.s. 

10 

•559 

29-210 

29-416 

/"A.M.  S.  S.W. 
\P.M.  S.  by  E. 

3T 

2J 

6  b.c. 

11 

•589 

•556 

•572 

S.  Easterly 

1 

4  b.c. 

12 

•576 

•537 

•558 

/A.M.  S.S.E.  "1 
XP.M.  E.N.E.  j 

1 

/A.M.  C. 
\P.M.  0  g. 

13 

•545 

•374 

•456 

Easterly 

2 

0  g.p.s. 

14 

•365 

•262 

•310 

E.S.E. 

3 

0  g.p.  s. 

15 

•489 

•263 

•343 

S.S.E. 

3 

0  g.m. 

16 

•531 

•465 

•505 

Southerly 

/A.M.  2 

"[P.M.  1 

Off.         1 
3b.c.g.   J 

17 

•475 

•170 

•334 

N.E. 

3 

1  b.cg.q. 

18 

•163 

28-949 

•040 

Northerly 

5 

0  g.q.p.S. 

19 

•221 

•904 

•088 

/A.M.  N.W. 

IP.M.N.N.E. 

8 

Of.d. 

20 

28-885 

•413 

28-597 

N.W. 

10 

0  q.s. 

21 

29-004 

•776 

•941 

S.W.  by  W. 

/  A.M.  5 
1  P.M.  3 

Og.s.      •} 
2  b.c.g.  j 

22 

•396 

29-018 

29-208 

Southerly 

/A.M.  6 

IP.M.  3 

og. 

23 

•490 

•421 

•465 

/A.M.  Easterly 
\P.M.  N.E. 

a 

Og. 

24 

•494 

•450 

•476 

N.N.E. 

4 

0  g. 

25 

•500 

•326 

•444 

N.N.W. 

3 

Of.r. 

26 

•306 

28-971 

•101 

N.  Westerly 

5 

0  q.d. 

27 

28-987 

•794 

28-888 

N.  Westerly 

3 

0  g.p.s. 

28 
29 

•846 
•809 

•800 
•711 

•821 
•754 

r  A.M.  w.  N.W. 

\  P.M.  Southerly 
S.E.  by  S. 

1 
5 

/A.M.  Og.S. 

XP.M.  2  b.c.g. 
0  q.s. 

30 

•889 

•710 

•786 

E.S.E. 

3 

0  s. 

31 

29-199 

•923 

29-044 

S.  E.  by  E. 

1 

Os. 

29-768 

28-413 

29-196 

3-1 

For  explanation  of  these  symbols,  see  Appendix  to  Vol.  I. 

N  2 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Breadth    of  the   Pack Refraction.  —  Heavy    Swell   in   the 

Pack.  —  The  clear  Sea  in  sight.  —  Gain  the  open  Water. 
Proceed  to  the  Southward.  —  Becalmed.  —  Large  Iceberg 

seen  last  Year Severe  Temperature.  —  Stopped   by  the 

great  Icy  Barrier. — Furthest    South    Latitude,  78°  10'. — 

Exploration   of  the   Barrier Bear  up   for   the  Falkland 

Islands.  —  Strength  of  the  Bay  Ice.  —  Running  to  the  North- 
ward. —  Aurora  Australis.  —  Meteorological  Abstract  for 
February. 


ir. 


181 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

WE  found,   as  we"  drifted  to  the  south-west,  that      1842. 


the  pack  gradually  opened,  and  we  got  amongst  jan.  20. 
a  much  lighter  kind  of  ice,  the  wind  freshened 
to  a  gale  from  the  northward,  but  did  not  seem 
to  increase  the  swell.  We  furled  the  mainsail, 
and,  with  the  topsails  on  the  cap,  bored  our  way 
before  the  wind  through  the  lighter  ice  at  an 
increased  rate.  The  weather  was  foggy,  with  fre- 
quent snow  showers,  so  that  generally  we  could  see 
only  to  a  short  distance  before  us ;  occasionally 
intervals  of  clear  weather  occurred,  and  afforded 
us  a  more  extended  view,  during  which  we  could 
select  the  most  promising  leads,  and  avoid  the 
bergs :  these  were  fortunately  less  numerous,  much 
smaller,  and  not  of  the  flat-topped  barrier  kind. 
Towards  noon,  we  came  to  several  holes  of  water 
from  a  quarter  to  half  a  mile  in  diameter,  which 
confirmed  our  hope  that  the  clear  sea  was  not 
far  distant  to  the  southward ;  the  favouring  wind 
having  died  away  to  a  very  light  breeze,  we 
once  more  made  all  sail  upon  both  ships.  The 
rest  of  the  day  was  passed  with  but  little  advan- 
tage ;  still,  however,  struggling  forward  with  the 
assistance  of  warping  and  towing,  as  opportunities 
offered. 

The  wind  veered  to  the  south-west,  and  freshened    Jan-  27- 

»    3 


182         \ 


BESET   IN   THE   PACK.  [CHAP.  VII. 


1842.  considerably,  enabling  us  to  make  better  speed 
through  the  pack,  which  was  also  more  open,  and 

Jan.  27.  with  a  heavy  westerly  swell  amongst  it.  At  noon 
we  had  the  equivocal  satisfaction  of  finding  our- 
selvei  a  few  miles  to  the  southward  of  our  pre- 
decessors on  this  meridian,  Cook  and  Bellinghausen, 
being  in  latitude  67°  28'  S.,  longitude  156°  28'  W. 
The  wind  again  fell  light  in  the  afternoon,  and 
we  pressed  all  sail  on  our  ships,  towing  along  the 
piece  of  ice  that  was  moored  between  them  until 
9*30  P.M.,  when,  getting  into  a  clearer  space,  we 
cast  off,  and  bored  our  way  to  the  south-eastward ; 
but,  after  running  a  few  miles,  we  were  again 
stopped  by  the  pack  being  too  close  for  us  to 
make  any  way  through  it;  towards  midnight, 
the  swell  had  increased  so  much,  that  the  ves- 
sels sustained  many  violent  shocks,  in  pushing 
and  warping  through  a  belt  of  heavy  ice  that 
interposed  between  us  and  a  large  hole  of  open 
water  that  we  were  for  several  hours  engaged 
in  trying  to  reach,  and  which  we  had  only 

Jan. 28.  jus^  accomplished  when  it  fell  nearly  calm;  by 
the  assistance  of  towing  with  the  boats,  we  gained 
ten  or  eleven  miles  to  the  south-east  before  we 
were  again  stopped  by  ice  too  close  to  attempt  to 
penetrate  with  so  light  an  air  of  wind.  The  baro- 
meter was  down  to  28*8  all  day,  and  heavy  clouds 
hung  loweringly  along  the  horizon,  whilst  the 
threatening  aspect  of  the  sky,  which  kept  us  in  a 
state  of  much  anxiety,  ill  accorded  with  the  glassy 
smoothness  of  the  clear  blue  sea ;  the  scud  flying 


CHAP.  VII.]  BREADTH    OF    THE   TACK.  /  183 

swiftly  from  the  north-west  across  the  face  of  the  i842- 
sun,  which  occasionally  appeared  dimly  in  the  inter- 
vals between  the  clouds,  and  the  shattered  crystals 
of  the  falling  snow  indicated  its  descent  from  a 
more  disturbed  region  to  one  of  almost  perfect 
tranquillity.  We  had  now  given  our  rudders  a 
fair  trial,  and  found  them  to  answer  admirably,  so 
that  we  considered  our  vessels  as  fit  to  fulfil  the 
objects  of  the  voyage  as  before  the  gale  in  which 
they  had  suffered  so  severely. 

We  were  disappointed  by  our  observations  at 
noon  placing  us  only  in  latitude  67°  39'  S.,  when, 
by  our  reckoning,  we  had  nearly  attained  the 
sixty-eighth  degree.  Our  longitude  was  155°  59' 
W.,  and  the  dip  80°  34' :  we  were  therefore  about 
four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  place  where 
we  entered  the  pack ;  and,  making  allowance  for  a 
daily  drift  of  about  ten  miles  to  the  southward, 
which  we  found  to  be  about  the  average  since  the 
18th  of  December,  the  breadth  of  the  belt  of  ice 
we  had  thus  far  passed  through  could  not  be  less 
than  eight  hundred  miles,  and  still  we  were  not 
much  more  than  half  a  degree  beyond  Cook,  who 
never  had  occasion  to  enter  the  pack  at  all:  so 
great  is  the  difference  that  circumstances  of  season 
make  in  the  navigation  of  icy  seas.  We  turned 
our  present  detention  to  good  account  by  trying 
the  temperature  of  the  sea  at  various  depths,  and 
employing  our  shipwrights  in  replacing  some  of  the 
sheets  of  copper  that  had  been  torn  off  during  the 

N    4 


1 84  REFRACTION.  [CHAP.  VII. 

1842-      gale   of  the   20th,  and  which  the  smoothness  of 
the  water  greatly  facilitated. 

In  the  evening,  a  breeze  sprung  up  from  the 
southward,  clearing  away  the  dark-looking  clouds, 
and  giving  us  once  more  a  view  of  the  clear  sky : 
the  sun,  when  near  the  horizon,  presented  that 
remarkable  flattened  appearance  which  I  have  before 
described.  The  horizontal  diameter,  on  being  mea- 
sured, was  32'  35",  or  in  very  near  accordance  with 
that  given  in  the  Nautical  Almanac,  whilst  its 
vertical  diameter  was  only  27'  35",  showing  a 
difference  of  refraction  between  its  upper  and  lower 
limb  amounting  to  five  minutes. 

Jan.  29.  The  wind  freshened  from  the  southward,  but  the 
ice  was  too  close  for  us  to  make  any  way  through 
it ;  we  therefore  kept  dodging  under  easy  sail,  in  a 
hole  of  water,  until  it  became  too  small  for  us  any 
longer  to  sail  about,  and  we  were  compelled  to 
have  recourse  to  the  largest  piece  of  ice  we  could 
get  hold  of,  which,  having  secured  between  the 
ships,  we  furled  all  the  sails,  and  were  carried  away 
with  the  pack  back  to  the  northward,  without  being 
able  to  make  an  effort  to  maintain  our  ground. 
During  the  afternoon  we  had  thick  weather,  with 
snow;  the  wind  had  increased  to  a  gale,  with 
.  violent  squalls  from  the  southward,  but  there  was 
no  swell  amongst  the  ice,  and  we  experienced 
neither  anxiety  nor  inconvenience,  beyond  the 
natural  vexation  at  finding  we  were  losing  all  the 
southing  we  had  gained  by  much  exertion  and  hard 
labour. 


CHAP.  VII.]  GALE   IN   THE   PACK.  185 

The  strength  of  the  gale  gave  way  about  1  A.M.,  1842. 
when  the  barometer,  at  28*7  inches,  began  to  rise,  jan.  30. 
the  wind  at  the  same  time  veering  to  the  east- 
ward, brought  with  it  clearer  weather,  and  we  had 
the  satisfaction  to  find  the  pack  much  more  open, 
with  larger  holes  of  water  than  we  had  before 
seen ;  the  westerly  swell  had  also  risen  to  a 
considerable  height,  and  our  ships  received  many 
severe  blows  by  falling  against  the  heavy  pieces  of 
ice  to  which  they  were  attached,  or  striking  against 
others  equally  heavy.  We  were  fortunate  during 
the  fog  and  snow,  in  having  drifted  clear  of  the 
numerous  bergs  which  we  now  saw  in  all  directions 
around  us.  As  the  swell  from  the  westward  con- 
tinued to  increase,  the  shocks  became  more  fre- 
quent and  violent,  so  that  immediately  after  the 
performance  of  our  usual  Sunday  service,  under 
these  anxious  circumstances,  we  cast  off,  and 
made  sail,  with  the  view  to  push  the  ships  to  the 
westward  to  meet  the  swell,  under  the  impression 
that  clear  water  could  not  be  far  distant  in  that 
direction.  During  the  remainder  of  the  day,  and 
the  whole  of  the  night,  we  made  tolerable  progress, 
boring  through  the  patches  that  separated  the  pack, 
and,  with  unceasing  labour  and  fatigue,  using 
every  means  of  warping  and  heaving  through 
those  which  were  too  close  to  penetrate  without 
these  additional  aids.  But  the  wind  failed  us  early 
in  the  forenoon  of  the  following  day,  and  left  us  Jan.  31. 
quite  unmanageable,  owing  to  the  westerly  swell 
which  was  running  so  high,  that,  although  abso- 


186  HEAVY   SWELL   IN   THE   PACK.        [CHAP.  VII, 

1842.  lately  necessary  for  our  safety,  it  was  both  diffi- 
cult  and  dangerous  to  employ  the  boats  in  towing 
the  ships  clear  of  the  heavier  pieces,  and  against 
which,  notwithstanding  all  our  endeavours  to  avoid 
it,  the  Erebus  was  driven  with  violence,  but  pro- 
videntially escaped  with  little  damage  beyond 
springing  the  bowsprit,  and  having  all  its  rigging 
broken  or  torn  away  ;  this  was  very  soon  replaced, 
and  our  wounded  spar  secured. 

This  harassing  and  anxious  work  continued 
during  the  remainder  of  the  day,  the  perfect  calm 
and  heavy  swell  rendering  us  nearly  helpless, 
whilst  the  sea  was  beating  with  so  much  force 
against  the  large  blue  sea-worn  masses  as  to 
render  our  situation  exceedingly  critical,  and  the 
labour  to  the  officers  and  crews,  in  trying  to  keep 
the  ships  clear  of  them,  constant  and  excessive  ; 
nevertheless,  we  recognised  in  the  peculiar  cha- 
racter of  the  ice  we  were  now  amongst,  that  which 
is  almost  invariably  found  at  the  outer  edge  of  a 
pack ;  and  this  sure  prospect  of  a  speedy  release 
afforded  us  encouragement,  in  the  assurance  that  all 
these  labours  were  not  to  be  in  vain,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  seemed  in  no  small  degree  to  stimulate 
to  renewed  exertions. 

Feb.  i.  Early  in  the  forenoon  of  the  next  day  the 
southerly  wind,  which  had  blown  feebly  for  some 
time,  freshened  sufficiently  to  give  us  again  com- 
mand of  the  ships,  and  we  commenced  beating  to 
the  south-west,  in  which  direction  a  cloud  of  dark 
mist  convinced  us  we  should  find  an  open  sea.  At 
noon,  our  observations  informed  us  we  had  been 


CHAP.  VII.]  CLEAR   SEA   IN   SIGHT.  187 

driven  back  with  the  pack  far  to  the  northward,  1842. 
notwithstanding  all  our  efforts,  being  in  latitude 
67°  18'  S.,  and  longitude  158°  12'  W.  Toward 
evening,  the  wind  favoured  our  intentions,  by  veer- 
ing round  to  the  north-west,  and  afterwards  to  the 
northward.  The  clear  sea  came  in  sight  before  dark ; 
and  as  we  approached  the  margin  of  the  pack,  the 
long  westerly  swell  made  the  ships  roll  deeply; 
at  this  time  the  pack  edge,  consisting  of  heavy 
washed  pieces,  was  visible  through  the  deepening 
shades  of  night,  a  fearful  line  of  foaming  breakers. 
Either  a  storm  or  a  calm  would  have  proved 
equally  dangerous  in  our  present  position,  and, 
notwithstanding  the  disadvantage  of  such  a  mea- 
sure during  the  period  of  darkness,  it  became 
necessary,  at  all  risks,  to  push  through  to  the 
clear  water;  lest  any  change  of  circumstances 
should  arise  that  might  render  it  impracticable 
if  delayed  until  daylight.  All  hands  were  at 
their  stations,  as,  impelled  by  a  strong  breeze,  we 
advanced  on  our  course,  and,  aided  by  the  light 
which  the  line  of  broken  water  afforded,  the  eye 
strove  in  vain  to  find  a  spot  less  difficult  by  which 
to  gain  the  clear  sea  beyond  it ;  but  not  the  smallest 
break  could  be  detected  along  this  formidable-look- 
ing barrier,  whilst  the  necessity  of  breaking  a  way 
through  it  with  our  ships  became  every  moment 
more  urgent,  as  the  wind  still  freshened,  threatening 
us  with  a  gale,  and  obliging  us  to  reduce  our  sail 
to  double  reefed  topsails  and  courses.  Soon  after 
midnight,  the  Erebus  entered  the  broad  band  of  Feb.  2 


188  REACH   THE   OPEN   SEA.  [CHAP.  VII. 

1842t  heavy  ice  and  foam,  and  succeeded  by  2  A.M.  in 
gaining  the  clear  sea,  closely  followed  by  the 
Terror ;  and  although  part  of  our  stem  was  broken 
off,  and  the  ship  much  strained  by  the  heavy  shocks 
she  encountered,  we  were  thankful  to  find  she  had 
escaped  with  such  comparatively  trifling  injury. 
At  this  time  we  were  in  latitude  67°  29'  S.,  and 
longitude  159°  01'  W. ;  and  the  joy  we  all  felt  at 
our  escape  from  the  pack,  in  which  we  had  been 
involved  fifty-six  days,  cannot  possibly  be  ima- 
gined, heightened,  as  it  was,  in  some  degree  by  the 
fact  of  the  wind  shifting  to  the  westward,  with 
thick  weather  almost  immediately  after  we  had  got 
clear  of  the  ice,  which  would  have  prevented  our  re- 
lease at  any  rate  for  some  days,  had  we  not  fortun- 
ately accomplished  it  before  the  change  took  place. 
Still,  however,  we  were  not  entirely  free  from 
anxiety;  the  wind  blowing  a  strong  breeze,  di- 
rectly on  to  the  pack,  obliged  us  to  keep  a  heavy 
press  of  sail  on  the  ships  to  prevent  their  being  again 
driven  down  upon  it.  The  thick-falling  snow  limiting 
our  view  to  a  distance  of  half  a  mile,  we  were  un- 
certain of  the  result  for  some  hours ;  but,  on  the 
weather  clearing  up,  we  had  the  satisfaction  of 
finding  ourselves  in  an  almost  perfectly  clear  sea, 
a  few  heavy  straggling  pieces,  and  two  or  three 
small  bergs  being  the  only  ice  in  sight. 

At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  67°  57'  S.,  longitude 
160°  03'  W.,  and  the  wind  having  moderated  and 
shifted  to  the  south-west,  we  stood  to  the  south- 
eastward, until  making  the  pack  edge  at  6  P.M., 


CHAP.  VII.]  IN   CLEAR   WATER.  189 

when  we  tacked  to  the  westward,  the  swell  still      1842. 
running  high  from  that  quarter.     The  night  was 
clear,  and,  for  the  first  time,  several  stars  were 
visible,  warning  us  that  the  season  for  navigating 
these  seas  was  fast  drawing  to  its  close. 

At  4  A.M.  a  change  of  wind  enabled  us  to  steer  Feb.  3. 
to  the  southward  and  eastward ;  but  by  noon,  when 
in  latitude  68°  23'  S.,  and  longitude  159°  52'  W.,  a 
chain  of  long,  low,  barrier-like  bergs,  ranging 
along  the  margin  of  the  pack,  came  in  sight,  ex- 
tending as  far  to  the  southward  as  the  eye  could 
discern  from  the  mast-head.  As  it  appeared  to 
trend  in  a  north  and  south  direction  at  least  to 
the  distance  of  twelve  or  thirteen  miles,  we  tacked 
and  stood  off  until  midnight,  and  then  again  turned 
the  ships'  heads  to  the  southward. 

The  morning  was  dull,  with  light  falling  snow,  Feb.  4. 
and  a  moderate  breeze  from  the  westward.  At  6  A.M. 
the  pack  was  seen,  and  we  bore  away  along  its 
edge  to  the  southward  for  three  or  four  hours,  when 
we  perceived  it  stretching  across  our  path,  thus 
suddenly  assuming  a  westerly  trending,  and  form- 
ing a  deep  bight,  in  which  we  found  ourselves  em- 
bayed ;  we  therefore  set  to  work  immediately  to  beat 
out  of  it  as  fast  as  the  light  north-west  wind  per- 
mitted ;  for  to  have  been  caught  in  such  a  situation 
by  a  gale,  would  have  been  both  extremely  em- 
barrassing and  perilous.  At  noon  we  were  in 
68°  50'  S.,  and  longitude  160°  20'  W.,  the  dip  had 
increased  to  81°  37',  and  the  variation  to  29°  41'  E. 
Commander  Crozier  came  on  board  in  the  after- 


190 


RUNNING   TO   THE    SOUTHWARD.     [CHAP.  VII. 


1842-  noon,  and  informed  me  that  on  Sunday  last,  whilst 
our  ships  were  in  a  very  critical  position  in  the 
pack,  the  Terror  was  on  fire  for  two  hours : 
some  blocks  of  wood,  which  had  been  left  too  near 
to  the  warm  air  stove,  ignited,  and  the  smoke 
issuing  from  the  main  hold,  gave  immediate  notice 
of  the  fact ;  the  fire  was  happily  got  under  by  the 
promptitude  and  exertions  of  the  officers  and  crew, 
without  their  having  occasion  to  increase  our  em- 
barrassments by  soliciting  our  aid.  By  means  of  a 
powerful  engine,  which  was  always  kept  in  readi- 
ness, the  hold  was  filled  with  water  to  a  depth  of 
two  feet,  and  soon  extinguished  the  fire,  which  was 
close  down  upon  the  kelson.  All  other  accounts 
from  her  were  satisfactory ;  and  I  was  especially 
glad  to  find  she  had  suffered  even  less  than  we  had 
in  clearing  the  pack. 

The  remainder  of  this,  and  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  following  day,  were  spent  in  beating  along 
the  pack  edge  to  the  westward,  sometimes  pass- 
ing through  heavy  streams  of  ice,  but  without 
Feb.  5.  being  able  to  make  any  southing  until  8*30  P.M.,  by 
which  time  the  wind  had  freshened  to  a  gale  from 
the  north,  with  fog  and  snow ;  and  finding  that  the 
pack  resumed  its  southerly  trending,  we  bore  away, 
under  moderate  sail,  before  the  gale ;  for  however 
hazardous  this  measure  may  seem  to  be,  and  really 
was,  yet  we  had  so  few  days  of  the  navigable  season 
left,  it  became  necessary  to  incur  some  additional 
risk,  if  we  hoped  to  accomplish  any  thing  worth 
doing. 


CHAP.  VII.]  BECALMED.  191 

We  passed  close  by  several  small  bergs,  and  1842- 
doubtless  many  others,  at  no  great  distance,  were 
concealed  from  us  by  the  dark  night  and  dense  fog 
that  prevailed ;  but  we  met  with  no  more  streams 
or  loose  ice,  and  soon  after  midnight  the  wind 
abated,  leaving  a  heavy  swell  from  the  north-  Feb.  6. 
ward,  before  which  and  the  moderate  breeze  we 
continued  to  steer  to  the  S.W.,  unable  to  see  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  before  us,  and  of  course 
uncertain  what  events  the  next  hour  might  produce, 
until  at  length  the  wind  became  so  light  that  our 
ships  no  longer  had  steerage  way,  and  we  lost  all 
command  over  them :  they  drifted  before  the  long 
northerly  swell,  rolling  heavily  and  deeply.  We 
remained  in  this  helpless  and  anxious  state  until 
midnight,  when  a  light  southerly  wind  arose,  dis-  Feb.  7. 
pelling  the  fog,  and  showing  us  how  mercifully  we 
had  been  prevented  from  running  into  a  heavy 
pack,  and  amongst  great  numbers  of  bergs,  which 
we  assuredly  should  have  done  had  the  northerly 
wind  lasted  another  hour,  for  they  were  at  this 
time  not  more  than  four  miles  from  us  to  the  south- 
ward. 

The  breeze  increased  quickly  to  a  gale  by  6  A.M., 
but,  being  now  under  the  lee  of  the  pack,  the  swell 
which  had  occasioned  us  so  much  discomfort  and 
uneasiness  soon  subsided,  and  we  carried  all  sail  to 
maintain  our  ground,  running  close  along  the  pack 
edge,  which  trended  to  the  westward,  in  smooth 
water,  and  although  the  sky  was  overcast,  and  the 
weather  gloomy  and  squally,  it  was  sufficiently 


192  LARGE  BERG  OF  LAST  YEAR.     [CHAP.  VII. 

42'  clear  to  admit  of  our  seeing  to  the  distance  of 
several  miles,  so  that  we  proceeded  without  hazard, 
and  with  more  than  usual  comfort,  until  8  A.M.  the 

Feb.  8.  following  day,  when  the  wind,  which  had  fallen  to  a 
light  breeze,  suddenly  shifted  to  the  westward,  and 
afterwards  to  the  N.  W.,  bringing  with  it  the  com- 
mon accompaniments  of  fog  and  snow.  As  no  op- 
portunity was  to  be  lost  of  making  even  a  few  miles 
of  southing,  all  sail  was  made  on  the  ships,  and,  for 
the  first  time  since  our  release  from  the  pack,  we 
had  every  studding-sail  set.  Our  satisfaction  was, 
however,  of  short  duration,  for  during  a  partial 
clearing  of  the  weather  at  4  p.  M.  we  observed  the 
pack  ahead  of  us,  and  the  wind  backing  to  the 
westward  at  the  same  time  obliged  us  to  stand  to 
the  northward  on  the  port  tack,  to  increase  our 
distance  from  the  lee  ice,  and  to  get  clear  of 
the  heavy  loose  fragments  by  which  we  were  sur- 
rounded. 

During  the  day  we  passed  a  berg  whose  dia* 
meter  measured  nearly  four  miles ;  doubtless  the 
same  we  saw  on  the  13th  of  February  last  year, 
in  latitude  76°  11'  and  172°  1'  W.*,  with  which  all 
its  dimensions  accorded.  Its  position  to-day  was 
70°  30'  S.  and  173°  10'  W.,  from  which  we  may 
assume  that  its  rate  of  drift  to  the  southward 
averaged  about  one  mile  per  diem. 

Feb.  9.  With  a  strong  breeze  from  the  north-west  in  the 
morning,  and  westward  in  the  evening,  we  beat 

*  See  Vol.  I.  p.  240. 


CHAP.  VII.]  PROCEED    TO    THE    SOUTHWARD. 


193 


along  the  pack  edge,  making,  however,  but  small 
progress,  on  account  of  the  heavy  swell,  until 
the  afternoon,  when  the  weather  became  fine  and 
the  wind  more  moderate. 

At  noon  we  w^ere  in  latitude  70°  39'  S.,  longitude 
174°  31'  W.,  the  magnetic  dip  83°  48'  S.,  and  the 
variation  38°  32'  E.  We  availed  ourselves  of  the 
favourable  weather  to  try  the  temperature  of  the 
sea  at  the  following  depths: — at  600  fathoms  it 
was  37°*6  ;  at  450  fathoms,  35°'8  ;  at  300  fathoms, 
35°;  at  150  fathoms,  32°'l ;  and  at  the  surface, 
28°;  the  specific  gravity  being  1-0273  at  30°.  At 
6  P.  M.  we  fetched  to  windward  of  the  west  point  of 
the  pack,  which  appeared  composed  of  very  heavy 
hummocky  ice,  and  which  afterwards  seemed  to 
trend  to  the  south-west,  forming  a  deep  bight ;  we 
stood  across  this  until  we  reached  its  next  western- 
most point,  which,  not  being  able  to  weather  at 
mitlnight,  we  tacked,  to  keep  in  smooth  water 
under  its  lee. 

By  daylight  we  were  again  close  with  the  pack,    Feb.  10. 
and  passed  another  heavy  western  point  of  it  at 
8  A.M. 

The  day  was  remarkably  fine,  but  the  westerly 
swell  prevented  us  greatly,  and  our  progress  on 
this  and  the  following  day,  during  which  fog  and 
snow  prevailed,  was  very  trifling,  and  our  labour 
and  anxiety  considerable. 

On  the  morning  of  the   12th,  the  weather  be-    Feb.  12. 
coming  clear,  we  again  stood  to  the  southward, 
and    at    noon    we    were    in   latitude    71°  2'  S., 

VOL.  n.  o 


194  RUNNING   TO    THE    SOUTHWARD.          [CHAP.  VII. 

1842.  longitude  179°  13'  W.,  the  magnetic  dip,  84°  27', 
when  the  wind  veered  to  the  northward,  bring- 
ing with  it  frequent  snow  showers,  but  with 
considerable  intervals  of  clear  weather ;  we  again 
crowded  all  studding-sails  on  the  ships  as  we 
pursued  our  course  right  before  the  wind,  the 
edge  of  the  main  pack  being  sometimes  seen  to  the 
westward,  but  becoming  so  distant  before  dark, 
that  we  could  see  nothing  more  than  the  line  of 
blink  hanging  over  it ;  and  being  assured  that  we 
had  turned  its  western  extreme,  we  continued 

Feb.  13.  under  all  sail  throughout  the  night,  and  by  noon 
the  next  day  we  were  in  latitude  72°  27'  S.,  longi- 
tude 178°  40'  W.  In  the  afternoon  thick  fog  pre- 
vailed and  the  wind  fell  gradually  lighter,  until  at 
midnight  it  was  quite  calm. 

Feb.  14.  Early  in  the  morning  a  breeze  sprang  up  from 
the  north-eastward,  which  freshened  to  a  strong 
gale  before  noon,  and  was  accompanied  by  fog,  and 
snow  which  fell  without  intermission  throughout 
the  whole  day.  We  nevertheless  made  some  pro- 
gress to  the  south-east,  under  close-reefed  topsails 
and  storm  staysails,  meeting  only  a  few  fragments 
of  berg  ice.  The  storm  blew  with  unabated  force 

Feb.  15.  all  the  next  day,  and  the  swell  had  so  greatly  in- 
creased, as  to  convince  us  that  the  pack  must  be 
very  distant  to  the  westward ;  a  few  small  bergs 
and  some  heavy  fragments  were  met  with  as  we 
maintained  our  southerly  course  under  all  the  sail 
our  ships  could  carry,  our  chief  anxiety  being  to 
prevent  them  parting  company,  which  the  inces- 


CHAP.  VII.]         RUNNING   TO   THE    SOUTHWARD.  195 

sant  snow  and  fog  rendered  very  difficult.     The      1842- 
wind  having  backed  to  the  southward,  drove  us 
farther  to  the  westward  than  we  wished,  so  that  at 
noon  we  were  in  latitude  74°  26'  S.,  and  longitude 
182°0'  W.,  the  magnetic  dip  86°  43'  S.     Towards 
evening    the   gale   moderated,    and    admitted   of 
our  making  more  sail  on  the  ships.     By  5  A.M.    Feb.  16. 
we   had  little    more   than    a   fresh   breeze,    and 
at  noon  it  was  nearly  calm,  with  clear  weather. 
Our  latitude  was  75°  6'  S.  and  longitude  187°  04' 
W.,    magnetic    dip    87°   11',    and    the    variation 
77°  17'  E.      The    prospect  on  the   fog   clearing 
away  was  most  cheering;    not  a  particle  of  ice, 
except  two  small  bergs,  being  in  sight  from  the 
masthead ;  and  although  we  could  not  fail  to  re- 
member that  three  days  anterior  to  this  date  last 
year  we  were  compelled  to  relinquish  our  explora- 
tion  along   the  barrier  to  the  eastward,  in  con- 
sequence  of  the   sea   freezing  over,  yet   we  had 
every  reason   to   believe,   from   the    temperature 
we  had  hitherto  experienced,  that  the  last  winter 
had  set  in  both  earlier  and  with  greater  severity 
than  usual :  we,  therefore,  still  hoped  to  accom- 
plish something  more.     Our  crews  were  employed 
clearing   away   the   ice   which   had    accumulated 
about  the  hull  and  rigging  by  the  freezing  of  the 
waves    and    spray   that    fell    over   them    during 
the  late  gale.     In  the  afternoon  we  hove  to  and 
sounded  in  two  hundred  and  ninety  fathoms,  on  a 
bottom  of  green    mud,  the  temperature  at   that 
depth  being  32°,  while  that  of  the  surface  was  30°. 

o    2 


196  RUNNING   TO   THE    SOUTHWARD.  [CHAP.  VII. 

1842.  The  current  was  found  to  be  setting  S.  78°  W.,  at 
the  rate  of  nine  miles  daily.  The  dredge  was  put 
overboard  for  a  short  time,  and  many  curious  in- 
vertebrate animals  and  a  small  fish  were  taken  in 
it.  The  Cape  pigeon  and  white  petrel  were  seen  in 
great  numbers ;  the  latter  flew  to  the  westward  in 
the  evening,  towards  Franklin  Island,  where  we 
observed  last  year  they  had  made  their  nests  on 
the  tops  of  its  perpendicular  cliffs.  A  few  whales 
and  some  finners  were  also  seen  during  the  day. 
The  light  breeze  which  prevailed  from  the  south- 
eastward until  midnight  veered  round  to  N.  N.E., 
Feb.  17.  and  increased  to  a  fresh  breeze  at  6  A.  M.,  so  we 
steered  to  the  southward  under  all  sail.  At  noon 
we  were  in  latitude  75°  53'  S.,  longitude  184°  52' 
"W.,  and  magnetic  dip  87°03/S.  Several  pieces, 
of  ice  were  seen  in  the  afternoon,  but  neither  bergs 
nor  pack  were  met  with,  and  we  pursued  our 
course,  elated  with  the  prospect  of  still  being 
able  to  attain  a  high  latitude  before  the  setting 
in  of  the  winter. 

Feb.  is.  At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  76°  52'  S.,  longi- 
tude 178°  0'  W.,  and  the  wind  shifting  to  the 
southward  we  stood  to  the  eastward-  on  the  star- 
board tack ;  late  in  the  evening,  on  the  snow 
clearing  away,  the  ice  blink  was  seen  at  a  great 
Feb.  19.  distance  ahead  of  us  ;  and  the  number  of  white 
petrel  which  we  met  with  the  next  morning,  warned 
us  of  our  approach  to  the  pack.  Our  observations 
at  noon  indicated  that  we  had  been  carried  to  the 
northward  by  a  current  nearly  fifteen  miles  during 


CHAP.  VII.]  KUNNING   TO   THE    SOUTHWARD.  197 

the  last  twenty-four  hours,  our  latitude  being  1842- 
76°  41'  S.  and  longitude  173°  48'  W.,  the  magnetic  ' 
dip  86°  38'  S.,  and  the  variation  82°  35'  E.  At  2 
p.  M.  we  sounded  in  two  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms, 
when  a  quantity  of  green-coloured  mud  was 
brought  up  in  the  deep  sea  clamms ;  although  we 
had  run  seventy  miles  directly  towards  the  ice-blink 
that  was  observed  the  preceding  evening,  no  pack 
was  to  be  seen  before  dark,  but  the  temperature 
of  the  air  falling  to  16°  at  midnight,  we  proceeded 
under  moderate  sail  during  the  night. 

The  wind  blew  a  gale  early  next  morning,  Feb.  20. 
and  a  heavy  sea  got  up.  Coming  directly  from 
the  great  southern  barrier,  it  was  piercingly  cold, 
the  thermometer  at  noon  standing  at  19°.  Still, 
however,  no  ice  was  to  be  seen,  except  only 
a  few  fragments  of  bergs,  although  we  were 
thirty  miles  to  the  eastward  of  the  spot  from 
which  we  were  compelled  to  retreat  last  year ;  it 
being  then  covered  with  a  dense  pack,  and  the 
temperature  of  the  air  being  at  12°,  the  young 
ice  formed  so  rapidly  that  we  had  considerable 
difficulty  in  extricating  the  ships  from  it,  another 
proof  of  the  mildness  of  this  season  as  compared 
with  that  of  last  year. 

The  southerly  gale  continued  to  blow  with  Feb.  21. 
violence  during  the  whole  of  the  next  day,  and 
with  the  thermometer  at  19°  the  waves,  which 
broke  over  the  ships,  froze  as  they  fell  on  the 
decks  and  rigging  ;  by  this  means  a  heavy  weight 
of  ice  accumulated  about  the  hull  and  ropes 

o    3 


198  SEVERE  TEMPERATURE.        [CuAr.  VII. 

1842.     which  kept  the  crew  constantly  employed  with 

axes,  breaking  it  away ;  and  from  their  exposure 

to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  several  of 
them  suffered  severely.  A  remarkable  circum- 
stance occurred  on  board  the  Terror  during  this 
storm,  which  may  help  to  convey  a  better  idea 
of  the  intensity  of  the  cold  we  experienced  than 
the  mere  reference  to  the  state  of  the  thermo- 
meter. Whilst  her  people  were  engaged  chopping 
away  the  thick  coat  of  ice  from  her  bows,  which 
had  been  formed  by  the  freezing  of  a  portion 
of  each  wave  that  she  plunged  into,  a  small  fish 
was  found  in  the  mass ;  it  must  have  been 
dashed  against  the  ship,  and  instantly  frozen  fast. 
It  was  carefully  removed  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
servation, a  sketch  of  it  made,  and  its  dimensions 
taken  by  Dr.  Robertson,  but  it  was  unfortunately 
seized  upon  and  devoured  by  a  cat.  Dr.  Richard- 
son observes  *,  "  that  the  sketch  is  not  sufficiently 
detailed  to  show  either  the  number  or  nature  of 
the  gill  and  fin  rays,  or  whether  the  skin  was  scaly 
or  not,  so  that  even  the  order  to  which  the  fish 
belongs  is  uncertain,  and  we  have  introduced  a 
copy  of  the  design,  merely  to  preserve  a  memorial 
of  what  appears  to  be  a  novel  form,  discovered 
under  such  peculiar  circumstances."  It  was  rather 
more  than  six  inches  in  length. 

In  the  evening  the  gale  abated  and  veered  to 
the  northward,  which  enabled  us  to  make  more 

*  Zoology  of  the  Voyage.     Fishes,  Part  II.  p.  15.  plate  8. 
fig.  3. 


CHAP.  VII.]      THE    GREAT   ICY   BARRIER   IN   SIGHT.  199 

sail  and  resume  our  southerly  course;  early  the      1842. 
next  morning  we  began  to  meet  with  numerous    Feb  22 
pieces  of  heavy  ice,  and  afterwards  streams  more 
or  less  compact,  through  which  we  were  obliged  to 
force  the   ships.     Several  bergs  of  the  table-top 
form  and  of  large  size  were  also  seen. 

At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  76°  42'  S.  and  longi- 
tude 165°  50'  W.,  the  magnetic  dip  85° -40',  and  the 
variation  82°  46'  E.  A  piece  of  ice  was  seen  bear- 
ing a  black  rock,  apparently  about  six  feet  in  dia- 
meter ;  and  at  6  A.  M.  we  hove  to,  and  obtained 
soundings  in  one  hundred  and  ninety  fathoms, 
green  mud  and  small  black  stones ;  hence  we  in- 
ferred, that  the  numerous  lofty  bergs  by  which  we 
were  surrounded  had  grounded  on  this  bank  after 
their  detachment  from  the  place  of  their  forma- 
tion. The  great  barrier  was  seen  from  the  mast- 
head just  before  midnight,  the  weather  being  fine 
and  the  breeze  moderate  from  the  northward ;  but 
as  it  was  blowing  directly  on  to  the  barrier,  we  were 
obliged  to  approach  it  with  caution,  for  a  more  Feb.  23. 
dangerous  lee  shore  could  not  be  imagined.  As 
soon,  therefore,  as  we  got  within  five  or  six  miles 
of  its  vertical  cliffs,  we  hauled  to  the  eastward,  in 
order  to  continue  its  examination,  and  with  the 
hope  of  being  able  to  turn  its  eastern  extremity 
and  then  attain  a  much  higher  latitude.  But  the 
young  ice  which  we  had  observed  thickening 
rapidly  under  the  severe  temperature  became  so 
strong  that  we  could  hardly  make  any  way  through 
it,  and  were  ultimately  compelled  to  haul  off  to  the 

o   4 


200  OFF   THE    GREAT   ICY   BARRIER.         [CHAP.  VII. 

1842-      north-westward,    and   wait   for   more    favourable 

weather. 

Feb.  23.  At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  77°  49'  S.  and 
longitude  162°  36'  W.,  the  wind  veering  to  the 
eastward,  we  tacked  at  lh  30m  r.  M.  and  stood 
towards  the  barrier,  for  with  a  leading  wind  we 
might  approach  it  safely,  as  near  as  the  loose 
ice  which  projected  some  distance  from  it  would 
permit.  Some  bergs  and  heavy  pieces  of  ice,  with 
numerous  stones  and  patches  of  soil  on  them, 
raised  our  expectations  of  soon  seeing  the  land ;  but 
at  7  P.  M.,  when  we  were  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
the  face  of  the  barrier,  our  further  progress  was 
stopped  by  the  belt  of  broken  fragments  at  its  foot, 
which  were  firmly  cemented  together  by  newly 
formed  ice.  As  the  Terror  was  some  miles  to  the 
northward,  we  hove  to  until  she  came  up  to  us, 
and  whilst  waiting  for  her  we  obtained  soundings 
in  two  hundred  and  ninety  fathoms,  the  deep  sea 
clamms  bringing  up  some  green  mud,  intermixed 
with  small  volcanic  stones.  This  depth  of  water 
would  seem  to  prove  that  the  outer  edge  of  the 
barrier  was  not  resting  upon  the  ground ;  for  by 
various  measurements  of  its  highest  part,  it  was 
found  to  be  only  one  hundred  and  seven  feet  above 
the  sea,  from  which  point  it  gradually  diminished 
for  about  ten  miles  to  the  eastward,  where  it  could 
not  have  been  more  than  eighty  feet ;  but  beyond 
that  distance  it  again  rose  higher. 

The  point  at  which  we  had  approached  it  was  on 
the  east  side  of  a  bay  between  eight  and  nine  miles 


CHAP.  VII.]  LATITUDE    78°  10'  S.  201 

deep,  so  filled  with  ice  that  we  were  unable  to  get  1842. 
further  into  it ;  its  outline  was  much  more  broken 
and  indented  than  we  had  found  it  last  year 
further  to  the  westward,  and  its  perpendicular 
cliffs  had  dwindled  down  to  less  than  half  their 
elevation  at  their  attachment  to  Cape  Crozier,  at 
the  foot  of  Mount  Terror. 

The  temperature  of  the  sea  near  the  bottom  was 
30°  8',  or  about  two  degrees  colder  than  due  to 
the  depth  at  a  distance  from  the  barrier;  thus 
showing  how  trifling  was  the  effect  of  this  enormous 
mass,  whose  influence  we  might  have  expected  to 
have  been  sufficient  to  have  reduced  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  sea  to  its  freezing  point,  even  at  the  dis- 
tance of  a  mile  and  a  half. 

The  Terror  came  up  to  us  in  about  half  an  hour, 
when  an  interchange  of  signals  took  place.  The 
latitude  of  the  Erebus  computed  from  our  observ- 
ations at  noon  was  78°  8'  S.,  that  of  the  Terror, 
78°  11'  S. ;  the  mean  of  which,  78°  9' 30"  S.,  was 
adopted  as  our  latitude,  which  would  place  the 
face  of  the  barrier  in  78°  11'  S.,  in  the  longitude 
of  161°  2 7'  West.  From  this  point  it  trended  con- 
siderably to  the  northward  of  east,  forbidding  the 
hope  of  our  reaching  a  higher  latitude  this  season; 
and  although  we  had  only  surpassed  that  of  last 
year  by  about  six  miles,  we  could  not  help  feeling 
that  but  for  the  success  which  had  attended  our  ex- 
ertions on  that  occasion,  the  result  of  our  operations 
this  year  would  have  been  more  highly  appreciated, 
and  that  in  being  permitted  a  second  time  to  ex- 


202  CONTINUE    THE   EXPLORATION  [CHAP.  VII. 

1842-  tend  our  researches  so  much  beyond  our  predeces- 
sors, we  had  been  singularly  favoured. 
Feb.  23.  Having  thrown  overboard  a  cask  containing  a 
brief  sketch  of  our  proceedings,  which  may  at  a 
future  day  be  met  with  and  help  to  throw  some 
light  on  the  winds  and  currents  which  prevail 
in  these  regions,  we  made  sail  along  the  bar- 
rier to  the  eastward;  as  we  came  to  the  lower 
part  of  it,  which  I  have  already  noticed,  we  per- 
ceived from  our  mast-heads  that  it  gradually  rose 
to  the  southward,  presenting  the  appearance  of 
mountains  of  great  height  perfectly  covered  with 
snow,  but  with  a  varied  and  undulating  outline, 
which  the  barrier  itself  could  not  have  assumed  ; 
still  there  is  so  much  uncertainty  attending  the 
appearance  of  land,  when  seen  at  any  consider- 
able distance,  that  although  I,  in  common  with 
nearly  all  my  companions,  feel  assured  that  the 
presence  of  land  there  amounts  almost  to  a  cer- 
tainty, yet  I  am  unwilling  to  hazard  the  possi- 
bility of  being  mistaken  on  a  point  of  so  much 
interest,  or  the  chance  of  some  future  navigator 
under  more  favourable  circumstances  proving  that 
ours  were  only  visionary  mountains.  The  appear- 
ance of  hummocky  ridges  and  different  shades, 
such  as  would  be  produced  by  an  irregular  white 
surface,  and  its  mountainous  elevation,  were  our 
chief  grounds  for  believing  it  to  be  land,  for  not 
the  smallest  patch  of  cliff  or  rock  could  be  seen  pro- 
truding on  any  part  of  the  space  of  about  thirty 


CHAP.  VII]  OF    THE    GREAT   BARRIER.  203 

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  ther- 
mometer falling  to  18°  at  midnight,  that  we  had 
difficulty  in  forcing  the  ships  through  it ;  and  at 
seven  the  next  morning  the  main  pack  pressing  Feb.  24. 
closely  against  the  barrier,  prevented  our  proceed- 
ing 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 


204  BEAR   UP   FOR   THE   FALKLAND   ISLANDS.    [CHAP.  VII. 

1842>  season  had  been  frustrated  by  our  protracted  and 
Feb.  24.  tedious  detention  in  the  pack,  and  the  difficulties 
of  penetrating  a  mass  of  more  than  a  thousand 
miles  in  thickness  had  been  overcome  by  the 
perseverance  and  exertions  of  my  companions, 
still  the  time  that  was  consumed  in  that  laborious 
and  fatiguing  work  left  us  only  a  few  days  of 
the  worst  part  of  the  season  to  pursue  our  pur- 
pose. We  had,  however,  during  that  brief  space 
attained  a  somewhat  higher  latitude  than  last 
year:  we  had  traced  the  continuation  of  the 
barrier  ten  degrees  of  longitude  further  to  the 
eastward,  and  had  extended  our  researches  over 
a  large  portion  of  the  hitherto  unexplored  parts 
of  those  regions ;  an  amount  of  success,  which, 
whilst  struggling  in  the  pack,  few  of  us  could 
have  anticipated,  had  resulted  from  our  endea- 
vours to  justify  the  trust  which  had  been  placed 
in  our  hands,  and  to  call  forth  our  heartfelt 
gratitude  to  Him  by  whose  providence  we  had 
been  so  mercifully  preserved  and  guided  through 
the  many  dangers  which  we  had  encountered. 

As  soon  as  we  got  clear  of  the  bay  ice,  I 
made  known  my  intentions  by  signal  to  Com- 
mander Crozier  to  run  to  the  northward  along 
the  pack  edge  to  seek  for  any  opening  which  might 
lead  us  by  a  shorter  course  by  the  ne  plus  ultra 
of  Cook,  to  the  Falkland  Islands,  where  I  pro- 
posed to  winter,  and  refit  the  ships  before  making 
a  third  effort  to  gain  a  high  southern  latitude, 


CHAP.  VII.]    RUNNING  ALONG   THE    EDGE    OF    THE    PACK.  205 

on  the  meridian  of  35°  west  longitude,  where  our      1842. 
countryman  James  Weddell  had  with  but    little 
difficulty  pushed    beyond  the   seventy-fourth   de- 
gree.    Towards  noon   the  breeze   freshened  to  a 
gale,  and  we  scudded  before  it,  under  treble  reefed 
top-sails    and   fore-sail,   at  a  rapid  rate,  passing 
many  fragments  of  broken    up   bergs,   half    con- 
cealed by  bay  ice,  and  the  constantly  falling  snow 
which  prevented  our   seeing  to   any  considerable 
distance ;    we  were,    however,    compelled    to   run 
whilst  the  gale  lasted,  lest   if  the   wind   should 
fall  light,  we  should  be  unable  to  force  our  way 
through    the  streams  of  young  ice.     The  strong 
easterly  wind  continued  throughout  the  night  and    Feb.  25. 
the  whole  of  the  following  day,  and  the  weather 
being  clear  and  the  water  smooth,  we  made  good 
way  along  the  pack  edge  to  the  north-west,  passing 
through    some    streams  of  heavy  ice,  and   thick 
sludge  and  pancake  ice,  much  discoloured  by  the 
infusorial  creatures   which  were  frozen  in  them. 
At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  74°  50'  S.,  and  longi- 
tude 166°  15'  W.,  and  being  several  miles  a-head 
of  the  Terror,  we  rounded  to,  at  1  P.M.,  to  try  for, 
but  did  not  obtain,  soundings  with  four  hundred 
and  fifty  fathoms  of  line.     The  temperature  at 
that    and   several   intermediate   depths  was    also 
determined. 

The  pack  seemed  here  to  take  a  more  northerly 
trending,  but  by  keeping  close  along  its  margin 
we  found  we  had  run  into  a  deep  bight,  at  4h  30m 


206  STRENGTH    OF    THE    BAY   ICE.          [CHAP.  VII 

1842.  P>  M^  when  we  were  obliged  promptly  to  shorten  sail, 
and  to  haul  out  to  the  westward,  nor  did  we  clear 
the  northern  part  of  it  until  after  midnight.  The 
barometer,  which  had  been  falling  all  the  morning 
and  afternoon,  stood  at  28°*380  at  6  P.M.,  but  had 
risen  to  28°'415  by  midnight,  the  wind  at  the 
same  time  shifting  to  the  southward. 

Feb.  26.  The  general  trending  of  the  main  pack  carried 
us  much  farther  to  the  westward  than  we 
wished  ;  but  it  was  so  close  and  heavy  that  we 
could  not  venture  to  en'ter  it.  As  we  continued 
the  examination,  we  frequently  got  entangled 
amongst  the  newly  formed  ice  and  streams  which 
occurred  at  some  distance  from  its  margin ;  fa- 
voured, however,  with  a  fine  breeze  from  the  south- 
westward,  we  pursued  our  way  to  the  northward, 
and  at  noon  were  in  latitude  72°  46'  S.,  and 
longitude  170°  01'  W.  In  the  evening  we  found 
that  in  our  anxiety  to  keep  as  near  the  pack  edge 
as  possible,  we  had  run  far  into  another  of  its  deep 
indentations,  we  therefore  hauled  to  the  wind  on 
the  port  tack,  in  order  to  weather  its  lee  point ; 
this  we  were  very  uncertain  about  during  the 
whole  night,  the  ship  being  surrounded  with  thick 
young  ice,  rapidly  increasing  in  strength,  with  the 
temperature  at  22°:  at  times  we  were  hardly  able 
to  make  any  way  through  it,  notwithstanding  the 
fresh  breeze  that  was  blowing,  and  owing  to  the 
darkness  of  the  night  we  could  not  know  whether 
the  ships  might  not  be  falling  down  upon  the  pack 


207 


1842. 


CHAP.  VII.]      COMMUNICATE   WITH   THE   TERROR. 

under  our  lee ;  all  our  apprehensions,  however,  of 
being  driven  again  into  the  ice  were  dispelled  at  Feb.  27. 
daylight,  when  we  saw  the  clear  water  at  only  two 
or  three  miles  distance  from  us,  and  by  9  A.  M., 
having  weathered  the  westernmost  point  of  the 
pack,  we  bore  away  before  the  wind  to  the  north- 
westward along  its  margin. 

It  was  a  beautiful  afternoon,  the  sun  breaking 
through  the  clouds  gave  a  life  and  cheerfulness  to 
the  scene  around  us,  of  which  we  had  been  many 
days  deprived  ;  and,  with  a  steady  moderate  breeze 
from  the  south-eastward,  we  continued  our  course 
under  all  sail,  the  pack  to  our  great  satisfaction 
trending  so  much  more  to  the  northward,  gave  us 
good  reason  to  hope  that  from  it  we  should  meet 
with  no  further  obstruction. 

In  the  evening  Commander  Crozier  expressed 
by  signal  his  wish  to  communicate,  which  I  was 
equally  glad  to  have  the  opportunity  the  fine 
weather  afforded  of  doing;  and  I  had  the  plea- 
sure of  receiving  the  congratulations  of  him- 
self and  his  officers  on  the  successful  issue  of 
our  labours,  notwithstanding  the  unfavourable 
circumstances  under  which  they  were  com- 
menced. I  was  also  much  gratified  to  learn  that 
the  officers  and  crew  of  the  Terror  maintained 
the  same  good  health  and  spirits  as  did  our 
own,  the  few  cases  of  severe  cold  and  bruises 
that  some  had  suffered  having  been  com- 
pletely overcome  by  the  judicious  treatment  of 


208  RUNNING   TO    THE    NORTHWARD.       [CHAP.  VII. 

1842.  the  medical  officers,  and  at  this  time  there  was 
not  a  single  individual  complaining  in  either 
ship. 

Feb.  28.  Keeping  at  a  distance  of  between  three  and  four 
miles  from  the  pack  edge,  we  continued  our  course 
to  the  northward,  and  at  noon  were  in  latitude 
70°  54'  S.,  and  longitude  175°  36'  W.  During 
the  last  few  days  the  white  and  blue  petrel  were 
seen  in  great  numbers.  Cape  pigeons,  sooty  alba- 
tross, and  gigantic  petrel  less  numerously ;  some 
penguins  also  were  occasionally  seen,  and  their 
cry  more  frequently  heard.  Seals  were  compara- 
tively few,  but  the  small  fin-backed  whale,  as  also 
the  piebald  kind,  were  numerous  along  the  pack 
edge. 

At  4  P.M.,  we  observed  an  extensive  chain  of 
bergs  so  close  together  that  we  could  see  no  way 
through  them,  and  were  therefore  obliged  to  haul 
to  the  south -westward ;  nor  was  it  until  near  mid- 
night, when  we  had  run  along  the  chain  between 
thirty  and  forty  miles,  that  we  cleared  its  western 
extreme  and  were  enabled  to  resume  our  course. 
Three  of  them  were  much  marked  with  patches 
of  rock  and  soil,  and  some  of  them  of  the  flat- 
topped  barrier  form  must  have  been  in  violent 
collision  with  each  other,  judging  from  the  im- 
mense fragments  upon  their  summits.  The 
night  was  beautifully  clear,  the  stars  bright,  and 
the  moon  afforded  us  considerable  light.  The 
Aurora  Australis  was  seen  forming  into  concentric 


CHAP.  VII.]  AURORA    AUSTRALIS.  209 

arches  through  and  about   ten    degrees  on  each       1842. 
side  of  the  zenith,  resting  on  the  east  and  west 
points  of  the  horizon  ;   it  had  occasionally  some 
slightly  flitting  motion,  but  did  not  exhibit  any 
colours. 


VOL.  II. 


210 


METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


[CHAP.  VII. 


1841.         ABSTRACT   OF    THE   METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL    KEPT    ON    BOARD 

HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS. — FEBRUARY,  1842. 


Day. 

Position  at  Noon. 

Temperature  of  the  Air  in 
Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ture of  Sea 

Temp,  at 
9  A.M. 

at  Surface. 

Air  in 

Dew 

Lat.  S. 

Long.  W. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

shade. 

point. 

o     / 

0            / 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

1 

67   18 

158   12 

33 

28 

29-6 

28 

30 

28 

2 

67  57 

160     3 

33 

27-5 

28-9 

28-3 

31-5 

28 

3 

68  23 

159   52 

30 

26-5 

28-1 

28 

31-5 

24 

4 

68  50 

160  20 

35 

28 

30-5 

28-5 

31-5 

27-5 

5 

68  59 

163  53 

31 

29-5 

30 

28-3 

32-5 

29 

6 

65  51 

167  39 

31-8 

29 

30 

28-2 

32 

32* 

7 

70  18 

169  49 

29 

24-5 

27-4 

28-2 

30 

27 

8 

70  19 

174  00 

29 

24 

26'7 

28-1 

29-5 

21 

9 

70  39 

174  31 

33 

26 

27'9 

28'4 

30 

21 

10 

70     3 

176  23 

30 

26 

28-4 

29-8 

30 

25 

11 

70  06 

178  18 

32-5 

29 

30-5 

30-6 

31-5 

31-5* 

12 

71  02 

179   13 

34 

28 

29-4 

29-9 

31 

28 

13 

72  27 

178  40 

30-5 

27 

29-3 

30-4 

31 

30-5 

14 

73  23 

177  56 

29 

26 

27-9 

31 

30 

30* 

15 

74  26 

182  00 

26-5 

24-5 

25-1 

30-2 

28 

28* 

16 

75  06 

187  04 

26-5 

24 

25-1 

30-2 

26 

19 

17 

75  53 

184  52 

29-5 

25-5 

277 

30-3 

28 

27 

18 

76  52 

178  00 

26'5 

23-5 

25-1 

29 

26 

24-5 

19 

76  14 

173  48 

24-5 

17 

21-9 

28-8 

25 

21-5 

20 

76  14 

167  25 

19'5 

16-5 

18-5 

28-4 

20 

20 

21 

75  53 

165  08 

23-5 

19 

20-9 

28-5 

20 

20 

22 

76  42 

165  50 

28 

24 

26 

28-8 

29 

29 

23 

77>9 

162  35 

30 

19-5 

25 

28-5 

26 

18 

24 

76  51 

161  30 

27-7 

21 

25 

284 

27 

21 

25 

74  50 

166   15 

29-5 

27-5 

28-1 

28-8 

28 

27 

26 

72  46 

170  01 

26-8 

23 

24-9 

28-5 

26 

21 

27 

72     1 

172  25 

25'5 

22-5 

23-8 

28-5 

25 

13 

28 

70  54 

175  36 

27 

24 

24-9 

28-3 

25 

21-5 

35 

16-5 

26-68 

28-96 

*  Deposit  of  rain,  or  snow,  or  fog. 


CHAP.  VII.]      METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT.  211 

ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEPT  ON  BOARD          1841. 
HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS. — FEBRUARY,  1842.  


Barometer. 

Winds. 

Day 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

1 

Inches. 
29-368 

Inches. 
29-206 

Inches. 
29-303 

TA.M.  Southerly 
\  P.M.  Westerly 

2 
3 

0  g.S.            1  * 
1  b.c.g.       J 

2 

•200 

•048 

•115 

f  A.M.  Westerly 
XP.M.  S.Westly 

4 

A.M.  Om.s.  ~l 
P.M.  3  b.c.g./ 

3 

•264 

•067 

•129 

S.W. 

4 

/A.M.  Og.q.s.  1 

1  P.M.  4  b.c.q.  j 

4 
5 

•561 
•565 

•291 

28-877 

•417 
•324 

Westerly 
Northerly 

3 
5 

/A.M.  3  b.C.g.  1 
\  P.M.  0  g.S.       J 

0  g.s. 

6 

28-839 

•581 

28-667 

f  A.M.  N.N.E. 
I  P.M.  S.Eastly. 

3    1 
1    J 

0  f.p.d. 

7 

•856 

•565 

•654 

S.E. 

5 

0  g.q. 

8 

•962 

•683 

•843 

Westerly      , 

4 

Og.s. 

9 

•959 

•682 

•806 

S.W. 

4 

JA.M.O  q.p.s.  I 

10 
11 

29-276 
•189 

•978 
•635 

29-156 

28-807 

S.  Westerly 
/A.M.  Northerly 
"[P.M.  Westerly 

3 
4    "1 
6    J 

5  b.c.g. 
0  m.p.r.s. 

12 

•067 

•781 

•960 

/A.M.  S.  S.W. 

IP.M.N.N.W. 

4 
2 

2  b.c.g.          -^ 
Os. 

13 

28-948 

•674 

•801 

f  A.M.  W.  by  N 
\p.M.S.W.byW 

}      3 

J 

Of.p.s. 

14 

•691 

•585 

•627. 

E.N.E. 

6 

0  q.s. 

15 

29-106 

•706 

•891 

East 

8 

0  q.s. 

16 

•180 

•970 

29-088 

Easterly. 

2 

0  g.  d.  q. 

17 

•028 

•862 

28-930 

N.  Westerly 

4 

0  q.p.s. 

18 

•053 

•846 

•975 

("A.M.  S.E. 
LP.M.  N.Eastly. 

}  * 

TA.M.  0  p.s.     ~) 
1  P.M.  2  b.c.g.  J 

19 

28-835 

•518 

•646 

Easterly 

5 

Og. 

20 

•496 

•283 

•354 

E.S.E. 

7 

3  b.c.q. 

21 

•842 

•277 

•566 

S.S.E. 

8 

0  q.s. 

22 

29-081 

•860 

•991 

/A.M.  S.W. 

1  P.M.  W.byN. 

4 
3 

3  b.c.q.          \ 
1  b.c.g.         J 

23 

•151 

•987 

29-088 

f  A.M.  Westerly 
1  P.M.  Northerly 

}      3 

5  b.c. 

24 

28-973 

•476 

28-677 

N.E. 

4 

0  q.p.s. 

25 

•481 

•380 

4-32 

N.E. 

4 

0  g.p-s. 

26 

•642 

•425 

•544 

S.  Easterly 

5 

0  q.s. 

27 

•571 

•488 

•520 

E.S.E. 

2 

0  g.p.s. 

28 

•543 

•474 

•510 

N.  Easterly 

(A.M.  31 
IP.  M.  4J 

2  b.c.g. 

29-565 

28-277 

28-8507 

4-12 

*  For  explanation  of  these  symbols,  see  Appendix  to  Vol.  I. 
p  2 


Sketched  by  Dr.  Hooker. 
Tussac  Grass  of  Falkland  Islands.    Page  270. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Magnificent  Range  of  Bergs.  —  Colour  of  the  Sea.  —  North- 
easterly Gale.  —  Recross  the  Antarctic  Circle.  —  Collision 
with  the  Terror.  —  Loss  of  Bowsprit  —  the  Stern-board.  — 
The  Escape.  —  Unusual  Phenomenon.  —  Repair  Damages. 
Focus  of  Greater  Intensity.  —  Circle  of  Mean  Temperature 
of  the  Ocean.  —  Meteorological  Abstract  for  March.  —  Cur- 
rent off  Cape  Horn. — Beauchene  Island. — Anchor  in  Port 
Louis,  East  Falkland  Island. 


II. 


213 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  magnificent  range  of  stupendous  bergs  which  1342. 
had  occasioned  us  so  much  uneasiness  during  the  March  j" 
night,  was  again  seen  this  morning,  extending  in 
an  unbroken  chain  to  the  northward  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  discern  from  the  mast-head,  and  join- 
ing on  with  that  large  cluster  through  which  we 
had  been  so  mercifully  guided  during  the  storm 
and  thick  fog  of  the  llth  of  February,  when  on 
our  way  to  the  southward.  The  pack  edge  was 
observed  stretching  several  miles  to  the  westward  of 
the  bergs,  and  terminating  in  a  point  which  we 
rounded  at  1  P.M.  It  consisted  of  an  accumula- 
tion of  the  heaviest  masses  of  ice  I  ever  remember 
to  have  seen,  of  a  deep  blue  colour,  and  much 
worn  and  rounded  by  the  action  of  the  sea.  Several 
hundred  seals  were  plunging  and  splashing  about 
off  the  point,  and  two  or  three  that  were  on  the 
ice,  appeared  with  much  difficulty  to  maintain 
their  hold  as  the  waves  broke  over  them.  From 
this  point  the  ice  trended  away  to  the  eastward, 
but  the  long  line  of  bergs  obliged  us  to  pursue  a 
north  easterly  course.  At  noon  our  latitude  was 
69°  52'  S.,  longitude  180°;  the  magnetic  dip  83°  36' 
S.,  and  the  variation  had  decreased  to  33°  V  E. 

It  was  a  fine  night  \  and  having  passed  the  chain 
of  bergs,    we    were   enabled   to   resume   a   more 

P    3 


214  COLOUR   OF   THE    SEA.  [CHAP. VIII. 

1842.  easterly  course.  Some  faint  coruscations  of  the 
Aurora  Australis  were  seen  near  the  zenith  at 
1  A.  M.  for  only  a  few  minutes. 

March  2.  It  blew  a  moderate  breeze  from  the  south  east- 
ward, and  the  day  was  fine ;  the  sun  occasionally 
appeared,  but  was  more  generally  obscured  by 
clouds  and  thick  snow  showers.  The  sea  was 
remarked  to  have  assumed  its  oceanic  light  blue 
colour,  from  which  we  inferred  that  the  ferru- 
ginous animalculae,  which  give  a  dirty  brownish 
tint  to  the  waters  of  the  southern  ocean,  prefer 
the  temperature  which  obtains  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  pack ;  for  here,  as  in  the  arctic  regions,  our 
approach  to  any  great  body  of  ice  was  invariably 
indicated  by  the  change  of  colour  of  the  sea. 
Large  flocks  of  the  blue  petrel  and  Cape  pigeons 
were  seen,  and  the  cry  of  the  penguin  was  fre- 
quently heard. 

March  s.  It  was  calm  during  the  night,  and  until  7  A.  M., 
when. a  breeze  sprang  up  from  the  northward,  and 
the  forenoon  being  fine,  we  all  greatly  enjoyed 
the  rise  of  temperature  of  the  air  from  23°  to  36° 
which  had  occurred  in  less  than  two  days,  whilst 
that  of  the  surface  of  the  sea  had  risen  to  33°. 

At  noon  our  latitude  was  67°  28'  S.,  longitude 
174°  27' W. ;  the  magnetic  dip  82°-18',  and  the 
variation  26°  E. :  in  the  afternoon  we  tried  for,  but 
did  not  obtain,  soundings  with  600  fathoms ;  the 
temperature  at  that  depth  was  38°  ;  at  450  fathoms, 
37°'5;  at  300  fathoms,  35°'5 ;  and  at  150  fathoms, 
34°'2 :  the  specific  gravity  of  the  surface  water 


CHAP.  VIII.]  NORTH-EASTERLY   GALE.  215 

1*0276  at  33°.    A  current  was  found  setting  S.  30°      1842. 
E.,  at  the  rate  of  six  miles  per  diem. 

Dense  clouds  rising  in  the  north,  sending  forth 
frequent  squalls  and  snow  showers,  warned  us 
of  the  approach  of  an  inclement  night  for  which 
we  made  all  the  necessary  preparations.  We  had 
seen  only  two  icebergs  during  the  day ;  and  con- 
sidering that  we  were  far  enough  to  the  north- 
ward of  the  thick  of  them,  we  did  not  hesitate 
to  run  during  the  night,  although  the  constantly 
falling  snow  prevented  our  seeing  beyond  a  very 
short  distance,  and  the  night  was  also  extremely 
dark. 

The   expected   gale   came   on   soon  after   mid-    March  4. 
night,  and  gradually  increased  in  strength  until 
noon,  when  it  blew  with  great  violence.     The  ba- 
rometer at  that  time  was  28*162  inches,  but  began 
to  rise  soon  afterwards,  when  the  wind  suddenly 
shifted  from  N.  E.  to  N.  W.,  and  abated,  the  sea 
as  rapidly  going  down,  and  the   weather  turning 
out  beautifully  fine  in  time   to  relieve  us  from 
the   anxieties   attendant    on   the   eight   hours   of 
darkness  to  which  the   nights    had  now   length- 
ened.    Throughout  the  remainder  of  this  and  the 
early  part   of  the  following  day  we  experienced    March  5. 
variable  but  moderate  winds,  and  at  noon  were  in 
latitude  67°  8'  S.,  longitude  171°  38'  W.,  the  con- 
tinued depression  of  the  barometer,  notwithstand- 
ing the  moderate  weather,  surprised  us  so  much 
that  I  suspected  it  had  met  with  an  accident.     I 
therefore  made  the  signal  to  the  Terror  to  com- 

p   4 


216  RECROSS   THE    ANTARCTIC    CIRCLE.       [CHAP.  VIII. 

1842.      pare  barometers,  and  was  gratified  to  find  my  ap- 
prehensions were  groundless,  the  two  instruments 
indicating  very  nearly  the  same  amount  of  pres- 
sure ;  the  Terror's  being  28*485  inches,  and  that  of 
the  Erebus  28*478  inches.    At  7  P.M.,  we  re-crossed 
the  antarctic  circle  after  an  interval  of  sixty-four 
days  that  we  had  been  to  the  southward  of  it. 
The  event  was  celebrated  with  much  rejoicing. 
March  7.        On  the  7th  we  met  with  the  first  specimen  of 
the  vegetable  kingdom  in  latitude  64°  S.,  several 
small  pieces  of  seaweed  being  seen  during  the  day ; 
March  8.    and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  8th,  when  in  latitude 
62°  15'  S.,  and  longitude  163°  50'  W.,  we  tried  the 
current,   and  found  it  setting  N.  59°  E.,  at  the 
rate  of  seven  miles  and  a  half  daily.     The  tem- 
perature of  the  sea  at  600  fathoms  was  39°  ;  at 
450  fathoms,  38°'5 ;  at  300  fathoms,  37°'2 ;  at  150 
fathoms,  35°'5  ;  and  at  100  fathoms,  32°*2  ;  that  of 
the  surface  being  35°.    We  were  astonished  to  find 
the  minimum  index  of  all  the  thermometers  stand- 
ing at  30° '8,  from  which  it  would  appear  that  there 
was  a  cold  stratum  of  water  of  that  temperature, 
between  the  surface  and  one  hundred  fathoms. 
March  9.        Having  on  the  afternoon  of  the  9th  reached  the 
latitude  of  60°  20'  S.,  and  intending  to  keep  near 
the  parallel  of  60°,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the 
supposed  position  of  the  second  focus  of  greater 
magnetic  intensity,  as  well  as  of  shortening  our  dis- 
tance to  Cape  Horn,  by  maintaining  a  high  latitude, 
we  altered  our  course  to  true  east,  the  wind  from 
the  southward  favouring  our  intentions. 


CHAP.  VIII.]  COLLISION.  217 

During  the  next  three  days  we  made  rapid  pro-  1342. 
gress  to  the  eastward,  experiencing  strong  south- 
erly winds  and  severe  weather,  but  we  met  only 
four  or  five  bergs  during  a  run  of  several  hundred 
miles,  and  began  to  think  we  had  got  to  the  north- 
ward of  their  latitude.  On  the  afternoon  of  March  12. 
the  12th,  however,  several  were  seen  during  thick 
weather,  and  whilst  we  were  running,  under  all 
the  sail  we  could  carry,  to  a  strong  north  wes- 
terly breeze.  In  the  evening  the  wind  increased 
so  much,  and  the  snow  showers  became  so  inces- 
sant, that  we  were  obliged  to  proceed  under 
more  moderate  sail.  Numerous  small  pieces  of 
ice  were  also  met  with,  warning  us  of  the  pre- 
sence of  bergs,  concealed  by  the  thickly  falling 
snow:  before  midnight  I  directed  the  topsails  to 
be  close-reefed,  and  every  arrangement  made  for 
rounding  to  until  daylight,  deeming  it  too  hazard- 
ous to  run  any  longer:  our  people  had  hardly 
completed  these  operations  when  a  large  berg  was 
seen  ahead,  and  quite  close  to  us ;  the  ship  was 
immediately  hauled  to  the  wind  on  the  port  tack, 
with  the  expectation  of  being  able  to  weather 
it;  but  just  at  this  moment  the  Terror  was  ob- 
served running  down  upon  us,  under  her  top-sails 
and  foresail ;  and  as  it  was  impossible  for  her 
to  clear  both  the  berg  and  the  Erebus,  collision 
was  inevitable.  We  instantly  hove  all  aback  to 
diminish  the  violence  of  the  shock ;  but  the  con- 
cussion when  she  struck  us  was  such  as  to  throw 
almost  every  one  off  his  feet ;  our  bowsprit,  fore- 


218  COLLISION.  [CHAP.  VIII. 

1842-  topmast,  and  other  smaller  spars,  were  carried 
away;  and  the  ships  hanging  together,  entangled 
by  their  rigging,  and  dashing  against  each  other 
with  fearful  violence,  were  falling  down  upon  the 
weather  face  of  the  lofty  berg  under  our  lee,  against 
which  the  waves  were  breaking  and  foaming  to  near 
the  summit  of  its  perpendicular  cliffs.  Sometimes 
she  rose  high  above  us,  almost  exposing  her  keel 
to  view,  and  again  descended  as  we  in  our  turn 
rose  to  the  top  of  the  wave,  threatening  to  bury 
her  beneath  us,  whilst  the  crashing  of  the  break- 
ing upperworks  and  boats  increased  the  horror  of 
the  scene.  Providentially  they  gradually  forged 
past  each  other,  and  separated  before  we  drifted 
down  amongst  the  foaming  breakers,  and  we  had 
the  gratification  of  seeing  her  clear  the  end  of  the 
berg,  and  of  feeling  that  she  was  safe.  But  she  left 
us  completely  disabled ;  the  wreck  of  the  spars  so 
encumbered  the  lower  yards,  that  we  were  unable 
to  make  sail,  so  as  to  get  headway  on  the  ship ; 
nor  had  we  room  to  wear  round,  being  by  this 
time  so  close  to  the  berg  that  the  waves,  when  they 
struck  against  it,  threw  back  their  sprays  into  the 
ship.  The  only  way  left  to  us  to  extricate  our- 
selves from  this  awful  and  appalling  situation  was 
by  resorting  to  the  hazardous  expedient  of  a  stern- 
board,  which  nothing  could  justify  during  such  a 
gale  and  with  so  high  a  sea  running,  but  to  avert 
the  danger  which  every  moment  threatened  us  of 
being  dashed  to  pieces.  The  heavy  rolling  of  the 
vessel,  and  the  probability  of  the  masts  giving  way 


CHAP.  VIII.]  THE    STERN   BOARD.  219 

each  time  the  lower  yard- arms  struck  against  the  1842. 
cliffs,  which  were  towering  high  above  our  mast- 
heads, rendered  it  a  service  of  extreme  danger  to 
loose  the  main-sail ;  but  no  sooner  was  the  order 
given,  than  the  daring  spirit  of  the  British  seaman 
manifested  itself — the  men  ran  up  the  rigging 
with  as  much  alacrity  as  on  any  ordinary  occasion ; 
and  although  more  than  once  driven  off  the  yard, 
they  after  a  short  time  succeeded  in  loosing  the 
sail.  Amidst  the  roar  of  the  wind  and  sea,  it  was 
difficult  both  to  hear  and  to  execute  the  orders  that 
were  given,  so  that  it  was  three  quarters  of  an  hour 
before  we  could  get  the  yards  braced  bye,  and  the 
main  tack  hauled  on  board  sharp  aback  —  an  expe- 
dient that  perhaps  had  never  before  been  resorted 
to  by  seamen  in  such  weather :  but  it  had  the 
desired  effect ;  the  ship  gathered  stern-way,  plung- 
ing her  stern  into  the  sea,  washing  away  the  gig 
and  quarter  boats,  and  with  her  lower  yard-arms 
scraping  the  rugged  face  of  the  berg,  we  in  a  few 
minutes  reached  its  western  termination ;  the 
"  under  tow,"  as  it  is  called,  or  the  reaction  of  the 
water  from  its  vertical  cliffs,  alone  preventing  us 
being  driven  to  atoms  against  it.  No  sooner  had 
we  cleared  it,  than  another  was  seen  directly  astern 
of  us,  against  which  we  were  running ;  and  the 
difficulty  now  was  to  get  the  ship's  head  turned 
round  and  pointed  fairly  through  between  the  two 
bergs,  the  breadth  of  the  intervening  space  not  ex- 
ceeding three  times  her  own  breadth;  this,  how- 
ever, we  happily  accomplished ;  and  in  a  few  minutes 


220  THE    ESCAPE.  [CHAP.  VIII. 

1842.      after  getting  before  the  wind,  she  dashed  through 

"  the   narrow  channel,  between  two   perpendicular 

walls   of   ice,    and   the    foaming    breakers   which 

stretched  across  it,  and  the  next  moment  we  were 

in  smooth  water  under  its  lee. 

The  Terror's  light  was  immediately  seen  and 
answered ;  she  had  rounded  to,  waiting  for  us,  and 
the  painful  state  of  suspense  her  people  must  have 
endured  as  to  our  fate  could  not  have  been  much 
less  than  our  own  ;  for  the  necessity  of  constant  and 
energetic  action  to  meet  the  momentarily  varying 
circumstances  of  our  situation,  left  us  no  time  to 
reflect  on  our  imminent  danger. 

We  hove  to  on  the  port  tack,  under  the  lee  of 
the  berg,  which  now  afforded  us  invaluable  protec- 
tion from  *the  fury  of  the  storm,  which  was  still 
raging  above  and  around  us ;  and  commenced 
clearing  away  the  wreck  of  the  broken  spars, 
saving  as  much  of  the  rigging  as  possible,  whilst 
a  party  were  engaged  preparing  others  to  replace 
them. 

As  soon  as  day  broke  we  had  the  gratification 
of  learning  that  the  Terror  had  only  lost  two 
or  three  small  spars,  and  had  not  suffered  any 
serious  damage;  the  signal  of  "all's  well,"  which 
we  hoisted  before  there  was  light  enough  for 
them  to  see  it,  and  kept  flying  until  it  was  an- 
swered, served  to  relieve  their  minds  as  speedily 
as  possible  of  any  remaining  anxiety  on  our 
account. 

A  cluster  of  bergs  was  seen  to  windward,  extend- 


CHIP.  VIII.]  AURORA.  221 

ing  as  far  as  the  eye  could  discern,  and  so  closely      1842. 
connected,  that,  except  the  small  opening  by  which  " 
we  had  escaped,  they  appeared  to  form  an  unbroken 
continuous  line ;  it  seems,  therefore,  not  at  all  im- 
probable that  the  collision  with  the  Terror  was  the 
means  of  our  preservation,  by  forcing  us  backwards 
to  the   only   practicable    channel,    instead  of  per- 
mitting us,  as  we  were  endeavouring,  to  run  to  the 
eastward,  and   become  entangled   in  a   labyrinth 
of  heavy  bergs,  from  which  escape  might  have  been 
impracticable,  or  perhaps  impossible. 
.  Whilst  our  ship  lay  rolling  amidst  the  foam  and 
spray  to  windward  of  the  berg,  a  beautiful  pheno- 
menon presented  itself,  worthy  of  notice,  as  tending 
to  afford  some  information  on  the  causes  of  the  ex- 
hibition of  auroral  light.     The  infrequency  of  the 
appearance  of  this   meteor,    during   the    present 
season,  had  much  surprised  us ;  and  therefore,  to 
observe  its  bright  light,  forming  a  range  of  vertical 
beams  along  the  top  of  the  icy  cliff,  marking  and 
partaking  of  all  the   irregularities  of  its   figure, 
was  the  more  remarkable,  and  would  seem  to  sug- 
gest that  some  connection  existed,  in  the  exhibition 
of  this  light,  with  the  vaporous  mist  thrown  up- 
wards by  the  dashing  of  the  Agaves  against  the  berg, 
and  that  it  was  in  some  degree  produced  by  electrical 
action    taking  place  between    it    and    the   colder 
atmosphere  surrounding  the  berg.     We  may  here 
also  trace  some  analogy  between  this  phenomenon 
and  those  appearances  of  the  Aurora  Borealis,  wit- 
nessed in  Scotland  by  the  Eev.  James  Farquharson, 


222  KEPAIRING   DAMAGES.  [CHAP.  VIII. 

1842.      minister  of  the  Parish  of  Alford,  and  described  by 

him  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Royal  Society. 
March  13.  At  8  A.M.  we  bore  away  before  the  gale,  which 
was  still  blowing  from  the  westward,  under  close 
reefed  maintop-sail  and  foresail.  If  during  the 
hour  of  extreme  peril  I  had  occasion  to  admire  the 
cool  bravery  of  our  officers  and  crew,  so  had  I 
now  no  less  cause  to  appreciate  and  praise  the  dili- 
gence and  alacrity  with  which  they  set  to  work  to 
repair  the  damage  we  had  sustained ;  and  although 
again  compelled  by  circumstances  to  continue  our 
labour  almost  uninterruptedly  throughout  the  Sab- 
bath day,  we  did  not  fail  assembling  together  in 
the  forenoon  to  offer  up  our  thanksgivings  and 
praises  to  Almighty  God,  for  the  renewed  in- 
stance of  His  guidance  and  protection  which  we 
had  so  recently  experienced. 

A  portion  of  the  crew  were  engaged  fitting  the 
rigging,  whilst  the  carpenters  were  making  a  bow- 
sprit out  of  the  handmast,  and  a  party  was  em- 
ployed clearing  the  forehold  to  get  at  the  leak,  which 
we  suspected  to  be  in  some  part  of  the  starboard 
bow,  where  we  received  the  first  shock,  and  where 
the  whole  of  the  upper  works  with  the  timbers  and 
cathead  were  broken  away  level  with  the  deck.  The 
best  bower  anchor  was  found  suspended  about  three 
feet  below  the  water  line,  by  its  palms  being  driven 
between  seven  and  eight  inches  into  the  solid 
«  wood,  and  remained  fixed  there  without  any  other 
fastening  to  the  ship,  with  the  flukes  uppermost,  as 
may  be  seen  in  the  annexed  drawing  by  Mr.  Davis, 


CHAP.  VIII.]  REPAIRING   DAMAGES.  223 

second  master  of  the  Terror :  this  we  considered  1842. 
most  likely  to  have  occasioned  the  leak  which, 
though  at  present  of  no  amount  to  cause  alarm, 
was  a  source  of  uneasiness  until  the  extent  of 
the  injury  from  which  it  arose  was  determined. 
After  some  hours'  examination,  it  proved  to  be  only 
in  the  upperworks,  and  was  stopped  without  any 
difficulty. 

At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  60°  S.,  and  longi- 
tude 143°  48'  W.,  the  wind  still  blowing  strong 
from  the  westward,  but  gradually  abating  in  the 
afternoon  as  it  drew  round  to  the  northward. 
The  high  sea  that  was  running  hindered  our 
operations ;  but  we  were,  nevertheless,  enabled 
to  finish  the  jury -bowsprit,  get  it  into  its  place, 
and  secure  it,  with  all  its  gear  and  rigging  pro- 
perly set  up,  before  night.  We  had  passed  several 
icebergs  during  the  day,  and  this,  connected  with 
our  recent  accident,  occasioned  us  to  run  with 
more  carefulness  during  the  first  few  hours  of 
darkness,  and  at  midnight,  several  bergs  and 
numerous  fragments  being  met  with,  we  rounded 
to  until  daylight. 

The  breeze  having  freshened  from  the  west-  March  14. 
ward,  we  bore  away  before  it  at  5  A.M.,  and  were 
able,  in  addition  to  our  sail  of  yesterday,  to  set 
the  port  lower  studding-sail.  We  passed  a  great 
many  bergs  in  the  course  of  the  day ;  but  the 
wind  having  veered  to  the  southward  by  noon, 
we  had  clear  weather,  and  could  therefore  run 
without  danger,  though  under  more  moderate  sail 


224  FOCUS    OF    GREATER    INTENSITY.       [CHAP.  VIII. 

1842-     throughout  the  night,  during  which  only  three  or 
four  bergs  were  seen. 

Marcii  15.  Qur  broken  spars  and  rigging  having  been  re- 
placed, we  made  all  sail  when  daylight  appeared, 
steering  directly  for  the  supposed  position  of  the 
focus  of  greater  magnetic  intensity,  which  I  had  not 
relinquished  my  intention  of  visiting.  From  the 
necessity  of  keeping  the  ship  exactly  before  the 
wind  for  the  last  two  or  three  days,  we  had  run 
sixty  miles  to  the  northward  of  it,  we  were  now, 
however,  in  a  condition  to  regain  the  parallel  of 
60°  of  south  latitude. 

Favoured  by  clear  nights,  we  pursued  our  course 
at  a  moderate  pace ;  and  during  the  continuance  of 
daylight  pressed  all  the  sail  on  the  ships  they  could 
carry;  for  as  we  were  yet  between  two  and  three 
thousand  miles  distant  from  the  Falkland  Islands, 
we  were  compelled  to  hazard  a  little  rather  than 
prolong  our  voyage  so  much  by  rounding  to  during 
the  lengthened  period  of  darkness. 

March  is.  At  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  18th  we  had 
reached  the  desired  spot  in  latitude  60°  S.,  and 
longitude  125°  W. ;  and  although  it  was  blowing 
fresh  from  the  westward,  arid  the  gale  of  the  pre- 
ceding day  had  occasioned  so  heavy  a  swell  that 
our  ship  rolled  and  tossed  about  considerably, 
yet  we  obtained  numerous  magnetic  observations, 
which,  if  not  so  accordant  as  they  would  probably 
have  been  under  more  favourable  circumstances, 
the  results  proved  sufficiently  satisfactory ;  and  if 
they  have  not  tended  to  confirm  the  theory  which 


CHAP.  VIII.]         FOCUS   OF    GREATER   INTENSITY.  225 

brought  us  to  this  spot,  they,  when  combined  with  1842« 
others,  will  enable  philosophers  to  determine 
whether,  as  in  the  northern  magnetic  latitudes, 
there  be  two  foci  of  greater  magnetic  intensity,  or 
whether  it  be  not  confined  to  one  spot  in  the 
Antarctic  regions,  and  that  not  very  distant  from 
the  southern  magnetic  pole,  which  I  rather  appre- 
hend to  be  fact.  The  means  of  ascertaining  this 
important  question  in  magnetic  science,  however, 
are  now  abundantly  provided,  and  its  determina- 
tion wilj  probably  prove  to  be  one  of  the  more 
interesting  results  of  our  observations. 

We  had  now  no  other  object  to  divert  us  from 
a  direct  course  round  Cape  Horn  to  the  Falkland 
Islands,  where  I  proposed  to  pass  the  winter,  and 
thoroughly  repair  our  ships,  in  readiness  to  make  a 
third  attempt  to  carry  our  magnetic  researches  into 
a  high  southern  latitude,  when  the  proper  season 
for  that  purpose  should  arrive. 

Impelled  by  strong  westerly  gales,  we  generally 
ran  from  one  hundred  and  twenty  to  one  hundred 
and  sixty  miles  daily,  when  the  nights  were  so  clear 
as  to  admit  of  our  running,  although  much  hin- 
dered by  the  bower  anchor,  which  we  were  unable 
to  remove.  It  was,  however,  washed  away,  by  a 
heavy  sea  which  struck  the  ship  during  a  gale 
on  the  18th  (the  palms  being  broken  off  and  March  is, 
left  sticking  in  the  ship's  side),  after  having  been 
carried  in  that  extraordinary  position  above  five 
hundred  miles. 

During  the   19th  and  20th,   it  blew  a  violent 

VOL    II.  Q 


226  PASSAGE   TO   THE   FALKLAND   ISLANDS.       [CHAP.  VIII. 


1842. 


storm  of  forty  hours'  duration,  which  obliged  us  to 
March  20.  heave  to  under  the  close-reefed  main-topsail  during 
the  night,  as  we  were  amongst  a  great  many  bergs ; 
the  high  sea  running  tried  the  rigging  of  our 
jury  spars,  and  occasioned  us  a  night  of  much 
anxiety. 

At  daylight  we  bore  away  before  the  gale,  the 
sea  heavy,  our  ships  scudding  well,  seldom 
shipping  any  water;  for,  although  from  their 
construction  they  sailed  slowly,  they  possessed 
the  advantage  of  being  admirable  sea  boats, 
whether  lying  to  or  running  before  a  storm. 
Our  position  at  noon,  by  observation,  was  lati- 
tude 59°  21'  S.,  longitude  114°  57'  W.  By  steer- 
ing more  to  the  northward,  we  might  have  got 
out  of  the  region  of  icebergs ;  but  we  preferred 
keeping  as  far  south  as  we  prudently  might,  both 
for  the  advantage  of  shortening  the  distance,  and 
obtaining  magnetic  observations. 

The  gale  abated  soon  after  noon,  and  we  enjoyed 
the  beautiful  evening  that  followed  :  aided  by  the 
feeble  light  of  the  moon  during  the  early  part  of 
the  night,  and  the  clear  starlight  after  midnight, 
we  continued  our  course. 

March  21.  At  2  A.M.  we  passed  very  close  by  a  small  .berg, 
the  white  foam  of  the  sea  dashing  over  it  render- 
ing it  conspicuous  against  the  dark  sky  beyond. 

At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  59°  9'  S.,  arid  longi- 
tude 111°  18' W.,  the  magnetic  dip  71°  41'  S.,  and 
the  variation  20°  52'  E.  The  temperature  of  the 
sea,  which  had  been  warmer  than  the  air  for  some 


CHAP.  VIII.]      PASSAGE    TO   THE   FALKLAND   ISLANDS.  227 

days  past,  rose  to  41*5,  that  of  the  air  being  38°.       1842. 
The  sea  was  observed,  also,  to  be  of  a  clear  light 
blue  colour.     The  sooty  albatross,  the  only  bird 
seen  lately,  was  in  considerable  numbers. 

-  It  was  a  fine  clear  evening,  but  we  still  looked 
in  vain  for  the  aurora  australis :  last  year,  at  this 
period  of  the  season,  in  nearly  the  same  lati- 
tude, and  about  one  hundred  degrees  of  .longi- 
tude to  the  westward,  we  had  splendid  exhibi- 
tions of  it  almost  every  night ;  from  which  it  would 
seem  that  its  occurrence  in  some  degree  depends 
upon  local  causes,  which,  therefore,  its  total  absence 
in  this  part  of  the  southern  ocean  may  assist  in 
explaining. 

A  moderate  breeze  from  south-west,  we  hove  to  March  23. 
at  1'30  P.M.,  in  latitude  58°  36'  S.,  and  longitude 
104°  40'  W.,  and  tried  for,  but  without  obtaining, 
soundings,  with  600  fathoms  of  line :  the  tem- 
perature at  that  depth  was  40° ;  at  450  fathoms, 
40°-5;  at  300  fathoms,  40°«8 ;  at  150  fathoms, 
40°'7;  at  100  fathoms,  40°*8 ;  at  50  fathoms, 
40°'8;  and,  at  the  surface,  41°;  that  of  the  air 
being  32°.  The  specific  gravity  throughout  being 
1*0277  at  43° *5  of  temperature.  These  experi- 
ments show  that  we  were  very  nearly  on  the  line 
of  uniform  temperature,  which  here  appears  to  be 
about  a  degree  higher  than  we  have  found  it  in 
other  parts  of  the  ocean,  and  also  rather  further 
to  the  southward. 

Many  black-backed  albatross,  and  a  few  stormy 
and  blue  petrel  were  seen,  as  were  also  two  pen- 

Q  2 


228  UNIFOEM   TEMPERATURE    OF   THE    OCEAN.    [CHAP.  VIII. 

1842.  guins,  although  we  were  more  than  a  thousand 
miles  from  the  nearest  land. 

March  27.  Favoured  by  westerly  breezes  and  fine  weather, 
we  made  good  progress  during  the  next  few  days, 
without  anything  occurring  worthy  of  remark, 
and  at  noon  the  27th  were  in  latitude  59°02/ 
S.,  and  longitude  87°  21'  W.  The  magnetic  dip 
had  diminished  to  67*30  S.,  and  the  variation  was 
26°  28'  E.,  our  distance  from  Cape  Horn  rather 
exceeding  600  miles.  During  a  violent  hail  squall 
this  morning  some  of  the  balls  which  fell  measured 
nearly  two  inches  in  circumference.  The  Skua 
gull,  stormy  and  gigantic  petrel,  a  few  sooty 
albatross,  and  a  large  company  of  bottle-nosed 
whales  were  seen  during  the  day. 

March  28.  The  weather  being  fine  the  next  day,  and  the 
water  smooth,  we  made  some  experiments  on  the 
temperature  of  the  sea;  those  of  the  23d  having 
given  a  different  result  from  what  we  had  expected, 
and  had  found  in  other  parts  of  the  southern  ocean. 
The  thermometers  employed  were  again  compared 
with  the  standard,  and,  as  the  temperature  of  the 
sea  and  air  was  nearly  the  same,  the  observations 
were  made  altogether  under  still  more  favourable 
circumstances,  and  again  the  same  anomalous  result 
was  obtained;  for,  at  600  fathoms,  it  was  40°;  at  450 
fathoms,  40°'5 ;  at  300  fathoms,  40°'8 ;  at  150  fa- 
thoms, 40° -8;  at  the  surface,  42°;  the  air  being  at 
40° :  our  position  at  this  time  was  latitude  58°  55' 
S.,  longitude  83°  16'  W.  These  experiments  were 
repeated  on  the  29th  and  30th  with  precisely 


CH  vr.  VIII.]    UNIFORM  TEMPERATURE  OF  THE  OCEAN. 

similar  results,  so  that  we  must  come  to  the  con-  1842. 
elusion,  either,  that  the  line  of  uniform  tempera- 
ture of  the  ocean  in  these  meridians  is  nearly 
half  a  degree  higher  temperature  than  at  the  places 
we  had  previously  crossed,  or  that  some  inexpli- 
cable change  to  that  amount  had  taken  place  in 
our  standard  thermometer,  and  which  the  com- 
parison with  the  several  other  thermometers  gave 
me  some  reason  to  suppose  had  occurred.  The 
annexed  abstract  from  the  meteorological  journal 
of  the  Erebus  will  furnish  every  information  re- 
specting the  climate  of  these  regions  during  the 
month  of  March.  The  mean  position  of  the  mer- 
cury in  the  barometer  in  the  higher  latitudes  of 
the  Antarctic  regions  was  nearly  an  inch  lower 
than  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  and  constitutes 
a  most  remarkable  and  interesting  phenomenon  in 
terrestrial  physics,  which  I  shall  have  occasion  to 
notice  more  fully  hereafter. 


230  METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT.      [CHAP.  VIII. 

1842.        ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEPT  ON  BOARD 
HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS — MARCH,  1842. 


Day. 

Position  at  Noon. 

Temperature  of  the  Air  in 
Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ure  of  Sea 
at  Surface. 

Temp,  at 

9  A.M. 

Air  in 
shade. 

Dew 

point. 

Lat.  S. 

Long.  W. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

1 

69  52 

180  00 

o 
27 

o 
24 

o 
26'1 

29-0 

o 
26-5 

o 
13 

2 

68  04 

176  35 

31 

26-5 

29-0 

31'0 

28 

28* 

3 

67  28 

174  27 

37-5 

30 

32-3 

32-6 

32 

28 

4 

67  30 

171  47 

33 

31 

31-8 

317 

31 

31* 

5 

67  08 

171  38 

34 

29 

31-1 

32-2 

32 

28-5 

G 

65  06 

167  39 

39 

28'5 

32'1 

32-9 

32'5 

24 

7 
8 
9 

63  30 
62  16 
60  57 

165  38 
163  50 
160  49 

32-5 
34-5 
34-5 

29 
29-8 
32 

30-5 
32-0 
33-0 

33-6 
34*6 
S5'9 

30-5 
31-5 
32 

22 
24 
24 

10 

60  18 

156  07 

34 

30 

32-5 

35-5 

31 

26 

11 

60  18 

151  32 

37 

33-5 

35-7 

34-8 

36 

36* 

12 

60  12 

147  25 

38 

34-5 

35-9 

34-9 

35 

32 

13 

60  00 

143  48 

39 

35 

36-4 

35-1 

36 

32 

14 

59  23 

141  27 

38 

35-7 

36-8 

35-8 

36 

35 

15 

58  50 

137  26 

40-2 

357 

37-8 

37-2 

37 

33-5 

16 

59  01 

132  28 

38-8 

37 

37-8 

37-6 

37 

31 

17 

59  39 

127  12 

39 

36 

37-0 

36-6 

38 

37 

18 

60  21 

122  50 

40 

36-5 

38-1 

38'2 

38 

34-5 

19 

60  02 

118  55 

39 

35 

36'6 

38-6 

37 

29 

20 

59  21 

114  57 

40-2 

35-5 

36-8 

39-3 

37 

37* 

21 

59  09 

111  08 

38 

35 

37-0 

40-4 

35 

35* 

22 

58  28 

108  00 

38 

33 

34-8 

40'4 

34 

28-5 

23 

58  36 

104  48 

33-5 

31 

32-2 

40-4 

33 

23" 

24 

58  51 

101  26 

39 

34 

36-2 

41-2 

36 

24 

25 

58  56 

96  08 

41-7 

38 

39-0 

41'3 

40 

30-5 

26 

27 
28 

59  02 
59  02 
58  55 

91  30 
87  21 
83  28 

41 
40-5 
40 

35 
35-5 
35 

38-1 
36-9 
36-6 

41-8 
417 
41-9 

38 
36 
36 

34-5 
31 
32 

29 

58  22 

79  50 

44-2 

35-5 

37  '8 

42-2 

33-5 

25 

30 

58  28 

77  28 

46-5 

37 

41-9 

42-8 

38 

34 

31 

58  34 

•  74  20 

42 

38 

4'02 

42-6 

40-5 

31-5 

46-5 

24 

35-19 

37-22 

CHAP.  VIII.]        METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEl'T  ON  BOAKD 
HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS.— MARCH,  1842. 


Barometer. 

Winds. 

Days 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

1 
2 

28-731 
•724 

28-562 
•631 

28-640 
•659 

Easterly. 
East. 

4 

4 

f  A.M.  4  b.C. 
|P.M.  2  b.c.g.p.s. 
3  b.c.p.s. 

3 

•702 

•554 

•642 

Northerly. 

TA.M.  1 
I  P.M.  4 

3  b.c.g.          } 
0  q.p.s.          J 

4 

•547 

•178 

•345 

N.N.E. 

TA.M.  8 

0  q.p.s.          1 

IP.M.  5 

3  b.c.             J 

5 

•489 

•363 

•407 

S.  Westerly 

(A.M.  21 
IP.M.  5J 

2  b.c.g.p.s. 

6 

•570 

•423 

•468 

f  A.M.  W.  by  N. 
l^  P.M.  Southerly 

4 
2 

5  b.c.q.          1 
2  b.c.g.m.     J 

7 

•694 

•596 

•651 

S.S.W. 

3 

0  g.p.s. 

8 

•813 

•644 

•712 

Southerly 

2 

3  b.c.g. 

9 

29-060 

•817 

•927 

Southerly 

3 

3  b.c.g.p.s. 

10 

•352 

29-075 

29-219 

{A.M.  S.S.E.      1 
IP.M.  W.S.W.  J 

4 

3  b.c.p.g.s. 

11 

•373 

28-779 

28-970 

S.  Westerly 

7 

f  A.M.  0  q.r.     "1 
|  p.M.3b.c.q.s.  J 

12 

•488 

29-050 

29-279 

N.N.W. 

f  A.M.  2 

2  b.c.g.m.     1 

1    1  *,  M  .   5 

0  d.s.m.         J 

13 

•475 

•160 

•330 

S.  Westerly 

5 

3  b.c.q.p.s. 

14 

•720 

•094 

•335 

S.  W. 

5 

("A.M.Od.g.      "1 

|p.M.3b.c.p.s.J 

15 

•884 

•738 

•820 

West 

5 

2  b.c.g. 

16 

•932 

•794 

•848 

W.S.W. 

f  A.M.  5 

|P.M.  4 

1  b.c.p.r.s.     \ 
3b.c.d.g.       J 

17 

•764 

•461 

•591 

W.  by  S. 

6 

0  q.r. 

18 
19 

•701 
•103 

•018 

28-827 

•476 
28-995 

fA.M.S.Westly. 
1  P.M.  Westerly 
S.  W. 

5 
6 
9 

2  b.c.g.         ~\ 
0  g.r.             J 
3  b.c.q.r.s. 

20 

28-950 

•767 

•882 

("A.M.  S.W. 
IP.M.  South 

9 
5 

2b.c.q.s.       "1 
4  b.c.p.s.      J 

21 

29-188 

•905 

29-028 

S.E. 

fA.M.41 

IP.M.  5J 

0  g.  q.p.s. 

22 

•277 

29-170 

•239 

C  A.M.  S.S.E. 
1  P.M.  S.  by  W. 

5 
3 

1  b.c.g.p.s.  1 
3b.cp.s.      J 

23" 

•188 

28-893 

•026 

South 

3 

2  b.c.g.p.s. 

24 

•216 

•991 

•130 

("A.M.  South   "\ 
IP.M.W.S.W.J 

4 

f  A.M.Sb.c.q.s.  ~l 
IP.M.  0  g.p.s.  J 

25 

28-993 

•882 

28-928 

S.W. 

6 

fA.MOg.q.r.  1 
L  p.M.2b.c.  ph  J 

26 

•886 

•601 

•684 

W.S.W. 

3 

0  g.q.p.r.s. 

27 

•634 

•569 

•600 

W.S.W. 

4 

3  b.c.p.q.h. 

28 

•949 

•646 

•773 

Westerly 

3 

3  b.c.p.q.h.s. 

29 
30 

29-071 

•025 

•963 
•625 

29-037 

28-868 

("A.M.  S.S.W.l 
1  P.M.  N.  W.  J 

N.N.W. 

3 
3 

'AM.  4  b.c.        1 
.p.M.4b.c.p.q.s.J 
0  g.p.r. 

31 

28-595 

•367 

•443 

/A.M.  N.W.    1 
IP.M.W.S.WJ 

5 
3 

3  b.c.  q.r.       \ 
3b.c.q.s.       J 

29-932 

28-178 

28-96G2 

£-30 

OFF   DIEGO    RAMIREZ   ROCKS.       [CiiAr.  VIII. 

Strong   breeze   from   the   westward,  with  fine 


April  i.  weather  ;  but  there  was  too  much  sea  to  admit  of 
our  trying  for  deep  soundings,  which  I  much  wished 
to  do,  as  to-day,  at  noon,  we  were  only  seventy-two 
miles  from  Diego  Ramirez  rocks,  being  in  latitude 
59°  20'  S.,  and  longitude  70°  23'  W.  It  was  remark- 
able that  we  could  not  perceive  any  indications  of 
our  approach  to  land;  the  ocean  preserved  its 
clear  blue  colour  ;  there  was  no  seaweed,  and  but 
few  birds  to  be  seen  :  but  this  may  arise  from 
the  current,  which  we  found  setting  to  the  east- 
ward at  the  rate  of  from  twelve  to  sixteen  miles 
daily,  which  would  carry  away  with  it  all  the  sea- 
weed that  might  be  torn  from  the  rocks,  and  which 
would  be  followed  by  the  sea  fowl  in  search  of 
their  food,  consisting  of  shell-fish  and  other  ma- 
rine creatures,  which  attach  themselves  to  its 
stems  or  leaves,  and  find  a  shelter  amongst  its 
denser  patches. 

At  8  P.M.  we  passed  due  south  of  Diego  Ramirez 
rocks,  at  about  twenty-two  miles  distance  ;  and 
having  run  till  midnight,  we  hove  to,  and  tried  for, 
but  did  not  obtain,  soundings,  with  two  hundred 
fathoms  of  line.  We  now  hauled  up  N.  by  E.  for 

April  2.  Cape  Horn,  which  I  wished  to  sight  at  daylight  ; 
but  the  wind  suddenly  shifted  to  the  N.N.E., 
and  frustrated  my  intention,  compelling  us  to 
stand  to  south-eastward,  as  the  rapidly-falling 
barometer  and  threatening  aspect  of  the  sky  gave 
.us  notice  of  a  storm  :  this  came  on  before  noon, 
at  which  time  we  were  in  latitude  57°  25'  S.,  longi- 


CHAP.  VIIL]      QUARTER-MASTER   DROWNED.  233 

tude  67°  36'  W.,    Diego    Ramirez   rocks   bearing       1842. 
N.  33°  W.,  distant  sixty-seven  miles. 

As  the  gale  increased,  we  close-reefed  the  top- 
sails, and  were  in  the  act  of  reefing  the  courses  at 
2  P.M.,  when  James  Angelly,  quarter-master,  fell 
from  the  mainyard  overboard :  the  life-buoy  being 
instantly  let  go,  he  swam  to  and  got  upon  it  with 
apparent  ease,  so  that  we  now  considered  him  safe. 
Although  there  was  too  high  a  sea  running  for  any 
boat  to  live,  yet  Mr.  Oakley  and  Mr.  Abernethy, 
with  their  accustomed  boldness  and  humanity, 
were  in  one  of  the  cutters  ready  to  make  the 
attempt:  I  was  obliged  to  order  them  out  of 
the  boat,  for  the  sea  was  at  this  time  breaking  over 
the  ship  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  evident 
that  the  cutter  would  have  instantly  filled,  whilst, 
by  making  a  short  tack,  we  could  fetch  to  wind- 
ward of  the  buoy,  and  pick  him  up  without  any 
difficulty ;  we  therefore  made  all  sail  on  the  ship, 
and  stood  towards  him  :  but  just  as  we  got  within 
two  hundred  yards,  the  wind  headed,  and  obliged  us 
to  pass  to  leeward,  so  near,  however,  as  to  assure 
us  of  being  able  to  fetch  well  to  windward,  after  a 
short  board.  He  was  seated  firmly  on  the  buoy, 
with  his  arm  round  the  pole,  but  had  not  lashed 
himself  to  it  with  the  cords  provided  for  that  pur- 
pose, probably  from  being  stunned  or  stupified  by 
striking  against  the  ship's  side  as  he  fell  overboard. 
In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  we  again  stood  towards 
him,  with  the  buoy  broad  upon  our  lee  bow  ;  but, 
to  our  inexpressible  grief,  our  unfortunate  shipmate 


234  CURRENT    OFF    CAPE    HORN.        [CHAP.  VIII. 

184-2.  had  disappeared  from  it.  We  dropped  down  upon  it 
so  exactly,  that  we  could  take  hold  of  it  with  a 
boat-hook  ;  and,  had  he  been  able  to  have  held  on 
four  or  five  minutes  longer  than  he  did,  his  life 
would  have  been  saved;  but  it  pleased  God  to 
order  it  otherwise.  This  melancholy  event  cast  a 
gloom  over  all  his  companions,  by  whom  he  was 
much  esteemed,  as  well  as  greatly  respected  by  his 
superiors. 

In  the  evening  the  gale  abated,  and  gradually 
drawing  round  to  the  south-west,  enabled  us  to 
resume  our  course  to  the  north-east  during  the 
April  3.  night ;  and  next  morning,  being  to  the  eastward 
of  the  Diego  Ramirez  rocks  and  other  islets,  many 
patches  of  seaweed  were  met  with,  the  water 
fowl  were  also  very  numerous ;  besides  those  of 
the  usual  kinds,  we  observed  a  chioniSj  different 
from  that  we  found  at  Kerguelen  Island,  and  there- 
fore probably  a  new  species. 

At  noon,  our  observations  placed  us  in  latitude 
56°  41',  longitude  65°  9'  W. ;  and  during  the  two  days 
we  were  rounding  Cape  Horn,  we  had  been  car- 
ried thirty  miles  to  the  north-east  by  a  current. 
Beaucheiie  Island,  which  we  were  now  steering  for, 
bore  N.  41°  E.  319  miles. 

At  5  P.M.  a  brig  was  seen  under  close-reefed  top- 
sails and  balanced  mainsail,  standing  to  the  south- 
ward: her  appearance  created  no  small  sensation, 
being  the  first  vessel  we  had  seen  since  our  depar- 
ture from  New  Zealand  more  than  four  months 
before.  It  was  blowing  too  hard  to  communicate, 


CHAP.  VIII.]        CURRENT   OFF   CAPE    HORN. 

but   we    hauled   up  two  or  three  points  to  run      184-2. 


close  past  her,  showing  a  light,  which  she  an- 
swered. We  carried  a  press  of  sail  during  the 
night,  and  advanced  rapidly  on  our  course,  being 
once  more  fairly  on  the  Southern  Atlantic  Ocean. 

Blowing  a  strong  breeze  from  the  westward,  with  April  4. 
frequent  squalls  and  showers  of  rain,  we  derived 
advantage  from  being  under  the  lee  of  Statcri 
Island,  which  we  passed  at  a  distance  of  about 
fifty  miles,  but  without  seeing  it,  owing  to  the 
haziness  of  the  atmosphere.  At  6  A.M.  we  crossed 
a  strong  tide  ripple,  or  meeting  of  currents,  along 
which  many  beds  of  the  beautiful  macrocystis 
were  collected  together;  and  the  colour  of  the 
ocean  changed  at  once  from  a  clear  blue  to  an  olive 
green. 

At  8  P.  M.,  when  in  latitude  53°  59'  S.,  and 
longitude  60°  47'  W.,  some  bottles  were  thrown 
overboard,  each  containing  a  request  that  whoever 
found  it  would  forward  the  enclosed  paper  to  the 
secretary  of  the  Admiralty,  with  the  locality  and 
date,  in  order  to  determine  the  set  of  the  cur- 
rent in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Horn.  It  was  rny 
practice  occasionally  throughout  the  voyage  to 
throw  over  several  bottles  at  the  same  spot,  made 
to  float  with  different  degrees  of  buoyancy,  by 
loading  them  with  unequal  weights  of  fine  dry 
sand ;  the  deepest  of  these  would  of  course  be 
more  influenced  by  the  current  than  the  prevailing 
wind ;  the  lightest,  on  the  contrary,  would  be  car- 
ried forward  on  its  course  more  by  the  wind  than 


236  EASTERLY   CURRENT.  [CiiAr.  VIIL 

1842.  the  current ;  those  floating  at  intermediate  depths 
would  serve  to  shoAV  more  nearly  the  joint  effects 
of  both.  The  vicinity  of  Cape  Horn  was  con- 
sidered by  rne  an  eligible  locality  for  one  of  these 
experiments ;  and  I  mention  it  more  especially  here 
on  account  of  one  of  the  bottles  having  been  found 
near  Cape  Liptrap,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Port 
Philip,  Australia,  about  the  middle  of  September, 
1845.  The  notice  of  the  circumstance,  which  was 
first  published  in  the  Port  Philip  Herald,  was 
copied  into  the  Scotsman,  from  which  paper  of  the 
26th  August,  1846,  the  interesting  particulars  of 
the  course  and  distance  the  bottle  had  drifted  have 
been  extracted  and  placed  in  the  appendix.  The 
editor  observes :  "  That  the  motion  of  the  bottle 
must  have  been  eastward,  and  assuming  that  it  had 
newly  reached  the  strand,  when  discovered,  it  had 
passed  from  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Horn  to  Port 
Philip,  a  distance  of  nine  thousand  miles,  in  three 
years  and  a  half.  But  it  could  not  be  supposed 
that  its  course  was  exactly  straight ;  and,  if  we  add 
a  thousand  miles  for  detours,  it  follows  that  the 
current  which  carried  it  moved  at  the  rate  of  eight 
miles  per  day" 

As  no  mention  was  made  of  any  sand  being  in 
the  bottle  when  found,  it  was  doubtless  the  lightest 
of  the  five  which  I  threw  overboard  this  evening, 
and  had  been  hurried  forward  on  its  course  by  the 
strong  westerly  winds  which  blow  in  the  parallel 
of  latitude  it  had  traversed,  with  much  greater 
force,  and  with  almost  equal  constancy,  as  do  the 


CnAr.  VIII.]  BEAUCHENE   ISLAND    SEEN.  23^ 

trade  winds  of  the  equatorial  regions  in  the  oppo-  1842. 
site  direction.  The  bottle  in  its  course  will  have 
travelled  nearly  along  the  track  of  our  ships  in 
1840,  past  the  Crozet  and  Kerguelen  Islands,  on  our 
way  to  Van  Diemen's  Land,  where  we  found,  on  an 
average,  a  daily  current  of  fifteen  miles  carrying 
us  to  the  eastward  during  the  months  of  April, 
July,  and  August.*  It  would  be  most  interesting 
to  ascertain  what  had  become  of  the  other  bottles 
that  were  thrown  overboard  at  the  same  time  with 
that  found  near  Cape  Liptrap. 

The  wind  veered  to  the  southward  during  the 
night,  and  moderated  considerably  before  daylight 
the  next  morning.  At  5  A.M.  Beauchene  Island  April  5. 
was  seen  bearing  N.N.E.,  directly  a-head  of  us,  and, 
the  weather  being  fine,  we  sailed  close  past  it. 
Even  this  desolate  rock  was  an  object  of  interest  to 
us,  after  having  been  out  of  sight  of  land  for  a 
period  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  days. 

At  noon,  the  Sea  Lion  Islands  were  visible  from 
the  maintop  with  the  long  reef  of  rocks  and  breakers 
to  the  eastward  of  them.  The  wind  fell  light  in 
the  course  of  the  afternoon,  and  before  midnight  it 
was  perfectly  calm.  We  were  in  soundings  all  April  6, 
night  varying  from  thirty-five  to  sixty  fathoms, 
very  irregularly,  on  a  bottom  of  coarse  sand  and 
shells.  At  5  A.  M.  a  breeze  sprang  up  from  the 
eastward,  against  which  we  had  to  beat  for  several 
hours  before  we  could  weather  Cape  Pembroke, 

*  See  Vol.  I.  p.  97.,  and  Appendix,  p.  333. 


ANCHOR   IN   PORT   LOUIS.  [CHAP.  VIII. 

_  the  extreme  point  of  East  Falkland  Island.  At 
2  p.  M.  we  rounded  the  Seal  rocks,  which  lie  off  the 
Cape,  and  bore  away  for  Port  Louis.  By  this  time 
the  wind  had  freshened  from  the  north-east,  and 
the  fog  soon  afterwards  came  over  so  thick  that  we 
could  not  see  above  a  quarter  of  a  mile  before  us  ; 
but,  guided  by  Captain  Fitzroy's  excellent  chart, 
we  ran  up  Berkeley  Sound,  without  hesitation,  and 
were  fortunate  in  hitting  the  narrow  entrance  of 
Port  Louis,  in  which  we  anchored  soon  after  5  P.M. 
in  five  fathoms,  nearly  opposite  the  settlement ;  but 
without  having  been  seen  by  any  of  the  inhabitants, 
owing  to  the  thick  fog  which  prevailed. 

Mr.  Hallett,  the  purser,  was  sent  on  shore  to 
procure  a  supply  of  fresh  beef  and  vegetables,  with 
which  he  returned  in  less  than  an  hour;  and  al- 
though we  were  all  greatly  disappointed  at  our 
letters  from  England  not  having  yet  arrived,  we 
had  the  high  gratification  of  learning,  that  Com- 
mander Crozier,  Lieutenant  Bird,  Mr.  Smith, 
mate,  and  Mr.  Mowbray,  clerk  in  charge  of  the 
Terror,  had  been  promoted  on  the  day  my  report 
reached  the  Admiralty  of  our  first  season's  opera- 
tions in  the  southern  regions  —  an  event  which 
gave  much  pleasure  to  all  their  companions,  by 
whom  they  were  deservedly  esteemed,  and  there 
was  great  rejoicing  on  the  happy  occasion. 

As  the  services  of  these  officers  were  indispen- 
sable to  the  expedition,  I  appointed  Commander 
Bird  as  additional  commander  of  the  Erebus,  and 
Lieutenant  Smith  into  the  vacancy  thus  occasioned ; 


CHAP.  VIII.]  ANCHOR   IN   PORT   LOUIS.  239 

Mr.  Mowbray  was  at  the  same  time  appointed  purser      1842. 
of  the  Terror ;    all  of  which  appointments   were 
subsequently  confirmed  by  the  Admiralty. 

Mr.  Hallett  acquainted  me  that  Lieutenant 
Moody  of  the  Royal  Engineers  was  at  present 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  settlement,  having 
arrived  so  recently  as  January  last,  and  succeeded 
Lieutenant  Tyssen,  commander  of  Her  Majesty's 
ketch,  Sparrow,  who  up  to  that  period  had  been 
in  charge  of  the  Falkland  Islands. 


Sketched  by  Dr.  Hooker. 

Hunting  Wild  Cattle  in  the  Falkland  Islands.     Page  248. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Land  the  Observatories.  —  Shooting  Parties.  —  Account  of  a 
Wild  Cattle  Hunt.  —  The  Ships  hauled  up  to  repair.  — 
Arrival  of  Her  Majesty's  Ship  Carysfort,  with  Provisions 
and  Stores.  —  Refitment  of  the  Ships.  —  Port  William.  — 
Removal  of  the  Settlement  from  Port  Louis  to  Port  William. 
—  Botanical  Notice.  —  Grasses.  —  Balsam -Bog.  —  Flowers. 
Lichens.  —  Seaweeds.  —  Mosses.  — Ferns* — Esculent  Plants. 
Tussock  Grass  of  the  Falkland  Islands. 


ii. 


241 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EARLY    the  next    day,    accompanied   by  Captain      1842. 
Crozier,  I  called  upon   the  Lieutenant-Govern  or,     April> 
and  was  informed  by  him  that  the  settlers  were  on 
short  allowance  of  bread  and  flour,   the  supplies 
from  Buenos  Ayres,  upon  which  they  depended, 
not  having  yet  arrived. 

It  was  fortunate  that  out  of  our  abundance  we 
could  spare  as  much  as  they  would  for  the  present 
require,  and  which  they  would  be  able  to  replace 
before  our  departure  again  for  the  South.  In  con- 
sequence also  of  nearly  all  the  Gauchoes  having  left 
the  settlement,  the  government  stock  of  cattle 
was  reduced  so  low  that  we  could  only  get  fresh 
beef  every  alternate  day  for  our  people,  and  of 
vegetables  there  was  not  sufficient  in  the  govern- 
ment garden  to  furnish  one  table  daily ;  of  these 
the  governor  generously  gave  to  our  officers  a 
large  proportion,  as  also  of  the  scanty  allowance 
of  milk  and  butter  the  dairy  afforded. 

As  an  abundance  of  fresh  beef  for  our  crews 
was  of  first  importance,  I  obtained  the  governor's 
permission  to  send  a  hunting  party  to  supply  the 
ships  during  the  whole  period  of  our  stay,  paying 
for  whatever  they  could  provide  the  same  price  as 
was  at  the  time  of  our  arrival  charged  to  the  set- 
tlers for  what  they  purchased  from  the  government 

VOL.  II.  R 


242  SHOOTING   PARTIES.  [CHAP.  IX. 

1842.  store.  The  service,  was,  however,  of  too  danger- 
ApriL  ous  a  nature  for  those  unacquainted  with  it  to 
enter  upon  without  due  caution ;  for  many  are 
the  narratives  of  hair-breadth  escapes,  of  severe 
injury,  and  of  death,  that  are  related  by  those  who 
have  been  much  engaged  in  hunting  the  wild 
cattle  of  the  Falkland  Islands ;  I  therefore  consi- 
dered it  better  to  wait  the  hourly  expected  arrival 
of  Her  Majesty's  ketch,  Arrow,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Robinson,  who  had  been  several  years 
employed  in  the  survey  of  the  numerous  harbours 
and  inlets  with  which  the  islands  abound,  that 
from  her  people,  who  were  accustomed  to  the 
sport,  our  hunters  might  receive  the  necessary 
instructions  and  assistance  until  they  should  be 
able  to  do  without  them  ;  and  more  especially 
on  account  of  the  dogs,  which  had  been  trained 
for  the  purpose,  and  were  essential  to  the  safety 
of  the  hunters,  being  on  board  the  Arrow,  always 
accompanying  the  vessel  to  provide  fresh  pro- 
vision for  her  crew  whilst  engaged  in  their  arduous 
duties. 

In  the  mean  time,  however,  shooting  parties 
were  sent  out  every  day,  and  procured  a  great 
number  of  rabbits,  and  various  kinds  of  birds.  Of 
these  the  teal,  snipe,  and  upland  goose  were  the 
most  delicious,  and  afforded  a  wholesome  and  use- 
ful variety  in  the  diet  of  the  crews. 

The  astronomical  and  meteorological  observa- 
tory was  placed  near  the  fort,  built  by  Bougainville 
in  1764,  for  the  protection  of  his  settlement,  at  an 


CHAP.  IX.]        POSITION   OF    OBSERVATORIES.  243 

elevation  of  sixty-eight  feet,  and  the  magnetic  obser-      ig42. 
vatory  nearer  to  the  ships  in  a  more  protected     April, 
situation   and   thirty-six  feet   above  the  level  of 
the  sea :  two  huts  were  erected  close  by  it  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  officers  and  men  employed 
at  the  observatories,  and  our  usual  series  of  mag- 
netometric  and  other  observations  were  commenced 
on  the  15th  of  April. 

The  astronomical  observations  and  pendulum 
experiments,  in  which  I  was  assisted  by  Captain 
Crozier,  were  begun  soon  afterwards,  and  a  series 
of  more  than  ordinary  extent  obtained,  with  the 
view  to  arrive  at  the  cause  of  the  great  and  in- 
explicable discordance  between  the  results  of  the 
French  navigators,  Captain  Freycinet  and  Captain 
Duperrey  at  this  place. 

Captain  Duperrey  fixed  his  observatory  amidst 
the  ruins  of  the  settlement  of  Saint  Louis  ;  but  as 
there  did  not  appear  to  have  been  any  mark  left 
on  the  spot,  we  could  not  determine  its  position 
with  the  desirable  exactness,  and  our  subsequent 
observations  prove  that  our  observatory  was  about 
half  a  mile  to  the  southward  of  the  situation  of 
his.  He  states  in  his  Voyage  autour  du  Monde,  p.  98. 
that  the  difference  in  the  latitude  of  his  station 
and  that  of  Captain  Duperrey  was  3'  32"  and  the 
longitude  3'  43",  the  latter  station  being  on  an 
island  to  the  south-eastward,  called  by  the  French 
the  "  Isle  de  Conti"  which  is  probably  Hog  Island 
of  the  Admiralty  Chart. 

The  ships'  companies  were  employed  under  Com- 

R     2 


244  HUNTING  PARTY   DISPATCHED         [CHAP.  IX. 

1842.  mander  Bird  and  Lieutenant  M'Murdo  in  con- 
April,  structing  a  pier,  of  the  numerous  heavy  masses  of 
loose  stones  that  lay  about  convenient  for  the  pur- 
pose, at  which  our  boats  could  land  at  any  time  of 
tide,  and  thus  materially  facilitate  the  disembark- 
ation and  re-embarkation  of  the  ship's  stores  and 
provisions,  as  it  was  necessary  to  take  every  thing 
out  of  them  previous  to  laying  them  on  the  ground 
for  examination  and  repair  ;  and  also  in  erecting  a 
spacious  storehouse,  convenient  to  the  pier,  capable 
of  containing  the  entire  contents  of  one  ship,  com- 
pletely protected  from  the  inclement  weather  we 
had  reason  to  expect,  by  a  close  thick  thatch  of 
Tussock  grass. 

Whilst  these  preliminary  measures  were  being 
proceeded  with,  Lieutenant  Robinson  arrived  in 
the  Arrow  towards  the  end  of  April ;  and  as 
the  period  of  her  stay  was  limited,  a  party  was 
immediately  sent  off  to  Port  St.  Salvador,  whose 
deeply  indented  shores  he  recommended  as  best 
adapted  for  a  hunting  station.  One  of  the  ship's 
boats  was  carried  over  the  narrow  neck  of  land 
that  separates  the  westernmost  part  of  Port  Louis 
from  Port  St.  Salvador,  and  in  it  the  party  em- 
barked, accompanied  by  some  of  the  Arrow's  best 
sportsmen  and  the  dogs,  intending  to  pitch  their 
tents  on  the  western  shores  of  the  Port. 

The  party  appeared  to  have  lost  no  time ;  for  in 
two  or  three  days  we  received  the  substantial 
assurance  of  its  success  and  exertion,  in  a  supply 
of  twelve  hundred  weight  of  beef;  and  I  am  glad 


CHAP.  IX.]  TO   PORT   ST.  SALVADOR.  245 

to  have  the  opportunity  of  introducing  here  an      1842. 
interesting  account  of  the  wild  cattle  hunt,  fur-      April, 
nished  to  me  by  an  officer  who  accompanied  the 
party  in  their  first  successful  chase. 

"  After  a  wet  and  weary  pull  of  three  hours,  which  carried 
us  no  more  than  as  many  miles,  we  approached  the  hunting 
grounds  on  the  western  shores  of  St.  Salvador  Bay.  There 
we  descried,  through  the  drizzling  sleet,  a  herd  of  some 
fifteen  cattle  on  a  point  of  land :  a  sight  which  put  us 
all  into  excellent  spirits.  The  dogs  were  immediately 
seized,  and  held  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat;  for 
their  habit  is,  even  on  scenting  the  animals,  to  plunge 
into  the  water,  and  by  giving  tongue,  frighten  the  game 
far  away  before  the  party  can  reach  the  shore.  The  men 
were  all  eagerness,  stripping  to  their  Guernsey  frocks  and 
trowsers,  each  slinging  a  sharp  knife  round  his  waist.  My 
companion  and  I  loaded  our  rifles,  knowing  that  for  new 
hands  to  keep  up  with  the  runners  was  impossible ;  and 
that  our  only  chance  of  glory  lay  in  having  a  long  shot  at 
some  pugnacious  bull  or  fleeing  cow,  which,  inglorious  as 
it  may  sound,  is  no  more  so  in  reality  than  if  the  game 
were  a  deer,  and  infinitely  less  than  if  a  hare  or  bird. 

"Before,  however,  detailing  the  incidents  of  this  particular 
chase,  I  may  give  an  outline  of  the  general  features  of  a 
cattle-hunt,  as  pursued  by  our  seamen,  which  differs  con- 
siderably from  that  of  the  Gauchoes ;  and  most  promi- 
nently in  not  involving  those  revolting  cruelties  which 
the  latter  practise,  sometimes  heedlessly,  but  oftener  to 
gratify  a  childish  revenge  for  the  toil  incident  on  a  hard 
hour's  or  day's  work,  and  not  seldom  out  of  mere  wanton 
wickedness.  Horses  and  lassos  we  never  used:  strong 
dogs  and  nimble  feet  being  all  that  are  absolutely  required ; 
though  a  couple  of  rifles  are  generally  necessary;  for  the  bulls 
attain  a  size  and  ferocity  of  which  we  had  previously  little 

R  3 


246  CATTLE   HUNT.  [CHAP.  IX, 

1842.  idea,  and  they  sometimes  gallantly  defend  the  herd.  The 
A  rij  dogs  were  of  no  particular  breed ;  they  were  powerfully  built 
and  fleet,  appearing  to  have  more  of  the  Spanish  pointer 
than  any  other  blood  in  them :  a  cross  of  the  Newfoundland, 
mastiff,  bull-dog,  and  even  coach-dog,  was  sufficiently  ob- 
vious in  one  or  other  of  the  best.  All  were  very  coura- 
geous ;  and  new  ones  introduced  into  a  good  pack  take 
instinctively  to  the  habits  of  the  old.  It  is  very  seldom 
that  they  will  attack  a  full-grown  bull,  which  is  not  won- 
derful, for  the  old  Falkland  Islands'  e  Tauro  '  is  the  largest 
of  its  race :  its  neck  is  short  and  of  prodigious  depth  :  the 
skin  of  one  we  killed  was  upwards  of  two  inches  in  thick- 
ness, and  its  head  half  as  large  again  as  that  of  an  ordinary 
bull:  they  are  generally  black,  have  a  noble  carriage,  and  are 
possessed  of  indomitable  courage  and  untam cable  ferocity. 
Specimens  of  these  dimensions  are  however  rare  and  do  not 
mix  with  the  other  cattle,  though  sometimes  attending  them. 
More  frequently  they  are  seen  solitary  on  the  hills,  with 
erect  crests  and  distended  nostrils,  looking  defiance  at  the 
passing  traveller,  and  sometimes  flying  at  him  unprovoked ; 
when  he  must  betake  himself  to  a  bog,  a  '  stream  of 
stones,'  or  cliff.  Should  no  such  refuge  be  nigh,  the  last 
resource  is,  (as  I  am  told  by  those  whom  I  believe  to  have 
practised  the  ruse,)  to  drop  suddenly  on  the  ground ;  when 
the  bull  starts  aside  from  the  unwonted  obstacle  in  its  path 
and  pursues  its  onward  course.  When  provoked  and  in- 
furiated on  open  ground  there  is  no  escape  even  thus : 
the  brave  gunner  of  the  (  Erebus'  was  struck  down  and 
the  turf  torn  up  in  furrows  on  each  side  of  his  body  by  the 
diverging  horns  of  a  wounded  and  maddened  bull ;  and  my 
friend  Capt.  Sulivan  bears  the  mark  of  a  wound  on  his 
head  which  he  received  under  precisely  similar  circum- 
stances :  in  both  these  instances  the  animals  were  provi- 
dentially shot  before  returning  to  gore. 

"The  cows  are  of  the  size  of  the  ordinary  Ayrshire  stock  : 
they  invariably  flee  man,  and   seldom  offer  any  effectual 


CHAP.  IX.]  FALKLAND    ISLANDS.  247 

resistance  to  the  dogs.     They  herd,  with  the  young  bulls       1842. 
and  heifers,  in  numbers  of  ten  to  thirty,  roaming  more  or      A    „ 
less,   but    particularly    attaching    themselves   to   tussock 
grounds.     Those  who  know  cattle  in  our  parks  only,  or 
even  on  the  hills  of  Scotland,  can  form  no  idea  of  their 
speed  and  strength;   and    we  found  that  it   took  three 
powerful  dogs  to  'moor'  (as  our  sailors  termed  it)  one 
full-grown  cow. 

"  The  plan  of  attack  is  very  simple :  the  object  is  to  take 
as  many  animals  out  of  one  herd  as  possible.  We  had  only 
dogs  enough  to  hold  one  cow  at  a  time,  which  is  despatched 
by  the  hunter  before  the  same  dogs  are  free  to  follow  the 
herd  and  detain  another.  Hence  speed  is  the  first  requisite 
for  this  kind  of  chase.  Shooting  forms  no  part  of  the 
hunter's  duty;  as  it  is  evident  that  he  must  be  wholly 
disencumbered  for  running.  Though  stalking  down  and 
shooting  the  cattle  (thus  adding  to  the  commissariat  by 
powder  and  ball)  is  both  exciting  and  advantageous,  still 
the  rifle -man  is  comparatively  an  idler,  except  in  the  case 
of  an  attack  from  the  bulls ;  for  he  can  only  secure  one  or 
two,  according  to  the  number  of  his  barrels,  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  hunt ;  whilst  the  runner  must  keep  on  as  long  as 
there  is  a  possibility  of  the  dogs  overtaking  even  a  heifer. 
To  resume  the  narrative :  the  sagacious  dogs  showed,  by 
their  eager  looks  and  panting,  that  they  understood  the 
cause  of  and  partook  in  our  excitement,  and  were  with  great 
difficulty  held  down.  We  landed  on  the  point,  screened 
from  the  herd,  and  cautiously  wound  round  a  hill ;  till  we 
were  opened  to  the  view  of  fifteen  fine  cows,  young  bulls 
and  heifers,  which  threw  their  tails  into  the  air,  and,  with  an 
awkward  bound  and  fling  up  of  their  heels,  set  off  for  the 
interior  at  a  pace  of  which  I  hardly  thought  cattle  capable. 
The  dogs,  already  loose,  sprang  after  and  overtook  them 
in  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  The  runners  of  the  party,  in  light 
shoes,  long  accustomed  to  the  exercise,  flew  rather  than  ran 
in  their  wake ;  whilst  my  companion  and  self,  each  equipped 

B  4 


248  CATTLE   HUNT.  [CHAP.  IX. 

1842.  with  heavy  ordnance  rifle,  eartouch-box,  ammunition  and 
accoutrements,  pea  jacket,  fishermen's  boots  and  sou'- wes- 
ter, took  long  shots  (of  about  three  hundred  yards),  to  the 
imminent  danger  of  the  runners,  and  then  floundering 
along  over  balsam-bogs,  tussock  clumps,  and  e  diddle-dee  * 
bushes,  arrived  thoroughly  blown  at  the  top  of  a  hill  im- 
mediately overlooking  the  scene  of  action.  The  herd  was 
hieing  off  in  the  distance ;  all  but  one  fine  cow  which  the 
hounds  detained.  (  Yorke,'  a  noble  dog,  held  her  by  the 
throat :  f  Laporte,'  his  scarcely  less  powerful  comrade, 
had  seized  the  middle  of  the  tail ;  and  (  anchored  '  her, 
in  spite  of  kicks  and  struggles,  which  caused  him  to 
twist  round  and  round  as  if  on  a  pivot;  whilst  little 
'Bully,'  a  smaller  more  mastiff-like  dog,  had  fixed  his- 
teeth  into  the  poor  brute's  tongue,  and  all  were  mingling 
their  snarls  and  stifled  barks  with  her  pitiful  moans.  It 
was  a  most  cruel  sight;  but  happily  her  sufferings  did  not 
last  long.  A  runner,  scarcely  less  fleet  than  the  hounds, 
was  already  up  with  his  knife,  and  quick  as  lightning 
hamstrung  both  hind-legs :  she  fell  with  a  deep  agonised 
low  to  the  ground  :  he  sprang  to  her  shoulder  like  a  savage, 
and  before  she  could  turn  her  head  to  butt  plunged  the 
steel  into  her  neck ;  when  she  rolled  over,  a  dying  creature. 
One  fierce  dog  thrust  hi&  muzzle  into  the  gaping  wound, 
and  the  others  were  already  lapping  the  blood :  they  were 
kicked  off  with  violence,  and  with  the  men  started  like 
the  wind  after  the  herd ;  for  so  short  a  time  did  all  this 
take,  that  the  remainder  of  the  cattle  were  still  in  sight. 
A  young  bull  and  heifer  were  in  like  manner  consecutively 
seized  by  the  dogs,  hamstrung  and  despatched  by  these 
swift-of-foot  men,  who  then  gave  up  the  chase.  They 
next  cleaned,  skinned  and  quartered  the  animal  last  killed 
with  marvellous  celerity,  and  returned  to  the  second ;  each 
bearing  a  quarter  on  his  shoulder,  its  fibre  still  quivering, 
as  it  appeared,  from  the  effects  of  the  hard  run,  so  abruptly 
brought  to  a  close.  The  second  was  treated  in  like  man- 


CHAP.  IX.]  FALKLAND   ISLANDS.  249 

ner,  and  transported  to  that  first  slain ;  beside  which  I  had       1842. 
remained.     Not  being  able  to  carry  all  to  the  boatsa  the       April, 
latter  was  cleaned  and  spread  open  on  the  turf,  with  the 
hide  uppermost ;  to  protect  it  from  the  carrion  hawks  and 
vultures  which  were  wheeling  in  flocks  over  our  heads. 
First  however  a  fine  piece  was  cut  out,  with  enough  of  the 
hide  to  wrap  completely  round  it  and  provide  a  supper  of 
(  carne  con  cuero '  for  all  hands. 

"  In  the  mean  time  darkness  and  heavy  sleet  had  over- 
taken us,  with  a  bitter  S.  W.  wind :  no  one  in  the  excite- 
ment of  the  chase  had  used  the  precaution  of  observing 
the  bearings  of  our  landing-place ;  and  we  were  soon  com- 
pletely bewildered  amongst  the  innumerable  little  points 
that  project  into  the  bay,  and  the  fingering  lagoons 
that  ramify  inland.  For  several  hours  we  stumbled  along 
the  muddy  and  rocky  shore,  before  we  found  the  individuals 
who  remained  with  the  boats ;  and  whose  halloos  the  wind 
carried  away  from  us  ;  whilst  their  beacon  fire  was  wholly 
obscured  by  the  thick  sleet.  Arriving  at  midnight,  very 
cold,  drenched  and  weary,  we  were  delighted  to  find  a  roar- 
ing fire  of  ( diddle-dee '  ready  to  cook  our  supper,  for  which 
the  party  had  been  most  anxiously  looking  out.  It  was  easily 
prepared  :  the  lump  of  beef  was  wrapped  tight  and  sewn 
into  the  hide ;  then  thrown  upon  the  fire,  which,  when  fed 
with  fresh  marrow-bones,  burned  fiercely.  In  about  an 
hour  the  '  carne  con  cuero '  was  taken  out,  looking  like  a 
red-hot  cannon-ball ;  for  the  skin  formed  a  hard  charcoal 
case  round  the  flesh:  after  cooling,  it  was  opened,  and 
showed  a  piece  of  deliciously  flavoured,  but  rather  tough 
beef,  stewed  in  its  own  gravy.  The  tents  had  been  pitched 
on  a  bed  of  shingle,  the  only  dry  ground  in  these  spongy 
islands  :  the  melting  snow  from  the  tent  sides  drained  off 
underneath  it ;  and  though  hard,  this  bedding  accommodates 
itself,  by  a  little  bumping,  to  the  projections  of  the  body,  and 
is  tolerably  comfortable  as  long  as  one  is  content  to  keep  in 
the  same  position.  After  supper  we  jumped  into  our 


250  CATTLE    HUNT.  [CtiAr.  IX. 

1842.      blanket  bags,  drew  a  sail  over  us;  and,  never  too  tired  for 
.     .j      our  pipe  and  glass  of  grog,  my  companion  and  I  yarned 
for  an  hour ;  when  the  nature  of  our  conversation  led  to 
the  following  remarks. 

"  Like  all  similar  sports,  requiring  little  superiority  of  in- 
tellect or  cunning,  and  involving  much  bloodshed,  we  agreed 
in  pronouncing  this  to  be  a  barbarous  exercise,  which,  how- 
ever exciting  and  manly  in  its  pursuit,  should  only  be  prac- 
tised as  a  duty,  and  not  indulged  in  for  amusement  only. 
The  death  by  violent  means  of  any  creature  innocuous  to 
man  should  excite  sympathy  in  the  well-regulated  mind,  pro- 
portionably  to  the  defencelessness  of  the  sufferer :  whilst  ths 
sight  of  one  of  the  larger  animals,  helplessly  weltering  in  its 
own  blood,  is  not  only  painful  but  revolting.  The  temporary 
excitement,  or  the  opportunity  of  rejoicing  in  one's  own 
power  or  prowess,  which  leads  the  sportsman  in  the  field 
to  thirst  for  the  slaughter  of  the  deer  at  home,  or  of  the 
cattle  in  the  Falklands,  but  which  so  deserts  him   else- 
where  that  he  shuns  the  sight  of  the  shambles,    cannot 
be  wholesome :  for  it  renders  him  callous  to  the  cry  of 
pain,    though  inflicted  by   himself,    and   it  has  a  purely 
selfish    object.     We  had   turned  our  heads   away   when 
the   cow    was  slaughtered;    and  walked   off   whilst  the 
butcher  quartered  it,  and  so  we  remembered  having  left, 
in   Kerguelen's  Land,   the  first  sea-bears  we  killed,   till 
cold,  before  we  could  with  untroubled  minds  assist  in  their 
transportation  :  so,   too,   it  was  not  without  remorse   that 
the  first  sea-leopard  was  lanced  on  the  ice ;  whose  bravery 
before  death,  and  mild  supplicating  eye  when  writhing  under 
the  spear,  seemed  to  ask  if  passive  courage  deserved  such 
a  fate,  if  it  were  meet  that  any  other  motive  than  stern 
necessity  should  tempt  a  generous  foe  to  witness  a  gallant 
endurance  of  wrongs,  which  the  sufferer  can  neither  avert 
nor  requite.  *  We  found  that  being  habituated  to  these 
sights  blunted  our  feelings  of  sympathy  :  a  deterioration 
of  mind  which,  in  educated  men,  may  lead  to  no  mischief, 


CHAP.  IX.]  FALKLAND   ISLANDS.  251 

but  which  has  this  effect  with  the  savage  or  but  partially  1842. 
civilised  subject.  No  one,  knowing  the  barbarities  prac- 
tised  by  the  inhuman  Gauchoe,  who  mutilates  his  fellow- 
creature  for  the  gratification  of  revenge,  can  doubt  of  these 
atrocities  being  the  fruits  of  a  love  of  cattle-sjaughtering, 
which  he  adopts  as  his  profession  from  a  blood-thirsty  dis- 
position. It  is  a  law  with  him  to  kill :  any  opposition  on 
the  part  of  his  victim  to  his  fulfilling  that  law  is  an 
offence  against  himself;  which  he  makes  it  a  duty  to 
punish :  hence  the  wanton  cruelty  he  practises  on  the  poor 
cattle  in  the  hunt,  and  hence  the  torturing  of  his  prisoner 
or  captive  in  war.  I  never  afterwards  passed  the  spot 
where  the  bones  of  the  treacherously  murdered  Brisbane 
lay  bleaching  in  the  sun,  and  whither  his  body  had  been 
dragged  at  the  heels  of  the  Gauchoes'  horses  ere  life 
was  extinct,  but  conscience  whispered  that  the  motives 
which  induced  me  to  join  in  the  cattle  hunt,  to  which 
neither  duty  nor  necessity  called  me,  were  those  which, 
when  fostered  in  untutored  breasts,  whose  passions  were 
unrestrained,  led  to  as  foul  a  tragedy  as  ever  disgraced 
humanity.  That  they  produced  effects  in  us,  the  following 
little  anecdote  will  show  :  its  sequel  was  a  subject  of 
bitter  regret  to  all  concerned  in  it. 

"  The  wild  horse  roams  at  large,  in  troops  of  twenty  to 
forty  over  the  northern  parts  of  the  Western  Island; 
and  has  often  afforded  sport,  especially  to  the  Gauchoe, 
when  no  other  game  was  at  his  mercy.  Shortly  before 
leaving  the  islands,  we  had  heard  of  a  fine  heifer  having 
herded  with  a  troop  of  horses ;  and  knowing  that  it  would 
be  long  before  we  should  again  taste  fresh  beef,  of  which 
the  ships  had  lately  run  very  short,  the  said  heifer  became 
the  desire  of  our  mess.  A  party  with  five  guns  and  a  dog 
was  formed,  and  left  Berkeley  Sound  early  one  morning, 
with  the  intention  of  capturing  the  young  wanderer.  During 
a  twelve  miles'  walk,  the  subject  of  eating  horse-flesh  was 
discussed ;  and  the  grim  prospect  of  spending  a  season  in 


252  CATTLE    HUNT.  [CHAP.  IX 

1842.       tne  ice,   without  fresh  meat,   determined  us,   failing  the 

heifer,  to  secure  a  colt,  dead  or  alive.     Wild  horses,  when 

P  provoked,  are  dangerous  to  unarmed  men,  who  are  some- 
times trodden  down  by  the  troop,  or  kicked  and  severely 
bitten  by  some  champions  of  their  number :  we  therefore 
took  precautions  intended  to  avoid  both  risk  to  ourselves, 
and  the  necessity  of  killing  any  thing  but  the  heifer  or  a  colt. 
The  horses  were  discovered  on  the  broad  brow  of  a  hill, 
down  which  ran  two  parallel  (  streams  of  stones,'  some 
sixty  yards  apart ;  the  latter  offering  us  an  excellent  refuge, 
as  no  hoofed  animal  can  advance  upon  such  loose  angular 
blocks  of  quartz ;  and  we  managed  to  get  the  troop  between 
these  '  streams.'  Though  poor  of  their  kind,  the  horses 
were  noble-looking  ;  their  small  heads,  round  barrels,  clean 
limbs,  flowing  manes  and  tails,  and,  above  all,  their  bold 
carriage  and  air  of  freedom,  made  them  appear  to  parti- 
cular advantage.  A  glossy  black  stallion  headed  the  troop, 
and,  with  an  iron-grey  mare,  attended  by  her  long-legged 
shambling  colt,  seemed  particularly  impatient  of  our  pre- 
sence. By  and  by  these  advanced  towards  us,  now  ambling, 
and  now  at  a  canter,  followed  by  their  companions :  they 
snorted,  shook  their  wild  manes,  wheeled  round  in  file, 
and  again  closing,  stood  stock-still,  and  looked  defiance  at 
our  whole  party.  They  all  kept  so  close  together,  that  it 
was  impossible  to  single  out  the  heifer,  who  impudently 
and  awkwardly  imitated  the  airs  of  its  bold  protectors. 
We  therefore  determined  to  divide  a  little,  and  to  let  the 
dog,  whose  impatience  was  all  but  ungovernable,  loose  on  the 
troop,  which  would  thereby  be  scattered ;  when  the  heifer 
was  to  be  singled  out  and  shot  by  one  of  the  party ;  if  the 
dog  did  not  seize  it.  The  loosened  hound  bounded  forwards 
with  a  short  bark ;  the  horses  eyed  him,  shook  their  heads, 
turned  their  tails  towards  us,  and  forthwith  one  and  all 
began  to  neigh,  rear,  fling,  and  kick  at  the  empty  air ; 
with  a  rapidity  of  motion,  uniformity,  and  pertinacity 
that  discomfited  poor  '  Yorke,'  and  moved  us  to  shrieks 


CIIAF.  IX.]  FALKLAND    ISLANDS.  253 

of  laughter.  Truly,  thought  I,  the  horse  is  brother  to  1842. 
the  ass;  yet  so  effectual  was  the  defence,  that  the  dog,  April """ 
whose  eye  was  on  the  heifer,  could  no  where  break  into  the 
phalanx.  A  shot  was  then  fired  over  their  heads,  they 
started  and  sprung  forwards:  quick  as  thought  'Yorke' 
had  the  heifer  by  the  throat ;  its  cries  and  our  shouts  scared 
the  troop,  who  started  off  in  file  for  the  mountains.  Every 
man's  rifle  was  at  his  shoulder,  to  resist  firing  a  shot  was  im- 
possible: one  ball  whistled  through  the  air,  and  ahorse  drew 
up,  stumbled  forward  and  fell :  the  spirit  of  emulation  was 
roused,  four  more  shots  followed,  and  each  brought  its 
mark  to  the  ground.  I  saw  the  gallant  grey  mare  bound 
high  into  the  air ;  one  true  aim  had  pierced  her  heart ;  she 
rolled  over — dead — and  struck  her  colt  to  the  ground  as 
she  fell." 


Having  now  secured  a  plentiful  supply  of  fresh 
beef,  and  the  means  of  obtaining  as  much  as  we 
should  require,  our  huntsmen,  after  a  little  prac- 
tice, becoming  equally  expert  and  successful,  the 
Arrow's  people  were  recalled,  as,  from  her  having 
been  in  commission  now  nearly  five  years,  they 
were  naturally  anxious  to  return  home  as  soon  as 
possible  after  their  duties  were  fulfilled. 

Lieutenant  Kobinson  having  orders  to  touch  at 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  I  availed  myself  of  so  excellent 
an  opportunity  of  transmitting  an  account  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  expedition  up  to  the  present 
date,  and  of  my  future  intentions,  to  the  Lords 
Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty,  and  to  Commo- 
dore Purvis,  the  senior  officer  of  that  part  of  the 
South  American  Station;  and  at  the  same  time 
made  known  to  the  Commodore  our  want  of  a  new 


254  REPAIR   DAMAGES   OF   THE   EREBUS.       [CHAP.  IX. 

1842.  bowsprit,  and  a  further  supply  of  provisions  and 
May.  stores,  should  any  opportunity  present  itself  of 
sending  them  to  us  ;  but  that  otherwise  we  could 
do  quite  well  upon  our  present  resources,  as  I  was 
unwilling  to  hazard  the  present  healthy  condition 
of  our  crew  by  taking  them  into  a  warm  climate, 
until  we  had  completed  our  work  in  the  southern 
regions.  I  also  sent  by  the  Arrow  all  the  specimens 
of  natural  history  which  had  been  collected  during 
the  voyage,  which  I  have  since  learnt  were  con- 
veyed from  Kio  to  England  in  her  Majesty's 
ship  Acteon,  Captain  Robert  Russell,  and  safely 
deposited  in  the  British  Museum. 

The  pier  and  storehouse  being  finished  by  the 
middle  of  May,  the  Erebus  was  completely  cleared 
out ;  and,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the 
ground,  she  was  hove  up  as  far  as  we  could  get 
her  at  the  top  of  high  water,  on  the  morning  of 
the  25th,  and  the  carpenters  of  both  ships,  and  as 
many  hands  as  could  be  of  any  assistance  to  them, 
were  set  to  work  to  repair  the  damages  she  had 
sustained  during  the  late  arduous  season's  navi- 
gation amongst  the  ice. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  being  the  anniversary  of 
the  birth  of  our  most  gracious  Queen,  a  royal 
salute  was  fired  from  a  temporary  battery  we 
had  constructed  on  the  beach,  on  which  the  guns 
and  howitzers  of  both  ships  had  been  mounted  for 
the  occasion,  and  our  people  enjoyed  an  additional 
allowance  of  provisions  and  grog  in  honour  of  the 
day. 


CHAP.  IX.]      REPAIR   DAMAGES    OF   THE   TERROR.  255 

All  the  repairs  and  caulking  below  the  water      1842. 
line  of  the  Erebus  being  completed  by  the  evening      May< 
of  the  26th,  she  was  hauled  off  at  high  water,  and 
moored  at   a  convenient  distance  from  the  pier. 
The  next  few  days  were  occupied  in  thoroughly 
cleansing  and  ventilating  the  holds,  whilst  a  strict 
and  careful  survey  of  all  the  remaining  stores  and 
provisions  was  being  made  by  officers  appointed  to 
that  duty ;    their  reshipment  was  commenced  on 
the  1st  of  June,  and  finished  by  the  7th. 

Precisely   similar   operations  were   commenced 
upon  the  Terror ;  she  was  laid  on  the  ground  for 
examination  and  repair  on  the  22nd,  and  hove  off  June  22. 
again  on  the  25th. 

In  the  evening  of  the  23rd  a  man-of-war  was 
seen  beating  up  Berkeley  Sound,  and  on  her 
anchoring,  late  at  night,  outside  the  narrows,  I 
sent  an  officer  on  board,  in  case  of  her  wanting  the 
assistance  of  a  pilot  into  the  harbour.  On  his 
return,  he  informed  me  it  was  her  Majesty's  ship 
Carysfort,  commanded  by  the  Eight  Honourable 
Lord  George  Paulet,  having  on  board  a  bowsprit, 
and  a  large  supply  of  provisions  and  stores  sent  to 
us  by  Commodore  Purvis,  and  also  a  quantity  of 
private  stock  for  which  we  had  written  to  a  mer- 
chant at  Rio,  and  which  must  have  been  sent  to  us, 
at  great  expense,  in  a  hired  vessel,  but  for  the 
kindness  of  Lord  George  Paulet  in  taking  charge  of 
them  for  us,  notwithstanding  the  great  bulk  and  the 
inconvenience  attending  their  stowage  in  a  vessel 
already  deeply  laden  and  encumbered  with  the 


256  ARRIVAL   OF   H.M.S.    CARYSFORT.         [CHAP.  IX. 

1842»      public  stores  ;  for  this  act  of  great  kindness  we  all 
felt  most  thankful  to  him. 

The  merchant  at  Rio,  of  whom  we  had  pur- 
chased these  things,  afterwards  sent  a  small  vessel 
on  speculation,  laden  with  an  additional  quantity  of 
those  articles  of  which  he  thought  us  likely  to  be  in 
want ;  but,  from  her  never  having  been  since  heard 
of,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  she  foundered  in  one  of  the 
heavy  gales  which  occurred  about  the  time  of  her 
expected  arrival  at  the  Falklands,  and  that  all 
hands,  amongst  whom  was  the  merchant's  brother, 
perished. 

June  24.  Early  the  next  morning,  I  went  to  pay  my 
respects  to  Lord  George  Paulet,  taking  with  me 
Mr.  Tucker,  master  of  the  Erebus,  to  pilot  the 
Carysfort  into  the  inner  harbour.  There  was  a 
light  adverse  wind,  but  aided  by  a  flowing  tide,  and 
admirably  manoeuvred,  she  worked  through  the  nar- 
rows, and  anchored  close  to  the  Erebus  in  the  after- 
noon. It  was  no  small  gratification  to  us  to  have 
it  in  our  power  to  transfer  to  them  a  quantity  of 
fresh  beef,  which  our  hunting  party  had  sent  in 
that  morning,  more  especially  as  they  could  not 
have  obtained  any  from  the  government  store;  and 
by  putting  our  crews  on  salt  provisions  for  a  few 
days,  which  was  rather  a  treat  than  a  privation  to 
them,  we  were  enabled  to  keep  the  Carysfort  fully 
supplied  during  the  too  brief  period  of  her  stay. 
The  pleasure  of  again  meeting  with  our  brother 
officers,  after  having  been  so  long  deprived  of  such 
society,  few  people  can  understand,  except  those 


CHAP.  IX.]  REFITMENT   OF   THE   SHIPS.  257 


1842. 


who  may  have  been  similarly  circumstanced  ;  and 
the  "  holidays,"  as  they  were  called,  which  their     June, 
arrival  and  cordial  and  agreeable  intercourse  occa- 
sioned, were  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  us  all. 

The  weather  was  unsettled  and  boisterous  during 
their  stay,  and  its  inclemency  was  felt  more  se- 
verely by  them,  from  their  having  so  recently  left 
the  delightful  climate  and  beautiful  scenery  of  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  for  the  bleak  snow-covered  shores  of 
the  Falkland  Islands. 

The  Carysfort  sailed  for  the  Pacific  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  7th  July,  giving  us  three  hearty  cheers    juiy  7. 
at  parting,  which  we  as  cordially  returned. 

With  the  new  bowsprit,  stores,  and  provisions, 
which  the  commodore  had  taken  so  much  pains  to 
provide  for  us,  we  felt  completely  set  up,  and  that 
we  should  now  be  enabled  to  resume  our  explora- 
tions of  the  Southern  Regions  in  as  efficient  a 
condition  in  every  respect  as  on  the  day  of  our 
departure  from  England. 

The  refitment  of  the  ships  proceeded  steadily  and 
uninterruptedly ;  and  by  the  end  of  the  month  of 
July  they  were  again  in  perfect  order  and  ready  for 
sea.  But  as  our  magnetic  experiments  could  not 
be  completed  until  the  end  of  August  or  beginning 
of  September,  and  in  order  to  give  our  people 
healthful  exercise  and  useful  occupation,  I  directed 
them  to  be  employed  building  a  wall  seven  feet 
thick,  and  as  many  high,  round  the  spot  which  had 
been  hitherto  used  as  a  burial-ground,  but  which 
was  at  present  without  any  enclosure;  and  the 

VOL.  n.  s 


258  PORT   WILLIAM.  [CHAP.  IX. 

1842.     remains  of  the  ill-fated  and  barbarously  murdered 

~— Brisbane,  the  companion  of  Weddeil  on  his  daring 

and  adventurous  voyage  to  the  highest  southern 
latitudes,  were  removed  from  beneath  the  heap  of 
stones,  where  the  Gauchoes  had  left  them,  into  the 
burial-ground,  and  a  suitable  inscription  placed 
over  them. 

At  the  request  of  the  Lieutenant-governor  I  made 
an  excursion  to  Port  William,  accompanied  by  Cap- 
tain Crozier,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  an  opinion 
upon  the  relative  merits  of  the  two  harbours,  and 
whether  Port  Louis  or  Port  William  is  the  best 
adapted  to  be  the  chief  port  of  the  colony  in  a 
naval  and  commercial  point  of  view  combined. 
The  result  of  the  investigation,  which,  owing  to 
unfavourable  weather,  occupied  us  nearly  a  week, 
was,  that  we  agreed  in  considering  Port  William 
to  possess  so  many  advantages  over  Port  Louis, 
that  I  recommended  the  settlement  should  be 
removed  to  the  former  place,  for  the  following 
reasons. 

Port  William  is  much  more  easy  of  access  from 
its  situation  near  the  eastern  extreme  point  of  the 
island  (Cape  Pembroke),  so  that  ships  are  almost 
immediately  in  harbour  after  making  the  land,  and 
as  immediately  at  sea,  clear  of  all  dangers  on  leaving 
the  harbour ;  whereas  to  gain  Port  Louis  they  have 
usually  to  beat  twelve  or  thirteen  miles  against  the 
prevailing  winds,  a  serious  objection,  so  far  as  mer- 
chant or  disabled  vessels  are  concerned. 

Secondly,  Port  William  has  the  advantage  of 


CHAP.  IX.]  PORT   WILLIAM.  259 

Port  Louis,  in  possessing  two  very  secure  outer      1342. 
anchorages,  where  ships,  calling  merely  for  water      July> 
and  refreshments,  might  be  readily  supplied  without 
passing  the  narrows,  in  perfect  safety  and  protec- 
tion from  all  winds. 

Thirdly,  vessels  of  large  size  may  pass  through 
the  narrows  into  the  inner  harbour  of  Port  William 
(known  as  Jackson's  Harbour)  with  any  wind. 
Port  Louis  cannot  be  entered  by  vessels  of  con- 
siderable size,  except  under  favourable  circum- 
stances, of  infrequent  occurrence.  This  ad- 
vantage in  favour  of  Port  William  arises  from 
the  prevailing  winds  blowing  through  the  narrows 
of  Port  Louis,  rendering  it  necessary  to  beat 
through  them ;  but  they  blow  across  the  narrows 
of  Port  William,  so  that  ships  may  usually  sail 
either  in  or  out  without  making  a  tack;  the 
narrows  of  Port  William,  also,  have  bolder  and 
better  protected  shores  than  those  of  Port  Louis. 

Fourthly,  there  is  a  sufficient  depth  of  water  for 
a  first-rate  in  the  inner  harbour  of  Port  William, 
and  ample  room  for  twenty  sail  of  the  line  ;  at  Port 
Louis  there  is  not  sufficient  depth  of  water  for  a 
large  class  frigate. 

Fifthly,  Port  William  has  a  peculiar  advantage 
over  Port  Louis  as  a  naval  station  in  the  facility- 
with  which  a  ship  or  squadron  may  be  despatched 
to  sea,  with  the  wind  blowing  fresh  from  the  east- 
ward, which  it  could  not  be  from  Port  Louis 
in  such  a  case. 

From   these  considerations   it   was   sufficiently 

s    2 


260  REMOVAL   OF   THE    SETTLEMENT.      [CHAP.  IX. 

1842.      evident  to  us  that  should  a  large  naval  force  ever 

July,     be  assembled  or  stationed  at  the  Falkland  Islands, 

the  head  quarters    of  the  squadron  would  most 

assuredly  be  fixed  at  Port  William  rather  than 

Port  Louis. 

The  principal  objection  to  placing  the  seat  of 
government  at  Port  William  is  the  small  quantity 
of  land  in  its  vicinity  suitable  to  agricultural  pur- 
poses; but  as  the  chief  advantages  to  be  derived 
from  our  keeping  possession  of  these  islands 
are  connected  with  maritime  affairs,  our  opinion 
of  the  great  superiority  of  Port  William  for 
naval  purposes  having  been  forwarded  to  the 
home  government,  the  establishment  has  been 
since  removed  from  Port  Louis  to  Port  William. 
It  is  desirable  that  this  change  should  be  exten- 
sively known,  for  merchant  vessels,  after  rounding 
Cape  Horn,  very  generally  sight  Cape  Pembroke 
to  verify  their  chronometers,  though  they  seldom 
attempt  to  beat  up  Berkeley  Sound,  owing  to  the 
serious  loss  of  time  thus  occasioned.  Now,  how- 
ever, that  by  heaving  to  for  two  or  three  hours, 
under  the  lee  of  Cape  Pembroke,  they  may  be  sup- 
plied with  water  and  fresh  provisions,  many  will 
be  glad  to  avail  themselves  of  so  great  an  advan- 
tage, rather  than  run  into  any  of  the  South 
American  ports  for  supplies,  where  the  harbour 
clues  and  other  charges  upon  foreign  vessels  are 
extremely  exorbitant. 

The  admirable  accounts  of  the  Falkland  Islands, 
which  have  been  so  recently  published  by  Captain 


CHAP.  IX.]  BOTANICAL   NOTICE.  261 

Fitzroy  and  Mr.  Darwin,  render  any  description 
of  them  here  unnecessary.  I  need  therefore  only  July, 
observe,  that  the  condition  of  the  settlement  at 
the  period  of  our  arrival  was  any  thing  but 
flourishing ;  indeed,  from  all  accounts  I  heard, 
rather  retrograding.  The  number  of  inhabitants 
had  considerably  diminished,  and  amounted,  at 
this  time,  to  only  forty-six,  independent  of  the 
lieutenant-governor  and  his  party,  consisting  in  all 
of  about  twenty,  and  Captain  Allen  Gardiner, 
K.  N.,  his  wife  and  two  children,  who  were  intend- 
ing to  reside  in  Patagonia,  as  soon  as  an  oppor- 
tunity presented  of  getting  there,  for  the  purpose 
of  preparing  the  way  for  a  missionary  teacher  to 
be  sent  into  the  wide  field  which  appears  to  be 
opening  for  their  benevolent  and  pious  labours. 

The  following  remarks  on  the  botanical  pro- 
ductions of  the  Falkland  Islands,  by  Dr.  Hooker,  will 
be  read  with  much  interest,  as  also  some  additional 
particulars  respecting  the  Tussock-grass  extracted 
from  the  "  Flora  Antarctica."  * 

"  The  uniform  plains  and  grassy  undulating  hills 
of  the  Falkland  Islands  betoken  at  first  sight  a 
country  of  little  interest  for  the  botanist ;  and  a 
closer  inspection  proves  this  to  be,  to  a  certain 
extent,  the  case.  The  species  are  few  in  number, 
these  two  large  islands  containing  hardly  one 
hundred  and  twenty  flowering  plants,  and  their 

*   Part  xxii.  p.  385. 
s   3 


262 


GRASSES.  [CHAP.  IX. 


1842.  vegetation  consisting  chiefly  of  such  natives  of 
"  the  rainy  and  storm-vexed  mountains  of  Fuegia, 
and  of  the  arid  coast  and  plains  of  Patagonia,  as 
can  endure  those  sudden  vicissitudes  from  heat  to 
cold,  and  from  damp  to  dry,  which  the  climate  of 
the  Falklands  presents.  The  position  of  the  islands 
in  question,  about  equally  approximated  to  both 
the  above-named  countries,  might  naturally  seem 
favourable  to  their  receiving  a  like  share  of  the  ve- 
getation of  each.  Grasses  and  the  balsam-bog  (Bolax 
glebaria)  form  the  chief,  and  indeed  the  only  con- 
spicuous botanical  feature  in  the  landscape.  Dur- 
ing  the  whole  year  they  cover  the  hills,  the  peat- 
bogs, the  plains,  the  coasts,  and  outlying  islets. 
In  the  latter  situation,  the  Tussock  chiefly  thrives 
in  its  greatest  luxuriance,  appearing  like  a  forest  of 
miniature  palms ;  and  this  being  the  most  im- 
portant among  the'  Falkland  Island  plants,  it  de- 
serves to  be  noticed  first.  The  similarity  between 
the  Tussock-grass  and  a  small  palm-tree  is  due  to 
the  curious  mode  of  growth  of  the  former.  Each 
plant  forms  a  hillock  of  matted  roots,  rising 
straight  out  of  the  ground,  and  a  few  feet  or  more 
apart  from  the  roots  of  the  surrounding  Tussock 
plants.  The  hillocks  are  often  six  feet  high,  and 
four  or  five  in  diameter,  and  they  throw  out 
from  the  summit  the  copious  grassy  foliage,  with 
blades  full  six  feet  in  length,  drooping  on  all  sides, 
those  of  opposite  plants  meeting,  so  as  to  over-arch 
the  spaces  between.  Thus  a  Tussock-bog  (for  so  a 
tract  of  land  covered  with  this  grass  is  called) 


CHAP.  IX.]  BALSAM   BOG.  263 

becomes  often  a  labyrinth,  and  sometimes  a  dan- 
gerous one  to  the  visitor ;  for  these  spots  are  the 
resort  of  sea-lions,  which,  when  incautiously  dis- 
turbed, bite  very  severely.  Both  the  Tussock-grass 
and  Balsam-bog  are  found  in  Tierra  del  Fuego; 
but  in  the  Falkland  Islands  they  are  most  abun- 
dant and  luxuriant.  The  latter  plant,  com- 
mencing as  a  little  herb,  and  densely  tufted  like  a 
saxifrage,  by  gradually  and  repeatedly  branching, 
and  these  branches  being  covered  with  leaves,  and 
radiating  on  every  side,  and  all  growing  to  the 
same  length,  forms  a  ball.  When  still  larger,  it 
assumes  the  form  of  a  hemispherical  cushion,  rising 
out  of  the  ground,  of  a  pale  yellow-green  colour, 
and  very  firm  substance :  the  little  branches  being  so 
densely  and  uniformly  packed  together  that  they 
present  an  even  surface,  of  such  hardness  and 
compactness  that  the  knuckles  may  be  broken 
against  the  mass.  These  hummocks  of  living 
vegetable  matter  often  attain  a  height  of  four 
feet,  and  an  equal  or  much  greater  diameter.  They 
are  called  Balsam-bogs,  from  their  fragrant  and 
resinous  smell ;  or,  sometimes  misery-balls,  because 
they  generally  indicate  a  barren  soil.  The  plant 
belongs  to  the  same  natural  order  as  the  carrot 
(  Umbelliferce)  :  the  flowers  are  similarly  produced 
in  little  umbels:  its  striking  difference  in  habit 
from  the  northern  species  of  that  order,  is  a  cha- 
racter which  it  shares  with  some  other  antarctic 
plants:  they  constitute  together  a  group  of  the 
Umbelliferce,  almost  peculiar  to  the  higher  latitudes 

s   4 


264  FLOWERS.  [CHAP.  IX. 


1842.     of  the  southern  hemisphere,  or  the  Andes  of  South 
America. 

"  Neither  of  the  two  remarkable  species  of  beech, 
nor  the  Winter's  bark,  the  Fuchsia,  currant,  or  bar- 
berries, which  inhabit  Fuegia,  are  seen  in  the  Talk- 
lands.  The  Veronica  elliptica  (  V.  decussata  of  our 
gardens)  is  the  only  large  shrub  of  the  islands, 
and  it  is  confined  to  a  few  bays  on  the  southern 
and  western  coasts.  A  white-flowered  Aster-like 
plant,  about  four  feet  high,  constitutes  the  most 
common  shrub  of  the  country;  while  the  little 
Empetrum  rubrum,  a  species  of  crowberry,  produc- 
ing a  berry  very  similar  to  that  of  its  northern 
congener,  and  further  useful  from  the  facility  with 
which  it  ignites,  even  when  sodden  with  rain, 
covers  extensive  tracts  like  heather.  A  small 
myrtle,  bearing  however  no  resemblance  to  its 
classic  congener  of  Italy,  creeps  over  the  ground, 
and  produces  a  sweet  and  pleasant  berry;  and  a 
Rubus  or  bramble,  analogous  to  our  R.  arcticus  and 
R.  saxatilis,  but  of  humbler  growth,  nestles  among 
the  Empetrum,  and  affords  a  fruit  equal  in  size  and 
flavour  to  the  raspberry.  All  these  are  Fuegian 
plants,  but  they  are  far  more  abundant  in  the 
Falkland  s.  During  early  spring  the  banks  near 
the  sea  are  enamelled  with  a  few  highly  beautiful 
and  conspicuous  flowers,  such  as  are  chiefly  com- 
mon to  Patagonia  :  they  are  Oxalis  enneaphylla,  a 
wood-sorrel,  with  blossoms  larger  than  those  of 
the  snow-  drop  ;  a  curious  little  Calceolaria,  bearing 
a  single  large  flower  ;  a  yellow  violet  ;  and  a  Sisy- 


CHAP.  IX.]  LICHENS.  265 

rinchium,  which,  with  the  common  European  Ceras-  1842. 
tium  arvense,  whiten  the  clay-slate  banks  that 
skirt  the  shores  of  Berkeley  Sound.  The  heaths 
and  grassy  lands  are  spotted,  at  the  same  season, 
with  a  white  primrose,  nearly  identical  with  our 
Primula  farinosa :  there  also  grows  the  above- 
mentioned  Sisyrinchium,  of  which  the  nodding 
white  blossoms  recall  the  snow-flake  ;  and  a  plant, 
which  resembles  dandelion,  but  has  white  and 
pleasantly  scented  flowers,  smelling  like  benzoin, 
is  also  abundant. 

"  Nowhere  in  the  world  are  Lichens  more  con- 
spicuous than  in  the  Falklands.  The  beautiful 
Usnea  melaxantha,  also  a  native  of  the  arctic  re- 
gions, forms  a  miniature  shrubbery  on  the  tops  of 
naked  rocks  on  the  hills  ;  while  their  sides  are 
coated  with  many  species,  almost  invariably  iden- 
tical with  those  of  Great  Britain.  Along  the  sea 
beach  grow  many  species  of  this  group,  especially 
a  pendent  Ramalina,  very  near  the  E.  scopulorum 
of  Europe,  and  attaining  a  length  of  eight  inches  : 
it  hangs  so  copiously  from  the  rocks  as  in  many 
places  to  cover  them  entirely. 

"Sea-weeds  abound  prodigiously  on  the  outer 
rocky  coasts,  nor  did  we  elsewhere  see  such  enor- 
mous masses  of  marine  vegetation  as  were  cast  upon 
the  beach  of  the  east  shore  of  the  Falklands.  They 
consist  principally  of  Macrocystis  pyrifera,  men- 
tioned as  a  native  of  Kerguelen's  Land,  Lessonice, 
and  D'  Urvillcea  utilis.  Wrenched  from  their  attach- 
ment to  the  rocks  and  washed  ashore,  these  sea- 


266 


SEA- WEEDS.  [CHAP.  IX. 


1842.  weeds  become  twisted  together  by  rolling  in  the 
heavy  surf,  till  they  form  enormous  vegetable 
cables,  much  thicker  than  the  human  body,  and 
several  hundred  feet  in  length.  In  some  parts, 
the  beach  is  so  cumbered  with  these  masses  that 
walking  becomes  quite  laborious;  the  pedestrian 
sinks  frequently  to  the  knees  in  the  decaying  heaps, 
and  animal  substance  being  also  caught  up,  as  in 
a  net,  the  traveller's  progress  is  rendered  both 
offensive  and  tedious.  Many  most  rare  and  beauti- 
ful sea-weeds  may  be  detected  here,  either  torn  from 
inaccessible  rocks  far  out  to  sea  with  the  larger 
kinds,  or  growing  parasitically  upon  them.  The 
green,  pink,  and  purple  lavers  of  Great  Britain  may 
be  readily  recognised :  though  many  of  them  are 
not  found  in  the  intervening  warm  latitudes,  they 
re-appear  in  the  cold  seas  of  the  opposite  hemi- 
sphere ;  together  with  others,  not  exactly  the  same 
species,  but  representatives,  in  the  southern  ocean,  of 
those  sea- weeds  which  inhabit  the  northern.  They 
remind  the  botanist  of  home,  while  they  tell  him  he 
is  not  there.  One  gigantic  genus  is  particularly 
abundant  in  the  seas  near  the  Falklands  and  Cape 
Horn,  and  surpasses  all  others  in  bulk.  It  is 
called  Lessonia  (after  the  naturalist  of  Captain 
Duperrey's  expedition),  and  altogether  resembles  a 
tree  in  its  mode  of  growth.  The  stem  or  trunk 
attaches  itself  by  clasping  fibres  to  the  rocks, 
always  beyond  high- water  mark :  it  attains  a  height 
of  eight  or  ten  feet  and  the  thickness  of  a  man's 
thigh :  it  branches  upwards ;  and  the  ends  of  the 


CHAP.  IX.]  SEA-WEEDS.  267 

branches  give  out  leaves  two  or  three  feet  long, 
and  barely  three  inches  broad,  which,  when  in  the 
water,  hang  down  like  the  boughs  of  a  willow.  In 
many  places  the  plant  is  so  copious  that  it  forms  a 
submerged  forest.  On  looking  down  from  a  boat 
through  the  transparent  water  where  it  grows, 
nothing  but  a  mass  of  green  foliage  can  be  seen. 
There  are  several  different  species  of  this  sea- weed, 
all  attaining  great  size.  The  stems,  when  washed 
on  shore,  bear  such  an  exact  resemblance  to  dead 
wood  as  quite  to  deceive  the  eye :  no  arguments  of 
mine  could  dissuade  the  captain  of  a  merchant 
brig,  with  whom  I  visited  a  portion  of  the  Falk- 
land Islands,  from  taking  several  boat-loads  on  board 
his  vessel:  he  was  perfectly  convinced  that  this 
sea-weed  would  afford,  when  dried,  excellent  fuel. 
A  better  use  is  made  of  it  by  the  Guachos,  who 
shape  pieces  of  the  stem  into  knife-handles ;  when 
moist  they  drive  the  base  of  the  blade  into  it,  and 
leaving  it  to  dry,  it  becomes  harder  than  horn,  and 
no  force  can  sever  the  instrument  from  this  novel 
kind  of  haft.  A  similar  use  is  made  of  the  large 
Algce  of  Orkney.  Though  this  gigantic  and  exube- 
rant marine  vegetable  has  hitherto  been  of  little 
service  to  man,  yet  it  performs  a  vast  part  in  the 
economy  of  the  lower  orders  of  the  animal  king- 
dom. No  person,  who  has  not  actually  seen  it, 
can  form  an  idea  of  the  amount  of  life  which  is 
nourished  and  housed  by  one  of  these  tree  sea- 
weeds. Among  the  fibres  of  its  clasping  roots 
dwell  various  kinds  of  worms,  small  sponges, 


268  MOSSES   AND   FERNS.  [CHAP.  IX. 

1842-  corals,  crabs,  and  crustacece  of  different  sorts. 
The  stem  is  incrusted  with  corals  and  Flustrce, 
and  often  affords  a  point  of  attachment  for  the 
eggs  of  fish  and  molluscce,  besides  being  adorned 
with  a  growth  of  lesser  algce,  as  mosses  cling  to  the 
trunks  of  forest-trees.  The  leaves  are  often  white 
from  the  myriads  of  Serpulce  and  other  shells,  and 
they  harbour  various  predacious  fish,  besides 
yielding  a  place  of  retreat  to  the  weaker  species. 

"  The  Mosses  of  the  Falklands  hardly  merit 
notice,  being  very  few  in  number,  compared  with 
what  other  Antarctic  islands  produce.  The  com- 
mon Sphagnum,  or  bog-moss  of  Europe,  is  seen  ; 
but  not  so  abundantly  as  the  prevalence  of  peat 
and  bog-earth  might  seem  to  infer:  nor  does  it 
prove  the  same  active  agent  in  producing  this  kind 
of  soil  which  it  is  in  Scotland  and  Ireland.  The 
numerous  grasses,  the  Empetrum,  the  little  myrtle, 
and  some  other  flowering  plants,  take  a  greater 
share  than  Sphagnum  in  the  formation  of  peat  in 
the  Falklands ;  and  the  soil  so  composed  is  perhaps 
of  an  equally  antiseptic  nature  as  that  in  the 
northern  regions ;  for  the  leaves  of  some  plants 
may  be  found  uninjured  in  it  at  a  considerable 
depth. 

"  The  Ferns  consist  of  very  few  species,  though 
two  of  them,  Lomaria  alpina  and  L.  Magellanica, 
both  Fuegian  plants,  abound.  The  former  is  of 
small  size,  but  often  covers  a  considerable  sur- 
face: the  latter  grows  among  rocks,  and  is  sub- 
arborescent,  its  caudex  forming  a  short  stout  stem, 


CHAP.  IX.]  ESCULENT   PLANTS.  269 

from  the  apex  of  which  numerous  fronds  spread      1842. 
on  all  sides :  it  is  generally  seen  in  stony  places, 
and  has  much  the  aspect  of  a  miniature  Zamia. 

"  Hardly  any  of  the  Falkland  Island  plants  are 
esculent :  those  which  are  so  have  valuable  anti- 
scorbutic qualities ;  particularly  the  common  celery, 
which  abounds  on  the  shores,  also  a  species  of 
Cardamine  and  Oxalis  enneaphylla.  Both  the  latter 
are  called  scurvy-grass,  and  would  doubtless  prove 
beneficial  in  cases  of  that  disease.  The  lower  part 
of  the  culm  in  the  tussock  is  so  fleshy  and  juicy, 
that,  when  a  tuft  of  leaves  is  drawn  out  from  a 
tussock-bog,  an  inch  of  the  base,  about  the  thick- 
ness of  a  finger,  affords  a  very  sweet  morsel,  with 
a  flavour  like  nuts.  Two  men  subsisted  almost 
entirely  upon  this  substance  for  fourteen  months. 
They  had  wandered  or  deserted  from  their  ship 
upon  the  West  Falkland  Island,  where  there  are  no 
habitations.  The  only  protection  from  the  wea- 
ther that  they  could  avail  themselves  of,  was  a  hut 
made  of  the  bogs  or  masses  formed  by  tufted  roots 
of  this  plant  heaped  upon  one  another :  one  of 
which  was  rolled  to  the  opening  at  night,  and 
served  for  a  door.  The  berries  of  the  Empetrum 
and  Myrtus  are  edible,  though  ordinary  ;  but  the 
fruit  of  the  Eubus  equals  a  raspberry  in  size  and 
flavour. 

"  Some  European  plants,  long  ago  introduced  by 
persons  who  have  touched  on  these  shores,  are 
now  scattered,  through  the  agency  of  the  cattle 
and  horses,  all  over  the  eastern  islands.  I  allude 


270  TUSSOCK-GRASS.  [CHAP.  IX. 

1842.      particularly  to   Veronica  serpylUfolia,  Poa  annua, 
~  Senecio  vulgaris,  Cerastium  viscosum,  and  Stellaria 
media. 

"  The  peculiar  mode  of  growth  of  the  Tussock-grass 
(Dactylis  ccespitosa)  enables  it  to  thrive  in  pure  sand, 
and  near  the  sea,  where  it  has  the  benefit  of  an  at- 
mosphere loaded  with  moisture,  of  soil  enriched  by 
decaying  sea-weeds,  of  manure,  which  is  composed 
in  the  Falkland  Islands  of  an  abundant  supply  of 
animal  matter,  in  the  form  of  guano,  and  of  the  ex- 
crements of  numerous  birds,  who  deposit  their  eggs, 
rear  their  young,  and  find  a  habitation  amongst 
the  groves  of  Tussock.  Its  general  locality  is  on 
the  edges  of  those  peat  bogs  which  approach  the 
shore,  where  it  contributes  considerably  to  the 
formation  of  peat.  Though  not  universal  along 
the  coast  of  these  islands,  the  quantity  is  still  pro- 
digious, for  it  is  always  a  gregarious  grass,  ex- 
tending in  patches  sometimes  for  nearly  a  mile,  but 
seldom  seen,  except  within  the  influence  of  the  sea 
air.  This  predilection  for  the  ocean  does  not  arise 
from  an  incapacity  to  grow  and  thrive  except  close 
to  the  salt  water,  but  because  other  plants  not 
suited  to  the  sea  shore  already  cover  the  ground 
in  more  inland  localities,  and  prevail  over  it.  I 
have  seen  the  Tussock  on  inaccessible  cliffs  in  the 
interior,  having  been  brought  there  by  the  birds, 
and  afterwards  manured  by  them ;  and,  when  cul- 
tivated, it  thrives,  both  in  the  Falklands  and  in 
England,  far  from  the  sea. 

"  I  know  of  no  grass  likely  to  yield  nearly  so  great 


CHAP.  IX.]  TUSSOCK-GEASS.  271 

an  amount  of  nourishment  as  the  Tussock,  when  1842. 
thoroughly  established  ;  in  proof  of  which  I  quote 
Lieutenant  Governor  Moody's  printed  report,  for 
the  truth  of  which  I  can  vouch,  both  from  my  own 
experience,  and  from  his  having  kindly  given  me 
ample  means  for  judging  of  the  correctness  of  his 
interesting  and  useful  observations. 

"  During  several  long  rides  into  the  country,  I 
have  always  found  the  Tussock  flourishing  most 
vigorously  in  spots  exposed  to  the  sea,  and  on  soil 
unfit  for  any  other  plant,  viz.  the  rankest  peat  bog, 
black  or  red.  It  is  wonderful  to  observe  the 
beaten  footpaths  of  the  wild  cattle  and  horses, 
marked  like  a  foot-track  across  fields  in  England, 
extending  for  miles  over  barren  moor  land,  but 
always  terminating  in  some  point  or  peninsula  co- 
vered with  this  favourite  fodder,  amid  which  one 
is  almost  certain  to  meet  with  solitary  old  bulls,  or 
perhaps  a  herd  of  cattle  ;  very  likely,  a  troop  of 
wild  horses,  just  trotting  off  as  they  scent  the 
coming  stranger  from  afar.  To  cultivate  the  Tus- 
sock-grass, I  should  recommend  that  its  seed  be 
sown  in  patches,  just  below  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
and  at  distances  of  about  two  feet  apart ;  it  must 
afterwards  be  weeded  out,  for  it  grows  very  luxu- 
riantly, frequently  attaining  a  height  of  six  or 
seven  feet.  It  should  not  be  grazed,  but  cut  or 
reaped  in  bundles.  If  cut,  it  quickly  shoots  again, 
but  is  much  injured  by  grazing ;  for  all  animals, 
especially  pigs,  tear  it  up,  to  get  at  the  sweet 
nutty-flavoured  roots.  I  have  not  tried  how  it 


272  TUSSOCK-GRASS.  [CHAP.  IX. 

1842.  would  be  relished  if  made  into  hay,  but  cattle  will 
eat  the  dry  thatch  off  the  roof  of  a  house  in  winter ; 
their  preference  to  Tussock-grass  being  so  great, 
that  they  scent  it  a  considerable  distance,  and  use 
every  effort  to  get  at  it.  Some  bundles,  which 
had  been  stacked  in  the  yard  at  the  back  of 
Government  House,  were  quickly  detected,  and  the 
cattle  in  the  village  made,  every  night,  repeated 
attempts  to  reach  them." 

"  Since  the  above  was  written,  the  Tussock  has 
been  used  abundantly  when  made  into  hay,  being 
preferred  by  cattle  even  to  the  green  state  of  any 
of  the  other  excellent  grasses  in  the  Falklaiids. 
Governor  Moody  informs  me  that  in  his  garden  it 
grows  rapidly,  and  improves  by  cutting.  There 
is,  however,  one  drawback  to  the  value  of  the 
Tussock:  it  is  a  perennial  grass  of  slow  growth, 
and  some  disappointment  has  already  been  expe- 
rienced in  England  from  this  cause.  Each  Tussock 
consists  of  many  hundreds  of  culms,  springing 
together  from  a  mass  of  roots,  which  have  required 
a  long  series  of  years  to  attain  their  great  and  pro- 
ductive size.  Our  cultivated  specimens  in  the 
Royal  Gardens  of  Kew,  now  nearly  three  years  old, 
are  in  a  fair  way  of  becoming  good  Tussocks  ;  for 
the  quantity  of  stems  from  each  root,  the  produce 
of  one  seed,  is  incalculably  more  than  any  other 
grass  throws  up,  and  these  are  already  forming  a 
ball  of  root-fibres,  which  in  time  will  form  a  mound. 
But  this  ball,  now  scarcely  six  inches  across,  and 
not  two  in  height,  must  have  grown  to  six  or  eight 


CHAP.  IX.]  TUSSOCK-GRASS.  273 

feet  high,  with  a  diameter  of  three  or  four  feet ;  1842- 
instead  of  forty  culms,  there  must  be  four  hundred; 
and  the  leaves,  now  three  feet  long,  must  attain 
seven,  ere  the  Tussock  of  England  can  compete 
with  its  parent  in  the  Falklands.  Though,  how- 
ever, the  stoles  (if  I  may  so  call  the  matted  roots 
of  this  grass)  in  the  most  vigorous  native  speci- 
mens attain  a  height  of  seven  feet,  it  is  certain  they 
are  very  productive  before  they  have  reached  two 
or  three.  By  the  time  the  leaves  have  gained 
their  great  size,  the  bases  of  the  culms  are  nearly 
as  broad  as  the  thumb,  and,  when  pulled  out 
young,  they  yield  an  inch  or  two  of  a  soft,  white, 
and  sweet  substance,  of  the  flavour  of  a  nut, 
and  so  nutritious  that  two  American  sealers,  who 
deserted  a  vessel  in  an  unfrequented  part  of  the 
Falklands,  subsisted  on  little  else  for  fourteen 
months. 

"  Again,  the  Tussock-grass  field,  when  fully  esta- 
blished, must  not  be  grazed  indiscriminately  by 
cattle.  These  creatures  and  the  pigs  have  already 
diminished  its  abundance  in  the  Falklands ;  for, 
after  devouring  the  foliage,  they  eat  down  the 
stumps  of  the  culms,  greedily  following  them  into 
the  heart  of  the  mass  of  roots  from  which  they 
spring,  for  the  sake  of  the  white  core  just  de- 
scribed ;  the  rain-water  lodges  in  the  cavity  thus 
formed,  and  decay  so  surely  follows,  that  I  have 
seen  nearly  half  a  mile  of  Tussock-grass  plants 
entirely  destroyed  by  no  other  means. 

VOL.  II.  T 


274  TUSSOCK-GRASS.  [CHAP.  IX. 

"  Although  in  the  Falklands  this  plant  will  grow 
on  the  fine  sand  near  the  sea,  and  there  reach  as 
great  a  size  as  on  any  other  soil,  it  is  not  likely  to 
do  so  in  the  drier  climate  of  Britain,  where  the 
absence  of  an  equally  humid  atmosphere  must  be 
artificially  remedied.  A  wet,  light,  peaty  soil  has,  in 
England,  been  found  to  favour  its  growth ;  sea- weed 
manure  might  probably  be  added  with  advantage, 
and  certainly  guano.  Slow  its  progress  assuredly 
is,  but  it  may  be  hastened  by  such  stimulants.  In 
the  meantime,  the  cultivator  has  no  just  cause  for 
complaint ;  the  plant  is  already  increasing  un- 
usually at  the  base,  and  thence  sending  up  many 
more  culms  than  any  other  grass,  though,  spring- 
ing from  one  small  base,  they  do  not  make  such  a 
show,  but  form  a  compact  mass  of  living  roots, 
which,  in  the  case  of  other  graminea3,  would  spread 
over  ten  times  the  area  that  this  occupies,  and  they 
annually  increase  in  vigour  and  productiveness; 
and,  lastly,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  far- 
mer here  obtains  an  enormous  crop  from  a  very 
small  surface.  Each  great  Tussock  is  the  produce 
of  one  seed,  and  is  an  isolated  individual  plant, 
which,  though  standing  perhaps  upon  only  two 
square  yards  of  ground,  yields  annually  a  produce 
equal  to  that  of  a  much  greater  surface  of  land,  if 
cropped  with  hay  or  clover.  The  number  of  seeds 
required  to  stock  an  acre  in  Tussock  and  one  in 
grass,  is  in  the  proportion  of  tens  to  thousands ; 
and  we  may  be  well  content  to  know,  that  the 


CHAP.  IX.]  TUSSOCK-GRASS.  275 

number  of  months  required  to  ensure  a  profitable      1842. 
return  is  not  in  the  same  ratio. 

"  There  are  few  plants  which,  from  perfect  obscu- 
rity, have  become  objects  of  such  interest  as  this 
grass.  The  Tussock  in  its  native  state  seems  of 
almost  no  service  in  the  animal  economy.  A 
little  insect,  and  only  one  that  I  observed,  depends 
on  it  for  sustenance ;  and  a  bird,  no  bigger  than  a 
sparrow,  robs  it  of  its  seeds ;  a  few  sea-fowl  build 
amongst  the  shelter  of  its  leaves;  penguins  and 
petrels  seek  hiding-places  amongst  the  roots,  be- 
cause these  are  soft  and  easily  penetrated ;  and  sea- 
lions  cower  beneath  its  luxuriant  foliage:  still, 
except  the  insect,  I  know  no  animal  or  plant  whose 
extinction  could  follow  the  absence  of  this,  the 
largest  vegetable  production  in  the  Falklands,  which 
does  not  support  even  a  parasitical  fungus.  These 
same  sea  birds  breed  and  burrow  where  no  Tussock 
grows ;  rocks,  elsewhere,  suit  the  sea-lion's  habits 
equally  well  ;  and  the  sparrow,  which  subsists  on 
other  food  eleven  months  of  the  year,  could  surely 
make  shift  without  this  for  a  twelfth.  Certain  it 
is,  that  the  Tussock  might  yet  be  unknown  and 
unprized  amongst  plants,  if  cattle  had  not  been  in- 
troduced into  its  locality  by  man ;  who  thus  be- 
came, first  the  injurer,  and  then  the  protector 
and  propagator  of  the  existence  of  this  noble  grass : 
for  the  herbaceous  quadrupeds  which  he  carried 
to  the  Falklands,  and  left  there,  were  surely  extir- 
pating the  Tussock,  when  man  returned,  and,  by 

T    2 


276  TUSSOCK-GRASS.  [CHAP.  IX. 

1842.  protecting,  perpetuating,  and  transporting  it  to 
"  other  countries,  he  has  widely  dispersed  it.  It  ap- 
pears singular  that  so  striking  a  grass  should 
abound  where  there  is  no  native  herbaceous  animal 
to  profit  by  its  luxuriance :  but  it  is  no  less  cer- 
tain that,  had  not  civilisation  interfered,  the  Tus- 
sock might  have  waved  its  green  leaves  undisturbed 
over  the  waters  of  the  stormy  Antarctic  ocean,  for 
ever  perhaps,  or  until  some  fish,  fowl,  or  seal,  should 
be  so  far  tempted  by  the  luxuriance  of  the  foliage, 
as  to  transgress  the  laws  of  nature,  and  adapt  its 
organs  to  the  digestion  and  enjoyment  of  this  long- 
neglected  gift  of  a  bounteous  Providence. 

"  It  must  appear  strange  to  all  who  know  grasses 
only  in  the  pastures  of  England,  that  the  patches 
of  Tussock  resemble  nothing  so  much  as  groves  of 
small,  low  palm  trees  !  This  similarity  arises  from 
the  matted  roots  of  the  individual  plants  springing 
in  cylindrical  masses,  always  separated  down  to 
the  very  base,  and  throwing  out  a  waving  head  of 
foliage  from  each  summit.  Bogs  and  damp  woods 
in  Britain  very  frequently  produce  a  sedge  (car ex 
paniculata),  whose  mode  of  growth  is,  on  a  small 
scale,  identical  with  that  of  the  Tussock-grass,  and 
to  which  the  name  of  Tussock  is  applied.  I  have 
seen  them  two  or  three  feet  above  the  ground  in 
South  Wales ;  and  if  they  were  higher,  larger,  and 
placed  close  together,  the  general  resemblance 
would  be  complete.  The  effect  in  walking  through 
a  large  Tussock  grove  is  very  singular,  from  the 


CHAP.  IX.]  TUSSOCK-GRASS.  277 

uniformity  in  height  of  these  masses,  and  the  nar-      1842. 
row    spaces   left   between   them,   which   form  an  " 
effectual  labyrinth  —  leaves  and  sky  are  all  that 
can  be  seen  overhead,  and  these  curious  boles  of 
roots  and  decayed  vegetable  matter  on  both  sides, 
before  and  behind,  except  now  and  then,  where 
a  penguin  peeps  forth  from  his  hole,  or  the  tra- 
veller stumbles   over  a  huge   sea-lion,  stretched 
along  the  ground,  blocking  up  his  path." 


T     3 


Mount  Kater,  Hermite  Island.    Page  287. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Suilfrom  Port  Louis.  —  Bank  discovered. — Depression  of  Tem- 
perature. —  Cape  Horn.  —  Anchor  in  St.  Martin's  Cove.  — 
Natives  of  Hermite  Island  —  Its  Botanical  Productions. — 
Trees.  —  Alpine  Plants.  —  Flowering  Plants Plants  com- 
mon" to  Britain.  —  Mosses  and  Esculent  Plants. 


ii. 


279 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  term-day  observations  and  absolute  determi-      1842. 
nations  were  completed  by  the  4th  of  September,      Sept 
and  being  desirous  to  obtain  a  series  of   experi- 
ments in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Horn,  strictly  compa- 
rative with  those  arranged  to  be  made  at  Port 
Louis  in  our  absence,  and  similar  to  those  we  had 
made  during  the  preceding  winters,  in  situations 
favourable  for  comparison  with  the  Van  Diemen's 
Land  observatory,  preparations  were  made  for  the 
departure  of  the  ships. 

Before  leaving  Port  Louis,  however,  I  must 
notice  some  changes  that  became  necessary,  con- 
sequent upon  the  loss  we  were  about  to  sustain  in 
the  services  of  the  senior  lieutenant  of  the  Terror. 
Mr.  McMurdo,  who  had  distinguished  himself 
by  his  zeal,  activity,  and  skill  on  all  occasions, 
had,  during  the  whole  period  of  our  voyage, 
suffered  frequently  from  a  constitutional  malady, 
which  had  now  become  so  greatly  aggravated 
by  the  arduous  duties  of  his  position,  in  a 
climate  admitting  of  no  repose,  that  the  medical 
officers  of  the  Expedition  concurred,  in  their 
report  to  me,  that  it  was  essential,  not  only  for 
the  restoration  of  his  health,  but  for  the  pre- 
servation of  his  life,  that  he  should  not  again  en- 
counter the  severities  of  an  Antarctic  navigation, 

T    4 


280  SAIL  FROM  POUT  LOUIS.  [CHAP.  X. 

1842.  but,  as  immediately  as  possible,  return  to  a  milder 
climate.  As  some  opportunity  might  occur  of  his 
returning  to  England  during  the  absence  of  the 
ships  from  Port  Louis,  it  was  considered  desirable 
that  he  should  not  accompany  us  to  Cape  Horn. 
In  his  place  Mr  Sibbald  was  appointed  senior 
lieutenant  of  the  Terror ;  Mr.  Oakeley,  the  senior 
mate,  to  act  as  lieutenant  in  the  vacancy  :  and  by 
the  removal  of  Lieutenant  Sibbald,  Mr.  Wood  be- 
came senior  lieutenant  of  the  Erebus. 

The  magnetic  observatory  was  placed  in  the 
charge  of  Lieutenant  Sibbald,  with  a  sufficient 
number  of  assistants  to  carry  on  a  system  of 
observations  during  our  absence,  upon  such  a 
plan  as  to  secure  a  satisfactory  record  of  the 
magnetic  phenomena  at  the  two  places,  distant 
from  each  other  about  400  miles. 

Sept  s  These,  and  all  other  arrangements,  being  com- 
pleted, we  sailed,  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  of 
September,  with  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  westward, 
and  by  noon  were  abreast  of  Bird  Island,  where 
we  met  a  heavy  swell  from  the  eastward,  the 
effect  of  the  late  storms  from  that  quarter. 

The  wind  veered  to  the  south-west  as  we  ap- 
proached the  entrance  of  the  sound,  and  freshened 
in  heavy  squalls  as  we  crossed  the  opening  of  Port 
William.  The  harbour  appears  contracted  from 
this  point  of  view,  but  there  is  sufficient  space  for 
as  many  vessels  as  are  ever  likely  at  any  one  time 
to  anchor  there. 

After  passing  close  to  the  Seal  Rocks  and  round- 


CHAP.  X.]  BANK   DISCOVERED.  281 

ing  Cape  Pembroke,  we  hauled  close  to  the  wind      1842. 
under  moderate  sail  during  the  night. 

A  storm  came  on  soon  after  noon  the  next  day,  Sept,  9. 
from  the  south-west,  which  continued  with  little 
intermission,  and  accompanied  by  snow  and  rain, 
but  varying  in  direction  between  south  and  west. 
As  we  might  have  expected  in  such  a  tempestuous 
ocean,  and  at  a  period  of  the  year  corresponding 
with  the  boisterous  month  of  March  in  our  lati- 
tudes, we  encountered  during  our  passage  from 
the  Falkland  Islands  to  Cape  Horn  very  severe 
weather,  the  gales  usually  commencing  in  the 
south-west,  veering  to  the  west,  and  generally,  as 
in  the  North  Atlantic  Ocean,  ending  in  the  north- 
west. 

The  birds  met  with  in  the  greatest  numbers 
were  the  Cape  pigeon,  grey  petrel,  sooty  and  black 
backed  albatross,  gigantic  petrel,  some  penguins 
and  a  few  tern ;  extensive  patches  of  the  two 
more  common  kinds  of  sea-weed  were  also  fre- 
quently seen. 

On  the  16th,  in  latitude  54°  41'  S.,  and  longi-  Sept.  16. 
tude  55°  12'  W.,  we  obtained  soundings  in  two 
hundred  and  eighty  fathoms,  on  a  bank  of  coarse 
black  sand  and  small  stones  of  volcanic  origin ;  the 
shallowness  of  the  water  accounting  for  the  short 
breaking  which  has  always  been  remarked  near 
this  spot  by  former  navigators,  and  was  experienced 
by  ourselves  to  our  great  discomfort.  We  were  at 
this  time  distant  above  three  hundred  miles  from 
Staten  Island,  and  from  Beauchene  Island,  the 


282  DEPRESSION   OF   TEMPERATURE.       [CHAP.  X. 

1842.  nearest  land,  about  two  hundred  miles.  The  tem- 
perature of  the  sea  at  two  hundred  and  eighty, 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms,  was  39°'8,  and 
at  the  surface  39°'5.  The  specific  gravity  of 
water  taken  from  those  depths,  and  at  the  surface, 
was  1-0277  at  41°. 

Sept.  is.  South-easterly  winds  with  more  moderate  weather 
prevailed  between  the  16th  and  18th ;  so  that  by 
noon  of  that  day  we  were  in  latitude  55°  40'  S., 
and  longitude  63°  8'  W.,  having  approached  within 
fifty  miles  of  Staten  Island,  and  one  hundred  and 
forty  of  Cape  Horn,  yet  we  had  no  soundings  with 
three  hundred  fathoms,  and  the  temperature  at 
that  depth  was  found  to  be  37° * 2,  the  surface  being 
40°*2.  There  appears  to  me  no  other  way  of  ac- 
counting for  this  extraordinary  depression  of  tem- 
perature, except  by  a  current  of  water  from  the 
colder  regions  of  the  south  running  along  the  east 
shore  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  similar  to  that  which  I 
have  already  described  as  running  from  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  along  the  western  coast  of  Africa*,  or 
possibly  the  proximity  of  a  snow-covered  land  might 
be  the  cause  of  the  sea  being  so  much  below  the 
temperature  due  to  that  depth;  for  in  the  same 
latitude,  and  only  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to 
the  eastward,  when  beyond  the  baneful  influence  of 
the  land,  we  found  the  mean  temperature  of  39 '5° 
throughout  the  whole  depth  of  our  experiment,  to 
one  thousand  fathoms. 

*  Vol.  I.  p.  34. 


CHAP.  X.]  CAPE   HORN.  28d 

At  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  the  snow-clad      1842. 
summits  of  the  hills,  whose  southern  termination    Sept  19 
forms  Cape  Deceit,  were  seen  bearing  W.S.W.  by 
compass,  and  at  noon  Cape  Horn  was  observed, 
S.  62°  W.,  distant  between  six  and  seven  leagues. 

The  poetical  descriptions  that  former  navigators 
have  given  of  this  celebrated  and  dreaded  promon- 
tory, occasioned  us  to  feel  a  degree  of  disappoint- 
ment when  we  first  saw  it ;  for,  although  it  stands 
prominently  forward,  a  bold,  almost  perpendicular 
headland,  in  whose  outline  it  requires  but  little  ima- 
ginative power  to  detect  the  resemblance  of  a 
"  sleeping  lion,  facing  and  braving  the  southern 
tempests,"  yet  it  is  part  only  of  a  small  island, 
and  its  elevation,  not  exceeding  five  or  six  hundred 
feet,  conveys  to  the  mind  nothing  of  grandeur.  But 
the  day  was  beautifully  fine,  so  that  it  is  probable 
we  saw  this  cape  of  terror  and  tempests  under 
some  disadvantage.  We  passed  it  at  3  P.M.,  at  the 
distance  of  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  which  was  as  near 
as  we  could  approach  it  with  prudence,  by  reason 
of  the  dangerous  rocks  which  lie  off  to  the  east 
and  west,  and  whose  black  points  were  rendered 
conspicuous  by  the  white  foam  of  the  breakers, 
amongst  which  numerous  seals  were  sporting. 
There  was  some  snow  on  the  summit  of  the  cape, 
and  its  sides  were  clothed  with  a  brownish  coloured 
vegetation ;  beyond  it,  the  shores  of  the  island  con- 
sisted of  black  vertical  cliffs,  with  a  curiously  cleft 
rock  at  its  north-western  extreme. 


284  ANCHOR   OFF   ST.  MARTIN'S   COVE.      [CHAP.  X. 

1842.  As  we  stood  across  the  Bay  of  St.  Francis,  we 
were  struck  with  the  wildness  and  beauty  of  the 
scenery,  its  numerous  islands  and  lofty  peaks, 
more  particularly  those  of  Hermite  Island,  whose 
southern  extreme  forms  the  bold  perpendicular  pro- 
montory called  Cape  Spencer.  We  beat  up  to  the 
entrance  of  St.  Martin's  Cove,  but  just  after  sunset, 
when  we  were  running  into  it,  the  wind  suddenly 
shifted  and  compelled  us  to  anchor  in  a  very  exposed 
position,  in  seventeen  fathoms,  on  fine  sand  and 
black  stones,  but  not  very  good  holding  ground. 

I  despatched  Mr.  Tucker  up  the  cove  to  ex- 
amine the  nature  of  the  harbour,  a  clear  moon- 
light night  facilitating  his  operations.  He  soon 
returned  with  a  favourable  account  of  the  anchor- 
age, and  reported  having  seen  a  fire  at  the  head  of 
the  cove,  indicative  of  the  presence  of  natives, 
whom  he  judiciously  left  undisturbed. 
Sept.  20.  As  soon  as  day  broke  Captain  Crozier  and  I 
went  to  make  a  further  examination  of  the  har- 
bour ;  when  near  the  end  of  the  inlet  we  saw  a 
canoe  and  three  men  standing  near  it ;  one  of  them 
approached  us  unarmed,  and  without  the  least  ap- 
pearance of  fear,  pointing  out  the  most  convenient 
spot  for  us  to  land,  for  the  surf  was  heavy  on  the 
beach,  and  continually  calling  out  "  Yamma 
Coyna,"  words  which  have  been  differently  inter- 
preted  by  Captain  Fitzroy  and  Mr.  Darwin.  I  am 
fully  persuaded  the  former  is  right  in  considering 
them  to  be  an  expression  of  welcome,  for  the  man 


CHAP.  X.]  NATIVES.  285 

could  hardly  be  calling  to  us  to  give  him  any  1842. 
thing,  when  we  were  so  distant  from  him  that  his  Sept.2o. 
voice  was  at  times  scarcely  audible ;  nor  when  we 
landed  did  they  hold  out  their  hands,  as  if  in  ex- 
pectation of  receiving  any  present  from  us.  They 
were  perfectly  naked,  with  the  exception  of  a  small 
otter  skin  thrown  over  their  shoulders,  which 
greatly  surprised  us,  for  the  ground  was  still  thinly 
covered  with  snow.  Their  women  and  children 
they  had  probably  sent  out  of  the  way  when  they 
saw  us  approaching ;  and  there  was  not  an  article 
of  any  kind  to  be  seen  in  their  miserable  "  wigwam." 
We  stayed  a  short  time  with  them  to  establish  a 
friendly  confidence,  and  at  parting  they  again 
shouted  to  us  "  Yamma  Coyna,"  which  we  adopted 
as  a  symbol  of  friendship.  They  embarked  in  their 
canoe  soon  after  we  left  the  shore;  and  as  they 
pulled  out  of  the  cove,  close  past  our  ships,  they 
shouted  the  same  words,  continuing  to  do  so  as 
long  as  they  could  be  heard,  when  at  nearly  a  mile 
from  us,  and  paddling  away  as  fast  as  they  were 
able,  anticipating  the  approaching  "  williwaws," 
or  violent  gusts  of  wind,  which  followed  in  the 
evening,  and  which  they  had  predicted  to  us  by 
signs  that  could  not  be  misunderstood. 

The  cove  appearing  to  be  sufficiently  sheltered 
for  our  purpose,  we  made  the  signal  for  the  ships 
to  enter,  and  by  the  time  we  got  on  board  they 
were  under-weigh.  A  gentle  breeze  blew  directly 
out  of  the  harbour,  so  light  that  our  heavy  ships 
would  have  scarcely  felt  its  influence,  so  that  we 


286  MOOR  IN  ST.  MARTIN'S  COVE.       [CHAP.  x. 

1842.  were  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  the  tedious  opera- 
tion of  warping  up  to  the  anchorage,  and  before 
this  could  be  done,  we  had  sharp  squalls  from 
the  hills,  which  greatly  impeded  us,  and  rendered 
the  work  far  more  laborious;  so  that  it  was  not 
until  long  after  dark  that  both  ships  were  moored 
in  the  places  selected  for  them.  The  small  bower 
of  the  Erebus  being  near  the  south  shore,  in  twelve 
fathoms  and  a  half,  on  fine  sand,  mud,  and  shells, 
and  the  best  bower  on  the  north  shore,  in  ten 
fathoms,  with  seventy-two  fathoms  of  cable  on 
each,  which  stretched  nearly  across  the  cove  at  its 
head :  the  south  point  of  the  inlet  bearing  N.  80° 
E.,  the  north  point  N.  55°  E. ;  the  north  end  of 
Chanticleer  Island  N.  74°  E.,  and  Foster's  Peak,  on 
the  south  shore,  S.  17°  E. 

Sept.  21.  We  were  sorry  not  to  be  ready  to  co-operate 
with  the  numerous  observatories  which  would  be 
this  day  engaged  making  simultaneous  magnetic 
observations,  it  being  one  of  the  appointed  term- 
days  ;  but,  although  I  had  landed  in  the  morning, 
and  chosen  a  site  for  our  magnetic  observatory, 
much  time  and  labour  would  be  required  to  clear 
away  the  trees  and  underwood  which  encumbered 
the  ground ;  and  it  was  therefore  impossible  even  to 
put  up  our  observatories,  or  land  the  instruments 
until  that  was  accomplished.  The  loss  of  this  day's 
observations  for  our  especial  object  was,  however, 
of  less  consequence,  as  I  had  fortunately  arranged 
with  the  party  of  observers  left  at  the  Falkland 
Islands,  to  hold  an  additional  term-day,  on  the  4th 


CHAP.  X.]  HERMITE   ISLAND.  287 

of  October,  for  which  we  had  abundance  of  time      1842. 
to  prepare.  Sept. 

A  large  party  from  each  ship,  under  the  imme- 
diate direction  of  Captain  Crozier,  laboured  hard 
for  several  days,  clearing  the  only  spot  of  level 
ground  of  sufficient  extent  for  our  purpose:  this 
proved  to  be  a  swamp,  and,  after  digging  through 
the  upper  crust,  of  about  two  feet  in  thickness, 
they  found  a  liquid  bog,  six  feet  in  depth :  beneath 
this,  was  a  stiff  clay,  and,  at  length,  by  driving 
numerous  piles  into  it,  and  placing  casks  filled 
with  sand  upon  them,  a  firm  foundation  was 
made.  It  was  still  necessary  completely  to 
isolate  these  supports  of  the  instruments  from 
the  upper  crust  of  the  bog,  by  digging  a  deep 
ditch  round  the  building,  which  effectually  pre- 
vented the  vibration  of  the  swamp,  and  the  tremu- 
lous motion  of  the  magnets,  which  the  footsteps  of 
any  one  approaching  the  observatory  had  previously 
produced.  The  regular  series  of  magnetometric 
observations  was  commenced  on  the  29th  of  Sep-  Sept.  29. 
tember. 

The  shores  of  St.  Martin's  Cove  are  composed  of 
a  very  compact  greenstone  and  hornblende  rock, 
rising  abruptly  from  the  sea  to  an  elevation  of 
about  twelve  hundred  feet ;  above  these  are  some 
rugged  peaks,  which  attain  nearly  two  thousand 
feet.  The  hills  surrounding  the  harbour  form 
an  amphitheatre,  and  their  sides,  to  about  a  thousand 
feet,  are  clothed  with  the  evergreen  and  deciduous 
beech,  so  densely  interwoven  that  it  is  almost  im- 


288  HERMITE    ISLAND.  [CHAP.  X. 

1842t  possible  to  penetrate  them,  except  by  the  well-beaten 
footpaths  of  the  Fuegians.  The  mountain  peaks 
are  of  very  compact  greenstone,  and  highly  mag- 
netic, possessing  the  property  of  polarity  in  an 
extraordinary  degree,  the  poles  of  the  fragments 
broken  away  from  the  mass  lying  always  in  the 
line  of  the  dipping  needle,  the  whole  forming  a 
magnet  of  enormous  magnitude,  but  not  of  suffi- 
cient power  to  produce  any  anomalous  expressions 
from  the  instruments  we  employed ;  although,  in 
one  spot,  we  found  the  dipping  needle  gave  an 
erroneous  result  of  nearly  half  a  degree. 

The  geological  structure  of  Hermite  Island, 
which  Mr.  M'Cormick  examined  with  great  dili- 
gence, is  described  in  the  Appendix ;  and  the  bota- 
nical account  by  Dr.  Hooker,  which  possesses  an 
unusual  degree  of  interest,  is  inserted  here. 

"  The  scenery  of  Hermite  Island  so  closely  re- 
sembles that  of  many  parts  of  the  West  of  Scotland, 
that  the  two  countries  seem  only  to  differ  in  the 
species  of  animals  and  plants  which  respectively 
characterise  the  northern  and  southern  hemi- 
spheres. There  are  the  same  narrow  arms  of  the 
sea,  confined  by  high  mountains,  in  Hermite 
Island,  as  form  the  salt-water  lochs  of  Argyleshire ; 
with  similar  deep  and  close  bays,  hemmed  in  by 
rocky,  precipitous,  and  often  inaccessible  shores. 
The  mountains  rise  at  once  from  the  water's 
edge,  clothed  for  half  their  elevation  with  a  low 
green  forest,  and  crowned  with  rugged  precipices 
and  grey  masses  of  rock;  while  torrents,  heard, 


CHAP.  X.]  HERMITE   ISLAND.  289 

rather  than  seen,  till  they  emerge  in  foaming  cas-  1842. 
cades,  occupy  every  gully.  In  Fuegia  these  wild 
scenes  are  rendered  gloomy,  and,  to  the  traveller 
who  has  recently  quitted  a  more  genial  climate, 
positively  forbidding,  by  the  almost  total  absence 
of  animated  nature,  and  by  the  clouded  sky,  con- 
stant storms,  and  vexed  ocean,  added  to  the  silence 
which  is  only  broken  by  the  hollow  voice  of  the 
torrent  and  the  cry  of  the  savage. 

"  The  various  sea-weeds  that  abound  in  the 
Scottish  lochs  are  represented  in  Fuegia  by  an 
infinitely  more  luxuriant  growth  of  the  same 
species  as  were  mentioned  to  be  natives  of  the 
Falkland  Islands  and  Kergueleri  Island.  Though 
very  different  from  our  northern  Algce,  they  are 
equally,  and  some  of  them  even  better,  adapted  for 
making  kelp.  The  rocks  immediately  above  the 
sea  are  generally  barren,  or  only  covered  with 
Lichens ;  but  sometimes  they  produce  a  few  green 
tufted  plants  ;  and  wherever  there  is  any  beach,  it 
yields  several  kinds  of  scurvy-grass  (Cardamine 
hirsutcC),  the  wild  celery  {Apium  graveolens),  besides 
a  Plantago,  Chrysosplenium,  and  some  other  herbs 
in  considerable  abundance. 

"  From  the  shore  to  an  elevation  of  eight  hun- 
dred feet,  the  steep  sides  of  the  hills,  except  where 
absolute  precipices  intervene,  are  clad  with  an  uni- 
formly lurid  though  deep  green  forest,  consisting 
entirely  of  the  following  trees :  —  the  evergreen 
beech  (Fagus  Forsteri),  that  never  sheds  its  shining 
coriaceous  foliage — this  is  the  most  prevalent  tree ; 

VOL    II.  U 


290  TREES.  [CHAP.  X. 

1842.  the  deciduous  beech  (Fagus  Antarctica},  of  which 
the  leaves  fall  at  the  approach  of  winter,  after  as- 
suming the  same  tints,  heightened  by  comparison 
with  its  evergreen  neighbour,  as  characterise  our 
English  beech :  its  leaves  are  broader,  of  a  thinner 
texture,  paler  and  brighter  green,  and  beautifully 
plaited.  In  the  late  spring  of  these  antarctic 
regions,  when  any  part  of  a  day  was  occasionally 
warm  and  clear,  the  bursting  of  the  young  folded 
leaves  of  the  deciduous  beech,  from  the  sheathing 
and  gummy  scales  by  which  they  had  been  protected 
during  winter,  was  to  us,  who  had  seen  no  kind  of 
tree  for  twelve  months,  nor  any  such  sign  of  an 
English  spring  for  upwards  of  thrice  that  period,  a 
most  agreeable  phenomenon ;  rendered  still  more 
delightful  by  the  resinous  scent  with  which  the 
woods  were  filled.  Mingled  with  these  beeches 
grow  scattered  trees  of  the  Winter's  bark  (Drimys 
Winteri),  so  named  after  the  discoverer,  John 
Winter,  the  companion  of  Drake.  The  tree 
is  tall  and  straight,  with  large  glossy  leaves, 
paler  underneath.  Every  part  is  highly  aromatic 
and  warm  to  the  taste ;  and  the  cortex  affords  the 
medicinal  Winter's  baric  of  commerce. 

"  The  three  trees,  above  described,  occupy  ex- 
actly the  same  position  in  Fuegia  which  the  birch, 
oak,  and  mountain  ash  do  in  Scotland. 

"  There  is  a  remarkable  absence  of  undergrowth 
in  the  forests :  few  shrubs,  and  hardly  any  herba- 
ceous plants  appear.  Among  the  former  is  the 
beautiful  holly-leaved  barberry,  which,  except  the 


CHAP.  X.]  HERMITE   ISLAND.  291 

n 

Veronica  elliptica  (V.  decussata  of  our  gardens),  is  ]842- 
the  only  very  handsome-flowered  plant  in  this  part 
of  Fuegia.  Two  or  three  other  woody  plants,  a 
second  species  of  barberry,  an  Arbutus  and  an  Es- 
callonia  (the  latter  allied  to  the  saxifrages  of  the 
northern  hemisphere),  almost  conclude  the  list  of 
shrubs.  The  banks  and  rocks  that  border  the 
torrents  exhibit  a  few  Ferns  and  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  Mosses.  These  abound  throughout  Her- 
mite  Island,  covering  the  rocks,  moors,  and  trunks 
of  trees,  and  thriving  in  the  gullies  formed  by  the 
streams,  where  there  is  not  light  enough  to  permit 
the  vegetation  of  flowering  plants.  Both  in  the 
number  of  individuals,  and  the  extent  of  ground 
here  occupied  by  the  respective  kinds,  the  prepon- 
derance of  Lichens  and  Mosses  is  truly  remarkable. 
"  Ascending,  the  forest  gradually  becomes  denser 
and  more  stunted,  till  it  is  rendered  quite  imper- 
vious by  the  trees  branching  from  the  very  ground. 
At  the  season  of  our  visit,  traces  of  last  winter's 
snow  were  seen  at  the  upper  limit  of  the  forest : 
the  surface  was  hard,  but  often  treacherous, 
because  concealing  torrents  which  had  gradually 
undermined  their  icy  bridges.  When  such  hollows 
are  exposed,  it  is  curious  to  observe  the  Arbutus 
covered  with  flowers,  which  ought  to  have  ex- 
panded the  previous  year,  but  which  had  been  re- 
tarded and  protected  by  a  mantle  of  snow.  Yet 
a  little  higher,  and  the  dwarfish  trees  dwindle  to 
what  resembles  a  basket-work  of  growing  twigs. 
So  densely  interwoven  is  the  living  mass,  which 

u   2 


292 


ALPINE   PLANTS.  [Ciup,  X. 


1842-  reaches  to  the  knee  or  higher,  that  to  crawl 
through  a  few  yards  of  this  vegetation  is  a  task 
accompanied  with  more  fatigue,  pain,  and  tardiness 
of  progress  than  the  traveller  suffers  when  travers- 
ing loose  sand,  earth  scorched  by  the  sun,  or  deep 
snow.  No  amount  of  force  can  tear  a  way  :  fisher- 
men's boots  alone  afford  protection  against  the  spiny 
branches,  which  threaten  to  stake  the  pedestrian, 
as  he  sinks,  at  each  step,  among  the  boughs.  Here, 
the  length  of  limb,  that  proved  an  inconvenience 
when  crawling  among  the  low  trees,  becomes  very 
advantageous.  On  approaching  the  utmost  limit  of 
the  forest,  the  matting  grows  more  and  more  im- 
pervious; and  it  seems  hopeless  to  attempt  pro- 
ceeding. But  suddenly  a  facility  is  afforded :  the 
trees,  which  lower  down  were  of  a  girth  of  fifteen 
feet,  grow  so  closely  at  this  elevation,  that  the  tra- 
veller, instead  of  walking  under  their  shade,  can 
tread  upon  their  topmost  branches. 

"  Above  this,  the  wood  gradually  opens  out  into 
a  moorland  tract,  remarkable  for  the  absence  of 
Grasses  and  the  abundance  of  Lichens.  Here  and 
there  a  mountain  tarn  diversifies  the  surface:  deep, 
black,  quiet  pools  fill  the  depressions ;  their  surface 
presenting  no  water-herb,  and  only  a  few  sub- 
merged Mosses  and  Confervce  at  the  bottom. 
Though  this  region  is  barren  to  the  eye,  it  is  rich  in 
alpine  plants,  which  are  all  of  a  tufted  and  mossy 
habit.  A  few,  as  Caltha,  Astelia,  Forstera,  and 
Donatia,  form  broad  bright  green  patches ;  but  the 
majority  are  of  a  greyer  hue.  The  Empetrum,  in- 


CJIAI>.  X.]  HERMITE   ISLAND.  293 

digenous  to  the  Falklands,  grows  here,  though  not  1842. 
abundantly.  Like  its  Scottish  congener,  it  is  the 
favourite  food  of  a  species  of  grouse.  Small  shrubs, 
chiefly  of  Arbutus,  or  an  Aster-like  Composita,  with 
white  flowers,  diversify  the  ground  ;  but  the  vege- 
tation consists  mainly  of  species  belonging  to  the 
European  genera  Caltha,  Gentiana,  Pinguicula, 
Primula,  Saxifraga,  Senecio,  Juncus,  Carex,  Viola, 
Oxalis,  and  various  grasses.  In  moist  places, 
Sphagnum,  or  bog-moss,  is  very  common,  with  many 
of  the  allied  kinds  of  moss  which  compose  peat  in 
the  alpine  districts  of  Europe. 

"  The  mountain -tops  are  very  bare ;  affording 
only  Mosses  and  Lichens,  which  cling  with  astonish- 
ing pertinacity  to  the  rugged  faces  of  the  sharp  peaks 
and  piles  of  rock.  On  the  south  and  south-western 
sides  of  these  weather-beaten  precipices  that  hand- 
somest of  all  Lichens  (  Usnea  melaxantha)  braves 
the  perennial  blasts  and  snow-storms  of  the  Ant- 
arctic Ocean  ;  spreading  out  its  slender  bright  sul- 
phur-coloured branches,  which  seem  as  if  expressly 
formed  of  a  rigid  leathery  substance,  so  stiff  as  to 
resist  the  force  of  the  elements.  In  the  clefts  of 
the  very  pinnacles  of  the  mountains  a  few  plants 
may  still  be  detected,  which  have  crept  upward 
from  regions  more  congenial  to  their  development. 

"As  Hermite  Island  is  situated  close  .to  Cape 
Horn,  and  there  are  no  flowering  plants  to  be 
found  in  any  higher  southern  latitude,  a  list*  is 

*  Only  four  species  of  flowering  plants  reach  the  top  of  Mount 
Kater,  a  peak  of  greenstone,  1700  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the 

u   3 


294  LIST   OF   PLANTS.  [CHAP.  X. 

1842.  appended  of  the  indigenous  species  which  grow  in 
this  parallel,  and  at  a  height  of  upwards  of  1500 
feet.  Like  the  degraded  and  savage  native,  who 
wanders  naked  among  the  bleak  rocks  and  almost 
equally  uninviting  woods  of  this  miserable  land, 
these  plants  may  be  justly  considered  the  hardiest 
of  their  race  in  the  southern  hemisphere. 

"  In  the  preceding  remarks  I  have  attempted  to 
sketch  the  general  aspect  of  vegetation  in  a  land- 
scape strikingly  analogous  to  the  Western  High- 
lands of  Scotland.  Persons,  intimate  with  the  latter 
country,  have  only  to  clothe  it  in  imagination  with 
the  plants  of  Hermite  Island,  and  they  will  readily 
understand  the  relations,  in  habit  and  station, 
which  the  most  remarkable  of  these  bear  to  one 
another.  The  Fuegian  Flora  possesses  some  other 
points  of  interest,  especially  when  viewed  in  com- 
parison with  that  of  the  antarctic  islands  lying  to 

culminant  point  of  the  island.  They  are :  —  UMBELLIFEILE  : 
Azorella  Selago  (also  found  in  Kerguelen  Island).  —  COMPOS.  : 
Abrotanella  emarginata  (a  Falkland  Island  plant). —  ERICEJS  : 
Pernettya  pumila  (frequent  from  Central  Chili  to  Cape 
Horn).  —  EMPETRE^E  :  Empetrum  rubrum  (very  near  the  E. 
nigrum  of  N.  Europe,  and  also  frequent  from  Central  Chili  to 
Cape  Horn).  The  following  eleven  species  reach  an  elevation 
of  1500  feet  on  greenstone;  either  on  Kater's  peak,  Mount 
Foster,  or  another  peak  which  was  examined  :  Viola  tridentata, 
Saxifraga  bicuspidata,  Escallonia  serrata  (starved,  a  plant 
allied  to  Saxifraga},  Azorella  lycopodioides,  Ourisia  brevi- 
flora  (allied  to  Veronica),  Drapetes  muscosa  (a  genus  of 
Daphnece),  Fagus  Antarctica  (the  deciduous  beech,  prostrate 
and  only  three  inches  long)  Luzula,  sp.  ?  (a  species  allied  to  the 
Arctic  L.  arcuata) ;  three  grasses,  Triodia  Antarctica,  Aira 
parvula,  and  Festuca  erecta. 


CHAP.  X.]  HERMITE   ISLAND.  21 

the  south  of  New  Zealand,  also  with  that  of  the  1842. 
Falklands,  South  Georgia,  Tristan  d'Acunha,  and  ~ 
Kerguelen  Island.  All  these  countries,  though 
the  latter  is  distant  more  than  5,000  miles,  seem 
to  have  borrowed  many  plants  from  this,  the  great 
botanical  centre  of  the  Antarctic  Ocean.  And  it 
is  a  still  more  surprising  fact,  that  the  vegetation  of 
Fuegia  includes  a  considerable  number  of  English 
plants ;  though  106  degrees  of  ocean  roll  between, 
and  some  of  the  species  in  question  inhabit  no 
intermediate  latitudes. 

"  Like  Lord  Auckland's  and  Campbell's  Islands, 
Tierra  del  Fuego  exhibits  a  luxuriance  of  vegeta- 
tion which  its  rigorous  climate  and  low  annual 
temperature  would  not  have  led  us  to  expect. 
The  same  cause  effects  this  in  both  longitudes  ; 
namely,  the  absence  of  all  sudden  changes  from 
heat  to  cold,  and  vice  versa.  But  though  the 
individual  species  grow  luxuriantly,  they  are 
by  no  means  so  beautiful  as  those  of  the  before- 
mentioned  islands,  lying  only  three  degrees  farther 
north.  Thus,  the  Metrosideros,  a  shrub  allied  to 
the  myrtle,  and  the  white-flowered  Dracophyllum, 
are  replaced  in  Fuegia  by  almost  flowerless  beeches. 
Instead  of  three  shrubby  Veronicas,  there  is  but 
one,  which  is  identical  with  the  Auckland  Island 
species,  viz.  Veronica  elliptica ;  first  described  and 
so  called  by  Forster,  who  gathered  it  in  New 
Zealand;  but  introduced  into  England  from 
Cape  Horn,  and  generally  known  by  the  name  of 
V.  decussata. 

u  4 


296  FLO  WEEING   PLANTS.  [CHAP.  X. 

1842.  "  Of  the  ninety-seven  flowering  plants  indige- 
"  nous  to  Auckland  and  Campbell  Islands,  about 
thirteen  are  common  to  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  American  continent;  but  none,  except  the 
Veronica,  is  remarkable  for  beauty.  The  splen- 
did Chrysobactron  Rossii  and  lovely  Compositce  of 
these  groups  have  no  representatives  here.  Fuegia, 
however,  boasts  some  conspicuous  plants:  the 
holly -leaved  barberry  (Berberis  ilicifolia)  is  very 
handsome ;  Geum  Chiloense  is  an  established  favour- 
ite in  our  gardens ;  and  a  few  of  the  smaller  alpine 
species  may  vie  in  grace  with  those  of  the  Scottish 
Alps.  There  is  a  want  of  bright  tint  in  the  land- 
scape ;  or  of  any  one  conspicuous  plant  which  may 
give  it  colouring.  This  is  hardly  compensated  by 
Tierra  del  Fuego  being  the  native  place  of  that 
universal  favourite,  the  scarlet  Fuchsia;  a  plant  of 
peculiarly  graceful  form,  whose  culture  requires 
little  care,  and  which  is,  perhaps,  among  the  most 
valuable  ornaments  of  our  gardens,  whether  of  the 
rich  or  poor.  Though  not  seen  on  Hermite  Island, 
the  Fuchsia  flourishes  on  the  neighbouring  coast  of 
Fuegia,  and  adorns  with  its  bright  flowers  the 
gloomy  forest  of  the  beech-tree  :  for  both  inhabit 
-  the  valleys,  choked  by  everlasting  glaciers,  which 
descend  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea,  on  the 
west  coast  of  this  inhospitable  land.  The  Fuchsia 
and  other  plants,  which  might  be  considered  tender 
for  this  region,  flourish  in  the  equable  though 
chilly  temperature  maintained  by  the  presence  of 
these  sluggish  and  perennial  cataracts  of  ice  on  the 


CHAP.  X.]  IIERMITE   ISLAND.  207 

Fuegian  mountains.     The  main  difference  between     1842. 
the  Flora  of  Tierra  del  Fuego  and  of  the  islands  " 
south  of  New  Zealand  consists  in  the  abundance 
of  Eubiacece  which  mark  the  latter,  and  which  are 
replaced  in  the  region  we  are  now  considering  by 
an  increased  proportion  of  Composite. 

"  When-  treating  of  the  Falkland  Islands  and 
Kerguelen  Island  respectively,  it  was  stated  how 
much  they  are  dependent  on  Fuegia  for  a  large 
proportion  of  their  plants ;  and  an  examination  of 
the  botany  of  South  Georgia,  farther  east  than  the 
Falklands  from  Fuegia,  and  of  Tristan  d'Acunha, 
which,  like  Kerguelen  Island,  lies  much  nearer  to 
the  coast  of  Africa,  also  exhibits  the  same  affinity. 
Strange  and  inexplicable  though  it  may  appear,  it  is 
still  true  that  plants,  found  in  these  isolated  specks 
alone,  must  have  traversed  (granting  migration  to 
be  the  cause  of  specific  identity  in  distant  spots) 
thousands  of  miles  of  the  stormiest  ocean  of  our 
globe.  A  glance  at  the  chart  shows  the  infinitely 
small  proportion  borne  by  these  islets  to  the  endless 
waste  of  waters  wherein  they  are  placed  ;  and  the 
prodigious  obstacles  that  such  objects  as  seeds  must 
have  surmounted  in  performing,  with  unimpaired 
vitality,  these  remote  voyages,  if  we  suppose  their 
dispersion  to  have  taken  place  subsequently  to 
the  land  and  water  holding  the  relative  position 
they  at  present  maintain. 

"  The  common  observer  and  the  scientific  in- 
quirer will  alike  find  much  singularity  in  the  vege- 
tation of  Fuegia.  It  exhibits  a  larger  proportion 


298  PLANTS   COMMON  TO  BRITAIN.  [CiiAr.  X. 

1842.  of  plants,  either  identical  with  those  of  Britain,  or 
"  representatives  of  them,  than  exists  in  any  other 
country  of  the  southern  hemisphere.  It  is  always 
interesting  to  meet  with  familiar  objects  where 
they  are  least  expected,  and  to  recognise,  in  the 
natural  productions  of  a  strange  land,  the  same,  or 
similar  to  those  we  have  often  seen  elsewhere. 
Tierra  del  Fuego  possesses,  in  common  with 
Britain,  the  sea-pink  or  thrift  (Statice  Armeria); 
a  primrose,  so  like  our  Primula  farinosa  that  they 
are  scarcely  distinguishable ;  the  common  star- 
wort  or  Callitriche,  Montia  fontana,  Arenaria  media, 
Erigeron  alpinus,  Gnaphalium  luteo-album,  Carda- 
mine  hirsuta,  and  Apium  graveolens  (celery),  which, 
though  a  rank  weed  when  it  grows  wild  in  Eng- 
land, is  so  wholesome  and  mild  in  Fuegia,  probably 
from  the  absence  of  the  sun's  direct  rays,  that  it 
affords  an  excellent  salad.  There  are  also  the 
Hippuris  vulgaris  (mare's  tail),  Cerastium  arvense, 
Sisymbrium  Sophia,  Lathyrus  maritimus,  Convolvulus 
sepium,  Limosella  aquatica,  Epilobium  tetragonum, 
Draba  incana  (a  highland  plant),  Sagina  procum- 
bens,  Galium  Aparine  (cleavers),  the  common 
Dandelion,  Empetrum  rubrum,  which  differs  in  the 
colour  of  the  berries  only  from  the  Scottish  crow- 
berry,  Plantago  maritima,  Chenopodium  glaucum, 
Aira  flexuosa,  Plileum  alpinum,  Alopecurus  alpinus, 
Agrostis  alba,  Poa  nemoralis  and  pratensis,  Festuca 
duriuscula,  Triticum  repens,  and  Lolium  perenne, 
all  well-known  inhabitants  of  our  shores,  mea- 
dows, mountains,  or  woods.  The  affinity  between 


CIIAP.  X.]  HERMITE  ISLAND.  299 

the  Fuegian  and  British  Floras  becomes  more  1842. 
evident  on  looking  to  the  common  genera  of  the 
former  country:  they  are,  Ranunculus,  Caltha, 
BerberiS)  Cardamine,  Draba,  Arabis,  Thlaspi,  Silene, 
Lychnis,  Stellaria,  Cerastium,  Oxalis,  Viola,  Gera- 
nium, Drosera,  Rubus,  Ribes,  Potentilla  (P.  anse- 
rina  grows  in  South  Chili),  Myriophyllum,  Saxi- 
fraga,  Chrysosplenium,  Asperula,  Galium,  Valeriana, 
Senecio,  Hieracium,  Aster,  Taraxacum,  Gnaplialium, 
Arbutus,  Gentiana,  Myosotis,  Pinguicula,  Samolus, 
Scutellaria,  Limosella,  Stacliys,  Anagallis,  Plantago, 
Chenopodium,  Rumex,  Polygonum,  Empetrum,  Fa- 
gus  Urtica,  Triglocliin,  Juncus  and  Luzula,  Carex, 
Scirpus,  Eleocharis,  Isolepis,  Schcenus,  and  nineteen 
genera  of  Grasses.  Many  of  the  genera  in  this 
long  list  are  unknown  in  the  tropics.  Others 
exist  there  only  in  species  bearing  little  analogy  to 
their  congeners  of  the  colder  or  temperate  lati- 
tudes. As  they  are  recognised  on  the  shores  or 
mountains  of  Fuegia,  they  perpetually  draw  the 
traveller's  mind  to  that  interesting  subject — the 
diffusion  of  species  over  the  surface  of  our  earth. 

"  As  we  descend  in  the  scale  of  vegetable  crea- 
tion, the  number  of  plants  common  to  the  opposite 
hemisphere  is  seen  to  augment :  the  increase  bear- 
ing an  inverse  proportion  to  their  development. 
Thus,  there  are  two  kinds  of  Ferns ;  as  many 
Lycopodia ;  a  Chara  ;  forty-eight  species  of  Mosses  ; 
twelve  Hepaticce,  and  a  very  large  amount  of  Algw  : 
while  almost  every  Fuegian  Lichen  is  not  only  an 
acknowledged  but  a  prevalent  species  in  Britain. 


300 


MOSSES   AND   ESCULENT   PLANTS.       [CHAP.  X. 


"  Fuegia  is  richer  in  Mosses  than  any  other  ant- 
arctic  island:    perhaps  no  part   of  the  globe   of 
equal   extent   yields  more   or  finer  species   than 
Hermite  Island.    During  the  short  stay  of  the  Ant- 
arctic  Expedition  one    hundred   different    kinds 
were  found  ;  and  the  naturalist,  who  is  accustomed 
to  collecting  this  tribe  of  plants,  is  well  aware  that 
a  protracted  search  is  needful  in  order  to  exhaust 
the  Mosses  of  even  a  limited  area.     Polytrichum 
dendroides,  the  noblest  of  Mosses,  forms  a  miniature 
forest   in   the  woods.     Seven   species  of  Andrcea 
occur ;  a  genus  which  only  four  years  before  had 
been  supposed  peculiar  to    the   northern  hemis- 
phere ;    but  of  which   one   kind  has   been    since 
found  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  A.  subulata, 
first  detected  by  Dr.  Harvey  on  Table  Mountain, 
where  it  was  also  gathered  by  the  officers  of  the 
Antarctic  Expedition :  others  on  Lord  Auckland's 
group,    Hermite   Island,  and   Kerguelen    Island; 
in  Tasmania,  and  almost  every  antarctic    island 
visited  by  the  expedition ;  thus   nearly  trebling 
the  number  of  species. 

"  There  are  very  few  esculent  plants  in  Fuegia, 
and  the  natives  use  none  of  them  except  a  Fungus, 
described  by  Mr.  Darwin.  They  are,  the  celery, 
and  a  kind  of  scurvy-grass,  also  plentiful  in  the 
Falklands  and  Campbell's  Island  ( Cardamine  Ur- 
suta).  The  fruits  of  a  species  of  Currant,  Bar- 
berry, Crowberry,  Myrtle,  and  Bramble  are  eatable 
in  tarts ;  the  latter,  indeed,  is  excellent,  un- 
cooked. The  Tussock-grass  is  not  so  plentiful  as  on 


CHAP.X.]  HERM1TE   ISLAND.  301 

the  Falklands,  though  it  grows,  not  unfrequently,  1842. 
on  the  outlying  islands.  Winter's  bark,  now  little 
used  in  our  country,  proved  of  great  value  to  the 
boats'  crews,  when  detached  from  Captain  King's 
surveying  ship,  the  Beagle.  The  wood  of  Berberis 
ilicifolia  is  of  a  bright  gamboge  yellow,  and  affords 
a  clear  and  strong  dye  of  that  colour.  Some  of 
the  large  Sea-weeds  of  the  Fuegian  shores  have 
been  analysed  by  Dr.  E.  D.  Thomson,  and  found 
to  yield  abundance  of  manna,  besides  a  much 
larger  proportion  of  iodine  than  the  Algce  of  the 
northern  hemisphere. 

"  This  sketch  of  the  botany  of  a  country  long 
and  undeservedly  considered  the  most  inhospitable, 
if  not  the  most  barren,  in  the  world,  may  be  con- 
cluded by  the  remark,  that,  however  credible  in 
themselves  are  the  reports  of  voyagers,  they  ought 
in  fairness  to  be  considered  in  connexion  with  the 
impressions  to  which  the  previous  events  of  their 
several  voyages  are  likely  to  have  given  rise.  For 
instance,  we,  who  had  lately  explored  a  more  bois- 
terous ocean,  and  had  visited  incomparably  bleaker 
coasts,  could  find  charms  in  the  wild  woodland 
scenery,  secluded  bays,  precipitous  mountains,  and 
interesting  vegetation  of  Tierra  del  Fuego,  which 
even  its  gales  and  snow-storms  were  insufficient  to 
dispel ;  for,  terrible  as  the  war  of  elements  here 
is,  we  were  in  a  measure  sheltered  from  its  fury. 
Far  different  was  the  aspect  the  country  must  have 
worn  in  the  eyes  of  Cook,  Banks,  and  Solander ! 
They  had  recently  quitted  the  magnificent  bay  of 


302  HERMITE   ISLAND.  [CHAP.  X. 

1842.  Rio  de  Janeiro,  its  fervid  sun  and  glowing  vegeta- 
"  tion.  Anson,  again,  with  his  reduced  company, 
palsied  by  scurvy  and  other  diseases,  could  have 
little  dreamt  of  the  snug  harbours  and  abundance 
of  antiscorbutic  diet,  which  here  oifered  both  shelter 
to  his  shattered  vessels,  and  the  means  of  recruit- 
ing the  health  of  his  crew.  The  naturalist  who 
first  visited  the  Fuegian  shores  felt  probably  only 
disappointment  when  recognising  the  familiar 
genera  and  representative  species  of  his  European 
home :  he  would  naturally  infer,  with  a  correspond- 
ing diminution  of  interest,  that  analogous  latitudes 
produce  an  analogous  vegetation  in  opposite. hemi- 
spheres. Experience  has  proved  the  fallacy  of 
such  a  conclusion ;  and  accordingly  the  Flora  of 
Fuegia  claims  an  additional  and  peculiar  charm,  in 
its  being  the  only  region  south  of  the  tropics  where 
the  botany  of  our  temperate  zone  is,  as  it  were, 
repeated  to  a  very  considerable  extent." 


Sketched  by  Dr.  Hookt 

"Balaam-bog"  plant  (Bolax  Glcbaria).    Falkland  Islands.     Page  263. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Natives  of  Furgia. — Weapons.  —  Birds.  —  Climate.  —  Meteoro- 
logical Abstract  for  October Prevailing  Winds.  —  "  Wil- 

liwaws."  —  Tides.  —  Permanent  Mark  at  the  Mean  Level  of 
the  Sea.  —  Sail  from  St.  Martin's  Cove.  —  Burdwood  Bank. 
—  Beauchene  Island. — Anchor  in  Port  Louis. — English 
Barque,  Governor  Halkett.  —  Her  Majesty's  Ship  Philomel. 
Trees  from  Hermite  Island  planted.  —  Result  of  Observa- 
tions.—  Tides.  —  Permanent  Marks  to  indicate  the  Mean 
Level  of  the  Ocean. 


303 


CHAPTER  XL 

DURING  our  stay  in  St.  Martin's  Cove,  we  had 
frequent  visits  from  the  natives:  they  came  in  Sept. 
small  parties,  and  always  took  up  their  quarters  in 
the  wigwam  at  the  head  of  the  Cove,  which  seemed 
to  be  a  kind  of  joint  property.  It  was  a  most 
miserable  shelter  from  the  inclement  weather  of  this 
period  of  the  year ;  but  so  inured  to  it  are  these 
people,  that  it  was  not  unusual  to  see  them  walking 
knee-deep  in  the  snow  on  some  of  the  bitterest 
days,  without  any  covering  beyond  a  small  otter 
skin  over  the  shoulders,  reaching  about  half  way 
down  the  back. 

The  Fuegians  are  truly  described  as  the  most 
abject  and  miserable  race  of  human  beings.  The 
Esquimaux  of  the  northern  regions  are  as  far 
superior  to  them  in  intelligence  and  civilization  as 
are  the  New  Zealanders  of  the  southern  hemisphere; 
and  even  the  barbarous  inhabitants  of  the  interior 
of  Australasia  live  in  a  state  of  comparative  comfort. 

Overawed  by  our  superior  numbers,  they  were 
kept  in  good  order,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
trifling  instances  of  petty  theft.  They  are  admir- 
able mimics,  and  were  fond  of  the  company  of  our 
people,  singing  and  dancing  with  them,  and  enter- 
ing into  every  kind  of  fun,  for  which  seamen  are 
so  famous  ;  and  it  was  both  amusing  and  interest- 


304 


NATIVES.  [CHAP.  XT. 


1842.  ing  to  witness  their  attempts  to  repeat  the  words 
Sept,  and  tunes  of  their  songs,  which  they  accomplished 
with  a  wonderful  degree  of  facility.  Landing  one 
morning  unexpectedly,  I  found  our  people  teach- 
ing them  to  wash  their  faces ;  but  the  soap  making 
their  eyes  smart,  their  ablutions  were  afterwards 
confined  to  the  feet  and  hands  :  they  then  powdered 
their  hair  with  flour,  and  decorated  them  with 
ridiculous  ornaments,  the  natives  greatly  enjoying 
their  altered  appearance,  heightened,  in  no  small 
degree,  by  the  present  of  a  complete  suit  of  clothes 
each,  and  many  useful  articles  they  got  on  board 
the  ship :  they  went  away  in  the  evening  rich  and 
happy. 

The  greatest  number  we  saw  at  one  time  amounted 
to  no  more  than  fifteen.  They  were  living  together 
like  one  family,  near  the  beach  in  Joachim  Bay, 
and  the  parties  which  visited  us  generally  con- 
sisted of  three  men,  two  women,  and  two  or  three 
children.  The  men  came  on  board  the  ships  with- 
out hesitation,  but  the  women  were  never  allowed 
to  leave  the  canoe,  and  employed  themselves  diving 
for  sea  eggs,  or  picking  up  limpets,  which  are  their 
principal  food. 

The  only  weapons  we  saw  in  their  possession 
were  spears  of  three  kinds,  not  unlike  those  of 
the  Esquimaux,  but  of  very  inferior  manufacture  : 
they  were  of  various  sizes,  according  to  the  purpose 
to  which  they  were  applied,  and  to  suit  the  power 
and  size  of  the  person  using  them.  The  largest 
was  a  beech  wood  staff,  nine  feet  long  and  four 


CHAP.  XI.]  WEAPONS.  305 

inches  in  circumference,  with  a  strong  bone  head,  1842. 
thirteen  inches  long,  quite  straight,  and  tapered  to 
a  fine  point :  the  bone  head,  which  was  fitted  into 
a  socket  at  the  heavier  end  of  the  spear,  was  secured 
by  a  strong  seal  skin  thong,  about  a  foot  from  each 
end  of  the  spear,  and  used  only  for  the  destruction 
of  the  largest  kind  of  seals.  The  bone  head,  when 
struck  into  the  animal,  trips  out  of  the  socket  and 
acts  as  a  toggle,  whilst  the  released  staff  performs 
the  part  of  a  buoy. 

Another  spear,  longer  and  lighter  than  the  above, 
stained  with  red  ochre,  and  armed  with  a  barbed 
bone  head,  finely  pointed,  but  without  any  seal  skin 
thong  attached,  was  probably  employed  against  the 
smaller  kinds  of  seals,  or  perhaps  in  warlike  meet- 
ings, for  the  first  party  we  met  had  spears  of  this 
nature  concealed  in  the  wood. 

The  third  kind  of  spear  was  hardly  five  feet  long, 
and  proportion  ably  slender,  armed  with  a  bone  head 
with  seventeen  notches,  increasing  in  size  from  the 
point  to  the  heel,  securely  fixed  to  the  spear  by  a 
lashing  of  seal  skin,  and  probably  used  for  killing 
birds. 

In  one  of  the  canoes  that  came  alongside  the 
ship,  we  observed  three  arrows  of  very  rude  make, 
pointed  with  obsidian,  which  they  were  unwilling 
to  part  with,  and  the  bow  they  kept  carefully  con- 
'  cealed.  In  the  same  canoe  was  a  white  dog,  which 
they  were  so  much  afraid  of  losing  that  I  could  not 
prevail  upon  them  to  let  me  see  it.  This  party 
were  strangers ;  and,  on  landing  at  the  head  of  the 

VOL.  II.  X 


306  FUEGIANS   OF  [CHAP.  XI. 


_  cove,  they  were  received  in  silence,  and  with  a 
October,  solemn  countenance,  by  our  first  friends.  They 
walked  up  to  the  wigwam,  and  seated  themselves 
in  a  circle  round  the  fire,  without  speaking  a  word 
or  manifesting  any  expression  of  satisfaction  or 
otherwise,  at  meeting.  The  women,  as  usual,  re- 
mained in  charge  of  the  canoe,  and  in  about  an  hour 
they  all  left  the  harbour.  They  had  come  from  one 
of  the  neighbouring  islands,  and  were  in  a  more 
filthy  state  than  any  we  had  before  seen;  their 
bodies  and  heads  being  smeared  with  red  ochre, 
mixed  with  oil  or  grease  of  intolerable  smell. 

The  Fuegian  men  are  of  smaller  stature  than 
their  northern  prototypes,  the  Esquimaux.  The 
average  height  of  six  of  them  scarcely  exceeded  five 
feet.  They  are  an  indolent  race,  throwing  the 
labour  of  paddling  the  canoes  and  collecting 
shell-fish  upon  the  women.  Their  conduct 
throughout  the  whole  period  of  our  stay  was 
peaceable  and  inoffensive,  and  their  cheerfulness 
and  good  temper  rendered  their  presence  agree- 
able to  us  rather  than  otherwise;  and,  from  the 
number  of  useful  presents  they  received  in  the 
shape  of  knives,  axes,  saws,  and  all  kinds  of 
carpenters'  tools,  fishing-lines,  hooks,  and  a  great 
variety  of  other  articles,  I  trust  our  visit  will  not 
have  been  without  considerable  benefit  to  them. 

Their  language  is  most  difficult  and  unpro- 
nounceable, so  that  we  could  only  communicate 
with  each  other  by  signs,  and  of  course  could  not 
gain  any  knowledge  of  their  religious  ideas; 


CHAP.  XI.]  HERMITE   ISLAND.  307 

but  we  may  now  hope  that  the  day  is  ixot  far  dis-      1842. 
tant  when   the  blessings  of  civilisation  and  the  '  October, 
joyful  tidings  of  the  Gospel  may  be  extended  to 
these  most  degraded  of  human  beings,  for  I  have 
heard  that  at  this  moment  some  pious  missionaries 
are  about  to  commence  their  labours  among  the 
Patagonian  Indians  who  live  along  the  southern 
coast  of  the  American  continent. 

They  do  not  entertain  that  objection  to  having 
their  hair  cut,  which  Captain  King  mentions  of 
the  Fuegians  in  Fortescue  Bay.  After  reading 
that  anecdote  I  thought  it  right  to  proceed  with 
caution  to  induce  them  to  let  my  coxswain  cut  a 
lock  from  off  some  of  our  visitors;  on  present- 
ing each  of  them  with  some  hair  they  had  seen 
him  cut  off  my  head,  they  did  not  make  the  least 
objection  to  his  cutting  theirs  and  giving  it  to  me ; 
and  before  we  left  the  harbour,  nearly  all  of  them 
had  their  long  dirty  hair  removed^  and  expressed 
much  satisfaction  at  their  short  crop,  which  greatly 
improved  their  appearance. 

We  were  prevented  by  the  unsettled  state  of  the 
weather  from  extending  our  researches  to  the 
neighbouring  harbours  or  islands ;  but  the  able  and 
detailed  survey  and  description  of  them  by  Captains 
King  and  Fitzroy  leave  us  nothing  to  regret  on 
that  account,  beyond  the  gratification  of  our  own 
curiosity.  The  suddenness  and  violence  of  the 
"  williwaws  "  from  off  the  high  lands  render  navi- 
gation in  open  boats  too  dangerous  to  be  hazarded, 
except  there  had  been  any  object  of  sufficient  im- 

x  2 


308  BIRDS.  [CHAP.  XT. 

1842.  portance  to  justify  the  risk ;  and  our  people  were 
October,  more  usefully  employed,  whenever  the  weather 
admitted,  in  cutting  down  such  trees  as  the  car- 
penters selected  as  fit  for  building,  to  be  conveyed 
by  us  to  the  settlement  at  Falkland  Islands,  where 
timber  was  greatly  wanted,  and  in  taking  up,  under 
the  direction  of  Dr.  Hooker,  many  hundred  young 
trees  of  various  kinds,  which  I  was  in  hope  might 
succeed  when  transplanted  into  those  islands,  —  an 
important  desideratum. 

We  found  patches  of  celery  near  most  of  the 
wigwams,  and  thinking  it  probable  that  plant 
was  cultivated  by  the  natives,  we  cleared  several 
small  spaces  and  sowed  a  quantity  of  seeds  of 
various  kinds  of  vegetables,  such  as  parsley,  cab- 
bages, potatoes,  peas,  beans,  and  the  Kerguelen  Island 
cabbage,  in  the  hope  of  their  being  eventually  useful 
to-  them.  Several  pairs  of  rabbits,  which  we  had 
brought  for  the  purpose  from  Falkland  Islands, 
were  landed  at  different  parts  of  the  harbour,  and 
on  some  of  the  adjacent  islands ;  and  from  the 
luxuriance  of  the  vegetation  I  have  no  doubt  they 
will  thrive  and  multiply  exceedingly. 

Birds  of  different  kinds  were  daily  arriving  from 
the  northward,  and  our  sportsmen  succeeded  in 
supplying  our  tables  with  woodcocks,  quails,  up- 
land geese,  and  water-rails,  whilst  the  cormorant, 
loggerhead  duck,  and  kelp  geese  were  eagerly 
solicited  by  the  less  fastidious  Fuegians,  who 
seemed  to  prefer  them  when  in  a  putrid  state. 

We   were  unsuccessful  in  all  our  attempts  at 


CHAP.  XI.]  CLIMATE.  309 

fishing;  it  was  therefore  probably  too  early  in  the  1842. 
season  for  the  fish  to  enter  the  harbours.  One  October 
evening  we  observed  the  water  of  the  cove  to 
be  of  a  bright  red  colour;  and,  on  examination, 
found  it  to  be  caused  by  an  extraordinary  mul- 
titude of  a  small  species  of  cray-fish,  filling  the 
sea  with  their  numerous  progeny,  at  first  not 
discernible  in  the  mass,  and  probably  brought 
here  for  the  benefit  of  the  fresh  water,  which 
poured  into  the  head  of  the  cove  in  a  large  con- 
tinuous stream. 

The  annexed  abstract  from  our  Meteorological 
Journal  for  October,  the  second  spring  month  of 
these  regions,  will  serve  to  show  that,  although  its 
mean  temperature  (which,  in  all  other  parts  of 
the  world  is  generally  very  nearly  that  of  the 
whole  year)  is  rather  more  than  eight  degrees 
lower  than  the  temperature  of  April,  its  corre- 
sponding month  in  England,  yet  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  our  position  was  more  than  four 
degrees  and  a  half  of  latitude  nearer  to  the  Pole 
than  the  Greenwich  observatory ;  and  if  the  differ- 
ence be  something  greater  than  is  due  to  this 
cause,  still  our  observations  at  this  place  appear 
to  contradict  the  general  assertion  that  the  southern 
hemisphere  is  colder  by  ten  degrees  than  the  north- 
ern. The  range  of  temperature  near  Cape  Horn 
in  October  is  from  56°  to  30°.  In  April,  in  Eng- 
land, it  is  much  wider  —  from  74°  to  29°, 

The  quantity  of  rain  gives  evidence  of  the  humi- 
dity  of  the  climate;    and    although   there   were 

x   3 


METEOROLOGICAL   TABLE. 

ABSTRACT  OP  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  OF  HER  MAJESTY'S 

SHIP    EREBUS. ST.    MARTIN'S     COVE,     NEAR   CAPE    HORN,    IN 

OCTOBER,   1842. 


Day. 

Temperature  of  the  Air  in 
Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ture of  Sea 
on  Surface. 

Temperature 
at  9  A.M 

Quantity  of 
Rain. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Air  in 

Shade. 

Dew 

point. 

1 

o 
48 

0 

39'5 

0 

43-4 

o 
44-7 

o 
44 

0 

39 

Inches. 
•09 

2 

49'5 

42 

45-3 

44-6 

47 

40 

•05 

3 

48 

41 

44-1 

44-5 

47 

42 

•01 

4 

47 

39-5 

42-9 

44-8 

42 

38 

•27 

5 

47 

39 

43-1 

45 

46 

40 

•32 

6 

50 

35'5 

43-2 

45'3 

44 

38 

•02 

7 

47-5 

37 

41'6 

44'1 

45'5 

40 

8 

50 

37-5 

44-6 

45-7 

44 

42 

•31 

9 

53 

40 

46-7 

45'7 

49 

27 

10 

56 

41 

47-1 

46 

51 

39 

11 

54 

37-5 

43-2 

45-3 

48 

31 

12 

43 

36-5 

40'0 

45 

41 

36 

•18 

13 

40 

34 

36-9 

44-5 

38 

27 

•07 

14 

47 

38 

41-6 

44'8 

41 

32 

•09 

15 

45'5 

38 

40-8 

44'8 

44 

39 

•12 

16 

43 

37 

40-4 

44-6 

43 

32 

•13 

17 

44 

36 

40-1 

44-5 

42 

38 

•08 

18 

38 

33-5 

36-1 

43-6 

35 

35* 

1-09 

19 

39-5 

32 

36-3 

43*5 

36 

36* 

•68 

20 

36 

30 

33-2 

43 

35 

35* 

•28 

21 

45'5 

33 

38-4 

44 

37 

33 

0-37 

22 

40-5 

34 

36-2 

43-5 

36 

30 

0-16 

23 

39 

32-5 

35-8 

43'6 

36 

28 

0-32 

24 

40-5 

34 

37-4 

43-7 

34 

34* 

0-30 

25 

49 

39 

42-6 

44-8 

43 

38 

050 

26 

43-5 

37'5 

39-6 

44-2 

40 

34 

o-oi 

27 

44 

37 

40-7 

44-2 

40 

40* 

0-38 

28 

51 

41 

44-2 

45'2 

45 

43 

29 

50*5 

42 

46 

45'6 

48 

40 

30 

46 

41 

43-3 

45 

45 

45* 

•04 

31 

51 

36-5 

46-7 

46'1 

47 

42 

•02 

56 

30 

41-34 

44-64 

42-4 

36-6 

5-91 

METEOROLOGICAL  TABLE. 


311 


ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  OF  HER  MAJESTY  S 
SHIP  EREBUS.  —  ST.  MARTIN'S  COVE,  NEAR  CAPE  HORN,  IN 
OCTOBER,  1842. 


1842. 


Barometer. 

Winds. 

Day. 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

1 

29-578 

29-349 

29-434 

s.w. 

2-3 

Og.r. 

2 

•745 

•570 

•625 

S.W. 

1-9 

og- 

3 

•766 

•599 

•693 

S.W. 

1-5 

0  g.r. 

4 

•761 

•540 

•670 

S.W. 

2-0 

4b.c. 

5 

•745 

•537 

•631 

S.W. 

1-5 

Or. 

6 

•745 

•420 

•614 

E.N.E. 

2'3 

4b.c. 

7 

•365 

•168 

•252 

E.N.E. 

2-3 

2  b.c. 

8 

•522 

•280 

•414 

Variable 

ro 

6b.c. 

9 

•498 

•211 

•389 

S.W. 

1-5 

4  b.c. 

10 

•464 

•185 

•335 

Variable 

1-2 

4b.c. 

11 

•178 

•037 

•096 

N.W. 

ro 

6  b.c. 

12 

•316 

•112 

•208 

S.W. 

0-8 

4b.c. 

13 

•686 

•337 

•534 

S.W. 

3-0 

0  q.s. 

14 

•699 

•098 

•435 

S.W. 

1-9 

Oq. 

15 

•214 

•052 

•104 

S.W. 

2-2 

Og.r. 

16 

•432 

•045 

•316 

S.W. 

2-4 

Og.q. 

17 

28-968 

28-592 

28-693 

S.W. 

2-2 

0  q.n. 

18 

•632 

•252 

•415 

S.S.W. 

3-5 

0  q.s. 

19 

•977 

•625 

•800 

S.W. 

2-1 

Oq.s. 

20 

29-176 

•661 

•911 

S.S.W. 

3-8 

0  q.s. 

21 

•191 

•483 

•881 

s.s.w. 

2-1 

Og.s. 

22 

•008 

•455 

•621 

S.W. 

3'7 

0  q.s. 

23 

•296 

29-035 

29-210 

Westerly 

1-6 

2  b.c.p.S. 

24 

•486 

•310 

•417 

S.W. 

2-0 

0  q.s. 

25 

•554 

•502 

•532 

S.W. 

1-6 

3b.c. 

26 

•656 

•430 

•540 

S.W. 

2-3 

4  b.c.q. 

27 

•802 

•694 

•757 

S.W. 

1'2 

Og.r. 

28 

•712 

•313 

•463 

E.N.E. 

1-1 

3  b.c. 

29 

•362 

•256 

•305 

S.W. 

1-2 

5  b.c. 

30 

•416 

•298 

•308 

S.W. 

0-4 

Or. 

31 

•726 

•314 

•492 

Easterly 

0-5 

4b.c. 

29-802 

28-252 

29-293    | 

4'9 

1 

x  4 


312  PREVAILING  WINDS,  [CHAP.  XI. 

1842.  only  six  days  in  which  neither  rain  nor  snow  fell, 
October.  ^e  sn°wers  were  seldom  as  heavy  or  of  as  long 
continuance  as  at  New  Zealand.  But,  according 
to  Captain  King's  account,  there  is  a  rainy  season 
here  as  in  other  regions ;  for  he  states  that  in  the 
month  of  May  eight  inches  and  a  quarter  of  rain 
were  found  in  Captain  Foster's  pluviameter  at  the 
end  of  thirty  days,  and  when  allowance  is  made 
for  evaporation,  he  considers  that  no  less  than 
twelve  inches  must  have  fallen  during  that  time. 
It  would  be  better  to  register  the  indication  of  the 
pluviameter  daily,  and  thus  obtain  a  more  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  evaporation  and  deposition  of  the 
moisture  of  the  atmosphere.  The  mean  tempera- 
ture of  the  dew  point  shows  5°*8  dryness;  it  is 
therefore  greater  than  at  New  Zealand,  and  rather 
less  than  in  England,  where  in  April  it  amounts 
to  6°-4. 

The  mean  height  of  the  barometer  was  29*293 
inches,  and  its  range  during  the  month,  1*55  inches. 
The  observations  did  not  extend  over  a  sufficient 
space  of  time  to  enable  us  to  determine  the  amount 
of  atmospheric  tide :  it  is,  however,  small,  not  ex- 
ceeding *026  of  an  inch,  the  least  pressure  occur- 
ring about  noon,  and  the  greatest  near  midnight. 

The  prevailing  winds  are  from  the  S.W.,  and  we 
had  four  storms  attended  with  snow,  during  which 
the  gusts,  or  "  williwaws,"  were  so  fierce  as  to  carry 
the  spray  far  higher  than  the  mast-heads  of  our 
ship,  although  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
weather  shore ;  and  when  they  struck  her  on  the 


CHAP.  XL]  TIDES.  313 

broadside,  they  caused  her  to  heel  over  as  much  as  1842- 
when  under  the  heaviest  press  of  sail  she  could  October. 
carry.  During  some  of  the  more  violent  of  these 
hurricane  squalls  Lind's  wind-gauge  showed  an 
amount  of  pressure  equal  to  3 Gibs,  on  the  square 
foot.  These  storms  were  generally  predicted  by  a 
low  barometer;  and  the  Fuegians  foretold  them  with 
still  more  certainty,  when  to  us  there  appeared  no 
sign  of  their  approach.  Easterly  winds  are  generally 
light,  and  accompanied  by  fine  weather  and  a  high 
barometer,  and  the  average  force  of  the  wind,  1*9, 
is  less  than  at  most  other  places. 

The  height  of  the  tide  was  registered  every 
half  hour  from  the  27th  of  September  to  the  6th 
of  November ;  and  more  frequently  about  the  times 
of  high  and  low  water ;  the  amount  of  semi-diurnal 
inequality  of  the  tide  is  as  great  here  as  at  the 
Falkland  Islands,  and  at  first  seemed  to  present 
most  unaccountable  irregularities  ;  but  the  limited 
period  of  observation  did  not  admit  of  their  thorough 
investigation  :  for  practical  purposes,  however,  the 
following  are  the  results. 

The  first  high  water,  after  full  moon  on  the  4th 
of  October,  occurred  at  3h  15m ;  at  new  moon  on 
the  19th  at  4h  Om ;  and  at  full  moon  on  the  2nd  of 
November  at  3h  37m;  the  mean  time  being  3h  37m. 

At  the  quadratures  it  was  high  water  at  9h  30m 
on  the  27th  of  September  ;  at  9h  Om  on  the  llth  of 
October  ;  and  at  9h  15m  on  the  26th  of  October  ;  the 
mean  time  also  being  9h  15m. 

The  highest  tide  occurs  at  either  the  seventh  or 


314  LEAVE  ST.  MARTIN'S  COVE.      [CHAP.  xi. 

1842.      eighth  high  water;  and  the  largest  tide,  varying 
"  from  6  feet  to  7  feet  1  inch,  at  the  eighth  low  water 
after  the  full  and  change. 

From  one  hundred  and  forty  observations  of  high 
"and  low  water,  the  mean  level  of  the  sea  was  com- 
puted by  Captain  Crozier,  and  a  corresponding 
mark  cut  upon  the  perpendicular  face  of  the  rock 
on  the  S.E.  side,  near  the  head  of  the  cove,  where 
we  always  found  the  best  landing,  and  where  the 
tide-gauge  was  fixed. 

The  latitude  of  the  observatory,  which  was  placed 
about  fifty  yards  above  high  water  mark  at  the 
head  of  the  cove,  was  55°  5 1/  20"  S.,  the  longitude 
67°  32'  10"  W.,  the  magnetic  dip  58°  12'  8"  S., 
and  the  mean  variation  for  the  month  of  October 
22°  56'  0"-2  E. 

Nov.  7.  On  the  7th  of  November  we  sailed  from  St. 
Martin's  cove,  and  the  wind  being  favourable,  we 
passed  between  its  south  cape  and  Chanticleer 
Island.  The  channel  is  fully  a  mile  in  width  ;  but 
there  are  several  dangerous  rocks  in  it,  which  show 
themselves  only  when  there  is  sufficient  swell  to 
form  breakers.  One  of  these  hidden  rocks  lies  in 
the  channel  between  the  island  and  the  conspicuous 
rock  off  it ;  another  lies  about  one-third  of  a  mile 
outside  of  it,  and  is  about  one-fifth  of  a  mile  from 
Chanticleer  Island,  in  a  line  with  Mount  Foster. 

With  the  wind  on  our  starboard  beam  we  rounded 
Cape  Horn  in  the  forenoon,  at  a  distance  of  three 
or  four  miles,  the  surf  on  the  rocks  off  the  cape  was 
grand,  and  the  white  foam  along  the  whole  extent 


CHAP.  XI.]  BURDWOOD   BANK.  315 

of  the  coast  line,  caused  by  the  heavy  southerly      1842. 
swell,  was  rendered  more  remarkable  by  the  black 
cliffs  against  which  it  was  beating. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  llth,  being  in  latitude  Nov- 1]- 
54°  18'  S.,  and  longitude  60°  W.,  and  near  the 
danger  called  Burdwood  Eock  on  the  Admiralty 
chart,  we  hove  to  and  obtained  soundings  in  fifty 
fathoms ;  but  we  could  not  see  the  rock,  nor  any 
appearance  of  broken  water,  although  the  weather 
was  clear,  and  the  sea  sufficiently  rough  for  breakers 
to  be  visible  at  a  considerable  distance.  The 
remainder  of  the  day  was  spent  in  sounding  and 
surveying  the  Burdwood  Bank,  which  we  traced 
between  twelve  and  thirteen  miles  to  the  eastward, 
before  darkness  put  an  end  to  our  examination. 

The  least  depth  of  water  we  found  upon  it  was 
twenty-four  fathoms,  the  shoal  forming  a  narrow 
ridge  of  volcanic  rock,  lying  nearly  east  and  west,  the 
soundings  rapidly  increasing  in  depth  on  either  side 
of  the  ridge,  and  consisting  of  coarse  sand,  small 
stones,  and  shells.  The  colour  of  the  sea  was 
observed  to  be  a  deep  brown  over  the  bank,  some 
large  patches  of  seaweed  (macrocystis)  were  seen 
as  we  approached  it,  and  the  line  of  the  bank  was 
marked  by  a  rough  ripple  upon  the  surface. 

Ten  miles  to  the  northward  we  sounded  in  eighty 
fathoms  on  fine  black  sand  ;  and  thirty  miles  further 
to  the  north  we  had  no  soundings  with  three  hun- 
dred fathoms. 

The  next  morning  at  6  o'clock  Beauchene  Island    Nov.  12. 
was  seen,  and  we  hove  to  off  Cape  Pembroke  at 


316  THE   BARQUE    GOVERNOR   HALKETT.       [CHAP.  XT. 

1842.  midnight,  to  wait  for  daylight  and  clear  weather; 
but  the  wind  blowing  from  the  westward  the  next 
morning,  it  occupied  us  twelve  hours  to  beat  up 
Berkeley  Sound;  and  it  was  not  until  6  o'clock 
in  the  evening  that  we  anchored  in  Port  Louis. 

Lieutenant  Sibbald  met  us  outside  the  narrows 
with  despatches  and  letters  from  England,  which 
had  been  brought  by  H.M.  brig  Philomel  during  our 
absence  ;  he  also  gave  a  satisfactory  account  of  the 
health  and  conduct  of  the  party  under  his  com- 
mand. I  had  the  gratification  of  receiving  a  letter 
from  the  secretary  of  the  Admiralty,  conveying  to 
me  the  expression  of  their  lordships'  great  satisfac- 
tion at  the  successful  result  of  our  exertions,  which, 
together  with  one  of  the  same  date,  acquainting 
me  with  the  promotion  of  Captain  Crozier,  Com- 
mander Bird,  and  Lieutenant  A.  J.  Smith,  will  be 
found  in  the  Appendix. 

Nov.  14.  An  English  barque,  the  Governor  Halkett,  with  a 
valuable  cargo  of  oil  from  Sydney,  arrived  the  next 
day,  having  sprung  a  leak  soon  after  leaving  the 
harbour.  We  immediately  sent  as  many  hands  from 
both  ships  as  could  work  on  board  to  discharge  her 
cargo  and  look  for  the  leak.  It  was  fortunate  we  were 
in  the  harbour  at  the  time,  or  this  fine  vessel  must 
have  been  lost  for  want  of  means  of  repairing  her. 
As  it  was,  it  occupied  our  people  nearly  a  week  in 
clearing  her  out,  when  a  most  dangerous  leak  was 
found  in  her  bows  and  repaired  by  our  carpenters  ; 
and,  although  every  exertion  was  made  to  restow 
her  cargo,  it  was  not  until  the  1st  of  Decem- 


CHAP.  XL]          TREES  PLANTED.  317 

ber   she  was  able  to   proceed  on  her  voyage  to     1842- 
England. 

The  Philomel  came  into  Port  Louis  on  the  22nd,  Nov.  22. 
and  remained  a  few  days  with  us,  which  afforded 
me  an  opportunity  of  acquainting  Captain  Sulivan 
with  the  exact  position  of  the  Burdwood  bank, 
with  the  view  to  a  more  accurate  examination  than 
our  time  had  admitted,  and  which  it  was  of  import- 
ance to  accomplish,  on  account  of  the  great  danger 
of  the  loss  of  spars  that  vessels  are  liable  to  in 
passing  over  it,  owing  to  the  irregular  breaking  sea 
which  must  occur  there  during  stormy  weather. 

The  Philomel  sailed  on  the  2nd  of  December  in     Dec.  2. 
prosecution  of  the  survey  of  the  islands,  with  which 
duty  Captain  Sulivan  was  charged. 

Whilst  the  greater  part  of  our  crew  were  engaged 
on  board  the  Governor  Halkett,  the  remainder  were 
employed  landing  the  timber  and  young  trees  we 
had  brought  away  from  Hermite  Island ;  the  latter 
amounting  to  about  eight  hundred,  consisting 
principally  of  the  deciduous  and  evergreen  beech 
as  timber  trees,  and  others  of  a  more  ornamental 
kind,  of  shrubby  growth,  were  carefully  planted 
under  the  protection  of  the  substantial  wall  that 
enclosed  the  burial-ground ;  and,  as  nearly  all  of 
them  put  forth  fresh  buds  soon  after  they  were 
planted,  they  gave  good  promise  of  eventually 
furnishing  these  islands  with  trees  which  they 
greatly  require. 

As  we  could  not  spare  hands  to  go  cattle-hunting, 
and  fresh  beef  could  only  be  had  from  the  govern- 


318  MAGNETIC    OBSERVATIONS.  [CnAr.  XL 

1842.  ment  store  in  small  quantities,  fishing  and  shooting 
December.  parties  were  occasionally  sent  out ;  and,  together 
with  the  large  collections  of  penguin's  eggs  that 
were  made,  we  had  no  reason  to  complain. 

The  proper  season  for  resuming  our  operations  in 
the  south  being  now  at  hand,  our  observations  were 
concluded  in  the  early  part  of  December,  and  the 
ships  made  ready  for  sea. 

The  meteorological  abstracts  and  remarks  are 
printed  in  the  Appendix. 

The  result  of  our  magnetic  observations  gave 
the  mean  dip,  and  variation  for  each  month  as 
follows :  — 


Variation. 

Dip. 

For  April 

-     17°  50'  18"  E. 

52°  26'  1" 

May 

43  47 

25  7 

June 

38  10 

25  5 

July 

35  39 

22  4 

August 

33     0 

23  1 

September 

32  19 

October    - 

30  10 

November 

27  33 

18  8 

December 

. 

16  1 

The  latitude  of  the  observatory  51°  32'  5"  S.,  and 
the  longitude  58°  7'W. 

The  state  of  the  tide  was  registered  every  half 
hour  between  the  10th  of  May  and  6th  of  Sep- 
tember, and  more  frequently  about  the  times  of 
high  and  low  water,  from  which  the  following 
general  results  were  deduced,  without  reference  to 
some  remarkable  irregularities  which  occurred,  and 
which  belong  to  the  phenomena  of  periodical  in- 
equalities. 


CHAP.  XT.]  TIDES.  319 

The  mean  time  of  high  water  at  new  moon  is      1842. 
4h  45m ;  at  the  first  quarter,  5h  5m ;  at  full  moon,  December. 
6h  28ra ;  and  at  the  third  quarter,  5h  9m  after  she 
passes  the  meridian. 

The  highest  tide  is  the  third  high  water  after 
the  full  or  change  of  the  moon. 

The  greatest  rise  and  fall  is  6  feet  2  inches  at 
new  moon ;  but  at  full  moon  it  varied  from  4  feet 
10  inches  to  6  feet,  and  averages  a  smaller  spring 
tide  than  occurs  at  new  moon. 

The  largest  spring  tide,  or  difference  between 
high  and  low  water,  invariably  occurred  at  a  low 
water,  and  as  invariably  at  the  low  water  nearest 
to  midnight. 

The  mean  level  of  the  sea  was  deduced  from  five 
months'  observations;  and  two  permanent  marks 
were  made  5  feet  8  inches  above  it,  first  by  level- 
ling the  top  of  a  rock  a  little  to  the  southward 
of  the  pier  and  watering-place ;  and  again  by  cut- 
ting a  ledge  in  the  face  of  the  cliff  close  by  it.  Two 
copper  plates  were  fixed  in  the  rocks,  marked  thus : 
"  5  feet  8  inches  above  the  mean  level  of  the 
ocean,  August,  1842.,  H.B.M.  ships  Erebus  and 
Terror  ; "  by  which  any  difference  that  may  occur 
in  the  level  of  the  sea  in  those  parts  may  readily 
be  detected. 


Cockburn  Island  and  Admiralty  Inlet.    Page  322. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Route  determined.  —  Sail  from  Falkland  Islands.  —  Circle  of 
Mean  Temperature  of  the  Ocean.  —  Make  the  Pack.  —  Land 
Discovered.  —  Danger  Islets.  —  Whale  Fishery.  —  Mount 
Percy. —  Meteorological  Abstract  for  December.  —  D'Urville 
Monument.  —  Mount  Haddington.  —  Cockburn  Island  — 
Its  Botany.  —  Admiralty  Inlet.  —  Fixed  Land  Ice.  —  Clear 
the  Main  Pack.  —  Meteorological  Abstract  for  January. 


ii. 


321 


CHAPTER  XIL 

the  morning  of  the  17th  of  December  we  sailed     1842. 


from  Port  Louis,  upon  our  third  visit  to  the  ant-  DCC.  17. 
arctic  regions,  selecting  the  meridian  of  55°  W., 
where  I  was  in  expectation  of  meeting  with  a  con- 
tinuation of  Louis  Philippe's  Land,  and  hoped,  by 
following  the  coast  line  to  the  south-eastward, 
keeping  between  the  land  and  pack,  to  combine 
the  survey  of  its  shores  with  the  attainment  of  a 
high  latitude ;  but,  determined,  in  the  event  of 
meeting  with  any •  insuperable  obstruction,  to  relin- 
quish our  attempt  in  that  quarter,  and  endeavour 
to  follow  the  trac^  of  Weddell,  by  which  he  reached 
the  latitude  of  74°  15'  S.,  three  degrees  further 
than  any  preceding  navigator,  where  we  had  every 
reason,  from  his  account,  to  expect  we  should  find 
a  clear  sea,  and  considerably  extend  the  limits  of 
his  daring  researches. 

By  noon  we  were  fairly  at  sea  again,  the  Seal 
rocks  bearing  N.  69°  W.,  distant  four  miles  ;  and, 
favoured  by  a  smart  breeze  from  the  westward,  we 
soon  lost  sight  of  the  land  —  not  one  individual  in 
either  ship,  I  believe,  feeling  the  smallest  regret 
on  leaving  the  Falkland  Islands ;  every  one  rather 
rejoicing  in  the  prospect  before  us,  of  again 
resuming  the  more  important  business  of  our 
voyage.  Steering  to  the  S.  by  E.  in  order  to  pass 

VOL.  II.  Y 


322  LINE   OF   EQUAL   TEMPERATURE.    [CHAP.  XII. 

1842-  to  the  eastward  of  Clarence  Island,  one  of  the  South 
Shetland  group,  we  crossed  the  line  of  equal  tem- 
perature of  the  ocean  throughout  its  entire  depth, 

Dec.  20.  at  10  A.M.  on  the  20th,  in  latitude  55°  48'  S.,  and 
longitude  54°  40'  W. ;  but  the  weather  did  not 
admit  of  our  sending  thermometers  lower  than  a 
thousand  fathoms,  at  which  depth  the  temperature 
was  39°'5  ;  at  750  fathoms,  39°'3  ;  at  600  fathoms, 
39°-4;  at  450  fathoms,  39°'6 ;  at  300  fathoms, 
39°*6 ;  at  150  fathoms,  40°;  and  at  the  surface, 
40°.  The  specific  gravity  of  water  from  150  and 
600  fathoms  was  the  same  as  at  the  surface,  1*0277 
at  45°.  We  found  by  our  observations  that  during 
the  two  preceding  and  following  days  we  were  car- 
ried to  the  eastward,  by  a  current,  at  the  rate  of 
rather  more  than  twenty  miles  daily. 

Dec.  24.  On  the  morning  of  the  24th  we  saw  the  first  ice- 
berg, in  latitude  61°.  At  this  time  we  were  about 
fifty  miles  to  the  north-east  of  Clarence  Island ;  but 
owing  to  the  thick  weather  which  prevailed,  we 
could  not  see  it :  the  wind  increased  to  a  gale  from 
the  westward  in  the  afternoon,  which  reduced  us 
to  a  close-reefed  main-topsail  and  storm  staysails, 
and  it  blew  with  great  violence  throughout  the 
night ;  but  as  we  had  plenty  of  sea-room,  with  only 
few  bergs  about  us,  and  clear  weather,  it  gave  us 
no  uneasiness.  The  temperature  of  the  sea  also 
being  above  35°,  we  were  assured  that  no  large 
body  of  ice  could  be  near  us,  so  we  stood  to  the 
southward. 

Dec.  25.        The  gale  moderated  at  9  the  next  morning,  by 


CHAP.  XII.]  MAKE    THE   PACK.  323 

which  time,  being  under  the  lee  of  Clarence  1842. 
Island,  we  found  some  shelter  from  the  heavy 
westerly  sea  we  had  during  the  night  experienced. 
Being  Christmas  Day,  our  people,  as  usual,  had  an 
additional  allowance  issued  to  them,  and  it  was 
passed  by  us  all  cheerfully  and  happily,  although 
the  gale  still  whistled  through  the  rigging,  and  we 
were  surrounded  by  a  great  multitude  of  icebergs. 
We  were  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  Lieutenant 
Governor  Moody,  of  the  Falkland  Islands,  for  the 
good  old  English  fare  of  roast-beef,  which  he  pro- 
vided by  presenting  each  ship  with  a  fine  fat  ox, 
which  had  been  fed  on  one  of  the  tussock-covered 
islands,  for  this  especial  occasion. 

In  the  afternoon  we  met  with  and  sailed  through 
several  streams  of  loose  ice,  and  soon  afterwards 
the  main  pack  was  seen  from  S.  S.  W.  to  E.  At  this 
time  we  were  in  latitude  62°  30'  S.,  and  longitude 
52°  W.,  when,  the  wind  falling  light,  and  there 
being  a  considerable  swell  amongst  the  ice,  we  were 
obliged  to  stand  off  to  the  northward  for  the  night. 

During  the  next  day  we  beat  along  the  pack  edge  Dec.  26. 
to  the  westward,  against  a  moderate  breeze,  which 
afforded  us  an  opportunity  of  examining  it  from 
the  mast-head,  as  we  worked  in  amongst  the  loose 
ice  off  its  margin.  As  far  as  we  could  see,  the 
pack  appeared  tolerably  open ;  but  I  was  desirous 
of  getting  between  it  and  the  land  to  the  west- 
ward, and  therefore  did  not  venture  so  far  as  to 
endanger  the  vessels  getting  beset  in  so  exposed  a 
situation. 

Y    2 


324  LAND   DISCOVERED.  [CHAP.  XII. 

1842.  Light  adverse  winds  and  thick  weather  on  the 
Dec.  27.  27th  greatly  impeded  us.  We  were  amongst 
loose  ice,  and  many  bergs ;  these  were  in  a  state 
of  rapid  dissolution,  from  the  temperature  of  the 
air  being  up  to  37°,  and  that  of  the  sea  to  34°. 
Frequent  loud  reports  and  crashes  were  heard  as 
they  broke  up  and  rolled  over,  so  that  it  was  dan- 
gerous to  approach  them,  and  an  unusual  sight  to 
us;  for  on  our  two  former  visits  to  the  southern 
regions,  we  had  never  seen  the  least  appearance  of 
thaw  or  of  breaking  up  of  bergs. 

Dec.  28.  Land  was  discovered  on  the  28th,  at  6  P.M. 
It  presented  to  our  view  a  remarkable  cape, 
with  a  deep  indentation  to  the  northward  of  it, 
having  the  appearance  of  a  good  harbour,  and 
terminated  by  a  less  conspicuous  headland.  Still 
further  to  the  northward,  and  at  a  great  distance, 
another  promontory  was  clearly  seen,  which  I 
believe  to  be  the  "  Point  des  Frangais  "  of  Admiral 
D'Urville :  the  northernmost  cape  of  the  land  he 
named  "  Joinville." 

The  summit  of  the  highest  land  to  the  south- 
ward was  partially  concealed  by  mist,  but  which 
occasionally  cleared  away,  and -exposed  to  view  an 
even  round  topped  mountain,  covered  with  snow, 
out  of  which  two  warty  excrescences  of  rock  pro- 
jected, of  very  curious  appearance,  owing  to  their 
ruggedness,  and  being  quite  free  from  snow. 
Wreaths  of  snow  or  mist  which  whirled  round  the 
hill-tops,  led  Captain  Crozier  and  his  officers  to 
believe  they  could  perceive  smoke  issuing  from 


CHAP.  XII.]  DANGER   ISLETS.  325 

them ;  it  was  not  observed  by  any  one  on  board      1842- 
the  Erebus,  but  it  might  have  escaped  our  notice.    Dec.  28. 
I  mention  it  here  to  call  the  attention   of    any 
future  visiter  to  the  circumstance. 

A  high  islet,  of  extraordinary  figure,  was  seen 
at  a  great  distance  from  the  shore.  I  named 
it  -ZEtna  Islet,  from  its  resemblance  to  that  vol- 
cano :  it  was  entirely  covered  with  recent  snow, 
and,  but  for  its  great  height,  might  easily  have 
been  mistaken  for  an  iceberg. 

An  enormous  glacier,  of  several  miles  in  breadth, 
descended  from  an  elevation  of  about  1200  feet  into 
the  ocean,  where  it  presented  a  vertical  cliff  of 
about  100  feet  high  (the  great  southern  barrier  of 
78°  15'  S.  in  miniature),  near  which  we  observed 
the  largest  aggregation  of  icebergs,  which  had 
evidently  been  broken  away  from  it,  that  I  ever 
remember  to  have  seen  collected  together. 

Having  clearly  determined  the  general  outline 
of  the  land,  although,  from  the  want  of  good  ob- 
servations, being  unable  to  give  its  exact  position, 
we  bore  away  to  the  south,  along  a  coast-line  of 
icy  cliffs,  in  a  sea  thickly  studded  with  grounded 
bergs :  a  strong  tide  or  current  amongst  them 
forming  whirlpools,  rendered  the  steerage  of  our 
ships  at  times  difficult,  and  hurried  us  onwards 
to  the  southward,  until  at  length  numerous  low 
rocky  islets  appeared  amongst  heavy  fragments  of 
ice,  by  which  they  were  completely  concealed  until 
we  were  nearly  down  upon  them.  I  called  them 
Danger  Islets.  They  obliged  us  to  haul  off  to  the 

Y     3 


326  DARWIN  ISLET.  [CHAP.  XH. 

1842.  eastward,  and  we  had  fortunately  gained  an  offing 
before  midnight,  when  it  became  so  thick  that  we 
could  not  see  beyond  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 
Dec.  29.  Notwithstanding  the  fog  and  numerous  bergs 
about  us,  we  stood  to  the  south-east  until  we  met 
with  the  pack  edge,  and  almost  immediately  after- 
wards an  island  was  seen  within  three  times  the 
length  of  the  ship,  although  we  had  tried  for  sound- 
ings every  quarter  of  an  hour  without  striking 
ground :  we  tacked,  and  made  the  fog  signal  for  the 
Terror  to  do  so  likewise.  The  cliffs  of  the  island 
through  the  fog  appeared  so  perpendicular  as  to 
admit  of  the  ship  going  alongside ;  and  well  it  was 
they  were  seen  in  time  to  avoid  running  against 
them,  as  we  had  no  suspicion  of  being  near  any 
land. 

We  sounded  at  lh  20m  P.M.  in  one  hundred  and 
sixty-two  fathoms,  on  sand  and  small  stones,  and 
found  the  current  setting  to  the  N.  N.  W.  at  the 
rate  of  half  a  mile  hourly.  The  fog  cleared  away, 
and  we  saw  the  small  high  island  against  which  we 
so  nearly  ran.  It  is  the  southernmost  of  the  Danger 
Islet  group.  I  named  it  Darwin  Islet,  after  Charles 
Darwin,  Esquire,  the  talented  companion  of  Captain 
Fitzroy  during  his  interesting  voyage.  The  wind 
shifting  to  the  southward  brought  clear  weather, 
and  as  we  stood  towards  the  land,  with  the  intention 
of  continuing  its  survey,  under  all  sail  upon  the 
port  tack,  we  passed  numerous  streams  of  heavy  ice, 
and  received  severe  blows  in  forcing  a  passage 
through  some  of  them. 


CuAP.XIL]       WHALE   FISHERY   DISCOVERED.  327 

We  observed  a  very  great  number  of  the  largest-  1842. 
sized  black  whales,  so  tame  that  they  allowed  the 
ship  sometimes  almost  to  touch  them  before  they 
would  get  out  of  the  way ;  so  that  any  number  of 
ships  might  procure  a  cargo  of  oil  in  a  short  time. 
Thus  within  ten  days  after  leaving  the  Falkland 
Islands,  we  had  discovered  not  only  new  land,  but 
a  valuable  whale-fishery  well  worthy  the  attention 
of  our  enterprising  merchants,  less  than  six  hun- 
dred miles  from  one  of  our  own  possessions. 

The  birds  we  met  with  off  this  land  were  of  the 
same  kinds  we  had  seen  on  our  previous  visits  to  the 
icy  regions ;  but  the  great  penguins  were  more 
numerous  than  we  had  any  where  before  found 
them. 

It  blew  a  strong  breeze  from  the  southward,  with  Dec.  so. 
frequent  snow-showers  and  sharp  squalls ;  and  we 
found  the  pack  so  close,  that  we  had  great  difficulty 
in  making  our  way  through  it  to  the  westward ; 
at  one  time  the  Terror  became  so  entangled 
amongst  it,  that  I  was  apprehensive  of  her  getting 
beset,  and  dodged  about  for  some  hours  in  a  more 
open  space,  until  she  was  released.  A  great  number 
of  grounded  bergs  was  probably  the  occasion  of  the 
loose  ice  being  packed  so  closely  just  at  this  point. 

At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  63°  36'  S.,  longi- 
tude 54°  33'  W.  Darwin  Islet,  of  about  600 
feet  elevation,  with  several  rocks,  and  two  or 
three  smaller  islets  near  it,  were  seen  when  the 
fog  cleared  away.  The  main  land  was  also  seen 
bearing  from  W.  N.  W.  to  S.  S.  W.,  and  with 

Y    4 


328  MOUNT  PERCY.  [CiiAr.  XII. 

3842.     the  assistance  of  a  fine  breeze  from  the  south,  we 
Dec  so"  succeeded,  by  8  P.  M.,  in  forcing  our  way  through 
the  loose  ice  into  an  extensive  sheet  of  clear  water, 
between  the  land  and  the  main  pack. 

With  a  light  south-east  wind  we  stood  towards 
the  land  until  midnight,  when  it  fell  calm  for  a 
short  time.  We  tried  for,  but  did  not  obtain, 
soundings  with  three  hundred  fathoms  of  line. 
It  was  a  beautiful  night,  and  we  could  distin- 
guish the  land  as  far  to  the  southward  as  south- 
west entirely  covered  with  snow,  except  in  a  few 
places  where  perpendicular  cliffs,  upon  which  it 
could  not  lodge,  broke  through  the  mountain 
glacier,  and  first  arrested  our  attention.  The 
summit  of  the  mountain  to  the  northward  ter- 
minated in  two  remarkable  peaks,  whose  eleva- 
tion above  the  level  of  the  sea  was  found  to 
be  ,3700  feet.  I  named  it  Mount  Percy,  after 
Eear  Admiral  the  Honourable  Josceline  Percy, 
the  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  station,  to  which  these  newly-discovered 
lands  belong.  The  high,  bold  cape  which  forms 
the  south  extremity  of  the  island,  upon  which 
Mount  Percy  rises,  I  named  Cape  Purvis,  after 
Commodore  Purvis,  of  whose  valuable  assistance  to 
our  expedition  I  have  already  spoken ;  and  the 
high  conical  island  near  it  was  called  Paulet  Island, 
after  our  good  friend  and  brother  officer,  Captain 
the  Eight  Honourable  Lord  George  Paulet,  K.  N., 
to  whom  we  equally  owe  many  obligations.  Paulet 
Island  is  7 50  feet  above  the  sea,  and  its  cliffs  appear 


-     .    Fixed  Land  Ice 

• 


. 


.    e71*  Erebus  8c  Terror 


SOUTH   SHETLAND 
ISLANDS 


WITH  THE  TRACKS  OF  HM.SHIT  S 

EREBUS  AND  TEKROR 

1842-3 


CAPTAIN  SIH  J.  CROSS  H.N.ER.S 


CHAP.  XII.]  POINTS   OF   LAND   NAMED.  329 

from  the  distance  to  rise  so  abruptly  as  to  render      1842. 
it  quite  inaccessible.  DGC.  30. 

An  islet  to  the  northward  of  Paulet  Island  was 
named  Eden  Islet,  after  Captain  Charles  Eden  of 
the  Royal  Navy;  and  its  lofty  southern  cape, 
after  Captain  William  David  Puget  of  the  Royal 
Navy.  The  low,  eastern,  extreme  point,  off  which 
lie  the  Danger  Islets,  was  called  Point  Moody, 
after  the  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  Falkland 
Islands:  the  northern  headland  of  the  apparent 
inlet,  the  first  land  seen  by  us  on  the  evening  of 
the  28th,  I  named  Cape  King,  and  the  remarkable 
rugged  cape  to  the  southward,  Cape  Fitzroy,  after 
my  friends,  Captain  P.  P.  King,  R.  N.,  and  Captain 
R.  Fitzroy,  R.  N.,  from  whose  admirable  surveys 
we  had  derived  much  advantage. 

A  wide  and  deep  inlet  to  the  north-west,  in  which 
were  numerous  high,  conical,  and  crater-shaped 
islets,  suggested  the  belief  that  there  is  a  passage 
between  Joinville  Land  and  Louis  Philippe  Land 
into  Bransfield  Straits.  The  low  western  termina- 
tion of  the  land  was  named  Point  Bransfield,  after 
Edward  Bransfield,  Esq.,  Master  of  the  Royal  Navy. 
The  land  from  Point  Bransfield  is  quite  flat  for  a 
great  distance  from  the  shore  towards  Mount 
Percy,  and  near  the  centre  of  this  extensive  snow- 
covered  plain  a  very  remarkable  tower- shaped  rock 
rises  to  a  conspicuous  height :  it  was  probably  seen 
by  Admiral  D'Urville  from  the  northward,  at  a 
greater  distance,  as  it  is  marked  on  his  chart  as  an 
"  isle  supposee,"  the  low  land  upon  which  it  stands 


330 


METEOROLOGICAL  ABSTRACT.        [CHAP.  XII. 


ABSTRACT  OP  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEPT  ON  BOARD 
HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS.  —  DECEMBER,  1842. 


Day. 

Position. 

Temperature  of  the  Air  in 
Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ure  of  Sea 
at  Surface. 

Temp,  at 

9  A.M. 

Rain  in 
Gauge. 

Air  in 
shade 

Dew 

point. 

Lat.  S. 

Long.  W. 

Max. 

Win. 

Mean. 

o       / 

o      / 

0 

o 

o 

o 

0 

o 

[nches. 

1 

49'5 

37-5 

42-6 

49 

46 

32 

— 

2 

55 

37 

44-1 

49'3 

51 

42 

0'05 

3 

51 

36 

43-2 

48-2 

51 

47 

0-06 

4 

45'5 

36 

40-9 

48-4 

43 

30 

0-02 

5 

50 

35 

41-9 

47-8 

42 

33 

0'02 

6 

54 

39 

45-8 

48-8 

46 

46* 

o-io 

7 

,  Port  Louis. 

52 

40 

45'7 

48-9 

49-5 

41 

— 

8 

58 

41 

47-9 

48-9 

50 

37 

o-oi 

9 

60-5 

43 

51-2 

49-4 

55 

42 

— 

10 

53-5 

40 

45-5 

49-0 

47 

41 

— 

11 

50 

37-5 

44 

49-2 

48 

42 

0-04 

12 

49 

37'5 

447 

48-9 

47 

46 

0-02 

13 

50 

40 

44-2 

48-5 

46 

37 

0'07 

14 

49-5 

42 

45-5 

48-8 

46 

41 

o-oi 

15 

57 

42 

48-9 

49-7 

52 

47 

0-02 

16 

59-5 

38 

50-5 

50'3 

52 

44 

— 

17 

Off  Cape  Pembroke 

63 

46 

54-4 

49'3 

61 

49 

— 

18 

52  54 

56  43 

60 

46 

52 

47'4 

55 

47 

— 

19 

54  23 

56  01 

46 

42 

44-9 

44-5 

46 

42 

— 

20 

55  51 

54  42 

51 

41 

45'4 

43-3 

46 

41 

— 

21 

57  04 

53  22 

43 

36 

39-5 

38'3 

40 

38 

0-16 

22 

58  16 

52     0 

39 

34 

35-4 

35-4 

35 

32 

— 

23 

59  50 

51  50 

38 

33'5 

35-3 

34-3 

34 

30 

— 

24 

61  23 

52   19 

36-5 

34 

35-1 

33-6 

36 

36 

— 

25 

62  14 

52  05 

35-5 

28 

32-2 

32-2 

33 

33* 

— 

26 

62  31 

51  36 

33-5 

29 

31-7 

32-0 

34 

32 

— 

27 

62   18 

51  57 

37'5 

32 

34-2 

33-3 

33 

33 

— 

28 

62  44 

53  43 

37 

32 

33-8 

32-7 

34 

32 

-— 

29 

63  40 

53  42 

35-5 

30-5 

32-1 

31-8 

33 

32 

— 

30 

60  36 

54  33 

33 

29 

31 

31-6 

31 

29 

— 

31 

63  56 

55  28 

40 

28 

33 

32-3 

33 

26 

— 

60-5 

28 

41-82 

43-07 

0-58 

*  Deposit  of  rain,  snow,  or  fog. 


CHAP.  XII.]         METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


331 


ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEPT  ON  BOARD 

,    HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS.— DECEMBER,  1842. 


1842. 


Days. 

Barometer  (corrected.) 

Winds. 

Weather. 

Max.      I       Mia 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

1 

Inches. 
29-300 

Inches. 
29-059 

Inches. 
29-206 

S.  Westerly 

2 

J"A.M.4b.c. 
tP.M.Od. 

2 

•182 

28-914 

•013 

/  A.M.  Westerly. 
I  P.M.  Southerly 

1 
3 

0  p.r. 
4  b.c.p.r. 

3 

•181 

29-031 

•085 

1  A.M.  N.W. 

\  P.M.  East 

2 

2  b.c.p.r. 

4 

•393 

•060 

•212 

Southerly 

4 

f  A.M.3  b.C. 

IP.M.  3b.c.p.h. 

5 

•554 

•400 

•500 

S.S.W. 

3 

f  A.M.3b.c.p.s.j 
t  P.M.  1  b.c.  g.  J 

6 

•497 

•298 

•396 

/A.M.  West 
1  P.M.  S.S.W. 

2 

jA.M.Og.r.     1 
t  P.M.  2  b.c.      J 

7 

•523 

•253 

•384 

N.N.W. 

2 

0  m.r. 

8 

•437 

•296 

•390 

S.  Westerly 

4 

3  b.c. 

9 

•441 

•346 

•394 

Westerly 

2 

3  b.c. 

10 
11 

•599 
•676 

•429 
•539 

•550 
•614 

S.  W. 
S.W. 

3 
4 

f  A.M  2  b.C.        "I 

Xp.M.Oq.p.r.sJ 
fAM.2b.c.p.q.r.l 
lP.M.2b.c.q.     J 

12 

•638 

•029 

•285 

N.N.W. 

2 

0  g.r. 

13 

•512 

•133 

•407 

S.S.W. 

/A.M.  6 
LP.M.  4 

3  b.c.q.p.r. 

14 

•834 

•496 

•627 

S.S.W. 

4 

1  b.c.p.q.r. 

15 

•992 

•840 

•903 

S.S.W. 

3 

3  b.c. 

16 

•983 

•682 

•838 

Westerly 

3 

3  b.c. 

17 

•711 

•392 

•570 

W.N.W. 

3 

5  b.c. 

18 

•447 

•258 

•334 

Westerly 

2 

/A.M.  5  b.C. 

I  P.M.  Ib.c.g.p.r. 

19 

•498 

•233 

•313 

w.s.w. 

5 

/A.M.  4  b.C.      T 

IP.M.  2  b.c.g.  J 

20 

•560 

•469 

•526 

fA.M.S.W.byW 
\  P.M.  Northerly 

2 

/A.M.  2b.c.    1 
1  P.M.  0  d.       J 

21 

•512 

•213 

•405 

Westerly 

"  A.M.  3 
t  P.M.  8 

1  b.c.m.        1 
2  b.c.o.q.g.  J 

22 

•699 

•383 

•608 

S.W. 

!A.M.  6 
t  P.M.  3 

2  b.c.p.s. 

23 

•798 

•500 

•661 

Westerly 

"A.M.  3 

\P.M.  5 

2b.c.g.         •} 
Om.q.          J 

24 

•469 

•006 

•254 

West 

6 

J  A.M.  0  m.q. 
|.P.M.2b.c.o.m.q 

25 

•280 

28-956 

•116 

S.W. 

f  A.M.  8 

tp.M.3 

0  q.s.             •} 
3  b.c.            J 

26 

•278 

29-186 

•225 

W.N.W. 

2 

Om.f. 

27 

•195 

•103 

•141 

W.N.W. 

1 

Om.f. 

28 

•123 

28-941 

•036 

N.  Westerly 

3 

fA.M.Of.S.       \ 

\  P.M.  3  b.c.     J 

29 

28-934 

•832 

28-886 

f  A.M.  North 
{  P.M.  South 

2 

4 

Of.p.s. 

30 

•980 

•847 

•908 

South 

5 

0  m.p.s. 

31 

29-137 

•947 

29-022 

S.E. 

2 

3  b.  c. 

29'992 

28-832 

29-3487 

3-3 

*   For  explanation  of  these  symbols  see  Appendix,  Vol.  I. 


332  D'URVILLE'S  MONUMENT.        [CHAP.  xn. 

1842.  not  being  visible  at  so  great  a  distance.   I  have 
named  it  D'Urville's  Monument,  in  memory  of  that 
enterprising  navigator,  whose  loss  not  only  France, 
but  every  civilized  nation  must  deplore. 

Dec.  31.  .At  6  A.M.  a  light  breeze  sprung  up  from  the 
eastward,  to  which  we  spread  all  our  studding- 
sails,  steering  for  the  distant  land  to  the  south- 
west. Great  numbers  of  the  largest-sized  black 
whales  were  lying  upon  the  water  in  all  directions : 
their  enormous  breadth  quite  astonished  us.  The 
colour  of  the  sea  was  a  dirty  brown,  probably 
occasioned  by  minute  ferruginous  infusoria,  which 
were  found  in  the  greenish-coloured  mud  that 
was  brought  up  by  the  deep  sea  clamms  from  a 
depth  of  two  hundred  and  seven  fathoms,  at  1  P.  M. 
At  this  time  we  were  in  latitude  64°  S.,  longitude 
55°  28'  W.,  the  magnetic  dip  62°  30'  S.,  variation 
21°  30'  E. ;  the  southern  extreme  of  land  bearing 
S.  54°  W.  at  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  and  a  lofty 
table-topped  mountain  bearing  about  west.  At  4 
p.  M.  we  came  to  the  edge  of  the  ice  which  filled  the 
great  gulf  to  the  south-west,  and  in  which  it  was 
so  closely  packed  that  we  could  not  get  any  nearer 
the  coast  at  this  point ;  we  therefore  steered  along 
it  to  the  south-east. 

1843.  The  new  year  opened  upon  us  with  beautiful 
weather,  but  soon  after  2  A.M.,  whilst  running  to 
the  southward  with  a  westerly  wind,  we  found  the 
ice  so  close,  that  to  prevent  getting  beset,  we  were 
compelled  to  stand  back  to  the  northward,  to  await 
a  more  favourable  opportunity,  and  with  the  hope 


CHAP.  XII.]  MOUNT   HADDINGTON.  333 

that  the  westerly  breeze  would  drive  the  ice  away      1843. 
from  the  shore,  and  leave  a  clear  passage  between 
them. 

At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  64°  14'  S.,  longitude  Jan- L 
55°  54'  W.  Being  New  Year's  Day,  a  complete 
suit  of  warm  clothing  was,  as  customary,  presented 
to  our  crews,  and  an  additional  allowance  of  provi- 
sion given  to  them.  In  the  afternoon,  accompanied 
by  Commander  Bird  and  some  of  the  officers,  I 
went  on  board  the  Terror  to  visit  Captain  Crozier, 
and  exchange  the  good  wishes  of  the  season.  At 
this  time  it  was  perfectly  calm,  and  we  had  a  most 
beautiful  view  of  the  magnificent  mountain  which 
forms  the  most  striking  feature  of  our  new  disco- 
veries. It  was  named  Mount  Haddington,  after 
the  Right  Honourable  the  Earl  of  Haddington, 
the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty.  Its  eleva- 
tion, by  the  mean  of  several  measurements,  was 
found  to  be  seven  thousand  and  fifty  feet.  It  rose 
precipitously  from  the  coast  in  three  horizontal 
volcanic  terraces,  the  black  rocky  cliffs  protruding 
through  the  perennial  icy  covering  of  the  moun- 
tain ;  and,  in  some  places,  large  masses  of  irregular 
shape  also  appeared.  A  small  island,  of  a  deep 
brown  colour,  of  great  elevation  for  its  size,  with  a 
rock  resembling  a  watch  tower  on  its  north  point, 
and  a  high  volcanic  crater-like  peak  on  its  south  end, 
being  perfectly  clear  of  snow,  formed  a  striking 
contrast  to  the  main  land.  It  was  named  Cock- 
burn  Island,  after  Admiral  the  Right  Honourable 
Sir  George  Cockburn,  G.  C.  B.,  Senior  Naval  Lord 


334  LARGE   ICEBERG.  [CHAP.  XII. 

1843.      of  the  Admiralty.     Its  elevation  above  the  sea  was 
"  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  and  its 
diameter  was  about  twice  as  much. 

In  the  evening  the  wind  came  from  the  north- 
east, and  we  made  an  attempt  to  force  our  way 
through  the  loose  ice,  but  it  closed  so  rapidly  upon 
us  that  we  were  soon  beset,  and  compelled  to  make 
fast  to  a  floe  of  two  or  three  miles  in  diameter. 
Bergs  of  the  barrier  form  were  numerous,  and  one 
of  them,  which  was  our  inconveniently  close  com- 
panion the  whole  day,  measured  between  four  and 
five  miles  in  diameter  and  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  high. 

Jan.  2.  Whilst  fast  to  this  floe,  we  had  a  good  opportu- 
tunity  of  comparing  our  magnetic  instruments,  and 
were  gratified  to  find  the  results  most  satisfactory 
and  accordant.  At  noon  we  were  in  latitude  64° 
2'  S.,  and  longitude  56°  11'  W.,  the  magnetic  dip  63° 
17'  S.,  and  the  variation  20°  53'  E.,  by  observations 
on  the  ice  ;  we  obtained  soundings  in  one  hundred 
and  fifty-two  fathoms,  on  blue  mud.  The  smaller 
kind  of  penguins  was  in  great  numbers,  and 
afforded  much  amusement  to  our  people,  scram- 
bling through  the  deep  snow  after  them  ;  three  of 
the  great  penguins  were  also  captured :  the  largest 
weighed  sixty-eight  pounds. 

At  1  30  P.  M.  we  cast  off  from  the  floe,  and 
gained  a  tolerably  clear  space;  but  the  Terror, 
being  further  to  leeward,  remained  beset  for  three 
hours  longer,  when  by  great  exertions  they  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  out,  and  rejoined  us  just  before  a 


CHAP.  XII.]  COCKBUBN   ISLAND.  335 

thick  fog  came  over,  which  prevented  our  running      1343. 
to  the  south.  During  the  night  we  stretched  to  the 
eastward,  amongst  streams  of  ice  and  bergs,  which 
became  less   numerous  as   we    receded  from   the 
land. 

At  2  A.  M.  we  came  to  the  main  pack,  and  were     Jan.  3. 
obliged  to  stand  back  to  the  westward,  having  ac- 
complished my  object  of  ascertaining  the  breadth  of 
the  space  between  it  and  the  land,  which  was  about 
twenty  miles. 

We  were  prevented  making  any  progress  during 
the  next  two  days  by  unfavourable  weather,  and 
were  fortunate  in  having  a  comparatively  clear 
space  for  the  ships  during  its  continuance.  At 
9  p.  M.  on  the  5th,  the  wind  blew  strong  from  the  Jan-  5- 
southward,  but  under  the  lee  of  the  land  we  main- 
tained our  position,  whilst  the  loose  ice  from  the 
islets  and  coast  drifted  away  to  the  northward, 
leaving  the  shores  of  Cockburn  Island  quite  clear : 
having  moderated  to  a  light  breeze,  we  got  close 
in  with  it  at  9  A.  M.,  when  I  made  the  signal  to  Jan.  6. 
Captain  Crozier,  and  we  landed  together  and  took 
formal  possession  of  the  island  and  the  contiguous 
lands.  As  we  expected,  we  found  it  to  be  entirely 
of  volcanic  formation ;  but  the  most  interesting 
feature  of  our  visit  to  this  barren  rock  is  that  here 
the  last  vestiges  of  vegetation  are  to  be  found,  and 
of  which  the  following  account  is  given  by  Dr. 
Hooker :  — 

"  As  regards  its  botany,  this  island  may  be  con- 
sidered one  of  a  group,  lying  immediately  south 


336  BOTANY   OF  [CHAP.  XII. 

1843.  of  Cape  Horn,  beyond  the  sixtieth  degree  of  lati- 
January  tude.  The  number  of  plants  ascertained  to  in- 
habit them  hardly  exceeds  twenty-six  ;  and  one  of 
these,  a  grass,  the  only  flowering  plant,  does  not  pass 
the  sixty-second  degree  ;  nor,  consequently,  reach 
that  island,  to  whose  vegetation  the  following  ob- 
servations more  immediately  refer.  Previous  to 
the  voyage  of  the  "  Erebus  and  Terror,"  almost 
nothing  was  known  of  the  vegetation  which  ap- 
proaches nearest  to  the  Antarctic  Pole.  We  had 
yet  to  learn  whether  a  flora,  so  situated,  would  be 
found  to  consist  of  plants  which  inhabit  the  ele- 
vated and  comparatively  rigorous  regions  of  a 
milder  clime ;  or  of  those  growing  in  a  similar 
latitude  of  the  opposite  hemisphere ;  or  finally, 
if  Nature  had  not  there  produced  new  and  iso- 
lated species,  adapted  to  the  peculiarities  of  the 
locality. 

"  The  Flora  of  Cockburn  Island  contains  nine- 
teen species,  all  belonging  to  the  orders,  Mosses^ 
Algce,  and  Lichens.  Twelve  are  terrestrial ;  three 
inhabit  either  fresh  water  or  very  moist  ground ; 
and  four  are  confined  to  the  surrounding  Ocean. 
Of  these  nineteen  plants,  seven  are  restricted  to 
the  island  in  question,  having  been  hitherto  found 
nowhere  else  (besides  an  eighth,  which  is  a  variety 
of  a  well  known  species)  ;  the  others  grow  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  globe,  some  being  widely  diffused. 

"  The  greatest  amount  of  novelty  is  found  here, 
as  in  other  cryptogamic  floras,  among  the  most 
highly  organized  class :  for  example,  of  the  Mosses, 


CHAP.  XII.] 


COCKBURN   ISLAND.  337 


two  out  of  five  are  new.    There  are  seven  Algce,      1843. 
and  two  of  them,  or  less  than  a  third,  are  new.      Jan 
Of  six  species  of  Lichen,  four  are  already  described, 
(perhaps  five),  so  that  only  one,  or  at  most  two, 
can  be  considered  peculiar. 

"  The  twelve  plants  of  Cockburn  Island  that  are 
common  to  other  parts  of  the  world,  may  be  ar- 
ranged according  to  their  greater  or  less  diffusion; 
for  while  some  may  be  seen  in  all  latitudes,  others 
are  sporadic,  appearing  in  certain  remote  spots; 
and  a  few  are  confined  to  the  regions  in  the  vicinity 
of  Cockburn  Island. 

"  The  four  following  plants  are  the  most  gene- 
rally dispersed :  —  Bryum  argenteum,  Ulva  crispa, 
Lecanora  miniata,  and  Lecidea  atro-alba.  The  first 
is  a  very  frequent  British  moss,  found  likewise  in 
Arctic  latitudes,  in  many  parts  of  the  tropics, 
and  at  the  Falkland  Islands.  The  second  is  an 
Arctic  Alga,  also  abounding  in  the  temperate  parts 
of  the  northern  hemisphere,  in  the  tropics,  and 
the  Falklands.  Lecanora  miniata  is  an  arctic 
lichen,  and  seen  in  all  intervening  countries  down 
to  Cockburn  Island;  while  the  other  lichen  (Le- 
cidea atro-alba)  inhabits  Britain,  sub-arctic  Europe, 
and  New  Zealand. 

"  Of  the  sporadic  plants  which  follow,  it  is 
probable  that  some  may  yet  be  discovered  in 
intermediate  stations,  having  either  escaped  ob- 
servation from  their  minuteness,  or  been  described 
as  different  species ;  they  are  two  mosses,  viz. 

VOL.  II.  Z 


338  BOTANY    OF  [CHAP.  XII. 

1843.  Tortula  gracilis,  indigenous  to  Europe  and 
Jan  Cockburn  Island ;  and  Tortula  Icevipila,  found  in 
Europe  and  the  Falklands  ;  two  sea- weeds,  viz. 
Desmarestia  aculeata,  var.  media,  originally  de- 
tected in  Unalaschka  (lat.  55°  N.);  and  Oscilla- 
toria  cerugescens  ?  if  this  latter  be  identical  with 
the  Irish  species  of  that  name,  it  had  hitherto  been 
found  in  one  loch  in  Ireland  only :  and  a  lichen  (  Col- 
lema  crispum),  which  is  a  native  of  Britain  and  other 
parts  of  Europe,  where  it  generally  grows  on  walls, 
though  occasionally,  as  in  Cockburn  Island,  on  the 
ground.  To  this  list  should  be  added  another 
lichen,  recognised  as  a  Falkland  Island  and  Eu- 
ropean Parmelia,  the  specimens  of  which  were 
unfortunately  lost.  The  remaining  two  plants  are 
well  known  sea-weeds,  natives  of  several  parts  of 
the  southern  temperate,  and  antarctic  ocean ;  viz., 
Iridcea  micans  and  Adenocystis  Lessoni. 

"The  two  most  striking  vegetable  productions 
of  this  island  are  a  noble  sea-weed,  called  Sar- 
gassum  Jacquinotii,  and  a  Lichen.  The  first  of  these 
was  not  found  attached,  but  floating  in  the  ocean 
among  the  ice,  by  which  it  was  sometimes  much 
mutilated.  Though  belonging  to  a  highly  variable 
order,  it  is  a  perfectly  distinct  as  well  as  conspi- 
cuous species,  first  discovered  at  Deception  Island, 
one  of  the  South  Shetlands,  by  the  surgeon  of 
H.M.  S.  Chanticleer,  and  afterwards  by  Admiral 
d'Urville,  who  collected  his  specimens  nearly  in 
the  same  latitude.  It  attains  a  length  of  three 
feet,  is  flat,  and  the  margin  runs  out  into  longish 


CHAP.  XII.]  COCKBURN   ISLAND.  339 

lobes  with  a  solitary  bladder  at  the  base  of  each ;      1843- 
the  colour  is  a  dirty  chocolate  brown.  jan. 

"  On  approaching  Cockburn  Island,  the  cliffs 
above  are  seen  to  be  belted  with  yellow,  which,  as 
it  were,  streams  down  to  the  ocean,  among  the 
rocky  debris.  The  colour  was  too  pale  to  be  caused 
by  iron  ochre,  which  it  otherwise  resembles ;  and 
this  appearance  was  found  to  be  entirely  owing  to 
the  abundance  of  a  species  of  lichen  (Lecanora 
miniata)  that  prevails  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea 
throughout  the  Antarctic  Islands,  and  in  other 
parts  of  the  globe.  It  grows  nowhere  else  in 
such  profusion :  a  circumstance  which  may  arise 
from  its  preference  for  animal  matter :  the  pen- 
guin rookery  of  Cockburn  Island,  which  taints  the 
air  by  its  effluvium,  being,  perhaps,  peculiarly  con- 
genial to  this  lichen. 

"  Immediately  on  landing,  one  plant,  and  only 
one,  is  easily  discernible,  the  Ulva  crispa.  Like 
the  Lecanora,  it  abounds  in  the  south,  and  vege- 
tates upon  or  near  decomposing  organised  sub- 
stances. It  consists  of  pale  green  membranous 
fronds,  barely  one  fourth  of  an  inch  high,  and 
crowded  together  in  great  numbers. 

"  The  Mosses  grow  in  the  soil  which  is  harboured 
in  the  fissures  of  rocks :  they  are  excessively 
minute,  the  closest  scrutiny  being  requisite  to 
detect  them.  There  were,  as  above  mentioned, 
only  five  species :  two  of  them  bore  unripe  cap- 
sules, and  all  were  confined  to  spots  having  a 
northern  exposure,  and  even  there  they  were  so 

z  2 


340  BOTANY    OF  [CHAP.  XII. 

1843.      hard  frozen  into  the  ground'  that  they  could  not 
Jan       be  removed  without  a  hammer. 

"  One  of  the  Algce  was  collected  in  a  pool  of 
fresh  water,  hardly  two  spans  across,  and  sheltered 
by  a  projecting  rock  that  faced  the  north.  The 
surface  of  the  water  was  slightly  coated  with  a 
steel-blue  scum:  the  earth  at  bottom,  perhaps 
half  an  inch  below,  was  hard  frozen  ;  and  the  water 
itself  just  thawing,  for  it  was  an  unusually  warm 
day,  the  thermometer  standing  at  40°.  Collema 
crispum,  a  British  plant,  grew  on  the  borders  of 
this  pool,  and  with  it  a  green  microscopic  Conferva. 

"  A  small  and  beautiful  undescribed  lichen  (Leca- 
nora  Daltoni)  occurred  very  sparingly  on  the 
rocks :  it  is  allied  to  L.  chrysoleuca  of  the  Swiss 
Alps.  The  other  plants  of  this  order  were  exceed- 
ingly inconspicuous,  and  only  discoverable  by  care- 
fully examining  the  surface  of  the  rocks. 

"  The  sea- weeds  gathered  on  the  shores  of  Cock- 
burn  Island  were  all  floating,  and  carried  along 
by  a  strong  current,  loaded  with  masses  of  ice. 

"  Vegetation  could  not  be  traced  above  the  con- 
spicuous ledge  of  rocks,  with  which  the  whole 
island  is  girt,  at  fourteen  hundred  feet  elevation. 
The  lichens  ascended  the  highest.  The  singular 
nature  of  this  flora  must  be  viewed  in  connexion 
with  the  soil  and  climate ;  than  which  perhaps 
none  can  be  more  unfriendly  to  vegetable  life. 
The  form  of  the  island  admits  of  no  shelter :  its 
rocks  are  volcanic,  and  very  hard,  sometimes  com- 
pact, but  more  frequently  vesicular.  A  steep  stony 


CHAP.  XII.]  COCKBURN   ISLAND.  341 

bank  descends  from  the  above-mentioned  ledge  1343. 
to  the  beach  ;  and  to  it  the  plants  are  almost  jan~ 
limited.  The  slope  itself  is  covered  with  loose 
fragments  of  rock,  the  debris  of  the  cliff  above, 
further  broken  up  by  frost,  and  ice-bound  to  a 
depth  which  there  was  no  opportunity  of  ascer- 
taining; for  on  the  day  the  island  was  visited, 
the  superficial  masses  alone  were  slightly  loosened 
by  the  sun's  rays.  Thus  the  plants  are  confined 
to  an  almost  incessantly  frozen  locality,  and  a  par- 
ticularly barren  soil,  liable  to  shift  at  every  partial 
thaw.  During  nearly  the  entire  year,  even  during 
the  summer  weeks  which  the  Expedition  spent 
in  sight  of  Cockburn  Island,  it  was  constantly 
covered  with  snow.  Fortunately  the  ships  oc- 
cupied a  position  that  permitted  of  landing,  on 
almost  the  only  day  when  it  was  practicable  to 
form  a  collection.  The  vegetation  of  so  low  a 
degree  of  latitude  might  be  supposed  to  remain 
torpid,  except  for  a  few  days  in  the  year  ;  when  if 
the  warmth  were  genial,  and  a  short  period  of 
growing  weather  took  place,  the  plants  would  re- 
ceive  an  extraordinary  stimulus.  But  far  from 
such  being  the  case,  the  effect  of  the  sun's  rays, 
when  they  momentarily  appear,  is  only  prejudicial 
to  vegetation.  The  black  and  porous  stones 
quickly  part  with  their  moisture ;  and  the  Lecanora 
and  Ulva  consequently  become  so  crisp  and 
parched,  that  they  crumble  into  fragments  when 
an  attempt  is  made  to  remove  them. 

"  The    conducting    power   of   the   minerals   in 

z   3 


342  BOTANY   OF  [CHAP.  XII. 

1843.  Cockburn  Island  is  too  feeble  to  melt  the  ice 
jan<  immediately  beneath  them  ;  and  the  air  was  so  dry 
during  our  visit,  that  Daniell's  Hygrometer,  placed 
hardly  six  inches  above  the  ice  and  on  the  stones, 
indicated  twenty-two  degrees  of  difference  on  one 
occasion ;  and  upon  another,  it  fell  from  40°  to 
13°,  without  producing  any  condensation.  Such 
dryness  is  eminently  injurious  to  all  vegetables 
but  lichens,  which,  in  many  cases,  seem  to  thrive 
best  under  excessive  atmospheric  changes.  The 
preponderance  of  the  Lecanora  in  Cockburn  Island 
cannot  arise  from  this  exsiccation  stimulating 
its  growth ;  but  may  be  caused  by  the  reaction 
that  takes  place  afterwards,  on  the  rapid  conden- 
sation of  vapour  previously  heated  by  the  tem- 
perature of  the  rocks  upon  which  it  grows." 

Our  observations  place  this  island  in  latitude 
64°  12'  S.,  longitude  59°  49'  W.  The  tide  was 
falling  during  the  whole  time  we  were  on  shore, 
and  it  was  low  water  at  apparent  noon ;  the  stream 
setting  out  of  the  inlet  to  the  northward ;  and  judg- 
ing from  the  well  denned  high-water  mark,  the 
amount  of  rise  and  fall  was  not  more  than  six  feet. 
The  observations  were  made  on  a  beach,  near  the 
north  point  of  the  island.  This  beach  is  probably 
the  favourite  resort  of  the  fur  seals  at  the  proper 
season  of  the  year,  and  is  admirably  adapted  to 
their  wants.  Besides  penguins  and  cormorants  in- 
numerable, we  found  the  beautiful  white  petrel 
building  its  nest  in  the  precipitous  cliffs,  above  the 


CHAP.  XIL]  COCKBURN   ISLAND.  343 

debris  which  covers  the  sides  and  shores  of  the      1843. 
island,  to  the  height  of  fourteen  hundred  feet  from       Jan 
the  beach.  The  eggs  of  this  bird,  which  have  never 
before  been   seen,    are  2*2  inches  long,   1/6  inch 
broad,   and  weigh  from  six  hundred  to  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  grains ;  they  are  of  a  bluish  white 
colour,  and  only  one  egg,  with  the  young  in  a  for- 
ward  state,  was  found  in  each  nest,  which  was 
formed  of  a  few  feathers  on  the  bare  rock:  the 
young  birds  are  of  a  deep  lead  colour. 

We  returned  to  the  ships  at  noon,  and  soon 
afterwards  the  flood  tide  from  the  northward  came 
in  so  strong  that,  notwithstanding  the  assistance 
of  a  light  wind  and  our  boats  a-head  towing,  it 
carried  us  between  Cockburn  Island  and  the  main  Jan.  6. 
land,  some  distance  up  the  inlet;  but  as  the 
channel  appeared  free  from  rocks,  and  there  was 
very  little  ice  about,  it  gave  us  no  uneasiness ; 
and  the  tide  turning  in  our  favour  about  8  p.  M., 
carried  us  out  again.  This  arm  of  the  sea  is 
terminated  at  about  twenty  miles  from  its  en- 
trance by  a  glacier,  which  seems  to  connect  the 
opposite  shores ;  beneath  this,  as  in  the  fiords  of 
Greenland,  it  is  not  improbable  its  waters  unite 
with  those  of  the  ocean  to  the  southward.  The 
inlet  was  named  Admiralty  Inlet ;  its  western 
cape,  a  high,  precipitous  promontory,  Cape  Gage, 
after  Vice- Admiral  Sir  William  Hall  Gage,  G.C.H.; 
and  its  eastern  headland,  Cape  Seymour,  after 
Rear- Admiral  Sir  George  Francis  Seymour,  Knight, 
C.B.,  G.C.H. ;  the  north  cape  of  an  extensive  bay 

z    4 


L843< 


ADMIRALTY   INLET.  [CHAP.  XII. 

to  the  north-west  was  called  Cape  Gordon,  after 
Jan.  6.  Captain  the  Honourable  William  Gordon,  K.N.  ; 
and  another,  still  further  to  the  northward,  with 
a  high  islet  off  it,  Cape  Corry,  after  the  Right 
Honourable  Thomas  Lowry  Corry;  the  Lords 
Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty.  The  deep  bay 
between  Cape  Gage  and  Cape  Gordon  was  named 
after  the  Honourable  Sidney  Herbert,  M.P.,  First 
Secretary  to  the  Admiralty;  and  a  conspicuous 
headland  to  the  southward  of  Cape  Gage  was  called 
Cape  Hamilton,  after  Captain  W.  A.  B.  Hamilton, 
R.N.,  Private  Secretary  to  the  Earl  of  Haddington, 
and  now  Second  Secretary  to  the  Admiralty. 

The  south-west  land  of  Admiralty  Inlet,  for 
about  ten  miles  from  Cape  Seymour,  is  formed 
of  deep  brown-coloured  lava,  with  a  polished 
surface,  contorted,  and  grooved  in  so  extraordi- 
nary a  manner,  as  to  give  it  the  appearance  of 
having  been  marked  by  machinery  in  numerous 
series  of  lines,  somewhat  resembling  the  engine 
turning  of  a  watch-case,  but  more  irregular.  It  is 
a  narrow  slip  of  land  ;  and  at  one  part,  where  the 
icy  covering  begins,  there  is  either  a  low  connecting 
neck  of  land  or  a  narrow  channel  through  it  :  this 
we  could  not  determine.  The  snow-covered  land 
rises  gradually  to  the  southward,  to  an  elevation  of 
about  two  thousand  feet,  without  any  rock  pro- 
jecting through  it.  It  was  named  Snow  Hill. 

The  western  coast  of  Admiralty  Inlet  is  formed 
of  perpendicular  cliffs  of  basaltic  rock,  which  were 
perfectly  free  from  land  ice,  except  in  one  or  two 


CHAP.  XII.]  CAPE    SEYMOUR.  345 

places  to  the  northward   of   Cape    Gage,    where      1843. 
glaciers  fill  the  valleys  and  project  into  the  sea. 

Between  Cape  Purvis  and  Cape  Corry  land  was 
indistinctly  visible;  but  Mount  Percy,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  sixty  miles,  formed  a  conspicuous  and 
beautiful  object. 

At  11  P.M.  we  rounded  Cape  Seymour,  and  bore 
away  before  a  fresh  breeze  to  the  S.S.W.,  between 
a  continuous  line  of  grounded  bergs  and  the  land, 
the  channel  being  about  two  miles  broad. 

At  3  A.M.,  after  a  run  of  eight  leagues,  the  Jan- 7- 
main  pack  was  seen  so  close  in  with  the  land 
as  to  deter  me  from  pushing  the  ships  in  be- 
tween them  whilst  the  wind  was  blowing  from  the 
northward.  We  therefore  hauled  off  on  the  port 
tack,  to  await  a  more  favourable  opportunity, 
which  soon  afterwards  occurred;  the  wind  at  7.  30. 
suddenly  shifting  to  the  W.S.W.,  opened  a  passage 
between  the  pack  and  the  land.  We  then  beat  along 
the  coast,  which  at  this  part  is  formed  of  vertical 
icy  cliffs,  no  part  exceeding  fifty,  and  in  some  places 
not  twenty  feet  high,  the  continuation  of  the 
covering  of  Snow  Hill,  which  on  this  side  descends 
with  a  gradual  slope  to  the  sea,  and,  as  on  its 
southern  side,  without  the  smallest  rock  appearing 
through  its  brilliant  surface.  At  noon  we  were  in 
latitude  64°  34'  S.,  longitude  57°  10'  W.,  magnetic 
dip  63°  1'  S.,  variation  23°  20' E.  From  this  po- 
sition we  observed  the  land,  or  rather  icy  cliffs, 
turn  suddenly  away  to  the  westward;  and  the 
fixed  land  ice  attached  to  them  extended  in  a  deep 


346  FIXED   LAND    ICE.  [CHAP.  XII. 

1843.  bight  round  to  the  south-east  as  far  as  we  could 
"  see ;  a  very  great  number  of  bergs  were  clustered 
together  in  the  fixed  ice,  of  unusually  large  size ; 
several  of  them  measuring  four  or  five  miles  in 
diameter,  and  about  two  hundred  feet  high,  must 
have  broken  away  from  some  loftier  barrier  than 
we  have  yet  seen  in  this  vicinity.  As  we  ad- 
vanced to  the  southward,  two  high  rugged  bluff 
capes  at  a  great  distance  appeared,  bearing W.S.W. 
(true) ;  the  nearest  of  them  I  named,  at  the  re- 
quest of  Captain  Crozier,  after  his  friend  Captain 
Nicholas  Lockyer,  K.N.  C.B.,  and  the  western- 
most in  memory  of  our  lamented  shipmate  the  late 
Captain  Foster,  R.N. 

At  2.  30.  P.M.  when  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the 
cliffs,  we  sounded  in  fifty -four  fathoms,  green  sand 
and  small  black  stones ;  and  the  rest  of  the  day 
we  continued  to  work  our  way  amongst  the  bergs 
and  loose  ice  towards  the  fixed  land  ice,  with  the 
intention  of  getting  hold  of  it. 

Jan.  8.  The  wind  shifting  to  the  eastward  at  3  A.M., 
brought  with  it  a  thick  fog ;  and,  surrounded  as  we 
were  by  innumerable  bergs  aground  in  from  eighty 
to  one  hundred  fathoms,  and  frequently  entangled 
amongst  the  loose  ice,  with  the  tide  sweeping  us  in 
amongst  them,  we  had  great  difficulty  in  avoiding 
collision  with  the  bergs,  and  our  situation  was 
throughout  the  day  most  anxious  and  embarrass- 
ing. A  calm  succeeded,  and,  with  the  boats, 
we  towed  out  to  the  south-east,  closely  followed 
by  the  Terror,  and  before  midnight  we  had  the 


CHAP.  XII.]  FAST   TO   THE   LAND    ICE.  347 

satisfaction  to  find  that  we  had  passed  through      1843. 

the  chain  of  bergs  into  a  more  clear  space,  but 

with  a  great  quantity  of  loose  ice  about,  which 

we  soon  afterwards  found  to  be  rapidly  closing ; 

as  we  could  not  see  to   any   distance,   owing   to 

the   dense  fog,  we  made  fast  to   a  large  floe,  at 

6.  20.  A.M.  :   on  the  fog  clearing  away  shortly  be-     Jan.  9. 

fore  noon,  we  found   ourselves   completely  beset 

by  the  close  pack,  and  fast  to  the  fixed  land  ice.  At 

noon,  in  latitude  64°  44'  S.,  longitude  56°  53'  W., 

we  sounded  in  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  fathoms, 

green  sand ;  the  nearest  point  of  the  land  bearing 

north-west  by  north  (true),  distant  thirteen  miles. 

From  the  mast-head  the  land  ice  extended  as  far  as 

we  could  see  to  the  eastward,  round  by  south  to 

north-west. 

During  the  remainder  of  this  and  the  whole  of    Jan.  10. 
the  following  day,  we   were  stationary;   and,  as 
a  light  easterly  wind  with  thick  snow  prevailed  on 
the  morning  of  the  llth,  it  was  not  until  10  A.M.    Jan.  n. 
that  we  cast  off  from  the  land  ice ;  and,  coasting 
along  its  edge  to  the  westward,   we  passed  again 
through  the  cluster  of  grounded  bergs ;  and,  having 
traced   the   ice  in  one   unbroken  line  for  nearly 
thirty  miles,  before  midnight  we  found  it  to  turn 
suddenly  to  the  north,  and  join  the  icy  cliffs  at  the 
foot  of  Snow  Hill.     Cape  Foster,  at  the  distance  of    Jan.  12. 
eight  leagues,  formed  the  extreme  point  of  land  in 
sight,  and  the  whole  intervening  space  was  one 
continuous  sheet  of  fixed  ice,  in  which  many  large 
bergs  were  enclosed.     There   is  a   bay   or   inlet, 


348  FIXED    LAND    ICE.  [CHAP.  XII. 

1843.  filled  with  a  glacier,  between  Cape  Foster  and 
Cape  Lockyer,  and  another  between  Cape  Lockyer 
and  the  Snow  Hill  cliffs:  this  latter  cannot  be 
more  than  five  or  six  miles  from  the  head  of  Ad- 
miralty Inlet.  As  it  was  impossible  to  continue 
the  examination  of  the  land  to  the  westward,  or  to 
make  any  way  to  the  southward,  I  resolved  to  lose 
no  more  time  in  this  perplexing  navigation,  but  en- 
deavour to  trace  the  land  ice  to  the  south-eastward 
as  far  as  it  should  lead  us ;  in  order  to  do  this  it 
was  necessary  to  extricate  ourselves  from  the  loose 
ice  which  had  now  packed  so  closely  in  amongst 
the  bergs,  that  we  could  see  no  way  out,  and  the 
temperature  falling  to  23°  at  night,  began  to  con- 
nect them  into  extensive  floes,  threatening  to  detain 
us  in  our  present  awkward  position  for  the  winter. 
At  noon,  in  latitude  64°  39'  S.,  longitude  57°  24' W., 
magnetic  dip  63°  20'  S.,  and  variation  23°  E.,  we 
sounded  in  one  hundred  and  twenty  fathoms,  on 
green  mud,  close  to  the  edge  of  the  land  ice,  on 
which  I  obtained  observations  in  the  evening.  On 
examining  the  state  of  the  ice  to  the  eastward,  we 
found  every  channel  between  the  bergs  so  closed 
up  by  large  floes,  as  effectually  to  prevent  our 
egress  :  we  were  therefore  obliged  to  keep  the  ships 
sailing  to  and  fro  in  a  small  hole  of  water  between 
the  bergs  and  the  land  the  whole  of  this  and  the 
Jan.  13.  following  day,  in  the  course  of  which  we  were 
frequently  beset  for  a  few  hours,  and  being  carried 
by  the  spring  tides  with  great  force  amongst  the 
bergs,  we  at  times  sustained  severe  shocks. 


CHAP.  XII.]    HEAVING   THROUGH   THE   MAIN   PACK.  349 

The  main  pack  continuing  to  press  against  the  1343. 
grounded  bergs,  precluding  all  chance  of  our  es-  Jan  14 
cape,  I  determined  to  run  the  ships  into  the  ice, 
and  endeavour  to  heave  them  through  it ;  for  the 
hole  of  water  in  which  we  were  shut  up,  was  so 
completely  covered  with  young  ice,  I  began  to  have 
serious  apprehensions  of  the  ships  being  frozen 
in  ;  and  both  Captain  Crozier  and  Commander  Bird 
agreed  with  me  in  the  necessity  of  the  measure. 
The  wind  also  favouring  our  intention,  we  entered 
the  pack  at  1.  15.  P.M.,  and  continued  warping, 
heaving,  and  boring  through  it  until  9  P.M.,  when  it 
became  so  close  that  we  could  not  move  them  another 
inch.  When  the  tide  turned,  the  ice  slackened  a 
little,  and  our  labours  were  renewed ;  and  being 
calm  in  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  we  made  en-  Jan.  15. 
couraging  progress,  but  at  9  P.  M.  the  ice  as  far  as 
we  could  see  was  most  closely  packed ;  and  its  pres- 
sure against  the  land  was  so  great  as  to  heel  our 
ships  over  considerably  and  make  their  timbers 
crack. 

We  remained  closely  beset,  and  sustaining  se- 
vere pressure  until  4  P.M.  on  the  16th,  when  the  Jan.  16. 
floe  to  which  we  were  fast,  striking  against  a 
grounded  berg,  broke  up  into  many  pieces,  by  one 
of  which  the  Terror  was  carried  off  to  a  distance 
of  several  miles  from  us  without  our  being  able  to 
move  the  ships  their  own  length,  the  tide  sweep- 
ing us  away  in  different  directions,  and  thick 
weather  succeeding,  we  lost  sight  of  her  for  some 
hours. 


350  CLEAR   THE   MAIN   PACK.  [CHAP.  XII. 

1843.  At  2.  30.  A.M.  the  ice  slackening  with  the  turn  of 
Jan.  17.  the  tide,  we  cast  off  and  rejoined  the  Terror  with 
very  little  difficulty :  we  then  made  some  way  to 
the  north-east,  but  were  soon  again  closely  beset, 
and  obliged  to  make  fast  to  a  floe,  which,  together 
with  the  whole  body  of  ice,  was  drifting  with  the 
tide  back  to  the  southward :  fortunately,  in  this  in- 
stance it  was  stopped  by  a  grounded  berg,  whilst  the 
rest  of  the  pack  continued  its  progress  with  much 
rapidity,  and  occasionally  produced  very  consider- 
able pressure ;  but  before  the  tide  was  done,  the  clear 
water  to  the  northward  was  seen  over  the  pack.  At 
noon  we  were  in  latitude  64°  22'  S.,  longitude  56°  43' 
W.,  in  twenty -five  fathoms  water,  distant  about  four 
or  five  miles  from  the  land,  Cape  Seymour  bear- 
ing N.N.E.  distant  nine  miles.  At  2  P.M.  the  ice 
began  to  drift  back  to  the  northward,  and  to 
stream  off  soon  afterwards.  We  now  cast  off,  and 
made  all  sail  before  a  strong  south-west  breeze 
and  after  four  hours  warping  and  boring  through 
the  ice,  we  effected  our  escape,  and  got  into  clear 
water.  Our  people  had  been  so  much  harassed 
night  and  day  for  the  whole  of  the  last  week,  that 
being  before  midnight  in  comparatively  comfort- 
able circumstances,  I  put  the  ship  under  easy  sail, 
which  admitted  of  all  hands  obtaining  a  few  hours' 
peaceful  rest,  which  they  greatly  needed. 
Jan.  is.  At  2  A.M.,  whilst  standing  to  the  eastward,  we 
came  in  with  the  edge  of  the  main  pack,  very  close 
and  consisting  of  heavy  floes,  of  from  one  to  five 
miles  in  diameter ;  we  bore  away  along  it  to  look 


CHAP.  XII.]  CLEAR   THE   MAIN   PACK.  351 

for  an  opening,  but  it  led  us  far  to  the  northward,  1843- 
so  that  at  noon  we  were  in  latitude  63°  59'  S.,  lon- 
gitude 54°  35'  W.,  magnetic  dip  62°  53',  variation 
20°  15'  E.  At  2.  15.  P.M.,  whilst  waiting  for  the 
Terror,  which  had  been  caught  between  two  floes, 
we  sounded  in  two  hundred  and  ten  fathoms,  on 
green  mud,  the  temperature  at  150  fathoms  being 
30°,  that  at  the  surface  32°. 

The  pack  still  trending .  to  the  northward,  de- 
terred me  from  following  it  any  farther,  and  de- 
termined me  to  enter  it,  and  try  to  force  the  ships 
through,  to  the  east  extreme  of  the  fixed  land 
ice,  to  which  we  were  fast  on  the  9th ;  as  the 
open  state  of  the  pack  at  this  part  gave  me  consi- 
derable hope  of  success.  But  after  exhausting  the 
whole  of  the  next  week  in  the  arduous  and  hazard- 
ous struggle,  we  found  ourselves  still  far  short  of 
our  position  on  the  4th  instant ;  being  at  noon  the 
24th  in  latitude  64°  24'  S.,  and  longitude  55°  11'  W.,  Jan.  24. 
magnetic  dip  63°  4',  in  one  hundred  and  eighty-five 
fathoms  soundings,  on  green  sand;  and  notwith- 
standing the  unremitting  and  strenuous  exertions 
of  officers  and  men,  we  were  unable  to  get  any  fur- 
ther to  the  southward,  the  pack  carrying  us  back 
with  it  to  the  northward  faster  than  we  could 
warp  or  work  through  it ;  nevertheless,  we  conti- 
nued our  endeavours  until  the  end  of  the  month,  Jan.  31. 
fruitless  as  they  proved  to  be,  for  on  that  day  our 
latitude  was  reduced  to  64°  0'  S.,  the  longitude 
being  55°  18'  W.,  the  magnetic  dip  62°  42'  S.,  and 
the  variation  22°  8'  E.  Cockburn  Island  at  a  dis- 


352 


METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT.        [CHAP.  XII. 


ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEPT  ON  BOARD 
HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS — JANUARY,  1843. 


Day. 

Position  at  Noon. 

Temperature  of  the  Air 
in  Shade. 

Mean 
Tempe- 
rature of 

Temperature  at 

9A.M. 

Rain  in 

Sea  at 

Gnllfro 

Lat.  S. 

Long.  W. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Surface. 

Air  in 
Shade. 

Dew 

point. 

auge. 

o     / 

o      / 

o 

o 

0 

0 

0 

0 

Inches. 

1 

64  14 

55  54 

35 

29 

31-7 

32-5 

32 

29 

— 

2 

64  28 

56  11 

39 

29-5 

33-5 

32-6 

36 

32 



3 

64  22 

55  26 

34-5 

31-5 

33-2 

33 

34 

33 

— 

4 

64  35 

55  41 

38 

30-5 

33-4 

32-9 

33 

31-5 

— 

5 

64   11 

55  57 

38 

33 

35 

33-1 

35 

32-5 

— 

6 

64  12 

56  49 

45 

31 

36-6 

32'3 

37'5 

23 

— 

7 

64  34 

57  10 

35 

31 

33 

31-2 

32 

30 

— 

8 

64  35 

57  27 

33 

29-5 

31 

30'8 

32 

30 

— 

9 

64  44 

56  53 

36 

29 

31-8 

31 

34 

29 

0-07 

10 

64  43 

56  50 

37 

31 

33-3 

31-5 

34 

29 

— 

11 

64  42 

57     6 

35 

27'5 

31 

30-9 

33 

31 

o-oi 

12 

64  40 

57  56 

32-5 

25 

28-4 

29'9 

29 

27 

_ 

13 

64  35 

57  23 

32 

24 

27-9 

29-4 

25-5 

20 

— 

14 

64  33 

57  24 

34-5 

24'5 

29-2 

30-6 

34 

24 

o-oi 

15 

64  32 

56  53 

35 

23-5 

30-5 

30-6 

34-5 

24 

— 

16 

64  28 

56  51 

40 

28 

31-9 

30-6 

35 

28 

0-06 

17 

64  22 

56  43 

36 

28-5 

30-5 

30-7 

33 

27 

o-oi 

18 

63  58 

54  35 

30 

26-5 

28-3 

31-7 

30 

24-5 

— 

19 

64  22 

54  32 

30 

25 

27'2 

30'4 

27 

25-5 

0-04 

20 

64  18 

55  42 

30 

24 

26-5 

30-9 

26 

23-5 

— 

21 

64  19 

55  56 

29 

25 

26'4 

31-2 

27 

23 

0-02 

22 

64  12 

56  10 

32-5 

25 

29-6 

30-9 

31 

20 

— 

23 

64  28 

55  47 

33-5 

30 

31-5 

32-0 

32 

31 

— 

24 

64  24 

55  11 

33-5 

29-5 

31-3 

32-0 

31 

31* 

0-06 

25 

64  15 

56     0 

28-5 

26-5 

27-6 

30-8 

29 

24 

— 

26 

64     4 

55  48 

30-5 

25-5 

27'3 

30-6 

27 

23 

— 

27 

64     9 

55  51 

33 

25 

28'6 

30-3 

32 

24-5 

— 

28 

64     8 

55  51 

33-5 

27-5 

30-6 

30-6 

31-5 

27 

— 

29 

64     5 

55  54 

39 

29-5 

33-5 

31-7 

34 

28 

— 

30 

64     9 

56     3 

36-5 

29-5 

32-9 

31-7 

32-5 

30 

— 

31 

64     0 

55  18 

39 

33 

35-6 

32-3 

35 

31 

— 

45 

23-5 

30-93 

31-31 

0-28 

*  Deposit  of  rain,  snow,  or  fog. 


CHAP.  XII.]      METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT.  353 

ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEPT  ON  BOARD          1843. 
HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS. — JANUARY,  1843.  — 


Barometer. 

Winds. 

Day. 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

1 

29-238 

29-145 

29-198 

f  A.  M.  Westerly 
\P.M.  Easterly. 

?} 

4  b.C.* 

2 

•220 

28-937 

•077 

N.E.byN. 

3 

3  b.c.g. 

3 

28-937 

•638 

28-738 

N.  Westerly 

6 

Og.p.s. 

4 

29-088 

•675 

•886 

Westerly 

2 

3  b.c.g. 

5 

•007 

•838 

•919 

North 

3 

2b.c.g. 

6 

28-979 

•811 

•924 

fA.M.S.S.W.  1 

IP.M.N.N.W.J 

2 

4  b.c.v. 

7 

•829 

•635 

•725 

f  A.M.   N.W. 

\p.M.S.W.byW 

4 
2 

1  b.c.g^p.s.  "1 

og.           J 

8 

•902 

•768 

•839 

E.N.E. 

2 

Of. 

9 

•979 

•817 

•923 

r  A.M.  s.w. 

"[P.M.  N.Eastly. 

3 

1 

Of.p.s.           1 
1  b.c.g.          ] 

10 

•918 

•876 

•892 

S.  Easterly 

1 

0  g.f.p.s. 

11 

•923 

•830 

•867 

f  A.M.  East 
\  P.M.  S.W. 

i) 

Og.s. 

12 

29-069 

•926 

•989 

S.W.  by  W. 

2 

0  g.p.s. 

13 

•108 

29-075 

29-096 

S.W. 

2 

2  b.c.g. 

14 

•215 

•106 

•146 

S.W. 

3 

Om.g.p.s. 

15 

•286 

•228 

•260 

[A.M.  S.S.W. 
i  P.M.  Easterly 

2 

1 

3  b.c.g. 

16 

•303 

•197 

•235 

f  A.M.  N.E.      1 
XP.M.  S.E.       J 

2 

0  g.p.s. 

17 

•394 

•301 

•368 

S.S.W. 

3 

0  g.p.s. 

18 

•358 

•157 

•253 

S.E. 

3 

1  b.c.p.s. 

19 

•157 

•075 

•109 

S.S.E. 

3 

1  b.c.p  s. 

20 

•156 

•084 

•112 

South 

3 

0  g.p.s. 

21 

•285 

•167 

•226 

S.  by  W. 

3 

0  g.p.s. 

22 

•298 

•073 

•178 

Northerly 

3 

2  b.c.g. 

23 

•071 

•012 

•040 

N.N.E. 

3 

0  m.p.s. 

24 

•023 

28-961 

28-990 

fA.M.N.E.byE. 
ip.M.S.S.W. 

3 

0  m.s. 

25 

28-974 

•870 

•914 

S.WbyS, 

5 

Og.q. 

26 

29-077 

•935 

29-020 

S.S.W. 

4 

4  b.c.q. 

27 

•191 

29-043 

•138 

East 

1 

1  b.c.g. 

28 

•528 

•206 

•351 

S.byE. 

2 

0  g.p.s. 

29 

•616 

•513 

•584 

r  A.M.  South    \ 
1  P.M.  N.E.      J 

1 

3  b.c.g. 

30 

•563 

•224 

•419 

N.N.E. 

4 

3  b.c.m. 

31 

•219 

28-955 

•082 

N.W. 

7 

4  b.c.q.m. 

29-616 

28-635 

29-0838 

2-79 

*  For  explanation  of  these  symbols,  see  Appendix  to  Vol.  I. 
VOL.  II.  A  A 


354  PAULET  ISLAND.  [CHAP.  XII. 

1843.  tance  of  forty-two,  and  Paulet  Island  at  twenty 
miles,  in  sight.  It  was  at  this  time  blowing  a 
strong  gale  from  the  N.N.W.  and  there  was  much 
swell  amongst  the  ice,  from  which  the  ships  re- 
ceived frequent  heavy  shocks,  but  without  sustain- 
ing any  serious  injury. 


Deep  Soundings ;  or,  no  Bottom  with  4600  fathoms.     Page  381. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Clear  the  Pack  —  Cross  the  Line  of  No  Variation.  —  Position 
of  Magnetic  Pole.  —  Enter  Antarctic  Circle —  Meteorological 
Abstract  for  February.  —  Deep  Soundings.  —  Between  Bel- 

linghausen  and  Weddell's  Tracks  reach  Latitude  71°  30'  S 

Gale  at  Pack  Edge.  —  Perilous  Situation  for  several  Days.  — 
The  great  Comet.  —  Recross  Antarctic  Circle.  —  Search  for 
Bouvet  Island.  —  Various  Accounts  of  its  Position.  —  Last 
Iceberg  seen.  —  Circle  of  Mean  Temperature  of  the  Southern 
Ocean.  —  Meteorological  Abstract  for  March.  —  Anchor  in 
Simon's  Bay.  —  Touch  at  St.  Helena  and  Ascension  Islands. 
—  No  Soundings  with  four  thousand  six  hundred  Fathoms, 
the  greatest  Depth  yet  reached.  —  Arrive  at  Rio.  —  Sail  for 
England.  —  Cross  the  Line  of  No  Dip.  —  Atmospheric  Pres- 
sure in  the  Southern  Hemisphere.  —  Arrive  in  England. 


355 


CHAPTEK  XIII. 

THE  period  of  the    season  had   now  arrived   at     1843 

which  it  became  necessary,  in  order  to  prevent  the  

ships  being  frozen  into  the  pack,  to  give  up  any 
further  attempt  to  penetrate  it,  more  especially 
under  the  present  unfavourable  appearances ;  and, 
so  soon  as  the  gale  abated  and  other  circumstances 
suited,  we  began  to  make  our  way  towards  the  clear 
water,  which  the  sky  indicated  was  at  no  great  dis- 
tance to  the  eastward.  This,  however,  was  not 
accomplished  without  some  days  of  further  labour 
and  difficulty,  owing  to  the  thick  weather  and  snow 
showers  preventing  our  seeing  the  best  leads 
through  the  pack. 

At  6  P.M.  on  the  4th  we  got  clear  of  the  pack,  in  Feb.  4. 
latitude  64°  0',  and  longitude  54°  0',  with  which 
we  had  been  so  fruitlessly  contending  for  a  period 
of  nearly  six  weeks ;  and  truly  rejoiced  we  all  felt 
to  be  once  more  bounding  freely  over  the  high  east- 
erly swell,  which  the  late  gale  had  occasioned.  We 
passed  many  pieces  of  heavy  loose  ice  before  mid- 
night, but  after  that  time  were  in  perfectly  clear 
water,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  small  bergs. 

Our  object  now  was  to  trace  the  pack  edge  to     Feb.  5. 
the  eastward,  in  the   hope  that  by  the  time  we 
reached  the  meridian  of  40°,  on  which  Weddell 

A   A    2 


356  SOUNDINGS.  [CHAP.  XIII. 

3843-  penetrated  so  far  to  the  southward,  we  also  should 
find  the  sea  there  so  clear,  as  to  admit  of  our  yet 
attaining  a  high  latitude :  but  the  weather  conti- 
nuing thick,  and  a  fresh  breeze  blowing  from  the 
east,  we  made  only  small  progress,  beating  to  wind- 
ward—  the  loose  ice  near  the  pack  edge  always 
gave  us  timely  notice  of  our  approach  to  it :  and 
the  temperature  of  the  sea  was  another  sure  guide. 

Feb.  6.  At  noon  on  the  6th  we  were  in  latitude  63°  46'  S., 
longitude  52°  37'  W.,  the  magnetic  dip  62°  08'  S. ; 
and  at  1  P.M.  we  struck  soundings  in  four  hundred 
and  eighty  fathoms,  on  fine  green  sand.  The  birds 
were  of  the  same  kinds  that  I  have  so  often  enu- 
merated as  being  found  near  the  pack  edge ;  seals 
were  numerous,  and  one  that  we  killed  measured 
twelve  feet  two  inches,  and  weighed  1145  Ibs. 

Beating  to  the  eastward,  along  the  pack  edge, 
making   about    thirty   miles   daily,   we   were    at 

Feb.  8.  noon  of  the  8th  in  latitude  63°  49'  S.,  longitude 
51°  07'  W.,  where  we  had  no  soundings  with  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  ten  fathoms.  The  tem- 
perature at  that  depth  was  39°'5;  at  600  fathoms, 
37°-3;  at  450  fathoms,  36°'4;  at  300  fathoms,  35°' 5  ; 
at  150  fathoms,  33°'2  ;  at  100  fathoms,  32°*2 ;  and 
at  the  surface,  32°- ;  but  between  the  surface  and 
one  hundred  fathoms  the  thermometers  denoted 
that  they  had  all  passed  through  a  stratum  of 
water  of  the  temperature  of  29°'3.  The  specific 
gravity  at  the  depth  of  450  fathoms  being  the  same 
as  at  the  surface,  1*0274  at  33°. 

Feb.  10.        During  the  next  three  days  we  examined  about 


CHAP.  XIII.]      POSITION   OF   MAGNETIC   POLE.  357 

one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  of  the  pack,  frequently  1843. 
entering  the  outer  edge  as  far  as  we  could  without 
getting  beset,  without  perceiving  any  opening  in  it 
by  which  we  could  penetrate  to  the  south ;  and  at 
noon,  the  llth,  were  in  latitude  64°  37',  and  longi- 
tude 45°  39';  on  the  14th  we  crossed  Weddell's  Feb.  14. 
track,  in  latitude  65°  13'  S.,  but  under  what  dif- 
ferent circumstances !  he  was  in  a  clear  sea :  we 
found  a  dense,  impenetrable  pack ;  and  as  Admiral 
D'Urville  was  unable  to  attain  even  to  the  64th 
degree,  we  must  conclude  that  Weddell  was 
favoured  by  an  unusually  fine  season,  and  we 
may  rejoice  that  there  was  a  brave  and  daring 
seaman  on  the  spot  to  profit  by  the  opportunity. 

Still  pursuing  our  examination  of  the  pack  to  the 
eastward,  we  crossed  the  line  of  no  variation  on  the 
22d,  in  latitude  61°  30'  S.,  and  longitude  about  Feb.  22. 
22°  30'  W.,  where  the  magnetic  dip  being  57°  40', 
gives  the  position  of  the  magnetic  pole  in  remark- 
able accordance  with  our  previous  determination ; 
the  circle  of  equal  dip  passing  through  New  Zea- 
land, and  having  the  pole  exactly  half  way  between 
us  and  that  place,  seems  satisfactorily  to  confirm 
my  previous  suggestion,  that  there  is  but  one  pole 
of  verticity  in  the  southern  hemisphere,  not  very 
distant  from  the  place  computed  by  Gauss,  but 
much  more  remote  from  the  spot  he  had  assigned  to 
it,  and  where  I  was  directed  to  seek  for  it.*  We 
had  no  soundings  with  seven  hundred  and  fifty 

*  See  Appendix,  to  Vol.  II.,  p.  58. 

A   A     3 
\ 


358  PACK  TRENDS  TO  THE  SOUTHWARD.    [CHAP.  XIII- 

1843-  fathoms,  the  temperature  at  that  depth  being  39°'2, 
that  of  the  surface,  32° ;  we  found  the  current 
setting  N.60°  E.  ten  miles  per  diem. 

From  this  point  the  pack  trended  more  to  the 

Feb.  26.  southward  of  east,  so  that  by  noon  the  26th  we 
were  in  latitude  64°  38'  S.,  and  longitude  12°  W. 
the  dip  60°  50'  S.,  and  variation  6°  W.  It  was 
blowing  strong  from  the  north-east,  with  a  heavy 
swell  and  a  thick  fog,  which  obliged  us  to  keep 
a  good  offing  from  the  pack,  under  our  lee. 

Feb.  27.  Throughout  the  whole  of  the  next  day  the  snow 
was  so  thick  that  we  could  not  see  half  a  mile  be- 
fore us,  and  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  the  ships 
together,  especially  in  passing  through  a  cluster  of 
large  bergs,  shortly  before  dark  :  we  had  afterwards 
long  intervals  of  clearer  weather  between  the  snow 
showers  ;  and  even  derived  considerable  assistance 
from  diffused  auroral  light,  which  appeared  from 
south-west  to  south-east,  in  small  patches. 

Feb.  28.  When  day  broke  we  made  all  sail,  anxious  to 
take  advantage  of  the  fine  clear  sea  in  which  we 
were  navigating.  The  pack,  having  suddenly 
turned  off  to  the  southward,  could  not  now  be 
seen ;  and  we  began  to  hope  we  had  reached  its 
eastern  limits.  Steering  to  the  south-east,  we 
crossed  the  66th  degree  of  latitude,  in  7°  west  lon- 
gitude, shortly  before  noon,  when  the  wind  veered 
round  to  the  south-eastward ;  and  being  within 
one  hundred  miles  of  the  route  by  which  the  Rus- 
sian navigator,  Bellinghausen,  in  January,  1820, 
reached  the  latitude  of  69°|  S.,  in  2°  west  longi- 


CHAP.  XIII.]          ENTER  ANTARCTIC   CIRCLE.  359 

tude,  and  being  assured  that  no  considerable  1843. 
portion  of  land  could  lie  between  our  tracks,  " 
I  considered  it  would  be  a  waste  of  time  to 
follow  his  footsteps  up  to  that  latitude,  should  it 
even  at  this  late  period  of  the  season  prove  at- 
tainable ;  I  therefore  preferred  devoting  the  few 
remaining  days  of  the  navigable  season  to  exploring 
between  those  meridians  upon  which  we  had  been 
permitted  to  carry  our  researches  so  many  degrees 
to  the  southward  of  any  of  our  predecessors.  We 
accordingly  tacked  at  3  P.M.,  and  stood  to  the  south- 
west. Thick  weather  prevailed  throughout  the  rest 
of  the  day  and  greater  part  of  the  night,  during 
which  we  saw  only  a  few  pieces  of  ice  and  no  bergs, 
which  gave  us  the  more  confidence  in  carrying  sail, 
a  rather  hazardous  proceeding,  which  nothing  but 
the  urgency  of  the  case  could  justify ;  and  daylight 
again  appeared  without  our  having  occasion  to 
regret  having  adopted  it. 

Between  2  and  3  A.M.  we  entered  the  Antarctic  March  i. 
circle,  only  three  days  earlier  than  we  had  crossed 
it  in  former  seasons,  returning  from  our  more  suc- 
cessful operations.  We  tried  for,  but  did  not 
obtain,  soundings,  with  four  hundred  and  fifty 
fathoms,  and  there  was  so  much  swell  that  our 
experiments  on  the  temperature  failed.  Several 
whales,  sooty  albatross,  Cape  pigeons,  blue  petrel, 
and  two  or  three  white  petrel  were  seen  in  the 
course  of  the  day.  We  also  observed  that  the 
colour  of  the  sea  had  changed  from  its  beautiful 

A    A     4 


360  METEOROLOGICAL  ABSTRACT.          [CHAP.  XIII. 

1843.        ABSTKACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  KEPT  ON  BOARD 
HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS. — FEBRUARY,  1843. 


Day. 

Position  at  Noon. 

Temperature  of  the  Air  in 
Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ture of  Sea 
at  Surface. 

Temp,  at 

9  A.M. 

Lat.  S. 

Long.  W. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Air  in 
shade. 

Dew 

point. 

1 

63  59 

o        / 
55  20 

o 
35 

o 
29'5 

o 
32-1 

o 
32-0 

o 
29 

o 
29* 

2 

64  16 

55  22 

33-5 

28'5 

31-5 

31-5 

32-5 

26 

3 

64  17 

55  40 

29-5 

27-5 

28-6 

30'8 

28 

27 

4 

64  10 

54  47 

31 

26 

29-0 

30-7 

29 

24 

5 

63  30 

53  01 

32 

30 

31-1 

32-2 

32 

28 

6 

63  46 

52  37 

32 

30 

31-1 

31-9 

31-5 

29 

7 

64  08 

51  53 

32'5 

30 

31-6 

317 

32 

32* 

8 

63  49 

51  07 

35'5 

31 

33-0 

32'6 

33 

33* 

9 

64  19 

50  24 

35'5 

30'5 

32-0 

31-6 

35 

31 

10 

64  31 

47  44 

32-5 

30 

30-9 

30-1 

31 

27-5 

11 

64  37 

45  39 

31 

28 

30-0 

30-1 

30 

28-5 

12 

64  39 

43  56 

31-5 

28 

29-7 

297 

30 

25-5 

13 

64  56 

42  59 

32-5 

29-5 

30-8 

30-1 

30 

30* 

14 

65  06 

41   14 

35-5 

30 

31-7 

30-3 

33 

30 

15 

64  40 

39  28 

30 

28 

29-5 

30-2 

30 

26 

16 

63  56 

38  17 

30 

28 

28-7 

29-6 

29 

25 

17 

63  36 

35  24 

29-5 

27-5 

28'6 

29-1 

28-5 

26 

18 

62  39 

31  44 

32 

28-5 

30-4 

30-2 

31 

30 

19 

62  16 

29  00 

30'5 

28 

29-2 

29'6 

29-5 

25 

20 

61  59 

26  17 

32 

28 

30-1 

30-1 

32 

32* 

21 

61  51 

24  00 

32 

29 

29-5 

30-1 

29 

29* 

22 

61  37 

21  51 

31-5 

29-5 

30-0 

30'1 

30 

21 

23 

61  46 

18  58 

30-5 

28 

28-9 

30-7 

29 

29* 

24 

62  36 

15  52 

31 

27'5 

28'8 

30'4 

30-5 

26 

25 

64  10 

14  19 

32 

29-5 

31-3 

31-0 

32 

32* 

26 

64  38 

12  00 

35 

32 

32-6 

31'8 

33 

33* 

27 

65  12 

9  55 

33 

32 

32'4 

32-0 

32 

32* 

28 

66  01 

6  53 

34 

32 

32-5 

32-5 

33 

33* 

35-5 

27-5 

30-56 

30-88 

*  Deposit  of  rain,  snow,  or  fog. 


CHAP.  XIII.]       METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT.  361 

ABSTRACT   OF   THE   METEOROLOGICAL   JOURNAL   KEPT    ON   BOARD  1843. 

HER  MAJESTY'S  SHIP  EREBUS.— FEBRUARY,  1843.  


Day. 

Barometer. 

Winds. 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

1 

Inches. 
29-310 

Inches. 
28-952 

Inches. 
29-107 

S.  Westerly 

4 

1   b.C.p.s.q.  * 

2 

•593 

29-321 

•497 

CA.MS.S.W.1 
I  P.M.  East.     J 

1} 

0  m.s. 

3 

•597 

•508 

•545 

East 

5 

0  l.s. 

4 

•495 

•339 

•403 

S.E.E. 

4 

0  p.s. 

5 

•338 

•163 

•244 

E.S.E. 

5 

f~A.M.    1  b.C.g. 

IP.M.  0  s.q. 

6 

•304 

•228 

•264 

E.N. 

3 

0  m.f.p.s. 

7 

•373 

•263 

•320 

East 

2 

0  m.s.f. 

8 

•456 

•356 

•392 

N.Easterly 

2 

0  ra.f. 

9 

•495 

•450 

•476 

N.E. 

2 

A.M.    1  b.C.O.g. 

10 

•451 

•228 

•360 

North 

2 

0  g.p.s. 

11 

•190 

28-961 

•041 

Easterly 

4 

0  g.p.s. 

12 

•199 

•988 

•064 

S.E.  by  E. 

3 

1  be.  p.s. 

13 

•470 

29-217 

•334 

E.N.E. 

2 

1  b.c.p.s 

14 

•512 

•389 

•478 

N.Easterly 

2 

1  b.c.g.  p.s. 

15 

•371 

•148 

•247 

East 

5 

0  g.p.s. 

16 

•283 

•160 

•210 

S.  Easterly 

4 

2  b.c.g.q.p.s. 

17 

•362 

•268 

•337 

S.S.E. 

4 

0  g.p.s. 

18 

•295 

•182 

•217 

S.E. 

3 

0  g.p.s. 

19 

•253 

•225 

•236 

South 

4 

0  g.p.s. 

20 

•377 

•255 

•311 

Easterly 

2 

0  f.s. 

21 

•527 

•342 

•404 

S.S.E. 

4 

0  gp.s. 

22 

•637 

•545 

•553 

Southerly 

2 

0 

23 

•599 

•486 

•543 

S.W. 

4 

0  g.q.ps. 

24 

•702 

•527 

•651 

S.W.  by  W. 

4 

o  g. 

25 

•491 

28-614 

•010 

North 

6 

0  g.m.q.p.s. 

26 

28-604 

•435 

28-504 

N.  by  E. 

3 

0  m.f.p.r.s. 

27 

•716 

•481 

•614 

s.s.w. 

2 

Ops. 

28 

•958 

•712 

•830 

Southerly. 

4 

0  m.s. 

29-702 

28-435 

29-2568 

3-34 

*  For  explanation  of  these  symbols,  see  Appendix  to  Vol.  I. 


362 


STAND   TO   THE   S.W.  [CHAP.  XIII. 


1843>  oceanic  blue  to  a  light  olive  brown.  At  noon  we 
were  in  latitude  67°  6'  S.,  longitude  9°  W.,  mag- 
netic dip  62°  42'  S.,  variation  8°  12'  W.  The 
evening  was  fine,  and  with  a  fresh  breeze  from  S.E. 
we  made  good  progress  to  the  S.W.,  passing  only 
a  few  bergs  and  some  straggling  pieces  of  ice.  The 
stars  shone  with  great  brilliancy  during  the  night, 
a  sight  we  had  not  witnessed  for  a  long  time, 
having  been  obscured  during  the  last  month  by 
almost  continual  fog  and  snow  ;  indeed,  there  were 
only  three  days  in  which  we  were  not  assailed  by 
snow  showers. 

March  2.  Beautiful  as  had  been  the  night,  the  morning 
broke  still  more  splendidly ;  the  sun  rose  out  of 
the  horizon  bright  and  clear ;  and  as  the  day  ad- 
vanced the  effects  of  his  rays,  feeble  as  they  were, 
from  their  obliquity,  had  an  animating  influence 
on  us  all  who  had  not  seen  his  unclouded  face  for  a 
space  of  nearly  six  weeks.  It  afforded  me  the  op- 
portunity I  had  long  desired,  of  obtaining  actino- 
metric  observations,  in  which,  with  the  assistance 
of  Commander  Bird,  I  succeeded,  and  completed 
two  sets  of  experiments  with  each  of  two  different 
instruments ;  by  which  the  absolute  value  of  the 
sun's  radiating  power  in  these  latitudes  can  be  ac- 
curately determined. 

At  noon  our  latitude  was  68°  14'  S.,  longitude 
12°  20'  W.,  magnetic  dip  63°  28'  S.,  and  variation 
6°  3'  W.  Numerous  fragments  of  bergs  were 
passed,  from  which  we  might  have  replenished  our 
almost  exhausted  store  of  water,  but  the  sea  was 


CHAP.  XIII]  DEEP   SOUNDINGS.  363 

running  so  high,  although  there  was  only  little      1843. 
wind,  that  I  could  not  venture  to  lower  the  boats. 

At  3  P.M.  clouds  rose  slowly  from  the  eastward, 
and  concealed  from  our  view  the  blue  vault  of 
heaven,  excepting  only  a  space  of  about  twenty 
degrees,  in  which  the  sun  went  down  more  gor- 
geously than  he  arose. 

Light  baffling  winds  continued  throughout  the 
evening,  greatly  retarding  our  progress  at  a  time 
when  every  hour  was  of  importance,  and  it  re- 
quired much  reflection  upon  past  mercies  to  pre- 
vent a  feeling  of  impatience  at  the  delay  arising  in 
our  minds. 

The  sky  had  become  darkened  by  dense  snow 
clouds ;  and  the  threatening  appearance  to  the  N.E. 
led  us  to  expect  that  unfavourable  weather  would 
follow,  but  in  this  we  were  mistaken.  After  a 
gentle  air  from  the  S.  W.,  which  dispersed  the  March  3 
clouds,  it  fell  perfectly  calm ;  and  the  swell  having 
subsided,  the  boats  were  lowered  to  try  for  sound- 
ings. Owing  to  our  having  always  struck  ground 
in  less  than  two  thousand  fathoms  in  other  parts 
of  the  Antarctic  ocean,  we,  unfortunately,  had 
only  four  thousand  fathoms  of  line  prepared,  the 
whole  of  which  ran  off  the  reel  without  reaching 
the  bottom.  The  temperature  at  1050  fathoms 
was  39°-5 ;  at  900  fathoms,  39°- ;  at  750  fathoms, 
39°-4;  at  600  fathoms,  38°-7;  at  300  fathoms,  35°-5; 
at  150  fathoms,  33°- ;  and  at  the  surface,  30°.8. 
The  specific  gravity  at  150  and  600  fathoms  was 
1-0283  at  38°;  and  of  the  surface,  1-0278  at  32°. 


364  LINE    OF   NO   VAEIATION.         [CHAP.  XIII. 

1843.      The  current  was  setting  to  the  S.W.  at  the  rate  of 
seven  miles  daily. 

We  were  at  this  time  in  latitude  68°  34'  S., 
longitude  12°  49'  W.,  magnetic  dip  63°  24'  S.,  and 
variation  5°  24'  W. 

The  great  depth  of  the  ocean  served  to  relieve 
us  from  every  apprehension  of  being  obstructed 
by  land,  and  at  the  same  time  to  inspire  a  hope 
that  we  might  still  find  a  clear  sea  very  far  to  the 
south,  for  Davis  has  shrewdly  observed,  "  the  deep 
sea  fryseth  not ; "  the  cause  of  which  we  now  find 
in  the  constant  supply  of  heat  from  beneath ; 
although  the  period  of  the  year  had  arrived,  when 
our  former  experience  had  led  us  to  consider  the 
higher  southern  latitudes  as  sealed  from  the  in- 
trusion of  man. 

A  light  wind  sprang  up  at  4.  30.  P.M.,  from  the 
westward,  which  increased  to  a  fresh  breeze  from 
the  north-west  before  midnight,  and  we  carried  all 
sail,  steering  south-west ;  the  sky  was  overcast,  but 
we  could  see  to  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles  after 
March  4.  day  broke.  At  noon  our  latitude  was  69°  27'  S., 
longitude  14°  29'  W.,  magnetic  dip  64°  5'.  In  the 
afternoon  it  became  more  clear;  the  sun  broke 
through  the  clouds,  and  we  got  observations 
for  the  variation,  of  great  interest  as  they  en- 
abled us  to  trace  the  line  of  no  variation  to  the 
southward.  At  6  P.M.  we  had  passed  the  highest 
latitude  attained  by  Bellinghausen,  about  mid- 
way between  his  track  and  WeddelFs ;  and  at 
9  P.M.  we  crossed  the  70th  degree  of  latitude. 


CHAP.XIIL]       LATITUDE    71°  30'  SOUTH.  365 

Snow   showers  now  became   frequent,  and   many      1843. 
bergs  were  seen ;   the  white  petrel  also  appeared 
in  great  numbers,  indicating  our  approach  to  the 
pack ;  but  we  pursued  our  course  under  all  sail,  the 
night  being  fine  and  the  sea  smooth. 

In  the  morning  we  had  constant  snow  and  hazy  March  5. 
weather ;  and  at  8.  30.  A.M.,  whilst  running  with 
all  studding  sails  set,  the  main  pack  was  seen  from 
S.W.  by  S.  to  W.N.W.  We  immediately  shortened 
sail  and  altered  the  course,  at  first  to  south,  and 
then  to  S.E.,  running  along  from  point  to  point  of 
the  pack.  At  noon  our  latitude  was  71°  10'  S., 
longitude  15°  47'  W.,  at  which  time  we  were  passing 
much  loose  ice  off  the  pack  edge,  which  now  ex- 
tended from  east,  round  by  south  to  W.N.W.,  so 
that  we  could  not  proceed  further  south  without 
entering  it.  The  outer  edge  appearing  very  open 
from  the  mast-head,  we  ran  the  ships  into  it  as 
far  as  we  prudently  could ;  and  at  four  o'clock, 
after  penetrating  about  twenty-seven  miles,  we 
found  it  so  close  and  heavy,  and  the  holes  of  water 
amongst  it  so  covered  with  newly  formed  ice,  that 
we  were  obliged  to  haul  to  the  wind,  and  endea- 
vour to  work  our  way  out  again,  which  we  had 
some  difficulty  in  doing,  as  the  wind  had  freshened 
considerably,  and  was  blowing  directly  on  to  the 
pack.  When  at  our  farthest  we  were  in  latitude 
71°  30'  S.,  longitude  14°  51'  W.  :  a  cask  was  then 
thrown  overboard,  containing  a  paper  signed  by 
myself  and  all  the  officers,  stating  the  fact. 


366  GALE   AT   THE   PACK  EDGE.       [CHAP.  XIIT. 

1843-  The  barometer  falling  rapidly,  indicated  an  ap- 
proaching gale ;  and  with  the  pack  under  our  lee,  we 
were  obliged  to  carry  all  sail,  to  gain  an  offing  as 
speedily  as  possible.  The  season  was  now  too  far 
advanced  to  attempt  any  further  examination  of 
the  pack,  therefore  I  made  the  signal  to  the  Terror 
of  my  intention  to  proceed  to  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope ;  and  having  hoisted  our  colours,  we  began 
to  retrace  our  steps,  and  before  dark  regained 
the  clear  water.  Here  we  found  the  gale  blowing 
in  violent  squalls,  attended  with  constant  snow ; 
and,  notwithstanding  the  great  hazard  of  doing  so, 
amongst  the  numerous  bergs  that  surrounded  us, 
we  were  obliged  to  carry  a  heavy  press  of  sail 
throughout  the  night ;  after  all,  we  were  scarcely 
March  6.  afoie  to  hold  our  ground,  for  at  daylight  the  pack 
was  seen  through  the  haze  and  thick  snow,  at 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  us,  under  our  lee, 
presenting  to  view  a  line  of  foaming  breakers. 
We  immediately  wore  to  the  eastward ;  the  gale 
increasing,  and  the  sea  running  very  high,  we 
endeavoured  to  beat  off  under  treble-reefed  topsails 
and  reefed  courses ;  but  again  the  pack  appeared 
a-head  and  to  leeward  in  the  evening,  proving  to 
us  that  we  were  completely  embayed.  Fortu- 
nately, the  gale  was  driving  the  pack  before  it,  at 
about  the  same  rate  that  we  were  dropping  down 
upon  it.  We  wore  and  stood  to  the  eastward, 
under  all  the  sail  we  could  possibly  carry ;  our 
masts,  though  aided  by  additional  supports,  qui- 
vered to  every  sea  that  broke  over  the  ship,  and  the 


CHAP.  XIII.]      GALE   AT   THE   PACK  EDGE.  367 

sprays  freezing  as  they  fell  upon  the  rigging  and  1843. 
decks,  rendered  it  difficult  to  work  the  ropes,  while 
the  extreme  darkness  of  the  night  kept  us  in 
continual  apprehension  of  collision  with  some  of 
the  bergs  which  at  times  it  seemed  almost  impos- 
sible to  avoid. 

I  need  not  say  it  was  a  night  of  deep  anxiety 
to  us  all :  and  the  necessary  degree  of  composure 
and  peace  of  mind  required  to  meet  it,  could  only 
result  from  a  firm  reliance  upon  the  guidance  and 
protection  of  Almighty  God,  who  had  preserved  us 
under  equally  perilous  circumstances. 

Throughout  this  fearful  night  and  the  whole  of  March  7. 
the  next  day,  we  could  not  perceive  the  least  miti- 
gation of  the  gale ;  but  it  favoured  us  by  veering 
rather  more  to  the  eastward;  soon  after  dark, 
when  we  were  preparing  to  pass  another  anxious 
night,  the  wind  suddenly  abated,  and  at  midnight 
we  had  a  light  air  from  the  westward.  A  calm  March  8. 
of  six  hours'  duration  succeeded ;  after  which  the 
north-east  wind  came  on  with  scarcely  less  fury 
than  before ;  but  by  our  observations  we  found  we 
had  gained  some  ground,  and  had  no  longer  any 
dread  of  being  driven  down  upon  the  pack.  At 
noon  our  latitude  was  70°  28'  S.,  longitude  17°  21' 
W.,  magnetic  dip  65°  V  S.,  variation  0°'16'  W. 
Our  only  remaining  difficulty  now,  was  to  avoid 
the  bergs  with  which,  as  during  the  former 
gale,  we  were  several  times  nearly  in  collision ; 
the  heavy  sea  which  broke  against  the  perpen- 
dicular face  of  one  of  them  fell  on  board  our 


368 


THE   COMET.  [CHAP.  XTII 


1843.  ship.  Too  much  praise  cannot  be  bestowed  upon 
Captain  Crozier  and  his  officers,  for  the  seamanlike 
manner  in  which  the  Terror  was  conducted  and 
maintained  her  station  throughout  these  severe 
gales ;  and  the  vigilance,  activity,  and  cool  courage 
displayed  by  Commander  Bird,  and  the  rest  of  my 
companions,  deserve  the  expression  of  my  high 
admiration. 

March  9.  By  daylight  the  next  morning  the  wind  had 
veered  to  the  E.  S.  E.,  but  the  heavy  swell  occa- 
sioned by  the  N.  E.  gale  prevented  our  making 
such  good  way  in  that  direction  as  we  otherwise 
should  have  done.  At  noon  our  latitude  was 
69°  38'  S.,  longitude  15°  43'  W. 

The  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  day  and  during  the 
night  the  storm  still  raged,  and  kept  us  anxiously 
on  the  look  out  to  avoid  the  bergs ;  and  it  can  never 
cease  to  be  a  source  of  wonder  and  gratitude  that 
we  escaped  running  against  them. 

March  10.  We  kept  under  easy  sail  during  the  night ;  but 
as  soon  as  day  broke  we  set  all  that  the  ships  could 
carry,  steering  to  the  north-east.  The  wind  mo- 
derated towards  noon,  and  the  fine  day  which  fol- 
lowed was  one  of  real  enjoyment,  after  the  almost 
uninterrupted  succession  of  gales  and  thick  weather 
we  had  experienced  during  the  past  week. 

At  9  P.M.  a  remarkable  ray  of  light  was  seen  be- 
tween two  dark  clouds ;  it  was  mentioned  in  the 
log-book  as  a  stationary  beam  of  Aurora  Australis, 
bearing  west,  and  inclined  in  an  angle  of  about 
45°  to  the  southward.  It  was  seen  frequently 


CHAP.  XIII.]    RECROSS   THE   ANTARCTIC    CIRCLE.  369 

during  the  few  following  nights,  and  its  fixed  cha-  1843- 
racter  at  length  assured  us  that  it  must  be  the  tail 
of  a  comet,  which  eventually  proved  to  be  the  case. 
It  was  seen  a  few  days  sooner  than  by  us  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  St.  Helena,  and  Barbadoes  ; 
but  not  until  the  17th  of  March  in  Europe,  where 
Sir  John  Herschel  published  the  earliest  notice  of 
it,  designating  it  as  a  "  Comet  of  enormous  magni- 
tude in  the  course  of  its  progress  through  our 
system,  and  at  present  not  far  from  its  perihelion." 

At  6.  30.  A.M.  we  recrossed  the  Antarctic  circle 
for  the  last  time,  in  longitude  13Q  30'  W.,  and  by 
noon  were  in  latitude  65°  56'  S.,  and  longitude  March  n. 
13°  36'  W.,  having  made  good  a  course  of  N.  17°  E., 
one  hundred  and  thirty-six  miles,  since  noon  of 
yesterday. 

As  we  must  necessarily  pass  near  Bouvet  Island, 
which  has  been  so  frequently  sought  in  vain,  our 
course  was  shaped  so  as  to  get  into  its  supposed 
latitude  at  about  ten  degrees  to  the  westward, 
that  we  might,  by  sailing  to  the  eastward  on  that 
parallel,  ascertain  its  position  with  some  degree  of 
precision.  We  had  a  succession  of  strong  S.W. 
gales,  and  passed  a  great  number  of  bergs,  which 
obliged  us  to  proceed  under  reduced  sail  during 
the  long  dark  nights  of  this  late  season  of  the  year. 

On  the  15th  and  18th,  we  had  opportunities  of  March  is. 
trying  the  temperature  of  the  sea,  which  we  found 
at  600  fathoms  to  be  39° ;  at  450  fathoms,  37°'8 ; 
at  300  fathoms,  36°'8 ;  at  150  fathoms,  35°'2  ;  at 

VOL.  II.  B  B 


370  SEARCH   FOE  [CHAP.  XIII. 

1843.      the  surface  33°. 5  ;  in  both  cases  the  mean  latitude 
"  being  56°  41'  S.,  and  longitude  6°  5'  W. 

March  19.  At  6  P.M.  the  following  day,  being  in  the  latitude  of 
Bouvet  Island,  54°  21'  S.,  and  about  three  hundred 
miles  west  of  its  assigned  position,  our  course  was 
altered  to  true  east ;  the  number  of  bergs  had 
greatly  diminished,  and  having  fine  clear  weather, 
we  continued,  throughout  the  night,  under  all  sail. 
During  the  next  two  days  it  blew  a  gale  from 
the  N.W.,  and  for  the  first  time  we  had  rain  in- 
stead of  snow,  the  temperature  having  risen  to  37°. 
As  we  were  now  approaching  Bouvet  Island,  we 
rounded  to  every  night,  lest  we  should  either  run 
upon,  or  pass  it  in  the  dark. 

March  20.  At  noon,  the  20th,  we  crossed  the  meridian  of 
Greenwich,  in  latitude  54°  1'  S.,  and  pursuing  a 
true  east  course,  were  in  longitude  2°  50'  E.  the 

March  21.  next  day  at  noon.  Many  bergs  of  large  size  were 
seen  during  the  last  two  days,  and  were  the  occa- 
sion of  frequent  false  reports  of  land. 

At  8  P.M.  we  were  in  latitude  54°  V  S.,  and  lon- 
gitude 4°  36'  E. ;  only  fifty- eight  miles  from  the 
island,  as  placed  on  the  Admiralty  chart.  We 
hove  to  for  the  night  under  a  close-reefed  main- 
top-sail, the  sea  running  very  high,  and  many 
bergs  about  us.  Every  two  hours  we  tried  for,  but 
did  not  obtain  soundings,  with  400  fathoms. 

March  22.  At  daylight  we  bore  away  before  the  gale,  which 
had  not  abated  in  the  smallest  degree,  and  the  sea 
had  gained  a  mountainous  height;  the  weather,  how- 


CHAP.XHL]  BOUVET  ISLAND.  371 

ever,  was  clear,  so  that  we  could  see  the  bergs  at  a  1843. 
distance  of  three  or  four  leagues.  At  noon,  by  ob- 
servation, our  latitude  was  54°  11'  S.,  and  longi- 
tude 6°  E.  Bouvet  Island  should,  therefore,  have 
been  in  sight,  bearing  S.  55°  E.,  distant  nine 
miles.  We  stood  exactly  for  it,  until  we  had  run 
twelve  miles,  but  not  seeing  it,  we  steered  east,  to 
keep  in  its  supposed  latitude:  after  having  gone 
forty  miles  further,  we  arrived  at  the  spot  from 
which  Cook  sought  it  to  the  eastward,  and  the 
night  getting  dark,  I  gave  up  all  further  search, 
concluding,  with  him,  that  M.  Bouvet  had  mistaken 
a  large  iceberg  for  land.  I  have  now,  however, 
reason  to  believe  that  there  is  an  island  in  that  vici- 
nity ;  for  since  my  return  to  England,  I  have  learned 
from  C.  Enderby,  Esq.  that  it  has  been  visited  by 
several  of  his  vessels,  and  that  a  party  from  one 
of  them  actually  landed,  and  was  compelled  by 
stormy  weather  to  remain  nearly  six  days  on  the 
island,  and  brought  on  board  several  seals,  which 
they  had  killed  on  its  S.W.  point. 

The  log-book  of  the  Sprightly,  Captain  Norris, 
is  now  before  me,  from  which  I  quote  the  following 
passages :  —  "  10th  December,  1825.  The  island 
is  in  latitude  54°  15'  S.,  longitude  by  chronometer 
5°  E. ;  and,  as  we  are  now  certain  it  is  an  island, 
we  name  it  Liverpool  Island.  It  appears  to  ex- 
tend three  or  four  leagues  from  north  to  south ; 
the  north  end  high  and  rugged,  the  south  end  low, 
the  middle  high,  and  covered  with  snow." 

There  is  a  pencil  drawing  of  the  island,  bearing 

B    B     2 


372  VARIOUS   ACCOUNTS   OF  [CHAP.  XIII. 

1843.  west  five  or  six  leagues.  The  log  says,  "  The 
captain  got  within  a  cable  length  of  the  shore,  but 
owing  to  the  steepness  of  the  rocks,  and  the  weather 
coming  on  thick,  with  much  sleet  and  snow,  was 
the  whole  and  sole  reason  of  not  making  a  success- 
ful landing." 

On  the  13th  they  met  with  another  island,  of 
which  is  said,  — "  This  island,  which  we  have 
named  Thompson  Island,  bears  about  N.N.E.,  fif- 
teen leagues  from  Liverpool  Island ;  there  are  also 
three  rocks,  which  we  named  the  Chimnies,  to  the 
S.W.,  four  or  five  miles  from  Thompson  Island  ; 
and  another  rock  three  miles  to  the  southward  of 
them.  The  island  is  in  latitude  53°  56'  S.,  longi- 
tude 5°  30'  E." 

We  read,  "  16th  December,  P.M.,  fresh  breezes 
and  cloudy.  The  Lively  (the  consort  of  the 
Sprightly),  by  order,  hoisted  out  her  boat,  and 
we  manned  her  out  of  both  vessels  and  sent  her  on 
shore,  to  endeavour  to  find  a  landing  at  the  west 
end  of  the  island.  We  sounded  on  its  south  side, 
and  found  from  thirty-five  to  twenty  fathoms,  black 
sandy  bottom,  at  a  mile  from  the  shore.  Caught 
a  number  of  small  fish,  resembling  codfish.  At 
8  P.M.  the  boat  returned,  having  hoisted  the  union 
jack  on  the  shore,  &c. 

"  On  the  18th  P.M.,  the  captain  gave  orders  for 
a  boat  to  be  manned  from  each  vessel,  one  to  go 
one  way  round  the  isle  and  one  the  other,  and  to 
meet  at  the  west  end." 

Stormy    weather  almost  immediately  followed 


CHAP.  XIII.]  BOUVET  ISLAND.  373 

the  landing  of  the  boats,  and  it  was  not  until  1843. 
the  24th  the  boats  could  regain  the  ships.  They  " 
brought  the  skins  of  forty-eight  seals  they  had 
killed  on  the  island.  And  the  log  says,  —  "  We 
found  by  their  report  that  seals  are  very  scarce ; 
and  the  isle  is  not  likely  to  produce  many,  the 
S.  W.  point  being  the  only  place  where  they  can 
make  a  landing,  as  the  boats  went  entirely  round 
the  isle,  and  nothing  but  perpendicular  rocks  could 
be  seen ;  it  bears  evident  marks  of  having  been  a 
volcano,  as  it  is  nothing  less  than  a  complete  cin- 
der, with  immense  veins  of  lava,  which  have  the 
appearance  of  black  glass,  though  some  are  streaked 
with  white." 

Captain  James  Lindsay,  in  the  Swan  sealer,  also 
belonging  to  Messrs.  Enderby,  endeavoured  to  ap- 
proach an  island  which  they  saw  in  latitude  54°  24' 
S.,  and  longitude  3°  15'  E.,  on  the  7th  of  October, 
1808 ;  but  after  persevering  for  several  days,  and 
running  great  hazard,  they  were  unable  to  pene- 
trate the  floes  and  loose  ice  by  which  it  was  sur- 
rounded, and  abandoned  the  attempt.  His  descrip- 
tion of  the  island,  as  well  as  the  position  he  assigns 
it,  differs  so  much  from  Captain  Norris's,  that  it 
was  certainly  not  the  same  as  that  upon  which  his 
people  landed.  He  says,  "  The  west  point  of  the 
island  is  high  and  steep,  the  east  point  low  and 
level,  covered  with  snow;  it  appears  about  five 
miles  from  east  to  west,  and  the  close  ice  sur- 
rounds it  to  the  distance  of  three  miles  from  its 
shores." 

B   B     3 


374  LAST   ICEBEEG   SEEN.  [CHAP.  XIII. 

1843.  From  these  statements  it  would  appear  that  there 
is  probably  more  than  one  island  in  this  neighbour- 
hood, but  certainly  not  in  the  positions  given  in 
their  log-books ;  for  although  unaware  of  these  ac- 
counts at  the  time  we  were  in  search  of  Bouvet 
Island,  we  passed  so  near  as  certainly  to  have  seen 
them  had  they  been  there.  It  would  be  very  de- 
sirable that  their  number  and  situation  should  be 
accurately  determined,  which  might  easily  be  done 
by  a  small  vessel  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
The  proper  season  for  this  service  is  the  middle  of 
December,  when  the  nights  are  short,  and  the  finest 
weather  may  be  expected. 

March  25.  We  continued  to  experience  very  boisterous 
weather,  and  passed  numerous  bergs  in  our  passage 
to  the  Cape,  until  noon  of  the  25th,  when  we  were 
in  latitude  47°  40'  S.,  longitude  10°  51'  E.,  mag- 
netic dip  55°  53'  S.  and  variation  25°  29'  W.,  where 
the  last  iceberg  was  seen. 

March  27.  On  the  27th,  in  latitude  43°  52'  S.,  longitude 
13°  23'  E.,  we  found  the  temperature  of  the  sea  at 
600  fathoms  to  be  39°'5 ;  at  450  fathoms,  39°*8 ; 
at  300  fathoms,  40°'3;  at  150  fathoms,  44° ;  at  the 
surface  47°'5.  We  were,  therefore,  very  much  to 
the  northward  of  the  circle  of  uniform  temperature 
of  the  ocean  throughout  its  entire  depth,  and  must 
have  crossed  it  in  about  the  latitude  of  52°,  and 
longitude  9°  E.  I  very  much  regretted  that  the 
tempestuous  weather  prevented  our  making  ex- 
periments in  that  locality. 


CHAP.  XIII.]     CIRCLE  OF  MEAN  TEMPERATURE.  37 

We  had  previously  crossed  this  circle  at  the  fol-     1843- 
lowing  six  different  points,  viz. :  —  March  2 

Date.  Latitude.         Longitude.  Reference  to 

Narrative. 

1840.  Dec.  21  -  57°  52'  S.  170°  30'  E.     Vol.  I.    p.  166 

1841.  March  30  -  55    09  132    20          Vol.  I.    p.  317 
„      Dec.  13  -  55    18  149    20  W.  Vol.  II.  p.  140 

1842.  March  23  -  58    36  104    40          Vol.11,  p.  227 
„      Sept.    16  -  54    41  55    12                „       p.  282 
„      Dec.     20  -  55    48  54    40                „       p.  322 

Mean  Latitude       -     56    14  S.,  or  if  we  consider  the  latter 

two  as  one  point,  56°  26' 

It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  about  this  parallel 
of  latitude  there  is  a  belt  or  circle  round  the  earth, 
where  the  mean  temperature  of  the  sea  obtains 
throughout  its  entire  depth,  forming  a  boundary, 
or  kind  of  neutral  ground,  between  the  two  great 
thermic  basins  of  the  ocean.  To  the  north  of  this 
circle  the  sea  has  become  warmer  than  its  mean 
temperature,  by  reason  of  the  sun's  heat,  which  it 
has  absorbed,  elevating  its  temperature  at  various 
depths  in  different  latitudes.  So  that  the  line  of 
mean  temperature  of  39°*5,  in  latitude  45°  S.,  has 
descended  to  the  depth  of  600  fathoms ;  and  at  the 
equatorial  and  tropical  regions,  this  mark  of  the 
limit  of  the  sun's  influence  is  found  at  the  depth 
of  about  1200  fathoms;  beneath  which  the  ocean 
maintains  its  unvarying  mean  temperature  of  39°'5, 
whilst  that  of  the  surface  is  about  78°. 

So  likewise  to  the  south  of  the  circle  of  mean 
temperature,  we  find  that  in  the  absence  of  an 
equal  solar  supply,  the  radiation  of  the  heat  of  the 

B   B     4 


376 


METEOKOLOGICAL   TABLE.         [CHAP.  XIII 


1843.          ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL  JOURNAL  OF  HER  MAJESTY'S 
SHIP   EREBUS. MARCH,   1843. 


Day. 

Position  at  Noon. 

Temperature  of  the  Air  in 
Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 

Temperature 
at  9  A.M. 

at  Surface.    Air  in 

Dew 

Lat.  S. 

Long.  W. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Shade. 

point. 

e    / 

o    / 

0 

o 

o 

o 

o 

o 

1 

67  06 

8  35 

32 

25-5 

30-6 

31-8 

31 

26 

2 

68   14 

12  20 

29 

26 

27-5 

30-7 

27 

18 

3 

68  34 

12  49 

30-5 

28 

29-4 

30'6 

30 

18-5 

4 

69  26 

14  29 

31-5 

29 

30-0 

30-7 

30 

21 

5 

71   10 

15  47 

32 

29 

30-1 

30-4 

30 

30* 

6 

71  09 

15  39 

30 

29 

30-2 

30-4 

30 

30* 

7 

70  36 

16  42 

30-5 

28'5 

29-9 

30-1 

30 

30* 

8 

70  28 

17  21 

30-5 

27 

287 

30-0 

30 

30* 

9 

69  38 

15  43 

27-5 

25 

26-4 

30-0 

27 

27* 

10 

68  06 

15  20 

29 

24-5 

26'8 

30-1 

25 

22 

11 

65  56 

13  10 

30 

27-5 

28-8 

30-6 

29 

23 

12 

63  57 

13  36 

33 

29-5 

30-8 

31'4 

32 

28 

13 

61  34 

11   23 

31 

29 

29'4 

32'3 

31 

24-5 

14 

59   16 

9   19 

31 

28j 

29-4 

31-5 

30 

16 

15 

57  27 

7  52 

36 

29 

30-8 

33-0 

32 

18 

16 

57  09 

7   15 

33*5 

29 

30-6 

33-3 

31 

26 

17 

56  38 

6  16 

34 

30-5 

32-2 

33-3 

31 

30* 

18 

55  56 

4  19 

34 

32 

33-2 

33-5 

34 

31-5 

19 

54  31 

2  25 

34 

32 

32-8 

33'4 

33 

33* 

20 

54  07 

0     0 

36 

32 

34-0 

33-4 

34 

20-5 

East. 

21 

54  05 

2  50 

37 

33'5 

35-5 

33-4 

37 

37* 

22 

54  11 

6  01 

35 

32 

33-4 

33-5 

35 

35* 

23 

52  31 

8  08 

36 

33 

34-0 

34-3 

33 

33* 

24 

50  18 

9   15 

38-5 

34 

37-0 

37-3 

36 

31 

25 

47  38 

10  51 

44 

38 

40-7 

41-1 

41 

38 

26 

45  32 

11   54 

47 

42 

45-0 

44-2 

44 

44 

27 

43  52 

13  23 

52-5 

47'5 

49'8 

47-5 

50 

49 

28 

43   10 

14  44 

57 

49-5 

52-7 

£0-6 

52 

50-5 

29 

41  48 

15  09 

58 

50 

52-7 

54-5 

54 

54 

30 

39  56 

15  52 

61 

51-5 

55-3 

63-9 

55 

52 

31 

37  40 

16  40 

67 

62 

64'9 

65-2 

66 

55 

67 

24-5 

35-57 

36-65 

Deposit  of  rain,  snow,  or  fog. 


CHAP.  XJIL]       METEOEOLOGICAL   TABLE.  377 

ABSTRACT  OF  THE  METEOROLOGICAL    JOURNAL  OF  HER  MAJESTY'S  1843. 

SHIP   EREBUS. MARCH,    1843. 


Barometer. 

Winds. 

Day. 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

. 

1 

29-118 

28-951 

29-016 

S.S.E. 

4 

/A.M.  0  p.S.* 

\P.M.  3  b.c. 

2 

•217 

29-089 

•173 

Southerly 

(A.M.  3  j 
IP.M.  1J 

4b.c. 

3 

•260 

•192 

•210 

/A.M.  S.S.W.I 

IP.M.  Nthly.  j 

1 

og- 

4 

•285 

•228 

•264 

N.W. 

3 

0  g.p.s. 

5 

•213 

28-809 

•022 

N.  Easterly 

4 

0  s. 

6 

28-885 

•742 

28-808 

N.E. 

7 

Oq  g.p.s. 

7 

29-098 

•798 

•897 

E.  hy  N. 

7 

0  q.  f.  s. 

8 

•262 

29-125 

29-200 

N.E.  by  E. 

4 

0  q.p.s. 

9 

•253 

•053 

•148 

E.  by  S. 

6 

0  q.p.s. 

10 

•135 

•013 

•072 

S.E. 

6 

1  b.c.o.p.s. 

11 

•130 

28-520 

28-860 

East 

4 

0  p.s. 

12 

•113 

•441 

•690 

S.S.E. 

5 

2  b.c.q.p.s. 

13 

•481 

29-122 

29-340 

s.w. 

5 

0  g.  q.p.s. 

14 

•558 

•460 

•499 

S.W.  by  W. 

4 

0  g.p.s. 

15 

•653 

•473 

•637 

S.  Westerly 

2 

2  b.c.p.m. 

16 

•449 

•268 

•340 

N.  Easterly 

2 

/A.M.  0  g.p.S. 

"^P.M.  3  b.c. 

17 

•351 

•254 

•303 

N.N.E. 

3 

0  g.p.s. 

18 

•365 

•142 

•270 

/A.M.  N.W.  1 
IP.M.  S.E.     j 

-  3 

0  g.m.p.s. 

19 

•664 

•113 

•302 

S.  by  E. 

6 

0  g.q.p.s. 

20 

•827 

•414 

•711 

N.  Westerly 

/A.M.  2 
\  P.M.  6 

3  bc.g. 
0  q.p.s.r. 

pA.M.   N.W. 

8 

Og.qr. 

21 

•529 

•009 

•293 

\P.M.  West. 

9 

3  b.c.q.p.s. 

22 

•373 

•095 

•191 

W.  N.  W. 

C  A.M.  9 

IP.M.  10 

0  g.q-p.s. 
1  b.c.q.p.s.m. 

23 

•699 

•118 

•415 

W.  by  S. 

8 

1  b.c.q.s. 

24 

30-239 

•720 

30-053 

w.s.w. 

6 

c.q.p.m. 

25 

•362 

30-223 

•292 

N.W.  by  W. 

6 

1  b.c.g.q. 

26 

•438 

•300 

•367 

N.W. 

5 

Og. 

27 

•429 

•368 

•392 

Northerly 

3 

2  b.c.m. 

28 

•390 

•323 

•355 

N.  N.W. 

3 

6  b.c. 

29 

•403 

•334 

•361 

W.S.W. 

3 

2  b.c.m. 

30 

•370 

•293 

•333 

S.E.  by  S. 

3 

0  3  b.c. 

31 

•290 

•092 

•189 

S.E. 

6 

3  b.c.  q.p.r. 

30-438 

28-441 

29-4840 

4-63 

For  explanation  of  these  symbols  see  Appendix,  Vol.  I. 


378  CIRCLE  OF  MEAN  TEMPERATURE.    [CHAP.  XIII. 

1843.  ocean  into  space  occasions  the  sea  to  be  of  a  colder 
March  27.  temperature  as  we  advance  to  the  south ;  and  near 
the  70th  degree  of  latitude,  we  find  the  line  of 
mean  temperature  has  descended  to  the  depth  of, 
750  fathoms ;  beneath  which  again,  to  the  greatest 
depths,  the  teriiperature  of  39°*5  obtains,  whilst 
that  of  the  surface  is  30°. 

This  circle  of  mean  temperature  of  the  southern 
ocean  is  a  standard  point  in  nature,  which,  if 
determined  with  very  great  accuracy,  would  afford 
to  philosophers  of  future  ages  the  means  of  ascer- 
taining if  the  globe  we  inhabit  shall  have  under- 
gone any  change  of  temperature,  and  to  what 
amount,  during  the  interval. 

The  experiments  which  our  limited  time  and 
means  admitted  of  our  making,  serve  to  show  that 
the  mean  temperature  of  the  ocean  at  present  is 
about  39°*5,  or  7^  degrees  above  the  freezing  point 
of  pure  water ;  and  as  nearly  as  possible  the  point  of 
its  greatest  density.  But  it  would  be  indispensable 
that  this  temperature  should  be  ascertained  to  the 
tenth  part  of  a  degree ;  and  as  we  now  know  where 
we  may  send  any  number  of  thermometers  down  to 
the  greatest  fathomable  depths,  without  an  altera- 
tion of  temperature,  even  to  that  small  amount, 
this  desideratum  might  be  very  easily  obtained. 

These  observations  force  upon  us  the  conclusion 
that  the  internal  heat  of  the  earth  exercises  no  in- 
fluence upon  the  temperature  of  the  ocean,  or  we 
should  not  find  any  part  in  which  it  was  equable 


CiiAr.  XIII.]       ARRIVAL   AT   SIMON'S  BAY.  379 

from   the   surface   to   the   great   depth   we   have      1843. 
reached ;  a  new  and  important  fact  in  the  physics 
of  our  globe. 

On  the  following  day  thermometers  were  sent  to  March  28. 
the  depth  of  1 200  fathoms,  where  the  temperature 
was  39°-5  ;  at  1050  fathoms,  it  was  39°-8 ;  at  450 
fathoms,  41°-1  ;  at  300  fathoms,  44°  ;  and  at  the 
surface,  53°.  The  specific  gravity  from  1050  fa- 
thoms, and  450  fathoms,  was  1-0269  at  63°;  that 
of  the  surface  being  1-0275  at  53°.  We  were  at 
this  time  in  latitude  43°  10'  S.,  longitude  14°  44'  E. ; 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  bearing  N.18  E.,  distant  five 
hundred  and  fifty- six  miles. 

We  had  favourable  winds  and  fine  weather  until 
the  4th  of  April,  when,  at  6h  20m  A.  M.  the  land  was  April  4. 
reported,  and  by  noon  we  were  close  in  with  Cape 
Point.  The  wind  blowing  fresh,  with  frequent 
squalls,  directly  out  of  Simon's  Bay,  we  had  to 
beat  up,  and  it  was  not  until  7h  30m  P.M.  that  we 
anchored  close  to  her  Majesty's  Ship  Winchester, 
bearing  the  flag  of  Eear  Admiral  the  Honourable 
Josceline  Percy,  C.B. 

Captain  Crozier  and  I  immediately  waited  upon 
the  Commander-in- Chief,  by  whom  we  were  re- 
ceived in  the  most  kind  and  gratifying  manner; 
and  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  reporting  to  him,  for 
the  information  of  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the 
Admiralty,  that  the  expedition  had  returned  for  a 
third  time  from  the  arduous  service  in  which  it 
had  been  engaged,  without  a  single  individual  of 
either  of  the  ships  on  the  sick  list. 


380  LEAVE  SIMON'S  BAY.  [CHAP.  xm. 

1843.  The  refitment  of  the  ships  and  refreshment  of 
their  crews,  the  repetition  of  our  magnetic  experi- 
ments, and  comparison  of  our  instruments  with 
those  of  the  permanent  magnetic  observatory,  gave 
us  full  occupation  to  the  end  of  the  month.  During 
the  whole  of  this  time  we  experienced  not  only  every 
assistance  in  forwarding  our  operations,  from  the 
Cornmander-in-chief,  but  from  himself,  Mrs.  Percy, 
and  their  family  the  greatest  attention  and  kindness 
that  consideration  could  suggest.  We  were  also 
much  indebted  to  Captain  Eden,  of  the  flag-ship, 
and  Mr.  Thomson,  the  store-keeper  at  the  dock- 
yard, for  affording  us  every  facility  in  their  power. 
April  so.  At  8h  30m  A.  M.  on  the  30th  we  weighed,  and, 
being  quite  calm,  towed  out  of  Simon's  Bay.  A 
breeze  sprang  up  from  the  north-west  at  10  A.  M., 
and  at  noon  we  rounded  Cape  Point,  and  stood  to 
the  westward  under  all  sail. 

We  had  now  turned  our  backs  on  the  antarctic 
regions,  and  had  fairly  begun  our  homeward  voy- 
age, though  we  had  one  object  yet  to  fulfil,  which 
was,  to  go  to  Rio  de  Janeiro  for  magnetic  pur- 
poses, touching,  on  our  way,  at  St.  Helena  and 
Ascension. 

We  arrived  at  St.  Helena  on  the  morning  of  the 

May  13.  13th,  and  found  our  old  friend,  Colonel  Trelawney, 
of  the  Royal  Artillery,  now  governor  of  the  island. 
He  welcomed  us  with  that  kind-hearted  hospitality 
which  was  natural  to  him.  We  have  since  learned 
that  his  family  and  friends  have  to  regret  the  loss 
of  this  excellent  man. 


CHAP.  XIII.]  DEEP    SOUNDINGS.  381 

The  comparison  of  our  magnetic  instruments  1843- 
was  completed  in  a  few  days,  and  we  sailed  again,  May  20. 
on  the  20th,  for  the  Island  of  Ascension,  and  with- 
out any  events  worthy  of  notice,  arrived  there  on 
the  25th.  Our  magnetic  experiments,  before  and 
after  crossing  the  line  of  no  dip,  are  of  peculiar 
interest,  and  will  be  published  with  the  rest  of  our 
magnetic  observations,  under  the  supervision  of 
Colonel  Sabine.  In  the  Appendix  to  this  volume 
will  be  found  a  table,  containing  our  position  at 
noon  every  day  of  the  remainder  of  our  voyage, 
the  magnetic  dip  and  variation,  and  the  direction 
and  strength  of  the  current. 

From  Captain  Dwyer,  of  the   Royal   Marines,    May  29. 
commandant  of  the  island,  we  received  every  atten- 
tion and  a  supply  of  turtle  for  both  ships,  and  we 
proceeded  on  our  voyage  at  9  A.  M.  of  the  29th, 
steering  for  Rio  de  Janeiro. 

We  found  the  temperature  of  the  air  vary  from 
74°  to  83°,  and  the  surface  of  the  sea  from  75°  to 
77°,  at  this  period  of  the  season.  The  total  absence 
of  all  sea-fowl  is  as  remarkable  here  as  in  all  other 
parts  of  the  tropics  we  have  visited,  except  only 
where  small  isles  have  been  projected  from  the 
depths  of  the  ocean,  and  afford  them  resting  and 
breeding  places. 

On  the  3rd  of  June,  when  in  latitude  15°  3'  S.,    June  3. 
and  longitude  23°  14'  W.,  being  nearly  calm  and 
the  water  quite  smooth,  we  tried  for,  but  did  not 
obtain,  soundings  with  4,600  fathoms  of  line,  or 


ARRIVE   AT   RIO.  [CHAP.  XIII. 

J843.  27,600  feet.  This  is  the  greatest  depth  of  the 
ocean  that  has  yet  been  satisfactorily  ascertained ; 
but  we  have  reason  to  believe  there  are  many 
parts  of  it  where  it  is  still  deeper. '  Its  determina- 
tion is  another  desideratum  in  terrestrial  physics 
of  great  interest  and  importance. 

The  small  island  of  Trinidad  was  at  this  time  the 
nearest  land  to  us ;  it  bore  S.  47  W.,  distant  486 
miles.  Cape  Frio,  the  nearest  part  of  the  conti- 
nent, boreS.  65  W.,  distant  1180  miles. 

The  temperature  at  twelve  hundred  fathoms  was 
39°-5  ;  at  nine  hundred  fathoms,  40°'3  ;  that  of  the 
surface,  77°. 

June  7.  On  the  7th  we  passed  within  a  mile  of  Trinidad, 
but  there  was  too  much  surf  for  us  to  attempt  to 
land.  On  the  18th,  at  4h  40m  P.  M.,  we  anchored 
in  the  beautiful  harbour  of  Rio.  We  regretted  to 
find  Commodore  Purvis  had  gone  to  Monte  Video, 
and,  moreover,  that  all  our  letters  had  been  for- 
warded to  him  there,  contrary  to  his  express  orders. 
As  we  could  not  now  get  them  in  less  than  a 
month,  and  not  choosing  to  lose  so  much  time,  I 
determined,  as  soon  as  we  could  complete  our  mag- 
netic observations,  to  sail  for  England. 

We  found  an  American  squadron  lying  here, 
under  the  command  of  Commodore  Shubrick,  upon 
whom  Captain  Crozier  and  I  immediately  called, 
and  by  whom,  and  his  officers,  we  were  most 
politely  received.  They  had  recently  returned  from 
Monte  Video,  the  policy  of  their  government  not 


CHAP.  XIII.]      CROSS   THE   LINE   OF   NO   DIP.  383 

permitting  them  to  take  a  part  in  the  prompt  and      1843. 
judicious  measures  adopted  by  Commodore  Purvis 
and  the  commander  of  the  French  naval  force. 

From  the  British  ambassador,  Mr.  Hamilton,  we 
received  every  assistance  in  his  power  to  accelerate 
our  operations ;  which  being  completed  by  the  24th, 
we  sailed  at  8h  15m  A.  M.  the  following  day,  with  a    June  25 
light  breeze  from  the  northwest. 

Commodore  Shubrick  sent  all  the  boats  of  the 
American  squadron  to  assist  in  towing  us  out  of 
the  harbour ;  but  the  breeze  increasing  steadily, 
rendered  it  unnecessary  to  avail  ourselves  of  his 
kind  attention. 

Favoured  by  southerly  winds,  unusual  at  this 
season  of  the  year,  we  made  rapid  progress  over 
that  portion  of  the  passage  which  is  often  the  most 
tedious,  owing  to  the  east  and  north-east  winds 
which  generally  prevail;  and,  to-day,  in  latitude  July  i. 
18°  23'  S-  and  longitude  31°  53'  W.,  we  got  the 
south-east  trade  wind. 

On  the  3rd,  at  10  p.  M.  we  crossed  the  line  of  no  July  3. 
dip  in  latitude  13°'20'  S.,  and  longitude  28°-ll'  W., 
where  the  trade  wind  being  strong,  with  sharp 
squalls  and  rain,  and  with  much  sea  running,  pre- 
vented us  making  so  many  observations  as  we  could 
have  wished,  and,  therefore,  the  spot  upon  which 
we  crossed  it  is  not  determined  with  equal  precision 
as  on  our  outward  passage.* 

*  See  Vol.  I.  p.  21. 


384  RAIN   IN   THE   VARIABLES.  [CHAP.  XIII. 

1843.  The  current,  which  at  the  equator  averages  a 
rate  of  more  than  twenty  miles  daily,  carried  us 
so  far  to  the  westward  as  to  make  us  cross  the 
line,  at  8  P.  M.  of  the  10th,  in  longitude  25  °54'  W. ; 
and,  in  accordance  with  our  observations  on  our 
outward  voyage,  the  rate  of  the  current  in  latitude 
2°  N.  exceeded  fifty  miles  per  diem. 

July  15.  On  the  15th  we  entered  the  variables  and  expe- 
rienced the  usual  unpleasant  weather;  between 
5h  30m  and  6  A.  M.  an  inch  and  a  half  of  rain  fell,  and 
an  inch  and  a  quarter  in  the  two  following  hours ; 
its  temperature  was  72°,  that  of  the  air,  76° ; 
and  again,  between  noon  and  2  p.  M.  on  the  16th, 
2Jj  inches  of  rain  fell. 

July  22.  On  the  22nd,  when  in  latitude  12°  36  N".,  and 
longitude  25°  35'  W.,  we  had  no  soundings  with 
1850  fathoms,  the  temperature  at  that  depth  39°'6 ; 
at  1350  fathoms,  39°'5  ;  at  300  fathoms,  47°'6  ;  at 
150  fathoms,  52°;  and  at  the  surface,  79°'5.  We 
were  at  this  time  only  140  miles  from  the  Cape  de 
Verd  Islands. 

Our  barometrical  experiments  appear  to  prove 
that  the  atmospheric  pressure  is  considerably  less 
at  the  equator  than  near  the  tropics ;  and  to 
the  south  of  the  tropic  of  Capricorn,  where  it 
is  greatest,  a  gradual  diminution  occurs  as  the 
latitude  is  increased,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  fol- 
lowing table,  derived  from  hourly  observations  of 
the  height  of  the  column  of  mercury,  between  the 
20th  of  November,  1839,  and  the  31st  of  July,  1843. 


CHAP.  Xm.]  ATMOSPHERIC    PRESSURE.  385 

The  mean  pressure  and  the  amount   of  atmo-      1843. 
spheric  tide  in  each  latitude  are  as  follows :  — 

Lat. 

At  the  \  Pressure.  Tide. 

Equator.  J    29-974  -047  At  sea. 

13°   0'  S.  30-016  -060       „ 

22  17  30-085  -053       „ 

34  48  30-023  '052  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  Sidney. 

42  53  29-950  *050  Van  Diemen's  Land. 

45     0  29-664  -031  At  sea. 

49     8  29-469  -040  Kerguelen  and  Auckland  Islands. 

51  33  29-497  -032  Falkland  Island. 

54  26  29-347  -022  At  sea. 

55  52  29-360  -027  Cape  Horn. 
60    0  29-114  -024  At  sea. 

66    0  29-078  -016       „ 

74     0  28-928  -016       „ 

The  above  results  are  arranged  in  belts  of 
latitude,  the  observations  at  sea  being  separated 
from  those  made  in  harbour ;  this  occasions  more 
apparent  irregularity  than  would  have  been  the 
case  had  they  been  formed  into  two  distinct  tables. 

It  has  hitherto  been  considered  that  the  mean 
pressure  of  the  atmosphere  at  the  level  of  the  sea 
was  nearly  the  same  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  as 
no  material  difference  occurs  between  the  equator 
and  the  highest  northern  latitudes.  At  Melville 
Island  in  latitude  74f°  it  was  found  to  be  29°'870, 
at  Igloolik  in  latitude  69°,  29-770;  and  at  Winter 
Island  in  latitude  66°  11',  29-798.  The  cause  of 
the  atmospheric  pressure  being  so  very  much  less 
in  the  southern  than  in  the  northern  hemisphere 

VOL.  II.  C  C 


386  ARRIVE   IN   ENGLAND.  [CHAP.  XIII. 

1843-  remains  to  be  determined;  and  I  trust  that  the 
very  extensive  series  of  observations  made  on  board 
the  Erebus  and  Terror  will  be  of  material  assistance 
in  the  important  inquiry. 

Aug.  19.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  we  saw  the 
small  island  of  Corvo,  and  at  noon,  when  we  were 
within  a  mile  of  the  shore,  two  boats  came  off, 
loaded  with  eggs  and  fish,  and  fowls,  all  of  which 
were  very  acceptable,  and  were  procured  without 
loss  of  time- 

The  shores  of  Old  England  came  into  view  at 
Sept.  2.    5h  20m  A.  M.  on  the  2nd  of  September,  and  we  an- 
chored off  Folkstone  at  midnight  of  the  4th. 

I  landed  early  the  next  morning,  and  immediately 
proceeded  to  the  Admiralty,  where  I  met  the  most 
gratifying  reception  from  Lord  Haddington,  Sir 
William  Gage,  and  my  highly  valued  friends,  Ad- 
miral Beaufort  and  Sir  John  Barrow. 

A  few  days  after  my  arrival  in  London,  I  had 
not  only  the  gratification  of  receiving  the  Founder's 
Medal  awarded  to  me  by  the  Council  of  the  Eoyal 
Geographical  Society  of  London,  but  that  which 
afforded  me,  if  possible,  still  greater  pleasure,  was 
the  receipt  of  the  Gold  Medal  of  the  Eoyal  Geo- 
graphical Society  of  Paris. 

The  ships  proceeded  to  Woolwich,  where  they 
were  dismantled  and  paid  off  on  the  23rd  of  Sep- 
tember; having  been  in  commission  rather  more  than 
four  years  and  five  months ;  and  although  they  had 
gone  through  so  much  hard  work,  were  as  sound 


CHAP.  XIIL] 


CONCLUSION. 


and  ready  for  further  service  as  on  the  day  we 
sailed  from  England. 

I  cannot  conclude  the  narrative  of  the  voyage  of 
the  Erebus  and  Terror  without  expressing  the  high 
sense  I  entertain  of  the  cordial  and  zealous  support 
I  invariably  received  from  my  excellent  colleague, 
Captain  Crozier,  and  the  officers  and  crews  of  both 
ships,  by  whose  unanimity,  exertions,  and  skill, 
uninterrupted  observations  were  made  during  the 
course  of  the  expedition,  which  will  elucidate  several 
points  of  importance  and  interest  in  science,  while 
they  present  others  for  examination,  and  afford  a 
basis  of  comparison,  should  that  sound  mode  of 
prosecuting  inquiry  be  adopted.  The  geographical 
researches,  moreover,  will,  I  trust,  be  deemed  to 
have  contributed  their  share  to  the  extension  of  our 
knowledge  of  the  more  remote  southern  regions  of 
the  earth. 


1843. 


Mount  Haddmgton.     Cape  Gage. 


APPENDIX. 


cc  3 


391 


APPENDIX,  No.  I. 

GEOLOGY  OF  TASMANIA.   BY  KOBEKT  M'CORMICK,  ESQ. 
SURGEON  OF  H.  M.  S.  EREBUS. 

THE  following  general  description  of  the  geological  and 
physical  features  of  this  beautiful  portion  of  Australasia 
is  chiefly  derived  from  observations  made  in  the  vicinity 
of  Hobart  Town ;  and  during  a  rapid  excursion  I  made 
across  the  island,  from  the  banks  of  the  Derwent  to  the 
embouchure  of  the  Tamar  in  Bass's  Strait,  including  a 
short  visit  to  Port  Arthur  and  Tasman's  Peninsula. 

The  general  aspect  of  the  country  is  mountainous,  the 
main  chain  intersects  the  island  from  N.  E.  to  S.  W.  in 
a  somewhat  zigzag  course,  attaining  an  altitude  of  about 
five  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
forming  ranges  or  isolated  peaks,  intersected  by  the 
most  fertile  plains  and  valleys,  which  are  watered  by  nu- 
merous streams  and  rivers,  and  richly  clothed  with  woods 
and  forests. 

Five  or  six  large  lakes  occupy  the  higher  regions,  at  an 
elevation  of  between  three  and  four  thousand  feet.  The 
prevailing  rocks  are  basalt  and  greenstone,  occasionally 
passing  into  amygdaloid  and  other  modifications  of  the 
trappean  series ;  and  are  variously  associated  with  those 
of  the  sedimentary  class,  calcareous,  arenaceous,  and  argil- 
laceous; these  are  in  many  places  much  inclined,  dis- 
turbed, and  dislocated  (as  evinced  by  the  numerous  faults 
in  the  coal  formation  at  Port  Arthur),  by  the  intrusion 
of  the  igneous  rocks  at  different  periods  of  time.  A  kind 
of  grey  wacke  is  widely  distributed. 

Basalt  and  greenstone  enter  very  largely  into  the  com- 
position of  the  mountain  range,  cresting  it  in  many  places, 

c  c  4 


392  GEOLOGY   OF 

the  former  rising  in  magnificent  columns  at  Cape  Pillar, 
Cape  Raoul,  and  Fluted  Cape,  and  capping  Mount  Wel- 
lington. Granite  occurs  in  Ben  Lomond ;  and  near 
Lake  St.  Clair  forms  the  basis  of  the  Western  range, 
crested  by  quartz.  Serpentine  is  found  in  the  asbestos 
hills.  Argillaceous  slate  associated  with  micaceous  and 
siliceous  schist,  appears  near  George  Town,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Tamar.  Limestone  and  sandstone  are  very  gene- 
rally diffused  over  the  island.  Coal  is  abundant,  occupy- 
ing two  coal-fields ;  that  of  the  valley  of  the  South  Esk, 
and  the  Jerusalem  formation,  including  Richmond  and 
Tasman's  Peninsula.  It  has  been  found  south  of  Ben 
Lomond  ;  and  traces  of  it  have  been  met  with  across  the 
island. 

The  total  thickness  of  the  coal  deposits  amounts  to  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet ;  and  that  of  the  whole  of  the 
stratified  rocks  together,  to  upwards  of  two  thousand, 
more  than  half  of  this  being  occupied  by  the  sandstone 
alone.  The  coal  bed  at  Jerusalem  is  more  than  eight 
hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  having  the  sand- 
stone superincumbent. 

At  Richmond,  abundance  of  rich  iron-ore  occurs. 
Copper,  lead,  zinc,  and  manganese  are  also  found.  The 
principal  fossiliferous  deposits  are  at  Mount  Wellington, 
Richmond,  Jerusalem,  and  Tasman's  Peninsula.  Sili- 
cified  trunks  of  trees,  often  beautifully  opaline,  appear 
imbedded  in  a  vertical  position  in  vesicular  lava,  on  Mac- 
quarie  plains.  Raised  beaches,  containing  shells,  occur  at 
various  altitudes  ;  from  which  we  may  infer  that  there  has 
been  a  progressive  upheaval  of  the  land. 

In  the  Australian  limestone  caverns,  remains  of  extinct 
mammalia  have  been  found:  the  Dasyurus,  Hypsiprymnus, 
Phascolomyx,  Thylacinus,  and  Macropus,  apparently 
types  of  existing  marsupial  animals  ;  whilst  others,  as  those 
extraordinary  forms,  Diprotodon,  and  Nototherium,  are 
wholly  unknown. 

Jn   my  geological  rambles   in  the  vicinity  of  Hobart 


TASMANIA.  393 

Town,  I  visited  a  quarry  of  yellow  travertin-limestone,  a 
tertiary  deposit  coloured  by  oxide  of  iron  and  much  de- 
composed, dipping  W.S.W.  at  an  angle  of  50  degrees,  and 
abounding  in  impressions  of  leaves  of  Dicotyledonous 
plants  of  an  extinct  flora.  Two  kinds  occur  beautifully 
preserved ;  but  I  could  discover  no  traces  of  shells,  al- 
though two  extinct  species,  a  helix  and  bulimus,  are 
sparingly  imbedded  in  a  similar  deposit  which  appears  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  Derwent,  at  the  head  of  Lin- 
disfern  Creek,  about  two  miles  from  Hobart  Town.  The 
limestone  is  of  the  same  yellowish  colour,  but  more  indu- 
rated in  texture,  and  has  been  quarried  to  the  depth  of 
seventy  or  eighty  feet.  The  shells  are  found  in  the  upper 
layer,  and  both  leaves  and  stems  in  the  lower  portion. 

The  locality  of  Mount  Wellington,  which  rises  to  the 
height  of  four  thousand  one  hundred  and  ninety-five  feet, 
on  a  basis  of  sandstone,  capped,  by  basalt,  two  thousand 
feet  in  thickness,  abounds  in  organic  remains.  The  sand- 
stone with  which  the  houses  in  Hobart  Town  are  built,  is 
very  soft  when  first  quarried,  but  hardens  on  exposure  to 
the  atmosphere.  In  some  places  it  is  micaceous,  with 
dark  arborescent  markings,  in  others  enclosing  hard  ferru- 
ginous-coloured nodules,  of  various  sizes,  usually  of  flat- 
tened spheroidal  form. 

The  following  species  of  fossils  are  found  in  this  locality. 
Polyparia  (corals),  Stenopora  Tasmaniensis,  S.  ovata,  Fene- 
stella  fossula,  F.  ampla,  F.  internata,  and  Hemitrypa  sex- 
angula. 

Conchifera  (bivalve  shells),  Pecten  squamuliferus,  P. 
Fittoni.  Brachiopoda, — Spirifera  Tasmaniensis,  S.  subra- 
diatus,  Producta  subquadratus,  and  P.  brachythserus. 
Terebratulae  are  also  met  with,  and  a  species  of  Cypraea 
(cowrie)  has  been  found  in  sandy  alluvium.  The  woods  on 
the  slopes  of  Mount  Wellington  are  ornamented  with  the 
elegant  and  magnificent  Tree  fern. 

A  large  bivalve  shell,  Pachydomus  globosus,  occurs  in 
the  argillaceous  formation  at  Risdon. 


394  GEOLOGY  OF 

The  coal  seam  at  Richmond  crops  out  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  coal  river ;  it  is  about  three  feet  in  thickness, 
and  sixty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Derwent.  The  ac- 
companying sandstone  and  shales  dip  south,  abounding  in 
impressions  of  Ferns,  as  — 

Sphenopteris  lobifolia,  S.  alata,  Pecopteris  Australis, 
and  P.  odontopteroides. 

About  half  a  mile  from  the  township  of  Richmond  two 
small  knolls  of  yellowish  limestone  crop  out  from  the  trap- 
pean  rocks,  dipping  slightly  to  the  S.W.  and  much  decom- 
posed, assuming  a  more  indurated  texture  and  brownish 
hue  where  in  contact  with  the  adjacent  igneous  rocks. 

I  visited  the  spot  in  search  of  organic  remains,  but  no 
traces  of  any  could  be  discovered.  Fragments  of  fossil 
wood  lay  scattered  about  the  surface  of  the  neighbouring 
hills. 

In  my  journey  across  the  country  after  quitting  Hobart 
Town,  I  passed  Newtown,  and  crossed  the  Derwent  at 
Bridgewater.  On  the  left  side  of  the  causeway  to  the  ferry 
is  a  limestone  quarry,  dipping  25°  to  the  S.W.,  and  four 
miles  further,  a  small  one  of  sandstone. 

The  river  Jordan,  a  narrow  stream,  intersects  the  plains 
of  Brighton  and  Bagdad.  At  Constitution  Hill  the  sand- 
stone again  crops  out,  dipping  S.W.  at  an  angle  of  25°. 
This  hill  commands  one  of  the  finest  views  in  the  island. 
Mount  Wellington,  with  the  village  of  Newtown  in  its 
lap,  appears  in  the  horizon  at  the  distance  of  upwards  of 
twenty  miles,  bounding  a  rich  intervening  landscape. 
The  road  from  this  forms  a  fine  curve  through  the  trap- 
pean  rocks,  round  a  deep  wooded  glen,  resembling  the 
"  Simplon,"  near  Richmond,  and  then  continues  over  the 
plains  of  Green  Ponds  and  Cross  Marsh  to  Lovely  Banks, 
a  rich  fertile  tract,  studded  with  lightly  wooded  knolls, 
and  skirted  by  sloping  banks  of  green  pasture  ;  forming  a 
soft  and  charming  landscape,  to  Spring  Hill,  which  I 
ascended,  and  found  the  summit  composed  of  greenstone. 
A  fossiliferous  deposit  occurs  here,  in  which  the  following 


TASMANIA. 

species  of  Conchifera  are  found;   Orthonota  compressa, 
Pterinea  macroptera,  and  Pachydomus  globosus. 

Stenopora  informis,  and  other  species  of  corals,  are  also 
met  with,  both  here  and  throughout  the  Jerusalem  forma- 
tion generally,  in  which,  likewise,  Spiriferae  and  Productae 
are  abundantly  distributed. 

The  seams  of  coal  alternate  with  layers  of  clay  and 
shale,  in  which  Zeugophyllites  and  the  fern  Pecopteris 
Australis  are  imbedded. 

Another  species,  Pecopteris  odontopteroides,  occurs  in 
the  overlying  sandstone,  the  whole  dipping  to  the  south, 
and  appearing  again  at  Richmond  and  Tasman's  Penin- 
sula. 

After  passing  Spring  Hill,  Jericho  appears  to  the  west- 
ward, backed  by  hills,  and  to  the  eastward  of  the  road  the 
vale  of  Jerusalem,  a  rich  verdant-looking  flat,  dotted  over 
with  clumps  of  wood,  and  strikingly  reminding  me  of  some 
of  the  vales  in  Somersetshire.  Over  Fourteen-Tree  Plain 
the  road  is  enlivened  by  vast  numbers  of  parrots,  and  black 
and  white  magpies.  Eastward  of  this,  the  country  pre- 
sented a  somewhat  desolate  aspect  from  the  number  of 
withered  trees,  some  standing  erect,  others  prostrate  on 
the  ground,  and  the  whole  interspersed  with  numerous 
charred  stumps,  as  if  caused  by  some  conflagration  in  the 
woods. 

From  Lemon  Springs,  Table  Mountain,  three  thousand 
eight  hundred  feet  in  height,  is  seen  to  the  N.W.  at  a  con- 
siderable distance. 

Approaching  the  plain  in  which  the  township  of  Oat- 
lands  is  situated,  the  country  suddenly  changes  its  appear- 
ance :  gently  undulating  slopes  of  sandstone,  covered  with 
rich  pastures,  on  which  numerous  flocks  of  sheep  were 
feeding,  supersede  the  wild  and  rugged,  though  picturesque, 
hills  and  ridges  of  the  trappean  rocks.  To  the  eastward  of 
the  town  is  a  level  tract  of  mud,  several  miles  in  circum- 
ference, like  a  drained  lake,  having  in  its  centre  a  hummock 


395 


3C6  GEOLOGY   OF 

or  small  island  crowned  with  a  few  trees :  the  margin  next 
the  town  is  flanked  by  sandstone. 

The  country  between  Oatlands  and  Tunbridge  is 
slightly  undulating,  with  park-like  plains,  glowing  with 
the  warm  golden  yellow  tint  of  the  black  wattle  (a  mi- 
mosa, and  the  emblem  of  the  island),  and  the  equally 
bright  and  deep  orange  blossom  of  the  gorse  or  furze, 
which  perfumes  the  whole  atmosphere  with  its  sweetness 
and  fragrance. 

Quamby's  Bluff,  three  thousand  five  hundred  feet  in 
height,  is  seen  from  Tunbridge,  bearing  N.W.,  and  to  the 
eastward  lay  the  Salt-pan  Plains,  from  which  large  quan- 
tities of  salt  are  collected. 

Blackman's  River  crosses  the  road  to  Ross. 

An  alluvial  plain  of  reddish  gravel  and  other  trans- 
ported materials,  containing  agglomerated  pebbles,  agates, 
and  cornelians,  extends  between  Ross  and  Campbell  Town. 
Greenstone  is  the  prevailing  rock,  in  which  very  curious 
nodules,  from  the  size  of  a  pea  to  that  of  a  hazel  nut,  are 
imbedded.  These  agate-like  minerals,  from  their  concen- 
tric laminated  structure,  present  in  their  markings  exter- 
nally the  appearance  of  an  eye,  more  especially  when 
polished,  and  they  are  frequently  found  aggregated  in 
clusters  in  their  rocky  matrix.  Ben  Lomond,  rising  to  the 
height  of  five  thousand  feet,  is  seen  from  this.  I  saw  here 
two  eagle  hawks  (Aquila  fucosa)  soaring  overhead,  the 
first  I  met  with,  as  the  bird  is  becoming  scarce  in  the 
colony ;  and  that  beautiful  and  elegant  species,  the  white 
hawk  (Aster  albus),  is,  I  much  fear,  destined  ere  long  to 
become  extinct  in  the  island.  I  saw  only  one,  on  Tasman's 
Peninsula,  during  my  stay  in  the  country.  Elizabeth 
River  passes  by  Campbell  Town,  from  which  Quamby's 
Bluff  has  a  very  conspicuous  appearance. 

A  well  cultivated  agricultural  country  lies  between 
Campbell  Town  and  Epping  Forest,  in  which  some  large 
estates  are  situated,  with  well  trimmed  fields  and  enclo- 
sures and  rich  soil,  equal  in  appearance  to  any  I  have  seen 


TASMANIA.  397 

in  England.  The  road  winds  through  the  forest  for  many 
miles,  flanked  on  either  side  by  the  lofty  sombre-looking 
Eucalyptus  and  the  Acacia,  the  predominant  forms  of 
Australian  vegetation,  forming  narrow  vistas,  across  which 
flocks  of  miners  (Myzantha  garrula),  parrakeets,  and  mag- 
pies were  frequently  flitting.  On  emerging  from  the 
forest,  a  fine  sylvan  country  extends  to  Perth  ;  greenstone 
rocks  prevailing,  and  of  which  the  bridge  over  the  South 
Esk  is  built.  Launceston,  one  hundred  and  twenty-four 
miles  from  Hobart  Town,  with  Cocked-hat  Hill  in  front, 
appears  skirting  the  side  of  a  valley,  over  which  a  volume 
of  white  mist  was  suspended,  half  enveloping  the  town ;  a 
frequent  occurrence  here,  from  the  peculiar  locality  of  the 
place,  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  two  Esk  rivers, 
amidst  marshy  land.  From  Launceston  I  proceeded  in  a 
boat  down  the  Tamar  to  George  Town,  a  distance  of 
forty-two  miles.  This  river,  formed  by  the  junction  of  the 
North  and  South  Esks,  makes  a  narrow  curve  in  its  first 
reach  from  Launceston,  afterwards  expanding  and  con- 
tracting its  stream  from  two  miles  to  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
in  breadth.  At  Whirlpool  Reach  it  is  very  much  narrower, 
with  a  strong  eddy  setting  round  a  ledge  of  rocks  in  the 
centre  of  the  stream.  The  water  is  fresh  as  far  as 
Fresh-water  Point,  eight  miles  below  Launceston. 

Several  small  bays  and  islets  occur  in  its  course.  The 
Tamar  is  altogether  a  far  inferior  river  to  the  Derwent. 
The  range  of  hills  on  either  side,  scarcely  exceeding  an 
altitude  of  four  or  five  hundred  feet,  and  clothed  with 
sombre  woods  to  their  summits,  presenting  a  most  mono- 
tonous outline.  Mount  Royal  Signal  Station,  on  the  eastern 
bank,  about  midway  between  Launceston  and  George 
Town,  has  a  striking  resemblance  to  Mount  Direction, 
near  Risdon  on  the  Derwent.  On  the  west  bank  is  an 
argillaceous  schist  formation,  in  nearly  a  vertical  position. 
It  has  been  quarried,  and  produces  abundance  of  excellent 
roofing  slate.  There  is  also  a  limestone  deposit  here. 

The  Tamar  is  three  miles  wide  at  its  mouth,  and  on 


398 


GEOLOGY    OF 

Low  Head,  its  eastern  point,  is  a  lighthouse  rising  to  one 
hundred  and  forty  feet  above  the  sea.  Thickets  of  tea- 
shrub  fringe  its  banks,  and  here  and  there  the  temporary 
log-hut  of  some  recent  settler,  who  has  cleared  away  just 
sufficient  elbow-room  in  the  woods  for  himself  and  family, 
breaks  upon  the  solitudeof  the  scene. 

The  only  birds  I  saw  in  my  course  down  the  river  were 
four  black  swans  (Cygnus  atratus),  a  cormorant,  and  a 
few  gulls. 

On  my  return  I  made  a  detour  from  Tunbridge  to  the 
lakes ;  ascending  the  western  tier  to  an  altitude  of  above 
three  thousand  feet,  passing  for  the  most  part  over  green- 
stone rocks,  with  an  occasional  outcrop  of  sandstone. 
Lake  Sorell  is  between  five  and  six  miles  in  length,  and  at 
its  broadest  part,  about  the  same  in  width ;  its  shores  en- 
circled with  wood,  and  indented  by  small  sandy  beaches. 
The  southern  extremity  is  of  irregular  form  from  the 
number  of  wooded  promontories  jutting  out,  and  on  its 
S.W.  side  is  a  small  islet. 

Ten  black  swans  with  a  few  ducks  and  divers  were  all 
that  I  saw  on  its  broad  surface. 

Lake  Crescent  lies  to  the  southward  of  it,  and  is  about 
four  miles  in  length  and  two  in  breadth;  with  a  level 
isthmus  about  half  a  mile  broad,  of  swampy  ground,  covered 
by  long  grass,  intervening  between  it  and  Lake  Sorell, 
through  which  meanders  a  narrow  rivulet  uniting  both 
lakes. 

From  the  lakes  to  Bothwell,  the  country  is  wild, 
rugged,  and  hilly,  interspersed  with  swamp  and  marsh, 
and  covered  by  the  primitive  forests  through  which  winds 
the  River  Clyde.  The  town  of  Bothwell  is  situated  in  a 
circular  valley,  bounded  by  distant  hills  of  moderate  height. 
The  approach  to  it  is  over  a  green  plain,  about  four  miles 
in  extent.  Ten  miles  further  on  I  examined  a  bed  of  mi- 
caceous shale,  which  crops  out  in  a  remarkably  deep  gorge 
in  the  trappean  rocks,  and  dips  south  at  an  angle  of  fif- 
teen degrees. 


TASMANIA.  399 

The  country  improves  in  appearance  approaching 
Hamilton,  becoming  more  open,  now  and  then  swelling 
into  picturesque  wooded  hills. 

The  township  occupies  the  bottom  of  a  green  valley, 
and  the  beautiful  grounds  of  Lawrenny  appear  through  a 
finely  wooded  vista  beyond  it. 

On  Macquarie  Plains  I  visited  the  remarkable  silicified 
fossil-tree,  imbedded  in  a  vertical  position  in  vesicular 
lava.  Its  height  above  the  ground  is  six  feet ;  circum- 
ference, seven  feet  three  inches ;  and  diameter,  at  the  top, 
fifteen  inches.  The  wood  is  silvery  white,  and  covered 
with  the  finest  silicified  filaments  of  a  white  satin-like  hue, 
resembling  in  tenuity  the  finest  blown  glass.  The  bark 
remaining  near  the  base  has  a  yellowish  brown  resin-like 
appearance,  and  when  broken,  rivals  in  lustre  and  beauty 
the  finest  agates.  The  locality  of  the  tree  forms  the  ex- 
tremity of  a  ridge  of  rock  of  the  same  kind  in  which  it  is 
imbedded  seventy  feet  above  the  river,  which  is  here  twelve 
feet  in  breadth,  winding  through  a  wooded  ravine  one 
hundred  yards  across. 

A  little  further  down  the  ridge,  is  another  specimen  also 
vertically  imbedded  in  a  chimney-like  cavity  on  the  steep 
face  of  the  igneous  rock,  the  lower  portion  having  disap- 
peared, the  cast  left  by  it  in  the  rock  is  a  foot  in  diameter, 
and  seven  feet  in  length.  In  the  soil  beneath,  I  found  a 
fragment  of  it  having  an  opaline  lustre.  About  two  miles 
from  Rose  Garland,  near  a  reach  of  the  Derwent,  I  saw 
excavations  in  a  low  ridge  of  scoria,  from  which  two  other 
silicified  trees  had  been  removed  some  years  ago.  These 
had  also  been  vertically  imbedded,  and  I  found  small 
silicified  fragments  of  them  scattered  about  the  spot.  All 
these  trees  appear  to  have  been  coniferous.  Five  miles 
from  Rose  Garland,  and  twenty  feet  above  the  bank  of 
the  river  Derwent,  a  bed  of  sandstone  crops  out  from  the 
adjacent  basalt,  dipping  forty  degrees  to  the  S.W.,  and 
enclosing  cylindrical  masses  of  greenstone  from  eighteen 
to  twenty  inches  in  diameter,  and  six  feet  in  length ;  pre- 


400  GEOLOGY   OF 

senting  the  appearance  of  so  many  imbedded  cannon, 
pointing  down  on  the  road  at  a  considerable  angle.  Along 
many  of  the  cliffs  on  the  banks  of  the  Derwent,  I  observed 
dark  shades  and  lines  of  dust,  indicating  traces  of  coal. 
West  of  the  town  of  New  Norfolk  is  a  limestone  quarry. 

TESSELLATED   PAVEMENT   OF   EAGLE   HAWK  NECK. 

In  my  excursion  to  Tasman's  Peninsula,  this  singular 
fossiliferous  formation,  so  called  by  the  colonists,  parti- 
cularly attracted  my  attention.  It  is  a  kind  of  argillaceous 
deposit,  situated  a  little  to  the  northward  of  the  neck,  or 
low  sandy  isthmus,  connecting  Forrester's  with  Tasman's 
Peninsula ;  having  an  inlet  of  Norfolk  Bay  on  the  west, 
and  Pirate's  Bay  on  the  east.  The  latter  is  bounded  by 
argillaceous  cliffs,  somewhat  steep,  and  of  moderate  height ; 
at  the  base  of  which  the  wash  of  the  sea  has  formed  a  sort 
of  platform,  on  which  it  breaks  at  high  water.  The  sili- 
ceous clay  forming  this  platform  is  very  remarkably  di- 
vided by  the  most  symmetrical  partings  into  slabs,  varying 
in  length  and  breadth,  having  their  margins  frequently 
bordered  in  strong  relief.  The  dimensions  of  those  I  mea- 
sured were  from  three  to  nine  feet  long,  and  from  four  or 
eight  inches,  to  six  feet  broad,  and  others  were  eighteen 
inches  square.  These  divisional  planes  had  a  general 
bearing  of  E.  by  N.  with  a  perfectly  geometrical  parallelism 
in  relation  to  each  other. 

The  curious  structure  displayed  here  may,  probably,  be 
due  to  some  re-arrangement  of  the  particles  coming  under 
the  influence  of  electro-magnetic  forces  whilst  passing  into 
a  solid  state,  giving  a  definite  direction  to  the  ordinary 
partings  which  argillaceous  depositions  frequently  present 
when  contracting  under  sudden  changes  of  temperature 
during  the  process  of  consolidation. 

Spirifera  vespertilio  and  Spirifera  avicula  are  profusely 
imbedded  in  this  deposit. 

The  argillaceous  cliffs  at  Point  Puer,  Port  Arthur,  con- 
tain the  same  species  of  shells,  with  Pachydomus  globosus. 


TASMANIA. 

The  two  coal  mines  at  present  worked  in  Tasman's 
Peninsula,  are  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Norfolk  Bay. 
In  the  older  mine  I  descended  a  shaft  twenty-six  fathoms 
deep,  sunk  in  the  vicinity  of  some  columnar  trap.  The 
coal-seam,  from  four  to  six  feet  in  thickness,  appears 
beneath  a  bed  of  overlying  sandstone,  having  a  greenish 
tinge.  Low  and  narrow  tunnels  have  been  worked  to  a 

o 

distance  of  three  hundred  feet  from  the  shaft ;  with  the 
usual  swampy  muddy  floor  I  have  observed,  in  the  coal 
mines  on  a  larger  scale,  in  the  North  of  England.  Sixty 
men  are  employed  in  this  mine,  and  the  average  quantity 
of  coal  daily  raised  from  the  pit,  amounts  to  forty  chal- 
drons. In  the  mine  last  opened,  situated  near  the  beach, 
the  coal  which  is  of  better  quality  is  so  near  the  surface 
that  a  straight  tunnel  has  been  excavated  through  it  hori- 
zontally, to  the  distance  of  forty-seven  yards.  It  has  not 
yet  been  worked  to  its  entire  depth.  The  same  kinds  of 
fossil  plants  and  wood  occur  in  the  two  mines,  with  the 
sandstone  super-incumbent,  as  at  Richmond,  &c. 

The  accompanying  rough  pen  and  ink  diagram,  may 
convey  a  better  impression  of  the  appearance  of  the 
fossiliferous  argillaceous  formation  at  Eagle  Hawk  Neck, 
than  any  written  description. 


401 


VOL.  IT. 


P  I) 


402 


APPENDIX,  No.  II. 

[Referred  to  in  Vol.  II.  p  13.] 

MEMOEAMDUM   OF   PARTICULARS   CONNECTED  WITH  THE 
JUVENILE   ESTABLISHMENT   AT   POINT   PUER. 

Point  Puer,  24th  October  1840. 
Number  of  boys  transported  from 

London  -  207 

Liverpool      -  -22 

Manchester  -  -     31 

Birmingham               -  -     20 

Bristol  -     18 

Various  towns  in  England     -  -  152 

Dublin  1 

Various  towns  in  Ireland       -  -     15 

Edinburgh    -  -     23 

Various  towns  in  Scotland     -  -64 

"Wales  and  Van  Diemen's  Land  -       2 

Total      -  -  555 

Sentenced  Seven  years  -  444 

Ten  -     71 

Fourteen       -  -             -     23 

Fifteen         -  5 

Life  -     12 

Total      -  -  555 

Could  read  on  landing  -             -  -             -  415 

Could  not  read  on  landing  -  140 

Total     -             -  -             -  555 


POINT   PUEK.  403 


Could  write  on  landing  -             -  154 

Could  not  write  on  landing  -             -             -  401 

Total      -  -  555 

Could  cypher  on  landing  -             -     93 

Could  not  cypher  on  landing  -                           -462 

Total      -  -  555 

Attended  National  school  -                           -  157 

British  -     27 

Sunday           -  -     69 

Private  -  158 

No     -  -  144 

Total    -  -  555 

Had  both  Parents  living  -  239 

Father  only  -  -  109 

Mother  only-  -  131 

No  Parents  -  -     76 

Total     -  -  555 

Maximum  age  of  boys  on  arrival  -             -     18 

Minimum  age  of  boys  on  arrival  -            -     10 


D  2 


404 


APPENDIX,   No.  III. 

GEOLOGY  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.   BY  ROBERT  M'CORMICK, 
ESQ.,  SURGEON  OF  H.  M.  S.  EREBUS. 

MY  observations  on  the  geological  structure  of  this  new 
colony  were  limited  chiefly  to  the  northern  portion  of  the 
North  Island,  the  Bay  of  Islands,  and  its  vicinity. 

The  bay,  perhaps,  the  finest  harbour  in  New  Zealand,  is 
studded  with  several  islands,  and  has  its  shores  bounded 
by  argillaceous  cliffs  of  moderate  height.  The  clay  of 
which  these  are  composed  is  of  a  yellow  colour,  variegated 
by  a  reddish  tint,  and  rests  upon  a  substratum  of  trappean 
rocks,  fragments  of  which,  more  especially  greenstone, 
frequently  occur  imbedded  in  it.  A  low  tract  of  prismatic 
basalt,  intermingled  with  scoriae  and  greenstone,  extends 
between  the  Waitangui  and  Kiddi-Kiddi  (or,  as  it  is  also 
called,  Keri-Keri)  rivers.  This,  doubtless,  has  been  a  lava 
current,  the  source  from  whence  it  flowed  being  pretty 
clearly  indicated  by  a  conical  crateriform  hill,  situated  at 
no  great  distance  inland  of  it.  Several  rivers  fall  into 
the  bay,  whose  shore  is  intersected  by  numerous  ravines, 
creeks,  and  mangrove  swamps,  Manawa  (Avicennia  to- 
mentosa).  Whilst  the  Expedition  remained  in  the  bay,  the 
Manuka,  or  tea  shrub  of  the  New  Zealanders  (Lepto- 
spermum  scoparium)  was  in  full  flower,  and  lent  a  cheerful 
appearance  to  the  sides  of  the  hills,  over  which  it  was 
spread  in  profusion ;  the  paths  of  the  natives  leading  in 
an  intricate  maze  of  windings  through  it  around  every 
neighbouring  hill.  That  beautiful  tree  the  Pohutukava 
(Metrosideros  tomentosa)  was  just  beginning  to  put  forth 
its  rich  crimson  blossoms,  amid  a  deep  green  clustering 
foliage ;  and  it  appeared  to  be  the  favourite  station  of  the 


GEOLOGY  OF  NEW  ZEALAND.  405 

Kotaritari,  a  small    kingfisher  (Alcedo    cyanea),   whilst 
watching  for  its  prey  in  the  waters  beneath. 

In  an  excursion  to  Waimate,  a  missionary  station,  about 
fifteen  miles  inland  of  the  bay,  my  course  lay  over  hills 
about  seven  or  eight  hundred  feet  in  height,  crested  with 
trees,  or  clothed  with  fern  (Pteris  esculenta), —  once  con- 
stituting the  main  subsistence  of  the  natives, —  and  inter- 
sected by  deep  and  densely  wooded  ravines.  On  crossing 
the  second  range  of  hills,  I  came  upon  the  fern -clad  plateau 
of  the  Waimate,  and  made  a  detour  to  the  left,  to  examine 
some  limestone  rocks,  cropping  out  from  the  bed  of  the 
Waitangui  River,  which  is  here  about  thirty  feet  wide; 
and  the  current  setting  so  rapidly  round  the  sharp  curve 
it  makes  between  its  steep  and  wooded  banks,  that  the 
horse  I  rode  lost  his  footing,  and  had  some  difficulty  in 
stemming  it,  whilst  I  chipped  off  specimens  from  two 
highly  crystalline  blocks  of  white  marble,  rising  four  or 
five  feet  above  the  centre  of  the  stream,  which  ran  S.W. 
and  N.E.  ;  the  strike  of  the  bed  of  limestone  being 
E.N.E.  and  W.S.W.,  but  no  discernible  dip. 

On  the  approach  to  Waimate,  emerging  from  a  narrow 
belt  of  wood,  ornamented  by  a  large  graceful  tree-fern, 
the  settlement,  with  its  neat  new  church,  farms,  and 
houses  enclosed  in  flower-gardens,  —  having  a  thoroughly 
English  aspect, — all  at  once  burst  upon  the  view,  amidst  the 
surrounding  fern-clad  region,  like  an  oasis  in  the  desert. 
The  decomposing  greenstone  in  the  vicinity  presents  a 
globular  jointed  structure,  spherical  masses  of  which,  re- 
sembling cannon-balls,  lay  scattered  about  the  surface  of  the 
soil,  near  a  forest  of  the  Kaudi  pine  (Dammara  Australis), 
the  only  cone-bearing  pine  in  the  island,  and  confined  to 
its  northern  part,  where  the  stiff  clayey  soil  seems  favour- 
able to  its  growth ;  it  is  mostly  found  in  hilly  situations, 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  usually  with  a  quantity  of  its 
yellow  transparent  resin  (pare)  imbedded  at  its  base.  The 
thirty-eighth  degree  of  south  latitude  is  about  the  limit  of 
its  geographical  range. 

D  D  3 


406  GEOLOGY  OF 

Ten  miles  from  Waimate,  I  ascended  a  truncated  cone- 
shaped  hill,  terminating  in  the  most  symmetrical  and  per- 
fect crater  I  have  ever  seen,  forming  a  circular  bowl, 
nearly  300  feet  in  depth,  and  much  about  the  same  in 
diameter,  strewed  over  with  fragments  of  scoriaceous  lava, 
basalt,  and  greenstone,  and  densely  lined  with  trees  and 
tangled  underwood,  through  which,  after  some  little  diffi- 
culty, I  scrambled  to  the  bottom ;  where  the  almost  death- 
like solitude  of  the  scene  was  broken  only  by  the  melo- 
dious note  of  that  elegant  and  singular  bird,  the  Tui 
(Meliphaga  concinnata),  which,  like  the  American  mocking- 
thrush,  imitates  the  notes  of  every  other  bird  in  the 
forest. 

On  one  side  of  the  hill  is  a  steep  ravine,  which  once 
gave  exit  to  the  lava  current,  but  is  now  separated  by  an 
embankment  of  scoriae,  which  here  completes  the  rim  of 
the  crater.  Numerous  ancient  native  "  pahs  "  crest  the 
neighbouring  hills. 

About  a  mile  to  the  north  of  this  once  volcanic  vent, 
which  has  long  been  in  a  state  of  repose,  are  some  thermal 
springs,  forming  small  pools  in  a  level  tract  of  scoriaceous 
lava,  overgrown  with  rushes,  from  which  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  gas  rose  in  bubbles  to  the  surface;  the 
grass  on  the  margin  was  incrusted  with  a  deposit  of 
sulphur,  yet  the  water  is  not  unpleasantly  impregnated 
with  it. 

Some  miles  distant  are  a  lake  and  hot  springs,  which  my 
time  did  not  permit  me  to  visit.  On  my  return  to  the  bay, 
I  passed  the  Waitangui  Falls,  forming  a  pretty  little 
cascade  over  basaltic  rocks  into  the  channel  of  the  river 
beneath,  where  it  sweeps  round  a  sandy  cove,  not  far  from 
its  exit  into  the  bay.  From  this  waterfall  the  river  receives 
the  name  of  Waitangui,  meaning  in  the  Maori,  or  native 
language,  "  crying,  or  weeping  waters." 

In  a  boat  excursion  I  made  up  the  river  Kiddi-Kiddi,  I 
found  the  banks  composed  of  the  same  kind  of  argillaceous 
deposit  resting  on  a  trappean  basis,  as  on  the  shores  of 


NEW   ZEALAND.  407 

the  bay.  About  six  miles  up,  the  stream  divides  into  two 
branches ;  I  followed  the  one  to  the  left,  on  the  right 
bank  of  which  a  bed  of  pipe-clay  (kotare),  twelve  feet 
in  thickness,  striking  S.E.  and  N.W.,  crops  out  from 
columnar  greenstone. 

At  the  missionary  station  I  landed,  and  crossed  over  a 
platform  of  fern  for  about  two  miles  to  the  Keri-Keri  falls, 
which  descend  over  a  perpendicular  escarpment  of  basalt 
eighty  or  ninety  feet  high  into  the  ravine  below :  this  is 
scattered  over  with  fragments  of  rock,  and  its  banks  finely 
wooded,  between  which  the  river  continues  its  winding 
course.  Behind  the  cascade,  and  beneath  the  basalt,  is  a 
cave  nearly  a  hundred  feet  wide,  about  forty  deep,  and 
much  the  same  in  height,  from  which  the  spray  of  the 
falling  waters  (termed  by  the  natives  waianiwaniva,  or 
rainbow- waters),  produces  a  pretty  effect,  forming  a  com- 
plete curtain  of  mist  in  front  of  the  cavern,  the  roof  and 
floor  of  which  are  crusted  over  with  ochraceous  clays  of 
various  colours.  The  red  ochre  (kokowai),  and  the  blue 
(pukepoto),  are  used  by  the  natives  to  paint  their  skins. 
On  rounding  the  point  at  the  entrance  of  the  river,  on  my 
return  to  the  bay,  in  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  the  splash 
of  the  boat's  oars  breaking  on  the  silence  of  nightfall,  dis- 
turbed a  whole  colony  of  cormorants  (Phalacrocorax),  the 
kauwau,  or  preachers  of  the  natives,  who  had  built  their 
nests  on  the  tops  of  a  group  of  trees,  over  which  they 
hovered  in  the  wildest  confusion  and  uproar. 

In  a  boat  excursion  on  another  occasion,  up  the  river 
Kawa-Kawa,  or  Bitter-Bitter,  the  main  continuation  of  the 
bay,  I  landed  on  the  left  bank,  and  proceeded  over  about 
four  miles  of  a  fern-clad  table  land  to  the  valley  of 
Waiomio,  where  some  remarkable  groups  of  marble  crop 
out  from  the  adjacent  hills  of  greenstone,  to  the  height  of 
from  ten  to  about  forty  feet,  in  castellated  forms,  like 
ancient  ruins,  grown  over  with  trees  and  shrubs,  and  occu- 
pying a  somewhat  irregular  circle,  having  the  same  general 
bearing,  E.N.E.  and  W.S.W.,  as  the  Waitangui  marble. 

D  D    4 


408  GEOLOGY   OF 

Most  of  the  masses  were  white,  hard,  and  crystalline, 
having  sharp  and  angular  edges,  with  a  blackened  surface, 
and  horizontal  stratification.  One  group  was  of  a  reddish 
yellow  colour,  and  of  coarser  grain  than  the  rest.  As  I 
was  about  ascending  the  highest  group,  my  steps  were 
arrested  by  a  chief  much  tattooed,  who  suddenly  emerged 
from  the  wood,  and  gave  me  to  understand  that  the  place 
was  "  tapu,"  or  forbidden  ground,  being  the  "  warau,"  or 
burial-place  of  his  tribe,  who  inhabited  the  village  of 
Waiomio,  on  the  banks  of  the  river  which  meanders 
through  the  valley  beneath,  in  a  S.E.  and  N.W.  course. 

As  the  boat  passed  the  missionary  station  on  the  Kawa- 
Kawa,  I  observed  something  suspended  in  the  air  like  a 
hawk  hovering  over  its  quarry ;  but  which  turned  out  to 
be  a  kite,  the  flying  of  which  is  here  an  amusement  of  the 
Maori  children.  It  is  most  ingeniously  made  from  the  leaves 
of  a  species  of  Cyperaceae,  or  sedge,  with  wings  resembling 
a  bird,  from  which  it  receives  the  names  ff  manu,"  a  bird, 
or  "  paku,"  wing  of  a  bird ;  the  Phormium  tenax  furnishes 
its  flaxen  string. 

From  the  foregoing  remarks  on  the  northern  part  of  the 
island,  it  will  be  perceived  that  New  Zealand  has  a  volcanic 
substratum  of  basalt  and  greenstone,  with  a  superincumbent 
deposition  of  clay,  through  which  beds  of  limestone  and 
sandstone  crop  out  in  various  places.  The  limestone  cliffs 
at  Waingaroa  Bay  contain  fossil  shells  of  the  following 
genera :  —  Ostrea,  Pecten,  Terebratula,  and  Turritella, 
with  Asterias  and  Echinus :  the  neighbouring  sandstone 
being  much  interrupted  by  greenstone  dykes.  Layers  of 
lignite  are  found  in  beds  of  loam.  This  carbonised  wood, 
which  is  said  to  have  belonged  to  Kaudi  and  Pohutukava 
trees,  is  abundantly  distributed,  both  on  the  east  and  west 
coasts,  especially  in  the  valley  of  the  Thames,  associated 
with  horizontal  sandstone  formations  near  Auckland. 
Copper  ore,  in  micaceous  slate,  has  also  been  found  in  this 
locality.  Fossil  shells  occur  in  the  vicinity  of  Poverty 
Bay.  The  Green  Jade,  or  a  variety  of  serpentine,  of  which 


NEW   ZEALAND.  409 

the  Meri,  or  native  club,  is  made,  is  found  only  in  the 
southern  island,  and  is  much  valued ;  it  is  called  Ponamu 
by  the  New  Zealanders 

Cape  Maria  Van  Diemen,  the  north-western  extremity 
of  the  island,  is  composed  of  a  volcanic  conglomerate; 
in  the  vicinity  of  which  is  the  Reinga,  or  entrance  to 
the  New  Zealanders'  world  of  departed  spirits,  which 
they  suppose  to  be  down  a  steep  escarpment  of  con- 
glomerate rock,  overhung  by  an  aged  Pohutukava  tree, 
from  which  the  spirit  is  said  to  take  its  final  flight  to  the 
region  below.  This  sacred  spot  is  the  Land's  End  of  the 
natives,  "  Te  muri  wenua."  Coal  has  been  found  in  the 
sandstone,  overlaid  by  this  conglomerate,  but  to  no  great 
extent. 

Fossil  bones  of  a  large  extinct  struthious  bird,  known 
to  the  natives  by  the  name  of  Moa,  have  been  discovered 
in  the  alluvium  of  the  mountain  streams  of  Hikorangi  on 
the  east  coast.  It  has  received  the  name  of  Dinornis 
gigantea,  and  its  height  has  been  estimated  at  sixteen  feet : 
remains  of  several  smaller  species  have  been  also  found. 

Its  only  existing  type  is  the  Kiwi  Kiwi,  or  Apterix 
Australis,  a  bird  now  becoming  very  scarce,  and,  like  its 
gigantic  predecessors,  destined  to  become  extinct.  The 
natives  formerly  hunted  it  for  its  feathers,  of  which  they 
made  beautiful  mats:  but  since  the  introduction  of  the 
dog  and  cat,  its  destruction  has  been  rapidly  accelerated ; 
and,  as  it  lays  only  one  egg,  its  total  extirpation  cannot  be 
far  distant.  It  is  a  nocturnal  bird,  burrowing  in  the 
ground  during  the  day,  and  wandering  about  the  deepest 
recesses  of  the  forest  in  the  night,  in  search  of  the  Iarva3  of 
insects,  and  seeds  of  a  rush  ( Astelia  Banksii),  its  favourite 
food.  It  is  now  mostly  met  with  in  the  locality  of  the 
East  Cape. 

The  principal  mountains  in  the  interior  are  Ruapahu, 
rising  to  the  height  of  9000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
Taranaki,  or  Mount  Egmont,  to  about  8800,  and  Tongariri, 


410  GEOLOGY   OF 

to  somewhat  more  than  6000  feet.  The  latter  is  the  great 
centre  of  volcanic  action,  and  has  a  large  crater  on  its  sum- 
mit, sending  forth  smoke  and  steam,  and  from  which  erup- 
tions of  lava  not  unfrequently  take  place.  Pumice,  obsi- 
dian, and  porphyry  are  abundantly  distributed  about  this 
district.  Hot  springs  (pui)  are  numerous ;  some  have  an 
argillaceous,  others  a  sulphureous  taste,  and  often  a  boiling 
temperature,  accompanied  by  continuous  subterranean 
sounds.  Cold  saline  springs  occur  near  the  hot  ones. 
Shocks  of  earthquakes,  termed  by  the  natives  "  Wiringa 
O  te  Wenua,"  or,  trembling  of  the  land,  are  occasionally 
felt.  Euapahu  is  even  in  summer  covered  with  perpetual 
snow,  the  snow-line  being  here  at  an  elevation  of  about 
7000  feet.  A  chain  of  lakes  extends  through  the  interior. 
Taupo,  the  largest,  is  thirty-six  miles  long,  and  twenty- 
five  broad,  of  a  triangular  shape,  encircled  by  high  cliffs, 
and  situated  in  39°  south  latitude,  and  176°  east  longitude, 
at  an  elevation  of  1300  feet  above  the  sea,  and  Lake 
Kotu  Aire  at  1700  feet.  On  White  Island  (Puhia-i- 
Wakati)  there  is  also  a  volcanic  vent,  sending  forth  smoke 
and  vapour.  Raised  beaches  occur  on  the  coast,  indicating 
here,  as  in  Tasmania,  an  upheaval  of  the  land. 

The  climate  of  New  Zealand  is  so  fine  and  equable,  that 
the  mean  annual  temperature  falls  little  short  of  60°  Fahr. 
It  is  humid,  as  might  be  expected,  in  two  narrow  islands, 
800  miles  in  extent,  covered  with  forests,  and  on  all  sides 
encompassed  by  a  vast  ocean.  Northerly  winds  prevail  in 
winter,  and  the  southerly  in  summer. 

In  the  month  of  November,  "Marama-ko  te-ono,"  or  sixth 
month  of  the  New  Zealanders,  I  found  the  nights  so  mild, 
that  having  on  one  occasion  extended  an  excursion  inland 
from  the  bay,  to  a  greater  distance  than  I  had  anticipated, 
in  search  of  that  beautiful  species  of  pigeon,  the  Kukupa 
(Columba  Novae  Seelandiae),  which  conceals  itself  in  the 
deepest  recesses  of  the  ravines,  feeding  on  the  berries  of 
the  liands  (Smilax),  and  other  seeds,  and  where  it  is  most 


NEW   ZEALAND.  411 

difficult  to  find,  night  closed  in  upon  me,  before  1  could 
retrace  my  steps  through  the  many  dense  thickets  of  wood, 
and  hills  of  high  fern,  which  lay  between  me  and  the 
anchorage  of  the  ships ;  and  I  slept  in  the  open  air,  with- 
out sustaining  any  other  inconvenience  than  that  of  being 
awoke  somewhat  early  in  the  morning  by  a  shower  of  rain, 
with  no  other  covering  than  some  withered  clematis,  the 
fern  being  wet  with  the  dew.  The  beautiful  white  flowers 
of  the  clematis  appeared  suspended  in  graceful  festoons 
from  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees. 

I,  however,  had  no  reason  to  regret  passing  the  night  in 
the  woods,  as  I  not  only  succeeded  in  shooting  some 
pigeons,  but  it  afforded  me  a  fine  opportunity  in  my 
favourite  pursuit,  ornithology,  for  observing  the  habits,  and 
making  myself  acquainted  with  the  notes  of  the  various 
species  of  the  feathered  tribe.  The  bottom  of  the  ravine, 
on  the  margin  of  which  I  passed  the  night,  was  brilliantly 
illumined  by  phosphorescent  particles,  which  glittered  like 
so  many  glow-worms,  or  fire  flies,  in  the  decaying  wood. 
Over  head,  the  Peka-peka,  a  small  bat  (Vespertilio  tuber- 
culata), — the  only  mammal  in  the  country,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  native  rat  (kiore  maori),  which  is  now  become 
nearly  extinct —  silently  wheeled  in  circles  above  the  wood, 
and  in  the  topmost  branches  of  a  tree,  the  Ruru-ruru,  a 
small  owl  (Strix  Novse  Seelandia?),  kept  up  its  incessant 
monotonous  cry  of  "  More-porke,  more-porke,"  throughout 
the  night.  At  dawn,  I  heard  the  voices  of  the  natives, 
mingled  with  the  barking  of  the  dogs,  and  crowing  of  the 
cocks  in  a  village,  from  which  I  found  that  I  had  been 
separated  only  by  aRaupo  swamp  below  me,  overgrown 
with  the  typha,  or  bullrush,  the  favourite  haunt  of 
the  Matuka,  or  Bittern  (Ardea  Australis),  the  Pukeko 
(Porphyrio  Australis),  and  the  Parera,  or  wild  duck 
(Anas  superciliosa).  The  latest  bird  in  the  evening  was 
the  Piwaka-Waka,  an  elegant  little  flycatcher  (Ehipidura 
flabellifera),  and  the  earliest  in  the  morning  was  the  Tui. 


412 


APPENDIX,  No.  IV. 

GEOLOGICAL  REMARKS  ON  THE  ANTARCTIC  CONTINENT 
AND  SOUTHERN  ISLANDS,  BY  ROBERT  MfCORMICK,  ESQ., 
SURGEON  OF  H.M.S.  EREBUS. 

THE  earth's  crust,  as  we  approach  towards  the  pole  in  the 
southern  hemisphere,  presents,  in  a  remarkable  degree,  the 
most  striking  indications  of  the  vast  subterranean  fires  pent 
up  within  it,  and,  as  we  now  find,  having  vents  in  both  the 
frigid  zones  :  the  volcano  of  Jan  Mayen,  actively  burning 
within  the  Arctic  circle ;  and  Mount  Erebus,  rising  from  the 
lofty  mountain  range  of  the  newly-discovered  continent  of 
Victoria,  to  an  altitude  of  more  than  12,000  feet  above  the 
Antarctic  Ocean,  and  sending  forth  its  smoke  and  flame 
to  the  height  of  2000  feet  above  its  crater,  the  centre  of 
volcanic  action  in  those  regions  of  eternal  snow. 

On  our  first  voyage  south,  after  sailing  from  the  River 
Derwent,  Tasmania,  on  the  12th  of  November,  1840,  we 
proceeded  to  the  Auckland  Group,  and  Campbell  Island, 
the  former  situated  in  about  the  latitude  of  51°  S.,  and 
longitude  166°  E.,  and  the  latter  in  the  53rd  degree  of 
latitude.  Both  are  of  igneous  formation,  being  chiefly  con- 
stituted of  basalt  and  greenstone,  forming  hill  ranges, 
nowhere  exceeding  an  altitude  of  2000  feet.  The  basalt 
frequently  occurs  in  the  prismatic  form.  At  Deas  Head, 
a  promontory  300  feet  in  height,  in  Auckland  Island, 
these  prismatic  pillars  were  highly  magnetic. 

Pebbles  of  quartz  and  agate  occur  amongst  the  shingle 
on  the  beach  at  Campbell  Island,  and  some  traces  of  lime- 
stone ;  the  only  indication  of  the  sedimentary  class  of  rocks 
which  we  met  with  after  our  departure  from  the  Australian 
Lands. 


GEOLOGY   OF   THE    SOUTHERN   ISLANDS.  413 

Auckland  Island  is  thickly  wooded,  with  trees  belong- 
ing principally  to  the  Myrtaceae,  Veronica,  Araliaceae, 
and  Epacridese,  forming  dense  thickets,  from  twenty  to 
thirty  feet  in  height,  almost  impenetrable,  and  impervious 
to  the  sun's  rays.  The  alluvium  beneath  is  clothed  with 
ferns  and  cryptogamic  plants,  growing  in  rank  luxuriance, 
the  decaying  trunks  of  fallen  trees  being  completely 
shrouded  within  lichens  and  mosses.  The  soil  is  generally 
good,  composed  of  a  rich  black  mould,  in  many  places  of 
considerable  depth  —  the  result  of  decomposition  of  the 
volcanic  debris  and  a  redundant  vegetation  —  so  highly 
productive,  that  it  would  render  the  islands  well  worth  the 
attention  of  colonists. 

In  some  of  the  valleys,  the  bright  golden  yellow  blossoms 
of  a  species  of  Asphodeleae*  are  so  thickly  grouped  together 
as  to  form  the  most  beautiful  lively-looking  patches, 
spread  out  like  a  carpet  of  gold,  as  if  to  relieve  the  sombre 
shade  of  the  woods. 

The  climate,  although  somewhat  humid  and  subject  to 
heavy  squalls,  is  nevertheless  very  healthy,  and  the  har- 
bours are  excellent. 

The  common  hog,  introduced  originally  by  some  whaling 
ship,  runs  wild  in  the  woods ;  and  from  the  extent  of  soil 
rooted  up  by  these  animals  in  search  of  the  roots  of  an 
umbelliferous  plant,  on  which  they  feed,  and  which 
gives  to  their  flesh  a  peculiar  flavour,  they  must  be 
tolerably  numerous,  although  I  saw  only  two  during  my 
rambles,  the  thick  cover  affording  them  ample  means  of 
shelter. 

The  birds  are  few  in  number,  both  in  species  and  indi- 
viduals, and  are  all  belonging  to  New  Zealand  species; 
the  Tui  (Meliphaga  concinnata)  and  Korimaku  (Certhiae 
olivacea?)  being  the  chief  choristers  of  the  woods :  these, 
with  two  or  three  other  small  species  of  the  Meliphagidae, 
and  a  hawk,  a  small  parrakeet,  and  the  Pihoihoi,  or  Ground 

*  Chrysobactron  Rossii.  Flora  Antarctica,  vol.  I.  p.  72.,  plates  with 
notes. 


414  GEOLOGY  AND  ORNITHOLOGY. 

Lark  (Anthus  Novas  Seelandiae),  were  all  the  land  birds 
met  with. 

The  water  birds  consisted  of  a  duck  (Anas  superciliosa), 
a  Merganser  (Mergus  Australis),  a  penguin  (Aptenodytes 
antipodes),  a  snipe  found  in  the  high  grass  near  the  bay, 
and  two  species  of  gulls  (Larus  littoreus,  and  L.  Novae  Hoi- 
landiae,)  frequented  all  the  bays  in  considerable  numbers. 

In  Campbell  Island,  situated  not  much  further  south, 
and  although  less  wooded  than  Auckland,  having  many  of 
its  valleys  overgrown  with  underwood,  and  the  general 
character  of  the  vegetation  similar,  I  did  not  meet  with 
a  single  land  bird. 

These  islands  appear  to  be  the  favourite  breeding- 
places  of  the  Albatross  (Diomedea  exulans),  and  during 
our  stay  in  the  months  of  November  and  December 
they  were  so  busily  employed  in  the  work  of  incubation, 
as  to  allow  themselves  to  be  caught,  without  making  an 
effort  to  escape.  It  is  an  amusing  scene  to  watch  a  group 
of  these  birds,  a  dozen  or  more,  assembled  together  on  the 
side  of  a  hill,  grotesquely  waddling  about,  selecting  their 
mates ;  this  being  settled,  they  disperse,  and  each  pair 
fix  upon  a  spot  for  the  nest.  This  consists  of  a  mound 
of  soil,  intermingled  with  withered  leaves  and  grass, 
the  average  dimensions  of  which  I  found  to  be  eighteen 
inches  in  height,  twenty-seven  inches  in  diameter  at  the 
top,  and  six  feet  at  the  base.  The  albatross,  like 
the  petrels,  only  lays  one  egg,  of  a  white  colour,  aver- 
aging seventeen  ounces  in  weight.  In  one  instance,  only, 
I  found  two  eggs  in  the  same  nest  (both  of  the  full  size, 
and  one  of  them  unusually  elongated  in  its  longest  dia- 
meter), although  I  must  have  examined  at  least  a  hundred 
nests.  The  snow-white  head  and  neck  of  the  albatross 
appearing  above  the  grass  when  sitting  on  its  nest,  betrays 
its  situation  at  a  considerable  distance.  When  forced  off 
its  egg,  it  makes  a  resolute  defence,  snapping  the  mandibles 
of  its  beak  sharply  together  in  defiance.  I  have  frequently 
found  it  sleeping  in  the  day-time,  with  its  head  under  its 


ANTARCTIC    CONTINENT.  415 

wing.  Its  greatest  enemy  is  the  Lestris  antarcticus,  a 
fierce  raptorial  gull,  which  is  constantly  on  the  watch  for 
the  bird  quitting  its  nest,  when  it  will  instantly  pounce 
down  upon  and  devour  the  egg.  So  well  is  the  albatross 
aware  of  the  propensity  of  its  enemy,  that  it  will  snap  its 
beak  loudly  whenever  it  observes  this  rover  hovering  over- 
head. Three  or  four  species  of  petrel  were  breeding  in 
the  holes  of  the  cliffs  overhanging  the  bay. 

The  oceanic  birds  met  with,  after  our  departure  from 
Campbell  Island,  were  albatrosses,  petrels,  and  penguins. 
Those  most  frequently  seen  were  Diomedea  exulans, 
D.  fuliginosa,  Procellaria  gigantea,  P.  capensis,  P.  pela- 
gica,  P.  Cookii,  P.  vittata,  and  P.  marina.  Two  species 
of  seaweed  were  frequently  passed  floating  on  the  surface 
of  the  sea,  a  Laminaria,  and  the  Macrocystis  pyrifera ;  the 
latter  was  met  with  as  far  south  as  the  sixty-fourth  degree. 

On  crossing  the  Antarctic  circle  on  the  new  year's  day, 
the  White  Petrel  (Procellaria  nivea),  the  sure  harbinger 
of  ice,  first  made  its  appearance;  it  is  the  most  elegant 
and  beautiful  species  of  all  the  petrels,  and  delights  to  be 
in  the  vicinity  of  ice  ;  for  during  the  summer  season  it  is 
scarcely  ever  seen  north  of  the  Antarctic  circle.  It  will 
often,  after  gracefully  skimming  the  surface  of  the  ocean 
in  search  of  shrimps  and  small  fishes,  elevate  its  flight, 
and  amuse  itself  in  making  rapid  circles  round  the  ship. 
Whilst  going  through  their  various  evolutions,  I  have  often 
succeeded  in  obtaining  specimens  by  shooting  them  from 
the  deck  to  windward,  so  as  to  secure  their  falling  on 
board. 

On  the  llth  of  January,  1841,  in  latitude  about  71°  S., 
and  longitude  171°  E.,  the  Antarctic  Continent  was  first 
seen,  the  general  outline  of  which  at  once  indicated  its 
volcanic  character;  rising  steeply  from  the  ocean  in  a 
stupendous  mountain  range,  peak  above  peak,  enveloped  in 
perpetual  snow,  and  clustered  together  in  countless  groups 
resembling  a  vast  mass  of  crystallisation,  which,  as  the  sun's 
rays  were  reflected  on  it,  exhibited  a  scene  of  such  un- 


416  GEOLOGY   OF 

equalled  magnificence  and  splendour  as  would  baffle  all 
power  of  language  to  portray  or  give  the  faintest  concep- 
tion of.  One  very  remarkable  peak,  in  shape  like  a  huge 
crystal  of  quartz,  rose  to  the  height  of  7867  feet ;  another 
to  9096  ;  and  a  third  to  8444  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  From  these  peaks  ridges  descended  to  the  coast, 
terminating  abruptly  in  bold  capes  and  promontories,  whose 
steep  escarpments,  affording  attachment  to  neither  ice  nor 
snow,  alone  showed  the  jet  black  lava  or  basalt  which  re- 
posed beneath  the  mantle  of  eternal  frost. 

On  the  following  day  I  landed  on  a  small  island  (Posses- 
sion Island),  lying  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  the  main 
land  in  latitude  71°  56'  S.,  and  longitude  171°  7'  E., 
which  I  found  to  be  composed  of  a  volcanic  conglomerate, 
vesicular  lava,  and  basalt,  containing  imbedded  crystals, 
and  rising  to  the  height  of  about  three  hundred  feet. 

As  we  pulled  round  the  island  in  the  boat,  we  passed  a 
beautiful  little  recess  in  the  prismatic  columns  of  basalt, 
presenting  a  miniature  resemblance  to  Fingal's  Cave  in 
Staffa.  The  spot  on  which  we  effected  a  landing  was  ice- 
girt,  between  which  and  the  foot  of  the  hill  a  colony  of 
penguins  (a  new  species)  had  formed  a  rookery,  and  were 
busily  engaged  rearing  their  young.  They  were  in  such 
countless  multitudes,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  we  could 
make  our  way  through  them  ;  and  their  clamour  baffled  all 
description.  The  young  were  covered  with  down,  but  no 
eggs  were  found.  The  spot  on  which  they  were  breed- 
ing was  spongy  and  elastic,  forming  a  rich  bed  of  guano 
of  great  depth,  the  accumulation  of  ages.  I  shot  a  Lestris 
antarcticus,  flying  overhead,  which  was  of  smaller  size, 
and  much  greyer  about  the  head  and  neck  than  the  Auck- 
land specimens. 

On  the  28th,  in  latitude  77°  31',  and  longitude  167°  1', 
the  burning  volcano  (Mount  Erebus)  was  discovered, 
covered  with  ice  and  snow  from  its  base  to  its  summit, 
from  which  a  dense  column  of  black  smoke  towered  high 


VICTORIA   LAND.  417 

above  the  numerous  other  lofty  cones  and  crateriform 
peaks  with  which  this  extraordinary  land  is  studded,  from 
the  seventy-second  to  the  seventy- eighth  degree  of  lati- 
tude. Its  height  above  the  level  of  the  sea  is  12,367  feet; 
and  Mount  Terror,  an  extinct  crater  adjoining  it,  which 
has,  doubtless,  once  given  vent  to  the  fires  beneath,  attains 
an  altitude  little  inferior,  being  10,884  feet  in  height,  and 
ending  in  a  cape,  from  which  a  vast  barrier  of  ice  extended 
in  an  easterly  direction,  checking  all  further  progress 
south.  This  continuous  perpendicular  wall  of  ice,  varying 
in  height  from  200  to  100  feet,  its  summit  presenting  an 
almost  unvarying  level  outline,  we  traced  for  about  300 
miles,  when  the  pack-ice  obstructed  all  further  progress. 
Soundings  were  obtained  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of 
it;  in  318  fathoms  on  a  bottom  of  green  mud. 

This  appeared  to_  be  the  favourite  haunt  of  the  White 
Petrel ;  an  Antarctic  Lestris  occasionally  intruding  on  its 
icy  domain :  whilst,  reposing  on  the  ice,  were  numerous 
penguins  and  seals,  and,  in  the  open  water,  whales  were 
spouting  in  all  directions,  chiefly  the  "  Finner,"  and  a 
beautiful  piebald  grampus,  or  small  whale,  spotted  reddish 
brown  and  white.  On  our  return  we  sighted  Balleny 
Islands,  in  lat.  68°,  and  long.  169°  ;  they  present  the  same 
volcanic  outline  as  the  rest  of  the  land  to  the  southward. 
On  the  second  voyage  south,  we  took  our  departure 
from  the  Bay  of  Islands,  New  Zealand,  in  the  month  of 
November,  1841,  but  did  not  meet  with  any  land  ;  having 
been  beset  for  many  weeks  in  the  pack-ice,  and  our 
progress  towards  the  Pole  again  checked  by  the  Barrier, 
which  we  made  more  to  the  eastward  than  last  season,  in 
lat.  78°  W  S.,  being  the  highest  latitude  we  attained. 
On  our  return  we  doubled  Cape  Horn  on  the  2nd,  and 
arrived  at  Port  Louis,  East  Falkland  Island,  on  the  6th  of 
April  1842. 

Prior  to  our  third  and  last  voyage  across  the  Antarctic 
circle,  we  visited  — 

VOL.  II.  E    E 


418  GEOLOGY    OF 


HERMITE    ISLAND. 

This  island  lies  about  ten  miles  north-west  of  Cape 
Horn,  near  the  latitude  of  56°  S.,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
that  celebrated  cape,  is  the  southernmost  of  those  Fuegian 
Isles  in  which  the  vast  continent  of  the  New  World 
terminates  to  the  southward.  It  is  of  irregular  form, 
deeply  indented  by  bays  and  coves ;  its  shores  bold  and 
steep,  surmounted  by  conical  peaks,  that  of  Mount  Kater 
being  1742  feet  above  the  sea.  Its  greatest  length  is  from 
east  to  west,  being  twelve  miles.  The  geological  struc- 
ture is  very  simple,  being  entirely  of  plutonic  origin  : 
syenitic  greenstone,  resting  on  a  basis  of  granite,  with 
here  and  there  some  quartzose  and  felspathic  rocks. 
Having  ascended  all  the  peaks  bounding  St.  Martin's 
Cove,  I  found  them  composed  of  syenitic  greenstone, 
with  the  exception  of  Forster's  Peak,  which  is  capped 
with  a  hard,  fine-grained,  dark  greenstone ;  and  the  same 
kind  of  rock  also  occurs  scattered  about  in  masses  over 
the  western  ridge,  and  in  a  cleft  at  the  base  of  Mount 
Kater.  The  greenstone  has  polarity,  and  is  highly  mag- 
netic in  places. 

In  an  excursion  I  made  across  the  central  ridge  of  hills 
to  the  northern  shore  of  the  island,  I  found  the  nest  of 
the  Antarctic  Goose  (Anas  antarctica),  containing  seven 
eggs,  about  the  size  and  colour  of  a  duck's  ;  the  nest, 
which  was  formed  of  down  from  the  breast  of  the  bird, 
was  concealed  amongst  grass  in  the  bank  skirting  the 
beach,  near  a  Fuegian  hut ;  from  which  two  of  the  natives 
made  their  appearance,  and  expressed  by  signs  their  great 
desire  for  the  eggs ;  but  on  my  shooting  the  goose,  and 
leaving  it  in  their  possession,  they  seemed  quietly  enough 
disposed  to  receive  it  as  an  equivalent.  This  circumstance 
enabled  me  very  satisfactorily  to  account  for  the  great 
scarcity  of  birds  in  this  island,  as  their  eggs  are  doubtless 
all  devoured  by  the  Fuegians  as  soon  as  laid.  Near  the 


HERMITE   ISLAND.  419 

wigwam  I  also  shot  a  very  beautiful  species  of  Polyborus, 
the  only  one  of  the  kind  I  obtained  on  the  island. 

In  an  excursion  to  the  southernmost  point  of  the  island, 
Cape  Spencer,  to  the  summit  of  which  I  ascended,  my 
course  lay  over  a  ridge  of  granite,  commencing  at  St. 
Joachim's  Cove  (a  small  white  sandy  beach),  and  ex- 
tending to  the  base  of  Cape  Spencer,  which  is  composed  of 
the  same  rock. 

Along  the  ridge  enormous  blocks  of  this  rock  are  scattered 
about  in  the  wildest  confusion ;  some  of  these  masses  were 
traversed  by  veins  of  a  dark  green,  compact  greenstone, 
varying  from  three  inches  to  three  feet  in  breadth.  The 
summit  of  Cape  Spencer  is  syenitic  greenstone,  in  broken 
fragments  piled  one  upon  another,  and  enclosing  a  crater 
about  two  hundred  feet  in  depth  ;  its  bottom  was  occupied 
by  a  lake,  frozen  over  on  its  north  side.  This  crater  is 
about  a  mile  in  circumference,  its  greatest  diameter  being 
from  north  to  south.  Its  highest  part  is  on  the  west  side, 
forming  a  very  narrow  ledge,  along  which  I  proceeded  to 
the  southernmost  precipice  overhanging  the  ocean.  This 
spot  commands  a  fine  extensive  prospect  all  round,  and  the 
sun  shining  forth  from  a  clear  blue  sky  rendered  every 
object  distinctly  visible  to  a  great  distance.  To  the  north 
appeared  the  snow-capped  mountains  of  Tierra  del  Fuego, 
and  its  many  isles.  In  the  S.  W.  quarter,  the  Diego 
Ramirez  rocks  were  faintly  delineated  above  the  horizon, 
like  a  few  small  hummocks. 

Cape  Horn  stood  boldly  forth  to  the  S.  E.,  and  the 
surface  of  the  vast  ocean  was  spread  out  beneath  me  to 
the  south.  Whilst  surveying  the  scene  around  me,  the 
solitude  of  which  was  broken  only  by  the  Polyborus 
or  Fuegian  Hawk  hovering  overhead,  my  eye  suddenly 
rested  upon  half  a  score  of  the  dusky  forms  of  the 
Fuegians,  wending  along  one  of  their  tracks  in  the  val- 
ley beneath  in  single  file,  in  the  direction  of  their  wig- 
wam, at  Joachim's  Cove;  returning  in  all  probability 
from  an  excursion  in  search  of  limpets  along  the  ledges  of 

E  E  2 


420  GEOLOGY   — 

rocks  bounding  the  coast.  Elevated  as  I  was  above  them, 
and  sitting  amongst  piles  of  rocks,  I  did  not  escape  their 
keen,  quick  eyes ;  for  I  observed  them,  more  than  once, 
come  to  a  halt  to  reconnoitre  my  position. 


LOUIS    PHILIPPE    LAND, 

Off  which  the  Expedition  was  so  long  beset  amid  pack- 
ice  and  a  chain  of  bergs,  in  the  last  attempt  to  penetrate 
south,  is,  like  other  Antarctic  lands,  apparently  of  igneous 
formation.  The  first  portion  of  it  that  we  made  appeared 
like  a  vast  wreath  of  snow  banked  up  against  the  horizon, 
extending  from  W.  to  S.  E.  by  S.  The  central  and  highest 
part  might  be  estimated  at  about  2000  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea ;  sloping  gradually  down  on  either  side  to  a  low 
point.  The  coast-line  alone,  where  bergs  had  been  sepa- 
rated, presented  an  uneven  surface.  The  highest  point 
was  marked  by  the  tops  of  two  black  peaks,  appearing 
through  the  mantle  of  snow,  which  enveloped  the  rest  of 
the  land. 

A  small  snow-clad  islet  lies  off  its  western  extremity, 
about  a  league  distant ;  and  as  we  coasted  along  the 
southern  portion,  we  passed  a  chain  of  six  low  islands, 
partially  covered  with  snow,  the  exposed  rock  having  the 
appearance  of  lava  or  basalt. 

We  next  passed  a  large  opening  in  the  land,  which  had 
the  appearance  of  a  strait,  bounded  on  the  right  by  high, 
bold,  black  cliffs,  which  stood  out  in  strong  relief  against 
the  snow,  with  which  the  low  left  side  was  covered, 
sloping  down  towards  the  farthest  visible  extremity, 
where  the  strait  appeared  to  curve  round.  The  en- 
trance is  from  four  to  five  leagues  in  breadth,  having  a 
conical  island  in  its  centre,  terminating  in  a  crateriform 
peak,  of  black  lava-like  looking  rock,  nearly  bare  of  snow. 
A  large  colony  of  penguins  had  established  their  rookery 
at  its  base,  it  being  the  breeding  season.  Cormorants, 
black-backed  gulls,  terns,  white  petrel,  and  the  lestris 


ANTARCTIC   ISLANDS.  421 

antarcticus,  were  breeding  there;  and  doubtless,  also, 
that  anomaly  amongst  birds,  the  Chionis,  the  eggs  of 
which  form  such  a  desideratum  in  ornithology ;  and  I 
regret  much  not  having  had  an  opportunity  of  landing  in 
search  of  them.  To  the  S.  W.  of  this  strait,  we  discovered 
more  land,  commencing  with  a  low  black  ledge,  singularly 
marked  by  waved  lines,  running  south,  resembling  streams 
of  lava,  and  the  only  portion  of  the  land  without  a  vestige 
of  snow.  From  this,  bold  and  rugged  cliffs  arose,  covered 
with  snow,  their  steep,  black  escarpments  only  appearing 
through  it,  the  shores  being  girt  by  an  icy  barrier.  The  ex- 
tremity of  the  land  seen  terminated  in  a  bluff,  black- 
looking  headland,  bearing  W.  by  S.  I  obtained  a  mass  of 
hornstone,  imbedded  in  a  layer  of  blue  mud,  from  a  piece 
of  ice,  alongside  which  we  watered  the  ship.  As  I  had 
no  opportunity  of  landing  for  specimens,  I  was  in  the 
habit  of  examining  the  stomachs  of  most  of  the  birds 
which  I  shot  and  preserved  for  the  Government  Collec- 
tion ;  and  found  the  penguins  my  best  geological  collec- 
tors, for  their  crops  were  frequently  Ailed  with  pebbles ; 
more  especially  the  large  species,  Aptenodytes  antarc- 
tica.  In  one  of  these  individuals  I  found  upwards  of  a 
pound  of  small  fragments  of  rocks ;  comprising,  basalt, 
greenstone,  porphyry,  granite,  vesicular  lava,  quartz, 
scoria?,  and  pumice  ;  but  none  of  them  ever  brought  me  a 
vestige  of  aqueous  rocks, — all  were  volcanic, — and  such  the 
appearance  of  the  Antarctic  lands,  even  at  a  distance, 
would  proclaim  them  to  be.*  We  saw  three  species  of 

*  As  the  absence  of  the  sedimentary  class  of  rocks  may  appear  un- 
favourable to  the  existence  of  an  Antarctic  continent,  it  must  be  under- 
stood, that  my  remarks  have  reference  only  to  the  land  seen,  and  that 
merely  the  coast-line.  Aqueous  formations  may  exist  in  the  interior, 
beneath  the  covering  of  ice  and  snow  ;  but,  it  is  not  the  less  remark- 
able, that  the  land,  generally,  in  the  Antarctic  regions  should  present 
so  strikingly  the  volcanic  character.  Whilst  within  the  Arctic  circle, 
although  the  trappean  rocks  are  not  excluded,  which  the  active  volcano 
of  Jan  Mayen  itself  attests ;  yet,  the  sedimentary  formations  have  a 
vast  preponderance  over  the  igneous.  Spitzbergen  and  its  islands 
forming  the  northernmost  known  land,  which  I  had  myself  an  oppor- 

E    E     3 


422  CHATHAM   ISLAND. 

penguins  within  the  Antarctic  circle.  The  larger  kind, 
"  Aptenodytes  antarctica,"  attains  a  great  size.  I  preserved 
one,  weighing  seventy-five  pounds.  It  is  a  scarce  bird, 
generally  met  with  singly ;  and  I  have  never  seen  more 
than  two  or  three  together ;  whilst  the  two  smaller  species 
congregate  in  immense  numbers.  I  know  not  to  what 
cause  we  can  assign  this  very  remarkable  paucity  of  indi- 
viduals in  the  larger  species. 

After  reaching  the  latitude  of  71°  30',  in  the  meridian 
of  15°  west,  we  returned  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  on 
the  4th  of  April,  1843  ;  thus  completing  the  circumnavi- 
gation of  the  globe. 


APPENDIX,  No.  Y. 

Keferred  to  p.  115.,  Vol.  II. 

CHATHAM  Island,  placed  to  the  east  of  180°  upon  old 
charts,  and  to  the  west  of  the  same  meridian  upon  the 
directory  of  Captain  Dumont  D'Urville,  compiled  in  1835, 
is  situated  in  43°  52'  south  latitude,  and  179°  14'  west 
longitude  (from  Paris),  and  is,  so  far  as  we  could  judge, 
about  eighty  to  ninety  miles  in  circumference.  It  has  a 
good  bay,  of  eleven  miles  in  length,  and  of  about  the  same 
depth,  open  to  the  south-west  winds.  At  the  bottom  of 
this  bay,  on  the  right,  towards  the  east,  behind  a  red 
point,  there  is  a  cove,  where  three  or  four  ships  may  find 
shelter  by  anchoring  very  close  to  the  shore,  in  six  or 
seven  fathoms  water,  upon  a  good  holding  ground  of 
sand,  so  as  to  have  the  red  point  to  bear  "W.  J  S.W.  or 
even  west,  if  the  draught  of  water  of  the  vessel  will  admit. 
Further  in,  towards  the  south,  is  a  bank  of  rocks  covered 
with  floating  seaweed,  near  which  there  are  three  and  a 

tunity  of  examining,  when  belonging  to  H.M.S.  Hecla,  in  the  last 
attempt  to  reach  the  North  Pole,  present  not  a  vestige  of  lava  or 
basalt,  but  are  constituted  chiefly  of  the  primary  and  transition  rocks. 


CHATHAM   ISLAND.  423 

half  fathoms  of  water ;  beyond  the  weed  there  is  another 
bank  of  rocks,  exposed  at  low  water.  A  small  vessel  may 
anchor  within  these  reefs,  where  there  is  a  depth  of  from 
eleven  to  thirteen  feet,  and  always  smooth  water. 

This  creek  is  called  Wai  Tangui,  which  signifies  noise 
of  waters,  or  sounding  waters.  It  is  upon  its  banks  or 
shores  that  the  tribe  of  Eitouna  was  established. 

At  a  mile  and  a  quarter  to  the  north  of  the  red  point 
is  a  bank,  upon  which  there  are  only  six  or  seven  fathoms 
water ;  the  sea  breaks  upon  it  in  strong  winds,  and  it 
abounds  with  fish. 

At  40  W.  (true)  from  Red  Point,  at  a  distance  of  nine 
miles  and  a  third,  is  a  fine  little  cove,  called  Wangaroa 
(Anse  d'Ubraye).  It  is  open  to  the  south-east,  and  the 
sea  is  always  tranquil.  The  entrance  is  rather  more  than 
half  a  mile  in  breadth,  and  a  mile  in  depth.  To  the 
right  and  left,  in  entering,  are  some  rocks  under  water, 
which  extend  a  small  distance  from  the  shore,  and  upon 
which  the  sea  almost  always  breaks.  There  is  no  occasion 
to  avoid  a  large  bank  of  floating  sea- weed  which  lies  in  the 
middle  of  the  passage,  a  little  within  the  cove ;  there  are 
eleven  fathoms  water  upon  it.  But  it  is  necessary  to  avoid 
getting  amongst  the  sea-weed  further  in  upon  the  south- 
west side,  because  there  are  amongst  it  some  points  of 
rocks  on  which  there  are  only  twelve  or  thirteen  feet  of 
water.  The  north-east  side  is  also  lined  with  sea-weed. 
The  anchorage  is  between  two  small  indentations,  opposite 
to  each  other,  and  one  third  of  a  mile  from  the  end  of 
the  cove,  in  eight  fathoms  water,  which  forms  a  kind  of 
basin.  The  principal  Pah  of  Eimare  is  built  upon  the 
north-east  side  of  this  cove. 

At  Wangaroa,  as  at  Wai  Tangui,  wood  and  water  may 
be  had  at  the  end  of  the  cove.  W.  30°  S.  of  the  Wan- 
garoa cove,  at  a  distance  of  four  miles,  is  that  of  Jean 
Bart,  a  little  larger  than  the  former;  its  direction  is 
S.  S.  E.  and  N.  N.  W.  It  is  less  protected  from  winds 
between  S.  W.  J  S.  and  S.  E.  J  S. 

E  E     4 


424 


CHATHAM   ISLAND. 

Between  Jean  Bart  cove  and  the  point  of  this  name, 
which  is  three  miles  and  a  half  W.  30°  S.,  is  a  rock.  It  is 
placed  half  way  between  the  cove  and  the  point,  and  lies 
off  the  coast  about  half  a  mile. 

W.  35°  S.  from  Jean  Bart  Point,  which  forms  the  left 
head  of  the  great  bay  of  Chatham  Island,  is  a  reef  of 
rocks,  called  the  Zealanders ;  they  extend  in  this  same 
direction  to  five  miles  from  Jean  Bart  Point,  but  there  is 
a  good  passage  between  them  and  the  point. 

At  about  twelve  miles  S.  E.  from  Jean  Bart  Point,  is 
the  Point  of  Traffic  (called  by  us  Point  Durham),  which 
forms  the  south  cape  of  the  great  bay  (called  by  us  Petre 
Bay) ;  some  small  rocks,  upon  which  the  sea  always 
breaks,  extend  about  two-thirds  of  a  mile  from  the  point : 
they  are  called  Jenny's  Reef  in  the  Admiralty  chart. 

At  S.  1 1°  E.  from  Point  Durham,  and  about  five  and  a 
half  miles  distance,  is  the  south-west  cape ;  near  to  this 
cape,  to  the  northward  of  it,  is  a  mountain  with  two 
peaks,  which  presents  the  form  of  a  bishop's  cap  —  hence 
the  name  of  the  cape,  eveque. 

At  five  miles  S.  20°  E.  from  Cape  Eveque,  is  a  rock 
under  water,  called  the  Solitary,  upon  which  the  sea 
breaks. 

At  fourteen  miles  E.  20°  S.  from  Cape  Eveque  is  Pitt 
Island,  which  does  not  exceed  seven  miles  in  length,  north 
and  south,  nor  three  miles  across,  from  east  to  west.  This 
isle  is  thickly  wooded ;  it  is  inhabited  by  a  party  of  the 
aborigines  of  Chatham  Island,  and  appears  to  be  accessible 
only  on  the  eastern  side,  in  a  narrow  channel  formed  by 
the  Attente  Islet,  to  which  it  is  very  near. 

Three  rocks  of  remarkable  form,  which  run  about  S.  W. 
and  N.  E.,  lie  to  the  westward  of  the  south  point. 

A  round  rock,  at  about  four  miles  S.  11°E.  from  the 
south  point  of  Pitt  Island,  and  E.  42°  S.  from  Cape 
Eveque,  has  all  the  appearance  of  a  bell. 

At  four  miles  N.  32°  E.  from  the  Bell  Eock  is  a  danger 
near  the  water's  edge,  upon  which  the  sea  breaks. 


CHATHAM   ISLAND.  425 

At  eighteen  miles  east  from  the  Bell  Rock  are  three 
rocks,  whose  position  is  doubtful. 

At  seventeen  miles  E.  29°  N.  from  the  Bell  Rock  is  a 
reef,  whose  position  is  not  less  doubtful  (Star  Quay  Reef). 

At  twelve  miles  N.  28°  E.  from  the  Bell  Rock  is  Round 
Islet.  It  is  about  three  miles  and  a  quarter  from  the 
north  point  of  Pitt  Island.  There  are  some  dangers  be- 
tween Round  Islet  and  the  point;  but  there  may  be, 
nevertheless,  a  passage  between  them. 

There  are  many  small  sunken  rocks  to  the  south  of 
Pitt  Island,  and  four  above  water.  The  rocks  are  not 
above  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  island. 

About  fourteen  miles  west  of  Chatham  Island  are  the 
Bertier  rocks.  These  are,  one  large  and  four  small  rocks, 
lying  in  a  straight  line  east  and  west. 


APPENDIX,  No.  VI. 

(Copy)  "  Admiralty,  17th  August,  1841. 

"  Sir, 

"  I  am  commanded  by  my  Lords  Commissioners  of 
the  Admiralty  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
the  7th  of  April  last,  and  to  express  their  lordships'  great 
satisfaction  at  the  successful  result  of  the  expedition  under 
your  orders,  which,  they  are  satisfied,  nothing  but  unre- 
mitting zeal  on  your  own  part,  and  that  of  the  officers  and 
crew,  could  have  accomplished  on  a  service  of  so  arduous 
a  nature,  wherein  difficulties  of  no  ordinary  kind  were  to 
be  encountered  and  overcome. 
"  I  am,  Sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)         "  SIDNEY  HERBERT." 

"  To  Capt.  James  C.  Ross, 
H.M.S.  Erebus,  Falkland  Islands." 


426  ADMIRALTY    LETTERS. 

(Copy)  "Admiralty,  17th  August,  1841. 

"  Sir, 

<e  Having  laid  before  my  Lords  Commissioners  of  the 
Admiralty  your  letter  of  the  7th  of  April  last,  represent- 
ing the  zealous  and  persevering  exertions  of  the  officers 
and  men  engaged  in  the  expedition  under  your  command, 
and  recommending  Commander  F.  R.  M.  Crozier,  Lieu- 
tenant E.  J.  Bird,  and  Mr.  A.  J.  Smith,  to  the  favourable 
consideration  of  their  lordships,  I  am  commanded  to  ac- 
quaint you  that  my  lords, —  to  mark  the  sense  they  enter- 
tain of  the  zeal  and  exertions  displayed  by  the  undermen- 
tioned officers  on  the  present  occasion  —  have  been  pleased 
to  order  commissions  to  be  made  out,  promoting  Commander 
Crozier  to  the  rank  of  Captain,  Lieutenant  Bird  to  the 
rank  of  Commander,  and  Mr.  A.  J.  Smith  to  the  rank  of 
Lieutenant. 

"  I  am,  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)        "  JOHN  BARKOW." 

"  To  Capt.  James  C.  Ross, 
H.M.S.  Erebus,  Falkland  Islands." 


(Copy)  "  Admiralty,  14th  July,  1842. 

"  Sir, 

"  I  am  commanded  by  my  Lords  Commissioners  of 
the  Admiralty  to  acquaint  you,  that  they  are  pleased  to 
approve  of  the  Erebus  bearing  a  commander  in  addition  to 
her  present  establishment,  and  of  the  Terror  bearing  a  pur- 
ser in  lieu  of  a  clerk  in  charge,  from  the  16th  of  April  last. 
"  I  am,  Sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

(Signed)         "  SIDNEY  HERBERT*" 
"  To  Capt.  James  C.  Ross, 
H.M.S.  Erebus,  Falkland  Islands." 


ADMIRALTY   LETTERS.  427 

(Copy)  "Admiralty,  10th  September,  1842. 

"  Sir, 

"  Having  laid  before  my  Lords  Commissioners  of  the 
Admiralty  your  letter  of  the  28th  of  May  last,  reporting 
the  repair  of  the  Erebus,  and  your  intention  with  regard 
to  your  future  proceedings,  I  am  commanded  by  their 
lordships  to  acquaint  you,  that  if  it  should  appear  to  you 
that  any  further  prosecution  of  discovery  in  the  southern 
ocean  should  be  advisable,  and  afford  a  prospect  of  any 
important  and  successful  extension  of  geographical  and 
physical  knowledge,  their  lordships  are  willing  to  leave 
the  prosecution  of  it  entirely  to  your  discretion ;  other- 
wise they  deem  it  expedient  that  you  should  return  from 
the  Cape  to  England. 

"  I  am,  Sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

(Signed)        "  JOHN  BARROW." 
"  Captain  James  C.  Ross, 
H.  M.  S.  Erebus,  Cape  of  Good  Hope." 


(Copy)  "Admiralty,  1st  June,  1843. 

"  Sir, 

"  Having  laid  before  my  Lords  Commissioners  of  the 
Admiralty  your  letter  of  the  4th  of  April  last,  reporting 
the  proceedings  of  the  Antarctic  Expedition  up  to  that 
date,  I  am  commanded  by  their  lordships  to  express  to  you, 
and  to  desire  you  to  make  known  to  the  officers  and  men 
under  your  command  their  lordships'  approbation  of  their 
zealous  and  exemplary  conduct  throughout  the  trying  ser- 
vices you  have  detailed. 
"  I  am,  Sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

(Signed)         "  JOHN  BARROW." 
"  To  Capt.  James  C.  Ross, 

H.M.S.  Erebus." 
(To  await  arrival  in  England.) 


428 


METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


APPENDIX,  No.  VII. 


ABSTRACT     FROM     THE     METEOROLOGICAL     JOURNAL     OF     H.M.3. 
EREBUS,  AT  SEA,  AND  IN  PORT  LOUIS,  EAST  FALKLAND  ISLAND. 

APRIL,  1842. 


Day. 

Position. 

Temperature  of  Air  in  the  Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ture of  Sea 
at  Surface. 

Lat.  S. 

Long.W. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

o      1 

0         1 

o 

o 

o 

o 

1 

57  20 

70  22 

42 

37 

39-6 

43-3 

2 

57  25 

67  36 

43 

39 

41-2 

44-3 

3 

56  41 

65  09 

42 

38 

39-6 

437 

4 

54  47 

61  51 

41 

38 

39-8 

45-2 

5 

52  36 

58  42 

49 

38 

42-9 

47'1 

6 

)ff  Cape  Pembroke 

47 

43 

45-6 

49-1 

7 

49 

41 

447 

48'6 

8 

47 

38 

41-8 

48-1 

9 

53 

42 

47'4 

48-3 

10 

47 

38 

42'6 

47'3 

11 

44 

38 

42-0 

46-6 

12 

50 

41 

45-7 

47-6 

13 

49 

39 

43-6 

467 

14 

49 

41 

45'4 

47'2 

15 

51 

46 

47'2 

47-8 

16 

51 

41 

46'1 

47-5 

17 

48 

37 

43-2 

46-3 

18 
19 

Port  Louis. 
"  Berkeley  Sound. 

48 
51 

35 
45 

43-5 
46-8 

46-8 
47-5 

20 

48 

43 

45-8 

47'2 

21 

55 

40 

48-0 

47-5 

22 

54 

40 

47-0 

46'9 

23 

54 

39 

44-6 

47-3 

24 

54 

41 

45-5 

47-0 

25 

48 

36 

41-1 

46'4 

26 

44 

40 

42-4 

46-3 

27 

46 

40 

42-2 

46-1 

28 

41 

36 

37-8 

45-0 

29 

48 

37 

43-3 

45-5 

30 

41 

37 

39-1 

43-8 

55 

35 

43-52 

46-6 

METEOROLOGICAL  ABSTRACT. 


429 


ABSTRACT     FROM     THE     METEOROLOGICAL     JOURNAL     OF      H.MS. 
EREBUS,  AT  SEA,  AND  IN  PORT  LOUIS,  EAST  FALKLAND  ISLAND. 

APRIL,   1842. 


Day. 

Barometer  (corrected.) 

Wind. 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

1 

Inches. 

28-873 

Inches. 
28-385 

Inches. 
28-655 

W.  by  S. 

4-9 

4  b.C.q.* 

2 

•834 

•423 

•692 

E.N.E. 

3-4 

0  g.r. 

3 

•918 

•534 

•727 

S.W. 

4-7 

0  q.r. 

4 

29-385 

•895 

29-050 

West. 

6-1 

c.q.r. 

5 

•705 

29-482 

•610 

S.W. 

2-9 

5  b.c. 

6 

•682 

28-756 

•302 

N.E. 

2-8 

Og.r. 

7 

28-972 

•652 

28-878 

S.W. 

4-2 

4  b.c.p.r. 

8 

29-374 

•928 

29-208 

s.w. 

2-9 

4  b.c.q. 

9 

•348 

29-192 

•263 

W.byN. 

2-6 

6  b.c. 

10 

•644 

•206 

•312 

W.S.W. 

5-0 

4  b.c.  q.r. 

11 

•809 

•501 

•718 

s.w. 

2-2 

0  g.r. 

12 

•536 

•305 

•376 

S.W. 

2-9 

2  b.c.o.r. 

13 

30-037 

•559 

•868 

S.E. 

1-7 

4  b.c.p.r. 

14 

•037 

•951 

•989 

N.W. 

1-9 

0  g.r. 

15 

29-994 

•701 

•881 

W.N.W. 

1-5 

0  g.r. 

16 

•910 

•584 

•639 

Westerly. 

2-6 

3  b.c.q  p.r. 

17 

30*118 

•856 

30-071 

S.W. 

3-0 

4  b.c.q. 

18 

•098 

•658 

29-880 

N.W. 

1-0 

2  b.c.p.r. 

19 

29-778 

•641 

•704 

Variable. 

0-5 

1  b.c.o.g. 

20 

•777 

•582 

•709 

N.  by  W. 

1-7 

0  g.m. 

21 

•717 

•422 

•534 

W.N.W. 

2-2 

5  b.c. 

22 

•735 

•146 

•420 

N.W. 

3-8 

4  be. 

23 

•721 

•489 

•655 

W.N.W. 

1-6 

6  b.c. 

24 

•712 

•496 

•573 

Wes.t 

1-7 

4  b.c. 

25 

•632 

•525 

•580 

W.  by  N. 

1-9 

6  b.c. 

26 

•610 

•353 

•440 

N.E. 

1-9 

0  r. 

27 

•420 

•029 

•278 

W.N.W. 

1-8 

3  b.c. 

28 

•380 

28-892 

•121 

S.W. 

4-8 

4  b.c.q.  r.s. 

29 

•400 

29-125 

•213 

W.S.W. 

3-8 

0  g.q.r. 

30 

•599 

•245 

•492 

W.S.W. 

3-0 

4  b.c. 

30-118 

28-385 

29-428 

2-8 

For  explanation  of  these  symbols,  see  Appendix  to  Vol.  I. 


430 


METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


ABSTRACT     FROM     THE     METEOROLOGICAL     JOURNAL     OF     H.M.S. 

EREBUS,    PORT    LOUIS,    EAST   FALKLAND   ISLAND. 

MAY,   1842. 


Day. 

Temperature  of  Air  in  the  Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ture of  Sea 
at  Surface 

Temperature  at 

9A.M. 

Quantity 
of  Rain. 

Air  in 
Shade. 

Dew 

point. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

1 

0 

49 

o 
37 

0 

44-0 

o 
44-8 

o 
43 

Inches. 

2 

51 

43 

46-3 

45-8 

46 

0-19 

3 

47 

38 

437 

45-2 

42 

•02 

4 

49 

39 

44-2 

45-4 

44 

•27 

5 

47 

38 

41-5 

44-8 

42 

•04 

6 

49 

37 

44-1 

45-2 

45 

7 

45 

35 

41-6 

44-3 

45 

•01 

8 

46 

34 

41-0 

437 

43 

•01 

9 

51 

42 

45'6 

45-2 

45 

•01 

10 

49 

39 

42-9 

44'4 

42 

•12 

11 

49 

43 

46-0 

45-5 

46 

•07 

12 

42 

40 

40-7 

43-9 

41 

•12 

13 

47 

39 

44-0 

44-7 

45 

•35 

14 

44 

35 

40-1 

43-9 

41 

•08 

15 

47 

35 

39-9 

43-3 

40 

16 

46 

32 

41-2 

43-6 

43 

17 

47 

40 

44-4 

45-2 

47 

•07 

18 

45 

36 

40'1 

43-3 

38 

•01 

19 

50 

34 

40-6 

43-6 

42 

2O 

47 

39 

43-8 

44-3 

44 

•51 

21 

48 

40 

43-9 

44-3 

44 

22 

41 

32 

36-0 

42-8 

33 

23 

46 

33 

39-0 

43-0 

39 

24 

44 

32 

37-1 

42-2 

42 

•05 

25 

41 

29 

35'5 

41-9 

29 

•18 

26 

44 

36 

40-4 

42-8 

40 

•18 

27 

34 

29 

32-1 

41-0 

33 

•11 

28 

40 

28 

33-5 

40-2 

36 

•07 

29 

45 

30 

38-2 

41'3 

42 

•04 

30 

38 

28 

33-8 

40-4 

36 

•12 

31 

32 

26 

28-9 

38-4 

29 

51 

26 

4078 

43-50 

2-63 

METEOROLOGICAL    ABSTRACT. 


431 


ABSTRACT     FROM     THE      METEOROLOGICAL     JOURNAL     OP 
EREBUS,    PORT    LOUIS,   EAST    FALKLAND   ISLAND. 
MAY,   1842. 


H.M.S. 


Day. 

Barometer  (corrected.) 

Winds. 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

1 

29-504 

29-398 

29-457 

W.N.W. 

1-5 

og. 

2 

•388 

•006 

•202 

Westerly 

2-1 

Or. 

3 

•546 

•230 

•418 

North 

1-8 

Og.d. 

4 

•423 

•203 

•310 

S.W. 

2-0 

2  b.c,r. 

5 

•651 

•401 

•497 

West 

3-0 

4b.c. 

6 

•651 

•037 

•315 

W.N.W. 

2-3 

0  m.r. 

7 

•795 

•058 

•464 

S.W. 

3-4 

4b.c. 

8 

•848 

•532 

•745 

N.W. 

1-6 

3b.c. 

9 

•515 

•176 

•332 

Westerly 

2-0 

0  g.p.r. 

10 

•619 

•333 

•525 

Westerly 

2-6 

4b.c. 

11 

•298 

28-817 

28-988 

West 

2-0 

0  g.m.d. 

12 

•568 

29-010 

29-400 

S.E. 

3-3 

0  m. 

13 

•413 

28-876 

051 

N.N.W. 

2-0* 

g.f-r. 

14 

•552 

29-014 

•315 

S.W. 

4-1 

3b.c. 

15 

•980 

•581 

•786 

W.S.W. 

2-3 

6b.c. 

16 

•924 

•543 

•766 

N.N.W. 

2-0 

Om.g. 

17 

•516 

•259 

•332 

N.W. 

2-7 

Of.r. 

18 

•792 

•426 

•678 

Westerly 

2-8 

6  b.c. 

19 

•922 

•804 

•884 

West 

0-9 

6b.c. 

20 

•792 

•306 

•495 

North 

3-5 

Og.r. 

21 

•366 

•234 

•291 

West 

1-0 

0  f.ra. 

22 

•597 

•370 

•451 

Westerly 

2-1 

6  b.c. 

23 

•624 

•094 

•426 

Westerly 

2-4 

4  b.c. 

24 

•068 

28737 

28-865 

Westerly 

2-0 

0  m.r. 

25 

28-936 

•583 

•857 

West 

2-0 

5  b.c. 

26 

•796 

•440 

•645 

West 

3-6 

5  b.c. 

27 

29-052 

•796 

•962 

West 

1-8 

3  b.c.p.s. 

28 

•295 

•968 

29-102 

West 

2-9 

4  b.c. 

29 

•280 

•798 

28-978 

N.W. 

3-1 

0  q.r. 

30 

28-970 

•780 

•893 

West 

1-4 

4  b.c. 

31 

29-055 

•953 

•989 

West 

1-6 

5  b.c. 

29-980 

28-440 

29-304 

2-32 

432 


METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


ABSTRACT     FROM     THE     METEOROLOGICAL     JOURNAL     OF     H.M.S. 

EREBUS,    PORT   LOUIS,    EAST   FALKLAND   ISLAND. 

JUNE,    1842. 


Day. 

Temperature  of  Air  in  the  Shad 

Mean 
Tempera 
ture  of  Se 
at  Surface 

Temperature 

9A.M. 

Quantity 
of  Rain. 

»     Air  in 
Shade. 

Dew 
poin 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

1 

o 
33 

o 
27 

o 
30-4 

0 

38-8 

o 
32 

Inches. 
0-11 

2 

36 

27 

32-1 

38-3 

32 

.05 

3 

39 

29 

35-4 

39-8 

36 

•01 

4 

41 

32 

38-1 

40-2 

38 

•45 

5 

40 

30 

33-2 

39-0 

34 

•12 

6 

38 

30 

33-9 

39-4 

35 

•07 

7 

38 

28 

34-1 

39-3 

31 

•11 

8 

40 

32 

36-9 

39-8 

39 

•12 

9 

35 

27 

32-0 

38-6 

33 

•05 

10 

32 

23 

28-6 

37-8 

27 

•03 

11 

36 

29 

32-6 

38-0 

32 

•01 

12 

37 

33 

35-3 

39-0 

36 

•30 

13 

37 

36 

36-3 

39-5 

36 

•22 

14 

41 

36 

38-2 

39-7 

37 

•13 

15 

39 

33 

36-8 

39-7 

36 

16 

43 

37 

40-3 

407 

40 

•7-1 

17 

39 

37 

38-3 

40'5 

38 

•02 

18 

42 

39 

40-4 

41-1 

40 

19 

43 

35 

39-0 

41-2 

39 

•25 

20 

42 

32 

36-6 

40-0 

33 

•03 

21 

40 

30 

37-2 

40-3 

38 

•48 

22 

40 

29 

32-7 

39-2 

30 

•23 

23 

35 

29 

31-3 

38-3 

30 

•10 

24 

38 

26 

32-0 

37-7 

27 

25 

38 

30 

33'3 

38-1 

30 

•12 

26 

37 

31 

33-5 

38-1 

33 

•04 

27 

35 

26 

30-4 

37-2 

33 

•05 

28 

29 

21 

26-0 

36-1 

25 

•04 

29 

33 

21 

28-5 

35-8 

28 

•20 

30 

35 

24 

29-9 

37'3 

30 

•01 

43 

21 

34-11 

38-95 

4-09 

METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


433 


ABSTRACT     FROM     THE     METEOROLOGICAL    JOURNAL     OF 
EREBUS,   PORT   LOUIS,    EAST   FALKLAND  ISLAND. 
JUNE,  1842. 


II.  M.S. 


Day. 

Barometer  (corrected.) 

Winds. 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

1 

29-460 

29-059 

29-238 

S.S.W. 

4-4 

0  g.p.s. 

2 

•729 

•506 

•653 

W.S.W. 

2-3 

4b.c. 

3 

•703 

•248 

•506 

N.E. 

4-2 

Og.r. 

4 

•207 

28-865 

•039 

N.E. 

1-4 

Og.r. 

5 

28-923 

•696 

28-787 

W.S.W. 

2-7 

4b.c. 

6 

29-572 

•935 

29-251 

S.W. 

2-0 

4  b.c. 

7 

•581 

29-319 

•456 

West 

3-7 

4  b.c.q.r. 

8 

•471 

•221 

•326 

West 

3-5 

0  q.r. 

9 

•726 

•469 

•582 

S.W. 

2-5 

4  b.c.q.s. 

10 

•738 

•618 

•680 

West 

0-7 

Ob.c. 

11 

•615 

•397 

•481 

N.E. 

1-7 

0  p.r.s. 

12 

•424 

•337 

•370 

E.N.E. 

3-3 

0  g.r. 

13 

•482 

•360 

•400 

E.N.E. 

2-5 

0  d.r. 

14 

•958 

•484 

•732 

E.N.E. 

0-5 

2  b.c.d.r. 

15 

30-034 

•847 

•978 

N.N.E. 

2-6 

og. 

16 

29-814 

•641 

•685 

Northerly 

1-7 

0  q.r. 

17 

•670 

•624 

•651 

W.N.W. 

0-3 

0 

18 

•684 

•356 

•427 

N.N.E. 

2-5 

Or. 

19 

•469 

•266 

•381 

West 

0-9 

3b.c. 

20 

•547 

•376 

•493 

West 

0-5 

6  b.c. 

21 

•363 

28-976 

•112 

North 

3-1 

0  q.r. 

22 

•181 

29-090 

•138 

N.N.W. 

0-6 

6  b.c. 

23 

•240 

•135 

•172 

West 

0-7 

4  b.c. 

24 

•523 

•246 

•379 

S.W. 

0-7 

6  b.c. 

25 

•550 

•354 

•475 

S.W. 

1-2 

4  b.c. 

26 

•429 

•134 

•256 

West 

1-7 

4  b.c. 

27 

•221 

•091 

•154 

West 

2-5 

5  b.c. 

28 

•580 

28-986 

•201 

South 

3-8 

4  b.cuq.s. 

29 

•670 

29-342 

•501 

West 

2-4 

4  b.c. 

30 

•494 

•308 

•375 

West 

1-9 

4b.c. 

30-034 

28-696 

29-396 

2*08 

VOL.  II. 


F    F 


434 


METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


ABSTRACT     FROM     THE     METEOROLOGICAL     JOURNAL      OF     H.M.S. 
EREBUS,   PORT   LOUIS,   EAST   FALKLAND   ISLAND. 

JULY,   1842. 


Day. 

Temperature  of  Air  in  the  Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ture of  Sea 
at  Surface. 

Temperature  at 

9  A.M. 

Quantity 
of  RaiiK 

Air  in 
Shade. 

Dew 

Point. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

1 

o 
33 

o 
23 

o 
27-4 

35'8 

0 

24 

Inches. 

o-oi 

2 

33-5 

24 

27-6 

35-8 

25 

•11 

3 

30 

23-5 

27-0 

35'2 

26 

•11 

4 

36 

30 

34-0 

37-9 

34 

•24 

5 

42 

36 

37-9 

38'7 

37 

•01 

6 

40 

34 

36-3 

38-3 

34 

7 

39 

34 

37'0 

39-6 

39 

•09 

8 

40-5 

33-5 

36-8 

40-0 

38 

•28 

9 

36 

30 

33-3 

38-5 

33 

10 

35-5 

28-5 

31-8 

38-6 

29 

•04 

11 

40-5 

34 

36-5 

39-3 

36 

•02 

12 

36 

26-5 

29*6 

37'9 

29 

•01 

13 

36 

28'5 

32-6 

38'0 

30 

•09 

14 

36-5 

32 

34-3 

38'1 

33 

•01 

15 

36-5 

31 

33-5 

38-2 

32 

•03 

16 

40-5 

32-5 

34-4 

38-4 

33 

17 

37 

33 

34-9 

38-6 

34 

•01 

18 

37-5 

34 

36-0 

39-5 

36 

•33 

19 

37 

32 

357 

39-9 

36 

•51 

20 

36 

30 

33-2 

38-9 

32 

•06 

21 

36 

28-5 

31-9 

38-5 

31 

•03 

22 

35 

29 

31-7 

38'1 

32 

•01 

23 

37 

26-5 

32-2 

38-3 

29 

24 

38 

33 

36-0 

39-3 

36 

•08 

25 

39 

37 

37-9 

40-2 

38 

•05 

26 

37-5 

36 

36-7 

40-2 

36 

27 

37 

34 

35-4 

40-1 

35 

•02 

28 

38-5 

33 

35'6 

40-6 

34 

•01 

29 

40-5 

32 

35-6 

40-5 

39 

•08 

30 

38 

32 

347 

40-0 

35 

•04 

31 

35 

27-5 

31-6 

39'6 

33 

•01 

42 

23 

33-84 

38-73    | 

2-29 

METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


435 


ABSTRACT     FROM     THE     METEOROLOGICAL     JOURNAL     OF     II.M.  S. 
EREBUS,   PORT   LOUIS,    EAST   FALKLAND   ISLAND. 

JULY,   1842. 


Barometer  (corrected). 

Winds. 

Date. 

"Wpflfhpr 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

wcatncr. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

1 

29-473 

29-144 

29-281 

West 

1-9 

4  b.c.*: 

2 

•718 

•138 

29-294 

w.s.w. 

3-7 

Os. 

3 

30-206 

•785 

30-100 

s%w. 

1-7 

5  b.c. 

4 

•110 

•307 

29733 

N.N.W. 

3'3 

0  g.m. 

5 

29-403 

•205 

•331 

W.N.W. 

2-3 

4  b.c. 

6 

•352 

•247 

•298 

W.S.W. 

1-3 

0  m.f. 

7 

•255 

28-854 

•073 

f  A.M.  N.W.       1 

IP.M.  W.S.W.J 

2-1 

0  g. 

8 

•169 

•847 

28-956 

West 

2-6 

4  b.c. 

9 

•470 

•980 

29-161 

West 

3-4 

4  b.c. 

10 

•765 

•502 

•691 

West 

1-8 

6  b.c. 

11 

•775 

•604 

•683 

W.N.W. 

2-8 

5  b.c. 

12 

•582 

•375 

•457 

S.W. 

2-6 

4  b.c. 

13 

•834 

•442 

•709 

S.W. 

4-0 

4  b.c. 

14 

30-324 

•844 

30-198 

S.W. 

27 

3  b.c. 

15 

•523 

•340 

•431 

w.s.w. 

1-3 

("A.M.  4  b.c. 

\  P.M.  0  m. 

16 

•554 

•491 

•528 

West 

1-2 

2  b.c. 

17 

•534 

•350 

•448 

W.N.W. 

1-5 

3  b.c. 

18 

•296 

29-717 

•015 

N.N.W. 

2-8 

0  q.r. 

19 

29-688 

•323 

29-436 

N.N.W. 

2-1 

0  c.r. 

20 

•745 

•385 

•578 

S.W. 

2-3 

4  b.c. 

21 

30-129 

•750 

•908 

S.W. 

2-2 

4  b.c. 

22 

•275 

30-146 

30-215 

S.W. 

2-9 

3  b.c. 

23 

•293 

•238 

•266 

West 

2-4 

5  be. 

24 

•235 

29-869 

29-986 

W.N.W. 

3'3 

0  m.r. 

25 

29-902 

•571 

•747 

N.W. 

3-0 

0  m.r. 

26 

•519 

•383 

•438 

West 

1-1 

0  m. 

27 

•857 

•504 

•681 

S.W. 

1-1 

3  b.c. 

28 

•859 

•350 

•628 

North 

2-0 

0  c. 

29 

•306 

28-748 

•034 

Westerly 

2-8 

0  m.c. 

30 

•232 

29-060 

•123 

West 

2-7 

4  b.c. 

31 

•364 

•100 

•196 

S.W. 

1-8 

3  b.c. 

30-554 

28-340 

29-665 

2-34 

*  For  explanation  of  these  symbols  see  Appendix  to  Vol.  I. 


436 


METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


ABSTRACT    FROM    THE    METEOROLOGICAL     JOURNAL   OF   II. M.S. 
EREBUS,    PORT   LOUIS,   EAST   FALKLAND   ISLAND. 

AUGUST,  1842. 


Day. 

Temperature  of  Air  in  the  Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ure  of  Sea 
t  Surface. 

Temperature  at 

9  A.M. 

[uantity  of 
Rain. 

Air  in 
Shade. 

Dew 

point. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

1 

0 

36 

0 

25-5 

o 
31.1 

o 
38-5 

o 
29 

Inches. 

o-oi 

2 

37 

29 

32-5 

38-6 

32 

•03 

3 

36 

27-5 

31-8 

38-5 

29 

•01 

4 

37*5 

33 

35-4 

39-5 

35 

•87 

5 

33-5 

24 

29-1 

37'8 

32 

•20 

6 

34 

25-5 

277 

37-0 

27 

•10 

7 

26 

20-5 

23-3 

32-3 

22 

•52 

8 

32 

20-5 

26-1 

33'5 

28 

•14 

9 

32-5 

26-5 

29'6 

35-4 

29 

•10 

10 

34-5 

28-5 

307 

35-2 

30 

•02 

11 

34 

29 

31-5 

36-2 

30 

12 

37 

32 

35'1 

37-7 

35 

•01 

13 

37 

26 

35'5 

36-9 

28 

14 

38'5 

33-5 

35-5 

37'6 

35 

15 

38-5 

34 

36-6 

38-3 

37 

16 

39-5 

35 

36-9 

39-0 

36 

17 

39 

31 

34-5 

38-9 

35 

18 

34-5 

28 

31-9 

38-2 

34 

•03 

19 

39-5 

25 

317 

37-5 

28 

20 

34-5 

30-5 

33-1 

38-1 

32 

'09 

21 

41 

33 

36-8 

39'2 

37 

•89 

22 

39-5 

34 

35'8 

39'3 

35 

23 

38 

32-5 

34'9 

38-8 

35 

•01 

24 

37 

30 

32-9 

38'4 

33 

25 

41-5 

31 

36-3 

39-0 

35 

•01 

26 

40-5 

35 

37'4 

39-5 

39 

•02 

27 

45 

35 

38-8 

39-5 

38 

28 

47 

37'5 

40-5 

40-1 

38 

29 

47 

38 

41-6 

40-5 

42 

30 

49 

38 

42-9 

41-2 

42 

31 

44 

36 

40'4 

40-7 

41 

•05 

49 

20-5 

34-13 

38-10 

3-11 

METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


437 


ABSTRACT    FROM    THE    METEOROLOGICAL    JOURNAL   OF    II.M.S. 

EREBUS,  PORT  LOUIS,  EAST  FALKLAND  ISLAND. 

AUGUST,  1842. 


Day. 

Barometer  (corrected). 

Winds. 

Weather. 

Max.             Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

1 

Inches. 
29-832 

Inches. 
29-400 

Inches. 
29-608 

w.s.w. 

3-7 

4  b.C.* 

2 

30-042 

•849 

•967 

w.s.w. 

1-9 

6  b.c. 

3 

•050 

•610 

•923 

N.W. 

-   1-4 

4  b.c. 

4 

29-527 

•058 

•172 

N.W. 

3-9 

0  q.r. 

5 

•513 

•092 

•286 

Southerly         5'5 

0  q.p.s. 

6 

•519 

•372 

•462 

S.W. 

4-3 

4  b.c.q.s. 

7 

•552 

•506 

•526 

Southerly 

4-4 

0  q.s. 

8 

.928 

•574 

•666 

SS.E. 

4-0 

0  q.p.s. 

9 

30-261 

•931 

30-091 

SE. 

2-3 

2  b.c.p.s. 

10 

•284 

30-210 

•258 

E.SE. 

0-6 

Og.c. 

11 

•197 

29-859 

•034 

Northerly 

1-5 

og. 

12 

29-918 

•721 

29-782 

Northerly 

I'O 

Of. 

13 

30-083 

•943 

30-026 

Easterly 

1-5 

4  b.c. 

14 

29-940 

•677 

29'794 

N.W. 

1-0 

Of. 

15 

•689 

•333 

•461 

N.W. 

3'3 

Og.q. 

16 

•280 

•046 

•150 

N.W. 

3-4 

4  b.c.q. 

17 

•427 

.142 

•308 

Westerly 

2-5 

4  b.c. 

18 

•712 

•375 

•553 

S.W. 

3-0 

3  b.c.  0  r. 

19 

•740 

•683 

•717 

Variable 

0-7 

5  b.c. 

£0 

•683 

•422 

•524 

N.E. 

1-9 

0  s. 

21 

•436 

28-867 

•035 

N.W. 

2-6 

0  q.  r. 

22 

•215 

•880 

.039 

S.W. 

3-2 

3  b.c. 

23 

•440 

29-226 

•397 

S.W. 

2-7 

1  b.c. 

24 

•788 

•446 

•564 

S.W. 

1-1 

3  b.c. 

25 

30-185 

•824 

30-030 

Westerly 

1-4 

4  b.c. 

26 

•226 

30-186 

•203 

Westerly 

1-3 

2  b.c. 

27 

•192 

•091 

•123 

Westerly 

1-8 

3  b.c. 

28 

•065 

29-845 

29-922 

Westerly 

2-7 

3  b.c. 

29 

29-841            '529 

•683 

W.N.W. 

2-7 

3  b.c. 

30 

•525           -446 

•540 

W.N.W. 

1*7 

3  b.c. 

31 

•435            -253 

•342 

N.W. 

2-7 

0  r. 

30-284 

28-867 

29-654 

i  2-41 

For  explanation  of  these  symbols  see  Appendix  to  Vol.  I. 
F  F    3 


438 


METEOKOLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


ABSTRACT      FROM     THE     METEOROLOGICAL     JOURNAL     OF 
H.M.S.    EREBUS. 

SEPTEMBER,  1842. 


Day. 

Position  at  Noon. 

Temperature  of  Air  in  the  Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ture of  Sea 
at  Surface. 

Lat.  S. 

Long.  W. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

1 

0 

49 

o 
36 

o 
41-3 

o 
41-2 

2 

49 

38 

42-3 

41-7 

3 
4 

5 

Port  L( 
-East    I 
Islan 

mis. 
^alkland 
d. 

45'5 
44 
43-5 

33'5 
31 
36 

40-1 
38-2 

387 

41-2 
40-6 
41-0 

6 

46'5 

35 

38-3 

40'7 

7 

42-5 

32 

37-8 

40-7 

8 

.     O        '/ 

/  / 

40*5 

36-5 

39'0 

41-8 

9 

53     3 

57  55 

40 

32 

35'5 

41-0 

10 

53  19 

56  49 

39 

31-5 

34-5 

40-3 

11 

54  11 

55  22 

40 

36 

38-1 

407 

12 

54  19 

54  47 

40 

34 

36'3 

40-2 

13 

54     6 

54  37 

34-5 

30-5 

32-3 

39'3 

14 

53  47 

55  12 

40'5 

33 

377 

40-4 

15 

54  44 

55  28 

39-5 

31 

35*6 

40-7 

16 

54  41 

55  12 

37-5 

30 

33-5 

40-3 

17 

55  08 

59  16 

33*5 

28'5 

31-0 

40-0 

18 

55  40 

63  08 

34 

29 

31'9 

39'6 

19 

Off  Cape  Horn. 

40-5 

34-5 

37-2 

41-7 

20 

45 

33 

37'9 

43-2 

21 

45 

33-5 

39-6 

43-5 

22 

49-5 

37 

42-5 

44-1 

23 

50 

40-5 

45-6 

44-6 

24 
25 
26 

,  St.  Martin's  Cove 
Hermite  Island. 

47 
40 
47 

40 
32-5 
32-5 

44'0 
35'7 
41'1 

43-8 
41-8 
43-3 

27 

54 

41 

47-7 

44-9 

28 

51-5 

40 

44-6 

44-2 

29 

51-5 

39-5 

44-7 

44-1 

30 

46-5 

39 

417 

44-2 

54 

28-5 

38-88 

41-83 

METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


439 


ABSTRACT     FKOM    THE    METEOROLOGICAL    JOURNAL 
H.M.S.  EREBUS. 

SEPTEMBER,  1842. 


OF 


Day. 

Barometer  (corrected). 

Winds. 

Weather. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

1 

Inches. 
29-449 

Inches. 
29-349 

Inches. 
29-426 

N.W. 

1-9 

5  b.C.* 

2 

•555 

•315 

•396 

N.W. 

1-0 

0  m. 

3 

•763 

•531 

•601 

Westerly 

2-0 

4  b.c. 

4 

30-116 

•766 

•918 

S.E. 

2-2 

3  b.c. 

5 

•189 

30-123 

30-149 

Southerly 

2-1 

c.  0 

6 

•189 

29-992 

•115 

N.W. 

0-5 

0  p.s. 

7 

29-960 

•402 

•678 

N.  by  W. 

2-2 

2  b.c.p.s. 

8 

•377 

•188 

•269 

Westerly 

3-5 

1  b.c.r. 

9 

•308 

28-792 

28-980 

Westerly 

5-1 

0  q.s. 

10 

•347 

•720 

29-140 

s.s.w. 

7-6 

0  q.s. 

11 

•218 

•512 

28-787 

w.s.w. 

7-5 

0  q.d. 

12 

28-847 

•596 

•757 

s.s.w. 

7-2 

3  b.c.q. 

13 

29-562 

•715 

29-137 

Southerly 

5-0 

0  q.s. 

14 

•553 

•934 

•234 

Westerly 

4-3 

0  g.r.s. 

15 

•670 

•882 

•214 

S.W. 

7-3 

0  q.s. 

16 

•751 

29-597 

•682 

Variable 

2-6 

0  g.s. 

17 

30-226 

•6£4 

30-005 

S.E. 

5-1 

0  p.s. 

18 

•239 

•814 

•119 

Easterly 

3-7 

3  b.c. 

19 

29-809 

•534 

29-628 

N.W. 

4-5 

2  b.c. 

20 

•828 

•647 

•756 

W.N.W. 

1-2 

4  b.  c.p.s. 

21 

•795 

•575 

•659 

N.W. 

1-3 

5  b.c. 

22 

•748 

•618 

•686 

S.W. 

1-3 

5  b.c. 

23 

•614 

•323 

•466 

S.W. 

0-8 

3  b.c. 

24 

•315 

•073 

•248 

S.W. 

1-3 

3  b.c. 

25 

•494 

•165 

•337 

S.W. 

3-0 

0  q.s. 

26 

•590 

•531 

•551 

S.W. 

2-4 

2  b.c. 

27 

•627 

•347 

•491 

S.W. 

1-8 

4  b.c. 

28 

•529 

•219 

•351 

S.W. 

1-8 

4  b.c.p.r. 

29 

•532 

•198 

•329 

S.W. 

1-3 

4  b.c. 

30 

•466 

•272 

•359 

S.W. 

2-5 

4  b.  c.r.s. 

30-239 

28-512       29-5756 

3-15 

For  explanation  of  these  symbols  see^Appendix  to  Vol.  I. 
F  F    4 


440 


METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


ABSTRACT    FROM    THE    METEOROLOGICAL    JOURNAL    OP 
H.M.S.   EREBUS. 

NOVEMBER,  1842. 


Day. 

Temperature  of  Air  in  the  Shade. 

Mean 
Tempera- 
ture of  Sea 
at  Surface. 

Temperature  at 

9  A.M. 

Quantity  of 
Kain. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Air  in 
Shade. 

Dew 

point. 

1 

43 

0 

38 

0 

40-6 

o 
45'5 

o 
42 

o 
38 

Inches. 
0-16 

2 

47-5 

38'5 

427 

457 

46 

33 

— 

3 

48 

38-5 

42-1 

457 

44-5 

38 

— 

4 

50 

41 

44-8 

46-8 

46 

42 

— 

5 

48-5 

40 

42-9 

461 

42 

38 

0-12 

6 

50 

39-5 

43-2 

47-1 

45-5 

42 

0-02 

7 

44-5 

37 

39-9 

45-9 

39 

37 

0-40 

8 

42-5 

39 

40-1 

43-3 

41 

40 

— 

9 

41 

39 

40-1 

42-0 

40 

40* 

0-35 

10 

46 

39 

42'2 

42-6 

43 

40 

0-05 

11 

43-5 

38 

40-8 

42'8 

40 

35 

— 

12 

46 

40 

43-1 

44-4 

43 

38 

o-oi 

13 

50-5 

40 

46-0 

45-5 

47 

42 

— 

14 

54 

42 

46'8 

48-1 

49 

39-5 

— 

15 

51 

38 

45'0 

47-3 

46 

39 

— 

16 

61 

42-5 

48-8 

48-5 

49 

44 

— 

17 

51-5 

42-5 

46-5 

48-0 

46 

46* 

0-05 

18 

52 

39-5 

45-6 

47-9 

48 

33 

0-05 

19 

57 

44 

48-9 

48-5 

54 

44 

0-09 

20 

63 

44 

51-0 

48-8 

55 

43 

— 

21 

64 

43 

53-1 

49-8 

57 

43 

— 

22 

60 

41 

51-5 

50-3 

56 

42 

— 

23 

70 

44 

56-4 

51-5 

60 

48 

— 

24 

61 

43 

51-3 

50-9 

55 

38 

— 

25 

53 

39-5 

45-3 

497 

54 

37 

— 

26 

54 

38 

47-2 

50-2 

50 

40 

o-io 

27 

47 

42 

44-9 

49-5 

46 

30 

— 

28 

56-5 

42 

49-4 

50-3 

53 

41 

— 

29 

62 

43 

52-1 

50-2 

55 

43 

— 

30 

52 

39-5 

44-1 

49-1 

49 

43 

— 

70 

37 

45-88 

47-40 

1-40 

Rain. 


METEOROLOGICAL   ABSTRACT. 


441 


ABSTRACT    FROM   THE   METEOROLOGICAL   JOURNAL   OP 
H.M.S.    EREBUS. 

NOVEMBER,  1842. 


T\oir 

Barometer  (corrected). 

Winds. 

\K70»*.K  __ 

JJay. 

Max.             Min. 

Mean. 

Direction. 

Force. 

W6a.ii)cr. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

1 

29-854 

29-737 

29-813 

E.N.E 

0-8 

P.M.  5  b.c.* 

2 

•715 

•511 

•583 

("A.M.  S.W.    \ 
1  P.M.  N.E.     J 

1-4 

6  b.c.v. 

3 

•568 

•297 

•488 

(  A.M.  N.W.     1 

1  P.M.  E.  N.E.  j 

1-6 

4  b.c. 

4 

•308 

•172 

•214 

— 

1 

4  b.c. 

5 

•432 

•318 

•398 

S.W. 

1-2 

1  b.c.m.d. 

6 

•643 

•400 

•495 

P.M.  S.  W. 

0-8 

4  b.c.p.r. 

7 

•719 

•582 

•662 

S.W. 

2-6 

2  b.c.g. 

8 

•543 

•203 

•541 

N.N.W. 

3-8 

f4  b.c.             1 
t_0g.d.r.         J 

9 

•470 

•184 

•311 

N.E. 

3-6 

0  m.d. 

10 

•851 

•484 

•665 

A.M.  N.E. 

1-2 

3  b.c. 

11 

30-077 

•860 

30-003 

Southerly 

3-8 

3  b.c.p.d. 

12 

•120 

•986 

•025 

S.W. 

3-5 

4  b.c. 

13 

29-974 

•702 

29-811 

Westerly 

3-0 

4  b.c. 

14 

•965 

•787 

•895 

/A.M.  S.  S.W.  \ 

1  P.M.  N.W.   J 

1-5 

5  b.c. 

15 

•974 

•773 

•904 

N.W.  by  N. 

2-0 

4  b.c. 

16 

•742 

•441 

•578 

N.W. 

1-3 

1  b.c.  o  g. 

17 

18 

•416 
•427 

•133 
•189 

•229 
•294 

f  A.M.  N.  N.E.  1 
t  P.M.  N.W.    j 
TA.M.S.S.W.  1 

i  P.M.  W.N.W  j 

2-3 
3-4 

0  g.r. 
3  b.c.p.r. 

19 

•374 

•051 

•211 

Westerly 

2-9 

6  b.c.p.r. 

20 

•536 

•366 

•467 

W.N.W. 

2-0 

4  b.c. 

21 

•864 

•414 

•600 

Westerly 

2-6 

5  b.c. 

22 

•875 

•691 

•782 

N.W. 

2-5 

4  b.c. 

23 

•710 

•513 

•649 

Westerly 

1-5 

3  b.c. 

24 

•755 

•483 

•622 

W.S.W. 

4-4 

5  b.c. 

25 

•763 

•387 

•614 

W.  by  N. 

2-1 

g.c.  o  r. 

26 

•422 

•358 

•388 

S.W. 

3-2 

4  b.c. 

27 

•592 

•402 

•509 

S.S.W. 

4-8 

2  b.c.p.r.h. 

28 

•578 

•168 

•263 

W.N.W. 

3-0 

2  b.c.q. 

29 

•137 

28-979 

•039 

W.S.W. 

3-3 

3  b.c. 

30 

•282       29-054 

•114 

p.M.S.E. 

2-9 

0  m.d. 

30-120 

28-979 

29-5389 

*   For  explanation  of  these  symbols  see  Appendix  to  Vol.  I. 


442 


APPENDIX,  No.  VIII. 


MAGNETIC   AND   CURRENT   OBSERVATIONS. 


Date, 

1843. 

Position  at  Noon. 

Magnetic. 

Current. 

Lat.  S. 

Long.  E. 

Dip. 

Variation. 

Direction. 

Velocity 
per  Diem. 

May 

o     > 

0       ' 

O       ' 

0       / 

Miles. 

34  27 

17  37 

52  32 



North 

12 

2 

33   12 

16  24 

52  24 

27     0 

North 

10 

3 

32   13 

15     5 

50  35 

27   12 

N.  62  E. 

25 

4 

30  29 

12  36 

48  46 

27  34 

N.  60  W. 

12 

5 

28  39 

9  57 

46     1 

26  49 

N.  60  W. 

20 

6 

26  34 

7  31 

42  45 

26  26 

N.  67  W. 

17 

7 

24  52 

5   15 

39  25 

24  29 

N.  62  W. 

12 

8 

23   14 

3     9 

36  47 

24  48 

N.  66  W. 

13 

9 

21  43 

1   10 

33  29 

23  37 

West 

12 

West 

10 

20  24 

0  33 

30  20 

23  26 

S.  64  W. 

9 

11 

18  37 

2  25 

26  43 

22     6 

West 

17 

12 

16  42 

4  21 

22     0 

20  15 

N.  86  W. 

12 

13  1 
to  I 

20  J 

at  St.  Hel 

ena 

21 

14  40 

7  24 

17  27 

18     3 

S.  31  W. 

10 

22 

13  25 

9   13 

13  21 

16     1 

S.  53  W. 

13 

23 

11  45 

10  56 

9  34 

14  46 

S.  73  W. 

14 

24 

10     7 

12  38 

4  25 

12  28 

S.  27  W. 

18 

North 

25 

8     7 

14  10 

0  17 

12  52 

N.  81  W. 

34 

26  I 
to  I 

at  Ascens 

ion 

28  J 

29 

7  59 

14  35 

0  19 

30 

9  17 

16  16 

0  30 

9     9 

S.  16  W. 

14 

South 

31 

10  52 

18  21 

1  20 

16  37 

S.  83  W. 

16 

June 

1 

12  43 

20  26 

2  57 

15     2 

West 

16 

2 

14  20 

22  21 

4  42 

13  49 

S.  66  W. 

17 

3 

15     3 

23   14 

5  31 

12  58 

S.  61  W. 

10 

4 

15  20 

23  35 

5  51 

13  57 

S.  53  W. 

10 

5 

16   16 

25     5 

6  14 

13  48 

N.  84  W. 

19 

6 

17  55 

27  23 

7     8 

12     3 

S.  66  W. 

29 

7 

20     7 

29   12 

11  22 

9  21 

8 

21   45 

31    16 

12  52 

8   15 

S.  38  W. 

24 

9 

22  24 

32  53 

12  53 

7  32 

S.    7  W. 

7 

10 

22  37 

34  57 

13     2 

6  44 

S.  86  W. 

14 

11 

22  59 

36  56 

13  19 

4  54 

S.  43  W. 

14 

MAGNETIC   AND   CURRENT   OBSERVATIONS. 


443 


Date, 

1843. 

Tosition  at  Noon. 

Magnetic 

Current. 

Lat.  S. 

Long.W. 

Dip 

Variation. 

Direction. 

Velocity 
per  Diem. 

June 

o   / 

O   ' 

0   / 

o   / 

Miles. 

12 

22  48 

39  6 

13  4 

2  33 

S.  50  W. 

10 

13 

23  57 

39  20 

13  1 

2  9 

S.  56  W. 

6 

14 

23  1 

40  50 

13  4 

1  18 

N.  85  W. 

22 

15 

22  59 

41  31 

13  3 

16 

22  56 

41  54 

13  12 

N.  26  E. 

22 

17 

23  14 

42  31 

12  56 

0  02 

LSI 

to  I 
25  I 

Rio  Janeiro 

East 

26 

23  31 

41  59 

13  11 

1  08 

South 

9 

27 

22  36 

40  15 

12  35 

0  52 

N.  64  E. 

3 

West 

28 

21  21 

37  57 

10  30 

0  7 

North 

13 

29 

20  34 

35  55 

9  12 

2  8 

N.  24  E. 

12 

30 

19  32 

33  25 

8  1 

4  16 

N.  24  E. 

11 

July 

1 

18  23 

31  53 

6  15 

6  0 

N.  16  W. 

15 

2 

16  39 

30  25 

4  32 

7  15 

N.  36  W. 

30 

3 

14  42 

28  47 

1  45 

8  34 

N.  26  W. 

29 

North 

4 

11  23 

27  54 

2  42 

9  50 

N.  38  W. 

29 

5 

8  56 

27  10 

7  24 

10  12 

N.  76  W. 

25 

6 

7  1 

27  4 

11   1 

11  52 

S.  88  W. 

25 

7 

5  26 

26  54 

13  25 

11  10 

S.  76  W. 

15 

8 

3  47 

26  47 

16  15 

11  36 

S.  80  W. 

18 

9 

1  53 

26  21 

19  59 

12  48 

S.  87  W. 

25 

10 

0  19 

26  0 

22  34 

12  51 

N.  68  W. 

21 

North 

11 

1  7 

25  56 

24  17 

12  1 

N.  80  W. 

23 

12 

3  13 

26  7 

28  5 

13  29 

S.  88  W. 

55 

13 

5  8 

25  7 

30  49 

14  5 

S.  49  W. 

11 

14 

6  39 

24  23 

31  52 

15  23 

N.  80  E. 

17 

15 

7  42 

23  59 

33  28 

13  34 

N.  86  E. 

18 

16 

8  50 

23  48 

35  1 

15  12 

N.  60  E. 

16 

17 

10  30 

23  54 

37  55 

12  5 

N.  60  E. 

18 

18 

10  55 

24  3 

38  8 

13  32 

South 

10 

19 

11  41 

25  6 

40  19 

13  12 

West 

21 

20 

12  1 

25  26 

40  38 

14  7 

S.  10  E. 

11 

21 

11  58 

26  1 

41  6 

13  43 

S.  49  W. 

21 

22 

12  36 

25  35 

41  42 

14  41 

None 

23 

13  10 

25  54 

42  23 

13  56 

S.  79  W. 

5 

24 

14  15 

27  10 

44  14 

13  42 

S.  73  W. 

21 

25 

15  35 

28  13 

46  10 

13  55 

None 

15 

26 

16  54 

28  57 

47  54 

13  24 

S.  61  W. 

21 

27 

18  12 

29  54 

49  27 

14  48 

S.  67  W. 

25 

28 

19  26 

31  10 

51  24 

13  25 

S.  70  W. 

12 

29 

20  50 

32  9 

53  13 

14  37 

S.  78  W. 

19 

30 

22  10 

32  36 

54  26 

14  53 

S.  67  W. 

9 

31 

23  36 

33  23 

56  15 

13  46 

S.  58  W. 

17 

444 


MAGNETIC   AND    CURRENT   OBSERVATIONS. 


Date, 

1843. 

Position  at  Noon. 

Magnetic 

Current. 

Lat.  N. 

Long.  W. 

DipN. 

Var.  W. 

Direction. 

Velocity 

per  Diem. 

Aug. 

O   ' 

O   ' 

O    ' 

o  / 

Miles. 

1 

24  53 

34  33 

57  43 

15  17 

S.  51  W. 

18 

2 

26  19 

35  0 

59  10 

14  1 

S.  84  W. 

15 

3 

28  12 

34  49 

60  45 

16  30 

S.  82  W. 

9 

4 

29  53 

35  8 

62  4 

16  12 

N.  87  W. 

16 

5 

31  5 

36  10 

63  5 

18  12 

S.  42  W. 

12 

6 

31  50 

36  45 

63  48 

18  5 

S.  45  W. 

9 

7 

33  0 

36  19 

64  28 

19  51 

East 

4 

8 

34  21 

35  32 

65  33 

21  39 

S.  57  E. 

3 

9 

35  6 

35  0 

66  7 

22  6 

S.  42  E. 

6 

10 

36  13 

34  53 

66  23 

19  37 

South 

2 

11 

36  43 

34  45 

68  19 

19  42 

S.  73  W. 

10 

12 

37  24 

34  44 

68  36 

23  26 

S.  82  W. 

21 

13 

37  36 

34  43 

68  46 

23  36 

West 

6 

14 

37  48 

34  46 

68  48 

23  56 

S.  32  W. 

11 

15 

38  30 

34  40 

69  10 

23  34 

S.  27  W. 

7 

16 

39  12 

34  31 

69  14 

27  13 

N.  36  W. 

14 

17 

39  44 

33  53 

69  47 

26  54 

18 

39  58 

32  26 

69  21 

26  56 

19 

39  41 

31  0 



— 

20 

40  5 

29  40 

69  6 

28  38 

S.  20  W. 

9 

21 

40  25 

28  33 

69  4 

29  32 

S.  26  W. 

18 

22 

41  18 

26  48 

69  6 

29  49 

S.  5  W. 

9 

23 

42  33 

23  52 

69  4 

30  6 

S.  78  E. 

9 

24 

43  30 

21  51 

68  59 

29  35 

S.  27  E. 

3 

25 

44  57 

19  1 

69  03 

30  9 

S.  25  W. 

12 

26 

46  11 

16  42 

69  12 

29  39 

27 

47  12 

13  31 

— 

— 

28 

48  44 

10  6 

69  12 

28  53 

29 

49  30 

7  19 

69  42 

27  45 

30 

49  38 

6  28 

69  40 

26  18 

31 

49  26 

5  49 

69  20 

24  57 

445 


APPENDIX,  No.  IX. 

GEOGRAPHICAL   TABLE. 


Name  and  Description  of  Place. 

Latitude 
South. 

Longitude 

West. 

0        / 

O          ' 

Admiralty  Inlet  (centre) 

64  16 

57    0 

Cockburn  Island 

64  12 

56  49 

Corry,  Cape      - 

63  37 

57  19 

Danger  Islets  (Easternmost) 

63  20 

54  35 

„            (Northernmost)    - 

63  18 

54  56 

Darwin  Islet     - 

63  31 

54  48 

D'Urville  Monument     - 

63  20 

56  26 

Eden,  Cape 

63  28 

55  35 

Fitzroy,  Cape   - 

63     6 

55  21 

Foster,  Cape     - 

64  27 

58     7 

Gage,  Cape 

64     7 

57    7 

Gordon,  Cape  - 

63  49 

57  19 

Gulf  of  Erebus  and  Terror  (centre) 

63  45 

56  45 

Haddington  Mount 

64  12 

58     2 

Hamilton,  Cape              - 

64  16 

57    7 

Herbert  Bay 

63  54 

57  25 

King,  Cape        -                           - 

63     3 

55  42 

Lockyer,  Cape  - 

64  29 

57  45 

Moody,  Point    - 

63  20 

55     5 

Paulet  Island    - 

63  37 

55  40 

Percy,  Mount  (centre)  - 

63  17 

55  34 

Puget,  Cape 

63  30 

55  42 

Purvis,  Cape     - 

63  39 

55  48 

Seymour,  Cape              - 

64  13 

56  32 

Snow  Hill         - 

64  29 

57  11 

446 


APPENDIX,  No.  X. 

NOTE   ON   THE   POSITION   OF   THE   MAGNETIC   POLES. 
(Referred  to,  Vol.  I.  p.  247.,  and  Vol.  II.  p.  357.) 

PKOFESSOR  GAUSS,  in  his  General  Theory  of  Terrestrial 
Magnetism,  states,  that  "  the  exact  computation  of  the 
places  of  these  two  poles,  according  to  our  elements,  gives 
them  as  follows :  — 

"  1.  In  73°  35'  north  latitude,  and  95°  39'  west  longi- 
tude from  Greenwich,  the  total  intensity  being  1-701  on 
the  unity  in  common  use. 

"2.  In  72°  35'  south  latitude,  and  152°  30'  east  longi- 
tude, the  total  intensity  2-253. 

"According  to  Captain  James  Ross's  observation,  the 
north  magnetic  pole  falls  3°  35'  to  the  south  of  its  position, 
according  to  our  calculation,  which  gives  at  that  place  a 
direction  of  the  magnetic  force  differing  1°  12'  from  obser- 
vation, as  may  be  seen  in  the  table  of  comparisons.*  We 
must  expect  a  considerably  greater  displacement  of  the 
position  of  the  southern  pole.  At  Hobart  Town,  which  is 
the  nearest  station  to  this  pole,  calculation  gives  too  low  a 
dip  by  3°  38',  as  far  as  the  observation  can  be  depended 
upon.  It  seems  probable,  therefore,  that  the  actual  south 
magnetic  pole  is  considerably  to  the  north  of  the  position 
given  by  our  calculation ;  and  that  it  may  be  looked  for 
in  about  66°  S.  latitude,  and  146°  E.  longitude." 

It  was  this  last  paragraph  in  which  M.  Gauss  infers  the 
place  of  the  south  magnetic  pole,  that  was  the  occasion  of 
my  instructions  directing  me  to  seek  it  in  latitude  66°  S., 
rather  than  in  the  position  which  M.  Gauss's  theory  places 

*  Scientific  Memoirs,  vol.  ii.  part  6.  p.  224. 


POSITION    OF   MAGNETIC   POLES.  447 

it.  The  result  has  proved  the  latter  to  be  the  more  correct ; 
and  it  is  curious  to  observe  that  the  error  of  its  computed 
place  is  not  very  different  from  that  of  the  north  magnetic 
pole.  In  the  latter  case,  my  observations  placed  the  pole 
3°  35'  south  of  that  given  by  M.  Gauss's  theory ;  and  a 
careful  combination  of  all  the  observations  of  our  late 
voyage,  assigns  the  position  of  the  south  magnetic  pole  in 
75°  5'  S.,  and  longitude  154°  8'  E.,  or  about  2°  30'  also 
south  of  its  place  as  computed  by  Professor  Gauss.  It 
is  to  be  hoped  that  the  accession  of  so  great  a  number  of 
observations  as  the  Antarctic  Expedition  has  supplied,  will 
afford  M.  Gauss  the  means  of  perfecting  his  theory, 
by  which,  even  with  the  inaccurate  observations  he  before 
possessed.,  enabled  him  to  calculate  within  very  narrow 
limits  the  three  magnetic  elements  at  any  given  point  on 
the  surface  of  our  globe. 


THE   END. 


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