In their work;
notwithstanding which the water seemed to gain upon us; every soul was
filled with terror, increased by the darkness of the night. The chain-
pumps were now cleared, and our sailors laboured at them with great
alacrity; at last one of them luckily discovered that the water came
in through a scuttle (or window) in the boatswain's store-room, which
not having been secured against the tempestuous southern ocean, had
been staved in by the force of the waves. It was immediately
repaired," &c. Incidents of this kind are not often related by a
commander, but they are useful to a reader by diversifying the records
of bearings, courses, &c. &c. - E.
[2] "At half past ten in the evening, some water which had been
spilled on the deck was frozen, and in the morning we passed the first
island of ice. It was not very high, was smooth on the top and sides,
and not rugged like those I have seen in the north seas." W. - Mr
Forster in his observations has entered into a very important
discussion respecting the formation of the ice islands, but it is
vastly too long for insertion in this place. Few readers, however, it
is likely, will object to see it elsewhere. - E.
[3] "They constantly appeared about the icy masses, and may be looked
upon as sure forerunners of ice. Their colour induced us to call them
the snowy peterels." - G.F.
[4] "We had already had several false alarms from the fallacious
conformation of fog-banks, or that of islands of ice half hid in snow
storms, and our consort the Adventure had repeatedly made the signals
for seeing land, deceived by such appearances: but now, the
imagination warmed with the idea of M. Bouvet's discovery, one of our
lieutenants, after having repeatedly been up to the mast-head, (about
six o'clock in the morning on the 14th,) acquainted the captain that
he plainly saw the land. This news brought us all upon deck: We saw an
immense field of flat ice before us, broken into many small pieces on
the edges, a vast number of islands of ice of all shapes and sizes
rose beyond it as far as the eye could reach, and some of the most
distant considerably raised by the hazy vapours which lay on the
horizon, had indeed some appearance of mountains. Several of our
officers persisted in the opinion that they had seen land here, till
Captain Cook, about two years and two months afterwards, (in February
1775,) on his course from Cape Horn towards the Cape of Good Hope,
sailed over the same spot, where they had supposed it to lie, and
found neither land nor even ice there at that time." - G.F.
[5] "While we were doing this, so thick a fog came on, that it was
with the utmost difficulty, and after some considerable time, that we
found the ships again." - W.
"Their situation in a small four-oared boat, on an immense ocean, far
from any habitable shore, surrounded with ice, and utterly destitute
of provisions, was truly terrifying and horrible in its consequences.
They rowed about for some time, making vain efforts to be heard, but
all was silent about them, and they could not see the length of their
boat. They were the more unfortunate, as they had neither mast nor
sail, and only two oars. In this dreadful suspence they determined to
lie still, hoping that, provided they preserved their place, the
sloops would not drive out of sight, as it was calm. At last they
heard the jingling of a bell at a distance; this sound was heavenly
music to their ears; they immediately rowed towards it, and by
continual hailing, were at last answered from the Adventure, and
hurried on board, overjoyed to have escaped the danger of perishing by
slow degrees, through the inclemencies of weather and through famine.
Having been on board some time, they fired a gun, and being within
hail of the Resolution, returned on board of that sloop to their own
damp beds and mouldering cabins, upon which they now set a double
value: after so perilous an expedition." - G.F.
[6] "The encomiums on the efficacy of malt cannot be exaggerated, and
this useful remedy ought never to be forgotten on board of ships bound
on long voyages; nor can we bestow too much care to prevent its
becoming damp and mouldy, by which means its salutary qualities are
impaired, as we experienced during the latter part of our voyage." -
G.F.
[7] "That water melted from the ice usually found floating in the sea
is fresh and good, is no new discovery. The Hudson's Bay ships have
long made use of it; and I have mentioned it, from my own experience,
in the account of a voyage to Hudson's Bay." See Phil. Trans. vol.
60. - W. This is a solitary but most unexceptionable evidence. Mr
Forster, in the article before alluded to, has not failed to point out
much more. - E.
SECTION III.
Sequel of the Search for a Southern Continent, between the Meridian of
the Cape of Good Hope and New Zealand; with an Account of the Separation of
the two Ships, and the Arrival of the Resolution in Dusky Bay.
After meeting with this ice, I did not think it was at all prudent to
persevere in getting farther to the south; especially as the summer was
already half spent, and it would have taken up some time to have got round
the ice, even supposing it to have been practicable; which, however, is
doubtful. I therefore came to a resolution to proceed directly in search of
the land lately discovered by the French.
