22' E., the
wind seemingly fixed at W.N.W., and seeing no signs of meeting with land, I
gave over plying, and bore away east a little southerly: Being satisfied,
that if there is any land hereabout, it can only be an isle of no great
extent. And it was just as probable I might have found it to the E. as to
the W.
While we were plying about here we took every opportunity to observe the
variation of the compass, and found it to be from 27 deg. 50' to 30 deg. 26' W.
Probably the mean of the two extremes, viz. 29 deg. 4', is the nearest the
truth, as it nearly agrees with the variation observed on board the
Adventure. In making these observations, we found that, when the sun was on
the larboard side of the ship, the variation was the least; and when on the
starboard side, the greatest. This was not the first time we had made this
observation, without being able to account for it. At four o'clock in the
morning of the 7th, I made the Adventure's signal to keep at the distance
of four miles on my starboard beam; and continued to steer E.S.E. This
being a fine day, I had all our men's bedding and clothes spread on deck to
air; and the ship cleaned and smoked betwixt decks. At noon I steered a
point more to the south, being then in the latitude of 45 deg. 49' S.,
longitude 61 deg. 48' E. At six o'clock in the evening, I called in the
Adventure; and at the same time took several azimuths, which gave the
variation 31 deg. 28'.W. These observations could not be taken with the
greatest accuracy, on account of the rolling of the ship, occasioned by a
very high westerly swell.
The preceding evening, three Port Egmont hens were seen; this morning
another appeared. In the evening, and several times in the night, penguins
were heard; and, at daylight in the morning of the 8th, several of these
were seen; and divers of two sorts, seemingly such as are usually met with
on the coast of England. This occasioned us to sound, but we found no
ground with a line of 210 fathoms. Our latitude now was 49 deg. 53' S., and
longitude 63 deg. 39' E. This was at eight o'clock. By this time the wind had
veered round by the N.E. to E., blew a brisk gale, and was attended with
hazy weather, which soon after turned to a thick fog; and, at the same
tine, the wind shifted to N.E.
I continued to keep the wind on the larboard tack, and to fire a gun every
hour till noon; when I made the signal to tack, and tacked accordingly.
But, as neither this signal, nor any of the former, was answered by the
Adventure, we had but too much reason to think that a separation had taken
place; though we were at a loss to tell how it had been effected. I had
directed Captain Furneaux, in case he was separated from me, to cruise
three days in the place where he last saw me. I therefore continued making
short boards, and firing half-hour guns, till the 9th in the afternoon,
when, the weather having cleared up, we could see several leagues round us,
and found that the Adventure was not within the limits of our horizon. At
this time we were about two or three leagues to the eastward of the
situation we were in when we last saw her; and were standing to the
westward with a very strong gale at N.N.W., accompanied with a great sea
from the same direction. This, together, with an increase of wind, obliged
us to lie-to till eight o'clock the next morning, during which time we saw
nothing of the Adventure, notwithstanding the weather was pretty clear, and
we had kept firing guns, and burning false fires, all night. I therefore
gave over looking for her, made sail, and steered S.E., with a very fresh
gale at W. by N., accompanied with a high sea from the same direction.
While we were beating about here; we frequently saw penguins and divers,
which made us conjecture the land was not far off; but in what direction it
was not possible for us to tell. As we advanced to the south, we lost the
penguins, and most of the divers; and, as usual, met with abundance of
albatrosses, blue peterels, sheer-waters, &c.
The 11th, at noon, and in the latitude of 51 deg. 15' S., longitude 67 deg. 20' E.,
we again met with penguins: and saw an egg bird, which we also look upon to
be a sign of the vicinity of land. I continued to steer to the S.E., with a
fresh gale in the north-west quarter, attended with a long hollow swell,
and frequent showers of rain, hail, and snow. The 12th, in the morning,
being in the latitude of 52 deg. 32' S., longitude 69 deg. 47' E., the variation
was 31 deg. 38' W. In the evening, in the latitude of 53 deg. 7' S., longitude 70 deg.
50' E., it was 32 deg. 33'; and, the next morning, in the latitude of 53 deg. 37'
S., longitude 72 deg. 10', it was 33 deg. 8' W. Thus far we had continually a great
number of penguins about the ship, which seemed to be different from those
we had seen near the ice; being smaller, with reddish bills and brownish
heads. The meeting with so many of these birds, gave us some hopes of
finding land, and occasioned various conjectures about its situation. The
great westerly swell, which still continued, made it improbable that land
of any considerable extent lay to the west.
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