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 chionis, different from that we found at Kerguelen Island, and therefore 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 carried 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 topsails and balanced mainsail, standing to the southward: her appearance created no small sensation, being the first vessel we had seen since our departure from New Zealand more than four months before. It was blowing too hard to communicate,