Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/175

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Chap. V.]
CURRENT.
97
1840

reckoning, as may be seen by referring to the table in the Appendix, where our daily position is given; and the effect of the current is noted whenever observations for both latitude and longitude were obtained.

Several kinds of petrel were the only birds seen; but these, particularly the Cape pigeon, were very abundant.

Wind more moderate, still from the westward. July 24.The temperature of the sea rose from 37° at 1 p.m. to 46° at 11 p.m., that of the air at the same time having fallen from 33° to 31°. This unaccountable increase of temperature of the sea, which had for several previous days averaged about 35°.5, continued until 7 p.m. the next day, extending over a space of eighty-six miles; it then fell to 40°, the air being at 29°, with a strong south-westerly gale blowing, and frequent snow showers.

By our observations at noon we found ourselves July 26.fifty-eight miles to the eastward of our reckoning, showing the greatest amount of current during the last two days that we had experienced since leaving Kerguelen Island.

The rise of the barometer to thirty inches, remarkably high for these latitudes, was followed, at 8 p.m., by a gale from the north-west of twelve hours' duration. We continued to see many patches July 27.of sea-weed, and again at night the north wind freshened to a gale: the Terror had dropped far astern, so that at daylight we could scarcely see