W.N.W. twenty-five miles. Light baffling winds prevailed for several hours, but eventually settled in a stiff breeze from the southward. We stood to the S.W. to close the mainland, which we observed had taken a considerable turn to the westward, but without being able to get sight of it, owing to the thickness of the weather, until 4 a.m.: when being Jan. 21.close in with the main pack edge we could observe the land ice stretching round to the southward, a firm unbroken mass, with a considerable quantity of loose ice off its edge, which seemed to have been recently broken away from the main body.
We tacked and stood off to the eastward to wait for clear weather, and on standing in again the land was distinctly seen: a high-peaked mountain, bearing true west, was named Monteagle, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer; and one of very great elevation, the highest by estimation that we had yet seen, but which we had not the opportunity of measuring accurately, was named Mount Melbourne, after the Right Honourable Lord Viscount Melbourne, Prime Minister of England when our expedition was proposed to her Majesty's government, and upon whom and his colleagues the representations of the great philosophers of the day had their due influence. The form of Mount Melbourne had so general and striking a resemblance to Mount Ætna, that for distinction's sake it went by that name for several days amongst the officers of both ships; but its elevation must be very much greater than that of the Sicilian mountain.
