Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/403

1841

we wore and stood off again, our object now being merely to contend, as well as our dull sailing ships could do against the adverse wind which continued to blow with considerable violence the whole day, during which we passed many bergs, much worn away by the long continued action of the waves, and in consequence presenting more variety of figure than any we had before met with in the southern ocean: with the thermometer very little below the freezing point, we greatly enjoyed the high temperature of a milder climate, notwithstanding the occasional showers of snow that fell during the day. At 3 p.m. we again wore, and stood to the S.W., expecting the wind from that quarter, the barometer, at the same time, indicating the approach of fine weather. But still the westerly swell prevented our making any considerable progress, and the whole of the next four days was spent struggling with but small effect against the strong westerly and south-westerly wind that prevailed, taking advantage of every slight change of wind to attain our object, and occasionally getting sight of the main pack when we stretched to the southward of the 64th degree of latitude.

At noon the 14th, we were lat. 62° 42′, long. March 14.156° 51′ E. The mercury in the barometer at that time had attained the unusual height, for these latitudes, of 29.5 inches, at which it stood steadily until midnight, (the wind then shifting to the north, accompanied by a very thick fog,) when