1841.
main pack was seen stretching across our course, from east to west. At this time there were forty Dec. 18.large bergs in sight.
All the circumstances appearing favourable, we at once ran into the pack, and at first made good way through it, the ice being remarkably light and very open; but as we proceeded south it became heavier, and more strongly pressed together, until, after having penetrated about thirty miles, we were obliged to steer more to the westward, availing ourselves of every opportunity of resuming our southerly course when the ice permitted. We were at noon in lat. 60° 50′ S., long. 147° 25′ W.; and the magnetic dip had increased to 76° S., the variation to nearly 19° E.
Immediately upon entering the ice we found the temperature of the sea 28°, that of the air being 32°; and for the first time the beautiful snow-white petrel and the gigantic petrel were seen, also a few whales of the finner kind, and some small seals were basking on the ice.
As we advanced through the pack during the rest of the day, we observed the ice to be very much stained in some places, and upon examination we found it to be caused by matter of a yellowish colour, similar to that we had met with off Mount Erebus, and which led me to suppose it to be aluminous or other minute crystals ejected from that volcano. It has been since ascertained by that eminent naturalist Ehrenberg, whose wonderful researches with the microscope have detected large