We observed a very great number of the largest-sized black whales, so tame that they allowed the ship sometimes almost to touch them before they would get out of the way; so that any number of ships might procure a cargo of oil in a short time. Thus within ten days after leaving the Falkland Islands, we had discovered not only new land, but a valuable whale-fishery well worthy the attention of our enterprising merchants, less than six hundred miles from one of our own possessions.
The birds we met with off this land were of the same kinds we had seen on our previous visits to the icy regions; but the great penguins were more numerous than we had any where before found them.
It blew a strong breeze from the southward, with Dec. 30.frequent snow-showers and sharp squalls; and we found the pack so close, that we had great difficulty in making our way through it to the westward; at one time the Terror became so entangled amongst it, that I was apprehensive of her getting beset, and dodged about for some hours in a more open space, until she was released. A great number of grounded bergs was probably the occasion of the loose ice being packed so closely just at this point.
At noon we were in latitude 63° 36′ S., longitude 54° 33′ W. Darwin Islet, of about 600 feet elevation, with several rocks, and two or three smaller islets near it, were seen when the fog cleared away. The main land was also seen bearing from W.N.W. to S.S.W., and with