1772.
December.
Wednesd. 23.on the 23d. We seized this opportunity to hoist out a boat, and continue the experiments on the current, and on the temperature of the sea. The species of petrels which were numerous about us, were likewise examined, described, and drawn this day, having been shot as they hovered with seeming curiosity over our little boat.
Thursday 24.We continued standing southerly, and even made a good deal of westing, the wind being S.S.E. The next morning the wind blew pretty fresh,Friday 25. and carried us past several islands of ice; some whales, and a number of birds appearing about us. Our first Christmas day during this voyage, was spent with the usual chearfulness among officers and passengers; but among the sailors, notwithstanding the surrounding rocks of ice, with savage noise and drunkenness, to which they seem to have particularly devoted the day. The next morningSaturday 26. we sailed through a great quantity of packed or broken ice, some of which looked dirty or decaying. Islands of ice still surrounded us, and in the evening, the sun setting just behind one of them, tinged its edges with gold, and brought upon the whole mass a beautiful suffusion of purple. A dead calm which succeeded on the 27th, gave us an opportunity of hoisting the boat out, and going to shoot pinguins and petrels. The chace of pinguins proved very unsuccessful, though it afforded great sport; the birds dived so frequently, continued so long under water, and at timesskipped
