It is
      somewhat remarkable that, although vast flocks of birds were
      seen, and other usual indications of land, and although, south of
      the Shetlands, unknown coasts were observed from the masthead
      tending southwardly, Weddell discourages the idea of land
      existing in the polar regions of the south. On the 11th of January, 1823, Captain Benjamin Morrell, of the
      American schooner Wasp, sailed from Kerguelen’s Land with a view
      of penetrating as far south as possible. On the first of February
      he found himself in latitude 64 degrees 52’ S., longitude 118
      degrees 27’ E. The following passage is extracted from his
      journal of that date. “The wind soon freshened to an eleven-knot
      breeze, and we embraced this opportunity of making to the west;
      being however convinced that the farther we went south beyond
      latitude sixty-four degrees, the less ice was to be apprehended,
      we steered a little to the southward, until we crossed the
      Antarctic circle, and were in latitude 69 degrees 15’ E. In this
      latitude there was no field ice, and very few ice islands in
      sight.”

      Under the date of March fourteenth I find also this entry. “The
      sea was now entirely free of field ice, and there were not more
      than a dozen ice islands in sight. At the same time the
      temperature of the air and water was at least thirteen degrees
      higher (more mild) than we had ever found it between the
      parallels of sixty and sixty-two south. We were now in latitude
      70 degrees 14’ S., and the temperature of the air was
      forty-seven, and that of the water forty-four. In this situation
      I found the variation to be 14 degrees 27’ easterly, per
      azimuth.... I have several times passed within the Antarctic
      circle, on different meridians, and have uniformly found the
      temperature, both of the air and the water, to become more and
      more mild the farther I advanced beyond the sixty-fifth degree of
      south latitude, and that the variation decreases in the same
      proportion. While north of this latitude, say between sixty and
      sixty-five south, we frequently had great difficulty in finding a
      passage for the vessel between the immense and almost innumerable
      ice islands, some of which were from one to two miles in
      circumference, and more than five hundred feet above the surface
      of the water.”

      Being nearly destitute of fuel and water, and without proper
      instruments, it being also late in the season, Captain Morrell
      was now obliged to put back, without attempting any further
      progress to the westward, although an entirely open, sea lay
      before him. He expresses the opinion that, had not these
      overruling considerations obliged him to retreat, he could have
      penetrated, if not to the pole itself, at least to the
      eighty-fifth parallel. I have given his ideas respecting these
      matters somewhat at length, that the reader may have an
      opportunity of seeing how far they were borne out by my own
      subsequent experience. In 1831, Captain Briscoe, in the employ of the Messieurs Enderby,
      whale-ship owners of London, sailed in the brig Lively for the
      South Seas, accompanied by the cutter Tula. On the twenty-eighth
      of February, being in latitude 66 degrees 30’ S., longitude 47
      degrees 31’ E., he descried land, and “clearly discovered through
      the snow the black peaks of a range of mountains running E. S.
      E.” He remained in this neighbourhood during the whole of the
      following month, but was unable to approach the coast nearer than
      within ten leagues, owing to the boisterous state of the weather. Finding it impossible to make further discovery during this
      season, he returned northward to winter in Van Diemen’s Land. In the beginning of 1832 he again proceeded southwardly, and on
      the fourth of February land was seen to the southeast in latitude
      67 degrees 15’ longitude 69 degrees 29’ W. This was soon found to
      be an island near the headland of the country he had first
      discovered. On the twenty-first of the month he succeeded in
      landing on the latter, and took possession of it in the name of
      William IV, calling it Adelaide’s Island, in honour of the
      English queen. These particulars being made known to the Royal
      Geographical Society of London, the conclusion was drawn by that
      body “that there is a continuous tract of land extending from 47
      degrees 30’ E. to 69 degrees 29’ W. longitude, running the
      parallel of from sixty-six to sixty-seven degrees south
      latitude.” In respect to this conclusion Mr. Reynolds observes:
      “In the correctness of it we by no means concur; nor do the
      discoveries of Briscoe warrant any such indifference. It was
      within these limits that Weddel proceeded south on a meridian to
      the east of Georgia, Sandwich Land, and the South Orkney and
      Shetland islands.” My own experience will be found to testify
      most directly to the falsity of the conclusion arrived at by the
      society. These are the principal attempts which have been made at
      penetrating to a high southern latitude, and it will now be seen
      that there remained, previous to the voyage of the Jane, nearly
      three hundred degrees of longitude in which the Antarctic circle
      had not been crossed at all. Of course a wide field lay before us
      for discovery, and it was with feelings of most intense interest
      that I heard Captain Guy express his resolution of pushing boldly
      to the southward. CHAPTER 17


      We kept our course southwardly for four days after giving up the
      search for Glass’s islands, without meeting with any ice at all. On the twenty-sixth, at noon, we were in latitude 63 degrees 23’
      S., longitude 41 degrees 25’ W. We now saw several large ice
      islands, and a floe of field ice, not, however, of any great
      extent. The winds generally blew from the southeast, or the
      northeast, but were very light. Whenever we had a westerly wind,
      which was seldom, it was invariably attended with a rain squall. Every day we had more or less snow. The thermometer, on the
      twenty-seventh stood at thirty-five. January 1, 1828.—This day we found ourselves completely hemmed in
      by the ice, and our prospects looked cheerless indeed. A strong
      gale blew, during the whole forenoon, from the northeast, and
      drove large cakes of the drift against the rudder and counter
      with such violence that we all trembled for the consequences. Toward evening, the gale still blowing with fury, a large field
      in front separated, and we were enabled, by carrying a press of
      sail to force a passage through the smaller flakes into some open
      water beyond.