The wind in the night veered to west, and at last fixed at S.W., a fresh gale, with sleet and snow, which froze on our sails and rigging as it fell, so that they were all hung with icicles.  We kept on to the southward, passed no less than eighteen ice islands, and saw more penguins.  At noon on the 13th, we were in the latitude of 54 deg.  S., which is the latitude of Cape Circumcision, discovered by M. Bouvet in 1739; but we were ten degrees of longitude east of it; that is, near 118 leagues in this latitude.  We stood on to the S.S.E. till eight o’clock in the evening, the weather still continuing thick and hazy, with sleet and snow.  From noon till this time, twenty ice islands, of various extent, both for height and circuit, presented themselves to our view.  At eight o’clock we sounded, but found no ground with 150 fathom of line.

We now tacked and made a trip to the northward till midnight, when we stood again to the southward; and at half an hour past six o’clock in the morning of the 14th, we were stopped by an immense field of low ice; to which we could see no end, either to the east, west, or south.  In different parts of this field were islands or hills of ice, like those we found floating in the sea; and some on board thought they saw land also over the ice, bearing S.W. by S. I even thought so myself; but changed my opinion upon more narrowly examining these ice hills, and the various appearances they made when seen through the haze.  For at this time it was both hazy and cloudy in the horizon; so that a distant object could not be seen distinct.[4] Being now in the latitude of 54 deg. 50’ S. and longitude 21 deg. 34’ E., and having the wind at N.W. we bore away along the edge of the ice, steering S.S.E. and S.E., according to the direction of the north side of it, where we saw many whales, penguins, some white birds, pintadoes, &c.

At eight o’clock we brought-to under a point of the ice, where we had smooth water:  and I sent on board for Captain Furneaux.  After we had fixed on rendezvouses in case of separation, and some other matters for the better keeping company, he returned on board, and we made sail again along the ice.  Some pieces we took up along-side, which yielded fresh water.  At noon we had a good observation, and found ourselves in latitude 54 deg. 55’ S.

We continued a south-east course along the edge of the ice, till one o’clock, when we came to a point round which we hauled S.S.W., the sea appearing to be clear of ice in that direction.  But after running four leagues upon this course, with the ice on our starboard side, we found ourselves quite imbayed; the ice extending from N.N.E. round by the west and south, to east, in one compact body.  The weather was indifferently clear; and yet we could see no end to it.  At five o’clock we hauled up east, wind at north, a gentle gale, in order to clear the ice.  The extreme east point of it, at eight o’clock, bore E. by S., over which appeared a clear sea.  We however spent the night in making short boards, under an easy sail.  Thermometer, these 24 hours, from 32 to 30.