The moderate, and I might almost say, pleasant weather, we had, at times, for the last two or three days, made me wish I had been a few degrees of latitude farther south; and even tempted me to incline our course that way.  But we soon had weather which convinced us that we were full far enough; and that the time was approaching, when these seas were not to be navigated without enduring intense cold; which, by the bye, we were pretty well used to.  In the afternoon, the serenity of the sky was presently obscured:  The wind veered round by the S.W. to W., and blew in hard squalls, attended with thick and heavy showers of hail and snow, which continually covered our decks, sails, and rigging, till five o’clock in the evening of the 15th.  At this time, the wind abated, and shifted to S.E.; the sky cleared up; and the evening was so serene and clear, that we could see many leagues round us; the horizon being the only boundary to our sight.

We were now in the latitude of 59 deg. 17’ S., longitude 140 deg. 12’ E., and had such a large hollow swell from W.S.W., as assured us that we had left no land behind us in that direction.  I was also well assured that no land lay to the south on this side 60 deg. of latitude.  We had a smart frost during the night, which was curiously illuminated with the southern lights.

At ten o’clock in the morning of the 16th, (which was as soon as the sun appeared,) in the latitude of 58 deg. 51’ S., our longitude was 144 deg. 10’ E. This good weather was, as usual, of short duration.  In the afternoon of this day, we had again thick snow showers; but, at intervals, it was tolerably clear; and, in the evening being in the latitude of 58 deg. 58’ S., longitude 144 deg. 37’ E., I found the variation by several azimuths to be 31’ E.

I was not a little pleased with being able to determine, with so much precision, this point of the Line, in which the compass has no variation.  For I look upon half a degree as next to nothing; so that the intersection of the latitude and longitude just mentioned, may be reckoned the point without any sensible error.  At any rate, the Line can only pass a very small matter west of it.

I continued to steer to the east, inclining to the south, with a fresh gale at S.W., till five o’clock the next morning, when, being in the latitude of 59 deg. 7’ S., longitude 146 deg. 53’ E., I bore away N.E., and, at noon, north, having come to a resolution to quit the high southern latitudes, and to proceed to New Zealand to look for the Adventure, and to refresh my people.  I had also some thoughts, and even a desire to visit the east coast of Van Diemen’s Land, in order to satisfy myself if it joined the coast of New South Wales.

In the night of the 17th, the wind shifted to N.W., and blew in squalls, attended with thick hazy weather and rain.  This continued all the 18th, in the evening of which day, being in the latitude of 56 deg. 15’ S., longitude 150 deg., the sky cleared up, and we found the variation by several azimuths to be 13 deg. 30’ E. Soon after, we hauled up, with the log, a piece of rock-weed, which was in a state of decay, and covered with barnacles.  In the night the southern lights were very bright.