I had, at this time, some thoughts of revisiting the place where the French discovery is said to lie.  But then I considered that, if they had really made this discovery, the end would be as fully answered as if I had done it myself.  We know it can only be an island; and if we may judge from the degree of cold we found in that latitude, it cannot be a fertile one.  Besides, this would have kept me two months longer at sea, and in a tempestuous latitude, which we were not in a condition to struggle with.  Our sails and rigging were so much worn, that something was giving way every hour; and we had nothing left either to repair or to replace them.  Our provisions were in a state of decay, and consequently afforded little nourishment, and we had been a long time without refreshments.  My people, indeed, were yet healthy, and would have cheerfully gone wherever I had thought proper to lead them; but I dreaded the scurvy laying hold of them at a time when we had nothing left to remove it.  I must say farther, that it would have been cruel in me to have continued the fatigues and hardships they were continually exposed to, longer than was absolutely necessary.  Their behaviour, throughout the whole voyage, merited every indulgence which it was in my power to give them.  Animated by the conduct of the officers, they shewed themselves capable of surmounting every difficulty and danger which came in their way, and never once looked either upon the one or the other, as being at all heightened, by our separation from our consort the Adventure.[13]

[Footnote 13:  “The sour krout, that excellent anti-scorbutic food, of which sixty large casks were put on board our ship, was now entirely consumed, and the want of it was severely felt from the captain down to the sailor.  It enabled us to eat our portion of salt meat, of which it corrected the septic quality.  The wish for a speedy release from this nauseous diet now became universal, and our continuance in the high latitudes was disagreeable to all on board.”—­G.F.]

All these considerations induced me to lay aside looking for the French discoveries, and to steer for the Cape of Good Hope; with a resolution, however, of looking for the isles of Denia and Marseveen, which are laid down in Dr Halley’s variation chart in the latitude of 41 deg. 1/2 S., and about 4 deg. of longitude to the east of the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope.  With this view I steered N.E., with a hard gale at N.W. and thick weather; and on the 25th, at noon, we saw the last ice island, being at this time in the latitude of 52 deg. 52’ S., longitude 26 deg. 31’ E.

The wind abating and veering to the south, on the first of March, we steered west, in order to get farther from Mr Bouvet’s track, which was but a few degrees to the east of us, being at this time in the latitude of 46 deg. 44’ S., longitude 33 deg. 20’ E., in which situation we found the variation to be 23 deg. 36’ W. It is somewhat remarkable, that all the time we had northerly winds, which were regular and constant for several days, the weather was always thick and cloudy; but, as soon as they came south of west, it cleared up, and was fine and pleasant.  The barometer began to rise several days before this change happened; but whether on account of it, or our coming northward, cannot be determined.[14]