From the 7th until the 17th, the weather was very variable, and the wind very unsettled, between the south-east and south-west quarters, attended with strong gales and dark hazy weather, with frequent showers of snow and hail; the thermometer was down at 42 deg. in the cabin, where we sometimes had a fire, but in the open air it was at 35 deg.; the showers were commonly accompanied with heavy gusts or squalls of wind.  Notwithstanding we were, with these winds from the southward, subject to snow and hail, yet we frequently found that some of the gales which had blown from the northward were attended with a more piercing degree of cold.  On the 18th, the weather became more moderate and fair, and the wind shifted to west, with a moderate breeze:  we were now in longitude 261 deg. 50’ east, and latitude 55 deg. 23’ south, and had 14 deg. 43’ east variation.  On the 19th, we found that the variation had increased, in a run to the eastward of 25 leagues, to 17 deg. 30’ east.

On the 22d, we had several good distances of the sun and moon, and found our longitude to be at noon 280 deg. 22’ east, by the time-keeper 281 deg. 08’ east, and by account 283 deg. 09’ east; the latitude was 57 deg. 15’ south; the variation of the compass increased very fast as we approached Cape Horn, being now 20 deg. 30’ east; and on the next day (23d) 22 deg. 30’ east; but a table of the variation will be inserted at the end of the chapter, where it will appear at one view.

We now very frequently fell in with high islands of ice.  On the 24th, we had fresh gales with hazy and cold weather, and met so many ice islands, that we were frequently obliged to alter our course to avoid them.  On the 25th, we had strong gales with very heavy and frequent squalls:  as we were now drawing near Cape Horn, and in all the charts of Terra del Fuego which I had seen, there is an island laid down, bearing from the Cape about south-south-west, and called Diego Ramirez, distant from the land ten or twelve leagues; and as I do not find that the existence of such an island has ever been contradicted by any person who has sailed round this promontory, I determined to keep as near as possible in its parallel, the wind being from west-north-west to west-south-west, and the weather rather hazy; if I should make it, I could pass either within or without, as might be convenient; and it would be as good a land-fall as the Cape itself, as, in case the wind should incline to the southward, we should have offing enough to clear the land, which, to us who were upon a service that would not admit of any loss of time, was of consequence.