We continued our westerly course till eight o’clock in the evening, when we steered N.W., the point on which I reckoned the above-mentioned cape to bear.  At midnight we fell in with loose ice, which soon after obliged us to tack, and stretch to the southward.  At half an hour past two o’clock in the morning of the 31st, we stood for it again, thinking to take some on board, but this was found impracticable; for the wind, which had been at N.E, now veered to S.E., and increasing to a fresh gale, brought with it such a sea as made it very dangerous for the ships to remain among the ice.  The danger was yet farther increased by discovering an immense field to the north, extending from N.E. by E. to S.W. by W. farther than the eye could reach.  As we were not above two or three miles from this, and surrounded by loose ice, there was no time to deliberate.  We presently wore; got our tacks on board; hauled to the south, and soon got clear; but not before we had received several hard knocks from the loose pieces, which were of the largest sort, and among which we saw a seal.  In the afternoon the wind increased in such a manner, as to oblige us to hand the top-sails, and strike top-gallant-yards.  At eight o’clock we tacked and stood to the east till midnight; when being in the latitude of 60 deg. 21’ S., longitude 13 deg. 32’ E, we stood again to the west.

1773 January

Next day, towards noon, the gale abated, so that we could carry close-reefed top-sails.  But the weather continued thick and hazy, with sleet and snow, which froze on the rigging as it fell, and ornamented the whole with icicles; the mercury in the thermometer being generally below the freezing point.  This weather continued till near noon the next day; at which time we were in the latitude of 59 deg. 12’ S.; longitude 9 deg. 45’ E.; and here we saw some penguins.

The wind had now veered to the west, and was so moderate, that we could bear two reefs out of the top-sails.  In the afternoon, we were favoured with a sight of the moon, whose face we had seen but once since we left the Cape of Good Hope.  By this a judgment may be formed of the sort of weather we had since we left that place.  We did not fail to seize the opportunity to make several observations of the sun and moon.  The longitude deduced from it was 9 deg. 34’ 30” E. Mr Kendal’s watch, at the same time, giving 10 deg. 6’ E., and the latitude was 58 deg. 53’ 30” S.

This longitude is nearly the same that is assigned to Cape Circumcision; and at the going down of the sun we were about ninety-five leagues to the south of the latitude it is said to lie in.  At this time the weather was so clear, that we might have seen land at fourteen or fifteen leagues distance.  It is, therefore very probable, that what Bouvet took for land, was nothing but mountains of ice, surrounded by loose or field-ice.  We ourselves were undoubtedly deceived by the ice-hills, the day we first fell in with the field-ice.  Nor was it an improbable conjecture,