Between eight in the morning of the 26th, and noon the next day, we fell in among several islands of ice; from whence such vast quantities had broken as to cover the sea all round us, and render sailing rather dangerous.  However, by noon, we were clear of it all.  In the evening the wind abated, and veered to S.W. but the weather did not clear up till the next morning, when we were able to carry all our sails, and met with but very few islands of ice to impede us.  Probably the late gale had destroyed a great number of them.  Such a very large hollow sea had continued to accompany the wind as it veered from E. to S.W. that I was certain no land of considerable extent could lie within 100 or 150 leagues of our situation between these two points.

The mean height of the thermometer at noon, for some days past, was at about 35, which is something higher than it usually was in the same latitude about a month or five weeks before, consequently the air was something warmer.  While the weather was really warm, the gales were not only stronger, but more frequent, with almost continual misty, dirty, wet weather.  The very animals we had on board felt its effects.  A sow having in the morning farrowed nine pigs, every one of them was killed by the cold before four o’clock in the afternoon, notwithstanding all the care we could take of them.  From the same cause, myself as well as several of my people, had fingers and toes chilblained.  Such is the summer weather we enjoyed!

1773 March

The wind continued unsettled, veering from the south to the west, and blew a fresh gale till the evening.  Then it fell little wind, and soon after a breeze sprung up at north, which quickly veered to N.E. and N.E. by E., attended with a thick fog, snow, sleet, and rain.  With this wind and weather we kept on to the S.E., till four o’clock in the afternoon of the next day, being the first of March, when it fell calm, which continued for near twenty-four hours.  We were now in the latitude of 60 deg. 36’ S., longitude 107 deg. 54’, and had a prodigious high swell from the S.W., and, at the same time, another from the S. or S.S.E.  The dashing of the one wave against the other, made the ship both roll and pitch exceedingly; but at length the N.W. swell prevailed.  The calm continued till noon the next day, when it was succeeded by a gentle breeze from S.E., which afterwards increased and veered to S.W.  With this we steered N.E. by E., and E. by N., under all the sail we could set.

In the afternoon of the 3d, being in latitude 60 deg. 13’, longitude 110 deg. 18’, the variation was 39 deg. 4’ W. But the observations, by which this was determined, were none of the best, being obliged to make use of such as we could get, during the very few and short intervals when the sun appeared.  A few penguins were seen this day, but not so many islands of ice as usual.  The weather was also milder, though very changeable; thermometer from 36 to 38.  We continued to have a N.W. swell, although the wind was unsettled, veering to N.W. by the W. and N., attended with hazy sleet and drizzling rain.