and saw no more shags.  The succeeding day and night we spent in making short boards; and at eight o’clock on the 24th, judging ourselves not far from the rocks by some straggling shags which came about us, we sounded in sixty fathoms water, the bottom stones and broken shells.  Soon after, we saw the rocks bearing S.S.W. 1/2 W., four miles distant, but still we did not see the peak.  It was, no doubt, beyond our horizon, which was limited to a short distance; and, indeed, we had but a transient sight of the other rocks, before they were again lost in the fog.

With a light air of wind at north, and a great swell from N.E., we were able to clear the rocks to the west; and, at four in the p.m., judging ourselves to be three or four leagues east and west of them, I steered south, being quite tired with cruizing about them in a thick fog; nor was it worth my while to spend any more time in waiting for clear weather, only for the sake of having a good sight of a few straggling rocks.  At seven o’clock, we had at intervals a clear sky to the west, which gave us a sight of the mountains of the isle of Georgia, bearing W.N.W., about eight leagues distant.  At eight o’clock we steered S.E. by S., and at ten S.E. by E., with a fresh breeze at north, attended with a very thick fog; but we were, in some measure, acquainted with the sea over which we were running.  The rocks above-mentioned obtained the name of Clerke’s Rocks, after my second officer, he being the first who saw them.

CHAPTER VI.

_ Proceedings after leaving the Isle of Georgia, with an Account of the Discovery of Sandwich Land; with some Reasons for there being Land about the South Pole_.

1775 January

On the 25th, we steered E.S.E., with a fresh gale at N.N.E., attended with foggy weather, till towards the evening, when the sky becoming clear, we found the variation to be 9 deg. 26’ E., being at this time in the latitude of 56 deg. 16’ S., longitude 32 deg. 9’ W.

Having continued to steer E.S.E., with a fine gale at N.N.W., till day-light next morning, on seeing no land to the east, I gave orders to steer south, being at this time in the latitude of 56 deg. 33’ S., longitude 31 deg. 10’ W. The weather continued clear, and gave us an opportunity to observe several distances of the sun and moon for the correcting our longitude, which at noon was 31 deg. 4’ W., the latitude observed 57 deg. 38’ S. We continued to steer to the south till the 27th, at noon, at which time we were in the latitude of 59 deg. 46’ S., and had so thick a fog that we could not see a ship’s length.  It being no longer safe to sail before the wind, as we were to expect soon to fall in with ice, I therefore hauled to the east, having a gentle breeze at N.N.E.  Soon after the fog clearing away, we resumed our course to the south till four o’clock, when it returned again as thick as ever, and made it necessary for us to haul upon a wind.