Next morning fresh gales and hazy weather; saw a seal and several pieces of weed.  At noon, latitude 51 deg. 12’, longitude 173 deg. 17’ W. The wind veered to the N. and N.E. by N., blew a strong gale by squalls, which split an old topgallant sail, and obliged us to double-reef the top-sails; but in the evening the wind moderated, and veered to W.N.W., when we loosed a reef out of each top-sail; and found the variation of the compass to be 9 deg. 52’ E., being then in the latitude 51 deg. 47’, longitude 172 deg. 21’ W., and the next morning, the 18th, in the latitude of 52 deg. 25’, longitude 170 deg. 45’ W., it was 10 deg. 26’ E. Towards noon, had moderate but cloudy weather, and a great swell from the west:  Some penguins and pieces of sea-weed seen.

On the 19th, steered E.S.E, with a very fresh gale at north, hazy dirty weather.  At noon, latitude 53 deg. 43’, longitude 166 deg. 15’ W.

On the 20th, steered E. by S., with a moderate breeze at north, attended with thick hazy weather.  At noon, latitude 54 deg. 8’, longitude 162 deg. 18’ W.

On the 21st, winds mostly from the N.E., a fresh gale attended with thick, hazy, dirty weather.  Course S.E. by S.; latitude, at noon, 55 deg. 31’, longitude 160 deg. 29’; abundance of blue peterels and some penguins seen.

Fresh gales at N.W. by N. and N. by W., and hazy till towards noon of the 22d, when the weather cleared up, and we observed in latitude 55 deg. 48’ S., longitude 156 deg. 56’ W. In the afternoon had a few hours calm; after that, the wind came at S.S.E. and S.E. by S. a light breeze, with which we steered east northerly.  In the night the aurora australis was visible, but very faint, and no ways remarkable.

On the 23d, in the latitude of 55 deg. 46’ S., longitude 156 deg. 13’ W., the variation was 9 deg. 42’ E. We had a calm from ten in the morning till six in the evening, when a breeze sprung up at west; at first it blew a gentle gale, but afterwards freshened.  Our course was now E. 1/2 N.

On the 24th, a fresh breeze at N.W. by W. and N. by W. At noon, in latitude 55 deg. 38’ S., longitude 153 deg. 37’ W., foggy in the night, but next day had a fine gale at N.W., attended with clear pleasant weather; course steered E. by N. In the evening, being in the latitude of 55 deg. 8’ S., longitude 148 deg. 10’ W., the variation, by the mean of two compasses, was 6 deg. 35’ E.

Having a steady fresh gale at N.N.W. on the 26th and 27th, we steered east; and at noon on the latter were in latitude 55 deg. 6’ S., longitude 138 deg. 56’ W.

I now gave up all hopes of finding any more land in this ocean, and came to a resolution to steer directly for the west entrance of the Straits of Magalhaeus, with a view of coasting the out, or south side of Terra del Fuego round Cape Horn to the strait Le Maire.  As the world has but a very imperfect knowledge of this shore, I thought the coasting of it would be of more advantage, both to navigation and to geography, than any thing I could expect to find in a higher latitude.  In the afternoon of this day, the wind blew in squalls, and carried away the main top-gallant mast.