to black,
and it had white eye-brows. We began to see these birds about the time of
our first falling in with the ice islands; and some have accompanied us
ever since. These, and the dark-brown sort with a yellow bill, were the
only albatrosses that had not now forsaken us.

At four o'clock p.m. we hoisted in the boats, and made sail to the S.E.,
with a gentle breeze at S. by W., attended with showers of snow.

On the 13th, at two o'clock a. m. it fell calm. Of this we took the
opportunity to hoist out a boat, to try the current, which we found to set
N.W. near one-third of a mile an hour. At the time of trying the current, a
Fahrenheit's thermometer was immerged in the sea 100 fathoms below its
surface, where it remained twenty minutes. When it came up, the mercury
stood at 32, which is the freezing point. Some little time after, being
exposed to the surface of the sea, it rose to 33-1/2, and in the open air
to 36. The calm continued till five o'clock in the evening, when it was
succeeded by a light breeze from the S. and S.E., with which we stood to
the N.E. with all our sails set.

Though the weather continued fair, the sky, as usual, was clouded. However,
at nine o'clock the next morning, it was clear; and we were enabled to
observe several distances between the sun and moon. The mean result of
which gave 39 deg. 30' 30" E. longitude. Mr Kendal's watch at the same time
gave 38 deg. 27' 45" which is 1 deg. 2' 45" W. of the observations; whereas, on the
3d instant, it was half a degree E. of them.

In the evening I found the variation by the
mean of azimuths taken with Gregory's
compass to be 28 deg. 14' 0"

By the mean of six azimuths by one of Dr
Knight's 28 32 0

And by another of Dr Knight's 28 34 0

Our latitude at this time was 63 deg. 57', longitude 39 deg. 38-1/2"

The succeeding morning, the 15th, being then in latitude 63 deg. 33' S., the
longitude was observed by the following persons, viz.

Myself, being the mean of six distances of
the sun and moon 40 deg. 1' 45" E.

Mr Wales, ditto 39 29 45

Ditto, ditto 39 56 45

Lieutenant Clerke, ditto 39 38 0

Mr Gilbert, ditto 39 48 45

Mr Smith, dit