e wind continued at south, blew a
fresh gale, fair and cloudy weather, till near noon the next day, when we
had clear sun-shine, and found ourselves, by observation, in the latitude
of 58 deg. 31' S., longitude 26 deg. 57' E.

In the course of the last twenty-four hours we passed through several
fields of broken loose ice. They were in general narrow, but of a
considerable length, in the direction of N.W. and S.E. The ice was so close
in one, that it would hardly admit the ship through it. The pieces were
flat, from four to six or eight inches thick, and appeared of that sort of
ice which is generally formed in bays or rivers. Others again were
different; the pieces forming various honey-combed branches, exactly like
coral rocks, and exhibiting such a variety of figures as can hardly be
conceived.

We supposed this ice to have broke from the main field we had lately left;
and which I was determined to get to the south of, or behind, if possible,
in order to satisfy myself whether or not it joined to any land, as had
been conjectured. With this view I kept on to the westward, with a gentle
gale at south, and S.S.W., and soon after six o'clock in the evening, we
saw some penguins, which occasioned us to sound; but we found no ground
with 150 fathoms.

In the morning of the 27th, we saw more loose ice, but not many islands;
and those we did see were but small. The day being calm and pleasant, and
the sea smooth, we hoisted out a boat, from which Mr Forster shot a penguin
and some peterels. These penguins differ not from those seen in other parts
of the world, except in some minute particulars distinguishable only by
naturalists. Some of the peterels were of the blue sort, but differed from
those before-mentioned, in not having a broad bill; and the ends of their
tail feathers were tipped with white instead of dark-blue. But whether
these were only the distinctions betwixt the male and female, was a matter
disputed by our naturalists. We were now in the latitude of 58 deg. 19' S.,
longitude 24 deg. 39' E., and took the opportunity of the calm, to sound; but
found no ground with a line of 220 fathoms. The calm continued till six in
the evening, when it was succeeded by a light breeze from the east, which
afterwards increased to a fresh gale.

In the morning of the 28th I made the signal to the Adventure to spread
four miles on my starboard beam; and in this position we continued sailing
W.S.W., until four o'clock in the a