which we now were was thickly covered with ice
islands, but had no field ice, and we pushed on boldly as before. The
cold did not seem to increase, although we had snow very frequently,
and now and then hail squalls of great violence. Immense flocks of
the albatross flew over the schooner this day, going from southeast to
northwest.

January 7.--The sea still remained pretty well open, so that we had
no difficulty in holding on our course. To the westward we saw some
icebergs of incredible size, and in the afternoon passed very near one
whose summit could not have been less than four hundred fathoms from
the surface of the ocean. Its girth was probably, at the base,
three-quarters of a league, and several streams of water were running
from crevices in its sides. We remained in sight of this island two
days, and then only lost it in a fog.

January 10.--Early this morning we had the misfortune to lose a man
overboard. He was an American named Peter Vredenburgh, a native of New
York, and was one of the most valuable hands on board the schooner. In
going over the bows his foot slipped, and he fell between two cakes
of ice, never rising again. At noon of this day we were in latitude 78
degrees 30', longitude 40 degrees 15' W. The cold was now excessive, and
we had hail squalls continually from the northward and eastward. In
this direction also we saw several more immense icebergs, and the whole
horizon to the eastward appeared to be blocked up with field ice, rising
in tiers, one mass above the other. Some driftwood floated by during
the evening, and a great quantity of birds flew over, among which were
nellies, peterels, albatrosses, and a large bird of a brilliant blue
plumage. The variation here, per azimuth, was less than it had been
previously to our passing the Antarctic circle.

January 12.-Our passage to the south again looked doubtful, as nothing
was to be seen in the direction of the pole but one apparently limitless
floe, backed by absolute mountains of ragged ice, one precipice of which
arose frowningly above the other. We stood to the westward until the
fourteenth, in the hope of finding an entrance.

January 14.-This morning we reached the western extremity of the field
which had impeded us, and, weathering it, came to an open sea, without a
particle of ice. Upon sounding with two hundred fathoms, we here found
a current setting southwardly at the rate of half a mile per hour. The
temperature of the air wa