fell in with a great number of
very high ice islands. Here also we met with divers and seals. We
had got but a very small distance to the eastward of the cape,
when the winds inclined to the northward, and from that to the
north-east, and blew a fresh gale.

From the 27th of November until the 12th of December, we had
the wind constantly in the north-east quarter, which I believe to
be rather uncommon near Cape Horn for such a length of time; as
ships in general, that are bound into the south sea, find it
rather tedious getting to the westward round this cape.

The ship's company now began to show much disposition to the
scurvy, and what made it more distressing, we had nothing in the
ship with which we could hope to check the progress of that
destructive disease, except a little essence of malt, that we
continued to serve to the ship's company. We had only to hope for
a speedy passage to the Cape of Good Hope, where we should,
without a doubt, with the good things which were to be had there,
be able to re-instate their health perfectly: I was so far from
being surprised at this appearance of the scurvy amongst the
company of the Sirius, so soon after leaving her port, that it
was with me rather a matter of wonder that it had not shown
itself sooner; and so it must be with every person who considers
how they had lived since we left the Cape outward bound; during
that time (about 13 or 14 months) they had not tasted a bit of
fresh provisions of any kind, nor had they touched a single blade
of vegetables.

We began now to be subject to hazy moist weather, with
frequent very thick fogs; the latitude 55 deg. 30' south, and
longitude 306 deg. 00' east; the weather was very cold, and very
high islands of ice were seen in every quarter, some of a
prodigious size: for fourteen days after we got to the eastward
of Cape Horn, we were beating to the north-east, anxious to get
so far to the northward as to feel the influence of the summer
sun, by which it was to be hoped and expected our scorbutic
patients might be much relieved. In latitude 52 deg. 30' south,
and longitude 318 deg. 20' east, the wind inclined to the
southward of east, with hazy moist weather, and we steered to the
north-east. We found many large whales here; they seemed to go in
droves of from five and six to fifteen and twenty together,
spouting within a cable's length of the ship, and sometimes so
near that it would have been no difficult matter to harpoon