d have missed it, though it were ever
so small. Besides, from the time of leaving the southern lands, we had
not met with the least signs of any other. But even suppose we had, it
would have been no proof of the existence of Cape Circumcision; for I am
well assured that neither seals nor penguins, nor any of the oceanic
birds, are indubitable signs of the vicinity of land. I will allow that
they are found on the coasts of all these southern lands; but are they
not also to be found in all parts of the southern ocean? There are,
however, some oceanic or aquatic birds which point out the vicinity of
land; especially shags, which seldom go out of sight of it; and gannets,
boobies, and men-of-war birds, I believe, seldom go very far out to sea.

As we were now no more than two degrees of longitude front our route to
the south, when we left the Cape of Good Hope, it was to no purpose to
proceed any farther to the east under this parallel, knowing that no
land could be there. But an opportunity now offering of clearing up some
doubts of our having seen land farther to the south, I steered S.E. to
get into the situation in which it was supposed to lie.

We continued this course till four o'clock the next morning, and then
S.E. by E. and E.S.E., till eight in the evening, at which time we were
in the latitude of 55 deg. 25' S., longitude 23 deg. 22' east, both deduced from
observations made the same day; for, in the morning, the sky was clear
at intervals, and afforded an opportunity to observe several distances
of the sun and moon, which we had not been able to do for some time
past, having had a constant succession of bad weather.

Having now run over the place where the land was supposed to lie,
without seeing the least signs of any, it was no longer to be doubted
but that the ice-islands had deceived us as well as Mr Bouvet. The wind
by this time having veered to the north, and increased to a perfect
storm, attended as usual with snow and sleet, we handed the top-sails
and hauled up E.N.E. under the courses. During the night the wind
abated, and veered to N.W., which enabled us to steer more to the north,
having no business farther south.

CHAPTER VII.

_Heads of what has been done in the Voyage; with some Conjectures
concerning the Formation of Ice-Islands; and an Account of our
Proceedings till our Arrival at the Cape of Good Hope._

1775 February

I had now made the circuit of the southern ocean in a high latitude,