At eight o’clock, we brought to under a point of the ice, where we had smooth water: and I sent on board for Captain Furneaux. After we had fixed on rendezvouses in case of separation, and some other matters for the better keeping company, he returned on board, and we made sail again along the ice. Some pieces we took up along-side, which yielded fresh water. At noon we had a good observation, and found ourselves in latitude 54° 55ʹ south. We continued a S. E. course along the edge of the ice till one o’clock, when we came to a point round which we hauled S. S. W., the sea appearing to be clear of ice in that direction. But after running four leagues upon this course, with the ice on our starboard side, we found ourselves quite embayed; the ice extending from N. N. E. round by the west and south, to east, in one compact body. The weather was indifferently clear; and yet we could see no end to it. At five o’clock, we hauled up east, wind at north, a gentle gale, in order to clear the ice. The extreme east point of it, at eight o’clock, bore E. by S., over which appeared a clear sea. We however spent the night in making short boards, under an easy sail. Thermometer, these 24 hours, from 32 to 30. Next day, the 15th, we had the wind at N. W., a small gale, thick foggy weather, with much snow; thermometer from 32 to 27; so that our sails and rigging were all hung with icicles. The fog was so thick, at times, that we could not see the length of the ship; and we had much difficulty to avoid the many islands of ice that surrounded us. About noon, having but little wind, we hoisted out a boat to try the current, which we found set S. E. near 3/4 of a mile an hour. At the same time, a thermometer, which in the open air was at 32°, in the surface of the sea was at 30°; and, after being immerged 100 fathoms deep for about 15 or 20 minutes, came up at 34°, which is only 2° above freezing. Our latitude at this time was 55° 8ʹ. The thick fog continued till two o’clock in the afternoon of the next day, when it cleared away a little, and we made sail to the southward, wind still at N. W., a gentle gale. We had not run long to the southward before we fell in with the main field of ice, extending from S. S. W. to E. We now bore away to east along the edge of it; but at night hauled off north, with the wind at W. N. W., a gentle gale attended with snow.