As the wind remained invariably fixed at east, and E. by S. I continued to stand to the south; and on the 17th, between eleven and twelve o’clock, we crossed the Antarctic circle in the longitude of 39° 35ʹ east; for at noon we were by observation in the latitude of 66° 36ʹ 30ʺ south. The weather was now become tolerably clear, so that we could see several leagues round us; and yet we had only seen one island of ice since the morning. But about four P. M. as we were steering to the south, we observed the whole sea in a manner covered with ice, from the direction of S. E. round by the south to west. In this space, thirty-eight ice islands, great and small, were seen, besides loose ice in abundance, so that we were obliged to luff for one piece, and bear up for another, and as we continued to advance to the south, it increased in such a manner, that at 3/4 past six o’clock, being then in the latitude of 67° 15ʹ south, we could proceed no farther; the ice being entirely closed to the south, in the whole extent from east to W. S. W., without the least appearance of any opening. This immense field was composed of different kinds of ice, such as high ills, loose or broken pieces packed close together, and what, I think, Greenlandmen call field-ice. A float of this kind of ice lay to the S. E. of us, of such extent that I could see no end to it, from the mast-head. It was sixteen or eighteen feet high at least; and appeared of a pretty equal height and surface. Here we saw many whales playing about the ice, and for two days before had seen several flocks of the brown and white pintadoes, which we named Antarctic peterels, because they seem to be natives of that region. They are undoubtedly of the peterel tribe; are in every respect shaped like the pintadoes, differing only from them in colour. The head and fore-part of the body of these are brown; and the hind-part of the body, tail and ends of the wings, are white. The white peterel also appeared in greater numbers than before; some few dark grey albatrosses, and our constant companion the blue peterel. But the common pintadoes had quite disappeared, as well as many other sorts, which are common in lower latitudes. CHAP. III. SEQUEL OF THE SEARCH FOR A SOUTHERN CONTINENT BETWEEN THE MERIDIAN OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE AND NEW ZEALAND; WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE SEPARATION OF THE TWO SHIPS, AND THE ARRIVAL OF THE RESOLUTION IN DUSKY BAY.