It is true, however, that the greatest part of this southern continent (supposing there is one) must lie within the polar circle, where the sea is so pestered with ice that the land is thereby inaccessible. The risk one runs in exploring a coast, in these unknown and icy seas, is so very great, that I can be bold enough to say that no man will ever venture farther than I have done; and that the lands which may lie to the south will never be explored. Thick fogs, snow-storms, intense cold, and every other thing that can render navigation dangerous, must be encountered; and these difficulties are greatly heightened, by the inexpressibly horrid aspect of the country; a country doomed by nature never once to feel the warmth of the sun’s rays, but to lie buried in everlasting snow and ice. The ports which may be on the coast, are, in a manner, wholly filled up with frozen snow of vast thickness; but if any should be so far open as to invite a ship into it, she would run a risk of being fixed there for ever, or of coming out in an ice-island. The islands and floats on the coast, the great falls from the ice-cliffs in the port, or a heavy snow storm attended with a sharp frost, would be equally fatal. After such an explanation as this, the reader must not expect to find me much farther to the south. It was, however, not for want of inclination, but for other reasons. It would have been rashness in me to have risked all that had been done during the voyage, in discovering and exploring a coast, which, when discovered and explored, would have answered no end whatever, or have been of the least use, either to navigation or geography, or indeed to any other science. Bouvet’s discovery was yet before us, the existence of which was to be cleared up; and besides all this, we were not now in a condition to undertake great things; nor indeed was there time, had we been ever so well provided. These reasons induced me to alter the course to E., with a very strong gale at N., attended with an exceedingly heavy fall of snow. The quantity which lodged in our sails was so great, that we were frequently obliged to throw the ship up in the wind to shake it out of them, otherwise neither they nor the ship could have supported the weight. In the evening it ceased to snow; the weather cleared up; the wind backed to the W.; and we spent the night in making two short boards, under close-reefed top-sails and fore-sail. At day-break on the 7th, we resumed our course to the E., with a very fresh gale at S. W. by W., attended by a high sea from the same direction. In the afternoon, being in the latitude of 58° 24ʹ S., longitude 16° 19ʹ W., the variation was 1° 52ʹ E. Only three ice-islands seen this day. At eight o’clock, shortened sail, and hauled the wind to the S. E. for the night, in which we had several showers of snow and sleet.