JE:NOVEMBER 1774: Being now perfectly ready for Sea, we got every thing on board, and sailed from Queen Charlotte Sound on the 10th of November, steering in the Latitude of 55° and 53° without any thing remarkable until we [reached] Cape Deseada on the Coast of Terra del Fuego, which we arrived in sight of on the 17th of December, we kept as close in with the Land as we could, Surveying and examining the whole Coast until we came to an opening which looked likely to prove a good Harbour, and such a one as Capt. Cook wished to find for the purpose of refitting the Ship, Wooding and Watering.

On the 20th December therefore, we entered it, a fine Harbour and a large Sound containing several fine Harbours, which Capt. Cook called Christmas Sound, in Lat. 55° 27' Long. 70° 16' W. Here we spent our Christmas Day, and as we had Roast Goose and Goose Pye and Boiled Goose, we enjoyed ourselves greatly...

Here we met with a tree, the bark of which resembled Cinnamon, and to us equally as good, and we took much of it on board.

The whole Country here is covered with Ice and Snow, to near the borders of the Shores, so that it looks compleatly barran, only just in the Bays.

We left Christmas Sound on the 28th Dec. and coasted it along shore, Surveying it as we went on, and on the 29th we past the Famous Cape Horn, and entered once more the Southern Atlantic Ocean. It is the Most Southern Point of Land, on a group of Islands of different sizes, and is in Lat. 55° 58' Long. 68° 13' W.

After passing Cape Horn, we steered to the N.E. for the Strait, Le Maire, and here we sent a boat ashore, in Success Bay, which both in going and returning, met with such numbers of Whales as to strike their oars on their backs. (Here it is, Where they have since Established their Southern Whale Fishery.)

JANUARY 1775: When the boat came on board we steered Eastward round Staten Land, surveying it as we went on, and on the 3rd Jany. 1775, we anchored in New Year Harbour (so called by Cook), toward the East End of Staten Land. It is found by an Island from which, as we ran along, we heard loud roarings, like wild beasts¹, for we could see neither people nor smoke.

CJC: That there may be a continent, or large tract of land, near the pole, I will not deny; on the contrary, I am of opinion there is; and it is probable that we have seen a part of it. The excessive cold, the many islands and vast floats of ice, all tend to prove that there must be land to the south; and for my persuasion that this southern land must lie, or extend, farthest to the north, opposite to the Southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans, I have already assigned some reasons; to which I may add the greater degree of cold experienced by us in these seas, than in the Southern Pacific Ocean under the same parallels of latitude.

In this last ocean, the mercury in the thermometer seldom fell so low as the freezing-point, till we were in 60° and upwards; whereas in the others it fell as low in the latitude of 54°. This was certainly owing to there being a greater quantity of ice, and to its extending farther to the north, in these two seas than in the South Pacific; and if ice be first formed at, or near land, of which I have no doubt, it will follow that the land also extends farther north.

JE:We sailed the next day, working round the end of the land, and left it altogether on the 4th, steering to the Eastward until the 14th, when we discovered a New Island, which Capt. Cook called the Island of South Georgia². The North End of it is in Lat. 54° Long. 38° 23' W., but except a small Island off the North End, which appeared green, the Whole Island was covered with Snow, the Bays filled with Ice...

We ran nearly round the Island, so as to fix its size, surveying it as we went along, and left it on the 24th. We steered S.E. and then South, in to the Latitude of 60°, when we were stopped by Large Ice Islands, Field and loose Ice. There we stood away to the N.E., passing many Large Ice Islands, and much loose Ice, until the morning of the 31st. The weather being very thick and foggy, most providentially cleared up for a short time, when the Man on the look out called out, Land Ahead. The ship was instantly hauled to the Wind, and soon after tacked, within a mile and half of the Rocks, which could not have been more than 2 miles off from the bearing I took when first seen, and which Cook called Freezeland Peak [after the seaman, Samuel Freezland, who sighted it].

CJC: The formation or coagulation of ice islands has not, to my knowledge, been thoroughly investigated. Some have supposed them to be formed by the freezing of the water at the mouths of large rivers, or great cataracts, where they accumulate till they are broken off by their own weight. My observations will not allow me to acquiesce in this opinion: because we never found any of the ice which we took up incorporated with earth, or any of its produce, as I think it must have been, had it been coagulated in land waters. It is a doubt with me, whether there be any rivers in these countries. It is certain, that we saw not a river, or stream of water, on all the coast of Georgia, nor on any of the southern lands. Nor did we ever see a stream of water run from any of the ice islands. How are we then to suppose that there are large rivers? The valleys are covered, many fathoms deep, with everlasting snow; and, at the sea, they terminate in icy cliffs of vast height. It is here where the ice islands are formed; not from streams of water, but from consolidated snow and sleet, which is almost continually falling or drifting down from the mountains, especially in the winter, when the frost must be intense. During that season, the ice-cliffs must so accumulate as to fill up all the bays, be they ever so large. This is a fact which cannot be doubted, as we have seen it so in summer. These cliffs accumulate by continual falls of snow, and what drifts from the mountains, till they are no longer able to support their own weight; and then large pieces break off, which we call ice-islands...

Lands doomed by nature to perpetual frigidness; never to feel the warmth of the sun's rays; whose horrible and savage aspect I have not words to describe --- such are the lands we have discovered; what then may we expect those to be which lie still farther to the south? For we may reasonably suppose that we have seen the best, as lying most to the north. If any one should have resolution and perseverance to clear up this point by proceeding farther than I have done, I shall not envy him the honour of the discovery; but I will be bold to say, that the world will not be benefited by it.

JE:FEBRUARY 1775: As soon as the Ship was about we saw Land of an Immense Height all along to Leeward, so high that we appeared looking to our own Mast heads, and which to our surprize we must have been running by the side of, some hours.

Finding that we could not clear the Land, we tacked and stood to the North, as it was very unsafe to stay long in our present situation. Therefore we do not know how far South it may go, or what it may be connected with. It is more than probable that this Land is connected with a Continent around the South Pole --- that must be determined by some future Navigators, and under more favourable circumstances.

Capt. Cook called the Southern part the Thule, as being the most Southern Land yet discovered. It appeared of vast height, and entirely covered with Snow, and the Shores and Bays filled with Ice. Some small Islands that we saw off it shewed a green surface, but it does not appear that any thing but Lions, Seals, Penguins, and so on can live on it.

The Thule is in Lat. 59° 40' Long. 27° 40' W.; the Northern Large Island (as we supposed) in Lat. 57° 40' Long. 26° 45', and two small Islands, called Candlemass Islands in Lat. 57°, Long. 27° 5' W., so that the Whole takes in Two degrees and a half of Latitude. (Capt. Cook calls the Whole Country Sandwich Land).

But how broad we know not, for we did not see the Eastern side of it, but left it on the 6th Feby., steering to the N.E. passing many Ice Islands, and much loose Ice. The last we saw was in Lat. 51°. On the 6th of Feby. we experienced so heavy a fall of Snow, that it filled and adhered so much to the Sails as to oblige us to throw the ship up in the Wind occasionaly, otherwise she would have overset.

We continued steering Eastward, experiencing some severe gales of wind (but gales of wind were nothing to us, so I have seldom noticed them) until the 23rd Feby., when having run directly over the spot where we saw the Large Quantity of Ice (when we first left the Cape of Good Hope) [we knew we had] supposed Land without having seen the least vestige. The last Ice Island we saw on this side was in Lat. 52° 52'.

MARCH 1775: We hauled up to the Northward, still looking for Land as we went, but now every body began to be anxious to get to Port, as we were all reduced to the Ship's provisions in all respects, and that now grown very stale and bad and without nourishment.

On the 16th March saw two Sail under Dutch Colours. On the 17th Capt. Cook called every body on the Quarter deck, and informed us that He was ordered by the Lords of the Admiralty to require every Officer and Gentleman, on their word of Honor, to give up to him all our Charts, drawings, Journals, Log Books, etc., and that he must search the Men's chests for such things. According, every thing was given up, and sealed up by Capt. Cook, so that I can safely say that notwithstanding all the pains I had taken, the next day I had not a figure to shew, any more than if I had never been on the Voyage³.

We sent a Boat on board one of the Dutch Men, who kindly supplied us with several articles of Provisions, and informed us that the Adventure had arrived at the Cape of Good Hope a year before, and that one of her Boats Crews had been all Killed and Eat by the New Zealanders at Queen Charlotte Sound --- so here the Mystery of the Story about Killing was accounted for.

On the 18th we saw three Sail more, and one of them, the True Britton, Capt. Broadly, from China, bore down to us, confirmed the story of the Adventure to us, and kindly supplied us with Tea, Sugar, and other articles that we stood in much need of.

And on Wednesday, 22nd of March, we anchored safe in Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, after encountering a Hurricane of Wind for a few hours, after an absence from it (or any other European Port) Two Years and Four Months. So that the face of a European was a curiousity to us.

But here it is necessary to observe that by sailing Eastward round the World, we had gained a day upon the rest of the World, so it was only the 21st with them, so that we were obliged to drop a day, and take up theirs, by which means I always say we have a day more in our lives than other people. We had sailed Twenty Thousand Leagues - that is Sixty Thousand Miles - a distance nearly equal to three times round the Globe.

In the harbour they found several Dutch ships, some French, and the Ceres, Captain Newte, an English East India Company's ship from China, bound directly to England, by whom they sent a copy of the preceding part of this journal, some charts, and other drawings, to the Admiralty. Before they had well got to an anchor, the Captain dispatched an officer to acquaint the governor with their arrival, and to request the necessary stores and refreshments, which were readily granted.

The day after Captain Cook's arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, he waited on the governor, Baron Plettenberg, and other principal officers, who received and treated him with the greatest politeness.

They had only three men on board, whom it was thought necessary to send on shore for the recovery of their health; and for these the Captain procured quarters at the rate of thirty stivers, or half a crown per day, for which they were provided with victuals, drink, and lodging.

At this port, Mr Sparman left the ship, conceiving himself not handsomly treated at different times by the elder Mr Forster.

On examining the rudder, it was found necessary to un-hang it, and take it on shore to repair. They were also delayed for want of caulkers. At length they obtained two workmen from one of the Dutch ships; and the Dutton English East Indiaman coming in from Bengal, Captain Rice obliged Captain Cook with two more, so that by the 26th of April this work was finished; and having got on board all necessary stores, and a fresh supply of provisions and water, they took leave of the governor and the next morning repaired on board.

JE:Having got every thing compleated and ready for Sea, we sailed from the Cape of Good Hope on the 27th April, in company of a Spanish and Danish Frigate, and the Dutton East India Man. The two former ran out on each side of us, and saluted us, Music playing on board the Dane all the time. This was done in compliment to Capt. Cook, and had a very pretty effect. We returned the salute, and in this way for some hours, The Frigates left us, and We steered for St Helena in a streight line, trusting to our Watch and Lunar Observations.

The day before we saw St Helena the Dutton spoke to us and said that they were afraid that we should miss the Island, but Capt. Cook laughed at them, and told them that he would run their jibboom on the Island if they chose, and on the 15th May we saw the Land, and anchored in the Bay before the Town in the Evening.

MAY 1775: This is an Island that most of the India Ships stop at, as well as Men of War, in their passage home. About 30 Miles around, and looks beautiful from the Ship. The Beef is very good, and you may get part Vegetables, and excelent Water. The Women are very Pretty, and the People generaly hospitable.

Having taken in part Water, and so on, we left St. Helena on the 21st of May, and steered for the Island of Ascension, and on the 28th anchored in Cross Bay, where we found an American Schooner, waiting to smuggle with the India Men. This is an uninhabited Island, 10 Miles long, and of no use but to catch Turtle at. We sent parties on shore every night to the 31st, when we left the Island, steering to the N.W.

JUNE 1775: On the 9th June we made the Island of Fernando do Noronha in Lat 3° 53' S., Long. 32° 34' W., on the coast of Brazil. From here we steered away for the Azores, and on the 14th July anchored in Fayal Bay.

JULY 1775: Here we got plenty of Beef, Pork, Poultry, Fruit, Vegetables and Wine. Mutton not good. Here and at other Islands in View of this are several Convents for Nuns. In this Island alone, they have 3 Convents for Men, and 2 for Women, and 8 Churches. We spent some hours every day in talking at the grates to two beautiful Spanish Nuns. Not a Glass Window in the Place except in the Churches and the House of the English Consul. All the others are latticed, which gives them the appearance of prisons.

We left this place on the 19th July, and steered for England, and on the 29th made the Land near Plymouth. The next day, 30th, we anchored safe at Spithead, after an absence from England of Three Years and Eighteen Days.

Captain Cook went ashore in Portsmouth, and set out for London, in company with Messrs Wales, Forster, and Hodges. On the 9th of August, he was promoted to the rank of Post Captain, in acknowledgment of his eminent services and brilliant discoveries.

"... Capt. Cook had the goodness to ask me to breakfast with him on a certain day, and he would give me back my Chart with the Ship's track, and all my drawing - a very great pleasure to me, and a favour that I don't believe any one else received. I attended to his invitation, and did receive my Chart etc., with my Name, Elliott's Chart and Ship's Track, written on it in his own hand, and which writing I venerate to this day, and can never look at without feeling the deepest regret at the melancholy loss of so great a Man".

© 1999 Michael Dickinson

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