The malignity of the air in that part of Asia is not confined to the island of Java, but pervades the whole Archipelago south of the equator, of which it is a part. When the ships were returning home on the third voyage undertaken by Captain Cook, they no sooner entered the straits of Banca than the men began to experience the powerful effects of that pestilential climate. Two of the people on board the Discovery fell dangerously ill of malignant putrid fevers, which, however, were prevented from spreading by putting the patients apart from the rest, in the most airy births: many were attacked with teazing coughs, others complained of violent pains in the head, and even the most healthy felt a sensation of suffocating heat, together with an insuperable languor, and total loss of appetite. [Horneman. Jackson. Cook. CHAP. XXXVII. DEGREES AND EFFECTS OF SEVERE SECTION I. Cold of the South Polar Regions. WE have observed in a preceding chapter, that high southern latitudes are visited with a severer degree of cold than equal latitudes towards the north pole, and have pointed out the probable cause. Yet, whatever the cause may be, the difference is very great; thus Glasgow, in Scotland, is situated just about the same northern latitude as Cape Horn is in the southern, whilst the win. ters in the first are attended with a less degree of cold than many summer days in the latter. The island of Terra del Fuego, although never visited by European navigators but in the summer months, is described as among the most dreary and desolate spots of the habitable earth, and the few inhabitants upon it as the most niserable and destitute of the human race. The sufferings which Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. Solander, and their company endured, when embarked with Captain Cook on board the Endeavour, on this coast, near Strait le Maire, in January 1768, which is the height of summer in that hemisphere, answering to July in the northern, prove the changeableness of the weather, and severity of the cold. Sir Joseph (then Mr.) Banks, and Dr. Solander, were desirous of availing themselves of a fine day, which, in that climate, is very rare, even at that time of the year, to explore a country which had never been visited by any botanist. For this purpose, they went on shore early in the morning, being twelve in company. They presently found great and unexpected impediments in their progress, by deep swamps and thick underwood, so that it was three o'clock in the afternoon before they could ascend a mountain of moderate height; when suddenly the air, which had been till then serene and mild, became cold and piercing, and snow began to fall; notwithstanding which, they proceeded, in expectation of reaching the rocky part of the hill, that lay before them at a small distance. Their perseverance, indeed, was rewarded by their finding a variety of undescribed plants; but the day, however, was now so far spent that it was impossible to returu to the ship that night; while the cold had by this time become very intense, and such large quantities of snow had fallen, that the most dreary prospect presented itself. Whilst they were proceeding in search of the nearest valley, Dr. Solander, who was well acquainted with the effects of intense cold, having passed over the mountains that divide Sweden and Norway, represented to the company the necessity they were under of continuing in motion, however they might feel themselves attacked by a lassitude and sluggishness; and assured them, that whoever sat down would sleep, and whoever slept would wake no more. They had not proceeded far before the effects apprehended began to be felt, and he, who had thus cautioned others, was the first to declare himself unable to observe his own precept; at length, overcome by a stupor, he threw himself on the ground, although it was covered with snow. A black servant of Mr. Banks, named Rich. mond, next yielded to this fatal propensity. In this distress, five of the company were sent forward to make a fire at the first con venient place they could find, whilst the rest continued with the doctor, making use of every means to keep him awake. The poor negro was so overcome with fatigue, that being told he must keep in motion or he would be frozen to death, replied that he desired only to lie down and die. At length all the endeavours of the company became ineffectual; their whole strength was not suffi cient to carry their two exhausted companions, so that they were suffered to sit down, and in a short time they fell into a profound sleep. In a few minutes afterwards, news was brought that a fire was kindled at the distance of about a quarter of a mile. Dr. Solander was then waked with great difficulty; but during his short sleep, his muscles were become so contracted, that his shoes fell off his feet, and he had almost lost the use of his limbs; but all attempts to wake the servant were ineffectual: two men, who seemed to have suffered the least by the cold, were left to look after him, and in a short time, two others were sent to their relief; one of the former rejoined the company, but the other was quite insensible; their companions, therefore, made them a bed of boughs, and spread the same covering over them to a considerable height, and in that situation left them to their fate. The company passed the remainder of the night in a dreadful situation, round the fire. They supposed themselves at a great distance from the ship, their way stretched through a trackless wood, and they were unprovided with refreshments, their only provisions being a vulture, which they had shot in the course of their journey. Nor did the dawn of day remove their apprehensions; for at the approach of light nothing presented itself to their view but a dreary expanse of snow. It was not till six o'clock in the morning that they could discover the place of the sun through the clouds, which then began to disperse. With foreboding apprehensions they went in search of poor Richmond and the other man, whom they found quite dead; a dog, which belonged to one of them, was, however, still alive and standing close by his master's corpse, which he unwillingly left to follow the company. The hardy nature of this animal enabled him to brave the severity of the weather, and he was for several years afterwards alive in England. About eight o'clock the snow began to melt, and the company determined upon setting forward. Their hunger by this time be came outrageous; having, therefore, skinned their vulture, they divided it into ten parts, every man dressing his own share for himself. This scanty meal, which only furnished each person with a few mouthfuls, being finished, they quitted the fire-side about ten o'clock, and, no less unexpectedly than joyfully, reached the beach where the ship lay in about three hours; for upon tracing their advances toward the hill the day before, they found, that, instead of ascending in a direct line, they had almost gone round it. How much is the world indebted to men of science, who will brave all the dangers of the most inhospitable climes to enlarge the stores of human knowledge! The next voyage which Captain Cook conducted was that in which he a second time circumnavigated the globe. The principal object of it was to explore the high southern latitudes, and to ascertain with precision how far it was possible to penetrate toward the south pole. For this purpose two ships were fitted out, the Resolu tion and Adventure; of the latter, Captain Furneaux had the command. In perusing the account of this most important enterprize, curiosity and astonishment are ever on the wing whilst following the daring course of British mariners over a watery expanse which no keel had ever cut before, and which may perhaps never again be traversed through all the periods of recording time. The learned reader may therefore feel himself inclined to exclaim with Horace- Illi robur, et æs triplex Circa pectus erat, qui fragilem truci Primus, &c. Or oak, or brass with triple fold Must have mortal's daring breast enroll'd, Who first to OCEAN's barbarous rage FRANCIS. Roggewein, a Dutch navigator of considerable note, had sailed so far to the southward as to approach very near to the Antarctic circle, but Captain Cook proceeded beyond it, and penetrated near five degrees farther toward the south pole. Indeed, during the voyage he three times passed the Antarctic: the first time was in the year 1773, in longitude 39° 35′ E. when he proceeded to 67° 35′ S. the second and third times were in the year 1773 and 1774, he then crossed it in 147° 46′ west longitude (December 20th) and proceeded to about 132°, and afterwards in 109° 31′ W. (January 26th, 1774.) In this third attempt to proceed southward, on the 25th of January, the mildest sunshine was enjoyed that had perhaps ever been experienced in the frigid zone, which led Captain Cook to enter. tain hopes of penetrating as far toward the south pole as other navigators had done towards the north pole; but the next day, about four in the morning, his officers discovered a solid ice-field of immense extent before them, which bore from east to west. A bed of fragments floated all round this field, which seemed to be raised several feet high above the level of the water. Whilst in this situ ation, the southern part of the horizon was illuminated by the rays of light reflected from the ice, to a considerable height. Ninetyseven ice islands were distinctly seen within the field, beside those on the outside; many of them very large, and looking like a ridge of mountains, rising one above another till they were lost in the clouds. The outer, or northern edge, of this immense field, was composed of loose or broken ice close packed together, so that it was not possible for any thing to enter it. Such mountains of ice as these, Captain Cook believed were never seen in the Greenland seas, so that no comparison can be drawn between the ice here and there; and it was the opinion of most on board, that this ice ex. tended quite to the pole, to which they were then within less than nineteen degrees; or perhaps joined to some land to which it had been fixed from the earliest time; and that it is to the south of this parallel that all the ice is formed, which is found scattered up and down to the northward, and afterward broken off by gales of wind, or other causes, and brought forward by the currents which were always found to set in that direction in high latitudes. Some penguins were heard even here, but none seen, and few other birds, or any thing that could lead to a supposition that there was any land near: however, Captain Cook conceived that there must be land to the south behind this ice. "But if there is," says he, " it can afford no better retreat for birds, or any other animals, than the ice itself, with which it must be wholly covered: I, who was ambitious, not only of going farther than any one had been before, but as far as it was possible for man to go, was not sorry at meeting with this interruption; as it in some measure relieved us, at least |