noon
As we approached this space we took in sail by degrees , and having at length got clear , lay-to under a single reefed foresail . January 2 . -- We had now tolerably pleasant weather . At noon we found ourselves in latitude 69 degrees 10 ' S , longitude 42 degrees 20 ' W , having crossed the Antarctic circle . Very little ice was to be seen to the southward , although large fields of it lay behind us . This day we rigged some sounding gear , using a large iron pot capable of holding twenty gallons , and a line of two hundred fathoms . We found the current setting to the north , about a quarter of a mile per hour .