February 1, off Kerguelens Land
This island was discovered by Kerguelen a French Navigator who, on his return to France published a grossly exaggerated account of its capabilities & extent. In the year 1776 Captain Cook visited it; & called it "The Land of Desolation," from its dead & inhospitable appearance...

Captain Cook spent five weeks round its shores... In Lat. 78° Ross found an impenetrable barrier of ice, and also discovered land with burning volcanoes on it: 10,000 ft. high. The French, Russians; & Americans have each succeeded in sailing within the Antarctic Circle but never reached so high as Ross. Our Captain expects to reach Lat 65° S. but his orders forbid him from forcing his way through the outer Ice barrier, for he will only have 3 months provisions left then, and dare not risk being frozen in.

On the 8th of Jan. we left Xmas harbour, and anchored the same night in Betsy Cove, a snug harbour named after some whale ship.... Just abreast of where we are anchored, on a prominent hummock of land were 7 or 8 gravestones, we were greatly surprised to see them when we first entered the harbour, they stand upright, & being painted white, are very conspicuous long before a ship is near enough to see what they are. They have been erected by whalers who rendezvous in this harbour, to the memory of their ship-mates who have died or been drowned off the island. They are made of ship's timber, well shaped, painted &, I need not say holw solitary & desolate they look in this dismal spot. They are all Enlish & American, some of them dating back to 1840, & nearly all read after this description—In memory of George Eccles, Second Mate of the Barque,  “Julius Caesar" who was drowned whilst whaling off Desolation Island, May 1863. “And so he bringeth them into the haven where they would be."