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The following year a second voyage was
planned, again primarily for sealing, but this time it was
agreed that Weddell would attempt to search beyond those
efforts of earlier sealers. On September 17, 1822 the
Jane, manned by 22 men along with the 65 ton
Beaufoy, with 13 men under the command of Matthew
Brisbane, departed from England. Due to the inadequate size
of the ships, along with poor provisions, the task ahead was
difficult. Between 1820 and 1822 no less than six sealing
vessels had shipwrecked in the South Shetlands. The
Jane, in particular, received significant damage to
her planking and stem due to the severe weather. There was
plenty of rum for the sailors (3 glasses a day), but the
food was inadequately supplied from the onset. Rations had
to be halved while wintering in the Falkland Islands and
scurvy was a constant threat although only one crewman
died. Weddell
was an explorer at heart. The accuracy of his observations
and the charts prepared of the South Orkneys proved he was a
man who admired accuracy and despised the wild and
unsubstantiated claims made by some of the earlier
explorers. Even though there were tremendous problems
confronted by the expedition, Weddell, much like
Cook
before him, was a great leader of men. The men were cheerful
and willing to work despite all the hardships. After
stopping at Madeira and Bona Vista, Weddell crossed the
equator on November 7 and sailed on to the Falkland Islands
for repairs arriving on December 19. On December 30, both
ships sailed south and reached the eastern end of the South
Orkneys on January 13, 1823. Finding few seals Weddell
decided to search further south. Slowly the two vessels made
their way south experiencing difficulties with fog and
icebergs along the way. By January 27, Weddell turned north
once again as, after all, he was to hunt for seals and thus
far his cargo hold was essentially empty. Hoping to find
land between the South Orkneys and South Shetlands, Weddell
sailed to within 100 miles of Sandwich Land where he came
close enough to Cook's route to know he would not find land
where he had hoped to. It was on February 4 that Weddell
decided to head south once again. Brisbane bravely agreed
and in the dark and foggy weather the two ships began their
historic journey. Both
crews suffered from the intense cold and fog. Weddell did
what he could for them but the small ships were constantly
battered by the gales which kept them in a perpetual state
of dampness. The weather eventually cleared and at noon on
February 20 Weddell determined his position to be some 214
miles further south than Cook had achieved. The weather was
now extraordinarily clear and mild. Four icebergs were
sighted but there was no land in sight. Due to the lateness
of the season, along with Weddell's possible doubts of there
being any land at the pole, Weddell took advantage of the
favorable winds and headed north. The crew was naturally
disappointed in his decision but Weddell gave a speech to
the crew praising their efforts and congratulating them on
penetrating further south than anyone before them. Weddell
named the waters King George IV's Sea. After sheltering at
South Georgia and wintering at the Falklands, the ships
sailed for the South Shetlands in October 1823. They were
struck by a violent hurricane and upon reaching the islands
they discovered a thick ice pack surrounding them so on the
18th of November, Weddell turned to the west to search for
seals around Cape Horn. Both ships eventually returned to
England in July 1824. It is
sad to note that no other ship has successfully sailed the
same route as Weddell to substantiate his claim but there
seems to be no reason to disbelieve him. It was a record
southing that would not be broken until Wilhelm Filchner
succeeded nearly 100 years later in 1911. Jane
and Beaufoy in the Weddell Sea
James Weddell joined the Navy in 1796 and
by 1815 had risen to the rank of Master earning him high
marks from his superiors in the process. In 1819 he joined
the Merchant Service and was introduced to a shipwright
named James Strachan who, along with several other partners,
owned a 160 ton brig. Weddell persuaded Strachan to give him
command of the ship for a sealing expedition to the newly
discovered South Shetland Islands. Even though Weddell was
new to sealing, Strachen went along with the plans due to
Weddells Antarctic training while in the Navy. Little is
known about this voyage other than Weddell actually visited
the group as well as the South Orkney Islands recently found
by Powell and Palmer. Weddell returned in 1821 but it was an
unprofitable venture due to insufficient cargo. 
Weddell continued as Master of various trading
vessels, but in 1829 was wrecked in the Azores and was only
saved by lashing himself to a rock. His last voyage was to
New South Wales and Tasmania in 1830-32. He died in London
in relative poverty at the age of 47.