UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES
^'^^ie^ ^' WQ-.'cltjjL^A^ L
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7'
ANTARCTICA
ANTARCTICA
BY
EDWIN SWIFT BALCH
A. B. (Harvard); Member Philadelphia Bar; Appalachian Mountain Club;
Franklin Institutk; American Philosophical Societv ; Cor. Mem.
SOCIEDAD Cientifica Antonio Alzate, Me.\ico ; WvOMINli
Historical and Geological Society, Wilkes-Barre;
Author of " Mountain Exploration,"
"Glaci6res or Freezing Caverns," etc.
Philadelphia
PRESS OF ALLEN, LANE & SCOTT
1902
Copyright, 1902, by
EUWIN SWIFT BALCH.
<i3
CO
•J
^ TO THE MEMORY OF
-^ CHARLES WILKES, NATHANIEL B. PALMER,
g THE AMERICAN SEALERS,
O AND THE
t-J
O
OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY,
WHO EXPLORED THE ANTARCTIC.
t:49318
"The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast
And southward aye we fled.
"And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wondrous cold :
And ice, mast high, came floating by.
As green as emerald.
"And through the drifts the snowy clifts
Did send a dismal sheen :
Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken —
The ice was all between.
' ' The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around :
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound ! "
Coleridge.
CONTENTS.
-4«»—
PAGB.
Introduction 9
I. The legendary "Terra Australis Incognita"
AND VOYAGES LEADING FROM A BELIEF TO A
DISBELIEF IN IT II
II. Voyages up to and including the discovery
OF THE continent OF ANTARCTICA 73
iii. v'oyages subsequent to the discovery of
the continent of antarctica i67
Index 215
MAPS.
Reproduction of a portion of "chart of South
Shetland" by George Powell . . . Facing page 96
Reproduction of a portion of the charts pub-
lished BY Lieutenant Wilkes and Sir J. C.
Ross Facing page 184
Chart of Antarctica At end of volume.
INTRODUCTION.
This monograph orig-inated in a letter — asserting
the discovery by Americans of the South Polar conti-
nent — which I wrote to The Nation, New York, and
which was published in that paper and also in The
Evening Post, New York, on May loth, 1900. The
difficulty of obtaining accurate information about the
Antarctic induced further research, the results of
which were embodied in a paper " Antarctica, a his-
tory' of Antarctic Discovery." This, through the
kindness of Mr. F. Lynwood Garrison and Dr. Will-
iam H. Wahl, was published in The Jorirnal of the
Frayiklin Institute, 1901, Vol. CLI., pages 241-262,
321-341, 413-428, Vol. CLII., pages 26-45; and of
this paper the present book is an enlargement, con-
taining a number of changes and corrections and
much additional material collected in some of the
more important European libraries.
Nevertheless, it is impossible that this work should
be complete or more than approximately accurate.
The records of the Antarctic are lamentably imper-
fect, except in the case of the few national expedi-
tions and of one or two of the sealing voyages. Of
some of the latter only brief notes were published ;
of others, accounts possibly remain in the shape of
log books still in manuscript; while of others, doubt-
less all trace has disappeared. Then again the rarer
books and documents are not found in any one spot.
This prevents in many cases verifying the quotations
and data, jotted down in pencil from the originals
in various libraries, by referring anew to the origi-
nals, and a certain number of errors due to mistakes
in transcription are therefore unavoidable. It is
hoped, however, that this book is a step towards
clearing up the story of the Antarctic, and especially
that it may incite other geographers to make further
researches into the original records.
A number of gentlemen have helped me in one
way or another. I am especially indebted to Mr.
Henryk Arctowski, of Brussels; Mr. J. Bruggeman,
of the Hague ; Dr. Frederick A. Cook, of Brooklyn ;
Professor George Davidson, of San Francisco ; Mon-
sieur Graz, of Paris; Mr. George C. Hurlbut and
Mr. V. H. Paltsits, of New York City ; Mr. G. W.
Littlehales and Mr. P. Lee Phillips, of Washington,
D. C. ; Mr. J. T. Kiernan and Mr. P. H. Tufts, of
Cambridge, Mass. ; Dr. W. E. Peschel and Dr. Ar-
tluir Richter, of Dresden; Mr. J. P. de Sauvage, of
Leyden ; Captain C. C. Todd, of the United States
Navy; and Mr. A. J. Drexel-Biddle, Mr. Edward
Miles, Mr. Bunford Samuel, and Mr. Harvey M.
Watts, of Philadelphia.
ANTARCTICA.
I.
THE LEGENDARY "TERRA AUSTRALIS INCOGNITA" AND
VOYAGES LEADING FROM A BELIEF TO A DISBELIEF
IN IT.
"Antarctica" is a term which is slowly coming into
use to designate the continent which probably extends
across the regions of the South Pole. The word itself
is an old one, since one of the letters of Amerigo
Vespucci was issued at Strasburg in 1505 under the
title of Be [De] Ora Antarctica. As a proper name,
"Antarctica" is recent, but it seems probable that it
will be adopted generally for the lands around the
South Pole; the expression "the Antarctic" con-
tinuing to be used as the appellation of the entire
region, including lands, islands, ice and ocean. While
both terms are still somewhat vague, the last one is
especially so, for geographers are not yet agreed as
to the limits of the Antarctic. It undoubtedly includes
everything south of 60° south latitude, but probably
an irregular line of demarcation would represent its
area more accurately : for it seems as if Bouvet and
12 ANTARCTICA.
Kerguelen Islands and South Georgia, for many rea-
sons, such as their fauna, their climate and their physi-
cal characteristics, belonged to the Antarctic proper.
However this may be, and whatever the limits event-
ually assigned to austral regions by geographers,
the term "the Antarctic" will be used in this mono-
graph to designate the south polar region, including
Bouvet and Kerguelen Islands and South Georgia, as
a whole, and the term "Antarctica" will be used to
designate the great mass or masses of land in the
nei<rhborhood of the South Pole itself
There is, however, a lacuna in antarctic nomencla-
ture which slowly forced itself to my notice while
attempting to unravel somewhat the tangled antl im-
perfect records of south polar exploration, and that
is that there is no generic name, either for the lands
south of Australia or for the lands south of South
America. For the name "Antarctic Continent" given
by Wilkes when he, first of all men, became aware
that there was a continent in the neighborhood of the
South Pole, must be held to include the lands south of
South America, as well as those south of Australia :
and moreover the name "Antarctic Continent" is
rapidly becoming superseded, as a generic term, by
the shorter "Antarctica." The want of a name for the
lands south of South America, however, is especially
troublesome, for all the names at present in use —
South Shetland, Louis Philippe Land, Palmer Land,
Foyn Land, Graham Land, Alexander Land — are
EAST ANTARCTICA, WEST ANTARCTICA. 1 3
Strictly local. It is necessary, therefore, to find
some term in place of the cumbersome phrases "the
lands south of Australia" and "the lands south of
South America" and taking North America and
South America as models, it seems as if " East Ant-
arctica " and "West Antarctica" answered the neces-
sity satisfactorily. It remains to be seen whether
other geographers will see fit to adopt these terms,
but they will be used in this monograph for the sake
of convenience, brevity and clearness.'
' Sir Clements R. Markham, the President of the Royal Geo-
graphical Society, proposed in 1 899 ( The Geographical Journal,
1899, Vol. XIV., pages 473-481 : " The Antarctic Expeditions,")
to divide the Antarctic into four quadrants, each covering ninety
degrees of longitude, and to bear Englisli names. On the score
of convenience, this proposal has nothing to recommend it : for
there is no way by which anyone can associate the positions of
these so called quadrants with the proposed names. On the score
of justice, this suggestion is even worse : for it is evidently abso-
utely unfair that only English names should be commemorated.
If any such arrangement were ever adopted, it should be so only
by an international agreement, and international courtesy would
certainly require that the names of Bellingshausen, D'Urville and
Wilkes should be remembered. It is inconceivable, however, that
geographers will adopt as it stands this unique proposition.
Edward Stanford, 12, 13 and 14, Long Acre, London, W. C. ,
published a " Soutli Polar Chart" on 22nd July 1901, showing
Sir C. R. Markham' s quadrants. In refreshing contrast is the
map published in The Graphic, London, August 10, 1901, Vol.
LXIV, page 172, by Dr. J. Scott Keltie, the able Secretary of
the Royal Geographical Society. This gentleman marks Wilkes
Land and divides the Antarctic into ' ' German Sphere of Explora-
tion" and " British Sphere of E.xploration."
14 ANTAKCTICA.
Of no part of the world is so little known as about
the Antarctic, and about none has there been so little
interest taken. This is probably due, partly to its dis-
tance from the centers of thought, and partly also to
its lack of life, both of animals and of men. The hu-
man interest is entirely absent in the desolate wastes
of the South Pole, and not the least curious fact con-
nected with them is that there is no apparent record
of any woman having passed beyond 60° south lati-
tude. How great a part of the world's surface still
remains unexplored may be gathered from the fact,
so well explained by Dr. Reiter,^ that the continent of
Antarctica may be about as large as the portion of
South America extending from Cape Hoorn to Manaos
and at its widest point from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Dr. Supan^ also gives a clue as to tlie dimensions
of the unknown south, when he says that " the en-
tirely unknown Arctic is at least as big as European
Kussia, while the unknown Antarctic is twice as big
as Europe."
That this continent was bigger in former aeons
scarcely admits a doubt.' In all probability Ant-
'' Zeilschn/t fiir wissc?isckaft/icJte Geographic, Woimar, VI.,
1888, pages 1-30: — Reitcr, Dr. Hans: " Die Siidpolaifiagc uiul
ihre Bedeutung fur die genetische Gliederung der Erdoberflache."
This paper is illustrated with a chart sliovving the probable outlines
of Antarctica.
^ Dr. A. Pctcrvtami s Milleilungen, Gotha, 43 Band, 1897,
pages 15-18: — Siiijan, Alex. : "Unbekannte Polargebiete."
* This paragraph is founded on Mr. Forbes' interesting
paper : Annual Report of the Board of Regents of the Smithson-
SIZE AND FORMER EXTENSION OF ANTARCTICA. 1 5
arctica has been connected with South America, Aus-
tralia and New Zealand, and South Africa: most
likely not with all three at the same time. This is
evidenced by the living and fossil faunas and floras
of these lands. For instance, in the ostrich group,
there are living the ostrich in Africa, the rhea in South
America, the emu in Australia, the cassowary in New
Guinea ; and there are extinct the aepyornis in Mada-
gascar, the brontornis in Patagonia, the moa in New
Zealand, and the dromormis in Australia. The owl-
parrots and keas of New Zealand resemble the macaws
of South America. The southern salmon and south-
ern pikes are common to New Zealand, Patagonia
and the Falklands. Among plants " the genus cryto-
carya of the perseacece is common to New Zealand,
South Africa and South America, while among the
genera of other families we find some occurring in
Africa, or Madagascar and Australia, some in Tasma-
nia and South America only ; while others crop up in
South Africa and Australia, or New Zealand, or in
New Zealand and South America only." In fact it is
highly probable that many forms of terrestrial life had
ian Institution, to July 1894 ; Washington, Government Print-
ing Office, 1896, pages 297-316: — Forbes, Henry O. : "Ant-
arctica, a vanished austral land." Reprinted from the Fort-
nightly Review, February, 1894, Vol. LV., New Ser. , No. 126.
There is also a note on the similarity of some earth worms in
New Zealand, Patagonia, and South Georgfia in Nature, London
& New York, Vol. LIII., 1 895-1 896, page 129: — Beddard, Frank
E. : "The former northward extension of The Antarctic Conti-
nent."
1 6 ANTARCTICA.
the original center of their development and dispersal
in Antarctica.
That some great land existed near the South Pole
seems to have been guessed at centuries ago. It is
hard to see on what the belief rested, but it lasted
until Captain Cook's second voyage. The ancients
surmised that land existed somewhere below the
Equator and this belief descended as a sort of legend
in books and maps.^ There is no apparent evidence,
however, to show that, before the third voyage of
Amerigo Vespucci, any ideas about the far southern
regions were based on anything but imagination.
It is possible that a Chaldaean, Seleukos, started the
idea of a southern continent. Dr. Ruge," a careful
student, tells us that Seleukos was an inhabitant of
the town of Seleukeia on the Tigris, and that he lived
between about 170 B. C. and 125 B. C. Dr. Ruge's
' There are at least three vakiable bibliographies of papers and
books about the Antarctic :
Chavanne, Dr. Josef; Karpf, Dr. Alois; LeMonnier, Franz,
Ritter von : Die Literatur uber die Polar Rcgionen der Erde ;
Wien, 1878; Verlag der K. K. Geog. Ges. oder bci Ed. Holzel:
(Soc. de G6og. Paris).
Scottish Geographical Magazine, Vol. XIV., Edinburgh, 1898,
pages 563-570: — Bartholomew, J. G. , F. R. S. E., Hon. Sec.
R. S. G. S. : "Antarctic Bibliography."
The Antarctic Manual, London, Royal Geographical Society,
1901 ; pages 515-580: — Mill, Dr. Hugh Robert: "A Bibliography
of Antarctic E.xploration and Research."
* Ruge, Dr. Sophus : Der Chaldder Seleukos, Dresden, G.
Schijnfeld, 1865: (British Museum).
BELIEFS OF THE ANCIENTS. 1 7
researches led him to the conclusion' "that the last
provable source for the hypothesis of Ilipparchus,
Marinus and Ptolemy is to be found in Seleukos.
The Babylonian is therefore the oldest savant, who
set forth a closed-in southern sea."
Hipparchus is supposed to have believed in a
southern continent. At least Vivien de Saint Mar-
tin^ published a map "Carte d'Hipparque vers
150 av. J. C." in which the African coast extends
east from Zanzibar, runs beyond Taprobane (India)
and then rejoins Asia, forming a closed Erythryan
Sea.
Aristotle" speaks of two segments of the habitable
earth, of which one is towards the north, and the other
towards the south.
Dr. Franz Wieser'" says that Krates, Eratosthenes,
in fact the Alexandrine philosophers, believed in
' Der Chaldder, etc., page 22.
* Atlas dressB pour V Histoire de la Geographic, etc., Paris,
Hachette, 1874; Planche II., No. VI.
^ Aristotelis Opera Onuiia, etc. * * * Authore Guilleimo
Du Val * * * Lutetiae * * =i= MDCXIX. : (Lib. Co.
Pliiladelphia) : " Meteorologicorum," Lib. II., Chap. V. : "Nam
cum terrae habitabilis segmenta duo sint, & altera ad sublimiorem
verticem qui apud nos est, altera ad alterum & meridiem posita
sit, atque tympani speciem praeferat, talem profecto terrae fig-
uram linea £l centro ipsius ductae dissecant, atque turbines duos
efficiunt : " etc.
'° Wieser, Dr. Franz : Magalhah Strasse iind Austral Conti-
nent an/ den Globen des Johannes Schbner, Innsbruck, Wagner' -
schen Universitaets-Buchhandlung, 1881, page 59.
1 8 ANTARCTICA.
southern lands. Mr. R. H. Major" states that Aratus,
Strabo, and Geminus held opinions similar to Aris-
tode.
There is a paragraph in Pomponius Mela'* saying
that the earth is divided into five zones, of which the
middle one is burnt up with heat, those at the ends
are frigid with a terrific cold, and that of the remaining
two we inhabit one and our antipodes the other.
In Macrobius*^ also there is a passage which seems
to indicate that he held a similar belief.
" Major, R. H. : Early Voyages to Terra Aiistrah's, now called
Australia, London * * * Hakluyt Society, MDCCCLIX.,
page xiii.
" Dionysii Alex, et Pomp. Melae Situs orbis descriptio. In
Melam annotationes Joannis Oliuarii, Henricus Stephanus,
MULXXVII.: and Pompoiiii 3Iclae, De Situ orbis Libri III. :
(Lib. Co. rhiladelphia).
Pompotiius Mela, traduit en Franjais, * * * par C. P.
Fradin, Paris, 1S04: (Lib. Co. Philadelphia): Lib. I., Chap. I.
" lluic medio terra sublimis cingitur undique mari : eodenique in
duo latera, quae Hemisphaeria nominantur, ab oriente divisa ad oc-
casuni, zonis quinque distinguitur. Mediam aestus infestat, frigus
ultimas : reliquae habitabilis paria agunt anni tempora, verum non
pariter. Antichthones alteram, nos alteram incolimus. Illius situ
ob ardorem intercedentis plagae incognito, hujus dicendus est."
" Macrobius : Franciscus Eysenhardt rccognovit ; Lipsiae,
B. G. Teubneri, MDCCCLXVIIL : " Ambrosii Theodosii Mac-
robii viri clarissimi et illustris comnientariorum in somnium
Scipionis" ; Libri II., 9.
Macrobii Ambrosii Aurelii, viri consularis & illustris, hi
Somnium, Scipionis, Lib. II., etc., Lugduni, apud Ant.
Gryphium, MDLXXXV. : (Lib. Co. Philadelphia). On page
91 is a map, which had been published already in earlier editions,
showing an antipodal frigid land.
BELIEFS IN THE MIDDLE AGES. 1 9
Manilius" wrote that there is a southern habitable
land, and that it lies under our feet.
Dr. Werner"^ states that Baeda Venerabilis, who
was born probably in 672 and died May 26, 735,
believed apparently that the poles were regions of
eternal cold, because the sun never shone there. In
the north he thought there was an ocean, but in the
south a great land.
Professor Fellner'® says that Rhabanus Maurus was
born in 776 or 788, was chosen Abbot of Fulda in
822, and died in 856 at Mainz. His principal work
was Dc Univcrso. He mentioned three inhabited parts
of the world, Europe, Asia and Africa, and wrote
further:" "Besides the three named parts of the
^^ M. Manili Astronomicon, Heidelberg, 1590; and the same,
Lugduno Batauae, 1600: (Lib. Co. Philadelphia). Liber I., line
234, et scq. :
' ' Ex quo colligitur Terrarum forma rotunda,
Hanc circum variae gentes hominum atque ferarum,
Aeriaeque colunt volucres, pars eius ad Arctos
Eminet. Austrinis pars est habitabilis oris,
Sub pedibusque iacet nostris, supraque videtur
ipsa sibi fallente solo declinia longa,
Et pariter surgente via, pariterque cadente."
"Werner, Prof. Dr. Karl: Beda der Ehwilrdige und seine
Zeit^ Wien, Wilhelm Braumiiller, 1875, page no: (Kon. Oef.
Bib. Dresden). Dr. Werner drew his material from Bede's
works : De Natiira reruvt ; De temporibus ; De temponirn
ratio7ie ; De ratione computi.
"Fellner, Professor Stefan, Benediktiner des Stiftes Schotten
in Wien : Compendium der Naturwisscnschafteti aji der Sclmle
zu Fulda im JX. Jahrhtmdert ; Berlin, Theobald Grieben, 1879.
" Co7npendiutn, etc., page 104.
20 ANTARCTICA.
earth, there lies a fourth on the other side of the
ocean in the south. According to fable it is inhabited
by the Antipodes : on account of the heat of the sun
it is unknown to us."
Dr. Werner'* says that Guillaume de Conches, a
philosopher and cosmographer of the first half of the
twelfth centur}^ believed that there were two conti-
nents on the unknown parts of the earth. He thought
that an ocean belted the world at the equator, and
that one of these continents was in the southern
hemisphere.
Professor Schmidt'^ states that Albertus Magnus
was perhaps a personal friend of Dante, and that in
his principal work, De Nat. loc. i, c. 7,-'* for various
reasons, Albertus considered that the western portion
of the earth must contain a great land reaching from
north to south. Guessing a little more, Albertus as-
sumed that the warmth of the sun would bring forth
living organisms, that therefore there must be por-
tions of the world benefiting by these conditions, and
^* Sitziingsbcrichtc der Kaiserlichcn Akadcmie der Wissen-
schaftcn : Philosophisch-Hisiorischc Classc,'^\&\, 1873; LXXV.
Band, III. Heft, Jahrgang 1873, December; pag^es 309-403: —
Werner, Prof. Dr. Karl: "Die Kosniolojjie und Naturlehre des
Scholastichen Mitlelalters mit spezieller Beziehung auf Wilhelm
von Conches"; page 373 : (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden).
".Schmidt, Prof. Wilhelm : Ucbcr Dante' s Slc/hnijr in die Gc-
schichtedcr Kosmographic : " Erster Theil ; DieSchiift De Aqua
et Terra" ; Graz, K. K. zweiten Gymnasium zu Graz, 1876.
^Ueber Dante' s, etc., page 25.
BELIEFS IN Till; MIDDLE AGES. 2 1
thai ihc deserts alone stopped intercourse with the
peoples inhabiting these lands.
Dr. Werner*' writes that Roger Bacon held that the
greatest part of the southern hemisphere must be
land.
Dr. Peschel^ says that in early Christian times there
was an idea prevalent that there must be less water
than land on the earth, as it would have been to
doubt the wisdom of the Creator to think that there
was not as much habitable as uninhabitable space.
Some of the Arab geographers believed in a
southern land. LeleweF^ reconstructs the maps of
Abu Rihan, Birunensis, 1030. In the " Ouadrans
Habitabilis " a coast line stretches from about Zanzi-
bar, called Sofala, due east as far as the longitude of
the coast of China ; it then turns south again.
" Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserliclien Akademie der Wissen-
schaften : Philosophisch-Historische Classc ; Wien, 94 Band,
Jahrgang 1879; Heft I., II.:— Werner, Prof. Dr. Karl: "Die
Kosmologie und allgemeine Naturlehre des Roger Baco," pages
603, 604.
About the character and works of Bacon, see the address by-
Thomas Balch : Report on the Twenty Fourth Exhibition * * *
from November 14. to December 2, 1854, * * * (Jj/ the
Fratiklin Institute, * * * and the Address delivered at the
close- of the exhibition by Thomas Balch, Esq. ; pages 79-84 ;
Philadelphia, Barnard & Jones, 1855.
"Peschel, Oscar: Geschichte der Erdhinde, Miinchen, J. G.
Cottaschen Buchhandlung, 1865, pages 327-330.
"^ Lelewel, Joachim : Geographic du Moyen Age : Bruxelles,
V' et J. J. Pillet, 1852 ; also Epilogue, 1857 ; and Atlas, 1850,
Planche V. : (K6n. Oef. Bib. Dresden).
22 ANTARCTICA.
There is a little map, said to be now in Copenhagen,
and which I have seen only in the facsimile of Jomard."
It is considered to be of the tenth century, and to be
Icelandic in origin. There are only four names on it:
Europe, Asia, Africa and " Synn Bygd." The latter
term has been assumed by some to mean a southern
land, but this necessitates a lively imagination. The
natural inference would seem to be that " Synn Bygd "
refers to the Norse discoveries in North America.
This also appears to be the opinion of Mr. Karl
Wilhelmi.^' Mr. John OTarrell, of Philadelphia, has
suggested a new explanation of this map, and that is
that it is Irish. He submitted the name "Synn Bygd"
to two Irish speaking persons, who pronounced it
"Shin begweed " and said it meant "this place is
unexplored " or " this place is not known."
There is an early map in the Biblioteca Reale
in Turin, which I have seen only in the facsimi-
les published by Santarem,-'^ Jomard" and Cortam-
" Jomard [Edme Franjois] : Les Momimcnts dc la Gcogra-
phie; Sheet XIII., Map No. 3 : (Pub. Lib. Boston).
" Wilhelnii, Karl : Island, Hvitmannaland, Gronland und
Vinland, oder der Normanner Leben auf Island und Gronland
und deren Fahrten nach Amerika : Heidelberg:, J- C. B. Mohr,
1842 : pages 227, 228 : (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden).
" Vicomte de Santarem : Alias coviposi de mappemondes, de
porlulans, cl de cartes hydrographiques d historiqucs, etc. ;
public sous les auspices du gouvernoinent Porlugais ; Paris, E.
Thunot et Cie, MUCCCXLIX. The map is on the nth sheet.
"Jomard: Les Monuments dc la Gcographie ; Sheet XIII.,
Map No. I.
EARLY MAPS. 23
bert.^** It has been assigned to the tenth century, but
it is in a manuscript of the twelfth century. Three
parts of the world are indicated, Europe, Asia and
Africa. South of the latter is a broad band of water,
and below this is a space on which is an inscription''
saying that besides the three parts of the world, there
is a fourth part beyond the ocean, which is unknown
to us on account of the heat of the sun, and which
our antipodes are supposed to inhabit. In Paris
also^" there is a medal of the fifteenth century, reign of
Charles VI. of France, on which is engraved a world
chart with a southern continent called " Brumae."
The earliest published maps showing southern
lands, which I have seen, are in some of the
Ptolemies."^ In the 1478 Ptolemy ^^ the general map
^Bulletin de la Sociiti de Giographie, Paris, 1877, Sixi^me
S6rie, Tome XIIII., Annee 1877, pages 337-363 : — Cortambert,
E: "Quelques uns des plus ancients monuments g^ographiques
du moyen age conserves a la Bibliotheque Nationale."
"^ " Extra tres autem partes orbis, quarto pars trans oceanum
inferior est, que solis ardore incognita nobis est, cujus finibus
antipodes fabulosore inhabitare produntur."
'"Flammarion, Camille : Histoire du del, Paris, Hetzel & Cie,
1872. On page 369 is a reproduction of this medal which is said
to be in the Bibliotheque Nationale.
" A valuable contribution to the knowledge of the Ptolemies is :
Bibliographical Contributions , Libraiy of Harvard University^
No. 18, Cambridge, Mass., 1884: — Winsor, Justin: " A biblio-
graphy of Ptolemy's Geography."
" Claudii Ptoleviei Alexandrini Philosophi Costnographta,
etc., Rome 1478 : (British Museum). This is supposed to be the
first book with maps engraved on copper.
24 ANTARCTICA.
of the world gives "Indicum Mare" as a closed sea
with a " Terra Incognita " about twenty^ degrees south
of the Equator joining Asia beyond " Magnus Sinus "
which is a gulf just beyond " Aurea Chersonesus." In
the last map but one, of the eastern portion of India
and "Aurea Chersonesus," the Indian Ocean is
bounded on the east by a coast which descends
southward beyond the " Magnus sinus."
In the 1462 or 1482 Ptolemy^ the maps are rough
and roughly colored. The southern land is given on
the map of the world as in the 1478 Ptolemy, but
the legend " Terra Incognita " is placed south of
the sources of the Nile. In the map of the eastern
part of India and Siam, there is again a coast repre-
sented as the eastern boundary to the Indian Ocean.
In the facsimile of the Mount Athos Ptolemy,**
which is supposed to date from about the end of the
twelfth century, plate " CVII." appears to show the
beginning of the coast supposed to bound the Indian
Ocean on the east. There does not seem to be any
other southern land represented. The 1475 Ptolemy^''
" Beatissimo fialri Alcxajidro quinio poiit. max. ans:cliis
D icpora Clattdii Ptolanci ui7-i Alexandrini, etc. : title page
missing: on binding " Ptolemaeus, Ed. Princeps, 1462":
(British Museum).
'' Geographic dc PlolCmce, reproduction plioioUthographiquc
du manuscril * * * au Mont Athos * * * d'apri^s les
clich(js * * * de M. Pierre de SCwastianoff * * * par
Victor Langlois ; Paris, Firmin Didot, 1867: (Harvard Univ.
Lijj.).
*'' Cosmographia, latinc reddita a Jac. Angela : (Harvard Univ.
\aU.).
AMERIGO VESPUCCI. 25
has no maps. Martin Behaini's famous globe of 1492
shows no antarctic land.^"
At last we come to a positive discovery, and one
which must be looked on probably as the first dis-
covery of land in the Antarctic. Amerigo Vespucci,
in his letter to Pier Soderini, Gonfalonier of the Re-
public of Florence, narrates in his third voyage that,
after leaving the coast of South America either in
32° or 40° south latitude, his ship reached 52° south
latitude in April 1502 and that they sighted a new
and rough coast along which they sailed for twenty
leagues. His account is as follows :^^ "Having
taken in our stores from this land, we began our
voyage towards the southeast : and it was on the
'* The " Verwalter " of the Behaim estate told me that this
globe is in Baron Behaim's liouse, Niirnberg, and that two hun-
dred thousand marks had been offered for it. For Behaim's
life, see Dr. F. W. Ghillany's excellent book: Geschichte dcs
Sec/ahrer' s Ritter Marliti Behaim, Niirnberg, Bauer und Raspe,
1853: (Grossherz. Hof Bib. Darmstadt; Lib. Co., Philadelphia).
"(First page) Lettera di Amerigo Vespucci delle isole nuoua-
mente trojiate in quattro suoi viaggi : (Last page) Data in
Lisbona adi 4 di Septembre 1504, Seruitore Amerigo Vespucci
in Lisbo7ia. This book was published probably in Florence in
1505 ; it is in the British Museum, and a note in it says: " This is
supposed to be the first Italian edition of the four voyages." I
copied the account from the ' ' Terza Viaggio ' ' as accurately as I
could thus : ' ' Facto nostro pue dimento di qsta terra | com-
inciamo nostra nauicatione p eluen to sciloccho : & fu adi i 5 di
Febraio | quando gia elsole sandaua cercando alio equinoctio | &
tomaua uerso qsto nostro emisperio del settentrione & tanto nau-
igammo, per qsto uento | che ci trouamo tanto alti | chel polo
26 ANTARCTICA.
15th of February when the sun was already nearing
the equinox, and turning towards this our northern
hemisphere : and so long did we sail by that wind,
that we found ourselves so high that the southern
del meridione cistaua alto fuora del nostro orizonte ben 52 gradi |
& piu no uedauamo le stelle ne dell orsa minore | ne della mag-
giore orsa : & di gia stauamo discosto del porro di done partimo
ben 500 leghe p sciloccho : & questo fu adi 3 daprile : & i qsto
giorno comincio una tormenta in mare tato forzosa | die cifece
amainare del tucto nostre uele : & corrauamo allarbero seco con
molto uento | che ere libeccio c6 grandissimi mari ] & laria molto
tormentosa : e tanta era la tormtta | che tutta la flocta staua
con gran timore : le nocte eron molto grand! : che nocte tenemo
adi septe daprile | che fu di 15 hore : pche elsole staua nel fine
di Aries : et in qsta regione ere lo inuerno | come ben puo cosid-
erare V. M. et andando i qSta tormenta adi septe daprile hauemo
uista di nuoua terra : della quale corremo circha di 20 leghe |
& la trouamo tucta costa braua : et n6 uedemo i epsa porta
alcuno I ne gente : credo pche era tato el freddo | che nessuno
della flocta so poteua rimediare | ne sopportarlo : di modo ch'
uistoci in tanto pericolo & i tanta tormeta | che apena potauamo
hauere uista luna naue dell altra | p cgran mari ch' faccuano |
& p la gran serrazon del tepo che accordamo con el capitano
maggiore fare segnale alia flocta che arriuassi | & la sciassimo
la terra : et cene tornassimo al camino di Portogallo :" etc.
This passage was republished in Ramusio, Gio. Baltista :
Dc/le Navigationi et Viaggi, Venetia, Stamperia de Giunti,
MDLXIII., Vol. I, page 126 [128]: " Di Amerigo Vespucci
Fiorcntino Lettera prima drizzata al Magnifico M. Pietro Sod-
erini Gonfaloniere perpetuo della Magnifica & excelsa Signoria
di Firenze": (Kib. Royalc, Bruxellcs). I have not seen the
earlier editions of Ramusio.
In the translation of this passage, I have availed myself, making
a few changes, of the translation of Mr. Quaritch : T/ic First Four
Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci, London, Jiomaril yuaritch,
1893: pages 38, 39: (Lib. Co., Piiiladelphia).
AMERIGO VESPUCCI. 27
pole Stood quite 52 degrees above our horizon, and
we no longer beheld the stars either of Ursa Minor
or Ursa Major ; and we were already at a distance of
full 500 leagues southeast from the harbor whence
we had set out : and this was on the 3d of April : and
on that day there arose a tempest of such violence
on the sea that we were compelled to haul down all
our sails, and we scudded under bare poles before
the great wind, which was southwest with enormous
waves and a very stormy sky : and so fierce was the
tempest that all the fleet was in great dread : the
nights were very long : so that on the seventh of
April we had a night which was 1 5 hours long : for
the sun was at the end of Aries : and in that region
it was winter, as your Magnificence may well con-
sider : and while in this tempest on the seventh of
April, we had sight of a new land : along which we
ran for about 20 leagues, and found that it was
wholly a rough coast : and we beheld therein neither
any harbor nor any people, because, as I believe, of
the cold which was so intense that no one in our fleet
could fortify himself against it nor endure it : inso-
much that, finding ourselves in so great a danger and
in such a tempest that one ship could hardly see
another for the great billows that were running and
for the deep gloominess of the weather, we agreed
with the chief captain to signal to the fleet to
approach and that we should abandon this land : and
turn around on the road to Portugal," etc.
2 8 ANTARCTICA.
In Vespucci's account of his voyages, which he ad-
dressed to Lorenzo di Medici, and which was pub-
hshed both in Latin and German,** Vespucci speaks
of having reached the fifty-second degree of south
latitude, but he does not mention seeing a new coast.
But his letter to Soderini is conclusive.
This discovery does not appear, however, to have
attracted much attention at the time. The first notice
of it appears to be one in Ruysch's Ptolemy of 1 508,^*
'^ I have seen three copies of this narrative of Vespucci :
1. (First leaf) Vo7i der Neu ge/unndS Region die ~wol cin
Welt gencnnt mag 7vcrdc?i : Durch den Christlichcn Kiinig
von Portiigall wunderbarlic/i erfunden : Albcriais Vcspuclius
Laurentii Petri Francisci Medicis 7nl gruess : (Last page)
Gedruckt iyi Niircmbog durch Wolffgang Heubcr [1505]:
(Kon. Oef Bib. Dresden).
2. (First leaf) Vo)i der neu gefunden Region die zuol ein
Welt gene^it mag tvcrden durch den Christlichcn Kiinig von
portigal wunderbarlich erfunden : Albericus Vcspuclius Laur-
e7itio Petri Francisci de Medici vil griiss : [1505]: (Kon. Oef.
Bib. Dresden).
3. Title page wanting. (First page) Quatuor Americi Vesputii
Navigationes : (Last page) Urbs Deodate Finitu iin KL :
Scptcbris Anno supra ses qtiimillcsiviu vij : (Kijn. Oef Bib.
Dresden). This copy was published by Martin Waldseenuillcr
or Hylacomylus.
About original editions of the writings of Amerigo Vesjiutius, see
the admirable bibliograjjhy by Henry Harrisse : Bibliotcca Ameri-
cana Veittstissima, New York, Geo. P. Philes, MDCCCLXVL
''■" Ruysch : Claudii Plolcmaei Geographic, etc., Rome
MDVin. : (Kon. Oef Bib. Dresden). One map in this shows
Africa extending eastward, south of Mons Lunae, and joining
Asia beyond " Aurca Chcrsonesus " : this land is marked " Terra
Incognita." The next map shows no such land, but Africa with
AMERIGO VESPUCCI, 29
where there is an inscription on one of the maps
which would seem to refer to the voyage of Vespucci.
There is also a short passage in a Spanish work of
1 5 ig'" which speaks of an austral land in 52° south lati-
tude. The first direct reference I have seen of Ves-
pucci's discover)' is on a chart published by Monsieur
Buache in 1757." He charts a land in about the
position of South Georgia, with the legend " Terre
vue par Americ Vespuce."
Several geographers in the nineteenth century ex-
amined into this matter. Captain Duperrey^^ wrote
the Cape of Good Hope, and the "Terra Sancte Crucis, sive
Mundus Novus" extending indefinitely towards the south : under
this is a legend : " Naute Lusitani partem hanc terre huuis
observariit et usque ad elevationem poll antartici (sic) 50 gradum
pervenerunt nondu tamen ad eius finem austrinCl."
*°Enciso, Martin Fernandez de : Suma dc Geograpkia, Seville,
1519: (British Museum).
*^ Histoire de F Academie Royale dcs Sciences, avec les Mem-
oires, etc., Ann^e MDCCLVII. : A Paris, de I'lmprimerie Royale,
M.DCCLXII. : Mbnoires, pages 190-203 : — M. Buache: "Ob-
servations g^ographiques et physiques, ou Ton donne une idee
de r existence de Terres Antarctiques," etc., with two charts :
(Bib. Nat. Paris). In addition to Vespucci's landfall. Monsieur
Buache marks the Cap de la Circoncision, and also in about the
same latitude, the place where he thinks Gonneville landed and
lived on a fertile inhabited land. He also charts a large island
" Islande" in about the position of the South Shetlands, but
without mentioning whom he thinks discovered this place.
" Duperrey, Capitaine L. I. : — Voyage autotir du Afonde
* * * sur la corvette de Sa Majestc La Coqnille, etc., Paris,
Arthus Bertrand, 1829, " Hydrographie," page loi : (Acad.
Nat. Sci. Philadelphia).
30 ANTARCTICA.
that the land seen by Vespucci must be the one
seen by de "la Roche" in 1675, by Duclos Guyot in
1756, and called South Georgia by Cook. Alexander
von Humboldt,'*^ on the contrary, thought that Ves-
pucci must have been driven back by a storm and
seen part of the coast of Patagonia. Humboldt
knew and quoted Duperrey's remarks, and, on
account of Humboldt's great accuracy, his opinion
that Vespucci did not reach South Georgia carries
much weight. Finally M. de Varnhagen"*^ studied
the matter and basing his argument on the course
held, the distance run and the length of coast
sighted, he showed that most likely the land seen
by Vespucci was South Georgia. Dr. Fricker'^ fol-
lowed suit, and the writer also subscribes to the
opinion that Vespucci's antarctic, or semi antarctic
landfall, was probably South Georgia.^"
For a hundred years after Vespucci, there do not
appear to be any antarctic discoveries to chronicle.
The knowledge or beliefs respecting the south polar
" Examcn Critiqiic dc V Historic dc la Geographic du Nouvcau
Continent, Paris, Gide, 1839, Tome V, pages 23, 115, 116.
" \'arn!iagen, F. A. de : Amerigo Vespucci, son Caracttrc, ses
/Merits, etc., Lima, 1865, page 11 1 : (Lib. Co. Philadelphia).
" T/ic Antarctic Regions.
"A writer in T/te Scottish Geographical Magazine, Edin-
burgh, 1898, Vol. XIV., page 388, in a review of Dr. Frickcr's
Antarktis, says: "The discovery of the South Shctlands by
Dirk Gcrrits/, and of South Georgia by Amerigo Vespucci,
will not be generally accepted."
EARLY MAPS. 3 1
regions, however, may be traced to a certain extent
from the maps and charts which have come down to
us. Among these, the globes of Johannes Schoner or
Schoner,'" a German geographer of the first half of
" Globe of 15 15 (examples are said to be in Weimar and Frank-
furt A. M.), reproduced by Jomard, XVII., and by Wieser. A
south land is shown with tlie name " Brasilie Regio." In
connection with this, Schoner published : Luculcntissitna quaedA
terra totius descriptio, etc., Noribergee, Joannis Stuchsen, 15 15:
(British Museum). On fol. 61 is a sentence, "Brasilia; regio.
A capite bonce Spei (quod Itali Capo de bona Speranza vocitant)
parum distat. CircOnauigarunt ita°,3 Portugalien, eam regionum : "
which raises a doubt whether some one had not sailed through the
Strait of Magalhaes before 1515.
Globe of 1520: (Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg). This is
a splendid piece of early cartography. The south land is shown
and is called " Brasilia Inferior." It is separated from the Cape
of Good Hope only by a wide strait, through which a ship is
sailing.
Globe of 1523. In connection with this, Schoner published:
DeNiipcr stcb Castilice ac PorhigalicB Regibus Screnissiviis reper-
lis Insiilis ac Regionibus, Joarmis Schoner Charolipolitani epislola
Globus Geographia(s,^X.z., " Vale Timiripa;, Anno Incarnationis
dominicte Millesimo quingentesimo uigesimotertis " : (British Mu-
seum). In another binding (British Museum, No. C. 32, m. 11)
are two charts in gores. An autograph letter bound with them
says they are Schijner's globe of 1523, and that they are pre-
sented to the British Museum by Ludwig Rosenthal, Antiquariat,
Miinchen, 1885. In the middle of each chart is written " R6im-
pression moderne," and I am inclined to think this statement is
correct. There is, however, an undoubted original of this map
in the Lenox Library in New York City. One of the parts shows
a fair representation of America with the Strait of Magalhaes
marked "Sing S. Juliani." The south land is given as lumps of
islands. In the other part also there is some land far south of
Africa and Asia. The route of Magalhaes is marked. This
map is reproduced in Henry Stevens' (of Vermont) : Johatin
32 ANTARCTICA.
the sixteenth century, deserve more than a passing
notice, because several writers have stated that he was
responsible for starting the idea of the Terra Aus-
Schoner, professor of Mathematics at Nuremberg : A Reproduc-
tioti of his globe of 152 j, long lost: London, Henry Stevens,
MDCCCLXXXVIII. A. E. Nordenskjold {Facsimile Atlas,
page 80 b.) also reproduces these gores, but doubts their being
by Schoner. It seems to me impossible to say at present whether
these gores are Schoner' s globe of 1523 or not.
Globe of 1533: (Said to be in the Weimar Library: repro-
duced in Wieser's Magalhaes Strasse). The south land is
called Terra Australis.
The work of Schoner has been thoroughly examined in Dr.
Franz Wieser's excellent book : Magalhaes Strasse, etc. Wieser
thinks that the globe of 1 5 1 5 was largely based on the Copia dcr
Newen Zeytung aus Presillg Land (Kon.Oef. Bib. Dresden,
bound up with Bcschichtc Kiirtslich durch die von Portiigalicn i?i
India, Morenland, 7ind ander^i erdlricli), which little tract, the first
one known to bear the name Zeytung, Wieser reprints correctly.
F. A. deVarnhagen {Nouvelles Rechcrches sur les dertiiers voyages
du navigatcur Florcntiii, etc., Wien, 1869 : Kon. Oef Bib. Dres-
den) thinks the Copia refers to the ships of Gonjalo Coelho,
which were separated from the ship on which was Vespucius, and
that the Copia was published in 1507. Dr. Sopluis Ruge {fahtes-
bericht des VereinsfUr Erdkunde zu Dresden, \. Band, IV. and
V. Heft, Dresden, 1S68, pages 13-27) first thought the Copia
apocryphal, but later says {Deutsche Geographischc Blatter, 1895,
Band XVIII., pages 147-171) that Dr. Konrad Habler has dis-
covered in the " Fuggerschen Archiv " about the voyage described
in the Copia, which was printed in 1514. Wieser thinks that the
strait in Schoner' s 15 15 globe was the mouth of the Rio de la
Plata or more likely the gulf of Saint Mathias (See A. Peter-
mann's chart, Mitthcihingen, Krglmzungshcft , 39, Gotha, 1875,
" Mapa Original de la Republica Argentina") and this may
well be the case, judging from the remarks of the Chevr.
Pigafctta, {Premier Voyage auloiir dn monde * * * sur
I'cscadre de Magellan, Paris, H. J. Jansen, I'an IX, page 23)
EARLY MAPS. 33
tralis.^ This, however, is certainly not the case.
Noteworthy as his maps are, especially about the
shape of South America and the marking of a strait
at the southern end before Magalhaes' voyage, yet
they furnish no clue that Schoner thought anything
about Vespucci's discovery of, probably, South
Georgia ; nor that his southern continent was drawn
from anything but the traditions of the past.
The earliest map known to give the name of Terra
Australis appears to be the one made by Orontius
Finaeus in 1531,'"' which charts "Terra Australis re-
center inventa, sed nondu plene cognlta."
From the beginning of the sixteenth century until
about the middle of the eighteenth century, maps and
who says of the river in 34° 40' south latitude (the Rio de la
Plata): " It was believed formedy that this water was not a river,
but a canal, through which one passed into the South Sea ; but
it was soon found that it was only a river, which is seventeen
leagues wide at the mouth."
*'Dr. Oscar Peschel : Geschichte dcr Erdkjinde, Miinchen,
1865, page 327. Dr. Fricker: The Ajitarclic Regions, page 16.
*' Published in Simon Grynaeus : Novus Orbis Regio7ium ac
Insidarum, etc., Paris, 1532 : (Two copies in Lenox Lib. New
York City). The map is entitled " Nova et integra universi orbis
descriptio " by " Orontius F. Delph : 1531, Mense Julio." On the
"Terra Australis" south of Asia is " Brasilie Regio" and in
about the position of Australia is " Regio Patalis." This map is
reproduced in John Boyd Thacher's The Continent of America,
New York, W. E. Benjamin, 1896 : (Lib. Co. Philadelphia): and in
A. E. Nordenskjold's Facsimile Atlas, Stockholm, MDCCCL-
XXXIX, Plate XLI.
34 ANTARCTICA.
globes^" — in accordance almost surely with how nearly
the cartographer drew from the reported facts or de-
pended on the authority of the past — sometimes do
^Juan de la Cosa, companion of Columbus : World Chart,
end of XV. century ; (Reproduced in Jomard, Plate XVI.). No
southern land.
^'Hicnt-Lenox globe" (Lenox Lib. New York City). This
shows no trace of a southern land.
Bernardus Sylvanus : Claudii Ptolcmaei Alexandrini Liber
Gcographiae, etc., Venetiis, J. Pentium, MDXI. : (Har\'ard
Univ. Lib.; Pub. Lib. Boston). Rough maps, none of which
shows a southern land.
Angelo : Claudii Ptolemci, viri Alexandrini, Gcographie, etc.,
[Strasburg] MDXIIL : (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden). Colored
maps : the ' ' Orbis Typus Universalis ' ' has no trace of a south-
ern continent.
Joannis Grieninger : Claudii Ptokfnaei * * * opus Geo-
graphia, etc., 1522 [Strasburg]: (Harvard Univ. Lib.). The
"Orbis Typus universalis" marks the name "America": there
is no southern land.
Bilibaldi Pirckheymer, translator : Claudii Ptolemaei Geo-
graphicae, etc., .Strasburg, MDXXV. : (Harvard Univ. Lib.; Pub.
Lib. Boston). In the " Uicfert situs orbis Ilydrographorum " no
southern land is charted.
Anonymous chart 1527: (Grossherz. Bib. Weimar). Diego
Ribero's chart, 1529: (Grossherz. Bib. Weimar). Both these
charts mark the Strait of MagalhaC's, but neither shows the
southern boundary of Tierra del Fuego, nor any antarctic land :
they are rejjroduced in J. G. Kolil's Die bciden Ulteslen General
Karlcn von Amcrika ausgcfiihrl in den faltren i^2j und i^zg
auf befehl Kaiser KarV s V., Weimar, Geographisches Institut,
i860: (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden).
Simon Grynaeus : Novus orbis Regionum etc., Basilaae,
MDXXXII. : (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden; Harvard Univ. Lib.).
There is no southern land on the world chart.
Simon Grynaeus : Novus orbis Regionum, etc., Paris,
MDXXXII.: (I'ub. Lib. Boston). This copy has the Basel map
of 1532.
EARLY MAI'S. 35
and sometimes do not show the great " Terra Aus-
traHs." On most of the earHest maps, until about the
time of Schoner, a southern land is outlined ; then for
Sen-etus : Claudii Plolemaci Akxandrini geographicae enar-
ra/tonts /i6n' odo, clc, Lugduni * * * Trechsel, MDXXXV. :
(Harvard Univ. Lib.). The "Tabula Totius Orbis" shows no
southern land.
Gerard Mercator : A world chart dated 1538, which was found
in one of the above mentioned copies of the Paris Grynacus of
1532 in the Leno.x Library, New York City. This map gives
much the same outline to the southland as the map of Finaeu.s,
but without tlie name : it is reproduced in John Boyd Thacher's
The Contiyicnt of America, New York, W. E. Benjamin, 1896.
Servetus : Claudii Ptolemaei, etc., Trechsel, Viennae [Dauphine]
MDXLL: (Harvard Univ. Lib.; Stadt Bib. Frankfurt A. M.).
No maps with southern lands.
Gerard Mercator: Sphere terrestre, published at Louvain 1541.
(Republished Bru.xelles, 1875: Harvard Univ. Lib.). This gives
the outline of Terra Australis, but without any name.
Alonzo de Santa Cruz's Chart of the world, 1542. (Repro-
duced in Stockholm, 1892 : Harvard Univ. Lib.). Shows Strait
of Magalhaes and north shore of Tierra del Fuego, but no ant-
arctic land.
World chart painted on parchment by order of Henri IL,
King of France, 1542. (Reproduced in Jomard, Plate XIX.).
Shows Tierra del Fuego stretching south as a continent extending
round the pole : legend " La Terre Australie, non du tout descou-
verte."
Sebastian Miinster : Geographia Universalis * * * Claudii
Ptolemaei, etc.. Bale, MDXLH.: (Harvard Univ. Lib.). Highly
colored rough maps : no southern land e.xcept Tierra del Fuego,
which is charted but unnamed in the " Typus Universalis" and
the " Novae Insulae XVO Nova Tabula."
Sebastian Cabot's Chart of the world of 1544: (Jomard, Plate
XX.). No antarctic land.
Sebastian Miinster: Geographia Universalis * * * Claudii
Ptolanaei, etc.. Bale, MDXLV.: (Harvard Univ. Lib.). No south-
ern land except Tierra del Fuego, which is charted but un-
36 ANTARCTICA.
about fifty years there is a noticeable falling off in the
numbers of maps giving it; while, at the end of the six-
named in the " Typus Universalis " and in the "Novae Insulae
XXVI Nova Tabula."
Gcographia universalis * * * Claudii Ptotemaci * * *
Basileae, per Henrichum Petri, MDXLVII. : (Lib. Co. Phila-
delphia). The "Typus orbis" shows the southern continent
extending, according to the ideas of the ancients, from southeast
Africa around the Indian Ocean to Asia.
Jacopo Gastaldo : La Geoirrafia di Claudia Ptolcmco, etc.,
Venetia, G. B. Pedrazano, MDXLVIII. : (Harvard Univ. Lib.).
The maps ' ' Dell universale nove ' ' and ' ' Carta Marina nova
tabula" show no south polar continent; they mark an enlarged
Tierra del Fuego, the last of these two maps showing it as a big
island.
Demongenet, Franciscus : Gores of a world chart, 1552:
(Leno.x Lib. New York City). This shows the "Terra Australis
nondQ plen6 cognita " extending across the entire globe.
Simon Grynaeus : Nozms orbis Rcgionum ac insitlaruin, etc.,
Basilaae, MDLV.: (Stadt Bib. Frankfurt A. M.). In the good map
"Typus Cosmographicus Universalis," the Antarctic is repre-
sented entirely as water.
Girolamo Ruscclli : La Gcografia di Claudio Toloinco, etc.,
Venetia, MDLXI. : (Harvard Univ. Lib.). The "Carta Marina
Nuova Tabula ' ' .shows Tierra del Fuego as a big island : no south
polar continent.
Joseph Moletius : Geographia CI. Ptolcmaci, etc., Venetia,
MDLXII. : (Harvard Univ. Lib.). The "Orbis Descriptio"
shows no south polar continent: the "Carta Marina Nuova
Tabula" shows Tierra del Fuego as a big island.
Jeronomo Ruscelli : La Geografia di Claudio Tolomco, etc.,
Venetia, MDLXIIII. : (Harvard Univ. Lib.). The "Carta Ma-
rina Nuova Tabula" shows Tierra del Fuego as a big island.
Johannes Praetorius : copper globe, Nuremberg, 1566: (Ger-
manisches Museum, Nuremberg). Southland marked as " Bra-
siliae Regio."
Gerard Mercator : " Mappeniondc," Duisbourg, 1569: rei)ro-
duced in Joniard, Plate XXI. Indicates southern continent, anil
EARLY MAI'S. 37
teenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth
century Terra Australis once more reappears, to die
at one spot has a legend, about land in 42° south latitude, 450
leagues from Cape of Good Hope, and 600 from Cape Saint
Augustine, which says that the information is taken from Martin
Fernandez de Enciso's Suma de Geographia, Seville 15 19.
Gio. Malombra : La Geographia di C/audii Tolomeo, etc.,
Venetia, G. Ziletti, MDLXXIIII. : (Harvard Univ. Lib.). The
' ' Carta Marina Nuova Tavola' ' shows Tierra del Fuego as a big
island.
Gerard Mercator : Tabtdae Geographicae Claudii Ptolemaei,
etc., MDLXXVin. : (Harvard Univ. Lib.). Colored maps ; none
showing a south polar land.
Abraham Ortelius Antvcrjiianus : Thcatrum Orbis Terrarum;
(1579) : (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden). In the " Typus Orbis Ter-
rarum" the " Terra Australis nondum cognita" stretches across
the entire southern regions : it includes Tierra del Fuego and
extends up to New Guinea and Java. In the " Americae sive novi
orbis" the shape of South America is less accurate than in
Schoner's maps and New Guinea is included in die southern con-
tinent.
Cornelius Wytfliet Louaniensis : Descriptioiiis Ptolemaicac
Augfne7ilum, etc., Louvain, J. Bogardus, MDXCVH. : (Harvard
Univ. Lib.). The " Utriusque Hemispherii Deliniatio" shows
' ' Terra Australis' ' in both hemispheres : ' ' Golfo di San Sebas-
tiano " charted but unnamed.
Abraam Ortelius : II Thealro del Mo7idi, Brescia, MDXCVIII.:
(Harvard Univ. Lib.). The "Typus orbis Terrarum" shows the
great "Terra Australis nondum cognita."
W. Jansenius Blaew : Globe, 1599: (Germanisches Museum,
Nuremberg). A southern continent is delineated.
Pietro Montanus : Claudii Ptolemaei Alexandrini Geograpkiae,
etc., Fricofurti, 1605: (Stadt Bib., Frankfurt A. M.). None of
the maps shows a south polar continent.
Gerard Hesselius : Descriptio ac delineatio Geographica Detec-
tionis Freii, Amsterdam 1613: (Bib. Johannis Thysii, Leyden).
Southern continent inscribed ' ' Terra per Petrum Fernandez de
Quir recens detecta," etc.
^49318
38 ANTARCTICA.
away slowly in the eighteenth centur)-. It would
almost seem as though the recrudescence of charts
John Norton : A>i Epitome of Ortelius, London, [1616] : (Har-
vard Univ. Lib.). The " Typus Orbis Terrarum" shows the
great " Terra Australis nondum cognita," and " The Terrestrial
Globe" shows the "Terra Australis Incognita."
Peter Bertius : Theatri Geographiae veteris * * * C/.
Plol. Alexandrhii, etc., Lyons, 1618: (Harvard Univ. Lib.). No
map showing south polar lands.
Purchas, Samuel : Hakhiytus Posfkimius, etc., London, 1625:
(Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden). In the Third part, page 882, is a map
"America Meridionalis " taken from Hondius, which shows Tierra
del Fuego as part of " Terra Australis."
Francis Fletcher : The ivorld encompassed by Sir Francis
Drake, London 1628: (BriUsh Museum). The map has "The
Southerne unknowne Land" and " This south part of the world
(containing almost the third part of the Globe) is yet unknowne
certayne few coasts excepted : which rather shew there is a land
than discry eyther land, people or commodities."
Blaeu, Wilhelm andjohann: Tonneel der Aerdrich oste Nieuwe
Atlas, Amsterdam [About 1635]: (Harvard Univ. Lib.). The
"Nova totius Terrarum" shows the great "Terra Australis In-
cognita."
de Wit, Frederick: Atlas, Amsterdam [About 1666]: (Har-
vard Univ. Lib.). The "Nova Orbis Tabula" has no southern
land : inscribed at bottom "Australia Incognita."
du Val, P., geographe ordinaire du Roy: Cartes de Geogra-
phic, Paris, MD.C.LXXVIIIL: (Harvard Univ. Lib.). The
"Planisphere, 1676" shows great southern continent marked
" Terres Antarctiques" and " Terres Australes Inconnues."
Sanson, Dr.: Atlas Nouveau [About 1690]: (Harvard Univ.
Lib.). The " Ma[)pemonde" shows " Terre Australe et Inconnue,"
but smaller than earlier maps.
de rislc, Guillaume : Atlas, Amsterdam, Jean Covens and Cor-
neille Mortier [About 1710] : (Harvard Univ. Lib.). The " Hem-
isphere meridional " shows no south polar continent : this is the
first map specially of the Antarctic, which I have seen in an
atlas.
EARLY MAPS. 39
about the year 1600, showing a great land extending
south of New Guinea, pointed towards early sight-
ings of the coast of Australia." It is almost certain
that a sailor, Juan Fernandez, in about 1563, reached
the island which bears his name ; and there is also a
sort of legend, that in about 1576, he may have
Moll, Herman : A new and correct map of the world, London
1719: (Harvard Univ. Lib.). No antarctic land.
Moll, Herman : A new and correct map of the world, London
[About 1735] : (Harvard Univ. Lib.). No antarctic land.
A Collection of Voyages and Travels, London, T. Osborne,
MDCCXLV., Vol. I. :— H. Moll: " A New Map of the World"
etc. : (Amer. Phil. Soc). No antarctic land.
Lowitz, M. G. M. : " Mappemonde, 1746": In an atlas: (Har-
vard Univ. Lib.). Taken from the ' ' Cartes gen^rales " of Professor
Hasius. No great antarctic land on this map, which gives the
" Cap de la Circoncision " and " L de la Roche," the latter in
about 45° south latitude.
Palairet, Jean : Atlas MHhodique, 1755 : (Harvard Univ. Lib.).
"36 mappemonde, 1755" shows no southern land except " C.
de la Circoncision."
Unknown author : Mappe- Monde divisee en ses guatre parties
^759- (Amer. Phil. Soc). This marks " Terre vue par
F. Drak " in about 62° to 63° south latitude, somewhat west of
Cape Hoorn.
" Mr. R. H. Major (iiar/j' Voyages to Terra Australis, 71020 called
Australia, London * * * Hakluyt Society, MDCCCLIX.)
gives it as his opinion that some Portuguese mariners probably saw
a good deal of the coast of Australia between 1512 and 1542 ; and
he cites six maps, the latest drawn in 1555, in support of his view,
which is probably correct.
Professor Morris ( Transactions of the Royal Geographical
Society of Australasia, Victoria, Melbourne, Vol. XVL, 1S98,
pages 15-27: "Terra Australis Incognita") .seems inclined to
believe that the early maps showing land in the position of Aus-
tralia were drawn from imagination.
40 ANTARCTICA.
reached the coast of New Zealand®^ and certainly the
maps of the succeeding period would seem to point to
some such discovery. Another noteworthy fact is that
several maps of the middle of the sixteenth century,
some thirty years before the voyage of Drake and
some sixty years before the voyage of LeMaire, show
Tierra del Fuego as an enlarged island.^^
On the 27th of June, 1598, a squadron of five ships
sailed from Goree Harbor, Holland, for the West
Indies.^ They were " de Hoope," Admiral Jaques
Mahu, pilot William Adams ; " de Liefde," Vice
^^ Burney, James, Captain in the Royal Navy : A Chronological
History of the Voyages and Discoveries in the South Sea or
Pacific Ocean, London, Vol. I., 1803, pages 274; 300-303: (Lib.
Co., Philadelphia).
" The early charts showing Tierra del Fuego as an island are
probably based on the voyage of Captain Francisco de Hoces,
who commanded the caravel " S. Lesmes " of 80 tons, in the ex-
pedition of Fr. Garcia Jofre de Loaysa or Loaisa (Navarrette,
Martin Fernandez de : Coleccion de los Viages y Descubrimicntos,
Tomo V, Madrid 1837, pages 27, 28, 404 : Amer. Phil. Soc).
In February, 1526, Hoccs ran down the east co;ist of South
America, and turned back after he had seen that the land finished
in 55° south latitude : he may have reached Cape Hoorn, but it
is more likely that his farthest point was the eastern end of Staaten
Land.
" Bry, Theodori de : Americae ; Nona & Postrema pars;
Francof, Apud Malth. Beckerum., 1602: "Vera et accurata
descriptio eorum omnium, quae acciderunt quinque navibus
Anno 1598, AmstredaiTii expeditis & ])cr fretum Magellanicum ad
Moluccanas insulas pcrrccturis : naui praecipue Fidci, Capitano
de VVeert addicta qui post infinitos labores & aerumnas biennio
intc);ro tf)1enites, t.indcni anno 1600, re infecta ad snos rediit " :
(Lib. Co. I'hiladelphia).
GERRTTSZ, CASTTGIJO, CI.AESS. 4I
Admiral Simon de Cordes ; " het Gheloove," G. Van
Benningen ; " de Trouvve," J. van Bockholt ; and
"de Blijde Bootschap," Sebald de Wirt.
Jansz, Barent, Chirurj>^ijn : Ilislorisch ende Wijdlloopigh ver-
hacl van ' tghcne dc vijf schcpen {die ini Jaer i6()R [/f^i?] tot Rot-
terdam tot'gherust zijn om door de Straet Magcllana liarcn hatidel
te dryven) wedervarai is tot den 7 September 1^99, etc. ; Tot
Amstelredam by Michicl Colijn, etc., 1617: (Kon. Bib. The
Hague). There is an earlier edition of Jansz' narrative, and this
I have not seen.
Beschryvinghe van de Voyagie om den geheeleji IVerelt Cloot
ghcdacn door Olivier van Noort van Verecht, Gencracl over vier
Schepen, etc. ; Amstelredani, by Cornelis Claessz [1602] : (Univ.
Bib., Leyden).
Herrera, Antoine de, Grand Chroniqueur des Indes et Chroni-
queur de Castille : Description des Indes Occidcntales, qii on ap-
pelle aujourdhuy le Nouvcau Monde, Tra^islatce d' Espagnol en
Franfais ; A Amsterdam, chez Michel Colin, Anno M.D.C.XXII.:
pages 179-195, "Recueil des Navigations de I'Estroit de Magel-
lan," pages 189-193, " Voyages de cinq bateaux de Jaques Mahu
et Simon de Cordes, qui partirent de Rotterdam, I'an 1598, pour
I'Estroit de Magellan" : (Amer. Geog. Soc).
Herrera, Antonio de: Noviis Orbis, Sive Descriplio Indiae
Occidentalis ; Amstelodami, Apud Michaelem Bibliopolam, M.
D.C.XXH: (Lib. Co. Philadelphia.).
[A de Herrera] Nievve Welt, anders glienaempt West Indien ;
t' Amsterdam, Michiel Colijn, 1622 : (Kon. Bib. The Hague).
Brosses, Charles de : Histoire des Navigations aux Terres
Australes ; A Paris, chez Durand, M.D.CCLVI. : Tome Premier,
pages 274-294, ' ' Simon de Cordes et Sebald de Weert : En Ma-
gellanique" : (Amer. Geog. Soc. ; Pub. Lib. Boston).
Burney: A Chronological History, etc., London, 1S06 : Part
IL, Chapter XH., pages 1S6-204 : "Voyage of Five Ships of
Rotterdam, under the command of Jacob Mahu, and Simon de
Cordes, to the South Sea" : (Lib. Co. Philadelphia).
Wichmann, Dr. Arthur, Professor an der Universitilt Utrecht :
Dirck Gcrritsz, Ein Beitrag zur Entdeckungsgeschiclite des 16""
und if" Jahrliunderts, Groningen, J. B. Wolters, 1899.
42 ANTARCTICA.
The expedition met with trouble from the start and
was one of the most disastrous on record. The gen-
eral or admiral, Jaques Mahu, died on the 24th or 27th
of September, and this involved some changes among
the officers. Sebald de Wirt became commander of
" het Gheloove " and a pilot or boatswain, Dirck Ger-
ritsz,^^ was appointed commander of " de Blijde
Bootschap." The fleet entered the Strait of Magal-
haes^^ on April 6th, 1599, and spent most of the
southern winter in la Baye Verte^' or Cordes Bay^
"where they were miserably lodged."''^ On the 4th
of September, 1599, the ships reached the Pacific, and
three days later, on account of a furious storm, the
ships parted company. " Het Gheloove " eventually
returned to Europe. " De Hoope " and " de Liefde "
reached Japan and are then lost sight of. The pilot
William Adams, was ordered by the Emperor to come
to Osaca. He did so and the Emperor never would
" Gcrritsz' s name is spelled in a variety of ways. In de Bry it
is given as " Dirrick Gcirilsz " and also " Dicrick Geeritsz."
Dr. Wichmann asserts that " Dirck Gerritsz " is the correct spell-
ing : he has also discovered that Gerritsz was the first Hollander
who, as early at least as 1585, reached China and Japan.
^° I quite agree with Cajitain James Burney (A Chronological
Hisloiy, etc., Vol. I., page 13) in thinking it a "strange practice "
to alter and translate proper names. The correct orthography of
the name of P'crnao de MagalhaOs should be restored to the
strait so justly called after him.
" Herrera.
" Biirney.
'■' I lerrera.
GERRITSZ, CASTIGLIO, CLAESS. 43
let him depart, and, after marrying a Japanese woman,
Adams lived the remainder of his days in Japan.
" De Trouvve " was captured by the Portuguese.
" De Blijde Bootschap," after having its name
changed to " het Vligend Hart," was surrendered
to the Spaniards.''"
Barent Jansz in his narrative mentions Gerritsz
several times. He also gives a description of the
"pinguins" of Tierra del Fuego" with a woodcut of
penguin hunting, and this is one of the earliest ac-
counts of this antarctic bird. In Van Noort's relation,''-
Gerritsz is reported to have missed the island of Santa
Maria, and then to have arrived at Valparaiso in a
miserable condition. None of these earliest accounts,
however — and this is an important fact — make any
mention of an antarctic discovery.
In 1622, however, Herrera's Description des Indes
Occidentales appeared at Amsterdam in French, Latin
and Dutch editions. In these reprints a passage was
intercalated, that does not seem to have appeared in
the earlier Spanish edition, and which was, therefore,
probably not due to Herrera himself. This paragraph"^
says that the ship commanded by Dirck Gerritsz was
■^This account ol the fate of the ships is taken from Burney and
Wichmann.
^^ Historisck ende Wijdlloopigh, etc., pages 68-70.
^^ Beschryvingke va?i de Voyagie, etc., page 37.
"The French edition of Herrera, page 193, says: " La Fuste
de Diric Gherrits qui s'estoit esgaree le 15 Septembre des autres,
scavoir de Wert & Cordes, fut portee par la tempeste jusques' a
44 ANTARCTICA.
separated from the rest of the fleet on coming out of
the Strait of Magalhaes and that it was carried by
tempestuous weather to 64° south latitude, where they
discovered land, with high mountains, covered with
snow, resembling the land of Norway and stretching
away in the direction of the Solomon Islands.
Many subsequent writers gave more or less elab-
orate notices about Gerritsz, and among them may be
64. degr^s au Sud de 1' Estroit : ou ils descouvrivent un haut pays
avec des montagnes pleines de neige a la fa5on du pays de Norv-
veghen : d'icy ils firent voile vers Chile en intention d'aller trouver
leurs compagnons en 1' ile de 6". Marie : mais ils furent portes par
fortune au port de S. lago de Valparayso ; ou ils furent accabl6s
des ennemis."
The Latin version, folio 80, is as follows : " Liburnica que Theo-
dorum Gerardi vehebat, tempestatum vi versus Austruni jiroinilsa
fuit ad gradus usque 64. in qua altitudine posita ad Australem
plagam solum monto sum & nivibus opertum eminus conspexit,
qualis Norwegiae esse soletfacies. Versus insulas Salomonis ex-
porrigi videbatur. Hinc Chilam petijt & ab insula S. Mariae quo
loci socios se repertutum putabat, aberrans, in portum S. Jacobi
de val Parayso se recepit & cum liumanilatis ac benevolcntiae
officia omnia negarent indigcnae, itinere longo confectis vectoribus
& commeatus indiga, in hostium manus se dedit."
The Dutch edition, folio 82, gives the following account :
" Door alle dese contrarie windcn ist ai)parent dat Dirck Ger-
ritsz die ghebreck aen sijn Boech-Spriet en Fockemast hadde soo
verre suytwaerts is ghedrevcn, namclick op vier en tsestich graden
befundcn de Straet op die hoochte wesende sach int Suyden leg-
gen heel hooch Berchachtich landt vol Sneeus als het Landt van
Norvveghcn heel wit bedeckt, en strecktede hem als oj) het nae
de Kylanden van Salomon wilde loopen, van hier is hy nae Chili
gheloopen, ende het Eylant van St. Maria missende, al waer hy
sijn ghesellschap meynde te vinden is indc Haven van S. Jago, te
Val Parayso aengiiecomen, en ghcen vrientschap vindende mach-
teloos zijnde is in de handen van sijn vranden moeten vallen."
GERRITSZ, CASTUILIO, CLAESS. 45
cited : Purchas ;*" De Brosses;^^ Dalrymplc ;''''' Burney ;"
Duperrey;""* John Barrow, F. R. S. and Vice President
of the Royal Geographical Society;"'-' Dr. Webster ; '"
Dumont-D'Urville ;'^ John Lothrop Motley ;" G. Neu-
mayer ;"^ A. Schiick ;"* Sir Clements R. Markhani i''' L.
Friederichsen ;'" the present writer himself;" and finally
"" Purchas, Samuol, B. D. : Hakhiyhis Posthuvms or Prirchas
His Pilgrimcs ; imprinted at London for Henry Fcatherston,
1625 ; Fourth Part, page 1391, note : (K6n. Oef. Bib. Dresden).
" Hisloirc dcs Navigations, etc., Vol. I., page 290.
^ Dalrymple, Alexander : A Historical Collection of the sev-
eral voyages and discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean; Lon-
don, MDCCLXX., Vol. L, page 94; MDCCLXXL, Vol. IL,
page 19: (Bib. Nat. Paris; K6n. Oef. Bib. Dresden).
" A Chronological History, etc.. Vol. IL, pages 198, 204.
"* Duperrey, Capitaine L. L : Voyage autoiir dii Monde * * *
sur la corvette de Sa Majesty La Coquille, Paris, Bertrand, 1829,
" Hydrographie," page 102.
" The fournal of the Royal Geographical Society of London
for MDCCCXXX-XXXL ;' London, MDCCCXXXL, page 62.
" Narrative of a Voyage, etc.. Vol. L, page 136.
" Voyage au Pole Snd, etc.. Vol. II. , pages i, 2.
" The United Netherlands, Chapter XXXVI.
" Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft fur Erdkunde zic Berlin, Sieb-
enter Band, 1872, page 124.
" Zeitschrift fiir rvissenschaftliche Geographic, Weimar, 18S8 ;
VI., pages 242-264 " Entwickelung unscrer Kenntniss der Lander
im Siiden von Amerika."
" Encyclopcedia Britannica, Ninth Edition ; Article ' ' Polar Re-
gions. ' '
" Mittheilungen der Geographisclien Gesellschaft in Hainbtirg,
1891-92; Hamburg, 1895; pages 299-305, " Begleitworte zur
Karte des Dirck Gherritz Archipels."
" Journal of tlie Franklin Institute, 1901, Vol. CLI., pages
243-247-
46 ANTARCTICA.
again Sir Clements R. Markham.'* Belief in Gerritsz's
discover)' may, therefore, be considered as having
been generally accepted, and in fact we find the name
"Gherritz Land " in use by Burney as early as 1806,
while in the last few years, the name " Gherritz Archi-
pelago " has been applied to the southern portion
of West Antarctica by A. Schiick, L. Friederichsen,
Petermann s Mitteilungen, Ant. Mensing,''^ Dr. Fricker
and others.
It turns out, however, that everything believed of
Gerritsz is more or less uncertain and incorrect.
Starting apparently from a reference in a book by
J. K. J. de Jonge,**" Dr. Sophus Ruge*^ probably v/as
the first to throw doubts on the discovery of Gerritsz,
and he was followed by Dr. Wichmann^- in his mas-
terly treatise.
In the " Rijksarchief " at the Hague there is amanu-
"^^ Geographical Journal, London, 1 901, Vol. XVIII., page 21.
" Caerte va^ide Reysen cnde Handel der Hollanders, Amster-
dam, Frederik Muller & Co. ; " Samengestekl door Ant. Men-
sing; Uytgegeven door de Commissie voor Oiidt-I lolkmdt te
Amstcldam 1895": (Harvard Univ. Lib.). This marks "Dirk
Gherritsz Archipel, 1599".
*°de Jonge, Jhr. Mr. J. K. J. : De Opkomst van hct ncdct-
la7tdisck Gczag in Oosl- Indie, s' Gravenhage, Amsterdam,
MDCCCLXIV. ; Vol. II., page 219: (Univ. Bib. Amster-
dam).
''^Deutsche Geographische Blatter, Bremen, 1895, XVIII.,
pages 147-171; "Das unbckannte Siidland " : (Univ. Bib.
Amsterdam).
"^ Dirck Gerritsz, etc.
GERRITSZ, CASTIGLIO, CLAESS. 47
script^ which contains copies of the " Instructions "
prepared for Admiral Jacques I'Hermite and which
were not pubHshed in the account of his journey.**'
The manuscript is old and was written probably about
the end of the seventeenth century. Among the " In-
structions " are two documents of great importance
in the history of Antarctic discovery. The first is the
" Declaration of Jacob Dircxz of Purmerlant," a
companion of Gerritsz. The first paragraphs read
thus :
" Declaration of Jacob Dircxz of Purmerlant,*'' aged
30 years, made on the 17th of March 1603.
"The title of this manuscript is: Instructien en Jour7iaalcn
van Brasiliaanschc en Ooslindische Ryscn. Zaedert 21 April
162J tot 28 Augustus 16S1, beIwore7ide tot het archief der
Wcstindischc Compagnie. Part of this book consists of the
" Bijlagen tot de Instructie voor Jacques I'Hermijte." I was
able to see this book and have copies made of parts of it, through
the kindness of Mr. J. Bruggeman, "Adjunct Commis " in the
" Rijksarchief " at the Hague.
'* Journal van de Nassauschc Vloot, ofle Beschrijvhigh vafi de
Vqyagie om den ganischcn Aerdt- Cloot, ghcdann met elf Schip-
pen : on der" t beleyd van den Admirael /agues I' Heremite, ende
Vice Admirael Geen Huygcn Schapenhani, inde Jahren i62j,
1624, i62§ & 1626 ; T Amstelrcdam, by Hessel Gerritz ende
Jacob Pietersz wachten 1626 : (Bib. Johannis Thysii, Leyden).
Another edition : Journal van de Nassauschc Vloot, etc. ,
Amstelredam, voor Joost Hartgertsz * * H: Anno 1648.
'''Instructien C7i Joiirnaalen, etc., "Bijlagen," etc., folio 43.
"Verclaringe van Jacob Dircxz van Purmerlant out zijnde
30 jaren, gedaen den 17'° Martii 1603.
' ' Den deposant is geweest constapel op het Vliegende Hart,
ende op het laetste onderstierman.
48 ANTARCTICA.
" The attester was gunner on the ' Vliegende Hart '
and finally under-pilot.
" On the 4th of September 1599, they ran out of
the Strait of Magalhaes into the South Sea, on the
third day thereafter they were separated by a great
storm from the other ships, came three times to within
50 degrees, and were driven twice to 55 degrees and
once to 56 degrees.
" From there they came to the Island of Chiloe in
44 degrees, and then came to the Island of .St. Maria,
which is situated at the heigh th of 37 degrees, which
they considered was La Mocha, from there they came
to the heighth of 35 degrees, where they thought to
find the island of St. Maria, and all this on account of
the English sea charts.
"Den 4 September 1599 liepen uijt de Magallanische straet in
Mar del Zur, op den derden dach daer naer wicrden met een
grooten storm van d'ander schepen versteecken, quamen tot
driemalen toe binncn den 50 graet, ende wicrden tweemal op 55
graden, ende eenmal oj) 56 giaden gedreven.
" Van daer quamen zij bij het eylant van Chiliie op 44 graden,
ende daer quamen zij aent eylant van St. Maria, zijnde
gelegen op de hooch te van 37 graden, welcke zij meenden te
wesen La Moche, van daer zijn zij gecomen op de hoochte van
35 graden, alwaer zij mcijndcn het eylant van St. Maria te vin-
den, ende dat alles volgens hunne Engelsclie zcecacrtcn.
' ' Van daer seijden zij in de haven van Valpareise, sijnde gele-
gen op 32 graden ende 36 minuten, alw.-icr zij te lande comende
soo wiert hun capitcijn Dirck (jerritsz, ende hij Jacob Dirc.xe,
ende de provoost gequetst van de Spaignaerden, aklaer wonende,
twelck gescliiede den 17 November 1599. Dirck Gerrit.sz hun
schipper zijnde Iialli' Ijrocdor van hun cajiilciju, starll in de
navolgende nacht, soo zij gecomen waren in Valpareise," etc.
GERRITSZ, CASTIGLIO, CLAESS. 49
" From there they sailed to the harbor of Val-
paraiso, which lies in 32 degrees 36 minutes, where,
when they went ashore, their Captain, Dirck Gerritsz,
and himself, Jacob Dircxz, and the provost, were
wounded by the Spaniards, which happened on the
17th of November 1599. Dirck Gerritsz, their ship-
master and half brother of the captain, died in the
following night," etc.
The rest of the declaration is taken up with an
account of the stay of Dircxz among the Spaniards
and with notes about the country ; the quoted por-
tion, however, is almost conclusive evidence that
Gerritsz did not cross the 60th parallel of south lati-
tude, and, therefore, that he did not discover land in
the Antarctic. It may be well to add that this docu-
ment is the only account known by any member of the
crew of " de Blijde Bootschap " which has come down
to us and that there is no line of writing or print in
existence which can be attributed to Gerritsz himself.
The other document, however, states that a ship
did reach 64° south latitude. This is in the same
binding^ and the beginning reads as follows:
" Laurens Claess of Antwerp, aged about 40 years,
** InstrucHen eti Jaumaalen, etc., " Bijlagen," etc., folio 23.
" Laurens Claess van Antwerpen, out ontrent 40 jaren, heb-
bende voor hoochbootsman op het Magellanische Schip, genaemt
De blijde bootschap, is neffens andere schepen uijt het Goeder-
esche Gadt gelopen op St. Jans avont 1598 onder den Admiral
Mahu, heeft gevaren onder den Adniirael Don Gabriel de Castig-
lio met drie schepen langs de custen van Gilo naer Valpariso,
50 ANTARCTICA.
has served as boatswain on the Magalhaes ship, called
de Blijde bootschap, which sailed with other ships
from the harbor of Goree on Saint Johns day of the
year 1598 under Admiral Mahu, has served under the
Admiral Don Gabriel de Castiglio with three ships
along the coast of Chili towards Valparaiso, and from
there towards the Strait, and that in the year 1603,
and he went in March to 64 degrees where they had
much snow, in the following month of April they
returned to the coast of Chili," etc.
This appears to be the first direct record of a ship
crossing the sixtieth parallel of south latitude and it
seems that it was a Spanish ship. It is much to be
hoped that further records of this voyage and of Don
Gabriel de Castiglio may yet be found : perhaps there
are some still buried among the Spanish archives.
It will be noticed that Laurens Claess says nothing
of land nor of high mountains in the Antarctic. Dr.
Ruge and Dr. Wichmann both appear to think, there-
ende van daer naer Strate, ende dat in den jare 1603, ende is
geweest in Martio op 64 graden, aldaer hadden zij veel sneeiis, in
de volgende maent April zijn zij wedcr gckeert aen de custe van
Gilo, heefl met zijn heere den bisschop van Einto Don Fraij
Louis Lopes de Soles Augustini acnilcr, Don Pedro Sordes de
Ouleau, gevaren anno 1604 naer Isclos Cognilas, sijn drije int
getal, het eerste genaemt St. Nicolaes de Tolentine, het tweede
St. Veronica ende het derde St. Antonio de Padua, welcke zijn
gelegen op de zuijdelijcke hooclite van 4 graden 400 mijkn van
de custe van Peru naer de gissinge van de Spaignaerden, ende
naer zijn gissinge ontrcnt 300 S])aensche mijlen, leggen seer nae
bij oost ende west van malcanderen, van het eerste tot het
tweede zijn acht glasens seijlens. * * * " etc.
GERRITSZ, CASTIGUO, CLAESS. 5 1
fore, that there was no land discovered, and of course
there may not have been on that particular journey.
But this only deepens the mystery. For although
the passage in Herrera is doubtless incorrect in
ascribing the discovery to Gerritsz, still there is no
getting round the fact that a statement was published
in Amsterdam in 1622 in three languages, saying that
there was land in 64° south latitude, about south of
Cape Hoorn, and that it was mountainous and re-
sembled the coast of Norway. And a mountain-
ous land is there and it does resemble the coast
of Norway : in fact the first thought suggested to
the writer on seeing Dr. Frederick A. Cook's pho-
tographs of Palmer Land and Danco Land was how
much those coasts resembled the northern coast of
Norway and the Lofoten Islands in the early spring
before the winter snow had all melted away from the
edge of the fiords. While we may never be sure of
the name of the discoverer, yet it seems as if it must
be accepted as true that some one sighted some of
the islands of West Antarctica before the year 1622.
There do not seem to be any maps of the seven-
teenth century marking any lands as discovered by
Gerritsz, Claess or Castiglio. On some old maps,
however, is charted,*' east and south of Tierra del
" Abraham Ortelius Antverpianus : Tkeatrum Orbis Terra-
rum, Antwerp, MDLXX. : (Amer. Phil. Soc. ; Pub. Lib. Bos-
ton). Maps colored. The "Typus orbis Terrarum" shows
"Terra Australis nondum cognita." The " Americae sive novi
52 ANTARCTICA.
Fuego, a land with a great gulf, the "Golfo de San
Sebastiano " and an island, the " Ysola de Cressalina."
orbis ' ' shows ' ' Golfo de S. Sebastiano ' ' about thirty degrees of
longitude east of the Strait of Magalhaes, and extending to
about 64° south latitude. An island there, in 59° south latitude,
is marked "Cressalina."
lo. Antonio Magini : Gcographiac univcrsae Uim veteris
:f: * * ci. Plohmae!, etc., 1597: (Harvard Univ. Lib.). The
' ' Orbis Terrae Conipendiosa Descriptio ' ' shows ' ' Terra Austra-
lis ' ' in both hemispheres : the ' ' Y. de Cressalina ' ' is marked.
The " Universi Orbis Descriptio ad Usum Navigantium" gives
the "Terra Australis Nondum Cognita" and marks the "Golfo
de S. Sebastiano."
Gio. Antonio Magini: Geog)afia cioe' descriptione * * *
di CI. Tolomeo, etc., Venetia, MDXCVIII. : also La Scconda
Parte della Gcograjia di CI. Tolomco, Venetia, MDXCVII. :
(Harvard Univ. Lib. : Lib. Co., Philadelphia). The "Orbis
Terrae Conipendiosa Descriptio ' ' gives the great ' ' Terra Aus-
tralis," with the " Y. de Cressalina."
Joan Antonio Magini : Gcographiac univcrsae turn veteris
* * * CI. Pto/emaei Gic, 1608: (Harvard Univ. Lib.). The
"Orbis Terrae Conipendiosa Descriptio" gives the "Terra Aus-
tralis," with " Y. de Cressalina."
Gcrardi Mcrcatoris Atlas sivc Cosmographicac etc., Henrici
Hondij, Amsterodami, 1630: (Stadt Bib. Frankfurt A. M.).
The "America" shows the "Terra Australis Nondum Cognita."
The "Orbis Terrae," dated MDLXXXVU., also shows the
" Terra Australis " : on this, west of the Cape of Good Hope,
in about 48° south latitude, a place is marked " Proniontorii Terre
Australis distans 450 leucas a Capite Bone .Spei & 600 a pronion-
torio S. Augustini " : eastward of the Strait of " Magellanes "
a land in about 54° south latitude is marked "Ysola dc Cressa-
lina."
Dalrymple, Alexander : A Historical Collection * * *
South Pacific Ocean, London, Vol. L, MDCCLXX. : (Bib. Nat.
Paris). In the map of the Antarctic, there is charted, east and
south of Tierra del Fuego, a land with a great gulf.
EARLY MAPS. 53
It has been sug^gested that they were either Sandwich
Land or South Shetland.'^'' Possibly this is true and
if so they must have been seen by some now entirely
forgotten mariner, as there is no known record show-
ing that they were drawn from anything but imagina-
tion. At any rate they have nothing to do with
Gerritsz, Claess or Castiglio, for they are charted at
least as early as 1570, and from then on to 1770.
We find Pedro Fernandez de Oueros next seek-
ing for a Tierra Austral in i6o5.'*''' His able second
in command, Luis Vaez de Torres, sighted in 1606,
an extended coast south of New Guinea. Tlie
same land was seen also that year by a Dutch vessel.
In 1 61 6, Theodoric Hertoge, in the Eendracht, also
sighted another part of this land ; and the voyage of
Abel Tasman^ may be looked on as the last step in
the discovery of the land, which was at first sup-
posed to be the one sought for, and which eventu-
ally received the name of Australia.
The belief that Tierra del Fuego extended without
interruption to the regions of eternal ice was settled
^J. Miers : Journal dcs voyages, dicoitvcrtcs et navigations
tnoderncs, par J. T. Verneur, Tome Uixieme, Paris, Colnet, 1S21,
pages 5-24.
'"Bumey: A Chronological History, etc., Vol. II., pages 272,
313. 456.
*' Abel Jans zoon Tasman Jour7ial, Amsterdam, Frederik Muller
& Co., 1898 : (Lib. Co., Philadelplaia).
54 ANTARCTICA.
by the voyage round the world of the Dutchmen, Le
Maire and Schouten, in 1616, when they sailed round
South America and christened Cape " Hoorn." "^
Although not an antarctic voyage, yet it has a place
in the history of antarctic discovery because it nar-
rowed the limits of Terra Australis Incognita.^-
In 1643, Hendrick Brouwer's squadron sailed
around Staaten Land, because the wind was unfavor-
able to pass Strait Le Maire.^^ This voyage also
tended to a narrowing of the limits of Terra Australis
Incognita.
" Oost ende West-Indische Spieghcl waer in beschreven werden
de twee laetste Navigaticyi. * * * De eene door den vermacrden
Zeeheldt /oris van Spilbergen * * * Dc andcre ghcdacn by
Jaeob Le Maire; Amsterdam, Jan Janssz, MDCXXI. : (Kon.
Bib. The Hague). Another edition of this book, published at
Zutphen, M.D.C.XXI. : (Univ. Bib. Amsterdam). The "Nova
Totius Orbis Terrarum " in both these books shows Staaten Land
expanding into a great "Terra Australis Incognita."
Ilerrera: Description des Indes Occidcnlalcs, etc., Amsterdam,
M.D.C.XXIL, pages 105-174: "Journal & Miroir de la Naviga-
tion Australe du vaillant bien renomme Seigneur Jaques Le
Maire ; Chef et conducteur dc deux navires Concorde et
Home".
Burney: A Chronological History, etc., Vol. W., pages 354-452.
"'Three atlases of Mercator of this date show the change
brought about by Le Maire' s voyage: i, Gerardi Mercaloris et
J. Hondii Atlas, Amsterdam, Johan Jaimson and Henricus
Hondius, MDCXXXIH.: (Kon. Oef Bib. Dresden). 2, Gerardi
Mcrcatoris Atlantis Novi ; Henrici Hondij, Amstcrodami, 163.S :
(Kon. Oef Bib. Dresden). 3, Gerardi Mcrcatoris ct J. Hondii
Atlas Novus ; Amstelodami ; apud Hcnricum Ilondium et Joan-
nem Janssonium, 1638: (Kon. Oef Bib. Dresden). These all
have the great Terra Australis, with Staaten Land as jwrt of the
ant;irctic coast.
'^^wxw^y : A Chronological History , etc., Vol. III., pages 115, 145.
LE MAIRE, LA ROCIlft, SHARP. 55
In 1675, Antonio de la Roche,*' an English mer-
chant, on a return voyage from Peru, was unable
to sail, on account of high winds and strong cur-
rents, through the Strait of Magalhaes or Strait
Le Maire. He was driven out to sea eastward of
Staaten Land and in April 1675, sighted a coast or
one or more islands, which the Spanish writer, Seixas
y Lovera, places in 55° south latitude. There is
little doubt that this was South Georgia.
Captain Bartholomew Sharp'^ commanded an expe-
dition of Buccaneers to the South Sea in the years
** Seixas y Lovera, El Capitan Don Francisco de : Descripcion
Gcographica y Dcrrotcro de la Region Austral Magallanica ;
Madrid 1690; Capitulo WW., Tihilo XIX.: (British Museum).
Lovera says he drew his material from a pamphlet privately
printed in 1678. He mentions the unknown land several times:
" que desde 50. a 55. grados ponen la Costa Austral de la Tierra
Incognita, empe9an do desde la alture de 45. grados noste Sur,
CO el Cabo de Buena Esperanga, descayendo la Costa hasta la
Aumentacion de los dichos 55. grados azia el Polo Antartico."
Dalr}'mple, Alexander : A Collcciioii of Voyages chiefly in the
Southern Atlantick Ocean; London, 1775, pages S5-S8: "Ex-
tract from the Geographical Description of Terra Magallanica "
etc., " Of the discovery which Antonio de la Roch6 made of
another new passage from the No. Sea to the So. Sea."
Burney: A Chronological History, etc., Vol. III., pages 395-404.
" Hacke, Captain William : A Collection of Original Voyages,
London, James Knapton, 1699: " II, Captain Sharp's Journey
over the Isthmus of Darien, and expedition into the South Seas,
written by himself": (British Museum).
A Collection of Voyages, London, James and John Knapton,
M.DCC.XXIX. Vol. IV. ; " III, Captain Sharp's Journey of his
Expedition," page 82: (Univ. Bib. Leyden).
56 ANTARCTICA.
1680 and 1681. On his return he sailed round Cape
Hoorn in January, 1681. All he says is: "To con-
clude therefore the whole, I shall only tell you, that
after I had sailed near 60 Deg. S. Lat, and as far, if
not farther, than any before me, I arrived on the 30th
of January at Nevis, from whence in some time I got
passage for England."
Captain Cowley"" sailed round the world in 1683-
1685, and passed outside of Staaten Land in Janu-
ary 1684. "Then haling away S. W. we came
abreast with Cape Horn the 14th Day of February,
where we chusing of Valentines, and discoursing of
the Intrigues of Women, there arose a prodigious
storm, which did continue till the last day of the
month, driving us into the Lat. of 60 Deg. and 30
min. South, which is further than ever any ship
hath sailed before South ; so that we concluded the
discoursing of women at sea was very unlucky and
caused the storm.
"Towards the beginning of the month of March,
the wind coming up at South, we were soon carried
into warm weather again ; for the weather in the lat.
of 60 Deg. was so extreme cold that we could bear
*" H;icke, Captain William : A CoUcdion of On'giyial Voyages,
London, James Knapton, 1699: "I, Capt. Cowley's voyage
round the globe": (British Museum).
A Collcdion of Voyages, London, James and John Knajitoii,
M.UCC.XXIX, Vol. IV.: "II, Captain Cowley's Voyage around
the Globe": (Univ. Bib. Leyden).
COWLEY, DAVIS, ROGERS. 57
drinking 3 quarts of Brandy in 24 hours each man, and
be not at all the worse for it, provided it were burnt."
Captain Edward Davis and Lionel Wafer, ^' passed
around Cape Hoorn, sailing eastward, in December
1687 and January 1688. Wafer says they went to 62°
45' south latitude on Christmas day, 1687; that they
saw some tremendous ice islands and that "from
these Hills of Ice came very cold Blasts of Wind."
He adds that clouds kept " the Sun and Stars so
obscured that we could take no Observation of our
Lat. yet, by our Reckoning, we were in very near 63
Deg. S. Lat." This seems to have been well east of
Cape Hoorn, as when they returned further north,
they had to run four hundred and fifty leagues west-
ward, in order to reach South America.
Woode Rogers"** " left Bristol the 2d of August
1708. The loth of January of the next year, they
" Wafer, Lionel : A New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus
of America, London, James Knapton, 1699, pages 216-220: (Lib.
Co. Philadelphia).
B. [Behrens] Monsieur de : Hisloire de V expedition de trois
vaisseaux ; A la Haye, aux d^pens de la Compagnie, M.D.CC-
XXXIX.
DeBrosses, Charles : Histoire dcs navigations aux Terres
Aiistrales, A Paris, chez Durand, M.DCC.LVL, Tome IL,
" Lionel Waffer en Magellanique," pages 102-103.
* De Brosses, Charles : Histoire des navigations aux Terres
Australes, A Paris, chez Durand, MUCC.LVL, Tome IL, " Wodes
Roggers, en Polynesie," page 184. De Brosses says he got his
information from a book written by Rogers himself in English
and published at Amsterdam, by I'Honore, in 1725.
58 ANTARCTICA.
were in the direction of the south pole at 6i° 53'
south latitude, [longitude not given] where there was
no night. * * * Like many other seamen Rogers
prides himself on having been nearer the south pole
than any one else."
La Barbinais^^ sailed round Cape Hoorn in 17 15,
going west. He says i^"" "The most southerly Cape
of these islands, is the one of which Captain Hoorn
made the discovery." A violent storm struck his
ship at this time : " Our sails were carried away by
the wind, and our vessel was for eight days the
plaything of the waves. We went to the latitude
of 61° 30' towards the South."
Captain George Shelvocke,'"^ in 17 19, on his journey
round the world, reached, while rounding Cape Hoorn,
61° 30' south latitude. An incident occurred then
which is memorable, because it suggested the Au-
cietit Mariner : "In short, one would think it impos-
sible that any thing living could subsist in so rigid a
climate; and indeed, we all observed, that we had not
had the sight of one fish of any kind, since we were
come to the southward of the Streights of le Mair, nor
" Le Gentil de La Barbinais : Nouvcau Voyage auiour dtc
monde, Paris, chez Briasson, MDCCXXVIII.: (British Museum).
"" Nouvcau Voyage, etc., Tome I, page 33.
'"' Shclvocke, George : A Voyage roimdthc world, by the way of
the Great South Sea, performed in the years 17 19, 20, 21, 22, etc.,
London, MUCCXXVL, pages 69-74: (Bib. Nat. Paris).
LA BARBINAIS, SIIELVOCKE, ROGGEVEEN. 59
one sea bird, except a disconsolate black albitross (sic)
who accompanied us for several days, hovering about
us as if he had lost himself, till Hatley (my second Cap-
tain) observing in one of his melancholy fits, that this
bird was always hovering near us, imagin'd, from his
colour, that it might be some ill omen. That which, I
suppose, induced him the more to encourage his super-
stition, was the continued series of contrary tempest-
uous winds, which had oppressed us ever since we had
got into this sea. But be that as it would, he, after
some fruidess attempts, at length, shot the Albitross,
not doubting (perhaps) that we should have a fair
wind after it."
Admiral Jacob Roggeveen,'"^ a Hollander, sailed
round the world in 1721-1722. His ships were the
"Arendt," Captain Jobon Koster, on which he was him-
self; the "Thienhoven," Captain Jacob Bauman ; and
the "Afrikaansche Galei," Captain Heinrich Rosenthal.
""//I'euwe Werken van het Zceuwsch Genootschap dcr Wetcii-
schappen : " Dagverhaal der Ontdekkings-reis van Mr. Jacob
Roggeveen, met de Schepen den Arendt, Thienhoven, en De
Afrikaansche Galei, in de jaren 1721 en 1722 ;" Te Middelburg,
Gebroeders Abrahams, 1838: (Univ. Bib. Leyden).
Behrens, Carl Friedrich ; Dcr wohlversuchl S'ud Lander das ist
atisfiikrliche Rcise Deschrcibung tun die Well ; Leipzig, J. G.
Monath, 1738 : (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden).
B. [Behrens] Monsieur de : Histoire de P expcditio7i de trois vais-
seaux; A la Haye, aux depens de la Compagnie, M.D.CC-
XXXIX. : (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden).
Harris, John : Naviganlhtni atqice Itineranthim Bibliotcca,
London, MDCCXLIV. : " The Voyages of Commodore Rogge-
wein ": (British Museum).
60 ANTARCTICA.
They sailed on the ist of August 1721 from Texel. In
the latitude of the Strait of Magalhaes, they discov-
ered an island, two hundred miles in circuit, which they
called " Belgia Australis" (Falklands). After passing
Strait Le Maire they rounded Cape Hoorn in January
1722, having stormy weather for three weeks. Rog-
geveen gives his highest latitude as 60° 44'. His
diary says : ^"^
" 1722. January 12 ; We found ourselves at the
heighth of 60 degrees 30 minutes towards the South
Pole " * '■' * January 1 3 ; in the south latitude of
60 degrees i minute * * '" January 14; were in
the latitude of 60 degrees 9 minutes south * * *
January 15 ; found ourselves at the heighth of 60 de-
grees 44 minutes towards the South Pole * * '"
January 16; at 60 degrees 39 minutes south latitude."
Behrens, a member of the expedition, says they
reached 62° 30' south latitude and the map in the Ger-
man edition of his narrative places this spot several
degrees of longitude west of Cape Hoorn. Behrens'
theory of the formation of icebergs is ingenious ; it
is the earliest mention 1 have seen suggesting that
Dalrymple, Alexander : ^?i Historical *■ * * in the South
Pacific Occaji, London, J. Nourse, MDCCLXXI.; Vol. II.,
pages 85-120, "The voyage of Jacob Roggewein ": (Kon. Oef.
Bib. Dresden).
Marchand, Etienne : Voyage aulotir dn »iondf pendant les
annees 1790, ijgi el 1792 : In Vol. III. i.s : " Un cxanien criti(|uc
du voyage de Roggewecn, par C. P. Claret Fleurieu ": (Kon.
Oef. Bib. Dresden).
^'^Dagverhaal, etc., pages 65-67.
ROGGEVEEN, BOUVET. 6 1
icebergs are formed on land and not on the open
sea; and the same paragraph contanis also the first
suggestion I have seen giving definite reasons why
there must be lands of considerable dimensions near
the South Pole : ^*' " These icebergs, which one sees
here at the heighth of Cape Horn or in more south-
ern latitudes, show that the southern lands extend
towards the Pole, as do the lands towards the North
Pole ; for one can easily see, that the icebergs can-
not grow in the sea, nor would such monsters increase
from any greater distance than ice cotdd freeze^^ but
the ice springs from the force of the streams and
the strong winds from the gulfs and the lands. One
would also notice no currents in the great Ocean, if
these did not flow forth from the lands, as we our-
selves noticed here towards the south-west." ^"^
Monsieur des Loziers (or Desloziers or de Lozier)
Bouvet,''" a French naval officer, in 1 738-1 739, made
"** Der Wohlversucht, etc. , page 50.
"** This sentence is not clear in the German : ' ' oder das ein solch
ungestummes mehr von einer solchen weite zugeben wurde, dass
es Eis frieren konnte."
'"John Harris in 1744 {Nav iff a7if turn etc., page 270) gives some
reasons why there must be a southern continent. One is "that
there is wanting to the eye a Southern Continent in order to give
one side of the globe a resemblance to the other, * * *
the ne.xt is, that experience confirms this notion ; the Fowls,
the Winds, the Currents, the Ice, beyond Cape Horn, all confirm
this opinion, that there is land towards the Southern Pole."
^'" Mevioircs paur i hisloirc des Sciences ct des Beaux- Arts ;
Commenc6s d'Stre imprimis I'an 1701 a Tr^voux ; Paris,
62 ANTARCTICA.
a search for the southern lands, seen by the Sieur
de Gonneville in 1503, and which were supposed
MDCCXL. ; F^vrier, 1740, pages 251-276: "Relation du voy-
age aux Terres Australes des Vaisseaux I'Aigle et la Marie ":
(British Museum). This is the original account of Bouvet's voy-
age and would appear to have been written by Bouvet himself.
Histoire Generate des Voyages, etc., Paris, Didot, M.DCC-
LIII. ; Tome Onzieme, pages 256-262: "Voyage de deux
Vaisseaux Francois, aux Terres Australes": (Acad. Nat. Sci.
Philadelphia).
De Brosses: Histoire des Navigations aux Terres Australes,
Vol. II., pages 255-259. In this book, is a "Carte G6n6rale,"
by the Sr. Robert de Vaugondy, G6og. ord. du Roi. This
shows no antarctic lands except the "Cap de la Circoncision " and
in about 42° south latitude, south of Tristan island (?) a " Cap des
Terres Australes."
Dalrymple, Alexander : A Collection of Voyages chiefly in the
Southern Atlantick Ocean ; London, 1775: " Extrait du Voyage
fait aux Terres Australes, les annees 1738 cSc 1739, par Mr. des
Loziers Bouvet, commandant la Fregate I'Aigle, accompagn^e
de la Fregate la Marie " : (Kon. Oef Bib. Dresden). At page
I of the Preface is .said: "This narrative was copied by M.
d'Apres from the Archives of the French East India Company."
With the map there is j)ublishcd a small outline drawing of the
Cap de la Circoncision, and this is the earliest sketch I have seen
of an antarctic land.
Le Gentil : Voyage dans les Mers de I'lnde; Paris, de I'lm-
primerie Royale ; Tome Second, MDCCLXXXI. ; pages 482-498:
"Article XVIII; Sur les Terres Australes" contains " Extrait du
journal du voyage [du premier [lilote du vai.sseau I'Aigle] pour
les d(;couvertes des Terres Australes, dans le vaisseau I'Aigle, du
30 D^cemljrc 173S an 10 Janvier 1739": (Bib. Royale, Bruxelles ;
Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia). According to A. Rainaud {Le
Continent Austral, page 400) the pilot's name was Gallo.
M. Rainaud also says most of the original documents about the
expedition are at the Service Hyilrographiquc de la Marine, Paris.
Burney: A Clironological History, etc., 1817, Vol. V., pages
30-37-
BOUVET. 63
to lie south of the Cape of Good Hope.'"' Bouvet
commanded the frigate "I'Aigle" and Monsieur Hays
the frigate "la Marie." They left Lorient on the 19th
or 29th of July, 1738. On December 15th, in 49°
south latitude, they began to see great bergs. On
January ist, 1739, (the pilot says the 2d) the first
pilot of the "Aigle" sighted, about 3 o'clock P. M.,
a high land covered with snow, about eight leagues
distant, and which appeared to him to be a big
headland. Bouvet presented twenty piastres to the
pilot, and called the land "Cap de la Circoncision,"
in memory of the day. The land seemed to be
four or five leagues long from north to south, and
Bouvet says they could not determine whether it was
a headland of a big land, or only an island. They
charted its position as 54° south latitude, and 26°
to 27° of longitude east of Teneriffe.
The ships beat about before this island for twelve
days, and got several times within three or four
leagues of the land, but they were never able to
reach it in their boats, on account of the ice.
Fogs also were heavy and persistent, and further
effort seeming useless, after the nth of January the
ships sailed back to between 51° and 52° south
latitude, and then followed this parallel eastward
'™ It has been suggested that de Gonneville reached Madagascar,
Bresil or even Australia ; it seems most probable, however, that
his landfall was on Madagascar. See Burney : A Chronological
History, etc.. Vol. I., pages zn~2>79-
64 ANTARCTICA.
until January 25th, in between 51° and 55° longitude
east of Teneriffe. They were always on the edge
of the pack, and saw many birds, whales, and "sea
wolves." Bouvet then went north in search of the
place where Gonneville landed.
Bouvet's discovery was doubted, of course, by some
people. Monsieur Le Gentil, for instance, argues that
Bouvet did not see land at all, but only icebergs.-'"'
Nevertheless, Bouvet did see land and his voyage
was the first definite attempt at antarctic exploration,
the honor of which, therefore, belongs to France.
The Spanish ship "Lyon" or "Leon" left Lima for
Cadiz on February 8, 1 756. The Sieur Ducloz Guyot ^^°
of Saint Malo, who was on board, wrote an account
of the voyage. They sailed round Cape Hoorn. On
June 28th, they were in 55° 10' south latitude, 52° 10'
west longitude (?) and thought they saw land. On
""In the Histoire de V Academic Royale dcs Sciences, Ann^e
MDCCLXXVI., Paris, M.DCCLXXIX., " M6moircs" etc., pages
665-666, and in the same Histoire, etc., AnnCe MDCCLXXIX.,
Paris, MDCCLXXXII., pages 12-18, are three short memoirs by-
Monsieur Le Monnier, in which he shows the absurdity of the
attacks which were made on Bouvet.
"" Dalrymple, Alexander : A Collection of Voyages thicfly in
tlie Southern Atlantick Ocean, jiublishcd from original MSS. ;
London, 1775 : " E.xtrait d'un Journal de Navigation pour un
voyage de la mer du Sud, fait par le S. Ducloz Guyot de St.
Malo, dans le vaisscau cspagnol le Lyon en 1756" : (Kiin. Ocf.
Bib. Dresden).
Barney : A Chronological History, etc., Vol. V., pages 136-142.
DUCLOZ GUYOT. 65
the 29th " at about 9 A. M., we sighted a continent
about twenty-five leagues long from northeast to
southwest, filled with steep mountains of a frightful
aspect, and of so extraordinary a height, that we
could hardly see the summits, altho more than six
leagues away." " Yesterday Don Domingo Dortiz,
Lieutenant General of the armies of His Catholic Ma-
jesty, Count of the Peoples {Pett-piades) and President
of Chily, died at four o'clock in the afternoon [apres
midy) aged eighty years ; and at ten o'clock this
morning, he was thrown into the sea, after the usual
ceremonies. The Spaniards saluted him with seven
'Long live the King' and wished him very respect-
fully a pleasant journey ; lat., estimated, 54° 48', long.
51° 30'."
On July I, " we steered to the eastward, to observe
whether the said land stretched further in that part.
About 8 o'clock A. M. we saw its most easterly point
by compass to the north 5° and about twelve leagues
off. At midday, continuing on the same course, we
were in 55° 23' lat. estimated, and 51° long." On
July 4, they again thought they saw land in 54° 10'
south latitude, but they were not sure. The rest
of the narrative tells of the voyage home, and how
they were in great danger from heavy storms and
were nearly lost, and at this time they vowed one
or two sails to " Our Lady of Sorrows." But the
narrative does not say that she ever got them. There
is no doubt that the land the " Lyon " sighted was
66 ANTARCTICA.
South Georgia, and it is noteworthy how much the
account of Guyot resembles that of Vespucci.
Captain Marion du Fresne and the Chevalier Du-
clesmeur,"^ in the " Mascarin " and the " Marquis de
Castries," discovered on January' 13, 1772, and suc-
ceeding days, two groups of small islands in between
46° and 47° south latitude, and about 50° 30' and 59°
30' east longitude. They christened them Terre d'Es-
perance, He de la Caverne, He Froide, and He Aride,
but they are now known as the Marion Islands and
the Crozet Islands.
Captain Yves J. de Kerguelen Tremarec,"- a French
naval officer, made a voyage in 1 77 1 with xh^ flutes " La
Fortune" and "Le Gros Ventre." On February 12,
'" Nouveau Voyage d la Mer du Sud, commence sous les ordres
de M. Marion * * * et achev6 * * * sous ceux de M.
le Chevalier Duclesmeur * * * d'aprSs les Plans et Journaux
de M. Crozet; Paris, chez Barrois l'ain6, M.DCC.LXXXIII. :
(Amer. Geog. Soc.).
Rochon, Alexis, membre de I'lnstitut National de France:
Voyages d Madagascar^ A Maroc, et aux Indes Orientalcs ; Paris,
An X de la Republique ; Chez Prault et Levrault ; Tome III.,
pages 325-327 : (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden).
'" Kerguelen, M. de : Relation de deux voyages dans les mers
Australes et dcs Indes, fails en 177 1, 1772, 1773 & 1774 * * *
A Paris, chez Knapen & fils, M.DCC.LXXXIl. : (Amer. Geog.
Soc. and British Museum).
J/istoire de r Acadanie royale dcs Sciences, Annte
MDCCLXXXVIII., Paris, MDCCXCI. ; Mcmoires, etc., pages
487-503 : — Le Paute d'Agelet : " Observations fiiites dans un voy-
age aux Terres Australes, en 1773 & 1774": (Amer. Phil. Soc).
MARION, KERGUELEN. 67
1772, he sighted a small island"^ in 50° 5' south lati-
tude, 60° west longitude (Paris). On February 13, he
discovered a much larger island, in 49° 40' south lati-
tude, 61° 10' west longitude (Paris); of this he saw at
least twenty-five leagues of coast. He was violently
abused on his return home, and some people said : ^'^
"in short that I had seen no land, but only a cloud and
that I had ordered my entire crew to keep silence
under penalty of their life."
Kerguelen sailed again the following year with "le
Roland," "I'Oiseau," Captain Rosnevet, and "la Dau-
phine." On the 14th of December 1773, he resighted
these islands and stayed about them until January 18,
1774."^ They were examined more carefully, a rough
chart made, and the center charted as in 49° 30' south
latitude, 68° west longitude (Paris). The main island
was called Kerguelen Island. Some of the expedition
landed on it on January 6, 1775, and took possession
M. d'Agelet says they made a landing (nous atterdmes) on De-
cember 14th, and another on January 6th: the first on the west
coast, the second in the northwest in the Baye de I'Oiseau. He
blames Kerguelen, according to the usual habit of mankind,
for not doing more exploration. M. d'Agelet also mentions an-
other account, which I have not seen, of this journey: " M. de
Pages, dans ses Poyages, publics en 1782, donne une relation de
cette expedition."
Rochon, Alexis: Voyages & Madagascar, etc., Tome III.,
pages 308-312.
"^Relation, etc., pages 21-24.
^^^ Relation, etc., page 37.
"''Relation, etc., pages 61-82.
68 ANTARCTICA.
of it in the name of the King of France : the shores
were ahve with antarctic animals and birds. Ker-
guelen's discovery is summed up in the following
words:"'' "There results at any rate from the labors
of M. de Kerguelen, the discovery of an island of
about two hundred leagues in circuit, with which he
has enriched geography, and which the poisoned breath
of envy will never be able to wipe off from the ball of
the earth."
Lieutenant James Cook, R. N., on a voyage round
the world in the ship " Endeavour," went, on January
30th, 1769, between the meridians of 74° and 75° west,
to just beyond 60° south latitude. When approaching
New Zealand, on October 7th, 1769, he wrote: "This
land became the subject of much eager conversation;
but the general opinion seemed to be that we had
found the Terra Australis Incognita." "'
Captain Cook, on his second voyage round the
world, searched for the antarctic continent, whose ex-
istence, north of 60° south latitude, was asserted by
Alexander Dalrymple."* Captain Cook conmianded
^^^ Relation etc. : " Extrait des Services do M. de Kerguelen"
page 118.
'" Hawkesvvortli, John: An Account of the Voyages undertaken
by the order of his present majesty for making discoveries in t/ie
Southern Hemisphere, London, MDCCLXXIII. : (IJb. Co.
Philadelphia).
"" In the iiitiddiiciion to one of his books, Alexander Dalrymple
{A Historical Collection * * * South Pacific Ocean, London,
COOK. 69
the "Resolution," and Captain Fiirneaux commanded
the "Adventure." "'•' At the Cape of Good Hope, they
found the Swedish naturalist, Dr. Andre Sparrman,
and invited him to join the expedition. From the
Vol. I., MDCCLXX. : Bil). Nat. Paris) wrote of the probability
of a continent extending from 30° south latitude to the pole, and
urged that e.xpeditions of discovery be sent. When Cook's ex-
jiedition was sent, Dalrymple ap[)ears to have been much disap-
pointed at not being chosen leader. But his services to geog-
raphy, in helping to bring about the search, deserve to be
remembered.
'" Cook, James : A Voyai^c ioivards the South Pole and Round
the World, performed in His Majesty's Ships the "Resolution"
and "Adventure," in the years 1772, 1773, 1774 and 1775: Second
Edition, London, W. Strahan and T. Cadell, MDCCLXXVII. :
(Lib. Co. Philadelphia).
Journal of the Resolution's Voyage, in 1772, 1773, 1774 and
1775, on Discovery of the Southern Hemisphere, by which the
non existence of an undiscovered Continent, between the Equator
and the 50th Degree of Southern Latitude, is demonstrably
proved: Also a Journal of tlie Adventure' s Voyage, in the years
1772, 1773, and 1774; Dublin, Caleb Jenkin, MDCCLXXVI. :
(Pub. Lib. New York City).
Forster, George, F. R. S. : A Voyage Round the World, in his
Britannic Majesty's Ship "Resolution," commanded by Captain
James Cook, during the years 1772, 3, 4 and 5 ; London, B.
White, J. Robson, P. Elmsley, G. Robinson, MDCCLXXVII. :
(Kon. Oef Bib. Dresden). There is a good "A Chart of the South-
ern Hemisphere" in the first volume of this book ; the only ant-
arctic lands marked are Kerguelen Island, the Marion Islands,
Sandwich Land and South Georgia.
Sparrman, Dr. Andr6 : Voyage au Cap de Bonne Esperance
et Autour du Monde, avec Ic Captaine Cook; Paris, chez Buisson,
MDCCLXXXVII.
Low, Lieutenant Charles R., (H. M. Indian Navy); Captain
Cook s Three Voyages Round the World; London, George
Routledge and Sons : (Public Lib. Tacoma).
yo ANTARCTICA.
Cape, Cook proceeded south and east, and on January
17th, 1773, crossed the Antarctic Circle in 39° 35'
east longitude, and reached 67° 15' south latitude.
Here he was stopped by a pack composed of field
ice, with thirty-eight ice islands in sight. He turned
northward, and later southward. On the 23d of Feb-
ruar)', he reached 61° 52' south latitude, 95° 2' east
longitude. Here there were so many ice islands, that
he gave up attempting to cross the Antartic Circle,
and continued on an eastward course until, on March
17th, he reached 59'' 7' south latitude, 146° 53' east
longitude, when he bore away north.
In December 1773, Cook again went south, and on
December 22d, reached 67° 31' south latitude, 142°
54' west longitude, where he was stopped by the
pack. On January 30th, 1774, he reached 71° 10'
south latitude, 106° 54' west longitude, where a great
ice field, in which ninety-seven ice hills were in sight,
blocked further progress. Cook did not suggest that
any land was in sight, in fact he says : ™ "As we drew
near this ice some penguins were heard, but none
seen ; and but few other birds, or any other thing that
could induce us to think any land was near. And yet
I think there must be some land to the south behind
this ice." '-' He then went in search of the Terra
"" A Voyage, etc. , Vol. I. , page 268.
"1 Nevertheless two writers. Sir J. C. Ross and Mr. C. E.
Borchgreviiik, mention Captain Cook as having perhaps discov-
ered the Antarctic Continent at this time.
COOK. 7 1
Australis Incognita that Juan Fernandez was said to
have discovered.
In January 1775, Cook went south from Staaten
Land, and Forster states '^^ that they steered in search
of the land reported by La Roche in 1675, and by
Ducloz Guyot in 1756. On January 14th, in 53° 56'
south latitude, 39° 24' west longitude, Cook arrived at
the land, which was discovered, perhaps by Amerigo
Vespucci, certainly by La Roche, and which was seen
by the Spanish ship "Lyon." It lies between 53° 57'
and 54° 57' south latitude, and 38° 13' and 35° 34'
west longitude. Cook spent several days there and at
the suggestion of the elder Forster,^^ re-named it the
Isle of Georgia. He then stood eastward again, and
on January 31st, discovered Sandwich Land in 59°
south latitude, 27° west longitude, and on the same
day another coast in 59° 13' south latitude, 27° 45'
west longitude, which was named Southern Thule.
On February ist, he sighted Cape Montagu, and on
the 3d, in 57° 11' south latitude, 27° 6' west longi-
tude, two islands, which he called the Candlemas Isles.
After a vain search for Bouvet Island, he returned to
the Cape.
This voyage of Cook was the first circumnavigation
of the south polar regions, and really closes the first
period of antarctic discovery, because it did away with
'"A Voyage, etc., Vol. II., page 524.
"'y4 Voyage, etc., Vol. II., page 525.
72 ANTARCTICA.
the legendary belief in a great Terra Australia Incog-
nita north of 60° south latitude.^"* In a certain sense
the outcome was negative, in that Antarctica was not
discovered, a fact which would seem to rank the voy-
age of Cook as of much less importance than the
voyage of Wilkes. With that single exception, how-
ever, perhaps no one achieved such great geograph-
ical results in the south polar regions as Cook, and
it is possibly not going too far to assign him the
second place among antarctic explorers.^
"*Capitaine, Ls. : Atlas El'ementaire, Paris, 1793: (Kon. Oef.
Bib. Dresden). Map No. i, " Mappemonde " shows no antarctic
land, except the Cap de la Circoncision, altho on both hemi-
spheres beyond 60° is marked " Terres Australes."
Many of the maps, however, from the time of Cook until re-
cently, mark ' ' Antarctic Ocean ' ' across the regions of the South
Pole. This is, for instance, the case in The Student's Atlas, by
William Hughes, London, about 1880.
'" Professor Gregory ( The Popular Science Monthly, New
York, 1902, Vol. LX., pages 209-217: — Professor J. W. Greg-
ory: "Antarctic Exploration") says: "Cook's voyage was
brilliantly successful and still ranks as tlie greatest of Antarctic
achievements."
II.
VOYAGES UP TO AND INCLUDING THE DISCOVERY OF
THE CONTINENT OK ANTARCTICA.
The second period of antarctic discovery may be
looked on as beginning after the voyage which finally
did away with the belief in the legendary "Terra
Australis " north of 60° south latitude and as ending
with the discovery by Charles Wilkes, that after all
there is a great antarctic land, even if it is smaller
than the land of lecfend.
Captain James Cook'-" inaugurated the second
period on his thinl voyage round the world. On
December 12th, 1776, he sighted the Marion and the
Crozet Islands, and on December 24th, Kerguelen
Island, landing there on December 25th, in "Christ-
mas Harbor," and staying near the island until De-
cember 30th.
Captain Marchand touched 60° south latitude in his
voyage round the world. '^'
"* Cook, Captain James : y4 Voyage to Ihe Pacific Ocean * * *
in the years 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, and 1780: London,
MDCCLXXXIV., Vol. I., pages 52-55: (Lib. Co., Phila-
delphia).
'" Marchand, Etienne : Voyage autoiir du Monde pendant les
annees ijgo, ijgr, el i'^g2 ; Paris, Imprimerie de la Republique,
An VI. : (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dresden).
(73)
74 ANTARCTICA.
In 1794, the Spanish corvette " Atrevida " was sent to
survey the Aurora Islands, which were discovered, it
was said, in 1762, by the ship " Aurora." ^^ In 1769, the
ship " San Miguel " saw some islands, which it was sus-
pected were the Auroras. In 1774, the ship " Aurora"
again reported them. Three other vessels, the " Pearl "
in 1 779, and the "Dolores " and the " Princess" in 1 790,
also are said to have seen these islands. The " Atre-
vida " went purposely to situate them and reported that
the islands were three in number ; and that the south-
ernmost was in 53° 15' south latitude, 47° 57' west
longitude; the second in 53° 2' south latitude, 47° 55'
west longitude ; and the third in 52° 2,7' south lati-
tude, 47° 43' west longitude. The Spanish officers,
however, said that none of the circumstances con-
nected witli the islands which they saw, agreed with
those reported of the Auroras. ^-"•'
Captain Rhodes'-'" in 1799, commanding the ship
" Hillsborough," spent eiglit months on the north coast
of Kerguelen Island.
""This account is compiled from Captain James Wcddell's
A Voyage towards the Soulh Pole, pages 61-67, '" wliicli Weddell
quotes the publications of the Koyat Hydrogmpliicat Society of
Madrid, 1809, Mevioria Segunda, iorno 1°, pa,y:cs 51, 52, and
appendix to same, Vol. I., page 213, Number IV.
^'^'' ScG post, pages 100, 107, no.
"°Z>r. A. Pctcrmann's Mittlteitimgcn, etc., Gotha, 1858, pages
ly-^j: — A. Petermann : " Die Sogenannten ' Konig-Max-lnseln,'
Kerguelen, .St. Paul, Neu-Amsterdam, u. s. w.,".
THE "ATREVIDA, SWAIN, MACY. 75
Captain Swain, in 1800, was the first American
to make an antarctic discovery:"' "Swain's Island,
latitude 59° 30' south, longitude icxD° west by calcula-
tion, discovered by Captain Swain, of Nantucket, in
iScxD. Resorted to by many seals." There is also
another account*''- of this event : " Captain Swain,
while passing from Sandwich Islands to Cape Horn,
ran farther south than usual for whale ships, and
discovered an island in latitude 59° south, and longi-
tude 90° west, covered with snow, and abounding with
sea-dogs and fowl. This must be the same island
discovered by Captain Macy, an account of which is
given before." The account of the discovery made
by Captain Richard Macy, of Nantucket, which ap-
pears to have taken place a few years after Swain's,
is as follows : '"■'' " Captain Macy discovered an island
four or five miles in extent, in south latitude 59°, and
west longitude 91°, his ship passing near enough to
see the breakers. The island abounded with sea
'" Fanning, Edmund : Voyages Round the World ; with selected
sketches of Voyages to the South Seas, North and South Pacific
Ocea7ts, China, etc., between the years 1792 and 1832: New York,
Collins & Hannay, MDCCCXXXIII., page 447: (Pub. Lib.
Boston ; Harvard Univ. Lib. ; Lib. Co. Philadelphia : Amer.
Geog. Soc).
'" Reynolds, J. N. : Address on the subject of a surveying and
exploring expedition to the Pacific Ocean arid South Seas ; de-
livered in the Hall of Representatives on the evening of April 3,
1836; New York, Harper and Brothers, 1836, page 224: (Har-
vard Univ. Lib. ; Amer. Phil. Soc. ; Geog. Soc. Philadelphia).
^^ Address, etc., page 216.
76 ANTARCTICA.
dogs, or seals, and the water was much coloured, and
thick with rock-weed."^**
This island does not appear to be charted. It is
perhaps the one now known as " Dougherty Island "^^
as the latitudes correspond, and sealing captains,
owing to the lack of instruments, may easily have
made errors in their longitude.
Mr. James Lindsay,"^ master of the " Snow Swan,"
and Mr. James Hopper, master of the "Otter,"
English whaling vessels, sighted Bouvet Island in
1808, the former on October 6th, the latter on
October loth. They recognized the Cap de la Cir-
concision, but could not land, on account of fogs and
ice. The island was determined to be in 54° 15'
south latitude, 4° 15' east longitude.
In the spring of the year 181 2, Mr. Edmund Fan-
ning"^ was appointed commander of an American dis-
covery expedition, to consist of the ships "Volunteer"
"* See also : Executive Documents, 2jd Cotigress, 2d Session,
Doc. No. 5/ January 27, 1835 : "A report of J. N. Reynolds,
in relation to islands, reefs, and shoals in the Pacific Ocean" etc.
(dated) New York, September 24, 1828: (Lib. Co., Philadelphia).
^^S^^ post, pages 185, 186.
"*Burncy: A Chronological History, etc., Vol. V., pages
35-37-
'" Voyages, etc., pages 492-494.
Executive Docnmenls, 26th Congress, ist .Session, 1S39-40,
Vol. II., Doc. No. 57 : " Memorial of Edmund hauning."
LINDSAY, HOPPER, FANNING, SMITH. 77
and " Hope," intenderl for the exploration of the south-
ern hemisphere and a voyage round the world. The
expedition was on the point of sailing, when, owing
to the breaking out of war, it was given up. About
this time, however, it is barely possible that West
Antarctica was rediscovered. Dr. Fricker"^ says: "At
all events, probability points that way, and it is certain
that the English hydrographer, James Horsburgh,'^^
told the German geographer, Heinrich Berghaus, that
the island group had been a station for American
seal hunters since 181 2. The motive for keeping its
existence secret was the desire to retain the sole use
of the station for their own profit." It would seem
probable that Mr. Horsburgh's information was in-
correct, since Fanning says nothing of the matter.
Still, further evidence may yet be found.
Mr. William Smith, "" master of the brig " Williams "
of Blythe, took an unusually southern course round
1S8 Pricker, Dr. Karl : The Aiitarctic Regions, London, Swan
Sonnenschein & Co. ; New York, The Macmillan Company,
1900, page 47. A translation of Antarktis, Bibliotliek der Lan-
dcrkimde, Berlin, Schall & Grund, 1898.
. '" Mr. Horsburgh does not mention this matter in what seems
to be his only paper about the Antarctic : Philosophical Trans-
actions of the Royal Society of Lotidon, MDCCCXXX, pages
1 17-120 : — Horsburgh, Captain James : " VII. Remarks on sev-
eral icebergs which have been met with in unusually low latitudes
in the southern hemisphere."
'"' The Edinburgh Philosophical fouryial. Vol. III., Edin-
burgh, 1820: pages 367-380, Art. xxi., " Account of the Dis-
78 ANTARCTICA.
Cape Hoorn in February 1819. Apparently by ac-
cident, on February 19th, he sighted some islands in
62° 17' south latitude, 60° 12' west longitude. On
October 15th following, he reached the same islands
and this time examined them more carefully, christen-
ing several of them and calling the whole group New
South Shetland. He thought he could distineuish
through the telescope trees similar to the Norway
pine. Mr. Smith appears to have gathered the
impression that the Shetlands were a more or less
connected mass of land, in fact he speaks of some
of them as the mainland. His chart, however, shows
that he was always north of the Shetlands.
Captain James P. Sheffield"^ and Supercargo Will-
iam A. Fanning sailed in the brip- "Hersilia" of Ston-
ington, in July 1819, on an exploring and sealing
voyage. This was due to the initiative of Mr. Ed-
mund Fanning. He had read the account of Ger-
ritsz's discovery of land at the south of Cape I loorn,
and liad seen also the breaking up of the winter ice
at Soutli Georgia and had noticed that ice islands
covery of New South Shetland, with observations on its import-
ance in a Geographical, Commercial and Political point of view ;
with two Plates:" by Mr. J. Miers : communicated by Mr.
Hodgskin: (Amer. Phil. Soc).
Neue Allgcmcine Gcographische EpJiemeridcn, Weimar, VIII.,
1820; pages 81-83: "Das neue Antarktische Continent oder
New Schottland": (Bib. Nat. Paris).
"' Fanning, Edmund : Voyages Round the H'or/d, etc., pages
428-434.
FANNING, SHEFFIELD. 79
came floating there after west-south-west gales : he
believed, therefore, that there was land in that quar-
ter, and this was the inducement for the search. On
the return of the " Hersilia," Sheffield and Fanning
reported that they had seen the Aurora Islands, and
then proceeded south, and that in about 63° south
latitude, in February 1820, they had found several
islands. One they called Mount Pisgah Island, others
Fanning's Islands, and another Ragged Island, on
which they effected a landing at Hersilia Cove, the
second recorded landing in Antarctica. They did not
rename the group, believing it was Gerritsz Land.
They captured many seals and this voyage was the
forerunner of those which resulted in the extermina-
tion of the antarctic fur seal.
Mr. Edward Bransfield, R. N.,"- sailed from Valpa-
raiso on December 20th, 1819, in the brig "Williams,"
^*' Journal des voyages, dicouveries et navigations modernes,
par J. T. Verneur, Tome Dixieme, Paris, Colnet, 1821, pages
5-24: " Relation de la decouverte de la nouvelle Shetland m6r-
idionale ; avec des remarques sur I'importance de cette d6couverte
sous les rapports g^ographiques, commerciaux et politiques ; Par
J. Miers; conimuniciue par H. Hodgskin": (Bib. Nat. Paris). This
paper, dated Valparaiso, January 1820, states that Dr. Young, who
accompanied Bransfield, and who apparently furnished the data
for the paper, was the second surgeon of the English sloop of war
"Slaney." The writer makes some remarks as to whether South
Shetland is a big i.sland or part of a continent and he concludes
(page 23): "Des recherches r6centes ont fait connaitre que les
montagnes de glace tirent toujours leur origine de terres limitrophes.
Entre les m6ridiens de 40° et 60° O., les montagnes de glace ne
8o ANTARCTICA.
to examine Mr. Smith's newly found islands. He
reached the Shetlands on January i6th, 1820, in 62°
26' south latitude and 60° 54' west longitude. Three
days afterwards, about two degrees more to the east-
ward, he anchored in an extensive bay and was able
to land, apparently the first time any one did so in
Antarctica. He found also some stunted orrass,
and this seems to be the first time vegetation was
noticed in Antarctica. Like Mr. Smith, Bransfield
appears to have considered the Shetlands as a more
or less connected mass of land, for Dr. Young's (?)
involved account speaks of them as a line of coast
which "appeared high, bold and rugged." He says
paraissent partout qu'a un degr6 de latitude un peu inferieur, d'ou
nous pouvons coiiclure, qu'entre ces m^ridiens, il existe au sud,
une 6tendue de pays considerable ; et nous croyons, d'apres cela,
pouvoir regarder commc certain que la nouvelle Shetland m6ridi-
onale et le pays de Sandwich forment les avances d'un immense
continent." The paper is interesting, because it is one of the
first attempts to give reasonable grounds for the possible existence
of an Antarctic Continent. It would seem also to show that
Bransfield did not sight any part of the mainland of West Ant-
arctica, as otherwise the writer of this paper would have made
some mention, apparently, of seeing land near their most south-
em point.
The Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, Vol. IV., Edinburgh,
1821, pages 345-348, Art. XVII., "Notice of the Voyage of
Edward Ikansfield, Master of His Majesty's Ship Andromache, to
New South .Shetland " : (Amer. Phil. Soc). This paper is signed
" H. M. S. Slaney " and I supposed at first that that was the
name of the writer, and used it thus in The Journal 0/ the Frank-
lin Institute, Vi:>\. CLI., 1901, page 255. Dr. Hugh Robert Mill
{T/i£ Antarctic Maiiual, London, 1901, page 529: "Bibli-
ography of Antarctic Exploration and Research ") made the
BRANSFIELD. 8 1
further that the land was traced nine or ten degrees
east and west and about three degrees north and
south, and that they could not ascertain whether it
was part of a continent or only a group of islands.
" If it is insular, there must be some of an immense
extent, as we found a gulf nearly 1 50 miles in depth,
out of which we had some difficulty in finding our
way back again."
According to the English Admiralty charts, Nos.
1238 and 1240, Bransfield's course must have been
north of the Shetlands, then eastward, then south-
ward, along about the meridian of 52° 30' west longi-
tude, to about 64° 30' south latitude, and this cruise
is probably what Dr. Young refers to as a " gulf"
From his position, therefore, Bransfield may have
sighted Joinville Island, or even one of the peaks of
the mainland,'^'' but this at present is uncertain. The
broad strait between South Shetland and Palmer
Land or Archipelago is universally known as "Brans-
field Strait." I have found no record saying by whom
or when this name was given.
same mistake and atu-ibuted this paper to " [Slansy, H. M. S.] "
The paper published in the Journal des Voyages, etc., however,
shows that the author was Dr. Young, of "His Majesty's Ship
Slaney." It is certainly an original mode of publication to
sign a paper, without further explanation, by the name of a boat.
Neiu Allgenieijie Geograpkisc/ie Epkemeriden, Weimar, VIII.,
1820, pages 490-493: "Weilere und neueste nachrichten von
dem neuentdeckten Antarktischen Lande."
"'From a statement in D'Urville's Voyage au Pole Sud, etc.,
Vol. II., page II, it seems as if this inference may be correct.
82 ANTARCTICA.
Captain Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen,'" in
the "Vostok" (the Orient), and Captain Lazarew, in
the "Mirny" (the Pacific), in 1819-1821, led a Rus-
sian expedition to the Antarctic, of which they made
the second circumnavigation. They left Kronstadt in
18 19, and in December sailed along the south coast of
South Georgia. On January 3d and 4th, 1820, they
discovered the Traversey Islands, in 56° 41' south
D'Urville says of Bransfield : " D'apres cette carte, il aurait
meme apergu, dans le sud de 1' lie Bridgman, une haute montagne
couverte de neige, par 63° 20' latitude S. et 59" 38' longitude O.
environ." The map here referred to I have not seen. D'Urville
says that it is one of New South Shetland by Laurie and that it
gives Bransfield' s route: it is therefore evidently not Powell's
chart. The date of this map is not given by D' Urville and it
may antedate Powell's chart, but it seems most probable that it
was published after 1824, since D'Urville speaks also (page 24)
of Laurie's map as giving indications about a Captain Hoseason
in 1824.
'"Bellingshausen's narrative has been published in full only in
Russian : Dwukratnya isiskania tju Jujnovi Lcdoivilom Okcanje
i plawayiie woknig swjcla, &c. ; St. Petersburg, 1831 : (Justus
Perthes' Geographischer Anstalt, Gotha). In the atlas are wood-
cuts of Peter L Island, and Alexander Land.
Simonow, Iwan : Beschrcibung eincr ncuen Etiideckungsreise
in das s'udliche Eismcer ; Aus dem Russischen ubersetzt von M.
Banyi ; Wien, J. B. Wallishausscr, 1824: (Kon. Oef. Bib. Dres-
den). Simonow was the astronomer of the expedition.
Bibliotheque Univcrselle dcs Voyages, par M. Albert Mont6-
mont, Paris MDCCCXXXIV. ; Tome XXL, pages 431-448:
" Bellingshausen" : (Amer. Geog. Soc).
Archiv f'lir tvissenschaftlichc Kundc von Russland, A Eiman,
Bcriin, 1842, Vol. II. , pages 125-175 : — Lowe, F. : " Iklliugshaus-
ens Reise nach der Sudsee und Entdeckungon ini Siidlichcn
Eismeer": (Lib. of Congress).
BELLINGSHAUSEN, LAZAREW. 83
latitude, 28° 9' west longitude. On the 8th, they
determined that the Candlemas Isles were small
islands and not a coast. They then sailed south
and east. On January 2Sth, Bellingshausen reached
69° 21' south latitude, 2° 15' west longitude, and on
February 2d, 66° 25' south latitude, 1° 11' west
longitude, at both of which positions he was stopped
by the pack. He then steered eastward, and on
February 17th reached 69° 6' south latitude, and on
the 19th, 68° 5' south latitude, 16° 37' east longitude.
Later, he reached 66° 53' south latitude, 40° 56' east
longitude, where he thought land must be near, on
account of the numbers of birds.
The following southern summer, Bellingshausen
started from Sydney and sailed south and east. Mr.
Montemont says: "On the nth of January, 1821,
we discovered, in 69° 30' south latitude, an island,
which we named in honor of the founder of our
navy, Peter I. Island. The 17th of the same
month, we discovered a coast in the same latitude,
to which, in honor of the sponsor of our journey,
we gave the name of Alexander I. The lands are
surrounded with ice, which prevented us from ap-
proaching them and examining them near by. The
discovery of these two islands is moreover remark-
able in that of all these lands they are the most south-
erly which have yet been discovered in this hemi-
sphere." Herr Lowe adds: "The sudden change in
the color of the water led Captain Bellingshausen to
84 ANTARCTICA.
believe that this [Alexander] land must be of con-
siderable size." Simonow writes: " Both islands are
surrounded on all sides by ice. * * * If there-
fore the coast of Alexander Land is not the point
of a dry land, then must I confirm the words of
Cook and also say that we saw no trace of the
supposed polar land, unless there was one beyond
the limits of our vision, where however the eternal
and impenetrable ice has placed a bar to naviga-
tion." The testimony is somewhat conflicting, as to
whether Alexander Land is a part of a great land
or only an island : if it is the former, Bellings-
hausen may have been the first to sight the main-
land of West Antarctica, but this must remain an
open question for the present."^
From Alexander Land, Bellinofshausen sailed to the
Shetlands, to which he gave Russian or Napoleonic
names: Borodino, Smolensk, Leipzig, Waterloo (James
Island), Mordwinow (Elephant Island), etc., and where
Simonow says they met over fifty Amtrican and Eng-
"' According to Dr. F. A. Cook {Bulhiin America7i Geo-
graphical Society, Vol. XXXni., 1901, paj^es 36-41 ; "Captain
Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen") it is probable that Alexan-
der Land is an island group. Dr. Cook quotes from his own
log as follows : "The vast number of icebergs to the eastward
of the land gave it also, from a greater distance, the .ippearance
of being connected with some larger land ; but from our various
positions wc were able to make out distinctly that the islands are
a separate grou]), with no other land in sight to the east." This
would seem to show that Bellingshausen was not the fust to sight
the mainland of West Antarctica.
BELLINGSHAUSEN, LAZAREW, PALMER. 85
lish ships. One of these was the " Hero," commanded
by Nathaniel B. Palmer."'' Bellingshausen then re-
turned to Russia, passing South Georgia on his
homeward route.
Bellingshausen's voyage is one of the most impor-
tant, for he narrowed considerably the unexplored
regions of the South Pole, and crossed six times
the Antarctic Circle, within which he sailed long
distances.
Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer,"' an American seal-
ing captain, comes next in chronological order ; and
I quote his first two voyages in full, because of their
importance in the history of antarctic discovery.
" The next season after the Hersilia's return from
the South Shetlands, a fleet of vessels, consisting of
the brig Frederick, Captain Benjamin Pendleton the
senior commander ; the brig Hersilia, Captain James
P. Sheffield, schooners Express, Captain E. Williams,
Free Gift, Captain F. Dunbar, and sloop Hero,
"' Mr. Henryk Arctowski, an accurate observer and writer, who
has the advantage of being able to read Russian, says {The
Geographical Journal, London, 1901, Vol. XVIII., pages 353—
394 : ' ' The Antarctic voyage of the ' Belgica ' during the years
1897, 1S98, and 1899"): "This meeting was also described by
Bellingshausen himself, as can easily be seen by consulting the
remarkable, but still little known work of that eminent Russian
explorer {Dwukratnyja, etc., Vol. II., pages 263, 264)."
"'Fanning, Edmund: Voyages Round the World, etc., pages
434-440.
86 ANTARCTICA.
Captain N. B. Palmer, was fitted out at Stonington,
Connecticut, on a voyage to the South Shetlands.
From Captain Pendleton's report, as rendered on
their return, it appeared that while the fleet lay at
anchor in Yankee Harbor, Deception Island, during
the season of 1820 and 21, being on the lookout
from an elevated station, on the mountain of the
island during a very clear day he had discovered
mountains (one a volcano in operation) in the south ;
this was what is now known by the name of
Palmer's Land ; from the statement it will be per-
ceived how this name came deservedly to be given
to it, and by which it is now current in the modern
charts. To examine this newly discovered land,
Captain N. B. Palmer, in the sloop Hero, a vessel
but little rising forty tons, was despatched ; he found
it to be an extensive mountainous countrj', more
sterile and dismal if possible, and more heavily loaded
with ice and snow, than the South Shetlands ; there
were sea leopards on its shore, but no fur seals ; the
main part of its coast was ice bound, although it
was in the midsummer of this hemisphere, and a
landing consequently difficult.
"On the Hero's return passage to Yankee Har-
bor she got becalmed in a thick fog between the
South Shetlands and the newly-discovered conti-
nent, but nearest the former. When this began to
clear away, Captain Palmer was surprised to find
his litth; barque between a frigate and sloop of war,
PALMER. 87
and instantly run up the United States' flag ; the
frigate and sloop of war then set the Russian col-
ors. Soon after this a boat was seen pulling from
the commodore's ship for the Hero, and when
alongside, the lieutenant presented an invitation
from his commodore for Captain P. to go on board ;
this of course was accepted. These ships he then
found were the two discovery ships sent out by the
Emperor Alexander of Russia, on a voyage round
the world. To the commodore's interrogation if he
had any knowledge of those islands then in sight,
and what they were. Captain P. replied, he was well
acquainted with them, and that they were the South
Shetlands, at the same time making a tender of his
services to pilot the ships into a good harbor at
Deception Island, the nearest by, where water and
refreshment such as the islands afforded could be
obtained ; he also informed the Russian officer that
his vessel belonged to a fleet of five sail, out of
Stonington, under command of Captain B. Pendleton,
and then at anchor in Yankee Harbor, who would
most cheerfully render any assistance in his power.
The commodore thanked him kindly ' but previous
to our being enveloped in the fog' said he 'we had
sight of those islands, and concluded we had made
a discovery, but behold, when the fog lifts, to my
great surprise, here is an American vessel appar-
ently in as fine order as if it were but yesterday she
had left the United States ; not only this, but her
88 ANTARCTICA.
master is ready to pilot my vessels into port ; we
must surrender the palm to you Americans,' con-
tinued he, very flatteringly. His astonishment was
yet more increased, when Captain Palmer informed
him of the existence of an immense extent of land
to the south, whose mountains might be seen from
the masthead when the fog should clear away en-
tirely. Captain Palmer, while on board the frigate,
was entertained in the most friendly manner, and
the commodore was so forcibly struck with the cir-
cumstances of the case, that he named the coast
then to the south, Palmer's Land ; by this name it
is recorded on the recent Russian and English
charts and maps which have been j^ublished since
the return of these ships. The situation of the dif-
ferent vessels may be seen by the plate ; they were
at the time of the liftino- of the fo"' and its <joiiiCf
off to the eastward, to the south, and in sight of
the Shetland Islands, but nearest to Deception Is-
land. In their immediate neighborhood were many
ice islands, some of greater and some of less di-
mensions, while far off to the south, the icy tops of
some two or three of the mountains on Palmer's
Land could be faintly seen ; the wind at the time
was moderate, and both the ships and the little
sloop were moving along under full sail.
"TliG following season in 1821 and 22, Captain
Pendleton was again at Yankee Harbor witli the
.Stoninglon Hrct; he then once more despatched
PALMER. 89
Captain Palmer in the sloop James Monroe, an ex-
cellent vessel of upwards of 80 tons, well calculated
for such duties, and by her great strength well able
to venture in the midst of and wrestle with the ice.
Captain Palmer reported on his return, that after pro-
ceeding to the southward, he met ice fast and firmly
attached to the shore of Palmer's Land ; he then
traced the coast to the eastward, keeping as near the
shore as the ice would suffer ; at times he was able to
come along shore, at other points he could not ap-
proach within from one to several miles owing to the
firm ices, although it was in December and January,
the middle summer months in this hemisphere. In
this way he coasted along this continent upwards of
fifteen degrees, viz. from 64 and odd, down below the
49th of west longitude. The coast, as he proceeded
to the eastward, became more clear of ice, so that
he was able to trace the shore better; in 61° 41' south
latitude, a strait was discovered which he named
Washington Strait, this he entered and about a league
within, came to a fine bay which he named Monroe
Bay, at the head of this was a good harbor ; here
they anchored, calling it Palmer's Harbor. The cap-
tain landed on the beach among a number of those
beautiful amphibious animals, the spotted glossy-look-
ing sea leopard, and that rich golden colored noble
bird, the king penguin ; making their way through
these, the captain and party traversed the coast and
country for some distance around, without discovering
go ANTARCTICA.
the least appearance of vegetation excepting the
winter moss. The sea leopards were the only animals
found ; there were, however, vast numbers of birds,
several different species of the penguin. Port Egmont
hens, white pigeons, a variety of gulls, and many
kinds of oceanic birds ; the valleys and gulleys were
mainly filled with those never dissolved icebergs, their
square and perpendicular fronts several hundred feet
in height, glistening most splendidly in a varietur of
colors as the sun shone upon them. The mountains
on the coast, as well as those to all appearance in the
interior, were generally covered with snow, except
when their black peaks were seen here and there
peeping out."
This voyage was recorded also in 1822 by George
Powell,'^** in whose memoir the following statements
are made : " I have not been on the south side of the
land myself, but I received my information respecting
it from the descriptions and sketches of my friends,
Captain John Walker, Captain Ralph Bond, and Mr.
Charles Robinson; and by comparing these documents
together, and the information I have received from
other masters of vessels, I conclude that the descrip-
tion will be found exact. Of the land to the south-
ward, called Palmer's Land, very litde can be said, as
it does not appear to be sufficiendy explored ; but it
"" ( /;,;;/ of South Slietland, etc. : Notes on South Shetla7id,
etc., pages 12, 6, : Annates Marilimes, etc. : Journal des voyages,
etc .See post, pages 95, 96.
PALMER. 91
has been described as very high, and covered with
snow, with inlets, forming straits, which may probably
separate the land, and constitute a range of islands,
similar to those of South Shetland ; at least such is
the appearance of the northern side, which alone has
yet been explored." And also : " Off the N. W. side
of Elephant Island, latitude 61° 3', longitude 55° 30'.
Seal Island and Reef is stated in our Memoir, page 15,
to be in 61° i' soutli, and 55° 33' west. The Trinity
Latid and Tower Island of the first charts, in about
631^° South, and 6oi^° West, are given up as
imaginary or as icebergs only. Ed."
Captain Palmer made numerous other voyages,
some of which appear to be unrecorded. He cer-
tainly made one in 1828-29, for he is mentioned by
Dr. Webster of the " Chanticleer." In 1829-30, Cap-
tain B. Pendleton and Captain Palmer,"^ in the brigs
"' Fanning, Edmund : Voyages Round the World, etc. , pages
478-491. Fanning had some knowledge of the extent of the west-
ern mainland, for on page 476, he says : ' ' but from the information
the author has in his possession, it is presumed that the continent
of Palmer's Land does not extend further west than to the loodth
degree of west longitude." This is, probably, the most authori-
tative hint of the existence of a south polar continent before the
discovery by Wilkes. Fanning wished to have the Antarctic ex-
plored scientifically, and urged the matter in a paper : Me-
morial of Edmund Fanning ; To illustrate the views in a
petition presented to Congress, praying that a national discov-
ery and exploring expedition be se7it to the South Seas, &c.,
December 18, 1833; 23d Congress, ist Session: Referred to
the Committee on Naval Affairs and ordered to be printed : (Lib.
Co., Philadelphia).
92 ANTARCTICA.
"Seraph " and " Annawan," made a cruise north and
west of Palmer Land. Some scientists went on this
expedition, among whom were Messrs. John N. Rey-
nolds and Watson. Mr. Reynolds ^^^ afterwards took
a leading part in the formation and start of the
United States Exploring Expedition, and in urging
Congress in 1836 to send the latter, he said among
other things : ^^^ "It was in company with this same
Captain Palmer, during my late voyage to the South
Seas, that I visited the whole of this extensive group
of islands lying north of the coast of Palmer's Land,
the extent of which neither we nor any subsequent
navigators have as yet ascertained ; though a British
vessel touched at a single spot in 1831, taking from it
the American and giving it an English name." ^''- Mr.
Reynolds also gave an almost identical account as
that of Fanning of the meeting of the Russian com-
"° Address on the subject of a Surveying and Exploring Ex-
pedition to the Pacific Ocean and South Seas : Delivered in
the Hall of Representatives on the evening of April 3, 1836, by
J. N. Reynolds: New York, Harper and Brothers, 1836:
(Harvard Univ. Lib. ; Amer. Phil. See. ; Geog. Soc. Phila-
delphia).
'" Address, etc. , page 34.
"' Graham Land. This name has been used most incorrectly
for the mainland of West Antarctica. It is merely a local name
and applies only to the west coast between Alexander Land
and Danco Land. It is correctly jilaced on iho "South Polar
Chart" by Captain W. J. L. Wharton, R. N., F. R. S.,
Hydrograi)her : published at the [British] Admiralty, 20th May,
1887: Small corrections, III., 01 : Chart No. 1240.
PALMER. 93
mander and the American sealing captain, and of
the naminof of Pahner Land.
Dr. W. H. R. Webster, "=* of the " Chanticleer," has
fortunately recorded his impressions of Palmer, for,
thanks to him, we get a glimpse of the personality
of the discoverer of Palmer Land. "Early on the
following morning, Sunday, 25th October, Captain
Foster left us, in quest of a harbour for the recep-
tion of the Chanticleer, while the pendulum experi-
ments were going forward. After . examining New
Year's Harbour, which he did not approve of, in
his way along the coast he discovered an American
schooner at anchor in one of the creeks : the name
of the schooner was the Penguin of Stornington
(sic) : and the reception he met with from Captain
Palmer, who commanded her, was most kind. Cap-
tain Palmer immediately offered to conduct the
Chanticleer into the creek, which he had named
North Port Hatchett. When he made his appear-
ance on board the brig with Captain Foster, we
took him for another Robinson Crusoe in the shape
of some shipwrecked mariner. He was a kind and
good-hearted man ; and thinking that they would
be a treat to us, had brought with him a basket of
albatross's eggs, which were to us a most accept-
able present. How completely does this little inci-
dent, trifling as it may appear, prove the justness
of Captain Hall's observations in his useful little
^'^ Narrative of a voyage, etc.. Vol. I., pages 98-99.
94 ANTARCTICA.
work entitled ' Fragments of Voyages,' that it is the
time and manner of making a present that gives it
all its value. * * * q,;, (.}^g following day, under
the care of Captain Palmer, the Chanticleer was safely
anchored in the beautiful little harbour of North Port
Hatchett."
The account by Fanning of Palmer's first two voy-
aees and the chart and memoir of 1822 of Georq-e
Powell, make it fairly certain: — i, that Palmer was
probably the discoverer and certainly the first ex-
plorer of the lands lying south of Bransfield Strait and
extending for some two hundred and fifty kilometers
between about 57° 50' and 62° 20' west longitude,
that is, of the northern coasts of West Antarctica
from Liege Island to Joinville Island both inclusive : —
2, that Palmer discovered the nordiern end of Ger-
lache Strait, which he recognized was a strait and
not a bay as subsequently charted: — 3, that Palmer
discovered the strait or bay since called Orleans
Channel : — 4, that Palmer recognized that these lands
were perhaps a chain of islands : — 5, that this coast
or these islands were christened Palmer Land and
that they were so first charted in England, France
and America.
It is possible, also, that Palmer may have been the
first to sieht the mainland of West Antarctica, al-
though in the present state of uncertainty about the
said mainland, this must be looked on as a surmise.
The position of Palmer among antarctic explorers
PALMER, rOWELL. 95
and also the fact that the lands first coasted along by
him should bear his name, is only now beginning to
be generally recognized. The Belgian expedition
under de Gerlache brought this out prominently by
rechristening the lands west of Gerlache Strait " Pal-
mer Archipelago " and Mr. Henryk Arctowski,'" who
has helped materially in obtaining justice for Palmer,
writes "Trinity island is therefore the last island of
Palmer archipelago." I thought at first that the
islands west of Gerlache Strait ought to be called
after Dirck Gerritsz, but this is evidently a mistake,
since it seems that Gerritsz never went to the Ant-
arctic, and with proper regard to the chart and
memoir of Powell and the account of Fannino-, it
seems as if perhaps the most just arrangement of
names would be to call henceforth Anvcrs, Gand,
Brabant, Liege and Trinity Islands " Palmer Archi-
pelago."
Captain George Powell i'^"^ with the " Elisa" and the
" Dove," arrived off the South Shetlands from the
north-west on November 8, 1821. He stayed on the
'" The Geographical Journal, London, 1901, Vol. XVIII.,
page 368.
'" Chart of South Shetland, including Coronation Island, from
the exploration of the Sloop Dove, in the years 182 1 and 1822; By
George Powell, commander of the same ; published by R. H.
Laurie, chart seller to the Admiralty, No. 53, Fleet Street,
London, Nov. ist, 1822." Accompanying this is a memoir:
Notes on South Shetland, printed to accompany the chart of the
96 ANTARCTICA.
north coast tlie rest of the month, catching but few-
seal. Finally he met Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer, with
the sloop " James Monroe" at Elephant Island. He
says they left there on the 4th of December, sailing west,
and that they discovered land on the 6th of December,
which Powell says he sighted first. The next day he
landed on an island which he named Coronation
Island. The " Dove" and " Monroe" then sailed along
the north coast of this island. On the nth, Powell
sailed through Lewthwaite Strait, and on the same
newly discovered lajids, which has been constructed fro7n the ex-
plorations of the Sloop Dove, by her comtna7ider, George Powell ;
London, printed for R. H. Laurie, chart seller to the Admiralty,
1822." After much research, I found a copy of this chart and
memoir at the Biblioth^que du Dfipot de la Marine, Paris. The
chart is stamped with the fleur-de-lys, showing that it was in the
possession of the French government before 1 84S ; and it is there-
fore probable that it was bought for Dumont D'Urville himself.
By the kindness of Admirals de Lanessan and Puech, and Messrs.
Graz and Juttet, I obtained a photograph of the chart, of which
the western half is reproduced, reduced in size, in this book.
Annales Maritimes et Coloniales etc., Paris, Imprimerie
Royale, 1824; Ann6e 1824; 11° Partie, Tome I, pages 5-25 :
" Extrait du Journal du voyage du capitaine Powell a South-
Shetland, pendant les annCes 1821 et 1822." Accompanying this
is a " Carte des lies de South Shetland, y compris les lies Powell ;
d'apr6s la reconnaissance du Dove dans les anuses 1821 et 1822 ;
par Georges Powell, commandant du Dove": (British Museum).
The chart is an exact copy, only smaller, of the original chart,
with the names in French.
Journal des Voyages, dicouvertes et navigatiotis modcrncs, ou
Archives giographiqnes du XIX' siccle ; par J. T. Verneur,
Tome Vingt-deuxii!me, Paris, Colnet, 1824; pages 93-111;
" Extrait du journal du voyage du Capitaine Powell, a South
Shetland, pendant les ann6es 1821 et 1822": (Bib. Nat. Paris).
i t
b
)RGE POWELL.
POWELL. 97
day apparently, Palmer sailed through and named
Washington Strait. They returned together to Clo-
thier's Harbor, reaching it on December 22,
Powell speaks of the ships " Dove," " Elisa,"
"Ann," "Grace," "Vigilant," " Mellona," "Indian,"
"William," "Lynx," "Nancy," and " Brusso," as
having been at the South Shetlands at various times.
He says also that the brig "Cora" of Liverpool
was lost in Blythe Bay, Desolation Island, in 1820;
and that the American vessel "Clothier" was lost
in Clothier's Bay, Robert's Island (probably in
1821).'^
These two last mentioned papers were brought to my notice by
Mr. P. Lee Phillips, Chief map division, Library of Congress : he
also informs me that there is an account of the Powell Islands in
Alex G. P'indlay's A directory for the navigation of the Pacific
Ocean, R. H. Laurie, London, 1851, part IL, pages 658-660.
Findlay, Alex. G.: Laurie' s sailing directions for the Ethiopic
or Soid/tern Atlantic Occati ; London, Richard Holmes Laurie,
1855: (British Museum). At pages 161-175 Findlay says that
Powell's chart is the first one of these islands of West Antarctica,
and that John Walker, Robert Fildes, Ralph Bond and Charles
Robinson particularly assisted in making it. This book also con-
tains, pages 1 71-172, a note by one of the English sealers:
" Remarks on the winds, by Captain Robert Fildes, of Liver-
pool."
An account of Powell's life may be found m the Biographic
Universclle, Supplement, Paris, L. G. Michaud, 1845. Jules de
Blosseville, Lieutenant de Vaisseau, wrote a long appreciative
notice of Powell in the Revue des Deux Mondes, IIL ann€e,
Tome L, Paris, 1S31, pages 38-46 : " Mort du Capitaine Georges
PoweU."
"•Lieutenant de Gerlache {Soci^ti Royale Beige de Geo-
graphic, Bulletin, vingt quatri^me Ann6e, 1900, " Notes sur les
98 ANTARCTICA.
Powell's work in the Antarctic was important. Be-
sides all the lieht his chart and memoir shed about
Palmer Archipelago, they show also that the so-called
South Orkney Islands were christened the Powell
Group and were so charted originally both in England
and France. This name will be found also on some
early American charts : it is used, for instance, by
Admiral Wilkes. It is, however, a singular fact that
Powell has received more recognition from the French
than from his own countrymen, by whom apparently
his services to geograpliy have been forgotten. Pow-
ell should certainly be commemorated by restoring his
name — as will be done in this book at least — to the
" Powell Islands."
Captain Benjamin Pendleton made several cruises
to the Antarctic. Besides what Fanning tells us ''''
there is at least one other brief record of his voyages :
"Captain Pendleton, ^'^''* of Stonington, Connecticut,
one of the most practical and intelligent sealers I
Expeditions" etc., page 393,) says: "During the years 1820,
1821 and 1822, seven ships were lost at the Shetlands, ahiiost all
during easterly storms. The men of one of these ships were
obliged to winter on the coast ; during many months, they en-
dured the greatest privations." This appears to be the first time
anyone wintered in the Antarctic.
'" See ante pages 85, 86, 91.
"" Exeaitivc Doaiments ; 23d Covgrcss, 2d Session, Doc. No.
103 ; January 27, 1835 : "A report o( J. N. Reynolds, in relation
to islands, reefs, and shoals in the Pacific Ocean" etc., (dated)
New York, September 24, 1828; pages 26-27.
PENDLETON. 99
met with, and who has spent many years in the South
Sea fur trade, is strongly of opinion that there are
many valuable discoveries to be made in the seas
southwest of the Shetlands. The quality of the ice,
nature of the currents, etc., make his conjecture
highly probable.
" The island Deception abounds with volcanoes ;
and there are several places where a man may stand
on ice and snow, and cook his dinner in water that
boils a few feet below him. On the northern part of
Palmer's Land, and in latitude 66° S., and about 63°
W. longitude. Captain Pendleton discovered a bay,
clear of ice, into which he run for a great distance, but
did not ascertain its full extent south. In those seas
the prevailing winds are from W. N. W. to W. S. W.,
and all gales from northeast. A gale seldom con-
tinues more than six hours. Clear weather from
S. S. W. and S. S. E., which is not many days in
a month.
" Captain Pendleton relates a curious fact of De-
ception Island. The middle of the island has been
thrown up entirely by internal fires and volcanic
eruptions, until the main body of the island has dis-
appeared. In one place the melted lava ran into
the ocean, leaving a passage of 15 fathoms water,
over which he passed with his vessel into the centre
of the island, which had the appearance of an im-
mense bowl. He sounded without being able to find
bottom."
I OO ANTARCTICA.
It would seem, from the positions given, as though
Captain Pendleton must have been before Biscoe
on the coast now known as Graham Land, of which
he is entitled to be called the discoverer.
Captain Benjamin Morrell,^^^ in the sealing schooner
" Wasp" of Stonington, made a voyage to the Ant-
arctic in 1822-23. He reached the Falklands on Oc-
tober 1 6th, then made a useless search for the Auroras,
and afterwards steered for South Georgia. Thence he
sailed for Bouvet Island, which he reached on Decem-
ber 6th and where he caught many seals. He gives
its position as 54° 15' south latitude, 6° 11' east lon-
gitude. Sailing from there southward his ship was
nipped on December 13th in 60° 11' south latitude,
10° 23' east longitude. After extricating himself, he
sailed to Kerguelen Island, where he spent some time
sealing. On January nth he steered south and east,
and in 62° 27' south latitude, 94° east longitude, fell
in with ice fields, measuring at least two hundred and
forty kilometers east and west. He continued east until
February ist, when he reached 64° 52' south latitude,
118° 27' east longitude. The wind now came fresh
from the northeast, and Morrell turned west: "being,
i6» < ( ^ j\jarrative of Four Voyages to tlie South Sea, North and
South Pacific Oceayt, Chinese Sea, Ethiopic and Southern Atlantic
Ocean, Indian and Antarctic Ocean : from the year 1822 to 1831:
by Capt. Benjamin Morrell, Jiin.; New York, J. & J. Harper,
1832, pages 59-69: (Lib. Co., Philadelphia; Acad. Nat. Sci.
Philadelphia).
PENDLETON, MORRELL. lOI
however, convinced that the farther we went south
beyond 64° the less ice was to be apprehended, we
steered a httle to the southward until we crossed the
atitarctic circle, and were in lat. 69° 11' S., long.
48° 15' E. In this latitude there was no field ice,
and very few ice islands in sight." He continued
steering west until, on February 23d, he crossed
the meridian of Greenwich in 69° 42' south latitude.
He now steered north and west for Sandwich Land.
After a short stay at Sandwich Land, Morrell left
there on March 8th, steering south and west. He was
nearly caught by field ice, but broke through, and on
March 14th reached 70° 14' south latitude, 40° 3' west
longitude. Here the sea was free from field ice, and
there were not more than a dozen ice islands in sight.
The temperature of the air was 47° F., and of the water
44° F., both of which were higher than further north.
Morrell also says that on the several occasions on which
he crossed the antarctic circle, he found the tempera-
ture both of the air and of the water became milder
the further he advanced beyond 65° south latitude.
From his most southerly point, Morrell turned
northwest, giving as his reasons for not penetrating
further, that he had no fuel and was short of water.
On March 15th, in the afternoon "we were close in
with the eastern coast of the body of land to which
Captain Johnson had given tlic name of New South
Greenland." On March i6th, the boats searched for
seals on the coast, " the vessel following or keeping
I02 ANTARCTICA,
abreast of them, about two miles from the land, until
the next day at 4 P. M. when we were in lat. 67° 52'
S., long. 48° 1 1' W. * * * The coast here tended
about S. E. by S., and we thought we could discern
some of the mountains of snow, about seventy-five
miles to the southward. * * * Qn Wednesday,
the 19th, we were close in with the north cape of
New South Greenland; lat. 62° 41' S., long. 47° 21'
W., by dead reckoning, not having had an observa-
tion for three days ; coast tending to the south, and
S. by W, * * * I would also further state, what
is my firm conviction, that ice islands are never
formed except in bays and other recesses of the
land ; and that even field ice is never produced in
deep water or on a rough sea. The necessary in-
ference, therefore, is this : — If there be no more land
to the south than that with which we are generally
acquainted, the antarctic seas must be much less
obstructed by ice than is generally supposed ; afid
that a clear sea is open for voyages of discovery even
to the South pole!' Morrell then stood to the north.
It is necessary to comment rather at length on Mor-
rell's narrative, as no antarctic voyager has been
more decried.""' Morrell may have reached 64° 52'
south latitude, 118° 27' east longitude, and not seen
""Morrell has been severely assailed, for instance, by D'Urville,
by Dr. Fricker, by Commander J. E. Davis, R. N., the latter in
answer to Captain Hamilton, etc. (Commander Davis is the author
of a jiaper in The Jottrnal of the Royal Gcoffraphiral Society, Vol.
XXXIX., 1869, pages 91-95 : " On Antarctic Discovery and its
MORRELL. 103
Wilkes Land. He may have reached 69° 11' south
latitude, 48° 15' east longitude and no one can say
him nay, as no one else has been anywhere near that
position. If he is correct, then Enderby Land is
connection with the Transit of Venus in 1882.") D'Urville and
Dr. Fricker give as a reason for disbelieving in Morrell that his
book is rare — at any rate there are two copies in the Philadelphia
Library — and they also say that his book ' ' was withdrawn soon
after Biscoe's discoveries were made known," but as no authority
is given for the statement, this needs confirmation. Dr. Hugh
Robert Mill {^The Antarctic Maimal, London, 1901, page 533)
on the other hand mentions that there were "other editions"
of Morrcll's book in 1841 and 1850, which scarcely looks as if
the book had been withdrawn, but much more as if the edition
had been sold out.
Captain (now Sir) R. V. Hamilton wrote an able defence of
Morrell, (^Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society, 1870,
Vol. XIV., pages 145-156 ; "On Morrell's Antarctic Voyage in
the year 1823," etc.) in which he said inter alia, " whatever else
Mr. Morrell might not have discovered, he was the first discoverer
of guano in the island of Ichaboe and Lobos. The speed of 120
miles a day, with which he made the voyage, was nothing uncom-
mon as the sea was not encumbered with ice. * * * Mi-_
Morrell was a sealer, not an educated man, and therefore due
allowance must be made for his errors." Dr. A. Petermann
{^Mitteilungen aus Justus Perthes Geographischer Anstalt, etc.,
von Dr. A. Petermann, 1863, pages 407-428: — Petermann, A.;
" Neue Karte der Siid Polar Regionen ") appears to have be-
lieved in Morrell, for he says: "about the longitude there
is probably a correction to be made of at least 5° to the west."
Sir John Uinrrd.y {Scottish Geographical Magazine, Vol. IL, 1886,
pages 527-548: Murray, John, Ph. D., LL. D. : "The Explora-
tion of the Antarctic Regions ") marks Morrell's positions on his
map, apparently with Dr. Petermann's correction for longitude.
Professor Heilprin {Poptdar Scie^tce Monthly, New York, 1897,
pages 323-336: Heilprin, Professor Angelo: "Our present
knowledge of the Antarctic Regions ' ' ) likewise appears to consider
I04 ANTARCTICA.
probably an island, and certainly the reports of the
" Paeoda" and the "Valdivia" show that further ex-
ploration in that quarter is necessary.
When Morrell speaks of New South Greenland he
may refer to a land which no one else, except perhaps
Morrell trustworthy. Captain A. Schiick {Zeitschrift filr Wissen-
schaflliche Gft7^rfl//^?V,Weimari888, pages 242-264: — A. Schiick:
' ' Entwickelung unserer Kenntniss der Lander im Suden von
Amerika": the title of which paper proves the need of some name
like West Antarctica) gives an elaborate explanation of how Morrell
may have reached 70° 14' south latitude, and seen the coast of
West Antarctica, and yet, owing to bad chronometers or to not
having any chronometers, easily have made a mistake of a good
many degrees in longitude. He mentions the case of a vessel
which a few years since, made an error of thirteen degrees of
longitude, on the voyage between Cape Town and Australia ; in
a latitude where every error in a degree of longitude would mean
nearly double the error perhaps made by Morrell.
About the accuracy of observations for longitude formerly
made at sea, Mr. A. Fraser-Macdonald {^Otcr Ocean Railways,
London, Chapman & Hall, 1893, page 251) writes: "A hundred
years ago ship-masters on a voyage from the British Islands to
America guessed as much as calculated the place of their ships.
If bound for Boston, Massachusetts, they did not by any means
regard it as a bad land fall to make New York, which they fre-
quently did, and no wonder, for their instruments of navigation
erred quite as much by degrees as they now do by seconds. In
fact, instances then occurred of vessels sailing across the Atlantic
being from 6° to 8° and even 10° of longitude out of their reck-
oning in as many days from port.
" Chronometers were then but an experiment, and the tables
of the Nautical Ephcmeris involved errors of thirty miles in longi-
tude in working out an observation. When the rude ' cross-
staff' and 'back-staff,' the 'sea ring' and 'mariner's bow' gave
place to the more accurate sextant and circle reflection, more
accurate observations were secured."
MORRELL. 105
Johnson, has seen. But Fanning'"^ tells us distinctly
that New South Greenland was the land discovered
by Pendleton and Palmer, that is, West Antarctica.
There may be a land in 67° south latitude, 48° west
longitude, for no one but Morrell claims to have been
in that position,'^' but there may also have been a
mistake in Morrell's published longitudes, and this
may have arisen in one of two ways. He was a sealer,
and it is not likely that he had a chronometer or even
an ordinary' watch which was reliable, and he there-
fore might easily have made, and probably he did
make, errors in his observations. Again, his book is
a bad, cheap and careless piece of typography, and
the figure 4 may simply have been substituted for
the figure 5 : 48° for 58°.
If F"anning's remark is accurate, and if New South
Greenland is West Antarctica, part of Morrell's narra-
""See/(7.f/, page 108.
"'Signer Faustino (^Bolletino Societa Geografica Italiana,
Roma, 1901, Serie IV, Vol. II, pages 653-658: — Faustino, A. ;
"La Groenlandia del Sud": Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia) in
an unprejudiced, sensible paper, shows that there may be land in
48° west longitude, 67° south latitude as Morrell states.
Vivien de Saint Martin (Vivien de Saint-Martin et Fr. Schrader :
Atlas Universel de Geographic, Paris, Hachette ; Chart ' ' Region
polaire antarctique " imprim6 par Ch. Chardon, 1883: Hai-vard
Univ. Lib.) charts " Greenland Mer'" in 48° west longitude, 67°
south latitude ; Morrell's course also is laid through Budd Land,
Knox Land, and Termination Land, oblivious of the fact that Mor-
rell does not give his course except in the most general terms. On
the same chart also, ' ' Cote Clarie " is, as usual, placed on Cape
Carr : otherwise all the names given by Wilkes are there.
I06 ANTARCTICA.
live at least becomes fairly clear. The two phrases,
on March 15th and i6th, "we were close in with the
eastern coast" and "the coast here tended about
S. E. by S.," are noteworthy. For how did Morrell
know that there was an eastern coast, if he had not
been there ? There may be an earlier mention of the
eastern coast than that of Morrell, published in 1832,
but if so, I have not come across it. The eastern
coast of West Antarctica is not marked on Powell's
chart, on Weddell's chart, on Vandermaelen's atlas,"'''
or on D'Urville's chart. D'Urville *" states that he ran
over 62° 41' south latitude, 47° 21' west longitude, and,
therefore, he claims that New South Greenland has
no existence. Of course this may be the case, but it
seems more likely that Morrell's northern point was
Joinville Island.
Morrell's narrative is decidedly vague, but then so
are the narratives of many antarctic voyagers, wit-
ness Bransficld, Foxton, Uallmann, etc. Although
Morrell's work is of little value as a geographic
record, yet it should be noted how sensible and scien-
tific is his explanation, quoted above, of the formation
of icebergs and iield ice : in fact it is probably the
best explanation offered up to the date of its publi-
cation. A comparison, for instance, of Morrell's
"" Vandcrmaclen, Pli. : A//as Universe/ de Giographie, Briix-
eUes, 1827: (Library of Congress).
'" Voyage au P6le Sud, etc.. Vol. II., 1842, pages 16, 17.
MORRELL, JOHNSON. IO7
accurate theory, witli Biscoe's erroneous theory""'^
shows instantly how superior to Biscoe, Morrell was
as a scientific observer. In judging Morrell's antarc-
tic record, it should be remembered that he was a
sealer and not a scientist, that he had no instruments
of precision, that the summer of 1823 was the most
open in antarctic annals, and that even then Morrell
does not claim to have reached as high a southern
latitude as Weddell in the same year.
Captain Robert Johnson, in 1822, made a sealing
cruise in the schooner " Henry" of New York. Cap-
tain Morrell writes about him;"''' "The schooner
' Henr}',' Captain Johnson, who had been vainly cruis-
ing for six weeks in search of the Aurora Islands,
returned to New Island on Wednesday, the 23d.
(Note. The history of these imagijiary islands will
be found on a subsequent page.)" And later : " March
15th, * * '^- At this time the wind had hauled to
the southwest, and at half-past four P. M. we were
close in with the eastern coast of the land to which
Captain Johnson had given the name of New South
Greenland." ^^
Edmund Fanning also speaks of Captain Johnson :'^*
^"Seeposi, pages 119, 120.
^'' A Narrative of Four Voyages, etc., page 53.
"" A Narrative of Four Voyages, etc., page 69.
'" Voyages Round the World, etc., page 437.
I08 ANTARCTICA.
" This continent, it is asserted in Morrell's voyage,
page 69, was named ' New South Greenland ' by a
Captain Johnson. It is but just to state here, that this
most meritorious mariner (Captain Johnson) was a
pupil to, and made his first voyage to the South Seas
with the author, with whom also he remained, rising
to different stations, and finally became one of his best
officers ; the first information he obtained of the dis-
covery of this land by Captains Pendleton and Palmer
was from the author of this work."
Captain Johnson made another cruise in the year
1824 or 1826. " From this voyage he never returned.
He was last seen at the South Cape of New Zealand,
in the following year, having lost three men, who
were drowned at Chatham Islands. * * * My in-
formants further stated, that the "Henry" left New
Zealand on a cruise to the south and east, in search
of new lands, between the sixtieth and sixty-fifth de-
grees of south latitude ; and as he has never been
heard of since leaving New Zealand, it is very prob-
able that he made discovery of some new island near
the parallel of 60 on which the " Henry " was ship-
wrecked." ^^'■'
American sealers, besides those whose names arc
recorded, certainly made journeys to the Antarctic in
the first ([uarter of the nineteenth century. Mr. J. N.
'A Narrative of Four Voyages, etc., pages XXIII. and 363.
JOHNSON, AMERICAN SEALERS. IO9
Reynolds tells us:^™ "The information I have thus
far communicated has been derived chiefly from our
citizens engaged or interested in the whale fishery.
I regret that I am not at liberty to communicate in
writing all the interesting facts which I have been en-
abled to collect from those engaged in the seal trade,
or, as they call it, 'the skinning business.' The oc-
cupation of these men leads them into seas and parts
of the globe far beyond the common pathway of the
whaler. Their voyages and adventures, too, are of
the most daring kind. In small vessels they venture
into high southern latitudes, and have actually taken
seal, with profit, in some instances, within the ant-
arctic circle. In the history of the seal trade, secrecy
in what they know, has been deemed a part, and a
very important part too, of their capital. There is
nothing more common at this time, than that islands
are frequented for animal fur, and their positions
known to no one on board but the captain ; and when
an island is discovered, the observations are made and
noted down by the captain in his private journal.
"* * * I have been enabled to make the following
estimate :
" That they have been beyond 70° S. latitude in a
few instances, in which latitude they experienced
"" ExeaiHve Documents, 2jd Congress, 2d Session, Doc. No.
105 ; January 27, 1835 "A report of J. N. Reynolds, in relation
to islands, reefs and shoals in the Pacific Ocean," etc., (dated)
New York, September 24, 1828 ; pages 25, 26.
I lO ANTARCTICA,
moderate weather, a clear sea, and no land or ice to the
south. They all agree that the ice to be met with is
first formed and attached to land, and that the greatest
impediment to navigation from ice will be found from
62° to 68° S., except in those meridians where they
have not been able to go far south at any time. They
have seen lands to the east of the Shetlands, but
give no account of any animal or vegetable pro-
ductions on any of them.
" The southern part of the New South Shetlands
extends farther than any one has yet penetrated.
The shores are bold and in many places afford
spacious harbors, which look as if they might ex-
tend far into land, like Hudson's or Baffin's Bay.
" In latitude 63° S., and 63° W. longitude, from
the island Pisgah, our sealers have sailed along a
high and rugged coast, tending S. W. to 75° W.
longitude, and 66° S. latitude," etc.
The last paragraph is practically conclusive evi-
dence that, before the year 1828, American sealers
had sailed along the coast of Graham Land and
probably as far as Alexander Land.
Captain Weddell"' made numerous sealing voy-
ages in 1 820-1 823. He searched for the Aurora
"' Woddell, James, Esq., master in the Royal Navy : A Voyage
towards Ihc South Pole, performed in the years 1822-24: Lon-
don, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green, 1825 :
(Lib. Co. Philadelphia).
AMERICAN SEALERS, WEDDELL. Ill
Islands, and concluded diat diey were really die Shag
Rocks, in 53° 48' south latitude, 43° 25' west longi-
tude. He visited the South Shetlands several times
and called one of them Smith's Island and another
James' Island : from his chart, he appears to have
been only on their north or eastern shores.
In February 1823, Weddell, in the brig "Jane," and
Mr. Matthew Brisbane, in the cutter " Beaufoy," made
an important southern cruise. Standing south on
the 4th of February, they were deceived by great
ice islands into thinking they had sighted land. On
the 14th, in 68° 28' south latitude, 29° 43' west longi-
tude, the ice islands were so numerous as almost to pre-
vent the ships passing. On the i6th, on the contrary,
in 70° 26' south latitude, 29° 58' west longitude, "ice
islands had almost disappeared, and the weather be-
came very pleasant."'"^ On the i8th the ships were in
72° 38' south latitude. "In the evening we had many
whales about the ship, and the sea was literally cov-
ered with birds of the blue peterel kind. Not a par-
Weddell, James, master in the Royal Navy : Observations on
the probability of Reaching the South Pole, London, Longman,
Rees, Orme, Brown and Green, 1826: (Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila-
delphia).
Weddell, James, etc. : A Voyage towards the South Pole, etc.,
London, Longman, etc., 1827: This contains also "Observa-
tions on the probability of reaching the South Pole" and
' ' Second Voyage of the Beaufoy to Tierra del Fuego ' ' : (Acad.
Nat. Sci. Philadelphia). The Beaufoy was under the command of
Mr. Brisbane and did not go to the Antarctic during this journey.
"^ A Voyage, etc., page 34.
1 1 2 ANTARCTICA.
tide of ice of any description was to be seen. The
evening was mild and serene." ''^^ On the 19th the
ships were in 'j'^ 17' south latitude, 35° 54' west longi-
tude. On the 20th: "At 10 o'clock in the forenoon,
when the ship's head was E. S. E., I took a set of
azimuths, which gave variation 11° 20' east. The
atmosphere now became very clear, and nothing like
land was to be seen. Three ice islands were in sight
from the deck, and one other from the masthead. On
one we perceived a great number of penguins roosted.
Our latitude at this time, 20th February, 1822, was
74° 15', and longitude 34° 16' 45"; the wind blowing
fresh at south, prevented, what I most desired, our
making further progress in that direction. I would
willingly have explored the S. W. quarter, but taking
into consideration the lateness of the season, and that
we had to pass homeward through 1000 miles of sea
strewed with ice islands, with long nights and prob-
ably attended with fogs, I could not determine other-
wise than to take advantage of this favourable
wind for returning. ^'^ * -^ * These considera-
tions induce me to conclude, that from having but
three ice islands in sight, in latitude 74 degrees,
the range of land, of which I have spoken, does
not extend more southerly than the 73d degree.
If this be true, and if there be no more land to the
southward, the antarctic polar sea may be found less
'" A Voyage, etc. , page 36.
"M Voyage, etc., page 37.
WEDDELL. 113
icy than is imagined, and a clear field of discovery,
even to the South Pole, may therefore be antici-
pated."^"'' Captain Weddell then sailed northward,
on a course not far distant from his southerly one.
His southern cruise is interesting, and what he says
about warmer weather and little ice far south, agrees
with what Morrell reports of the same season. Wed-
dell called his open sea " George IV. Sea " : a better
name for it would be " Weddell Sea," but it is ques-
tionable whether a local name will be applied to a
portion of the Atlantic Ocean.
Morrell wrote a brief notice of Weddell, about
whom he says:^™ "Captain James Weddell, of the
British Navy, whom I have before mentioned in the
previous chapter, as seeking for the Aurora Islands,
in 1822 : a most excellent officer, and a highly worthy
man : justly extolled as an active, correct and enter-
prising navigator. Being familiar with danger in its
most appalling form, every emergency finds him cool,
steady and undaunted. He is, in short, at once an
honour to his country and to human nature. I speak
with confidence, for I know him."'"
"^A Voyage, etc., page 43.
'"^4 Narrative of Four Voyages, etc., page 68.
"' Several writers, among them Dumont D'Urville, ( Voyage
au Pole Sud, etc.. Vol. 1 1, page 123) and Captain Schiick {Zeitschrift
fur 'ivissenschaftliche Geographic, U'einiar, 1 888 ; pages 242-264 : —
A. Schiick : " Entwickelung unserer Kenntniss der Liinder im
Siiden von Amerika") discuss Weddell's voyage, and for various
reisons, criticise rather severely his narrative. Monsieur de Mon-
I 14 ANTARCTICA.
A Captain Hoseason, according to D'Urville,^™ may
have made discoveries in West Antarctica. D'Urville
says: "However, on the map of the Englishman
Laurie, one saw Palmer Land stretch out east and
west to a notable extent. In the east the outline
remained quite vague and confused, but in the west
one saw drawn a considerable bight under the name
of Hughes Bay, with Hoseason, Intercurrence and
Three Hummocks islands, and Point Farewell. No
document has reached us about the author of these
discoveries ; only, from an indication to be found
on this map, we are led to think that a certain
Captain Hoseason had, during the year 1824, made
these discoveries, while seeking new lands suitable
for seal fishing."
Captain Norris,'" with the " Sprightly " and
" Lively," belonging to Messrs. Enderby, on De-
travel, of D'Urville's expedition, goes so far as to write ( Voyage
ail Pole Slid, Vol. II., pages 301-303) of Weddell " dont je
regarde le voyage comme apocryphe."
"' Voyage au Pole Sud, etc., \'ol. II., page 20. The map re-
ferred to is evidently not Powell's chart. It may or may not be
the map mentioned by D'Urville as giving Bransfield's discov-
eries. It seems well, however, to call attention to the fact that
on Powell's chart of 1822, the outline of Palmer Land, from
Liijge Island to Joinville Island, both inclusive, is perfectly clear
and neither vague nor confused.
On the chart published in connection with Mr. Smith's voyage
(The Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, Vol. III., 1820) there
is a small island called " Moseason's Aim."
'"Ross, Sir J. C. : Voyage, etc.. Vol. II., pages 371,372.
HOSEASON, NORRIS, FOSTER. II5
cember loth, 1825, sighted an island in 54° 15' south
latitude, 5° east longitude. He called it Liverpool
Island, but it is doubtless Bouvet Island. On the
13th, he sighted another small island in 53° 56'
south latitude, 5° 30' east longitude, which he called
Thompson Island.
Captain Henry Foster, R. N., in 1 828-1 829, com-
manded an expedition to the South Shetlands^'*" for the
purpose of making pendulum observations. After
stopping at Staaten Land, where he met Captain Na-
thaniel B. Palmer, he sailed to the Shetlands and be-
yond to a place in 63° 43' south latitude, 61° 45' west
longitude, which he named Possession Cape^**' and
on which he landed. Lieutenant Kendal thinks this
was a new discovery, but he is clearly in error. The
" Chanticleer " was then moored in the harbor (Yankee
"° Narrative of a Voyage to the Soiitliern Atlantic Ocean, in
the years 1828-29-30, performed in H. M. Sloop Chanticleer,
under the command of the late Captain Henry Foster, F. R. S.,
etc. : from the private journal of W. H. B. Webster, Surgeon
of the Sloop: London, Richard Bentley, 1834: (Lib. Co. Phila-
delphia).
The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, for
MDCCCXXX-XXXL, London, MDCCCXXXL : VL— "Ac-
count of the Island of Deception, one of the New Shetland Isles ' ' :
Extracted from the private journal of Lieutenant Kendal, R. N. ,
embarked on board His Majesty's Sloop Chanticleer, Captain
Forster {sic~), on a scientific voyage ; and communicated by John
Barrow, Esq., F. R. S. : read 24th January, 1831.
'" This is what is now known as Hoseason Island : it is indi-
cated on Powell's chart of 1822.
I 1 6 ANTARCTICA.
Harbor) of Deception Island on January 9th, 1829,
and remained there until March 4th, and during her
stay numerous pendulum observations were made.
The island is volcanic : some of the mountain peaks
emitted smoke ; and numerous hot springs bubbled
up on the shores and the beaches.^*- Dr. Webster
and Dr. Peter Conolan studied the fauna and flora
of Deception Island.^** They were much struck
with the enormous abdominal vein of the leopard-
seals.
Dr. Webster says of icebergs : '*^ " Having made
some experiments of this nature, I deduced from
them that in cubic pieces of ice one-seventh part only
remained above the surface of the water. I also
placed a cone of ice on a cubic piece from the same
iceberg, and found that the cube easily floated and
sustained the litde pyramid, the height of which was
more than double the depth of the cube below the
water. I also floated irregular-shaped masses, and
found their heights above the surface to vary consider-
al^ly; in some it was equal, in others greater dian the
depth below it ; proving that no inference can be safely
drawn as to the depth to which an iceberg extends
from the surface with reference to its height above it,
and that all depends on its form. * * * In cor-
^*^ Narrative of a Voyage, etc., Vol. I., pat^es 144-168; Vol.
II., pages 273-280.
^'^ Narrative of a Voyage, etc., Vol. II., pages 300-306.
^'^ Narrative of a Voyage, etc.. Vol. I., pages 142-143.
FOSTER, BROWN. I I 7
roboration of this I may further observe, that while
we were in contact with the iceberg off the island, we
determined its htight by a reference to the vessel's
mast to be not less than fifty feet. Now this would
have required a depth of three hundred and fifty feet
to lloat in, according to the conclusion deduced from
a cubical piece ; but it was floating in ninety-six feet ;
for we obtained soundings at the same time with six-
teen fathoms of line." These observations of Dr.
Webster deserve to be better known, for even to-day,
apparently, it is often believed that the height of an
iceberof above water is six or seven times less than
its depth under water ; and Dr. Webster, it would
seem, was the first to note that this was not always
the case.
Captain James Brown,^*^ an American sealer, made
a southern voyage in 1829-1831 in the schooner
" Pacific." He reported sighting four islands which,
at the time, were not charted. The first, in 56° 18'
south latitude, 28° 35' west longitude, he called Pot-
ter's Island. The second, in 55° 55' south latitude,
27° 53' west longitude, he named Prince's Island.
The third, in 56° 25' south latitude, 27° 43' west
longitude, he christened Willey's Island ; and the
fourth, in 57° 49' south latitude, 27° 38' west longi-
tude, he called Christmas Island.
'Tanning, Edmund: Voyages Rou7id the World, etc., pages
440-442.
I 1 8 ANTARCTICA.
Mr. John Biscoe,^**^ in 1S30-1832, with the brig
"Tula" and the cutter "Lively," both ships belonging
to the Messrs. Enderby, circumnavigated Antarctica,
sailing eastward. In November, 1830, he searched in
vain for the Aurora Islands. On January 7th, 1 831, in
59° 35' south latitude, 20° 21' west longitude, Biscoe
was stopped by smooth pack ice, which seemed to
have been formed at sea; "nevertheless there were
strone indications of land in the southwest." On the
2 1 St, in 66° 16' south latitude, 0° 24' west longitude,
there were many indications of land to the south and
southeast. On February ist, Biscoe was in 68° 51'
south latitude, 12° 22' east longitude, and on the 25th,
in 66° 2' south latitude, 43° 54' east longitude, where
he "saw a very distinct appearance of land." "At
length, on the 27th, in lat. 65° 57' S., long. 47° 20' E.,
land was distincdy seen, of considerable extent, but
closely bound with field ice." Efforts were made to
'"" The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London,
Volume the Third, 1833, pages 105-112: — VIII., — "Recent
Discoveries in the Antarctic Ocean " : From the Log-book of the
Brig Tula, commanded by Mr. John Biscoe, R. N. : Com-
municated by Messrs. Enderby: Read, nth February, 1833.
The Nautical Magazine for 1835, Vol. IV., Simpkin and
Marshall, London, pages 265-275: "Voyage of the Tula
towards the South Pole."
The Antarctic Manual, London, Royal Geographical Society,
1901, pages 305-335 : " From the Journal of a Voyage towards
the South Pole on board the brig Tula, under the command of
John Biscoe, with the cutter ' Lively ' in company."
It is nf)t clear from the accounts, whether a Captain Avery or a
Captain Weddcll was in command of the " Lively."
BISCOE. I 1 9
close with the land, but owing to heavy gales the ships
were driven off. On March 1 6th, however, " nearly
the same land was again made ; the longitude being
now 49° E. A head-land, previously seen, was recog-
nized, and called Cape Ann ; and unceasing efforts
were made, for some days, to approach nearer it, but
all in vain." On April 6th, Captain Biscoe finally
turned north " never having approached this forbidden
land (which has, with great propriety, been called
Enderby's Land), nearer than from twenty to thirty
miles." Biscoe and his men suffered many hardships
on this most creditable voyage.
Biscoe's ideas about the formation of icebergs
are the exact opposite of the accepted views on
the subject, although it must be added that he
wrote at a time when practically nothing was known
of glacier motion : it seems evident also, from the
following passage, that he had no suspicion of the
probable existence of an antarctic continent. Bis-
coe writes : ^^'' " But of all the icebergs I have seen,
which are many hundreds, I could never discern the
least trace of their having ever been connected with
land, and had formed the opinion in my mind that
they originated from a vast body of ice, frozen on
the surface of the water, and accumulating with
time, and I should have regretted much had I been
obliged to leave these southern parallels, from the
advanced state of the season, without satisfying
'" The Anlarctic Manual, London, 1901, pages 320, 321.
1 20 ANTARCTICA.
myself in this particular, and having seen nothing
but the field ice. However, this morning has com-
pletely satisfied me in this respect, for I have not
the least doubt that the whole spaces, from the
latitudes I have visited to the Pole, are one solid
mass ; land may intervene, or winds, where they
are strong and prevalent, may have prevented its
forming in some parts more than others ''' * *
As to the icebergs being formed on shore, I do not
think it possible or probable for this reason, their
own weight would prevent their accumulating on
any prominent part of land. It would break off at
different times and form what is called field-ice,
for should it once become so extensive a mass as
an iceberg, and which could only be when there
was shallow water, it is utterly impossible it could
ever separate from the land where it was first
formed, as it is well known that ice swims at least
two-thirds under water," etc.
Biscoe sailed again south from New Zealand in
January, 1832. He bore away southeast. On the
25th, he was in 60° 45' south latitude, 132° 7' west
longitude; on February 3d, in 65° 32' south latitude,
114° 9' west longitude; and on the 12th, in 66° 27'
south latitude, 81° 50' west longitude ; in all of which
positions much ice was seen. On February 15th, in
67° I' south latitude, 71° 48' west longitude, land was
seen; this was called Adelaide Island; "and in the
course of the ensuing fortnight, it was further made
BISCOE, REA. 121
out to be the westernmost of a chain of islands, lying
E. N. E. and W. S. W., and fronting a high continu-
ous land, since called Graham's Land, which Captain
Biscoe believes to be of great extent. The range of
islands has been also since called Biscoe's Range,
after the discoverer."'^ "On the 21st of February
Captain Biscoe succeeded in landing on what he calls
the main land." The mountains here were named
Mount Moberly and Mount William, the latter in 64°
45' south latitude, 63° 51' west longitude. Biscoe then
repaired to the South Shetlands, where he met the
schooner "Exquisite" of London, Captain Kellock,
and Biscoe afterwards returned to England. '*^
Lieutenant Rea,'*' R. N., in 1 832-1 833, set out with
two ships belonging to the Messrs. Enderby, to con-
tinue Biscoe's researches. Biscoe was to command
the expedition, but he could not go. Lieutenant
Rea did not get beyond the South Shedands, where
'** Graham Land would appear to have been reached before the
year 1828, by Captain Benjamin Pendleton. See ante, page 99.
'" Maps of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge,
vol. I., London, Chapman & Hall, 1844: (Harvard Univ.
Lib.). Map " No. 6, Circumjacent the South Pole" Baldwin and
Cradock, 1831, shows "L of Peter, L of Alexander, Palmer's
Land." It goes to show that the English nomenclature of West
Antarctica was accurate and just until the voyage of Biscoe.
'"Dumont D'Urville : Voyage au Pole Sud, Vol. IL, page 25.
D'Urville says he got his information from Biscoe himself.
The Antarctic Manual, London, 1901, page 519.
122 ANTARCTICA.
one of his ships was crushed, while the other barely
escaped a similar fate.
Lieutenant Binstead, R. N., with the "Hopewell,"
Mr. Foxton navigating officer,'-'^ and the "Rose," left
the Falkland Islands at the end of December, 1833,
and sailed south in between about 10° and 20° west
longitude. The ships were beset with icebergs in 65°
south latitude, but escaped, and "as we approached
70 degrees south we saw high land covered with
snow, and in our endeavor to approach it we became
again blocked in." The "Rose" soon after was
crushed and sank, but the crew escaped to the " Hope-
well," which then returned to the Falkland Islands,
reaching them at the end of February, 1834.
The land sighted on this voyage does not seem to be
charted.^*- The reminiscences of Mr. Foxton, written
from memory sixty years after the event, are neces-
sarily vague, and there may easily be some error in
"' Transaclio7is of the Royal Geographical Society of Austral-
asia, Victorian Branch, Melbourne, Vol. X., 1893, pages 58-
62 : — Foxton, J. G. : " Notes on a long forgotten Antarctic voy-
age in 1833" : (Amer. Phil. Soc).
'"* This land must lie somewhere near the spot to which Sir
James Clark. Ross penctrati-d in March 1843 ; and it would seem
as though lie must have known of Binstead's discovery, since
the latter was an oflicer in the Royal Navy. Ross, however,
does not mark this land on his charts, and, judging from his
general habits in that respect, this omission might be cited as
an a priori i)roof of the existence of " Binstcad-Foxton Land."
BINSTEAD, KEM1\ 123
the longitude, still his account is noteworthy because
it seems to be the only report of land in that portion
of the Antarctic, and it is a strong hint that the conti-
nental mass may not be so far south there as is gener-
ally assumed.
In 1833, an English sealer, named Kemp, is re-
ported to have sighted land just east of Enderby
Land, and it is marked " Kemp Land " on most
atlases. Although Kemp's course is laid down on
the English Admiralty charts, there is, apparently,
no published account of his journey.^^^
'"The sum total of added knowledge in these sixty years,
judging from Hugh Murray's The Eyicyclopcsdia of Geography
(Philadelphia, Carey, Lea and Blanchard, 1837, Vol. III., pages
172-173), had led to a general belief in 1837, that round the
South Pole was an archipelago of islands, and not a continental
mass. Murray refers to the Antarctic under the title "South
Polar Islands," and begins ; "The Islands of the Southern Polar
Sea, to which Monsieur Balbi gives the somewhat too pompous
title of Antarctic Archipelago, extending chiefly," etc. He says
also: "In 1831, Captain Biscoe fell in with land, in 66° S. lat.
and 47° E. long., to which he gave the name of Enderby Land,
and which he conceives to be of considerable extent. In the fol-
lowing year, he touched upon another coast of uncertain extent,
in about the same latitude, and in long. 70° W. To this latter
tract has been given the name of Graham Land." This para-
graph of Murray's is interesting, for it proves that the discovery
of Enderby Land did not, at the time, give to geographers any
idea of a South Polar Continent, but only that another island
had been found. My attention was called to Murray's work by
Mr. Edward E. Hale's Stories of Discovery, Boston, Roberts
Brothers, 1887.
1 24 ANTARCTICA.
Mr. John Balleny, an English sealer, sailed from
Chalky Bay, New Zealand, on January 7th, 1839,
widi die schooner " Eliza Scott," and the cutter
"Sabrina.""^ He worked his way south, westward
of 170° east longitude, and on February ist was in
69° south latitude, 172° 11' east longitude, where
the pack was so thick that he turned north. On
February 9th, he discovered three islands in 66° 22'
south latitude, 163° 49' east longitude, landed on one
of them on February 12th, and found that it was
volcanic in origin.
From these islands, since appropriately called the
Balleny Islands, Balleny worked up northward and
then westward. He met with a good deal of ice.
McNab's "Log" says on February 26: "At 8 it
cleared off a litde to the N. E. Thought we saw the
land : tacked and stood for it. At 1 1.30, made it out
to be fog hanging over some iceberg. At noon, ditto
'** The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London,
Volume the Ninth, 1839, pages 517-528, VI.: "Discoveries in
the Antarctic Ocean, in February, 1839" : Extracted from the
Journal of the Schooner " Eliza Scott," commanded by Mr. John
Balleny : communicated by Charles Enderby, Esq.
A brief note about the claims of Balleny as a discoverer is
found in Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of Lon-
don, Vol. II., 1858, pages 171, 172: — Charles Enderby: "Note
on Sabrina Land," etc.
Tlu: Antarctic Manual, London, Royal Geographical Society,
1 901, pages 348-359 : " Extract from the Log of the Schooner
' Eliza Scott,' Captain John Balleny, while S. of 55° S. Latitude,
kept Ijy John McNab, Second Mate."
BALLENY. 12$
weather. Latitude, observation, 64° 40' S. ; longitude
by account, 131° 35' E. Tliick fog, with snow and
sleet."
Balleny's "Journal" says: —
"Marc/i isi. — With a steady breeze from the
S. E. continued standing to the westward — passed
several icebergs, and numerous flocks of penguins,
petrels, and mutton birds.
"March 2nd, A. M. — Squally from the S. E., with
snow and sleet. At 8 cleared off a little. At noon,
lat. obs. 64° 58', long. 121° 8', therm. 35°. P. M.,
Strong winds, and showers of snow and sleet; saw
a great many birds. At 8, the water becoming
smooth all at once, shortened sail, and hove-to.
Saw land to the southward, the vessel surrounded
by drift ice. At midnight strong breezes with snow.
"March, jrd, A. M. — Found the ice closing and
becoming more compact ; stood through the drift
ice to the southward. At 8 h. found ourselves sur-
rounded by icebergs of immense size ; to the S. W.
the ice was quite fast, with every appearance of
land at the back of it, but the weather coming
on thick, were obliged to steer to the northward
along the edge of the pack. At noon, lat. by obs.
65° 10', long. 117° 4'. P. M., Fresh breezes from the
S. S. E. and clear; numerous icebergs in sight."
The three sentences : " Thought we saw the land,"
" saw land to the southward " and " the ice was quite
fast, with every appearance of land at the back of it,"
126 ANTARCTICA.
are the only references to the great mass of land
south of Australia. Balleny never suggested nor
probably even suspected that he was on the edge
of a continent, or that he had sighted anything but
another island. That no one in England, at the time,
thought the matter of any importance is shown by
the fact that the editor of The Journal of the Royal
Geographical Society placed as running heading at
the top of page 525: "Sturge Island — Brown's
Peak — Borradaille Island." Three of the Balleny
Isles ! There is nothing about Sabrina Land ! This
does not, however, alter the fact, and there appears
to be no doubt that Balleny had a glimpse of the
mainland of East Antarctica.
Balleny continued on a westerly course. On March
13th he wrote : "Light variable winds from the east-
ward ; surrounded by icebergs : in lat. 61°, long. 103°
40', passed within a i^ of a mile of an iceberg about
300 feet high, with a block of rock attached to it." "^
"" The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London,
Vol. the Nintli, 1839, pages 528-529: — Charles Darwin: VI.
" Note on a Rock seen on an Iceberg in 61° South Latitude."
Darwin thinks such transported boulders are rare in the Antarctic,
but that nevertheless, "the bottom of the Antarctic Sea, and
the shores of its islands, must already be scattered with masses of
foreign rock,^ — the counterpart of the 'erratic boulders' of the
northern hemisjihere." Darwin mentions Sabrina Land — named
after the cutter, which I believe was lost on the home voyage —
and thus jiroves that the name was given shortly after the return
of Balleny to England : ' ' The part of the ocean where the ice-
berg was seen is 450 miles distant from Sabrina land (if such
land exists), and 1400 miles from any certainly known land."
BALI.ENY, DUMONT-D URVILLE. 1 27
About this his editor commented as follows: "We
will, therefore, only add that this iceberg was distant
1400 miles from the nearest certainly-hiown land,
namely, Enderby's Land, which bore W. S. W. of it.
But it is highly probable from the compact nature of
the ice, etc., that land extends between the parallels
of 66° and 68° S., in which case the iceberg would not
be distant above 300 miles from this supposed land.
The appearance of land seen by Captain Balleny on
the 3rd of March, as above mentioned, bore from
the iceberg E. S. E., distant 450 miles." Balleny
then returned to England, apparently without mak-
ing any stops, so that his discovery could not have
been known to either Wilkes or D'Urville when they
sailed.
Captain Jules Sebastien Cesar Dumont-D'Urville^^
in January, 1838, with the "Astrolabe" and Captain
Jacquinot, with the "Zelee," sailed southward from
the Strait of Magalhaes. On January 15th, they
found the first icebergs, in about 59° 30' south lati-
tude. On January 2 2d, in about 64° south latitude,
due south of the Powell Islands, they were stopped
by an icy barrier extending along the entire horizon.
'" Voyage au Pole Sud et dans I ' Ocianie, sur les corvettes
r Astrolabe et la Zilie, sous le commandement de M. J. Du-
mont-D'Urville, capitaine de vaisseau : Public- par ordonnance
de Sa Majesty, sous la direction sup^rieure de M. Jacquinot,
capitaine de vaisseau: Paris, Gide et Cie., 6diteurs, 1 845-1 847,
etc. : (Acad. Nat. Sci. , Philadelphia; Pub. Lib., Boston).
128 ANTARCTICA.
The corvettes followed the Hne of the pack for more
than two hundred kilometers, coming back to 6i°
south latitude, north of the Powell Islands. D'Ur-
ville wished to follow the tracks of Weddell, and,
therefore, turned once more southeast, when he
again met an icy barrier between 62° and 63° south
latitude. In trj'ing to break through the pack, the
vessels were nipped, and for five days were in a
good deal of danger. Finally, a strong southerly
gale opened the pack somewhat, and with the help
of saws and axes, they succeeded in breaking loose.
On February 15th, D'Urville returned westward, ex-
amined again the Powell Islands and some of the
Shetlands, and then succeeded in getting a little
further south, where between 63° and 64° south lat-
itude he sailed over a hundred kilometers along the
coast of Palmer Land, which he renamed Louis-
Phillippe Land and Joinville Land, although it had
been previously visited by Palmer and Johnson, and
the entire northern coast charted with some accu-
racy, from the reports of Palmer, by Powell. Scurvy
having broken out on D'Urville's ships, he then re-
turned north.
D'Urville mixed up the nomenclature of West
Antarctica. He simply wrote Trinity Land on Pal-
mer Land, and moved Palmer Land into Gerlache
Strait, so as to get room for his own names. It has
been already explained that as Palmer was the first
on this coast, his name ought certainly to be com-
DUMONT-D URVILLE. 1 29
memorated. It is also reasonably certain that Rob-
ert Johnson and other sealers had visited portions
of this coast. The names given by D'Urville, how-
ever, of Joinville Island, Orleans Channel''*' and
Louis Phillippe Land will probably endure : the
latter extending from Joinville Island to about
Orleans Channel, that is to the eastern extremity
of Palmer Archipelago, and by general agreement
south to Cape Foster and Cape Seymour.
Two years later, D'Urville made another cruise
south. ''^ He started from Hobart Town on January
ist, 1840. On January i6th the watch signalled the
first ice ; on the 1 8th, they had reached 64° south lati-
tude; on the morning of the 19th, six enormous ice
islands were floating round them ; finally, about three
o'clock on the afternoon of the 19th, Monsieur Ger-
vaize, who was on watch, noticed "a grey spot, which
appeared stationary;'''-' but already we had so often
been led into error by these false appearances, so
frequent in these regions, that we had become very
suspicious. Monsieur Dumoulin, who was on deck,
occupied at that instant in charting the various ice-
islands which were in sight, hastened to ascend the
rigging so as to clear up all doubts ; he assured him-
self that the indications noted by Monsieur Gervaize
"' Orleans Channel was discovered by Palmer and charted by
Powell. See ante, page 94.
*" Voyage au Pole Sud, etc.. Tome Huiti^me, pages 123-185.
'" Voyage au Pole Sud, etc., Tome Huitidme, page 136.
1 30 ANTARCTICA.
had reference to a cloud, which, seen from the height
of die mizzen top, appeared to be above the horizon.
On descending, he announced to me besides, tliat
straight in front of us, there was an appearance of
land much more distinct and more noticeable ; it was,
in fact, Adelie Land. Thanks to this circumstance,
Monsieur Dumoulin was the first one of us all who
saw the land."
On the 20th, owing to lack of wind, they could not
get any nearer to the coast, and there remained, on
the "Astrolabe," more than one doubter as to its
existence. But at midday all uncertainty ceased, as
a boat sent from the "Zelee," announced that since
the day before they also had seen land. On the 21st,
a light wind enabled the ships to close in with the
shore. As they progressed, ice islands became more
numerous, and by eight o'clock the corvettes were
so hemmed in by these enormous masses of ice,
that D'Urville feared every instant seeing his ships
wrecked. During the day, however, they worked
their way through until they were in a sniiill
(Finer) bay :
" The land which was in sight now showed us
the few accidents it presented :""* it stretched as far
as the eye could see to the southeast and to
the northwest, and in these two directions we
could not see its limits. It was entirely covered
willi snow, and it miglit have a height of 1000
*" Voyage an Pole Sud, etc.. Tome Huiiicnie, pages 143-145.
DUMONT-D URVILLE. 131
to 1 200 meters. At no place did it show any
rising summit. At no place either could one see
any spot indicating the soil, and one might have
thought that we had arrived before an ice-barrier
still bigger than all those we had already met, if
we could have been able to admit that ice-barriers
ever could reach such a prodigious height. Its shore
showed everywhere a vertical cliff of ice, similar to
those we had observed in the floating islands we
had been sailing past. This aspect of the coast
was so exactly alike to the one which these float-
ing bergs had shown us, that we did not retain the
least doubt as to the formation of these latter. More-
over, on several points of the shore, we could see
besides a good number of floating islands, which
seemed barely separated from the land where they
had formed and to be awaiting only the influence of
the winds and of the currents to go out to sea. The
elevated parts of the land showed everywhere an
uniform tint ; they ended at the sea by a gently
inclined slope ; thanks to this arrangement we could
see a pretty considerable stretch of country. At
several points, we noticed that the snows which
covered the soil showed a broken and irregular
surface. One could perceive regular waves, like
those which the winds dig in sand deserts. It was
especially in the least protected portions that these
accidents appeared strongest. At other spots, this
crust of ice seemed also traversed by ravines or cut
132 ANTARCTICA.
out by the waters. The sun shone in all its splen-
dor and added greatly to the already so imposing
aspect of this mass of ice. With our glasses we
examined at every instant this mysterious land,
whose existence it seemed could no longer be con-
tested, but which had not offered to us as yet any
absolutely certain proof of its existence."™'
Suddenly, however, some black spots were seen
by Monsieur Duroch in the bay, and these turned
out to be several small islands. Boats were sent
from both corvettes, and some members of the expe-
dition landed on one of the islands, on which they
ran up the tricolore flag, and of which they took
possession, as well as of the adjoining coast, in the
name of France. The ceremony was concluded by
drinking a bottle of Bordeaux wine. The little
island was a bare rock and did not offer the
slightest trace of lichens. The animal kinodom was
represented only by penguins, and not a single shell
was found. "Up"*' till then and during the whole time
when there misfht have been doubts, I had not been
"" Sir Clements R. Markham, in the Evcyclopeedia Britannica,
ninth edition, American reprint, 1885, article "Polar Regions,"
says: "In 1839 the French expedition under Dumont d'Urville
proceeded south from Tasmania and discovered two small islands
on the Antarctic Circle named ' Terre Adelie' and ' C6te Clarie.' "
It would be interestintj to know on what authority Sir C. R.
Markham bases his statement that Ad<':lie Land and C6te Clarie
are small islands.
""Voyage au Pole Stid, etc., Tome Huitiiime, page 154.
DUMONT-D URVILLE. 1 33
willing to give a name to this discovery, but on the
return of our boats I christened it ' Adelie Land.'
The most prominent cape which we had seen dur-
ing the morning, at the time we were trying to get
nearer to the land, received the name of Cap de la
Decouvcrte. The point near which the boats landed,
and where they were able to collect geological speci-
mens, was called Pointe Geologie"
A tremendous storm arose shortly afterwards, and
the ships were in danger, but succeeded in reaching
open water. After the storm had ceased, they re-
turned again south, but further west, and on the 29th,
nearly off Cape Carr, met the U. S. S. "Porpoise,"
Commander Ringgold, but owing to a misunderstand-
ing, they did not communicate. On the 30th, the
French ships sailed for a distance of twenty or twenty-
five leagues, along a wall of ice which was from thirty
to forty-five meters high. This ice bluff was too
elevated to permit the explorers to distinguish the
details of the interior: " Thus,^"' for more than twelve
hours, we had followed this wall of ice which was
perfectly vertical on its sides and horizontal on its
top. Not an irregularity, not the slightest promi-
nence broke this uniformity during the twenty leagues
which were sailed over during the day. As for the
nature of this enormous wall, as about the appear-
ance of Adelie Lantl, opinions were again various ;
^Voyage au Pdle Sud, etc., Tome Huitieme, pages 175-
177.
1 34 ANTARCTICA.
some held that it was a compact mass of ice inde-
pendent of any land, others, and I share this opin-
ion, contended that this formidable belt was at least
an envelope, a crust, to a solid base, either of earth,
or rocks, or even of high placed shallows spread out
around a great land. In this, I always base myself
on the principle that no ice of great size can form
in the open sea, and that it always needs a solid sup-
porting position to enable it to be fixed in a definite
spot. However this may be, at ten o'clock in the
evening, I started to the southwest, after having
christened the ice barrier we had just examined. Cote
Clarie." D'Urville stood north from here, and on
February 17th, reached once more Hobart Town.
D'Urville's cruise is important. His narrative is
so lucid that it is unnecessary to comment at length
on it. It may be well, however, to call attention to
the fact that both Wilkes and D'Urville saw this
part of Wilkes Land, and that the narratives and
the charts of the two explorers tally in all respects.
Wilkes, however, saw even more than did D'Urville,
for Wilkes, as his chart shows, hugged and sighted
the coast between Finer Bay and Cape Carr.
Wilkes also sighted the snowy heights of the main-
land back of the ice cliffs of Cote Clarie, whilst
D'Urville saw only the ice cliffs. It was these snowy
heights which Wilkes called Cape Carr, and the ice
cliffs which D'Urville called Cote Clarie. I lay stress
on this point, because all the maps I have seen have
DUMONT-D URVILLE, WILKES. I35
"Cote Clarie " on the land and " Cape Carr " on the
ocean (when they mark them at all), and the reverse
should be the case.
D'Urville does not seem to give any reasons for
making this southern cruise, but — especially when
we think of the crazy old tubs he commanded — he
must be credited as having carried out a daring
and successful journey.
Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, U. S. N.,^* command-
ing the " United States Exploring Expedition" ^"^ on
"** Charles Wilkes, of English parentage, was born in the City
of New York on the 3d of April, 1798. He was appointed Mid-
shipman in the United States Navy in 1818, and became Lieuten-
ant in 1826. In 1838, he was appointed to the command of the
U. S. Exploring Expedition, with the acting rank of Commander.
After his return to New York on June loth, 1842, he published
his account of the exploration, and received the gold medal of the
Royal Geographical Society of London. On November 8th,
1 86 1, while in command of the "San Jacinto," he intercepted
the English mail steamer " Trent " and took off the Confederate
commissioners, Mason and Slidell. For this. Congress passed a
resolution of thanks, and the Secretary of the Navy sent Wilkes
an emphatic commendation. In 1862, Wilkes commanded the
James River flotiUa, shelled City Point, Virginia, and on July
1 6th, was appointed Commodore. Then he commanded the
West Indian Flying Squadron. He was retired for age in 1864,
and appointed Rear Admiral in 1866. He died at his home in
Washington in February 1877.
*" Wilkes, Charles, U. S. N. , Commander of the Expedition :
Narrative of the United States Exploring Expeditioji, during
the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842; Philadelphia, Lea &
Blanchard, 1845.
136 ANTARCTICA.
a voyage around the world,^'"' sailed on February
25th, 1839, from Orange Harbor, Tierra del Fuego.™''
He was on the gun-brig " Porpoise," with the pilot boat
"Sea-Gull," 1 10 tons, commanded by Lieutenant John-
son, as tender. On March ist, they sighted Ridley
Island in the South Shetlands. On the 2d they made
' ' Synopsis of the cruise of the U. S. Explori7ig Expedition
durifig tlie years 18 jS, 'jp, '40, '41, & '42, delivered before
the Natio7ial Institute, by its commander, Charles Wilkes, Esq.,
071 the tive7itieth of fu7ie 1842" : Washington, Peter Force, 1842 :
(Harvard Univ. Lib. ; British Museum).
Defc7ice : The followi7ig dcfc7ice of Lieut. Charles Wilkes to
the charges on which he has bce7i tried is respectfully sub7nitted
to the Court: Signed Charles Wilkes, Lt. U. S. N. : 56 pages:
(British Museum ; Harvard Univ. Lib.). This paper was pub-
lished, probably, at Washington in 1S42.
Wilkes, Charles : " Antarctic Exploration ; letter to the editor
of the Ufiion (Dated) Washington, Aug. 12, 1847," (Wash. -8°,
1847, 7 pages). This paper was catalogued in the Harvard
University Library, but it has been lost or mislaid. It is, I
believe, a reply to the animadversions of Sir J. C. Ross.
Colvoccorresses, Lieut. Geo. M. [Musalas], U. S. Navy : Four
Years i7i a Government Exploriytg Expeditio7i, New York,
Cornish, Lamport & Co., 1852: (Lib. Co. Philadelphia).
™ Miss Carrell {Harper's New Mo7ithly Magazi7ie,\o\. XLIV.,
1871, 1872; pages 60-64: — Carrell, Miss A. E. : "The First
American Exploring Expedition,") claims that Mr. J. N. Rey-
nolds was the originator of the expedition.
Ur. Callahan {folms Hopkins U7iivcrsity Studies, etc., Balti-
more, March, 1901 : — Callahan, James Morton, Ph. D. : "Amer-
ican Relations in the Pacific and the Far East," Chapter V.,
"The United States Exploring Expedition") tells a good
deal of the preliminaries which led to the sending of the ex-
pedition.
^^ Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. L, pages 133-145,
WILKES, JOHNSON, HUDSON, WALKER. 1 37
O'Brien, Asplaiul, and Bridgeman Islands. On the 3d
they sighted Mount Hope, which Wilkes locates as
the eastern extremity of Palmer Land, in 63° 25' south
latitude, 57° 55' west longitude. They also discovered
three small islets, which Wilkes christened the Adven-
ture Islets. There were many icebergs floating about
and too much ice along the coast to attempt landing.
The " Sea-Gull " returned north on March 5th. On the
7th the " Porpoise " was nearly wrecked on some high
land, which proved to be Elephant Island. This was
of volcanic appearance and its valleys were filled
with ice and snow.
On February 25th, also, two other ships of the
" United States Exploring Expedition " sailed from
Orange Harbor.-"' These were the " Peacock," Captain
Hudson, and the "Flying Fish," Lieutenant William M.
Walker.^ On March i ith they saw the first iceberg.
On the 13th their position was in 64° 27' south latitude,
84° west longitude. On the 14th Captain Hudson
remarked a great and striking change in the weather,
as since 62° south latitude it had become much more
settled and free from the sudden squalls and constant
gales they had experienced after leaving Cape Hoorn.
^"'Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. I., pages 149-161 ; 405-408;
408-414.
•^ Palmer, J. C, U. S. N. : Thulta, a tale of the Antarctic,
New York, Samuel Colman, MDCCCXLIII : (Lenox Lib. New
York City.) This is a short poem about the cruise of the
"Flying Fish": the appendix, which is in prose, says she
reached 70" 14' south latitude.
138 ANTARCTICA.
On the 17th and i8th, however, they had another
heavy gale. On the 20th the " Flying Fish " was in 67°
30' south latitude, 105° west longitude. A cast of the
lead showed no bottom in one hundred fathoms. The
water was much discolored, and Lieutenant Walker
afterwards observed this same discoloration of the
water in the vicinity of extensive masses of ice : he
thought it might possibly be produced by refraction.
The "Flying Fish" at this time was in a fog. This
lifted and disclosed a wall of ice from four to six
meters high, extending east and west as far as die
eye could reach, and spreading out into a vast and
seemingly boundless field to the south. Some float-
ing ice had the appearance of being but lately de-
tached from the land. On the 20th, the "Peacock"
was in 68° south latitude, 90° west longitude, and
obtained a sight of an icy barrier of field-ice and
icebergs. On the 21st, the "Flying Fish" was in
68° 41' south latitude, 103° 34' west longitude, run-
ning among ice-islands. On the 23d, the "Flying
Fish" reached 70° south latitude, 100° 16' west lon-
gitude : here they observed an appearance of land,-'"
and saw large masses of ice and numerous ice-
bergs. They then turned northward and on the
25lh fell in with the "Peacock" in 68° south lati-
tude, 97° 58' west longitude. Tiie two ships tiicMi
returned together to Orange Harbor.
""Tlie course of the " Uelgica " .shows thai |)iol)ably there is
no hmd at this spot. See posl, page 206.
WILKES, HUDSON, WALKER. T 39
In 1839 and 1840, Lieutenant Wilkes made a sec-
ond cruise to the Antarctic, in accordance with his
Instructions, from the Hon. J. K. Paulding, Secretary
of the Navy, which were as follows;-'^
"Navy Department, August nth, 1838.
***** * *
"These objects will, it is presumed, occupy you
until the latter end of October ; and when attained as
far as may be possible, you will proceed to the port of
Sydney, where adequate supplies may be obtained.
From thence you will make a second attempt to pene-
trate within the Antarctic region, south of Van
Diemen's Land, and as far west as longitude 45° E., or
to Enderby's Land, making your rendezvous on your
return at Kerguelen's Land, or the Isle of Desolation,
as it is now usually denominated, and where you will
probably arrive by the latter end of March, 1840."
Wilkes' squadron was composed of the sloop of war
" Vincennes," 780 tons, under his own command ; the
sloop of war "Peacock," 650 tons, Commander Will-
iam L. Hudson ; the gun brig " Porpoise," 230 tons,
Lieutenant Commander Cadwalader Ringgold ; and
the pilot boat "Flying Fish," 96 tons. Lieutenant
R. F. Pinkney. None of these vessels was suitable for
ice work, nor was the expedition properly equipped
fQj.212 <<jj. maybe borne in mind that our vessels had no
"■'^Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. I., page XXVII.
'"Wilkes: Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II., page 298.
1 40 ANTARCTICA.
planking, extra fastening, or other preparations for
these icy regions, beyond those of the vessels of war
in our service." The people at Sydney-'^ "inquired,
whether we had compartments in our ships to prevent
us from sinking? How we intended to keep ourselves
warm? What kind of antiscorbutic we were to use?
and where were our great ice saws ? To all of these
questions I was obliged to answer, to their great ap-
parent surprise, that we had none, and to agree with
them that we were unwise to attempt such service in
ordinary cruising vessels; but we had been ordered to
go, and that was enough, and go we should. * * *
The tender Flying Fish excited their astonishment
more than the ships, from her smallness and peculiar
rig ; and, altogether, as a gentleman told me, most of
our visitors considered us doomed to be frozen to
death. I did not anticipate such a fate, although I
confess I felt the chances were much against us, in
case we were compelled to winter within the Ant-
arctic. From every calculation we could not stow quite
twelve months' provision, even upon short allowance ;
our fuel was inadequate to last us more than seven
months, and the means of protecting ourselves in the
ships for winter quarters, were anything but suffi-
cient." The " Peacock "-'' was in especially bad con-
dition, for her sheer-streak, to which the channels
'"Wilkes: Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II., page 275.
■■"'Letters of Mr. Dibble, carpenter, and Captain Hudson: Ahr-
ralive b. S. E. E., Vol. II., page 449.
WILKES, PINKNEY, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. I4I
were bolted and ports hung, was perfectly decayed,
fore and aft, and all the stanchions of the upper deck
bulwarks were either rotten or in an advanced state
of decay. It was, therefore, with unsuitable ships,
improperly equipped, that Wilkes started on the
cruise which resulted in the great discovery, that in
the Antarctic there is a mass of land probably con-
tinental in its dimensions.
The expedition started from Sydney on December
26th, 1839. The tender "Flying Fish" parted com-
pany with it on January ist, 1840, and cruised by
itself.-^^ On the 21st it made an icy barrier in 65° 20'
south latitude, 159° 36' east longitude. On the 23d,
in 65° 58' south latitude, 157° 49' east longitude, they
discovered several dark spots, which they made out
to be rocks. After this they cruised along the ice
barrier until February 5th, when they were in 66°
south latitude, 143° east longitude, and were forced
to return north on account of sickness.
After parting company with the "Flying Fish," the
other ships continued their course south, and on
January 7th, 1840, were in 54° 20' south latitude,
and 160° 47' east longitude, not far from Macquarie
Island. On the loth they encountered the first ice-
berg. On the nth, at 10.30 P. M., in 60° 11' south
latitude, 164° 36' east longitude, they were stopped
by a compact barrier of ice, enclosing large square
icebergs. The water changed to an olive green color.
^^^ Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II., pages 354-359.
142 ANTARCTICA.
J"
On the 13th, in 65° 8' south latitude, 163° east longi-
tude, they came up to an icy barrier. " Very lofty
ridges of ice,-''' and the loom usual over high land,
were visible along the southern horizon, over the
barrier. * * * From appearances to the south-
ward, with the numerous Phocae proboscidae, I was
strongly impressed with the belief of the close
approach of land."-'''
"On the i6th-^^ the three vessels were in longitude
157° 46' E., and all within a short distance of each
other. ■■'• ='= -'^ On this day (i6th January) ap-
pearances believed at the time to be land were
visible from all the vessels, and the comparison of
the three observations, when taken in connection
with the more positive proofs of its existence after-
wards obtained, has left no doubt that the appear-
ance was not deceptive. From this day therefore,
we date the discovery which is claimed for the squad-
ron. * * * On board the Peacock, it appears
■■"'Ringgold's Report: Narrative L. S. E. E., Vol. II., page
469.
"' The Balleny Islands are about one and a half degrees of lati-
tude south of the spot wiiere the Porpoise was on January
13th. It is therefore practically certain that "the loom usual
over high land" was caused by them. Mr. Borchgrevink
{Gcoj^raphical Journal, Vol. XVI., October, 1900, page 3S1)
also appears to be of this opinion, for he says: "I had, how-
ever, purposely taken that course in order to satisfy myself
respecting the land rc|)orted by Captain Wilkes, and which, it
seems clear to me, was, in reality, Balleny."
"'Wilkes: Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II., pages 292, 293.
WILKES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. I43
that Passed Midsliipmen Eld and Reynolds both saw
the land from tlie masthead, and reported it to
Captain Hudson : he was well satisfied on examina-
tion that the appearance was totally distinct from
that of ice islands, and a majority of the officers and
men were also saUsfied that if land could exist, that
was it. * * ''' In Passed Midshipman Eld's jour-
nal, he asserts that he had been several times to
the masthead during the day, to view the barrier:
that it was not only a barrier of ice, but one of
terra firma. Passed Midshipman Reynolds and him-
self exclaimed, with one accord, that it was land.
Not trusting to the naked eye, they descended for
spy-glasses, which confirmed, beyond a doubt, their
first impression. The mountains could be distinctly
seen, over the field ice and bergs, stretching to the
southwest as far as anything could be discerned.
Two peaks, in pardcular, were very distinct (which
I have named after those two officers,) rising in a
conical form ; and others, the lower parts of which
were quite as distinct, but whose summits were lost in
light fleecy clouds. Few clouds were to be seen in
any other direction, for the weather was remarkably
clear. The sun shone brightly on ridge after ridge,
whose sides were partially bare ; these connected the
eminences I have just spoken of, which must be
from one to two thousand feet high. Mr. Eld
further states, that on reporting the discovery to
Captain Hudson, the latter replied that there was
144 ANTARCTICA.
no doubt of it, and that he believed that most of the
icebergs then in sight were aground. At this time
they were close in with the barrier, and could approach
no nearer. On this day, the Peacock got a cast of
the deep-sea lead, with Six's thermometer attached,
to the depth of eight hundred and fifty fathoms, only
a short distance from the barrier ; the temperature
of the surface was 31°, and at the depth sounded,
31^°, current one fourth of a mile, north by east."
" On the evening of the 16th,-"' strong appearances
of land again arose, in corroboration of which I insert
an extract from my journal, as well as the remarks
from the log book. * * * Extract from Journal.
' At 6 h. 30 m. P. M. I went aloft to take a look, the
weather being clear, horizon good and clouds lofty. I
heard the noise of a penguin ; soon after, one was seen
very near the brig, with a large seal to windward.
After reaching masthead, I saw over the field of ice,
an object, large, dark and rounding, resembling a
mountain in the distance. The icebergs all were bright
and brilliant, and in great contrast. * * * 1
watched for an hour to see if the sun in his decline
would change the colour of the object by a difference
of rays : it remained the same, with a white cloud
above, similar to those generally hovering over high
land ; at sunset it remained the same. I took the
bearing accurately, intending to examine it closely as
"•Ringgold's Report: Narrative U. S. E. K, Vol. II.,
pages 469, 470.
WILKES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. 1 45
soon as I got a breeze. I am strongly of the opinion
it is an island, surrounded by immense fields of ice
now in sight.' * * * Extract from Log. ' 7 P. M.
discovered what was supposed to be an island, bear-
ing south-by-east, — a great deal of field ice in sight.
(Signed) J. H. North.' * * * 17th, the indications
were again noticed, corroborating those of the day
preceding."
"On the morning of the igth.-'-^we found ourselves
in a deep bay, and discovered the Peacock standing to
the southwest. Until eight o'clock, A. M. we had a
moderate breeze. The water was of a darker olive-
green, and had a muddy appearance. Land was now
certainly visible from the Vincennes, both to the
south-southeast and southwest, in the former direc-
tion most distinctly. Both appeared high. It was
between eight and nine in the morning when I was
fully satisfied that it was certainly land, and my own
opinion was confirmed by that of some of the oldest
and most experienced seamen on board. The officer
of the morning watch. Lieutenant Alden, sent twice
and called my attention to it. We were at this time
in longitude 154° 30' E., latitude 66° 20' S. ; the day
was fine, and at times quite clear, with light winds.
After divine service, I still saw the outline of the
land, unchanged in form but not so distinct as in the
morning. By noon, I found we were sagging on to
the barrier; the boats were lowered in consequence,
""Wilkes: Narrative U. S. E. ^.,Vol. II., pages 295, 296.
146 ANTARCTICA.
and the ship towed off. The report from aloft was,
'A continued barrier of ice around the bay, and no
opening to be seen, having the western point of it
bearine to the northward of west of us.' I stood to
the westward to pass around it, fully assured that the
Peacock would explore all the outline of the bay."
" On Sunday, January igth,"^ while standing into
a bay of ice, in latitude 66° 31' S., and longitude
153° 40' E., we made (what we believed to be) land
to the southward and westward.™ * * * It was
"'Hudson's Report: Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II., page
465.
'-^ The proceedings before the Court Martial held after the
return of the Exploring Expedition also show plainly that the
officers thought they saw land on January 19, and that Ring-
gold must have, and thought he must have, sighted the high
mountain of the Balleny Isles on January 13. Some of the tes-
timony of the officers was published in a short paper which was
probably printed at Washington in 1842 : Defence: The foUo'M-
mg defence of Lieut. Charles IVilkcs to the charges on which
he has been tried is respectfully stibmitted to the Court : Signed
Charles Wilkes, Lt. U. S. N., 56 pages: (British Museum;
Harvard Univ. Lib.)
Page 26. " The sixth and most imirortant charge is that of
scandalous conduct tending to the destruction of good morals."
"The first specification charges me with uttering a deliberate
and wilful falsehood, in the following words, to wit : ' On the
morning of the 19th of January, we saw land to the southward
and eastward, with many indications of being in its vicinity,
such as penguins, seal, and the discolouration of the water, but
the impenetrable barriers of ice prevented our nearer approach
to it ; ' the said Lieut. Charles Wilkes well knowing that land
to the southward and eastward was not seen on said morning
as asserted by him," * * *
WILKES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. 1 47
seen towering above and beyond some large ice-
bergs, tliat were from one hundred to one hundred
Pages 27-28: "Lieut. Ringgold testifies as follows:
" Q. Did you report to Lieut. Wilkes that you had seen
land on the 26th of January.
"A. No I did not.
"Q. Did you not see the land prior to that date?
"A. To the best of my belief, I saw it on the 13th January,
though I did not make a positive report. On that occasion I saw
about 100 seal, and captured two as specimens ; and from the
discolouration of the water, I thought the indications were very
strong. I tliink I sounded with 287 fathoms, but did not suc-
ceed in getting ground. It was nearer Bellamy's position than
we ever were afterwards : but we were not aware of Bellamy's
discovery at the time." * * *
" ' Very lofty ridges of ice, and the loom usual over the high
land was visible along the southern horizon over the barrier.'
" I made no positive report, nor mentioned it in the log, be-
cause I was not positive that it was land, though I have very
little doubt about it. I think I mentioned it when I saw Lieut.
Wilkes at New Zealand."
Page 30 : " Again — Lieut. Alden testifies as follows : ' That
at Sydney Lieut. Wilkes came on board of the ship, and I re-
marked the French were ahead of us — that Wilkes remarked —
Oh no, don' t you remember reporting to me appearances of land
on the nineteenth. I told him I could not call it to my mind
then, and would refer to the log, which convinced me at once,
from the fact, that I had the morning watch, it being Sunday,
and other circumstances that I had called his attention to some-
thing like land.' He says afterwards, I sent for Lieut. Wilkes —
that we were in close proximity to ice, and when he was on deck
I said — there is something there — pointing to the southward —
that looks like land."
' ' The testimony of Gunner Williamson is as follows :
" Q. Were you Gunner of the Vincennes on her last
cruise ; if yea, state whether you saw land on the i gth January,
1 840, and what you said to Lieut. Wilkes on the subject.
148 ANTARCTICA.
and fifty feet in height. We endeavored to work
up for this land, which presented the appearance
of an immense mass of snow, apparently forming a
vast amphitheatre, with two distinct ridges or eleva-
tions throughout its extent. After working up until
"A.I was acting Gunner for the last three years ; on the
morning of the 19th, I was standing on the starboard gangway,
Capt. Wilkes was on the deck at the time — he came and asked
me what I thought of the appearance of land. My answer was —
' If it is not land, I have never seen land.' It was in the morn-
ing between 9 and 10 I think."
" Lieut. Davis testified that on the nineteenth, he saw strong
indications of land, and entered it in the log of the Peacock.
He says he is still under the impression that it was land, and
that impression was confirmed by getting soundings on the
twenty-third, at 380 fathoms."
' ' This witness proves the relative position of the Peacock
on the twenty-third to be within fifty miles of that of the Vin-
cennes, on the nineteenth.
' ' He says the difterence was two degrees in longitude ; there
are about twenty miles to a degree in that latitude. The Pea-
cock on the nineteenth was in longitude 153° 40' East: on the
twenty-third, 151° 41' East: the latitude on the nineteenth was
66° 22' and on the twenty-third 66° 30'. The latitude is eight
miles difference to the south, and about 50 miles difference along
the land."
Page 31. " Passed Mid. Eld testifies, that between ten and
eleven on the sixteenth, he, with Lieut. Reynolds, was on the
main-topmast cross-trees, and both simultaneously exclaimed,
' there is the land.' He describes it with accuracy ; and adds,
that looking at it for some time they sent down for a glass, and
examined it very closely, and came to the conclusion that it
could be nothing else but terra finna. He says he saw land
also on the nineteenth from the masthead. He also saw it on
the twenty-third and twenty-fourth ; and says soundings were
got on the twenty-third.
WILKES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. I49
midnight through detached portions of ice, we
reached the barrier at the head of the bay, and
were compelled to give up any further attempt to
near it, (what we believed to be land,) and passed
out of the bay again, which was some twenty miles
in extent, through drift-ice, into a more open space
for pursuing our course to the southward and west-
ward along the barrier."
"On tlie 22nd,^ 4 A. M., appearances of land again
to the southward and eastward, at the time passing
an iceberg with dark veins and dusty appearances,
exciting confident hopes of soon making positive dis-
coveries."
" He says the land he saw on the nineteenth was distant about
forty miles."
Lieutenant Colvoccorresses of the ' ' Vincennes ' ' in liis book
(Four Years, etc.) does not mention sighting land until January
19th, when he says : " It is believed by many of us that we are in
the vicinity of land * * * For the past three hours appear-
ances have been visible both to the southeast and southwest
which very much resemble mountains. (Note. The same ap-
pearances were observed by the 'Peacock' and the 'Porpoise,'
and it is now fully established that they were high land, and
formed a part of the Antarctic Continent discovered by the Ex-
pedition)." He mentions "appearances of land" on January
23d. He speaks on January 30th, of the land itself; on Feb-
ruary 7th, of Cape Carr ; on February 12th, of a range of moun-
tains covered with snow in 112'' 17' east longitude ; and on Feb-
ruary 14th, of land in 105° 30' east longitude, at which place
stones off an iceberg "were brought on board, and they very
soon disappeared, for every one was an.\ious to possess them-
selves of a piece of the new continent.''
'" Rmggold's Report : Narrative U. S. E. E., vol. II., page 470.
1 5© ANTARCTICA.
"On the 23rd --^ of January we made, beyond the
barrier, which was thickly studded with bergs and
islands of ice, (what we believed to be,) high land, at
least so far as terra firma can be distinguished where
everything is covered with snow, and worked into a
bay for a nearer and more minute examination. The
sea water had been discoloured for some days, but no
bottom obtained by soundings ; in the bay, however,
it changed to a dark dull green, and gave every in-
dication that we were on soundings, and not far from
land. * * * The result confirmed the appearances:
we obtained bottom in three hundred and twenty
fathoms, of slate coloured mud, and the lead brought
up with it a piece of stone, about an inch in length,
of the same colour, while the lower part of the lead
showed a fresh and deep indentation, as though it
had struck on a rock. Dip observations were made
on the ice with Robinson's and Lloyd's needles ; the
former gave 86.10° the latter 86.23°. * * *
While ascertaining the dip, a large king-penguin was
captured on the ice, and brought to the ship ; to add
to our collections, in his stomach were found thirty-
two pebbles of various sizes, which appeared to have
been very recently obtained, and afforded additional
evidence of our immediate proximity to land.
A tremendous storm now arose, in which the
" Peacock " was so severely damaged by contact with
'"Hudson's Report: Narrative U. S- E. if., vol. II., i)age
465.
WILKES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. 151
icebergs, that it was indispensable for her to return
north, which was done. It was found that "the ice
had chafed the stem to within one inch and a half of
the wood-ends of the planking." "^
The " Vincennes " and " Porpoise " continued sail-
ing along the coast. An ice bound bay was explored
on January 23d, and called Disappointment Bay. It
was in 67° 4' 30" south latitude, and 147° 30' east
longitude. On the 28th there was another terrible
gale, in which the ships escaped destruction from
contact with icebergs by sheer good luck.
On January 30th, "we approached ^'^^ within a half
mile of the dark, volcanic rocks, which appeared on
both sides of us, and saw the land gradually rising
beyond the ice to the height of three thousand feet,
and entirely covered with snow. It could be distinctly
seen extending to the east and west of our position
fully sixty miles. I make this bay in longitude 140°
02' 30" E., latitude 66° 45' S., and now that all were
convinced of its existence, I gave the land the
name of the Antarctic Continent. Some of the
officers pointed out the appearance of smoke, as
if from a volcano, but I was of the opinion that
this was nothing but the snow-drift, caused by the
heavy squalls. There was too much wind at this time
to tack, I therefore had recourse to luffing the vessel
up in the wind, and wore her short round on her heel.
"* Hudson's Letter : Narrative U. S. E. E.,Mo\. II., page 468.
"nVilkes : Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II., page 316.
152 ANTARCTICA.
At the same time we sounded, and found a hard bottom
at the depth of no more than thirty fathoms. I made
a rough sketch of this bay, which I have called Piner's
Bay, after the signal quarter-master of that name."
At this time there was much sickness on the ship,
and Wilkes sent official letters to the officers and
surgeons asking for their opinion about what course
should be taken. Their answers, dated January
31st, are interesting. "We have been almost sur-
rounded ^" with drift-ice and ice-islands for the last
twenty-three days, and coasting along the barrier of
field-ice, which has rendered it impossible to penetrate
further south in this vicinity ; and, although gratifying
it would be to land upon the Antarctic Continent, I
am not aware that any advantages to be derived from
it would be commensurate for the dangers it would be
necessary to incur ; and if the discovery of new land
in these regions is important, I consider it equally so
that every precaution be taken to communicate the
same to others." * * * " We would state,^^' that,
in our opinion, it would be as well to hold on until
"'Purser R. R. Waldron, of the "Vincennes": Narrative
U. S. E. ^.,Vol. II., page 462. This letter is important, be-
cause it proves that on January 31st, 1840, the name " Antarctic
Continent" had been definitely given; and also because this
is probably the first time the name was written oflicially (unless
in the log).
"* First Lieutenant Overton Carr ; Lieutenants A. Ludlow
Ca.se and Joseph A. Underwood ; Acting Master F2dward H.
dellaven, and .Samuel R. Knox, of the " Vincennes" : Narra-
tive U. S. E. E., Vol. II., page 461.
WILKES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD, 1 53
to-morrow at meridian, in order, should the weather
then prove favorable, to attempt making the recently-
discovered land at another point ; " * * * " I am
of opinion,*^ with due regard to the report of the
medical officers, which you have submitted to our
perusal, that it is very desirable to ascertain the extent
of the recently-discovered land, by another attempt to
the westward;" * * * "I think^^" it would be
advisable to remain in this vicinity at least two
days longer, and if possible, get further information
respecting the recently-discovered land."
" The 2d of February ^^' found us about sixty miles
to the westward of Piner's Bay, steering to the south-
ward, and as usual among ice-islands, with the land in
sight. The land had the same lofty appearance as
before. * ''' * Our longitude now was 137° 02'
E., latitude 66° 12' S.," === * * "On the 7th ^'^^ we
had much better weather, and continued all day run-
ning along the perpendicular icy barrier, about one
hundred and fifty feet in height. Beyond it the outline
of the high land could be well distinguished. * * *
I place this point, which I have named Cape Carr, after
the first lieutenant of the Vincennes, in longitude 131°
"» Lieutenant James Alden : Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II.,
page 462.
•"Chaplain Jared Elliott: Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II.,
page 463.
"' Wilkes : Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II., page 320,
"'Wilkes : Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II., page 321.
1 54 ANTARCTICA.
40' E., and latitude 64° 49' S." "On the loth^^
* '" * running close alonof the barrier, which contin-
ued of the same character, although more broken than
yesterday, we saw an appearance of land, although
indistinctly, to the southward * * * longitude
122° 35' E., latitude 65° 27' S. * * * During the 12th
we had pleasant weather and at 2 A. M. filled away.
At 8 A. M. land was reported to the southwest.
* * * Land was now distinctly seen, from eighteen
to twenty miles distant, bearing from south-southeast
to southwest — a lofty mountain range, covered with
snow, though showing many ridges and indentations
* * * \Ye had decreased our longitude to 112°
16' 12" E., while our latitude was 64° 57' S. This
puts the land in about 65° 20' S., and its trending
nearly east and west."
"I gained the meridian of 105° E.,-^' on the 12th
of February, latitude 64° 54' S. ; the weather was
at intervals misty, affording little opportunity for
observation ; many strong indications of land pre-
sented themselves. * * * As I advanced west-
ward, the marks of the approach to land were be-
coming too plain to admit a doubt. The constant
ami increasing noise of penguins and seals, the dark
and discoloured aspect of the ocean, with frequent
huge masses of black frozen earth identified there-
'" Wilkes: Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II., pages 323, 324.
■'" Ringgold's Report: Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. II., pages
471, 472.
WILKES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. I55
with, strongly impressed me with the belief that a
positive result would arise in the event of a possi-
bility to advance a few miles further south. * * *
On the afternoon of the 13th, I landed and extracted
from an immense mass of black earth identified with
the barrier, some hundreds of yards back from the
margin, specimens of rock corresponding to those
previously obtained." * * *
"i3th^'' * * * In the afternoon we had the
land ahead, and stood in for it with a light breeze
until 6}4 P- M. when I judged it to be ten or
twelve miles distant. It was very distinct, and ex-
tended from west-southwest to south-southeast. We
were now in longitude 106° 40' E., and latitude 65°
57' S. * * * i4th.^'' At daylight we again made
sail for the land, beating in for it until 11 A, M.
when we found any further progress quite impos-
sible. I then judged that it was seven or eight
miles distant. The day was remarkably clear, and
the land very distinct. By measurement, we made
the extent of coast of the Antarctic Continent, which
was then in sight, seventy-five miles, and by ap-
proximate measurement, three thousand feet high.
It was entirely covered with snow. Longitude at
noon, 106° 18' 42" E., latitude 65° 59' 40" S. * * *
1 determined to land on the largest ice-island that
seemed accessible. * * * ■\Ye found embedded
"" Wilkes : Narrative U- S. E. E., Vol. II., page 324.
"* Wilkes : Narrative U. S- E. .£"., Vol. II., page 325.
156 ANTARCTICA.
in it, in places, boulders, stones, gravel, sand and
mud or clay. The larger specimens were of red
sandstone and basalt. No signs of stratification
were to be seen in it, but it was in places formed
of icy conglomerate (if I may use the expression),
composed of large pieces of rocks, as it were frozen
together, and the ice was extremely hard and flint-
like. The largest boulder embedded in it was about
five or six feet in diameter, but being situated under
the shelf of the iceberg, we were not able to get at
it. Many specimens were obtained, and it was amus-
ing to see the eagerness and desire of all hands to
possess themselves of a piece of the Antarctic Con-
tinent. These pieces were in great demand during
the remainder of the cruise. * * * This island
had been undoubtedly partly turned over. * ''= *
On the lyth^' about 10 A. M., we discovered the
barrier extending in a line ahead, and running north
and south as far as the eye could reach. Appear-
ances of land^ were also seen to the southwest, and
its trending- seemed to be to the northward. We
were thus cut off from any further progress to the
westward, and obliged to retrace our steps. * * *
We were now in longitude 97° 37' E., and latitude
64° oi' S."
"'Wilkes: Narrative U. S. li. E., Vol. II., page 327.
^ Termination Land, whose existence is still uncertain. Dr.
Fricker (^Thc Antarctic Rcfrions, page 221) suggests that Wilkes
may have seen land by refraction.
WILKES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. 1 57
The expedition now turned northward and the
"Vincennes" proceeded first to Hobart Town, then
to Sydney, which it reached on March nth. Lieu-
tenant Wilkes immediately announced the discovery
of a South Polar Continent to the Secretary of the
Navy in the followiug letter, dated at Sydney, New
South Wales, March nth, 1840: —
" It affords me much gratification to report that
we have discovered a large body of land within the
Antarctic Circle, which I have named the Antarctic
Continent, and refer you to the report of our cruise
and accompanying charts, inclosed herewith, for full
information relative thereto." ^■''■'
As far as I know, this is the first definite an-
nouncement of a mass of land, probably continental
in size, in the antarctic region. Five or six ex-
plorers may have sighted the Continent of Antarctica
prior to 1840, but none of them saw enough land
to be able to assert that he had seen anything
more than islands. The nearest approach to such
a statement was the casual remark of Edmund Fan-
ning about " Palmer's Continent." A strong proof
that there was no knowledge of an Antarctic Conti-
nent, prior to 1840, is furnished by the charts pub-
lished before that date. No land is charted by Wed-
"• Captain Chapman C. Todd, U. S. N., called my attention to
this letter. It was first published in Bulletin of the American
Geographical Society, Vol. XXXI., 1899, pages 123-149 : —
Littlehales, G. W. : "The navy as a motor in geographical and
commercial progress."
158 ANTARCTICA.
dell, except south of South America, and on Biscoe's
chart there is no land marked east of Enderby Land,
up to the lands of West Antarctica. It is, there-
fore, only the exact truth to assert that the honor of
recognizing the existence of the Continent of Antarctica
belongs to Charles Wilkes and to tlie United States
Exploring Expedition?*'^
Two days later, the first account of the discovery
of a South Polar Continent ever printed, was pub-
lished in The Sydney Herald of March 13th, 1840.
I have not seen the original of this, but there is a
reprint of it in the Nautical Magazine for 1840.^"
The article is as follows : —
" An interesting geographical discovery has been
made in the Southern Antarctic Ocean, of a Continent
with a coast of about 1,700 miles from east to west,
highly useful for seal and whale fishery. The most
""Dr. Oscar VescheX {GescMchte der Erdkunde, 1865, pages
451-453) a German geographer, was hostile to Wilkes, basing
his beHef on Ross' theories. His opinion therefore is doublv valu-
able when he writes: "Despite this, Wilkes considered himself
justified, in giving to his discoveries the name of ' The Antarctic
Continent ' and he is therefore responsible, for again having
evoked the shade of a south polar land." Dr. Hans Rciter
{Zeitsckri/t fi'ir wisscnschaftlichc Gcographie, Weimar, VI.,
1888, pages 1-30), quotes these remarks of Peschel and con-
tinues : " Is the Antarctic continent, which Wilkes called up,
really as much of a ghost as Peschel thought ? "
"' The Nautical Afaq;asi)ie and Naval Chro7iicle for 1840,
London, Simpkin, Marshall & Co., Hall Court, page 592. Pro-
fessor George Davidson, of San Francisco, called my attention to
tiiis imj)orlant article.
WII.KES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. 1 59
singular coincidence is, that it was discovered by the
French and Americans on the same day, January 19th,
1840, at a distance of 720 miles from each other.
"Amongst the arrivals to be found in our ship-
ping list of this day, is that of the United States
ship Vincennes under the command of Charles
Wilkes, Esq. The Vincennes has been absent
from this port almost eighty days, most of which
time has been spent in southern exploration, and
we are happy to have it in our power to announce,
on the highest authority, that the researches of the
exploring expedition after a southern continent have
been completely successful. The land was first seen
on the morning of the 19th of January, in latitude 64
deg. 20 min. south, longitude 154 deg. 18 min. east.
"The Peacock (which ship arrived in our harbor
on the 22nd ult., much disabled from her contact
with the ice,) we learn, obtained soundings in a high
southern latitude, and established beyond doubt the
existence of land in that direction. But the Vin-
cennes more fortunate in escaping injury, completed
the discovery, and run down the coast from 154 deg.
18 min. to 97 deg. 47 min. east longitude, about
seventeen hundred miles, within a short distance of
the land, often so near as to get soundings with a
few fathoms of line, during which time she was con-
standy surrounded with ice-islands and bergs, and
experiencing many heavy gales of wind, exposing
her constantly to shipwreck. We also understand
l6o ANTARCTICA.
that she has brought several specimens of rocks
and earth procured from the land, some of them
weighing upwards of one hundred pounds.
" It is questionable whether this discovery can be
of any essential benefit to commerce ; but it cannot
be otherwise than highly gratifying to Captain Wilkes
and the officers engaged with him in this most in-
teresting expedition, to have brought to a successful
termination the high trust committed to them by
their country, and it is hoped that so noble a com-
mencement in the cause of science and discovery,
will induce the Government of the United States
to follow up by other expeditions that which is now
on the point of termination.
"We understand that the Vincennes will sail on
Sunday or Monday next, for New Zeeland (sic), where
the Porpoise and Flying Fish will rejoin her, should
they have been equally fortunate with their two con-
sorts in escaping from the ice. The Peacock will fol-
low as soon as her repairs are completed ; whence
they will all proceed in furtherance of the objects of
the expedition. — Sydney Herald, ijth MarchJ'
Another account of the discovery of the Antarctic
Continent, was also published in London in 1840 in
The Asiaiic Journal.''^''' This says that Wilkes dis-
'" The Asiaiic Jojtmal and Monthly Register for British and
Foreign India, China and Australia ; Vol. XXXIII., New Scries,
Sept. -Dec, 1840; London, Win. H. Allen, 1840, pages 31-37 :
"Discovery of llic Antarctic Continent" : (Bib. Nat. Paris).
WILKES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. i6t
covered land on Januarj' ig, 1840, in 66° 20' south lat-
itude, 154° 27' east longitude, and that the land was
named "Antarctic Continent" before February 2d.
The last words of the article are another uncontro-
vertible proof that the existence of a southern con-
tinent was fully recognized in England by English
writers before the end of the year 1840: "Thus
then, the problem of an Antarctic Continent has
been so far satisfactorily solved, as that there can
be no doubt of its existence. The coincidence of
the two descriptions is a guarantee of the fidelity
of both. Whether science, commerce or civilization
be likely to reap any important fruits from the dis-
covery, remains to be seen."
The cruise of Wilkes will remain among the re-
markable voyages of all time. No finer achieve-
ment has been accomplished in the annals of the
Arctic or of the Antarctic.^*' With unsuitable, im-
properly equipped ships, amid icebergs, gales, snow
storms and fogs, Wilkes followed an unknown coast
line for over fifteen hundred miles, a distance ex-
ceeding in length the Ural Mountain Range. It is
the long distance which Wilkes traversed which
makes the results of his cruise so important ; for
"' The able and impartial Sir John Murray, for instance, ( The
Geographical Journal, London, 1894, Vol. III., pages 1-42 : —
" The Renewal of Antarctic Exploration ") says : " When we re-
member that their ships were wholly unprotected for ice, the
voyages of D'Urville and Wilkes to the Antarctic Circle south of
Australia must be regarded as plucky in the extreme."
1 62 ANTARCTICA.
he did not merely sight the coast in one or two
places, but he hugged it for such a distance as to
make sure that the land was continental in dimen-
sions. The expedition noticed appearances of land
on January 13th ; it sighted land almost surely on
January i6th, from 157° 46' east longitude and again
more positively on January 19th, from 154° 30' east
longitude, 66° 20' south latitude. The discovery,
therefore, was made probably four days earlier than
that of D'Urville. On January 30th, the size of
the land was sufficiently ascertained to receive the
name "Antarctic Continent," and this discovery of
Wilkes' is the most important discovery yet made
in the Antarctic.
It is scarcely probable, however, especially when the
constant fogs and snow storms are taken into consid-
eration, that the outline of the coast of Wilkes Land is
accurate, sketched in as it was during a single recon-
naissance ; but that there is the shore of a continent
between about 154° and 100° cast longitude can
scarcely be doubted by any unprejudiced person
who reads the Narrative. The vast number of ice
islands and tabular icebergs shows that there is
some extensive nucleus which retains them in an
uninterrupted line on nearly the same degree of
latitude, and moreover these enormous bergs are not
formed, according to most explorers, in the open
sea. Along this extended coast neither any open
strait nor iiorduM-Jy currents were nl)served, and the
WTI.KKS, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. 1 63
absence of both are strong proof of a continental
mass of land, rather than of an archipelago of
islands.
It is in accordance with tradition, however, that
Wilkes should be traduced for having discovered
something.-^^ Marco Polo's account of the Ovis Poll
was disbelieved for six hundred years. Columbus was
put in chains. Amerigo Vespucci, who like Wilkes,
first recognized the existence of a continent, has
not, even yet, had his character restored to him.
Baffin's Bay took many shapes during two centuries
and was just disappearing altogether when Sir John
Ross saved it. Abel Tasman was told that he had
'" Some of the officers of the United States Expedition — William
M. Walker, Lieut.; Robert E. Johnson, Lieut.; James Alden,
Lieut.; John B. Dale, Lieut.; Edwin J. DeHaven, Lieut.; A. S.
Baldwin, Lieut. ; George T. Sinclair, Lieut. ; William Reynolds,
Lieut. ; Simon F. Blunt, Lieut. ; William May, Lieut. ; Joseph P.
Sanford, Lieut.; George Colvoccoresses, Lieut.; James Blair,
Passed Midshipman — felt aggrieved about some of the statements
published by Lieutenant Wilkes in his Narrative. In consequence
they prepared a paper : Memorial of Officers of The Exploring
Expedition to the Coiigress of the United States : Washington,
January, 1847 : (Geog. Soc. Philadelphia.) All the complaints
made by these officers are purely personal ones, about matters
OT charges which they considered reflected on them personally.
The only mention at all of the Antarctic Cruise is the following (page
12) : " 'Vol. 2, page 359 — Lieutenant Pinckney was enabled to
come again on deck, who had scarcely been able to quit his berth
since leaving Maquarie Island, from sickness.' " The following
half page explains that this sentence is incorrect, and that the
commander of the "Flying Fish" was on duty, with the excep-
tion of one or two days, during the whole of his cruise in the
Antarctic.
1 64 ANTARCTICA.
not accomplished anything and that better men would
be sent. Paul B. du Chaillu, the hunter of the gorilla
and the discoverer of the pygmies, was advised by
his publishers " to stick to it." Henry M. Stanley
learnt that he had been rescued by Dr. Livingstone,
who was " in clover," et cetera. Among antarctic
voyagers also, Bouvet and Kerguelen were disbelieved
in and sneered at, nevertheless their discoveries have
stood the test of subsequent explorations, as will
doubdess be the case with those of Wilkes, when-
ever a ship is sent to the coast of Wilkes Land. It
is, therefore, nothing out of the general run that
Wilkes should be disbelieved ; but the fact that he has
been so much attacked only proves that he did dis-
cover something of which the world was ignorant at
the time.
Impartial geographers in due time recognized the
importance of Wilkes' discovery, and in recognition
of his work affixed the name of Wilkes Land to the
portion of the Antarctic Continent along which he
coasted. I do not know who suggested the name of
Wilkes Land, nor on what map or adas it first ap-
peared, but it is found as far back as 1866, in SticJiler s
Atlas, Justus Perthes, Gotha. It is found also in
Bartholomew's The Library Reference Atlas, 1890 1
in the Library Atlas of Modern Geography, D. Ap-
pleton, New York, 1892; in Justus Perthes' Taschen
Atlas, Gotha, 1893; in Sir John Murray's map. Geo-
graphical Journal, Vol. III., 1894; in Alex. Keith
WILKES, HUDSON, RINGGOLD. 1 65
Johnston's The Royal Atlas, 1894; in The Century
Atlas, 1897; in The Times Atlas, London, 1895, 1896,
1897; in Dr. J. Scott Keltie's map in The Graphic,
London, Au<^ust 10, 1901 ; et cetera, et cetera. Dr.
Fricker, in The Antarctic Regions, not only has two
maps with "Wilkes Land"; but he devotes thirteen
pages of his book to "Wilkes Land." Hachette's
Atlas dc PocJie, Paris, 1894, prints "T. de Wilkes,"
and it is particularly instructive to find the country-
men of Dumont-D'Urville using the term. Some
geographers still use the term "Antarctic Continent."
Colton's General Atlas, N. Y., 1888, for instance, does
so, and also the Hydrographic Office in Washington.
Some map makers, however, use neither name. In
Black's General Atlas of the fPt'r/fT', Edinburgh, 1876,
there is the complete outline of Wilkes Land, but no
American name whatever, and only Adelie, Clarie and
Sabrina Land. In the E7icyclop^dia Britannica, ninth
edition, article Polar Regions, is a map with the names
gfiven by Wilkes and D'Urville, as well as Sabrina
Land, but with neither "Antarctic Continent," nor
"Wilkes Land." The latest English semi-official map
in The Antarctic Manual, 1901, "Antarctic Ocean,
Sheet No. i," marks Adelie Land, Cote Clarie, and
Sabrina Land, and of all Wilkes' discoveries only
" Knox's Land."
There is litde doubt, however, I think, that in due
time, in accordance with the excellent precedent of
commemorating the names of explorers, the name
1 66 ANTARCTICA.
already justly in general use among geographers
will prevail, and that the coasts from Ringgold
Knoll to Termination Land will be known by the
generic name of " Wilkes Land."
III.
VOYAGES SUBSEQUENT TO THE DISCOVERY OF THE
CONTINENT OF ANTARCTICA.
The great discovery by Wilkes and his men that
there is probably a continental mass of land at the
South Pole, may be fitly looked on as the termina-
tion of the second period of antarctic research,
and the third period includes the voyages from
this epoch-making cruise to the present time.
The first expedition of the third period was com-
manded by Sir James Clark Ross, R. N.,^''^ who had
never before been in the Antarctic, and Captain Cro-
zier ; and it confirmed in a striking manner the results
obtained by the U. S. Exploring Expedition.
It was announced in England in 1836^'"' that the
"* Ross, Captain Sir James Clark, R. N. : Voyage of Discovery
and Research in the Soidhern and Antarctic Regions, during the
years 1839-43 ; London, John Murray, 1847.
McCormick, R., Deputy Inspector General, R. N., F. R. G. S.:
Voyages of Discovery in the Arctic and Antarctic Seas, etc. , Lon-
don, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, 1884 :
(Amer. Geog. Soc).
"' The fonrnal of the Royal Geographical Society of London,
VolumetheSixlh, 1836, London, John Murray, MDCCCXXXVL,
page 440 : "X, New Expedition to the Pacific and Antarctic
Oceans." This article says "It is expected that the expedition
will be ready to start in the spring of 1S37 " and " Subordinate
to this is the intention of pushing during the fine season as far
south as practicable, and of exploring the unknown regions of
tlie Antarctic Ocean."
(167)
1 68 ANTARCTICA.
American expedition under Wilkes was going to
the Antarctic, and the EngUsh expedition was de-
cided on two years later, in acquiescence to a series
of resolutions adopted by the British Association, in
August, 1838,-*' and the instructions to Ross from
the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were
dated the 14th day of September, 1839.-^* Before
Ross sailed from Hobart Town, he knew all about
Wilkes' cruise and the discovery of the Antarctic
Continent, for he had received a long letter ^^^ on
the subject and also a rough chart from Wilkes.
Ross speaks of the action of Wilkes in the follow-
ing terms:"'" "I felt therefore, the more indebted
to the kind and generous consideration of Lieu-
tenant Wilkes, the distinguished commander of the
expedition, for a long letter on various subjects,
which his experience had suggested as likely to
prove serviceable to me * * * and I avail
myself of this opportunity of publicly expressing
the deep sense of thankfulness I feel to him for
his friendly and highly honorable conduct."
He follows this up by a most surprising state-
ment: "That the commanders of each of these
great national undertakings should have selected the
"' Voyage, etc., Vol. I., page V.
»" Voyage, etc.. Vol. I., pages XXI-XXVIIl.
"» Published in V<J\\\ic^' Narrative, etc., Vol. II., pages 453-456 ;
and also in Ross' Voyage, etc.. Vol. I., pages 346-352.
"•" Voyage, etc.. Vol. I., pages 115, 116.
ROSS, CROZIER. 169
very place for penetrating to the southward, for
the exploration of which they were well aware, at
the time, that the expedition under my command
was expressly preparing, and thereby forestalling
our purposes, did certainly greatly surprise me."^''
It is necessary to call attention to this passage ^^
because it appears to be intended to convey the idea
that D'Urville and Wilkes had acted unfairly towards
Ross. It is not self evident why either the French
or the American officer should have avoided sail-
ing towards a certain unknown portion of the earth
because an Enoflish officer migfht be cominof there a
year or two later. Moreover the American expedition
had been decided on at least in 1836, and the English
expedition only had its inception in August, 1838,
the very month in which the Instructions of the
Government of the United States were issued to'
Wilkes, and in obedience to which Wilkes made his
cruise to the Antarctic.*^^ Ross certainly knew these
facts when he published his Voyage in 1847, f^**
Wilkes had published his Narrative in 1845, and
Ross had read it, for he cites it repeatedly.^"
"' Voyage, etc., Vol. I., pages 116, 117.
*" Dr. Fricker, for instance, says ( The A?ilarciic Regions,
page 93): " Ross was naturally and justifiably surprised and
annoyed to find his purposes thus forestalled by commanders
who were well aware of the preparations for fitting out the
e.xpedition under liis own command."
'"See ante, page 139.
*" Voyage, etc., pages 116, 274, 295, etc.
1 70 ANTARCTICA.
Ross sailed from Hobart Town on November 1 2th,
1840. He selected the meridian of 170° east longitude
"on which to endeavor to penetrate to the southward.
* * * My chief reason for choosing this particular
meridian in preference to any other was, its being
that upon which Balleny had in the summer of 1839,
attained to the latitude of sixty-nine degrees, and
there found an open sea."^ His ships, the "Erebus"
and " Terror," having been thoroughly strengthened,
were much more suitable for ice navigation than
Professor Gregory, of Melbourne, a well known English
scientist i^Tlie Popular Science Monthly, New York, 1902, Vol.
LX., pages 209-217: — Professor J. W. Gregory, F. R. S. :
"Antarctic Exploration") has recently pointed out that Ross
was inaccurate and unreliable in many directions. He says :
' ' On his own lines Ross' work was magnificent. His magnetic
survey has not been equalled in the Antarctic; his southern
record was not passed until 1900 ; his discovery of Victoria Land
and Mounts Erebus and Terror were geographical results of high
importance. But Ross' range of interest was narrow ; he did
not land on the mainland he discovered, and would not let his
doctor, McCormick ; he advanced erroneous theories of oceanic
circulation, assigned wrong temperatures to the sea water,
owing to misunderstanding his thermometers ; he told us prac-
tically nothing of the geology of the Antarctic lands, for the
few pebbles he brought back were neglected until they were
recently unearthed and described by Mr. Prior."
In the same article, Professor Gregory points out what good
work Wilkes did: "Wilkes' work was not only important
because he traced this coast line at intervals for 60 degrees of
longitude ; but the geological collections made by his expedition
showed that the land is formed of granites, massive sandstones,
and other rocks of continental types."
"" Voyage, etc.. Vol. I., page 117.
ROSS, CROZIER. 171
those of Wilkes or D'Urville.^ In consequence,
Ross was able to break through the pack, and on
January nth, 1841, in 71° 15' south latitude "A
strong ' land-blink ' made its appearance ^^ in the
horizon as the ships advanced, and had attained an
elevation of several degrees by midnight. All of us
were disposed to doubt that which we so much ap-
prehended, owing to its much paler colour than the
land-blinks we had seen in the northern regions,
but soon after 2 A. M. the officer of the watch,
Lieutenant Wood, reported that the land itself was
distinctly seen directly ahead of the ship. * * *
It rose in lofty peaks, entirely covered with peren-
nial snow ; it could be distinctly traced from S. S. W.
to S. E. by S. (by compass), and must have been
more than one hundred miles distant when first
seen.^'^ * * * 'p^g highest mountain of this
"* It was in these ships that Sir John Franklin made his last,
fatal voyage. Mr. Augustus J. C. Hare, in his interesting The
Story 0/ my life. New York and London, 1901, Vol. IV, page
439, voices neatly the feelings of the opponents of polar explora-
tion : "Sir John Franklin was born at Spilsby * * * And,
coming from thence, John Franklin became the most famous of
those Arctic travellers whom Wilkie Collins aptly describes as
' the men who go nowhere and find nothing.' "
"' Voyage, etc.. Vol. I., page 183.
'^ This statement of Ross of seeing the ' ' land-blink " at a
distance of over one hundred miles is interesting, for it proves
that Lieutenant-Commander Ringgold must have seen " the loom
over high land" over the Balleny Islands on the 13th of January,
1840, on which date he was less than two degrees of latitude north
of them. See ante, page 142.
172 ANTARCTICA.
range I named after Lieutenant-Colonel Sabine," etc.
The same day Ross christened Cape Adare and Ad-
miralty Range, and the next morning he landed on
Possession Island, in 71° 56' south latitude, 171° 7'
east longitude, " composed entirely of igneous rocks,
and only accessible on its western side." ^^
Ross worked gradually south. On January 15th
he named Mount Herschel ; on January 17th Coul-
man Island ; on January 21st, in 74° 15' south latitude,
he named Mount Melbourne; on January 27th he
was in 76° 8' south latitude, 168° 12' east longitude,
and landed on an island which he called Franklin
Island. On January 28th, " we stood to the south-
ward, close to some land -"" which had been in sight
since the preceding noon, and which we then called
the ' High Island ' ; it proved to be a mountain
twelve thousand four hundred feet of elevation above
the level of the sea, emitting flame and smoke in
great profusion ; at first the smoke appeared like
snow drift, but as we drew nearer, its true character
became manifest. * * * I named it ' Mount
Erebus ' and an extinct volcano to the eastward, little
inferior in height, being by measurement ten thou-
sand nine hundred feet high, was called ' Mount
Terror.' " The eastern cape at the foot of Mount
Terror was named "Cape Crozier" and another
mountain, a little further south, " Mount Parry."
'^I'oyaj^e, etc., Vol. I., page 189.
^""Poyage, etc., Vol. I., pages 216, 217.
ROSS, CROZIER. I 73
Ross christened this land " Victoria Land," " whose
continuity we had traced from the seventieth to the
seventy-ninth degree of latitude." "" The coast line
of Victoria Land must surely be a continuation of
the coast line of Wilkes Land, and as, to make a
land, there must be some extension in breadth be-
yond the coast line, and as the extension of Ross'
coast is due south of Wilkes Land and only some
three or four degrees of latitude distant, the land
mass sighted by Ross therefore, even if the whole
place is an archipelago, must be a portion, a hin-
terland, of the land mass sighted by Wilkes.^^
Curiously enough, however, Ross seems to have
disbelieved in a South Polar Continent, for he denies
its existence in these words: -'^^ "There do not appear
to me sufficient grounds to justify the assertion that
the various patches of land recently discovered by the
American, French and English navigators on the verge
of the Antarctic Circle unite to form a great southern
"^Voyage, etc.. Vol. I., page 248.
"' Since I made this statement {Journal of the Franklin Insti-
tute, 1901, Vol. CLII., page 29), an English scientist, Professor
Gregory, has affirmed ( 77;*? Popular Science Monthly, New York,
1902, Vol. LX., pages 209-217: — Professor J. W. Gregory,
F. R. S. : "Antarctic Exploration"), undoubtedly quite inde-
pendently, this very fact : ' ' Two years later the extension of
Wilkes Land to the east and the south was proved by the
famous expedition of Sir James Clark Ross, which circumnavi-
gated the Antarctic area and passed all previous records by
reaching the longitude of 78°."
'^Voyage, etc.. Vol. I., page 275.
1 74 ANTARCTICA.
continent. The continuity of the largest of these
'Terre AdeHe' of M. D'Urville has not been traced
more than three hundred miles, Enderby's Land not
exceeding two hundred miles ; the others being mostly
of inconsiderable extent, of somewhat uncertain de-
termination and with wide channels between them,
would lead rather to the conclusion that they form a
chain of islands."^" Of course no one will quarrel
with Ross for whatever opinions he may have formed
about the lands he saw himself, but it may be well to
note that when Ross says that "the others," i.e.,
" Wilkes Land," are of inconsiderable extent with
wide channels and that they form probably a chain
of islands, Ross is simply romancing, as he was never
^" That Ross did not believe in a southern continent is well rec-
ognized by Mr. G. Barnett Smith ( The Romance of the South
Pole, Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, Edinburgh and New
York, 1900, page 173) when he says: "one thing was made
evident by Ross and that was that there was no such thing
as a southern continent." Sir Clements R. Markham, on the
contrary, disagrees with Ross' statement that there is no south-
ern continent, for he says that Ross discovered it ( The Geo-
graphical Journal, 1897, Vol. IX., pages 592-593: "Anni-
versary address, 1897"): In one short month he [Ross] made
one of the greatest geographical discoveries of modern times,
amid regions of perpetual ice, including a southern continent,
which was named Victoria Land, an active volcano 12,400 feet
high, and the marvellous range of ice-cliffs. This may fairly
be considered to have been the only real antarctic cxiicdition, for
Ross alone, until 1895, forced his way boldly into the polar ])ack,
faced all its dangers, and penetrated far to the south after passing
through it."
ROSS, CROZIER. I 75
in a position where he could have sighted the parts
of the coast of Antarctica which were seen by Wilkes.
From the great volcanoes, Ross cruised eastward,
reaching his most southerly point, 78° 4' south latitude,
on February 2d; and his most easterly point, 77° 18'
south latitude, 167° west longitude, on February 5th.
During this part of the trip, the ships coasted along a
perpendicular barrier of ice, some forty-five to sixty
meters high and more than seven hundred kilometers
long. Ross then started northward, and on the 21st
his vessels were again near Cape Adare. They kept
on north, and on March 4th, passed well to the east-
ward of the Balleny Islands, being in 66° 44' south
latitude, 165° 45' east longitude.^ Ross then sailed
northward and westward ; on March 6th he was in
64° 51' south latitude, 164° 45' east longitude, and on
March 7di in 65° 31' south latitude, 162° 9' east longi-
tude. He then sailed further westward on a track
some two degrees north of the track of Wilkes. Ross
was, therefore, first too far east, then too far north, to
see any of the lands discovered by Wilkes himself as the
South Polar Chart, in the second volume of Ross'
book and which gives his track, conclusively proves.
Ross states, however, that he sailed over a spot,
about northeast of the Balleny Islands, which was
charted as land on the chart sent him by Wilkes ; and
on the strength of this only, he did not lay down
Wilkes' discoveries on his South Polar Chart. Ross
*" Voyage, etc.. Vol. I., page 269.
1 76 ANTARCTICA.
devoted many pages of his book to this matter, and,
relying — ^very naturally — on his asseverations and
omissions, some Englishmen-"'' to-day repeat his as-
sertions and omit Wilkes' discoveries from English
charts. It is necessary, therefore, to discuss some-
what at length Ross' attacks upon Wilkes. So far
'^ The following specimens will ser\'e to show how some writers
treat this matter :
Mr. W. J. J. Spry of the Royal Navy ( Tke Cruise of Her
Majesty s Ship Challenger, New York, Harper & Brothers, 1877,
pages 137-139) writes : " And in 1840, Captain Wilkes, in com-
mand of the United States exploring expedition, gave forth to the
world his discovery of the Antarctic Continent, which he describes
as follows : ' In latitude 64° 31' south, longitude 93° east, we made
what we believed to be land to the south and west, at least so far as
' terra firma ' can be distinguished when everything is covered with
snow' (Note: 'United States Exploring Expedition'). * * *
The supposed existence of tliis continent was, to a certain extent,
proved to be erroneous by Sir James C. Ross's expedition the
following year sailing over two of the positions assigned to it.
For another point of this continent (?) we are now shaping a
course." I have not been able to find in Wilkes' Narrative the
passage given by Mr. Spry in which Wilkes is quoted as saying
that "in latitude 64° 31' south, longitude 93° east, we made what
we believed to be land," etc., nor have I traced in Ross' Voyage
any claim ljy Ross that he had sailed over two of the positions
assigned to the Antarctic Continent.
Monsieur Armand Rainaud {Le Continent Austral, Hypo-
theses el Decoicvertes, Paris, Armand Colin et Cie. 1H93, page
477) accepts Ross' views: "A little while after, the testimony
of .Sir J. C. Ross condemned without appeal {tondanina sans
appel) the imaginations of Wilkes in the same way that in the
preceding century the testimony of Cook had ruined the imagin-
ations of l)alrymi)le. Where Wilkes indicated a land, Ross
made a sounding of 600 fithoms without finding the bottom.
Till- naturalists of the ' Cliallenger ' (23 and 26 February 1874)
ROSS VERSUS Wir.KES. 1 77
apparently this has not been done with sufficient
thoroughness from a comparison of the original
documents, but it is important that some impartial
geographers should take up the matter and bring
out the truth : and, to this end, it seems well to urge
them to study, to compare, and to comment on, the
original documents.
likewise saw no trace of Wilkes Land." It may be suggested
that there are still a few geographers who would not consider
the verdict "condemned without appeal" as final.
Mr. Louis Bernacchi (^The Geographical Journal, London,
1 90 1, Vol. XVIL, pages 478-495; " Topography of South
Victoria Land, Antarctic" page 494) is reported as saying in the
discussion of his paper : ' ' And then with regard to an ice-barrier
to the west of Cape North, of course I have not seen the barrier,
and know absolutely nothing about it, but I believe the barrier
was seen by Wilkes and Uumont d'Urville. In the first place, I
think some of Wilkes' ice-barriers and lands are extremely im-
probable. Sir James Ross has proved that some of his lands did
not e.xist, so also did the expedition of the Challenger. Of course
Dumont d'Urville was more reliable, and there is no doubt there
is an ice barrier from Cape North westward, and I believe the
length of it is about 90 miles." It is only necessary to call at-
tention to the contradiction between Mr. Bernacchi' s decidedly
positive opinions about the ice barrier, and his statement that he
knows absolutely nothing about it.
Sir Clements R. Markham, in the Encyclopedia Britannica,
ninth edition (American reprint, 1885) article "Polar Regions,"
says: "At the same time Commander Wilkes of the United
States expedition made a cruise to the southward and mapped a
large tract of land in the latitude of the Antarctic Circle for
which he claimed the discovery. But as a portion of it had
already been seen by Balleny and the rest has since been proved
not to exist, the claim has not been admitted. * * «
In returning to Hobart Town the expedition [Ross] visited the
Balleny Islands, and searched in vain for the land which
178 ANTARCTICA.
That Wilkes was justified in laying down land where
he did is evident, for the following reasons : On the
chart of the Antarctic Continent, published in the
first volume of Ross' book in 1847 o^'Y' ^he Balleny
Captain Wilkes had laid down on his chart." He i^The Geo-
graphical Journal, London, 1901, Vol. XVIII., pages 13-25:
" Considerations respecting routes for an Antarctic expedition,"
page 17) also says: " Captain Wilkes, following in the wake of
Balleny in 1840, reported distant mountains connecting the dis-
coveries of Balleny and d' UrviUe and laid down a coast-line of
vast extent representing land of continental proportions. But
Sir James Ross found himself nearly in the centre of the mountain-
ous patch of land laid down in Lieut. Wilkes's chart. Sir George
Nares saw nothing of Wilkes' supposed Termination Land when
within 15 miles of it, and there were such discrepancies between
the statements of Captain Wilkes and his officers that the matter
remains in doubt. It is a question of great geographical interest ;
but we are only certain of Sabrina Island, Adelie Island with
Cote Clarie, and the Balleny Islands. Ross believed that Wilkes's
Land was a chain of islands." Let us examine some of Sir C. R.
Markham's statements in detail. He says "the rest has since
been proved not to exist" : When, where and by whom was
the proof furnished ? — Again " the claim has not been admitted " :
who is it who has not admitted the claim, and what difference
does it make whether he, she, or it, admitted the claim or not? —
Further "Ross believed that Wilkes's Land was a chain of
islands ' ' : but what weight does any belief of Ross about Wilkes
Land carry, since Ross had never been there and knew nothing
about it ! — And also " there were such discrepancies between the
statements of Captain Wilkes and his officers " : it would be in-
teresting to have these discrepancies pointed out ; in my judgment,
the statements of Wilkes and his ofhcers tally in all respects ;
and, what is still more important, they tally with tiie statements
of d'Urville and his officers. — The only argument of Sir C. R.
Markham in bulii his articles is founded on the "land laid tlown
in Lieut. Wilkes' chart" ; the Narrative, the papers, and the
published ciuirls of Wilkes, he passes over in silence.
ROSS VERSUS WILKES. 1 79
Islands are laid down by Ross himself.-" North-
east of them a land is indicated, which is intersected
by Ross' track.- Tlic chart also gives tlic position
of the " Vincennes " on the 13th, and a line drawn
from this to the Balleny Islands goes almost through
the centre of the land. As the " Porpoise " was close
to the "Vincennes" on the 13th, the line of vision, in
which Ringgold saw the "loom over high land," went
straight to the Balleny Isles, which undoubtedly were
the cause of this loom.-''* On comparing the state-
ment of Ringgold, with the reported discovery of
Balleny, therefore, Wilkes must have considered that
Ringgold's appearance of land and the Balleny Isles
were the same ; and he naturally laid them down
on the chart, although a little too far north.
Fortunately, also, Wilkes published-''® a perfectly
straightforward explanation of how this land came
to be indicated on the chart he sent to Ross :
" The news of Captain Ross having sailed from
England, and his expected arrival, was also communi-
cated to us. In my despatches to the Government
I informed them that the discovery was made on
the 19th of January, 1840, the day on which we felt
confident the land existed, in 154° 30' east longitude.
'"According to his own statement: Voyage, etc., Vol. I.,
page 287.
"* See an/e, page 142.
*" Synopsis of the cniise of the U. S. Exploring Expedition,
etc., pages 18-27.
I So ANTARCTICA.
In a subsequent despatch from New Zealand, and
after I had received the reports from all the vessels,
with my own obsefVaticilS, I found we could claim the
discovery of land as far east as i6o° longitude, a few
days prior to the 19th, which I accordingly did.
" During our cruise, as we sailed along the icy
barrier, I prepared a chart, laying down the land,
not only where we had actually determined it to
exist, but those places in which every appearance
denoted its existence, forming almost a continuous
line from 160° to 97° east longitude. I had a trac-
ing copy made of this chart, on which was laid down
the land supposed to have been seen by Bellamy
[Balleny] in 165° east; which with my notes, ex-
perience, &c., &c., was forwarded to Captain Ross,
through Sir George Gibbs, at Sydney ; and I was
afterwards informed was received by Captain Ross,
on his arrival at Hobart Town, some months pre-
vious to his going south. The following is a copy :
« :!: :i: * * :!: :1:
" As I before remarked, on my original chart I
had (laid ?) down the supposed position of Bellamy's
Islands or land in 164° and 165° east longitude, and
tliat it was traced off and sent to Cai)tain Ross. I
am not a little surprised that so intelligent a navi-
gator as Capt. Ross, on fiiuli ng that he had run
over this position, should not have closely inquired
iiUf) llic statements relative to our discoveries that
had been pnlilishcd in the; .Sydney and II()])art Town
ROSS VERSUS WILKES. l8l
papers, which he must have seen, and have induced
him to made (ivV) a careful examination of the tracks
of the squadron, laid down on the chart sent him,
by which he would have assured himself in a few
moments that it had never been laid down or claimed
as part of our discovery, before he made so bold an
assertion to an American officer [Captain J. H.
Aulick], that he had rim over a clear ocean where I
had laid down the land. And I am not less sur-
prised that that officer should have taken it for
granted, without examination, that such was the fact.
" On reference to Ca[)tain Ross' chart and track,
it will be seen he has not approached near enough
our positions, either to determine errors or verify
results. I am very far from imputing to Captain
Ross any intentional misrepresentation, nor had I
an)- right to expect that the track of the expedition,
and its discoveries, should have been laid down on
his chart ; but it would seem somewhat unusual that
the discoveries of others (though of much less im-
portance) should be represented, whilst those of the
American expedition were omitted, when it is known
that he was in possession of our operations more
fully than those of others."
Ross himself republished ^" the second and third
paragraphs of this last quotation, but he took no
notice of the fact that Wilkes tried to do justice to
the Englishman, Balleny, by recognizing and chart-
"" Voyage, etc.. Vol. I., pages 286, 287.
1 82 ANTARCTICA.
ing Balleny's discovery : nor did Ross state that
while Wilkes did not write Balleny's name on the
chart he^sent-^o Ross, Wilkes also did not write on
it any local names on any part of the Antarctic Con-
tinent. Ross also did not publish the first and
fourth paragraphs of the above quotation, and yet,
it seems as if they might have opened his eyes some-
what to the error he was making. That these ex-
planations of Wilkes are absolutely correct, more-
over, is easily verified from the writings and the
charts of the two explorers.
Wilkes makes no claim in any of his writings
to have discovered any land east of i6o° east longi-
tude. The most easterly land laid down on his
published charts was "Ringgold's Knoll" in 157° 46'
east longitude, and this of course is several degrees
west of the Balleny Islands. That the expedition
had sighted land at this spot on January' i6th, was
not at all a certainty at the time, in fact, not until the
observations of the three vessels had been compared,
and also because of the more positive proofs of the
existence of land afterwards obtained. It was not
until January 19th, in 154° 30' east longitude, that
he "was fully satisfied that it was certainly land."
An absolutely indisputable proof that this is true is
afforded by the article in the Sydney Herald o{ March
13th, 1840, which says that the land was discovered
on January 19th, and which twice mentions the lon-
gitude as 1 54° 1 8' H.
ROSS VERSUS WILKES. 1 83
That Ross did not sail overj any portion of Wilkes
Land can be seen at a glance by comparing the
charts of the two explorers. The most easterly land
on the charts published by Wilkes is well to the west
of the Balleny Islands ; while on the charts published
two years later only by Ross, Ross' course is laid down
to tlie cast of the Balleny Islands, proving that he
passed at least five or six degrees to the eastward of
the extremest eastern point of Wilkes Land. It is
self evident that Ross knew all these facts when he
published his book in 1847, fo^" Wilkes had pub-
lished his Narrative in 1845, ''■"d Ross mentions it
repeatedly.^' Still he paid no attention to the state-
ments nor to the charts published by Wilkes, but
quietly started a grievous error. ^-
A comparison of the original documents, however,
brings out one fact pre-eminently, and that is, that
whether Wilkes' work is eventually proved or dis-
proved, yet none of his discoveries were disproved by
Ross, for the simple reason that Ross 7iever was tvitJiin
sighting distance of any part of Wilkes Land.
'" Voyage, etc., Vol. I., pages 116, 274, 295, etc.
'•'The editor of D'Urville's Voyage complains forcibly of the
treatment meted out to D'Urville in the report of Ross' cruise
which he says was published in the Literary Gazette of September
1 6th, 1843, and which he thinks either Ross or one of his officers
must have written. The editor says ( Voyage au Pdle Sud, etc. ,
Tome Huiti^me, page 230) : " L'auteur de ce rapport, dans I'in-
tention dvidente de rapporter i son compatriote I'honneur de
la d^couverte de terres australes, a comniis une erreur volontaire
et grossi^re."
184 ANTARCTICA.
Ross ^^ sailed again from New Zealand on Novem-
ber 23d, 1841. Icebergs were first seen on Decem-
ber i6di, in 58° 36' south latitude, 146° 33' west
longitude. Ross entered the pack on December
1 8th, in 60° 50' south ladtude, 147° 25' west longi-
tude. He worked his way through the pack until
February 2d, when the ships were in 67° 29' south
latitude, 159° i' west longitude, where he found more
open water. On Februar)- 9th the ships were in
70° 39' south latitude, 174° 31' west longitude. Ross
kept working south and on February i6th was in
75° 6' south latitude, 187° 4' west longitude, reaching
his most southerly point on February 23d in 78° 10'
south latitude, 161° 27' west longitude. He was then
off the great ice barrier he had seen the preceding
year. It averaged thirty meters in height above the
water, and soundings in front of it in one place gave
a depth of two hundred and ninety fathoms. There
was an " appearance of land " at this spot. Ross
then returned, keeping along the edge of the pack
until about 69° 52' south latitude, 180° longitude,
when the ships ran into open water.
The following year Ross ^* sailed from the Falk-
land Islands on December 17th, 1842. He met the
pack on December 251)1, in 62° 30' south latitude,
52" west longitude. lie worked south, and on the
eastern coast of West Antarctica, charted a large
171
Voj'age, etc., Vol. II., pages 125-213.
Vofagc, etc.. Vol. II., pages 321-374.
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ROSS, DOUGHERTY. 1 85
bay as " Erebus and Terror Gulf," and a high
mountain as "Mount Haddington." A litde island
east of this in 64° 12' south ladtude, 59° 49' west
loneritude, was named "Cockburn Island." On this
a small flora was obtained, which Dr. Hooker de-
scribed."* There were nineteen species. Mosses,
Alg(C, and Lichens: twelve are terrestrial, three in-
habit either fresh water or moist ground, and four are
confined to the surrounding ocean. All through Jan-
uary 1843, Ross beat around in the pack to the east
of West Antarctica. He got clear of it on February
4th, when he sailed eastward to try to follow Weddell's
track. Between the meridians of 10° and 20° west
longitude, Ross pushed south, attaining on March
5th, 71° 30' south ladtude, 14° 51' west longitude,
when pack ice stopped him once more. He then
sailed north, and on his return voyage searched in
vain for Bouvet Island.
Captain Dougherty, in 1841, discovered a small
island,"'^ now known as Dougherty Island, in about
59° 25' south latitude, 120° 20' west longitude. This
"' Voyage, etc., Vol. II., pages 335-342-
"• According to the ' ' South Polar Chart ' ' by Captain W. J. L.
Wharton, R. N., F. R. S., Hydrographer : pubhshed at the
[British] Admiralty, 20th May, 1887 : Small corrections, III, 01 :
Chart No. 1240. It is a striking fact that the nomenclature of
this official British chart is much more reliable than that of many
English antarctic charts. Graham Land is given its correct dimen-
sions between Alexander Land and Danco Land. Wilkes Land,
1 86 ANTARCTICA.
may be the island reported by Captains Swain and
Macy.^' The same island " was subsequently seen
and verified by Captain Keates in 1859."^'**
Captain William H. Smiley,'™ an American master
of a sealing vessel, made a voyage to West Ant-
arctica in 1842; and he may also have made others.
At Pendulum Cove, Deception Island, he found a
self-registering thermometer, which was left there in
1829 by Captain Foster. Smiley wrote a letter to
Lieutenant Wilkes, who says : "**" "Captain Smiley,
who mentions in his letter to me, that in February,
1842, the whole south side of Deception Island ap-
peared as if on fire. He counted thirteen volcanoes
in action. He is of opinion that the island is un-
dergoing many changes. He Iik,ewise reports that
from Ringgold Knoll to Knox High Land, is marked " I-and
reported by Commander Wilkes, U. S. N., 1840." Tiie
usual mistake of writing "Clarie" over Cape Carr is made, and
" Palmer Land" does not appear, but there is an evident inten-
tion to be accurate.
*" See ante, pages 75, 76.
"*Fricker, Dr. K. : The Anlardic Regio7is, 1900, page 119.
"' Maury, Lieut. M. F. ; U. S. N. : Explattatioiis and Sailing
Directions to accompany ilic wind and ctirrent charts ; Wasliing-
tnn, C. Alexander, 1851 ; pages 287-293: " Letter from Cap-
tain W. \\. Smyley to Lieut. Maury": (.Stadt Hib. l-Vankfurt
A. M.). This gives hydrographic notes about many voyages
of Captain Smiley.
"^Narrative U. S. E. E., Vol. I., pages 144, 145.
SMILEY. 187
Palmer's Land consists of a number of islands, be-
tween which he has entered, and that the passages
are deep, narrow and dangerous."
Captain Smiley wrote another letter to Lieut.
Maury in which he says:^' "You can see by refer-
ence to the book published by Commodore Wilkes,
that the extreme cold had but in one instance been
as low as 5° below zero. This I ascertained from a
self regulating thermometer, in latitude 63°, and gave
him. Since that time, it has never been so low. The
heat I could not ascertain, as the index in the tube
shifted while I was lifting the instrument up. I tried
to procure one sometime ago in New York, but could
not find one. I intended to have placed it in a much
higher latitude, as very little is known about either
extreme of temperature on the land. For instance,
many suppose that Palmer's Land is a continent,
and connects with the land laid down by Wilkes;
however, this is not the case, for I have sailed round
Palmer's Land and far south of it. * * * Owing
partly to negligence and partly to disasters, I have
no logs or books which will be of use to you." ^'^
''^ Exp/analions, elc, page 2g2.
•" It is certainly unfortunate that Smiley left such imperfect
records, as he evidently did a good deal of exploring and he may
have sailed through passages which now are not known. Mr.
Henryk Arctowski (T/ie Geographical Jo2irnal, London, 1901,
Vol. X\'III., page 368) hints that Smiley may have sailed through
Gerlache Strait, but his routes can probably never be ascer-
tained.
1 88 ANTARCTICA.
Lieutenant T. L. Moore,^*^ commanding the " Pa-
goda," sailed from Simons Bay on January 9th, 1845.
On the 25th, in 53° 30' south latitude, 7° 30' east
longitude, he met the first icebergs. Then he sailed
over the place where Bouvet Island was laid down
on the charts, but could not see any land. In 60° 43'
south latitude, 3° 45' east longitude, he fell in with a
singular rock, or rock on an iceberg ; the mass of
rock was estimated at about sixteen hundred tons ;
the top was covered with ice and did not appear to
have any visible motion, with a heavy sea beating
over it ; it had a tide-mark round it. On the evening
of February i ith, in 67° 50' south latitude (the highest
latitude attained), 39° 41' east longitude, Moore fell
in with heavy pack ice, extending as far as could be
seen from the masthead, and the weather becoming
thick, he was obliged to work the ship off, being then
only seventy miles from Enderby Land. Later they
got within fifty or sixty miles, but saw no indications
of land. W. D. says of this : " The ship was at
one time within eighty miles of Enderby Land ; but
'^ The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle for 1S46,
London, Simpkin, Marshall and Co., pages 21, 22: "Mag-
netic Voyage of the Pagoda : Extract of a letter from Lieut. T. L.
Moore, R. N." : (Franklin Inst., I'ub. Lib. Boston).
Colburn's United Service Magazine, London, 1850, Part IL,
pages 201-208: — W. D. : "The Antarctic Voyage of Her
Majesty's hired barque Pagoda": (Mercantile Lib. Philadel-
phia). According to Dr. Mill {The Antarctic Manual, 1901,
page 541) the author's name was Walter Dickson.
MOORE, HEARD. 1 89
no indication of such proximity was visible. There
were no icebergs nor bhnk, nor any observable
change in the aspect of water or sky."
The "Pagoda" continued on an easterly course,
encountering comparatively little ice until 64° south
latitude, 50° east longitude, where there was a strong
ice blink. On March 6th they passed a chain of
icebergs and loose ice, and the next morning the ship
was surrounded by bergs and pack-ice behind which
appeared a high ridge of ice or land, which could
be seen only at intervals on the clearing up of the
squall, and then only for a short time. From that
time the ice got thicker every day ; at times more
than one hundred bergs were seen in a day, one
berg being some nine kilometers in length and forty-
five meters high. On March 20th they were driven
out of the 6th (sic) degree of latitude and 98° east
longitude by heavy ice, and the appearance of pack
ice in the S. E., and thereupon they stood northward.
Lieutenant Moore says : " In this trip we passed
more icebergs than in the three former trips, and like-
wise have run over more degrees of longitude, inside
,of sixty, than any ship has done before." The voy-
age of the " Pagoda " is noteworthy, because of the
doubts it throws about the existence of Enderby Land.
Captain J. J. Heard,^ an American, discovered the
"* Maury, M. F. [Matthew Fontaine], L.L.D., Lieut. U. S. N.:
Explanations and Sailing Directions to accompany the Wind and
1 90 • ANTARCTICA.
Heard Island group in 1853. His log'^"* says: "Nov.
25. Pleasant breezes and passing snow squalls ; latter
part clear. The first clear weather we have had for
20 days. At 8. 30 A. M. made land ; at first took it
for icebergs, as no island is laid down on my chart,
nor in the epitome. At 1 1 A. M., the clouds cleared
away, showing it to be an island ; at noon the eastern
end bore, per compass, N. N. E. 20 miles ; the western
end bore, per compass, N. by W. about 20 miles. I
make the west end of the island 74° 15' E. long. ; east
end 74° 40'; lat. 53° 10'. Near the centre of the island
a high peak, 5,000 feet high. Large number of birds."
Lieutenant Maury mentions the discovery of these
islands as follows :'^ " Another caution to navigators
is necessary in this trade, that have a fancy on the
outward passage, to run down their longitude be-
tween the parallels of 51° and 53°. There is a group
of newly discovered and not accurately determined
islands in the way. They are between the parallels
of 52° 53' 36" and 53° 12' S., and the meridians of
72° 35' and 74° 40' E. They were first seen by Cap-
tain Heard, of the American barque Oriental, No-
vember 25, 1853. On the 1 2th June, 1854, the fact
C/errcnl Charts, etc., Seventh Edition, Philadelphia, E. C. and
J. Biddlc, 1855: (Lib. Co., I'hiladdphia).
"* Explanations, etc. , pages 763-768 : ' ' Abstract Log of the
Barque Oriental (J. J. Heard). From off" St. Roque to Mel-
bourne, Australia, 1853."
""° Explanations, etc. , page 862.
HEARD. I9T
was dul)' reported by me to the government of the
United States, and the importance of sending a vessel
of the navy to look after them and fix their position
was urged upon the Navy Department. Since their
discovery by the Oriental, they have been seen and
reported by four English vessels, viz. : The Samar-
ang, Cafjtain McDonald, January 3, 1854; the Earl
of Eglinton, Captain Hutton, ist December, 1854 ;
the Lincluden Castle, Captain Rees, 4th December,
1854; and the Herald of the Morning, Captain
Attwaye, 3d and 4th December, 1854. Captain
Heard reports a peak of the island he saw, to be
5000 feet high."
Dr. A. Petermann'^ states that the discovery was
really due to the " Great Circle Sailing Principle "
which was invented by Lieut. Maury, and that it was
while following this principle that these various cap-
tains strayed on these islands. Dr. Petermann's Chart
of 1858 shows that each of the five captains who first
saw the islands called the main island after himself
Dr. Neumayer^ suggested naming them "Konig
'*' Dr. A. Petermanris Mittheilungen, etc., Gotha, 1858, pages
17-33- — A- Petermann : " Die Sogenannten 'Konig- Max-Inseln,'
Kerguelen, St. Paul, New-Amsterdam, u. s. w." With charts.
Dr. A. Pelcrmamf s Miticilungen, etc., Gotha, XX., 1874;
pages 466-467 : " Die Aufnahme der Heard und McDonald In-
seln und die Erforschung der SUd Polar Regionen."
•** Dr. Neumayer has written a number of articles about the Ant-
arctic, among which are : Zcitschrifl der Gesellschafl fur lird-
kunde zu Berlin, Siebenter Band, 1872, pages 120-170: "Die
192 ANTARCTICA.
Max Islands" in 1857, and Dr. Petermann objected.
The islands were finally named Heard and McDonald
Islands by the members of the "Challenger" expe-
dition. Small fleets of ships went to these islands
about the beginning of 1855 to catch sea leopards
and sea elephants, which were found there at that
time in countless numbers.
Captain William Grant ^^ in the " Day Spring," on
December 23d, 1855, in 56° 50' south latitude, 40°
west longitude, sighted an icy barrier of flat topped
icebergs, apparently about one hundred and twenty
to one hundred and fifty meters high, and had some
difficulty in sailing his ship among them. There
were seldom less than ten or fifteen ice islands in
sight until December 27th, in 52° 40' south latitude,
20° west longitude.
Captain Dal 1 man n,'-'" a German, in the steamship
"Greenland," was seal hunting from November 17th,
Erforschung des Siid Polar Gebietes." Anna/en der Hydro-
graphic laid Mariiimcn Mctcorologie , Einundzvvanzigster Jahr-
gang, 1893, Berlin, pages 449-467: "Die neuesten Fortschritte
der Bestrebungen zu Gunsten einer wissenschaftlichen Erforschung
der Antarktischen Region." Dr. Neumayer has recently pub-
lished a book, which I have not seen : Auf zum Siidfiol, Berlin,
1 901.
"' Rosser, W. M. : Abies on the Physical Geography and
Meteorology 0/ the South Atlantic, London, James Iniray and Son,
1862, page 94.
'" Verhandlungcn des Vereins fiir natimaissenscha/tliche
Untcrhandlung zu Hamburg, Band V., Hamburg, 1883, pages
GRANT, DALLMANN. 1 93
1873, to March 4th, 1874. On January 8th, in about
64° 45' south latitude, Dallmann landed on one of
the western islands of West Antarctica. On January
loth he found a deep bay, where he appears to have
landed in about 64° 55' south latitude; this bay ter-
minated in a strait which stretched away as far as
the eye could see.^^ The land appeared to consist
of islands, for Dallmann saw several streaks of blue
sky, which seemed as if they must be over straits.
The land was high and mountainous, and the coast
between the capes was filled with a high upright ice
1 18-128, 130-136 : — Schiffskapitain A. Schiick : " Die Entwicke-
lung unserer Kenntnisse der Lander im Siiden von Amerika."
Dr. A. Pclcnnann' s MHtcilungen, etc., Gotha, XXL, 1875,
page 312 ; " Deutsche Entdeckungen am Sudpol."
^" A chart of West Antarctica with corrections made by Captain
Dalhnann and Dr. Pctcrmann themselves is now at "Justus
Perthes' Geographischer Anstalt," Gotha: this chart shows the
entrance to a great strait in about the position of the southern
end of Gerlache Strait. A map by L. Friederichsen, published
in the Miltheilungen der Geographischen Gesellschaft in Ham-
burg, 1891-92, Hamburg, 1895: "Original Karte des Dirck
Gherritz Arcliipels," also shows Dallmann' s Strait or Bay
under the name "Bismarck Str."
Dr. H. Wichmann (^Dr. A. Pclcrmami s Mittcilungen, Gotha,
Vol. 46, 1900, page 172 ; and Vol. 47, 1901, page 48) calls
attention to the fact that the strait explored by the Belgica
expedition was the one seen by Dallmann. Mr. Henryk
Arctowski (^Tkc Geographical Journal, London, 1901, Vol.
XVIIL, page 368) on the contrary, thinks that " as to the strait,
Dallman could not, from his position, have seen anything other
than the entrance to the great fiord called by de Gerlache,
Flanders bay."
194 ANTARCTICA.
wall, from which large pieces frequently broke off.
The strait has been called Bismarck Strait, but a
better name would be Dallmann Strait ; it is perhaps
the southern end of Gerlache Strait or it may prove
to be a bay or a strait further south. Friederichsen
charts Bismarck (Dallmann) Strait as some distance
south of 65° south latitude, while Gerlache Strait
begins some distance north of 65° south latitude.
If Dallmann Strait is not Gerlache Strait it may
perhaps separate Danco Land from Graham Land,
and it may perhaps communicate with the inden-
tation, " Larsen Bay," sighted on the east coast of
West Antarctica by Larsen. Dallmann sailed north
from this strait and came to the Shetlands and the
Powell Islands. He found all the charts extremely
unreliable.
In 1874, Captain George S. Nares, R. N., in com-
mand of the "Challenger,"^- on her deep-sea sound-
ing and dredging expedition, after a stop at Kcr-
^ Report on the Scicnlific ResiiUs of the. Voyage of H. M. S.
Challenger : prepared by Sir C. Wyvillc Thomson and John Mur-
ray ; London, 1885 ; Narrative, Vol. I., pages 396-452.
Spry, W. J. J., R. N. : The Cruise of Her Majesty s Shifi
Challetigcr, London, Sampson Low, Marston, Scaile and Riv-
inK'ton, 1S77.
Camplxrll, Lord Cicorgo : Log Lcttersfrom '' The Challenger,"
London, Macmillan and Co., 1876.
Wild, John James : At Anchor, A Narrative of Experiences
AJloat and Ashore during the voyage of II. 1\I. S. Challenger,
London, Marcus Ward and Co., 1878, pages 59-78-
DALLMANN, NAKKS. I95
guelen Island, sailed southeast and crossed the
Antarctic Circle. On February 23d, 24th and 25th,
1874, the "Challenger" was on the outskirts of the
pack, reaching 64° 18' south latitude, 94° 47' east
longitude. The accounts of the different writers
disagree in various minor respects, but they agree
in stating that the pack was too heavy for an
undefended ship to enter, and also that Termination
Land was not sighted. The official account is that
of Sir J(jhn Murray, who says: "After getting clear
of the pack at i i A. M. [25th] the ship sailed along
its edge until noon, being from 10 A. M. until that
time within about fifteen miles of the supposed
position of Wilkes' Termination Land, but neither
from the deck nor masthead could any indication
of it be seen. The hmit of vision as lograed was
twelve miles, and had there been land sufficiently
lofty for Wilkes to have seen it at a distance of sixty
miles (which was the distance he supposed himself off
it) either the clouds capping it or the land itself must
have been seen. If Wilkes' distance was overesti-
mated, that of the Challenger would be increased,
and it may still be found, but as the expression in
Wilkes' journal is ' appearance of land was seen to
the southwest, and its trending seemed to be to
the northward,' and not that land was actually
sighted, and a bearing obtained, it is probable that
Termination Land does not exist ; still it is curious
that pack ice and a large number of bergs should
1 96 ANTARCTICA.
have been found in nearly the same position as by
Wilkes in 1840, and this would seem to indicate
that land cannot be very far distant."
It is worth noting that, as Dr. Murray justly says,
Wilkes only speaks of an "appearance of land"
at this spot. The most important geographical
result of the "Challenger's" southern jaunt, was to
prove that there was a floating ice barrier in 1874
in exactly the same situation where there was a
floating ice barrier in 1840.
In 1874-1875-^^ a party of American, another of
English, and a third of German scientists, spent
part of the southern summer on Kerguelen Island,
principally occupied in making observations in con-
nection with the transit of Venus.
Dr. K. Schrader commanded a German scientific
expedition^ which was sent to South Georgia in 1882.
The expedition arrived there on "S. M. S. Moltke"
in August; spent a whcilr \(ar at Moltke Harbor;
"' Btdlelin of the United Slates National Museum ; Nos. 2
and 3 : Wa.sliington, Government Printing Office, 1875 and 1S76: —
Kidder, J. H., M. U. : " Contriijutions to the Natural History of
Kerguelen Island."
™ Prof. Dr. Neumayer and I'rof. Dr. Borgen : Die Interna-
tionale Pola?/o>scliu)ii^, 1H82-1883 ; " Die Beohachtungs-Ergeb-
ni.sse der Deutschen Stationen ; Band II.; Siid-Georgien " ;
Berlin, A. Asher, 1886: With accompanying maps and plates:
(Grossherz. Hof Bib. Darmstadt).
SCHRADER. !97
and left tliere in August 1883, on "S. M. S. Marie."
The observations were principally meteorological and
magnetic ; but some astronomical work was done,
and a careful map made of South Georgia in the
neighborhood of the German station.
Some observations made by shipmasters about
icebertj:s in southern latitudes are worth noting.^
Icebergs are constantly found as far north as 40**
south latitude ; on several occasions they have been
seen near the Cape of Good Hope in 34° south
latitude ; and on April 30, 1 894, the master of the
" Dochra " saw a small piece of ice in 26° 30' south
latitude, 25° 40' west longitude. Some of these bergs
were reported as of tremendous size : the captain of
the "Drumcraig" saw one 100 meters high and 40
to 48 kilometers long in 49° 34' south latitude,
45° 53' west longitude; and Mr. Towson tells of
a berg seen by twenty-one ships in 1 854-1 855,
between 40° and 44° south latitude, and 20° to 28°
west longitude, which was " of horizontal dimensions
of 60 by 40 miles. ' It was reported to be of the form
of a hook, the longer shank of which was 60 miles,
the shorter 40 miles, and embayed between these
mountains of ice was a space of water 40 miles
across."
"•Gray, W. T., M. S., U. S. Hydrographic Office: " The
Chronology and Geographical Distribution of Icebergs in the
Southern and Antarctic Oceans."
1 98 ANTARCTICA.
In 1892-1893, four Dundee whalers, the "Active,"
the "Balaena," the "Diana," and the "Polar Star,"
made a cruise to the Antarctic.'--"^ The ships made no
big geographical discovery, hunting for seals on the
eastern coast of West Antarctica, north of 65° south
latitude. Mr. Murdoch, an artist, made some interest-
ing notes about antarctic color, however, which show
that the Antarctic is not as black as painted. For
instance, he says : -^ " The reader must draw on his
fancy for the colouring : the clouds soft warm grey,
the crags of the berg to the right a purple lead
colour, the slope dull white ; the berg to the left pale
violet, with two or three upright clefts of deep blue,
along the top an edge of pure white ; between the
bergs a third appears light emerald green. The
floating ice in front, some parts creamy white, like
broken marrons, others dead marble white, and two
or three of vivid sky-blue, frosted with white ; the
sea an umber colour, with lavender sheen."
"• Tke Scollish Geographical Magazine, Vol. X., Edinburgh,
1894; pages 57-62: — Bruce, William S. : "The Story of the
Antarctic;" pages 62-69: — Donald, Ur. C. W. : "The late
expedition to the Antarctic."
The Geographical Journal, VoX.VW., 1896: "Cruise of the
'Balaena' and the 'Active' in the Antarctic Se;is, 1892-93;"
pages 502-517:^ — -I. Bruce, William S. : "The Balaena;"
pages 625-643: — II. Donald, Charles W., M. U. : "The
Active."
Murdoch, W. Q. Burn : /•><);« Edinburgh to the Antarctic,
Longmans, Green and Co., London and New York, 1894.
"" From Edinburgh to the Antarctic, page 286.
DUNDEE WHALERS, LARSEN. 1 99
Captain Larsen, a Norwegian sealer, made a cruise
in 1893-1893 in the "Jason," on the eastern coast
of West Antarctica.^^
The following season. Captain Larsen made a
longer cruise -'*'■' in the same vessel, landing at Cape
Seymour on November i8th. He says: ''When
we were a quarter of a mile from the shore and
stood about 300 feet above the sea, we began to
see the petrified wood more frequently. We took
several specimens of these stems with us : the wood
looks as if it might be from deciduous trees. One
recognized the bark with the branches and the year-
rings of the logs, which lay slantingly in the soil.
Some of the wood looked as if it had been thrown
out of the water, while some of it seemed as if it
could not have been in the water, because in the
first we found petrified worms, while in the other we
did not find any. At other places we found balls
*" Murdoch, W. G. Burn : From Edinburgh to the Anlarctic.
"" Mitthciliingcn dcr Gcographischcn Gcscllschafl m Hatnburg,
i8gi-g2 ; Heft II., Hamburg, L. Friederichsen & Co., 1895;
pages 245-298: — Dr. Johannes Petersen: "Die Reisen des
"■Jason' und der ' Hertha ' in das Antarktische Meer 1893/94" etc.
Norske G. S. Aarbog : 5., 1893-94, pages 11 5-1 31 : — Larsen,
Kapt. C. A. : " Nogle optegnelser af sael og hvalfanger 'Jasons '
reise i Sydishavet 1893 og 1894."
Geographical Journal, London, 1894, Vol. IV., pages 333-
344 : ' ' The Voyage of the Jason to the Antarctic Regions. ' '
Dr. A. Pctertnaiui s Mitleilungen, etc., Gotha, 40 Band, 1894,
pages 139-141 : — A. Schuck: "Das neu entdeckte Land im
Antarktischen Gebiet."
200 ANTARCTICA.
formed of sand and cement which lay upon pillars
of the same kind. We collected in several places
some fifty of them ; they had the appearance of
having been made by the hand of man." These
discoveries are noteworthy, for they seem to be the
only thing of the kind so far noticed in Antarctica.
From Cape Seymour, the " Jason " first sailed
east, then returned and went south along the east-
ern coast of West Antarctica. Larsen christened
this coast "King Oscar II. Land" and Foyn Land.^
His down track was near 60° and 61° east longi-
tude, and his most southern point, 68° 10' south lati-
tude, was reached on December 6th, 1893.
On his return north, Larsen landed on December
nth, on Christensen island, where there was a small,
active volcano, in 65° 5' south latitude, 58° 40' west
longitude. From here he saw five small islands lying
about northwest, on one of which was an active
volcano. In a north or northwestern direction he
could not see any land west of Cape Foster, although
the later christened Danco Land must be not far
distant to the west. Larsen's observation is note-
worthy as being directly the opposite of the usual
reports of appearances of land in the Antarctic. It
is possible that this open space is the southern
extremity of the bay or strait which was discovered
by Nat. B. Palmer and christened " Orleans Channel"
"" It is probable tliat this coast was sighted by Morrell. See
ante, pages 102, 105.
LARSEN, EVENSEN, PEDERSEN. 20I
by D'Urville : it may also communicate with the
strait reported by DaUmann. This bay does not
appear to have received a name as yet, and it would
seem only just to call it " Larsen Bay."
Captain Evensen, "*'^ a Norwegian sealer, in Novem-
ber 1893, cruised in the " Hertha " along the west
coast of West Antarctica. He passed Adelaide Is-
land and the Biscoe Islands, which were almost free
from ice, and sighted Alexander Land, which was
surrounded by pack ice. He reached 69° 10' south
latitude, 76° 1 2' west longitude ; the absence of ice
at this early period of the southern summer being
the noteworthy feature of his voyage.
Captain Morten Pedersen, with the " Castor," was
in company with Evensen for part of this journey,
and went at least as far as 64° 23' south latitude,
53° 20' west longitude.
In 1894-1S95, the Norwegian steam whaler "Ant-
arctic " made a cruise to East Antarctica.**- It started
"' Mittheilungcn dcr Gcograpkiscken GcscUschaft in Hamburg,
i8()i-()2 ; Heft II., Hamburg, L. Friederichsen & Co., 1895 ;
pages 245-298: — Dr. Johannes Petersen : " Die Reisen des 'Jason '
und der ' Hertha' in das Antarktische Meer 1893/94 " etc.
*»Bull, H. J. : The Cruise of the ''Antarctic'' to the South
Polar Rcgiotis ; Edward Arnold, London and New York,
1896.
Geographical Jo7imal, London, 1895, Vol. V., pages 583-
589: — Borchgrevink, C. Egeberg : "The 'Antarctic's' Voyage
to the Antarctic."
202 ANTARCTICA.
from Melbourne on SeiDtember 20th, 1894. On No-
vember 6th, they saw such an immense ice island
that it was mistaken for land and called Svend Foyn
Island. After some cruising, the "Antarctic" reached,
on December 14th, the Balleny Islands from the
northeast ; then, after much trouble with the ice, on
January i6th. Cape Adare ; and on January i8th.
Possession Island, on which several members of the
expedition landed. On January 22d the "Antarctic"
was southeast of Coulman Island, in 74° south lati-
tude. On January 23d, the expedition was back at
Cape Adare, where a landing was effected, the first
on Victoria Land. Some crytogamic vegetation was
found on Possession Island and also at Cape Adare,
and a small number of whales, supposed to be right
whales, and many blue whales were seen during the
cruise.
Lieutenant Adrien de Gerlache, of the Belgian
Navy, in 1898- 1899, led an important expedition to
the Antarctic.^'" The " Belgica " left Staaten Island
Transactions of the Royal Geographical Society of Austral-
asia, Victorian Branch, Vol. XII. -XIII., 1896, pages 73-100: —
Kristensen, Captain Leonard: "Journal of the Right-Whaling
Cruise of the Norwegian Steamship 'Antarctic ' in Southern Seas."
»°»Cook, Frederick A., M. D. : Through the First Antarctic
Night, New York, Doubleday <Sc McClure Co., 1900. Appen-
dix No. VI. of this book: "The possibilities of Antarctic E.k-
ploration," touches on the possible political rights of nations in
Anl.irctica : the views expressed in this essay arc undouiiudly
correct.
KRISTENSEN, GERLACHE. 203
on January 13th, 1S98, sighted the South Shetlands
a week later, then crossed Bransfield Strait, and on
the afternoon of January 23d was off the coast of
Palmer Archipelago. Here the expedition entered
the supposed Hughes Bay, which proved to be the
mouth of the strait discovered by Nathaniel B.
Palmer in 1821, and which compares in size with
the Strait of Magalhaes. It was called Belgica
Strait. On the east is a land which was named
Socicte Royale Beige de Gcographie, Bulletin; Vingt-qua-
triSme Ann^e, 1900, No. i. This contains : —
I. " Expedition antarctique beige."
II. Lecointe, G. : " Aper9U des travaux scientifiques de 1' Ex-
pedition Beige."
III. Lecointe, G. : " L' hydrographie dans le d6troit de 'la
Belgica ' et les observations astronomiques et magn6tiques dans
la zone australe."
IV. Arctowski, H. : " Gcographie physique de la region visitCe
par r expedition de ' la Belgica.' "
V. Racovitza, E.G.: "La vie des animaux et des plantes dans
1' Antarctique."
Bulletin de la SociHi Royale de Giograpkie d' Afivers, 1900,
Tome XXIV., pages 25-51 : — Lecointe, Georges : "Expedition
Antarctique Beige."
Sociite Royale Beige de Giograpkie, Bulletin, Vingt-quatri^me
Annee, 1900, pages 365-531 : — Gerlache, A. de : " Notes sur les
expeditions * * * aux rCgions circumpolaires voisines du
meridien du Cap Horn" and " Relation sommaire du voyage de
la Belgica."
The Geographical Journal, Vol. XVII., 1901, pages 150-
180: — Arctowski, Henrik : " Exploration of Antarctic Lands."
The Geographical Journal, Vol. XVIII., 1901, pages 354-
394: — Arctowski, Henryk : "The Antarctic voyage of the
' Belgica' during the years 1897, 1898, and 1899."
204 ANTARCTICA.
" Terre de Danco," after a Belgian officer of the
expedition, who died on June 5th, 1898. On the
west is an archipelago, and the action of the
Belgians does them credit, for recognizing how
much honor is due to Palmer as a discoverer in
this portion of the Antarctic, they christened this
archipelago, " Archipel de Palmer," and so marked
it on their charts.^**
J Over a hundred islands were discovered in Ger-
lache Strait, on both sides of which are many peaks,
and great ice and snow masses. Many names were
bestowed, among which may be mentioned Licige,
Gand, Braband, Anvers, and Wiencke Islands. The
officers made several landings and many discov-
eries, and instead of raising flags to take posses-
sion of newly-discovered lands, they decided that the
first chart of a new country was as good a deed to
the title of land, as the formality of pinning a bit
of bunting to a temporary post and drinking to the
health of a royal ruler. Mr. Arctowski^ found an
"" Lieutenant de Gerlache, in his papers in the Socitti Royalc
Beige de Geographic, Bulletin, 1901, has applied the n;ime of
" Gerlaclie -Strait" to " Belgica Strait," " Gcrritz Archipel-
ago" to the islands west of the strait, and " Palmer Land" or
"Trinity Land" to the northern coast of the mainland. "Ger-
lache .Strait," it seems to me, sluiuld be adopted. " Gerritz
Arcliii>elago " will have to be given up, and "Palmer Archi-
pelago" retained, this including "Trinity Island."
""' Mr. Henryk Arctowski has publLshed a number of scientific
papers about the Antarctic. Among lliini may be cited :
GERLACHE. 205
insect here, which is probably the first one reported
from Antarctica ; it was ahiiost microscopic in its
dimensions. In about three weeks' time, the " Bel-
gica " sailed without serious difficulty more than
three hundred kilometers southwesterly through
Gerlache Strait. To the east the shore line of
Danco Land was unbroken : there were many deep
indentations, but no passage into the Atlantic. A
continuous wall of ice, from fifteen to thirty meters
high, fronted the coast everywhere. Danco Land is
from six hundred to twelve hundred meters hieh,
with mountains farther inland, perhaps eighteen
hundred meters in altitude. Every valley and every
surface which was not perpendicular was buried
under a sheet of ice. The " Belgica " was unable
Expedition Aiitarctiquc Beige: " R^sultats du voyage du
S. Y. Belgica; Meteorologie," Anvers, J. E. Buschmann, 1901.
Sur les Aurores Auslralcs ct Boreales, Bruxelles, P. Weis-
senbruch, 1901.
Cielct Tcrre, 20^""-' ann6e : ' ' R^sultat pr^liminaire des observa-
tions m^t^orologiques," etc.
Notice preliminaire sur les sediments marins, etc., Bruxelles,
Hayez, 1901.
Sur les icebergs tabulaires des regions antarctiques : Les
calottes glaciaires des regions antarctiques : Notice sur les
aurores australes observees pendant I' hivernage de r expedition
antarctique beige : Sur les periodes de I'aurore australe : Sur
rancienne extension des glaciers dans la regio7i des terres
decouvertes par I' expedition antarctique beige, etc. : Paris,
Gauthier-VilLirs.
Arctowski, Henryk and Thoulet, J. : Expedition A?itarctiquc
Beige: "Rcbultats du Voyage du S. Y. Belgica; Oc<lanographie, "
Anvers, J. E. Buschinann, 1901.
206 ANTARCTICA.
to follow the coast far enough south to determine
whether Danco Land is continuous with Graham Land.
On February 13th the "Belgica" was fairly through
Gerlache Strait, and for the next few days sailed south-
west through an icy ocean, obtaining glimpses of the
distant coast of Graham Land. On February i6th,
1898, the expedition passed Alexander Land or Is-
lands, after which they did not sight land.
De Gerlache now tried to force his way south and
west, and succeeded to a certain extent in doing
so ; but as a result the ship was frozen in and con-
sequently wintered in the pack, from which it was
finally liberated in March 1899. The men suffered
severely from the absence of sunlight and the lack
of fresh food. They were at last driven to eat pen-
guins, whose flesh Dr. Cook describes as appearing
to be made up of an equal quantity of mammal, fish
and fowl, and as tasting like a piece of beef, an
odoriferous codfish, and a canvas back duck, roasted
in a pot, with blood and cod-liver oil for sauce. The
furthest southern point, 71° 36' south latitude, 87°
33' west longitude, was reached on May 31st, 1898.
Nothing was seen of Peter I. Island, and the course
of the ship together with the easy movement of
the ice pack, led Dr. Cook to infer that probably
there is no land very near Captain Cook's nor Lieu-
tenant Walker's furthest points.
Perhaps the most important discovery of the Bel-
gian expedition is that of a continental tableland
GERLACHE. 207
or plateau situated between 75° and 103° west longi-
tude and 70° to 71° 36' south latitude. The depth
of tliis continental plateau, from two hundred to
five hundred meters, with an abrupt fall to fifteen
hundred meters towards the north, shows that this
region also has undergone the depressive move-
ment, which was noticed in the lands of Gerlache
Strait. The continental plateau rises gently towards
the south and lowers in its eastern portion towards
the north to connect with the continental plateau
of West Antarctica. It must connect in like manner
fifty degrees farther towards the west with the
continental plateau of East Antarctica. This would
tend to show that there is a continuous or unin-
terrupted continental mass across the south polar
regions, and the discovery made by the " Belgica"
gives a serious support to the hypothesis of an
antarctic continent. The terreous nature of the
sediments of the continental plateau and neigh-
boring regions, which contain, besides a grayish
slime, a strong proportion of sand, gravel, and a
number of pebbles of rounded form, are in de-
cided support of this hypothesis. The meteoro-
logical observations also show that there must be
a great antarctic ice-cap. The minimum tempera-
ture, — 43°, was observed in September ; the maxi-
mum, + 2°, in February. The month of July, with
an average of — 22.5°, was the coldest of the year ;
the month of February, with an average of — 1°,
208 ANTARCTICA.
was the warmest. The mean temperature of the
year was — 9.6°, an extraordinarily low figure for the
latitudes reached. This low temperature can only be
explained by the absence of land towards the north,
and the presence of an antarctic continent entirely
covered with ice to the south. The hypothesis is
based upon a fact which was observed by the ex-
pedition. Every time the wind blew from the north
the temperature rose, even in midwinter, to 0°, but
did not ascend higher. As soon as the wind
shifted and blew from the south, the thermometer
descended abruptly, even in the middle of summer,
to a low temperature.
The " Belgica " expedition brought back perhaps
more scientific data about the Antarctic than any
other expedition so far, and the captain and mem-
bers deserve high praise for their labors.
Professor Chun'"* and Captain Krech, in 1898-
1899, led the German deep-sea expedition in the
'"'Chun, Carl : /I us den Tiefen des Weltmeeres ; Jena, Gustav
Fischer, 1900. A good book ; beautifully illustrated.
Zcilschrift dcr GcscUschaft fur Erdkundc zu Rerlin ; Rand
XXXIV., Jahrgang 1899, Berlin, W. H. Kiihl, 1899, pages
75-192 : " Die Deutsche Tiefsee-Expedition : — A : by Professor
I )r. Chun : — B : by the Oceanographer, Dr. Gerhard Schott : — C :
by the Navigating officer, Walter Sachse ' ' : (Senkenbcrgsche Bib.
Frankfurt A. M.).
The Geos^raphical Journal, London: Vol. XII., 1898, pages
494-496 ; Vol. XIII., 1899, pages 297, 298 ; 640-650 ; Vol. XV.,
1900, pages 518-528.
KRECH. 209
"Valdivia." Starting from Cape Town on November
13, 1898, Chun steered south, and sailed close past
the supposed Thompson Island without seeing it,
then across the site of Liverpool Island, then across
the site of Lindsay Island, and then he found an
island a little further west, answering Bouvet's de-
scription, only that it was smaller. Bouvet Island
was located — finally, let us hope — in 54° 26' south
latitude, 3° 24' east longitude. Lindsay and Liverpool
Islands are probably identical with Bouvet I.sland, and
Thompson Island is perhaps non-existent. Bouvet
Island is volcanic, covered with one vast glacier, and
no trees were seen through the telescope.
The " Valdivia " then proceeded east and south.
The edge of the pack was followed from 8° east
longitude to 58° east longitude ; the most southerly
point reached was 64° 15' south latitude, 54° 20' east
longitude, when the "Valdivia" was one hundred and
two nautical miles from Enderby Land. At this
point the enormous icebergs and the strong ice
blink to the south proved proximity to land, and it
is questionable whether some of the high ice peaks
in the far distance did not belong to it. The
" Valdivia" came north to Kerguelen Island at the
end of December and then left the Antarctic.
The scientific results of the voyage are import-
ant. The icebergs seen between Bouvet Island and
40° east longitude were weather-beaten and carved
into grotesque forms ; suggesting that they had
2IO ANTARCTICA.
already made a long voyage and, therefore, that no
land exists between o° and 40° east longitude, except
perhaps in high polar latitudes. Between 40° and
62° east longitude, where the icebergs increased,
tabular icebergs were found, and the farther east
the shija went, the more such tabular bergs did it
find. Some of them were to all appearance just
broken off the land and showed no clefts. Some
rocks, which had dropped from the melting icebergs,
were collected in trawls : gneiss, granite, schist and
red sandstone, but no volcanic rocks, showing that
Enderby Land is not of volcanic origin. This is
surprising on account of the soundings made by
the " Valdivia." At Bouvet Island the soundings
were 3080 meters, and going towards Enderby
Land they were all over 4000 meters, many were
over 5000 meters, and the deepest was 5733 meters.
Between Enderby Land and Kerguelen Island the
depth was not so great ; starting with 4647 meters
north of Enderby Land, a little further it was 4919
meters, the ocean shallowing to 2015 meters near
Kerguelen Island. This shows that at least between
0° and 50° east longitude and south of 55° south lat-
itude, there is a fairly regular and deep depression,
with no suggestion of a plateau.
Mr. C. E. Borchgrevink ^"^ led an expedition to
*" The Gcoirraphical Jo7i7~iial, London, Vol. XVI., pages 381-
41.1 : — I'orchgrcvink, C. E. : " TI10 ' .Snullicin Cross' e-\pedition
to tlic Antarctic."
KRI'X'II, i;oRCHGKKVINK. 211
East Antarctica in 1898-1900. He struck tlu- ice in
51° 56' south latitude, 153° 53' east longitude, then
finding the ice conditions unfavorable — which he
thinks they always are in this locality — he went east
and sighted the Balleny Islands on January 14th, 1899.
He had trouble with the ice, and was forced north-
ward and eastward. Finally the " Southern Cross "
ran into open water and reached Cape Adare on
February 17th.
At Cape Adare, Mr. Borchgrevink and the
members of his party landed and the " Southern
Cross " returned north. The expedition spent the
winter at Cape Adare in Camp Ridley, making
short journeys in the neighborhood and also scien-
Borchgrevink, C. E. : First on the Aiitarctic Continent, Lon-
don, George Newnes, 1901. Mr. Borchgrevink has allowed
an error to be made in the title of one of the charts of his
book. It Is called "Track of Sy ' Southern Cross' over Wilkes
Land ! by W. Colbeck, Sub-Lieut. R. N. R." The southward
track of the "Southern Cross" is marked as between 161° and
162° east longitude, down to 66° south latitude, by 162° and a few
minutes east longitude. The "Southern Cross" was at this
point at least three degrees distant from the most easterly point of
Wilkes Land proper and it then sailed eastward. The ' ' Southern
Cross," therefore, never approached Wilkes Land at any time
and the title of the chart is consequently incorrect. The title of
the book, however. First on the Antarctic Co7itinent, is an
acknowledgment that Victoria Land is a portion of the Ant-
arctic Continent discovered and named by Charles Wilkes.
Bernacchi, Louis, F. R. G. S. : To The South Polar Rc^io7is,
London, Hurst and Blackett, 1901. The " South Polar Chart"
in this book is the same as the one published by Stanford in ac-
cordance with Sir C. R. Markham's extraordmary suggestion.
2 I 2 ANTARCTICA.
tific observations. Most of the rocks of the surround-
ing country are of volcanic origin, and represent
basaltic lava flows which have taken place during
late geological epochs. Six different kinds of lichen
were found, including the ordinary reindeer moss :
specimens were obtained as high as 900 meters.
In the lichen three distinct t^'pes of insect were
found : apparently the second discovery of the kind
in Antarctica. In Robertson Bay there is also an
abundance of fish, and about five different kinds
were discovered. August was the coldest month,
the mean temperature being — 25.2° C. Many tre-
mendous gales were experienced, the wind some-
times exceeding ninety miles an hour and proving
a serious check to sledge expeditions: these gales
always came from the same direction', east-southeast.
The " Southern Cross " returned to Cape Adare
on January' 28th, 1900. The expedition then went
south, along the coast of Victoria Land. They
made a landing in Southern Cross I'irth at the
foot of Mount Melbourne, and another at the
foot of Mount Terror. From Mount Erebus a
smoke cloud was occasionally shot up into the air.
'l"he "Southern Cross" then followed the ice barrier
eastward until on February 17th it reached 78° 34'
south latitude, 164° 10' west longitude, where a break
was discovered in the barrier. Mr. Borchgrevink
landed with Lieutenant Colbeck and the Finn Savio,
and proceeded southward, reaching 78° 50' south
SCOTT, DRYGALSKI, NORDENSKJOLD. 213
latitude, the furthest south yet reached. The
" Southern Cross " then returned north.
Durino- die year 1901, three expeditions, an Eng-
hsh, a German, and a Swedish, started for the Ant-
arctic. A Scotch expedition, under Dr. W. S. Bruce,
and an Enghsh reUef vessel, the " Morning," are pre-
paring to sail in 1902.
The English expedition sailed in the " Discover)' "
under the command of Commander Robert F. Scott,
R. N., and arrived at Lyttleton, New Zealand, on
November 28. On the way, the " Discovery " ran
down to 63° 5' south latitude, 141° east longitude,
at which point pack ice was encountered and any
attempt to penetrate farther was abandoned. The
"Discovery" is thus the first ship to approach Wilkes
Land since 1840. The expedition is to proceed to
South Victoria Land, also examine the great ice
barrier, and it may or may not, according to circum-
stances, winter in the Antarctic. The " Discovery "
is expected to return in 1903.
The German expedition in the "Gauss," sailed
under the command of Dr. Erich von Drygalski.
It is to proceed to Kerguelen Island, where a mag-
netic and meteorological station is to be established.
The journey to the south is then to be continued,
the principal field of exploration being the Indo
Atlantic side of the south polar region. Should
land be discovered which can be reached, a tempo-
2 14 ANTARCTICA.
rary station is to be erected. It is intended the
expedition shall return in 1903 or 1904.
The Swedish expedition under Dr. Otto Norden-
skjold sailed in the "Antarctic" for the South Shet-
lands and King Oscar Land. An attempt will be
made to ascertain whether West Antarctica is part
of a continent or whether it consists of islands in
the southern part. A winter station may be estab-
lished somewhere on the east coast, and the ship
return to the Falklands for the southern winter.
The "Antarctic" is expected home in 1902 or 1903.
Let us wish these brave explorers all success.
INDEX.
PAGR.
Abu Rilian Biriinonsis 21
Adams, William 40, 42
Aclare, Cape 172, 175, 202, 211, 212
Adelaide Island 120, 201
Ad^lie Land 130, 131, 132, 133
Admiralty Range 172
Adventure Islets 137
Agelet, Le Paute d' 66, 67
Albertus Magnus 20
Alden, Lieutenant 145, 147
Alexander Land 83, 84, no, 201, 206
Ann, Cape 119
Amerigo Vespucci n, 25-30, 163
Ancient Mariner, The 6, 58
Antarctic, Early guesses about the 16-25
Antarctic, Limits of the 11, 12
Antarctic, The, The term 11, 12
"Antarctic," The 201, 202, 214
Antarctic Continent, Discovery of, announced . . 157, 158, 159
160, 161
Antarctic Continent, Naming of .... 12, 151, 152, 161, 162
Antarctic Continent, Earliest suggestions of an . . . 61, 80, 91
Antarctic Continent, The .... 149, 155, 156, 161, 176, 211
" Annawan," The 92
Antarctic lands first sighted . . 25, 44, 51, 63, 75, 78, 82, 84
86, 89, 90, 96, 99, 100, no, 117, 119, 122, 125, 126
129, 130, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149
150. 153. 154. 155, 156, 162, 171, 172, 179, 180, 182
Antarctic records. Inaccuracy of 9
Antarctica, circumnavigated 71, 82, 118
Antarctica, Landings in 79, 80, 134, 172, 193, 200
204, 211, 212
Antarctica, Former extension of i4> 15
(215)
2l6 INDEX.
PAGE.
Antarctica, Size and limits of ii, 12, 14
Antarctica 11, 12, 14, 207
Antarctica, The term 11,12
Aiitarctica, a history of Antarctic discovery g
Anvers Island 95, 204
Aratus 18
Arctowski, Mr. Henryk ... 10, 85, 95, 187, 193, 204, 205
Aristotle 17
Asiatic Jou7-7iaI, The 1 60
"Astrolabe," The ■ 127, 130
Atlases 164, 165
Attwaye, Captain 191
Atrevida, Spanish corvette 74
Aulick, Captain J. H 181
Aurora Islands 74, 79, 100, 107, no
Australia, Early sightings of 39
Avery, Captain 118
Bacon, Roger 21
Baeda Venerabilis 19
Baffin's Bay 163
Balbi, Mons 123
Balch, Thomas 21
Balleny Islands .... 124, 126, 142, 146, 171, 175, 178, 179
180, 182, 183, 202, 211
Balleny, John 124-127, 147, 170, 180, 181, 182
Barbinais, Le Gentil dc La 58
Barrow, John 45
Bchaim, Martin 25
Bchren.s, Mons. do 60, 61
Belgica Strait. (See Gerlache Strait.)
" Belgica," The 202-208
Bellamy. (See Balleny.)
licllingshausen. Captain F. G. von 82-85, ^7< 92
Benningen, G. van 41
Bcrghaus, Hcinrich 77
Hernacchi, Mr. L 177
Binstead, Lieutenant 122, 123
INDEX. 217
PAGE.
Binstead-Foxton Land 122, 123
Biscoe.John 107, 118-121
Biscoe Islands 201
Bismarck Strait i93. i94
" Blijde Bootschap," de 41,42,43
Blosseville, Lieutenant de 97
Bockholt, J. van 4^
Bond, Captain Ralph 9°, 97
Borchgrcvink, Mr. C. Egeberg 70. 142, 210-213
Bouvct Island . 11, 12, 62, 63, 76, 100, 115, 185, i88> 209, 210
Bouvet, Des Loziers 61-64, 164
Brabant Island 95. 204
Branstield, Mr. Edward 79-8 1. 82
Bransfield Strait S'
Brisbane, Mr. Matthew "^
Brosses, Charles de 45
Brouwer, Hendrick 54
Bruce, Dr. W. S 213
Brown, Captain James '^7
Bruggeman, Mr. J 10, 47
Buache, Monsieur ^9
Buccaneers 55
Budd Land. (Chart.)
Burney, Captain James 42, 45
Callahan, Dr '36
Candlemas Isles 71. ^3
Carr, Cape i34> i35. i49, I53. 186
Carr, Lieutenant Overton '52
Carrell, Miss '36
Case, Lieutenant A. Ludlow 152
Castiglio, Don Gabriel de 49. 5°
" Challenger," The 194-196
"Chanticleer," The 93. 94. "5
Charts . . 13, 82, 95, 96, 106, 114. i57. 168, 175, 176, 177
178, 179, 181, 182, 183, 194, 211
Christensen Island ^°°
Chun, Professor 208-210
2l8 INDEX.
PAGR.
Circoncision, Cap de ki 62, 63, 76
Claess, Laurens 49, 50
Clarie, Cote 133, 134, 135, 186
Clothier's Bay 97
Cockburn Island 185
Colbeck, Lieutenant 211, 212
Coleridge 6
Color in Antarctica 198
Columbus, Christopher 163
Colvoccorresses, Lieutenant George M 149
Conolan, Dr. Peter 116
Cook, Dr. Frederick A 10, 84, 202, 206
Cook, Captain James 30, 68-72, 73, 206
Cordes, Simon de 41
Coronation Island 96
Cortambert, Mons 22
Coulman Island " 172, 202
Court martial 146
Cowley, Captain 56, 57
Cressalina, Ysola de 52, 53
Criticism of Ross by French editor 183
Crozet, Mons 66
Crozet Islands 66
Crozier, Captain 167
Crozier, Cape 172
Dallmann, Captain 192-194, 201
Dallmann Strait 193, 194
Dalrymple, Alexander 45, 68
Danco, Lieutenant 204
Danco Land 185, 194, 200, 204, 205, 206
Dante 20
Darwin, Charles 126
Davidson, Profe.ssor George 10, 15S
Davis, Commander J. I'- 102
Davis, Lieutenant 14S
Davis, Ca])tain Edward 57
Dc Ora Antarctica 11
INDEX. 219
PACK.
Deception Island 86, 99, 116, 186
D6couverte, Cap de la I33
Dibble, Mr 140
Dickson, Mr. Walter 188
Dirc.xz, Jacob 47, 48, 49
Disappointment Bay 151
"Discovery," The 213
"Dochra," The i97
Dortiz, Don Domingo 65
Dougherty, Captain 185
Dougherty Island 76, 185
"Dove," The 95> 96, 97
Drake, Sir F 40
Drexel-Biddle, Mr. A. J 10
"Drumcraig," The 197
Drygalski, Dr. Erich von 213
Du ChaiUu, Paul B 164
Duclesmeur, Chevalier 66
Ducloz Guyot, S 3°, 64-66
Dumont d'Urville . . 45, 82, 103, 106, 113, 114, 127-135, i6i
162, 169, 171, 174, 177, 178, 183, 201
Dumoulin, Mons 129, 130
Dunbar, Captain F 85
Dundee whalers 198
Duperrey, Captain L. 1 29, 45
Duroch, Mons 132
D'Urville. (See Dumont-D'Urville.)
East Antarctica 13, 201, 207, 211
East Antartica, Need of name 12, 13
Eld, Passed Midshipman 143, 148
Eld Peak 143
Enciso, Martin Fernandez de 29
Enderby Land 119. 127, 18S, 189, 209, 210
Enderby, Messrs 114, 118, 121
Eratosthenes 17
Erebus, Mount 172, 212
"Erebus," The 170
2 20 INDEX.
PACE.
Erebus and Terror Gulf 1 85
Errors in longitude 104, 105
Evening Post, The 9
Evensen, Captain 201
Falkland Islands 60
Fanning, Mr. Edmund 75, 76, 7^, 91, 105, 157
Fanning, William A 78, 79
Fanning' s Islands 79
Fauna of Antarctica 15
Faustino, Signer 105
Fellner, Professor 19
Fernandez, Juan 39, 71
Fildes, Robert 97
Findlay, Ale,x. G 97
Flora of Antarctica 15, 80, 185, 202
"Flying Fish," The 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 160
Forbes, Mr. Henry 14
Forster, Messrs 71
Fossil faunas and floras 15
Fossils in Antarctica 199, 200
Foster, Cape 129, 200
Foster, CajUain Henry 93, 1 15-1 17
Foxton, Mr 122
Foyn Land 200
Franklin Island 172
Franklin, Sir John 171
Frascr-Macdonald, Mr 104
Fricker, Dr 30, 46, 77, 103, 169
P'ricderichsen, Mr. L 45, 46, 194
Furneau.x, Cai)tain 69
Gallo, pilot 62, 63
Gand Island 95, 204
Garrison, Mr. F. Lynwood 9
"Gauss," The 213
Geminus 18
GCologie, Pointe 133
INDEX. 221
PAGE.
George IV. Sea 113
Georgia, South, or Isle of. (See South Georgia.)
Gerlache, Lieutenant Adrien de 97, 202-208
Gerlache Strait . . 94, i2iS, 187, 193, 194, 203, 204, 205, 206
Gerritsz, Dirck 42, 43, 46, 47, 49, 51, 95
Gerrit-sz Land 46, 79, 95, 204
Gervaize, Mons 129
Gibbs, Sir George 180
Gonneville, Sieur de 62
Graham Land 92, 100, no, 121, 1S5, 206
Grant, Captain William 192
Graz, Mons 10, 96
Great Circle Sailing Principle 191
Gregory, Professor J. W 72, 170, 173
Guillaume de Conches 20
Habler, Dr. K 32
Haddington, Mount 185
Hall, Captain 93
Hamilton, Captain R. V 103
Hare, Mr. A. J. C 171
Harris, John 61
Harrisse, Mr. Henry 28
Haven, Acting-master Edward H. de 152
Hays, Mons 63
Heard, Captain J. J 189, 190
Heard Island 189, 190, 191, 192
Heilprin, Professor Angelo 103
Hermite, Admiral J. 1' 47
"Hero," The 85, 86, 87
Herrera, A. de 43i 44
Hersilia Cove 79
Hertoge, Theodoric 53
Hipparchus 17
Hoces, Francesco de 40
Hooker, Dr. Joseph 185
Hoorn, Cape 54
Hope, Mount 137
222 INDEX.
PAGE.
Hopper, Mr. J 76
Horsburgh, Mr. James 77
Hoseason, Captain 114
Hoseason Island 114
Hudson, Captain William L. . 137, 139, 140, 143, 146, 150, 151
Hughes Gulf 114, 203
Humboldt, Alexander von 30
Hurlbut, Mr. George C 10
Hutton, Captain 191
Icebergs, Depth of 116, 117
Ice Barrier . . 127, 12S, 141, 142, 143, 144, 146, 177, 195, 196
Ice Barrier, Great 175, 212
Icebergs, Formation of 61, 102, no, 119, 120, 131
Icebergs, Great 189, 192, 197, 202
Insects in Antarctica 205, 212
Instructions of Lieutenant Wilkes 1 39. 169
Jacquinot, Captain 127
"James Monroe," The 89, 96
Jansz, Barent 43
"Jason," The 199, 200
Johnson, Lieutenant 136
Johnson, Captain Robert 107, 108, 129
Joinvillc Island 94, 128, 129
Jomard, Mons 22
Jonge, J. K. J. de 46
Journal of the Fraiiklin Inslilute 9
Juttet, Mons 96
Keates, Captain 186
Kellock, Captain 121
Keltic, Dr. J. Scott 13
Kemp, Mr 123
Kem]) Land 123
Kendal, Lieutenant 115
Kerguelen Land, or Island . . . . 12, 67, 68, 73, 74, 100, 195
196, 209, 210, 213
INDEX. 223
PAGK.
Kerguelen, Yves J. de 66-68, 164
Kieman, Mr. J. T 10
King Oscar II. Land 200
Knox Land. (Chart.)
Knox, Acting Master Samuel R 152
Konig Max Islands. (See Heard Island.)
Krates 17
Krech, Captain 208-210
Kristensen, Captain 202
La Barbinais, Le Gentil de 58
Lanessan, Admiral de 96
Larsen, Captain 199-201
Larsen Bay 194, 200, 201
Laurie, Mr 96, 97
Lazarew, Captain 82
Le Gentil, Mons 64
Lelewel, Joachim 21
Le Maire, Jaques 54
Le Maire Strait 54
Le Monnier, Mons 64
Lewthwaite Strait 96
Li^ge Island 94, 95, 204
Lindsay, Mr. J 76
Lindsay Island 209
Littlehales, Mr. G. W 10, 157
Liverpool Island 115, 209
Louis-Philippe Land 128, 129
Lowe, Herr 83
"Lyon," The, or "Leon" 64,65
Macquarie Island 141
Macrobius 18
Macy, Captain 75, 1S6
Magalhdes 42
Magalhaes, Strait of 31, 32, 33, 42
Mahu, Jaques 40, 42, 50
Major, Mr. R. H 18, 39
224 INDEX.
PAGE.
Manilius 19
Maps, Early 33-4°. 51-53
Marchand, Captain E 73
Marco Polo 163
Marion du Fresne 66
Marion Islands 66
Markham, Sir Clements R. . . . 13, 45, 46, 132, 174, 177, 17S
Maury, Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine . . . 186, 187, 190, 191
McCormick, Dr 170
McDonald, Captain 191
McDonald Island 191, 192
McNab, Mr 124
Medal of XV. Century 23
Melbourne, Mount 172, 212
Mensing, Ant 46
Mercators 35. 52, 54
Miles, Mr. Edward 10
Mill, Dr. Hugh Robert 80, 103
Moberly, Mount 121
Moltke Harbor 196
Monroe Bay 89
Montagu, Cape 71
Montdmont, Mons 83
Montravel, Mons. de 113
Moore, Lieutenant T. L 188, 189
Morrell, Captain Benjamin 100-107, 113, 200
Morris, Professor 39
Motley, John Lothrop 45
Murdoch, Mr. Burn 198
Murray, Mr. Hugh 123
Murray, Sir John 103, 161, 195, 196
Nares, Sir George 194-196
Nation, The 9
Nautical Magazine, The 15H
Neum.iyer, Dr. Georg 45, 191
New South Greenland 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108
Noort, Olivier van 43..^
INDEX.
225
PAGE.
Nordenskjold, A. E 32
Nordenskjold, Dr. Otto 214
Norris, Captain 114, 115
North, Mr. J. H 145
North Land. (Chart.)
O'Farrell, Mr. John 22
Orange Harbor 136, 137, 138
OrI6ans Channel 94, 129, 200
Orontius Finaeus 33
Ortelius 37, 51
"Pagoda," The 104, 188, 189
Palmer Archipelago, or Land . . 86, 88, 89, 90, gi, 94, 95, 99
114, 128, 129, 137, 157, 186, 187, 203, 204
Palmer Land, Naming of .... 88, 92, 93, 94, 95, 128, 204
Palmer, Captain Nathaniel B 85-95, 96, 97, 115, 128
200, 203, 204
Paltsits, Mr. V. H 10
Parry, Mount 172
Paulding, Hon. J. K 139
"Peacock," The . . 137, 138, 139, 140, 142, 144, 146, 148
149, 150, 159
Pedersen, Captain 201
Pendleton, Captain Benjamin 85, 91, 98-100, 121
Pendleton Bay 99
Penguins 43. ^9. 132, 150, 154. 206
Peschel, Dr. Oscar 21, 158
Peschel, Dr. W. E 10
Peter L Lsland 83, 206
Petermann, Dr. A 103, 191, 193
Phillips, Mr. P. Lee 10, 97
Piner Bay 130, 134, 152
Pinkney, Lieutenant R. F 139, 163
Pomponius Mela 18
"Porpoise," The 133, 136, 139, 149, 151, 160, 179
Porpoise Bay. (Chart.)
Possession, Cape 115
2 2 6 INDEX.
PAGE.
Possession Island 172, 202
Powell, Captain Geor<,'e 9°. 94. 95-98> 128
Powell Islands 96, 98, 127, 128, 194
Ptolemies 23, 24, 28, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 52
Ptolemy 17
Puech, Admiral 96
Purchas, Samuel 45
Ouaritch, Mr. Bernard 26
Oueros, Pedro Fernandez de 53
Rainaud, Mons. Armand 62, 176
Rea, Lieutenant 121
Rees, Captain 191
Reiter, Dr. Hans 14. 158
Reynolds, Passed Midshipman 143, 148
Reynolds, Mr. John N 75> 92, 109, 136
Rejnolds Peak 143
Rhabanus Maurus 19
Rhodes, Captain 74
Richter, Dr. Arthur 10
Ridley, Camp 211
Ringgold, Lieutenant-commander . . 133, 139, 142, 144, 146
147, 149, 154, 171, 179
Ringgold Knoll 144. 182
Robertson Bay 212
Rol)in.son, Mr. Charles 9°. 97
Roch6, Antonio de la 3°) 55
Rocks on icebergs 126, 149, 155, 156, 188
Rogers, Woodc 57> 58
Roggeveen, Admiral Jacob 59-6i
Rosenthal, Mr. L 31
Rosnevet, Captain 67
Ross, Sir James Clark 70, 122, 167-185
Ross, ErrorsofSir J. C. . . 169, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 181
182, 183
Ross, Sir John 163
Ross Gulf. (Chart.)
INDEX. 227
PAGli.
Ruge, Dr. Sophus 16, 32, 46, 50
Ruysch's Ptolemy 28
Sabine, Mount 172
Sabrina Land 126
Samuel, Mr. Bunford 10
San Sebastiano, Golfo de 52, 53
Sandwich Land 53, 71, loi
Santarem, Vicomte de 22
Sauvage, Mr. J. P. de 10
Savio, The Finn 212
Schmidt, Professor 20
Schoner, Johannes 31. 32, 33
Schouten 54
Schrader, Dr. K 196
Schuck, Captain A 45, 46, 104, 113
Scott, Commander Robert F 213
" Sea Gull," The 1-36, 137
Sealers, American P 108-110
Seals 79, 109, 116, 142, 192
Sebald de Wirt 41. 42
Seixas y Lovera 55
Seleukos, the Chaldaean 16
"Seraph," The 92
Seymour, Cape 129, 199, 200
Shag Rocks in
Sharp, Captain Bartholomew 55. 56
Sheffield, Captain James P 78, 79, 85
Shelvocke, Captain George 58, 59
Ships, Names of 97
Ships lost 97, 98, 122, 126
"Slaney, H. M. S." 79, 80, 81
Smiley, Captain William H 186, 187
Smith, Mr. G. Harnett 174
Smith, Mr. William 77. 78
Soderini, Pier 25, 28
Soundings 144, 148, 150, 210
South Georgia 12, 29, 30, 55, 65, 66, 71, 78, 82
85, 100, 196, 197
228 INDEX.
PACE.
South Orkney Iskuids. (See Powell Islands.)
South Shetland 78, 80, Si, 84, 86, 95, 97, 98, 99
1 10, III, 121, 136, 194
South Polar Continent 173, 174
" Southern Cross," The 211, 212, 213
Southern Thule 71
Sparrmann, Dr. Andr6 69
Spry, Mr. W. J. J 176
Stanley, Henry M 164
Stevens, Henry 31
Strabo 18
Supan, Dr 14
Svend Foyn Island 202
Swain, Captain 75, 186
Swain's Island 75, 186
Sydney Herald, The 158-160, 182
Synn Bygd 22
Tasman, Abel 53, 163
Temperatures 207, 212
Termination Land 156, 195
Terra Australia Incognita 32-40, 51-53, 54, 71
Terror, Mount 172, 212
"Terror," The 170
Thompson Island 115, 209
Tierra del Fuego 40, 52, 53
Todd, Captain C. C 10, 157
Torres, Luis Vacz de 53
Tolten Land. (Chart.)
Tower Islantl 91
Towson, Mr 197
Traversey Lslands 82
Trinity Island, or Land 91. 95. 204
Tufts, Mr. P. II 10
Underwood, Lieutenant Jose[)h A 152
United States E.xploring E.xpcdition . . 135-166, 167, 168, 169
INDEX. 229
PAGE.
" Valdivia," The 104, 208, 209, 210
Varnhagen, F. A. de 30, 32
Vespucci, Amerigo. (See Amerigo Vespucci.)
Victoria Land 173, 174, 202, 211, 212, 213
" Vincenncs." The . 139, 145, 14S, 149, 151, 152, 159, 160, 179
Vivien de Saint-Martin 17, 105
Volcanoes 86, 99, n6, 151, 172, 200, 212
Wafer, Lionel 57
Wahl, Dr. William II 9
Waldron, Purser 152
Walker, Captain John 90, 97
Walker, Lieutenant William M 137, 138, 206
Washington Strait 89
Watson, Mr 92
Watts, Mr. Harvey M 10
Webster, Dr 45. 9i. 93. 116, 117
Weddell, Captain James 110-113, 114, 157, 185
Weildell Sea 113
Werner, Dr 19, 20, 21
West Antarctica . . 13, 77, 84, 104, 105, 184, 185, 193, 194
198, 199, 201, 207, 214
West Antarctica, Need of name 12, 13, 104
Whales 202
Wharton, Captain W. J. L 185
Wichmann, Dr. Arthur 46, 50
Wichmann, Dr. H 193
Wiencke Island 204
Wieser, Dr. Franz R. von 17, 31, 32
Wihelmi, Mr. Karl 22
Wilkes, Lieutenant Charles . . 12, 72, 134, 135-166, 167, 168
169, 170, 171, 173, 175, 176, 177, 178
179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 186, 195, 211
Wilkes L;md . . . 162, 164, 165, 166, 173, 174, 176, 177, 178
179, 183, 211, 213
Wilkie Collins 171
William, Mount 121
Williams, Captain E 85
230 INDEX.
PACE.
Williamson, Gunner 147, 148
Winsur, Justin 23
Wintering in Antarctica 98, 206, 211, 212
Wood, Lieutenant 171
Yankee Harbor 86, 88
Young, Dr 79, 80, 81
"Zel6e," The 127, 130
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