THE ANTARCTIC VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY.

1.-NORTH AND SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEANS.

THE expedition under Sir James Clark Ross to the Southern and Antarctic regions, was sent out by her majesty's government, at the instigation of a Committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, seconded by the Council of the Royal Society.

Its immediate objects were the improvement of knowledge in Terrestrial Magnetism in the Southern Hemisphere. But sufficient important geographical discoveries, and sufficient openings to commerce have been elicited by the exploratory voyages thus performed, to satisfy all thinking persons that a great maritime country like our own should ever be without expeditions of discovery and research at work, both by land and by sea. As the discovery of the great rivers Darling and Murray by Captain Sturt, and Dr. Leichhardt's exploratory journey of 1800 miles, at once opened to the settler in Australia new and extensive fields of enterprise, and connected settlements, heretofore remote, with one another, so Sir James Ross's expedition gave length, breadth, and height to the great Antarctic Continent, enlivened its icy solitudes with an active volcano loftier than Etna, and, what is of more practical importance, opened to commercial enterprise seas in which, hitherto beyond the reach of their persecutors, whales of the common black, the large hunch-back and sperm species, congregate in innumerable hosts. On the 29th December, 1840, south of latitude 63 deg. 20 min., Sir James narrates that they might have killed any number of whales they pleased. They were of an unusually large size, and so tame that the ships, sailing close past, did not seem to disturb them. Again, on the 14th January, 1841, being in latitude 71 deg. 50 min. and longitude 172 deg. 20 min., during the whole day, wherever the eyes were turned, the blasts of whales were to be seen. Truly may Sir James remark, that "a fresh source of national and individual wealth is thus opened to commercial enterprise, and if pursued with boldness and perseverance, it cannot fail to be abundantly productive."

The expedition was composed of the Erebus, a bomb of 370 tons, of strong build, with a capacious hold, commanded by Sir James C. Ross; and the Terror, a vessel of 340 tons, originally strengthened for contending with the ice of the Arctic seas, and commissioned by Commander Francis R. M. Crozier. With a chosen body of officers and efficient crews, the vessels sailed from Margate Roads on the evening of the 30th September, 1839. "It is not easy," says Sir James, " to describe the joy and light-heartedness we all felt as we passed the entrance of the Channel, bounding before a favourable breeze over the blue waves of the ocean, fairly embarked in the enterprise we had all so long desired to commence, and freed from the anxious and tedious operations of our protracted, but requisite, preparation."

The expedition anchored, on the 20th October, in Funchal Roads. While at Madeira, in addition to the magnetic and astronomical observations, the altitude of Pico Ruivo, the highest mountain of the island, was determined to be 6097-08 or 6102.90 English feet, according as Gay,

Lussac's, or Rudberg's measure be taken for the expansion of heat. Colonel Sabine's observations made the same peak about a hundred feet less, while Lieutenant Wilkes, United States Service, made it nearly 140 feet higher.

On the 13th of November the tents and instruments were landed on Quail Island (Cape Verd Islands), but the expedition had already learned, and all further experience corroborated the important fact, that with Mr. Fox's improvements, more reliance could always be placed on magnetic determinations made on board ship than on any made on shore, where the nature of the soil presents so many sources of disturbance, even under the most favourable circumstances.

As the expedition crossed the intertropical ocean a variety of important and curious observations were made. On the 27th of November the planet Venus was seen near the zenith, notwithstanding the brightness of the meridian sun, and they were also enabled to observe a higher stratum of clouds moving exactly in an opposite direction to the trade winds.

Those remarkable islets, called St. Paul's Rocks, were ascertained to be composed of hornstone, resting on kaolin, veined with serpentine; and although Mr. Darwin considers the rocks not to be of igneous origin, as hornstone forms the basis of the older porphyries, and is associated in such forms with feldspar often passing into kaolin, as in the Pentland Hills, near Edinburgh, although not volcanic, still there can be little doubt as to their igneous origin. "The whole group," says Mr. M'Cormick (who, by the by, is very loose and unscientific in his expressions, when he speaks of a calcareous-looking substance, which does not effervesce with acids), "presents, at a single glance, the most striking effects of the agency by which they have been forced upwards.”

While at St. Paul's, one of the party, in attempting to wade across a narrow channel, was taken off his feet by a heavy wave, and was for some time in imminent peril. Frequently he regained the margin of the shore, and struggled to maintain his hold, but he was as frequently carried back by the retiring wave. He at length succeeded in crawling up the rocks, greatly weakened by his long-continued exertions.

At length, with the southern cross in view, they passed the magnetic equator in lat. 13 deg. 45 min. south, and long. 30 deg. 41 min. west, and fetched Trinidad on the 17th of December. Being a volcanic island the station here was utterly valueless for magnetic determinations. Horsburgh mentions that the island abounds with wild pigs and goats; but only one of the latter was seen.

On the 3rd January, 1840, being in lat. 27 deg. 26 min. south, and long. 17 deg. 29 min. west, the weather and all other circumstances propitious, soundings were obtained with 2425 fathoms of line, a depression of the bed of the ocean beneath its surface very little short of the elevation of Mont Blanc above it.

On the 31st January, the expedition anchored in St. Helena Roads, and here Lieutenant Lefroy, R.A, was landed to establish a permanent magnetic observatory, although, as was invariably the case on all volcanic islands, it was found quite impossible to obtain correct measures of the magnetic elements by reason of the large amount of disturbing influences.

On the 22nd February, being again at sea, a number of cuttle fish sprang on board over the weather bulwark, fifteen or sixteen feet high.

Several of them passed entirely across the ship, and altogether not less than fifty were found upon the decks. The water was at the time quite

smooth.

At length, on the 17th March, the expedition arrived in St. Simon's Bay, and it remained at the Cape making the necessary observations until the 6th April.

II. THE GREAT SOUTHERN OCEAN AND ITS ISLANDS.

FROM the Cape, the expedition sailed towards Prince Edward's Island, the first southerly land met with upon the verge of the great Southern Ocean; but not only was extremely severe weather encountered on the passage, but it continued to blow so hard during the time that the Erebus lay off and on in sight of land, and all hopes of effecting a landing were obliged to be abandoned. Thus it still remains matter of doubt whether Captain Cook was in the right or not, when he says that he could distinguish trees and shrubs on the island. Sir James thinks that the great circumnavigator was mistaken; but as Lord Auckland's and Campbell's Islands, in a lower parallel and another hemisphere, have a tree and shrub vegetation, there is no reason, except the exceeding distance from main land, why Prince Edward's Island should not also be similarly provided with timber.

Penguin, or Inaccessible Island, with its ledges covered with birds, was next passed. Beyond this it was with great difficulty that a landing was effected on Possession Island. Sir James Ross had undertaken to convey provisions from Cape Town to a party of seamen, who were employed on this island in capturing the sea elephant. When the party was found, Sir James says they looked more like Esquimaux than civilised beings, but filthier far in dress and person. Their clothes were

literally soaked in oil, and smelt most offensively. They wore boots of penguins' skins, with the feathers turned inwards. Yet these poor fellows did not dislike either their island prison or their occupation. They lived upon portions of their prizes, rock fish, which were abundant, and eggs of sea birds, which could be collected by boat loads, those of the albatross weighing a pound each. Wild ducks are so numerous in a lake on the island, that dogs got any number whenever they were wanted, and the neighbouring island appropriately-at least for the present-called " Pig Island," was so overrun with these animals, the breed of which was left by Captain Distance in 1834, that, to use the islanders' own words, "you can hardly land for them."

Leaving the south end of Possession Island, which is of volcanic origin, and about twenty miles long by ten broad, the Erebus steered along the southern coast of East Island, also of volcanic origin, and with pinnacles at least four thousand feet high. Beyond this, on the morning of the 3rd May, when in lat. 47 deg. 17 min. south, and long. 58 deg. 50 min. east, the first piece of antarctic ice was seen. The great albatross, the large dark petrel, the speckled Cape pigeon, and two or three different kinds of stormy petrel now added a degree of cheerfulness to the navigation, which contrasted strongly with the dreary and unvarying stillness of the tropical region, where not a sea-bird is to be seen, except only in the vicinity of its few scattered islets. Whales, seals, and shoals of porpoises were seen at the same time, and beds of floating sea-weed furnished harvests of living things for the naturalists.

On the 14th May both ships were snugly anchored at the head of that most beautiful natural harbour, called Christmas Harbour, in Kerquelen Island. This island, like most others in the great Southern Ocean, is of volcanic origin. Basalt, often prismatic, and trap rocks prevail, and form bold headlands, with columns, isolated masses, as pictured by Cook, and hills with oval-shaped craters, the highest of which, called Table Mount, is 1350 feet in elevation. There are also singular isolated hills, of what Mr. M'Cormick, the geologist of the expedition, calls "an igneous kind of arenaceous rock," no doubt Tephrines or Perperinos. A still more interesting feature in the geology of the island is the numerous seams of coal, varying in thickness from a few inches to four feet, and found imbedded in the trap rock.

The whole island appears deeply indented by bays and inlets, and the surface is intersected by numerous small lakes and water-courses. The forests, which evidently at one period clothed the land, having been destroyed by successive overflowings of volcanic matter, the island has since remained in a state of almost vegetable desolation. A narrow belt of green grass ran along the quiet shores of the harbour, succeeded by large rounded masses of a dirty green or rusty brown colour, due, according to Dr. Hooker, the able botanist of the expedition, to the predominance of a curious umbelliferous plant, allied to the Bolax or "Balsam Bog" of the Falkland Islands. On the weather side of the island was also a carpet of vegetation, and bogs in which the party sank knee deep at every step. Higher on the hills vegetation only existed in scattered tufts. There were no shrubs but among the few phonogamic plants (of which there were only eighteen altogether) was the famous cabbage plant (Pringlea antiscorbutica). This valuable vegetable, which possesses all the good qualities of its English namesake, abounds upon the island, and constitutes a most important resource to a crew long confined to salt provisions. For one hundred and thirty days the crews of the Erebus and Terror required no fresh vegetable but this esculent.

There is also abundant food for cattle. The sheep landed from the ships throve wonderfully, and soon got into condition. They also became so shy that they were obliged to be shot when wanted.

No land animals were seen on the island, but the footsteps of a pony or ass were observed on the snow. The sea elephants and seals are now few in number, but whales are still numerous. Many varieties of fish, some of which were acceptable to the table, were taken, and fifteen different species of water-fowl were shot, among which were some delicious ducks. Only three or four insects were observed.

The weather was exceedingly tempestuous during the stay of the expedition at this little known island; so much so as to prevent any extensive surveys being effected, but the other observations were carried on as usual.

On the 20th July the vessels stood out to sea, passing close along Terror Reef and on the 27th the two ships were parted in a gale of wind. On the 30th Mr. Robertson the boatswain fell overboard and was drowned. On the 16th August after beating up into Storm Bay, the Erebus anchored at the entrance of the Derwent in Tasmania, and the next day was off Fort Mulgrave where the Terror had arrived the day before.

A permanent observatory was established at Hobart Town, or as it is

now locally written, for the sake of brevity, Hobarton, and the expedition received great assistance from the Governor, Sir John Franklin. Here Sir James Ross was naturally somewhat mortified to learn that two expeditions -a French one under Captain D'Urville, and another from the United States under Lieutenant Charles Wilkes-had, to a certain extent, anticipated his objects by selecting the very place for penetrating to the southward, for the exploration of which, he says, they were well aware at the time that the expedition under his command was expressly preparing. While we cannot help observing that it is to be hoped that inter-national rivalry may always manifest itself in such a harmless manner, still it is impossible not to feel that there is something very childish and undignified in such proceedings. It reflects no great credit on the national pride or honour of the two nations thus concerned in struggling to deprive Sir James Ross of the gratification of first discovering a few ice-bound and useless lands.

The result, however, of this rivalry was productive of unanticipated success to the British, for it led the commander of the expedition to select a different meridian in which to make his attempt to penetrate southward, and there is no doubt but it was owing to this circumstance that he discovered" Victoria" land.

III. AUCKLAND AND CAMPBELL ISLANDS AND THE SOUTHERN WHALE FISHERY.

The expedition upon quitting Tasmania shaped its course in the first place for Auckland Islands, which they came in sight of on the 20th of November, or eight days from Hobart Town. Enderby Island afforded a well-sheltered anchorage, from whence the instruments were landed. Here they found two boards put up, one by the French, the other by the American expedition. The first recorded "Du 19 Janvier au 1 Fevrier, 1840, decouverte da la Terre Adélie et determination du pôle magnetique Austral!”

The Auckland Islands, which were discovered, in 1806, by a whaler belonging to Messrs. Enderby, of Greenwich, are destined to become of high importance, since the exclusive possession has been ceded to those enterprising merchants, who have undertaken to form a company, for the purpose of carrying on from thence the southern whale fishery.

"In a national point of view," says Sir James Ross, "whether as regards our maritime or commercial ascendency, an undertaking of this nature cannot fail to be of very great importance. Its successful accomplishment would prove the means of effectually restoring a profitable but decayed branch of our maritime trade, and of diverting a large number of our most efficient seamen from the vessels of the United States of America, in which they are now employed. In the whole range of the vast Southern Ocean, no spot could be found combining so completely the essential requisites for a fixed whaling station."

The group, which consists of one large and several smaller islands, possesses, it appears, the great natural advantages of commodious harbours, and of a plentiful supply of good water and wood. The largest island is about thirty miles long, and its extreme breadth is about fifteen miles. The foundation of the island is volcanic. The loftiest hill, Mount Eden, attains an elevation of 1300 feet, and is clothed with grass to its summit. Indeed the whole land is covered with vegetation. A low forest skirts the shores, succeeded by a broad belt of brushwood, above which Aug.-VOL. LXXX. No. CCCXX.

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