THE 'DISCOVERY 27 



On August 6, 1901, the expedition left Cowes, and 

 arrived at Simon's Bay on October 3. On the 14th it 

 sailed again for New Zealand. 



The official plan was to determine as accurately as 

 possible the nature and extent of the South Polar lands 

 that might be found, and to make a magnetic survey. 

 It was left to the leader of the expedition to decide 

 whether it should winter in the ice. 



It was arranged beforehand that a relief ship should 

 visit and communicate with the expedition in the follow- 

 ing year. 



The first ice was met with in the neighbourhood 

 of the Antarctic Circle on January 1, 1902, and a few 

 days later the open Ross Sea was reached. After several 

 landings had been made at CapeAdare and other points, 

 the Discovery made a very interesting examination of 

 the Barrier to the eastward. At this part of the voyage 

 King Edward VII. Land was discovered, but the thick 

 ice-floes prevented the expedition from landing. On 

 the way back the ship entered the same bight that 

 Borchgrevink had visited in 1900, and a balloon ascent 

 was made on the Barrier. The bay was called Balloon 

 Inlet. 



From here the ship returned to McMurdo Bay, so 

 named by Ross. Here the Discovery wintered, in a far 

 higher latitude than any previous expedition. In the 

 course of the autumn it was discovered that the land on 

 which the expedition had its winter quarters was an 



