212 Trayisactions . — Geology. 



of the island. Weddell penetrated to 74° S. in 1823, thus 

 attaining a higher latitude than Captain Cook, but he saw no 

 land anywhere in that neighbourhood. In 1831 Biscoe, in 

 the brig " Tula," discovered Enderby Land. In 1839 Bal- 

 leny discovered Balleuy Islands, a volcano 12,000 ft. high, 

 and adjoining it the active volcano of Buckle Island. In 

 1839 the important French expedition under Dumont D' Qr- 

 ville explored the South Shetlands. In 1840 Commander 

 Wilkes, in the U.S.A. corvette " Vincennes," discovered 

 Wilkes Land. In January, 1841, Sir James Clark Boss 

 made his memorable discovery of Victoria Land. With the 

 object of trying to find the south magnetic pole, as he had 

 already found the north magnetic pole, he forced his well- 

 fortified ships through the pack-ice which he encountered in 

 latitude about 67° S., and longitude 174^° E. It was a very 

 formidable pack. In four or five days, however, he forced 

 his way through it, and entered comparatively open water 

 — being a great ocean -pool about six hundred miles in 

 diameter. Bounding this on the west was the magnificent 

 chain of snow-clad volcanoes of Victoria Land. Eoss traced 

 the coast for five hundred miles southwards, until he en- 

 countered the great ice barrier terminating seawards in a 

 sheer wall of ice from 180 ft. to 200 ft. high. His dredging 

 showed that marine forms of animal life, especially Polyzoa, 

 w^ere abundant right up to the edge of the great ice barrier. 

 Eoss states that on the 19th January, 1841, when off the 

 coast of South A^ictoria Land, in latitude 72° 31' S., longitude 

 173° 39' E., the dredge was put over in 270 fathoms water, and 

 after trailing along the ground for some time was hauled in. 



In 1874 H.M.S. " Challenger" visited the neighbourhood 

 of the supposed Termination Land of Wilkes. In 1893-94 the 

 whaler " Jason," with Captain Larsen, visited the north- 

 western portion of Antarctica. 



The important discovery was made by Dr. Donald of 

 Lower Tertiary rocks within the fossil shells — Cucullaa, 

 Natica, and Cythcrea, in sitii — at Cape Seymour. Fossil 

 wood was found imbedded in the Tertiary rocks at a level 

 of 300 ft. above the sea. A new active volcano, named by 

 Captain Larsen " Christensen Volcano," was discovered in 

 latitude 65° 5', longitude 58° 40' W. On the sketch-chart 

 accompanying Captain Larsen's paper another active volcano 

 is shown also, Windberg Volcano, and the four Seal Islands, 

 all of which are considered to be of volcanic origin, if not 

 dormant or extinct volcanoes. 



