726 Proceedings. 



our enterprise that so large an area of the earth's surface should still 

 remain unknown. The little we did know was most interesting, and had 

 a direct bearing on many scientific problems. For instance, it will be 

 impossible ever to thoroughly understand and forecast weather changes 

 throughout the world until we are acquainted with the meteorology of the 

 south polar region, as all the great secular changes appear to originate 

 there. It is often said that our southern seasons follow those of the 

 Northern Hemisphere, and this year has at first sight afforded a marked 

 instance ; but the true explanation is that, owing to the North presenting 

 such a large condensing surface, with extensive arid areas over which the 

 sky is clear, as compared with the immense water-area with clouded sky 

 in the South, changes that are affecting the whole globe are more rapidly 

 developed in the Northern Hemisphere. Again, life, especially the 

 inarine mammalia, is known to be abundant in southern latitudes, aud, 

 from the enormous migrations of penguins aud seals that leave the 

 temperate localities wliere they breed every year in a very poor and lean 

 condition, but return from high latitudes loaded with fat, fish and other 

 marine food must exist in great profusion. When we know that the 

 distance of the gieat south land from New Zealand is the same as to 

 Sydney, and that no attempts have been made to reach it since steamers 

 equipped for combating the ice have come into use, we may feel certain 

 that an expedition would encounter no serious difficulty. He therefore 

 cordially supported the proposal. 



Mr. Hudson said such an expedition would be most useful in settling 

 questions regarding the distribution of plants and animals, and afford 

 increased knowledge for those engaged in the study of biology. 



Mr. Tregear, although he recognised the immense scientific results 

 to be obtained by a south polar expedition, said the practical point was 

 that the colony was to be asked for a grant-in-aid. This would be the 

 difficulty. 



Mr. McLeod asked if the expedition would be officered from the 

 Royal navy, or in part from the colonies contributing. 



Mr. E. F. Hadfield remarked that the bearing, as pointed out by 

 General Schaw, of the variations of the constant of gravity upon the 

 determination of the earth's centre of gravity was very striking. Pen- 

 dulum experiments in the antarctic circle, if they showed how far the 

 centre of gravity of the earth lay from the centre of form, and in what 

 direction, would throw much light on the nature and amount of the 

 motion of the earth's axis. He recalled the fact that Newton, after 

 making laborious calculations and observations with a view of showing 

 that the moon's motion was due to a force the same as that attracting 

 bodies at the earth's surface, but diminished in intensity according to 

 the law of the inverse square, found that the observed facts did not 

 harmonise with the results of calculation ; that, after a more accurate 

 measurement of an arc of the meridian, the new data thus supplied, on 

 being introduced into the calculation, produced the harmony sought for, 

 and established the law of gravitation with all its intricate consequences. 

 The way in which Newton put aside a pet theory when iuconsi.stent with 

 fact, instead of trying to make facts fit the theorj', was an admirable 

 instance of the honesty of the true scientist. The determination of the 

 distance and direction of the earth's centre of gravity from its centre of 

 form would affect, more or less, almost all astronomical observations, 

 and might perhaps alter accepted notions of precession, nutation, and 

 even aberration, and might have further far-reaching consecfuences in 

 astronomy. This would be the more interesting in view of the light 

 astronomy was throwing on the sister science of geology, and the infer- 

 ences being drawn from both as to the time and mode of the origin of 

 the globe. If this were realised, the practical difficulty of getting public 

 support for an antarctic expedition might vanish. Observations of the 



