THE VOYAGE OF THE HURON AND THE HUNTRESS 



the Shetland Isles to the Continent and coasted it, from abreast the Isles to the East- 

 ward, as far as 44 West Longitude. . . . There is now no doubt that there exists a 

 South Continent and that Capt. Cook's Southern Thule belongs to it. Capt. Palmer 

 could discover the mountains covered with snow in the interior, as he sailed along 

 the coast." 



In this 1822 report, Captain Palmer verifies the sighting of the mainland by the American 

 sealers of 1821. 



The British sealer Captain Powell met Palmer in the South Shetlands in December 1821, 

 and the two cruised east to discover the South Orkneys. In his resultant map of the South 

 Shetlands and vicinity, Captain Powell was the first to note and name the region now 

 known as Palmer Land. The chart was published by Laurie in 1822. Captain Powell noted 

 on this chart : 



"We are equally ignorant of the extent of Palmer's Land, both to the South, east 

 and west, the latter having been seen at a great distance only." 



As for the assumption that Captain Palmer was in Deception Island harbor in November, 

 1820, it must be mentioned that Fanning, Balch and Spears, three of the first proponents 

 of the claim of discovery of Antarctica by Palmer, have all been mistaken in assuming this 

 fact. Even Colonel Martin admits that the "situation has been inaccurately described in 

 previous accounts" (by these three) "who thought Pendleton and the fleet were at De- 

 ception Island when Antarctica was discovered." 



The contemporary evidence shows that it was not until the next season that the enter- 

 prising Stonington fleet used Deception Island's fine harbor for its base. 



Captain John Davis himself has the first and best description of Deception's harbor. He 

 wrote in the Huron's logbook, as of December 30, 1821, the following: 



". . . At 4 A.M. Entered the Dragons mouth and entered into the spacious Bay of 

 Deception. At a Distance Deception has the appearance of a considerable large 

 Island but when you enter this Bay the beholder is struck with astonishment for in 

 the room of a large Island he finds nothing but a mere rim of an Island formed 

 around the Bay which has been Sounded with one Hundred and twenty Fathom of 

 line and no Bottom found. I have no doubt this Bay has been formed by an ancient 

 Existed volcano and must have been one of the Largest known in the World as it 

 has every appearance to establish the truth . . . many Places along the shore still 

 Emits a continual smoak and the Water and sand in a number of Places inside this 

 Bay is so hot that a Person cannot hold his hand in it for the space of two seconds. 

 At the Head of this Bay are two Lagoons which forms most Excellent and com- 

 modious Harbors in one of these I found the Stonington Squadron. . . ." 



Several other sources also mention the Stonington fleet as using Deception Harbor during 

 the 1821-22 sealing season in the South Shetlands. The Huron's log further points out that 

 the ice conditions were much worse than the previous season, so that, from various bits 

 of evidence, the 1820-21 season was a remarkable one for its mildness. 



From further evidence (preserved at the British Museum) in the account of Captain 

 Robert Fildes, an English sealer, the present writer believes that Captain McFarlane, in the 

 sealing brig Dragon, of London, was the person for whose vessel the entrance to the harbor 

 at Deception Island was named. Captain Fildes arrived at Blythe Bay, on the north coast 

 of Livingston Island, on December 4, 1820, and found the Dragon had been at the South 

 Shetlands for seven weeks, during which time Captain McFarlane had taken over 5,000 

 seal-skins on this beach alone. Fildes listed 14 British sealing craft, one being the Lynx from 

 Botany Bay, Australia, the vessel Captain Davis found at Smith Island. The British called 



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