RETURN OF THE ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 123 



The next expedition, ladies and gentlemen, is likely 

 to be a joint one next year — an English and a Grer- 

 man ship — sent by their respective Governments. 1 believe 

 it is intended to divide the South Polar region into four 

 quadrants, each ship to take two of them — and to take 

 opposite pairs. Thus England would take what we may 

 call for once " the Rosses " ; Germany, the " Enderby '* 

 and " Weddell " quadrants. 



I trust I have not wearied you by this rapid sketch. If 

 you will bear with me for a few more minutes I will indicate 

 just a few points upon which we desire information. Mr. 

 Borchgrevink, when appealed to thus definitely, may be able 

 to grant some slight favour to this audience, if it would be 

 consistent with his engagements First and foremost — the 

 Magnetic Pole. Ross believed he was within 160 miles of it, 

 and located it with some certainty at 75*^ 5' S. (the North 

 Magnetic Pole being 7S^ 35'). We long to ask Mr. Borch- 

 grevink whether he reached the Magnetic Pole. That, I fear, 

 he may not tell to-night, but I wonder whether he may tell 

 us whether Ross was right or wrong. Just that and no more. 



The Barometer. At present it has been believed that the 

 normal pressure in latitudes above 65*^ S., at sea level is 

 29^ urless. We long to know whether this is confirmed. So, 

 again, rain was said to be very rare, but snow fell every other 

 day. Oi', if we turn to Icebergs — At, present the bergs of the 

 Antarctic fields are known to be fiat and stratified, breaking 

 off fi'om long lines of coast, not from deep fiords and down 

 valleys, as at the North Po'e. Has he found any exception 

 to this rule ? Or, if we turn to Geology, we have been given 

 to understand heretofore that the Antarctic rocks are much 

 the same as those on the West Coast of Tasmania. How 

 excitiuor to our miners. There is also the theory that a con- 

 tinent once existed, of which Kerguelen, the Crozets, and 

 Marion Island are mountain tops. Is there any fresh light? 



Turning to Flora. — V'p to the present Fuegia is said to be 

 the centre of Antarctic Flor.i, and yet, strange to say, it 

 contains English plants which grow nowhere in intermediate 

 places ; 44 per cent, of New Zealand flora being also 

 Antarctic. Have any additions been made to this subject ? 



And lastly, and to some of us it is the most interesting 

 subject — 



What of animals and birds ? Are there any land animals 

 or land birds ? 



Turning to sea animals and sea birds — Did Mr. Borchgre- 

 vink meet with our mysterious mutton birds between May 

 and September, when they vanish entirely from our world ? 

 We have learnt at present that other sorts of petrels form 



