322 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' 



be said that the mass of material obtained ^Yill go far to accom- 

 plish the main object which was named by the Royal Society 

 when it appealed to the Government for the despatch of an 

 Antarctic Expedition. 



Of other physical work performed by the expedition I have 

 made mention in the course of the narrative, and in this con- 

 nection the reader will no doubt remember the seismic, the 

 gravity, and the auroral observations, as well as those taken for 

 atmospheric electricity and for tidal movement, the whole of 

 which must show that many valuable records were brought 

 back by the ' Discovery.' 



Ocea?wgraphy. — A considerable number of soundings were 

 taken during our voyage, and in most cases in very interesting 

 places, but it must be confessed that the oceanographical work 

 as a whole was very limited. The reason is obvious, as the 

 greater part of our time was spent either locked in the ice 

 or cruising in shallow seas ; yet, as I look at the vast amount 

 of this work which remains to be done in this area, I cannot 

 but regret that we were unable to effect more. 



In the foregoing summary I have been forced to pass 

 rapidly from subject to subject, and yet I hope that in so 

 doing I shall have persuaded the reader that the voyage of 

 the ' Discovery ' was not conducted in a spirit of pure adven- 

 ture, but that we strove to add, and succeeded in adding, 

 something to the sum of human knowledge. 



The natural result of such an attack as the beginning of 

 this century has seen on the Antarctic Regions is a period 

 of reaction and quiescence, during which the light thrown on 

 Southern conditions will be considered and discussed and 

 fresh problems will be evolved. But it is not reasonable to 

 suppose that this period will continue indefinitely ; all ex- 

 perience shows that as long as problems remain to be solved, 

 sooner or later their solution will be attempted. With the full 

 knowledge, therefore, that the time will come when others will 

 follow in our footsteps and pass beyond them, I have written 

 these pages for the future as well as for the present. 



