EXPEDITIONS TU THE SOUTH POLE. 509 
for no trading vessel will ever plough those desert seas; but it is 
no small advantage to a nation to have to register such pages in 
her annals, and to leave them as a legacy and an example to 
future generations. 
The series of modern South Polar expeditions was opened in 
1819 by Smith’s casual discovery of New South Shetland. 
Soon afterwards a Russian expedition under Lazareff and Bel- 
linghausen discovered (January, 1821), in 69° 3’ south lat., the 
islands Paul the First and Alexander, the most southern lands 
that had ever been visited by man. 
The year after, Captain Weddell, a sealer, penetrated into the 
icy sea as far as 74° 15’ south lat. three degrees nearer to the 
pole than had been attained by the indomitable perseverance of 
Cook. Swarms of petrels animated the sea, and no ice impeded 
his progress, but as the season was far advanced, and Weddell 
apprehended the dangers of the return voyage, he steered again 
to the north. In 1831 Biscoe discovered Enderby Land, and 
soon afterwards Graham’s Land, to which the gratitude of geo- 
eraphers has since given the discoverer’s name. 
Then follows Balleny who in 1839 revealed the existence of 
the group of islands called after him, and of Sabrina Land (69° 
south lat.). 
About the same time three considerable expeditions appear in 
the southern seas, sent out by France, the United States, and 
England. 
Dumont D’Urville discovered Terre Louis Philippe (63° 30’ 
south lat.) in February, 1838, and Terre Adélie (66° 67’ south 
lat.) on the 21st of January, 1840. 
Almost on the same day, Wilkes, the commander of the 
United States exploring expedition reached a coast which he 
followed for a length of 1500 miles, and which has been called 
Wilkes’ Land, to commemorate the discoverer’s name. But of all 
the explorers of the southern frozen ocean, the palm unquestion- 
ably belongs to Sir James Ross, who penetrated farther towards 
the Pole than any other navigator before or after, and followed 
up to 79° south lat. a steep coast, whose enormous glaciers 
stretched far out into the sea. In 77° 5’ south lat. he witnessed 
a magnificent eruption of Mount Erebus, the Etna of the ex- 
treme south. The enormous columns of flame and smoke rising 
two thousand feet above the mouth of the crater, which is ele- 
