826 CONDITION OF THE FLOOR OF THE OCEAN. 



mulated in recent years a vast amount of information regarding the 

 distribution of temperature and salinity, as well as of the planktonic 

 organisms at the surface of the ocean. The papers by Mr. H. C. 

 Russell on the icebergs and currents of the great Southern Ocean and of 

 Mr. F. W. Walker on the density of the water in the Southern Hem- 

 isphere show that the Australian colonies are taking a practical inter- 

 est in oceanographical problems. 



PROPOSED ANTARCTIC EXPLORATIONS. 



The great event of the year, from a geographical point of view, is 

 the progress that has been made toward the realization of a scheme 

 for the thorough .scientific exploration in the near future of the whole 

 south polar region. The British and German governments have voted 

 or guaranteed large sums of money to assist in promoting this object, 

 and princely donations have likewise been received from private indi- 

 viduals, in this connection the action of Mr. L. W. Longstalt' in making 

 a gift of £25,000, and of Mr. A. C. Harmsworth in promising £5,000, 

 being beyond all praise. 



There is an earnest desire among the scientific men of Britain and 

 Germany that there should be some sort of cooperation with regard 

 to the scientific work of the two expeditions, and that these should ])oth 

 sail in 1901, so that the invaluable gain attaching to simultaneous 

 observations may be secured. Beyond this nothing has, as yet, been 

 definitely settled. The members of the association will presently have 

 an opportunity of expressing their opinions as to what should be 

 attempted by the British expedition, how the work in connection with 

 it should be arranged, and how the various researches in view can best 

 be carried to a successful issue. 



I have long taken a deep interest in antarctic exploration, because 

 such exploration must necessarily deal largely with oceanographical 

 problems, and also because I have had the privilege of studying the 

 conditions of the ocean within both the Arctic and Antarctic circles. 

 In the year 1886 1 published an article on the subject of antarctic 

 exploration in the Scottish Geographical Magazine. This article led 

 to an interesting interview, especially when viewed in the light of after 

 events, for a few weeks after it appeared in type a 3^oung Norwegian 

 walked into the Clialleiujer oflSce in Edinburgh to ask when the pro- 

 posed expedition would probably start, and if there were any chance 

 of his services being accepted. His name was Nansen. 



When at the request of the president I addressed the Royal Geo- 

 graphical Society on the same subject in the year 1893, I made the 

 following statement as to what it seemed to me should l)e the general 

 character of the proposed exploration: 



"A dash at the South Pole is not, however, what 1 advocate, nor 

 do I believe that is what British science at the present time desires. 



