TEANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 251 



paper on the subject before the Otago Institute, so far back as 

 1878 ; and, seeing that it appeared doubtful whether Baron 

 Nordenskiold's project would ever be carried into effect, while, 

 if it were, it was likely to be upon too small a scale to give 

 it a chance of doing any work of real value, the author 

 deemed himself justified in inviting the Association to take 

 some practical steps towards bringing about a solution of the 

 greatest geographical problem which yet remained to tax man's 

 wit and energies. Of the immense region lying within the 

 Antarctic Circle, comprising an area of a little over 8,000,000 

 square miles, we knew scarcely anything ; while, according 

 to Sir Wyville Thomson's calculations, an inner area of 

 4,700,000 square miles was absolutely unknown to us. Sir 

 James Boss's expedition, which had accomplished more than any 

 other South Polar expedition, was the outcome of the efforts of 

 the British Association for the Advancement of Science ; and it 

 would greatly tend to popularise the Australasian Association, 

 and prove that it was of genuine utility, if it could succeed in 

 bringing about a successful Antarctic expedition. 



Some of the objects of such an expedition are these : — 



The great problem of whether an Antarctic continent 

 existed or not, still remained unsolved. The drift of recent 

 speculations favoured a belief in the existence of an archipelago 

 instead of a continent in the South Polar regions ; but when 

 they reflected how many ingenious speculations upon the 

 geography of the Arctic regions had been put to flight upon the 

 results of actual research, they would attach but little weight 

 to these speculations, and it was only by exploration that the 

 question at issue could be determined. 



It was of the highest interest to know whether the Antarctic 

 lands were inhabited by man. Probably they were not. But 

 in our present state of ignorance of the conditions of these 

 lands it would be absurd to dogmatize on the subject. The 

 climate of the Antarctic was more trying to mankind than that 

 of the Arctic regions. The temperature was lower in summer 

 and the weather more stormy — in fact, there appeared to be no 

 real summer ; but there were substantial grounds for believing 

 that the winters were milder ; and sheltered spots might lie con- 

 cealed within the Antarctic Circle where human beings might 

 contrive to exist. The means of subsistence for man were not 

 absolutely lacking. There was an abundant marine fauna ; and, 

 although vegetation had not yet been found at a higher latitude 

 than 64° 12' S., further research might prove that first im- 

 pressions in this respect were erroneous. 



Important contributions to zoological science might be 

 expected. Eoss found the marine fauna abundant in the 

 highest latitudes. Whales and seals were plentiful ; and 

 molluscs, crustaceans, corallines, and many other forms (some 



