274 EEPOBT— 1891. 



rapid passage appear to be well founded when considered in 

 relation to that part of the ocean between Kerguelen Land 

 and New Zealand. The winds, also, to the southward of lat. 

 50° S. are generally such as will insure either a sailing ship or 

 steamer making a rapid passage with no more risk from ice- 

 bergs than is encountered in an ordinary passage by steam 

 from Liverpool to New York. This point is not one which 

 admits of very serious discussion, the high seas and violent 

 shifts of wind one is warned against by the Admiralty's sailing 

 directions being mostly the records of small and in many cases 

 ill-found sailing vessels, and not by any means to be dreaded in 

 a modern and well-fitted steam vessel ; so that, in point of fact, 

 the difficulties of a passage across the Indian Ocean may be 

 regarded as no serious affair. 



On the other hand, it must be assumed that between Aus- 

 tralia and Cape Horn, in certain years, and at certain seasons 

 of the year, it is not possible to make the passage without the 

 risk of encountering ice in either large or small quantities : not 

 that this is necessarily a great hindrance to safe navigation, 

 because it is not really so ; and if a greater knowledge of the 

 subject were universal the risk would be reduced to within very 

 small limits, but with our present knowledge of Antarctic 

 meteorology it is impossible to specify the reasons which 

 make one year better or worse so far as ice is concerned. And 

 it is also certain that for many years past there has been an 

 absence of ice on this route in any such quantity as to seriously 

 impede navigation. Last year was, for instance, much w^orse 

 as regards icebergs than many which had preceded it ; but at 

 the same time there were unmistakable signs to such as would 

 accept them as tended to minimise most materially the risks 

 which of necessity had to be encountered. And it is to be 

 greatly regretted that, beyond the log kept in some instances 

 by ships for the English Meteorological Office, there is no 

 common system of record by all ships of such facts as are 

 or would be of interest to the entire civilised world. 



In the chart which accompanies these notes there are 

 marked lines of temperature of the sea for all seasons of the 

 year — not isothermal lines, but a record of temperature taken 

 every thirteen nautical miles ; and there is a certain amount of 

 difficulty in displaying them clearly on any one chart, even 

 though different colours have been employed in the endeavour 

 to do so. The principle adopted has been to take the first 

 marked fall of the water-thermometer, and then show its mean 

 variations until the normal temperature, or that experienced 

 off Cape Horn, has been reached. The dates appended to the 

 various lines of temperature show the time occupied in passing 

 from west to east, and the other figures are water-temperatures 

 only. It would have been more satisfactory had the tempera- 



