286 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



South Shetlands and the South Orkneys and on the place names of the South Orkneys, 

 have rendered the task of writing this history from a somewhat scattered and inaccessible 

 literature much easier than it would otherwise have been. To Mr Bjarne Aagaard, of 

 Stavern, Norway, who has helped in many other ways, I am particularly indebted for 

 the account of C. A. Larsen's visit to the South Orkneys in November 1892, and for his 

 kindness in introducing me to Captain Walter Sachse of Hamburg, formerly Navigating 

 Officer of the ' Valdivia '. It was largely through the efforts of Captain Sachse that I was 

 able to examine the log-book of the German explorer and sealer. Captain Eduard Dall- 

 mann of the steam whaler ' Gronland '. After some enquiry Captain Sachse succeeded 

 in locating this log-book in the library of Justus Perthes' Geographische Anstalt in 

 Gotha, from which it was kindly lent to me by Professor Paul Langhans. The section on 

 whaling owes much to correspondence with Mr Sigurd Risting, Secretary of the Associa- 

 tion of Whaling Companies, Sandefjord, Norway, who together with other information 

 has supplied me with many interesting facts concerning the harbours and roadsteads 

 used by the Norwegian whaling fleets at the South Orkneys, and with details 

 of the Norwegian hydrographic work in the group. In collecting this information Mr 

 Risting made many enquiries among the Norwegian whaling community, obtaining 

 much that was of historical interest from several of the captains who had worked at the 

 South Orkneys during the early days of whaling in that field, particularly from Mrs 

 Signy Sorlle, whose husband, the late Captain Fetter Sorlle, had made surveys there. 



There are many others to whom I am grateful for assistance, and in particular I would 

 mention Captain J. B. Harrold, O.B.E., R.N.R., the Registrar-General of Shipping and 

 Seamen, who from the records in his office succeeded in tracing the name of the captain 

 of the cutter ' Beaufoy ' in December 1821 , when she made a voyage of discovery into the 

 north-western corner of the Weddell Sea. In addition Captain Harrold was able to 

 clear up certain points regarding the ownership of the two vessels, the 'Jane' and the 

 ' Beaufoy', commanded by Weddell in 1822-4. ^^^ further information on these points 

 I am indebted to Mr G. Walker, Secretary of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, 

 who kindly examined for me some letters from Weddell and a manuscript of his life 

 belonging to that Society. I have also to express my thanks to Monsieur G. Grandidier, 

 Secretaire General, Societe de Geographic, Paris, for notes on Powell's life and 

 death and on the French hydrographic work at the South Orkneys, to the President and 

 Council of the Royal Geographical Society for permission to use their library, and to 

 Mr D. B. Smith, librarian at the Admiralty. 



Mr J. M. Wordie has kindly read through the manuscript of this paper, and to him 

 and to Mr D. D. John, who was in charge of the scientific work during our survey of 

 the South Orkneys, I am much indebted for valuable criticism and help. 



Finally I wish to thank the Hydrographer of the Navy, Rear- Admiral J. A. Edgell, 

 R.N., and Commander N. A. C. Hardy, R.N., Superintendent of Charts, for the oppor- 

 tunity of examining the early charts of the South Orkneys. 



