314 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



a slippery surface into a small bobbing boat. I need scarcely say that I was more afraid 

 for their safety than they were for their own. 



During these operations, the ' Alert ' could not be left unattended, and therefore either 

 lay off waiting, or proceeded to some more sheltered spot, if any useful work could be 

 found there. Generally she waited, because of the treacherous weather, which never 

 gave much warning of a change for the worse. 



Even with the stations made as above, the triangulation had to depend to a certain 

 extent on calculated angles, to wit, those at O'Connor Peak. O'Connor Peak cannot easily 

 be climbed, but having a very well-defined sharp point it became an important position, 

 more especially since we depended upon it in connecting this triangulation with that of 

 Cumberland Bay. 



There were a great many days when landing was definitely impossible, and this 

 delayed the work considerably. During this time also the general weather conditions 

 were particularly vile, snow and fog alternating for days on end, with only the briefest 

 fine intervals. 



Every opportunity was taken of working outside, leaving Godthul and Pleasant Cove 

 for windy days; but even so these were both completed some time before the coastal 

 strip. The importance of this part of the coast lies in the fact that it is near Grytviken, 

 the principal harbour of the island, yet is very foul, and that there is a good navigable 

 channel for small vessels inside the rocks, which is frequently used by whale-catchers. 



The ' Norvegia ' came in during our stay, and went alongside Messrs Bryde and Dahl's 

 Floating Factory, the ' Thor I ', which had arrived some days previously. The ' Nor- 

 vegia' had completed a voyage made in search of new whaling grounds and for 

 scientific research, and was going to lay up at Grytviken for the winter. 



During the sounding between BarflF Point and Cape George some data were obtained 

 for deducing the current. The method used, on those occasions when a flat calm en- 

 svired that there would be no wind effect, was to plot the 'Alert's' position by sextant 

 angles at intervals to determine her drift. The current seemed to vary between | and 

 I J knots in a west-north-west direction. These results, of course, are not conclusive, 

 having been obtained over a comparatively short period; but they should give an 

 indication of the general conditions to be expected. 



In the time at our disposal the topography during this survey was not considered to 

 merit more than a sketch, and with the exception of some of the more outstanding 

 features, no more was attempted. Heights were obtained where possible by theodolite 

 elevated angles, and when any summits were climbed the aneroid was used and found to 

 agree well with the theodolite results up to about 500 ft. or a little more. The coast-line 

 was practically inaccessible except in a few places, and was therefore also sketched in. 



One of our main stations at Godthul, at a height of 520 ft., became very useful, as on 

 going up one day when a very heavy swell prevailed outside, we managed with our 

 theodolite to obtain angles to all the breakers in sight. These angles were very useful 

 afterwards, in combination with other angles, to fix these breakers. Angles of depression 

 were also obtained to all these. Although not realized at the time, one of these breakers 



