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PREFACE 



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Fourteen years ago Robert Falcon Scott was a rising naval 

 officer, able, accomplished, popular, highly thought of by his 

 superiors, and devoted to his noble profession. It was a serious 

 responsibility to induce him to take up the work of an explorer; 

 yet no man living could be found who was so well fitted to com- 

 mand a great Antarctic Expedition. The undertaking was new 

 and unprecedented. The object was to explore the unknown 

 Antarctic Continent by land. Captain Scott entered upon the 

 enterprise with enthusiasm tempered by prudence and sound 

 sense. All had to be learnt by a thorough study of the history 

 of Arctic travelling, combined with experience of different con- 

 ditions in the Antarctic Regions. Scott was the initiator and 

 founder of Antarctic sledge travelling. 



His discoveries were of great importance. The survey and 



soundings along the barrier cliffs, the discovery of King Edward 



Land, the discovery of Ross Island and the other volcanic islets, 



the examination of the Barrier surface, the discovery of the 



Victoria Mountains a range of great height and many hundreds 



of miles in length, which had only before been seen from a dis- 



ai tance out at sea and above all the discovery of the great ice 



cap on which the South Pole is situated, by one of the most 



o remarkable polar journeys on record. His small but excellent 



^ scientific staff worked hard and with trained intelligence, their 



results being recorded in twelve large quarto volumes. 



The great discoverer had no intention of losing touch with 



his beloved profession though resolved to complete his Antarctic 



work. The exigencies of the naval service called him to the 



^ command of battleships and to confidential work of the Admir- 



^ alty; so that five years elapsed before he could resume his 



v Antarctic labours. 



The object of Captain Scott's second expedition was mainly 

 scientific, to complete and extend his former work in all branches 

 of science. It was his ambition that in his ship there should be 



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