450 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OP THE SEA, AND ITS METEOROLOGY. 



obtain from comparing together the relative speed of vessels as 

 they sail to and fro upon intertropical seas ! 



838. Indications lohich the winds afford concerning the unexplored 

 regions of the south. — Such is the picture which, after no little 

 labour, much research, and some thought, the winds have enabled 

 us to draw of certain imexplored portions of our planet. As we 

 have drawn the picture, so, from the workings of the meteorolo- 

 gical machinery of the southern hemisphere, we judge it to be. 

 The evidence which has been introduced is meteorological in its 

 nature, circumstantial in its character, we admit ; but it shows 

 the idea of land in the antarctic regions— of much land, and high 

 land— to be plausible at least. Not only so : it suggests that a 

 group of active volcanoes there would by no means be incon- 

 sistent with the meteorological phenomena which we have been 

 investigating. True, volcanoes in such a place may not be a 

 meteorological necessity. AVe cannot say that they are ; yet the 

 force and regularity of the winds remind us that their presence 

 there would not be inconsistent with known laws. According 

 to these laws, we may as well imagine the antarctic circle to en- 

 compass land as to encompass water. We know, ocularly, but 

 little more of its topographical features than we do of those of 

 one of the planets; but, if they be continental, we surely may, 

 without any unwarrantable stretch of the imagination, relieve 

 the face of nature there with snow-clad mountains, and diversify 

 the landscape with flaming volcanoes. None of these features 

 are inconsistent with the phenomena displayed by the winds. 

 Let us apply to other departments of physics, and seek testimony 

 from other sources of information. None of the evidence to be 

 gathered there will appear contradictoiy — it is rather in corrobo- 

 ration. Southern explorers, as far as they have penetrated 

 within the antarctic circle, tell us of high lands and mountains 

 of ice ; and Eoss, who went farthest of all, saw volcanoes burning 

 in the distance. 



839. Their extent; Plate XIV. — The unexplored area around 

 the south pole is about twice as large as Europe. This untra- 

 velled region is circular in shape, the circumference of which 

 does not measure less than 7000 miles. Its edges have been 

 penetrated here and there, and land, whenever seen, has been 

 high and rugged. Plate XIV. shows the utmost reach of antarc- 

 tic exploration. The unexplored area there is quite equal to 

 that of our entire frigid zone. Navigators on the voyage from 



