THE OCEAN UNEXPLORED AND UNEXPLORABLE 255 



area, and the deepest, is unique in many respects ; but, 

 although it has been traversed for centuries, although 

 it probably bore upon its broad bosom the earliest of 

 all navigators, and has, being the wonder sea of the 

 whole world, a magnetic power of attraction for all 

 who still love the romance of the sea, it has not yet 

 nearly come to its own. That, however, is in the near 

 future. With the rise of Japan into a first-class power, 

 with all the maritime qualifications necessary to enable 

 her to take advantage of her magnificent position, 

 with the cutting of the Panama Canal and the develop- 

 ment of the Australasian colonies, the next generation 

 or so will most probably witness an amazing develop- 

 ment of Trans-Pacific trade, in which it is most probable 

 that our country will have to struggle fiercely to hold 

 her own with America, our own colonies, and Japan. 

 But that great development will come gradually, and 

 it is to be hoped that our ancient energy in shipping 

 matters will be equal to the occasion. 



And now, in considering the most mysterious ocean 

 of all, the boundless Antarctic, we, come to a portion 

 of the surface of the globe that, both above and below, 

 is full of mystery. A few attempts have been made 

 on scientific grounds to explore it, and a century ago 

 a certain amount of romantic business, in the shape of 

 sealing upon its few barren islands, was carried on, 

 while great fleets of sailing vessels, bound from Britain 

 to her antipodean colonies, tfind home again round 

 Cape Horn, gave the northern portion of it a fairly 

 strong human interest. But the sealers have long 

 given up their stormy trade, the sailing ship is fast 

 disappearing, and, except for the swift passage of the 

 big ocean steamships that still use this route, the great 



