8o WITH SCOTT: THE SILVER LINING 



pianola, after which we turned in with a pleasing consciousness 

 of duties nobly done. 



New Year's Day was most beautiful weather. Some 

 portion of it was occupied in swinging ship to correct the 

 compasses. In a chart plotted to show the magnetic variation 

 this region is of great interest. For the last few days every 

 degree of southing has approximately led to a change of one 

 degree in the magnetic variation. Thus on entering the pack 

 the variation from north was 40 E. ; on leaving it was 6o°, 

 while at Ross Island it has increased to 150 . The magnetic 

 pole — to which the S. end of the compass needle points — lies 

 inland some 200 miles from Mount Sabine. On the line 

 ioining the magnetic to the south pole the compass readings 

 are completely reversed. Captain Scott, on his western 

 journey, crossed this line, and when he sent back a party of 

 men, told them to find their course due east by following 

 exactly the path indicated by west on the compass. 



During these few days every one is much occupied with 

 letters home. Special stamps — surcharged Victoria Land — 

 have been issued to us, but as their number is limited, I fancy 

 few of them will be exposed to the tender mercies of the post 

 offices of the world. On the last expedition many of the 

 letters bearing Antarctic stamps went astray, so that on this 

 occasion two envelopes are being used by those who desire 

 to send home officially obliterated stamps. The talents of 

 the afterguard as regards letter-writing vary considerably. 

 One member is sending off nearly a hundred postcards and 

 letters. Another collected a few important dates from other 

 people's diaries — to lend an air of exactitude to his epistle, he 

 explained — and then proceeded to send off one letter of no 

 great length. 



If it were possible, Captain Scott proposed to make Cape 

 Crozier his headquarters. In some respects this was superior 

 to other positions. It was new ground, except for a hasty 

 survey ; it was near the Emperor Penguin settlement. More 

 important, it was permanently connected with the Great 

 Barrier, whereas Cape Royds is isolated from the south by 

 impassable cliffs and glaciers in summer. 



A sine qua non> however, was a firm ice-foot, or sea-ice 

 platform, on which to disembark the heavy motor-sledges and 

 the ponies. The 3rd of January was a day replete with 



