364 



NATURE 



[December 3, 1914 



Edward Wright's translation of John Napier's " Mirifici 

 logarithmorum canonis descriptio," brought out in its 

 second edition at London in 1618, where we read 

 p. (4): "The note of Addition is ( + ) of subtracting 

 ( — ) of multiplying (.x)." This is taken from a part 

 of the book under the heading, "An Appendix to the 

 Logarithmes," the authorship of which is not given, 

 but is probably to be attributed to Samuel Wright, 

 who is reported to have been the editor of the book. 

 Accordingly, the symbol x occurring in Oughtied is 

 probably a modification of the letter x that was first 

 introduced at least thirteen years earlier, and probably 

 by Samuel Wright. Florian Cajori. 



Cambridge, November 25, 1914. 



ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE.'- 



THIS full account of the life and work of 

 Scott's northern party is a welcome addition 

 to the longfer story of their work by Commander 

 Victor Campbell in "Scott's Last Expedition." 

 It was originally intended by 

 Captain Scott that this party, of 

 six men all told, should make 

 their base on Kinj^ Edward Land. 

 When ice conditions prevented 

 this they searched in vain along- 

 the coast of Victoria Land for 

 a suitable landing until they 

 had no alternative but to make 

 use of Cape Adare, Borch- 

 grevink's old winter quarters. 

 Commander Campbell was well 

 aware of the drawbacks to this 

 place, from which it is impossible 

 to sledge overland in any direc- 

 tion, but he had no choice in the 

 matter. Either the party must 

 land there or return to New Zea- 

 land in the Terra Nova. The 

 winter at Cape Adare was spent 

 in comparative comfort arid the 

 account reads like that of any 

 other antarctic winter under 

 modern conditions of equipment. 

 A well-equipped party, in good 

 health, need suffer no particular 

 inconvenience nowadays in a polar winter. 

 Sledging in spring along the sea-ice to the north 

 proved impracticable, and in this respect Com- 

 mander Campbell and his men had the same ex- 

 perience that almost all explorers have had in the 

 south. No travelling can be more precarious than 

 that over sea-ice in the vicinity of open water. 



But it is the story of the second year's adven- 

 tures which is the most interesting part of this 

 book, for it was then that the author and his 

 companions went through an almost unique ex- 

 perience. The only comparable story in the annals 

 of the south pole is the wintering of Gunnar 

 Andersson and two companions of Nordenskjold's 

 Swedish Antarctic Expedition in 1903 in a stone 

 hut at Hope Bay, Louis Philippe Land. 



The Terra Nova had picked up the six men at 



1 "Antarctic Ad venture. Scott's Northern Party." By R. E. Priestley. 

 Pp. 382 + maps and illustrations. (London : T. Fisher Unwin, 1914.) Price 

 15J. net. 



Cape Adare early in January and landed them 

 four days later at Evans' Coves, about 270 miles 

 to the south. From there they were to be taken 

 by the ship on her return to New Zealand in 

 March. The Terra Nova failed in three attempts 

 to reach them, and so they were left to their own 

 resources. But we cannot understand why these 

 six men were landed wdth only six weeks* sledging 

 provisions, and skeleton rations for another four 

 weeks. Nor does Mr. Priestley's account make 

 this arrangement clearer to us. He admits, in 

 fact, that Commanders Pennell and Campbell had 

 agreed that if the shore party were not picked up 

 by March 18 they were to resign themselves to 

 spend another winter as best they might. At the 

 time, no doubt, they both thought this eventuality 

 a remote one : " we would all have sworn that if 

 there was one place along the coast which would 

 be accessible in Februarv, this would be the one." 



u. i. — A glacier table. Fron. " Antarctic Adveniure. 



But it was a risk that should never be taken in 

 polar exploration if it can possibly be avoided. 



The party spent the winter in a snow cave 

 hollowed out of a drift, eking out their scanty 

 rations with seal meat. They had a hungry winter, 

 but appear to have been cheerful and in compara- 

 tively good health throughout. Commander 

 Campbell and his comrades deserve congratula- 

 tions for this achievement. In October they 

 sledged southward along the coast to the main 

 base of the expedition at Cape Evans. Doubtless 

 this journey was impractical in winter, but we 

 would have liked to read the reasons which de- 

 cided Commander Campbell to winter under these 

 difficult, not to say precarious, conditions, at 

 Evans' Coves rather than attempt the retreat to 

 Cape Evans, some 250 miles, in late autumn. It 

 is not on account of new discoveries and scientific 

 work accomplished that this volume is important, 

 for of new discoveries the northern party had few, 



NO. 2353, VOL. 94] 



