i9o 4 ] A PROBLEM SOLVED 289 



the expectation of seeing two groups of islands, and were 

 naturally much puzzled when we found that by no means 

 could we reconcile the accounts of the two explorers to fit this 

 theory ; and at first the clouded condition of the land added 

 much to this difficulty. 



It was only after I had read the accounts many times, and 

 compared them with what we actually saw, that the solution 

 suddenly flashed upon me, and as is so often the case, when 

 the key was once supplied the matter became obvious to us 

 all. We saw then that the island which we had just passed was 

 Balleny's Sturge Island. Balleny had seen it from the north, 

 in which direction it presents a comparatively narrow front ; 

 he could have had no idea of its length in a north-and-south 

 line. At a later date Ross must have seen this same island, 

 and, as we saw was quite possible, from a great distance he 

 must have imagined it to be divided into three, and hence 

 made the mistake of naming it as a separate group. 



Later on this same day the cloudy screen about the islands 

 gradually vanished ; we were able to see the land clearly both 

 north and south of us, and Mulock obtained sufficient bearings 

 to fix accurately the position of each island. 

 In the evening of the 2nd I wrote : 



1 This afternoon, as the weather cleared and the sun shone 

 forth, we got a good view of the islands now falling behind us, 

 and had no longer a doubt as to their identity. Looking 

 astern, on our right was Sturge Island, more than twenty miles 

 in length, with the lofty summit of Brown's Peak arising 

 towards its northern end. The nearest island on the left was 

 Buckle Island, its outline from this side being the exact 

 reverse of that sketched by Balleny's mate from the other. 

 The smaller island next to the north was Borrodaile Island, 

 and this also could be recognised from the sketch. Young 

 Island presented a high land to the left, though Peak Freeman, 

 its highest point, was never wholly clear of cloud. The last 

 of the group reported by Balleny, Row Island, we did not see, 

 but this was not surprising, as it is stated to be comparatively 

 low. 



vol. ?i, y 



