3oo THE VOYAGE OF THE ■ DISCOVERY ' 



GENERAL SURVEY OF OUR OBSERVATIONS 



They that have wrought the end unthought 



Be neither saint nor sage, 

 But men that merely did the work 



For which they drew the wage. — Kipling. 



It is impossible at this date to give anything like a complete 

 summary of the results of our Antarctic Expedition, for until 

 the scientific collection and observations have been thoroughly 

 examined by experts, all deductions that can be drawn from 

 them must be open to doubt. But in addition to the mass of 

 important matter which cannot be safely discussed until it has 

 been completely investigated, there is a large field of more 

 general interest which does not need the close study of records, 

 and concerning which ideas can be advanced without prejudice. 

 In this field lie the purely geographical problems which we set 

 forth to solve, as well as the outlines of others which formed 

 the main objects of our various sledge journeys. 



In the course of the narrative of our voyage I found it 

 impossible to give in connected fashion all the observations of 

 irregular occurrence which, when pieced together, form the 

 main facts of our discoveries and exhibit problems of the 

 greatest interest for future explorers. 



At this point I propose, therefore, to collect these facts and 

 observations in more connected form, partly to give a clearer 

 idea of the physical conditions of the field of our labours, but 

 mainly that those who follow in our footsteps may have the 

 full benefit of our experience. In considering these objects 

 the reader will readily understand the order in which I present 

 the following paragraphs. 



