CHAPTER I 



HISTORICAL 



Attention first drawn to Antarctic Region by Delineation of Map 

 Makers— Earliest References to Climatic Conditions — Varthema — 

 Vasco da Gama — Drake — Quiros — Tasman — Kerguelen — Cook — 

 Bellingshausen — Weddell — Biscoe— Balleny — D'Urville — Wilkes — 

 Ross — Later Expeditions — ' Challenger ' Expedition and Result — 

 Inception of National Antarctic Expedition — Sir Clements Markham 

 — Action of Societies — Mr. Longstaff — Decision to build new Ship — 

 My own Appointment — Finance Committee — Naval Crew — Purchase 

 of Stores. 



Till then they had deemed that the Austral earth 

 With a long unbroken shore 

 Ran on to the Pole Antarctic, 

 For such was the old sea lore. — ReKNELL Rodd. 



A bibliography of the Arctic Regions would occupy a large 

 volume ; that of the Antarctic Regions compiled by Dr. H. R. 

 Mill in 1901 contained 878 references, and included all books, 

 pamphlets, and maps even remotely touching the subject that 

 had been published in any country. This great difference in 

 the published matter relating to the two ends of our globe 

 justly represented the relative knowledge concerning them in 

 1 90 1, to whatever extent the disproportion has been modified 

 since that year. 



The history of the Arctic Regions stretches back for many 

 centuries, to the adventurous voyage of Oht-here, the friend 

 of King Alfred, and to the exploits of the Norsemen in 

 Greenland ; the history of the Antarctic Regions commences 

 at a much later period, and attention was drawn to them, not 

 vol. 1. B 



