D'URVILLE AND WILKES 13 



Towards the close of 1839 Wilkes, like D'Urville, had 

 found shelter in Australian waters. By this time news of the 

 prospective British expedition had been spread abroad, and it 

 was known that, fully equipped for magnetic work, it proposed 

 to sail directly for the position assigned to the magnetic pole 

 by the calculations of the great German magnetician Gauss ; 

 this position was approximately in latitude 76 S., longitude 

 146 E. It was known also that Ross could not be in a 

 position to attempt to reach it until the following year. How 

 far Wilkes and D'Urville were guided by this information in 

 their future actions it is impossible to say; that they must 

 have received it is certain, and, considering that neither ex- 

 pedition was completely equipped for magnetic work, the fact 

 that both immediately set sail in the direction of the magnetic 

 pole must be regarded at least as showing questionable taste 

 on the part of the commanders. 



D'Urville left Tasmania early in January 1840, and, after a 

 comparatively easy passage, on January 19, when in latitude 

 66 S., longitude 140 E., sighted land to the south. At first he 

 seems to have seen nothing but the long ice-barrier so typical 

 of Antarctic coasts, but later he found beneath the icy wall 

 eight or ten small islets on which his people were able to land 

 and to collect specimens of rock. He named this coast Ad£lie 

 Land, and, continuing his explorations to the west, again 

 sighted the ice-barrier somewhat more to the north, and 

 named it Cote Clarie. Satisfied with the result of his voyage, 

 D'Urville then turned to the north. Although it is to be 

 deplored that he did not take full advantage of the season to 

 continue his explorations, the discovery of Adelie Land was an 

 extremely important matter, and possesses a definition which 

 is sadly lacking in other reports. 



Wilkes with his five ships sailed from Sydney at the end of 

 December 1839. His ships took various tracks, but he him- 

 self in the ' Vincennes ' reached latitude 66 S., longitude 

 158 E., on January 16, and at this point he claimed to have 

 first seen land to the south. Hence he cruised to the west- 

 ward, approximately on the latitude of the Antarctic Circle, 



