224 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [April 



" Encyclopaedia Britannica ") the " Century Dictionary," the 

 Atlas, Haydn's " Dictionary of Dates," " Whitaker's Almanack," 

 " Hazell's Annual," the " Statesman's Year Book," and some 

 others, provide an ample field for supporting one's own opinion, 

 refuting one's opponent, or at least for confusing the issue. I 

 am not sure we get much " forrader " by our heated discussions, 

 but it is a great deal better than being dull and silent ; we have 

 never yet sat through a meal without continual conversation, 

 and I hope we never may. 



1 Dinner is followed by an hour or two of recreation, dis- 

 cussion, or work, a go-as-you-please arrangement ; some finish 

 off their daily work, some write, some read, and some play 

 games. For some time now a game of " bridge " has been the 

 evening amusement ; five or six play, " cutting in " in the usual 

 manner. No doubt the popularity of " bridge " will wane as 

 has that of other games ; chess was played for a long while, and 

 will probably come to the front again. Most of us straggle off 

 to bed between eleven and twelve, but some, myself amongst 

 others, often stay up later. A few find that sleep does not 

 come at all uniformly, but for my own part I sleep like a top. 



' Every Tuesday after dinner we have a debate in the wardroom. 

 I think Bernacchi first suggested this, and it was decided to 

 have a technical subject one week and a lay one the next. 

 The proceedings have always been very orderly, and throughout 

 the winter nearly everyone has attended, though now their popu- 

 larity is waning. On technical evenings we have discussed the 

 barrier, the climatic conditions, the prospects of getting east and 

 west, the seals, and the penguins, with results that have been 

 both instructive and amusing. There is so much in these sub- 

 jects that remains unexplained and mysterious that everyone 

 must gain fresh ideas from their free discussion ; of the barrier 

 we still seem to know all too little, but that little is contrary to 

 preconceived notions, and the ideas it suggests are confused 

 enough to need sorting, if we are to continue our exploration 

 systematically in the spring. In the climatic conditions we 

 have yet to explain the astonishing differences of temperature 

 in different localities and with different winds, and to discuss 



