Preliminary remarks. Disputed claims A wr A T> r"n m 

 of priority of disco very. A PS 1 A HC1 It- 



Disputed claims of priority of 

 discovery. 



129 



CHAPTER XVII. 

 ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 



PRELIMINARY REMARKS DISPUTED CLAIMS OF PRIORITY OP DISCOVERY PROCEEDINGS OF THE SftUADRON TO THE 

 SECOND OF JANUARY SEPARATION OF THE FLYING-FISH AND PEACOCK FIRST ICEBERG SEEN FALL IN WITH 

 THE ICY BARRIER PORPOISE LOST SIGHT OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE PEACOCK FROM THE THIRD OF JANUARY 

 HER VISIT TO MACttUARIE's ISLAND FIRST ICEBERG SEEN BY HER SHE FALLS IN WITH THE ICY BARRIER 

 PROCEEDINGS OF THE PORPOISE SEA-ELEPHANTS SEEN AND TAKEN LAND SEEN FROM ALL THE VESSELS 

 PROCEEDINGS OF THE VINCENNES FROM THE SIXTEENTH OF JANUARY SHE ENTERS A DEEP BAY IN THE 

 BARRIER PEACOCK AND PORPOISE SEEN PEACOCK SPOKEN LAND DISTINCTLY SEEN FROM THE VINCENNES 

 AND PEACOCK FIGHT BETWEEN A WHALE AND 'KILLER 1 PROCEEDINGS OF THE PEACOCK SOUNDINGS 

 OBTAINED BY HER HER PERILOUS SITUATION AND PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPE HER CRIPPLED CONDITION CAP- 

 TAIN HUDSON RESOLVES TO RETURN HIS ADMIRABLE CONDUCT, AND THAT OF HIS OFFICERS AND CREW. 



THE subjects of which I am about to treat in the 

 following chapters are exclusively nautical. I shall 

 therefore adopt in treating them more of the form 

 of a log-book, and follow the daily order of their 

 occurrence with more strictness than I have 

 hitherto considered necessary. This will be done 

 in order to illustrate more fully the nature of the 

 remote regions we traversed, and for the pur- 

 pose of giving a more exact relation of the inci- 

 dents of this part of our cruise, incidents that I 

 cannot but hope have made this part of our labours 

 particularly interesting to all of our countrymen 

 who possess a feeling of national pride. 



The credit of these discoveries has been claimed 

 on the part of one foreign nation, and their extent, 

 nay, actual existence, called into question by an- 

 other ; both having rival expeditions abroad, one 

 at the same time, the other the year succeeding. 



Each of these nations, with what intent I shall 

 not stop to inquire, has seemed disposed to rob us 

 of the honour by underrating the importance of 

 their own researches, and would restrict the ant- 

 arctic land to the small parts they respectively 

 saw. However willing I might be in a private 

 capacity to avoid contesting their statements, and 

 let truth make its own way, I feel it due to the 

 honour of our flag to make a proper assertion of 

 the priority of the claim of the American expe- 

 dition, and of the greater extent of its discoveries 

 and researches. 



That land does exist within the antarctic circle 

 is now confirmed by the united testimony of both 

 French and English navigators. D'Urville, the 

 celebrated French navigator, within a few days 

 after land was seen by the three vessels of our 

 squadron, reports that his boats landed on a small 

 point of rocks, at the place (as I suppose) which 

 appeared accessible to us in Piner's Bay, whence 

 the Vincennes was driven by a violent gale ; this 

 he called Clarie Land, and testifies to his belief of 

 the existence of a vast tract of land, where our 

 view of it has left no doubt of its existence. Ross, 

 on the other hand, penetrated to the latitude of 

 79 S. in the succeeding year, coasted for some 

 distance along a lofty country connected with our 

 antarctic continent, and establishes beyond all 

 cavil the correctness of our assertion, that we have 

 discovered, not a range of detached islands, but 

 a vast antarctic continent. I took care to forward 

 to Captain Ross a full account of the proceedings 



of the squadron. Although I have never received 

 any acknowledgment of their receipt from him 

 personally, yet I have heard of their having 

 reached his hands a few months prior to his ant- 

 arctic cruise. Of this, however, I do not complain, 

 and feel only the justifiable desire to maintain the 

 truth in relation to a claim that is indisputable. 

 The following narrative must, I feel satisfied, leave 

 no doubt in any unprejudiced mind of the correct- 

 ness of the assertion that we have discovered a vast 

 continent ; but I would ask in advance, who was 

 there prior to 1840, either in this country or in 

 Europe, that had the least idea that any large body 

 of land existed to the south of New Holland ! and 

 who is there that now doubts the fact, whether he 

 admits it to be a vast continent, or contends that it 

 is only a collection of islands ? 



Examine all the maps and charts published up 

 to that time, and upon them will any traces of such 

 land be found ? They will not, and for the very best 

 of reasons none was known or even suspected to 

 exist. We ourselves anticipated no such discovery; 

 the indications of it were received with doubt and 

 hesitation ; I myself did not venture to record in 

 my private journal the certainty of land, until 

 three days after those best acquainted with its 

 appearance in these high latitudes were assured of 

 the fact ; and finally, to remove all possibility of 

 doubt, and to prove conclusively that there was no 

 deception in the case, views of the same land were 

 taken from the vessels in three different positions, 

 with the bearings of its peaks and promontories, by 

 whose intersection their position is nearly as well 

 established as the peaks of any of the islands we 

 surveyed from the sea. 



All doubt in relation to the reality of our dis- 

 covery gradually wore away, and towards the close 

 of the cruise of the Vincennes along the icy barrier, 

 the mountains of the antarctic continent became 

 familiar and of daily appearance, insomuch that 

 the log-book, which is guardedly silent as to the 

 time and date of its being first observed, now 

 speaks throughout of " the land." 



After leaving Sydney we had, until the 31st 

 December, fine weather and favourable winds. 

 We took advantage of these, and all sail was 

 crowded on the vessels of the squadron. Under 

 such circumstances, the usual order of sailing, 

 in a line abreast, was easily maintained, and the 

 communications between the vessels were frequent. 



K 



