424 



20 miles long, Mr. Louis BERNACCHI, magnetician and meteorologist to the Expedition, has made the 

 following statement in his introduction to the meteorological portion of the work, entitled ' Magnetic and 

 Meteorological Observations made by the "Southern Cross" Antarctic Expedition, 1898-1900,' published 

 by the Royal Society and already alluded to : " The meteorological station was situated on a pebbly bank 

 facing the open sea on the north and west, and Robertson Bay on the south and south-west. Behind, to 

 the east and south-east, was a range of mountains averaging 3000 feet in height, the base of which was 

 1000 yards from the meteorological screen. The height of the station above mean sea-level was 19 feet." 



Mr. BERNACCHI says that the coldest weather prevailed during calm, clear days, or with light south- 

 west winds ; and that the lowest pressures and highest temperatures were associated with winds from east- 

 south-east ; but that the barometer prior to these conditions fell with winds, as a rule, from north-westward. 

 There appears some evidence for the assumption that the diminution of pressure and rise of temperature 

 mentioned by Mr. BERNACCHI was intimately connected with the near approach and passage to eastward 

 to the north of Cape Adare of a low-pressure system ; for he states : " The prognostics of an approaching 

 storm from a south-easterly direction were as follows : Generally, a gradual and simultaneous rise of 

 temperature, a fall of the barometer some hours previous ; frequently, however, only a rise in temperature 

 with little warning from the barometer, a very rapid fall of the barometer about. 30 minutes before the 

 bursting of the storm, with light variable winds, and occasionally strong whirlwinds, loaded with drift- 

 snow, then a dead calm for a few minutes, followed by a great rush of wind from the east-south-east 

 having a velocity of about 60 miles an hour and bringing with it for the first few hours masses of drift- 

 snow from the mountains. The sky above, however, was usually clear. During the course of the 

 storm the wind frequently dropped quite suddenly and a perfect calm ensued which .lasted a few seconds, 

 then the rush of wind would come again with redoubled fury. During the winter months most of the 

 storms ended as abruptly as they had commenced, and sometimes the minimum pressure occurred just as 

 the storm ended, but the barometer would take nearly 24 hours to recover. The summer storms were 

 less severe, but were of much longer duration, lasting on one occasion a whole week." 



The rise of temperature in these gales from south-east and east-south-east, doubtless, is in some measure 

 due to the Fohn effect produced dynamically by the descent of air from the mountain tops ; and also to 

 the check given, by wind in motion, to cooling by radiation. But may it not, to some extent at least, be 

 attributed to the conveyance of warmer air drawn from lower latitudes, circulating about a low-pressure 

 system and conveying to the locality the higher temperatures of the regions whence it originated ? 



It will be shown later that the increase of temperature with gales from eastward at the Winter Quarters 

 of the German Expedition in the Antarctic was probably due to this cause. 



The gustiness of the gales is characteristic of all winds which blow over mountain ridges. 



During March and April, 1899, the mean pressure at Cape Adare is found to have been 29'161 inches, 

 which is 208 inch lower than the mean pressure at the " Discovery's " Winter Quarters in March and 

 April, 1902. 



The mean temperature at Cape Adare during the months referred to, 13 -9 F., is 13' 4 higher than the 

 "Discovery's" mean for the corresponding months in 1902. The absolute maximum temperature, 31 -5, 

 recorded on the 3rd April at Cape Adare, is 4 higher than the " Discovery's " ; the absolute minimum, 

 - 10 - 3 F., recorded on 20th April, is 21 3 higher, and the extreme range for the period, 41 8, is 17 '3 

 smaller. 



The prevailing winds at Cape Adare, during the time, were from between north-east and south, but the 

 commonest wind was the south-east ; there was, however, a large percentage of calms. The mean force, 

 as estimated, was 2 -4. Ten gales were experienced. The weather for the greater portion of the time 

 appears to have been overcast or cloudy ; rain fell on 3 days, and snow on 9. 



German Expedition, The German Antarctic Expedition, under the leadership of Dr. ERICH VON DRYGAI.SKI, left Kerguclen 

 Island on the 3rd February, 1902, for the Antarctic Regions, and discovered land on the 21st of the 

 month, near the Antarctic Circle, on, about, the 90th meridian of cast longitude, between Knox Land and 

 Kemp Land. On the following day the " Gauss " was frozen in and remained imprisoned in the ice for 

 12 months, in latitude 66 2' 9" S., longitude 89 38' E. 



Describing the locality in which the " Gauss " was situated, Dr. HANS GAZERT, the meteorologist to the 



