NA TURE 



[November 2, 1899 



Wilczekland, dwelt upon the motives and methods of Arctic 

 exploration, advocating the "dash for the pole "as the only 

 practical method of attaining the highest latitude in the short 

 time available during the brief season available for travelling in 

 the Far North, He recounted the incidents of his attempt in 

 1898-99, which was unsuccessful on account of a serious accident 

 which befel him when camping on an iceflow which was broken 

 up by a sudden pressure. 



Antarctic Papers. 



The records of recent work in the Antarctic were of no less 

 interest, and the display of slides from Antarctic photographs 

 was unique, none of them having been shown in public before. 



A short account of the cruise of Sir George Newnes' yacht 

 Southern Cross, with Mr. Borchgrevink and his party on board, 

 from Hobart to Cape Adare, was communicated by Dr. H. R. 

 Mill, and illustrated by a few pictures of the Antarctic ice and 

 of the landing at Cape Adare. The Southern Cross left Hobart 

 on December 19, reached 50° S. on the 23rd. The first ice 

 was met with on the 30th in 61° 56' S., and 159" E., and on 

 January 1, 1899, she was practically stopped by the pack in 

 63° 40'. Every effort was made to proceed southward and east- 

 ward, but with small result, as on January 31 the position was 

 only 66° 46' S. and 165" 28' E. She then commenced to work 

 northward and eastward to escape from the pack, which she did 

 on February 12 in 65° 43' S. , and then it was found easy to 

 cross the pack to the southward in longitude 173° E., the ship 

 anchoring off the beach at Cape Adare on February 17. Tem- 

 pestuous weather was experienced, the wind at the most 

 southerly part of the voyage blowing usually from easterly and 

 southerly quarters, and the vessel being more than once in 

 danger of driving ashore. Stores were landed, huts erected, 

 and the Southern Cross finally left Mr. Borchgrevink with nine 

 companions and seventy-five dogs on the shore of what he 

 believed to be the Antarctic continent on February 28, 1899. 



M. H. Ar9towski, the oceanographer and meteorologist of the 

 Belgica, gave a brief account of the voyage and the wintering of 

 the Belgian expedition in the Antarctic ice-pack south-west of 

 Cape Horn. He showed a number of photographs of the newly 

 explored land, and concluded by expressing his views as to the 

 further work required in Antarctic exploration as follows : — 



At the present day it is impossible to consider the land alone ; 

 the whole Antarctic area exhibits phenomena which remain very 

 imperfectly known, such as the great questions of atmospheric 

 circulation, climate, circumpolar oceanography and magnetic 

 conditions. Hence Antarctic explorations must be conducted in 

 three ways : — 



• ( I ) A system of fixed stations arranged between the edge of 

 the continents and the zone of ice. These stations should be 

 supplied with all necessary magnetic and meteorological instru- 

 ments, and continue at work simultaneously for one year at 

 least. 



(2) During the same year two polar expeditions should set 

 out on opposite sides towards the South Pole. This would 

 rftiuire two vessels strong enough to withstand the pack, and 

 equipped for wintering. 



(3) Finally a circumpolar expedition, planned to follow the 

 edge of the pack right round, and specially equipped for oceano- 

 graphical and zoological work. This expedition would also 



. survey the accessible parts of the Antarctic coast. 



Such a system of exploration must necessarily be the work of 

 several nations. Weyprecht's idea should be revived and 

 followed. Antarctic exploration must be conducted system- 

 atically, and it ought to be international. A series of circumpolar 

 stations, where comparable and simultaneous observations are 

 carried on, would make the results of the British and German 

 Antarctic expeditions remarkably complete, and vastly enhance 

 their value. 



A polygon of stations should unite South America and the 

 Antarctic lands. The path of the cyclonic storms passes to the 

 south of Cape Horn, and — at least during part of the year— to 

 the north of Palmer Land. The polygon should include 

 stations on the east and west coasts of Graham Land, and one 

 of the South Shetland Islands, on South Orkney and on one of 

 the Sandwich Islands, together with stations at Cape Pillar, 

 Cape Virgins, Cape Horn, Staten Island and the Falklands. 

 With such a system of observation it would be possible to deter- 

 mine exactly the track of every cyclone crossing the polygon of 

 stations. This is a matter of very great practical importance. 

 These cyclones seem to travel in the general direction of the 



NO. 1566, VOL. 61] 



upper winds from west to east, and they seem to follow the 

 outline of Alexander, Graham and Palmer Lands, but how and 

 why this is so we cannot tell as yet. Between South America 

 and the Antarctic land there is a belt of low pressure which 

 seems to encircle the Antarctic region where there is ap- 

 parently a permanent anticyclone ; but observations are wanting 

 to determine the associated conditions of atmospheric circulation. 



It seems scarcely necessary to insist on the advantages which 

 two other polygons of stations would present, one to the south 

 of the Indian Ocean, the other between New Zealand and 

 Victoria Land. The second polygon would be formed by the 

 islands of Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen and a station on 

 Enderby Land. The third polygon would include the Balleny, 

 Macquarie and Auckland Islands. This would be a particularly 

 interesting polygon on account of its comparative proximity to 

 the magnetic pole. 



The two vessels designed to winter in the pack should 

 approach along the meridians of 145° W, and 35° E. Im- 

 prisoned in the pack as the Belgica was, these vessels would be 

 able to carry on oceanographical and zoological work, and also 

 to collect magnetic and meteorological observations, thus adding 

 two stations near the pole to the various polygons. From the 

 meteorological point of view it would be extremely interesting 

 for these vessels to reach high latitudes, for the region near the 

 pole will probably differ greatly from the northern edge of the 

 Antarctic lands in everything regarding atmospheric pressure, 

 wind and storms. 



As to the circumpolar expedition, the vessel intended for this 

 purpose should be quite independent of those which penetrate 

 the pack. The region is too great to admit of the whole voyage 

 being completed in one season — three would probably be neces- 

 sary. It is pot easy to indicate the route which should be 

 followed, for everything depends on circumstances. Still, it 

 may be observed that— in summer at least — easterly winds pre- 

 dominate near the edge of the south polar pack, and therefore 

 it would be advantageous to proceed from east to west. 



Mr. J. Y. Buchanan, F.R.S., treated of the physical and 

 chemical work required for an Antarctic expedition, and pointed 

 out that the principal object at the outset of the expedition 

 should be to push energetically southwards, and effect a landing 

 in the most suitable place in the highest possible southern lati- 

 tude, and there establish the principal station. The locality 

 should be chosen where the ship, or one of the ships, would 

 find safe winter quarters. As the principal object is to estab- 

 lish the expedition as advantageously as possible on land, 

 no time should be spent unnecessarily at sea. For this 

 reason magnetic observations at sea should not be con- 

 templated. They take up an enormous amount of time, and 

 besides, if they are to be of any use, the distribution of 

 iron in the ship has to be arranged under such restrictions 

 as to interfere materially with the usefulness of the ship in 

 other directions. On land, the magnetic observations would 

 occupy a first place, also pendulum observations for the de- 

 termination of the intensity of gravity and tidal observations. 

 It has been the general experience of Antarctic navigators 

 that the heavy pack-ice is met with at a considerable distance 

 from land, and between it and the land there is comparatively 

 open water. The ice which would cover this water in winter 

 would probably loosen earlier than the heavy pack, and the 

 ship, if wintering inside, might be able to move much earlier 

 than it would be possible for her to pass the pack ; and this 

 would be an additional advantage of finding winter quarters for 

 the ship. 



Perhaps the most important work to be done is to obtain a 

 complete meteorological record during the whole of the sojourn 

 of the expedition in Antarctic regions, whether at sea or on 

 land. At present, any view as to the meteorological conditions 

 on the Antarctic land may be held, because we have no facts 

 by which to regulate our speculations. The expedition should 

 be fully supplied with instruments for this purpose, and especially 

 with self recording instruments. As the station must necessarily 

 be on land, and not on ice, geological observations will be made 

 as a matter of course. 



What distinguishes the Antarctic regions above everything is 

 the development of ice as a geological feature, whether it is met 

 with at sea as icebergs, or on land as glaciers, or a continuous 

 covering. It is almost certain that any station on land will be 

 within easy reach of a glacier, and means should be taken to 

 establish marks as early as possible which will enable its motion 

 to be observed before darkness sets in and after the sun reappears. 



