io Recent Antarctic Exploration 



commences, however, with Mount Melbourne itself, which is 

 shown as bare of snow for at least two or three thousand feet 

 from the summit. This suggests the possibility that the 

 volcano may have been active shortly before the date of 

 Ross' visit; and it would tally with the fact that Mount 

 Erebus was in considerable eruption in 1841, though 

 quiescent in 1902. Another remarkable feature of Mr Davis' 

 sketches is that the smoke from Mount Erebus is depicted as 

 travelling from east to west, while during the whole of the 

 sojourn of the " Discovery " it was observed to travel in the 

 opposite direction. Ross estimated that at each explosion 

 the ejected matter was thrown to a height of 2000 feet above 

 the summit ; it may therefore have reached a region where 

 the wind was from the east. 



South of Cape Washington, miniature ice-barriers were 

 met with, due to enormous glaciers, one over fifteen miles 

 across, which thrust their snouts many miles out to sea. In 

 Granite Harbour a safe anchorage was found, but it was too 

 much shut off from the south to be selected at once as 

 winter-quarters for the expedition. From Granite Harbour 

 the " Discovery " reached over towards the great volcano dis- 

 covered by Ross and named after his ship the " Erebus." In 

 doing this, Captain Scott examined McMurdo Bay, afterwards 

 known as McMurdo Sound, and formed the idea that he 

 might winter there. 



The " Discovery " then proceeded along the north coast of 

 what was afterwards called Ross Island, towards the ice 

 barrier par excellence. This feature must be reckoned as one 

 of the wonders of the world. No excuse is therefore neces- 

 sary for quoting the simple narrative of its discovery by 

 Sir James Clark Ross in 1841. It is all the more important 

 to do so, because there is some conflict between the evidence 

 of Captain Scott and that of Sir James Ross, which is not to 

 be decided off-hand on the mere basis of date. 



On Jan. 28, 1841, Ross writes ( Voyage, i. 218 ff.) : 



" As we approached the land under all studding sails, we perceived a 

 low white line extending from its eastern extreme point as far as the eye 

 could discern to the eastward. It presented an extraordinary appearance, 



