14 Recent Antarctic Exploration 



and eastward of the extreme position reached by Sir James 

 Ross in 1842, whence he reported a strong appearance of 

 land to the south-east. But this remark of Captain Scott's is 

 inexact. 



On Feb. 23, 1842, while approaching the Barrier from the 

 north-west, Ross reports having passed a berg with a large 

 rock on it, apparently about six feet in diameter, followed 

 later by some bergs and pieces of heavy ice with numerous 

 stones and patches of soil, which raised his expectation of 

 sighting land to a high pitch. Ross noticed also that the 

 appearance and character of the Barrier in this locality 

 differed from that presented by the Barrier nearer its western 

 end. Having arrived within a mile and a half of the Barrier, 

 he hove to, in order to allow the " Terror," which had dropped 

 behind, to come up, when an interchange of signals between 

 the two ships took place. The latitude of the " Erebus " was 

 78 8' S., that of the "Terror" 78 11' S., the mean of which, 

 78 9' 30" S., was adopted ; and this placed the face of the 

 Barrier in lat. 78 11' S., in the long, of 161 27' W. The 

 "Discovery's" noon position on Jan. 29, 1902 (78 18' S., 

 162 6' W.), lies west and not east of this position, the differ- 

 ence in longitude being 39' ; and it is still further to the west 

 of the extreme position reached by Ross. In this position 

 Ross found the height of the highest part of the Barrier to 

 be 107 feet, and observed that from this point it gradually 

 declined for about ten miles to the eastward, where it could 

 not have been more than 80 feet. Ross then made sail along 

 the Barrier to the eastward until he came to the lower part of 

 it above-mentioned, being about ten miles east of his previous 

 position, and therefore about twenty-three miles east and 

 north of the noon position of the " Discovery " on Jan. 29, 

 1902. On his arrival at this point, Ross says (vol. ii. 202) : 



" We perceived from our mast-heads that it [the land] gradually rose 

 to the southward, presenting the appearance of mountains of great height 

 perfectly covered with snow, but with a varied and undulating outline, 

 which the barrier itself could not have assumed. Still there is so much 

 uncertainty attending the appearance of land, when seen at any consider- 

 able distance, that although I, in common with nearly all my companions, 



