whereas in the printed table he is stated to have been, on October 30, 26 miles from the ship on sea-ice, he 

 was really 80 miles from the ship, climbing the Ferrar glacier; and, on December 16, when he is 

 represented as being 95 miles from the ship, it is plain from the column of " Remarks," that he had 

 returned to Winter Quarters and was comparing his aneroid with the ship's barometer. Captain SCOTT 

 intended to have adjusted these Tables before he sailed on his recent Expedition, but, in the hurry of his 

 departure, seems to have found it impossible to do so. 



It should be understood that when the Tables of the various sledge-journeys were in course of 

 compilation at the Meteorological Office from the records made by the observers, great difficulty was 

 experienced in obtaining information as to the daily positions. Two of the journeys are actually printed 

 without positions, but for the other journeys the positions are printed as supplied to the Meteorological 

 Office by Captain SCOTT'S instruction, in reply to a request addressed to the Royal Geographical Society. 

 It is matter for regret, however, that after the return of the Expedition, when the staff of observers was 

 dispersed, closer touch with them should not have been maintained. 



With regard to the statement that "the explorers brought back no certain information about the 

 amount of slope of the barrier-surface towards the sea " (Preface, p. xii.), Captain SCOTT contended that 

 the staff possessed no means of discriminating between the influence on the barometer of the varying 

 conditions of atmospheric pressure, on the one hand, and of differences in altitude, on the other. While 

 fully realising the importance of distinguishing between these two causes, he knew of no practical means 

 of discriminating them on sledge-journeys over the Antarctic ice-field, and he desired that proper 

 allowance should be made for the apparently insuperable difficulties which have to be encountered. 

 Nevertheless, it must be recognised that the separation of the influence of varying atmospheric pressure 

 from that dependent on height above sea-level, is of such fundamental importance that no polar expedition 

 can now be regarded as completely equipped for meteorological and physiographical research unless it is 

 provided with the means of conducting levelling operations, independently of barometric variations. The 

 accurate measurement of the slope of the inland ice is required for the determination not only of the 

 atmospheric pressure gradient towards the pole, but also of the flow of the ice-cap. 



24th January, 1918. 



ARCH. GEIKIE, 

 President of the Royal Society. 



Since the foregoing paragraphs were in type and ready to be printed off, tidings have come of the 

 appalling tragedy of the death of Captain SCOTT and his companions on their return journey from the 

 South Pole. It is not possible to allow this last contribution from the voyage of the " Discovery " to be 

 published without the addition of a few words expressive of the profound sorrow with which the loss of 

 these brave men has filled the hearts of all those who were associated with them in connection with 

 Antarctic exploration and its problems. We had learnt to appreciate the remarkable gifts of Captain 

 SCOTT and Dr. E. A. WILSON as explorers, and their charm as personal friends. We looked forward to 

 their return home, bringing with them another and still ampler harvest of results. They have lost their 

 lives in the cause of science, but their names are now imperishably graven on the bede-roll of the heroes 

 of polar discovery. 



A. G. 



14th February, 1913. 



