a2 NATURE Bi uci 
set down a continuation of the Cordilleras as running 
through the “ great south continent.” This delusion Tas- 
man destroyed, when, in the year 1642, he sailed round the 
south of New Holland, and discovered Van Diemen’s Land; 
he also discovered the west coast of New Zealand. La 
Roche, in 1675, discovered South Georgia; while the 
Malouins (1700-1712) place the Falkland Islands ac- 
curately on the maps. The voyages of Hay and Lozier 
Bonnet circumscribed considerably the extent of the south 
continent in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans ; but through 
the discovery of Cape Circumcision in about 52° S. lat. 
and 10° E, long., it was believed a new proof of its exist- 
ence had been gained. 
Dr. Neumayer pays a very high tribute to Cook for the 
restless energy with which he pursued his work, and the 
vast and valuable additions he made to the then scanty 
knowledge of these southern regions. The maps of 1762 
have still the south continent prodigally displayed, reach. 
ing as far as 20° S. into the Pacific itself; the maps of 
1775 show not a trace of it, although, even so late as 
1773, Kerguelen believed he had seen it in lat. 49° S. and 
long. 70° E. ; what he saw was Kerguelen Island. It was 
Cook who had the honour of proving that the “ Great 
South Continent” was a mere chimera, 
In March 1770, after the observation of the transit of 
Venus, he found New Zealand to be anisland. On his 
second voyage he passed to the south of Kerguelen Island 
in February 1773, though he appears not to have seen it 
showing there was no hope for theoretical geographers in, 
this direction. In the previous month, January 17, he 
passed the South Polar circle in E. long. 39° 30’—the first 
time the feat had been performed by any explorer—sailing 
as far south as 67°15’. In the (southern) summer of 
1773-4 Cook explored the ocean from 175° to 98° W. long., 
and between 50° and 71° 10'S, lat., thus clearly proving 
the non-existence of a great continent to the South Pacific, 
In December 1774 he sailed from New Zealand to Magel- 
lan’s Straits, to convince himself that there was no sign of 
the supposed continent between 55° and 56° S. lat. There 
he re-discovered the island of St. Pierre, seen by Duclos 
Guyot in 1756, and a century earlier by La Roche, and 
named it South Georgia, On his return he discovered 
the Sandwich group, and narrowly missed the South 
Orkney and South Shetland Islands. Cook set out on 
his third great voyage of discovery in January 1777, 
intending to lay down the exact position of Prince 
Edward’s and Kerguelen Islands, and make observations 
on the physical geography of the latter; but ere he could 
accomplish his aim “ this greatest of all discoverers of the 
18th century” met his sad death in February 1779, 
A comparison of the maps of 1762 and 1785 will suffice 
to show how much was accomplished by Cook. The 
chief conclusion come to by the great navigator as the 
result of his extensive explorations was, that outside of 
the South Polar circle no stretch of land of any extent 
could be found, and that if any such existed inside the 
Antarctic zone, for all productive purposes, indeed even 
for the sustenance and development of organic life, it was 
useless, The labours of Cook gave thus a negative 
result ; it remained to future voyagers to prove whether 
any continent existed w7¢iz the Polar circle. 
In the third period, that from the beginning of the 
present century, we have to do with expeditions, which, 
er 
a 
t 
ne . a 
| Mov. 14, 187% 
inside or in the close neighbourhood of the South Pols 1) 
circle, have sailed through and explored great stretches of | 
ocean, and examined the coasts and islands of the Pola 
zone. It is the explorers of this period who have con 
tributed so largely to our knowledge of the physica 
geography of the Antarctic regions. 
In October 1808 Captain Lindsay saw the Bonnet) 
Group, and in February 1819 Smith re-discovered Gerrit} 
or Gerrard’s Islands, now known as the South Shetlands) 
We are indebted for much of our knowledge of the region E| 4 
south of Cape Horn to the zeal of the American whal 
and seal fishers, Powell, Palmer, Pendelton, Fanning 
and others. To these we owe the discovery of Palme 
Land and the South Orkneys. All agree in describin| 
these lands as wholly bound in ice, almost always en 
veloped in dense fogs, and showing scarcely a sprig 
vegetation. Here and there from out the mass of ic 
projects a black peak, which, even at a distance, by i 
showing no trace of the otherwise universal ice, proclaim 
itself of a.volcanic nature. Numberless birds nestle o 
these islands, on which no quadrupeds have yet been) 
found; and on the warm sides of the volcanic cone } 
nothing is to be found*but multitudes of living” penguins, 
who use them as resting-places. In the surrounding se 
is a’rich vegetable life, on which the seals and fishe 
appear to thrive. 
The re-discovery of the South Shetland Islands gave | 
new impulse to Antarctic exploration, in behalf of which a 
active interest now began to show itselfin Europe. The? 
Russian Empire took the lead, and in July 1819 sent out) 
two ships, the Wostok and the Merny, under the commani 
of Captains Bellinghausen and Lazaren, who distin 
guished themselves by their pluck and circumspection 
They sailed round and defined South Georgia, and Belling 
hausen endeavoured, under the meridian of Greenwich, toy 
get as nearthe Pole as possible. However, after workin 
his way with great difficulty as far south as 69° 25’ (1° 11 
W.), the impossibility of penetrating farther through tht 
immense masses of ice compelled him to turn north=) 
wards. Another attempt under 18° E. long. was also in® 
vain, and the advanced season compelled the ships t 
return to Port Jackson. The expedition set out again in 
November ; and on January 22, 1821, in 92° 19’ W. long.,) 
reached 69°33’ S. lat., not far from the we Alus ultra of Cook, 
On the same day, in 68° 27’ S. lat., 90° 45’ W. long., Bele 
linghausen saw an island 4,200 ft. high, which he named) 
“ Peter the Great Island ;” and on the 29th, in 68° 43’ 2c 
S. lat., 73° 9’ 36” W. long, he saw land of great height 
which appeared to him to be a cape belonging to a large) 
continent. This he named “ Alexander Land.” The lane 
was completely locked in ice, and in the sea itself all lif 
appeared to be extinct. At the South Shetlands Belling: 
hausen fell in with Captain Palmer, who told him of hi 
discovery of Palmer’s Land. 
The voyages of these Russian explorers, who returne¢ ed 
home in the middle of the year 1821, were undoubtedly, 
as South Polar explorations, the most important which 
had hitherto been undertaken. They almost circumnav 
gated the Pole at an average distance of 30°, explored a 
larger tract inside the Polar circle than ever had been donee 
before, and discovered the first Polar land. Moreover, 
they completed a series of valuable hydrographical re 
searches, and it is to be lamented that these are still) 
