TEERESTRTAL MAGNETISM. 395 



THE ANTAltOTIf EXPP^DITION. 



Of the nuit>"netic work of our iiiitarctic expedition we know that 

 since the Discovery entered the pack — and, as far as terrestrial mag- 

 netism is concerned, upon the most important part of that work — 

 every opportunity has been seized for making observations. 



Lyttelton, New Zeahmd (where there is now a reguhir fixed niagnetic 

 observatory), was made the primary southern base station of the expedi- 

 tion; the winter quarters of the Discorery^ the secondary southern base 

 station. Before settling down in winter quarters, magnetic observa- 

 tions were made on board the ship during the cruise to and from the 

 most easterly position attained oft' King Edward VII Land in lati- 

 tude 76^ south, longitude 152i west, and she was successfully swung 

 oft' Cape Crozier to ascertain the disturl)ing eftects of the iron upon 

 the compasses and dip and force instruments mounted in the ship's 

 observatory. 



As a ship fitted to meet the most stormy seas and to bufi'et with the 

 ice, the Discovery has been a great success. Let me add another 

 tribute to her value. From Spithead until she reached New Zea- 

 land but small corrections were required for reducing the observations 

 made on board. The experience of Ross''s Antarctic expedition had, 

 however, taught the lesson that two wood-built ships, the Erelms and 

 Terror^ with but some 3 to -i degrees of deviation of the compass at 

 Simons Bay, South Africa, found as much as 56 degrees of deviation 

 at their position farthest south, an amount almost prohi])itory of good 

 results l)eing obtained on board. 



How fared the Discovery? I have been told bj^ Lieutenant Shackle- 

 ton — for whose return to England on account of his health we must 

 all feel great sympathy — that a maximum of onl}" 11 degrees of devia- 

 tion was observed at her most southerh' position. From this w(^ may 

 look forward hopefully to magnetic results of a value hitherto unat- 

 tained in those reg"ions. 



At winter quarters, besides the monthly absolute o])scrvations of 

 the magnetic elements, the Eschenhagen variometers or self -register- 

 ing instruments for continuously recording the changes in the declina- 

 tion, horizontal force, and vertical force were esta))lished, and in 

 good working order at the tinic^ appointed for commencing the 3'ear''s 

 observations. 



I may here remind you that some time previously to the departure 

 of the British and German Antarctic expeditions a scheme of coopera- 

 tion had been established between them, according to which observa- 

 tions of exactly the same nature, with the same form of vai'iometers, 

 were to ))e carried out at their respective winter quarters during a 

 whole year, commencing March 1, 1902. Besides the continuous 

 o])servations with the \:iii<)ineters, regular term da^'s and term hours 



