NA TURE 



[May 14, 1896 



Dr. Neumaycr, of the Geiman Marine Observatory at 

 Hamburg, and Hcrr G. Albrecht, of Bremen, are the 

 Presidents, and the Secretary is Dr. Lindeman, who 

 for many years has, through his editorship of the 

 Gcogrnpliisiiic Bla/lci; kei^t the German public fully 

 informed concerning all polar matters. This Committee 

 has recently issued a detailed plan and estimates of a 

 great German expedition to be sent out, not by the 

 Government, but by the nation. 



The objects of the expedition are defined as being the 

 study of the meteorological and magnetic conditions of 

 the South Polar area, geodetic observations, zoological, 

 botanical and geological collections, the study of 

 Antarctic ice, and the exploration of the still untouched 

 polar region. For these purposes a station, in which 

 observers can winter, would be fitted up either on the 

 Antarctic continent or on one of the neighbouring islahds, 

 and one ship would remain in the nearest safe harbour 

 which could be found, while the second vessel should 

 spend the winter in cruising round the Southern Ocean 

 making oceanographical researches. 



The point at which an effort should be made to break 

 new ground within the Antarctic circle was carefully con- 

 sidered, and the region between 70° and 85^ E., i.e. south 

 of Kerguelen, was selected, for the excellent reason that 

 no previous serious effort has been made south of the 

 Indian Ocean. Special value is placed upon magnetic 

 and meteorological observations at Kerguelen or 

 McDonald Island, because these lie nearly equidistant 

 between the great observatories of Cape Town and 

 Melbourne to west and east, and at a corresponding 

 distance from the observatory of Mauritius to the north. 



The recent publication by Dr. Murray, in the Trans- 

 actions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, of a detailed 

 'account of the work of the Cliallcnger in the neighbour- 

 hood of Kerguelen, with lists of all the species obtained 

 by the collectors on board, will be of service in guiding 

 the biological work of the expedition, while at the same 

 time it furnishes a compact summary of all that is at 

 present known of the marine life and deposits on the 

 edge of the Antarctic. 



The German expedition is intended to include two 

 vessels of about 400 tons, no doubt of the type of steam 

 whalers, each carrying four officers, a scientific staff of 

 four, and a crew of twenty-two. The ships would be 

 absent for about three years, and would spend two winters 

 in the .Antarctic regions. The total cost is estimated at 

 950,000 marks, or ^47,500, and the German nation is 

 appealed to to find this money, the report of the Com- 

 mittee as published in the Verliandhaigcn of the Berlin 

 Geographical Society concluding : 



" The leading Powers of the civilised world appear to 

 be preparing to attempt the solution of the great problem 

 of the geographical conditions of the Antarctic regions. 

 The (lerman nation, always a leader in the solution of 

 geographical problems, cannot possibly lag behind in this 

 contest, the less so because a great and successful voyage 

 of discovery would largely increase the reputation of 

 (jermany on the seas, and bring the greatest honour to 

 the German name." 



Beside this patriotic sentiment, the practical outcome of 

 which the scientific world and not Germany alone looks 

 for with hope and confidence, we may place a remark 

 from another continental scientific paper, which from the 

 reported refusal of the British Government to consider a 

 proposal for a national expedition, drew the not illogical 

 conclusion that the whole strength of the British Navy 

 had to be brought under requisition for the purpose of 

 making a warlike display before the great Powers. The 

 President of the Koyal Geographical Society at a recent 

 meeting observed that " never was there a more favour- 

 able opportunity than the present for our (iovernment to 

 demonstrate its confidence in its own naval resources, 

 by detaching a small expedition for special service in 

 NO. 1385. VOL. 54] 



Antarctic research." The country is always ready to 

 applaud and support a movement for the honour of the 

 flag and the popularisation of the navy. If a contest 

 between the great Powers is called for by the unthinking 

 of sex'eral nations, what contest could be better than 

 friendly rivalry in the advancement of science by mari- 

 time exploration? .Around the -South pole there is room 

 for many simultaneous expeditions. Ross from Britain, 

 Wilkes from the United States, and Dumont D'Urville 

 from P" ranee were together in Antarctic waters fifty-six 

 years ago, and the scientific world would gladly hail the 

 early repetition of such history. 



The Antarctic Committee of the Royal Geographical 

 Society having been warned that an appeal to Govern- 

 ment is not likely to be favourably entertained, has not as 

 yet come to a decision as to its future action. The 

 agitation for a complete scientific expedition will certainly 

 not be allowed to rest. The only want is money ; 

 and surely some means can be found to supply this. 

 The necessary amount would never have been missed 

 from the surplus recently at the command of the Chan- 

 cellor of the Exchequer. If the 600,000 professional men 

 of the British Islands were to subscribe half-a-crown each, 

 the resulting /, 75,000 would suffice for a very valuable 

 expedition. If a few of the largest daily papers w'ere 

 to start a popular shilling subscription, they might with- 

 out expense to their proprietors confer a priceless boon 

 on science, and stimulate a healthy excitement in the 

 public. There surely remain in this country some men — 

 at least one man — able to do for the South Polar region 

 what Mr. Harinsworth is so generously doing for the 

 North ; and to induce such potential benefactors to make 

 their names great in history should not be an insurmount- 

 able task. The last and greatest feat of exploration on 

 our planet may still be done, and allow the nineteenth 

 century to close on a Terra Cognita ; and the doing of it 

 may still be secured for our country. If the opportunity 

 is not taken now, it may not occur again for us, and the 

 inevitable enrichment of science will redound to the glory 

 of some more far-sighted, more patriotic, and less selfish 

 people. It is an error surprisingly common, and every 

 day becoming more ludicrously erroneous, that only 

 Englishmen are capable of great deeds of daring and 

 perseverance. If we are to retain our pre-eminence in 

 polar exploration, we shall have to fight for it, not with 

 armoured ships costing a million pounds apiece, but with 

 a few old wooden whalers that may be purchased, manned, 

 and equipped for a three years' cruise for less than a tenth 

 part of that sum. Nothing less than a well-equipped 

 scientific expedition can be looked upon as sufficient for 

 the purpose in view. 



Mr. T. Gilbert Bowick, of 2 Savile Row, is, as men- 

 tioned in a recent number of NATURE, at present 

 completing arrangements for securing a passage for a 

 party of scientific men on a whaling expedition, which is 

 expected to set out in the autumn of this year, and will 

 endeavour to land the passengers near Cape Adare (lat. 

 71° 45' S.) in November 1896, returning for them in 

 December 1 897. Mr. C. E. Borchgrevink, whose Antarctic 

 voyage is described in Naturk (vol. lii. p. 375), is pro- 

 posed as the leader of the scientific party, which is 

 intended to include twehe members. The plan of w-ork 

 involves the exploration of the coast of South X'ictoria 

 Land and shallow-water dredging from a small steamer, 

 which will be left at the winter ciuarters. Most of the 

 work will naturally consist of meteorological, biological 

 and geological observations near the station at Cape 

 Adare, but a .v/v-journey is projected over the ice-cap in 

 the direction of the magnetic pole. This expedition will, 

 we hope, be undertaken, and if a landing can be made 

 and a station established, the results will be of great 

 value ; but such an expedition, useful as it must be, is 

 not sufficient. The alternative seems to be to allow the 

 German and Belgian expeditions the full glory of renewing 



