An Ice Wrapped Continent 



95. 



several views of this remarkable city. On 

 page 92 is given an illustration of the 

 portal to what is probably the tomb of 

 Xerxes. There are four such tombs in 

 a row carved out of a solid rock cliff. 

 One has been identified as the tomb of 

 Darius, and the others are probably those 

 of Xerxes, Artaxerxes, and Darius II. 

 The entrance to each is so high that from 

 the ground ropes and ladders must be 

 employed to reach it. Each tomb is a 

 lofty chamber entirely carved out of 

 rock, now empty except for numerous 

 bats and birds. But even more wonder- 

 ful are the vast masonry terrace on which 

 were built the palaces of the kings and 

 the triple wall surrounding it. Here 

 Alexander the Great, according to tradi- 

 tion, held a great orgy, and then burned 



the palaces and the royal library, with all 

 its manuscripts, in order that posterity 

 might know nothing of its former 

 grandeur. The Mohammedans, who 

 came later, scoured the country for man- 

 uscripts. One governor issued an edict 

 that every Zoroastrian should bring him 

 about 14 pounds of Zoroastrian and Par- 

 see books, in order that all these books 

 might be burned, and he concluded his 

 mandate with the order that any one who 

 disobeyed should be put to death. No 

 wonder the history of these people is 

 shrouded in mystery. 



The publishers are to be commended 

 for the excellent map, an expense which 

 few publishers are willing to incur. A 

 valuable bibliography and index are also 



AN ICE WRAPPED CONTINENT^ 



To the south of Magellan Strait 

 there is a supposed continent, 

 twice the size of the United 

 States, which is justly called the most 

 mysterious land in the world. During 

 the last few years five expeditions from 

 as many nationalities have sought to tm- 

 ravel the wonders of this vast region, but 

 only one expedition, the British South 

 Polar expedition under command of 

 Captain Robert F. Scott, R. N., has suc- 

 ceeded in getting near enough to do ex- 

 ploring work. This expedition was 

 planned by the Royal Geographical So- 

 ciety of London and assisted financially 

 by the Royal Society and by the British 

 government. It sailed from London July 

 31, 1901, on The Discovery, which had 

 been especially built for the work, and 

 returned to England September 10, 1904. 

 An unfortunate attack of scurvy during 

 the first year, caused by tinned meats, 

 and the fact that three relief ships were 

 sent after it, unnecessarily it developed 

 afterward, at first somewhat dampened 



*A review of "The Voyage of T/ie Discovery " by Captain Robert F. Scott, with 260 full-page 

 anil smaller illustrations, by Dr E. A. Wilson and others, 14 colored plates, and 2 maps. 2 vols., 

 556 and 508 pages. New York : Imported by Charles Scribner's Sons. 5io-°° "^^■ 



the enthusiasm with which the discoveries 

 of the expedition were received, but the 

 scientific reports now appearing show 

 that immense additions have been made 

 to our knowledge of the "bottom of the 

 globe." 



Captain Scott was very wise as well as 

 fortunate in his choice of base, which he 

 established at the western end of the 

 great ice barrier, vmder the shadow of 

 two lofty snow-clad volcanoes. Mounts 

 Terror and Erebus, which Ross had seen 

 in state of violent eruption 60 years be- 

 fore. To the east stretched the unending 

 plain of the ice barrier, while to the west 

 towered a great range of mountains, with 

 peaks 9,000 feet in height. The first year 

 efforts were concentrated in exploring 

 the ice barrier, and the second to dis- 

 covering what lay behind the chain of 

 mountains. 



THE GREAT ICE BARRIER 



"Perhaps of all the problems which lay 

 before us in the south, we were most 



