An Ice Wrapped Continent 



117 



Emperor Penguin and Chick 



sighted land ahnost surely on January 16, 

 from 157° 46' east longitude, and again 

 more positively on January 19, from 154° 

 30' east longitude, 66° 20' south latitude. 

 On January 30 the size of the land was 

 sufficiently ascertained to receive the 

 name 'Antarctic Continent,' and this dis- 

 covery of Wilkes is the most important 

 discovery yet made in the Antarctic." 



Impartial geographers in due time rec- 

 ognized the importance of Wilkes' dis- 

 covery, and in recognition of his work 

 affixed the name Wilkes Land to the por- 

 tion of the Antarctic Continent along 

 which he coasted. 



The homeward track of The Discovery 

 disproved the existence of merely a small 



part of Wilkes Land, namely, Eld Peak 

 and Ringold's Knoll, to the east of Ade- 

 lie, but Captain Scott adds that "whilst it 

 is certain that we must reject Wilkes 

 Land to the eastward of Adelie Land, 

 Wilkes' soundings still remain as a guide . 

 to the limit of the continental plateau in 

 this region. Our own uniform soundings 

 of 250 fathoms, together with his, show 

 that there is considerable extent of shal- 

 low sea, limited more or less by the track 

 of the Wilkes' ships, approximately along 

 the Antarctic Circle." 



The German South Polar expedition 

 confirmed the opposite end of Wilkes 

 Land in 1902. 



G. H. G. 



