426 SCIENTIFIC ADVANTAGES OF AN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



and I look to the results of a comparison of the oceanic life of the Arctic 

 and Antarctic regions as the heralding of an epoch in the history of 

 biology. 



THE PRACTICABILITY. OF ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION. 



Dr. Nansen said a great Antarctic expedition should be undertaken 

 by the British nation. He confined his observations to the great impor- 

 tance of a land expedition in the Antarctic Continent. It would cer- 

 tainly be of the highest imjDortance to have it in connection with a 

 naval expedition, which would afford an excellent basis for such a land 

 expedition. Dr. Murray had already mentioned the possibilities, and, 

 perhaps, probabilities, that there was a large Antarctic continent cov- 

 evered by an ice cap. They did not quite know yet. It might be that 

 there were large islands, and there might be sounds in between covered 

 with floating ice. Whether that was so or not, it was certain there 

 must be one or several huge ice caps inside this unknown territory in 

 the south, and he felt certain that the exploration of these would give 

 scientific information of the greatest importance. There were many 

 problems to solve, and the only place they could try to solve them 

 in was the polar regions. Greenland had already given them much 

 information about the ice sheet, but Greenland was too small, when 

 compared with the big ice sheets in the glacial packs. They should 

 look to the much more extensive ice sheets which they might find in 

 the unknown territory. He did not think it would be very difficult to 

 reach the Antarctic Continent. They must remember they knew a 

 -great deal more about ice investigation than in the days of Eoss. They 

 had much better ships, and had steam, and were not afraid to push 

 the ships into an ice pack. They knew that if they were exposed to 

 pressure and some hard times, they had the means to get out of it 

 again 5 and his opinion was that in the Southern Sea they were sur- 

 rounded by much open water all round, and a ship would not run the 

 risk of being shut up in ice as long as in the Arctic regions, where the 

 seas were shut up by land round about. So far as he understood it, 

 they would not run so much risk in that way in the south as in the 

 Arctic. The ice generally opened in calm weather, and that was exactly 

 when sailing vessels would not be able to make use of the opportunity 

 to get in. So he thought with their modern steamships it would not be 

 difficult to get into the Antarctic. It had been said that the ice sheet 

 in the Antarctic continent was difficult to get at. It was difficult to 

 ascend. Of course, when they went along the Barrier, as Eoss did, it 

 was difficult to get through, and probably the only way would be by 

 captive balloons. He believed captive balloons would be of the great- 

 est use for exploration in polar regions. With regard to the probable 

 thickness of the ice sheet in the Antarctic, some put it at 2,000 feet, 

 some at 10,000 feet, but he would rather put it at 20,000 feet. The 

 height might present considerable difficulty to any land expedition. 



