144 



the brig Eliza Scott and the cutter Sabrina. This voyage led 

 to the discovery of Balleny Islands and Sabrina Land. These 

 discoveries' did not attract much notice at the time, they came 

 more prominently before the public a few years later, when 

 Wilkes and D'Urviile disputed as to the honor of having dis- 

 covered the long bought for Antarctic Continent. Undoubt- 

 edly these whaling captains are entitled to whatever honor 

 there is to be gained from first discoveries in that quarter. 



Prom 1839 to 1843 the exploration of the Antarctic was 

 vigorously prosecuted by American, French, and English 

 naval expeditions as well as by a few American and English 

 whalers. The French Expedition, commanded by Dumont 

 D'Urviile, took up the exploration of the region round the 

 South Shetland Islands. They discovered Joinville Island 

 and Louis Phillippe Land, although Weddell seems to have 

 been aware of their existence. In 1840 D'Urviile visited 

 Hobart with the corvettes Astrolabe and Zelce ; he refitted 

 his ships here, and then sailed south again ; on this occasion 

 he discovered Adelie Land and Clarie Land. It would appear 

 that French seamen are not physically fit for prolonged exer- 

 tion in high latitudes, for D'Urville's crews suffered so severely 

 from scurvy and sickness that he was compelled to shorten 

 his cruise. 



The American Expedition was under the command of Cap- 

 tain Charles Wilkes, it consisted of two sloops, one brig, and 

 a schooner ; the Antarctic cruise was merely a short portion 

 of a programme extending over several years' sailing. 



They made their first acquaintance with Antarctic work in 

 the vicinity of the South Shetlands, but they did not make 

 any new discoveries of importance, and failed to reach 

 Weddell's latitude. They made their way to Sydney, where 

 they refitted, and then sailed south on the meridian of 170°. 

 On the 11th January, 1840, they found their further progress 

 south cut off by a perpendicular barrier of ice ; they were of 

 the opinion that they could see land in the distance over and 

 beyond the ice. Wilkes claims that he discovered the 

 Antarctic Continent on the 16th January, in long. 157° 46'. 

 Whether he did or not is hard to say ; he appears to have 

 been rather too sanguine and too ready to accept appearances. 

 He obtained no bottom at 850 fathoms, so that one is inclined 

 to think that he was wrong here, as he was proved to be 

 wrong in other places. On the 20th January, in longitude 

 140deg. 2min. 31sec. E. and lat. 66deg. 45min. S., they 

 undoubtedly did discover land. Wilkes says — " We ap- 

 proached within half a mile of the dark volcanic rocks which 

 appeared on both sides of us, and saw the land gradually 

 rising beyond the ice to the height of 3,000 feet, and entirely 

 covered with snow. It could be distinctly seen extending to 



