HISTORY OF DISCOVERY. 27 



exclusively called — was the great increase in the number 

 of voyages made in it. The Dutch, English and French 

 more especially showed increased activity and enterprise, 

 and reached remarkably high latitudes. Not only did 

 vessels press forward to the south, but also to the east, 

 and one of these voyages brought about the discovery of 

 South Georgia — or its re-discovery, if the Portuguese had 

 really sighted the island on Vespucci's third voyage. In 

 April, 1675, it happened that a mercantile expedition 

 under Antonio de la Roche, consisting of two vessels 

 from Hamburg, though not sailing under the Hamburg 

 flag, was driven past the entrance to the Le Maire 

 Straits, while homeward bound, by a violent storm and 

 resistless current from the west. After several days' 

 course towards the east an unknown snow-covered land 

 arose before the eyes of the astonished travellers, and 

 finding safe moorings they lay at anchor in a bay there. 

 The storm kept them here for a fortnight ; then the 

 weather cleared, and another snow-clad country revealed 

 itself to the south-east, separated from their anchorage 

 by short straits about thirty nautical miles across. 

 Through this the vessels sailed without paying any 

 further attention to their discovery. The latitude is 

 given at 55° S., while nothing can be made of the longi- 

 tude. It was apparently merely a conjecture calculated 

 with reference to Cape Hoorn, and La Roche's ships' 

 reckoning had become confused owing to storm and 

 the course of the current. For this reason it has been 

 considered doubtful what the country discovered really 

 was. The Falkland Isles and Beauchene Island have 

 been suggested, but surely incorrectly. The one corres- 

 ponds neither as regards the latitude nor the covering of 

 snow — indeed icebergs are mentioned in the account — 

 while the other is merely an isolated rock thirty-seven 

 miles to the south of East Falkland. Per contra La 

 Roche's description applies fairly well to the western end 



