HISTORY OF DISCOVERY. 69 



England, but anywhere, of securing brilliant results for 

 the expedition, John Clark Ross, was appointed leader. 

 He was the more eminent nephew of an already eminent 

 uncle, John Ross, and was theoretically and practically 

 well fitted for the post. Born in 1800, he accompanied 

 Edward Parry on three of his great Arctic voyages as 

 early as 1819-25. Then during the years 1829-33 ne 

 spent four winters amid Arctic ice on his uncle's great 

 polar voyage, having on this occasion reached the 

 northern magnetic pole. Latterly he had been engaged 

 in a coast survey of the shores of Great Britain. By 

 study, training, and experience, he had developed a high 

 degree of scientific aptitude, and he must be regarded, 

 not only as a remarkable hydrographer and skilful polar 

 navigator, but as a physicist of the first rank in the 

 domain of meteorology and terrestrial magnetism. 



Meanwhile Ross's expedition, though far and away 

 the most important, was by no means the only one which 

 at that time had for object the exploration of the south 

 polar regions. Two great expeditions had left their 

 native shores before Ross set out, purposing to investi- 

 gate and solve a number of problems, and among them 

 those connected with meteorology and terrestrial mag- 

 netism in various parts of the globe, and more especially 

 in the Pacific Ocean. Their undertaking included an 

 extension of their voyages to the southern polar seas, 

 and more especially the region due south of the South 

 Shetland Isles. The one expedition had been sent out 

 by the French Government in 1837 under the command 

 of Jules Sebastien Cesar Dumont D'Urville ; it consisted 

 of two corvettes, L? Astrolabe and La Zdlde, the latter 

 commanded by Captain Jacquinot ; the other, under 

 orders from the Government of the United States, was 

 a squadron of five vessels, the Vincennes, the Peacock, 

 the Porpoise, the Sea Gull, and the Plying Fish, under 

 the command of the American lieutenant, Charles 



