HISTORY OF DISCOVERY. 93 



original chart, in which he had laid down the outlines 

 of his ''Antarctic Continent". Ross was naturally and 

 justifiably surprised and annoyed to find his purposes 

 thus forestalled by commanders who were well aware 

 of the preparations for fitting out the expedition under 

 his own command. Fortunately, much had been left 

 in his instructions to his own judgment, and he there- 

 fore resolved to select another passage southward, 

 feeling that it was inconsistent with the traditions of 

 British exploration to follow in the footsteps of other 

 nations. 



Ross therefore determined to penetrate to the south, 

 far to the east of the course of these explorers, on 

 meridian 170° E., the meridian on which Balleny two 

 years previously had found the sea comparatively open in 

 latitude 69° S. It was therefore to be expected that he 

 would pass further south than had been possible to either 

 D'Urville or Wilkes. On the 12th of November he 

 stood down the Derwent River, the splendid harbour of 

 Hobart Town, and first shaped his course for the smaller 

 island groups off the coast of New Zealand for the pur- 

 pose of making magnetic observations. On the 20th of 

 November the Auckland Islands were reached, where 

 the expedition stayed till the 12th of December, and on 

 the 13th of December, Campbell Island, where a four 

 days' stay was made. On the 24th of December the 60th 

 parallel south was crossed on meridian 170° E., and on 

 the 28th, in latitude 63 20' S. and longitude 174° E., the 

 first iceberg came in sight, rapidly succeeded by numerous 

 others of laro-e size and with tabular summits. The ex- 

 perienced Arctic navigator was struck by their uniformity, 

 differing in this respect from the icebergs of the Arctic 

 seas. Many bergs and much loose ice were passed, and 

 on the 31st of December, when the ships were in latitude 

 66° S. and longitude 1 7 1° 50' E., a strong ice-blink in 

 the sky to the south pointed out the situation of the pack. 



