116 THE ANTARCTIC. 



of land and water in the Antarctic regions. The principal 

 task, that of reaching the southern magnetic pole of the 

 earth, remained undischarged ; it was a problem to which, 

 in the utter absence of a suitable harbour in which to 

 winter, there practically was no solution. On the other 

 hand, Ross succeeded in determining and locating this 

 pole with extreme accuracy, and, moreover, the magnetic 

 observations constantly and conscientiously carried on in 

 the most difficult and adverse circumstances afford such 

 a mine of information, that to this day the material for 

 our knowledge of the magnetic conditions of higher 

 southern latitudes is almost exclusively drawn from it. 

 But besides his terrestro-magnetic researches, scarcely a 

 single branch of physiography was neglected by Ross ; 

 on the contrary, all were considerably extended by him. 

 His meteorological observations still retain the greatest 

 value, and in addition to the study he made of the con- 

 dition of the air in regard of temperature, moisture and 

 density, he gave equal attention to the temperature of 

 the sea. At times numerous soundings were made to 

 ascertain the temperature and specific gravity of the 

 water at various depths. That these have become 

 worthless was no fault of Ross's, and must be attributed 

 to the imperfections of the deep-sea thermometer of 

 those days. The soundings still give the data for con- 

 clusions concerning the bed of the ocean for vast regions 

 in the Antarctic seas. In like manner the observations 

 made by Ross on the condition of the ice of the 

 Antarctic regions still remain invaluable in the study 

 of physiography. 



That he added enormously to the previous knowledge 

 of south polar exploration by his discovery of Victoria 

 Land, and by his course along the great ice barrier for 

 hundreds of miles, attaining the southernmost point of 

 the globe as yet seen by the eye of man, need scarcely 

 be insisted upon here. And although he was not so 



