122 THE ANTARCTIC. 



until the 13th of February. On the 14th of February 

 the icebergs became very numerous, and the vessel ran 

 into the open pack-edge in latitude 65° 30' S. and 

 longitude 8o° E. ; this closed in completely towards the 

 east on the next day, but appeared more open towards 

 the south. Sailing along the edge of the pack, a latitude 

 of 66° 40' S. was attained on the 16th of February, and 

 the Antarctic circle, therefore, crossed in longitude 78° 30' 

 E., the expedition meantime being favoured with very 

 clear weather, in spite of which no land was seen. Nares 

 now steered east in order at least to sight the western 

 extremity of Wilkes Land, and reached latitude 64° 18' 

 S. in longitude 94° 47' E., without hindrance from the 

 pack-ice, though here again it made its appearance. On 

 the 25th of February the Challenger was able to approach 

 to within fifteen nautical miles of the assumed position of 

 Wilkes' Termination Land, but, spite of clear weather, 

 no land was visible either to the east or to the south. 

 Nares now held his course north and north-east, and after 

 weathering several severe storms in the ice saw his last 

 iceberg on the 4th of March, in latitude 53° \j' S. and 

 longitude 109° 23' E., and reached Melbourne on the 

 17th of March. 



Although the time spent in the Antarctic Polar Seas 

 was remarkably short, and no actual discovery was made, 

 the observations made of the temperature, the salinity, the 

 depth and the sediment at the bottom of the sea, as well 

 as of the minute forms of marine life, nevertheless remain 

 the most important in their results of any that have been 

 made in higher latitudes. The same remark holds good of 

 the investigation into the nature and the size of icebergs ; 

 nay, it may even be affirmed that the few days spent by 

 the Challenger in the higher latitudes have, thanks to 

 improved methods, contributed more to our knowledge on 

 these subjects than all the previous expeditions put to- 

 gether. It is, therefore, a matter of surprise, in the face 



