i42 THE ANTARCTIC. 



in the volcanic South Sandwich Isles it is found that 

 if a sweep of the range from south-west to due west 

 be presumed, the imaginary continuation would light 

 upon the South Orkneys, and, beyond them, on the 

 South Shetlands, terminating in the Biscoe Islands lying 

 off the coast of Graham's Land. If later investigations 

 should really prove successful eventually in establishing 

 the causal connection which has here been set up as 

 imaginary and hypothetical, then the close relation of 

 at least one group of Antarctic countries with the great 

 leading feature of the contintental structure of the globe 

 would be made manifest, the repetition of the great sweep 

 of the Antilles would place these Antarctic countries in 

 direct communication with the gigantic mountain-frame of 

 the Pacific basin. The acceptance of such a theory is not 

 entirely to be rejected, for although very little is known of 

 the geological structure of the South Polar regions, yet 

 what is known of South Georgia points to the inference 

 of an approximation to the rocks of the Cordilleras. 



It has been necessary to discuss these points in some 

 detail, so as to throw into relief the importance and signi- 

 ficance of South Georgia in any estimate of the probable 

 geology of the whole south-western region of the Atlantic 

 Ocean. We will now turn to a consideration of the island 

 itself. 



Although South Georgia belongs to the earliest 

 Antarctic discoveries, even if no regard be paid to its 

 questionable discovery by Amerigo Vespucci, although 

 the north-east coast was laid down as completely as 

 possible by Cook, and the south-west coast by Bellings- 

 hausen, and although finally the German South Polar 

 station remained there nearly a year, little is accurately 

 known of even the mere outline of the island. Indeed, 

 on the arrival of the German corvette Moltke, it was 

 found impossible to recognise the bays laid down and 

 described by Cook. It is, therefore, necessary to premise 



