VICTORIA LAND. 197 



to the back of it were well defined. A small island lies 

 in front of Cape Gauss, and it is possible that there 

 may be at a distance of another sixty miles to E.N.E. 

 " Doubtful Island," but the sighting was uncertain. 



McMurdo Bay already mentioned lies at the north- 

 west base of Mount Erebus, and is bounded on the east 

 by Cape Bird which projects far to the north from the 

 volcano in latitude JJ° 9/ S., longitude 166° 40' E. As an 

 elevated prolongation of this promontory Beaufort Island 

 lies sixteen miles to the north. Franklin Island, fourteen 

 miles long and half as wide, lies about fifty-five miles 

 from Beaufort Island in the direction of N.N.E. by N. 



From Cape Bird the foot of Mount Terror now forms 

 the coast, extending E.S.E. as far as Cape Crozier in 

 latitude JJ° 25' S. and longitude 169° 10' E. Here it is 

 attached to the gigantic and uninterrupted mass of the 

 Great Ice Barrier along which Ross sailed a distance of 

 440 to 500 miles as far as latitude 78° ic/ S. and longitude 

 161 36' W. This is the greatest ice barrier hitherto 

 known on the face of the earth, and in extent corresponds 

 approximately to the straight outlines of the continental 

 coast between Calais and Sylt off Holstein. 



The characteristic that distinguishes Victoria Land 

 from all other south polar tracts hitherto seen is its 

 great elevation above sea-level. This and the form of 

 the mountains visible from the sea unfortunately constitute 

 almost all the information we possess about it. For all 

 acquaintance with its geological structure the scanty 

 investigations of Ross, when he landed on Possession 

 Island and Franklin Island, and those of Borchorevino-k 

 on Cape Adare and also on Possession Island or an islet 

 of the same chain, are the only source. Unfortunately, 

 Ross had no real artist on board, and the drawings ac- 

 companying his work, which are faithfully copied in the 

 present work, frequently bear the unmistakable stamp of 

 an amateur's impressions. This defect, without the com- 



