240 THE ANTARCTIC. 



The observations of Ross show that in the hio-hest 

 latitudes of Ross Sea the atmospheric pressure increases 

 somewhat towards the south, and, to judge by the 

 direction of the Winds, the same, no doubt, holds for the 

 masses of Antarctic lands, although we know as little 

 of their barometric as we know of their thermometric 

 phenomena. Nearly all the reports of Antarctic dis- 

 coverers agree that in the higher latitudes, i.e., in those 

 regions where an advance farther south was no longer 

 possible, the prevailing winds came from the southern 

 or south-eastern quarter of the sky. The districts of the 

 Dirk Gerritz Archipelago and of the northern group of 

 islands seem to be an exception to this rule, as they are 

 under the influence of the permanent west winds owing 

 to the small areas of the land masses ; on the other hand 

 the not infrequent south-west winds, which Ross observed 

 on the east coast of Victoria Land, are easily explained 

 by the western position of the country. We are compelled 

 then to assume that over the Antarctic land itself 

 barometric high pressure constantly prevails, corre- 

 sponding to the unbroken low temperature, and from this 

 reoion radiate those southern winds, which owing to the 

 axial motion of the earth are diverted to the left and 

 become south-east winds. 



How to harmonise the circumpolar anticyclone de- 

 duced from these observations with the cyclone demanded 

 by theory, is a question still involved in obscurity, and 

 the solution of this problem must be left to future 

 discoverers, who may possibly pass the winter in those 

 inhospitable regions. The cause of the high pressure 

 is probably due to the powerful radiation of the land 

 and to the consequent chilling of the atmosphere, at least 

 at low elevations. To observe the direction of the winds 

 in the upper strata of the atmosphere, it may prove 

 advisable to send up trial balloons, and to study the 

 cirrhus clouds, and possibly also the clouds of ashes from 



