﻿86 
  Transactions, 
  — 
  Miscellaneous, 
  

  

  Land. 
  Outlying 
  islands 
  alone 
  have 
  been 
  visited, 
  and 
  then 
  for 
  the 
  brief- 
  

   est 
  period. 
  The 
  main 
  land 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  from 
  a 
  distance 
  bursting 
  

   through 
  the 
  antarctic 
  ice-cap 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  all. 
  It 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  utmost 
  interest 
  

   to 
  know 
  whether 
  all 
  or 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  lands 
  are 
  inhabited 
  by 
  human 
  beings. 
  

   Their 
  entire 
  separation 
  from 
  the 
  great 
  continents 
  of 
  Asia 
  and 
  America, 
  

   and 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  even 
  the 
  limited 
  means 
  of 
  subsistence 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  

   North 
  Polar 
  regions 
  for 
  mankind, 
  seem 
  to 
  forbid 
  the 
  supposition 
  but 
  

   are 
  not 
  conclusive, 
  and 
  nothing 
  but 
  actual 
  research 
  can 
  settle 
  the 
  ques- 
  

   tion. 
  

  

  A 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  those 
  regions 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  deep 
  interest, 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  noticeable 
  that, 
  according 
  to 
  such 
  observations 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  made, 
  

   the 
  lands 
  visited 
  by 
  Eoss's 
  expedition 
  were 
  v/holly 
  volcanic 
  in 
  character. 
  

   There 
  was 
  an 
  enth'e 
  absence 
  of 
  sedimentary 
  formations, 
  whose 
  examination 
  

   in 
  the 
  North 
  Polar 
  regions 
  has 
  yielded 
  such 
  useful 
  fruits 
  to 
  science. 
  Even 
  

   in 
  zoology 
  a 
  new 
  expedition 
  could 
  hardly 
  be 
  barren 
  of 
  results, 
  for 
  Eoss's 
  

   enriched 
  the 
  naturalist's 
  catalogue 
  considerably. 
  Ice 
  action, 
  too, 
  is 
  playing 
  

   such 
  an 
  important 
  part 
  in 
  modern 
  geological 
  speculations, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  

   surprising 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  novel 
  field 
  of 
  study 
  as 
  the 
  Antarctic 
  regions 
  has 
  not 
  

   been 
  taken 
  up 
  before, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  ice 
  here 
  assumes 
  highly 
  characteristic 
  

   form.s, 
  quite 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  it 
  presents 
  in 
  the 
  north. 
  Meteorological 
  

   and 
  magnetic 
  phenomena 
  can 
  also 
  be 
  studied 
  under 
  peculiar 
  advantages. 
  

   The 
  precise 
  object 
  of 
  Eoss's 
  expedition 
  was 
  to 
  take 
  magnetic 
  observations, 
  

   and 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  south 
  magnetic 
  pole. 
  Eoss 
  determined 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  

   the 
  latter, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  get 
  within 
  160 
  miles 
  of 
  it. 
  I 
  could, 
  however, 
  traverse 
  

   a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  physical 
  research, 
  pointing 
  out 
  how 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  enriched 
  by 
  an 
  antarctic 
  expedition, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  said 
  enough 
  to 
  prove 
  

   that 
  such 
  an 
  expedition 
  would 
  be 
  likely 
  to 
  produce 
  scientific 
  fruits 
  of 
  the 
  

   utmost 
  value. 
  Its 
  probable 
  commercial 
  results 
  must 
  also 
  not 
  be 
  overlooked. 
  

   Eoss 
  discovered 
  plentifully- 
  stocked 
  whaling 
  grounds, 
  and 
  a 
  rich 
  bed 
  of 
  guano 
  

   on 
  Possession 
  Island, 
  situated 
  in 
  lat. 
  71° 
  66' 
  S., 
  and 
  long. 
  171° 
  T 
  E. 
  Upon 
  

   this 
  island 
  there 
  were 
  scaly 
  penguins 
  in 
  myriads, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  bird 
  was 
  

   seen 
  in 
  immense 
  numbers 
  in 
  other 
  places. 
  This 
  s^Decies 
  of 
  penguin 
  attains 
  

   a 
  large 
  size, 
  the 
  birds 
  often 
  weighing 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  60 
  lbs. 
  or 
  70 
  lbs. 
  a-piece, 
  

   and, 
  as 
  they 
  yield 
  a 
  valuable 
  medicinal 
  oil 
  in 
  considerable 
  quantity, 
  their 
  

   capture 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  commercially 
  profitable. 
  Seals, 
  too, 
  swarm 
  in 
  the 
  

   lower 
  latitudes, 
  where 
  they 
  have 
  bred 
  undisturbed 
  during 
  countless 
  ages. 
  

   Indeed, 
  when 
  we 
  begin 
  to 
  contemplate 
  the 
  vast 
  impetus 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  

   given 
  to 
  the 
  commerce 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand 
  and 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  colonies 
  

   by 
  a 
  thorough 
  exploration 
  of 
  the 
  Antarctic 
  Seas, 
  the 
  imagination 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  

   wander 
  into 
  boundless 
  regions 
  of 
  potential 
  wealth, 
  only 
  awaiting 
  the 
  enter- 
  

  

  