﻿Umnapped Areas on EarfJis Surface. 447 



contributed to render the name of Great l^ritain illustrious 

 than those enterprises wliich for centuries she has sent out 

 from her own shores, not a few of them solely in the 

 interests of science ? Such enterprises elevate a nation 

 and form its glory and its pride. Surely Canada has 

 ambitions beyond mere material prosperity ; and what 

 better beginning could be made than the equipment of an 

 expedition for the exploration of the seas that lie between 

 her and the Pole ? I venture to throw out these susges- 

 tions for the consideration of those who have at heart the 

 honor and glory of the great Canadian Dominion. 



THE ANTARCTIC REGIONS. 



Not only has an interest in Arctic exploration been 

 revived, but in Europe at least an even greater interest 

 has grown up in the exploration of the region around the 

 opposite Pole of the earth of which our knowledge is 

 so scanty. Since Sir James C. Ross' expedition, which 

 was sent out in the year 1839, almost nothing has been 

 done for Antarctic research. We have here to deal with 

 conditions different from those which surround the North 

 Pole. Instead of an almost landless ocean, it is believed 

 by those who have given special attention to the subject 

 that a continent about the size of Australia covers the 

 South Polar region. But we do not know for certain, and 

 surely, in the interests of our science, it is time we had a 

 fairly adequate idea of what are the real conditions. We 

 want to know what is the extent of that land, what are 

 its glacial conditions, what is the character of its geology, 

 what evidence exists as to its physical and biological 

 conditions in past ages? We know there is one lofty, 

 active volcano. Are there any others ? Moreover, the 

 science of terrestrial magnetism is seriously impeded in 

 its progress because the data in this department from the 

 Antarctic are so scanty. The seas around this continent 

 require to be investigated both as to their depth, their 



