﻿448 



Canadian Record of Science. 



temperature, and their life. We have here, in short, the 

 most extensive unex2:)lore(l area on the surface of the 

 globe. 



For tlie last three or four years the Eoyal Geographical 

 Society, backed by other British societies, has been 

 attempting to move the home government to equip an 

 adequate expedition to complete the work begun by Ross 

 sixty years ago, and to supplement the great work of the 

 ' Challenger" ; but though sympathy has been expressed 

 for Antarctic exploration, and though vague promises 

 have been given of support, the government is afraid 

 to enter upon an enterprise which might involve the 

 services of a few naval officers and men. We need 

 not criticise this attitude ; but the Royal Geographical 

 Society has determined not to let the matter rest here. 

 It is now seeking to obtain the support of public-spirited 

 men for an Antarctic expedition under its own auspices. 

 1 1 is felt that Antarctic exploration is peculiarly the work 

 of England, and that if an expedition is undertaken it 

 will receive substantial support from the great Australasian 

 colonies, which have so much to gain from a knowledge of 

 the physical condition of a region lying at their own 

 doors and probably having a serious influence on their 

 climatological conditions. Here, then, is one of the 

 greatest geographical problems of the future, the solution 

 of which should be entered upon without further delay. 

 It may be mentioned that a small and well-equipped 

 Belgian expedition has already started, mainly to carry 

 out deep-sea search around the South Pole area, and that 

 strenuous efforts are being made in Germany to obtain 

 the funds for an expedition on a much larger scale. 



OCEANOGRAPHY. 



But our science has to deal not only with the lands of 

 the globe ; its sphere is the whole of the surface of 

 the earth and all that is thereon, so far at least as 



