360 THE ANTARCTIC MANUAL. 
EXTRACT FROM THE “ NARRATIVE OF THE U.S. ExpLorina 
Expepition, 1838-42.” By Cuaaries Wiikes, U.S.N., COMMANDER oF 
THE EXpepiTIon. VOL. II. 
CHAPTER IX. (pp. 297-387). 
Tue subjects of which I am about to treat in the following chapters are 
exclusively nautical. I shall, therefore, adopt in treating them more 
the form of a log-book, and follow the daily order of their occurrence 
with more strictness than I have hitherto considered necessary. This 
will be done in order to illustrate more fully the nature of the remote 
regions we traversed, and for the purpose of giving a more exact relation 
of the incidents of this part of our cruise—incidents that I cannot but 
hope have made this part of our labours particularly interesting to all 
of our countrymen who possess a feeling of national pride. 
The credit of these discoveries has been claimed on the part of one 
foreign nation, and their extent, nay, actual existence, called into 
question by another; both having rival expeditions abroad, one at the 
same time, the other the year succeeding. 
Each of these nations, with what intent I shall not stop to inquire, 
has seemed disposed to rob us of the honour, by underrating the im- 
portance of their own researches, and would restrict the Antarctic land 
to the small parts they respectively saw. However willing I might be 
in a private capacity to avoid contesting their statements, and let truth 
make its own way, I feel it due to the honour of our flag to make a 
proper assertion of the priority of the claim of the American Expedition, 
and of the greater extent of its discoveries and researches. 
That land does exist within the Antarctic Circle is now confirmed by 
the united testimony of both French and English navigators. D’Urville, 
the celebrated French navigator, within a few days after land was seen 
by the three vessels of our squadron, reports that his boats landed on 
a small point of rocks, at the place (as I suppose) which appeared 
accessible to us in Piner’s Bay, whence the Vincennes was driven by a 
violent gale; this he called Clarie Land, and testifies to his belief of 
the existence of a vast tract of land, where our view of it has left no 
doubt of its existence. Ross, on the other hand, penetrated to the lati- 
tude of 79° §. in the succeeding year, coasted for some distance along a 
lofty country connected with our Antarctic continent, and establishes 
beyond all cavil the correctness of our assertion, that we have discovered, 
