514 THE ANTARCTIC MANUAL. 
asked a question with regard to explorations in the direction of Cape North. I 
am very sorry to say that no expeditions were undertaken towards Cape North. 
I do not know for what reason. The commander was requested to allow permission 
to undertake expeditions to Cape North by various members of his staff, but for 
some reason he did not grant that permission. There is no doubt we could have 
undertaken these expeditions, because the surface of the ice was not hummocky 
in that direction, and was perfectly secure, and remained so until late in December, 
And then with regard to an ice-barrier to the west of Cape North, of course I 
have not seen the barrier, and know absolutely nothing about it, but I believe 
the barrier was seen by Wilkes and Dumont d’Urville. In the first place, I think 
some of Wilkes’ ice-barriers and lands are extremely improbable. Sir James 
Ross has proved that some of his lands did not exist, so also did the expedition of 
the Challenger. Of course Dumont d’Urville was more reliable, and there is no 
doubt there is an ice-barrier from Cape North westward, and I believe the length 
of it is about 90 miles. We can account for that in the same way as we can 
account for the great ice-barrier, for I believe most of the mountain ranges seen by 
Dumont d@’Urville run north and south, not east and west, and appear to be a con- 
tinuation of the Australian continent, for nearly all the mountain ranges in Australia 
and New Zealand run north and south. And then the same theory of the ice- 
tongue moving from the mountain slopes would apply to that ice-barrier, as it does 
to the great ice-barrier. Of course, there is no doubt that a very large field for 
exploration still remains in the antarctic regions, and the expeditions of the Southern 
Cross and the Belgica have not added very much to our actual geographical know- 
ledge of these regions. The expeditions which are about to sail from England and 
Germany have a field for exploration greater than the whole of Australia, and the 
scientific results which would accrue from the exploration of so extensive and un- 
known a polar track must be very great; and surely we cannot boast of any 
brighter chaplet than that which has been gained in the field of scientific and 
geographical research. Explorations in the antarctic can have little commercial 
value, for a raore barren spot could scarcely be conceived. As for gold—well, in 
the first place, you have got to find it, a most unenviable task, and you would 
fully deserve it if you were successful. But Ido not think any rational-minded 
person would for a moment entertain so wild and picturesque an idea as that of 
discovering a second Eldorado in South Victoria Land. 
The Presrpent: There were glittering stones, were there not? 
Mr. Bernaccur: Yes, but I don’t think it was gold. Nor would the most 
ardent advocate of imperial expansion look to the territory surrounding Mounts 
Erebus and Terror as a sphere for his ideas. 
The Prustpunr: I think 1 may congratulate the meeting on having listened to 
an extremely interesting paper, and also an important paper from a geographical 
point of view. In the first place, the lecturer appears to have cleared up the 
question respecting the difference between Russel islands and Balleny islands. 
Then he has given us a clearer description of Robertson bay and Cape Adare and 
Duke of York island than we had previously received. His description of the 
excellent winter quarters in Wood bay is important. And it must be very 
gratifying to Mr. Bernacchi to find that his theory respecting the great ice-barriet 
has received the attention of Sir Joseph Hooker and Dr. Blanford, who have both 
expressed, at all events, their very great interest in it. I am sure you will all 
cordially pass a vote of thanks to Mr. Bernacchi for his very interesting paper. 
