﻿SOUTH 
  GEORGIA, 
  AN 
  OUTPOST 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANTARCTIC 
  

  

  417 
  

  

  matters 
  pertaining 
  to 
  

   the 
  production 
  and 
  

   utilization 
  of 
  all 
  oils 
  

   containing 
  glycerin. 
  

   Attention 
  was 
  then 
  

   drawn 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   the 
  oils 
  of 
  whalebone 
  

   whales, 
  particularly 
  

   the 
  humpback 
  and 
  fin 
  

   whales, 
  are 
  so 
  rich 
  in 
  

   glycerin 
  that 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   stance 
  could 
  be 
  profit- 
  

   ably 
  extracted 
  for 
  use 
  

   in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  

   explosives. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  it 
  

   became 
  apparent 
  that 
  

   the 
  British 
  Govern- 
  

   ment 
  controlled, 
  by 
  

   right 
  of 
  territorial 
  pos- 
  

   session, 
  practically 
  the 
  

   whole 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  

   whale 
  fishery 
  in 
  the 
  

   Far 
  South, 
  including 
  

   the 
  catch 
  of 
  stations 
  at 
  

   South 
  Georgia, 
  a 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  sub- 
  

   antarctic 
  islands, 
  the 
  

   Falklands, 
  and 
  the 
  

   coast 
  of 
  the 
  Antarctic 
  

   Continent 
  west 
  of 
  

   Weddell 
  Sea. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  these 
  whal- 
  

   ing 
  stations 
  were 
  op- 
  

   erated 
  by 
  Scandinavian 
  

   or 
  Argentine 
  capital, 
  

   but 
  by 
  enforcing 
  its 
  

   undeniable 
  right 
  of 
  

   making 
  the 
  whaling 
  li- 
  

   censes 
  contingent 
  upon 
  

   the 
  sale 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  in 
  

   British 
  markets, 
  the 
  government 
  succeeded 
  

   during 
  the 
  war 
  in 
  obtaining 
  something 
  

   like 
  fifty 
  million 
  gallons 
  of 
  this 
  oil, 
  all 
  of 
  

   which 
  had 
  a 
  high 
  glycerin 
  content. 
  

  

  These 
  facts 
  are 
  a 
  sufficient 
  commentary 
  

   upon 
  the 
  value 
  to 
  a 
  modern 
  nation 
  of 
  out- 
  

   of-the-way, 
  seemingly 
  worthless 
  land 
  

   holdings, 
  such 
  as 
  isolated, 
  arid, 
  or 
  ice- 
  

   covered 
  islands. 
  Great 
  Britain 
  alone, 
  

   among 
  the 
  great 
  powers, 
  has 
  had 
  the 
  fore- 
  

   sight, 
  whether 
  conscious 
  or 
  not, 
  of 
  mak- 
  

   ing 
  good 
  her 
  dominion 
  while 
  there 
  was 
  

   none 
  to 
  gainsay 
  her. 
  

  

  So 
  much 
  for 
  an 
  epitome 
  of 
  commercial 
  

   exploitation 
  at 
  a 
  land 
  which 
  one 
  of 
  Cap- 
  

   tain 
  Cook's 
  associates 
  described 
  as 
  "of 
  

  

  A 
  SNAPPING 
  FEMALE 
  OP 
  THE 
  SPECIES 
  

  

  The 
  sea-elephant 
  cows 
  weigh 
  from 
  600 
  to 
  700 
  pounds 
  and 
  seldom 
  

   attain 
  a 
  length 
  exceeding 
  nine 
  feet, 
  while 
  the 
  males 
  measure 
  from 
  

   18 
  to 
  21 
  feet. 
  

  

  less 
  value 
  than 
  the 
  smallest 
  farm 
  in 
  Eng- 
  

   land." 
  

  

  SCIENTIFIC 
  INVESTIGATION 
  ON 
  SOUTH 
  

   GEORGIA 
  

  

  The 
  history 
  of 
  scientific 
  investigation 
  

   at 
  South 
  Georgia 
  may 
  be 
  more 
  briefly 
  

   retold. 
  Following 
  Cook, 
  the 
  Russian 
  ex- 
  

   plorer 
  Bellingshausen 
  in 
  1820, 
  the 
  Eng- 
  

   lishman 
  James 
  Weddell 
  in 
  1823, 
  and 
  the 
  

   members 
  of 
  several 
  recent 
  Antarctic 
  ex- 
  

   peditions 
  have 
  done 
  much 
  to 
  increase 
  

  

  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  es- 
  

   pecially 
  to 
  the 
  German 
  Transit 
  of 
  Venus 
  

   Expedition 
  of 
  1882-1883, 
  the 
  staff 
  of 
  

   which 
  spent 
  a 
  year 
  at 
  Royal 
  Bay, 
  that 
  

  

  