The Scientific Advantages of an Antarctic Expedition. 439 



natural science. The positive advantages to be derived from a 

 renewal of Antarctic exploration appear but few at first glance, and 

 can only be detected by a far-sighted man. The Royal Geographical 

 Society has taken up the agitation for that renewal. The Sixth Inter- 

 national Geographical Congress, two and a half years ago, devoted 

 its influential exertions to the recommendation of it to the Govern- 

 ment, not only of this country, but, indeed, of all civilised countries. 

 But now that the Royal Society has taken the matter up (an 

 example which will be followed, T am convinced, by other academies 

 of science), final success may be looked upon as matter of certainty. 



However much as has been done already to urge the importance 

 of the scientific investigation of the South Polar regions, from as 

 many points of view as there are branches of science cultivated 

 by mankind, I consider it my duty, as a representative of geo- 

 physical science, to add all the arguments in my power to those 

 brought forward on the part of geologists, zoologists, botanists, and 

 others. 



A gravitation survey in connection with a thorough geographical 

 exploration of the Antarctic, is one of the most urgent requirements 

 of the science of - our earth. There are no measurements of the 

 gravitation constant within the Antarctic region, indeed they are 

 very scarce in the southern hemisphere south of 30° south latitude. 

 Such measurements are so closely connected with the theory of the 

 figure of our earth, that it may well be asked how it can be con- 

 sidered possible to achieve any advance in this respect, to arrive 

 at any conclusive results in this all-important fundamental matter, 

 without observations within the Antarctic region. It is impossible 

 to foretell what effect an exact gravitation survey in that region might 

 exert upon our views with regard to all physical and terrestrial 

 constants, which depend on the radius of our earth. Apart from 

 that consideration, we may hope for another important enlargement 

 of our knowledge bearing upon the connection between terrestrial 

 magnetism and gravity. Gravity observations have been so much 

 simplified of late by von Sterneck's ingenious apparatus, that there is 

 no serious difficulty in so multiplying gravity determinations within 

 the Antarctic region, that we shall be quite justified in speaking of a 

 *' gravitation survey." The all-important question of the distribu- 

 tion of land within the South Polar region is closely connected with 

 it, and our leading authority on geodesy, Professor Helmert, justly 

 lays great stress upon the observation of the force of gravity south 

 of 60° south latitude. He induced the International Geodetic 

 Permanent Commission to express it as their conviction that a 

 gravitation survey within that region would be of the greatest benefit 

 for higher geodetic theory (October, 1895). 



I have already alluded to the probable connection between gravity 

 vol. lxii. 2 K 



