INTRODUCTION 



Islands westward; but the relief ships were only able to 

 spare a trifling quantity and the opportunity was lost. 

 Scott carried on to the west far south of Wilkes' route to 

 154° East, showing that the land charted by the American 

 expedition west of that meridian did not exist in the 

 assigned positions; then with barely coal enough left to 

 carry her to New Zealand the Discovery left the Antarctic 

 regions and the great south polar expedition came to an 

 end. It is interesting to note that although no catastrophe 

 such as those which darken the pages of Arctic history 

 has ever happened in the Antarctic, no expedition had 

 gone out without the loss of some of its members by 

 accident or illness. On the Discovery the two deaths which 

 occurred were by accident only. 



The Gauss and the Discovery were sold soon after the 

 return of the expeditions; the working up and publication 

 of the scientific results obtained were for the most part en- 

 trusted to museums and public institutions; the members 

 of the expeditions returned to their former duties or sought 

 new employments, and the societies which had promoted 

 the expeditions turned their attention to other things. 

 The South Polar regions were left as the arena of private 

 efforts, and in this volume the reader will learn how the 

 enthusiasm and devotion of an individual has once more 

 vindicated the character of the British nation for going 

 far and faring well in the face of difficulties before which 

 it would have been no dishonour to turn back. 



