INTRODUCTION 



a circumnavigation of the world in a high southern lati- 

 tude, supplementing the voyage of Cook by keeping south 

 where he went north, but not attempting to reach any 

 higher latitudes. On leaving Sydney in November 1820, 

 Bellingshausen went south in 163° East, a section of the 

 Antarctic which Cook had avoided, and from the eager- 

 ness with which the Russian captain apologised for not 

 pushing into the pack it may be inferred that he found 

 the gate leading to Ross Sea only barred by the ice not 

 absolutely locked. The ships went on in the direction of 

 Cape Horn in order to visit the South Shetlands, recently 

 discovered by William Smith. On the way Bellings- 

 hausen discovered the first land yet known within the 

 Antarctic Circle, the little Peter I Island and the much 

 larger Alexander I Land, which he sighted from a 

 distance estimated at forty miles. A fleet of American 

 sealers was found at work round the South Shetlands and 

 some of the skippers had doubtless done much exploring 

 on their own account, though they kept it quiet for fear 

 of arousing competition in their trade. Bellingshausen 

 returned to Cronstadt in 1821 with a loss of only three 

 men in his long and trying voyage. No particulars of 

 this expedition were published for many years. 



In February 1823, James Weddell, a retired Master 

 in the Royal Navy, and part owner of the brig Jane of 

 Leith; one hundred and sixty tons, was sealing round the 

 South Orkneys with the cutter Beaufoy, sixty -five tons, 

 under the command of Matthew Brisbane in company, 

 when he decided to push south as far as the ice allowed 

 in search of new land where seals might be found. Signs 

 of land were seen in the form of ice-bergs stained with 

 earth, but Weddell sailed through a perfectly clear sea, 

 now named after him, to 74° 15' South in 34° IT West. 

 This point, reached on February 22, 1823, was 3° 

 South of Cook's farthest and 945 miles from the South 



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