PREFACE 
the British Flag, the greatest Polar journey ever attempted, the 
other parties will be engaged in important scientific work. 
Two sledging parties will operate from the base on the 
Weddell Sea. One will travel westwards towards Graham 
Land, making observations, collecting geological specimens, 
and proving whether there are mountains in that region linked 
up with those found on the other side of the Pole. 
Another party will travel eastward toward Enderby Land, 
carrpng out a similar programme, and a third, remaining at 
the base, will study the fauna of the land and sea, and the 
meteorological conditions. 
'^From the Ross Sea base, on the other side of the Pole, 
another party will push southward and will probably await 
the arrival of the Transcontinental party at the top of the 
Beardmore Glacier, near Mount Buckley, where the first seams 
of coal were discovered in the Antarctic. Tliis region is of 
great importance to the geologist, who will be enabled to read 
much of the history of the Antarctic in the rocks. 
Both the ships of the Expedition will be equipped for 
dredging, sounding, and every variety of hydrographical 
work. The Weddell Sea ship wdll endeavour to trace the un- 
known coast-hne of Graham Land, and from both the vessels, 
with their scientific staffs, important results may be expected. 
" The several shore parties and the two ships will thus carry 
out geographical and scientific work on a scale and over an area 
never before attempted by any one Polar expedition, 
" This will be the first use of the Weddell Sea as a base for 
exploration, and all the parties will open up vast stretches 
of unknown land. It is appropriate that this work should be 
carried out under the British Flag, since the whole of the area 
southward to the Pole is British territory. In July 1908, 
Letters Patent were issued under the Great Seal declaring 
that the Governor of the Falkland Islands should be the 
Governor of Graham Land (which forms the western side 
of the Weddell Sea), and another section of the same proclama- 
tion defines the area of British territory as ' situated in the 
South Atlantic Ocean to the south of the 50th parallel of south 
latitude, and lying between 20 degrees and 80 degrees west 
ix 
