96 SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
parently making no other landing. The scenery re- 
minded him strongly of Norway, so strongly that he even 
imagined he could see pine trees waving on the distant 
slopes, and he satisfied himself that the rocks and off- 
lying islands swarmed with fur-seals, blubber-seals and 
birds in great variety. Whales too abounded including 
what he declared to be “ the true spermaceti whale.” 
Altogether Smith saw the land more or less continu- 
ously along a course of 250 miles, and on reaching Val- 
paraiso at the end of November he was able to give such 
particulars as convinced the British residents of the 
reality of the discovery. Apart from the enormous 
value for the seal and whale fishery the prospect of hav- 
ing some British possession, however desolate, within ten 
days’ sail was very welcome to Smith’s compatriots who 
did not feel too secure under the government of a new 
republic still at war with its mother country. They re- 
sented the recent abandonment of the Falkland Islands 
and were intensely anxious to have some outpost of the 
empire nearer than Cape Town on the one side and Syd- 
ney on the other. These feelings were fully shared by 
the British naval commander on the Pacific Station, Cap- 
tain W. H. Shirreff, who on hearing Smith’s story re- 
solved to take immediate action. Mr. J. Miers, F. R. S., 
the merchant to whom we are indebted for the first 
description of the finding of New South Shetland, had 
commenced to load the Williams for her return voyage 
when Captain Shirreff chartered her for a cruise of 
exploration, and Miers, who was an enthusiastic natural- 
ist, at once transferred his cargo to another vessel and 
gladly set the brig free for her more important work. 
Edward Bransfield, Master R. N., was put in charge, and 
three midshipmen of H. M. S. Andromache accompanied 
