2 3 o SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
known to the explorers, though they had been discovered 
twelve months before. The question of priority was made 
much of by Wilkes, not, indeed, in favour of Balleny, 
but against D’Urville, who, as we have seen, unquestion- 
ably discovered land in the same locality within a few 
days of the Americans. As the land would have been 
discovered in any case by one of the expeditions, even if 
the other had not been in the field, the question is one of 
purely personal, or at the highest, of national interest, 
the controversy is of no scientific importance whatever. 
The prior discovery by Wilkes or D’Urville in no way 
reduces the credit due to both explorers, although the 
nature of the new land was only ascertained by either in 
a vague way. 
On the night of the 16th the fog fell thick and the 
Vincennes suddenly ran from a rough sea into smooth 
water to the great alarm of the watch below, who, 
awakened by the sudden stillness, knew that she had 
come inside a line of ice. She was, in fact, embayed, and 
it cost several hours of anxious navigation to work her 
into the rough, open water again. 
On the 17th the Peacock was ordered to proceed inde- 
pendently, as the attempt to keep the ships in company 
was retarding exploration. Both vessels held on their 
way westward along the edge of the barrier of close 
pack ice. On the 19th land v/as very distinctly seen, 
both to the south-southeast and the southwest, the Vin- 
cennes being then in 66° 20' S. and i54°3o'E. The 
land appeared to rise to a height of about 3000 feet. At 
night the unusual spectacle was seen of the sun and the 
nearly full moon, both shining at the same time, the sun 
“ illuminated the icebergs and distant continent with his 
deep golden rays,” -while the moon “ tinged with silvery 
