370 SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
Dundee, and the last of the famous whaling skippers of 
Peterhead was David Gray. Captain Gray had seen the 
Greenland whale fishery decline from its zenith until it 
had almost disappeared from sight, so that the capture of 
one whale had come to mean a successful voyage. The 
value of the “ bone ” had run up to an almost fabulous 
figure, and it is now measured by thousands of pounds 
sterling per ton. 
Captain Gray felt that as even one whale might cover 
the expenses of a voyage, the reports of abundant black 
whales in the Antarctic seas were worth enquiring into, 
and if verified the new field might save the Scottish 
whaling industry from extinction. He extracted and 
classified all the many references to “ right whales ” in 
Ross’s book, and going back to the time of Cook, ob- 
tained notes from the logs of various Kerguelen whalers 
of the temperate seas. He also secured fresh reports 
from the survivors of the expedition in the Erebus and 
Terror, including the private log of Alexander Craig of 
Peterhead who had served on board the latter ship and 
knew a whale when he saw it. Captain Gray issued a 
prospectus in 1891 inviting shareholders in the enterprise 
and setting forth the facts on which he based his con- 
clusions in a very frank and seamanlike way. The region 
selected for the experiment was the portion of the Ant- 
arctic between the meridian of Greenwich and 90° W., 
in other words the neighbourhood of Weddell Sea. 
While the expedition was to be commercial. Captain Gray 
with his well-known interest in matters scientific had 
provided for the accommodation of a naturalist on board 
each ship, for two vessels were considered absolutely 
necessary. Unfortunately the response of the public was 
half-hearted, sufficient shares being taken to provide 
