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his ambition. He tried hard to be taken on board the 
Antarctic as a passenger, but the captain would have no 
passengers in his ship; he offered to go in any capacity, 
and got his way at last by “ signing on ” as an ordinary 
seaman. The voyage of the Antarctic has been described 
by the promoter, Mr. Bull, the master, Captain Kristen- 
sen, and also by Mr. Borchgrevink, the various versions 
agreeing as regards the events of the voyage, with which 
alone we have to do. 
The Antarctic left Melbourne in September, and spent 
a few months sealing round Macquarie Island, and along 
the edge of the Antarctic pack which was met in latitude 
58° S. After a visit to New Zealand to repair damage 
received in heavy weather, she sailed again on November 
28th, 1894, and in little more than a week, entered the 
pack ice in 63° S., 171 0 30' E. The Balleny Islands were 
sighted on the 14th, and the Antarctic circle touched on 
the same day and crossed a week later. The midnight 
sun was visible on Christmas Eve, but the ship continued 
a prisoner in the pack, and it was not until January 14th, 
1895, that she worked her way into open water in lati- 
tude 66° 55' S. Two days later Cape Adare at the 
northern end of Victoria Land was sighted for the first 
time since Ross’s voyage, and two more days brought the 
Antarctic up to Possession Island, where a landing was 
made, the party finding the place aswarm with penguins 
exactly as Ross had found it fifty-five years before. 
Here Borchgrevink made a botanical discovery of con- 
siderable interest, a lichen growing on the rocks, the 
first evidence of plant life obtained within the Antarctic 
circle. Possibly enough this discovery would have been 
made on the former visit had it been the turn of Hooker 
.instead of that of McCormick to land with Ross, the 
