436 SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
of the importance of forthwith completing the systematic 
exploration of the polar areas. It is very desirable that 
the experience gained by men of science and officers in 
the recent Antarctic expeditions should be turned to ac- 
count by following up without delay the successes they 
have obtained . The Congress recognises that the Arctic 
regions possess a more immediate interest for the people 
of North America, and expresses the confident hope that 
the expeditions now being prepared will be so supported 
as to secure early and complete success/’ 
We have italicised the essential part of the resolution 
so far as it affects the purpose of this book ; but there is 
no present prospect of the pious opinion being translated 
into action. 
Recognising that there must be a breach of continuity 
in Antarctic exploration, and confident that it will revive 
in the future, we venture to suggest some leading prin- 
ciples that might tend to make the next crisis of the 
exploring fever less intense and more effective. 
The first imperative duty is to have the results of the 
recent expeditions “ worked up,” a phrase that is perhaps 
mystifying to the general reader. It means that all 
observations of latitude, longitude, and altitude are to be 
calculated out and utilised in the construction of an ac- 
curate map. It means in the case of meteorological, 
magnetic and other physical observations, the checking 
of original records ; the application of all necessary cor- 
rections for errors of instruments ; the reduction of 
automatic records to figures; the comparison of these 
with those obtained by other expeditions contemporaneous 
or previous, and finally the discussion of the combined 
data by constructing maps and diagrams so as to reveal 
the condition of things to be expected throughout the area 
