786 
MR J. M. WORDIE ON 
one hand has crowded his contours in a somewhat unnatural way to ensure “ Morrell’s 
land ” being part of the Antarctic continent. Brennecke of the Deutschland , on 
the other hand, in prolonging his 1000-, 2000-, and 3000-metre depth-contours 
has made them sweep across to Graham Land in natural curves, and to the south- 
west of them has inserted the term “ Flachsee.” The result of the Endurance 
soundings definitely removes “ Morrell’s land” from the realm of probability, and 
substantiates practically all that Brennecke had inferred as likely to occur in the 
west. His “Flachsee” has proved to be a remarkably shrewd guess, though it still 
remains doubtful what grounds he had for inferring such a broad continental shelf. 
The main results of the Endurance soundings are these : — 
(1) The 1000-, 1500-, and 2000-fathom lines apparently sweep across without 
disturbance from Coats Land to Graham Land, passing south and west of the position 
where Morrell claimed land and where Boss charted “strong appearance of land” 
(but without, however, deeming it sufficiently important or well founded to mention 
it in his book of travels).* The latter “land” was first called in question when 
Nordenskjold made a sounding of 2050 fathoms within thirty miles of Ross’s 
“ appearance of land.” The behaviour of these contours, therefore, makes “ Ross’s 
land ” and “ Morrell’s land ” highly improbable. It is true that there is plenty of room 
for an island here ; but it would have to rise from oceanic depths, and the rule for 
other Antarctic islands is that they are generally linked to the continent by a rise or 
something similar. Such cannot be the case here. Moreover, there are very good 
grounds for concluding that Morrell’s chronometer was far from correct, making 
(if his “north-east cape of New South Greenland” is Joinville Island) his positions 
fully eight degrees too far east ; if his statejnents are to be believed, the land off 
whose coast he claims to have been sealing was simply the east coast of Graham 
Land. Map-makers of the future, therefore, are hardly likely to insert land in 68° S., 
48° W., unless it is vouched for by someone else besides this somewhat discredited 
American sealer. 
(2) The 500-fathom line follows a much more irregular course, and at one point 
is deflected south as far as the face of the Wilhelm Barrier. This suggests the 
existence just here of a deep channel, with a somewhat sinuous course, running 
south approximately between the 36th and 37th meridians. 
(3) East of the above-mentioned deep channel the bottom shoals gently towards 
Leopold and Caird Coasts. The continental shelf off Coats Land is in fact compara- 
tively narrow. Deep water, therefore, is found off such features as the protruding 
Stancomb Wills Promontory, a barrier remnant of a once larger area ; under the 
ice-cliffs 676 fathoms, no bottom, and ten miles off a depth of 1355 fathoms were 
recorded. The shelf is narrow but by no means regular ; the soundings of the three 
expeditions which have visited Coats Land make it pretty certain that although that 
* Ross in his narrative (vol. i, pp. 177-178) tells how his inexperienced officers were often deceived by appear 
ance of land, and would not be persuaded that it was otherwise until they had actually sailed over the place. 
