86 
president's ADDRESS — SECTION C. 
This leads to the line limiting the iceberg drift bending here 
slightly to the north. Further east, however, as shown on Plate L, 
the line is strongly indented southwards by the warm southerly 
current along the east coast of Australia. The observations of Sir 
Janies Eoss, when added to those made on the “ Challenger," show 
that on the whole, from that area of the Southern Ocean which lies 
between the longitudes of Termination Land and Terre Adelie, the 
currents set about E.N.E , and on nearing Tasmania they set about 
N.N.E., making towards Melbourne. Becent bottle experiments, the 
results of which have been published by Mr. Wragge, show that there 
is a current setting around the Great Australian Bight from near 
Kangaroo I si and . to Cape Arid in West Australia. I mention this to 
show the possibility of granites and gneisses such. as those of which 
Terre Adelie is composed being carried by icebergs towards the 
southern shores of Australia. 
If our attention he directed once more to the line limiting the 
northward drift of bergs, it will be observed that after bending down 
as far south as the Macquarie Islands and Campbell’s Island, in, 
approximately, lat. 58° S., it trends rapidly to the N.N.E., passing 
through the Chatham Islands in lat. 41° S., and attaining a latitude 
of about 42 lJ S. at a point about 250 miles east of those islands. 
"Within the last two years two icebergs have actually grounded at 
the Chatham Islands, as I am informed by Mr. H. C. Russell. Ice- 
bergs have been seen near Cape Agulhas, the southern extremity of 
Africa, as already stated, and this is in lat. 34° 9' S. Under existing 
conditions, therefore, of climate and ocean currents, icebergs in the 
Southern Hemisphere attain a latitude of about 35° S. 
Now, if there were continuous land from Tasmania to Victoria 
Land, the Southern Ocean west of this barrier would cease to be 
warmed by the east Australian current, and a strong Antarctic current 
would be set up corresponding to the Benguela current off Africa, 
and the Peruvian current off the west coast of South America. This 
would carry icebergs, even under existing conditions of climate, at 
least as far north as the 35th parallel — that is, the icebergs would be 
carried probably far north of the latitude of Melbourne, to that of 
Adelaide and W agga ; and the whole area of Victoria, if submerged, 
would be liable to be invaded by fleets of icebergs, and even now their 
vanguard can almost be sighted from the southern hills of Tasmania. 
It may be questioned, however, whether Antarctic icebergs, if 
stranded over those areas of Eastern Australia, where traces of 
Permo-Carboniferous glaciation are now observable, would be com- 
petent to produce such glacial phenomena. 
As regards the nature of the deposits now being laid down on 
those portions of the sea-floor which come within the range of the 
Antarctic ice-sheet and Antarctic bergs, the observations of Sir James 
Eoss and of the “ Challenger" Expedition are of great interest. 
Sir James Eoss* states that when off Victoria Land, “Whilst 
measuring angles for the survey, an island I had not before noticed 
appeared, which I was quite sure was not to be seen two or three 
hours previously. It was above 100 feet high, and nearly the whole 
of the summit and eastern side perfectly free from snow. I was 
much surprised at the circumstance, and on calling the attention of 
* Voyage to the Southern Seas, vol. i., p. 195. 
