Terrestrial Magnetism . 133 
organized in some of tlie more remote parts of tlie globe : 
in short, a wider system of observation was required, and 
the Royal Society of London, having appointed a Com¬ 
mittee of their body at the recommendation of a meeting 
of the British Association, made an application to Her 
Majesty’s Government for assistance, pointing out the 
immense advantages that must accrue to science and the 
world at large by a complete investigation of the subject. 
This assistance was granted ; the most important part of 
which, and one which none but a generous and wealthy 
nation could have acceded to, on account of the enor¬ 
mous expense, was the equipment of an expedition to 
explore the Antarctic circle—a portion of the globe but 
little known, and in which portion there existed a lament¬ 
able ignorance respecting the magnetic elements, few 
observations (even of the variation of the compass) 
having been made there since the days of Cook and 
Furneaux. 
The position of the northern magnetic pole having 
been so recently determined by actual observation, 
a fresh impetus had been given for similar exertion in its 
opposite hemisphere. All men of science appeared 
universally to agree in the necessity of thoroughly in¬ 
vestigating the magnetic elements in high southern lati¬ 
tudes ere any progress could be made in laying down 
laws ; and, M. Gauss having from theoretical considera¬ 
tions assigned a position to the southern magnetic pole, 
there is little doubt but that its true place will be ascer¬ 
tained by Captain Ross and the officers under his com¬ 
mand, (although they may not reach the spot), as M. 
Gauss’s calculations have already given, within very 
moderate limits of error, the true place of the northern 
pole, and otherwise represented the magnetic elements in 
every explored region with considerable approximation. 
The observations established by the Government—the 
