118 
REPORT—1854. 
rate of from 10 to 25 miles a day. On the illustrative diagram the course of this 
warmer water was marked by red lines. It was afterwards shown that the return 
of this water was by subsurface or submarine currents setting to the north-east, and 
were marked blue lines. 
The nature of the enormous magnitude of the antarctic ices, which offer a perfect 
contrast to those uf the North Pole, was explained. This enormous collection 
around the South Pole is purely the result of atmospheric deposition, ami i* 
remarkable as lying to the south of the greatest area of ocean water on the earth's 
surface, and over which the winds pass towards it; but from the fact of all mun- 
tnes m south latitude having arid climates, and those in the north the reverse, this 
was another evidence that the evaporation of the northern hemisphere is deposited 
in the south, and vice verstt. 
One fact analogous to those observed in the North Atlantic Ocean,—of dust, once 
supposed to be volcanic, but proved to be microscopic Crustacea, wiu cited ai 
occurring near to thu antarctic circle, and also adding n confirmation of the theory 
or the atmospheric circulation. Tho face of the icy harrier, consisting of cliff* ele¬ 
vated from 150 to 210 feet above the sea level, perfectly Wall*faced, and extending 
continuously for hundreds of miles, was an evidence that ocean currents did not 
penetrate that circle, which we only know from ita external edge. These table-topped 
harriers were the result of surface deposition, and, being above 1000 Ibet thick, were 
or sufficient solidity tube protruded bodily do wmvai (Is from the interior lands, which 
might consist of mountains of solid ice of sufficient inclination seawards to allow the 
set of the stratified upper portions to glide downwards, bearing on their under *ur- 
faces immense quantities nf earth and detached rocks. 
,r . , ns 1 ic ? ct With in such large quantities is the result of the breaking up 
th,Iim r 1 C S tnl,lc - t, ’IM ie<l *wtri», and from the face of the cliffe. and not formed on 
mine, sea, which maintained u comparatively high temperature. Thi* high 
tho «o,irh! re ' Va * ,rriu ^ lt by the south-east current previously alluded tons setting from 
which u- U 1 ! '.• 0r, ‘T Uf th . e * outl1 connecting current, and the rates and duration of 
Arriving th ’be examples cited at from ten to twenty-five miles per day. 
but little mov° ^ nCQ ,°/ l tlll ‘ '7 barrier this current was lost, close under it there being 
atancc iLTl«r * " vvh,u being a drift to the tcnluwd ,-a nrcum- 
outlet ;* ni ! ki ,a J lms b '- pn related north of Siberia. On the surface, then, no 
f ? r • ,lle waters ’ but the drilling of the immense tabular bergs, 
or ratlu^n nr r/h ’ ftnd , n,i,,R 2,) .° f,!ct oul <>>0 water, was a proof of a northern 
from tw*iv«. f h 'r UT y ftCt ' which by different observations wa» considered to m° ' 
Z 2 2f ?j« hlwn milw > l»r day when free from tho barrier. The mm of 
the SouS Pn/ ' 0Ceftn * or 3 °"‘ 5 ' "-os observed by Cnpt. Sir James Ross to encircle 
9 I tlCftn lati,U(U> of 56° 26' south. On this circle the temperature 
and ?• Mrhw *° bottom, and was connected with these surface 
belna thus ,U0Vlng m opposing directions. The icebergs and drift 
dritAdds it* rn ° ri ' ^•“P'rete climates, disappear, and the north- 
2™5f i,J th° , the currents, which strike the western shore.. of ft* 
X o ; AMcnfn T"‘ B , ftorthw,ird form the Peruvian current, and against the west 
coast of Africa forming the cool South African current 
brought*into'eonn^'* ^ »»*»»*«»«» of the antarctic climate were attempered, 
SsHa4“ as ss.-is.'s: sas 
psrfcct'contraat ^ oXof ihings exists; in many point*. 
ice),was an evirlon . *S? C , ? a8,n not being a sea of perpetual ice (or one solid m 
and that there '.VT** l ,ervioa * to ‘bo in flu prices ofmore t««mf*erateclims 
w "d SliiSCLttS™™ a lha ‘ were at work for renewing.* 
rent through Sehrinv W lat * be *bort summer docs not dissolve. T 
151. L thfjanr n i ft ^. an nff " et of which tl,e author first described- ' 0 
M ahown toT „“ •** B,n,,lar in "> p Pacific to the Gulf-stream in the 
. snown to he an unimntirtnr.fr . . ..1. ..... „«rr..w strait, atm 
—was shown to U:. 1 ' B " m,ar m ‘be Pacific to the Gulf-stream mtn« 
therefore was Quite i,,...! ani ' np ! ,rla, ‘ t O'^thcrly get through the narrow t 
Q t inadequate to produce any marked effect on the polar i 
strait, 
ices. 
The 
