ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION.
ALFTER withdrawing for many years from the work of Arctic research, in which she formerly led the way, England has once again undertaken to explore the unknown regions which lie beyond the line marked in maps as "the limit of Arctic explora- tion." There is an audacity peculiarly British in the way in which the work has been dealt with. While Germany, Austria, Sweden, and the United States have sent out expedition after expedition, with the avowed object of carrying the flag of their respective countries within the latitude-circle reached by Parry in 1827, England has looked on as if in the calm consciousness that where her flag was stayed, no other nation need hope to pass. If for a time there was anxiety on this score, it was only when our American cousins pushed onwards nearer and nearer to the magic circle, seeing land lying nearer to the Pole than even Parry reached. But that danger to our pride passed, and still in Arctic as in Antarctic seas the flag of England was foremost. Now, when other nations seem for a while to have given up hope, England enters on the task, and every one, from the Captain who leads her Arctic Expedition, to the humblest and least nautical of Britons, assumes that either the North Pole will be reached, or that at least an approach will be made which will leave Eng- land safely in advance of other nations for a half-century to come.
Of course, the real importance of the expedition which has just set forth, does not consist in the prospect that the North Pole will be reached. Yet argue- against the feeling as we may, there remains always in the human breast the longing to go where no human foot has ever trod, to attain what others have agreed to regard as unattainable. There are, however, very excellent reasons, apart from this feeling, for looking with interest on the attempt now to be made to effect discoveries within the Polar domain. "There," as Maury well said, "icebergs are framed and glaciers launched ; there the tides have their cradle" (or their grave), "the whales their nursery ; there the winds complete their circuits, and the currents of the sea their round in the won- derful system of oceanic circulation ; there the aurora is lighted up and the trembling needle brought to rest ; and there, in the mazes of that mystic circle, terrestrial forces of occult power and of vast influence upon the well-being of man are continually at work. Within the Arctic circle is the pole of the winds and the poles of cold ; the pole of the earth and of the magnet. It is a circle of mysteries, and the desire to enter it, to explore its un- trodden wastes and secret chambers, and to study its physical aspects, has grown into a longing. Noble daring has made Arctic ice and snow-clad seas classic ground. It is no feverish excite- ment nor vain ambition that leads man there. It is a higher feeling, a holier motive,—a desire to look into the works of crea- tion, to comprehend the economy of our planet, and to grow wiser and better by the knowledge."
Of all the subjects of physical interest which the Arctic explorers hope to investigate successfully, the laws of terrestrial magnetism, with the associated phenomena of the aurora, are perhaps the most important. It is not easy to perceive how meteorological results of special value can be obtained within the Arctic circle. Nor can we attach much importance to the investigation of the solar spectrum studied through an atmosphere comparatively free from the vapour of water, for nearly all that can be learned directly in this way may be inferred indirectly from observations already made. The study of the tides in Polar seas will be in- teresting ; and of comae, botanical and zoological researches in Arctic regions can hardly fail to be rewarded by valuable results.
I But none of these matters can be regarded as specially apper- I taining to the Arctic regions, whereas the study of terrestrial magnetism, of its very nature, draws our thoughts towards the two circles, Arctic and Antarctic, within which lie the magnetic poles of the earth. We can imagine few more interesting sub- jects of inquiry than the laws of terrestrial magnetism within the region to which the needle points, or than the observation of auroral displays around the spot which is the pole of all the magnetic meridians.
There is one particular phenomenon of terrestrial magnetism, however, which even more closely interests the student of science. Strangely enough, it has been entirely overlooked in more than one account of the objects of the Arctic Expedition. The ac- count, for instance, given in the Times for May 26 speaks of the exact position of the Northern magnetic pole as determined by John Ross in the expedition of 1831-33, and deals thereafter with the pole so determined as though our explorers would still have that spot for their true magnetic pole. The writer of the Times' article, indeed, dwells on the fact, known to every one, that the magnetic pole is not the geographical pole, as though it were- some recondite and little known circumstance, omitting all men- tion of the Much more interesting circumstance that the magnetic- pole is not a fixed point at all, but is travelling from east to west round the geographical pole, according to laws yet to be deter- mined, but probably in a period of about 650 years. Our ex- plorers will certainly not find the North magnetic Pole where Ross placed it more than forty years ago, that is, in north lati- tude 70° and west longitude 970, but more than 20° farther west.
And this leads us to call attention to the interest which would attach to an Antarctic expedition following quickly upon the pre- sent Arctic voyage. We know far less of Antarctic than of Arc- tic magnetic conditions, though the former are fully as important as the latter to the science of terrestrial magnetism. Sir J. C. Ross failed to reach the Antarctic magnetic pole, though he approached near enough to it to show that it lay in 1845-47 far inland on Victoria Land. It probably lies now very much farther west, for the position Ross assigned to it was east of its proper position, even at that day, a peculiarity due no doubt to abnormal local influences. It would be a matter of extreme interest to ascertain whether the Southern magnetic pole has, so to speak, broken free from these influences, and assumed a position more nearly anti- podal to the Northern magnetic pole. The study of the Aurora Australis is also fully as interesting as that of the Aurora Borealis.
It would be in accordance with previous practice to make use of the experience acquired in Arctic voyages as a preparation for the more difficult task of Antarctic exploration. The celebrated voyages by Sir J. C. Ross in 1845-47 followed close upon the long- series of successes which England had achieved in Arctic regions. And though it may appear strange to speak at this time of Antarc- tic exploration, as a sequel to Arctic voyages as yet not even com- menced (if we call the passage of the Arctic circle the beginning of an Arctic journey), yet the idea is one which cannot be too soon entertained, if the fullest advantage is to be taken of the experience which officers and men will doubtless acquire during- the expedition of the 'Discovery' and 'Alert.'
One circumstance may be mentioned which is not unlikely to attract attention to Antarctic exploration before many years are passed. It was an old scheme of official astronomers to provide for an Antarctic expedition in view of the Transit of December 6, 1882. The idea was abandoned, partly because the particular- method which they had hoped to apply was found to be inap- plicable, partly perhaps because the cost and trouble of such an expedition promised to be greater than the mere transit observa- tions would justify. But so far as feasibility was concerned, the Admiralty authorities were unanimous in favour of the scheme, while they promised (at least they did not contradict Captain Toynbee when he promised) far better weather-chances at cer- tain Antarctic stations to which they pointed than could be- hoped for at islands in the sub-Antarctic seas. Now it happens, strangely enough, that while the recent transit observations throw doubt on the only method which had seemed available for observ- ing the transit of 1882, they point to great advantage to be- derived from photographic work undertaken at stations where the- middle of the transit can be favourably seen ; and the Antarctic stations about which the Admiralty authorities had spoken so favourably are the very best for applying this particular method. After what happened in 1873, it might be unpleasant to Admiralty authorities to advocate any scheme for an Ant- arctic expedition solely to observe the transit of 1882. But an Antarctic expedition, including such observation as a part only of its scheme, might be advocated without discomforting
official susceptibilities. It may be gently hinted that some such arrangement would go far to remove an impression which (justly or unjustly, but in a very real manner) has got abroad. It was said on July 24, 1873, by Admiral Richards, in the Times, that all the islands in the Southern seas except those which England was to occupy for observing the late transit were mostly actual myths, while on those which do exist it is certain that there is no -anchorage for a ship, and that even landing would be generally 'impossible." Yet it so happened that, by some means or other, the French occupied two of these very islands, St. Paul's and Campbell Island ; the Germans another, Auckland Island ; and the Americans yet another ; while at two out of these four stations the whole transit was most favourably seen, the French obtaining more than 400 photographs at one of their stations. Now it is so unusual, and to the well-constituted Briton so painful, to find foreigners achieving nautical feats which British officers have pronounced impracticable, that we must take the unpleasant taste from these facts by the only course left us,—viz., by achieving what foreigners may probably consider beyond their power. Apart from this, an Antarctic expedition is calculated to be fully as interesting to men of science as an Arctic expedition, while ex- peditions of both kinds, occurring within a period of moderate -41uration, would be infinitely more interesting than a single expe- dition of either kind.
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