SPECTATOR'S LIBRARY.

SCIENTIFIC ENHAEATION,

A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions, during the years 1839-43. By Captain Sir James Clark Ross, R.N.. Knt., D.C. L. Oxon,

PALS.. are. With Plates, Maps, and Wood-cuts. In two volumes Murray. HMTOEICAL DISQUISITIoN,

The Protector; a Vindication. By J. H. Merle D'Autdgne, D.D.

ricrioN, Simpkin end Marshal. Russell; a Tale of the Reign of Charles H. By G. P. R. James, Esq., Author of The Gypsey," "The Smuggler," &c SnUM and Eider.

SIR JAMES ROSS'S VOYAGE IN THE SOUTHERN AND ANTARCTIC REGIONS.

br 1838 the British Association for the Advanoement of Science passed some resolutions on the importance of having a simultaneous series of magnetic observations; and suggested the localities in which they should be made, as well as the points to which attention should be directed. The regions pointed out by the resolutions as fitted for stations were Canada, St. Helena, Van Diemen's Land, and Mauritius, or the Cape of Good Hope : the desirableness of having similar observations made "in the high Southern latitudes between the meridians of New Holland and Cape Horn," was also suggested. The points to be regarded in the magnetic observations were the "three elements of horizontal direction, dip, and intensity, or their theoretical equivalents, as also their hourly changes, and, on appointed days, their momentary fluctuations." A committee was appointed to press the subject upon the Government ; and the President and Council of the Royal Society, (the acknowledged advisers of Govern- ment in matters of science) having strenuously supported the views of the Association, the undertaking was resolved upon. At the same time, it was considered that Antarctic exploration might be combined with mag- tactical observation. Two vessels were accordingly fitted up with all the precautions and provisions necessary for a voyage in those high Southern latitudes, and placed under command of Sir James Ross. His leading instructions were to land the observers and their instruments at St. Helena, the Cape, and Van Diemen's Land ; to establish himself for certain periods at certain places in the Southern Seas, to carry on the mag- netic observations on shore ; and in the intervals of time to endeavour to penetrate towards the South magnetic pole, or to pursue such other ob- jects of discovery as should seem best in his discretion.

Besides making the passage out and home, with occasional visits to New Zealand, Van Diemen's Land, and New South Wales, Sir James Ross re- mained some time at the Falkland Islands and St. Martin's Cove in the im- mediate vicinity of Cape Horn, for the purposes of scientific observation, or to refit. His most interesting voyages, however, were three in num- ber, and all directed towards high Southern latitudes. In the first, skirting the more Eastern discoveries of Bellany made in 1839,* Sir James Ross penetrated beyond the 78th degree of South latitude ; dis- covered a seeming continent, (laid down on the latest maps as Victoria Land); and traced it from the 70th to the 79th degree of latitude. He was then stopped by a perpendicular barrier of ice from 150 to 300 feet in height ; and of course above the mast-heads of the vessels, so that nothing could be distinctly seen beyond it except in one place; nor could it be reached. This barrier too was examined, as well as the difficulties and the season allowed ; the position of the magnetic pole was determined, and approached within 160 miles. A spot was sought where the expedition might winter, and attempt an overland expedition in the spring to "plant the national flag" on the South magnetic pole, as Sir James had previously done upon the North : but the approach of winter, the formation of ice on the sea, and the manner in which loose pieces quickly became a congealed mass, compelled the expedition to re- turn. This voyage was made in our Northern winter of 1840-41, the summer of the Southern hemisphere. As far as mere distance goes, the explorers penetrated about seven degrees beyond Cook's furthest, and about three degrees and a half beyond Weddell in 1823.

Such progress was not made but under favourable circumstances both of accident and season. In latitude 66° 55' they encountered a "pack," through which they had to force their way for upwards of two hundred miles; but after that the sea was comparatively clear, and the navigation Comparatively easy, till they approached the region "where, in a season of the year equivalent to August in England, the thermometer was at 12° tuid at noon did not rise above 14°," and the presence of icicles alone gave the idea that it ever thawed. We say comparatively, because the navigation was still beset by the difficulties incidental to those high latitudes; icebergs crowding the ocean, and involving incessant caution, for fogs and snow-storms often turned the day into night; a passage had sometimes to be made through newly-formed ice, by cutting a way, or rolling the ships' boats upon the mass; and at one of the worst points of the voyage, "the waves, as they broke over the ships, froze as they fell on the decks and rigging, and covered our clothes with a thick coating of ice, so that the people suffered severely during the continuance of the gale," although before the middle of the Southern August. Nothing, in fact, but the previous experience of the commander and some of his people, with the extraordinary preparation of his ships, enabled the navi- gators to take advantage of the favourable circumstances in which they found themselves.

The second voyage, made with the object of following out the previous discoveries, was less successful; but the perseverance equally great, the hardships and danger very much greater. They made but thirty miles in one week, even before crossing the Antarctic circle, on account of a calm, a fog, and snow-storms. They were entangled at an early period in a pack of ice, whence they never emerged for a thousand miles; but some- times forced a way through it, when the wind served and the ice per- mitted; sometimes drifted with it backwards or forwards as the pack itself was swayed by the Antarctic storms; sometimes stood to and fro in a space of open water, or made a little way, each vessel fastened

• Bellsny Islands, in abontlatitude 67 and longitude 164 East.

to the opposite sides of a floe of ioe, to avoid accidents or parting com- pany. Yet, though nothing was done as regards actual discovery, the nautical maxim of pushing on to the very last., illustrated in a remark- able manner the importance of not yielding to difficulties.

" The setting-in of the winter now required us to bring our operations in the higher Southern latitudes to a close, and seek a more temperafe climate in which to pass the winter. And although our hopes of extended discoveries during the season had been frustrated by our protracted and tedious detention in the pack, and the difficulties of penetrating a mass of more than a thousand miles in thick- ness had been overcome by the perseverance and exertions of my companions, still the time that was constuned in that laborious and fatiguing work left us only • few days of the worst part of the season to pursue our purpose. We had, how- ever, during that brief space attained a somewhat higher limeade than last year; we had traced the continuation of the barrier [of ice] ten degrees of longitude farther to the Eastward, and had extended our researches over a large portam of the hitherto unexplored parts of those regions; an amount of success which, whilst struggling in the pack, few ems could have anticipated."

The third voyage only penetrated to 71° 30' on the same parallel as Weddell's, (10° to 20° of West longitude,) when a pack of ice and the advanced season prevented all efforts to proceed further. As close and extensive a survey as the weather and that region permits had previously been made of the Shetland group, latitude about 62° to 64° and West longitude 50° to 70°, including Graham Land, and the Terre Louis Philippe, discovered by D'Urville.

In voyages of this kind the first object is scientific facts, and an accu- rate report of them ; which, of course, somewhat interferes with popular attractiveness. The soundings of the ocean, its temperature at different depths, the observation of currents, the bearings of objects, the variation of the magnet, and the minute detail of other facts and pluenomena, how- ever interesting and suggestive to the geographer, (and they are highly so,) have only an occasional attraction for the public at large ; while their continual repetition, which is an absolute necessity, interferes with the narrative and flattens as well as suspends it. The formality and retenne of official responsibility increase lengthiness by the detail pre- scribed and the formal compliments apparently required. Notwith- standing these necessary drawbacks, the volumes before us are in the main attractive even to general readers. There is the excitement attached to voyages of discovery, and the interest attending hardships borne and dangers and difficulties overcome. The Antarctic scenery is rather enumerated than described, for the style of the book is somewhat literal • but still it i there. The enormous icebergs studding the ocean—the still ice-fields stretching away in every direction, or clashing and grinding under the influence of the storm—the mountains cased in eternal ioe, and the wintry desolation of the frozen continent, that

"Lies dark and wild, beat with perpetual storms Of whirlwind and dire hail, which on firm land Thaws not, but gathers heap"— are all indicated to the reader in the narrative of adventure. There is, of course, continual risk; sometimes terrific danger,—as when a collision took place between the ships close upon an iceberg, and life hung upon the accidents of a moment; or the vessels, embayed in a pack dating a gale, which forced the masses of ice against or over each other, drove helplessly about with damaged rudders ; and nothing could be done but to hold on and wait the end. Some of the scientific facts are curious; and though the reports of the proper officers on the botany, geology, &c., may rather encumber the narrative, they give variety, and often contain bits of generally interesting description. An idea of these topics, how. ever, is better conveyed by extracts than by any critical account.

VARIATIONS OF TAR MAGNET ON SHORE.

Here, [St. Helena] as invariably on all volcanic islands, it was found quite im- possible to obtain correct measures of the magnetic elements, by. reason of the large amount of the disturbing influence of the rock itself. So powerful indeed was it in this particular instance, that even at the distance at which our ships were anchored, it produced such anomalies in the results of our observations for the deviation of dip, variation, and intensity, as to mask the ordinary effects of the ship's iron. The comparisons of our magnetic instruments were just as unsatis- factory; for no two places could be found, however near to or distant from each other, where accordant results could be obtained even with the same instrument.

importance, mportance therefore, of St. Helena as a magnetic station, will be manifested more by the detection of the momentary, irregular, and secular changes, than by absolute determinations; and for meteorological purposes it cannot fail to be of es- sential advantage.

MAGNETIC ore: ENDERBY ISLAND.

By the 25th, the instruments were all fixed and adjusted; and we had the satis- faction of finding, during three days' preliminary observations, that the foundation remained perfectly steady, and the results were most satisfactory. The term-day observations were made on the 28th; and afforded, as we after- wards found, a most interesting comparison with those made at the Rossbank ob- servatory, Van Diemen's Land' showing the same instanter eous movements of the instruments as occur in the Northern regions; and thus our principal purpose of coming here was fulfilled to our wishes.

Hourly and additional observations agreed upon before we sailed from Hobart

Town were continued until we had obtained seven days of uninterrupted result!, when we considered the magnetometric operations complete: the absolute detertm- nations were next to be attended to; but in these we found very considerable diffi- culty. The place proved to be a most remarkable corroboration of what 1 have already said respecting the uncertainty and inaccuracy of magnetic observance made on laud. In our course from Van Diemen's Land we found a gradual in- crease of dip, in exact proportion to the distance we sailed during each day to- wards these islands, from which we could determine with very great accuracy the amoant of dip due to their geographical position; but the first observations we obtained here gave as too small a dip by more than two degrees. The cause, I of course immediately attributed to local attraction, and directed observations to be made at several different stations. At a position only thirty yards distant front the first station, the dip, with the same instrument, was found to be nine degrees less, and therefore eleven degrees in error. The rucks at this point had a peculiar ferruginous appearance; and on presenting some of them to a delicate compass they turned it round and round as swiftly as the band could move; and moreover were found to possess a powerful degree of polarity, the North and South pole of the fragments depending entirely upon the direction in which they were found lying with reference to the magnetic meridian. They were not, however, knee stones, as those of a heseh, but taken from the laminated rocks of which the Isai consists; so that we may esteem the whole mass to be one great magnet. MG Smith, whom I intrusted with this service, made many observations on various parts of the harbour; all of which are recaded, and will prove an useful lesseahs

magnetic observers. At the point where he had placed the magnetometers we found the dip accordant with our computations; but this was purely accidental. The dip obtained from observations on board the Erebus, sufficiently removed from the pernicious influence of the land, was that ripen which we were obliged to de-

and was probably very near the truth; and the variation at these two places also accorded very nearly.

VISIONARY APPEARANCES OF LAND.

A remarkable appearance of land was reported in the evening; and, continuing for many hours without any alteration of figure, several of the officers imagined it was really land they saw, assuming the appearance of many pointed hills per- fectly covered with snow, and so calculated to deceive the inexperienced eye, that had we been prevented proceeding further, they would doubtless have asserted on our return to England that we had discovered land in this position. This appearance of land was, however, nothing more than the upper part of a cloud, marking, by a well-defined but irregular line, the limit to which vapour can as- cend in these latitudes : below is vapour in every degree of condensation; above, the clear cold space which vapour can never attain. It is always near the mar- gin of the ice that these appearances of land are most remarkable and most de- ceptive. It proved a useful lesson to some of our new hands, who could not be it was not land until we had actually passed over the place of their persuaded baseless mountains.

EVENING PROSPECT OF VICTORIA LAND.

It was a beautifully clear evening, and we had a most enchanting view of the two magnificent ranges of mountains, whose lofty peaks, _perfectly covered with eternal snow, rose to elevations varying from seven to ten thousand feet above the level of the ocean. The glaciers that filled their intervening valiies, and which descended from near the mountain summits, projected in many places several miles into the sea, and terminated in lofty perpendicular cliffs. In a few places the rocks broke through their icy covering, by which alone we could be assured that land formed the nucleus of this to appearance enormous iceberg.

ICEBERG ISLAND.

Whilst measuring some angles for the survey, an island I had not before no- ticed appeared, which I was quite sure was not to be seen two or three hours pre- viously. It was above one hundred feet high, and nearly the whole of the sum- mit and Eastern side perfectly free from snow. I was much surprised at the cir- cumstance; and on calling.the attention of some of the officers to it, one of them remarked, that a large berg which had been an object of observation before, had disappeared, or rather had turned over unperceived by us, and presented a new surface, covered with earth and stones, so exactly like an island that nothing but landing on it could have convinced us to the contrary, had not its appearance been so satisfactorily explained ; and moreover, on more careful observation, a slight rolling motion was still perceptible.

THE ICY BARRIER.

As we approached the land under all studding-sails, we perceived a low white line extending from its Eastern extreme point as far as the eye could discern to the Eastward. It presented an extraordinary appearance, gradually increasing in height as we got nearer to it; and proving at length to be a perpendicular cliff of ice, between one hundred and fifty and two hundred feet above the level of the sea, perfectly fiat and level at the top, and without any fissures or promontories on its even seaward face. What was beyond it we could not imagine ; for being much higher than our mast-head, we could not see anything except the sum- mit of a lofty range of mountains extending to the Southward as far as the se- venty-ninth degree of latitude. These mountains? being the Southernmost land hitherto discovered, I felt great satisfaction in naming after Captain Sir William Edward Parry, E. N., in grateful remembrance of the honour he conferred on me, by calling the Northernmost known land on the globe by my name. • • • }leering with such an obstruction was a great disappointment to us all; for we had already in expectation passed far beyond the eightieth degree, and had even appointed a rendezvous there, in case of the ships accidentally separating. It was, however, an obstruction of such a character as to leave no doubt upon my mind as to our future proceedings; for we might with equal chance of success try to sail through the cliffs of Dover as penetrate such a mass. When within three or four miles of this remarkable object, we altered our course to the East- ward, for the purpose of determining its extent, and not without the hope that it might still lead us much further to the Southward. The whole coast here from the Western extreme point now presented a similar vertical cliff of ice, about two or three hundred feet high.

PACTS ON SOUND.

Although the fog was very thick all night, and the wind light from the N. E., Iet we contrived to keep company by firing muskets, sounding the gong, or ring- ing the bell; and had thus an opportunity of judging the relative value of these three methods usually employed as fog-signals.

To us the bell was most distinct, and the gong very little inferior, when the musket was scarcely audible; but I was much surprised at this time, on hailing through a spreaking-trumpet, to receive an immediate and so clear an answer from the officer of the watch of the Terror, that we might have carried on a con- versation.

STORM IN AN ICE PACK.

At nine p.m. the wind suddenly freshened to a violent gale from the North- ward, compelling us to reduce our sails to a close-reefed maintop-sail and storm stay-sails: the sea quickly rising to a fearful height, breaking over the loftiest bergs, we were unable any longer to hold our ground, but were driven into the heavy pack under our lee. Soon after midnight, our ships were involved in an ocean of rolling fragments of ice, hard as floating rocks of granite, which were dashed against them by the waves with so much violence that their masts qui- vered as if they would fall at every successive blow; and the destruction of the ships seemed inevitable from the tremendous shocks they received. By backing and filling the sails, we endeavoured to avoid collision with the larger masses; but this was not always possible: in the early part of the storm, the redder of the Erebus was so much damaged as to be no longer of any use; and about the same time I was informed by signal that the Terror's was completely destroyed, and nearly torn away from the stern-post. We had hoped that, as we drifted deeper into the pack, we should get beyond the reach of the tempest; but in this we were mistaken. Hour passed away after hour without the least mitigation of the awful circumstances in which we were placed: indeed, there seemed to be but little probability of our ships holding together much longer, so frequent and vio- lent were the shocks they sustained. The loud crashing noise of the straining and working of the timbers and decks, as she was driven against some of the heavier pieces, which all the activity and exertions of our people could not pre- vent, was sufficient to fill the stoutest heart that was not supported by trust in Him who controls all events with dismay: and I should commit an act of injus- tice to my companions if I did not express my admiration of their conduct on this trying occasion: throughout a period of twenty-eight hours, during any one of which there appeared to be very little hope that we should live to see another, the coolness, steady obedience, and untiring exertions of each individual, were every way worthy of British seamen.

The storm gained its height at two p. m.; when the barometer stood at 28.40 inches, and after that time began to rise. Although we had been forced many miles deeper into the pack, we could not perceive that the swell had at all sub- sided; our ships still rolling and groaning amidst the heavy fragments of crush- ing bergs, over which the ocean rolled its mountainous waves, throwing huge masses one upon another, and then again burying them deep beneath its foaming waters, dashing and grinding them together with fearful violence. The awful grandeur of such a scene can neither be imagined nor described, far less can the feelings of those who witnessed it be understood. Rash of us secured our hold, waiting the issue with resignation to the will of Him who alone could 'preserve us, and bring us safely through this extreme danger; watching with breathless anxiety the effect of each succeeding collision and the vibrations of the tottering masts, expecting every moment to see them give way without our having the power to make an effort to save them.

Although the force of the wind had somewhat diminished by four .p.m., yet the squalls came on with unabated violence, laying the ship over on her broad- side, and threatening to blow the storm-sails to pieces : fortunately, they were quite new, or they never could have withstood such terrific gusts. At this time the Terror was so close to us, that when she rose to the top of one wave, the Erebus was on the top of that next to leeward of her ; the deep chasm between them filled with heavy rolling masses ; and as the ships descended into the hollow between the waves, the maintop-sail yard of each could be seen just level with the crest of the intervening wave, from the-deck of the other : from this some idea may be formed of the height of the waves, as well as of the perilous situation of our ships. The night now began to draw in, and cast its gloomy mantle over the appalling scene, rendering our condition, if Limeade, more hope- less and helpless than before • but at midnight, the snow, which had been falling thickly for several hours, cleared away, as the wind suddenly shifted to the West- ward, and the swell began to subside ; and although the shocks our ships still sustained were such that must have destroyed any ordinary vessel in less than five minutes, yet they were feeble compared with those to which we had been exposed ; and our minds became more at ease for their ultimate safety.

THE LAST PLANTS: COCKBURN ISLE, SHETLAND GROUP.

Vegetation could not be traced above the conspicuous ledge of rocks with which the whole island is girt, at fourteen hundred feet elevation. The lichens ascended the highest- The singular nature of this flora must be viewed in con- nexion with the soil and climate; than which perhaps none can be more unfriendly to vegetable life. The form of the island admits ot no shelter: its rocks are vol- canic, and very hard, sometimes compact, but more frequently vesicular. A steep stony bank descends from the above-mentioned ledge to the beach; and to it the plants are almost limited. The slope itself is covered with loose fragments of rock, the debris of the cliff above, further broken up by frost, and ice-bound to a depth which there was no opportunity of ascertaining; for on the day the island was visited the superficial masses alone were slightly loosened by the sun's rays. Thus the plants are confined to an almost incessantly frozen locality, and a parti- cularly barren soil, liable to shift at every partial thaw. During nearly the entire year, even during the summer weeks which the expedition spent in sight of Cockburn Island, it was constantly covered with snow. Fortunately, the ships occupied a position that permitted of landing on almost the only day when it was practicable to form a collection. The vegetation of so low a degree of latitude might be supposed to remain torpid, except for a few days in the year; when, if the warmth were genial, and a short period of growing weather took place, the plants would receive an extraordinary stimulus: but, far from such being the case, the effect of the sun's rays when they momentarily appear is only prejudicial to vegetation. The black and porous stones quickly part with their moisture; and the lecanora and ulva consequently become so crisp and parched that they crumble into fragments when an attempt is made to remove them.

A controversy both as regards claims to discovery, and, what is of much more importance, to fair dealing, is half raised in the work, in reference to the late disputes between the French and Ameri- cans as to their right to the credit of certain discoveries of patches of land between the 65th and 67th degrees of South latitude and the 130th and 140th of East longitude; and in which controversy, Wilkes, the commander of the American Exploring Expedition, wished to make out that the English were taking a part. In our notice of the second and third volumes of that workir we entered so fully into the question of national claims, that a tabular synopsis of the subject will be sufficient here.

1840. Jan. and Feb... Wilkes American o ° 62° 97 t 'Ito 67° 167° East.

• The latitude and longitude are given in round numbers, as no point whatever is involved In &rod position. It should be observed that the French and American discoveries were made In ignorance of Bellany's, and of each other's.

The precise priority of days between D'Urville and Wilkes is not easy to settle, because it is not easy to tell what actual land Wilkes really did discover ; but in the verified places the Frenchman seems to have been first, and there is no doubt as to his superior accuracy of proceeding. When be has verified land he marks it as land ; when he finds ice cliffs, but considers them as a covering of land, he so distinguishes them- " Cote dare"; when he infers a thing, he lays it down as suppository— "Isle supposee." Wilkes, on the other hand, with true go-ahead pre- cipitation, lays down everything that loomed like land as land, and seems to have connected intermediate places that were not seen. At all events, while Ross was at Van Diemen's Land, Wilkes sent him from New Zea- land a letter of very general advice, and a chart of the alleged American discoveries, in which a continuous coast line is traced from the 97th to the 167th degrees of East longitude, with a latitude varying about five degrees (62 to 67.) The first use Ross made of the chart was to avoid the longitude of the French and American discoveries, to sail nearly twelve degrees further South, and to discover Victoria Land and the icy barrier. The next use was to sail over the Easterly extremity of Wilkes's land on his return. We have seen by the extracts how easily the inexperinoed or even the experienced navigator is deceived by the appearance of land in these high latitudes; and the history of voyages is fall of men misled by apparent signs of land, under clearer skies. The mistake is natural enough, and reflects no discredit upon Wilkes as a mariner ; but laying down lands in the way he did is conclusive as to his character as a scientific explorer or discoverer, whatever may be thought of him as a seaman. It is a graver charge than any errors in observation or shortcomings in science, that though he knew t Spectator 1545; page 161.

Navigator's Land Disoovered. Date. Name. Nation. South Lat. * Longitude.

1831. Feb. Biscoe English 66° 440 East.

1832. Feb. Biscoe o 670 72° West.

1839. Feb. Bellany 11 67° 161° East. 1839. March Bellany ,, 121° East. (These were the extremes of Beny's discoveries. He sighted or sup- he sighted land between the two points, along the line of the rench and American discoveries the following year.) 1840. Jan. and Feb... D'Urville French 664° 140° East. 1840. Jan. and Feb... D'Urville 11 65° 1300 East. (This last was icy cliffs supposed to cover land, and named by D'Ureille "Cote Claris.") of one if not both of Bellany's discoveries when he sent the chart to Ross, he omitted all mention of his name ; but when Ross had sailed over his alleged land, he turned round and declared that it was an English discovery which had been falsified,—though Bellany's Islands were seventy miles off, besides having been verified by landing; and in his published narrative Wilkes suppresses all mention of Bellany's dis- coveries. In future the Americans must be more cautious what officers they send on scientific expeditions, or they will get the same character in questions of science which they now have in matters of finance and ter- ritorial claims.