differs in some points from that followed by Admiral Krusenstern in his invaluable work, and to which, it cannot be too often repeated here, we owe so much in our pages. In the Memoires Hydrographiques the islands and shoals are described in the order of their longitudes in the South and in the North portions of the Pacific. In this work, on the other hand, the islands and shoals have been arranged in zones of latitude, which arrangement is presumed to be simple and easy of reference, and more readily understood.

To these prefatory remarks may be added, that they commence with the southern land and proceed westward, and thus extend the northward in the same order.

The separate islands of a group will all be given under the head of the group to which they belong; but detached islands, or those not depending upon any other, will be given in separate sentences.

One important point in these regions of shoals and detached specks of land is the amount of accuracy with which their position has been ascertained and transferred to our charts. This is very various: in many cases whole degrees remain in doubt; in others we may suppose that much less than a mile is the utmost amount of variation from the truth. It would be impossible to give a synopsis of this: attached to the notice of each island is generally some remark as to the accuracy of the position given; but, in general, all the older observers have been found to err greatly from the truth. Many ships, furnished with instruments and chronometers of the first order, have traversed the Pacific Ocean of late years, and have furnished a series of stations, so to speak, from which the seamen with inferior equipments may do great service to navigation by measuring from. In too many instances it is owing to the use of separate and independent observations, which are necessarily made at considerable intervals, thus opening a chance for the multiplicity of error, that so much confusion has arisen in the geography of the Pacific.

With all our knowledge of its different regions, there is still a rich harvest to be gathered, and in one important particular, that of verifying or ascertaining the exact character and locality of older discoveries.

CHAPTER XX.

SOUTH SHETLAND.

THIS inclement country forms a part of the eastern portal of the Pacific. Its discovery has been of great service to the mercantile world, from the vast amount of sealing and other marine produce that was subsequently drawn from it. This pursuit, so eagerly followed, was succeeded by the natural consequence, the diminution of the animals that rendered this knowledge valuable.

For the first notices of the discovery of this archipelago the world is indebted to Mr. William Smith, commander of the brig Williams, of Blythe, by whom the land was first seen in the month of February, 1819. The Williams was at this time on a voyage from Buenos Ayres to Valparaiso, and stretching far to the South. On the 19th, land or ice was seen in lat. 62° 40′, and near the lon. of 62° W., then bearing S.E. by S. about 2 leagues. Hard gales, with flying showers of snow, and fields of ice, a combination of adverse circumstances, prevented, at this time, an exploration of the coast; and, on the brig's return to the River Plata, in the month of May, similar circumstances prevented any further discovery; but, on a subsequent voyage from Monte Video to Valparaiso, in October of the same year, the Williams again made the land. Capt. Smith, in his journal, says: "I, to my great satisfaction, discovered land on the 15th of October, at 6 P.M., in lat. 62° 30′, and lon. 60° W., by chronometer, bearing distance about 3 leagues; hazy weather; bore up and sailed toward it; at 4 miles' distance sounded in 40 fathoms, fine black sand; an island bearing E. by S. At S.E. by E. bearing, sounded in 60 fathoms, same bottom; hauled off during the night to the northward; at daylight stood in for the land again, at 3 leagues' distance. From the body of the islands sounded again, 95 fathoms, fine sand and oaze; at eight, weather clear and pleasant, saw the main land bearing S.S.E., distance from the islands about 3 leagues. Having run as far as the cape, we found the land trend off to the N.E. Coasting to the eastward, and sounding, found it similar to the former, fine sand. A point bearing E. & S., hauled in for it; got the island to bear N.W., distance half a league. Soundings regular from 20 to 35 fathoms, good bottom, sand and gravel. Finding the weather favourable, we down boat, and succeeded in landing: found it barren, and covered with snow. Seals in abundance.

"The boat having returned, which when secured, made sail off shore for the ensuing night; in the morning altered the course so as to keep the land to the southward in view: having doubled the point above mentioned, the land then took a south-easterly direction, varying to the eastward: weather thick and squally, with snow. I thought proper, having property on board, and perhaps deviating from the assurance, to haul off to the westward on my intended voyage. Strong variable winds. Made another cape, and could perceive some high land to the westward of it, and stretching in a S.W. direction. The weather becoming

thick and squally, we made sail to the westward, having sailed 150 miles to the W.S.W. The weather moderating, saw another headland, bearing by observation E.N.E., distance 10 leagues; very high. Observed in lat. 62° 53′ S., and lon., by chronometer, 63° 40′ W. of Greenwich: named this Smith's Cape. Found the land to extend from the cape in a southerly direction. Shaped my course for Valparaiso, where I arrived on the 24th of November, after a passage of sixty days from Monte Video."

Additional information on these lands was subsequently communicated by Capt. Walker, of the ship John, of London. This vessel, in 1821, arrived from South Shetland in ninety-eight days, with 12,000 seal-skins, and afterwards returned for another cargo. The John was blown off in a gale of wind, and lost two anchors and a cable: the bottom being very rocky, other vessels have met with similar misfortune.

Capt. Cook's description of the Isle Georgia well applies to South Shetland. The country consists of numerous islands, without a vestige of vegetation. A species of moss only is found upon the rocks near the shore; eternal snows covering the more remote parts, which are mountainous. Nature in these regions assumes the most sterile and forbidding features: the thermometer was at no time below the freezing point; but the melting snows near the shore so completely saturate the soil, as to check all vegetation. A species of coal was found in abundance, which burnt very well, thus affording the means, if wanted, of replenishing the fuel. The rise and fall of the tide are about 12 feet. Shrimps and penguins beyond all conception numerous. The islands, headlands, &c., have been named, and observations ascertaining the latitude and longitude repeatedly made. Part of an anchor-stock, evidently Spanish, being bolted with copper, and bearing certain marks, was found on shore, and is presumed to be the only vestige now remaining of a 74-gun ship, of that nation, which sailed from Spain, bound to Lima, in 1819, and has not since been heard of.

Several United States' vessels have visited South Shetland; and an American account states that some of the harbours are very good, vessels in them being land-locked. Of the first three months of the year 1821, the mildest experienced there was March; but the seals had mostly retired to the water. A solitary spot or two of something like grass were the only marks of vegetation. No field-ice but innumerable islands were floating about. The flesh of the young seals was often eaten, and was not disagreeable.

was seen,

Capt. Dan. W. Clark, of the ship Hersilia (an American), reported that he penetrated to the 66th degree of latitude, where he observed lands stretching farther to the South, the extremities of which he could not ascertain. The whole, even in summer, was blocked up with snow and ice, except in particular places frequented by seals.

An early account of South Shetland stated that sperm-whales were seen about the coasts; and it cannot be questioned that such whales may be occasionally here; but we have the authority of Capt. Laurence Frazier for stating, that the whales hereabout are mostly fin-backs.

About twelve months after the first discovery of South Shetland, the British naval commander-in-chief on the South American station directed a further

exploration; and for this purpose a hired brig, the Slaney, was sent, under the command of Mr. Edward Bransfield.—“ We sailed," says the reporter, "from Valparaiso on the 20th of December, 1819, but did not arrive on cruising ground till the 16th of January, 1820, having been almost constantly harassed with baffling winds and calms till we arrived in a high southern latitude. On that day, however, we had the good fortune to discover the land to the south-eastward, extending on both bows as far as the eye could reach. At a distance its limits could scarcely be distinguished from the light white clouds which floated on the tops of the mountains. Upon a nearer approach, however, every object became distinct. The whole line of coast appeared high, bold, and rugged; rising abruptly from the sea, in perpendicular snowy cliffs, except here and there where the naked face of a barren black rock showed itself amongst them. In the interior the land, or rather the snow, sloped gradually and gently upward into high hills, which appeared to be situated some miles from the sea. No attempt was made to land here, as the weather became rather threatening, and a dense fog came on, which soon shut everything from our view at more than 100 yards' distance. A boat had been sent away, in the meantime, to try for anchorage; but they found the coast completely surrounded by dangerous sunken rocks, and the bottom so foul and the water so deep, that it was not thought prudent to go nearer the shore in the brig, especially as it was exposed to almost every wind. The boat brought off some seals and penguins, which had been shot among the rocks; but they reported them to be the only animated objects. they had discovered. The latitude of this part of the coast was found to be 62° 26' S., and its longitude 60° 54′ W.

"Three days after this we discovered and anchored in an extensive bay, about 2° farther to the eastward, where we were enabled to land, and examine the country. Words can scarcely be found to describe its barrenness and sterility. Only one small spot of land was discovered on which a landing could be effected upon the main; every other part of the bay being bounded by the same inaccessible cliffs which we had met with before. We landed on a shingle-beach, on which there was a heavy surf beating, and from which a small spring of fresh water ran into the sea. Nothing was to be seen but the rugged surface of barren rocks, upon which myriads of sea-fowls had laid their eggs, and which they were then hatching. These birds were so little accustomed to the sight of any other animal, that, so far as from being intimidated by our approach, they even disputed our landing, and we were obliged forcibly to open a passage for ourselves through them. They consisted principally of four species of the penguin, with albatrosses, gulls, pintadoes, shags, sea-swallows, and a bird about the size and shape of a common pigeon, and of a milk-white plumage-the only species we met with that. was not web-footed. We also fell in with a number of the animals described in Anson's voyage as the sea-lion, and said by him to be so plentiful at Juan Fernandez, many of which we killed. Seals were also pretty numerous; but, though we walked some distance into the country, we could observe no trace either of inhabitants or of any terrestrial animal. It would be impossible for any but beasts of prey to subsist here, as we met with no sort of vegetation, except here and there small patches of stunted grass growing upon the surface of the thick coat of dung which the sea-fowls left in the crevices of the rocks, and a

species of moss, which occasionally we met with adhering to the rocks themselves. In short, we traced the land 9° or 10° East and West, and about 3° North and South, and found its general appearance always the same; high, mountainous, barren, and universally covered with snow, except where the rugged summits of a black rock appeared through it, resembling a small island in the midst of the ocean; but, from the lateness of the season, and the almost constant fogs in which we were enveloped, we could not ascertain whether it formed part of a continent, or was only a group of islands."

A full description of the sea-elephants and seals of these regions, with their peculiar habits, is given by Capt. Weddell in the relation of his voyages, pp. 134 -142; in conclusion, he observes:-"The quantity of seals taken off these islands by vessels from different parts, during the years 1821 and 1822, may be computed at 320,000, and the quantity of sea-elephant oil at 940 tons. This valuable animal, the fur-seal, might, by a law similar to that which restrains fishermen in the size of the mesh of their net, have been spared to render 100,000 furs for many years to come. This would have followed from not killing the mothers till the young were able to take the water; and even then only those which appeared to be old, together with a proportion of the males, thereby diminishing their total number, but in slow progression. This system is practised in the River Plata. The system of extermination was, however, practised in Shetland; for whenever a seal reached the beach, of whatever denomination, it was immediately killed, and his skin taken; and by this means, at the end of the second year, the animals became nearly extinct; the young, having lost their mothers when only three or four days old, of course all died, which, at the lowest calculation, exceeded 100,000!"-(Pp. 141-2.)

PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION.-On the 12th of February, 1832, Capt. Biscoe, in the Tula, was advancing from the westward, and in lat. 66° 27′, lon. 81° 50', many birds were seen-albatrosses, penguins, Cape pigeons, &c., with several hump and finned-back whales; and no fewer than 250 ice-islands were counted from the deck. On the 15th land was seen, bearing E.S.E., but at a great distance. Latitude of the ship, 67° 1', lon. 71° 48'. On the following morning the land was ascertained to be an island, and called Adelaide Island, in honour of her Majesty; and, in the course of the ensuing fortnight, it was further made out to be the westernmost of a chain of islands, extending E.N.E. and W.S.W., and fronting a high continuous land, which Capt. Biscoe believes to be of great extent. The range of isles has since been called Biscoe's Range.

The main land was named by Capt. Biscoe Graham's Land; but it is unquestionably the same which was marked in the old charts by the name of Gherritz Land, it having been discovered in 1599 by Dirk Gherritz, of the Good News yacht, one of the five Rotterdam ships which doubled Cape Horn, and which he reported to lie in 64° S.*

Adelaide Island is described as having a most beautiful appearance, with one high peak shooting up into the clouds, and occasionally appearing both above and below them, and a lower range of mountains extending about 4 miles from North to South, having only a thin covering of snow on their summits, but

It is also the Clarence Land of Capt. Foster, 1829, who seems not to have been aware that this name had been given to a principal isle of the group to the north-eastward.