spot which he considered to be land, Sabrina Land, March 2nd, 1839. Next, Capt. D'Urville examined the Land of Adelie from January 19th, 1840, and the supposed Côte Clarie, February 7th, 1840. Third, Commodore Wilkes states that he saw what he supposed to be land January 16th, 1840, but did not verify his discovery until June 30th, 1840. Fourth in order is the exploration of the incontestable Victoria Land by Capts. James Clark Ross and Crozier in 1841-42. This will be presently described. It has even been stated that Capt. Wilkes did not put forth his pretensions until after his return to Sydney, on finding that the French had landed on Jan. 22nd on the coast. The outlines of this painful controversy may be gathered from a paper by M. Daussy, in the Bulletin de la Société de Geographie, 2nde serie, No. 109. See, also, Sir James Ross's Account of his Antarctic Voyage; the Narrative of the United States' Exploring Expedition, vol. ii. chap. ix. ; some papers by M. Biot, in the Journal des Savants, November, 1848, pp. 672-687, and December, 1848, pp. 710-728, &c., &c. To the general navigator, these regions are of minor importance. In one view they are valuable. It would appear from the relations of D'Urville, Ross, Wilkes, and Balleny, that whales, chiefly of the fin-back species, were met with in some parts in abundance. The peculiarly hazardous nature of the navigation, surrounded by the immense icy obstacles, of course render their pursuit one of no ordinary difficulty. The ever-changing character of the floating icebergs and fields partake of the usual features belonging to it in other regions.

BALLENY ISLANDS.

This is the earliest discovery, and, as before mentioned, was made by Capt. John Balleny in the schooner Eliza Scott, of 154 tons, accompanied by the dandy-rigged cutter Sabrina, Mr. H. Freeman, master, belonging to Messrs. Enderby, and well equipped for the enterprise. They quitted London July 16th, 1838.

As this group is one of very considerable interest in the history of the antarctic lands, we will extract, with some abbreviations, the account of its discovery :-" February 9th, 1839—At 11a.m. noticed a darkish appearance to the S.W., lat. observed, 66° 37′ S. At noon saw appearance of land to the S.W., extending from W. to about S.; ran for it, and at 4" made it out distinctly to be land. At 8 p.m. got within 5 miles of it, when we saw another piece of land of great height, bearing W. by S. At sunset we made them out to be three separate islands of good size, but the western one the longest. February 10th— At 2 a.m. bore up for the middle island, and got within half a mile, but found it completely ice-bound, with high perpendicular cliffs. February 11th-At 11a.m. the weather cleared; saw the land bearing about W.S.W., and of a tremendous height, I should suppose at least 12,000 feet, and covered with snow. February 12th-At 6 p.m. went on shore on Young Island, in the cutter's boat, at the only place likely to afford a landing; but when we got close with the boat, it proved only the drawback of the sea, leaving a beach of 3 or 4 feet at most. Capt. Freeman jumped out and got a few stones, but was up to the middle in water. There is no landing or beach on this land; in fact, but for the barren rocks where the icebergs had broken from, we should scarce have known it for

land at first; but as we stood in for it (Buckle Island), we plainly perceived smoke arising from the mountain tops. It is evidently volcanic, as specimens of stone, or rather cinders (scoriæ and basalt, with crystals of olivine), will prove. The cliffs are perpendicular, and what in all probability would have been valleys and beaches, are occupied by solid blocks of ice. I could not see a beach or harbour, or anything like one."

The group consists of five islands, three large and two small, the highest of which, named Young Island, was estimated by Capt. Balleny, as well as by his mates, at 12,000 feet above the sea. It rises in a beautiful peak, which may be called Peak Freeman, as being on the island on which the commander of the cutter Sabrina landed. These islands and peaks were named respectively after Messrs. Young, Borradaile, Buckle, Sturge, Brown, Row, and Beale, the spirited merchants who united with Mr. Enderby in sending out the expedition. The easternmost, or Sturge Island, rises also to a peak, named Brown's Peak, but is not half the height of that on Young Island. Immediately off the centre, or Borradaile Island, is a remarkable pinnacle of rock, called Beale Pinnacle, which rises like a tall lighthouse from the waters. The westernmost, or Row Island, is low, and offers no remarkable feature.*

Another portion of the Balleny group was also seen by Capt. Sir James Ross, March 2, 1841. At first it appeared as two, but on the succeeding day as three islands. The northern one was named Russell Peak; the southernmost, Smyth Island, after the president of the Royal Astronomical Society; and the third was named Frances Island.

VICTORIA LAND.

This, the most southern known land, is the discovery of Capt. Sir James Ross and Commodore Francis R. M. Crozier, in January, 1841. The Erebus and Terror, having quitted Hobart Town on November 12, 1840, proceeded to the Auckland Islands and Campbell Island, and then advanced to the southward to reach the South magnetic pole. On January 11th land was seen ahead, and as the land is best described by Sir James Ross himself, we will quote his narrative.

The land rose in lofty peaks entirely covered with perennial snow; it could be distinctly traced from S.S.W. to S.E. by S. (by compass), and must have been more than 300 miles distant when first seen.t

The highest mountain of this range I named after Lieut.-Col. Sabine, R.A. It is in lat. 71° 42′ S., lou. 169° 55′ E.

At noon we were in the highest latitude (71° 15′) attained by our great navigator in 1774, during his several attempts to penetrate to the South. We had by this time run 15 leagues directly towards Mount Sabine, and still it appeared to be very distant; more land came in view as we advanced, mountainous ranges extending to the right and left of that we first discovered. At 6 p.m.,

Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, vol. ix. 1839, pp. 520-522.

The northern point seen of the Victoria Land was passed on the return of the vessels in 1841, and was named Cape North; a low point, with three projecting knobs, like the tops of mountains, was seen at a great distance beyond Cape North, whence the land trends considerably to the South of West, but a dense body of ice prevented the following the coast any farther.

when we had closed the land 70 miles, we were about 2 leagues from the shore, which was lined with heavy pack ice. We steered close along the edge of it towards a small bay, where we hoped to effect a landing, but the wind being on the shore, and a high sea beating heavily along the pack edge, we found it quite impracticable. We therefore stood to the S.E., for the purpose of rounding the eastern extreme of a close body of ice, and of getting to the leeward of a projecting point of the coast, off which we observed several small islands, that we expected would afford such protection as to admit of our landing with less. difficulty.

The cape which forms the southern promontory of the bay was named Cape Downshire, after the late marquis. Its northern point was called Cape Adair, after Viscount Adair, lat. 71° 18', lon. 170° 45' E. It is a remarkable projection of high, dark, probably volcanic, cliffs, and forms a strong contrast to the rest of the snow-covered coast. Some rocks that were observed to lie several miles to the North and West of Cape Adair, showing their black summits conspicuously amongst the white foam of the breakers, were named Dunraven Rocks: we obtained soundings in 165 fathoms, and several small black stones, which came up with the lead, tended to confirm my conjectures of the volcanic origin of the newly discovered land. Cape Adair at the time bore N. 52° W., distant about 5 or 6 miles. It was a beautiful clear morning, 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 7,000 to 10,000 feet above the level of the ocean. The glaciers that filled the intervening valleys, 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. The range of mountains extending to the N.W. was called Admiralty Range, of which the higher and more conspicuous were distinguished by the names of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, Mounts Minto, Adair, Parker, Troubridge, Pechell, and Dalmeny.

Mount Dalmeny, lat. 71° 5' S., lon. 167° 8' E., formed the western extreme of the Admiralty Range, as also the most westernmost land in sight, and was distant from us between 70 and 80 miles. The height of Mount Sabine was found, by means of several measurements, to be rather less than 10,000 feet, and about 30 miles from the coast. The elevation of the other mountains was not determined with accuracy, but we judged them to vary from 7,000 to 9,000 feet; and altogether they presented as grand and magnificent a view as can be imagined. A cape to the westward of Cape Adair, having a deep bay between them, was named after Charles Wood, Esq., First Secretary to the Admiralty; and another cape, still farther to the westward, surmounted by a remarkable conical hill, was distinguished by the name of Sir John Barrow, Bart.

The dip had increased to 86°, and the variation amounted to 44°. These observations place the magnetic pole in lat. 76° S., lon. 145° 20' E., therefore in the S.W. (true) from us, and distant above 500 miles. But the land interposed an insuperable obstacle to our direct approach to it, and we had to choose

whether we should trace the coast to the N.W., with the hope of turning the western extreme of the land, and thence proceed to the southward; or follow the southerly coast line round Cape Downshire, and thence take a most westerly

course.

The ceremony of taking possession of these newly-discovered lands, in the name of our most gracious sovereign Queen Victoria, was immediately proceeded with.

The island was named Possession Island. It is situated in lat. 71° 56', and lon. 171° 7' E., composed entirely of igneous rocks, and only accessible on its western side. We saw not the smallest appearance of vegetation, but inconceivable myriads of penguins completely and densely covered the whole surface of the island, along the ledges of the precipices, and even to the summits of the hills, attacking us vigorously as we waded through their ranks, and pecking us with their sharp beaks, disputing possession; which, together with their loud coarse notes, and the insupportable stench from the deep bed of guano, which had been forming for ages, and which may at some period be valuable to the agriculturists of our Australian colonies, made us glad to get away again, after having loaded our boats with geological specimens and penguins. Owing to the heavy surf on the beach, we could not tell whether the water was ebbing or flowing; but there was a strong tide running to the South, between Possession Island and the main land, and the Terror had some difficulty to avoid being carried by it against the land ice. Future navigators should therefore be on their guard in approaching the coast at this place.

January 14th, 1841, in lat. 71° 50', and lon. 172° 20', a great number of whales were observed, thirty were counted at one time in various directions. They were chiefly of large size, and the hunchback kind; only a few sperm whales were distinguished amongst them; we observed great quantities of molluscous and other minute marine animals, on which no doubt the whales were feeding; and large flocks of the young of the Cape pigeon were playing about, and feeding with them.

January 15.-Early this morning we had a fine view of a magnificent chain of mountains that we had seen stretching away to the southward some days before. With a moderate southerly wind we had beautiful clear weather, and we now saw them to great advantage; and as we stood towards them we gazed with feelings of indescribable delight upon a scene of grandeur and magnificence far beyond anything we had before seen or could have conceived. These mountains were also completely covered to their sharply-pointed summits with snow, and the elevations, that were measured roughly, varied from 12,000 to 14,000 feet. They were named after the eminent philosophers of the Royal Society. Herschel was given to the most conspicuous of the mountains; Mount Northampton, Cape Roget, and Cape Christie, which are formed by the terminations of Mount Herschel and Mount Lloyd, to seaward, to others. Observations placed us at a distance of 90 miles from the mountains, which we still saw so clearly. Mount Herschel subtended an angle with the horizon of 36', and might have been seen under equally favourable circumstances at 30 or 40 miles farther off.

January 17. In the afternoon an unusual degree of refraction was remarked

to the S.W., which had the effect of bringing, at times, clearly into view land we had not before seen. This land having been thus discovered at a distance of more than 100 miles, I gave the name Cape Anne to the extreme southern point, and the land afterwards proving to be an island, was named Coulman Island.

January 19.-At four o'clock in the morning we had 170 fathoms; at eight, 210 fathoms; and at noon the depth of water increased to 270 fathoms, although we had closed the land more than 40 miles since midnight. Coulman Island, which we had only seen by refraction, now formed the southern extreme point in view, and a new range of mountains was observed stretching away to the S.W. from Mount Northampton, forming a kind of crescent-shaped ridge. A remarkable conical mountain to the North of Mount Northampton was named Harcourt; another, Mount Lubbock, to the southward of Mount Brewster; and two other mountains still farther to the southward, Murchison and Phillips. Making all sail to the South, steering direct for Coulman Island, which still formed the eastern extreme of land in sight, having abroad passage between it and the main land, a deepbight was observed to the southward of a remarkable cape, high, black, and cloven at the top; farther to the North, Cape Wheatstone, the righthand point of an apparent inlet, had the whole of its precipitous face quite clear of snow, though it thickly covered its rounded summit. Soon afterwards we received that the ice extended from the North cape of Coulman Island (Cape Wadworth) several miles to the northward, and the whole space between it and Cape Jones was filled with a solid field of ice that appeared as if it had not broken up this season. We sounded in 320 fathoms, the deep sea clams coming up full of a stiff green mud, sand, and small stones, some fragments of star fish, and pieces of coral. A strong ripple indicated a tide or current; and we found the ship was drifting to the South, by the lead and bearings of the land, at the rate of three-quarters of a mile per hour. At this time Cape Anne, the extreme point of Coulman Island, bore W.N.W. 25 miles. We stood to S.W. to close the main land; when close in with the main pack we could observe the land ice stretching round to the southward, a firm unbroken mass, with a considerable quantity of loose ice off its edge.

We tacked and stood off to the eastward, to wait for clear weather; and on standing in again land was distinctly seen; a high peaked mountain, bearing true West, was named Monteagle; and one of very great elevation, the highest by estimation we had yet seen, was named Mount Melbourne, the form of which had a general and striking resemblance to Mount Etna, but its elevation must be very much greater. The land ice, although not more than 4 or 5 feet above the surface, blends so imperceptibly with the snow that descends from the mountains, and extends far into the sea, that it was impossible to form any idea of the exact position of the coast line. To the N.W. the space between Coulman Island and the main land was occupied by a similar kind of land ice, that appeared not to have been broken away for many years; in this particular more resembling the barrier described by Lieut. Wilkes, as extending from the shores of the lands discovered by him near the antarctic circle.

This icy barrier proved a sufficient obstacle to any attempt to reach the magnetic pole.