SOME ANTICIPATORY REMARKS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 14538, 25 November 1907, Page 7

SOME ANTICIPATORY REMARKS.

INTERVIEW WITH CAPTAIN j ENGLAND. Captain R. G. England, who haS| charge of the Nimrod, had to be drag-j fed from amongst his private and of* cial visitors before a reporter could| make an appointment ■with" him. When! he was interviewed, he gave a deal of interesting information regard-* ing the expedition. In the first placed it is of interest to know that Captain. England, who went south with the DisJ covery, has spent a great deal of th«j subsequent period in the hottest partes or the earth. He spent some time in(j the Argentine, and was also appointed!; local marine officer at Lagos. Now he? will complete • the hot and cohJi sandwich with a second icy ex-J perience. He roughly outlined the pro-t gramme of the expedition. The Nimrod* will pick up the landing party here,* establishing them in such room as canij be spared when all the stores are oa : board. Early in the year she will sailj for King Edward VII. Land, and will: see the'landins party properly estalnj lished. The wooden hut will be erect-ri ed, stores will be landed, the ponies*, will be unshipped, and every provisions made for the comfort- of the advent turers. Then the Nimrod will corned back, probably in April, and so in-i stead of lying in the ice through thef, winter will be free to continue her sur-i vey work. She will go for that purpose? to the Indian Ocean, and will return; to hex headquarters, Lyttelton, in October. In the following month she will. go south again, and if all is well wilLl pick up Lieutenant Shackleton and hie* companions, and after carrying out some deep-sea survey work in the extreme south, will return to Lyttelton m April, and then leave for Home again., The movements of the landing partyi are more indefinite. They will estab-; lish food depots at convenient di&»-: tances, setting up flagged cairns to, pick them up by; and under the pro-j jected organisation the twelvo menwuL; split into four parties of three. _One,; under Lieutenant Shackleton, will ga| straight Polewards, starting next 00-j tober; two others will go eastwards and' westwards respectively; and the fourth; will stay at the hut and make scientific; sorties in the intervals. ~-,.< All the members of the landingpai'tv-, Captain England said, wera, specialists in one way or other, eveu ! Mr Joyce, whose specialty was to be; able-to do anything at all. "It must-! not be thought," he said, " as I known, a good many do think, that this is ' aJi dash for the Pole.' It ie not an adver-! tisementdash at all, but a echome of! scientific research. Of -course, one of • the most important and interesting; items will be the lieutenant's southern' journey. But it is not the only thing*-. There are several interesting items-' in the outfit of the expedition. The-; motor-car. for instance, is an entire; novelty in exploration work among ice,' though its use has been suggested before.- Captain England said that greatthings were hoped 01 this machine, which had lwen specially built under the advice of a number of men whose) experience deaft with ©very function, of ; 11-1 rnr -- Tt.jLji^^fc^fgg^Sa

'Wild carry no other person than the pa-uffeur. It would be a luggage career and a traction engine, to which „uie sledges -would be hitched. The iJJlanchurian pouies, which were also ;'4iew in the field, would be taken as a second line of attack. The traction I appurtenances might be regarded as a ' series of substitutes. Dogs had always been the chief pullers, but the ponies, } which could stand 60 or TOdeg below f «ero without shelter, could each pull :as much as eighteen dogs. They had . not previously been much used in Arctio exploration, though they had been used in other ice-work in the North. Twelve dogs would be taken. The : ponies would only have to understudy the motor for the principal work, hauling the baggage, on the southern jonr- : ney. The car had been equipped with ' interchangeable wheels, so that tyres : of greater or less width could be put ' on. For travelling and soft snow, run- ; nere. would be put on instead of the front wheels, the back ones taking hold on the crushed surface left by the ru liners. The ponies would be fed with, compressed hay, to which would be added the army (■This was a lib tin, containing a sort oi equine pemmioan, consisting of car.rots, beef, sugar, milk and currants. •' So faT, the ponies did not like the rai tion, but neither did they like apples, > which showed their unsophisticated -Manchurian nature; and he had no i doubt they would get on as well on ithe ration as the army horses did at (Aldershot. The members of the exipedition also had the advantage of a ! new tinned food, in the form of dried vegetables which, when properly prepared, were almost indistinguishable from fresh vegetables. These would |be a great boon, on account of their Tvalue in preventing scurvy. The men 'would be clothed in specially manufactured woollen clothing similar to ' that used on the Discovery. The day

'of f uts, he said, was completely over 1 for polar -work, except as covering for tie-hands and feet. The hut, -which was in general like that taken by| the • ] Discovery, had been much improved in v ', detail. " It was insulated with four ; inches of graulated cork, and was (practically a freezing chamber inside 'out. The acetylene lighting arrangefments necessitated carrying 30owt of i calcium ©arbide. Coal would be land- •' ed for the cooking stove,, and) oil heaters would be used in the hut. Most of i the stores belonging to the landing \ party were already in Lyttelton. 1 Regarding the manning of the exipedition, he stated that tie difficulty I was to pick out the men from the many : applicants. All were merchant service men. '. ' ; Captain England expressed great -pleasure at the fact that Mr J. J. Kin[sey had consented to act as the repre'sentative of the expedition in New : Zealand. He had had no official status ! in connection with the Discovery expedition, but he had, nevertheless, done work that could never be forgotten by the members, devoting time and la'bour to their interests unstintingly. "We're filling up with "Westport coal," said Captain England, "and when we go from here I don't want to stop anywhere. The Bluff Harbour Board has very kindly invited us to .come in as the guests of the port, but I'm afraid we can't spare the time. I trould like to thank the Lyttelton Harbour Board for the kindness they ex- . fended to us at the earliest possible - moment, by telling us we were to re- ! ceive the same concessions and privileges as the other Antarctic ships. I f am the more grateful because I know ! what a great deal that means."

THE OBJECTS OE THE EXPEDITION. , THE SCHEME OF OPERATIONS. i The most/attractive object of the ex- ! pedition, of course, is to reach the' ' unknown South Pole, and to say that "men have been there. Lieutenant ■' Shackleton admits frankly that he will put forth great efforts to reach the Geographical Pole, and if he is suo- ' cessful it will be an achievement which -.will attract attention for very many '-years. But'there are other points to 1 be 'considered. There is biological, : meteorological, geological, and magnetic ; work to be done, and this will not be neglected. , • i' An attempt will be made to settle the ', exact coast line of Wilkes's Land. By :» southern and eastern sledge journey ,' the expedition may solve the problem ' of the Great Ice Barrier; by the jour- : ney along Wilkes's - Land it 'may, lay down a definite coast- | line; by the charting of new . i mountains and the discovery of new : lands in the far south it will aid geo- \ graphical science; by the magnetic ' work it will .help not only the academic side of magnetic science, but the mercantile community in the way of better . variation charts. The shore party will number twelve i men all told, and each will be an expert ! in his particular line. They will have 1 no servants, but each will take, a hand I in turn in cooking, sweeping, dusting, bedmaking, and generally keeping the place habitable and healthy. All the members have •.specially qualified themselves in these and other directions. Thus one has learnt to bake bread, ' another to cook, a third to shoe horsesi, and so on. ' THE EQUIPMENT. ! AND THE COST. I The Discovery expedition was a public one; the Nimrod expedition is aprivate one. The cost of the .former 'was met mainly by the Imperial Gov vernment and the Royal and Royal Geographical Societies; tiie cost of the latter will not be met by any societies or bodies whatever. The principal supporter of the present expedition is Mr W. Beardmore, of the firm of W. Beardmore and Co., which builds battleships and makes armour-plate on the Clyde. Mr , W. A. Bell, of PendeU Court, Surrey, 'a relative of Lieutenant Shackleton, has given £4000,' and other contributors are the Duke of Westminster Lord Iveagh and Sir Robert Clark, or Australia. It is hardly fair to leave the Admiralty and the Royal Geographical Society altogether out of the complimentary notices. The former has lent several hundred pounds worth of charts and instruments, including a. J compass, chronometers, and sounding '■ gear, and the latter has given several , scientific instruments. . The cost up to the present time has ! been about £30,000. It is expected : that this will cover all the expenses. A great deal of this sum has been spent in equipment, food,, clothing and appliances. The Manchunan ponies represent about £IOOO of the sum. Many of the appliances have been ' made specially for the expedition, and they have therefore been very expensive. , , ~ . i The Nimrod has on board th© pieces ; of a house, 33ft long, 19ft broad and 18ffc high, which will be erected at the winter quarters, and will bo made the centre of all operations in the Antarctic. It was made by Humphreys, Limited, of London, who have, had much experience of such work in all : parts of the "world. It is made double all Tound, .with double windows and i doors, and is lined with felt and gran- : ulated cork. The house will be lit with ' acetylene gas, the generator of which 1 will be inside, and there will be six lights, three fixed and. three pendent, besides which there will be a supply or paraffin oil for the hurricane lamps to ' fall back upon. A great thing on such expeditions is to have plenty of light to keep up th« spirits of the men. ;• Anfextra foot was putJLon to the width

bottles, to protect thean from the extreme cold, which breaks them. There will be used a special cookingstove, which was invented by Dr Nan.sen. By it 6 means men may be supplied with hot food when they are on their long journeys. - To prevent the difficulties that were encountered by Captain Scott, the meats have been specially tinned, and other precautions have been taken to ensure'their condition. When the long southern sledge journey is undertaken, the men will not be able to afford to be hampered with the weight of tins, and everything will have to be token out and put in bags. An iinportant preventive against scurvy is dried vegetables, which will be cooked in the ordinary way without soaking. There will be one and a quarter tons, which is equal to twelve tons of fresh vegetables. They comprise almost every kind grown in England—potatoes," cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, rhubarb. Brussels sprouts, onions, and so on. They are preserved by a new process of drying, and have never been used in Polar expeditions before. The men will be supplied with special clothing, .of course, and some improvements in this respect have been made on the methods adopted by_ the Discovery expedition, great reliance being placed* on thick Jaeger underwear and heavy pilot cloth.

THE LEADER. SOME THINGS HE HAS DONE. EDITOR, INVENTOR AND COOK. Ernest H. Shackleton is an Irishman by birth. He was educated at Dulwich Castle; he went to sea at an early age; and as an officer in the mercantile service he became acquainted with many different parts of the world. Later on he joined the Union-Castle Line, in which he was engaged when he became lieutenant of the Discovery expedition. When the Morning made her first relief trip to the South, he came back as an invalid, and was. sent home to England, wher e he his remained.

He was the second aeronaut to make an ascent in the Antarctic- regions. When the balloon carried. by the Discovery was taken ashore in King Edward VII. Land, Captain Scott made the first ascent and then gave place to Shackleton, who went up with a camera, and took some photographs of the great ice-plains, which are reproduced in Scott's interesting account of the expedition. He was a&o leader of the first sledge party. When a man named Vince, a member of another party, fell over a cliff, Shackleton took charge of a picked crew of six men, who set out in a whaleboat to see if by any chance he had managed to reach some remaining fragment of sea-ice clinging below. The boat was driven off-snore by violent squalls, and they had great difficulty in regaining the ship. Shackleton was editor of the" South Polar Times," the monthly journal published in Antarctica. He was also the printer, the manager, the tpye-setter and the office-boy. When news was scarce and there was not much to attend to, he conducted experiments to determine the salinity of the sea-ice and the sea-water about the ship saw that the dogs were properly cared for, besides many other odd jobs, and at all seasons he was responsible for serving out provisions and for the proper regulation of the cooking and general galley arrangements. And, amongst other things, he is an inventor. Down in the Antarctic he invented a new 6ledge, or rather a vehicle to answer the same purpose, much to the amusement of his messmates, who scoffed unmercifully. The manufacture of this strange machine had been kept a profound secret between the inventor and the maker, the excellent carpenter. It was to burst suddenly on an awestruck world, to carry immediate conviction as it trundled easily over the floe, to revolutionise all ideas of polar travelling, anl once and for all to wipe the obsolete sledge from the surface of the snow. Captain Scott, in his diary, says that it was the queerest sort of. arrangement, consisting of two rum-barrels placed one in front of the other, and acting as wheels to a frame-work on which the load was intended to b& placed; the manner in which the whole machine wobbled as it was pushed forward on such ungainly rollers could be well imagined. This new toy continued to give pleasure to the inventor, and incidentally to many others, for some hours. "Of course." adds Captain Scott, "this machine was very soon neglected and forgotten, but in justice to the inventor it ought to be added that there were times • when the snow surface about us was so hard that it would have been quite possible to resort to wheeled traffic, and I am sure that for many purposes a very light cart with broad-tyred wheels would have been extremely useful. But I cannot conceive that a ruin-cask would ever prove a desirable addition to a vehicle 1"

Shackleton was selected by Scott to take part in the famous "Furthest South" sledge journey. Shackleton had a good deal to do with the dogs,* which, one after another, sickened and died, apparently from scurvy. When supplies ran very low with the sledge party, it was Shackleton who invented " the game of ' shut-eye,' " which solved the difficulty of fair division. " The shares are divided as equally as possible, by anyone," Captain Scott says. " Then one of the other twoi turns his head away, the divider points at a ' whack' and says, ' whose is this?' He of the averted head names the owner, and so on. It is a very simple, but very efficacious game, as it leaves the matter entirely to chance-. We play it at every meal now as a matter of course, and from practice we do it very speedily; but one cannot help thinking how queer it would appear to the casual onlooker to see three civilised beings employed at it." It was Shackleton who, on that strange Christmas Day, close to 82 degrees 17 minutes, in 1902, produced out of the toe of a spare sock " a small round object about the size of a cricket-ball, which, when brought to light, proved to be a noble plum-pudding." Another dive into his lucky-bag, and out came a crumpled piece of artificial holly. Heated in the cocoa, the plum-pudding was soon steaming hot, and stood on the cookerlid crowned with its decoration. On the return journey Shackleton was affected with snow-blindness. Scorbutic signs were also discovered, with swollen gums and a congested throat. Soon he could hardly stagger, yet his companions found it difficult, owing to his " Testless energetic temperament," to keep him idle in camp. Shackleton's health got. worse and worse. "He is very plucky about it," wrote Scott, " for "he does not complain, though there is no doubt he is suffering badlv." He survived the journey back to the ship, where he was forced to take to his bed. When the relief ship Morning arrived, Captain Scott insisted that he was not in a fit state of health to risk further hardships, and he was sent home in that vessel, his place being taken by Lieutenant Mulock, of the Morning. "The decision," says Captain Scott, " was a grim blow to poor Shackleton." LIEUTENANT SHACKLETON'S MOVEMENTS. | Mr A. Reid, the manager of the | expedition, stated that Lieutenant j Shackleton was on the India, and was i due at Fremantle on-.... November 2". ' He would Co Melbourne, , »nd at both Melboimfe and Sydney 1

would, deliver lectures on AntarcticaThen he would come by the Maheno to New Zealand, arriving on December 12. The lectures in Australia were given in response to the popular demand, and Mr Reid saw no reason to doubt that, if a lecture was desired in Christchureh, one would be given. A full account of the steps taken up to that time at Christchurch had been sent to Lieutenant Shackleton, and he had replied approving everything. MEMBERS 0E THE EXPEDITION Captain England's chief officer is Mr John K. Davis, late of the training barque Port Jackson, which visited Australia and New Zealand recently. The second officer is Mr Mackintosh, late of the P. and 0. Company. Others who have come out on the Nimrod are Mr James Murray, the biologist of the expedition, who has' had five years' experience as assistant to Sir John Murray; Mr W. A. Michell, the ship's surgeon and zoologist; and Mr A. F. Mackay, the junior surgeon of the landing party, who will also engage in zoological work. The Nimrod will be joined here by Lieutenant Shackleton, Mr Eric Marshall, the senior surgeon of the shore party, and the cartographer of the expedition, Lieutenant Adams, R.N.R., who will be in charge of the meteorological work, Sir Philip_ Brccklehurst, who has also had experience of survey work and field geology, and Mr Ernest ■Joyce, lately first-class petty officer in. the navy, who did excellent work on" the Discovery expedition, and who will be in charge of the dogs and sledges. The vessel will also be joined by Dr David, Professor of Geology in Sydney University, who has_ arranged to accompany "the expedition south to King Edward VII. Land. All told, the officers and staff and crew of the Nimrod on the last stage of her long voyage will number about thirty-four persons. Mr A. Reid, who has been in Christchurch for some weeks, is an energetic, obliging and capable manager. As for the "hands for'ard," like their captain, they are almost entirely R..N.R. men from the north side of _ the Humber; men of experience and initiation, hardened in small sailing craft on the North-east Coast, where the best of British seamen are made. As in the Discovery, every ma,n has been picked for his fitness. The bo'sun and '" Chips ' were both out with Captain England in the Morning. The seven A.B.'s who form the "for'ard crowd," and "sails," are Humber men of hard training. Of the two doctors, one is a Canadian, and a New Zealander will be put nboard at Lyttelton, whence hail the steward and his mate. A magnetician and an artist will also join the vessel there. For the auxiliary part of the craft there are three engineers and three stokers. OTHER WORK. THE MAGNETIC POLE. It is intended to send another party across the Great Ice Barrier, to explore King Edward VII. Land. It will go about 400 miles from the winter quarters, and will follow the. coastline of that country. This expedition will take three Manchurian P°nies. with whose assistance they should reach the mountainous land in twenty or thirty days. They will follow the mountain chain as far as their provisions will allow them to do so, and when the provisions are exhausted they will fall back on their chain of depots and so Teturn to the winter quarters. The Magnetic Pole will also be the subject of special attention. It is only about 200 miles from the winter quarters, and if the mountains can be surmounted there should not be any great difficulties in the way. Dogs and sledges will be used on this expedition. It is possible that arrangements will be made to land a small party at the nearest available point to the Magnetic Pole. When the sledging time comes they will move over the mountains to the Pole, taking careful observations all the time. If they reach this Pole they will survey the magnetic area as far as possible. They will stay near Mount Melbourne, where magnetic instruments will be installed. Magnetic observations will also be taken in the winter quarters, and comparisons will be made between the two stations. "... In regard to geology, it is intended to make careful and comprehensive collections of specimens. These will be inspected and described in England by men wI:o are highly qualified to deal with this work. The results of this work, and of all the scientific work, will be published in a complete form later on.

Expeditions, therefore, will be sent in three different directions. They will go south, east, and east. They will set out with the return of Ihe spring in the latter part of next year. It is expected that they will all be back at the winter quarters at the end of January, 1909, when the Nimrod will return "to the Antarctic, to bring them back to civilisation. THE MOTOR-CAR. HOW IT WILL BE USED.

THE GREAT SOUTHERN JOURNEY. The principal novelty in connection with the present expedition is the use of a motor-car. The idea is not a new one. It originated with the Discovery men when they were in Antarctica. It was then seen that a motor-car, specially built, would be very serviceable, especially on such journeys as those undertaken by Captain Scott and other members of the former expedition to the Far South. When the Discovery returned to New Zealand several of the officers expressed an opinion that the motor-car would help to solve the problems of the South, and the idea will be put to practical use by the Nimrod expedition. Early in March th 6 explorers will commence preliminary work for their dash for the Pole. This will consist of a series of reconnaissances to the t-onth, during which they will lay down provision depots for use during the return journey. They will continue at this until the first week in November, when they hope to start on their main journey into the unknown southern regions lying boyond the 83rd parallel. Three men only, including Lieutenant Shaokleton, will take part in the expedition. They will take with them for transport purposes several Manchurian ponies, ajid the motor-car. It will be of unique construction, and will have special arrangements for lubricating. The engine will be air-cooled, and the chassis will be made to travel either upon wheels or on runners like a sledge. Petrol will be the propelling afent, and as the .lourney will take place during the Antarctic summer, when the temperature is usually somewhat above zero, it is not expected that the cold will affect it in any way. Indeed, motor-cars of very much the same construction internally as the one they intend to take out have been run up-hill at twenty-five miles an hour in Canada and elsewhere with the thermometer at zero and below. The car was carefully tested by' running its engines at an extremely low temperature. . , It is intended to travel with the motor at the rate of 20 or 25 miles a day- As long as the car is satisfactory it alone will be used to drag the equipment and provisions, but if it breaks down and cannot be put right the load will be taken by the ponies. The members of this expedition. will not ride in the car, which will only be used as a vehicle for conveying provisions. Travelling afr the rate of 20. or 25

miles a day, if the motor doesits work, the expedition should have little difficulty in reaching 80deg 17min, the southernmost spot reached on the former occasion, and in going far beyond. The Geographical South Pole is 731 miles from the winter quarters, and if the motor takes the three men only as far as 82deg 17min they should then be ready to start on the remaining 464 miles of their journey as fresh as if they had just left the winter hut. THE GREAT UNKNOWN. Nobody, of course, knows what lies beyond 83deg south, but it is believed that the explorers will be able to follow the trend of the southern, mountains for a long way south before they turn either east or west. If they turn to the east, and it is impossible to get over the mountains with ponies, the men will try to pull the sledges themselves up tlie nearest available glacier. If they cannot find any way up the mountains they will continue to follow them round to the east, until they are compelled to .return towards the winter quarters. If the mountains turn to the west, the expedition will go straight south. In that case the surface will probably be' favourable, and the distance between the depots will be increased to 150 miles, eo as to allow a more extended journey to be done. When the Geographical Pole is reached the expedition will strike at an angle about north-west, turn due east when the westward mountains are seen, and begin to pick up the last depots, and so return. The expedition will have to travel about twice as far as the former one before the South Pole is reached. Captain Scott's men went 270 miles due south, but they covered 980 miles in 98 days. This is accounted for by the fact that for one month they had to do each stage of the journey three times over. Owing to the breakdown of the dogs they had to drag half a load ahead and then return for the other half, and they did that day after day. If, with the assistance of the motor, twenty miles a. day are done next year, the Pole should be reached in thirty-five days, if no obstacles intervene.

This southern journey should have plenty of interest to the explorers. Captain Scott found that the sceneTy had many attractions, even at the last camp. He did not .have many bright days, and on the dull, grey days, the men's vigilance in kesping the course was severely taxed, but when the sun shone forth all their disappointments were forgotten in the beauty and cheerfulness of the scene. Captain Scott says that even an inartistic eye could admire the grandeur of the towering, enow-clad land, and would derive some exhilaration "> from the thought that its lofty peaks and mighty masses of " nevee" could bo seen for the first time. " Our Antarctic scenes," he says, " have a delight which is all their own. There is rarely any intensity of colour; one never sees that depth of blue familiar in the sea and sky of tropical regions, and even the sunset colours' are not as brilliant as those of more temperate climates; their beauty seems to rest on the purity and delicacy of colouring, and on the softness and distinctness of distant outline. The delicate blue of the shadows, tho pure tones of pink and violet seen and admired, were often visible to us in our new land." THE SCIENTIFIC OBJECTS. Professor David, who occupies the Chair of Geology at the Sydney University and will accompany the expedition, when interviewed recently in Sydney, said: "Lieutenant Shackleton made me an offer to go with him, stating that I could do geological work while the ship remained at King Edward VII. Land, m the Antarctic regions, and the stores were being landed for the expedition, and the winter huts erected. I would, he added, be able to return with the vessel when she left, so as to be back in New Zealand by about the end of March. When the proposal of Lientenant Shackleton was put before the Senate of the University, they very readily gave me leave to go, as they thought that on such an expedition it was probably in the interests of science that a geologist should accompany it. I have not yet received definite information as to the personnel of the scientific staff, and am not aware whether a geologist will go with the expedition, and remain in the winter quarters with the other members who will be prepared to go on the journey towards the South Pole at the end of next year, after spending the winter at King Edward VII. Land, which is on the eastern side of what appears to be a large V-shaped arm of the sea, with the the open end of the V directed north. This arm is covered by what is known as the 'Great Ice Barrier,' consisting of a huge sheet of ice ; terminating seaward in a perpendicular cliff about 200 ft high and continuing below water to a further depth of about 1600 ft. It stretches across, continuing for a distance of 500 miles from King Edward VII. Land westward to Victoria Land, which" it touches close to the high volcanic islands, Mount Erebus and Mount Terror. Southwards this huge tongue of ioe presents an unbroken surface so nearly horizontal that Captain Robert F. Scott, ' R.N., and Lieutenant Shackleton, R.N.R., who explored it in that direction in 1902, were unable to detect by means of aneroids any appreciable change of level in a distance of 270 milee. On that occasion—December 29, 1902 they reached the furthest point south that has yet been attained—B2deg 17min south latitude. From this point they were able to see that the Great Ice Barrier was itself bounded still on the west and towards the south by high snow-clad mountains, which they could follow with the eyo to beyond 83deg south latitude. There was no sign, whatever of the ice-barrier itself being wedged out in a southerly direction. Lieutenant Shackleton intends to utilise a powerful motor-car to draw his sledges south for the ice barrier, the surface of which, lie coneiders is suitable for this mode of travelling. Siberian, ponies will draw the sledges where the motor-car cannot very well travel. I hope to accomplish some geological work, such as examining the coastline generally, taking photographs, and collecting geological specimens, when the winter quarters are being prepared. .The ship will probably have to leave King Edward Land in order to escape being frozen in, about the end of February, and return direct to New Zealand. Meanwhile, the captain _and other members will winter at King Edward Land during 1908, and make an early start for the South Pole possibly in November of next year. I consider that their chances of reaching the Pole aro extremely good. " With regard to the scientific results which may be anticipated, I may mention, in the first place, that from an economic point of view, probably by far the most important should be the the meteorological observations. The South Pole, is literally the hub of the southern hemisphere, so far as the weather is concerned. It is the great distributing centre of the air currents constituting our winds."

Professor David then explained the influence of the winds, stating that either directly or indirectly they influenced the ocean currents, and materially modified Australian weather. Despite earlier observations much remained to be done in the way of collecting further meteorological evidence beforethsflavere jjq.a .to.-imdjefr

stand the whole system of atmospheric circulation on the earth, and to be able to predict weather conditions. Additional knowledge of earth magnetism which was likely to accrue from the present expedition was also touched on by Professor David. Lieutenant Shackleton, he said, was not only to attempt to reach the South Pole, but it was understood that he would detach an expedition to definitely and accurately locate the south magnetic pole. From what little was known of King Edward Land it would seem to consist .of mountains of moderate elevation, rising about 2000 ft above sea level. It was also understood that the expedition was well equipped for biological research work. Systematic dredging would be undertaken by Mr James Murray, who had been associated for the last five years with Sir John Murray, of Challenger renown, on lake surveys in Scotland. There was still a vast amount of work to he accomplished in the south, which might contribute important evidence towards man's understanding of the origin and descent of the animal kingdom of the world. It seemed strange, but was nevertheless a fact, that in those ice-chilled seas animal life was most abundant. In respect of mineralogy the professor stated that it would be possible to gain some information of use to science. It could hardly be hoped, however, that minerals of economic value could be discovered in such unfavourable conditions.

There was good reason to anticipate that both from an economic and scientific point of view useful results would follow this expedition if it met with any measure of success in attaining the goals that had been set before it. THE DISCOVERY EXPEDITION. WHAT IT HAS DONE. The Discovery left ISe.w Zealand on its expedition in December, 1901. It was not until February 13, 1902, that huts were erected inM'Murdo Strait, where the members of the expedition, had their headquarters until they left the Antarctic, in the early part of 1904 returning to Lytteltqn in April of that year. The principal event of that expedition, of course, was the journey to 82deg 17min south. As far as science is concerned, the most notable additions made to the world's knowledge by the efforts of Captain Scott and his men is the discovery of King Edward VII. Land, and also the finding of fossil leaves a,t a. high altitude in South Victoria Land. It was thought that "Mr Ferrar's fossil leaves would be of great value to science; but some disappointment has been> experienced in. this respect. They were carefully examined by geologists in England, and all attempts to identify them have been quite unsuccessful. Much of the value of this discovery, therefore, hasbeen lost. The mere presence of the leaves, however, is sufficient evidence to show that the climate of the Antarctic regions was once mild enough for the growth of vegetation. It is reasonable to suppose that animal life was also plentiful. There is little doubt, in fact, that the Antarctic regions once enjoyed a salubrious climate, and were a pleasant abode for both plants and animals.

The Discovery was not able to supply much information in regard to King Edward VIT. Land. Captain Scott expresses the disappointment of the expedition at this fact. ""What .a land." he says, in describing what he saw there. "On the swelling mounds of snow above us there was not one break, not a feature to give definition to the hazy outline. Instinctively one felt that such a scene as this was most perfectly devised, to produce optical illusions in the explorer, and to cause those errors into which we had found even experienced persons to be led. What could be the height of that misty summit? And what the distance of that shadowy undulation? Instruments provided no answer—we could but guess, and although guesses gave an average height of 800 or 900 ft to the visible horizon, one could have been little surprised to learn that the reality was half or double that amount. It is in this locality that Lieutenant Shackleton intends to make bis headcius rtsi's* The Discovery has added about 400 miles to tbe coast line of the Antarctic regions, and the expedition's magnetic work has been very important. In other respects it has supplied many valuable lessons. It lias laid bare the nature of the country over which expeditions will have to pass; it has shown how some suggestions are impossible, and how others can be applied to the peculiar conditions of life in the cold regions; and it has demonstrated tho difficulties that can be overcome by muscle, determination, and courage. OTHER EXPEDITIONS.

Nearly all the nations of Europe have been represented by expeditions to the Antarctic regions, and the United States, of course, occupy a prominent position on the list. Even now, other nations are preparing to do in other parts of the Antarctic what has been done by the Discovery and what will be done by the Nimrod. Dr F. A. Cook is organising an American expedition, which, it is stated, will make the base of its operations near the Discovery's winter quarters in M'Murdo Strait. Belgium will send an expedition under M. Arctowski, a capable and experienced leader. He is trying to obtain £50,000, and the whole population of Belgium has been asked to subscribe. His original idea was to make a general circum-polar voyage, but he has decided to give special attention to the region that stretches from Graham Land, south of Cape Horn, westward towards King Edward VII. Land, and he will try to penetrate into the interior to the Pole. Dr Jean Charcot, with a French expedition, intends to go south and west of Cape Horn, and to extend his previous explorations, begun in 1903. In all these expeditions, the motorcar will play an important part. ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION. SEARCH FOR THE SOUTH POLE. The arrival of tbe Nimrod'is a fitting opportunity to recall past endeavours to reach the South Pole—an interesting story of bravery, heroism, endurance and perseverance which finds few paralin history. The present expedition will bo landed at Hut Point, m latitude 77deg 30min south, the point at which Captain Scott, in bis expedition of 1901-2-3-4 wintered during bis now famous and record dash towards the South Pole in 1903. The Nimrod will then return to Lyttelton. Next year tbe vessel will visit tbe winter camp, and endeavour to convey to Mount Melbourne a party which will then make an endeavour from that base to reach the magnetic pole. Apart from definitely settling the question of tbe magnetic pole, the main object of the expedition will be to beat the records set up by the expedition under Captain Scott in his dash towards the South Pole, and actually to reach the coveted goal. In the early part of the year a cablegram was received stating that a Belgian expedition, under M. Lecointe, the director of the Brussels Observatory, and M. Arctowski was being despatched during the present year. It is intended .that -this, expedition., like,

that under Lieutenant Bliackleton, shall make use of motors in its endeavours to reach the Pole.

Expeditions such as that about to start for the frozen South are of absorbing interest, not only to the British race, but to the whole world, and it is instructive to make comparisons with the various attempts mad© to reach the North Pole in recent years, and especially with those of Nansen. in 1895, when he reached 86deg llmin north, the Duke D'Abruzzi in 1900, when he managed to beat Nansen's record by reaching 86deg ISmin north, and still more recently by Commander Peary, who managed to break all previous records by reaching 87deg 6min north, on July 16, 1906. Attention has been mainly directed by the various geographical societies and Governments of the world to the Arctic exploration, but, in a lesser degree, so has attention been, paid to the exploration of the Antarctic, especially in recent years. The Antarctic with its vast, areas of frozen expanses possesses an attractive field for the esplorer. What knowledge has been gained of the Antarctic regions is but of recent origin. In 1570, when Abraham Qrtelius published his now famous atlas " Theatrum Orbis Terrarum," he boldly drew the coast of " Terra Australia Nondum Cognita," right round the world and well to the north, even in two places making it cross the line of Capricorn. The editions of Mercator published after that date up till the edition of Hondius in 1623 followed Ortelius's delineations fairly exactly. Ortelius's maps, perhaps to give them authenticity, carried many, what were then considered facts, but are now legends. At that period the almost universal idea prevailed that a great mass of land, must exist in the south so as to balance the known lands to the north. What then was all purely conjecture has since been found to be partially correct by the discoveries of Australasia. Hew complete was the real ignorance of southern conditions in the seventeenth century may be gathered from the voyage of Pedro Fernandez de Quires, a Portuguese, a son of the greatest maritime nation then in the world. Quiros was a pilot, and was commissioned by Philip 111. of Spain to prosecute a voyage to annext the South Polar Continent, and to convert its inhabitants to the truefaith. _ The voyage was begun from C'allao in 1605, and a voyage was steered to the W.S.W., but after proceeding for a. month, and in latitude 26deg south, he turned his vessel's head"to the N.N.W. On that track he discovered the laTgest of the New Hebrides group, and named it " Australia del Espiritu Santo," and, firmly believing it to be a portion of the Great South Continent, solemnly annexed it, with the South Pole itself, to the Crown of Spain. It was Drake who first definitely settled that the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans met in one long roll, when he reached 56deg south, "beyond which neither continent nor island was to be seen."

In 1642 a heavy blow was struck at the old beliefs, when Tasman, who, after setting out to find the long-sought-for southern continent, and after crossing the Indian Ocean between the latitudes of 45deg and 49degsouth, discovered Tasmania and the northern island of New Zealand. From this period on, a. great impetus was given to Antarctic exploration, not so much for the sake of science as on account of the desire on the part of the voyagers to discover a new America. The idea to make voyages of discovery for pure science waiS undertaken, by Britain and France at practically the same time by Marion and Kerguelen in their voyages made in 1771-2. Both expeditions were accompanied by a staff of learned men, who were to devote their whole time to the gathering of scientific knowledge of the new worlds visited. Cook a few years before, by circumnavigating New Zealand, definitely laid down that the island did not belong to a' great southern mainland. In his second voyage, Cook, with his two ships, the Resolution, 462 tons, and the Adventure, 336 tons, boldly pushed south through, fogs, icebergs and stormy weather, till on January 17, 1773, he succeeded in crossing the Antarctic circle for the first time in longitude 38deg east. Impeded by-tho ice, the progress of tbe intrepid explorer was blocked, and he was forced to turn in a northerly direction, but, hugging the south as close as he dared, ha crossed the circle for a second time in longitude 142 west. Forced to turn north again, he proceeded to New Zealand, where, after' having re-pro-visioned and effected certain necessary repairs, he again turned south, and after many hardships pushed on till he reached latitude 71deg lOmin south, when he was compelled to turn back. Nothing further of any importance was done till 1819, when a Russian expedition sailed- from Kronetadt, under the command of Bellingshausen, for the purpose of emulating Cook, and circumnavigating the world in a high 'southern latitude. In spite of many difficulties Bellingshausen persevered with the objects of his voyage, and succeeded in crossing the circle on six different occasions. To this explorer lies the honour of being the first to discover land in the Antarctic, for within the circle he saw a small island, which he named Peter J. Island. To the eastward he also discovered the larger coast, which, be called Alexander I. Land. For about the next quarter of a century nothing was officially done in. the way of Antarctic exploration, but a great deal of knowledge of the southern lands was added to by the work of a number of intrepid whalers, who, in the quest of their form of merchandise, found and unconsciously added greatly to tbe world's poor stock of knowledge concerning the south. Besides discovering a great quantity of land, including Graham, Enderby, Sabrina and Kemp Lands, with the Balleny Islands, a new record was made by a whaler named James Weddell, who, with his small brig, the Jane, and a cutter called the Beaujoy, penetrated as far south as 74deg lomin. As the forties approached, a new attraction for Antarctic exploration sprang up in the shape of terrestrial magnetism. Expeditions for conducting searches for the furtherance of the science left Britain, France and America at practically the same time. The English expedition, under James Ross, crossed the circle on. New Year's Day, 1841. Eight days later Ross discovered Victoria Land. Considerable time was devoted to the laying down of the portion, of Victoria Land adjacent to the ship. It was this expedition that discovered the lofty volcanoes of Erebus and Terror, both of which were named after the ships of the expedition. Ross also succeeded in establishing a new record in reaching as far south as 78deg llmin. The expedition returned to England in 1843, and for half a century the map of tbe Antarctic remained, practically unaltered. In 1897 the next great expedition was sent sent out by Sir George Newnes, under the command of Mr Borchegrevink. The party spent a winter in the Antarctic, and made many geographical and scientificobservations, which have proved of exceptionally great value. While all these practically unofficial expeditions were battling against enormous difficulties and overcoming them in the race for know-ledge about the Antarctic regions, efforts were made to_ despatch a properlv-organised expedition. In 1885 an Antarctic committee was appointed by the British Association, which two vcafs- later made a strong report in favour of further exploration. The recommendations were not acted upon, and the scheme, proposed fell

vornment offered to join the Home Government in sending out an expedition, but it also fell through. In 1893 Sir Clements Markham advocated that a properly-equipped expedition under competent officers should be despatched. Ultimately, with the approval of the two great English scientific societies, the Royal Geographical and the Royal Society, the expedition beoame a matter of fact. Appeals for funds were made to the general public, "and met with noble response, a total of £92,000 being finally collected. Having the necessary funds, the question of a necessary boat cam© up for consideration, when it was finally decided that one should be specially built. On that decision the foremost opinion on ship construction was obtained, and during March, 1900, the keel of the now famous Discovery was laid. The next question for consideration was the appointment of a euitable leader, and after much consideration Captain Scott, then first lieutenant on the Majestic, the flagship of the Channel Squadron, was appointed. Finally the expedition took its departure from England. A peculiar feature attaching to the expedition that "may be called attention to- at this stage was the fact that Captain Scott, in choosing his crew, picked only men that had a naval training. He carried with him, therefore, a crew that was thoroughly accustomed to discipline, and with what results is now known to the whole world. On December 24, 1901, the expedition, after having travelled to New Zealand, and re-victualled, finally left Port Chalmers, and civilisation for the time being. On January 2 ice was first sighted. From that on to the ultimate record of the voyage, when Captain Scott, with a sledge party reached as far south as 82deg 16 min south, is a matter of common knowledge. The expedition was more than successful, it succeeded more than the most sanguine dared hope it would, and finally returned to England in the latter end of 1904. Having briefly traced the history of Antarctic exploration up to the present day, especially in its earlier stages, a fuller account of Captain Scott's remarkable voyage is not necessary, but, a few extracts, which closely relate themselves to the most recent announcement concerning the new expedition under Lieutenant Shackleton, who himself was an officer on Captain Scott's expedition, may prove of | interest. In his account of. the voyage and dealing with the winter quarters at Hut Point, where the present expedition will also winter, Captain Scott says:—"We made for a small rocky promontory without getting sounds with our hand-lead, until our bows gently grounded on a bank _ within a. few yards of the shore; backing off from this we found deep water alongside the ice foot in the email bay on, its northern side, and here we secured the ship. The small bay completed the shelter from pressure in all directions, from the S.S.E. to W.N.W., and the remaining space faces the main coastline, from which pressure cannot be expected ; the water is shallow enough to prevent danger from drifting icebergs. Names have been given to the various landmarks in our vicinity. The end of our peninsula is to be called ' Cape Armitage,' after our excellent navigatoT. The sha.rp hill above is to be " Observation Hill' ; it is 750 ft high, and should make an excellent look-out station for observing the going and coming of sledge parties. Next comes the ' gap' through which we can cross the peninsula at a. comparatively lowlevel. North of the ' gap' are _' crater heights,' and the higher volcanic peak beyondi is to be ' Crater Hill;' it is 1050 ft in Our protecting pormontory is to be 'Hut Point, with ' Arrival Bay' on the notrth and 'Winter Quarter Bay ' • on the south." In describing Mount Melbourne, which lies in latitude 74£ degrees south and is 9000 ft high, Mr H. T. Ferrar, M.A., F.G.S., the geologist to the expedition, says:—"Mount Melbourne is conical, but has a small crater, probably a quarter of a mile in diameter, at its summit. It is situated on the south side of Wood Bay, and rises directly out of the sea on two sides. The mountains to the west of it recede from the coast, so that it stands in Jcy isolation, guarding the entrance to the bay. Basalt was obtained near the mountain by the ' Southern Cross' expedition, and pumice pebblav, which must have come from its flanks, have since been found on a small floe floating in Wood Bay."