THE ANTARCTIC REGIONS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4183, 17 August 1874, Page 3

THE ANTARCTIC REGIONS.

IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES BY THE CHALLENGER. (From the New York Herald,) We publish below a highly interesting and important letter from Lieutenant Hynes, R.N., to Dr. Hayes, the well-known Arctic explorer, giving an account of a portion of the cruise of the British ship Challenger, which sailed from England two years ago on a voyage of discovery around the world. The chief importance attached to the letter is, that it shows the Challenger to have done away With a considerable part of Wilkes’ Antarctic Continent, which since we went to school has figured on the maps ; Melbourne, March 17, 1871. My Deab Du. Hayes, —As perhaps you will take some interest in our proceedings while cruising in the Southern seas, I shall try to tell you without, I hope, wearying you with too long a letter, what we did from the time of our departure from the Cape until arrival in Australia. You know the purposes of the Challenger expedition—deep sea explorations in all parts of the world, and running lines of soundings, which, besides their value in a scientific point of view, will be of great use when laying submarine telegraph cables in future times. We were also directed to examine Kerguelen, or Desolation Island, as Captain Cook called it, and to select an observatory site for the Transit of Venus Expedition, which is expected to arrive there towards the end of this year. Heard or McDonald Island was also to be explored, and as we had to go so far south Captain Nares determined to go a little farther, have a look at the ice and endeavor to settle the doubtful question as to the existence of Wilkes’ “Termination Land.” But we were in no way prepared to enter pack ice, as the ship was not strengthened for it, and did not carry provisions sufficient to allow any risks of being frozen in. Ice anchors and chisels, a couple of whaleboats, extra stores and some warm clothing, all of which were obtained at the Cape, were the only things taken outward for our Antarctic cruise. We left the Cape on the 17th December. The distance to Prince Edward and Marion islands—lloo miles—was run in eight days, the “Roaring Forties,” as the sound in that degree of latitude is called, not giving many opportunities for sounding or trawling. Christmas Day was spent hove to off the islands, and the following day exploring and surveying parties landed on Marion Island. It is 3000 feet high and covered with'snow, which extends, in places to within 800 feet of the level of the sea ; a soft moss, which grows in great profusion, gives the hillsides a beautifully green appearance, but there is not a sign of tree or , shrub, and the largest plant is the Kerguelen land cabbage (Prinylea aniiscorhutica) which is described by Hooker in his “ Flora Antarctica.” It is very plentiful in sheltered situations, and on the banks of the numerous small streams which ram down from the snow quantities were brought on board and relished by some, but a peculiar bitter after-taste made one dislike it. Cook and Captain Rees speak very highly of it as a preventive of scurvy, and later on our blue-jackets were very glad to get it, and it was considered a welcome addition to the salt meat. The moss was extremely soft and boggy, which made walking very laborious, although at first it was so springy that it did not feel so. The large albatross (diomedia exulans) were sitting on their- eggs in great numbers on the hill sides, where from a distance they looked not unlike a flock of sheep grazing in a green field. Three kinds of penguins were found—the king (aplinodytes), the white winged and the eudyptes, or golden-crested, or maccarories, as the sealers call them, besides numerous prooellaria, tern, &c. No fish were caught, although they were tried for with all kinds of allurements in the kelp, which grows in great quantities close to the shore. It is somewhat singular, as at Tristan d’Acunha, an island resembling Marion in many respects,, great numbers were obtained. A sea elephant was killed, but there were no fur seals seen. The 31st December brought us to the Crozet group. A couple of hauls of the trawl on the passage, in 1375 and 1600 fathoms, were most successful, numerous specimens of sea eggs, star fish, shells, orinoids, and urabellularia being obtained. At Possession Island, one of the group where your countrymen propose to observe the transit of Venus, we remained in the neighborhood for four days, but were enveloped the whole time in thick fogs and mist. One evening w-e managed to get into Navire Bay; but there was such a heavy ground swell that it was not safe to anchor. Seeing no signs of life on shore, although we fh-ed guns to attract the attention of any stray sealers, sail was made and we bore away. There was a hut and the debris of a sealing establishment, casks, &c., on the beach. The bad weather was rather a disappointment. At one of the Islands, the hogs are described as being numerous and ferocious, so we wanted to make their acquaintance; and there are said to be rabbits on Possession Island. An outlying arched rock, which is said to be high enough for a ship to sail through, is also one of the institutions. From the few glimpses of the shore that we saw, it appears to be much the same as Marion—high mountains covered with snow, soft moss and a kind of coarse grass on the slopes of the hills, with, no doubt, the cabbage. The shore in places is very precipitous, with cascades tumbling down. The temperature averaged about forty degrees Fahrenheit. But what will be found to be most disagreeable is the wet and fogs, which, of course, render the chance of successful observations very doubtful. Christmas Harbor, Kerguelen, was reached on 7th January, 1871. The place is interesting as having been visited and named by Captain Cook on his first voyage, and Boss spent sixty-five days there thirty-three years ago, during which time hourly magnetic observations were registered at a station on shore. Pleasant work it must have been on the cold nights watching the dipping needle. Our observations were taken on the same spot. The next twenty-four days were spent examining the numerous bays, creeks, and fiords on the east or lee side of the Island. A high range of mountains, covered with snow, extends the whole length, the highest peak being Mount Ross, at Royal Sound, 6000 feet. The vegetation is much the same everywhere—soft moss, coarse grass, plenty of the cabbage, but no trees or shrubs. The flowering plants in all do not number over thirty. Sea elephants and leopards were numerous in the creeks, and a few fur seals obtained, but tho latter are known generally to frequent outlying rocks and islands, which we had no time to visit. The only four-legged animal discovered was a mouse, a colony of which probably got ashore from some whaler. We landed goats at Betsy Cove, or ns it is called by the Yankee whalers, “ Pot Harbor,” from a blubber pot, which has been lying on tho beach from time immemorial. There was capital duck shooting everywhere. The birds are small, of dark brown plumage, something like widgeon, and capital eating. We could not find that they were described by naturalists, and probably the species is only to bo found on these southern islands. > Our sportsmen sometimes mustered eight guns, and we have shot sufficient for issue to the ship’s company, 243 men. The ducks live principally on the seed of the pringlea. They were found, in great numbers in tho valleys and near small lakes, which wore very numerous in low lying land. Walking was bad, particularly with a load of birds on your back. The moss was Bo’soft and wet that frequently you sunk over your knees, but, as I am very fond of shooting, I went in for it every day. A barque and three schooners, all hailing from Now London, fish for whales, seals, and elephants here, and at Heard’s Island. Wo met the schooners. The masters and mates were

Americans, the crews principally Portuguese from the Cape Verde Islands. Two of the schooners, the Emma Jane and Roswell King, were in company with the - barqne Roman, which vessel makes an annual trip to the States .with oil, and for supplies. Captain Fuller, of the Roswell King, was most intelligent; had been in this neighborhood for the last twenty years, and knew the islands thoroughly. He is the only one that ventures on the west shore, which is generally enveloped in mist, brought on by the prevailing westerly winds, and has only a few small harbors, difficult of access. The schooners generally cruise for whales off Kerguelen, close to the land, from January to August, getting elephants on the beaches, and a few fur seals. In September they go to Heard’s Island, and are engaged until December killing elephants, which are very numerous, and boiling down. The Roman then takes the oil ou board and they all take their departure, leaving a party of about thirty men on shore to kill sea elephants during the winter. One of the mates was a most amusing fellow, a Scotchman by birth—his Captain called him a whitewashed Yankee —and coidd stow more whisky without spilling it, as you say, in a given space of time than any man I have ever met. After dinner he would kill a few “right whales” for us in good stylo. As you may suppose, they were all very much surprised at seeing us, as, except themselves, ships rarely come so far south. When wo boarded the Charles Coalgate the skipper guessed we were rather out of our reckoning. When told we had been into “Pot Harbor” he asked where in the thunder we had got our pilot. On being offered some papers he guessed he had later dates than ours, but his proved to be August, 1873, while we had London papers to 15th November. We could not get him on board. He excused himself from dinner on‘the plea of being not much of a ship visitor. The mate was a very good fellow, and told us of a trip the captains made in one of the schooners to look for land, which they all believe to exist to the south of Heard’s Island (the crews have invariably refused to go further south). He guessed, however, they all came back when the schnapps ran out. - Captain Nares was in favor of Royal Sound for an observatory station. • It is the headquarters of the sealers, and a fine estuary, with fully, I should think, one "thousand islands in it ; we laid down about 100 in our running survey. Mount Ross is to windward, and disperses to a certain extent the clouds and mist, so that reasonably fine weather is enjoyed. The report was left in a cairn at Christmas Harbor. The climate at Kerguelen may well be compared to that of England in winter. Gales of wind, however, were rather more frequent ; our average is one every three days ; we were blown off the land several times, and had difficulty in returning on account of thick weather. The thermometer generally stood about 42 to 44deg., and ranged from 38 to SSdeg. No land birds were found. The list of sea birds is rather long, but the principal are :—Three kinds of albatross, four procellaria, prion, gulls, duck, puffiuaria, graculus, megalistris, and four penguins. Thick, foggy weather was experienced on the passage to Heard’s Island, which was reached on the 6th February. Corinthian Bay, or Whisky Bay, as it is called by the sealers, from the quantity of bourbon consumed every year when the barque arrives, is the best anchorage. The laud is very high, the mountain being variously estimated from 6000 to 12,000 feet high, but it does not appear to have been measured by surveyors, and is nearly always enveloped in mist. On one side of the bay a magnificent glacier runs down to the water’s edge, and is said to extend the length of the island. It is the first I have ever seen, but I cannot attempt to describe its grandeur. Snows swell on snow amazing to the sky, Anil icy mountains high on mountains piled. Seem to the shivering sailors from afar Shapeless and white, an atmosphere’ of clouds. On a low beach at the head of the bay, which is much frequented by sea elephants, a party of four men were stationed, living in tolerably comfortable wooden huts. They had an ample supply of provisions and coal and were well clothed. About twenty-five more were near the southern extremity of the island. We were told at Kerguelen that the chances of being able to land were very doubtful, but we were tolerably lucky in that respect for a couple of hours. There was scarcely any green on shore, no cabbage and no ducks. The temperature fell to 34deg., and that of the water to 36deg. Ice was first seen on 11th February, in latitude 61deg. 2miu. south, longitude SOdeg. 20min. oast, when we sounded in 1260 fathoms and dredged close to a large berg 217 feet high and a quarter of a mile long. For the next few days we sailed through great numbers of icebergs, most of them tabular or flat topped, and brash ice. (I see you call it trash ice, which, perhaps, is the more correct term, but the other is used by our Arctic men), until on the 14th of February we were stopped by the pack ice to the south-east in latitude 65deg. 42min., longitude 17deg. 49min. east. We bore away along the edge of the pack ice to southwestwurd, and crossed the Antarctic circle on the 16th of February in longitude 78 east. We reached within 1400 miles of the South Pole, and 120 miles to the southward of the position assigned by Captain Wilkes to Termination Land, but 470 miles to the westward of it, so we stood to the eastward with the view of seeking for it in that direction. The icebergs which we passed were, I may say, innumerable, as many as eighty-seven being in sight at one time, nearly all flat topped, and evidently set adrift from the great southern ice barrier. The effect of a shot at a large one, over 200 feet high, astonished us all one day by the quantity of ice it brought down from nearly the whole length of the berg. The weather was now fine, tolerably clear, the nights never properly dark, bright flashes of aurora australis and a brilliant red light generally illuminating the western horizon, caused by the reflection of the sun on ice. There was a good deal of snow and sharp frost; the lowest temperature was 22 deg.’Fahrenheit, and that of the water 27 deg. when running through open “ pack.” Great numbers of whales were seen all the time we were near the ice. On /eome afternoons they were blowing around the ship in dozens. Many appeared to be “ right whales,” and spouted only one jet of water; Shoals of grampuses were also seen. The Roman would soon fill up if she ran down here for a month or two in the season. I had almost forgotten to say that when wo gave up the search to the westward, on the 16th February, an open sea, although free of bergs, was seen to the south-west and nothing to prevent a strong ship going on in that direction* On the 23rd of February we reached latitude 61 deg. 15 min. south, longitude 94 deg. 47 min. east, being within six miles of the supposed position of Wilkes’ Termination Land, when pack ice was seen ahead, extending from west-south west to' south-south-east, and completely stopping us. We were also surrounded with bergs, eighty-eight being in sight. Soundings were obtained in 1300 fathoms. The sky was remarkably clear at the time, the range of vision being logged at between twenty-five and thirty miles, but THEBE WAS NO APPEABANCE OF LAND IN ANT DIBECTION. The next morning the dredge was put over as close as we could get to tho supposed position of the Antarctic Continent, but nothing was brought up which would show any light on the subject. The wind now freshened to a gale, with heavy squalls, snow, and thick mist, so that it was scarcely possible to see a ship’s length. In trying to make fast to an iceberg, an eddy current set us on to it, and tho jibboom, dolphin-striker, whisker, and all the head gear were carried away. Shortly afterwards we were nearly foul of a large berg before it was seen. It was only the promptitude of the maintop-man in letting fall tho maintop-sail, which was thrown aback, and by going astern full speed with the screw, that we cleared it, and thus probably escaped a rather untimely cud to the cruise.