AN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3688, 28 July 1886, Page 4

AN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION.

At a meeting of the Royal Society of Victoria some discussion took place on the subject of an excursion during the summer months to the South Polar sea?, and it was thought that perhaps sonic steamship company would find it a payablo speculation to undertake an excursion. A memorandum on tho Bubject was circulated, tho priTiytiil portion of which was as follows : — " Noarly 50 years have elapsed Binco th» last expedition wns dispatched to tho South Polar regions, and this committee consider that tho timo has arrived when another might be sent out with advautnge. Sneh a project was first mooted some considerable timo since by our colleague, Baron von Mueller, m his inaugural address to the Geographical society. The Antarctic is situated so near to us, and it forms so considerable a region, that if its exploration will serve nny valuable purpose the interest Australasia has m its accomplishment ought to be greater than that of any othor community. Some of the learned societies of Great Britain and the Continent are now engaged m promoting such on, enterprise. Under the»e circumstances it behoves us to consider what the objects of Antarctic research may bo so, that if the project be worthy of support we may assist m the undertaking. Geographical discovery lui3 ever born an extended commerco as its fruit, which Bimultaneously promoting various utilitarian sciences. Its objects naturally divide themselves into discoveries which may offer to mankind a direct return m the 9hnpo of new Btores of merchantable products and discoveries which simply add to our stock of knowledge. The whale trade has been a lucrative one m the past, but the steady warfare so long maintained against theso animals has now nearly exhausted nil tho old fishing grounds, 80 that last year the whole English whaling fleet returned almost empty. Now, there is reason to believe that nn abundantly stocked fißbing ground exists within ten days' sail of Australia, only waiting the advent of steam whalers to yield rich returns. Captain Cook reported seeing numerous whales within tho Antarctic circle ; and Boas says : — " Wo saw a great many wtiolea whenever wo came near the pock edge, chiefly of a very large size."— (Ross' Voyage, vol. i., p. 2G5) . This was off North Cape, Victoria land, m 69deg. E., or m sight of Anturctic land. Accompanying these whales wpre many seals, some believed to be of tho most valuable- kind. He discovered on the same shores extensive guano deposits also— " sufficient to afford cargoes for whole fleets of ships for years to come." (Ross, vol. i , p. 159. M'Cormick, vol i.. p. 152). Were tho new expedition to confirm the existenco of an abundant supply of sperm whales, and fur seals, and of the shores elastic with guano, branches of a decnyed colonial trade might be galvanised info fresh activity. Australian whaling has hitherto been conducted m sailing ships, and theeo have confined themselves to fishing grounds lying ■well to the north of 50deg. S. Seamen refuse to venture into higher latitudes, and will not willingly fish even within the zone of the westerly winds. To navigate tho icy but calmer regions lying beyond tho " Roaring Forties," steam whalers are a necessity. It might assist explorers by providing them with a base depot, if the Antarctic islands were to be stocked with hardy animals and birds, as well as with cold-enduring plants and herbs, and even permanent settlements might event uolly be promoted by such means. It would indeed be strange if an unexplored region 8,000,000 square miles m area— twice the size of Europe — and grouped around the axis of rotation and iho magnetic pole, could fail to yield novel and valuable data to the investigator.