The Discovery Expedition.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXX, Issue XV, 11 April 1903, Page 1037

The Discovery Expedition.

A LETT'LIv FROM MR. BERNACC HL

RARE SCIENTIFIC RECORDS.

Mr. L. Bernacchi, who is in charge of the magnetic observatory in connection with the Discovery, sent a short letter to Dr. C. C. Farr, of Christchurch, by the Morning. Ir. is headed “MeMurdo Strait. Winter Harbour, latitude 77-51 S.” There is no date, but the letter was evidently written a day or two before the Morning left, and about the beginning of March. Mr.. Bernaeehi says: “The solid ice which grips the Discovery so tightly has not yet. broken up. Unless it does so during the next month we .shall have to spend another winter in this outlandish spot. The Morning, therefore, is to leave in a couple of days, so you must excuse this very short and hurried note.. You will see from the daily papers, and hear from the Morning people, of our successful geographical and scientific work, so I will not enter into details here. Our record of 82deg 17min and the discovery of ho much new land will take some beating. Scientifically, a great deal hast been done. You will be glad to hear that the Ksehenhagen variometers erected in February of last year have been working ever since, with very few lost days. All the international term days have been kept. I think you will agree with me that the .curves are unique and of a most interesting nature. The very large annual variation in the element is; perhaps, the most, conspicuous thing, but it is the individual .curve itself that is so interesting. I have never seen anything like it. We have now something like 400 niagnetograms. The term days were a perfect nightmare iti the.winter, when one had to go over from the ship to the variation observatory in a howling blizzard, and the temperature many degrees below zero. I was lost once for some hours when returning from one of these beastly excursions. It will interest you to know that our curves for April 10 and 11 are about the most disturbed for the whole year. One cf the most typical of the magnetograms for the year 1902-3, with data for reduction, has been sent Home, in ease something should happen to us before the return of the expedition. The seismograph has been working the whole year, but very few shocks and tremors nre recorded. Our largest are on May--25 and on September 2, which seems to correspond with your record. Ou April 18 there are some irregularities in the line, whieb might be due to the Guatemalan earthquake. There are some tremors, however, which coincide with your record. From October 3 to October 8 a great many tremors were recorded. I also have a year’s observations of atmospheric electricity, some half-dozen complete sets of gravity observations and. aurora observations in the winter;” The Trustees of the British .Museum have offered to receive all the collections made by the expedition, to work up the. specimens and to publish the results in a suitable manner, with the funds entrusted to them for such purposes by the Imperial Government. This work will bo edited by the director of the Natural History Branch of the British Museum, and the collectors will receive full credit, and will probably be employed as subeditors. The proposal of the Trustees has been accepted. Information received from England by the last, mail states that if the Morning is sent back to MeMurdo Strait 6 8000 will have to be raised in addition to the. funds already in hand. The sum seems to be a large one, but it has to be remembered that it represents the maintenance of the vessel and crew for twelve months.

Although a journal that has had a restricted circulation, the “South Polar Times,” issued monthly on board the Discovery, probably contains more interesting material than some journals of wider circulation and larger issue (says “Christchurch Truth”). Its editor, up to the time he. left by the Morning, was Lieutenant Shackleton. Almost, every officer and man of the crow was a. contributor, either in prose, poetry or sketches. The contributions were all typewritten from the contributors’ “copy,” the. sketches being, of course, drawn direct on the paper. Dr. Wilson was the artist in chief, and in addition to the work for the “Timos” he did the “jobbing,” designing the programmes for the different entertainments and sports being his work. Amongst the other artists was Mr. Ford, the steward. It. is said that during the Winter the doctor coloured some sketches

by lamplight, but when they were subsequently examined in daylight the colours were all wrong, and the tout ensemble was peculiar. Every man on board had an opportunity to peruse the “Times.” which, whan the expedition completes its labours, will l>e reproduced for the benefit of a wider circle of readers.