Part 72 (2/2)

1775. James Cook circ.u.mnavigated the Globe in high southern lat.i.tudes, discovering the sub-antarctic island of South Georgia.

He was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle.

1819. William Smith, the master of a merchant vessel trading between Montevideo and Valparaiso, discovered the South Shetland Islands.

1819. Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, despatched in command of an Expedition by the Emperor, Alexander I of Russia, with instructions to supplement the voyage of Captain Cook, circ.u.mnavigated the Antarctic continent in high southern lat.i.tudes. The first discovery of land south of the Antarctic Circle was made, namely, Peter I Island and Alexander I Land (also an island), in the American Quadrant of Antarctica.

1820. Nathaniel Palmer, master of an American sealing-vessel, sighted new land to the south of the South Shetland Islands. It seems clear that he was the first to view what is now known as the Palmer Archipelago (1820-21).

1823. James Weddell, a British sealer, sailing southward of the Atlantic Ocean, reached 74 degrees 15' south lat.i.tude in the American Quadrant, establis.h.i.+ng a ”farthest south” record.

1830. John Biscoe, a whaling master of the British firm of Enderby Brothers, sailed on a voyage circ.u.mnavigating the Antarctic Regions.

Enderby Land was discovered south of the West Indian Ocean in the African Quadrant of Antarctica. This was apparently a part of the Antarctic continent. New land was also met with to the south of America and charted as Graham's Land, Biscoe Island and Adelaide Island.

Kemp, a sailing master of Enderby Brothers, extended Biscoe's discoveries shortly after by the report of land east of, and adjacent to, Enderby Land.

Neither of these discoveries has yet been proved, though Enderby Land (Biscoe) undoubtedly exists.

1839. John Balleny, another of Enderby's whaling captains, discovered the Balleny Islands within the Antarctic Circle, in the Australian Quadrant of Antarctica, and gave a vague description of an appearance of land to the westward. This has been charted on maps, without adequate evidence, as Sabrina Land.

[TEXT ILl.u.s.tRATION]

Antarctic Land Discoveries Preceding 1838

Note. This and the two following maps of the series ill.u.s.trate land discoveries only. In cases where the existence of land once reported has since been disproved no record at all is shown

1837. Jules Sebastian Cesar Dumont D'Urville, was despatched by King Louis Philippe of France for the prosecution of scientific researches on a voyage round the World. His cruise in the Antarctic resulted in the charting of Joinville Island and Louis Philippe Land to the south of America (American Quadrant) and the discovery of a portion of the Antarctic continent, named Adelie Land, southward of Australia (Australian Quadrant).

1838. Charles Wilkes, United States Navy, in accordance with a bill pa.s.sed by Congress, set out on an exploring expedition to circ.u.mnavigate the World. His programme included the investigation of the area of the Antarctic to the south of Australia--the Australian Quadrant.

The squadron composing this American expedition first visited the Antarctic regions in the American Quadrant, and then proceeded eastward round to the Australian Quadrant from which, after a long cruise, they returned, reporting land at frequent intervals in the vicinity of the Antarctic Circle between longitudes 157 degrees 46' E. and 106 degrees 19' E. He shares with D'Urville the full honour of the discovery of Adelie Land. Some of the supposed landfalls known to be non-existent.

1839. James Clark Ross proceeded south in charge of a scientific expedition fitted out by the Admiralty at the instance of the British a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science and approved of by the Royal Society. His aim was to circ.u.mnavigate the Antarctic regions and to investigate the Weddell Sea. The geographical results were fruitful; the Ross Sea, the Admiralty Range and the Great Ice Barrier were discovered and some eight hundred miles of Antarctic coastline were broadly delineated.

1844. T. E. L. Moore was detailed by the Admiralty to supplement the magnetic work of Ross and to explore to the southward of Africa and of the Indian Ocean, but no additions were made to geographical knowledge.

1872. Eduard Dallmann, whilst engaged in whaling with a German steamer to the southward of America, added some details to the map of the Palmer Archipelago but did not go further south than 64 degrees 45' S. Iat.i.tude.

1874. The 'Challenger' scientific expedition, under the command of George Strong Nares, in the course of their voyage from the Cape to Australia during the circ.u.mnavigation of the World penetrated within the Antarctic Circle in longitude 78 degrees 22' E.

1892. A fleet of four Scottish whalers cruised through the north western part of the Weddell Sea. Scientific observations were made by W. S. Bruce and others, but no geographical discoveries were recorded.

1892. C. A. La.r.s.en, master of a Hamburg whaler, added important details to the geography of the American Quadrant of Antarctica on the western side of the Weddell Sea.

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