Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 19.djvu/346

330 P L P L was confirmed by Mr Bransficld, the master of H.M.S. " Andromache," flag-ship on the west coast of South America, who further discovered another portion named Bransfield Land. Further coast-line was sighted by the French expedition under Dumont d Urville in 1838, who named it Prince de Joinville and Louis Philippe Land. The South Orkneys were discovered by Captain George Powell, in the sloop "Dove," on October 6, 1821. Mr Weddell, 11. N., with the sailing vessels "Jane" and " Beaufoy," penetrated as far south as 74 15 S. on the 20th February 1823. In the early part of this century Messrs Emlerby began to send vessels to the Antarctic regions for the whale fishery, which made several discoveries. The brig "Tula" of 148 tons and cutter "Lively" left London in July 1830 under the command of Mi- John Biscoe, R.N., on a sealing voyage, but with special instruc tions to endeavour to make discoveries in high southern latitudes. In February 1S31 land was discovered in longitude 47 20 E. and latitude 65" 57 S., which Biscoe named Enderby Land, in honour of his employers. He did not, however, get nearer to it than 20 or 30 miles. In February 1831 Biscoe again discovered land in 67 1 S. lat. and 71 W. long., to which he gave the name of Adelaide Island. It proved to be the westernmost of a chain of islands fronting a high continuous coast, since called Graham s Land. A few days afterwards Captain Biscoe succeeded in landing on Adelaide Island. In 1833 Captain Kemp, in the sealing schooner " Magpie," discovered another point of the laud to the eastward, which doubtless forms part of Enderby Land. Messrs Enderby sent out another expedition of discovery in 1838, consisting of the "Eliza Scott" of 154 tons, commanded by Mr John Balleny, and the " Sabrina " cutter of 54 tons, under Mr Freeman. In February 1839, when on about the 163d E. meridian, they sighted high land in 66 30 S. On the 12th, Captain Free man managed to get on shore, but the cliffs were erpendicular, and the valleys were filled with ice. The discovery proved to be a group of volcanic islands, one of them rising to a beautiful peak estimated at 12,000 feet above the sea, named Freeman Peak. Sabrina Island was discovered in March 1839. The other group received the name of the Balleny Islands. The Auckland Islands were ceded to Messrs Enderby in 1849, and a whaling establish ment -was formed there under good auspices. In 1839 the French expedition under Dumont d Urville pro ceeded south from Tasmania and discovered two small islands on the Antarctic Circle named " Terre Adelie " and "Cote Clarie." At the same time Commander "Wilkes of the United States expedi tion made a cruise to the southward and mapped a large tract of land in the latitude of the Antarctic Circle for which he claimed the discovery. But as a portion of it had already been seen by Balleny, and the rest has since been proved not to exist, the claim has not been admitted. The English Antarctic Expedition of 1839-43 was undertaken mainly with a view to magnetic observations, and the determination of the position of the south magnetic pole. Two old bomb vessels, the " Erebus " and " Terror," were fitted out under the command of Captain (afterwards Sir James) Ross, with Captain Crozier in the "Terror." Dr Joseph D. Hooker accompanied the expedition as naturalist. Leaving Chatham in September 1839, the two vessels first proceeded to the Cape, and went thence southwards to Kerguelcn Island, which was reached in May 1840, and carefully surveyed. In August Sir James Ross established a magnetic observatory at Hobart Town. The cruise for the second season was commenced from Tasmania in November 1840. The Auckland Islands and Campbell Island were first visited and surveyed, and on New Year s Day 1841 the Antarctic Circle was crossed in about 172 E. A few days afterwards the two vessels were beset in the pick and began pcrseveringly boring through it. By January 10th they succeeded and were clear of ice in 70 23 S., and next day land Was sighted, rising in lofty peaks and covered with perennial snow. ^ That day Ross passed the highest latitude reached by Cook (71 15 S.). On a nearer approach to the land, there was a clear view of the chain of mountains with peaks rising to 10,000 feet, and glaciers filling the intervening valleys and projecting into the sca ,> T? e sout ^ magnetic pole was calculated to be in 76 S. and 1 45" 20 E., or about 500 miles south-west from the ship s position. The land interposed an insuperable obstacle to any nearer approach to it. Captain Ross landed with great difficulty, owing to the strong tide and drifting ice, on a small island near the shore, named Possession Island, in 71 56 S. and 171 7 E. Inconceivable myriads of penguins covered the surface, but no vegetation was seen. Next morning there was a southerly gale which moderated, and on 18th January they were again sailing south in an unexplored sea. On the 23d they were in 74 20 S. , and thus passed the most southern latitude previously reached (by Captain Weddell in 1823). Sailing along the newly discovered coast, Captain Ross landed alter much difficulty on an island named after Sir John Franklin in 76 8 S. On the 27th they came in sight of a mountain 12,400 feet above the sea, which proved to be an active volcano emitting flame and smoke in great profusion. It was named Mount Erebus, and an extinct volcano to the eastward 10,900 feet high was named Mount Terror. Along the coast as far as the eye could reach to the eastward there was a perpendicular cliff of ice from 150 to 20U feet high, perfectly level at the top, and without any fissures or promontories on its smooth seaward face. Nothing could be seen above it except the summits of a lofty range of mountains extend ing to the southward as far as 79 S. To this range the name of Parry was given. The most conspicuous headlands under Mount Erebus were named Capes Crozier and Bird. Captain Ross then sailed eastward along the marvellous wall of ice, in 77 47 S. to 78 S. This ice barrier was calculated to be 1000 feet thick, and it was followed for a distance of 450 miles without a break. The winter was now approaching, young ice was beginning to form, but luckily a strong breeze enabled them to force their way through it. The whole of the great southern land discovered by Sir James Ross was named Victoria Land. In returning to Hobart Town the expedition visited the Balleny Islands, and searched in vain for the land which Captain ^Vilkcs had laid down on his chart. In November 1841 the " Erebus " and "Terror" again shaped a southerly course, entered the pack ice on December 18th, and once more crossed the Antarctic Circle on New Year s Day. The naviga tion through a belt of ice 800 miles broad was extremely perilous. At length on 1st February 1842 a clear sea was in sight, and they proceeded to the southward in 174 31 "W. On the 22d they were surrounded by numerous lofty icebergs aground, and at midnight the Great Icy Barrier was sighted and its examination recommenced in 77 49 S. Next day the expedition attained a latitude of 78 11 S., by far the highest ever reached before or since. After escaping imminent dangers in navigating through chains of huge icebergs, Captain Ross took his ships northward, and wintered at the Falk land Islands. In December 1842 the expedition sailed from Port Louis on the third visit to the south polar region, seeing the first iceberg in 61 S. On the 28th the ships sighted the land named after the Prince de Joinville by Dumont d Urville, and the southern side of the South Shetlands was discovered and surveyed. During February about 160 miles of the edge of the pack were examined, on March llth the Antarctic Circle was recrossed for the last time, and the expedition returned to England in September 1843. Thus after four years of most diligent work, this ably conducted and quite unparalleled voyage to the south polar regions came to an end. In 1845 a merchant barque, the "Pagoda," was hired at the Cape, in order that magnetic observations might be completed south of the 60th parallel, between the meridians of the Cape and Australia. The ship s progress was stopped by an impenetrable pack in 68 S. The magnetic work was, however, completed. H.M.S. " Challenger," the exploring ship commanded by Captain Nares, arrived at Kerguelen Island on the 6th January 1874, where surveys were made, and the island was thoroughly examined by the naturalists of the expedition. Two islands, named Heard and M Donald, were also visited, which had been discovered in November 1853 by Captain Heard of the American ship "Oriental," owing to the practical application of the problem of great circle sailing. There is in fact a group of islands about 240 miles from Kerguelen. In February the Challenger" ran south before a gale of wind and the first iceberg was sighted on the llth in 60 52 S. It was 200 feet high and about 700 long. On the 19th the ship was at the edge of a dense pack in 65 42 S. ; and on the 4th March they bore up for Australia. Several deep-sea soundings were taken, the greatest depth being 1975 fathoms. The route of the " Challenger " was much the same as that of the "Pagoda" in 1845, but more to the north. "With it ends the somewhat meagre re:ord of voyages across and towards the Antarctic Circle. (C. E. M.) POLE, REGINALD (1500-1558), generally known as Cardinal Pole, was born at Stourton Castle, Staffordshire, March 3, 1500. He was the son of Sir Ptichard Pole and Margaret, countess of Salisbury. Designed from early youth for the church, he was educated in the Carthusian monastery at Sheen, and at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was admitted to deacon s orders at the age of sixteen, and

at once received high preferment, holding, among other