Antarctic attempts to penetrate to the s. pcile are of very recent date, mainly because a knowledge of the southern polar regions is only valuable to Europeans from a scientific point of view. Cook and Furneaux mare the first navigators who are known to have crossed the antarctic circle, but the former Penetrated only to lat. 71° 10' s., and neither made any discoveries of importance. Belfinghausen, a Rus sian navigator, reached lat. 70' s. in 1819, and two years after discovered Alexander's land and Peter's land, then the most southerly islands known. In 1823 clip'. Weddell reached int. 74° 15' s., long. 31° 10' w., and saw beyond hint an open sea to the s., but made no important additions to our geographical knowledge. In 18:31 rapt John Biscoe discovered Enderby land; and in 1839 the scaling schooner Eliza Scott, from New Zea and, discovered Sabrina land (q.v.); and in the same year the U. S. expedition, under capt. Wilkes, set out on a career of exploration, which resulted in the discovery (Jan., 1840) of what he with etason supposed to be a continuous coast-line, though an ice-tine of from 8 to 12 in. in width prevented him from establishing its continuity beyond dispute. The (supposed continental) coast stretched from Riugold's knoll on the e. to
Enderby land on the w., and was distinguished by the absence of currents to disturb the ice-barrier, and by a much less precipitous character than belongs to islands. In 1840 a French expedition, under D'Urville, discovered a line of coast lying directly s. from Victoria (Australia) on the antarctic circle. But the most important discoveries of all were achieved by capt. (afterward sir James) Clarke Ross, who made three several voy sges in 1841-13, discovering Victoria land (q.v.), and tracing its coast from lat. 71° to lat. 78'10' (the highest southern latitude ever attained). In his third voyage floss proved that the lands discovered by D'Urville were islands of inconsiderable magnitude; and his antarctic expedition has besides supplied much important information to the students of natural history, geology, rind, above all, of magnetism (q.v.). Ross's geographival discoveries have since been confirmed; but a large extent of surface within the antarctic; circle still remains unexplored.