ANTARCTIC EXPLORATIONS.
Proetieally without land fauna or flora, unin habited. and far from adventurous nat. the Antaretie Circle is rarely visited. James Cook 11773-1774) circumnavigated this ocean. entered the Antarctic C'irc'le at four widely separated points, and reached 71° 10' S.. 107° NV. There are three recognized routes of exploration to the land lying south of Patagonia, of iicrgut'h'n Island. and of Tasmania.
PAr.“;oxi.t. The first Antarctic• discoverer. an American whaler. Nathaniel II. Palmer. in 1521. discovered the Palmer -Nrchipelago, lying north of what is supposed to he a portion of the Antaretie continent. The mass of what is be lieved to he the mainland is now known to ex tend from 63' to 70° S. and to subtend 20 degrees of longitude. Palmer met in his voyage the Rus sian expedition under Bellingshausen. who in an extensive Antarctic voyage added several islets.
discovered Alexander Land, and approached the great ice-barrier. Weddell (1823) found open sea in 30° W. up to 74° 15' S., 34' 17' E., with no land seen. Biscoe (1831) discovered Adelaide and other islands, 67° S., 71' W., fronting West ern Palmer Land, and gave to the mainland the name Graham Land. Larsen (1893) extended the east coast some 300 miles, to OS' 10' S., find
ing also two snow-free islands capped by active volcanoes. The Belgian De Gerlache (1897 99) diseovered Belgica Strait, west of Palmer Land. explored adjacent regions. and determined the non-existence of the reported land of \Va'kyr and Cook 150° E. Ile also located a submarine and continental plateau, 75° to 103° W., 70' to S., and attained 36' S., S7° 39' \V.. with no land in sight. 0. NordenskiiIld (1002) began a series of explorations east of Palmer Land.
KEnnuELEx ISLAND. In a hazardous voyage J. Biseoe (1831) skirted one-third of the Ant arctic Circle. and south of Kerguelen discovered Enderby Land. 47° S., 60° E. Others have here entered the circle, without seeing land: Bellings hausen 20° and 40° \V. and Nares in the Challenger (1874) 68° 40' S., 78° E. The Ger mans under Dr. Drvgalski in the Gauss set out from Kerguelen Island on January 31, 1902, and were frozen in the ice for nearly a year in 66° 30' S., DO' E. They proved the non-existence of Ter mination Land and discovered a new land, to which they gave the name of Kaiser \\Rhein' Land. Its extent was not learned.