Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-11-03
From the Boston Daily Advertiser.
ANTARCTIC DISCOVERIES.


ANTARCTIC DISCOVERIES.
The English government discovery ships
Erebus and Terror, under the command Of
Captain Ross and Crozier, returned to Eng
land in the beginning Of last month, after an
absence Of nearly four years, having within
that period, within the three last successive
seasons, penetrated within the Southern Po-
lar Circle, and at each time made discover
les Of greater or less interest. Some account
Of all these discoveries has before reached
us, with the exception Of those Of tho last
Winter, Of which Captain Ross brings to
Europe on his arrival the frs, report. We
have indeed heard of his arrival at Rio Ja-
metro on the 18Th Of June last, but had no
account Of his last Winters cruise. The
vessels made land at Scilly Islands on the
9th Of August, but had tedious passage up
the Channel, on account of Gains and light
winds; and on the 4ih Of September Cap
tain Ross landed at Folksione and proceeded
the same day TO London. The two ships
arrived at Gravesend on the 7lh, and subse-
quen,ly at Woolwich.
The London Literary Gazette gives a
condensed narrative of the whole of the four
years voyage with sketch Of the various
discoveries. The cruise OF the winter conf
menccd on the 18th Of Dec. 1912, when the
two vessels sailed from the Falkland Islands.
On the 24th they saw icebergs, in the latitude
Of Clarence Island. The next day their
progress was arrested by a solid pack Of ice,
and they cruised along the edge of it, for the
purpose Of finding pene,rable part and on
the 2S,h they discovered land. They cruis-
ed along the coast towards the southwest,
the shore being lined with an accumulation
Of grounded icebergs, and the land which
they could not approach nearer that three or
four miles, covered will, snow and ice, ter
minating at the sea in perpendicular cliffs OF
20 to 80 feet in height, from which icebergs
we're constantly breaking away, and bccom-
ing grounded in the water.
On the 4tli of January they were beset
with more ice in lat. Ga l.2 south, aud drift
ted back TO the northwarJ. The next day
they were ex'ricated, and they succeeded in
landing on an island in Latitude 81 l-2, lon
gi,ude Sc 40 w., on the south side of ii deer
gulf, which they took possession Of in the
Queens name. 1t is of volcanic origin, ant
though not more that two miles in diameter
projects a perfectly formed crater to the
height Of $500 fee, above the level of the sea
On the ives, is mountain which, rises 10 the
height of 600 feet, and the western shore o
the gulf consists of mountainous ranges COW
cred with perpetual snow. They nance
this gulf, which is 40 miles between the Cape
the Ercbus and Terror. They coasted alon!
the shore to the southwest, between it and ;
chain of grounded icebergs. They were en-
gagged in constant struggle with the ice t.
the 4ih Of February, when they found them
selves in clear water, after being entangle'
for 40 days. In lat. IS, they merely cross
cd Weddell's returning track, and found pacl
ice where he found clear sea. They coul'
not penetrate beyond lat. Is Is south, ben
then 100 miles south of D'Urville's track
when he attempted unsuccesstully to follow
Weddell's track.
On the 22d Of February, they crossed tn
line of no variation in lat. 81 and lon. pa W
in dip Of 81 degrees 40 minutes a fac,
the narrative remarks " Of much Importanc
to magnetic science, since observations ap
pear to prove that tho supposition Of thei
being two magnetic poles of verticily in til
south (as is well known 10 be the case in th
nor,h) is erroneous. and that there is in real
ity but one magnetic pole in the souther
hemisphere. On the 23d, they rounded tn
last extreme Of the pack, and standing to tn
southeast crossed the Aniartic Circle, Marc
l, in Ion. Z l-2 West. Ia lat. 6S "a, lol
IL 40, he was becaImed, and seixing the or
portunity to try soundings, he found til;
1000 fathoms Of line would not reach tn
ground.
They preserved in an effort to get furthe
South, but the ice opposed their progress
They then encountered a tempesluous gale
which lasted three days, and they were
considerable danger, from the number of ice
bergs, and the darkness of the nights. TIL
conduct Of the men was admirable tn
18th the wind shifted to the eastward, an
the ships directed their course to the norll
ward. On the 18th they were in Safety
On the 7ih they reached the latitude and lor
gltude assigned to Bouvel's Island, but coul
not find il, and they concluded that Bouv'
had been deceived by an iceberg. The
bore away for the Cape of Good Hope, whc
they reached April 4. At the end of Apr
they sailed again, and after touching al
Helena and Ascension, for the purpose
repeating the magnetic observations befo,
made at those Islands, proceeded to Rio ia
metro, and thence, as above stated. 10 Ems