The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-12-25
The Great Antarctic Problem.

The Italian Antarctic expedition which is
announced to sail in March next, to be fol-
lowed by an English expedition under Sir
Allen Young, revives the greatest problem
OF modern geography. within the Antarc-
tic circle lies an area OF about eight million
square miles, over which The atmosphere is
in state Of great tenuity, and upon when
the evaporation Of the Southern Hemisphere,
which Dove called "the boiler OF The globe"
is undergoing celseless condensation. 10
dunbar the gates of the south" by finding
a gap i'm the great circumpolar ice-barrier OH
the so-caIled Antarctic continent Is an
enterprise that will always kindle the
fire OF maritime adventures, but the
advance OF modern science IN terres
trial physics, even since sir James Ross In
IS4l sighted the burning volcano Erebus
within five hundred leagues OF the South
Pole, has raised up questions OF the pro-
foundest importance. The great Antarctic
problem is whether the south polar basin Is
n region of intense condensation OF the
aqueous yapor OF the southern seas. and, II
so. is the oceanic surface IN the ATTITUDES
beyond the limits OF Ross sea and the ice
barrier generally climatic region OF COM
narrative nildness! Mariners for many
wears have found off Cape Horn zone OF
wonderfully low barometer, and Antarctic
explorers have determined that this zone,
wherein the mean pressure is scarcely
%. 30 inches, extends Is far as they
have penetrated toward the South Pole.
The quantity OF air superintendent on
square foot OF the earths surface here ave.
RACES about one hundred and thirty pounds
less than that resting upon square loot IN
our attitudes, so that we must conceive Inc
south polar area a. vast barometrlc hollow
into which along all the conyerglng merid-
ians the Antarctic winds are ceaseleSsly
conveying the masses O! oceanic Vapor,
there to be condensed. For every solid
foot of snow condensed in the south polar
skv hest enough is liberated 10 raise tens OF
thousands cubic feet OF air from freezing
TO summer temperature, aId we may tnere-
fore infer that the climate within the Ant
arctic circle is very much milder than that
in the Arctic area.
No explorer has yet wintered any distance
within the Antarctic circle, but the fact
that the huge icebergs which float thence
toward the Cape of Good Hope are OF fresh,
not OF salt water, suggest That they owe
their magnitude not TO the extreme cold OF
the South Polar seas, but to that OF hlgb,
mountainous coasts. When TO this clrcum-
StduCe we aUU tUtJ tDc iuOSI iDdiCsi'C vi
equatorial a.currens-that which crosses
the entire Pacific and Indian oceans under a
blazing sun, aud thence DIVORCES along the
East African coast almost into the heart
of the Antarctic basin-we may not be
surprised should the future explorer find
channel that would conduct his ship TO an
extremely high southern latitude. NV in
yestigatlonS," wrote CAPTAIN Maury TO Lord
LYONS In 1861. when urging England to
take part in q new Antarctic expedition,
" lead me to believe there is no great diff
ference between the Antarctic winter and
the Antarctic summer" and this conclusion
was arrived at by a mature study OF the
barometric and other conditions which
prevail at the antipodes.
Lieutenant Bove and Commentators Ne
sri think it will be possible for them to
penetrate Ross Sea, and, perhaps, winter
The first year at Adele. and they hope that
canals in the ice will be found through
which they may attain very remote latl-
tudes. The civilized world will follow this
new southern exploration-the first IN
which ste in has been invoked for the con-
quest OF the South Pole-with intense in
tereSt.