Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-12
Antarctic exploration.

A movement is on foot in Australia
to make a systematic endeavor to ex-
plOre the Antarctic regions, and learn,
if possible, something definite in regard
TO the great continent, the outlines Of
which have been seen beyond the ice
pack stretching southwark toward the
pole. The Hon. Duncan Gillies, Min
lister of Railways aud Of Public Iu-
struction of the Colonial Government,
recently received a deputation from diff
ferent learned societies Of the colony,
which urged the expediency of the Gov
eminent taking some practical steps to-
ward exploring the unknown land and
water to the far south. The de-
puta.ion suggested that the enter
prise might be made remunerative by
combining the work of exploration
with the more profitable one 10 astrlcsly
financial sense Of whale-tishing, but at
the same time asked the Victorian Gov
eminent to give liberal encouragement
to the project. The Premier assured
the delegates that the Government
would readily grant subsidy to aid in
scientific discovery in the south, and
promised to ask the other colonies to do
the sane. In the mean time he promised
TO instruct the Agent-General in Lon
don TO learn whether steam whalers
would be disposed to engage in the en-
terprise, and what subsidy would De re-
CURED.
Should On exploration party be or
gsnized by the aid Of the Colonial Gov
eminent it will be the first really Sc
Iious attempt to push researches in the
far south that has ever been msdo I'M
der Government patronage. What lit
tie knowledge we have Of the islands
and ce-packs OF the Antarctic, and Of
the great continent which is supposed
to exist in that frozen region, has been
gained by expeditions seut out for mag
netic observations rather than the sc-
QUESTION of geographical knowledge.
While nayigators have been con-
stantly pressing toward the North
Pole, the approaches to which
are comparatively easy, the diih-
culties of pushing toward the fur
thest south have been such that few
have been bold enough to attack them.
The absence Of known land, except
Graham Land, Enderby Land, and a
few inhospitable islands below the
Antarctic circle, and the knowledge OF
the great ice wall which is encountered
at about 7S0 south, have discouraged
even the most ambitious Of the Arctic
explorers from extending their re-
searches in this direction. While Lieuten-
ant Lockwood and Sergeant Brainerd, Of
the Greedy expedition, planted the Ame-
rican flsg at $50 "a north latitude, the
highest point ever reached in the Ant
arctic was 780 IL, and this was by
Captain Ross, in the British ship
Erebus, as long ago as 1912. On that
memorable voyage the Erebus encouu-
tered an ice-wall estimated at 1000 feet
thick, at 7Ss, and sailed along it east.
ward distance Of $50 miles without
finding an opening, when the forming.
Of young ice to the north compelled
her TO retreat. Since then antarctic
exploration has been credited with no
discovery of appreciable value, aud II
the Australian Government, by subsi-
diziDg whalers can lay open the region
around the South Pole without the
needless sacrifice of human lives it
will accomplish more than the mother
country has ever done with oil her
fondness for geographical research
Nep York Times.