The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-08-17
The Antarctic Continent.

The following are extracts from a pa
 per read the other day before the Inter-
 national Geographical congress by c
 E. Borchgrevink, a Norwegian explorer
 After describing the arrival of the
 steam-whaler Antarctic off Cape Adair
 in Victoria Land, he said that the cape,
 which was in 71.23 and 16956, rose to a
 height of 3,779 feet, and consisted of a
 large, square, basaltic rock with per
 pendicular sides. From there they saw
 the coast of Victoria Land to the west and south as far as the eye could reach. It rose from dark, bare rocks into peaks
 of perpetual ice and snow, twelve thou- sand feet above the level of the sea.
 Mount Sabine, above the rest, standing
 out shining in the rays of the midnight
 sun. Comic tops covered the plateat, and ran over in mighty glaciers. He counted as many as twenty of them in
 the close vicinity of the Bay of Adair.
 On January 18th they sighted Posses sion Island, with its peculiar contours standing out sharply against the bright sky. They effected a successful land- ing on the North Island, pulling their boat upon the shore, and they were at once furiously attacked by the penguins which covered the very ground of the island and seemed much annoyed by seeing the foreigners intruding. on their domain. Their hoarse screams filled the air, and it was with a considerable strain of his voice that on landing he addressed his countrymen in a few words, informing them that they were the second in number to set foot on that island, and that Sir James Ross had preceded them having fifty-four years ago landed there and planted the Eng fish flag. They gave three cheers for that great British navigator and also for that commander, Captain Svend Foyn, who so bravely sent out that present Antarctic expedition. The ground on the island was covered with a deep layer of guano, which, in time
 might prove very valuable to Australia sia. The island consisted of volcanic, vesicular lava, rising in the southwest into two pointed peaks of three hun dred feet in height. He sealed the highest of these and called it Peak Ar cher, after MT. A. Archer, M. L. A., of Northampton, Queensland. To the west the island rose gently upward, forming bold and conspicuous cape, which, not being named by Sir James Ross, it was left to him to christen. He gave 1t the name of Sir Ferd, von Muel- Ter, whose scientific fame he already as a boy had learned to value on the con- tinent. He quite unexpectedly found on the rocks, about thirty feet above the sea-level. Vegetation never was discovered in so southerly attitudes before. Possession island was situated in latitude 71.56, longitude 17110. It was remarkably free from snow. He judged it to be from three hundred to three hundred and fifty acres in size, and they gave it the name of Sir James Ross Island. On Februa- " goth they steamed southwards. and sighted Colman Island on the Fist at midnight. Finding the eastern cape of this large island unnamed, they called 1t Cape Oscar, in honor of his Majesty the King of Norway, whose birthday 1t happened to be on that day. He mo- ticed great Irregularities in their com pass at Colman Island Undoubtedly that island contained secrets of scienti- ic value. which would be well worth the of future Antarctic research