EXPEDITION TO THE ANTARCTIC POLE,

UNDER CAPTAIN JAMES ROSS AND CAPTAIN CROZIER,

Between the Years 1839 and 1843.

It had long been considered very desirable by scientific men that, for the advancement of science, especially with regard to magnetic phenomena, and also for that of geographical knowledge, that an expedition under experienced officers should be sent to visit the southern regions of the globe. With these and other objects in view, the Admiralty commissioned the 'Erebus' and 'Terror' in the year 1839, and gave the command of the first to Captain James Ross, and of the latter to Commander Francis Rawdon Crozier as second in command of the expedition. The ships were equipped on the most liberal scale, with every arrangement for the health and comfort of the officers and crews which science and experience could suggest. The 'Erebus' was a bomb of 370 tons, of strong build and capacious hold. The 'Terror' was of 340 tons, and had been strengthened for the Arctic seas on the detention of so many British whaleships in Baffin's Bay in 1836, and had been employed in the subsequent summer under Sir George Back on his attempt to reach Repulse Bay. From the numerous applicants from the gallant and brave officers in the Navy, the following were selected for the interesting, though arduous, service contemplated:—

EREBUS.

Captain James Clark Ross, Lieut. Edward Joseph Bird, Lieut. John Sibbald, Lieut. James E. L. Wood, Master Charles T. Tucker, Surgeon Robert M'Cormick, Purser Thomas R. Hallet, Mates Alexander J. Smith, Henry Oakley, and Joseph Dayman, Assistant-surgeon Joseph D. Hooker, Second Master Henry B. Yule.

TERROR.

Commander Francis R. M. Crozier, Lieut. Archibald M'Murdo, Lieut. Charles G. Phillips, Lieut. Joseph W. Kay, Master Pownall P. Cotter (acting), Surgeon John Robertson; Clerk in charge, George H. Mowbray; Mates Peter A. Scott, Thomas E. L. Moore, and William Molloy, Assistant-surgeon David Lyall, Second Master John E. Davis.

The complement of each ship amounted in all to 54 persons.

With crews in high health and spirits, the two ships sailed from the Thames on the 29th September 1839; and having encountered a heavy gale in the Channel, when they behaved very well, they touched at Madeira and other places, and reached St. Helena the last day of January 1840. The voyage was undertaken for certain scientific objects, and these, by the talent and perseverance of the officers, were fully attained; but in our account we shall dwell chiefly on the difficulties and dangers encountered and overcome in the attainment of those objects.

Having established a permanent magnetic observatory at St. Helena, and landed the officers and instruments connected with it, the expedition sailed on the 9th of February for the Cape of Good Hope, which was reached on the 17th of March, various magnetic observations and experiments on the temperature and gravity of the sea being made by the way. After establishing a magnetic observatory at the Cape, they sailed again from Simon's Bay on the 6th of April, encountering a succession of violent squalls and thunder-storms, during which the two ships lost sight of each other. They met again at Kerguelen Island, which, when discovered in 1772 by M. Kerguelen, a lieutenant of the French navy, was conjectured to form part of the great southern continent, which the philosophers of that time considered must exist to maintain the balance of our earth, till Captain Fourneaux dispelled the illusion by crossing the meridian of the island, 50 miles to the southward. The expedition entered Christmas Harbour at the north of the island on the 15th of May, and, having sedulously continued the system of magnetic observations, particularly on the 29th, the day previously fixed for simultaneous observations in various parts of the world, sailed again on the 20th of July, having the whole of the time experienced a gale of wind, with storms of rain and snow. The tempestuous weather allowed but a scanty survey of the island, in which extensive beds of coal were discovered, which may at some future time be found serviceable for steam navigation. After meeting with continued gales and hurricanes, the expedition reached Van Diemen's Land on the 26th of August, and, with the co-operation of Sir J. Franklin, then governor established the magnetic observatory at Hobart Town.[1]

Captain Ross, becoming here acquainted with the result of the French expedition to the southern seas under Captain D'Urville, and of that of the United States under Lieut. C. Wilkes, determined to alter his route from that previously agreed on, according to the discretionary power left him, and, avoiding the track of former navigators, to take a more easterly meridian on which to penetrate to the southward, and, if possible, to reach the magnetic pole.

FIRST YEAR.

The expedition sailed from Hobart Town on the 12th of November 1840, and proceeded to the Auckland Islands, where a series of magnetic observations was made on the Term-day, November 28th; and, having surveyed the island, they continued their course to Campbell Island. From thence Captain Ross proposed to steer due south; and leaving the island on the 17th of December, the first icebergs were seen on the 27th in lat. 60° 20' S. Differing from those of the Arctic Seas, they were of unform shape, large and solid, with tabular summits and perpendicular cliffs, against which the waves dashed with great violence; and a heavy swell prevailing during the night amongst the loose pieces of ice with which they were interspersed, rendered the situation of the ships one of great anxiety.

On the 31st a strong ice-blink in the sky indicated the proximity of the pack, the edge of which they reached, crossing the Antarctic circle on New-year's Day, 1841.

This pack, which they met with in a lower latitude than they expected, was a belt of loose ice and bergs 200 miles in width, hitherto considered impenetrable, and which certainly presented a most formidable obstacle to any further progress in that direction. A strong breeze and high sea prevented the attempt being made till the 5th, when, selecting the most favourable point, the 'Erebus' forced her way through the dense edge of the pack, closely followed by the 'Terror,' into some small holes of water connected by narrow lanes. The masses of ice amongst which they now pursued their course were of a less formidable character than they had been led to expect, and they continued to advance slowly, sustaining violent shocks, which would have proved destructive to ships less prepared to withstand them, and at times forced to heave-to till the ice should open before them. Thick fogs and constant snow-showers frequently impeded their course, though whenever the weather cleared, they were encouraged by seeing a strong water-sky to the south-east, and, favoured by a strong northerly breeze, they found themselves again in clear water, having accomplished the passage through the pack without any injury. They now steered as due south as the wind admitted for the magnetic pole, supposed to be situated about 76° south latitude. As the ships advanced, however, a strong "land blink" was perceived on the horizon; and at daybreak on the 11th, lat. 70° 47' S., and long. 172° 36' E., land was seen directly ahead, apparently of great height, and must have been a hundred miles distant when first seen. It rose in lofty peaks, covered with snow, mountainous ranges extending to the right and left as far as the eye could reach. The highest of these peaks was named Mount Sabine, and measured nearly 10,000 feet, and was supposed to be 30 miles from the coast. Towards evening they neared the coast, which was lined with a heavy pack; but a strong wind on the shore, and a high sea beating heavily on the pack-edge, rendered landing impracticable. Standing, therefore, to the south-east, so as to get to leeward of a projecting point, several small islands were discovered, under shelter of which it was hoped to effect a landing. It was a beautifully clear evening, and they here had a good view of two magnificent ranges of mountains, whose lofty peaks, rising to the height of 7,000 or 8,000 feet above the sea, were perfectly covered with eternal snow. The glaciers from the intervening valleys projected several miles into the sea, terminating in lofty perpendicular cliffs, and the dark rocks, which in some places broke through the icy covering, indicated the volcanic origin of the land. The range of mountains extending to the north-west was called by Captain Ross Admiralty Range, the most conspicuous points being distinguished by the names of the various Lords Commissioners. The weather calming the next morning, they succeeded in approaching the islands, when Captain Ross and Captain Crozier, with some of their officers, landed on one, though with difficulty, on account of the projecting ice and heavy surf, and took possession of the newly-discovered land in the name of Queen Victoria, naming it Possession Island. This land, the most southern yet discovered, though nearly reached by the Russian Bellinghausen, 20 years before, presented an insuperable obstacle to their attaining the magnetic pole in that direction: it was, therefore, determined to follow the south-coast line, and thence take a more westerly course. They made but little progress, owing to the baffling winds, thick fogs, and snow-storms; and on the 15th were in sight of the magnificent chain of mountains stretching away to the south, whose sharply-pointed snowy summits, varying from 12,000 to 14,000 feet in height, were named after the most eminent members of the Royal Society and British Association. This day Captain Ross suddenly perceived an island, which had not been in view a short time before, above 100 feet high, the whole of one side perfectly free from snow. Calling the attention of some of his officers to it, one of them remarked that a large berg, before observed, had disappeared, or rather turned over unperceived by them, and thus presented a new surface, covered with earth and stones, exactly resembling an island.

On the 19th, a favourable breeze springing up, all sail was crowded on the ships, and they made some way to the south, passing between the mainland and an island, which was named Coulman Island. Though again baffled by head-winds, adverse currents, and masses of ice, on the 27th they reached an island in lat. 76° 8' S., long. 168° 12' E., on which Captain Ross and some officers landed, though with such danger that he forbade any more attempting to leave the boat, and taking formal possession of it, named it Franklin Island, in compliment to Sir J. Franklin. This island, like the former, is composed of igneous rocks, with ice-cliffs to the south and west. Standing to the south, the ships came in sight of some high land, which proved to be a volcano, 12,400 feet high, in full activity, which received the name of Mount Erebus; an extinct volcano to the east being named Mount Terror. They were now in lat. 76° 6' S., long. 168° 11' E., without any appearance of being able to approach the magnetic pole on account of the land ice. On nearing the land, a low white line was perceived, extending from its eastern point as far as the eye could discern to the eastward, which proved to be a perpendicular cliff, 150 to 200 feet above the level of the sea, with an even face to the sea perfectly flat and level at the top, beyond which the summits of a range of mountains only could be discerned, extending to 79° S. lat. Any further advance in that direction being checked by this barrier, Captain Ross altered his course to the east, hoping it might lead further southward. The whole coast from the extreme western point presented a similar vertical cliff, 200 or 300 feet high: not the smallest fissure could be discovered, and the intensely-bright sky beyond indicated the great extent it reached to the south. Having explored this barrier for 300 miles, though heavy snow-storms frequently hid it from their sight, on the 9th they reached lat. 78°. A heavy pack of ice now prevented their further progress, and the narrow lane of comparatively clear water through which they had hitherto found their way was now completely covered with rapidly-forming ice, indicating the approach of winter, and threatening to hem them in between the pack and the barrier. Retracing their course, by means of a strong breeze, the ships forced their way through the young ice, though much impeded by thick fogs, which often rendered it difficult for them to keep together. The cold was much more severe than in the North Seas: though the middle of the antarctic summer, the thermometer did not rise above 14° at noon. In the afternoon of the 11th of February, while running before a favourable breeze, they found themselves surrounded by the main pack on all sides, except to windward, having during the thick weather run down into a deep bight of it. The ships were instantly hauled to the wind, and with the greatest difficulty extricated from their dangerous situation before the wind increased to a violent gale; and under a close-reefed main-top-sail, and storm stay-sails they, before midnight, barely weathered a great number of very large bergs clustered together under their lee, and probably aground, one nearly four miles long, though not more than 150 feet high. For some hours all on board were in a state of great anxiety, not knowing how far west this chain of bergs might extend, the thick-falling snow preventing their seeing to any distance ahead; the waves, as they broke over the ships, froze as they fell on the decks and rigging, and covered their clothes with a thick coating of ice. In the afternoon of the 13th the storm began to abate, and they found themselves in a more open sea.

Captain Ross now being convinced of the necessity of relinquishing any attempt to penetrate to the eastward that season, they bore away to the west and north, passing Franklin Island on the 15th, and Mount Erebus on the 16th, and approached the coast in the hope of finding a refuge for the winter, so as to visit the volcano and penetrate to the Magnetic Pole in the following spring. A low point of land, with a small islet off it, seemed to promise a shelter; but on endeavouring to struggle through the ice towards this spot, it was found utterly impossible to reach it, the whole space of 15 or 16 miles between it and the ships being now a solid mass of ice. Captain Ross and Commander Crozier came therefore to the determination of relinquishing the attempt, and naming the land they had discovered and traced from the 70th to the 76th degree of latitude after Her Most Gracious Majesty, they commenced retracing their way to the eastward; a most laborious work, as the ice had become so thick as to prevent the ships sailing through it, and yet was not strong enough to bear the weight of a party of men to cut a passage with saws. The boats being hauled out on each bow, the ice was broken up by rolling them; and in this manner it took sometimes an hour to advance a few yards, and it was not till the following morning that they regained the clear water and bore away to the northward.

Another attempt was made to land further to the north, which proved equally unsuccessful, and they steered away to the north, towards a chain of islands discovered by Balleny, and soon came to the main pack, along the edge of which they continued their course, meeting with alternate gales and calms, with snow storms, and frequently beset by the ice. On March 2nd and the following days land was in sight, supposed to be that seen by Balleny; and on the 4th they recrossed the Antarctic Circle. On the 7th, during a strong breeze, the ships became involved in an immense chain of bergs, so closely packed as to show no opening through which to pass, the waves breaking violently against them, and dashing huge masses of ice against the precipitous faces of the bergs, from which they were thrown in a multitude of fragments. For eight hours they had been drifting towards what appeared inevitable destruction, the high waves and deep rolling of the ships rendering towing with the boats impossible, and no human effort could be made to avoid the doom which seemed to await them. When within half a mile of the range of bergs, where they could hear the roar of the surf and the crashing of the ice, most providentially a gentle favouring breeze came on, which before dark removed them from all danger. During their progress to the north-west, they frequently saw the Aurora Australis, which was sometimes brilliant enough to light them in the absence of the moon.

They now steered for Van Diemen's Land, where they arrived on the 6th of April, after an absence of five months, and were warmly welcomed by Sir John Franklin. Though they had not succeeded in reaching the Magnetic Pole, it was very satisfactory to have approached it some hundred miles nearer than any preceding navigators; and it was a source of great thankfulness that every individual had been permitted to return from this hazardous expedition in health and safety.

SECOND YEAR.

On the 7th of July, 1841, the ships having been refitted, though very little repair was found requisite, the expedition again left Hobart Town to resume their task, and proceeded to Sydney and to New Zealand, in order to extend the magnetic observations, and make meteorological and other philosophical experiments.

On the 23rd of November they left the Bay of Islands, steering towards Chatham Island. On the 25th they crossed the 180th degree, and having, by sailing to the eastward, gained twelve hours, it became necessary, on entering upon west longitude, to have two days following of the same date, in order that their time might correspond with that of England by the time they reached it, so as to lose the time they were gaining as they sailed to the eastward. They had, therefore, two Thursdays and two twenty-fifths of November in succession.

On December 16th, the first icebergs were seen in lat. 58° 36' S.; long. 146° 43' W.

Captain Ross now changed his course to due south, selecting this meridian in the hope of discovering land, and wishing to approach the great barrier by a route as widely different as possible from their former one.

On the 18th they reached the main pack, much further to the north than the year before, and at once ran into it, but finding it heaviest to the south, they were obliged to steer in a westerly direction, turning southward whenever an opportunity occurred.

On the 25th they were in lat. 66° S., long. 156° 14' W., closely beset in the pack, and with a thick fog, in spite of which they spent a very cheerful Christmas. Drifting about in a small hole of water, they made the ships fast to a piece of ice, placed between them to prevent a collision, a plan which was repeatedly practised during their progress through the pack. They made but little way south, and again crossed the Antarctic Circle on New Year's Day. As usual, a complete suit of warm clothing was presented to the crews. They had now advanced 250 miles through the pack without seeing any prospect of its termination, boring through the ice at a very slow rate, encouraged by the appearance of a dark water-sky to the west.

On the 17th a heavy swell came on, with a thick fog, followed on the 19th by a terrific gale, and the sea quickly rising to a fearful height, and breaking over the loftiest bergs, the ships were unable any longer to hold their ground, but were driven into the heavy pack under their lee. Soon after midnight they were involved in an ocean of rolling fragments of ice, as hard as rocks, which were dashed against them by the waves with such violence that the masts quivered as if they would fall at every successive blow, and it seemed scarcely probable the ships could hold together against the tremendous shocks they received. The rudder of the 'Erebus' was soon so shattered as to be useless, and that of the 'Terror' completely destroyed. Throughout the 28 hours during which they were in such awful jeopardy the coolness, steady obedience, and untiring exertions of each individual were every way worthy of British seamen. Each man secured his hold, waiting the issue with resignation to the will of Him who alone could preserve them in safety through such extreme danger. At midnight the snow which had been falling thickly for some hours cleared away, the wind shifted to the westward, and the swell began to subside. On the 21st, the weather becoming calmer, they drove the ships into the thickest of the pack for shelter, while the rudders were repaired. In spite of the thumping they had received, both ships were found to be nearly as tight as they were before the gale, showing the admirable manner in which they had been fortified, and partly to be attributed to the holds being so stowed as to form a solid mass throughout.

The 23rd was Sunday, and in the course of reading the usual church service in the morning, a practice which during the whole expedition was scarcely if ever interrupted, the congregation failed not to offer up their heartfelt thanksgivings to God for their late wonderful preservation. The ships continued beset in the pack for many days, often in great danger from the heavy swell, sometimes making a few miles southward, then driven back with the pack to the north.

At length, on the 2nd of February, they broke through the heavy ice and foam which formed its edge, and reached the open sea, in lat. 67° 29' S., and long. 159° 01' W., after being involved in the pack for fifty-six days. This was only ten days earlier than they had been compelled to abandon further operations the year before, but they continued beating along the pack edge which trended to the west, till the 13th, when they were able to stand south, in a tolerably clear sea. Here they met with fogs, and the cold was intense; and on the 19th an ice-blink was seen, indicating the proximity of the great barrier, which was seen on the 23rd, on which they steered east, hoping to turn its eastern extremity, and thus reach a higher southern latitude. They were, however, stopped by the newly-formed ice, and the next day the main pack was in sight, closely approaching the barrier. The setting in of the winter now rendered it necessary to abandon further researches, and to seek a more temperate climate; and having had the satisfaction of tracing the barrier 130 miles more to the east than the preceding year, Captain Ross resolved to take the shortest course for the Falkland Islands, steering north to seek for some opening in the pack.

On the 5th of March, after passing a chain of stupendous bergs, and meeting with stormy weather, they recrossed the Antarctic Circle, celebrating the event with much rejoicing. On the 12th, during a strong breeze, they came upon a chain of bergs, and during the night, a large one, previously concealed by the thickly-falling snow, was suddenly seen directly ahead of the 'Erebus.' At the moment of trying to weather it, the 'Terror' was seen running down upon her, and as it was impossible for her to clear both the bergs, and the 'Erebus,' a frightful collision ensued. The bowsprit and other spars of the 'Erebus' were carried away, and the ships entangled by their rigging, and dashing against each other with fearful violence, were falling down upon the weather-face of the lofty berg under their lee. Providentially they separated before drifting down amongst the foaming breakers, and the 'Terror' passed on and cleared the end of the berg in safety. The 'Erebus' was left completely disabled, and so close to the berg that the waves as they dashed against it threw their spray over her. It was three-quarters of an hour before she could be extricated from this awful situation, when another huge berg was seen directly astern of her; she passed, however, in safety through the narrow channel between these two perpendicular walls of ice, and reached the smooth water to leeward. Having repaired the damages sustained, they continued northwards, meeting with a storm which lasted forty hours; and on the 6th of April, after being out of sight of land for 136 days, they reached the Falkland Islands, where Captain Ross proposed to pass the winter to repair the ships, and be in readiness to make a third attempt to penetrate to the south at the proper season.

On their arrival they learnt with great satisfaction that Commander Crozier, Lieut. Bird, Mr. Smith, mate, and Mr. Mowbray, clerk in charge of the 'Terror,' had received their well-earned promotion on the day Captain Ross's Report of their first season's operations reached the Admiralty.

The ships were hove up and repaired, and by the end of July were again ready for sea, but the magnetic observations could not be concluded till the end of August. On the 8th of September, the expedition left Port Louis for the purpose of making observations in the vicinity of Cape Horn, to be compared with those made during their absence at the temporary magnetic observatory, which was placed under the charge of Lieut. Sibbald. They as usual encountered severe storms in their passage to Cape Horn, which they saw on 19th, and passing it, the ships entered St. Martin's Cove the next day. The observatories were erected, and the observations commenced on the 29th, and after making many interesting researches into the natural productions of the country, they sailed again on the 7th of November for the Falkland Islands, where all preparations were made for resuming their researches in the South.

THIRD YEAR.

The expedition sailed from Port Louis for their third visit to the Antarctic regions, on the 17th of December, 1842, every one rejoicing in the prospect of resuming the important business of the voyage. Captain Ross selected the meridian of 55° W., in which he expected to meet with a continuation of Louis Philippe's Land, hoping, by following the coast-line to the south-eastward, keeping between the land and the pack, to survey its shores and to attain a high latitude; determining, in case of meeting with any insuparable obstacle, to relinquish that attempt, and endeavour to follow the track by which Weddell reached the latitude of 74° 15' S., three degrees further than any preceding navigator, where, from his account, there was every reason to expect a clear sea, in which to extend the limits of his daring researches.

On the morning of the 24th, in latitude 61°, while about fifty miles north-east of Clarence Island, one of the South Shetland group, the first iceberg was seen, and a gale of wind came on; but the next day, though surrounded by many icebergs, they contrived, under shelter of Clarence Island, to pass a cheerful Christmas, with the aid of a fine fat ox from the Falkland Islands, which had been presented by the Governor to each ship, for this occasion. In the afternoon a solid pack was seen, from S.S.W. to E. They beat along its edge, but did not venture into it, though it appeared tolerably open, and continued amongst loose ice and bergs, rapidly thawing from the high state of temperature, which rendered it dangerous to approach them. On the 28th, land was discovered, in the form of two projecting headlands; and a round-topped mountain covered with snow, and at a great distance to the north, another promontory was seen, supposed to be the "Point des Français," of Admiral D'Urville. A quantity of grounded bergs prevented their approaching the coast nearer than two or three miles; they could, therefore, only examine it as they passed along. A great number of large whales were met with, so tame that they would hardly get out of the way of the ships. Many small islets were seen off the land, the whirlpools amongst which were found very troublesome; and on the 30th the pack was found so close they could scarcely pass between it and the land. On the 1st of January, 1843, they were in lat. 64° 14' S., long. 55° 54' W., near a small island perfectly free from snow, rising in a rocky peak 2,760 feet above the sea, which was named Cockburn Island, on which the ice having partially drifted away, Captain Ross and Captain Crozier landed, on the 6th, and took formal possession of it. On this island 19 species of plants were found, mosses, algæ, and lichens, the last vestiges of vegetation in this high southern latitude. The island appeared to be of volcanic origin, as well as the land, which presented a range of lofty mountains covered with snow, with perpendicular icy cliffs towards the sea. The deep gulf in which the ships then were was forty miles across, and received the name of the Gulf of the Erebus and the Terror. They continued to struggle through the ice, without making any important advance, frequently beset by the pack, and stationary for days together, till the 1st of February, when it became necessary to extricate the ships, and endeavour to penetrate to the south. They reached clear water on the 4th, after being involved in the pack for nearly six weeks, but the best of the season was passed; fogs and east winds prevailed, and they found a dense pack in the latitude where Weddell had found a clear sea. They entered the Antarctic Circle on the 1st of March, and stood to the S.W., persevering for some time in the attempt to penetrate further south, but the ice was too strong for them, and they were in great danger from a violent gale, which lasted three days, accompanied by snow-storms, while they were surrounded by icebergs. Through this danger they were, however, providentially preserved; and on the 8th, after reaching the 70th degree of latitude, they began retracing their course northward, and recrossed the Antarctic Circle for the last time on the 11th.

They now steered for the Cape of Good Hope, which they reached on the 4th of April, having returned in safety, without one individual in either of the ships on the sick list. Having refitted the ships and refreshed the crews, and repeated the magnetic observations, the expedition left the Cape the end of April, touching at St. Helena and Ascension, for the purpose of making magnetic experiments, and verifying their instruments, and proceeded to Rio de Janeiro for the same purpose. Having completed these duties, they sailed for England, and anchored in safety off Folkstone, on the 4th of September.

The acquisitions to natural history, geology, geography, but above all, towards the elucidation of the grand mystery of terrestrial magnetism, raise this voyage to a pre-eminent rank among the greatest achievements of British courage, intelligence, and enterprise.