PREFACE A S the title of this volume indicates, the book T consists of accounts rendered of work done at different times, in different places and on different subjects. In republishing papers, many of which are of almost ancient date, it was thought pany them by explanatory advisable to accom- notes and comments. As it was inconvenient to introduce these in the text, they have been embodied in the Contents, which form in fact a summary of the work. CO The Contributions to Newspapers concerning matters of public interest at the time have been g reprinted because they are of public interest still. S Of the scientific communications the most important are those concerning the Natural History of Steam 5 Q and Ice, and these have been reprinted in their original g form, although this has involved some reduplication of matter. This has been accepted on account of the importance of the experiments and of the consequences g- which follow from them and of the apparent unwilling- 2 ness of the scientific public to make use of them. In the Chemical and Physical Notes, which formed part of the Antarctic Manual of 1901, will be found a resume ofmy experiments in the domain of Inorganic Natural History which, from my own experience, I judged would be found useful by the Chemists and for which the Manual Physicists of the Expeditions was prepared. It was conveyed to me through an old friend and former colleague that this contribution to the Antarctic Manual had done much to retard the Standardisation of Research. I took it as a compliment. To standardise research is to limit its freedom and to impede discovery. Originality and independence are the characteristics of genuine research, and it isstultified by the acceptance of standards and by the recognition of authority. 26 May 1916. J. Y. BUCHANAN. CONTENTS No. 1. RECENT ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION. From the Quarterly Review, October 1906. The Belgian Expedition in the Belgica was the first to PAGE winter within the Antarctic circle I The Newnes Expedition, under Captain Borchgrevink, was the first to winter on land within the Antarctic circle. He explored the Ice-barrier and discovered the creek in it from which, later, Amundsen started on his journey, when he reached the South Pole. When these two expeditions were returning, the British Expedition in the Discovery under Captain Scott and the German Expedition in the Gauss set out 2 A year later the Scottish Expedition, under Dr Bruce, sailed in the Scotia . 3 A Swedish Expedition, under Nordenskjbld, and a French Expedition, under Charcot, started for. Grahams Land later 5 The Challengers search for Wilkes Termination Land in . . . 1874 ., f The Gauss frozen in at the beginning of winter . . 7 Scotts Expedition follows the route to the South taken by Sir James Ross in 1841-43. Remarkable difference between the appearance ofMount Melbourneand Mount Erebus in 1902 and in 1841 . . . .... . . . ...