Discovering the unknown continent - Antarctica: Global Science from a Frozen Continent - page 6

Figure 1.4 in pack ice, one of the ships

in the United States Exploring Expedition commanded by Charles Wilkes.

Engraving by Albert Thomas Agate of the USS Peacock

Shetland Islands and down to the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Here he
found new land and islands to map and name, claiming the territory for France
as Louis-Philippe Land. By now it was March and with many sailors suffering
from scurvy Dumont d Urville felt he had done enough, sailing north to Chile

and then on west. After spending 2 years in the Paci

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c he determined to claim the
South Magnetic Pole for France on the way back. His party landed on 21 January
1840 on a small islet they called Pointe Geologie, as close as they could get to the
Magnetic Pole, raising the Tricolour and toasting their success at finally reaching

the continent. Dumont d Urville claimed the coast for France, naming it Adélie

Land after his wife. In the of

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c reports of the expedition Antarctica
plays only a minor part, but the expedition did discover the crabeater seal and
several new benthic organisms.
James Clark Ross had spent 15 summers and 8 winters in the Arctic before he
sailed south to explore the Antarctic on 5 October 1839. A superb navigator and
seaman, his earlier polar work had awakened an enthusiasm for science, and his
natural history contributions had been recognised by his election to the Linnean
Society in 1823. His expedition was also fortunate to be staffed with several full-time

cial scienti