The arrangements for utilising the balloon are very pretty.

An instrument weighing only 2 1/4 oz. and recording the temperature and pressure is attached beneath a small flag and hung 10 to 15 ft. below the balloon with balloon silk thread; this silk thread is of such fine quality that 5 miles of it only weighs 4 ozs., whilst its breaking strain is 1 1/4 lbs.  The lower part of the instrument is again attached to the silk thread, which is cunningly wound on coned bobbins from which the balloon unwinds it without hitch or friction as it ascends.

In order to spare the silk any jerk as the balloon is released two pieces of string united with a slow match carry the strain between the instrument and the balloon until the slow match is consumed.

The balloon takes about a quarter of an hour to inflate; the slow match is then lit, and the balloon released; with a weight of 8 oz. and a lifting power of 2 1/2 lbs. it rises rapidly.  After it is lost to ordinary vision it can be followed with glasses as mile after mile of thread runs out.  Theoretically, if strain is put on the silk thread it should break between the instrument and the balloon, leaving the former free to drop, when the thread can be followed up and the instrument with its record recovered.

To-day this was tried with a dummy instrument, but the thread broke close to the bobbins.  In the afternoon a double thread was tried, and this acted successfully.

To-day I allotted the ponies for exercise.  Bowers, Cherry-Garrard, Hooper, Clissold, P.O.  Evans, and Crean take animals, besides Anton and Oates.  I have had to warn people that they will not necessarily lead the ponies which they now tend.

Wilson is very busy making sketches.

Tuesday, April 28.—­It was comparatively calm all day yesterday and last night, and there have been light airs only from the south to-day.  The temperature, at first comparatively high at -5 deg., has gradually fallen to -13 deg.; as a result the Strait has frozen over at last and it looks as though the Hut Point party should be with us before very long.  If the blizzards hold off for another three days the crossing should be perfectly safe, but I don’t expect Meares to hurry.

Although we had very good sunset effects at Hut Point, Ponting and others were much disappointed with the absence of such effects at Cape Evans.  This was probably due to the continual interference of frost smoke; since our return here and especially yesterday and to-day the sky and sea have been glorious in the afternoon.

Ponting has taken some coloured pictures, but the result is not very satisfactory and the plates are much spotted; Wilson is very busy with pencil and brush.

Atkinson is unpacking and setting up his sterilizers and incubators.  Wright is wrestling with the electrical instruments.  Evans is busy surveying the Cape and its vicinity.  Oates is reorganising the stable, making bigger stalls, &c.  Cherry-Garrard is building a stone house for taxidermy and with a view to getting hints for making a shelter at Cape Crozier during the winter.  Debenham and Taylor are taking advantage of the last of the light to examine the topography of the peninsula.  In fact, everyone is extraordinarily busy.