Modern scientific Antarctic exploration had now been initiated, and de Gerlache had won his place for all time in the first rank of Antarctic explorers.

While the Belgica was trying her hardest to get out of the ice, another vessel was making equally strenuous efforts to get in.  This was the Southern Cross, the ship of the English expedition, under the leadership of Carstens Borchgrevink.  This expedition’s field of work lay on the opposite side of the Pole, in Ross’s footsteps.

On February 11, 1899, the Southern Cross entered Ross Sea in lat. 70deg.  S. and long. 174deg.  E., nearly sixty years after Ross had left it.

A party was landed at Cape Adare, where it wintered.  The ship wintered in New Zealand.

In January, 1900, the land party was taken off, and an examination of the Barrier was carried out with the vessel.  This expedition succeeded for the first time in ascending the Barrier, which from Ross’s day had been looked upon as inaccessible.  The Barrier formed a little bight at the spot where the landing was made, and the ice sloped gradually down to the sea.

We must acknowledge that by ascending the Barrier, Borchgrevink opened a way to the south, and threw aside the greatest obstacle to the expeditions that followed.  The Southern Cross returned to civilization in March, 1900.

The Valdivia’s expedition, under Professor Chun, of Leipzig, must be mentioned, though in our day it can hardly be regarded as an Antarctic expedition.  On this voyage the position of Bouvet Island was established once for all as lat. 54deg. 26’ S., long. 3deg. 24’ E.

The ice was followed from long. 8deg.  E. to 58deg.  E., as closely as the vessel could venture to approach.  Abundance of oceanographical material was brought home.

Antarctic exploration now shoots rapidly ahead, and the twentieth century opens with the splendidly equipped British and German expeditions in the Discovery and the Gauss, both national undertakings.

Captain Robert F. Scott was given command of the Discovery’s expedition, and it could not have been placed in better hands.

The second in command was Lieutenant Armitage, who had taken part in the Jackson-Harmsworth North Polar expedition.

The other officers were Royds, Barne, and Shackleton.

Lieutenant Skelton was chief engineer and photographer to the expedition.  Two surgeons were on board —­ Dr. Koettlitz, a former member of the Jackson-Harmsworth expedition, and Dr. Wilson.  The latter was also the artist of the expedition.  Bernacchi was the physicist, Hodgson the biologist, and Ferrar the geologist.

On August 6, 1901, the expedition left Cowes, and arrived at Simon’s Bay on October 3.  On the 14th it sailed again for New Zealand.

The official plan was to determine as accurately as possible the nature and extent of the South Polar lands that might be found, and to make a magnetic survey.  It was left to the leader of the expedition to decide whether it should winter in the ice.