away peacefully on the above-named date, mourned and regretted by all his comrades. This was the only loss, through death, that was sustained by the Expedition.

Although the heavy and constant gales of wind experienced, even as early as the month of August, had a distinct effect on the ice in Scotia Bay, causing a perceptible swell that could be felt in the ship, and which naturally raised the hopes of all on board of the prospect of an early release from the ice, it was not until the 25th November that the pack cleared away and set the little ship free, after an imprisonment of eight long weary months. Leaving a party of six men, including two members of the scientific staff, to take up their abode in Omond House to continue the scientific observations so zealously and so consistently prosecuted during the winter, the Scotia put to sea on the 27th November, and making her way to the northward, without much impediment from the ice, reached the Falkland Islands on the 2nd December, where they had the immeasurable pleasure of reading home letters, and gathering information regarding the events that had been happening since their departure ten months before. A very pleasant week was spent at Stanley, when the Scotia again put to sea, and after experiencing the excitement of taking the ground, and remaining hard and fast for a couple of days at the entrance to the River Plate, they arrived safely on Christmas Eve at Buenos Aires. The cause of the grounding of the ship was due to the removal of one of the lightships at the mouth of the river, and their not being aware of this important fact. A month was spent very profitably at Buenos Aires, where the ship was docked, repaired, coaled, provisioned, and completely refitted, and also in making LIVING AGE. VOL. XXXIV.

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plans for the prosecution of another summer voyage to the Southern Seas, in order to further extend the work so happily and SO prosperously commenced the previous summer.

Satisfactory arrangements were also made with the Argentine Government to take out three gentlemen belonging to that country to reside at Omond House, with the view of establishing a permanent meteorological station in the far South. This commendable decision of the Government of Argentina was in a great measure due to the energetic enthusiasm of Mr. W. G. Davies, the head of the Meteorological Office, who fully realized the importance of such an establishment in a high southern latitude. On the 21st of January 1903 the little Scotia, with her complement augmented by the three Argentine scientists, again put to sea. The Falkland Islands were revisited, and a most interesting general description of those islands is given by Mr. Brown, more especially with reference to the natural history of the group.

Scotia Bay was reached on the 14th February, and those on board were rejoiced to find the party they had left at Omond House all in good health and spirits, and very pleased to see their comrades again. A week was spent at their old winter quarters, during which time they were fully occupied in landing the stores for those who were to be left in possession, fixing a new roof to the house, and otherwise making the place comfortable. Dr. Pirie and his party returned on board, being relieved by Mr. Mossman, the three Argentine gentlemen, and one of the crew of the Scotia, all of whom had volunteered to remain in the South Orkneys for the ensuing winter.

Chapter XI., written by Dr. Pirie, gives an account of the landing-party from the time the Scotia sailed until her return. Much useful scientific work was accomplished, and much val

uable information in many branches of science was obtained during the time they were landed. In his notes concerning the penguins he estimated that, at a moderate computation, each "rookery" (the name given to their breeding-places) contained at least 200,000 birds, and as there were many "rookeries" in the neighborhood, the number of birds congregated on the island must have been incalculable. On an average, there was a nest to every square yard! The nests were made of a few pebbles scraped together in a very rough and primitive fashion. Each contained two eggs, though occasionally three were found in one nest. The snowy petrel and Cape pigeon also had their nesting-places in the group. The eggs of the last-named bird had never before been found, and were therefore new to science. Collecting the eggs of these birds was by no means pleasant work, for, in common with the petrel, they had the disgusting habit of ejecting the oily contents of their stomachs at the intruder, the noisome stench from which clung persistently to their clothes for a long time.

The Scotia bade farewell to those remaining in Scotia Bay on February 21, and steering to the southward, commenced her second voyage of discovery.

Six days later she crossed the Antarctic Circle, with only loose streams of ice in sight.

On the 1st of March their track of the preceding year was crossed, and good progress was made under sail alone, in a sea perfectly free of ice, where the year before they had met with an impenetrable pack. These wonderful and complete changes in the positions of pack-ice are by no means unusual in Polar seas. On the following day, however, their further progress was checked by the ice in lat. 72° 18' when within sight of what at first was reported to be land, but which proved to be a lofty ice barrier, rivalling in

height and extent, and very similar in appearance to the famous barrier of ice discovered by Ross in 1840, and recently seen and investigated by the English Antarctic Expedition under Captain Scott. They were able to trace this great wall of ice, rising to a vertical height of 100 to 150 feet, to a point estimated to be about 150 miles to the south of the position where they had first sighted it. The summit of this great inland ice, of which the barrier was the terminal face, appeared to rise in gradually undulating slopes until lost in height and distance in the sky. In one place there was the appearance of the outline of what was assumed to be distant hills. The belief in the proximity of land was strengthened by finding a depth of only 159 fathoms of water at a distance of 21⁄2 miles from the barrier. The presence of innumerable birds, such as penguins, terns, skuas, petrels, &c., seemed also sure indications of the near presence of land. Acting on the assumption that what they saw was in reality new land, they gave it the name of "Coats Land," in honor of Mr. James Coats and Major Andrew Coats, the two principal subscribers to the Expedition. Not doubting for a moment its actual existence, they write, "Whether it is a large island or a part of the Antarctic continent remains for future explorers to finally decide, but the latter hypothesis seems the more probable one."

This discovery is, from a geographical point of view, exceedingly interesting, and of the highest importance as limiting the extent of the Weddell Sea, and increasing very considerably the size of the great Antarctic continent.

On the 7th the Scotia encountered a furious N.E. gale, which had the effect of driving the ship into the heavy pack-ice, in which she was completely

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beset, their position at the time being 74° 1', the highest latitude that they attained. Their situation in the pack was not an enviable one: the ice was exceedingly heavy, and the ship was severely handled by it, causing her timbers to creak and groan in a most ominous and alarming way. However, after a week's besetment the ship was fortunately liberated, and pursued her voyage to the N.E. Deepsea soundings and dredgings were continued, and with very gratifying results. On one occasion, at a depth of 1400 fathoms, no less than sixty separate species of animal life were obtained in one haul! At such a great depth, where all is darkness, hundreds of fathoms below the limit of the penetration of the rays of the sun, the majority of the animals brought to the surface were either totally blind, or were provided with eyes of enormous size which probably magnified to an extraordinary degree their visual power.

As they proceeded northward they experienced exceptionally boisterous weather, accompanied by heavy seas, in which the little Scotia rolled and pitched in a most uncomfortable manner. It is recorded on one occasion that she rolled 56° to starboard and 43° to port, thus oscillating through an are of practically 100°! Recording observations with delicate instruments under such conditions, may be better imagined than described. No ice was seen after April 5; and on the 21st they reached the unfrequented little island of Diego Alvarez (now called Gough Island), situated in the South Atlantic, almost mid-way between Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope. A most interesting day was spent investigating the fauna and flora of this tiny island. All were in raptures with the "shady nooks," the "mossy grottoes," the "springy turf," the "grassy banks," and, above all,

they felt "the joy of mingling again with the abundance of nature, of treading on land, and drinking in the smell of earth," so different to what they had been accustomed to on the sterile shores of the South Orkneys. Cape Town was reached on the 5th of May, where they were all most cordially welcomed and hospitably entertained. Leaving Table Bay on the 17th, the Expedition called at Saldanha Bay, thence touching at the islands of St. Helena, Ascension (of which excellent and interesting descriptions are given), and Fayal, reached home in July, where, it is needless to add; they were accorded that warm and enthusiastic reception at the hands of their countrymen, which they so well and so deservedly merited. Not the least gratifying acknowledgment of their services was the receipt of the following telegram from Lord Knollys:

I am commanded by the King to congratulate you and the officers and crew of the Scotia on your and their safe return, and on the completion of your important additions to the scientific knowledge and discoveries in the south-eastern part of the Weddell Sea.

This brings to an end the "Voyage of the Scotia," an expedition well conceived and excellently conducted. The concluding chapters of the book comprise a narrative of the work performed by the party left behind in Scotia Bay, to continue the hourly meteorological observations, and to complete the series of magnetic observations commenced during the first winter; also to add to the natural history collections previously made. This party was relieved on the 31st December 1903 by the Argentine gunboat Uruguay, which had been specially despatched by the Argentine Government to convey a party to the South Orkneys for the purpose of relieving

Mr. Mossman and those with him. The Uruguay, it may be noted, was the same vessel that had the previous year rescued the Swedish Expedition, under Nordenskjold, from Grahamland.

The "Voyage of the Scotia" is not the least meritorious of the many books that have been written descriptive of life in the Polar Regions, and will surely take its place as a very welcome, as well as a useful, addition to South Polar literature. There is not Blackwood's Magazine.

a dull page in the book: each one teems with interest, and is delightful reading. Every incident, and more especially those relating to what may be termed the manners and customs of bird-life in the South Orkneys. is most graphically described, and is exceedingly interesting and instructive. The maps are excellent, and will assist very materially in enabling the reader to follow the Scotia in her interesting voyage to Antarctic Seas.

The following article, which comes to us from an authoritative Polish source, will enlighten our readers as to the nature of the policy which Prussia is pursuing towards her Polish subjects, and of the sufferings entailed by the ruthless and systematic oppression by which she endeavors to stamp out every manifestation of racial sentiment in the short-sighted and vain attempt to "Germanize" a people whose memory of their famous past renders their language, and all else that serves to recall the great part they have played in the history of Europe, a peculiarly precious possession.

The fresh outburst of strife regarding the language of religious instruction in the schools of that part of Poland which is governed by Prussia, marks the active renewal of the campaign against everything Polish which has for many years been carried on by the Prussian Government. The main features of that campaign are two-the acquisition of the land from Polish landowners by the agency of the Settlement Commission, and the suppression of the Polish language. In order that the present position may be understood by English readers, who cannot be expected to have the time or the opportunity for studying what for them is

naturally a somewhat remote question, it is essential that we should briefly recall for their benefit some of the most important stages in the relations between the German and Polish elements in Prussian Poland from the time when, by the visitation of God, they were first joined together under one Government.

In

Amongst other guarantees given to the Polish people by the King of Prussia at the Treaty of Vienna in 1815, was a promise made to his new subjects that their annexation should not in any way entail the loss of their nationality; "Your language," it was declared, “shall be used, together with the German, in all public transactions.” spite of this assurance, however, only a few years had elapsed when endeavors were made to banish the Polish language from the Government offices and from all official correspondence. In 1831 it was decreed that the language of all Government authorities must be German. In vain did the Poles appeal to the Royal guarantee the language, which was that of the majority of the people in these provinces, was placed under disabilities, and its importance reduced to a minimum; this was the first humiliation inflicted on the Polish people.

The next act of oppression was the attempt to banish the influence of the Catholic Church from the schools which had been created and endowed by it. The grasping hand of the Prussian Government was again extended and the schools were made its own; the endowments were seized upon, notwithstanding the opposition of the whole Prussian Episcopate. The struggle for personal and civic freedom, which marked the middle of the nineteenth century, had resulted in Prussia in the limitation of the autocratic power of the monarch by constitutional checks. The relations of Church and State were then defined. The school in the Polish provinces was declared to be a Government Institution; but the religious teaching was left to the care of the different religious congregations of the Duchy of Posen. The mainstay of the schools was then the clergy, who had the general supervision of them and who controlled the appointment of religious teachers; but, as it aimed at diminishing the influence of the Church, the Government gradually transferred the religious teaching to the hands of lay schoolmasters, prevented inspection by the clergy, and forbade all supervision of the methods of religious instruction employed by the Government schoolmasters, so that for all practical purposes the rights of the Church to religious teaching, though guaranteed by the Constitution, may now be considered as non-existent.

It has already been pointed out that, notwithstanding the solemnity of the Royal promises in 1815, and though in 1841 it was again declared that "The praiseworthy attachment of all nobleminded peoples to their language, literature, and historical traditions shall be honored and maintained among the Poles," the Polish language was excluded from Government offices. In the schools the case was somewhat different. By the ordinance of May 24,

1842, it was provided that in the Duchy of Posen instruction should be imparted principally in the language which was spoken by the majority of the pupils in the bi-lingual districts. This system continued in force for 30 years; but in 1872 the Prussian Government determined to abolish it for one more in keeping with the exaggerated feelings of pride and exaltation which had been inspired by the events of 1870-71. The laurels Prince Bismarck had won during his wars of conquest and his adoption of the motto, "La force prime le droit," prompted him to wage war with the whole Catholic Church throughout the German Empire in the Kulturkampf, and his example awoke similar ambitions in other Prussian ministers. The Minister for Education, Falk, wished to make his name famous by some similar victory. It was declared that the excessive liberality of the system established by the ordinance of 1842 had led to results extremely alarming for Prussia. The German element, it was maintained, was being gradually absorbed; German children were forgetting their own language and were becoming, to all intents and purposes, nothing other than Poles. A commission was therefore appointed to investigate the matter: and after it had reported, in the sense expected and desired, a new regulation was framed ordering that instruction in all subjects, except religion, should henceforward be given only in German. The Catechism could be taught either in Polish or German, and it was left to the lay schoolmasters to judge whether their scholars had a sufficient knowledge of German to be taught religion in that language.

The then Archbishop of Posen, Ledéchowski, afterwards Cardinal, protested energetically against this perversion of the true aims of religious training, and against the attempt to lower it to a