ON THE EXISTENCE OF A CON-
TINENT AT THE SOUTH POLE;†

IN A LETTER TO THE KING, BY
CHARLES DOYNE SILLERY.

SIRE;

COLUMBUS was led, by the reasonings of his own great mind, to conclude that there existed another contineut opposite, and balancing that of the old world. And although he was much ridiculed for his supposition, he maintained his noble theory with a steady and zealous enthusiasm. Columbus stands rooted to the pedestal of immortality as an everlasting memorial of the genius, the perseverance, and the intelligence of man. Time may ruin kingdoms, and moulder mountains to the dust-death may sweep away its millions, and the grave devour its neverfailing harvests--but the name of CoJumbus shall be honoured

"Till the great globe itself, And all that it inhabits, shall dissolve !"

Astronomers teach us, that every glimmering star that we behold in the canopy

of heaven is a world burdened with ani

mal and vegetable life. Man believes this,

and tain would look into those worlds which roll so far beyond his power of ever visiting. But let him look to Columbus,

and turn to his own world; hidden treasures lie here; "let him seek and he shall find"-let him reason with himself, and perhaps his theory will lead to as astonishing a discovery as did the suppositions and perseverance of the indefatigable Columbus.

I cannot conclude these introductory observations without one other remark. Behold the man whom the world "Hero"-an Alexander or a designates a Bonaparte-the man whose deeds are written in letters of blood-whose world

is surrounded by an ocean of tears, and an atmosphere of sighs the hero the murderer!-the man who robs thousands of mothers of their partners and children; is he not great?-is he not glorious?—is he not mighty?-is he not immortal?

Yes!

But he, who, without the horrors of infernal war-without the sighs and tears of tens of thousands-without blood. shed-discovers a new world, with which we can have intercourse, and sympathy, and fellow-feeling, is a far greater far more glorious-far mightier, and far

Letter to the King on the Existence of a Continent at the South Pole. By Charles Doyne Sillery, Esq., late of the Hon. East India Company's Sea Service, author of "Vallery," "Eldied of Erin," Essay on the Creation of the Universe," &c. &c. Edinburgh, 1830. Unpublished.

··

+ "One murder makes a villain-millions a hero!"-Bishop Porteus.

more deserving of immortality. I dwell thus on the glory of Columbus, because I would emulate him; I would hold him up as a model, an example, and a pattern to myself; and I pant for the power to imitate such an example, to prove my enthusiasm, and to benefit my country.

To enter now upon my subject; I may remark, in the first place, that all navigators have observed, in southern latitudes, icebergs floating very far to the northward. The southern hemisphere has always been represented as being much colder than the northern in the same latitudes. There is implanted in the human breast a lazy, passive indolence, which inclines most men rather to believe what others have believed before them, than to exert their own judgment, and differ from the prejudices and opinions of the world, whether those opinions be true or false. And thus has the southern hemisphere been represented as the coldest quarter of the globe, and thus has the southern ocean been represented as a field of ice I have only to reply to this (I speak within the latitude of seventy-five deg. from experience) that the antarctic than the arctic in the same latitudes. I ocean is, in reality, not one degree colder grant that South America is so; but its elevation alone, setting aside all other reasons, of winds, &c., accounts for the latitude being much colder there than the same in Europe; the latitudes at sea have nothing to do with those on shore—at sea, the extreme cold in both latitudes is

alike.

Secondly. As for the southern ocean being one immense desert field of ice, as was formerly believed, it has been very satisfactorily proved, by a recent voyager, (Captain Weddel) to be quite the reverse. After passing through an extensive barrier of ice-islands, about fifty miles broad, commencing in the latitude of sixty-eight deg., he actually reached the high latitude of seventy-four degrees fifteen minutes south. Here, with very clear weather, he was astonished to find, that not a single piece of field-ice, and only four ice-islands, were in sight, even as far as the eye could reach from the must-head. The state of the ocean int this high southern latitude must excite considerable wonder in the minds of men unsuccessful attempt of Captain Cook to of geographical inquiry, who, since the advance beyond the seventy-first degree, have considered these regions as impene trable.t

As this part of the ocean is not known to have been before visited, and has been considered hitherto as unnavigable, Captain Weddel judged proper to confer upon it the name of "The Sea of George the Fourth," in honour of our late gracious sovereign.

An open ocean, without any obstruction! no fields of ice, nor shoals, nor rocks! unfathomable! undiscovered! unconceived! Oh! what might have been the reward of a little perseverance? Had Captain Weddel but proceeded, how might he have been crowned with success! how have returned to a fame and an immortality like that of Columbus! But he did not persevere; the lateness of the season, and other concurrent circumstances, compelled him to take advantage of a strong southerly wind to return homewards. Nevertheless, he returned to inform us, that a boundless ocean rolls at the South Pole, unspotted by an ice-berg, unruffled by a shoal!-and he has had his reward.

Thirdly. On considering when a globe is set in motion, constantly revolving round two points the poles-I know that any detached and floating masses would have a natural tendency to approach the equator (where, had the earth but thirteen times its present velocity, they would fly off in a tangent from the world altogether). I therefore concluded, for many years before it was verified, that these masses of ice, being detached from the land, would move gradually towards the equator, forming a broad ring, or zone, at some distance from the pole, and that when the ice got into more northern latitudes, the heat of the sun would melt it; this is now ascertained to be the fact; and by this means the continent may be cleared of its mighty mountains of ice.

Fourthly. The icebergs are often seen covered with earth!! What can be more convincing than this? And moss and grass have been observed upon them this I should almost deem satisfactory!

Fifthly. The ice is fresh, and seems to have been frozen from the water of rivers. Sixthly. Birds of many varieties have been seen in those southern latitudes.

Seventhly. It is well known that the largest masses of ice are formed in shallow

water.

And, lastly. As the poles are depressed, or rather the equatorial regions elevated, by the revolution of the earth upon its axis, it is most natural and philosophical to conclude, that the land at the poles, even should it be very level, and totally free from mountains, must, in a great measure, be left dry; while the ocean at the equator must be exceedingly deep. This I once conjectured; but experience taught me the truth of it-the deep on the equator is unfathomable.

Whence come all the islands of ice that float from the south pole? Is it not from shallow water? How come those icebergs to be perfectly fresh? Is it not from great rivers? If those rivers exist, mountains

must give them birth! How is it that the ice is in detached masses? They could never be severed from a mighty deep and desert field; is it not because they are broken off from the land, or brought down by rivers and tides? Whence come all the birds that are met with in those regions? Have they no resting place? Do they not encircle a continent? Where are the shores that have nearly covered some icebergs with soil and tufts of moss and grass? And since islands have been discovered there, is it not natural to conclude that they are not far from the main land? Yes! He who giveth life to the clod of the valley-who supports ten thousand animalcules in a drop of water--who fills the very air we breathe, and covers every leaf of the forest and blade of the meadow with life, teeming and invisible to the unassisted eye of man-created not that bound!ess ocean in vain! Its waste of waters was surely made to purify the at mosphere of another continent-its billows to wash other shores, with which we shall yet become acquainted, and where the Chiristian of Caledonia may hear the praises of his own Creator poured forth in humble prayer from the lips of beings as pure, as holy, and as intelligent, as ever trod our dear-loved native hills!

Į have stated, that it is my firm belief that a great continent exists in the an tarctic regions-I know it-I am certain of it-and I shall not rest satisfied till some steps are taken to set the question aside for ever. I freely offer my own services to my king and iny country, if no better can be found; and I would either perish in the attempt, or return with a PICTURE OF THE NEW WORLD. Such are my arguments-such are my conclusions and such is my enthusiasm!

CHARLES DOYNE SILLERY.

the family in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. Here, or, according to other authori-ties, at Gartness in Stirlingshire (an estate which also belonged to the family), Napier was born, in the year 1550, at which time kis father, who lived for fiftyeight years after this, could not have been older than sixteen. In 1562 he entered St. Salvator's college, St. Andrew's, as appears by the books of the university. At this time, of course, he was only twelve years old; but this was not an unusually early age in those times for going to the university in Scotland. Many entered even younger; and in the university of Glasgow it was found necessary to make a law that no student should be admitted to the degree of bachelor of arts before the age of fifteen, muless upon good reason appearing to dispense with a year in any particular case.

On leaving college, Napier is understood to have set out on his travels, in the course of which he visited France, Italy, and Germany. It is not known when he returned home, but he was probably a considerable time abroad, since we hear nothing farther of him till he was above forty years of age. On arriving again in his own country, although he had already acquired considerable reputation for abilities and learning, and misht probably have entered upon a political career with many advantages, he declined interfering in public affairs, and retired to Merchiston, with the intention of devoting himself exclusively to study. A room in which he used to seclude himself for this purpose, at the top of the old tower of Merchiston, is still shown. He also resided occasionally at Gartness, where he was looked upon by the common people, we are told, as a wizard-a common fate of learned and studious men, down even to an age so recent as this, although Napier's is probably one of the latest names that acquired this species of celebrity. As an evidence that his renown for more than mortal knowledge was not confined to the simple peasantry of StirJingshire, we may mention that there is preserved in the British Museum, a small tract, printed in London, of which the following is the title: "A Bloody Alma. nack, fortelling many certaine predictions which shall come to pass this present yeare, 1647 with a calculation concerning the time of the day of judgment, drawne out and published by that famous astrologer, the Lord Napier of Merchiston."

But the fact is, that although Napier did not himself profess to be either necromancer or astrologer, he cannot be altogether acquitted of pretending to this

very insight into futurity which is here attributed to him. The first publication which he gave to the world was an exposition of the revelations, which, appeared at Edinburgh in 1513. The most important proposition which this work professes to demonstrate is, that the end of the world is to take place some time between the years 1688 and 1700. lt is a large and elaborate treatise, and is garnished occasionally with effusions in rhyme, sometimes original, and sometimes translated. Among other aids, the author presses the famous Sibylline Oracles into his service, ornamenting them with a metrical version and a commentary. It appears to have attracted a great deal of attention on its first appearance, and to have retained its popularity for a considerable time.

Napier's mathematical studies, however, probably did more to procure for him the reputation of being a magician than even these theological Incubrations. It was believed, it seems, that he was attended by a familiar spirit in the shape of a large black dog.

We do not know exactly when it was that he deserted theology for mathematics having in this respect taken just the opposite course to that followed long afterwards by the celebrated Count Swedenborg, who, baving been all his previous life a mere man of science, began, when between fifty and sixty years of age, to see visions of the spiritual world, and to converse with angels. Napier is understood to have devoted his attention in subsequent years chiefly to astronomy, a science which, recently_regenerated by Copernicus and Tycho Brahe, was then every day receiving new illustration from the discoveries of Kepler and Galileo. The demonstrations, problems, and calculations of this science most commonly involve some one or more of the cases of trigonometry, or that branch of the mathematics which, from certain parts, whether sides or angles, of a triangle being given, teaches how to find the others which are unknown. On this account trigonometry, both plane and spherical, engaged much of Napier's thoughts; and he spent a great deal of his time in endeavouring to contrive some methods by which the operations in both might be facilitated. Now these operations, the reader, who may be ignorant of mathematics, will observe, always proceed by geometrical ratios, or proportions. Thus, if certain lines be described in or about a triangle, one of these lines will bear the same geometrical proportion to another, as a certain side of the triangle does to a

certain other side. Of the four particular, thus arranged three must be known, and the fourth will be found by multiplying together certain two of those known, and dividing the product by the other. This rule is derived from the very nature of geometrical proportion. It will be perceived, that it must give occasion, in solving the problems of trigonometry, to a great deal of multiplying and dividingoperations, which, as every body knows become very tedious whenever the numbers concerned are large; and they are generally so in astronomical calculations. Hence such calculations used to exact immense time and labour, and it became most important to discover, if possible, a way of shortening them. Napier, as we have said, applied himself assiduously to this object; and he was, probably, not the only person of that age whose attention it occupied. He was, however, undoubtedly the first who succeeded in it which he did most completely by the admirable contrivance which we are now about to explain. When we say that 1 bears a certain proportion, ratio, or relation to 2, we may mean any one of two things; either that is the half of 2, or that it is less than 2 by 1. If the former be what we mean, we may say that the relation in question is the same as that of 2 to 4, or of 4 to 8; if the latter, we may say that it is the same as that of 2 to 3, or of 3 to 4. Now in the former case we should be exemplifying what is called a geometrical; in the latter, what is called an arithmetical proportion; the former being that which egards the number of times, or parts of times, the one quantity is contained in the other; the latter regarding only the difference between the two quantities. We have already stated that the property of four quantities arranged in geometrical proportion is, that the product of the second and third, divided by the first, gives the fourth, But when four quantities are in arithmetical proportion, the sum of the second and third, diminished by the suhtruction of the first, gives the fourth. Thus, in the geometrical proportion 1 is to 2 as 2 is to 4, if be multiplied by 2 it gives 4; which divided by 1 still remains 4: while in the arithmetical proportion 1 is to 2 as 2 is to 3, if 2 be added to 2 it gives 4; from which if I be subtracted, there remains the fourth term 3. It is plain, therefore, that, especially where large numbers are concerned, operations by arithmetical must be much more easily performed than operations by geometrical proportion; for in the one case you have only to add and subtract, while in the

other you have to go through the greatly more laborious processes of multiplication and division.

Now it occured to Napier, reflecting upon this important distinction, that a method of abbreviating the calculation of a geometrical proportion might perhaps be found, by substituting, upon certain fixed principles, for its known terms, others in arithmetical proportion, and then finding, in the quantity which should result from the addition and subtraction of these last, an indication of that which would have resulted from the multiplication and division of the original figures. It had been remarked before this, by more than one writer, that if the series of numbers, 1, 2, 4, 8, &c., that proceed in geometrical progression, that is, by a continuation of geometrical ratios, were placed under, or alongside of the series 0, 1, 2, 3, &c., which are in arithmetical progression, the addition of any two terms of the latter series would give a sum, which would stand opposite to a number in the former series indicating the product of the two terms in that series, which corresponded in place to the two in the arithmetical series first taken. Thus, in the two lines,

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, the first of which consists of numbers in geometrical, and the second of numbers in arithmetical progression; if any two terms, such as 2 and 4, be taken from the latter, their sum 6, in the same line, will stand opposite to 64, in the other, which is the product of 4 multiplied by 16, the two terms of the geometrical series which stand opposite to the 2 and 4 of the arith metical. It is also true, and follows directly from this, that if any three terms, as, for instance, 2, 4, 6, be taken in the arithmetical series, the sum of the second and third, diminished by the subtraction of the first, which makes 8, will stand opposite to a number (256) in the geometrical series which is equal to the product of 16 and, 64 (the opposites of 4 and 6); divided by 4 (the opposite of 2).

Here, then, is, to a certain extent, exactly such an arrangement, or table, as Napier wanted. Having any geometrical proportion to calculate, the known terms

of which were to be found in the first line or its continuation, he could substitute for them at once, by reference to such a table, the terms of an arithmetical proportion which, wrought in the usual simple manner, would give him a result that would point out or indicate the unknown term of the geometrical proportion. But unfortunately there were many numbers which did not occur in the upper line at