hn Franklin had
been made Governor of Van Diemen's Land, where he was visited by the
ships sent out from England on the first Antarctic expedition under
the command of Sir James Ross, who had returned to find himself famous
for his discovery of the North Magnetic Pole.

An expedition had been fitted out, consisting of the _Erebus_ and the
_Terror_--ships which later on made history, for did they not carry
Sir John Franklin to his doom in the Arctic regions some years later?
The ships sailed in the autumn of 1839 by way of the Cape of Good Hope,
and excited great interest at Hobart Town, where the commanders, Ross
and Crozier, were warmly received by the Governor. In a bay, afterwards
called Ross Cove, the ships were repaired after the long voyage, while
an observatory was built by the convicts under the personal
supervision of Sir John Franklin. Interesting news awaited the
explorers, too, at Hobart Town. Exploration had taken place in the
southern regions by a French expedition under D'Urville and an
American, Lieutenant Wilkes--both of which had made considerable
discoveries. Ross was somewhat surprised at this, for, as he said,
"England had ever _led_ the way of discovery in the southern as well
as in the northern regions," but he decided to take a more easterly
course, and, if possible, to reach the South Magnetic Pole.

On 5th November 1840 the ships were off again, shaping their course
for Auckland Island, nine hundred miles from Hobart Town. The island
had been discovered in 1806 by Captain Bristow. He had left some pigs,
whose rapid increase filled the explorers with surprise. Christmas
Day found them still sailing south, with strong gales, snow, and rain.
The first iceberg was seen a few days later, and land on 11th January.

"It was a beautifully clear evening," says Ross, "and we had a most
enchanting view of the two magnificent ranges of mountains whose lofty
peaks, perfectly covered with eternal snow, rose to elevations of ten
thousand feet above the level of the ocean." These icy shores were
inhospitable enough, and the heavy surf breaking along its edge
forbade any landing. Indeed, a strong tide carried the ships rapidly
and dangerously along the coast among huge masses of ice. "The ceremony
of taking possession of these newly discovered lands in the name of
our Most Gracious Sovereign Queen Victoria was proceeded with, and
on planting the flag of our country amid the hearty cheers of our party,
we dra