n in good form after the rest. All the other ponies
made nothing of the march, which, however, was over a distinctly better
surface. After a discussion we had decided to give the animals a day's
rest here, and then to push forward at the rate of 13 geographical
miles a day. Oates thinks the ponies will get through, but that they
have lost condition quicker than he expected. Considering his usually
pessimistic attitude this must be thought a hopeful view. Personally
I am much more hopeful. I think that a good many of the beasts are
actually in better form than when they started, and that there is no
need to be alarmed about the remainder, always excepting the weak
ones which we have always regarded with doubt. Well, we must wait
and see how things go.

A note from Evans dated the 9th, stating his party has gone on to 80 deg.
30', carrying four boxes of biscuit. He has done something over 30
miles (geo.) in 2 1/2 days--exceedingly good going. I only hope he
has built lots of good cairns.

It was a very beautiful day yesterday, bright sun, but as we marched,
towards midnight, the sky gradually became overcast; very beautiful
halo rings formed around the sun. Four separate rings were very
distinct. Wilson descried a fifth--the orange colour with blue
interspace formed very fine contrasts. We now clearly see the corona
ring on the snow surface. The spread of stratus cloud overhead was very
remarkable. The sky was blue all around the horizon, but overhead a
cumulo-stratus grew early; it seemed to be drifting to the south and
later to the east. The broken cumulus slowly changed to a uniform
stratus, which seems to be thinning as the sun gains power. There
is a very thin light fall of snow crystals, but the surface deposit
seems to be abating the evaporation for the moment, outpacing the
light snowfall. The crystals barely exist a moment when they light
on our equipment, so that everything on and about the sledges is
drying rapidly. When the sky was clear above the horizon we got a
good view of the distant land all around to the west; white patches
of mountains to the W.S.W. must be 120 miles distant. During the night
we saw Discovery and the Royal Society Range, the first view for many
days, but we have not seen Erebus for a week, and in that direction
the clouds seem ever to concentrate. It is very interesting to watch
the weather phenomena of the Barrier, but one prefers the sunshine
to days such as this, when everything i