The voyage of the Scotia, being the record of a voyage of exploration in Antarctic seas

Abstract

"The Voyage of the Scotia" is a very readable account of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-4 by its botanist, meteorologist and geologist. The expedition's leader was the marine biologist, W. S. Bruce. After early travels in both the Arctic and the Antarctic, Bruce fitted out his own expedition, having raised some {u00A3}36,000 with the support of the Scientific Societies in Edinburgh and help from the Coats family. This was a much smaller sum than that raised for Scott{u2019}s Polar Expedition, and Bruce never had enough money to give full scope to his ideas. However, a great deal was achieved in the Scotia. The expedition sounded, dredged and trawled extensively in the Weddell Sea, making great contributions to the natural history of seals, penguins, and other birds and rich collections of the fishes, plankton, marine sediments and algae. They wintered in the South Orkney Islands, making unique contributions to the botany, geology and glaciology and setting up a meteorological station which was afterwards maintained by the government of Argentina. As a result of the expedition, Bruce founded a Scottish Oceanographical Laboratory in Edinburgh. In his new foreword to this book, Sir George Deacon relates briefly the careers of Bruce, Rudmose Brown, Mossman and Pirie sub sequent to the expedition. The Scotia herself had to be sold to raise money, and was lost in the Great War.

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