c possession
of the Commonwealth. They were to be provided with a hut, stores and
a complete wireless plant, and were to prosecute general scientific
investigations, co-operating with the Antarctic bases in meteorological
and other work. After disembarking the party at Macquarie Island, the
'Aurora' was to proceed south on a meridian of 158 degrees E. longitude,
to the westward of which the Antarctic programme was to be conducted.

Twelve men, provisioned and equipped for a year's campaign and provided
with wireless apparatus, were to be landed in Antarctica on the first
possible opportunity at what would constitute a main base. Thereafter,
proceeding westward, it was hoped that a second and a third party,
consisting of six and eight men respectively, would be successively
established on the continent at considerable distances apart. Of course
we were well aware of the difficulties of landing even one party, but,
as division of our forces would under normal conditions secure
more scientific data, it was deemed advisable to be prepared for
exceptionally favourable circumstances.

Macquarie Island, a busy station in the days of the early sealers,
had become almost neglected. Little accurate information was to be had
regarding it, and no reliable map existed. A few isolated facts had been
gathered of its geology, and the anomalous fauna and flora sui generis
had been but partially described. Its position, eight hundred and
fifty miles south-south-east of Hobart, gave promise of valuable
meteorological data relative to the atmospheric circulation of the
Southern Hemisphere and of vital interest to the shipping of Australia
and New Zealand.

As to the Antarctic sphere of work, it has been seen that very little
was known of the vast region which was our goal. It is sufficient to say
that almost every observation would be fresh material added to the sum
of human knowledge.

In addition to the work to be conducted from the land bases, it was
intended that oceanographic investigations should be carried on by
the 'Aurora' as far as funds would allow. With this object in view,
provision was made for the necessary apparatus which would enable the
ship's party to make extensive investigations of the ocean and its floor
over the broad belt between Australia and the Antarctic Continent. This
was an important branch of study, for science is just as much interested
in the greatest depths of the ocean as with the corresponding elevat