Presentation copy inscribed on front free endpaper: "The Military Academy West Point Presented by Major Sabine in the name of the contributors."
After Capt James Cook's first crossing of the Antarctic Circle, where on January 30, 1774 he reached a furthest south of 71 10', exploration in the Antarctic was spurred on by Fabian Bellingshausen's 1819 discovery of the continent though carried out largely by whaling and sealing fleets. It was in the late 1830s that exploration of the region became more serious with the United States Exploring Expedition under Charles Wilkes, Jules Dumont d'Urville's second voyage on the Astrolabe, and James Clark Ross on Erebus and Terror. All three expeditions specifically sought the magnetic South Pole.
During the four and half year voyage, the Erebus and Terror crossed the Antarctic circle three times and discovered Victoria Land, McMurdo Sound, Mount Erebus, the Ross ice barrier, and numerous other features. Ross carried out the most extensive mapping of the continental coastline to date and the Ross Sea was later named after him. On his return, Ross was awarded the Founder’s Medal of the Royal Geographical Society and the Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society of Paris. He was knighted the next year.
Issued by a special committee of the Royal Society of which Sabine was a member, this practical manual was for scientists on Ross’s expedition. The geomagnetic surveys of the Antarctic regions produced by the Royal Society aided the expedition which greatly improved knowledge of geomagnetism in the South Seas. These improvements advanced the magnetic charts used by mariners engaged in foreign trade and exploration.
The book covers all manners of technical data collection, especially concerning terrestrial magnetism and meteorological phenomena. It discusses the construction and use of instruments - including at sea - such as magnetometers, thermometers, barometers, etc. Letters from Alexander von Humboldt to the Earl of Minto and others from Professor Erman to Major Edward Sabine, concerning aspects of terrestrial magnetism and navigation are also included. The section at the end, "Memorandum on the Books to be Kept at the Magnetic Observatories," explains in detail the use of day-books and registers for recording meteorological data. Examples of these forms are included with a note that “Books and loose papers have been prepared to the above directions, and may be had of Messrs. Wm. H. Allen & Co, Booksellers to the Honble. E.I. Company, No. 7, Leadenhall-Street, London.”
The four engraved charts are as follows: Lines of Total Magnetic Intensity as Deduced from Observations by Major Sabine; The Lines of Total Magnetic Intensity Computed According to the Theory of M. Gauss; Map of the Magnetic Declination Drawn from Observations Between 1827 & 1830 by Professor Adolphe Erman; and The Lines of Magnetic Declination Computed according to the Theory of M. Gauss.
Just two examples listed in auction records in the last 50 years, including the Franklin Brooke-Hitching example (Louis de Freycinet’s copy) which fetched £16,250 in 2015.
Rosove, 280.4.A2.
