Discovery of Adelie Land

Jules-Sebastien-Cesar Dumont-d'Urville had already served or commanded two successful expeditions exploring the Pacific Ocean during 1822-1825 and 1826-1829, when he presented a plan for a third expedition. This plan was accepted with the amendment that he also explore in the Antarctic regions, in particular a search for the South Magnetic Pole.

In the ships Astrolabe and Zelee he first approached the Antarctic in the South Atlantic Ocean hoping to better James Weddell's furthest south of 74 degrees 15' S 34 degrees 16' W reached on 18 February 1823. Weddell had been favoured with good weather conditions and light ice, but Dumont D'Urville was turned back by the ice and so made some exploration along the Antarctic Peninsula not, however, without being trapped in the ice for several days. He then sailed north into the Pacific Ocean. After spending the winter exploring this region he turned south again to the quadrant below Tasmania.

Here he met with more success. The South Magnetic Pole was still his goal. By mid-January 1840 the expedition had crossed 64 degrees south and the first icebergs were sighted. Several days later they counted 59 large bergs around the ships. As the men celebrated the crossing of the Antarctic Circle (66 degrees 33' S) Dumont D'Urville thought he could see land ahead: this was verified next day but the approach was through a large field of enormous bergs. They sailed as close to the coast as they could and later two boatloads of scientists and crew made landing on on the largest of the small offshore islands. Possession was made for France, celebrated with the pouring of a bottle of Bordeaux wine, and a natural history collection was taken. Dumont D'Urville named the coast Adelie Land for his wife. 'Then I announced to the assembled officers and in the presence of the crew that this would henceforth bear the name Adelie Land. This is to perpetuate the memory of my deep and everlasting gratitude to my devoted wife, who has three times found herself able to consent to a long and painful separation ...' (Voyage au pole sud ..., volume 10, pp. 186-87).

The expedition continued sailing to the west, encountered, but did not speak with, one of the ships of Charles Wilkes' expedition, and named another section of coast Clarie Coast after the wife of the captain of the Zelee. The expedition headed north at the end of January 1840 as the summer sailing season in Antarctic waters neared its end.

Dumont D'Urville's expedition had failed in one of its main purposes of attaining the South Magnetic Pole, however it had laid down on the charts new land and made outstanding scientific discoveries, including '...the presence of an almost constant easterly wind in high latitudes.' (Martin, p. 97)

The map of Terre Adelie and Cote Clarie includes two coastal profiles: the left hand one shows Clarie Coast with a drawing of the two ships and on the right is a profile of Adelie Land.

Dumont D'Urville, his wife and son were killed in a railway accident in May 1842.

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