As the southern ocean, in as high a latitude as the climate and the ice rendered accessible and safe, had been as it were swept carefully, extensively, and minutely, by Captain Cook, and some subsequent navigators, without discovering land of any considerable extent, it was naturally supposed that no southern continent or even large island existed.

In the year 1819, however, this disbelief was partly destroyed by an unexpected and singular discovery.  Mr. Smith, who commanded a vessel trading between Rio Plato and Chili, was naturally desirous to shorten, as much as possible, his passage round Cape Horn.  With this object in view, he ran to a higher latitude than is usual in such voyages; and in latitude 62 deg. 30’ and in longitude 60 deg. west, he discovered land.  This was in his voyage out to Chili; but as he could not then spare the time necessary to explore this land, he resolved to follow the same course on his return voyage, and ascertain its extent, nature, &c.  This he accordingly did; and likewise on a subsequent voyage.  “He ran in a westward direction along the coasts, either of a continent or numerous islands, for 200 or 300 miles, forming large bays, and abounding with the spermaceti whale, seals, &c.  He took numerous soundings and bearings, draughts and charts of the coast.”  He also landed and took possession of the country in the name of his sovereign, and called his acquisition New South Shetland.  He represents the climate as temperate, the coast mountainous, apparently uninhabited, but not destitute of vegetation, as he observed firs and pines in many places; and on the whole, the country appeared to him very much like the coast of Norway.

It may seem extraordinary that land of this extent should not have been discovered by any former navigator; but the surprise will cease, when we reflect that though Captain Cook penetrated much further to the south than the latitude of New South Shetland, yet his meridian was 45 degrees farther to the west, and that he thus left a large expanse of sea unexplored, on the parallel of 62 deg. between that and Sandwich land, the longitude of which is 22 deg. west.  He indeed likewise reached 67 deg. south latitude:  but this was in longitude from 137 deg. to 147 deg. west.  Now the longitude of New South Shetland being 60 deg. west, it is evident that Captain Cook in his first attempt, left unexplored the whole extent of longitude from 28 deg., the longitude of Sandwich land, to 60 deg., the longitude of New South Shetland; and in his second attempt, he was still further from the position of this new discovered land.  Peyrouse reached no higher than 60 deg. 30’ latitude, and Vancouver only to 55 deg..  Thus we clearly see that this land lay out of the track, not only of those navigators, whose object being to get into the Pacific by the course best known, pass through the Straits of Magellan and Le Maire, or keep as near Cape Horn as possible, but also of those who were sent out expressly to search for land in a high southern latitude.