The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition, 1902–1904: reconstructing the missing geological report

Abstract

The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (1902–1904) made the first topographical survey and scientific investigation of Laurie Island, one of the South Orkney Islands, and completed an extensive oceanographical research programme in the Scotia and Weddell Seas. When the expedition returned to Scotland, the leader, William Speirs Bruce, embarked on an ambitious attempt to publish the expedition's scientific results in a series of high-quality reports. Sadly, by the time it came to the eighth volume (on geology) his funds were exhausted, and the series was abandoned. Nevertheless, many of the contributions that had been intended for that volume were produced; some were published elsewhere whilst unpublished proofs and archive notes survive for others. From these various sources the volume as planned by Bruce can be reconstructed. The key contributor was J. H. H. Pirie, a medical doctor and primarily the expedition's surgeon. Despite his limited relevant experience his geological observations were commendable, with the notable exception of an important palaeontological misidentification that was inexplicably supported by eminent British experts. The archive material illuminates the background to Pirie's contributions and the ways in which his unpublished work came to be preserved.