Contributions to Terrestrial Magnetism Taken on Board the H.M.S. Erebus and Terror [Parts VII., IX., X., XIII., XVI., XXX]

FIRST EDITION, A Collection of Six Works From Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, occasional light foxing, unbound, 4to, 1843-1872

Containing:

Observations made on Board Her Majesty’s Ships Erebus and Terror, from June 1841 to August 1842, in the Antarctic Expedition under command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross, R.N., F.R.S. For the year MDCCCXLIV, Part VII, pp. [87]-224, 5 maps (3 folding), slight marginal toning, (270 x 210mm), 1844

Second Series of Magnetic Determinations, by Captain Sir Edward Belcher, R.N., Part IX, pp. 113- 143, errata leaf loosely inserted, (270 x 210mm), 1843

Observations within the Antarctic Circle, made on Board Her Majesty’s Ships Erebus and Terror, in the Summer of 1840, 1641, in the Expedition under the command of James Clark Ross, R.N. § Observations between Kerguelen Island and Van Diemen Island, made on Board Her Majesty’s Ship Erebus, July and August 1840. § Observations within the Antarctic Circle in the Summer of 1840, 1841. Part X, pp.145-231, 3 maps, light foxing, (270 x 210mm), 1843

Contributions to Terrestrial Magnetism., Part XIII, pp 371-416, 3 folding maps, (290 x 230mm), 1868

Contributions to Terrestrial Magnetism, Part XVI., pp 353 – 426 , 3 folding maps, (290 x 230mm), 1872

Results of hourly Observations of the Magnetic Declination made by Sir Francis Leopold McClintock, and the Officers of the Yatch ‘Fox’, at Port Kennedy, in the Arctic Sea, in the Winter of 1856-59; and a comparison of these Results with those obtained by Captain Rochfort Maguire, and the Officers of Her Majesty’s Ship ‘Plover’, in 1852, 1853, and 1854, at Point Barrow. Part XXX, pp. 649-663, (285 x 230mm), 1864.

Scarce first printings of Sabine’s important observations made on the H.M.S. Erebus and Terror, when attempting to discover the South magnetic Pole. Sabine was a pioneer in the study of geomagnetism, dedicating much of his life to establishing the connection between terrestrial magnetism and astronomy. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, it was widely recognized that the Earth’s magnetic field was continually changing over time in a complicated way that interfered with compass readings.

In the 1830’s, a number of scientists called for a “magnetic crusade,” a world-wide series of voyages and expeditions for exposing the magnetic structure of the earth and for establishing the locations of the North and South magnetic poles. Sabine was one of the instigators, urging the Royal Society and the Admiralty to establish a system of magnetic observatories in various parts of British territory all over the globe. He proposed in particular a voyage to Antarctica, which was completed in 1839-43, with James Clark Ross in command of HMS Erebus and Terror. The entire enterprise was a grand success, except that they could not reach the South magnetic pole, since at the time it was located inaccessibly inland.

Although Sabine viewed his work as confirming and extending the discoveries of earlier “magnetic collectors”, he stressed the need for the multiplication and repetition of observations. Sabine was a diligent and careful scientist. He generally avoided theoretical discussion in his writings, believing that a true understanding of terrestrial magnetism would only be arrived at after exhaustive observations had been made on a global scale.