1910] on the Forthcoming Antarctic Expedition 871 



Mr. Wright, a native of Toronto, and a scholar of Caius College, 

 Cambridge, as chemist of the expedition. Mr. Wright's work is not so 

 clearly defined as is that of others, but I cannot help thinking that it 

 is by means of it that we shall best attack those great problems of the 

 southern glaciation, and especially of the Great Ice Barrier, which yet 

 remain unsolved. 



Although perhaps the main scientific work of the expedition will be 

 accomplished by the members of the shore parties, observations of the 

 greatest importance will be made by those who remain in the ship. 

 To Lieut. Pennell, an officer of the Royal Navy, assisted by Lieut. 

 Bowers, will be entrusted the survey or resurvey of any lands that may 

 be seen, the task of keeping a complete and careful meteorological 

 record, and the conduct of continual magnetic observations for variation 

 as well as continual observation of the other elements. These naval 

 officers, as well as those of the shore party, have been especially selected 

 from that navigating branch of our service whose training best fits 

 them for the work which they will have to perform. 



I have left until last the mention of those officers who serve in 

 that especially important dual capacity as medical and scientific men, 

 being at the same time in charge of the health and well-being of the 

 community and of important branches of the scientific work. Dr. 

 Levick will be landed with the Eastern party, and of that pioneer 

 community will be the zoologist, botanist, photographer, and doctor. 

 Dr. Atkinson, also a surgeon from the Royal Navy, will add to his 

 medical duties the more delicate scientific work in which he has been 

 especially trained, the study of bacteriology and parasitology. In 

 the latter especially, a science in which great strides have been made 

 in recent years, he looks for important results in an entirely new 

 field. 



Those individuals who will form the shore party and crew of the 

 Terra Nova number fifty in all, of which twenty-four officers and 

 men have been lent from the Royal Navy, one from the Army, and 

 two from the public services of India ; it is sufficient to add that 

 all have been most carefully selected for the work, all have been 

 medically examined and found fit for it, and all have already evinced 

 that enthusiasm which is the stepping-stone to success. I am at 

 least confident that if success does not attend our efforts, it will not 

 be because the endeavour of my companions has failed to deserve it. 



[R. F. S.] 



