338 PROMOTION OF ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC DISCOVERY. 



undertakings, in which our country has been prominent, have invari- 

 ably had on the navy, by maintaining the spirit of enterprise. 



Having been adopted by our council, the report of our Antarctic 

 committee, together with Dr. Murray's paper, was transmitted to the 

 Royal Society, with an urgent request that that learned body would 

 take the subject of the renewal of Antarctic discovery into serious 

 consideration, with a view to its being brought before Her Majesty's 

 Government in a memorial j^resented. by the Royal Society, with the 

 cordial assent of every scientilic body in the United Kingdom. I 

 understand that a committee has been appointed by the council of the 

 Royal Society, and that the important question is receiving mature 

 and careful consideration. The fellows may rest assured that no efforts 

 on the part of our council will be wanting, and that the duty of pro-, 

 moting the renewal of Antarctic exploration will be borne in mind. 

 If men of science are unanimous, both as to the importance of the 

 work and the best method of executing it, and if they are backed by 

 enlightened public opinion, the Admiralty will be only too glad to take 

 the subject into favorable consideration, and difiQculties raised by the 

 treasury will be overcome. But unanimity and the sui)port of i)ublic 

 opinion are absolutely essential to success. 



I have devoted the body of my address to work within the polar 

 regions. I will not, however, omit to refer to the labors of others in 

 regions which, through their exertions, may become the main subjects 

 of future addresses. You have recently heard an account of the results 

 of the journey of Mr. and ]\rrs. Littledale, which are in many respects 

 remarkable. It was a very hazardous adventure; it covered several 

 hundreds of miles of entirely new ground, and very careful observa- 

 tions were taken all along the route, which have been embodied in a 

 valuable map. The additions made by Mr. Littledale to our knowledge 

 of the famous route to China followed by Marco Polo are of the first 

 importance. 



Of no less interest is the iourney into the Hadramaut Valley accom- 

 plished by Mr. and Mrs. Bent, an account of which was presented to us 

 a week ago. They were accompanied by an excellent surveyor, deputed 

 by the government of India, and by a botanist from Kew, while their 

 own arclneological notes, i)hotographs, and sketches are of exceptional 

 value. These experienced travelers were so interested in the strange 

 and almost unknown country of Hadramaut that they hope to return 

 to continue their explorations in Arabia. 



In Africa there has been, and continues to be, abundant activity, as 

 the monthly pages of our journal have shown. We have already heard 

 a very full account of Dr. Gregory's expedition to Mount" Kenia, and 

 we hope shortly to have full details of the expedition into new country 

 north of the Tana River, led by Mr. Astor Chanler, accompanied by 

 Lieutenant von Hohmel. Mr. Scott Elliot is actually exploring the 

 Ruwenzori region, and we have helped to equii) other young African 



