PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS 25 



endeavouring to collect the threads of what was going forward, 

 and in gaining some further instruction in magnetism, which 

 was to form so important a part of our undertaking ; but early 

 in October I met Sir Clements Markham in Norway, and 

 gathered a great many practical suggestions from Dr. Nansen, 

 to which I shall refer later ; from Norway I went to Berlin to 

 meet the leader of the German expedition, Professor von 

 Drygalski, and here, again, I met with the greatest kindness 

 and consideration. The German expedition was to sail from 

 Europe at the same time as our own, but its preparations were 

 far more advanced. In Berhn I found the work of. equipment 

 in full swing ; provisions and stores had already been ordered, 

 clothing had been tried, special instruments were being pre- 

 pared, the staff of the expedition had been appointed and was 

 already at work, and the ' Gauss ' was well on towards comple- 

 tion. I was forced to realise that this was all in marked 

 contrast with the state of things in England, and I hastened 

 home in considerable alarm. 



I found, as I had expected, that all the arrangements which 

 were being so busily pushed forward in Germany were prac- 

 tically at a standstill in England ; many of them, in fact, had 

 not yet been considered. The construction of the ship was the 

 only task which showed steady progress, and here there were 

 many interruptions from the want of someone who could 

 give immediate decisions on points of detail. It was clear 

 that no time must be wasted if the lost ground was to be 

 regained. 



I have already outlined the machinery by which the expedi- 

 tion was now being guided. In spite of its individual efficiency 

 it was necessarily ponderous : the members of the various 

 committees and sub-committees were busy men ; each was 

 deeply engaged in his own work ; many lived out of London, 

 and all found it impossible to meet frequently and consistently. 

 It was evident that the prompt and vigorous action which was 

 necessary could not be expected from such bodies, and that in 

 some manner I must obtain the power to act on their behalf. 

 But here arose a considerable difficulty : out of the thirty-two 



