ADMIRALTY ASSISTANCE 27 



hurst, the indefatigable Secretary of the Expedition, became 

 also the Secretary of this Committee. 



The Joint Committee, after arranging for this new order of 

 things, proceeded to consider the instructions which were to 

 guide the movements of the expedition, and as there were 

 many scientific interests to be served there was naturally 

 considerable divergence of opinion on points of detail, and it 

 was many months before these were finally decided. 



In the meantime my first task was to collect, as far as 

 possible, the various members of the expedition. It was 

 evident that there was far more work than I could hope to do 

 single-handed, and the best assistance I could have would be 

 from those who were to take part in the voyage. I shall give 

 some account of the individual officers and men in a future 

 chapter, confining myself here to the part they played in the 

 work of preparation. 



From a very early date I had set my mind on obtaining a 

 naval crew. I felt sure that their sense of discipline would be 

 an immense acquisition, and I had grave doubts as to my own 

 ability to deal with any other class of men. Mr. Goschen had 

 originally limited the Admiralty assistance in this respect to 

 two officers, myself and Mr. Royds, who was already at work 

 in our service. At a later date, however, the Admiralty 

 extended this limit to include Mr. Skelton, our engineer, a 

 carpenter, and a boatswain, and this gave us at any rate a 

 small naval nucleus. But beyond this for a long time the 

 Admiralty hesitated to assist us, and before the tide turned I 

 was almost reduced to despair of a concession which I thought 

 so necessary. 



In this matter and in many others I can never forget the 

 assistance which was given me by the late Sir Anthony 

 Hoskins. Sir Anthony loved to do his good deeds silently, 

 and it was not until long after that I learnt how frequently he 

 had lent a helping hand to the expedition. But any hesitation 

 the Admiralty may have had in granting naval seamen did not 

 spring from coldness towards the enterprise. The Sea Lords 

 were at this time Lord Walter Kerr, Sir Archibald Douglas, 



