XVlll 



Borchgrevink and party may return in 

 safety. I have the honour to remain yours 

 faithfully,— JoHX F. Manx, Hon. Sec. 

 R.G.S.A. 



Field Naturalist Club of Victoria. Mel- 

 bourne, November 14. From George 

 Coghill, hon. secretary, conveying to Mr. 

 Borchgrevink sincere well wishes and 

 hopes for the scientific success of his expe- 

 dition. 



From Royal Geographical Society of 

 Australasia. Brisbane, November 15. From 



E. Dove Jones, for hon. secretary. (Tele- 

 gi'am) : — " The president and Council 

 desire that an expression of their heartiest 

 sympathy with his great enterprise may 

 be conveyed to Mr. Borchgrevink. The 

 developHients of his expedition will be 

 awaited with the deepest interest." 



"Launceston Microscopical Club, Laun- 

 ceston, Tasmania. November 8U, 1898. 

 Mousieur C. Borchgrevink, F.R.G.S., Com- 

 mander of Southern Cross Expedition. Sir, 

 — AVe have the honour to transmit to you 

 and the honourable members of your ex- 

 pedition the hearty congratulations of the 

 Launceston Microscopical Club upon your 

 arrival in Tasmania in the course of your 

 voyage to Antarctic parallels. Our mem- 

 bers desire to convey the expression of 

 their admiration of j-our courage and 

 enthusiasm in leading a force of explorers 

 to the unknown Continent, whence we 

 trust in due time to be able to welcome 

 you back laden with trophies of victories 

 achieved for science— We have, etc., W. 



F. Petterd (President), W. H. Twelve- 

 trees (Hon. Sec). 



His Excellency the Governor, 

 Viscount Gormanston, G.C.M.G., who 

 on rising was received with loud applause, 

 said : — My Lord, ladies, and gentlemen, — 

 We are assembled here this evening to 

 welcome to the shores of Tasmania 

 Mr. Borchgrevink and his companions, 

 Avho are about to undertake a most 

 arduous and most difficult expedi- 

 tion to clear up the various doubts 

 w^hich exist regarding the condition of the 

 vast Antarctic region situated not so manj^ 

 miles from the coast of this colony. I 

 therefore venture, not only on behalf of 

 you present, but on behalf of all the people 

 of Tasmania, to tender you, Mr. Borchgre- 

 vink and your companions, our most 

 hearty welcome to Tasmania, and express 

 our sincere wish that you may succeed in 

 your expedition, and returii in safety 

 therefrom. The Polar Arctic regions of 

 the North have been for some centuries, 

 and still are, engaging the attention of 

 many scientists and explorers ; but the 

 Antarctic regions of the South have 

 been, I may say, more or less neglected. 

 They have been explored slightly here and 

 there by explorers, but few"- have enteied 

 upon them for any distance, the great ice 

 barrier which extends for hundreds of 



miles preventing them ; and the object of 

 this expedition is to penetrate further into 

 the interior of that country. The only 

 expedition of note made into the Antarctic 

 regions was that which was instituted 'by 

 the Government of our country, when 

 the)' sent Her Majesty's ships Erebus 

 and Terror, under the command of the 

 late Sir James Ross, and which started, as 

 the present expedition is about to start 

 from Hobart. Many, I dare say, present- 

 in this room can remember when that ex- 

 pedition arrived, and what took place at 

 the time. But, though much information 

 was obtained by that expedition far more, 

 was left behind. In fact, in may be said, 

 that the Antarctic regions are in a true 

 sense of the term a terra incognita. It is to 

 explore and clear up the mystery in which 

 that land is enveloped that Mr. Borchgre- 

 vink and his companions have undertaken 

 their arduous and difficult task. (Applause.) 

 All honour to them for it. (Cheers.) Hard 

 will be their labours, and harder still the 

 effort, to carry out the object of theii expe- 

 dition in a proper, efficient, and fit manner. 

 It may be said that owing to the many 

 scientific and economic inventions of the 

 latter half of the century, Mr. Borchgre- 

 vink and his companions will be better 

 provided for tlian those who took part 

 in the expedition of Sir James Ross 

 in 1839-43. But they would have the same 

 climatic difficulties to encounter, the 

 same storms to battle with, and the same 

 fearful barrier of ice to face as Sir James. 

 Ross. I hope they will have the same 

 good fortune that attended Sir James Ross 

 in the matter of the health of their crew. 

 (Applause.) Most of the members of this 

 expedition are Scandinavians— belong to 

 the great Scandinavian race which in the 

 far back days of history, laid the founda- 

 tion of the Great British nation to which 

 we are so proud to belong. Their blood 

 flows in the veins of most of us, and it is 

 known that some of our chief char- 

 arteristics we have derived from our 

 Scandinavian ancestors. Mr. Borch- 

 grevink is, however, only partly a 

 Scandinavian. He is a British citizen 

 and a loyal subject of Her Majesty 

 Queen Victoria. (Cheers.) The vessel in 

 w hich he proceeds to the South, and all 

 belonging to it, have been made and 

 manufactured in the United Kingdom 

 —(applause)— and the expedition is sailing 

 under our old flag, which has braved the 

 battle and the breeze for a thousand years. 

 (Cheers.) More I need not say, except 

 this : I am sure you all here, and all the 

 colonists of Tasmania, wish and pray the 

 great God Almighty to bless and pro- 

 tect these gentlemen and their expedition, 

 and to grant them to return in safety from 

 the great and difficult work which they 

 have undertaken. (Applause.) 



Mr. Haywood then played " Rule 

 Britannia "upon the organ. 



