ii6 THE VOYAGE OF THE 'DISCOVERY' [1902- 



Lieu tenant William Colbeck, R.N.R., was at this time in the 

 employment of Messrs. Wilson, of Hull, who generously lent 

 his services ; he had already been in the Antarctic Regions, 

 having spent a winter at Cape Adare with Sir George Newnes's 

 expedition, and he was therefore chosen as the most fitting 

 person to command this new venture. Colbeck selected some 

 of his officers and most of his men from amongst those with 

 whom he was personally acquainted ; many had served at one 

 time or another in the Wilson Line. The Admiralty showed 

 their interest in the enterprise by permitting two naval officers 

 to join the expedition. 



At length, all being prepared, the ' Morning ' left the 

 London Docks on July 9, 1902, and after a long sea voyage, 

 in which she rounded the Cape of Good Hope without 

 touching land, on November 16 she duly arrived at Lyttelton, 

 New Zealand, the base of all our operations. Here she 

 received the same generous treatment which had been 

 accorded to the 'Discovery,' and on December 6 made her 

 final departure for the South, stored with many an additional 

 present supplied by the kindly thought of our New Zealand 

 friends. 



Here perhaps it is necessary to pause for a moment to 

 consider the work which lay before Captain Colbeck and his 

 crew. 



Long before the ' Discovery ' had left New Zealand the 

 idea of a relief ship had been mooted, and although I saw 

 the great difficulties that were to be overcome in sending her, 

 I felt confident that if the thing was to be done. Sir Clements 

 Markham would do it. From any point of view it was 

 desirable to leave as much information as possible in our 

 track, and with this idea I had foreshadowed the positions at 

 which I hoped to be able to leave records, and had laid down 

 a rough programme for any ship which might follow us. 

 These instructions could only be indefinite ; but such as they 

 were, they stated that attempts would be made to leave in- 

 formation at one or more of a number of places — Cape Adare, 

 Possession Islands, Coulman Island, Wood Bay, Franklin 



